Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 58

Endings, Part 2

Working on the end for Prisoners of the Wailing Tower has made me think about endings in general.

Every story has to have an ending. Happy endings. Sad endings. Obscure endings. Endings with a twist. Villains-die-at-the-endings. They might give the reader a sense of contentment, or conversely make them question what they thought they knew. This story is complete. Now the reader can embark on another.

Different genres have different expectations. So for instance, a confused outcome might work for a science fiction novel with an abstract premise. A horror novel could well end with many characters dying. However, these endings would never be accepted in a general Romance novel.

Even more, for a series, the finale of the final volume answers all the questions throughout the saga, and ties everything up neatly. (Or maybe not so neatly.) If the author has any underlying themes, now is the time to bring them home.

Since I know that many of you are writers, I’m curious to hear what you think is most important in order to achieve a successful ending. Even if you’re in the middle of your first book and haven’t finished it yet, that’s okay. Let me know what you think!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Endings

Working on the end for Prisoners of the Wailing Tower has made me think about endings in general.

Every story has to have an ending. Happy endings. Sad endings. Obscure endings. Endings with a twist. Villains-die-at-the-endings. They might give the reader a sense of contentment, or conversely make them question what they thought they knew. This story is complete. Now the reader can embark on another.

Different genres have different expectations. So for instance, a confused outcome might work for a science fiction novel with an abstract premise. A horror novel could well end with many characters dying. However, these endings would never be accepted in a general Romance novel.

Even more, for a series, the finale of the final volume answers all the questions throughout the saga, and ties everything up neatly. (Or maybe not so neatly.) If the author has any underlying themes, now is the time to bring them home.

Since I know that many of you are writers, I’m curious to hear what you think is most important in order to achieve a successful ending. Even if you’re in the middle of your first book and haven’t finished it yet, that’s okay. Let me know what you think!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Heat Wave

As in, temperatures over 100 degrees for three days in a row. Anything I needed to do outside, I’ve done it as early as possible. That allows me to hunker down inside with the family, and play video games…

Uh, write! I meant write.

Seriously, I have been pushing ahead on revisions of Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. I’m just about at the 3/4 mark. Quite often I find myself thinking, “Man, I really went easy on these characters.” Then I remember how I just slammed words down to finish the first draft. I always knew the second draft would require more concentration on the ending.

Anyhow, it looks like I can finish this draft before I report back to school on September 2nd. Woot! However, I still need at least one more draft. Since school is also going to require extra concentration, my hope to publish in November is coming more and more into doubt.

Don’t worry, I have a backup project! And I’ll tell you about that if it becomes necessary.

The other fun thing is that I’ve had a “heat wave” on the next Minstrels of Skaythe novella. (Which will be #5, if you’re keeping track.) Many details remain to be discovered, but at least I know what the core of the story will be. It might not exactly be the concluding volume I had assumed. Either there will be a sixth novella, or… I don’t know.

This is 2020! Why am I even trying to plan ahead?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Exciting Announcement! (Maybe)

Way back in 2012… Which honestly seems like another life… Sky Warrior Books published my fantasy novel, The Seven Exalted Orders. At the time, the publisher requested a sequel, and I delivered Trials of the Eighth Order in 2017. That sounds like a big gap, but they also published my gothic werewolf novel, The Grimhold Wolf, in the interim.

Since then, the publisher suffered a serious health problem and went mum. I have been waiting, allowing time for her physical and financial recovery. Earlier this year, I reached out to see if Sky Warrior has serious intentions of publishing Trials. My contract with them allows me to take back the rights with no fault to either side, and I let them know that I was prepared to do that.

In the past few days, I’ve been given a release date in February 2021. That’s why this is an Exciting Announcement! On the other hand, the slow communication remains an obstacle. That’s why this is a (Maybe). As they say, the future is yet unwritten.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Endings

Something strikes me as I continue working on revisions of my latest novella. The next one will be the the last of the Minstrels of Skaythe series.

Up to this time, the individual novellas have stood more or less on their own. My minstrels have had their separate adventures, trying to fly under the radar of Dar-Gothull’s oppressive regime. That will be much more difficult after the end of Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. So in addition to fixing this draft, I’m starting to gather my thoughts about the next one.

There are already quite a few characters in the four novellas. I need to consider which ones will appear in the finale. Likewise, the evil mages who have grudges against the various minstrels. What will their roles be? Also, there is one specific image, predicted near the end of The Tower in the Mist, that I need to make real.

Most of all, I need to decide the outcome for the total series. Can a rag-tag band really take down an evil empire? If they do, what will replace it? I believe it’s important to be honest with readers. A flimsy, pat ending might be comfortable, but it would also feel hollow. And I’ll tell you now, I’m not setting out to write a flimsy, hollow story with Minstrels of Skaythe.

Those of you who have read these novellas know that I’m not afraid of gray endings. That’s intentional, really. I want to leave space for the readers to think their own thoughts about what will happen in the new status quo.

So that’s what I’m pondering at the moment.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

At the Lake

Today is our day to go to the lake, so I wish you all a great weekend!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Woman at Work, Part 6

What’s Happening? The decision has been made. The county health officer says school re-openings are not safe, so we’ll begin the 2020-2021 school year teaching remotely. Honestly, I feel optimistic. I have some fun ideas about what the digital environment might look like. If my supervising teacher agrees, I’ll be using a role-playing game as a mechanism for social/emotional learning. Many tutorials await.

What I’m Working On. As previously mentioned, I’m in the midst of revising Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. I’ve managed to consolidate a few short scenes into one medium one, but I’ve also added a couple. We shall see if I’m able to reduce the total word count in this draft.

What’s Next? It remains to be seen if I feel Prisoners is ready for publication in late November. But, for obvious reasons, most of the events where I would have publicized a new e-book have been cancelled. I do plan to participate in Bad Moon Rising, a book event hosted by horror novelist Teri Polen every October. So there’s that to look forward to.

Fun and games. Currently I’m playing Animal Crossing as a casual game, and my beloved Dragon Age Inquisition for action, romance and adventure. I’ve also been setting aside time to read in the evenings or work on jigsaw puzzles. I stay up too late with video games.

This week is my husband’s vacation from work. This is kind of weird, since I feel like I’ve already been on vacation since March. But he hasn’t been. At any moment I may be snatched away from what I’m doing to go for a hike or to the lake, but that’s okay. Prisoners and Inquisition will still be there when we get back.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Second Excerpt: The Ice Witch

Here’s another excerpt from The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh. This one features Ozlin, the second viewpoint character. Enjoy!

   “Thief — stop him!”
   Ozlin ducked and darted, weaving between the bystanders. He veered to avoid a snatching hand. The merchant was slow, but his strides were long. A hard fist dug into the tangles of Ozlin’s unkempt hair. He yelped at the pain, kicked and cursed.
   “Let go, you shithole!’
   “Nobody steals from me,” the merchant gloated with grim satisfaction. He started to yank Ozlin back toward the plaza, where the guards were.
   “Pervert! Help!” Ozlin’s voice cracked as he screamed. A few onlookers glanced around, but nobody seemed to came to help him. They were too busy waving and cheering.
   “Shut up, you brat,” growled the merchant.
   Pain tore at Ozlin’s scalp. In an instant, rage replaced his fear. He grabbed the hand that dug into his hair and let the fire roll free. A sizzle, the stink of charring meat. Now it was the merchant who yelled.
   Loose again, Ozlin scrambled away. Sandals slipped on the pavement, and then he was steady. All his thought was to run, run, run!
   “Get back here,” roared the merchant.
   Dead end! It wasn’t Ozlin’s first chase, but somehow he’d come the wrong way. A row of barrels was stacked across the alley. He skidded, looking for a way through, then whirled and tried to race back, but skidded to a halt again. The furious merchant advanced, rubbing at an angry red mark on his wrist.
   “You’ll pay for that, gutter trash,” he rumbled, menacing.
   Ozlin was doomed. They were alone in the alley. Except, one person emerged from the crowd. The woman with the reed hat moved up beside the merchant. For the first time, Ozlin got a good look at her face, the narrow nose and pinched mouth. Cold eyes fixed on him.
   “Can I help?” Her voice was soft and neutral, but with an acid undertone. She knew what he was, just as he recognized her.
   “Mage.” Ozlin couldn’t make the fire go back into his hands, so he made his hands into flaming fists. “Stay away from me!”

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Excerpt: The Ice Witch

Today I’m sharing a brief excerpt from my high fantasy novella, The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh. There are two viewpoint characters in the tale. This one is Meven’s. Enjoy!

     The narrow street crossed others at an angle that made it hard for Meven to see where she was going. She kept moving, listening to the people nearby. Surely there had to be a larger street. One that would lead to a gate, and freedom.
   Groaning their complaints, the people around her stopped to let a wagon full of wood rumble by. Meven tensed as a vague spark of magic pricked at her senses. Stinging heat lusted to set something afire. She refused to look around.
     “Nothing to do with you, Meven. Keep your eyes on your own business.”
     The oxen pulling the wagon dropped dung under the wheels. Meven wished she could have stayed on the ship instead of dealing with so many stinking people and animals. Two weeks at sea had been a blessing and a relief. Born on the water but for years exiled to land, she had forgotten so much! The rhythmic dance of the ship on the tide. The musky tang of salt water, the creak of the rigging and slap of waves against the side.
     People started to move around her. Meven made to step with them, but another driver cracked his whip and rushed his wagon into the gap. People around her grumbled with frustration.
     “Typical,” Meven said to no one in particular.
     Long ago, almost thirty years now, she had been a water-child who toddled the deck of her family’s houseboat, Fawn. She had learned to walk and swim at roughly the same time. From one port to another the family roamed mighty Lake Bilseng, up and down and across and around. Sometimes they earned coin by delivering cargo between Nibbuk and Ortach. Mostly they foraged in the mangrove thickets to net enough food for all the mouths aboard. Those had been golden days. Before her magic emerged and capsized her life.
     As a child, Meven hadn’t questioned her parents’ way of life. Now she understood how much they risked, yet also gained, by living on the water. Her recent journey by boat had been mere impulse, the fastest way out of a trap. She hadn’t expected it to become a sojourn through fond memories. Now that she had revisited the sensations of life on the water, Meven didn’t want to give it up. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to.
     Well, not only luck. Planning, scheming, and perhaps a bit of trickery would be involved. Also, relearning a few old skills to keep herself hidden and fed in a mangrove swamp. But first, she had to get out of this wretched town!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

Revising, Part 2

The end of summer is coming into sight. As a school worker, this always throws me into a frenzy of trying to finish summer projects. This year, though, things have been so weird. I don’t need to tell you why. Yesterday I spent an hour in an online union meeting, discussing what needs to be in our Memo of Understanding for the 2020-2021 school year. Now the bargaining team can get down to it.

Even with all that, I’ll be very surprised if we return to our buildings. I think we should, if it’s at all possible to be safe, but the challenges seem insurmountable. So it’s possible I may be laid off, like half of the rest of the country. It’s like the giant Ah-bi-yo-yo is coming over the horizon.

You have to be of a certain age to get that reference. Sorry, younglings.

On a more pleasant note, I’ve still been able to get in to tend the school garden. Today I thinned about a pound of Yellowstone carrots and donated them to the local food bank. We also got to go to the lake last Sunday, which was fantastic.

In addition to all that, I am revising Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. It’s going well. I hope you’re all able to focus and make progress on your projects, too.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.