Kim Wells's Blog, page 12
January 2, 2015
Interview-y goodness
Today I'm featured in the really cool blog Chimeras by my awesome friend E.E. Giorgi, talking about Mariposa, my work on the Apocalypse Weird, and some of my future plans for books after all the current ones I'm moving around on top of the writerly-stove.I might have another longer blog entry today but for now, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the interview. I've done it a bunch of times from the other side of the interview chair but it's a lot more fun this way. I'm fairly certain I sound goofy, though. But that's just my inner critic, and she can be really difficult to work with (nuh uh! I'm an angel!) Okay, so now I have two personalities talking to each other on my blog. Yeah. That can't be good.
Leave me to my crazy and go read the interview. And do something New Years-related.....
January 1, 2015
The Ghosts of Mariposa & General Musings
So one of the questions that I got when I sent out Mariposa to beta readers was if the ghosts in the story are real ghosts. And part of me hates to say yes because then it feels like I cheated by using real stories but then again, the truth is the truth. But I took those stories and asked "What if? What caused them to become trapped? How did they die?" and then I wrote THAT story. I think it worked out pretty well.
And San Antonio, being such an old-world city in the new world, has a LOT of them. I wanted to do a whole scene with the entire cast of the Battle of the Alamo but then I figured that was probably out of my reach. I like to think some of them might have showed up in one of the big scenes (no spoilers!) but who knows?
So the answer is Yes. All but two of the ghost characters in the story are based on "true-ghost tales" of San Antonio and parts otherly (some even north of the Mason-Dixon!). It was amazing researching that, and there are a few ghosts that I learned about in the research process that didn't make it into Mariposa that are going to show up in the sequel, tentatively titled Orpheus & the Butterfly. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll have seen the possible cover for that book in a critique session I did a few weeks ago. If you don't already follow me then go over and check it out!
There is also at least one mythological character who is based on a real life character, as well as some literary allusion mixed in there, too. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the book yet, but I'd love people to tell me your guesses for where some of the bigger characters come from.
I like to research. I like to find stories, and pictures, and songs, and all kinds of things that build the world in my head. And I know as a reader, I love it when an author tells me some of the "behind-the-scenes" moments to a story, like maybe a video that inspired them. One music video that was intensely crucial to the writing of two of the creepier scenes is this one, from the Amazing band Coco-Rosie.
If you've read the book, you might be able to guess which character was inspired partly by these two immensely creepy ladies, and which character the handsome hanged man might have been a little bit like.
Then there's the Pinterest file. Do NOT look at it if you are afraid of Spoilers, but if you're wondering if some of the places in the book are real, the answer to that is YES too. I love San Antonio, and the book became a bit of a love-letter to it. But I'm a Texpatriate-- a Texan living abroad from their home country. In search of good Mexican food and other Texans, we exiles long to return.... (which we will be doing probably in 2015, and I will be super happy). I make one of these for all my works-in-progress, so if you don't want spoilers for future novels, I urge you to NOT look at those, either. (So why am I putting it here? For those of you who HAVE read it. Don't open that box, Pandora...... seriously.)
Finally, there's the Mariposa music playlist. I had a different one when I started writing but that web service went away eventually. Now you'll have to settle for the one I recreated. It includes the song that is in the intro, "The Ghost You Know" by Lauren Hoffman, who let me keep it in the book's intro and for which I am very grateful. As soon as the book is out in print, I'll be sending her a signed copy. :)
And that's another bit of news: I'm well on the way to there being real print copies of the book for people to buy. When there are, I will post a link of how to buy it and how to get a signed copy of it from me, too. I'm just waiting to get the large file version of my book cover art. When it was created for me by my amazing cover artist Lawrence Mann, I flaked and did something weird with the folder he sent me the art in. It's on my computer somewhere, but heck if I know where I put it. Anyway-- the point is: soooooon. Soon you can actually read a real live in your hands, pages smelling of old vanilla BOOK. With my name autographed on it, and possibly something pithy and Oscar Wilde-ish. I think I'll go practice the signature now....
Happy New Year, y'all! It's rainy, cold couch-weather here in Louisiana. I've had my black-eyed peas and am ready for another movie to watch. 2015 will be a big year, I hope, and I hope some of y'all will come with me!
And San Antonio, being such an old-world city in the new world, has a LOT of them. I wanted to do a whole scene with the entire cast of the Battle of the Alamo but then I figured that was probably out of my reach. I like to think some of them might have showed up in one of the big scenes (no spoilers!) but who knows?
So the answer is Yes. All but two of the ghost characters in the story are based on "true-ghost tales" of San Antonio and parts otherly (some even north of the Mason-Dixon!). It was amazing researching that, and there are a few ghosts that I learned about in the research process that didn't make it into Mariposa that are going to show up in the sequel, tentatively titled Orpheus & the Butterfly. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll have seen the possible cover for that book in a critique session I did a few weeks ago. If you don't already follow me then go over and check it out!
There is also at least one mythological character who is based on a real life character, as well as some literary allusion mixed in there, too. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the book yet, but I'd love people to tell me your guesses for where some of the bigger characters come from.
I like to research. I like to find stories, and pictures, and songs, and all kinds of things that build the world in my head. And I know as a reader, I love it when an author tells me some of the "behind-the-scenes" moments to a story, like maybe a video that inspired them. One music video that was intensely crucial to the writing of two of the creepier scenes is this one, from the Amazing band Coco-Rosie.
If you've read the book, you might be able to guess which character was inspired partly by these two immensely creepy ladies, and which character the handsome hanged man might have been a little bit like.
Then there's the Pinterest file. Do NOT look at it if you are afraid of Spoilers, but if you're wondering if some of the places in the book are real, the answer to that is YES too. I love San Antonio, and the book became a bit of a love-letter to it. But I'm a Texpatriate-- a Texan living abroad from their home country. In search of good Mexican food and other Texans, we exiles long to return.... (which we will be doing probably in 2015, and I will be super happy). I make one of these for all my works-in-progress, so if you don't want spoilers for future novels, I urge you to NOT look at those, either. (So why am I putting it here? For those of you who HAVE read it. Don't open that box, Pandora...... seriously.)
Finally, there's the Mariposa music playlist. I had a different one when I started writing but that web service went away eventually. Now you'll have to settle for the one I recreated. It includes the song that is in the intro, "The Ghost You Know" by Lauren Hoffman, who let me keep it in the book's intro and for which I am very grateful. As soon as the book is out in print, I'll be sending her a signed copy. :)
And that's another bit of news: I'm well on the way to there being real print copies of the book for people to buy. When there are, I will post a link of how to buy it and how to get a signed copy of it from me, too. I'm just waiting to get the large file version of my book cover art. When it was created for me by my amazing cover artist Lawrence Mann, I flaked and did something weird with the folder he sent me the art in. It's on my computer somewhere, but heck if I know where I put it. Anyway-- the point is: soooooon. Soon you can actually read a real live in your hands, pages smelling of old vanilla BOOK. With my name autographed on it, and possibly something pithy and Oscar Wilde-ish. I think I'll go practice the signature now....
Happy New Year, y'all! It's rainy, cold couch-weather here in Louisiana. I've had my black-eyed peas and am ready for another movie to watch. 2015 will be a big year, I hope, and I hope some of y'all will come with me!
December 28, 2014
Poor New Orleans
More writing over the Christmas break on the Apocalypse Weird book, which is an apocalypse in New Orleans (and a little bit in Shreveport.)
I wrote some pretty nifty things on the drive back & forth between home & Texas this week. Husband drove and I wrote on the laptop. One of the days was frustrating because I didn't have wi-fi and couldn't research the city area I was writing about. I had maps, but they weren't nearly as helpful as a live Google Map.
Yesterday, I was talking about one of my plot plans with my hubs, and I mentioned something I might do with my crazy apocalyptic New Orleans landscape. I've already done some horrible things to the city, which I truly love, and which is one of my favorite ever places. I feel kind of bad about that. (Not really. It's so much fun!) There might be some of NOLA's famous trolleys involved. Ooh, and a fun fact I learned: Canal Street, one of the most recognizable, famous landmarks of the French Quarter, was at one time meant to be an actual canal. When the plans fell through, they kept the name. I had no idea! It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun for my story... although I can think of some ways I could have made it work. (Evil Author Grin.)
But the idea I came up with yesterday has me grinning with serious joy. I mean, really. I cannot wait until Monday when I will sit and write that section. There will be a couple of crossover references to two of the other Apocalypse Weird authors, which is something that we've been having a lot of fun talking about in the collaborative group.
Let me just say-- it's going to be so much fun. If I weren't involved in writing one of these books, I would still be waiting with a lot of excitement for them to come out just to read.
I wrote some pretty nifty things on the drive back & forth between home & Texas this week. Husband drove and I wrote on the laptop. One of the days was frustrating because I didn't have wi-fi and couldn't research the city area I was writing about. I had maps, but they weren't nearly as helpful as a live Google Map.
Yesterday, I was talking about one of my plot plans with my hubs, and I mentioned something I might do with my crazy apocalyptic New Orleans landscape. I've already done some horrible things to the city, which I truly love, and which is one of my favorite ever places. I feel kind of bad about that. (Not really. It's so much fun!) There might be some of NOLA's famous trolleys involved. Ooh, and a fun fact I learned: Canal Street, one of the most recognizable, famous landmarks of the French Quarter, was at one time meant to be an actual canal. When the plans fell through, they kept the name. I had no idea! It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun for my story... although I can think of some ways I could have made it work. (Evil Author Grin.)
But the idea I came up with yesterday has me grinning with serious joy. I mean, really. I cannot wait until Monday when I will sit and write that section. There will be a couple of crossover references to two of the other Apocalypse Weird authors, which is something that we've been having a lot of fun talking about in the collaborative group.
Let me just say-- it's going to be so much fun. If I weren't involved in writing one of these books, I would still be waiting with a lot of excitement for them to come out just to read.
December 22, 2014
Google Maps has very high expectations
So today I'm writing, more of my Apocalypse Weird novel where I sketch out my little neighborhood of apocalypse-- New Orleans. And a little bit of Shreveport.
As part of the writing, (and I got up to 33% done today!) I have some characters walking through New Orleans. They need to be quick, and they can't use a car for reasons I won't get into here. But Google Maps is a useful device. I'm pretty familiar with New Orleans and walking, and I have all the places loosely held in my mind's eye. But to get down into Google Maps, you can see streetview, see exact locations. In my head, verisimilitude is always added if you toss the accurate name of a street, or turn right when you're supposed to turn right.
So I asked Google maps to give me a route from point A to point B. It says it's about 10.3 miles, and it would take about 3 hours and 25 minutes walking.
That's pretty brisk walking. It's a little more than 3 miles per hour. Now, when I'm in good shape, I can walk the mile running track near my house at a brisk pace (getting the cardio good and going) in 45 minutes. But that's brisk. Few stops. And I'm not being chased by bad guys (well, I am listening to the zombies on my running app). In fact, the closest I ever got to the above time was back when I was training myself to jog and I would sprint now and then. I believe the best time I ever had was about 3 miles in an hour. And that included several sprints, and slow jogging (I wrote that out at first as slog... which is accurate for how I run.)
Whew. Google! You need a button for "slow walking" or "walking with children" or "walking while lugging a 10 pound apocalypse bug out bag and being chased by bad guys."
I mean, c'mon. How are we gonna survive the apocalypse without googling how to get away?
As part of the writing, (and I got up to 33% done today!) I have some characters walking through New Orleans. They need to be quick, and they can't use a car for reasons I won't get into here. But Google Maps is a useful device. I'm pretty familiar with New Orleans and walking, and I have all the places loosely held in my mind's eye. But to get down into Google Maps, you can see streetview, see exact locations. In my head, verisimilitude is always added if you toss the accurate name of a street, or turn right when you're supposed to turn right.
So I asked Google maps to give me a route from point A to point B. It says it's about 10.3 miles, and it would take about 3 hours and 25 minutes walking.
That's pretty brisk walking. It's a little more than 3 miles per hour. Now, when I'm in good shape, I can walk the mile running track near my house at a brisk pace (getting the cardio good and going) in 45 minutes. But that's brisk. Few stops. And I'm not being chased by bad guys (well, I am listening to the zombies on my running app). In fact, the closest I ever got to the above time was back when I was training myself to jog and I would sprint now and then. I believe the best time I ever had was about 3 miles in an hour. And that included several sprints, and slow jogging (I wrote that out at first as slog... which is accurate for how I run.)
Whew. Google! You need a button for "slow walking" or "walking with children" or "walking while lugging a 10 pound apocalypse bug out bag and being chased by bad guys."
I mean, c'mon. How are we gonna survive the apocalypse without googling how to get away?
December 18, 2014
This is the way the world ends
I'm writing this novel about the apocalypse. Not THE apocalypse. An apocalypse. It's all part of a "Wyrd" writing group collaboration called Apocalypse Weird.
What's great news for you, gentle reader, is that you can get The Red King, the first book in the project, for free at the link above. It's a cool book; I read it pretty fast because it is a quick read about... well. Don't let me spoil it. Go get it! It's FREE! Just look at that cover art!
This whole thing is a really amazing collaborative project, and my friend and fellow apocalypti-creator Stefan wrote a more in depth blog about it here. So go read that and you'll see for yourself. You can get novel blurbs for each person who is currently participating. Some of the stories that are going to be told excite me a lot!
It's going to create an entire universe all at once (well, in the space of several months) and then a lot of writers are going to make up their own little corner of the End of the World before letting our heroes & bad guys fight it out. Win or lose, there are going to be some really entertaining ways the world ends.
So basically a great time for someone like me who is semi-obsessed with end of the world stories. I have been for a long time, honestly, and when I was invited to participate in this project, it was a real no-brainer.
Something pretty fun is that I've made a playlist on Spotify for listening pleasure while writing. It's a great list.
Check it out in the little widget over there.
My corner of the apocalypse is Louisiana, specifically New Orleans & Shreveport. But people who have visited New Orleans but live elsewhere will also be a part of the fun. There's a "word counter" of my progress on the novel over on the right-hand side of the blog-- right over there. As I write this, I'm about 23% done with it, and my deadline is late January. Gotta get moving. Today's writing went pretty well, but a little slow. I'm about to get stuff moving though. Oh yes. The next writing session should be pretty fantastic. I hope. I might go write a little bit before the after five hours today. We'll see.
In my book, there are going to be elements of Hoodoo-- black root magic which is related to but not exactly Voudou. I'm trying to work the more mundane, less religious elements of black root magic which is very Southern, very Louisiana, into the novel respectfully, since I've studied the religion pretty extensively, and don't want to do the typical "let's just mash up everything and pretend all Voudou consists of is a great big party and people dancing to drums" thing a lot of writers do. I've got Tarot, magic charms, a long quest through the city, and Zombi. Notice I don't spell it zombies... these are very different from the George Romero, let's go to the mall and get someone to eat kinds of zombies.
Anyway-- I don't want to give it all away except to say that it's going to get Weird up in here. Already has, a lot. You know that old poem "Not with a bang but with a whimper"? My world is going to end with a bit of both. I can't wait to show it to you all. Or, as they would say in NOLA, "all y'all."
Laissez le End Times Roulez, y'all.
What's great news for you, gentle reader, is that you can get The Red King, the first book in the project, for free at the link above. It's a cool book; I read it pretty fast because it is a quick read about... well. Don't let me spoil it. Go get it! It's FREE! Just look at that cover art!
This whole thing is a really amazing collaborative project, and my friend and fellow apocalypti-creator Stefan wrote a more in depth blog about it here. So go read that and you'll see for yourself. You can get novel blurbs for each person who is currently participating. Some of the stories that are going to be told excite me a lot!It's going to create an entire universe all at once (well, in the space of several months) and then a lot of writers are going to make up their own little corner of the End of the World before letting our heroes & bad guys fight it out. Win or lose, there are going to be some really entertaining ways the world ends.
So basically a great time for someone like me who is semi-obsessed with end of the world stories. I have been for a long time, honestly, and when I was invited to participate in this project, it was a real no-brainer.
Something pretty fun is that I've made a playlist on Spotify for listening pleasure while writing. It's a great list.
Check it out in the little widget over there.
My corner of the apocalypse is Louisiana, specifically New Orleans & Shreveport. But people who have visited New Orleans but live elsewhere will also be a part of the fun. There's a "word counter" of my progress on the novel over on the right-hand side of the blog-- right over there. As I write this, I'm about 23% done with it, and my deadline is late January. Gotta get moving. Today's writing went pretty well, but a little slow. I'm about to get stuff moving though. Oh yes. The next writing session should be pretty fantastic. I hope. I might go write a little bit before the after five hours today. We'll see.
In my book, there are going to be elements of Hoodoo-- black root magic which is related to but not exactly Voudou. I'm trying to work the more mundane, less religious elements of black root magic which is very Southern, very Louisiana, into the novel respectfully, since I've studied the religion pretty extensively, and don't want to do the typical "let's just mash up everything and pretend all Voudou consists of is a great big party and people dancing to drums" thing a lot of writers do. I've got Tarot, magic charms, a long quest through the city, and Zombi. Notice I don't spell it zombies... these are very different from the George Romero, let's go to the mall and get someone to eat kinds of zombies.
Anyway-- I don't want to give it all away except to say that it's going to get Weird up in here. Already has, a lot. You know that old poem "Not with a bang but with a whimper"? My world is going to end with a bit of both. I can't wait to show it to you all. Or, as they would say in NOLA, "all y'all."
Laissez le End Times Roulez, y'all.
November 21, 2014
Book Trailer for Tales From Pennsylvania.
Tonight from 6-7 I'm giving away a free book/artist trailer during my "hosting period" in the book launch party for the anthology I'm published in. This is the trailer I did for the anthology, and is the same kind of thing I will do for any artist who has a product/book/art they'd like to promote that shows up and wins it.
The Launch Party is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/619097774866754/ .
The Launch Party is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/619097774866754/ .
July 22, 2014
Book Trailer for Mariposa
I finished up the book trailer for my novel yesterday and I'm going to post it here. For the interested indie writer type, I had played around with animoto.com, and it was okay. It's certainly a great starter program to give you a feel for what you could do. But I was disappointed in how little I could edit it-- I couldn't write more than a few words per slide/image and I couldn't vary length of the pans and/or change the "flash" that happened with teach picture. I wanted to figure out how to do something different and I knew that there must be some kind of software available on PC that I could use. I mean, people make them all the time, and not everyone has an Apple PC. (They are rumored to have one of the easiest, best video editing programs, but I haven't used it.)
So I finally found the simple Windows Movie Maker that's already on my PC. It's actually pretty easy to use and customize. I would recommend it for anyone trying to make something like a book trailer if you have good images & a great cover. You can then get the music at a few sources. I got mine at audiomicro.com and it wasn't too expensive. Considering how much it costs to get a book trailer made when you get a pro to do it, the DIY cost is minimal here. The extra graphics in my video that are not from my cover somehow are from Dreamstime.com. I bought a subscription plan a while ago and can download 25 pictures a day. I don't really recommend that for someone doing one video, though, because I'm finding that I am not downloading pictures, and so a lot of those days go to waste. Just buy a one time something because you don't want too many pictures other than your cover in your video.
Anyway, that's the DIY details. And here is my gorgeous video, which I am very proud of.
So I finally found the simple Windows Movie Maker that's already on my PC. It's actually pretty easy to use and customize. I would recommend it for anyone trying to make something like a book trailer if you have good images & a great cover. You can then get the music at a few sources. I got mine at audiomicro.com and it wasn't too expensive. Considering how much it costs to get a book trailer made when you get a pro to do it, the DIY cost is minimal here. The extra graphics in my video that are not from my cover somehow are from Dreamstime.com. I bought a subscription plan a while ago and can download 25 pictures a day. I don't really recommend that for someone doing one video, though, because I'm finding that I am not downloading pictures, and so a lot of those days go to waste. Just buy a one time something because you don't want too many pictures other than your cover in your video.
Anyway, that's the DIY details. And here is my gorgeous video, which I am very proud of.
July 18, 2014
FINALLY! My whole, glorious cover
Mariposa, A Love Story.
I started writing this novel a really long time ago. I can't tell you exactly when I started really trying to work on it but I can say that the first line of the novel came to me when I still lived in San Antonio. And just like that, Meg was in my head. She was remarkably patient, because in the meantime, I wrote my dissertation (which took forever too, but that's another story). I had twin kiddos who I have kept fed & mostly entertained for 9 years now. And we've been living in Shreveport for 7 of those years. So it's been...well. An epic journey.
Meg's voice is cheerful, even when she's at her lowest. There is a moment in the novel where she has seen something unsee-able, something that is so horrific (that was a spooky scene to write, by the way, and I'm still not entirely sure about it, but it comes from a real life ghost haunting in San Antonio, so I just write 'em like I sees 'em) where Meg cannot be cheerful. But that's pretty much it. Every other time you get into her head, she tries to see things in a positive light. She's different from other ghosts, and you just want to hang out with her, drink mojitos and eat Mexican food. Meg would definitely appreciate a mojito offering now & then.
But in the scene represented on the cover, she's not exactly in the best mood. She's saving people she dearly loves, and she has come to kick wolfish a** and chew bubblegum, but she's all out of bubblegum. Actually, as I've pointed out before, the scene is a mural that is on the side of a bookstore (an actual place in San Antonio!). But it also depicts real action in the novel's climactic battle with evil. The wolves are the bad guys, and they are not easy to fight. I mean, how DO you kill vampiric ghost wolves? They're already dead!! We might be all ready for the zombie apocalypse, but what happens when you're surrounded by these guys?
Then there are those little dark shadows behind Meg. They represent several of the people Meg is there to save, and who are fighting with her. You'll meet them eventually. They're pretty amazing, and tough, themselves. I really like the greenish touch of the wall, and the way the light plays on Meg's face. It's like she's holding the power to change the world in her hands (and technically, she is). The dripping title is neat, too, since the mural is "guerilla art" that turns up almost overnight on the bookstore all. I just love this art. I've had it on my computer desktop now for weeks and it just doesn't get old.
So enough talky-talk, right? Here is my glorious cover. It's so pretty. It is everything I wanted in a cover, and Lawrence Mann did a brilliant job interpreting my sad little sketch into this. In a few days, I'll post the book trailer I made using this, too. It's pretty neat, as well. But I gotta spread out the wealth.
Ta da! Here it is! Finally! Tell me you love it too. Also, if you came here via the cover reveal, come say hi on Facebook, too: https://www.facebook.com/kimwellswrites
I started writing this novel a really long time ago. I can't tell you exactly when I started really trying to work on it but I can say that the first line of the novel came to me when I still lived in San Antonio. And just like that, Meg was in my head. She was remarkably patient, because in the meantime, I wrote my dissertation (which took forever too, but that's another story). I had twin kiddos who I have kept fed & mostly entertained for 9 years now. And we've been living in Shreveport for 7 of those years. So it's been...well. An epic journey.
Meg's voice is cheerful, even when she's at her lowest. There is a moment in the novel where she has seen something unsee-able, something that is so horrific (that was a spooky scene to write, by the way, and I'm still not entirely sure about it, but it comes from a real life ghost haunting in San Antonio, so I just write 'em like I sees 'em) where Meg cannot be cheerful. But that's pretty much it. Every other time you get into her head, she tries to see things in a positive light. She's different from other ghosts, and you just want to hang out with her, drink mojitos and eat Mexican food. Meg would definitely appreciate a mojito offering now & then.
But in the scene represented on the cover, she's not exactly in the best mood. She's saving people she dearly loves, and she has come to kick wolfish a** and chew bubblegum, but she's all out of bubblegum. Actually, as I've pointed out before, the scene is a mural that is on the side of a bookstore (an actual place in San Antonio!). But it also depicts real action in the novel's climactic battle with evil. The wolves are the bad guys, and they are not easy to fight. I mean, how DO you kill vampiric ghost wolves? They're already dead!! We might be all ready for the zombie apocalypse, but what happens when you're surrounded by these guys?
Then there are those little dark shadows behind Meg. They represent several of the people Meg is there to save, and who are fighting with her. You'll meet them eventually. They're pretty amazing, and tough, themselves. I really like the greenish touch of the wall, and the way the light plays on Meg's face. It's like she's holding the power to change the world in her hands (and technically, she is). The dripping title is neat, too, since the mural is "guerilla art" that turns up almost overnight on the bookstore all. I just love this art. I've had it on my computer desktop now for weeks and it just doesn't get old.
So enough talky-talk, right? Here is my glorious cover. It's so pretty. It is everything I wanted in a cover, and Lawrence Mann did a brilliant job interpreting my sad little sketch into this. In a few days, I'll post the book trailer I made using this, too. It's pretty neat, as well. But I gotta spread out the wealth.
Ta da! Here it is! Finally! Tell me you love it too. Also, if you came here via the cover reveal, come say hi on Facebook, too: https://www.facebook.com/kimwellswrites
Patience is not my strong suit, + Shadows Burned In
I am not generally patient when it comes to certain things. I don't wait very well for Christmas presents or birthday presents. I don't like dropping hints & waiting to see if my husband or family will get me a special something. I usually just get something I really want for myself and am done with it.
Waiting for movies I want to see is similar. I usually get so frustrated with the waiting that I just put it entirely out of my head because it's going to make me cranky.
My blog tour cover reveal is supposed to happen today, and I'm up and at 'em early this morning and not entirely sure how it works. I will reveal the rest of the cover sometime today, no matter what happens, because I've been building up to it and it would just be weird to not go with it now.
But in the meantime, this morning, how about a blog post of another sort?
A book review of a friend's book. When I first read it, I thought it looked a bit like it was going to be a ghost story, like mine. It's really not as much about "real" ghosts as my novel. The ghosts here are more metaphoric than literal. More realism, fewer creepy ghosts who trap you in their worst moment.
Shadow's Burned In by Chris Porteau is a great read. I would compare this author's voice to Stephen King's in stories like "The Body" or "Shawshank Redemption." The voice is clear and engaging and I read this book in almost one full sitting. There are well drawn, growing characters throughout, great pacing, an interesting world that's just a little different from ours but also just the same. I loved the depiction of the house's voice, which the protagonist "hears" in her head.
Even thought it's not technically a "ghost story" like my novel, there's still a great touch of spooky in it, and overall, a thoughtful exploration of why we tell the stories we tell. This is Chris' first novel and I know he's going to be featured in a great short-story collection that is coming out soon, too. And the best thing of all is that it's only .99 cents on Amazon right now! Go grab a copy and enjoy a coming of age story that is a little bit set in the now, a little bit in the future, and a little bit in a past that many of us could probably identify with readily. It's going to be out in paperback soon, too, for those of you who like a physical book in your hands, and when that happens, I'll come back and update this review with a link.
Waiting for movies I want to see is similar. I usually get so frustrated with the waiting that I just put it entirely out of my head because it's going to make me cranky.
My blog tour cover reveal is supposed to happen today, and I'm up and at 'em early this morning and not entirely sure how it works. I will reveal the rest of the cover sometime today, no matter what happens, because I've been building up to it and it would just be weird to not go with it now.
But in the meantime, this morning, how about a blog post of another sort?
A book review of a friend's book. When I first read it, I thought it looked a bit like it was going to be a ghost story, like mine. It's really not as much about "real" ghosts as my novel. The ghosts here are more metaphoric than literal. More realism, fewer creepy ghosts who trap you in their worst moment.
Shadow's Burned In by Chris Porteau is a great read. I would compare this author's voice to Stephen King's in stories like "The Body" or "Shawshank Redemption." The voice is clear and engaging and I read this book in almost one full sitting. There are well drawn, growing characters throughout, great pacing, an interesting world that's just a little different from ours but also just the same. I loved the depiction of the house's voice, which the protagonist "hears" in her head.
Even thought it's not technically a "ghost story" like my novel, there's still a great touch of spooky in it, and overall, a thoughtful exploration of why we tell the stories we tell. This is Chris' first novel and I know he's going to be featured in a great short-story collection that is coming out soon, too. And the best thing of all is that it's only .99 cents on Amazon right now! Go grab a copy and enjoy a coming of age story that is a little bit set in the now, a little bit in the future, and a little bit in a past that many of us could probably identify with readily. It's going to be out in paperback soon, too, for those of you who like a physical book in your hands, and when that happens, I'll come back and update this review with a link.
July 17, 2014
Last tease before the big reveal!
Today, gentle readers, you are in for a real "having stuck with my lame minor teases earlier" treat.
Meg. Oh yeah. Meg is my primary protagonist. She is a ghost. She is murdered in a triple homicide, robbery gone wrong, early in the novel. Then she has to figure out what she's supposed to do next. A couple of friendly guide-types let her know she needs to go on a quest, of sorts, and she gets to meet several of San Antonio's most notorious ghosts, before the big climactic EPIC battle with good & evil at the end of the novel. There is a reason she's holding a butterfly here, but you're just gonna have to read the novel to find out. November isn't THAT long to wait, is it?
When I told Lawrence about what Meg looked like, I sent him some model sketches. She has this body type, this hair, this complexion. She has wise, Athena-like grey eyes. When I got the artwork back, I didn't realize how much Meg looks like me when I was younger, and/or my daughter when she's older. I guess authors do that-- they tend to put a little bit of themselves in a novel or two. At least this is my first one and I can get that out of my system. In most important, other ways, Meg is not me at all. Other than the fact that she is a waitress when we first meet her, her character is not even close.
Fun fact: I named her after a sister that I had who died before I was born, whose name was Margaret. My family called her Peggy, instead of Meg, but I honestly can say that if I have a guardian angel in my life, I've always imagined it was her. She seems to do best with things like grabbing a kid right before they fall to serious injury and turning it into just a mild bruise & scare. It's a small touch to put her in my book, but I liked doing it. Maybe Meg is what Peggy would have looked like if she'd gotten to grow up. That's a warm, fuzzy thought. Maybe when we die, even if we die younger than this, we get to be our ideal, perfect selves when we are a ghost. Well. Except for the creepy ones. But perhaps those creepy, scary, ugly ghosts are acting out THEIR perfect, what they truly are, selves too. Some people's inner selves are NOT pretty. They are vengeful, angry, filled with blood and insanity. And they are gonna grab you and.... well. Ghosts, you know? Unpredictable. One minute you're minding your own business, next thing you're up to your elbows in ectoplasm.
A little bit of ghost philosophy for your morning.
One perk to knowing a writer is they might put you in their book. That, of course, is also a danger. Don't make us mad, cause you might end up the bad guy, too. There are certain elements of the bad guy that certain guys I've dated might recognize, actually, as traits they shared. Mwah ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa. The power. The infinite power.
But enough with the talky-talk. Let's get to our final cover tease-peek.
Meg Murray, the Mariposa spirit. In person. About to kick some bad-guy behind. Will she win the battle? Will she figure out what she needs to know? Will love conquer death itself? Maybe. Just maybe.
Meg. Oh yeah. Meg is my primary protagonist. She is a ghost. She is murdered in a triple homicide, robbery gone wrong, early in the novel. Then she has to figure out what she's supposed to do next. A couple of friendly guide-types let her know she needs to go on a quest, of sorts, and she gets to meet several of San Antonio's most notorious ghosts, before the big climactic EPIC battle with good & evil at the end of the novel. There is a reason she's holding a butterfly here, but you're just gonna have to read the novel to find out. November isn't THAT long to wait, is it?
When I told Lawrence about what Meg looked like, I sent him some model sketches. She has this body type, this hair, this complexion. She has wise, Athena-like grey eyes. When I got the artwork back, I didn't realize how much Meg looks like me when I was younger, and/or my daughter when she's older. I guess authors do that-- they tend to put a little bit of themselves in a novel or two. At least this is my first one and I can get that out of my system. In most important, other ways, Meg is not me at all. Other than the fact that she is a waitress when we first meet her, her character is not even close.
Fun fact: I named her after a sister that I had who died before I was born, whose name was Margaret. My family called her Peggy, instead of Meg, but I honestly can say that if I have a guardian angel in my life, I've always imagined it was her. She seems to do best with things like grabbing a kid right before they fall to serious injury and turning it into just a mild bruise & scare. It's a small touch to put her in my book, but I liked doing it. Maybe Meg is what Peggy would have looked like if she'd gotten to grow up. That's a warm, fuzzy thought. Maybe when we die, even if we die younger than this, we get to be our ideal, perfect selves when we are a ghost. Well. Except for the creepy ones. But perhaps those creepy, scary, ugly ghosts are acting out THEIR perfect, what they truly are, selves too. Some people's inner selves are NOT pretty. They are vengeful, angry, filled with blood and insanity. And they are gonna grab you and.... well. Ghosts, you know? Unpredictable. One minute you're minding your own business, next thing you're up to your elbows in ectoplasm.
A little bit of ghost philosophy for your morning.
One perk to knowing a writer is they might put you in their book. That, of course, is also a danger. Don't make us mad, cause you might end up the bad guy, too. There are certain elements of the bad guy that certain guys I've dated might recognize, actually, as traits they shared. Mwah ha ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa. The power. The infinite power.
But enough with the talky-talk. Let's get to our final cover tease-peek.
Meg Murray, the Mariposa spirit. In person. About to kick some bad-guy behind. Will she win the battle? Will she figure out what she needs to know? Will love conquer death itself? Maybe. Just maybe.
