Author: tamaramorning

Maybe the Muse is Here to Stay

I’ve been pretty consistent with the writing the past few weeks. My weekly word count goal has been 10k, and I’ve hit it all but one week out of the last three (and that week I wrote 7k, still not too shabby). I was getting a little off-track with Calder, but I did some brainstorming on Sunday, and I think I have a better grip on where things are going. I haven’t done any more outlining, but I do have a brief synopsis of the rest of the story.

My co-author and I have also started working on the zombie story again. Right now, I’m in the re-reading-because-it’s-been-so-long-I’ve-forgotten-what-we-wrote stage. The story is sitting at around 100k, and it’s all but finished, but it needs a lot of work, I’m not going to lie. We’re currently doing a lot of emailing back and forth about what works and what doesn’t, and I think we’re going to change the whole thing to rotating first-person POV. I’m also going to need someone with some military experience to read over my chapters (while not laughing at what I’m quite sure I got wrong), and give me some feedback. At the very least, killing people/zombies on the page as gruesomely as possible is always entertaining.

I also finally, finally started revising the werewolf story. It’s taken me almost a year to get my head straight enough to revise this story, but I’m so glad I finally got it together. I love this story. I really do. And with my editor’s suggestions, I’m hoping to make it the best I possibly can. And maybe self-publish it…

Too bad I can’t get my “real” life to go so well…

Much Ado About Magic, by Shanna Swenson

Shanna Swenson is a local author, from Irving, Texas, who writes fantasy novels. The fifth novel in her popular Enchanted, Inc. series; Much Ado About Magic, will be out on August 15th. Ms. Swenson will also be at FenCon in Dallas in September.

The Enchanted, Inc. series follows Katie Chandler, a girl from a small Texas town who moves to New York City, and is overwhelmed by the strangeness she sees there—strangeness that no one else seems to notice. When Katie finds out she is a magical immune—magic doesn’t work on her–everything starts to make sense. Soon she’s working for Magic, Spells, and Illusions (MSI), and flirting with the cute—and very shy—Owen Palmer.

In Much Ado About Magic, New York has been hit with a magical crime wave, and as the new director of marketing, it’s Katie’s job to deflect some of the heat a rival company is directing at MSI. Owen is working hard to decipher the criminal spells, but the rival company is selling protective charms—charms that just might affect their wearers more than they imagine.

When a magical flu hits the city, it’s up to Katie to figure out what’s going on—while the rest of the company is sick. Soon she realizes the crime wave and the flu are linked, and may be part of a plot that has been in the works for decades. With suspicion falling on Owen, Katie has to prove who the real threat is, and unraveling the truth about Owen’s path is key.

The Enchanted, Inc. series is a fun, light-hearted series mixing the best elements of fantasy and chick-lit into its own special blend of magic. The characters, even minor ones, are vivid and memorable, and the world itself is richly imagined and enticing. Much Ado About Magic is a long-awaited and much anticipated romp in the further adventures of Katie Chandler.

(Galley provided via NetGalley)

Are Writers Responsible to their Readers?

This topic came up recently in my crit group, and it made me think. In this case, the person who asked the question had seen a lot of comments online about the Game of Thrones TV series, and how, since George R.R. Martin wrote about certain things, this made him a pedophile and a rapist. Apparently, some people think that since he writes about such things, that means he’s endorsing them. Let me say first of all that I haven’t read any of these comments myself. I’m sure they’re out there; that seems like something people would take offense at. I just haven’t seen them personally. But this idea, that writing about something means that I’m endorsing it…that bothers me on a lot of levels.

As a writer, I do think I have a responsibility to my readers. I have a responsibility to be true to my story, my characters, and the world I’ve set up. I’m responsible for writing the best, most entertaining story I possibly can. For getting my readers’ emotions involved, for making them laugh or cry or roll their eyes or growl in anger. For creating characters that they can care about. But most of all, for telling the truest story possible. Notice I didn’t say “for telling the happiest, most fluffy-bunny, sunshine, and unicorns story possible.” No. The truest story.

That does not mean all my stories have to have happy endings, although personally, I prefer them. (Just because I prefer them, doesn’t mean my characters will deliver.) This also does not mean that things that are ugly or painful or horrible will never happen to my characters. I’ve written about murder, and rape, and torture. These things happen in real life each and every day, how can they not happen in my fictional worlds as well? I don’t live in Utopia. Or Shangri La. Bad stuff happens. It happens to good people. It happens whether or not people deserve it. It happens. Just because I write about it, that doesn’t mean I endorse it.

If writing about something means the author endorses is, does that mean that someone writing about the movie theatre shooting in Aurora, CO last week is endorsing violent shooting sprees? I think not. Does that mean that since James Cameron destroyed Hometree in Avatar, he is endorsing the destruction of the rainforest? No. (Actually, I think he’s trying to do the exact opposite.) So what makes some people think that just because a writer writes about something, that must mean the writer is endorsing it?

I’ve never actually met George R.R. Martin, but I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s a huge supporter of rape, pedophilia, or public beheadings. I mean, seriously, people? He writes fiction. Which, by definition, deals with events that are not factual. Not to say that they don’t happen, but the author does not claim to be writing about actual events (unless the writer happens to be James Frey. In which case the definition of fiction is somewhat…skewed.).

So…just how responsible are writers to their readers?

Fighting the urge to procrastinate–or maybe it’s just laziness

I’m a writer. I…write. Except, for that last year and a half, I haven’t written much of anything. Sure, I’ve been working and going to school, but there’s been a fair amount of time wasted watching stupid stuff on TV, playing Words with Friends, being nosy on Facebook, and then there’s Pinterest. My God, the time-wasting potential of Pinterest! Hours gone in the blink of an eye, and nothing to show for it but an odd collection of funny pics and inspiring quotes. (Which are, apparently, not very inspiring, since I STILL didn’t get started writing.)

So. I need help. Over the last week or so, I’ve slowly started writing again, to the tune of 1,000 or so words a day. When I was writing regularly, 3-5,000 words a day was not unusual for me, and it seemed almost effortless. Now…well, the Muse is willing, but the body is weak and the mind is easily distracted. (“Hey, I haven’t checked Facebook in the last 5 minutes. Maybe something new is going on…”) Does anyone have suggestions for keeping writing motivation up? I want to write. I love to write. I have a thousand stories and characters in my head that want to get out, but somehow, I have to force myself to sit down at the computer and open the manuscript. And if I don’t write, then a nagging sense of guilt and discontent follows me around for the rest of the day.

So. Suggestions, anyone? Any little tips you use to keep your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keys? Right now, tying myself to the chair is starting to seem like a viable option…although getting OUT of it might be a bit tricky.

True of Blood, by Bonnie Lamer

Image

True of Blood is the first in the Witch Fairy series by Bonnie Lamer.  This series, available only in eBook format, combines witches, fairies, and ghosts in an intriguing contemporary young adult fantasy world. 

Xandra Smith has gotten used to living a weird life.  Home is a remote, snowbound mountain, and she and her little brother, Zac are homeschooled and have no friends.  Not to mention her parents are ghosts….killed three years before in a car crash.  Now their scientist aunt takes care of them so people don’t ask questions about their unique family life.

Things get even weirder on Xandra’s 17th birthday, when she finds out that her mother was a powerful witch who fell in love with the King of the Fae and got pregnant.  The child was prophesied to open the Fae realm, bringing death and destruction to the human world.  In an effort to save to the life of her unborn child, Xandra’s mother renounced her magical heritage and fled.

Now, with Xandra’s powers unbound, the Fae have tracked her down, aiming to deliver her to her evil father, who wants to use her dying blood to complete the prophecy.  But not all of the Fae want the prophecy fulfilled.  Kallen, a true-blood fairy, agrees to protect her and teach her how to use her magic.  However, Xandra’s Witch Fairy powers are greater than anyone suspected, and learning to control them proves a dangerous and difficult task.  Now Xandra must fight not only the evil Fae who want her dead, but also her own untamed magic to save her family and her world from those who would see it in ruins.

 True of Blood is a well-written, engaging read that combines witches, fairies, and ghosts together in a unique way.  Xandra is a typical, if somewhat unconventionally raised, teenager, and her interactions with her family and with Kallen are believable and enjoyable.  The bickering between her and Kallen is amusing, and the growing feelings between them subtle and well done.  True of Blood is a good beginning to what promises to be an enjoyable series.

I Think My Muse is (Finally) Back from Vacation….

So, I haven’t done any writing to speak of in…oh…a year and a half. I know, right? The horror! Seriously, I’m not sure how I’ve managed to stay sane without it. (Okay. Sanity is relative. And people who know me would say I’m sort of dangling off that cliff anyway…). Ahem. Anyway. I’ve been taking classes for basically the last two years, but I’m taking this summer off, and writing is definitely on the agenda. Two separate novels, in fact. And I’m planning on revising another one (FINALLY). Also, my crit group is–hopefully–going to be active again after over two years of not-much-of-anything-going-on, so I’m hoping to put the faerie story (Chasing Shadows) through it as well.

I didn’t get to do NaNo last year, since I had too much else going on, so I’m going to give Camp NaNoWriMo a try in June. I’m sure if I can write 100k in November–twice–I can write at least 50k in June. Just to get back in the swing of things.

Hello, Muse. So good to see you again!

The Summer My Life Began, by Shannon Greenland

The Summer My Life Began

The Summer My Life Began is Shannon Greenland’s newest novel, set to release on May 10th. With summer vacation just around the corner, this novel would make an excellent beach read, or if vacation is beyond your reach, a great way to pretend you’re on vacation.

Elizabeth Margaret has always done what’s expected of her. Straight A’s. Admittance into Harvard. A planned career as a lawyer. But when she graduates high school and discovers an aunt she never knew about, her life takes an unexpected turn. Soon she’s left her younger sister and her stuffy, controlling family behind for a month on an island with her free-spirit aunt.

Free to do what she likes for the first time in her life, Em indulges her love of cooking as she grows to love her aunt and island life. Then there’s Cade, whose easy-going surfer attitude compels her. She feels more at home than she ever did with her family, and starts re-thinking her options for the future. But her newfound happiness is rocked by her discovery of family secrets she never suspected, and she has to decide who she wants to be: Elizabeth Margaret with her safe, planned life; or Em, risking it all to follow a dream.

Em is a great character, full of confliction over what is expected of her, and what she wants. Her love for her family motivates her to do things she doesn’t like, but she’s aching to push the boundaries of her life and find out more about herself. Her aunt’s breezy take on life shines through on the page, and Cade’s laid-back mode of living brings island life to shining, shimmering life in The Summer My Life Began.

The Sausage Maker’s Daughter, by Ags Johnson

The Sausage Maker's Daughter (BiblioFile Press)

The Sausage Maker’s Daughter is the debut novel by Ags Johnson, a woman who grew up surrounded by other women, and this familiarity is evidenced by the complicated tangle of relationships that fill the pages of The Sausage Maker’s Daughter. If anyone ever wondered what it would be like to grow up with sisters, this novel might make them re-think any desire they ever had to be part of such a family.

Part journey-to-the-past and part soap opera, The Sausage Maker’s Daughter tells the tale of Kip Czermanski, accused of murdering her brother-in-law…who just so happens to be her ex-lover. Set in the 1970s, the novel flashes back to Kip’s rebellious childhood in her tiny Wisconsin hometown, a childhood which always had her at odds with her beautiful, blonde, perfect older sisters. It also recounts her wilder college days as a member of the Counter Culture movement, protesting everything from war to women’s rights.

Her troubled history now comes back to haunt her as she finds herself accused of murdering the first man she ever loved: her former professor turned brother-in-low, who ended up naked—and dead—under circumstances Kip cannot quite recall. Her widowed sister, Sybel, who has always hated Kip, does nothing to help the case, concerned as she always has been of maintaining the family’s prominent image.

The Sausage Maker’s Daughter flows seamlessly between the present—Kip’s trial for murder—and the past, bringing to life Kip’s childhood, and making the reader understand her overwhelming desire to cut all ties with her family. The sisters’ relationships are vivid and complex, tangled with truths and old animosities. The trial itself is full of painful memories as well as a surprising twist that leaves everyone—Kip included—reeling.

A Perfect Blood, by Kim Harrison

A Perfect Blood, by Kim Harrison, hit shelves a few weeks ago.  The tenth book in The Hollows series is another exciting blend of action, magic, and a little bit of romance.   Ms. Harrison is finishing up the book tour for A Perfect Blood (sadly, no stops in Texas), but she’s also working on a new young adult series, and there is a chance The Hollows could end up on television—bringing a new twist to the current crop of vampire shows.

Image

 

Rachel Morgan has finally accepted who she is:  a demon.  She’s accepted it, but she hasn’t made peace with it yet, having cut herself off from her magic.  The real world hasn’t accepted her yet, either.  She’s no longer shunned, but demons have no status as citizens, and she can’t even get her driver’s license renewed.  As if dealing with bureaucratic red tape isn’t bad enough, bodies have started showing up all over Cincinnati, bodies that have been mangled and twisted into demon-like shapes.

Called in to help investigate, Rachel soon realizes a terroristic hate group is responsible; intent on creating their own demons to wipe out all Inderlanders.  And her demonic blood makes her a prime target.  With vampire Ivy and the pixie Jenks at her side, she’s eyeball-deep in the investigation, and determined to put a stop to the horrific deaths.  But being cut off from her magic leaves her almost defenseless, and she finds herself turning to elven businessman Trent for help.  Is he helping her to alleviate his own guilt for her situation, or is there something more going on?

A Perfect Blood is full of Harrison’s wonderful details that bring the Hollows to life.  From humans’ fear of tomatoes—and, therefore, pizza–to Jenk’s Tinkerbelle-based cursing, the whole world is vividly detailed and imagined.  The book is full of action as Rachel manages to wedge herself ever-deeper into trouble in her quest to help others…without getting herself killed in the process.

New Year and I’m a Little Late to the Party…

Okay, so 2012 is underway, the first week already done and over with, and I realized something: for the first time in…well, ever, I didn’t make any resolutions. Or set any goals. None. Nada. Zilch. That’s new for me. Normally, I’d be twitching and foaming at the mouth at the very idea, since I’m nothing if not an overachiever with a never-ending to-do list. But…I find myself okay with it. For now, anyway. That’s not to say that I don’t intend to accomplish some things this year, but I don’t have any clear and concrete expectations in mind.

I’m not sure if this is due to a change in my outlook, or if it’s more because of the shift my life has taken over the past few months. Lately, my focus has been on school and work, and also….the adventures of Fatburger, Milkshake, Spare Rib, and Sweet Tea. (Yes, those are code names. No, I’m not making them up. Yes, it’s actually quite funny.) I haven’t had time to write or revise for months, but I did start a new story a couple of weeks ago, and I’m on the verge of revising the werewolf story again. I’ve been so focused on school, even reading has fallen by the wayside, much less blogging.

But I intend to remedy that. Along with the writing and revising. And reading. And working out. But still, no goals. Just…intentions.