Barbara Neville's Blog, page 3
November 21, 2016
National Novel Writing Month
Coming down to the wire with my entry in NaNoWriMo: Hell to Pay, which is free , in progress and updated about every other day, on Smashwords.com this month. I have 46,485 of the 50,000 words finished. It looks like; in editing that I will be splitting it into two books, one in each series because my introductory chapter now spans a third of the manuscript. It is firmly based in 1885 Arizona, so a Cha'a Many Horses entry, while the second two-thirds is set in 2617 on Old Earth and it's surrounds. In any case, writing 50,000 words in one month is not a stretch for me, other than this particular November has some extra real life drama which steals away the hours. Nothing bad or sad, in fact a trip around our little planet, which I have seen my fair share of in the distant past. But, this newest adventure comes without parents to do all the shit work of planning and packing and getting jabs (not as painful as all the ones I got at 9 and 23 for me. I didn't even cry this time. Anyhow, it's a big planet and we should all strive to see more than just our own cultural neighborhood. International travel is enlightening, especially if you go on the economy rather than stay where the other tourists stay. Enlightening beyond anything you can imagine. My advice? Leave your safe little world and explore. Like Annie does in the SPirit Animal Series (Okay, blatant pandering, but you can ignore it). Cheers, Barb
November 9, 2016
Book Signing this Saturday
https://www.facebook.com/events/14863...
A new series:
The second box of new books arrived today. They are historic Western fiction. Set in 1885 Arizona and environs. I will have them and all the others with me at the Desert Legacy book signing this Saturday from 11 to 2. Just west of the old Fuel Stop in Sonoita.
I'll have to take a break from NaNoWriMo
I will also be Tucson at Bookmans Speedway on the 19th:
https://www.facebook.com/events/10979...
A new series:
The second box of new books arrived today. They are historic Western fiction. Set in 1885 Arizona and environs. I will have them and all the others with me at the Desert Legacy book signing this Saturday from 11 to 2. Just west of the old Fuel Stop in Sonoita.
I'll have to take a break from NaNoWriMo
I will also be Tucson at Bookmans Speedway on the 19th:
https://www.facebook.com/events/10979...
November 1, 2016
NaNoWriMo
Smashwords offers daily progress updates to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) participants.
My book progress updates are all free this month, if you want to read and follow along. The goal? To write 50,000+ words during the month of November. It could get exciting as I am anything but a linear writer. Chapters may come and go and will definitely be rearranged. And the end product may not match the description. I am in fact a proud NaNoWriMo rebel! Wish me luck!
Hell to Pay, an Ebook by Barbara Neville
Recently returned from 1885 Arizona, our intrepid travelers are enjoying a well deserved rest, when all hell breaks loose.
Save
SMASHWORDS.COM|BY BARBARA NEVILLE
My book progress updates are all free this month, if you want to read and follow along. The goal? To write 50,000+ words during the month of November. It could get exciting as I am anything but a linear writer. Chapters may come and go and will definitely be rearranged. And the end product may not match the description. I am in fact a proud NaNoWriMo rebel! Wish me luck!
Hell to Pay, an Ebook by Barbara Neville
Recently returned from 1885 Arizona, our intrepid travelers are enjoying a well deserved rest, when all hell breaks loose.
Save
SMASHWORDS.COM|BY BARBARA NEVILLE
October 2, 2016
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month is approaching. Twenty-nine days from now a number of writers, scribblers, finger painters, pencil and pen addicts and, more likely, keyboard users will join the race to write 50,000 words (Yep!) in the 30 days of November. Turkey day, black Friday, Cyber Monday and all.
Me, too. I did it last year, something in the neighborhood of 66k in 20 odd days. I was on a roll. Will it happen again? Only time will tell.
Everyone who hits 50k wins. The contest is against yourself. My favorite kind. I can be a tough opponent. Another beer, more chocolate, feed the livestock, eat meals. I'm heartless about these silly distractions. I mean, it's not like if I don't feed the livestock they'll die. Oh, wait...actually they're on pasture, so they won't die, but they'll miss me. Anyhow, I was indeed on a major roll.
NaNoWriMo is worth a look in any case. True 1,667 words a day is a lot. I'm pretty prolific, but weak under pressure.
I recommend trying though, there is no shame in losing. And, you might surprise yourself. Be sure (this is my hard and fast rule in any case) to write something you love. True, there's always agony. We lose our way. We notice that there is no plot. Our characters are blank chalk outlines with no personality. We left out any action at all.
Be sure that your guys breathe, at the very least. I could go on forever.
Breathing first, your story should breathe, it should sing, the character's lives should flow. If you hit your stride, they will flow, maybe not in the direction you are trying to push them. Aha. Maybe the hero is actually an evil slut. That's okay, she can be a closet bad guy. Or the villain.
My best writing days are the ones where I'm typing away and I lose track of the passage of time. I get to at point where, I've written the scene, chapter, part and I look up, at the room around me and I don't know if it's morning or afternoon. I wonder if I ate lunch.Or was the last meal dinner? I actually don't know. I've been in my fictional world, totally.
I've had no angst about where my characters are going, no anxiety about whether they should be going there, because, they are running the show. They do it much better than I do. Sure, I'll go back and edit and revise, upgrade my sparse sentences with atmosphere, action, whatever I left out in the rush to type.
But, the essence of these days is the essence of my guys (I am including girls, my protagonist is a kiss ass woman). It's my people and their unique world.
During NaNoWriMo you can let yourself go, vomit those stories out onto your screen, into your Scrivener screen, or whatever software you use. I love Scrivener, just saying.
On NaNoWriMo, I like the freedom to win or lose, it doesn't matter, you don't even have to put your manuscript into NaNoWriMo. Although no one reads it, unless you want them to, they only count the words you upload.
But, NaNoWriMo provides impetus, and, even if you don't communicate with anyone there, you still feel and can see how many people in all different nations of the world come together (virtually) for this one month and write. There are workshops and local meetings. Last year in my area, a small town nearby, we had a group of nine or so members, I didn't meet or communicate with any of them or even know who they were, being pretty much a hermit. I I may actually know them and not realize it.
Anyway, we had our own chart of how much each of us wrote each day, if we wanted to post it. We were ranked against other groups big and small all over the planet! How awesome is that?
Anyhow, check it out if you like: NaNoWriMo.com
And, cheers, mates, maybe we'll see your numbers there next month!
Me, too. I did it last year, something in the neighborhood of 66k in 20 odd days. I was on a roll. Will it happen again? Only time will tell.
Everyone who hits 50k wins. The contest is against yourself. My favorite kind. I can be a tough opponent. Another beer, more chocolate, feed the livestock, eat meals. I'm heartless about these silly distractions. I mean, it's not like if I don't feed the livestock they'll die. Oh, wait...actually they're on pasture, so they won't die, but they'll miss me. Anyhow, I was indeed on a major roll.
NaNoWriMo is worth a look in any case. True 1,667 words a day is a lot. I'm pretty prolific, but weak under pressure.
I recommend trying though, there is no shame in losing. And, you might surprise yourself. Be sure (this is my hard and fast rule in any case) to write something you love. True, there's always agony. We lose our way. We notice that there is no plot. Our characters are blank chalk outlines with no personality. We left out any action at all.
Be sure that your guys breathe, at the very least. I could go on forever.
Breathing first, your story should breathe, it should sing, the character's lives should flow. If you hit your stride, they will flow, maybe not in the direction you are trying to push them. Aha. Maybe the hero is actually an evil slut. That's okay, she can be a closet bad guy. Or the villain.
My best writing days are the ones where I'm typing away and I lose track of the passage of time. I get to at point where, I've written the scene, chapter, part and I look up, at the room around me and I don't know if it's morning or afternoon. I wonder if I ate lunch.Or was the last meal dinner? I actually don't know. I've been in my fictional world, totally.
I've had no angst about where my characters are going, no anxiety about whether they should be going there, because, they are running the show. They do it much better than I do. Sure, I'll go back and edit and revise, upgrade my sparse sentences with atmosphere, action, whatever I left out in the rush to type.
But, the essence of these days is the essence of my guys (I am including girls, my protagonist is a kiss ass woman). It's my people and their unique world.
During NaNoWriMo you can let yourself go, vomit those stories out onto your screen, into your Scrivener screen, or whatever software you use. I love Scrivener, just saying.
On NaNoWriMo, I like the freedom to win or lose, it doesn't matter, you don't even have to put your manuscript into NaNoWriMo. Although no one reads it, unless you want them to, they only count the words you upload.
But, NaNoWriMo provides impetus, and, even if you don't communicate with anyone there, you still feel and can see how many people in all different nations of the world come together (virtually) for this one month and write. There are workshops and local meetings. Last year in my area, a small town nearby, we had a group of nine or so members, I didn't meet or communicate with any of them or even know who they were, being pretty much a hermit. I I may actually know them and not realize it.
Anyway, we had our own chart of how much each of us wrote each day, if we wanted to post it. We were ranked against other groups big and small all over the planet! How awesome is that?
Anyhow, check it out if you like: NaNoWriMo.com
And, cheers, mates, maybe we'll see your numbers there next month!
August 12, 2016
Apache Iron Horse
I have dipped my toe into the idea or releasing the next book in chapter form, for reading participation. I decided to give it a try with the newest book, which is a fork in the series road, but not a complete departure. It's based on history (but fictional) travel guide into a, more or less, real world. Anyway, comments and advice are welcome, this is a rough draft. None of the chapters are complete until the book is, I do ongoing editing and expansion. Here we go:
“After seventeen days of travel, I came upon a 'rancheria' of the Indians who follow these cattle (bison). These natives are called Querechos (Apaches). They do not cultivate the land, but eat raw meat and drink the blood of the cattle (bison) they kill. They dress in the skins of the cattle, with which all the people in this land clothe themselves, and they have very well-constructed tents, made with tanned and greased cowhides, in which they live and which they take along as they follow the cattle. They have dogs which they load to carry their tents, poles, and belongings.”-Francisco Coronado, 1541.
1 Amigos
They fire three warning shots.
We hit the dirt.
“Olle, amigos,” someone behind us says. “Levantanses. Y manos arriba.”
I hear the click of a hammer engaging and rolling the cylinder of his gun.
We stand up.
“They said hands up,” I say, raising mine.
“I think we got that from their tone, darlin’,” says Crazy, hands already in the air.
The rest are at hand high attention, too.
“Que pasa?” I ask, peering over my shoulder at them. One is dishwater blond, in a light colored suit, pale and pasty all ‘round. The other two are dark brown with black hair, dressed in white, campesino style.
“Son Indios,” says one of them.
“No. Hablan Ingles,” says the other.
“Mebbe some of ‘em do,” says the white eyes.
“I got English and blue eyes,” I say.
“You ain’t Injin?” he asks.
“Am I wearin’ moccasins?” I ask, looking pointedly at my cowboy boots.
“Okay,” says the white eyes. “What’s you're business here?”
“None of yores,” I say.
“Watch it, cowboy,” he says.
“Do you need glasses?” I ask. “I’m a cowgirl.”
“Shut up,” he says. “Them others is Injins.”
Three of us are dressed cowboy. The other three are in beaded buckskins.
“I got a badge,” says Crazy, dressed cowboy today.
“Huh?”
“Let me explain,” I say. “Okay?”
“Por favor,” says the other guy.
“Good, but partly in English. My Spanish is rusty. Okay?”
White eyes nods.
I turn around, see the ends of their gun barrels still pointing at us, and say, “We’re not wild Injins. We’re lookin’ fer renegade Apache. These here are our scouts.”
Hey, on the spot story invention. Woo tah.
“Ain’t no Apache down south here,” says the white eye.
“No, we come down by ship from Frisco, goin’ ta catch the train north,” I say.
“I see,” says the white eye.
“I’m a deputy U. S. marshal,” says Crazy. “Badge is in my pocket. Can you lower them guns?”
“I reckon I’ll think about it,” he says.
“We’re in a hurry, boss,” I say to Crazy Horse. “Don’t wanna miss our train.”
“We’re lookin’ fer a place to buy some ridin’ horses,” says Crazy.
“Ranch down that next road, on the end, ask there,” says white eyes, finally lowering his six shooter. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. Good luck.”
“Thank ya kindly, gents, ” says Crazy, shaking their hands.
They walk on down the main road.
We turn into the ranch road.
Once they’re out of sight, I say, “Well, that’s a fine introduction to Mexico,” I say. “Barely arrived and we’ve already been waylaid.”
“After seventeen days of travel, I came upon a 'rancheria' of the Indians who follow these cattle (bison). These natives are called Querechos (Apaches). They do not cultivate the land, but eat raw meat and drink the blood of the cattle (bison) they kill. They dress in the skins of the cattle, with which all the people in this land clothe themselves, and they have very well-constructed tents, made with tanned and greased cowhides, in which they live and which they take along as they follow the cattle. They have dogs which they load to carry their tents, poles, and belongings.”-Francisco Coronado, 1541.
1 Amigos
They fire three warning shots.
We hit the dirt.
“Olle, amigos,” someone behind us says. “Levantanses. Y manos arriba.”
I hear the click of a hammer engaging and rolling the cylinder of his gun.
We stand up.
“They said hands up,” I say, raising mine.
“I think we got that from their tone, darlin’,” says Crazy, hands already in the air.
The rest are at hand high attention, too.
“Que pasa?” I ask, peering over my shoulder at them. One is dishwater blond, in a light colored suit, pale and pasty all ‘round. The other two are dark brown with black hair, dressed in white, campesino style.
“Son Indios,” says one of them.
“No. Hablan Ingles,” says the other.
“Mebbe some of ‘em do,” says the white eyes.
“I got English and blue eyes,” I say.
“You ain’t Injin?” he asks.
“Am I wearin’ moccasins?” I ask, looking pointedly at my cowboy boots.
“Okay,” says the white eyes. “What’s you're business here?”
“None of yores,” I say.
“Watch it, cowboy,” he says.
“Do you need glasses?” I ask. “I’m a cowgirl.”
“Shut up,” he says. “Them others is Injins.”
Three of us are dressed cowboy. The other three are in beaded buckskins.
“I got a badge,” says Crazy, dressed cowboy today.
“Huh?”
“Let me explain,” I say. “Okay?”
“Por favor,” says the other guy.
“Good, but partly in English. My Spanish is rusty. Okay?”
White eyes nods.
I turn around, see the ends of their gun barrels still pointing at us, and say, “We’re not wild Injins. We’re lookin’ fer renegade Apache. These here are our scouts.”
Hey, on the spot story invention. Woo tah.
“Ain’t no Apache down south here,” says the white eye.
“No, we come down by ship from Frisco, goin’ ta catch the train north,” I say.
“I see,” says the white eye.
“I’m a deputy U. S. marshal,” says Crazy. “Badge is in my pocket. Can you lower them guns?”
“I reckon I’ll think about it,” he says.
“We’re in a hurry, boss,” I say to Crazy Horse. “Don’t wanna miss our train.”
“We’re lookin’ fer a place to buy some ridin’ horses,” says Crazy.
“Ranch down that next road, on the end, ask there,” says white eyes, finally lowering his six shooter. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. Good luck.”
“Thank ya kindly, gents, ” says Crazy, shaking their hands.
They walk on down the main road.
We turn into the ranch road.
Once they’re out of sight, I say, “Well, that’s a fine introduction to Mexico,” I say. “Barely arrived and we’ve already been waylaid.”
June 20, 2016
Rain in Arizona
It's raining outside, after a hundred plus degree afternoon. It isn't supposed to rain. June is southern Arizona's driest month. San Juan's Day (June 24th) is the average return of the annual monsoon, a hundred miles south of here in Hermosillo, Sonora. Ours usually hits us in the park on the 4th of July. With the hundred degrees morning and early afternoon and the rain, mostly light now, I've gotten a lot done indoors on the keyboard. I've updated the new book. Cowboy Dictionary is the name. It's in preorder on Amazon. It is a compilation of the cowboy vernacular terms my characters use and plus Hawaiian pidgin, and some Spanish. Plus character descriptions. It's set up to accompany the series as word has it that some found it entertaining in and of itself. A short book, very short at ten or eleven pages. And I added another three thousand pages to book ten. The rain is reminding me to add atmosphere. Which is what I started doing this morning, then I got sidetracked by plot. Such is life. I follow the muse more than the outline. Don't really have an outline yet at 24,500 word in. And, I recommend you follow your muse. It's fun. And don't forget to read, it opens new worlds
June 13, 2016
Navigating the maze
For the new writer, there is no end of advice. Get lots of reviews. Reviews don't matter. Read a lot. Use Facebook ads. Show, don't tell. Or show , don't tell is bad advice. Write, write write. Listen to the plethora of online seminars.MOst of which don't tell you quite enough, but have a fabulous $10,000 product that they will sell you for $600 bucks. Hey, they may be fabulous and well worth the money, I don't know.
Okay, reviews: I used to read reviews before I went a movie To a rock concert. I missed out on seeing Elvis, because I read a bad review in the newspaper. Then, he died.
I've watched countless movies I loved or hated based on reviews that told me the opposite. Well reviewed books? No surprise, same thing. There are huge selling authors who tell, don't show. Not my thing. I just started listening to a New York Times bestselling author's latest book. It tells and tells and tells, I am a third of the way in. Will someone please speak? I usually like her books, have read most of them. But not my first choice. Could be yours. We are all individuals. I like dialogue, I greatly prefer first person. I like to be shown. One of my favorite movies, which I've watched over and over because good movies are hard to find, is Armageddon, which I like for the witty repartee between the actors. Firefly is the classic. I like action, too, but the snarky dialogue is what grabs me.
Spenser and Hawk (or Z), Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, Stone Barrington and Dino, Stephanie Plum and Lula, Longmire and Vic. I especially love Vic's smart mouth. The buddy thing; Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon movies.
The list isn't long enough, I want more. I like the smartass, the plot is less important. As Ace Atkins said recently (and I paraphrase); if you're reading Spenser for the plot, you're missing the whole point. Sure, that may be the opposite of what you like. Sly Stone said it best, "Different Strokes for Different Folks." I want to be drawn in, be a part of the conversation, be in on the action. Be the protagonist or be in love with him, either way. Be the most badass cowboy in the saloon. But, hey, maybe that's just me.
Okay, reviews: I used to read reviews before I went a movie To a rock concert. I missed out on seeing Elvis, because I read a bad review in the newspaper. Then, he died.
I've watched countless movies I loved or hated based on reviews that told me the opposite. Well reviewed books? No surprise, same thing. There are huge selling authors who tell, don't show. Not my thing. I just started listening to a New York Times bestselling author's latest book. It tells and tells and tells, I am a third of the way in. Will someone please speak? I usually like her books, have read most of them. But not my first choice. Could be yours. We are all individuals. I like dialogue, I greatly prefer first person. I like to be shown. One of my favorite movies, which I've watched over and over because good movies are hard to find, is Armageddon, which I like for the witty repartee between the actors. Firefly is the classic. I like action, too, but the snarky dialogue is what grabs me.
Spenser and Hawk (or Z), Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, Stone Barrington and Dino, Stephanie Plum and Lula, Longmire and Vic. I especially love Vic's smart mouth. The buddy thing; Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon movies.
The list isn't long enough, I want more. I like the smartass, the plot is less important. As Ace Atkins said recently (and I paraphrase); if you're reading Spenser for the plot, you're missing the whole point. Sure, that may be the opposite of what you like. Sly Stone said it best, "Different Strokes for Different Folks." I want to be drawn in, be a part of the conversation, be in on the action. Be the protagonist or be in love with him, either way. Be the most badass cowboy in the saloon. But, hey, maybe that's just me.
May 5, 2016
Couples, throuples, fourples, and monogamish
Reinterpreting relationships. The new big thing on TV is throuples and three ways. A throuple is three people in a (traditionally couples-two people- in a relationship). Aka polyamory. It's a redefinition, not new, of marriage. Robert Heinlein, in "Stranger in a Strange Land", was my first introduction to the beast. I don't mean it in a bad way, big fan in fact.
Recently, someone coined the term 'throuple', I heard it on "You Me Her" (Audience network) and had to run with it. I saw a teaser for another show, whose name slips my mind, for a threesome. Or talk of one. Talk's cheap. So, in order to define the relationship for the situation that Annie, in my books, has with her men, I had to expand throuple beyond three. Fourple and quadouple (yikes) aren't enough. Quouple? Quiple? In plain English, there's five of them. How about quintouple? Or drop the 'O', for quintuple. All five get along fine, so far. It's fiction...or maybe not. And Annie is loving it! Comments?
Recently, someone coined the term 'throuple', I heard it on "You Me Her" (Audience network) and had to run with it. I saw a teaser for another show, whose name slips my mind, for a threesome. Or talk of one. Talk's cheap. So, in order to define the relationship for the situation that Annie, in my books, has with her men, I had to expand throuple beyond three. Fourple and quadouple (yikes) aren't enough. Quouple? Quiple? In plain English, there's five of them. How about quintouple? Or drop the 'O', for quintuple. All five get along fine, so far. It's fiction...or maybe not. And Annie is loving it! Comments?
April 19, 2016
Three dimensional characters
“I love the cowboy, dinosaurs, spaceships. The plus in this book was Annie and Lone Wolf.” From a recent review of On the Rocks.
Wolf is interesting in that, while a very giving guy, he is also an unrevealing guy. Wolf has a verbal brevity, known in the books as Injin shorthand. He doesn't like to talk, but when he does, everyone better pay attention. His words are short, often gruff, but important. Even lifesaving.
He puts a lot of faith in dreams, especially Annie's, which she totally doesn't believe in. Her's is more a cut and dried world of facts and logic. She tends to only believe in that which she has personally experienced.
It makes for a good byplay, Wolf's belief that Annie has prophetic dreams and her's that prophetic dreams don't exist. Although Wolf seems to be making inroads into her consciousness over time, Annie's firm belief in coincidence appears to be being eroded by more and more dreams becoming reality. Is Annie actually prescient? I don't know either.
Wolf is interesting in that, while a very giving guy, he is also an unrevealing guy. Wolf has a verbal brevity, known in the books as Injin shorthand. He doesn't like to talk, but when he does, everyone better pay attention. His words are short, often gruff, but important. Even lifesaving.
He puts a lot of faith in dreams, especially Annie's, which she totally doesn't believe in. Her's is more a cut and dried world of facts and logic. She tends to only believe in that which she has personally experienced.
It makes for a good byplay, Wolf's belief that Annie has prophetic dreams and her's that prophetic dreams don't exist. Although Wolf seems to be making inroads into her consciousness over time, Annie's firm belief in coincidence appears to be being eroded by more and more dreams becoming reality. Is Annie actually prescient? I don't know either.
April 15, 2016
Broken Warrior
This is my new description lead-in for book eight:
“Shit. They’re f**king chasing me.”
Terrorized. Lost. Alone. Unarmed.
Will war veteran Annie Many Horses have to kill them all? Life was grand yesterday on the Bar None Ranch, then people started growing scales. Morphing. Dinosaurs. Her family & friends? Gone. Presumed eaten. It’s them or her.
“Shit. They’re f**king chasing me.”
Terrorized. Lost. Alone. Unarmed.
Will war veteran Annie Many Horses have to kill them all? Life was grand yesterday on the Bar None Ranch, then people started growing scales. Morphing. Dinosaurs. Her family & friends? Gone. Presumed eaten. It’s them or her.
