Today’s perfect 10 interview session is with author Melanie Jayne. The questions in these interviews are designed to gain more insight into the inspiration, background and strategy of the authors that stop by.
Please enjoy this edition of A Perfect 10 and look for an exciting announcement regarding all of the participating authors for 2018.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Wow, let’s jump right into making me sound like a crazy woman. I’m in the process of writing my twelfth book and I’ve finally figured out a few things about my process.
I am a slow starter. Although I’m a Planner and I have a very extensive outline, the first third of the book is a grind. I wonder if this story is the worst ever, if I should stop, maybe I should look at the job postings in my area? And then, I find my rhythm and I…
Dear friends, I hope you don’t mind, but my human, Emily, apparently needs some attention. She asked if she could take my spot this month to show off share something she wrote recently. I thought, Yeah, why not? I can use a break. So, I’m sharing my space so she can share her poem. And, without further ado, here it is. Now excuse me . . . I’m going to go chill out in my condo.
With Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age, I’ve been thinking a lot about goodbyes. There are the ones I’m giving to characters that I’ll never write again for various reasons. There are those that are being said or unsaid between the characters inside the book. I kind of imagined ending a series wouldn’t be so different from ending a book, but it really is. You have to pack away so much and say goodbye to something that has been a semi-constant or full-constant in your life. Shouldn’t be surprising that this makes one think of partings and goodbyes.
This is where I would normally talk about the journey, but I’ve written many guest posts for other blogs on this. In such detail that I may have drained myself before getting to my own. It’s become a foggy situation too. Legends of Windemerebegan in 1998 under a different name, but it was the same story with Luke Callindor stumbling into his first adventure. All those outlines, character bios, edits, games, brainstorming sessions with friends willing to listen, first drafts, and submission letters are already feeling like they were done by a different person. I mean, here we are in 2017 with 15 volumes out in the world. That’s actually nearly half of my current lifespan there at 19 years. Maybe . . . Math isn’t my best subject, especially when I’m getting emotional.
Goodbyes are always tough, but I kind of envy my characters. They do it and move on to the next adventure without much of a second thought since I didn’t write those. Unless they’re in another dimension that I’m mentally tethered to and they are moving on with the same confusion I am. Still, I wake up these days to grab a different notebook and packet of story outlines. I see Clyde and Mab instead of Luke Callindor and Nyx when I write now. Always knew it was hard for readers to get to the end of a beloved series, but imagine what it’s like for the author. Especially an indie who doesn’t bring in enough money to rest on their laurels for a year. I’m already getting questions about getting a ‘real job’ too, so the afterglow disappeared fairly quickly.
Some people might say that I don’t really have to say goodbye because all of the characters will be around. I could read the books again or use them in future series as cameos, which I’ll get into tomorrow. The thing is that there’s a sense of distance now. The champions and their friends aren’t front and center in terms of attention. I need to focus more on those who have been waiting patiently for over a decade. Having so many other characters does help soften the blow, but you always remember your first series. At least for those of us doing series. Going back to envy, I probably do have some for authors who can finish a book or series then move on without much of a second thought. I’m still trying to figure that trick out.
Sorry that this post is a little bit of a downer. It was rather inevitable that I would have to write something like this because of the inner conflict. Sad that Legends of Windemere is done, but happy to see it out there and excited about the next adventure on my list. Bittersweet is certainly the word I would use and I’ve been listening to a symphony about it a few times. That and the Flash Gordon theme by Queen, but only because I just found out we had a CD with it on there.
So, what do you think about saying goodbye to a series?
This is a guest post by a great friend of this blog, Pete Johnson–aka Beetley Pete. Pete shares here his experiences as an Amazon reviewer.
Being An Amazon Reviewer: A Personal Experience
Image: Storyblocks.com
I have been buying things online from Amazon ever since it started to get its well-deserved reputation for reliability and value. I began by buying Region 1 DVD films from the US site. Hard to find films, only available by importing them in that way. I was soon buying lots of stuff from the UK site too. As well as DVD films, I bought perfume gifts, household items, and even clothing.
At first, I ignored the emails that asked me to review these items. I was still living in London, busy working, and mostly using a smartphone app to purchase the goods. However, once I was retired in 2012, I had a PC, and…
Don Massenzio Today’s perfect 10 interview session is with author Kathrin Spinnler. The questions in these interviews are designed to gain more insight into the inspiration, background and strategy of the authors that stop by. Please enjoy this edition of … Continue reading →
Storm Seed is the penultimate Sacred Band novel and it’s all you’d expect from Janet and Chris Morris – dark in places, complex and multi-layered, exciting and full of action, sad and yet joyous. As with all of these novels it’s not for the faint-hearted, those who like an ‘easy read’ or those who don’t understand the nuances and lyricism of these two writers. This novel ties up many of the plotlines from previous books; the complex relationships between the Sacred Band members, estranged though they are; the re-emergence of old enemies and old bonds; the reaffirming of loyalty and friendship and, of course, a great big fight😊
What I love most are the characters in these novels. Nikodemos, especially, is such a wonderful creation. He’s the most human, the most troubled and the most courageous. Of all the characters Niko loses the most, but is, perhaps, the only one…
Wow. I went over this post in my head for a while and now I’m coming up blank because of everything going on. One thing I’ve realized is that this driving my wife to and from work has really taken a toll on me. This is the last week I’m doing it, but I’m plain exhausted now. I can’t ease into my day by seeing everyone off, checking email, getting on the bike, and having myself ready by 10 AM. Now, it’s getting myself ready while wrangling everyone else, facing traffic, running errands, buy breakfast if I didn’t get to eat at home, and get back into the house AT 10 AM to finally get a shower. No wonder I’ve been moving slow. Part of me isn’t surprised though since there’s a pattern of bad stuff happening around me when I’m about to release a book or just released one. At least this is the worst of it . . . or so I thought.
Working off the plan that Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age will be released next Saturday, I will have no time to enjoy the sensation of finishing such a long series. The following Monday is when I go in for a certain procedure that requires I be put under. Next Sunday will be spent preparing myself with various medications and a specific diet. I’ll get to enjoy things on that Tuesday, but it feels like it’ll be too late to get the full effect of publishing the book and getting all the promos out. Saturday is going to be really busy with me at my laptop and trying to keep everything else under control since my wife still won’t be driving very well.
I’d be lying if I said I was scared about this because I’ve never been put under for anything. My imagination is running wild since this is right on the heels of the last book of my series going live. Almost like the universe is planning something really mean. Fine, I’ll say it. Part of me wonders if this will result in me dying right after the last book is out because of some freak accident. Is it logical? No, but I’m not really thinking clearly on this thing. After feeling like I’ve been in a physical and mental grinder all year, this comes off as a nasty culmination.
This week saw only a little progress on other fronts. I managed to do a synopsis and a few casts for the next Ichabod Brooks collection. It’s gone up to 13 stories because a new one popped into my head. This will be a 2019 release because I need next year to focus on War of Nytefall, which my wife finally read and gave me edits for. A lot of sloppiness with spelling and grammar, but I hadn’t looked over it myself. She says the story and characters work while I’m still fighting doubt. I poured over the notes and characters first and added/deleted stuff as I went along. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that I messed up somewhere. Maybe it’s been so long since I started a new ‘core’ series for Windemere that I’m confused. Bedlam and Ichabod aren’t at this scale in terms of multi-series world-building. This establishes the Dawn Fangs and reveals more about the Great Cataclysm, especially the aftermath. For example, Gaia will appear at times, but it isn’t as large as what people saw in Legends of Windemere.
Another option is that I’ve been fighting so many battles with no end in sight that I can’t muster enough confidence to be sure of myself. Even the idea of handing it off to beta readers fills me with dread because I keep seeing how vampires cause massive fights. It seems everyone has an idea of what they should and should not do, so all versions of the mythos gets torn apart. Not to mention these characters are darker and closer to anti-heroes than the champions, so I fear that people won’t be happy with me going in this direction. My wife seemed to have a problem with how Clyde and Mab would viciously argue and fight. They have no problem coming to blows since they are able to heal quickly, so there’s more brutality in their relationship. Then again, Mab is one of her old RPG characters, so it might be similar to how I’m still in trouble for cutting Nyx’s hair.
The immediate future sees me working more on Ichabod Brooks than touching anything else. I don’t want to try editing the new book until I get Warlord of the Forgotten Age out and get through that procedure. That will only give me a week before my son has his Holiday Break too, so maybe I shouldn’t try anything until January. Haven’t had any luck finding a new cover artist who would be willing to work on a series too. I’ve noticed that a series requires more original work than clipart/photoshop/whatever pictures. You need uniform in the covers, so taking a pre-existing picture can be a problem if there isn’t more of them. At least from what I can tell because I haven’t heard back from any of the artists I sent emails too. I won’t put this one out until March/April, which means I have time to gather my resources though.
Now, you can post a question now and the whole thing will last a week. There are also sharing tabs for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so I’d greatly appreciate any helping in spreading the word. I’ve already got 12 questions, but I’m hoping to get a lot more. Thanks for any help you can give on this. If it works out then it’ll be a fun thing to do as a hype builder in the future.
Goals of the week:
Plan more of ‘The Longbow of Ichabod Brooks’.
Try to get at least 2 days of biking.
Bring wife to get cast off and try not to tease her too much about the smell.
Pray that I don’t have to handle another violent tantrum.
Hopefully release the long-awaited finale.
Celebrate Hanukkah.
Watch more Fairy Tail. Move on to Fullmetal Alchemist since I only have up to episode 72 of Fairy Tail and the upstairs TV lacks Internet access.
Keep an eye out for a War of Nytefall cover artist.
Mandy Jackson-Beverly was born in the bustling town of Pyramid Hill, Victoria, Australia … Population: 419. This remote childhood kick-started Mandy’s imagination, as did the rugged coastline and rolling hills of Tasmania, where her family relocated when she was four years old.
In 1982, Mandy moved to London, where she discovered the importance of the creative collective: The 1980s fashion scene. A year later, in Los Angeles, she found her own creative freedom among the thriving, no-holds-barred visionaries of the music video world. As a costume designer and stylist Mandy worked for photographer Herb Ritts, and directors Joel and Ethan Coen, David Fincher, and Julien Temple, and music icons David Bowie, Madonna, and Tina Turner, to name a few.
Mandy has taught Advanced Placement Art, written and directed high school theater productions, is a contributor to The Huffington Post, a book reviewer for The New York Journal of Books
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4, hit the island of Puerto Rico causing catastrophic effects. I was recently asked by Natalia of AllTheRooms to share their post on the numerous ways you can help the animals caught in the recent Caribbean hurricanes. As you know, the Caribbean has been relentlessly attacked by storms in recent months, causing catastrophic damages. While relief aid has been slow in countries such as Puerto Rico, there are some organizations working to help some of the island’s most helpless — the animals that have been caught in the storms.
I’m not trying to minimize the plight of humans–if you wish to help, check out this post which has information on volunteer work. But I also think it’s important to remember it’s not just us who are suffering. So, if you want to help save some animals this Christmas, you may consider…
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Legends of Windemere 