You Remember...Remember?

Most of us writerly folks started at young ages. For me, I've loved writing since I learned how to write. But writing is more than just laying the words, isn't it?

You crazy buddies know what I'm talking about. Before I could write the stories, my mind played them in my head, over and over again. I would tell the stories to my family, any who would listen to crazy daydreaming AR, that is.

Oh man! Those stories in my head. Filled to the brim and boiling over. By second grade I'd learned to write well enough to transfer those stories onto paper and have them make some semblance of sense...well, as much as a seven year old could anyways. I wrote with reckless abandon. There were no barriers, no rules. Nothing but what popped into my mind.

In sixth grade, I'd already decided I would grow up to be the next Stephen King or Isaac Asimov when I had a great lesson from my art teacher. Yeah, not sure either why it was my art teacher and not my English teacher... go figure. Any-who, we were working on a project where we sketched one of those collage things. (You know, the ones where you threw a bunch of stuff together and drew it?) The five minute warning beeped and everyone started wrapping up. My teacher came by and saw my binder filled with story thoughts.

I thought I would get in trouble for writing my story ideas during art class, but instead she picked it up and read through some. I was very nervous, not many outside my friends had read any of my work at this point.

"This is interesting, but what purpose does this have?"

I thought she'd dismissed my work and I was crestfallen. How could it be that she didn't see the coolness of the ideas? The awesomeness of it? With my face burning a dark red, I'm sure, I mumbled something along the line of "they're just ideas that came" or some such thing. (My side of this story is not so important, and it was a LONG time ago, so don't shoot me.)

"The idea came, so the purpose must be there somewhere." She handed it back to me and smiled. "All forms of art need to give meaning to the recipient."

A humongous light-bulb went off and I stared at my notebook with new eyes. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem... and don't write during my art class."

I don't remember my art teachers name. In fact, she's more a blurry face at this point, but I remember the statement... and that the art room was in the basement of my middle school and could only be accessed by weird stairwells that were a bit creepy if you were ascending or descending them by yourself.

I digress (which is often for you new blogger buddies).

Writing, for most, is a life long journey. It starts with the imagination with that spark of creativity. Moves to paper (or, really computer these days) in a basic rudimentary form. If the writer is lucky, at some point it transcends just the story and brings depth and meaning to both the writer and the reader.

Writing -- even the most commercial -- needs to give a message. It doesn't need to be overwhelming or profound. Just present and accessible to the reader.

The Winners Are.....

Oh, I'm so excited...it's like being frickin' Vanna White! *looks around for the letter board*

Okay, okay, so last week (the 10th to be exact), I posted a contest to celebrate the 2 month anniversary of Duty and Devotion. The responses were awesome and I had so much fun reading the dozen or so entries. But alas, only a few can win. This was my first time using the random.org site to select the winners.

All right...here we go...the winners are...(drum roll please)

Pauline B. Jones

Liana Brooks

Colette Duke

Email me at ambernorris2000@yahoo.com to let me know what e-format you would like Duty ad Devotion in and of course CONGRATULATIONS!

2 Months? Wow!

I can't believe it!

On Monday Duty and Devotion will have been out two months. "Happy R-day Nettie and Rinny!" (R-day instead of B-day, for release day.)

Duty and Devotion has received many compliments, a couple ratings, and a super great review. To celebrate, I'm going to hold a contest and will give away a couple copies of Duty and Devotion... in whatever format you wish.

What do you have to do?

Well, just contact me and let me know your favorite SF scene of all time, ever. (Ever, ever.) You can contact me either by leaving a comment here or emailing me at ambernorris2000@yahoo.com. I will select the winners on the official R-Day of course, which is Monday, August 15th.

Editing Abyss

AR grabs the ledge and pulls. The rain pelts down, drenching and chilling her, but she perseveres. Some of the dirt layering -- now turned to mud by the torrential weather -- slips. She grips harder, her ice cold fingers digging to the rocky underlying. She risks a look down into the abyss of editing hell...

Oh, hey... didn't see you there.

Yes, I am still alive and well. I didn't fall into the abyss, though it was close. The whole month of July was pretty much dedicated to manuscript editing. My final publisher edits for the first book in the Telomere Trilogy, Revelations of Tomorrow, and final edits of the holiday free read short story, Lasting Bonds, were due to the editor.

Remind me never to do a free read again. A couple reasons, but first, let me say that I love the final book and am excited to close some open loops for Nettie and Rinny. HOWEVER, I realized something about myself during the adventure of writing the Telomere Trilogy, which I overlooked when I signed up to do a free read for Desert Breeze Publishing.

I am not a monogamous author.

I can't keep characters going over several books. And truthfully, the characters aren't monogamous either. The characters slip into my mind, we flirt, and we all get excited and explore the journey. Once that journey is complete, I'm done and they're done. They drift off into the world I created for them and I never hear from them again. For me, the flirting process has started with a new story and characters. I'm too distracted with the new adventure.

So, any-who, August 1st came around and I sent Lasting Bonds to my editor and let out a huge sigh of relief. Then, within five minutes (could've been sooner, I wasn't watching the clock) the characters from my new novel started beckoning me. I went straight into it and spewed out over 8,000 words. Yes, 8K in 3 days... needless to say, my creativity was pent up.

My new heroine is amazing. I'm so impressed by her resilience and saddened by her past. I hope I can do her justice... plus she's got some really cool genetic make-up that is almost superhuman. I'm still working out my hero and I'm not sure if I like him much, but I think that's the point. He's got some serious jerk issues and shoulder chips, and he's going to change/evolve through the storyline into someone worthy of my heroine's love. The problems with the hero I think will benefit my heroine, and help her realize her own hang up and issues she needs to let go of if she's to find her own peace and happiness.

Author Interview: T. K. Toppin

I had the wonderful privilege of interviewing author T. K. Toppin and learned more about her latest release, The Lancaster Trilogy Book Two, The Master Key.

Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I live in Barbados, a teeny island in the Caribbean surrounded by sea and sand. It’s a fairly laid back place to live, (if you don’t mind the heat) and I’m thoroughly Bajan, the term used for people born here or who’ve gone native. I’m the former. I’m married, no kids (phew), two geriatric dogs, and a black cat that thinks he’s human.

Initially, I started out as a graphic artist, something I’ve been doing for over twenty years. But, I’ve always wanted to write (something, anything!). So a couple years ago, I just did it. I haven’t stopped writing since.

Before we get into your specific story, tell us a little about The Lancaster Trilogy.
The Lancaster story is about a young woman who finds herself in a stasis pod and awakes 300 years into the future. From there, she has to learn how to live in this future and cope with the sudden realization that she has lost everything. She also finds love, a reason to stay in the future she’s found herself in, and also uncovers all the truths about her life and why she really ends up in the future. Each book is like a beginning, a middle, and an end – from her discovery of where she is and the foundation of the entire trilogy, to where she uncovers the truths about her past and having to deal with it, to finally, where she takes a stand and ends the madness that was her past, and makes a conscious effort to put it all behind her and really live in the future she’s been catapulted into. Does that make any sense?

Tell us a little about The Master Key
In this, the second book in the trilogy, my protagonist, Josie is settling into married life with John. Pretty soon, she discovers that a relation of hers holds the secrets of her past, and from there, the story leaps forth into action. It takes her way out into space to a space station where a battle begins to save the world from her villainous nephew. With her husband at her side, Josie fights to regain all the truths about her past.

What was your inspiration for the story?
I love reading books with adventure and action and unforgettable characters that make the story worth reading. I always seek out books of that nature. And if I ever wanted to write, that was the sort of book I’d write.

The basic outline of the Lancaster Trilogy pretty much came about along the lines of an adventure. I knew it would happen in the future, and I knew I wanted to have unforgettable characters. The general story just sort of developed in my head first, and a lot of it was the concept of “what if this where to happen” (in the future, and if someone from the past where to end up in it). And it just sort of built up on that idea.

What kind of research did you do for the book?
Mostly, I Googled stuff or Wikipedia’d things I wanted to know about, like the sciences and technology, and stasis pods, machines, weapons, fighting techniques. Quite a bit was made up…why not, right?

What do you enjoy most about writing Science Fiction Romance?
The ability to have characters that can interact and humanize the story, so it’s not so tech-oriented and gives it an even balance. While my romance bits are very mild and tame, the interaction is there, or the relationship. For me, that’s the key foundation that builds the story and takes it into the other bits of tech-stuff and action and adventure. I tried a contemporary story, but it lacked something…the SF aspect. So I trashed the story altogether. Then the idea for the Lancaster stories came about, so I dragged out the old story, mixed it up, stirred in some elements, and incorporated it into the Lancaster books. It worked. I’m not saying I’ll never write a contemporary story, but for now, I’m having too much fun creating worlds and living in the future.

Can you tell us more about your other published works?
My only other published work is The Lancaster Rule, which is the beginning of the trilogy. In this book, Josie wakes up and has to learn how to live in the future. She meets many obstacles, finds love, uncovers a plot to take over the world, and helps to stop this from happening. One reviewer called it a high-octane ride into the future.

Any upcoming projects?
I’ve just completed a work in progress, another SFR, which is in the hands of a few beta readers. I’ve two more ideas, half-completed, and set in the Lancaster world. Eventually I’ll get around to finishing them.

Where can we find you on the web?
My blogsite: http://www.thelancasterrule.blogspot.com/
Facebook: The Lancaster Rule or Written by T.K. Toppin
Twitter: TKToppin

Buy Link for The Lancaster Trilogy Book Two: The Master Key:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-key-Lancaster-ebook/dp/B005A90BT6/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310780795&sr=1-3

Women in Fantasy

Today I'm excited to have a writer buddy,

Marion Sipe, on to talk about Women in Fantasy. She has a new release, A Sign in Blood, that contains some strong female characters. (More about this awesome new book and how you can win a copy below.)

All right...here we go!

*****

I've sat down to write this guest post no less than three times and each time my brain boggles. It's a huge topic to cover. There have been so many women in fantasy, and I tend to read fantasy with female leads. You probably haven't heard of at least some of my favorites. While that's often true because fantasy is really a huge genre, it's also true because I mostly read female writers. I just find they more often write female MCs that I love.

And maybe that's the problem. I've heard it said that, while women are willing to read stories with male MCs, men are less willing to read stories with female MCs. Now, that's "common wisdom" which means it may or may not be true. I haven't done any surveys.

But it's funny how many times I'll be wandering about in the SFF online community and come across some guy who is more than willing to explain to me why women never fought on a historical battlefield (untrue), why women shouldn't be portrayed as warriors (ridiculous), and why women are incapable of defending themselves if the opponent is male (somebody get me a clue bat, please?). And I have run into this attitude even up into this year. And it doesn't matter how you respond (your response probably won't be read, and your links won't change anyone's mind even if they are read) so there's little else to do but sigh and move on. Unless you're in a bad mood and then, well, go to town.

And then, of course, there are the people who will tell you, "Well, women don't play much part in the story." Maybe it's because the women are oppressed (makes them even better characters) or because the story is about knights (Joan of Arc, anyone?) or because the story's in a somewhat historical setting and women didn't play much of a role in history (Umm, excuse me, have you read any?). There are numerous excuses, but the point here is that, in writing worlds without any real female characters, you're cutting out half of a population.

I'm not saying every book has to have a female POV (after all, some books only have one), although I certainly wouldn't mind, or that there should be a 50/50 split and if there isn't you're sexist. But if you can't think of a single thing for the women of your world to do in a story, you're probably not really thinking about it. This is only more true if your culture treats men and women differently. That only gives the women more new and interesting things to say/think/experience, things their male contemporaries can't.

Now, some of you may say that we've come a long way from the days of the damsel in distress, that's not always true. If every woman needs to be saved by the hero, I'm not going to like your book. Because seriously, where are the rest of the women? Most the women I know would a) beat off the villain with a chair, but also b) freak the hell out after the villain was dead (or impaired enough to make running an option). And while that's not always the proper response for a battle-hardened what-have-you killer, it is human. Because humans are flawed, and I'm willing to bet that any other SFF race you want to name? Probably flawed, too. In different ways, perhaps, but flawed nonetheless.

Damsels in distress are boring, but you know what else is boring? Flawless women warriors who can kick six kinds of ass without breaking a nail (or a bone) or ruining their clothes, and usually wind up getting saved by the hero anyway. Now, don't get me wrong, I have a huge soft-spot for ass-kicking women, but too often that's all these characters are. They're shown to be top-notch at everything, from swordplay to drinking, gambling, sex, computers, languages... Whatever the plot calls for and whatever will turn the hero on.

These are not strong female characters; these are a different brand of cardboard. I want to read women who are characters. Cardboard doesn't always mean "damsel in distress," it can also mean "too 'perfect' to be real." So ask yourself, does So-and-so ever just plain mess up? Does she ever trust the wrong person? Does she ever turn her back on someone who's dangerous? Does she ever mistake a situation, or let pride drive her to the wrong actions? Does she ever get too caught up in the world inside her head to understand the world outside it? And does she pull herself up (or get help, I don't mind as long as she's an actual character) and keep going in spite of that?

If she does, point me toward her, because that's the woman I totally want to read! Hell, that's the character I want to read, regardless of their gender (or potential "lack" thereof).

With A Sign in Blood, I have three main female characters, all of whom have a POV. I liked how each one viewed their world differently, how each of them saw things through their own filter, and how each of them interpreted what they saw. I liked writing each of them for different reasons, and I hope that each of them holds their own.

Liral is a far cry from a kick-ass heroine, but that doesn't mean she won't take a stand and make it stick. Chadri gets knocked down time and again, but always stands back up. Nathias' pays a hefty price for her choices, but she doesn't let that kill her even when it would have been so easy to do so. They're all characters, and they all handle things in their own ways, and they all keep moving forward.

*****

Thank you so much, Marion! I loved your post and can't wait to read your book. (Added to TBR as we speak, uh, write, uh, type...well, you get what I mean.)


Okay, blogger buddies...leave a comment and enter in the chance to win a free copy of A Sign in Blood. If Marion's post hasn't excited you enough, well, besides being crazy bananas, here's more about the book:

Blurb:
While investigating her father's murder, Chadri never meant to get involved in politics. She arrives in Mesaceal with her mentor Nathias and a wild talent for blood magic, but soon finds it won't be enough to stop a brutal attack on her family home. After befriending a queen who is forced to fight to win her crown, and learning of rumors about the theft of a sleeping god, Chadri is caught up in a web of conflict spanning two nations. Trapped within the tightening threads, she must unravel the secrets surrounding her father's death, or die the same way he did.

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0059HBT5O
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70743

Marion's Blog: http://marionsipe.blogspot.com/ (also part of my Blog Roll)

Seduction

Yes, I am being seduced.

It's clever, underhanded, and, and, and sneaky.

Here I am with several deadlines looming and my main character in the new manuscript is teasing me. Luring me in to her story web if you will. I keep telling her she has to wait, but she doesn't wanna. She wants attention now and is purposefully giving tidbits of the story that are irresistible.

I think I'm losing the battle, which will mean late nights to ensure I get everything done on time. I'm trying to be more upset about this, but I'm just too darn excited to be really mad.