Drabble 4—Josh

Prompt: Josh — “It wasn’t every day he could leave his half-sister speechless.”

The moment Josh stepped through the front door, Sylphie was storming out from the kitchen.

“Where were you?” she demanded.

He froze in the entryway, hands clutching the strap of his backpack. “What do you mean?” he asked tremulously.

Sylphie scowled and crossed her arms. “Don’t play dumb. We were supposed to walk home from school together. Only you never showed. So where were you? That Travers kid giving you trouble again?”

Josh dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “No.”

“Are you sure? Because I will go over there and—”

“I was in detention,” he blurted.

Sylphie froze, blinking owlishly. “You?”

Josh scuffed his sneaker on the hardwood. “For rigging a bucket of molasses over the door of the boys bathroom…when Dustin Travers was ready to walk out.”

Sylphie’s mouth moved soundlessly, disbelief and something akin to pride flickering across her face. Josh felt the corners of his mouth twitch. It wasn’t every day he could leave his half-sister speechless.

If you have a prompt you’d like to see, just tell me the character and a brief sentence, and we’ll see what I come up with! ^_^

Drabble 3 — Sylphie

Sep19

These prompts continue to be quite a challenge, but really fun too. Now we’re getting a glimpse into a character’s childhood.

Prompt: Sylphie (Elemental Magic books 5 and 6): “Mascara? What’s that?”

“Look what I swiped off my mom’s dresser.”

Sylphie took the proffered black stick from her classmate and hopped up onto the edge of the sink counter in the girls bathroom. “Mascara? What’s that?”

Heather gaped at her in stupefaction. “It’s makeup! To make your lashes look long and voluptuous.”

Sylphie arched a dubious brow. “Oh, this is the stuff that gives women raccoon eyes when they cry in movies.”

Heather snatched the tube of mascara back and uncapped it. “No, it’s supposed to be sexy.” She lifted the brush coated in black goop to her eyelashes, but then the bell for third period blared, and her hand jerked. Heather yelped as she hit her eye, which caused it to water and smear the dab of mascara that had painted her cheek.

Sylphie grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and quickly handed it to her. Yup, raccoon face.

Drabble 2 — Andre

Sep14

Prompt: Andre — “Not that he cared. This was what he lived for.”

“You destroyed another company car.”

Andre turned to his partner. “The alchemist blew up the car.”

Emily scoffed. “You didn’t have to antagonize him.”

“One more nail in the coffin. You know how the agency prefers undeniable proof.”

“If the company refuses to issue you another vehicle, I am not bringing my own car on cases with you.” She started walking away, past the still-smoking scrap of metal that had once been a Buick. Hardly a model to weep over.

“And don’t even think about me riding on the back of your motorcycle,” she called over her shoulder.

Andre merely shrugged. The SPA could deny his claim. Not that he cared. Watching the handcuffed alchemist get shoved into the back of an agency van, he felt nothing but satisfaction. This was what he lived for.

Are Authors Losing Their Audience?

Sep12

I read an excerpt from The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, and I have to say it struck a familiar, sad chord with me. Carr, along with a handful of peers, admit that while they were once voracious readers, they now can barely stand to sit and read an entire work of prose. It pains me to say that I must count myself among them. I thought perhaps it was just that my tastes in books had changed, or stress and being overworked has left my brain too tired, but the more I read of Carr’s explanation of the Internet’s role, the more it resonated with me.

On a strange flip-side, these same people who no longer consume books in mass, seem to be at their most creative as writers. I can attest to this as well, for I have been more prolific in my writing in the past two years than the first three of my author career combined. Carr attributes this burst in productivity to the vast amounts of knowledge that sit right at our fingertips, needing only an Internet connection to access them. Thus, reading actual books for information becomes obsolete. And while it’s true that Google and Wikipedia have become allies for me as a writer, why has my appetite for prose suffered as well?

According to the examples cited in the book, I’m not the only one. Former devout English Lit majors confess they haven’t picked up a lengthy novel in years. SparkNotes and Shmoop have become the bane of English professors trying to educate a generation that has been bottle-fed instant information. I’m currently halfway through Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, which the English class I’m interpreting for is supposed to be reading, but it is a struggle to keep at it with any diligent concentration. I can remember a time when I would have basked in the flowery language, the poetic imagery, but now I find myself becoming distracted. Skimming. My finger twitching with the urge to scroll rather than turn a page.

Gone, it seems, are the days when I could immerse myself in a book for pleasure. Even when reading something I do enjoy, sometimes I find myself inexplicably skimming over the very craft I work so hard to hone. My brain flits hither and thither, the need to switch windows and look at something else interrupting in shorter and shorter time increments.

All of this leaves me with a rather troubling question as an author — who am I writing for? Is there an audience out there for my work, or are there only a resilient few of strong mind in a dry and dusty land? I never would have thought I’d lose my love of reading books. In fact, I have remained resistant to several elements of technology in protest of getting swallowed up in/by them. But if my brain itself and the way it functions, as Carr proposes, has been affected so drastically without my realizing it, what of others? Are we all slowly being altered on a synapse level by our technology? Are we in some ways creating the first evolution of Borg?

When it comes to the publishing industry, I see a lot of discourse focused on how to make the sales, how to create a fan base, how to market. But is it possible that in a few more decades, it won’t even matter? Is society hemorrhaging readers without us noticing? I would be very curious to know how many book sales then convert to actually being read, and read in full, not just skimmed. The business person probably wouldn’t care, but the reader I used to be, and the storyteller I am, does. Because there is a void where books used to take up a significant part of my life. And I don’t know how to undo such damage.

Drabbles

Sep10

Hello blog, it’s been a while. I know I’ve been woefully absent for the past year++…and if there is anyone who comes back to read this, then virtual cookies to you for being so loyal.

One way I thought I might get back into blogging is to start writing drabbles based on reader prompts. Hopefully it would be a neat way for people to request things they’d like to see with some of their favorite characters beyond the books, and a fun challenge for me.

Here’s one a lovely reader sent me:

Aileen — “She didn’t ordinarily do this kind of thing, but this was no ordinary day.”

“Are you done yet?”

“No. And stop asking; you’re changing the contours of your facial features.”

Aileen almost scowled, but remembered to bite it back at the last second. She didn’t normally do this kind of thing, but this was no ordinary day, not when an up-and-coming local artist wanted to theme his next collective project on environmentalism and the sea. Aileen just didn’t know why she had to be the inspiration for his current painting. Live, in person. For almost an hour now.

And the bubbling commentary from the peanut gallery in the aquarium nearby was not helping. Especially since she was the only one who could hear it.

“Lift your chin.”

“This way.”

“Other way.”

“I wanna be in the painting!”

“Shut up,” she muttered.

The artist huffed. “Hold still!”

E-Book Formatting and Conversion Services

Jun20

I am now offering e-book formatting and conversion services. The process can be a time-consuming hassle for many people, but I actually enjoy doing it.

Why use a formatting service?

“Not all indie authors realize that e-book conversion (offered by most major distributors) is not the same as e-book formatting. Conversion just puts your Word file in the blender. Formatting creates a precise, clean, and beautiful e-book—a MUST for anyone wanting to put out a professional-looking product.”
~Alina Sayre, award-winning author of The Voyages of the Legend series

E-book formatting and conversion prices*:

10-20k — $20-$30
20-30k — $30-$40
30-40k — $40-$50
40-60k — $50-$70
60-80k — $70-$90
80-100k — $90-$110
100k+ — $110+

*Based on standard number of chapters. For greater number of chapters spanning shorter word counts (ex. poetry books, short stories collection) a separate price quote will be required.

What you get:

An epub file specifically for upload to Amazon Kindle
A generic epub file for other online retailers
Clickable Table of Contents included

For epub files customized for individual retailers (ex. with book links) – additional $5-$20 per file, depending on number of links

For stylistic additions (special caps, color), images, etc. – additional $15

What I need from you:

MS Word file of manuscript with all text wanted in the e-book, from front matter (copyright information, dedication, acknowledgments, etc) to back matter (author bio, links, etc.)
No page numbers, headers or footers
A jpeg file of your book cover
If adding images inside book, original jpeg files will also be needed
If desired, jpeg of author photo (no extra charge)

Testimonials:

“Angela has formatted all three of my middle-grade fantasy e-books. Her professionalism, eye for detail, and integrity make her my first choice every time. I’ve thrown text, images, drop caps, and links her way, and she’s seamlessly incorporated them all. I can now confidently offer beautiful, consistent e-books that match my print books in quality and easily compete with their traditionally published counterparts. Why waste your time and energy wrangling with HTML code and formatting software? Angela is affordable, reliable, stress-free, and on time, every time. With my e-books in her capable hands, I have more time to focus on doing what I love–writing and promoting my books.”
~Alina Sayre, award-winning author of The Voyages of the Legend series

Traveling Writer

Jun11

I have a very special guest on the blog today. My good friend, Alina Sayre, has just released the third book in her Middle Grade fantasy series, Voyages of the Legend. She’s being kept pretty busy bouncing around various blogs for her tour, and was kind enough to take some time to join us here and talk about some of the inspiration behind the book’s settings. So, without further ado…

“Traveling Writer”
Alina Sayre

Photo credit Alina Sayre

Travel is something I’ve always enjoyed (though I also enjoy coming home afterwards). As a writer, though, I don’t just take in sights and sounds when I travel—I also keep notes for future story settings. And in my latest book, The Illuminator Rising, some of those notes found a home. Three major settings in this book are based on real travels I’ve taken.

When I was twelve, my family and I traveled to the big island of Hawai’i, home to some of the most active volcanoes in the world. I remember trekking across the lava fields, the black rock sharp and shiny as glass, to a spot where fresh lava was flowing. The slow, viscous stream of orange, already turning black as it was exposed to air, was mesmerizing—an unfiltered experience with nature that struck me with both its beauty and danger. I remember watching the lava eventually pour off a cliff, clouds of steam rising as it hit the ocean waves. New land was forming before my eyes. It was an arresting experience, and one that eventually became a central setting for The Illuminator Rising.

Photo credit Alina Sayre

One thing that sets this book apart from its prequels is that the crew actually splits up and travels to different islands. One of these islands was based on a family roadtrip across the American Southwest a few years ago. Though deserts are not my favorite places (excessive heat makes me cranky), there was something alien and beautiful about the rocky landscape. One of my hobbies is photography, so I really enjoyed a stop at Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Though you can see very little sky from the bottom of the narrow slot canyon (my claustrophobia was going crazy), the light still filters in and ricochets off the sandstone walls, making these crazy, amazing patterns of light and shadow that change every minute. The vivid colors and textures of that landscape formed the basis for one of the islands in The Illuminator Rising.

Photo credit Alina Sayre

The other island was a blend of two places I’ve been. While studying abroad in college, a friend and I did a weekend adventure to southern Spain, where we saw architectural marvels like the Alhambra in Granada and the Real Alcazar in Sevilla. I loved the Moorish artistic influence, with its keyhole-shaped doorways, intricate tilework, and roofs like spun sugar. Blend that together with a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and you get something like my other island in The Illuminator Rising. I especially fell in love with Turkish food and had tons of fun describing the banquets here! I even saw a baby tortoise half the size of my palm at an archaeological site. It was so tiny and adorable that I knew I’d have to put it in a book.

Of course, some aspects of every island in the book are purely fantasy. That’s one of the fun things about this genre! But experiences in real life definitely added color—and flavor—to the island landscapes in this book. I hope that reading the book gives you all the pleasure of taking your own travels!

Synopsis of The Illuminator Rising, Book 3 of The Voyages of the Legend:

Driven from their home island of Rhynlyr, Ellie and her friends must solve a riddle to find the survivors of the Vestigia Roi. But instead of a safe haven, they discover a hopeless band of refugees paralyzed by fear. Strengthened by new allies and new gifts, the crew of the Legend faces dangers like never before. Can they escape being shot out of the sky, falling over the Edge of the world, or being engulfed by urken armies long enough to rally the Vestigia Roi? And can they rekindle a fire from the ashes of the One Kingdom before Draaken takes over the world?

Advance praise:
“…a thrilling read…[Sayre] has a flair for being able to capture the interest of a reader and hold onto it.”
-Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

Get your copy on Amazon today!

Alina photo Author bio:
Alina Sayre began her literary career chewing on board books and has been in love with words ever since. Now she gets to work with them every day as an author, educator, editor, and speaker. Her first novel, The Illuminator’s Gift, won a silver medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and all three books in The Voyages of the Legend series have received 5-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite. When she’s not writing, Alina enjoys hiking, crazy socks, and reading under blankets. She does not enjoy algebra or wasabi. When she grows up, she would like to live in a castle with a large library.

Links:
Website: www.alinasayre.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alinasayreauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AlinaSayre
Amazon: amazon.com/author/alinasayre
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7469870.Alina_Sayre

Catch up on the first two books, The Illuminator’s Gift and The Illuminator’s Test on Amazon.

Need An Editor?

Jan2

Happy New Year! Now’s the time people buckle down to write that book they’ve always wanted to. Maybe your resolution this year is to get your manuscript out of the closet and finally published. And if you’re looking for an editor to help with that, I offer services for three stages.

Developmental Editing:
Get feedback and suggestions on plot development, character development, pacing, and structure for your novel.
$0.02 per word

Content Editing:
I provide a thorough examination of sentence structure, syntax, flow, and clarity. I also specialize in helping make your descriptions vivid and three dimensional so the reader can fully immerse themselves in your world.
$0.01 per word (minimum–heavy editing may require a different estimate)

Copy Editing/Proofreading:
An extra set of eyes to look for typos and correct any grammatical errors.
$0.005 per word (minimum)

I provide a sample edit of your first 1,000 words so you get a sense of my style to see if it will be a good fit for you. If interested, please fill out the contact form below with the type of editing you are interested in.

I use the Track Changes feature so you can see every suggestion and decide for yourself how best to implement them. Turnaround time will depend on length, but standard novel word count will take approximately two weeks.

*Note: I accept all fiction genres except horror and erotica. Will also accept non-fiction.

Testimonials:

“Angela Wallace is great for both content editing and proofreading. I’d definitely recommend authors add her to their editing process!”
–Susan Illene, Amazon best-selling author

“I have used Angela on several projects and have been very happy with her attention to detail, her insight, and her ability to point out/give suggestions on concepts I had overlooked. She communicates on a very professional and personal level and always ensures I understand her comments. I am confident in her ability to guide my projects through the development process and polish them as they become the final product. I highly recommend her services.”
—Diana Murdock, author of Souled

“Angela has been a blessing during the writing process. Not only are her suggestions and critiques helpful for catching grammatical errors and sentence variation, but also for stimulating creativity and enhancing the story itself. Angela helped turn my ideas into words; more importantly, she helped make them come to life. I would highly recommend her to any writer looking for an editor who is friendly, encouraging, and inspired. I myself will continue to trust my work to her talents.”
–Jackie Martin

Contact:

Twice Upon A Time Blog Tour: An Interview with Kelly Hale

Jun15

CONTRARY to the title of this anthology, working with such a talented cast of writers is an opportunity that usually comes once in a lifetime. From best-selling to greenhorn, independent or traditionally-published, the authors in this anthology span all ranges in addition to spanning the globe—from England to Australia and all over the United States. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know each and every one of them, and they have become a part of my extended family. I’ve even caught a glimpse of a secret side of them that only another writer…editor…is privy to witness through their words.

Through this series of posts, I plan on introducing you to my new family through a mini-interview of each. You may not get a chance to see their secret side, but you’ll get a sneak-peek into their minds, their passions and inspirations, and what made them the writers they are today.

–Joshua

..The Mini Interview..

1. At what age did you start writing?

Ten. By thirteen I was writing short stories, plotting out novels that were far too unwieldy for my skills. I also wrote Star Trek fanfiction (although I don’t think it had an official name yet. It was 1969).

2. Which book introduced you to Speculative Fiction?

Beauty, by Sheri S. Tepper. I’m pretty sure I’d read speculative fiction prior but Beauty was the first one that I said, “oh, this is that thing which isn’t exactly science fiction but also isn’t remotely mainstream. I’m going to write this.”

3. Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?

That is a horrible question to ask a writer, you know. Currently, my all time favorite book would be Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. The way the clues to the twist have been layered in from the first page and you only realize it at the same time as the narrator, when it’s too late and you’re hit with the same crushing betrayal and rage and desperate fear. As a writer, it’s kind of awe-inspiring. I’m so glad I knew nothing about it when I began the read.

4. Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?

To really really start writing? Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale. She boldly claimed she didn’t write science fiction, damn it, she wrote fiction. All fiction speculates. It’s all fiction. Plus, that’s a brilliant little book.

5. What would you say is the most important lesson all writers should learn?

Most important, trite but true, write because you love it, because you want to, because it challenges you and also gives you joy. Odds are you will not become rich from writing, you may never make enough from it to live on. There was a great cartoon in The New Yorker once, showing a guy on the street selling pencils and the caption was, “Sold my first story and foolishly quit my day job.” Don’t do that.

6. Of the entire publishing process, which would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?

Well, your work is going to be rejected so you have to get over that. The toughest I think for most writers (as most of us are introverts) is having to self-promote. It’s easier now because of the internet, but not that long ago when print publishing was starting to slow, publishers required new work to be all lined up with blurbs and glowing reviews before they signed a contract with you. Which worked fine, I suppose, if you’d gone through Clarion or another prestigious workshop. If not you were forced to beg for a person who didn’t know you to “please, please, please read my book and write a little blurb!”

7. From where did the inspiration for your submission arise?

I was thinking about women as exploitable commodities now and throughout history. So my story was going to deal with that in some way. I have always been interested in the cultural clashes and co-mingling of the early interactions between white traders and Native Americans. So I began with the idea of a Shoshone man who offers his daughter to a mountain man in exchange for saving his life. The similarities of mythical figures from varied cultures is one of the most consistent connecting threads of our humanity. There is always a beast somewhere that can be tamed, tricked, or rescued by a woman.

8. If applicable, did you have a favorite character (to write) from your story? If so, what sets them apart from the others?

My favorite character is, of course, Dove, the narrator. I liked her from the moment she started talking. I think every narrator is my favorite character when I’m writing them though.

9. On what projects are you currently working?

I am working on three novels and must soon decide which one I’m going to spend the next six months working on until the end. One is a time-travel, YA thingy called The Moontree Women. The other is the second novel in my Erasing Sherlock series. And the third is an expansion of a short story called Project Thunderbird, which is due out in March 2015 in the anthology Liberating Earth, edited by Kate Orman.

Read Kelly’s story, Blood Medicine, in your very own copy of Twice Upon A Time today!

Available for Purchase at…

Amazon|Paperback ♦ Amazon|Kindle

B&N|Paperback ♦ B&N|NOOK ♦ Kobo|eBook

Schuler Books|Paperback ♦ Smashwords|eBook

..About the Author..

KELLY HALE lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where the streets are paved with espresso beans and the garbage recycles itself. She is the author of a bunch of short stories in a bunch of anthologies, and a couple of novels (including the award-winning Erasing Sherlock). She has loved science fiction and fantasy for so long that the characters from the original Star Trek represent archetypes in her dreams.

..Connect with the Author..

Twice Upon A Time Blog Tour: An Interview with KR Green

Jun8

–Joshua

..The Mini Interview..

1. At what age did you start writing?

I used to use my grandmother’s typewriter when I was around 6 or 7, and finished my first story on it. But when I was 19, I tried National Novel Writing Month. I ‘won’ this, completing a 50,000 word draft in 30 days, and that gave me the boost to try writing on a regular and more dedicated basis.

2. Which book introduced you to Speculative Fiction?

I grew up reading about animals who talked and curses/prophecies. The most influential for me was The Sight by David-Clement Davies. Mixing a strange-to-me landscape, wolf gods, sentient animals, and prophecies was my window into fantasy and supernatural books.

3. Do you have an all-time favorite book? What about it makes it your favorite?

My favourite book is probably still The Moon Riders by Theresa Tomlinson. It introduced me to strong female characters, spoke of living in harmony with the seasons, and held divination and dance as sacred powers. In terms of writing, it’s the book I remember when I need to create more tension because the main character survives and manages so many devastating events.

4. Which author and/or book inspired you to start writing?

I began writing more seriously due to a friend asking me to do National Novel Writing Month with her. When I’m stuck or struggling to write how I want to, I re-read Dianne Sylvan’s first Shadow World book, Queen of Shadows. I personally find her writing style works for me, and I own nearly every book she’s written, so she’s definitely a positive influence.

5. What would you say is the most important lesson all writers should learn?

Perseverance. And because picking just one is tricky, I’d also say to expect your first drafts and early planning to have gaps, holes, issues or be plain rubbish. Writing isn’t a race. I believe even well-known, prolific writers have rubbish chapters in their first drafts and sit staring at a scene wondering how on earth they can fix it. Therefore, my two-sided advice is to not rush the process—to give the writing time to breathe and yourself time to recharge when writing. However, don’t give up. Don’t let your writing sit in a drawer for too long. Keep moving forward, step by step.

6. Of the entire publishing process, which would you say is the most difficult aspect to endure?

It’s difficult to pinpoint something specifically in publishing, but while people at the publishing end are getting things sorted, the author can be left waiting without much communication (as they’re busy getting things rolling) at times.

7. From where did the inspiration for your submission arise?

I studied the story of Taliesin as a module on Celtic mythology, so I felt familiar with the symbols and messages often found within it.

8. If applicable, did you have a favorite character (to write) from your story? If so, what sets them apart from the others?

When I studied the tale, it rarely gave Morfran’s view of this magic to be bestowed upon him; that led me to tell his side of the story—with his secret power and the balance of wanting his own life versus pleasing those around him.

9. On what projects are you currently working?

I’m currently editing a young adult novel draft which focuses on a young falconer and her hawk discovering the secrets of a city during rebellion.

Read K.R. Green’s story, The Night of Awen, in your very own copy of Twice Upon A Time today!

Available for Purchase at…

Amazon|Paperback ♦ Amazon|Kindle

B&N|Paperback ♦ B&N|NOOK ♦ Kobo|eBook

Schuler Books|Paperback ♦ Smashwords|eBook

..About the Author..

KRGREEN writes about dragons, falconry, mythology, and sorcery. She attends a local writing group, and outside of writing enjoys herbal teas, reading, and gazing up at the stars. When she isn’t painting pictures with words, she works in the Mental Health sector in London and for Children’s Services in Sussex.