Which book/world do you live in? Fairchild by Blaze Ward
Tell us about yourself:
I just want to fly, man. Nothing else. That adrenaline rush of free-jumping from 20,000 meters with nothing but a bodysuit and thermals, racing to capture a flag fifty kilometres away.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
I suppose my greatest strength is that drive. It got me out of my father’s house, and out from under his thumb. If he cut me off, I have friends, and we’ll have far grander adventures than anyone sitting in a boring corporate boardroom.
Weakness? The darkness. It’s in me. Deep. Infecting my dreams and my days. Sometimes, it gets so close that ending it would only take a few ounces of pressure on a trigger.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government…
I have enjoyed C. S. Boyack’s books and am pleased to be part of his launch crew. Today I have a special guest, Lisa Burton who is here to talk about The Enchanted League his latest. The post is yours, Lisa.
Thanks for inviting me back today, John. I enjoy getting away from the writing cabin from time to time, and these whirlwind tours are a wonderful way to refresh my attitude.
Craig and I are making the rounds to promote his new book, The Enhanced League. It’s a collection of short stories that serve to tell an overarching story by the end. It’s all about a professional baseball league where nobody cares about performance enhancing drugs.
They look at it like everyone is an adult, and can make their own mind up about supplements and drugs. To be competitive, there is a bit more pomp than you might find…
Welcome to the place where you too can become a magical archer. Just like all of those other archers that you’ve seen on television, movies, or read about. What do you mean not all of them are magical? Do they rarely miss even from far away and aiming at moving targets? Do their weapons never break regardless of usage? Well, there you have it. Now, step over here and take a few shots to let us know what we’re working with.
One skimmed shot, two in the second circle, and one in the shoulder of our secretary who was half a building behind you. I can see we’re going to need a lot of work and somebody is about to file for workman’s comp. Just walk it off, Marcy, and get a healing potion from the break room! You can take the rest of the day off too. So, you might be wondering what we have to do now. If you were thinking that the lessons will begin then you’re wrong because my job is only to determine your classes and gear. A book list will be giving later and I assure you that they can double as weightlifting.
First, I’m going to give you a basic quiver of endless arrows because enchantment preferences aren’t picked until your second semester. That can be elemental charges, transformations, or simple power and speed enhancements, so it doesn’t hurt to think about things now. Your arms shake a lot, so I’m going to put you down for stabilizing bracers. These go on your forearms and prevent the muscles for shaking while releasing a calming spell. Given your height, I’m thinking a longbow, but the crossbow is another possibility. Only because you seem jittery and I find it harder to aim with a longbow than a crossbow. Keep in mind that I’m trying to figure out how to protect the people standing behind you. Maybe a peacock shield belt that’s designed for someone bigger. The barrier goes up from your back and fans out, so that could stop the arrow. It will result in you getting smacked in the neck and head at times.
Did you have a certain occupation in mind? Gardener? Oh, you’re already a gardener and the squirrels are giving you trouble. Have you ever considered getting a dog or hiring a professional. The rabbits ate your dog and the professional hasn’t been seen since the elk arrived. Far be it for me to ask for clarification, but it sounds like you only need a part-time student package. No need for history or advanced tactics since you’re targets are animals. All you need to know is how to shoot without getting yourself in the head, which is a cheap program. If you’re willing to put in the time, we can put you on a two week . . . What was that?
I’m sorry, but did you say that ogres took over your house and have kidnapped your family? Sir, I don’t think you need lessons. I believe you need a professional that can solve your problem right away. Yes, revenge stories are popular, but ogres are known for eaten people. Don’t you think it’s smarter to handle this quickly instead of learning a skill that you obviously have no gift for. Sorry if I insulted you, but I’m just worried about your family. How did they know the risks when they took the job? You built the farm on ogre territory and buried a murdered shaman under your house. Nope, I’m just pulling this rope for my own amusement. It isn’t like we have people on the premises who will remove you before your curse causes trouble. Have a good day, sir.
I mainly write science fiction and fantasy, and both of those genres tend to come with heavy world building. A few of you have asked me where I begin. How do I start? How do I know when to write? When does world building end? Well, if you read my editing tips series, then you probably know my answer to most of this.
I don’t think it’s that important to have your world building down in your first draft or while you’re outlining. Why? Because you don’t know everything your world needs yet in order to tell your story. All that matters is having your world building down by the end of your drafts. That being said, I tend to spend more time on initial world building than I do with character profiles or plot outlines. Why? Because my world will affect my characters directly—and that tends to be…
Two posts in one day? This must mean something is coming down the pipeline, but what can it be. Well, the title and picture might be a big clue, so I hope there are people willing to participate.
I like doing character interviews where people leave questions. I know everything about them, so I don’t know what people would like to learn. This makes any interviews I make up with my characters rather empty and dull. Besides, I love having some interaction on this blog and that includes my characters getting in on the conversations.
So, please leave questions for Ichabod Brooks in the comments. It could be about a specific adventure, his career, his family, advice, or certain friends. A post will go up on Friday with the questions and answers. Simple and fun.
Most people who choose a career in writing first imagine ourselves as novelists or memoirists, not nonfiction writers.
But these days, writers, even novelists, can’t just write books. We need to start “A Multi-Media Author Business.” And that involves writing a lot of nonfiction. Especially on blogs.
Some of the “multi-media” advice is over the top, in my opinion–writers need to eat and sleep and have friends like other people–but I do think starting a blog is a good choice for most authors, even novelists. (Although I don’t think novelists need to blog more than once a week. I’m a big fan of Slow Blogging.)
Since I started blogging nearly eight years ago, I’ve watched a lot of author-bloggers succeed as writers. They may not have had huge success as novelists (although some have). But for all of them, the blog was the first step to a…
Ever have one of those weeks that you can label a comedy of errors? That happened starting around Monday. I’m going to try and change the way I do these posts though too, so hold on. Mostly, I’m doing section labels instead of a spew of paragraphs.
Freedom and Disease!
For those paying attention, I still don’t have my laptop. So, I’ve had to use the communal desktop to get work done. Hasn’t gone well, but Tuesday through Thursday saw me having the house to myself. What could go . . . BLARGH! I felt off on Monday, but I thought it was the heat and me not sleeping well. One bite of yogurt proved that it was something a lot worse and I had a steady decline. It culminated in a night where I couldn’t keep food down, felt like I had a fever, stomach ached, head spun, and had chills that bordered on full body convulsions. Thankfully, it was a 24-hour stomach bug and I was functional as long as I mainlined Pepto Bismol on Tuesday. Was that the end?
No, but what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t share? My wife starting feeling it around midnight. Mint tea helped her survive and she started early enough that she could eat by the end of the day. She managed to avoid the bulk of the symptoms, but my wife doesn’t do sick very well. Fatigue settles in and stays for days. So, I got hit worse than her, but she took longer to recover. This is actually a running gag for the last two years. I can’t get sick without her joining or one-upping me. What’s a guy gotta do to get pampered while diseased?
Gets better! My parents had gone on a trip . . . and my mom fell to it before they could get home. Yeah, it’s been one of those weeks. On the plus side, the kid didn’t even get a hiccup. He wouldn’t slow down or play nice unless we snapped at him, but at least he wasn’t sick. Hope that holds through the weekend.
The Laptop
I was checking the updates that never came and getting emails that swore the unit arrived at the depot. Suddenly, I get a message that the laptop is fixed, the OS didn’t have to be reinstalled, and it should be back Monday. Probably only have to charge it and make sure nothing funny happened on the way back. The problem was that a speaker either blew, became unseated, or the wiring went bad. So, the speaker was replaced. I can finally get back to writing in privacy and at night next week, which means I might actually finish Derailing Bedlam before August.
Derailing Bedlam
Cassidy and Lloyd’s next adventure is moving along slowly because of the technology and time limitations. I’m working on chapter 4 of 17 this weekend, which involves a city-sized water park filled with mermaids. This one is more enjoyable to write than the one on the blog because I’m not doing anything with politics. Just the usual antics of traveling for a cause and running into trouble at every stop. I’m still trying to figure out how to add Reese into this since this happens only a few months after Protecting Bedlam. Not sure where he would have wandered off to or if he even left that hunting lodge. I need to read over that too because I keep forgetting everything about him. This might just be a cameo too since I didn’t have him in the original idea.
I’m going to be honest here too. I just can’t see Reese traveling with Cassidy and Lloyd. He isn’t needed since Cassidy can do most road repairs. His temperament would get him killed in the first firefight or sent away afterwards because they don’t want to get hurt trying to protect him. I saw a few people call him a mascot, but that makes me think they just want him around because he’s adorable. As comical and silly as Bedlam is, there is a brutality there. Reese would either have to avoid or succumb to this. The former makes me think he’d be a running gag or a figure that sucks more reality out of the scene the Lloyd. Not in a fun way since it would him simply not getting hurt no matter what happens. The latter would upset people since it sounds like many consider him a human puppy. Not supposed to kick those.
Life and Goals
It goes and I kind of did my rant yesterday in regards to limping sales, rising doubts, and wondering how to translate hype excitement. Really fearing that Path of the Traitors will be the Windemere book to break the Top 100 list trend. Unless I count Top 100 New Releases, but Amazon doesn’t put those on the book sites. They really should though because that could help out. So, what’s the plan for next week?
Continue writing Derailing Bedlam.
Check laptop when it comes back and get back into old habits.
Follow up on the kid’s birthday party guest list. Looking like it will be a small party, which I hope he takes well. Summer birthdays are pains because people go on vacations or to camp.
Possibly hear back about the sleep apnea mouthpiece.
Okay, I know it kinda feels like I’m beating this to death, but last time I had a lot of people coming up to me with their sob stories.
Well… not really.
But it’s never a bad idea to let folks know they can save a few bucks TODAY and not tomorrow. If people discover the contest tomorrow and then see they could have saved money if they’d have entered today, I’ll feel bad.
Probably.
Anyway, I KNOW A LOT OF YOU ARE PROCRASTINATING because your story isn’t finished, so get on the ball. Enter today and use the rest of the month to finish writing your story. (And then enter it. I’m hoping that part was obvious. And enter it before July 31, 2017. Also obvious, I hope.)
You know you want to.
Did you know, most of the winners in the prior contest thought they would not win?…
