Interview with Natalie Wright at Indie Author Land

My recent interview with the folks at Indie Author Land has been posted. Come here what I'm up to :-D

Inspiration at 35,000 Feet!

Much of my first novel, Emily’s House, takes place in Ireland. I’d been inspired to write a story partially set in the Emerald Isle, but I’d never been there! As I finished the first draft, I knew that I had to go to Ireland before I could finish my revisions.

But there was a problem. I didn’t have the money to make the trip. But that problem was solved when I won a trip to Ireland in a radio contest – true story! (Read this post for more on that story.) Less than a month after I’d prayed for the opportunity, my plane touched down in Dublin.

It was magical to traipse around the Irish countryside, roughly following the path that my characters tread in Emily’s House. I smiled so much my face hurt!

That's my head, peaking from behind an Irish Megalithic stone

Before I left for Ireland, I’d envisioned Emily’s House as a single novel, not a series. Written for a late tween to early teen audience, Emily’s House is a classic hero quest. Emily learns of her ancient magical heritage; journeys solo and learns secret knowledge from a wise mentor; receives magical objects; and then defeats the bad guy and saves the day. A grand adventure for Emily and her pals. One big story. The end.

But on my way back from Ireland, cruising at 35,000 above the Earth, something happened. Maybe it was the lower-than-normal oxygen level. Or perhaps the white noise hum of the engines created stillness and focus. Whatever the reason, my mind was open and my imagination flowed.

And there, 35,000 feet in the air, three titles popped into my head: Emily’s House, Emily’s Trial, and Emily’s Heart.

On that flight, Emily told me that she had more than one story to tell. In Emily’s House, Emily was faced with obstacles, to be sure. But I hadn’t challenged her as much as I could. I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed her to the edge of the cliff. All I needed was a juicy catalyst of a challenge.

By the time I touched down back in the U.S., the theme of book 2 was clear to me: Fear.

What if Emily’s worst fears began to come true? What if her friends’ nightmares became real?

My initial premise was born on that flight in September, 2010. And by the time I touched down back in the U.S., I had a brief outline of Book 2, Emily’s Trial.

Last November (2011), I gave myself a challenge and participated in NaNoWriMo (Nat’l Novel Writing Month). The goal: To write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

 My family ate out of boxes and bags for much of the month, but I achieved my goal. By December 1, I had the first draft of Emily’s Trial written! It was an incredible challenge to push myself to write that much each and every day. The truth is, usually I’m a sporadic writer. I may write for eight hours one day, then not write at all for a few weeks.

But I soon found that total immersion in the story for thirty days straight was a blessing. I ate, breathed, slept and dreamt Emily’s world and characters for a whole month. And as I lived with them, they spoke to me more clearly than they ever had. The characters took the story to places I hadn’t imagined. And I ended up with an ending that required me to go back and rewrite the beginning!

It was wonderful fun for me, as a writer, to explore the theme of fear with these characters. Poor Emily – I pushed her so hard! But the reward is a character-driven action story that tests long-held friendships and loyalties.

I had so much fun writing Emily’s Trial! I hope you have fun reading it J

Emily's Trial, Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicles

I may be crazy, but I’ll be doing the NaNoWriMo challenge again this November, and banging out a first draft of Book 3, Emily’s Heart.

So think of me this November, foregoing decent food, sleep, fresh air and Facebook as I write the last chapter of Emily’s amazing journey. Will Emily rise to the challenge left her at the end of Book 2? And will love flourish in Emily’s Heart?

I’ll see you in December ;-)

Happy reading!

October Blog Tour & Giveaway!

It has been a while since Emily went on tour ;-) So in preparation for the worldwide release of Emily's Trial, Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicles, I decided to send Emily back out to tour the net. Heather, the lovely owner of NR Book Tours set up a tour this week for Emily. Hop around the blogosphere with Emily this week and read reviews, posts and make sure you enter the Giveaway. I'm giving away not only signed copies of the books, but a handmade armlet created especially for me by Lady Steel, in honor of Emily's golden torc. You know you want one! Gotta play to win ;-)

Hippity-hop yourself over to these blogs:

10/8/12 - Happy Tails and Tales Blog

10/9/12 - Kaidans Seduction

10/10/12 - Tana Rae Reads

10/11/12 - Sittin Under an Oak Tree

10/12/12 - Crazy For Books

10/15/12 RELEASE DAY PARTY!! Go to all of the above blogs on Release Day + these two additional lovely blogs

A Bibliophile's Thoughts On Books

Black Hippie Chicks Take on Books & World

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Manic Monday: The Least Sexy Writing Tool You Need

It is time, my friends, to talk about the least sexy of all writing subjects: Grammar. Specifically, let's talk about a tool that I have found that will help you improve the quality of your manuscripts. The product? Grammarly.


I know - you're probably rolling your eyes at me and are thinking about leaving the page. Perhaps you, like some readers, care almost exclusively about the book's premise, plot, idea. Perhaps you, like some readers, don't give a hang about typos and ignore poor grammar.


But not all readers feel that way. In fact, at the other end of the spectrum are grammar nazis. These people are irritated by the most minute errors. Grammar nazis take great pleasure in going onto Amazon and giving one star to a novel because of grammar errors (I saw this kind of review posted for one of my favorite books of 2011, The Night Circus).

Perhaps you're saying, "Yes, but very few readers are that into grammar."

Probably true. But I think the majority of readers fall between these two extremes. Most readers are annoyed by books with a significant number of typos and spelling errors. Many get irritated if a writer consistently overuses a word or uses banal and vague descriptions.

But even if the reader is not consciously aware of errors, I believe a book riddled with errors wears on the reader, if only unconsciously. If the reader actually gets to the end, she may be 'meh' about the book and not recommend it, even though she generally liked the premise and the main character(s).

If you have stayed with me this long I hope I've made a case for why you, as a writer, should care more about the polish of your prose than most of us probably do. The attention to detail can lift a book from "just so, so" to "pretty good." It can be the difference between, "I struggled to get through that book," to "I highly recommend this book."


A book free of errors cannot guarantee sales. We have all been witness to books that have topped the charts and are poorly written or full of errors.


But you and I - while we care about sales - we care more about giving the reader the best possible book we can give them. We care deeply about the product. And because we care about the prose, we owe it to ourselves - and our readers - to invest time and money into products and services that help us put out our best possible product.


What does Grammarly do? How do you know if you need Grammarly?


1. If you didn't know that modifiers can squint, you need Grammarly. Until I began using it, I was unaware that modifiers could squint. Apparently they can, and apparently I had modifiers squinting all over the place.

What the heck is a squinting modifier and why should I care?

If a modifier is placed in a sentence in such a way that it could be modifying either of two different clauses, it's a "squinting" modifier. And this is confusing to the reader. And that's why you should care.

You never want to confuse your reader. Confused readers become frustrated readers and frustrated readers don't recommend your book to their friends and don't come back for more books by you.

Grammarly will not only point out all of your squinters; you will learn to stop doing it in the first place. By using the program and correcting the mistake yourself, you'll be learning. When you do this over the course of an entire manuscript, trust me, the rule will become engrained. If the rule is engrained, you are less likely to break the rule in the future. Ergo, less confusion for your readers = happier readers. Yeah! We love happy readers.

2. If you love to use banal words such as very, even, good, bad or others like them, you need Grammarly. The program will not only point these words out, but it will recommend more juicy, specific words to use.

Why is this a problem and why should I care?

Every word should count. So make each word work for you. When is the word "very" necessary? Perhaps never. Consider "very good." That's the most juicy description you could come up with for chocolate lava cake (for example)?

Once Grammarly has pointed this out to you several dozen (or hundreds) of times, you'll start to get the picture. Again, it becomes engrained, and you'll write juicier, less banal words to start with.

3. If you never use commas (or use ten per sentence), you need Grammarly.

Why do we care about commas?

Your prose is easier to read when you properly use commas. If you help your reader out, you'll have a happy reader. A reader shouldn't have to work at reading your novel.

Have you ever had to read a sentence more than once to figure out what it means? Okay, if you're reading a physics book, perhaps that's to be expected. But a novel? No, you should never have to read and reread a sentence to figure out what the heck the writer is trying to say.

Misplaced modifiers, dangling participles and other freakish grammar beasts can be to blame. But the lack of or misplacement of commas can also contribute to lack of readability.

Grammarly is genius at the use of commas. If you use it regularly, you, too, may become a comma genius.

Grammarly, or similar programs, cannot replace a substantive editor. Writers still need human editors to help craft the story. But for writers, especially self-pubbers and other Indies, Grammarly will help your prose achieve a higher state of polish and readability.

Readability = happy readers. And happy readers = happy writers.

Everyone's happy. Isn't that wonderful?

What writing or editing tools have you found indespensible? What have you purchased that you'd gladly purchase again?

Summer Teen Reading Party with Marva Dasef

Happy Wednesday! We continue the Teen Reading Party and I welcome Marva Dasef, author of a fabulous series, The Witches of Gadlorheim, as my guest today. Check out these great covers:

Marva's stories incorporate Celtic mythology by way of Scotland. My first novel, Emily's House, incorporates Celtic mythology by way of Ireland, so I enjoyed this post from Marva a lot! And there is an excerpt of Scotch Broom so be sure to read through and check that out:

SCOTCH BROOM: Book 3 of The Witches of Galdorheim

A magical trip to Stonehenge lands a witch in the Otherworld where an ancient goddess is up to no good.

Blurb:

Kat expects to have a great time on her graduation trip to Stonehenge. However, from the moment she leaves the witches’ arctic island, Galdorheim, she gets in nothing but trouble.  Her younger half-brother tries to horn in on her trip, she gets lost in the magical Otherworld realm, is led astray by a supposed friend, then she has to confront a Scottish goddess who’s fallen on hard times.

While dodging the goddess’ minions and trying to find her way out of the Otherworld, Kat soon learns she shouldn’t underestimate the old has-been for one second; the crone still has a few tricks that can drain a witch’s magic in a flash. To make matters worse, Kat's brother secretly followed her into the Otherworld. Now he’s in danger too.  Kat has to go one on one with the goddess to save herself and her brother.

Leave a comment to win a free ebook of any of the Witches of Galdorheim. To win a GRAND PRIZE, read the posts carefully, then answer the easy quiz on Marva’s Blog at http://mgddasef.blogspot.com between May 27^th and 31^st. All the information and links you need will be posted.

The Cat Fairy, Cait Sidhe

From the Encyclopedia Mythica:

Sidhe (pronounced 'shee') literally means "people of the (fairy) hills". It is the Gaelic name for the fairies in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Usually these fairies are attracted to those who are beautiful as well as wealthy.

Many many, many, many writers are in love with the Celtic myths. I’ve delved into them, too. However, I’m not a big fan of the flitty little cute faeries (or fae or fairies). In Celtic mythology, there’s a fairy (or fae or faerie) for just about any purpose. The “serious” fantasies love the idea of the fairy troupe. More than a few equate fairies to Arthurian legends, many specifically to Merlin.

The third book in the Witches of Galdorheim series, Scotch Broom, is set in the Scottish Highlands, or, rather, the Otherworld which is another dimension that exists within the Flow Country. Of course, I had to include at least one fairy in the mix or I’d be violating some unwritten fantasy rule.

If you write Celtic fantasy, then you know that Sidhe is pronounced Shee in Ireland and Sith in Scotland. I wonder where George Lucas got Sith lords? Hmm.

Anyway, I found a particular sidhe I liked. She’s a big black cat with a white chest. Aha! I happen to have the model for said cat (in a much reduced size) sitting at my door every morning demanding a handout. We call her Bitch Kitty. Yes, she has attitude in spades. So, there’s my model for Cait Sidhe, a companion to my erstwhile heroine, Kat.

Excerpt

Kat has already found two companions: Sianach a stag and Cusith (another sidhe) a giant, green hound. They’re tromping through the swamps trying to find the Trow King’s hall in the middle of the Otherworld (the alternate magic world in the Scottish Highlands).

They marched on in a straight line, having no better idea of which direction to go, while Cusith zigzagged ahead of them with his nose close to the earth. Suddenly, the green hound raised his head and bayed. A moment later, he galloped across the moor, water splashing when his huge paws hit the tiny pools.

“What’s up with him?” Kat asked.

Sianach lifted his chin for a better view. “He appears to be in pursuit of an animal of some type.”

“I hope he’s not hurting some little swamp creature.”

“If he is, then the beast is making Cusith pay for the privilege.”

Kat and Sianach walked faster after Cusith, the dog’s trail marked by flying grass and water. When Cusith finally stopped, Kat and Sianach trotted to catch up. The hound was standing over something furry and black that lay on the ground beneath his huge paw.

“No, don’t! Don’t hurt it,” Kat called out. Cusith turned his head toward her, tongue lolling.

“I won’t. It’s not food.”

Kat reached Cusith’s side and knelt down to examine the raggedy clump of ebony fur. It leapt up, scrabbling for a foothold, but Cusith clamped his paw down harder to hold it still.

“It’s a cat!” Kat reached out with her mind but met the same blank wall she had with Sianach and Cusith. So, she tried the old-fashioned way. “Here kitty, kitty. Nice kitty.” An ear-splitting yowl almost knocked Kat back on her rear.

“I am not your ‘nice kitty,’ you rude thing! I am Cait Sidhe; I’ll have you know. Surely, this stag...and mutt...have heard of me.”

Sianach, who stood to one side to stay out of the fray, nodded his elegant head. “Yes, I know you. Not that it is a pleasure.”

The cat hissed and swiped a pawful of razor sharp claws across Cusith’s foot. The big dog quickly released the black cat. “Sorry. Just having some fun.”

Cait sat up and licked a couple of swipes over the white spot on her chest. “Now you’ve covered me with mud. It’ll take hours to get clean again.”

Although it looked much like a normal house cat, standing Cait Sidhe would reach Kat’s knee. The cat had to weigh in at thirty pounds or more. Both Sianach and Cusith were of the extra-large size, so she wasn’t too surprised.

Kat stood and moved closer to the cat. “Hello. I’m Kat, a witch from Galdorheim. I’m pleased to meet you.” She resisted the urge to scratch behind the cat’s ear. She had a feeling she might end up with severe lacerations.

“I didn’t quite catch your, um, last name. How do you spell it?”

“S-I-D-H-E. Just like it sounds, stupid biped.”

Kat gritted her teeth at the cat’s rude answer but decided to stay calm. “Is that sidhe as in faery?”

The cat quit licking and looked at Kat with penetrating yellow eyes. Curling her lip, she exposed gleaming fangs. “The pronunciation varies, depending on where one is. Sidhe is shee in Ireland and sith in Scotland. We are in the Scottish section of the Otherworld, thus sith is proper.” Cait licked her right paw and swiped it over her ear. “Personally, I prefer shee since it is more commonly used. Nobody seems to say sith anymore.” She tipped her head in Cusith’s direction. “Except that dog, of course.”

“Um, okay. That’s interesting. Are you friends with Cusith and Sianach?” Kat asked.

“Not even.” Cait Sidhe glanced at Cusith. “Cusith is a mutt, or dog, if you will. And I am a cat. We do what cats and dogs do, but we are not friends. Sianach, well, as a meat eater, I see Sianach as lunch.”

“Oh, sorry. I just assumed since you know each other—”

“Do not assume anything in the Otherworld.” Cait Sidhe examined Kat. “What are you doing wandering around in the magical realm? Witches generally stay in the mundane world.”

“Oh, I’m looking for King Connor’s hall. I have messages, or I guess I should say I had messages. Someone stole them and took my map to the hall. Now, I just hope he can get me out of the Otherworld in one piece.”

“I see. Well, I have nothing better to do today, so I’ll come with you.”

“Sure, if you’d like to. Do you have any idea which way to go?”

“I do. However, my path to the Hall isn’t one you can follow.” The cat raised her head and looked around. “Maybe I can find an alternate way. After all, I am a hunter, therefore I hunt.”

“Makes sense,” Kat replied, a little doubtful of the cat’s word. She had the same sense about Sianach’s reasons for helping her. A private matter, he had said. The cat didn’t give any reason at all. Should she trust Cusith? He seemed to be Sianach’s good friend, so that might be his only motive for coming along on the trip. It troubled her she could not delve into the minds of any of them.

* * * *

About Marva:

Marva Dasef lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a fat white cat. Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation. Marva has published more than forty stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with several included in Best of anthologies. She has several previously published books. Her latest pride and joy is the Witches of Galdorheim Series from her super duper publisher, MuseItUp.

Where to find her:

MuseItUp Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/MIU-MarvaDasef

Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef

Twitter Handle: @Gurina

Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvaDasef/videos

Summer Teen Reading Party & My Best Ever Giveaway

Ah, summer is in the air. School is ending. The heat is cranking. Time for the beach, the mountains, laying by the pool, cutting the grass.


And time for books! Enjoy this first-annual Summer Teen Reading Party blog hop designed just for summer reading. Snag some great reads at sale prices for your summer reading pleasure.


You must check out the home page for the Summer Teen Reading Party and hop your way around the blogs to enter great giveaways and download these fun reads to your e-reader.


And enter my giveaway here! This Giveaway will last the entire month of May! Lots of chances to win my best giveaway ever.


Have fun!

Writer Chat Wednesday: Welcome Back Tamara Rose Blodgett!

I am pleased to welcome back to Writer Chat Wednesday one of my favorite YA Indie authors, Tamara Rose Blodgett. Tamara is a wife, mother and busy author, prodigious in the extreme! Listen in as I chat with Tamara to see what she's been up to:


Natalie Wright (NW): Do you have any news to share about your work?

Tamara Rose Blodgett (TRB): Oh my, yes! Most recently, my first book in the Blood Series was released, with plans for book #2 to publish before the end of the year. Little known fact: it was actually the first book I'd ever written (in 2007) and after extensive editing, it was a full-circle, warm fuzzy to finally get it  in the hands of my readers :)

NW: That's awesome! And is another example of the kind of freedom and flexibility we have as independently published authors. What books have you published so far?

DEATH WHISPERS (#1) March 31, 2011

DEATH SPEAKS (#2) Sep. 1, 2011

DEATH SCREAMS (#3) Jan. 13, 2012

THE PEARL SAVAGE (#1) Jun. 15, 2011

THE SAVAGE BLOOD (#2) Thanksgiving 2011

BLOOD SINGERS (#1) March 9, 2012

THE SAVAGE VENGEANCE (#3) *Releasing Mar. 31.

NW: What was the inspiration for your books?

TRB: The Death Series is an easy one. I had four kids that loved  zombies but felt like boys weren't being betrayed in YA accurately. I thought to myself, “Huh... I can do that!” And I did.

In the Savage Series, I had a couple of ideas that collided together to create a a story about a princess who hails from the future but lives and old-fashioned existence. Her life is rife with challenges that belie what most would assume to be an easy lifestyle. It is an epic fantasy with great Alpha males and dark undertones.

The Blood Series is about a special sub-species of humans that balance the food load for vampires and offer genetic properties which allow the werewolves to become moonless changers. The MC, Julia, has what they need but her resolve for personal liberty puts a major crimp in their plans.

NW: What genre do you write in?

TRB: I'm of that “new breed” of authors that are putting out mixed-genre books. Mine are mainly comprised of the following genres within the YA/YA mature umbrella: futuristic science fiction, paranormal romance, urban fantasy/fantasy and action. I usually have a thread of intrigue running through all my works. I wouldn't say that I'm a “mystery” writer by any stretch but I definitely believe in intrigue for those “ah-huh!” moments/revelations.

NW:What works in progress do you have?

TRB: I just finished writing book #3 in the Savage Series, THE SAVAGE VENGEANCE. It is currently being edited and I will do a final edit/read through in about a week (for release on Mar. 31). I 'm currently writing book #4 of the Death Series, DEATH WEEPS, for release in May. I will begin writing both BLOOD SONG (#2) and Savage (#4) after April 1.  I have an exciting new series (my fourth)  planned that will have a blurb and cover reveal within a month. I'm nuts over it and have to hold myself back from beginning work on it right this second!

LOVE this Cover!

NW: Which character from your books do you like most / are most like?

TRB: I love Jonesy from the Death Series and Gramps. People that are brave and candid. Jonesy is that way because he doesn't know any better but Gramps is purposeful with who he is. That's its own kind of bravery.

I love Clara so much in Savage! She is intrinsically good. She just wishes to do the right thing, it's by default, she doesn't deliberate about her actions. I shouldn't admit this but it was really fun to write the “bad” people in that series, it was definitely a love-hate thing. ;)

Julia in SINGERS is great because her freedom is precious. She's not really blown away that she's “special.” To her, she just wants to reclaim the life that was stolen from her. When she comes to terms that she can't, the axis of her world gets turned upside down and she has to cope with the cards she's been dealt. Love her resolve, her unwavering bravery in the face of no hope.

I'm not like anyone in the series. Although, snippets of my humor bleed through....

NW: I love Jonesy too - he's funny. You have a knack for capturing teen dialogue in a much more realistic way than most.

If you walked through a portal to dimension without books, what three books do you want to take with you?

TRB: Well, right now I'm nuts over Beautiful Disaster, by Jamie McGuire. I love Stephen King (The Master) and think The Stand would have to come. And since I love to laugh, I'm going to take @hit My Dad Says as well.  And that is a grotesquely small list! Haha~

NW:Who is your favorite author and why?

TRB: Stephen King, for having the cajones to write “real” and with just the brand of humor I like in combination with the fragility of humanity as an appetizer.

NW: How long have you been a writer?

TRB: I'd like to say forever, but that's not exactly accurate!  I had a moment in junior high when I realized that I could write a story. That self-awareness, the realization... never left me and when I began this odyssey, it gave me the spark that eventually ignited into a career.

NW: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

TRB: When I'm in the middle of a day dreaming fugue and an idea strikes me between the eyes and I know that it is my next book. I sit up straight in my chair or in the middle of some random store and get chills.  SO normal! Lol!

NW: What is your favorite movie – the one you can watch over and over again?

TRB: The Last of the Mohicans. Wow~

NW: What is your favorite band or musical performer?

TRB: I have a ton that I like but right now I'm diggin' on Parabelle.

NW: What do you hope readers will take with them from your writing?

TRB: I'm hoping they receive the same sense of escapism I do from the creation of it all. For me, when I'm writing, it's like that great book you can't wait to read when you're done with your chores... so, it doesn't feel like work, not really. Pure entertainment would be a great bonus as well. I'd like to take the time to thank Natalie, for offering to do this and my amazing readers for supporting me by purchasing my work. Thanks for reading my stories!

NW: And Thank You Tamara for writing them! If you enjoy reading about teens with paranormal abilities and like realistic dialogue, check out Tamara's books.

You can connect with Tamara here:

BLOG: http://tamararoseblodgett.blogspot.mx/p/playlist.html

FB:https://www.facebook.com/tamararose.blodgett?ref=tn_tnmn

GR: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4755913.Tamara_Rose_Blodgett

Author Page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tamara-Rose-Blodgett/e/B004UNVT8K

Some of my titles are available on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=tamara+rose+blodgett

As always, comments are welcome. Have you read any of Tamara's books? If so, share with us your favorite book or character. Or just say "hi."