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Monday, January 20, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Age of Deception Release
It's almost time! The cover is finished. The preorder is up. A last edit of the copy is currently being conducted.
That means it's finally time to unveil the next book in the Firebird Chronicles which will go live on February 5. Enjoy!
That means it's finally time to unveil the next book in the Firebird Chronicles which will go live on February 5. Enjoy!
War hero and daughter to two Houses, Kira is just beginning to learn how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Agreeing to accompany her father’s people back to their homeworld, Kira Forrest prepares for the fight of her life. She’s agreed to undertake the Trial of the Broken, a rite of passage every member of her father’s House must pass. It offers a path to independence and freedom that is too tempting to deny.
Not everyone welcomes this lost daughter of Roake. There are those who fear what her presence might bring to light. Betrayal stalks the halls of Kira’s birthplace—its roots embedded deep in the events that claimed her parent’s lives and set her on her current path.
Walking the wire’s edge between truth and deception will test the person Kira has become as she separates ally from betrayer. An old enemy has put into motion a plan that could topple the balance of power in the universe. Letting them succeed spells doom—but the price might be more than Kira is willing to pay.
Agreeing to accompany her father’s people back to their homeworld, Kira Forrest prepares for the fight of her life. She’s agreed to undertake the Trial of the Broken, a rite of passage every member of her father’s House must pass. It offers a path to independence and freedom that is too tempting to deny.
Not everyone welcomes this lost daughter of Roake. There are those who fear what her presence might bring to light. Betrayal stalks the halls of Kira’s birthplace—its roots embedded deep in the events that claimed her parent’s lives and set her on her current path.
Walking the wire’s edge between truth and deception will test the person Kira has become as she separates ally from betrayer. An old enemy has put into motion a plan that could topple the balance of power in the universe. Letting them succeed spells doom—but the price might be more than Kira is willing to pay.
Click here for Chapter One. Warning--the chapter ends on a minor cliff hanger!
Preorder on Amazon
I will add other store preorder links on my website as they go live.
Monday, January 13, 2020
The Perils of Inspiration
Most of the time I love the way my brain works. The twists and turns, the way random conversations in my head will make me laugh for no reason. It's what makes me, me. It's why I create the stories I do. It's why I'm rarely bored. There's always some bad guy to thwart or battle to win in the stories I tell myself.
It's not so fun when my brain offers up a brilliant stroke of inspiration that if followed would require me to scrap a good portion of the work I've already crafted in Aileen 5. Nearly all of it, in fact.
I'm early enough in the process that this is doable. On the other hand, the last two books where I've tried to "fix" a beginning, I've screwed the book up more. It's left me in a bit of a quandary. I'm frozen in place until I make a decision one way or another.
Some people think writing a book is a straight shot from A to B. It can be. For most of my books, it largely is--but not always. Sometimes, it takes a few false starts and an odd tangent or two to find my way.
Decisions both large and small, especially at this stage, set the scene for the rest of the book. There's a reason my writing is slower at this stage; why I don't achieve the high word count I'm used to. I haven't built enough momentum for the story to carry itself forward. Making a wrong decision will make the middle and back half of the book torturous to write and lead to more extensive rewrites when it comes time to edit.
I don't quite know which direction I will go yet. Perhaps what I've already written can be re-purposed into a short story. Perhaps my brilliant idea only seems brilliant because I haven't started working with it yet. Only time will tell.
It's not so fun when my brain offers up a brilliant stroke of inspiration that if followed would require me to scrap a good portion of the work I've already crafted in Aileen 5. Nearly all of it, in fact.
I'm early enough in the process that this is doable. On the other hand, the last two books where I've tried to "fix" a beginning, I've screwed the book up more. It's left me in a bit of a quandary. I'm frozen in place until I make a decision one way or another.
Some people think writing a book is a straight shot from A to B. It can be. For most of my books, it largely is--but not always. Sometimes, it takes a few false starts and an odd tangent or two to find my way.
Decisions both large and small, especially at this stage, set the scene for the rest of the book. There's a reason my writing is slower at this stage; why I don't achieve the high word count I'm used to. I haven't built enough momentum for the story to carry itself forward. Making a wrong decision will make the middle and back half of the book torturous to write and lead to more extensive rewrites when it comes time to edit.
I don't quite know which direction I will go yet. Perhaps what I've already written can be re-purposed into a short story. Perhaps my brilliant idea only seems brilliant because I haven't started working with it yet. Only time will tell.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Firebird 2 Deleted Scene
I'd planned to do a beginning of year post detailing what books are coming up, but I'm not feeling it today. Here is a deleted scene from Firebird 2 instead.
It takes place right before the last scene of Rules of Redemption in which Graydon completely upsets Kira's plans to ride off into to space. It features a character that will play a big role in the next book.
As soon as I get the cover finalized, I will post the first chapter and the release date of Firebird 2.
Until then, hopefully this tides you over.
Firebird 2 Deleted Scene
It takes place right before the last scene of Rules of Redemption in which Graydon completely upsets Kira's plans to ride off into to space. It features a character that will play a big role in the next book.
As soon as I get the cover finalized, I will post the first chapter and the release date of Firebird 2.
Until then, hopefully this tides you over.
Firebird 2 Deleted Scene
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Beta Readers Wanted!
Edit-- the spots have been filled.
Firebird 2 has reached the stage where it would benefit from having eyes other than my own on it. For those interested in beta reading, this is your chance.
Below is a link to where you can sign up. Be aware, not everyone will be chosen as a beta reader so if you sign up and aren't picked, please try again next time. I only take a few, otherwise there would be too much feedback to shift through.
For those unfamiliar with what a beta reader does, keep reading.
The definition varies by author, but for me a beta reader is someone who takes the temperature of a book. They let me know if the concepts and worlds I've created resonate with a reader. Mostly, they give me honest feedback regarding the characters and plot. They don't focus on grammar or anything like that.
Their job is quite important as they catch things that I won't because of how close I am to the material. I've rewritten prologues and endings based on their feedback.
For example - if character B spoke at the end of a scene they hadn't been in until then. Or, if Aileen used a magic weapon but you had no idea how she got the weapon.
Beta reading is not for everyone. I don't beta read for people because it can be work. I like getting caught up in a story and not paying attention to the things that irk me. Be assured, there will be advanced copies coming so if you want to read the book without the work, please sign up for that instead.
Firebird 2 has reached the stage where it would benefit from having eyes other than my own on it. For those interested in beta reading, this is your chance.
Below is a link to where you can sign up. Be aware, not everyone will be chosen as a beta reader so if you sign up and aren't picked, please try again next time. I only take a few, otherwise there would be too much feedback to shift through.
For those unfamiliar with what a beta reader does, keep reading.
The definition varies by author, but for me a beta reader is someone who takes the temperature of a book. They let me know if the concepts and worlds I've created resonate with a reader. Mostly, they give me honest feedback regarding the characters and plot. They don't focus on grammar or anything like that.
Their job is quite important as they catch things that I won't because of how close I am to the material. I've rewritten prologues and endings based on their feedback.
For example - if character B spoke at the end of a scene they hadn't been in until then. Or, if Aileen used a magic weapon but you had no idea how she got the weapon.
Beta reading is not for everyone. I don't beta read for people because it can be work. I like getting caught up in a story and not paying attention to the things that irk me. Be assured, there will be advanced copies coming so if you want to read the book without the work, please sign up for that instead.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Progress Marches On
This morning calls for making home made hot chocolate and mixing it with coffee in the hopes it will kick start my brain. I woke up tired. The last few nights I've had vivid dreams that keep waking me up. In one of them, a large group of us were trapped in a locked facility while the world outside ended. There were interesting conflicts of what survival would look like with limited resources.
When myself and others finally escaped, we were hunted by a vampire-like creature. We ended up taking bikes on some type of trail to make it back to Ohio. All interesting ideas, but at one point I scared myself enough that I couldn't get back to sleep.
My issues with sleeping are nothing new. Usually, I'm careful to structure my time so my sleep is undisturbed. It's one of the reasons I don't use an alarm in the morning. Most days I wake up on time, but the few occasions I sleep in, I've decided to let myself. Writing when exhausted is doable--I've done it many, many times--but I find my emotional balance much harder to maintain and I feel less creative.
The scene I'm rewriting today is a difficult one so I need my A game. The overall tone of the scene is shifting. Characters are being added and fleshed out. I've been imagining the words and what happens for several days now, but right now my mind is a blank. Hopefully my sugary, caffeinated beverage will help.
The last two writing days have been amazing. Both ended with me feeling like I could conquer the world--at least if conquering involved a keyboard and words. This is my favorite part of the writing process--when excitement makes the words and ideas spill out of you faster than you can capture them. It buoys you up for the difficult hours ahead.
There are many things left to fix with this book, but the realization that this story is coming together exactly the way I envisioned is giving me motivation to press on. The hard part is knowing there is a limit to what I can accomplish each day. No one ever mentions how writing can be an endurance event. Every day in this stage of the process, I end with an aching back along with wrists and arms that hurt. Despite this, I wouldn't trade my focus right now for anything.
There are still several more scenes to be added and even more to alter to fit the new path. The ending must be rewritten to take into account the new material. Still, that burning sense I get when a book is on the right track has ignited. I know what needs to be done, the concept is good and the characters are starting to shine. All I need to do now is execute my vision. Well, that and take care of myself.
When myself and others finally escaped, we were hunted by a vampire-like creature. We ended up taking bikes on some type of trail to make it back to Ohio. All interesting ideas, but at one point I scared myself enough that I couldn't get back to sleep.
My issues with sleeping are nothing new. Usually, I'm careful to structure my time so my sleep is undisturbed. It's one of the reasons I don't use an alarm in the morning. Most days I wake up on time, but the few occasions I sleep in, I've decided to let myself. Writing when exhausted is doable--I've done it many, many times--but I find my emotional balance much harder to maintain and I feel less creative.
The scene I'm rewriting today is a difficult one so I need my A game. The overall tone of the scene is shifting. Characters are being added and fleshed out. I've been imagining the words and what happens for several days now, but right now my mind is a blank. Hopefully my sugary, caffeinated beverage will help.
The last two writing days have been amazing. Both ended with me feeling like I could conquer the world--at least if conquering involved a keyboard and words. This is my favorite part of the writing process--when excitement makes the words and ideas spill out of you faster than you can capture them. It buoys you up for the difficult hours ahead.
There are many things left to fix with this book, but the realization that this story is coming together exactly the way I envisioned is giving me motivation to press on. The hard part is knowing there is a limit to what I can accomplish each day. No one ever mentions how writing can be an endurance event. Every day in this stage of the process, I end with an aching back along with wrists and arms that hurt. Despite this, I wouldn't trade my focus right now for anything.
There are still several more scenes to be added and even more to alter to fit the new path. The ending must be rewritten to take into account the new material. Still, that burning sense I get when a book is on the right track has ignited. I know what needs to be done, the concept is good and the characters are starting to shine. All I need to do now is execute my vision. Well, that and take care of myself.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Hot Chocolate Disaster
We had our first snowfall of the season last night and today it is cold outside. It's left me craving hot chocolate as I work through the first round of edits on Firebird 2.
In the afternoon, I decided to take a brief break to make hot chocolate on the stove. Midway through I get an idea to fix a broken piece I've been struggling with.
I leave the chocolate to type up the words. Shortly after, I smell burning milk. Run back to the kitchen to find the hot chocolate boiling over and the source of the smell.
The chocolate was burned and ruined. I had to start again. Second time, the hot chocolate made it through successfully, but the stove is a giant mess.
You would think I'd learn, having done this a time or two. Every time I promise myself it's just one sentence, but then I get caught up and forget that you shouldn't leave things on an active stove.
Learn from my mistakes. Don't write and cook.
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