Reece Evhans's Blog

21 Harsh But Eye-Opening Writing Tips From Great Authors

revhans:

I love these tips. I hope all my writer friends will draw some inspiration and maybe comfort from them. Thanks to Cody Delistraty for compiling them in this great post!

Originally posted on Thought Catalog:

A lot of people think they can write or paint or draw or sing or make movies or what-have-you, but having an artistic temperament doth not make one an artist.

Even the great writers of our time have tried and failed and failed some more. Vladimir Nabokov received a harsh rejection letter from Knopf upon submitting Lolita, which would later go on to sell fifty million copies. Sylvia Plath���s first rejection letter for The Bell Jar read, ���There certainly isn���t enough genuine talent for us to take notice.��� Gertrude Stein received a cruel rejection letter that mocked her style. Marcel Proust���s Swann���s Way earned him a sprawling rejection letter regarding the reasons he should simply give up writing all together. Tim Burton���s first illustrated book, The Giant Zlig, got the thumbs down from Walt Disney Productions, and even Jack Kerouac���s perennial On the Road received a particularly blunt���

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Writing Tips: Outline VS Free Writing

revhans:

Thanks, Adam, for a great post to get us thinking about our process. What do you guys all think? To outline or not to outline? What’s your process?

Originally posted on Thoughts from Author Adam Gainer:

Hey Writers!

Here���s an interesting debate I think all scribblers face. I have been thinking about recently and so, I decided to share my thoughts with you. I hope you find this informative.

What���s better, free writing or outlining?

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Book Review: Alora: The Wander-Jewel (The Alora Series Book 1)

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Get it on amazon

This charming YA fantasy is the story of Alora, a 15-year-old who lives in snowy Montana and has a mysterious jewel in her belly button. To make things even livelier, she starts having visions of a cute (of course!) guy while she���s in the shower. She soon discovers that she is a bearer from another realm and her evil father is searching for her.

The story sweeps from Montana to Laegenshire and back many times as Alora and her soulmate, Kaevin, attempt to save the lives of their family and friends and keep the evil Vindrake from destroying Stone Clan.

This story is well written and well edited and makes for a fun read. Dearen has created engaging, lovable characters that you can���t help rooting for. In a nice break from the traditional YA trope of no-parents allowed, both Alora and Kaevin have to deal with the various adults in their lives and their sometimes over-protective ways. I look forward to reading the rest of the series soon.

Overall recommendation: 5 stars. You can���t go wrong with this one!

Sneaky peek!

revhans:

Loved the first book! See my review http://bit.ly/1C2i2nC. Looking forward to Book 2.

Originally posted on amoransoley:

The second Eshla adventure is nearly ready! I can���t resist sharing this draft of the cover, what do you think?

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Also! The Lost Heirs (book 1) will be free for 24 hours, starting midnight tonight! Get your copy here:

http://amzn.com/B00NJX2DQY

The Lost Heirs: The first story of Eshla

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Book Review: Only a Kiss by Ines Bautista-Yao

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Get it on amazon

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This is the rather epic story of Katie and Chris, from their first kiss to their search for a happily-ever-after as young adults. The story is set in the Philippines and offers a unique look into another culture. Katie basically orders Chris to kiss her at wedding of her Ate Regina in order to prevent a curse. The kiss changes everything and we get to watch as Chris and Katie���s love develops over the course of their childhood, into young adulthood.

What I Liked:

I loved the fact that it took place in the Philippines. It made for a refreshing change of pace. The characters were engaging and you can���t help rooting for both of them.

Not So Much:

I really loved this story and hesitate to criticize it for what���s not there. Having said that, for my taste, I would have liked more context to the setting. It was a while before I realized it was set in the Philippines and I could have used more background. Again, this is personal taste and the author obviously chose not to do this for a reason.

Overall:

Definitely recommended. 4/5 stars. Bautista-Yao represents a welcome voice to the YA genre.

Book Review: Enchanted (The Summer Solstice Book 1) by K.K. Allen

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But it on amazon

Kat is a 16 year-old whose life has been turned upside down by the sudden death of her mother. She moves to Florida to live with her estranged grandmother and soon finds out that her family has some interesting secrets. Being born on the summer solstice has imbued Kat with powers that she has a difficult time believing, much less controlling. Add in the gorgeous guy next door who can���t know about these powers and you���ve got all the ingredients for an engrossing tale. Magic and mythology weave through this wonderful YA debut.

What I Love:

Kat is a sympathetic character and we get to know her as she grows and develops throughout the story. We only know what she knows and it really keeps the suspense tight.

Not So Much:

Yes, it���s formulaic, but there is a comfort in a successful formula that leads to a satisfying read. The ending made me check to see that the sequel is available.

Overall:

Highly recommended. 5/5 stars. Bravo on a fantastic debut and a great contribution to the YA genre!

Book Review: Spelled by Kate St. Clair

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Cover links to amazon.com

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[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through Masquerade Tours��� Reader Round-Up program in exchange for an honest review.]

Spelled is the story of Georgia and her four siblings as they learn that they are all blood witches. Life in their small Texas town is dangerous for witches, however, and they must deal with a variety of people who are trying to destroy their lives. Georgia finds help and support from the hot new guy at school who has some secrets of his own.

What I liked:

The plot and backstory are great. St. Clair has created a wonderful mythology for her characters that pulls from Irish history as well as Hispanic lore. The plot is well thought and engaging, following an arc that makes sense and satisfies the reader.

��

Not so much:

I just wanted more: more character development. I think I like Georgia and Luke, but 100 pages were just not enough to get really attached. If I were in charge of the world, this would become a full-length novel. There would be more of everyone, especially the siblings. The stepdad would also have a bigger part, and thus side step the YA trope of absentee parents.

Overall:

Definitely recommended. I look forward to the rest of the series. 4/5 stars.

Exciting News: A Publishing Contract!

So, there I was, busily editing and revising Book 3 in The Seeker Series, trying to get it ready to publish on amazon, when an email notification popped up on my desktop: a response to my latest query to a publisher. Now, just so you understand and have a proper framework for this story, I have an email folder devoted to my multitudinous queries and their corresponding rejections. I���m sure many of my fellow authors have something similar. This particular query had advanced to the stage where they had requested the full manuscript and I was fully expecting the usual ���thanks but no thanks��� response. So, the notification pops up, and I think, ���Oh, great! Just what I need���yet another rejection right before I go to bed.��� I nearly convinced myself to save the pain for morning. I���m really glad I didn���t because the email was short and to the point: we would like to offer you a contract for The Seeker Series, if you are still interested.

OMG! I just about fell off the couch. Finally! I managed to contain myself long enough to send a response: Yes, thank you. I am interested in signing with you. Then I headed to the pantry to see if I had a bottle of champagne left over from New Year���s Eve. Nothing like an entire bottle of champagne at 11:00 pm, huh?

I cannot express the level of legitimacy and encouragement this gives me as a writer. Someone, beyond my family and friends, believes that my writing has potential. I am so excited to embark on this next step in my writing career and hope to have lots of new experiences to share with my readers soon. My publisher (can I just stop and say how much I LOVE saying that!) wants me to change the titles, and I���m not such a diva that I would refuse, so I am talking to my fans���all five of them���about ideas. I am also busy unpublishing the current versions and changing my Twitter and Facebook profiles. I can hardly wait to see my books after they have been professionally edited and with new covers! Sweet! I feel so lucky! Yes, I���ve worked hard to make this happen, but so have many other authors.

Stay tuned for more info about release dates, cover reveals, etc. I���m sure I will be plastering them all over this blog and all my social media. Thanks for your support!

New Year’s Portents

And yesterday the bird of night did sit

Even at noon-day upon the marketplace,

Hooting and shrieking. When these prodigies

Do so conjointly meet, let not men say,

“These are their reasons. They are natural.”

For I believe they are portentous things

Unto the climate that they point upon.

-Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

 

Writers tend to look at things a little differently than many folks. This universal truth was brought home to me yesterday as I spent the day with my best friend, who is also a writer. It started as we headed out for a day of antique/thrift shopping when we spotted two wood-paneled station wagons pass us, very close together.

“Huh, what are the odds of that?” asked my friend. Seriously, you just don’t see those anymore.

“Well, it’s clearly a sign,” I replied. “This will be an auspicious day, I’m sure.”

After the first antique shop, we decided to stop by a New Year’s open house party, hosted by some of her friends.

“Get a picture of that! Quick!” my friend yelled, pointing out the passenger window past me.

“A picture of what?” I replied, puzzled.

“The owl!”

There it was, sitting on the ground right under a street sign. Now, everyone knows owls should not be sitting on the ground in the middle of the day, so we went to the party, fully prepared to execute the Great Owl Rescue of 2015 as soon as we begged a large box from the party hosts. Thankfully, the owl was gone when we returned, and I like to think it simply decided to go home. I am banishing all visions of it being carried away in the jaws of a large dog. I just can’t go there.

The story does not end there, however. As we continued to shop, bent on finding treasure squirreled away on a dusty shelf, we started noticing owls everywhere. I would be innocently looking for yet another teapot or some reasonably priced Fiestaware, when there it was: some damned owl knick-knack staring at me. And then another. And another. I stopped counting at 27.

The entire rack of owl salt-n-pepper shakers at Bed, Bath and Beyond (my friend lovingly refers to it as Bloodbath and Beyond) was really     over the top.

 I was curious and faintly alarmed, so I Googled owl portents. Death, of course. I thought so, but I wanted to be sure. Actually, while many cultures do view owls as evil harbingers of one kind or another, there are a few that see them as signs of fertility (not that I want that, either!) or good luck. The Greeks thought they accompanied wisdom, which I could definitely use.

So, all in all it was an interesting start to my new year, but what struck me most was that my writer friend and I immediately jumped to the most fantastical conclusions. Most people, the ones who don’t make up stories for a living, would just think, “Huh. That’s a lot of owls in one day.”

On a brighter note, we did find the treasure of the year:

 

            Fantastic, I know!

Sequels by Reece Evhans & Karin Boutall

revhans:

A wonderful blog post featuring one of my books!!

Originally posted on amoransoley:

With a grade 2 sprain to my ankle this has been a weekend for reading and very little else! As I’m close to finishing my second book I decided to have a look at the sequels published by a couple of the authors I’ve discovered through WordPress. Here are my thoughts:

‘The Charge of a Star’ is the second book in the Seeker Series by Reece Evhans and picks up perfectly where the last left off. Ally is in Ireland looking for answers regarding her developing psychic powers. However, the sweet old ladies who make up the seer council have a slightly different agenda and Ally heads back to Albuquerque with more to think about than she was bargaining for. It’s not long before her powers plunge Ally headlong into another dangerous adventure and a quest to resolve a past crime.
As with the first book in the series, Ally’s…

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