Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 63

Woman at Work 2

After all these signal-boosting posts, it’s time for my regular recap of what I’ve been writing on recently.

Short stories: I mentioned here that I completed a very short story that straddles the boundary between children’s and adult fiction. Just yesterday, I received the first rejection for “Call me King.” There was no actionable feedback, so I’ll be submitting that again shortly.

Novellas: Prisoners of the Wailing Tower is just over 12,000 words and going slowly, but that’s what happens when your writing style is very exploratory. I still hope to finish it by the end of this month, when I’m taking a week’s vacation. With the Coronavirus thing going on, I’m starting to worry about whether we’ll be able to take that vacation as planned. Here’s hoping!

Video Games: I’ve finished up with Fallout ’76. I enjoyed many things about it, but I’m trying to follow the main quest and it keeps leading me to opponents that are 20 levels above my character’s reach. That gets frustrating. At the moment, I’m doing a run-through of Awakening, which I’ve played several times before, so it won’t distract me too much from Prisoners.

Coming Up: One reason I need to finish the first draft of Prisoners is that my intention is to publish the third Minstrels of Skaythe novella, The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh, around May 1st. I need time for one last revision, putting the cover together, and so forth.

But wait! There’s more! During the months of April and May, I will be putting together The Fairy Queen’s Court, a month-long celebration of fantasy that will coincide with Midsummer Eve (June 23rd). For those of you familiar with Teri Polen’s horror feature, Bad Moon Rising, the idea is very similar. All sorts of Indy fantasy writers will have a day on the blog to talk about their books. Those of you who write fantasy can look for those details in early April.

Yikes, that’s just a month away! Between writing, publishing and blogging, the months of April, May and June are going to be pretty intense around here.

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.

Signal Boost: Foreign Exchange

Once again I’m helping out a friend. This time it’s David Lee Summers, who has a story in the Exchange Students anthology. Please welcome the editor, Sheila Hartney!

Editorial Itinerary



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I’ve been reading science fiction ever since I learned to read. My older brother belonged to the Science Fiction Book Club back in the 1950s, and I got to read all of the wonderful books that were published then. We lived in Utica, NY, and at the time they put all their science fiction books in a separate room which was off limits to little kids. I’d sneak in, and sometimes a kindly librarian would let me check out what I wanted. Otherwise I had to persuade my older brother or my mother to do so for me. That policy just made me want to read science fiction all the more. 

And write science fiction. When I was about ten I wrote my first s-f story that I called “A Voyage to Antwerp” and I’m horrified by what little I can recall of it. Thankfully it has not survived. 

Some years later, living in Boulder, Colorado, I took two writing workshops and a science fiction class from Bruce Holland Rogers. One evening he ended class a bit early, then read us a story of his and said, “I just found out today that this was the first place winner in the current quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest.” He was almost incoherent with joy. Right then I decided if he could do it, I could do it. 

A couple of years later I attended Jim Gunn’s short story workshop in Lawrence, Kansas. From it came my own Writers of the Future story, “Kidswap”. Over the years I’ve attended other workshops, notably the one that came with being a Writer of the Future, and more recently the Taos Toolbox, team taught by the wonderful and amazing Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress.   

Alas, I haven’t written as much as I should have in the years since. I do hang out at some s-f cons, and have become friends with any number of wonderful people who write in this genre. 

Several years ago I was chatting with David Lee Summers at a con, and knew that he both wrote and edited s-f. I rather casually mentioned that I had some ideas for anthologies, and he encouraged me to submit them to him. I offered six different possibilities, and the one he chose, the one that was my favorite in the first place, was “The Exchange Students”.   

Working on the anthology has been rewarding. At first I was a bit concerned that I’d know what I was doing, but all those workshops helped me a lot. Plus, David made it clear that while I could reject stories on my own, any and all acceptances must go through him. I’m so glad he insisted on that. Especially in the early months, when I felt very uncertain about certain stories, and his critiques and insights helped clarify if a particular story should be accepted or rejected. 

In the end we accepted 22 stories, including the one that I had written several years ago which was my inspiration for this anthology. At the outset I’d been a bit concerned that reading and editing and rereading the same stories multiple times would make me start to hate them, but exactly the opposite happened.  I got to like them more and more. Even a couple that I’d original thought of as marginal, grew on me. 

I’m just a couple of days from actually holding a copy of the anthology in my hands, and I can hardly wait! Sheila. 

Exchange Students

Study abroad! See new places! Meet new people! 
 
In our exchange student program, you can literally study anywhere or anywhen you can imagine. We’ll send you to new planets. We’ll send you to new dimensions and realms of existence. We’ll send you through time itself! 
 
Don’t believe me? This exciting anthology contains many tales of our thrilling and educational exchange student program. You’ll read tales of aliens coming to earth and humans traveling to alien worlds. You’ll meet a denizen of Hell who travels to Heaven. Some students will discover their super powers on their journey. Other students will have encounters with the undead. You’ll meet a law enforcement officer who travels to the realm of the fae to help solve a crime of truly interdimensional proportions. 
 
Featuring twenty-two amazing stories by Roze Albina Ches, Jaleta Clegg, Ken Goldman, Paula Hammond, Sheila Hartney, Chisto Healy, Joachim Heijndermans, Sean Jones, Tim Kane, Alden Loveshade, Tim McDaniel, J Louis Messina, Jennifer Moore, Brian Gene Olson, David B. Riley, Katherine Quevedo, Holly Schofield, Jonathan Shipley, Lesley L. Smith, Emily Martha Sorensen, Margret A. Treiber and Sherry Yuan. 

Now available for Kindle or in print from Amazon.com. Other formats can be had at Smashwords.

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.

Signal Boost: Eradication

Today I’m helping a friend promote his books. If you enjoy vampires, fantasy, and wild action, then the War of Nytefall series might be for you!

Is the Orb of Durag the key to Clyde and the Dawn Fangs’ Destruction?



[image error]Illustration by Allison Hunt

As Dawn Fang vampires are found dead across Windemere, their infamous leader will remember what it is to be afraid. 

With the truce between Nyte and Nytefall nearing its end, an old enemy has emerged to rekindle the vampires’ most ancient feud. A Duragian priest is on the move and he is wielding a weapon that can depower and kill Dawn Fangs. This follower of the Sun God has claimed enough victims that Lord Tempest wants the weapon for himself and Clyde is beginning to worry that his fledgling kingdom is in danger of extinction. When it becomes clear that the mysterious relic and Clyde’s transformation into the first Dawn Fang are connected, he will be forced to face a past that he can barely remember. 

What can Clyde do to defend his people, his life, and the child he does not know is on the way from the terrifying Fist of Durag? 

Excerpt: Stirring

The thick darkness that greets Clyde’s eyes is suffocating and disturbingly familiar. A disconcerting numbness flows along his skin and plunges all of his senses into a mental fog. He groans as he sits up and touches the warm ground beneath him, his fingers finding it rough and jagged. The memory of being in Gregorio’s lair strikes his mind like a perfectly aimed arrow and he tries to stand up. A dull ache courses through his legs and forces him to remain on the floor, which trembles for a brief moment. Picking up a stone, he can feel the faint carving of half a sun with a grinning face. With a yawn, the vampire throws the rock away and waits for it to land, but the sound of it bouncing takes several minutes to reach his ears. Clyde scowls when the noise ends with a strange thud that reminds him of a fist punching flesh. The distant gurgling of a stream draws his attention to the right and he squints at a strange form that is gradually taking shape in the gloom. Finding the energy to rise, he gets to his feet and wipes the dirt from his body, which he learns is unclothed. The Dawn Fang’s senses steadily return to their full strength and he realizes that his vision has been blocked by his own hair. Luscious and tangled tresses cascade from his head to cover everything from his scalp to his elbows. Wrapping all of the strands around his left hand, he uses his right to slice them off and is about to use his fingers like scissors when his body locks. 

The ruins of the Duragian temple are laid out before Clyde, their details making it clear that they are the genuine articles. Bodies of civilians and priests are strewn about the area, all of them having been drained of blood. A white-bricked wall has been marked with scratches that the vampire knows are a foolish attempt to keep track of time, which he abandoned after he had run out of prey. Far in the distance, he can see the tower where he was once held prisoner, its top seven floors having snapped off as it sunk. Light pulses from the enormous structure to drive the cavern’s darkness into the corners. Smaller shrines help to illuminate the streets, which are littered with debris. The smell of rotting meat is thick in the air, the stench emanating from the abandoned food and corpses. Not far away, the vampire sees a cleared area with a burn mark in its center. It takes him a moment to recognize the battered ruins of the execution square, its right side having slumped into a sinkhole. 

A pang of doubt and anxiety races through Clyde’s mind as he recalls getting struck by the fake Fists of Durag. He begins to walk through the ruins in search of signs that he is being tricked, but it becomes clear that he is not trapped within an illusion. All attempts to see through the spell are met with failure, which feeds a primal rage in the pit of his soul. Coming to a broken fountain, he kneels and scoops up a handful of stagnant water to drink. The foul liquid makes his tongue burn and his stomach twists to the point where he has to vomit in order to avoid passing out. Focused on his own body, Clyde releases his severed hair when he realizes that his heart is no longer beating. Jamming a finger between his ribs, he touches the organ to find it wrinkled and still. With a growl, he swings his fist at the nearest building only to find that he cannot knock the whole structure over. The vampire stares at the hole in the wall and flexes his fingers, which make the gestures for a claw-growing spell. He curses loudly when he feels his nails lengthen and harden into natural blades. 

“What in all of Windemere is going on?” Clyde asks. 

Get War of Nytefall: Eradication on Amazon for $2.99 and add it to your Goodreads To-Read List.

Or start the adventure from the beginning with War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

[image error]Author Charles Yallowitz

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After spending many years fiddling with his thoughts and notebooks, he decided that it was time to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house with only pizza and seltzer to sustain him, Charles brings you tales from the world of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and drawing you into a world of magic. 

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com 
Twitter: @cyallowitz 
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz 
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyallowitz/ 

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.

Conflicted

Excuse me while my feminist side rears her lovely head. Things I’m encountering are prodding me to think about how female leadership is portrayed in the stories we tell.

In my current video game, Fallout ’76, America was destroyed in a nuclear war. After spending 25 years in a fallout shelter, my character is roaming what used to be West Virginia. There are no other humans left except vault dwellers like me (a. k. a. the other players). But I do encounter various factions of survivors — or what’s left of them.

For most of these factions, the leaders are/were women. Awesome! Female empowerment. But then, uh-oh — they’re all dead, along with every member of their group. You take on a quest line, hoping to connect with this woman and her organization, and at the end you find her body. With some loot, of course. Time for the next quest line!

Of the post-apocalyptic survivor groups I’ve encountered so far, seven of them were led by women. I have found three bodies, two have disappeared without a trace, one was replaced by a robot that thinks it’s her, and one I’m still searching for. (Not with much hope.)

On the masculine side, three groups were led by men. One was replaced by a robot and I haven’t found the other two’s bodies. There is another faction that I don’t know yet who led them.

Okay, it’s the post-apocalypse. It’s a given that almost everyone is dead. But the unbalanced ratio is telling.

So I alternate between happiness (Cool, women leaders are in the post-apocalypse) and depression (Oh, women can’t be leaders UNTIL the world ends). It’s good that women are shown to lead. But then all their leadership ends in failure.

As the title says, I’m conflicted. What is the message here? Are the game writers showing women as leaders, just to prove that women shouldn’t be allowed to lead? Maybe they didn’t want to show males communicating through the angsty audio recordings we get from the females. Maybe they wanted to be inclusive but didn’t about the subtext.

Maybe, even they don’t know. But I kind of think they should.

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.

Word Question 2

I have a new word to ask you about. The word is envision. I’ve noticed in the past few months that people frequently are using envisage instead of envision. It’s been irritating.

Looking it up in online dictionaries, I do find that both words have similar meanings. Basically, they mean having a dream or “vision” and planning to bring this dream into reality. Envision seems to be the American version, while envisage is the British form.

The irritant for me is the root word of each. Envision contains “vision,” which is like a dream or goal you have in mind. This makes sense with the meaning of the word. For instance, businesses often issue “vision statements” that express their goals and dreams.

On the other hand, envisage contains “visage,” which means a face. You know, a face with two eyes, two ears, etc. When I hear envisage, I think “put a face on.” No credible business ever issues a “visage statement.”

Okay, maybe I’m being too picky. We’re talking about the English language here. Why would I expect it to make sense? But I am interested in what you think.

Which of these two words do you usually use?

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.

Crossing Over

One thing you might not know about me, if you are new to my blog, is that I’m a crossover author. I write all fantasy, but some is for children and some is for adults. My stories often occupy a no-man’s-land between the two. Especially with shorter work, it can be really hard to place stories for publication. (I mean, it’s always hard, but still.)

Word count is one important distinguishing factor. Juvenile magazines typically want stories that are 700 or 800 words. Only a few will take work as long as 1,200 or 1,500 words. A typical short story of mine is between 2,000 and 3,000 words. So you can see that cuts me out of those markets, unless I make a case to serialize a story. (This has yet to happen.)

Even more important, though, is the story’s point of view. For a children’s story, the POV really must be a child, or someone with a childlike perspective. This is why lots of children’s stories have animals as the viewpoint characters. Conversely, a story that is intended for adults might include children, but the point of view will clearly reflect an adult’s perspective.

This distinction is in my mind because I’ve recently finished a story that — miracle of miracles! — came in at 600 words. That makes it ideal for juvenile markets, and there is an important child character, too. But, it is not a children’s story. The POV is an adult, and her thoughts reflect an adult’s concerns like taking care of a disabled child and growing enough food to feed them both. There’s also a dark twist at the end that no child POV would envision.

I often get caught in this bind with editors. Adult publications reject my stories because the tone is deceptively gentle and a child is present. They thus assume it is a juvenile story. But juvenile editors reject my stories because they are too long and the POV is an adult. What’s an author to do?

What I did was to self-publish my misfit stories into the collection, Aunt Ursula’s Atlas. It was my first self-published book, in 2016. You should take a look. And, what the heck! If anyone out there is curious about about children’s publishing, go ahead and toss your questions my way.

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.

Breaking the Block

Writer’s block! One of the most dreaded experiences we writers face. Maybe you abruptly lose momentum, or you get the gloomy feeling that everything you put on the page is dumb. Maybe you don’t have a plan for what should happen next. Or you have a plan, but that plan no longer works.

All authors go through this. Of necessity, we develop techniques to break through writer’s block. I’m going to share a few, and maybe you have your own methods to share, too.

First of all, I consider what else is going on in my life. There might be a chore I have to do, or a spat that needs to be sorted out with my family. I give myself permission to step away from writing and take care of whatever that is. Then it won’t be standing in my way any more.

Second, I discipline myself to at least LOOK at the story. There’s always some little tweak that can get me involved with the telling. I read through the final page I did before the block and ask myself, “then what?” Any new words I add might be terrible, but I at least have something to work with later.

Another thing I try is to bring the story into my mind while doing something else. Driving to and from work. Washing dishes. Showering. These are all blank times that I can sometimes persuade my mind to fill up with story.

Lastly, when I lie down to sleep at night, I let my mind wander through the world of the story. Very often, it will spark an idea. I keep a journal near my bed, so I can hop up and write things down.

What about all of you? I’d love to hear your ways to break a writer’s block.

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!

Discoveries, Part 3

The last thing I want to say about my work-in-progress, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower, is not so much a discovery to me, but I hope it will be to my readers. That has to do with the Larder itself — the actual building where the story events take place.

The Larder is a subject of many fearful rumors. It’s said that the most violent and insane mages are imprisoned there. It’s also said that after being imprisoned there, everyone becomes violent and insane. It’s said no mage ever escapes the Larder, because Dar-Gothull feeds off the souls of those imprisoned within it.

The Larder is one of many tower-like structures scattered around Skaythe. Most of the towers are abandoned and swallowed by forest or swamp. They are connected by bands of an unknown, silvery paving that resists every corruption of time. They are commonly referred to as highways, because people use them as such. However, no one now living understands their true purpose.

Two things set the Larder is set apart from other towers. First, that it’s occupied as a prison. Second, and more remarkable, the Larder has actually been damaged somehow. Pristine silvery paving is warped and blackened. The elegant tower leans slightly to one side. This ought to be impossible, yet so it is.

The Larder is no longer just a building. A wounded and ravaged structure, filled with generation after generation of mad mages, it has taken on its own life. When the wind moves around the Larder, most people hear simple echoes. Others hear screams and sobs.

I’m excited by this setting, you can probably tell. But I don’t want to spoil the story for future readers, so I’ll stop there. If you want to get more background on the world of Skaythe, please do check out my novellas, The Tower in the Mist and Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts.

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!

Discoveries, Part 2

One of my favorite techniques in my novels and novellas is to have two or more POV characters. Usually they are on opposite sides of the key question, or one of them is in a position to have information that the other character doesn’t have. In my current novella, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower, I’ve mentioned my main character, Alemin. The next thing I have to discover is who the other POV character will be.

One possibility is Ar-Lizelle, prison warden at the Larder. Behind her back, people call her The Lizard. Ar-Lizelle is an evil mage, as any who serve Dar-Gothull’s regime would have to be. She is in the same location as Alemin, and certainly is adversarial. I’m not sure she would be able to find out things he doesn’t know, though. At least, not in a way that would drive the plot.

I also could bring in another of the Minstrels who might try to rescue Alemin from the Larder. So far, two members of the original troupe haven’t featured in a novella yet. They are Berisan, Alemin’s brother and partner in their juggling act, and Lorah, who had unresolved feelings for Alemin. Berisan seems like the obvious rescuer. However, Lorah is related to Ar-Lizelle, and there’s some great potential for drama if Lorah unknowingly sneaks onto her sister’s ground.

When I’m feeling my way through these writing conundrums, I often make a list for myself of all the ideas that could be combined. The first few ideas will be really obvious ones, and therefore predictable. But if I keep pushing myself, the ideas will become more interesting and useful.

So as I bring Alemin into the Larder and introduce the people who live there, I have some pondering to do. It’s going to be fun!

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!

Discoveries

One thing about writing without a firm outline is that I discover a lot. Most discovery is good, fun, and keeps my stories fresh. I mentioned some of that last time with Alemin wanting to laugh in dire circumstances.

But sometimes, I discover things that just need a lot of work to be successful. That’s where I am with Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. I have a few character names, but I still have to working out everyone’s appearance, from facial features to their clothing. Their personalities are vaguely coming into focus.

The prison itself needs a lot of “construction,” as well. It’s called The Larder, as most people believe the tyrant Dar-Gothull will eventually devour the souls of the prisoners. In this setting many rules about what the prisoners can and (mostly) can’t do, and punishments if those rules are challenged. Or maybe just random punishments to keep them scared.

I’ve never been in prison myself, but I have an idea of what that must be like. I need to do some research, though, so I’m not relying on tired stereotypes.

You know what, though? Since I have you all here, maybe I’ll outline the rules for The Larder. Maybe some of you have had the unfortunate experience of prison yourselves. So these are the restrictions the warden, Ar-Lizelle, lays out out when Alemin arrives:

No magic. These are dangerous and insane wizards, so that’s obvious.No talking. They don’t want the renegades plotting together.When spoken to, answer with the full truth. Playing clever word games will get you a beating at least.No fraternizing with the guards. Some mages can be incredibly persuasive and there have been escapes in the past.Remain in your cell unless ordered out for work. Again, this cuts down on opportunities for scheming.Keep your cell scrupulously clean. There should be nowhere to hide forbidden items, like books.Work if you want to eat. Work will be menial chores such as washing dishes, scrubbing floors, pitching out the stables.

Well, what do you think? Am I forgetting anything important?

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!