The Great Writer Myth

I was going to write about something else, had everything all planned out in fact and then I watched Romancing the Stone with my kids. For those of you that haven't seen this movie, the heroine is a romance writer. A best selling romance writer. (Also, see the movie. It rocks.)

It had me thinking about how writers are portrayed in movies and TV, even in books. Writers in the media always seem to take one of two extremes: Either they are best selling authors, who whip out a book and send the first draft off to their publisher without even glancing at the pages or they are completely dejected hopeless wrecks who wrote one great book and have never been able to duplicate it and now they are wallowing in depression.

Let's look at the more positive one first shall we? Now, this best selling author will be rolling in piles of money. They will also write ten books a year and their book will be released roughly six months after they turn it in to their publisher even if it's their first book. They do not suffer from self-doubt. They never miss a deadline.

And the second one, this would be the one that shows up in those movies where the writer can't get out of his pajamas. Where he frantically dives for the typewriter (because we all still write on typewriters, didn't you know?) when his spouse comes into the room so he can look busy.

99% of the time when I see a writer portrayed in any sort of fiction I get annoyed. There are some shows that get aspects of it pretty close. Others that flaunt their stereotypes (Castle, anyone?) But then there are shows like True Blood that show Vampire Bill, writing a book, getting it picked up by a publisher, getting it published and becoming a best seller all in a six month time period. Bill Compton might have super speed but the publishing industry does not. Oh, and let's not forget the book tours. Everyone gets a book tour. (Ignore my snorting laughter over here)

I think all of this does a disservice to authors. It leads others to have unrealistic expectations of what our lives are like. They want to know why we're still working a day job when we've published a book. (Because I like to eat. And my children aren't fond of sleeping in cardboard boxes.) They don't understand that it takes months (sometimes years) to write a book decent enough to publish. It's work, it's hard work. A lot of times it's hard work you never get paid for because no one will pick up the book your crit partners love. It's work that we don't dare divide how much we make by the number of hours we put in because the answer (in most cases) would just be oh so depressing.

Despite all that it's a fantastic job. We all think that or we wouldn't keep doing it. And it's not the money or the fame because god knows for most of us there isn't a lot of either. We keep doing it because we can't stop. We have to share our stories with the world. And, for me anyway, the best part of this job is when a reader connects with me to tell me what I wrote meant something to them. Or that they stayed up all night reading. That makes all the other crap worth it.

So, tell me what's your favorite movie, TV show or book with a writer as one of the main characters?
My choices: movie - The Dark Half; TV show - Castle; Book - Men in Kilts by Katie MacAlister
******************************************************************************

Kathleen Collins has been writing since Kindergarten. And while her ability has drastically improved, her stories are still about fantasy worlds and the people who live in them. The rare instances that she actually finds some spare time, she spends it playing with her two boys. Three if you count her husband. She is currently hard at work on her next book. Find her online at www.kathleencollins.net

Magic: Oh, it's out there

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who believe in magic, and those who do not. I suspect that you already know where you come down on the matter, but allow me to interject an additional perspective.

Ever hear of a guy called Merlin? I'm thinking you have. Why is that? Why is it that you know about some guy who existed more than a thousand years ago, when Britain first broke free of the bonds of Rome? There is a reason, I assure you. A good one. If I may be so bold? Merlin wasn't just some dude who could wield magic back in the early Middle Ages, Merlin was a station. A position. Shrouded in secret and passed down from one generation to the next.

If you asked some stone age aboriginal shaman out in Western Australia about dragons or the secret races of his or her people, I'm sure he or she would tell you all about them. Be happy to. They probably have some version of trolls or fairies too. Zombies and ghouls, pick your fable. If we were to hyperspace over a couple continents to say, Ireland, or the halls of some random Native American library, or Nigeria, or the Inuit for that matter, I bet you my cat's left testicle that they have stories of magic. I know, I'm terrible. But the truth remains, magic has been interwoven throughout the lores of countless societies all through history.

Riddle me this, reader, why is that? Superstition? Ignorance? Really strong mushrooms? Is it possible that magic actually existed at some point but no longer does? What if I told you that the overlapping figures of mythology and fables across thousands of miles and hundreds of years, from vampires to manticores, was not an extensive uncanny coincidence, but due to the fact that once there was a time when this world shared a border with another world. That that under certain circumstances, doorways would appear and would allow the entry of other beings. That things could cross over. What if I told you that these doorways were closed forever back in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance by the wizards of both worlds, Merlin representing the home team, but a whole other group of Wizards we have no records of (by design) representing the other team? What would you say to that?

You'd probably say, "Nice theory, Numbnuts, but you clearly smoke crack. Don't suppose you can back any of that up?" To which my answer would be...you're gonna have to read Drynn to find out. Mwa ha ha ha. All right. I don't actually have empirical proof of this theory, but in a nutshell, that's the backdrop to my trilogy, the Last of the Shardyn. Of course there is a riveting plot line and characters you could wrap yourself up in but why speak of magic-wielding knights, police chiefs, reforming sociopaths and lords of the Underworld when your widdle mind might get exploded?

But if you like a little mustard, a bit of badassery (dig that alliteration?), by all means check out Book I of the series, Drynn. I wrote it because I wanted to read this story really bad, so badly that I searched for it for years, through middle school and high school at every library, book fair or Borders I ever went to. But nobody ever wrote it. And I tell you, I looked. So one day I decided, "I'll write it." And I did. Only took fourteen years. I have a good learning curve, though, only took ten months for the next one and even quicker for the third.

And yet, as much as I love Drynn and despite its high reviews (which I am so very grateful for), I'm forced to admit that Book II, Through the Black Veil, is when we get past succulent appetizer and plunge into the feast. Judging by the reviews I've gotten on Goodreads and Amazon (which is always a scary proposition), that sentiment is shared. There is no greater validation for a writer than to get that random email from somebody in Montana or Costa Rica telling me that I whisked them away into another world and that they read my books in mere days. Hours sometimes. That's what it's all about. That's why we do this gig. And now, at this juncture, the series comes to a climax in the third installment, Blood Sworn, coming out July 28th. Dun dun dun dunnnnn. No cover yet but it's coming...

So, to come full circle, there are two kinds of people in this world--those who believe in magic and those who do not. Which are you?

Thanks for the glance.

Steve out.

Win-A-Book Wednesday with David Bridger!

DAVID BRIDGER

I settled with my family and our two monstrous dogs in England's West Country after twenty years of ocean-based mischief, during which I worked as a lifeguard, a sailor, an intelligence gatherer and an investigator in the Royal Navy. I write science fiction and fantasy novels for teens and adults, and sometimes they're informed by my experiences out on the crinkly blue.

Four weeks ago she was a normal schoolgirl looking forward to the summer holidays. Now she's her family's only hope, with several lifetimes of experience in her memories and a dangerous battle ahead.

When sixteen-year-old Jessica's reclusive great-grandfather bequeaths her a haunted castle in the Welsh borderlands, she's thrust into a world of hostile strangers, troublesome Romany tenants, and a strange gift that shows her disjointed visions of the past. And that's only the start of it. She thinks she's going mad, until old family stories and the superstitious fears of locals convince her that something sinister really is going on at Kidd Castle, and all the while the gift keeps drawing her deeper into the secrets of her ancestors.

The only person who seems to understand what's happening to her is the young Romany street artist, Joe. In the face of deadly danger to them and their loved ones, Jessica and Joe must master the gift before the past imposes its terrible will on the present.

I'm thrilled that adults and teens are enjoying my gothic fantasy novel. There's a haunted castle; timeslips; patterns in mathematics, music, nature and art; past lives and loves; and a dance between science and religion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here Be News

The Changeling Soldier (Annwyn 2.5) is popping up for pre-order at the introductory price of 99c(USD). Print, Amazon and B&N links to come soon!

Her time in the mortal world is running out…
After fleeing Annwyn three centuries ago, Ella built a life in the mortal world making gowns for European royalty and playing in mortal intrigues. Now those Courts are long gone, and she dresses Hollywood starlets. Mortals come and go, but Ella always ends up alone. She longs for the home she left behind.

He’s been dreaming of the coming battle all his life…
Isaac Norton is a returned soldier. Now home, he’s restless and his recurring dream is becoming more frequent: he’s fighting on a snow-covered field stained with blue blood. When he sees Ella, he knows she isn’t human. And she knows what he is, a changeling.

Ella can give Isaac the answers he needs, but there will be a price to pay: his soul.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430985
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-changeling-soldier/id867308013?mt=11
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-changeling-soldier-1
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thechangelingsoldier-1490614-143.html

**

Congratulations to Veronica Scott whose DANCER OF THE NILE is a 2014 Golden Quill Finalist!

**

David Bridger's new release GIFTED is a gothic fantasy novel for teens and adults.

Four weeks ago she was a normal schoolgirl looking forward to the summer holidays. Now she's her family's only hope, with several lifetimes of experience in her memories and a dangerous battle ahead.

When sixteen-year-old Jessica's reclusive great-grandfather bequeaths her a haunted castle in the Welsh borderlands, she's thrust into a world of hostile strangers, troublesome Romany tenants, and a strange gift that shows her disjointed visions of the past. And that's only the start of it. She thinks she's going mad, until old family stories and the superstitious fears of locals convince her that something sinister really is going on at Kidd Castle, and all the while the gift keeps drawing her deeper into the secrets of her ancestors.

The only person who seems to understand what's happening to her is the young Romany street artist, Joe. In the face of deadly danger to them and their loved ones, Jessica and Joe must master the gift before the past imposes its terrible will on the present.


Available now from:

Taliesin Publishing
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
OmniLit

**

Just Released!!    A MAJOR ATTRACTION

U.S. Marine Major Kyle Waters has recently returned home after months at sea. He desperately wants some well-deserved rest, but his pleasant dreams turn from downright sinful into a nightmare when he wakes up, his arms full of a deliciously naked and thoroughly panicked Olivia Cava—the woman he’s been fantasizing about for months.

Kyle’s scheming ex-girlfriend has maneuvered Olivia into sharing a lease with the sexy man of her dreams. Olivia’s a professional, a career woman who finds herself drawn to Kyle, as she’s been since she first laid eyes on him. Growing up as the daughter of a career military man, she’s vowed never to get involved with a Marine. Yet Kyle stirs something inside her, and she finds herself saying yes when she means to say no.

Their life goals seem worlds apart, but love will find a way. Until Kyle’s past relationship threatens to ruin the future he has only just found with Olivia. Can the truth set him free? And can Olivia put aside her five-year plan and her heartache to forgive a stubborn Marine bent on loving her…forever?

To read more, click here

**

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Angela Campbell shares some writing advice for new authors in her blog post titled "What debut authors should know, but no one probably told them." 

Why?

A decade or so ago, I mentioned to one of my friends that I was thinking about writing a book. Apparently it wasn’t the first time we'd had that conversation because she basically said, “Then do it.”*

So I did.

 Or, at least, I tried.

Now, a sane person would have developed an outline, fleshed out complex and likable characters, and spent some time building their fictional world. But not me. Having no formal training outside of letters in purple crayon asking girls if they liked me, Yes or No, I stampeded full bore into writing the Next Great Novel. After the first few pages, I discovered one of the most well kept secrets in the literary world:

Writing is hard.

Shocker, I know.

This was during a time in my life when I was busy. Really, really busy. For the better half of many moons, I plinked at that story during my non-existent free time. Then I tried my hand at another story. Then another. And so on.

Eventually I realized that I’d put in countless hours of writing, editing, re-writing, sobbing hysterically under my desk, etc. And for what? I had a day job, was beginning a family, and enjoyed a wide range of hobbies that were socially interactive. So why was I still messing with these books?

The short answer: Because writing made me happy.

Which is odd when you think about it. Writing is, at its core, a solitary profession. It requires infinite patience, not to mention a very thick skin. The latter is especially handy if you want others to read your stuff. The path to publishing is filled with rejection and many times it has nothing to do with you or the quality of your writing. Which can be maddening.

Personally, I’m willing to put up with the long hours and mental gymnastics because I love telling stories. The feeling of satisfaction I get from taking an idea and molding it into something tangible is hard to describe. More important, it's even harder to beat.

So how about you? Why do you do this hobby/profession?

-Josh

Books:

Summoned Chaos:

Whaaaaaat?! Book 2 of Marcus and the Gang will be available July, 28th from all your favorite digital media suppliers?

Emoticon: Shocked Face!

Undead Chaos:

Carina Press

Amazon

B&N

iTunes

Kobo





Bio:

Joshua Roots is a car collector, beekeeper, and storyteller. He enjoys singing with his a cappella chorus, golf, and all facets of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. He's still waiting for his acceptance letter to Hogwarts and Rogue Squadron. He and his wife will talk your ear off about their bees if you let them.












* She may have added some colorful superlatives in there as well.

How a Fever Leads to a New World

I love telling the story of what inspired Scent of Salvation because it shows how twisted my mind is. LOL

Both my sons were very ill with strep throat. Fever for days. When one was awake, the other was asleep, and vice versa. In other words, I had slept no more than a few hours in days. I felt like the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and antibiotic dispensing machine.

About two in the morning, I had both boys in one bed so I could watch them together. My oldest’s fever was raging and I was waiting anxiously for the meds to kick in or I’d have to place him in a cool bath. Again. I was sitting on the floor and rested my head on the mattress and fell asleep.

In a matter of minutes, I dreamt of this whole world filled with vampires, shifters, dragons, incubi, etc. except no humans. I spent the next few months writing what I’d dreamed in over minutes.

Susan, a human tossed from our world to this one, is faced with Sorin’s sick wolf shifter pack. He offers her sanctuary within his small, poor den if she saves his people, but this world hasn’t developed technologically as ours has. There’s no Walgreens where Susan can get an antibiotic or supplies to create a vaccine. She has rock and fire and her knowledge as a prominent scientist to save this suffering pack.

I know how Susan felt as I watched my children suffer, waiting for the meds to take effect. I’m so thankful that I had those medicines in the first place. I doubt either of my boys would have survived without them. By the way, my boys were fine. Thank goodness for antibiotics. :D

Love blooms across species, culture, and time.

Chronicles of Eorthe, Book 1

Stranded in another dimension, on a primitive version of Earth, Dr. Susan Barlow needs to find a way to survive. There’s no electricity, no cities, and to her shock, no humans. Instead, she faces a population of werewolves, vampires and incubi. The people are vicious but she must find her place among them. And live.

An illness is killing Sorin’s pack. As alpha it’s his responsibility to save them, but it’s a battle this warrior doesn’t know how to fight. Then a blue light in the sky brings a creature he’s never seen. She calls herself human, but to him she smells like hope.

Sorin offers Susan a safe haven in return for a cure, but she’s not that kind of a doctor. She’s a doctor of physics, not a physician. Yet as they search for a cure to save a dying people, they find something special—each other.

But even with Sorin’s protection, Susan can’t help but wonder how long she can survive in a world without humans…

Warning: Feral shifters, power-hungry vampires, and a sole human female suffering culture shock.

EXCERPT

Annie Nicholas

Website: www.annienicholas.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorannienicholas?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annienicholas

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/annienicholas/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/yt8Kv

Healer Week -- Cure Heavy Wounds

Ah, healers. Anybody who’s ever played a Dungeons & Dragons or other roleplaying game can tell you how essential it is to have a healer in the adventure party along with a thief, some fighters, and a mage. D & D healers could usually fight a little, too, but their primary usefulness came from casting all those Cure Light Wounds and Cure Heavy Wounds spells on their fallen comrades. They were necessary, but I never felt the urge to play one. Perhaps because the healing spells always sounded so boring. Perhaps, because in codifying the rules for easy play and reducing life-threatening injuries to ‘hit points’, they sucked all the life-and-death drama away from healing.

D & D made healing too easy. A healer/cleric character simply called upon their deity and was instantly granted the ability to magically heal a certain number of times a day depending on the character’s level.

And yet, conversely, fantasy novels that relied only on medieval types of healing such a herbal medicine often frustrated me. They were too hard, too limited. I grew tired of willowbark tea. I craved the endless possibilities and sense of wonder that magic could bring.

So I combined the two: magical healing with a price.

 In my novels, Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith, Lance is a healer. Like a D & D cleric, his power derives from Loma, the Goddess of Mercy. His healing can do wondrous things, but his path is anything but easy. He pays a heavy price for the ability. The exact nature of the price he pays is a spoiler, but I will say the original title of book one was Sacrifice. :)

Having a healer character opened up a whole world of plot possibilities. Characters made different choices than they would have otherwise. 

 

When Lance regained his composure, he rejoined the others. They were arguing about how to free Sara—the key had been lost—and getting nowhere.

Sara listened, saying nothing. Wenda, Marcus and Esam talked over and around Sara as if she were a lump of rock. Unable to stand it, Lance interrupted Marcus’s speculation on where they might find blacksmith tools. “Sara, what do you think we should do?”

The others fell silent.

“You could leave me here,” Sara said, as if it were obvious.

Wenda flushed—the thought had obviously occurred to her.

“Never,” Lance swore vehemently.

“Then use a sword.” Sara’s expression was completely unperturbed, as if what she was suggesting was easy. Lance wished he could take it as a sign of faith in him, rather than indifference.

“Who has the sharpest blade? Marcus?” Lance asked.

Marcus handed Lance his sword.

Lance tested the edge. An axe would have been better for shearing bone, but this would have to do.

He raised the sword, then moved it down in a swift cut, severing Sara’s forearm just above the manacle.

Blood spurted everywhere, including—curse it!—into the stone mouth. Fortunately, the Dark God didn’t wake. It had lost two priests in quick succession and must be hurting. Sara watched the whole procedure calmly, neither flinching nor screaming.

“God of Death,” Marcus swore. The hardened legionnaire looked sickened as Lance handed him back his sword.

Grimly, Lance pulled Sara’s severed hand out of the shackle, then rejoined it to her wrist. “Goddess,” he prayed. Loma answered his prayer. The two pieces of flesh melted together into an arm once more.

What are some of your favourite healing scenes from fantasy novels?  

And don't forget, there's still time to enter the rafflecopter draw for a bundle of fantasy ebooks featuring healers!