It's Official! You can now buy "Honor the Pack!"

First, I'l like to send out a huge thank you to Denise Bartlett and Charlotte Holley for making the process of publishing my first ebook such a fantastic experience! You ladies are fabulous! :-)

And another big thank you to all of my friends (online and off) and family who suffered through my constant updates on the process and endless worrying over if my story was "good enough." I appreciate you all so much.

Now, for the important part. ;-)

Honor the Pack is $3.99, and available for download from the following websites.

Gypsy Shadow – http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KayceeALooney.html#Honor

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Honor-the-Pack-ebook/dp/B005NXDZ42/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317503040&sr=1-3

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/honor-the-pack-kaycee-a-looney/1105795249?ean=2940013418516&itm=1&usri=honor%2bthe%2bpack

Smash Words – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/89792

If you decided to buy the novella, I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment here, or on my facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kaycee-A-Looney-author/146253352115254

A Finished Cover Image and Second Round Edits

Ok, this is really late, but those of you who know me are aware of my big move and that I start law school on the 22^nd of this month. So I hope you forgive me. :-)

Where to begin? Let's go chronologically, shall we?

The Cover Image

Through the patience and skill of Charlotte Holley, I now have an incredible cover image for “Honor the Pack.” Gypsy Shadow Publishing did use the two images I found on the stock image website, and Charlotte found a third to represent my female MC in human form. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, check out my “Author” page at GSP. When the novella is released, the page will also include an excerpt from the piece and a link to buy it. (I’ll figure out how to put up a picture and link in my sidebar when the time arrives so it won’t get buried in the old posts.)

The Second Round Edits

This was the easiest part of the process for me – and the toughest. The edits went quickly, only a couple of hours over the course of a few days. (Again, I like to let things sit for a bit before I make my final decision if I keep it or not.) So, time-wise, it was a cinch.

The emotional side was much tougher. Over the past couple of months, as I’ve gone through the publishing process, I’ve been excited. I still am! But as I sat at my laptop getting ready to send off the “final” version of “Honor the Pack” I was plagued with doubt. Had I really done the best job I could? Will people like it? Oh my God, what will I do if people hate it? :-O

I know that both will likely happen. It’s a fact of life. Not every person has the same view of what makes a good story. But, that didn’t stop my last minute panic and self-doubt.

So, how did I overcome this fear and click the send button on that email? I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this novella is the result of over a year of hard work on my part. I am proud of it. Damn proud. And this is what all that hard work was for, so that people could read it. This is a goal, no a dream, I’ve had for a long, long time. People have told me that I couldn’t do it, that it was a waste of time. They encouraged me to quit and “do something practical” with my time. But you know something? I can’t think of any better way to spend my free time than by creating. Maybe someday it will pay the bills, but even if I never publish another work of fiction again in my life I’ll always know that it wasn’t impossible. I worked hard and reached my goal.

If I, a girl who grew up in a tiny speck of a town in Southeast Alaska, can make one of her dreams come true then there is never any reason to doubt life’s possibilities. :-)

Round One Edits - Mission Accomplished?

Well, after spending my spare moments for the majority of the past 10 days on my first round edits, I just emailed the "new and expanded" version to Gypsy Shadow Publishing's editor.

Everything went smoothly, at first. I typed up a rough draft of a new ending in just a few hours. Then - the obsessing began. :-O I read it through and thought, "That's not too bad, but it could be better." So, I wrote a new scene and let it sit for a couple days. I wanted to come back to it fresh.

When I read it the second time I thought, "That is the worst piece of crap ever to pollute my computer hard drive, it must die!" But, I refrained from complete execution and only axed about a third of it. :-)

At least six versions later, I realized the scene I added wasn't working. Yeah, I know, I'm brilliant. ;-) So, I cut that scene and  wrote a completely new one, which is now my new "the end." I had been wanting to include an element that I couldn't figure out how to add, but felt it was important to have in order to wrap up all the sub-plots and give the characters a sense of closure.

I hope to hear back soon and have some more news for you all about the next step in my publishing journey.

Captured: the elusive acceptance. :-D

Part 1: I am not dreaming – this is real.

As fiction writers, we are subjected to rejection after rejection. Some of them are encouraging, others disheartening. But we keep submitting our work, driven by faith in our talent and the hope that someday that ever-elusive acceptance will happen.


I have, at last, captured my first acceptance for a YA Fantasy novella, “Honor the Pack.” I began this tale last July after a drive home through the mountains from my nephew’s birthday party. The full moon was so large it captured my imagination as I came around a bend in the road and it got me thinking about werewolves. That led me to the idea behind this novella, which I call my “reverse werewolf” story.


I will be writing a series of blog posts chronicling my experiences as I move through the process – from acceptance to the release of my novella as an e-book.


The contract has been signed, and “Honor the Pack” will be available through Gypsy Shadow Publishing (though I don’t have a release date yet). I hope you will check it out.


So, what happens after the acceptance is official and the contract is in your hands (or inbox)?



Part 2: After the Acceptance


After the acceptance, the real work begins.


I am what’s affectionately known in the fiction writing world as a “pantser” or “seat of the pants” writer. While I love this style of writing, and find it works best for me not to plan ahead when I create a story, it did have its drawbacks when that long-anticipated acceptance came through. Suddenly, I found myself in the grip of panic – I didn’t have a “back cover blurb” or a “one line hook” for this story. Why? I hadn’t “planned” the story, so I couldn’t summarize it before it was completed. Then I’d told myself I had plenty of time to work on the summaries while I subbed out my tale. It would take months, possibly years, to get an acceptance. Right?


Never tell yourself you have “tons of time.” Just don’t do it. I had myself convinced I’d be able to go about creating my promotional pieces at my leisure. Funny thing though – life likes to throw stuff at you, eating up the time you thought you had. And so I spent three frantic days working on the paragraph which will be the introduction to my story potential readers will see when they click on the cover image for my novella and the one line hook which will be used in press releases.


Talk about pressure.


Pressure I could have saved myself if I’d just written them before I started subbing out the novella. Learn from my mistake and write up your promotional pieces before you sub. Have people you trust to give you an honest critique (read: not your super-supportive family member/friend who is afraid to hurt your feelings) go over them and tell you if they would want to read your story afterward. These pieces are so important to how your work is perceived – give them your best effort, and give yourself a break by planning ahead (even if it goes against your usual writing vibe).


Another part of the package Gypsy Shadow Publishing (GSP) sent to me was less stressful, but something I hadn’t put a huge amount of thought into. They ask for a detailed description of your main character(s) so they can use it to help them seek out cover images. As part of my writing style, I do not usually give a detailed description of my main characters. I want the reader to create the picture for his or herself. But, I had put a little thought into what the “cover” would look like if it were to have one – yet I hadn’t expected it to because it’s not a full novel. One problem, my ideal cover image would require hiring an artist to create it and because this is a small publisher they use stock images for their cover art. Therefore, my ideal wouldn’t be possible. This time, I didn’t panic. GSP provides its authors with a link to the website they use for finding stock images. I sat down at my laptop and started searching until I found an alternative that I thought would work well. There is no guarantee that what I chose will be used, but I wanted to go the extra mile and give them a concrete image to start from.


What my point is in sharing this is – be flexible. Be ready to provide your insight, but not before it’s requested. I don’t know the policies of other publishers (this is my first publication, after all) but I felt very fortunate to have my input requested for the cover image. But what I had dreamed of wasn’t going to be possible. I had to find another route. In short, have not only one idea in mind have two or three or . . . . ;-)



Next installment: Round One Edits.

Book Review #1 - Bloodring by Faith Hunter

I have decided to post reviews of the books on my reading list which I find to be most entertaining (or informative in the case of non-fiction). You can see a full and updated list by clicking the My Planned Reading List for 2011 link at the top of the page. So, without further ado, here is the first.


Thorn St. Croix is the most hunted of beings in the Post-Ap world – an unlicensed witchy-woman. She must keep herself, as well as the power she feels through and from stone, hidden. No one must know what she is. To be discovered means a torturous death; either at the hands of the Seraphs, or through the slow descent into insanity that return to her Enclave would mean.

And for years she has been able to fool those around her into believing she is nothing more than human. Then Thaddeus Bartholomew arrives in Mineral City.

He has a secret of his own. One even he doesn’t fully realize. A Hand of the Law, he is investigating the disappearance of Thorn’s ex-husband, Lucas.

Finding Lucas isn’t exactly at the top of Thorn’s to-do list, until she learns that his kidnappers plan to do harm to his daughter and daughter-of-her-heart, Ciana. The child puts all her trust in Thorn, telling her that God the Victorious has told her that Thorn will get her father back.

Left with little choice, for finding Lucas now means saving Ciana, Thorn begins to explore the powers she was born with in order to locate him. The hunt will take both Thorn and Thadd closer to their destruction than either ever considered.


       *****


This was one of the best dark fantasies I’ve read in a long while. While some of the descriptions were a bit tedious (Do I really need to know the color and cut of every outfit her flamboyant, gay best friend wears?) it pulled me into the author’s Post-Apocalyptic vision of a world where humans, mages, half-breeds, Seraphs and devil spawn co-exist in a tumultuous mixture teetering on the brink of another war.

The main character was likeable and just flawed enough that she wasn’t an overly-righteous stereotype of a heroine. The supporting characters were vibrant especially Rupert (the one with all the fabulous outfits) and his partner Audric, a huge black man who is more than he seems.

I would recommend this to all lovers of the genre. It does draw upon religious themes, but not in a preachy manner (if it had been preachy, I wouldn’t be recommending it). It’s well-written and comes to a satisfying ending with just enough left unanswered to pull you forward to read the next of the series “Seraphs,” which I will be picking up next.

Check out the contest on Ex Libris Draconis .

I just wanted to post quickly and let you all know that Jaleh is having a contest over at Ex Libris Draconis to celebrate her one year anniversary. All you have to do is craft a poem about dragons. She is offering a hand-crocheted bookmark to the winner (in the color of their choice).

I've entered an extremely terrible poem. So, pop over and laugh at my entry then add your own, just to compound my shame. ;-) But HURRY, the deadline for entries is this Friday, October 8th.

Here's a link to the contest post.

Inspiration Needed?

For this week I'm revisiting a previous Site fo the Week, but in a different capacity. Some of you may remember my mention of Seventh Sanctum's name generators. This site has many other types of generators and so I've used their story generator with both a fantasy theme and a science fiction theme. The results are posted below. If you're going through a spell of writer's block, maybe some of these prompts will get your brain working again. :-)

And if you want to try the generators for yourself, I've added Seventh Sanctum to my list of Websites for Writers on the left side of the page.

FANTASY

1)The story is about a guild of shiftless scribes. It takes place in a war-scarred realm in a magical dimension. The story climaxes with destruction. A lost treasure plays an important role.


2)The story is about a bloodthirsty smuggler and an elementalist who is constantly annoyed by a jailer. It starts in a universe where space travel occurs by magical means. The story begins with someone going to sleep, climaxes with a promotion, and ends with an angry outburst.

3)The story is about a seer from a good family. It starts on our world after a disaster brought about the return of magic in a magical universe. The will of the gods is a major part of the story.

4)This is a comedy-of-manners with a focus on self-sacrifice. The story is about an aloof prince who must work with a pessimistic king. It takes place in a magical alternate universe. The story begins with a dream. The effect of magical races on business is a major part of the story.

5)This is an epic about giving in to destiny. The story is about a watchful wizard who has a mysterious admirier: a fisherman. It takes place in a storehouse in a desert fiefdom. An ancient prophecy plays an important role.

6)The story is about a treasure-hunter, a wizard, a wizard, and a knight. It takes place in a city-state in a forest realm. The return of ancient powers plays an important part in the story.

7)This is a satire. The story is about an actor and an unstable bandit. It starts on our world after a disaster brought about the return of magic. Recovering magical artifacts and knowledge is a major part of the story.

8)The story is about a farmer, an outgoing gigolo, a martial artist, and a dungeon delver who is mysteriously connected to a pompous shaman. It takes place in a legendary domain on our world in a new magical age. An important bloodline plays a prime part.

9)The story is about a shaman, a plain shaman, a vicious fortune-teller, and a rat-catcher. It takes place in a village in a religious land. An important bloodline plays a prime part.

10)This is a rags-to-riches story. The story is about a graceful scribe. It takes place on our world in a magical age. A powerful magical weapon plays an important role.

SCIENCE FICTION
 
1)This is a comedy-of-errors. The story is about a fearful doctor and a shiftless physicist. It takes place on a war-torn planet. The critical element of the story is the failure at a test. An accident in space plays a major role in the story.


2)The story is about a frustrated nuclear engineer, a video game addict, and a linguistics expert. It takes place in a dimensional warp. The speed of technological advancement is a major part of this story.

3)This is a story about travel and how man can better himself. The story is about a confident gambler who has a mysterious admirier: a sailor. It starts in a galaxy-spanning commonwealth. A spatial anomoly plays a major role in the story.

4)This is a tale about rebellion. The story is about a priestess. It starts in a galaxy-spanning confederation. The story begins with a sport being played.

5)The story is about a whiny plumber. It takes place in a galaxy-spanning technocracy. The differences alien societies may have regarding economics is a major element of this story.

6)The story is about an energetic baseball player, a biologist, and a committed servant. It takes place on an ancient planet. The crux of the story involves the taking of a test.

7)The story is about an acrobat who is in debt to an unpredictable scientist. It starts in an intergalactic syndicate. The difficulty of cross-species communications is a major issue of the story.

8)The story is about a secretary haunted by flashbacks. It takes place in an intergalactic federation. The blurring of the boundaries between man and machine is a major part of this story.

9)The story is about a rabble-rouser who is in debt to a park ranger. It takes place on a toxic planet. The crux of the story involves an accident at home. A rebellion against technology plays a major role in this story.

10)This is a crime drama. The story is about a CFO. It takes place in an intergalactic commonwealth. The story begins with an advice, climaxes with a murder, and ends with the paying of a fine. The effect of alien contact on business is a major part of the story.

Site(s) of the Week(s) - Elizabeth Crook, Vonda N. McIntyre, and Robert J. Sawyer

Ooops. Last week got away from me too. :-o I just started my CASA training and the first few chapters were a bit more intense than I expected. But, I've got until the 20th to finish up the material. Then I'll be sworn in as an official CASA volunteer in juvenille court - which is super exciting for me! :-) And after that, I get appointed to my first case.

Anyway, I've decided to do three sites this week to make up for (more) lost time. The first is elizabethcrookbooks.com. I stumbled across an article of hers The Seven Rules For Writing Historical Fiction, which is included on her site under the articles tab. Her insights were eye-opening for me, since I am still struggling with my historical fiction novel. Her voice is engaging and she's published three novels to date. One of her suggestions (which embarrassingly I hadn't thought of) was to contact authors of the books you use for historical research and see if they will let you pick their brains.

Up next is, Vonda N. McIntyre's site. Her article on the Pitfalls of Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy is both informative and filled with humor. There are also some short stories available on the site to read free of charge. I found her style a bit heavy on description for my taste, but her storylines were entertaining.

And lastly, Robert J. Sawyer's blog. His article Are the days of the full-time novelist numbered? paints a grim picture of the future of full-time authors, but one well worth considering when pursuing the "dream."  Sawyer also has a very informative website www.sfwriter.com/ (which I may have highlighted already, I can't remember - oopsy.)

Site(s) of the Week - Fantasy Factor and SFSignal.com

It's been a hectic day, but here I am (as promised) with my sites of the week. The first one is Fantasy Factor. (Which I belive to be a sub-site of FictionFactor, since that appears in the web address.) While the site as a whole has some fun stuff, I'm going to concentrate on an article aimed at creating flora and fauna for your fantasy world. There are some great links at the bottom of the article for research as well.

Personally, I LOVE to create new creatures and humanoid species to populate my fantasy stories/novels. :-) (One of my current novellas-in-progress is thus far populated with several different species of animal and the main character is of a humanoid race called the Nachtrodeur.) However, the article brings up some valid points about remembering to include more than just the fear-inducing, flesh-devouring predators that are hunting your MC at every opportunity.

As an example from the above mentioned novella, the spotted herten plays an important role in the survival of the MC. Not only in this novella, but in the next one of the trilogy as well. It's a deer-like creature, hooved and light of foot. (It's name is actually the German word for deer.) ;-) There are two main species of mount/pack animals, the jorens (think of a muskox and a buffalo hybrid that smells worse than a skunk) and the laveche (about horse size, with four horns and blue eyes, they emit a shrill whistle when alarmed). The only non-sentient predator this world has so far is the akidar, a large cat that lives in the mountains, has teeth similar to a sabertooth tiger and poisoned claws. (Fun Fact - SBT's have been theorized to have been scavengers because their long teeth may  have prevented them from biting down hard enough to kill prey. Thanks Discovery Channel.)

But, I digress, the article is a fun read (just ignore that the author uses "you're" instead of "your" in at least one instance).

Fantasy Factor also includes a link to a list of mythological creatures at the bottom of the articles page - also highly recommended if you are looking for inspiration. I read the first listing for the Adaro (which I'd never heard of in my mythological studies) and was hooked. ;-P

Alrighty then, moving on to site number two -  SFSignal.com, or more specifically their article asking well-known Sci-Fi authors about the best writing advice they've ever received. Fun read, and informative too.
For example; Patricia Briggs received her most valuable writing advice from a movie starring Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. Huh, who'd a thunk it? ;-)

Ok, I'm losing focus. My stummy is rumbling because it's 8:00 and I haven't eaten dinner yet. Hope you enjoy the articles and exploring the sites of the week. :-)

IN DARKNESS

Here is the introduction to my new short story (or novelette, or novella - haven't set a word limit). If all goes well, I'll be telling you where you can read this in its entirety after it's published! :-)

Elli brushed the hair from her eyes and crouched deeper into the hollow of her father’s wing, seeking relief from the icy wind.


“Da, how much longer do we have to stay here?” she whimpered.

Her father hugged her tighter to his side. “Just a little longer, Doame’u. Just a little longer.”

Elli sighed. He had been saying that for three days. She shivered and tried not to think about her mother and what was keeping her. Instead she practiced training her ears to hear the sounds of the forest.

Beneath the raging of the wind, squirrels chattered in their den. Elli cocked her head, twisting her long, thin ears to better catch the sound. They were about fifteen lengths to her right and just lower than the branch where she and her father huddled, snug inside a tree hollow. She wrapped her arms around her torso, wishing she were still small enough to join them. But it had been a ten cycles since she was a nestling.

Her wings were still too small to hold her weight, but they were growing almost as quickly as the rest of her. Before long, she would be able to soar over the treetops with her parents. The thought brought a stab of doubt. Her mother had never been gone this long. What if something had happened to her?

She started to ask Da if they should go and look for her when his body went rigid. Elli clutched his arm, terror raking its claws through her heart.

“What is it, Da?”

“Hush,” he replied, as his eyes swept the trees around them.

Elli held her breath and listened. The squirrels were silent. All she heard was the wind. Then came the distinct rustle and thump of footsteps. The feathers on her wings stood erect as a chill pulsed through her body. The footsteps were too heavy to be her mother’s.

Voices murmured together. They did not speak Hada.

Da wrapped his arms around her waist. “Do not make a sound,” he whispered, and spread his dappled wings. They blended with the foliage as he leapt from the branch, drifting on the wind – away from the strangers.

He landed upon the ground, glanced back, and ushered her behind the broad trunk of an oak. Da knelt at her side, his strong, warm wing over her shoulders.

“Listen to me carefully, Ellivi’an.” His voice was soft, and edged with an emotion she’d never heard before.

“Da, I’m afraid.” She pressed against his side, arms encircling his neck. “Where is Mama?”

“I don’t know.” He turned Elli so they were face-to-face. “I must go and search for her. I need you to promise that you will wait here for my return.”

“But I want to come.”

“No! You must stay away from them.” His fingers dug into her arms, making her wince. Da had never grabbed her hard enough for it to hurt, and she felt tears stinging her eyes.

“From who, Da?” She sniffled, and wiped at the stupid, hot tears.

“Shh, Elli,” he murmured, cuddling her to his chest. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Doame’u.” Wiping away the rest of her tears, he kissed her once on each cheek. “There are new creatures in the forest. They are dangerous and you must promise me that you will stay where I hide you until I return. It is very important. Will you promise me, Ellivi’an?”

Elli nodded. “I promise, Da.”

“Good.”

Her father took her hand and together they hurried away from the oak, deeper into the Undara Forest. Elli was breathing hard when they stopped beside a fern-encrusted stump. Da’s hands swept over the lumps of long-dead roots.

“There it is.” He turned and grinned at her as a section of the stump slid away, revealing a night-dark hollow. “Inside you go.”

“Can’t I come with you?”

“No, Elli.” Da took her hand. “Here, take this.”

She looked at the Anam stone in her palm. It had always fascinated her, but Da would never let her touch it. Her great-grandfather had created it when the magic of the Inefim had been stronger. None had been forged for over four hundred cycles.

“Da, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can, Ellivi’an.” His steady hands closed over her shaking ones. “But first I must tell you how to use it.”

Unable to speak, she nodded again, trying not to look as terrified as she felt.

“Hold it like this.” Da turned the stone so that the rune faced toward the sky. “But don’t squeeze it in your palm, just let it rest there. Now say; Edelsteen, leu’er ra kee.”

“Edelsteen, leu’er ra kee.” Elli almost shouted with delight as the Anam stone came to life in her hands, radiating a pale rose light.

“Well done, Elli.” Da leaned down and kissed her brow. “Inside now.” He gave her a gentle nudge and she started into the hollow. “There is plenty to eat. Your Mama kept it stocked well, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Elli asked, turning back to look at him.

But her father was already leaping into the sky. She thought she saw the gleam of a blade in his clenched fist as he banked left and started back the way they had come. Shuddering the dark worries away, Elli stepped into the stump and pushed the hidden door closed.

Shelves filled with earthenware water jugs, jars of vegetables, dried berries and sacks of grain lined the walls. Each one was labeled with the contents and the date upon which it had been stored. Elli ran her fingers over a jar label written in her mother’s looping hand and tried not to worry.

She noticed a linen sack wedged against the wall under one of the shelves. She wrestled it from the tight space and unfastened the tie. Elli’s eyes widened. It was the quilt Mama had sat up stitching each night for a long as she could remember. Standing, she pulled it from the bag, wrapping it around her as she did. The lily-sweet scent of her mother filled her lungs as she buried herself in the quilt’s softness. Snuggled in the precious quilt, Elli lay down and fell into the numbness of sleep as soon as her eyes closed.

Wind howled, buffeting her hair and wings. Elli hurried through the forest, sliding in and out of the sunlight slicing between the trees. Footsteps followed behind her, keeping pace, but she was not alarmed. She crouched at the edge of a still pond, waiting for the unseen creature to catch up. Just as a tousled head of brunette hair appeared over her shoulder, the water rippled and distorted the reflection. Elli turned to look the stranger in the face.

She awoke – just as she had every time the vision had invaded her sleep. Elli lay staring into the black. She hadn’t dreamt of the dark-haired stranger for seasons. Though she’d never seen its face, a part of her knew the creature meant no harm. Yet awakening from the dream always left her feeling hollow and edgy.

After what seemed like a very long time, she felt her body begin to relax. Elli curled into Mama’s quilt, pulling it over her head, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Site of the Week - Seventh Sanctum

Ok, so I've chosen a site this week that is just pure fun! :-)  We've all been there, staring at a screen thinking "This character needs a really awesome name, but what?" Well, look no further than Seventh Sanctum.  Their name generator page is a kick in the butt! Just as an example, I tried the extreme fantasy names generator and it came up with - Rose Runefinder.  The evil-sounding names generator gave me Uglatha. Yeah, sounds like some sort of slug-like creature to me.

Anyway, give some of their name generators a whirl. You might not use any of them, but it will definitely make you smile and it might even spark an idea.

Site of the Week - Writing-World.com

I have been very busy this week working on a story for possible publication. (As some of you who have been wheedled into helping me edit it can attest to.) ;-)  So, imagine  my surprise when I glance at my computer's digital clock and saw that it was nearly midnight on SUNDAY! Ack! I can't miss another Site of the Week!

Without delay I set about scouring the internet for a suitable site to feature. I was rewarded with the first click of my mouse. Writing-World's SF-Fantasy page is a gem in the dirt pile of "helpful" writing sites. The first article I read "Dialogue in Speculative Fiction: When Space Bugz Speakie Funnie and Other Problems" by Paula Fleming made me laugh out loud. (Good thing I'd already finished my cocoa.) Not only was it funny, it was full of truly helpful advice and ideas. :-)

Then I noticed Paula Fleming had also written an article about historical fiction - I was hooked. The SF-Fantasy page inlcudes articles from several different authors including tips for; Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror as well as marketing tips and interviews with published speculative fiction authors. There are a ton of links at the top of the page that cover other genres and aspects of the writing world. Hence the site's name, right? ;-) 

I very highly recommend this site. You can never learn too much, or laugh enough. :-) I have added a permanent link to Writer's World to my Websites for Writers list.

Grr. The time stamp beat me.  12:01am. Monday the 29th. :-(

Site of the Week - TalkToYoUniverse

I'd like to begin by saying that I met Juliette Wade, the author of this blog, as the result of my interview on The Sharp Angle. It's so encouraging to meet new writers and discover what they have to share.


Juliette has degrees in Anthropology (so jealous), Linguistics and Japanese. When she sent me a message asking to link up our blogs, I did a quick perusal of her recent posts and decided to make her this week's Site of the Week.


So, without further ado, here is my review of TalkToYoUniverse.


I love languages, so this blog really appealed to me. (Those of you who have been reading "Calli" know I'm learning German for that book, as well as expanding my Latin knowledge.) Juliette focuses mainly on the creation of "alien languages" which I believe will spark the interest of many Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers.


I found her recent post about culture in your writing to be particularly relevant. One thing we writers strive toward is a realistic set of characters that our readers will care about. Considering culture as a reference point for your characters' actions is an important step to achieving this goal.


The blog also includes links to research sites as well as writing tips. One in particular, to Found in Translation, includes an interesting discussion on created languages - specifically Na'vi from the movie "Avatar." Click here to read the discussion.

If you are writing fiction that includes aliens and/or non-human spoken language you should check out this blog. Juliette has some great insights and I give this blog 4 out of 5 keyboards. You can now find a link to her blog under my Author Blogs heading.

So, the writing life gets put on hold for a variety of reasons; paying the bills, homework, social obligations - whatever. There seem to be more excuses than ideas in my mind the past few weeks.

But I plug along nonetheless.

I have recently picked up a short story that was the result of a "just for fun" contest on the Writer's Digest forums and have begun expanding it. It's what I call an "other world fantasy" because it doesn't take place on Earth. There are no elements of science fiction.

It's the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Hadwyn and his faithful pet chinchibbit, Shanely. The boy finds out from a mysterious old woman that he truly is the great-great-grandson of Callin, the greatest sorcerer his world has ever known. (Callin was destroyed 140 years ago by the evil sorceress, Rassidam.) Armed with this knowledge, Hadwyn must now discover his destiny while evading the clutches of The Followers of Rassidam.

I'm only about 37 pages into it but it's a fun distraction from the stress of job hunting.

I've been lax about researching agents for "Light of Avondell." I really do need to make a tangible goal. Perhaps researching one agent a week would be practical right now. But before I can submit to any of them I have to finish my query letter. But I think the best approach to that is to completely overhaul it for each agent. From what I've seen so far, some prefer a "bare bones" approach while others like a more in-depth account of the book to grab their interest.

Nothing worth having is easy, right?

Sample chapter part 2 - Light of Avondell

The Byrume lumbered away, snuffling at the air like a beast.

“Did you find it?” the higher pitched voice called out.

“No.”

She waited and listened as they searched for her, never going far from where she hid. Aria closed her eyes. Summoning all the courage in her body she thought about mice, their soft, furry bodies and large keen ears. With a faint glimmer, she crouched upon four delicate paws. Her whiskers and ears twitched as she tested her surroundings. Only her pale eyes, swirling with a rainbow of colors, betrayed that she was not a true mouse. She dashed from her hiding place and into the open, but she’d underestimated her pursuers’ senses.

“There, the mouse!”

The ground shook and branches snapped as they chased her.
She ran faster on four legs than on her usual two and soon widened the gap between them. Again she hid herself. Her heart raced, and her breathing was labored, but she was alive. Concealed in a small clump of ferns, she waited. They were careless, stepping on twigs and scuffing leaves across the forest floor.

The sudden silence made the hairs on her body stand on end. Her flesh tightened with fear, and she felt herself begin to Flicker. The foliage around her started to glow with a pale purple light, soft at first and then bright enough to make her squint. The dewdrops sparkled with rainbows as her concentration broke and her disguise disintegrated.

The snap of twigs and crunch of leaves roared in her ears as they bore down upon her. An obese face, twisted with rage, loomed over her. She crouched, shielding her head with her forearms.

“Inetaus, pryubus, curundei, myanti!”

The spell spilled from her lips in the faintest of whispers, but it was enough. Just as the soil-blackened hands of the Byrume closed around her, Aria was gone.

She opened her eyes a sliver at a time until the forest around her was in full focus. She smoothed her hair with one hand and made a slow turn. The spell had saved her from the Byrumes but it had not taken her home as she intended.

“What went wrong?” she whispered. Now that she was away from the putrid, oily-skinned Byrumes there was time to concentrate. She knelt in the damp moss and breathed in its earthy scent.

The sensation of Transportation was uncomfortable at best. It felt like being pulled apart by scavengers a bit at a time and scattered on the wind. She had learned the spell only two weeks before, and Madame Hekwryn had forbidden her students to use it outside of the classroom until they had mastered it. But she had no choice. Aria focused on The Old One. With her fingers digging into her knees, she said in a firm, steady voice, “Inetaus, pryubus, curundei, myanti.”

This time she didn’t have to open her eyes to know the spell had worked. All around her the sounds of home rang out cheerful, comforting and safe. Hutton hawked his wares as he wheeled his cart up and down the tree’s strong limbs. A group of youngsters giggled and screeched as they raced past her in an energetic game of Pintelle. She remembered her own younger years spent doing the same. When she had the Pintelle in her hand and Sarshyn held the Goffer, they were unstoppable.

Sarshyn.

He would be worried. In a moment of spitefulness she almost decided to let him fret for a while longer, but instead made her way back to the Western Branch. He was waiting for her on the stairs leading to the next level. His glow brightened, and he leapt to his feet.

“Why did you actually go out there? Are you alright?”

Aria stopped a few steps away and swept a few strands of hair off of her face. “I’m fine. Two Byrumes saw me, but I used the Transportation spell to escape.”

“You really are insane, aren’t you?” he asked giving her a hug, then grasped her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. “Don’t ever do that again.”

She was too relieved by her escape to be angry with him. The pure joy and relief in his honey-gold eyes made her soften even further. “Agreed, as long as you don’t question my character.”

Sarshyn shook his head and grinned. “You’re impossible.”

“And so are you, that’s why we make such a good pair.”

They walked together as far as the granary.

“I’ll see you in the morning for sword training,” she said as he ducked inside.

“I’ll be by to pick you up after breakfast, as usual.” With a wave he disappeared from view.
Aria dawdled on her way home.

Butternut oil lamps flickered in mainrooms, casting their light over dining tables laden with evening meals. Entry stones, flat and polished from Rings of use, were swept clean and awaited the arrivals of their masters and mistresses.

Korynna lived in the cottage with the sky-blue door. The house with the beautifully carved windowsills belonged to Harkinn and his wife Albianne. They expected their first child within the week. Moordecai and his brother, Ismial, shared the house next door. It always smelled of bainberry leaf smoke and pickled needlenuts. She paused to peep in at Gemella and Rees as they danced together without any music. When Rees noticed her, he winked and grinned. Embarrassed, Aria’s glow flushed a deep magenta, and she scurried away. Her home was just up ahead.

Smoke curled from the riverstone chimney. The sun’s rays sifted through the branches and splashed across the thick sod roof. Father believed that thatching was a fire hazard and wooden shingles were far too pricey. She’d grown to love the soft green of it, which her mother tended to with her knowledge of plant magic. The simple boards of the outer walls had silvered with age. In certain light they glimmered like her father’s hair.

She heaved a huge sigh. It would take an imaginative excuse to keep her from punishment this time. Her clothes were smeared with mud; the left leg of her trousers was torn from knee to ankle. They had been her last unpatched pair. Mama would be furious. She hesitated on the entry stone, took a deep breath and pulled the handle down. The door swung inward and the warmth of the room washed over her. Aria hadn’t realized how tired she was until that moment.
At the sound of the door, her mother, Asym, turned away from the stove. When she saw the state of her daughter’s clothing, the welcoming smile on her delicate face turned to a scowl, and the pale emerald glow around her lithe frame darkened.

“What have you done now?”

She’d decided upon the perfect lie on her way home, so without faltering, Aria looked her mother in the eye and said, “I was playing Pintelle with some of the youngsters and fell from one of the lower branches.”

She was too old for children’s games so she held her breath as Mama crossed the room and took her chin between her pine-scented hands.

“Are you hurt?”

Somehow she managed to shake her head no with her face sandwiched between Mama’s strong hands.

“Thank Lady Livnia you’re alright,” she whispered clutching Aria to her breast.

The genuine concern in her mother’s leaf-green eyes as she fussed over her made Aria feel a twinge of guilt; Mama’s earth Guide made her steady and calm, except when it came to her only child.

“No, I’m fine, but I ruined my trousers. I’m sorry.”

“Trousers,” her mother snorted, “you think I’d be concerned over the state of your trousers when you might have been killed?” She was ushering Aria toward the bathing room, “Go wash up and put on some clean clothes. I’ll fix your trousers tomorrow.”

Sample chapter - Light of Avondell

The idea for my first complete manuscript came to me in a flash of inspiration. I was brainstorming for a short story idea as a distraction from my writing project at the time. An image popped into my head and it was the first time I'd gotten a story idea in the form of a crystal clear scene. I decided to expand it, and voila! Aria was born. So, without further ado, here is the first half of chapter one.

Light of Avondell
© 2008 Kaycee A. Looney

Chapter 1 – Close Call

Sarshyn started it.

On the way home after sword training, he poked an orange elbow into Aria’s ribs. “I bet we’re ready to join the army don’t you?” He swished his sword in a crazy series of swirls and zigzags that made no real defense or attack, and she laughed.

“Not with sword play like that. Besides, these practice blades aren’t even sharp.”

He pretended to pout. “You always spoil my fun.”

Aria grinned and brought her sword down on his wrist with a loud smack. His glow flashed a deep red and returned to its usual shade of sunset orange as he rubbed the welt she left behind.

“If you really wish to fight, then I challenge you to a duel!” she said in her best impression of their swordplay instructor, and stepped back. Settling her weight evenly on both feet, she brought her sword up as Kyrlan had taught them, and waited for Sarshyn’s response. He mirrored her stance.

“I accept, and the winner decides the loser’s punishment.”

His fire Guide made him easier to upset than Duendes Guided by earth, water or wind and Aria took advantage of that more often than she should have. It was always fun to antagonize him. She knew the look in his golden eyes; he was angry, but she stood her ground as he advanced. Little wisps of crimson that matched his hair sliced through the orange glow around his lean body as he raised his sword.

They battled in silence on The Old One’s wide, smooth branch. The only sound was the clinking of metal upon metal as their swords crossed again and again. He feinted left, and she moved to block him, but he thrust forward instead. The tip of his sword sunk into the soft flesh of her stomach a little harder than necessary.

“I acknowledge your victory.” Suppressing a grimace of pain, Aria bowed in the traditional pose of defeat with her arms perpendicular to her sides and her ankles crossed, left over right. When she met his eyes again, the anger was replaced by his usual mischievousness.

“I have the perfect punishment for you.” He smiled and slipped the sword into his belt. “You have to go west.”

Laughter spluttered out between her teeth as she clenched her sides to try and squelch it. He couldn’t be serious. Every Duende knew it was foolish and forbidden to go beyond the borders of their own land. Within Avondell King Atrian’s magic was able to protect them, but once a Duende was outside the reach of his enchantment they were in great danger. Did he want her to get eaten by a Byrume? After a few minutes she regained her composure and looked at him again. His face was placid and a little annoyed.

“You can’t mean that.” She stepped closer and laid her hand on his warm arm.

He shrugged away, “If you’re afraid, that’s alright. I mean, you are a girl.”

She felt the blood rush to her face, and the soft purple light wavering upon her lavender skin flashed a blinding white. “I’m not a coward, and you know it, Sarshyn!” She flicked her long, sapphire hair over her shoulder and stalked away with her best friend close at her heels.

They passed the granary with its expensive shingled roof. Hutton was hauling a large cottonflower cloth sack into the storeroom, sweat poured down his broad, bare shoulders. The scent of fresh-baked bread flowed over them through the bakery’s open door. The baker’s wife, Galinia, was placing the last few rolls onto her husband’s cart before he began his afternoon selling route. She wiped her pale blue hands on her yellow dress, smiled and waved to them.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry little Shifty One?”

“Nowhere,” Aria snapped. She hated that nickname. Being born a Shifter wasn’t something she’d asked for.

“Sorry we can’t stop and chat,” Sarshyn apologized as he jogged to catch up to her again. “That was rude,” he whispered.

“I don’t care.” She could feel her anger bubbling inside her, like lava threatening to burst from a volcano. Being ruled by all four Duendean Guides instead of just one was never easy, but her fire Guide was the most difficult to control. If he said one more word she wasn’t sure what she’d do.

Dodging youngsters and adults going about their daily routines, the two of them continued past the simple board and thatch houses until they reached the lowest branch on the west side of The Old One.

Today Burz and her cousin Fyn were on watch. If Fyn saw her that would be the end of it, he would tell her father. Shuddering at the thought of how he might punish her, she pressed her body against the smooth bark of the ancient tree’s trunk and held her breath. But she wasn’t going to let Sarshyn win.

“You don’t really have to,” he whispered, clutching at her shoulder. “I was onl–”

“Shut up! I’m going.” She knew when she was really angry, her eyes Shifted color and it scared him. Aria imagined they were melting between fiery orange and blood red. It made her feel a little better.

There was one way that she could be certain Fyn wouldn’t see her. Well, at least he wouldn’t know it was her he was seeing. Sarshyn was the only one who knew about this aspect of her Shifting ability. With her eyes closed, Aria concentrated. In a flash of soft white light, she was a small brown lizard with a pale blue stripe down its back. Sarshyn sucked air through his teeth, and his eyes lost their fire. She flicked out her pink lizard tongue and licked her right eyeball, then winked at him.

He shook his head from side to side. “Aria, don’t you could get –”

But she heard no more of his protest; she was scurrying headfirst down the weathered trunk. Dry leaves crackled beneath her cool lizard toes as she slid to the ground.

“It’s just a lizard, Burz. Go back to your post.” Fyn called from overhead.

With a smug flick of her tail, Aria scuttled across the forest floor and out of sight beneath some bainberry bushes. Once it was safe, she relinquished her disguise and crept through the undergrowth with as much stealth as she could. The air was suffocating amongst the close-growing clumps of brush.

“Sarshyn, idiot,” she mumbled parting the fronds of a fiddlehead fern with her hands. “I’ll show him who’s a girl.”

They both knew being female didn’t make her any less worthy. Yet somehow, when he insinuated that it did, she rose to the challenge. It had been that way since they were just youngsters. He teased her. She reacted. But she had to admit it worked both ways.

As they’d gotten older, the challenge had become more like a joke, but not this time. She was seventeen Rings old, but he always knew how to get under her skin. There was no other Duende on the entire planet of Eldunom who could irritate her so easily. So now here she was tromping through the forest without any purpose or protection even though she was quite old enough to know better.

Aria paused to wipe a sweaty lock of azure hair from her cheek, turning to look over her shoulder as she did. The Old One no longer loomed above the undergrowth. She’d proven her point. It was time to go home. All she had to do was follow her back trail and she would be at the base of the great tree in no time. Only there was no back trail to follow. The path she’d pushed aside in the dense vegetation had sprung back to its original place, leaving no sign that she had passed. Her light wavered.

Scanning the ferns and grasses nearby for any bruising or breakage, she waded into the greenery and leaned close to inspect the individual blades. Off to her right, she heard voices. They were coming closer.

Aria crouched low to the ground.

“I tell you I smell one of those Duendes. It’s close.”

A second voice, higher in pitch but with more authority answered, “You’re imagining things. If there were one Duende, there’d be at least a hundred, and we’d both smell’em. They always travel in swarms like bugs.”

In spite of her mounting panic, that gave her an idea. She thought about dragonflies and saw herself soaring into the sky unnoticed. But before she could Shift one of the Byrumes took a step closer. She flashed blue with terror.

“There! Did you see that?” the first one shouted. “I told you there was a Duende here!”

Then she was running. It didn’t matter in which direction, as long as she kept moving. Aria sped through the forest. She was alone, without a weapon, and if they caught her, there was no hope of rescue. She didn’t see the bainberry bush until it was too late.

The thorns tore at her hair, skin and clothes. The brush snapped as they lumbered toward her. She jerked her leg free and heard the distinct rip of fabric as her trouser leg split. Then she was running again. Stalks of asucarr and whips of firenettle slapped her face, but her mind was filled with stories her twin cousins, Fyn and Gynn, had told her about Byrumes.

They’re fifty lengths tall with long scraggly hair that’s so dirty, it’s green with mold and slime, Gynn’s musical, lilting voice tittered in her brain.

They have six rows of razor sharp teeth and hooked noses so they can smell us better in the underbrush, Fyn laughed. Byrumes use the oil off their skin for cooking their food, and if they catch you, you’re sure to be on the menu.

Aria used to think they were making up the stories just to see if they could scare her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a shiny pink face crowned with green slimy hair peering into the bushes less than twenty lengths from her. She huddled beneath a leaf and tried to make the light on her skin as dim as possible. Panic fluttered at the back of her throat, tickling like a spider’s web as she tried to slow her breathing. The Byrume lumbered away, snuffling at the air like a beast.