New Blog, New Link, Same Person...

Hey guys!
I know, it's been a loooong time! I have been working like crazy, both at work and on a new project.

Matter of fact, that is what this post is about.

First, been working, moving, helping my kids and grandkids out and just in general, busy.

Second, I'm working on a new project called Legacy Scribes Collaborative, and that has kept me extra busy!

Third, I'm moving my blog from here, over to our Legacy blog, here. I find it difficult to maintain two blogs. I've tried before and failed, even with the scheduling features. I focus better when there is one, so please, drop by and follow me there!

Legacy also has a website up now, which has a blog page, but I've decided to use the scheduling feature of Blogger and then update the website blog for those who don't use Blogger.

We're about to have another book signing event and all of those details are on the website, here.

I've also linked to Insecure Writer's Support Group and hope to get back into participating in that, because it's a resource I think all writer's should utilize! I love IWSG and have missed so much, I have to get caught up again.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday coming up, for those that celebrate, and I hope to see you on my new page!

Cover Reveal: Shadow Blades by Midge Cline...

Hey gang!

I have yet another cover reveal for another book coming out from Midian Entertainment as part of The BREED.

Before I get into the cover reveal, though, I want to let you all know that starting today, there will be some flash fiction tweets on Twitter. John H. Howard, Midge Cline and David Rex Bonnewell have all written some short pieces to be sent over the Twitter feed from today until Halloween!

If you'd like to follow the stories, follow @MidianEntertain on Twitter!

I will also be posting pictures that I feel represent The BREED with bits of flash fiction as well, so you can begin to get to know the world. I'm so very excited we can start telling people about what's happening!

Okay, so on to the cover reveal!

This is Shadow Blades, by Midge Cline, cover art by Noie.

Tada!

All right, hope you all have a great rest of your week and I will see you soon!

Cover Reveal: Deadeye...

Hey all!

Well, as promised, here is the cover reveal for David Rex Bonnewell's book, Deadeye! Artwork was done by Carlos Villas. You can find more of his art here.

To follow all things Deadeye and get to know Dave's character, you can find the page for it here, on Facebook.

So the coolest thing about this is, Dave has written a three part series. Each cover will go together and become a panoramic scene! But this one right here, with the Razorback, I think he wants to jump off the cover and kill me. Lol!

Tell me what you think about the cover in the comments below! And don't forget to check out more artwork by Carlos Villas!

More Life...

My intentions to get back to blogging were solid. But then, I learned how difficult it is to get internet to my house! My goodness. I love my house and won't give it up for anything... except maybe internet!

Just kidding. But I am doing what I can with what I have between now and then. I hope you all enjoyed my guest post yesterday from Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc. (I love her name! LOL!)

Things are moving along around here where Midian Entertainment is concerned. I have one novel that won't make it for the January release, but lucky for me, I had another waiting in the wings.

I did a cover reveal on Twitter for my fellow author, David Rex Bonnewell, and I will be sharing that cover here on Friday! So watch this space! I have a couple more covers that will be coming out soon.

We'll be setting up pre-orders for all books in December. It's getting so close and we're all getting so excited. There's been very few details we've been allowed to share due to our NDA. But soon... Soon we'll be able to share with the world!

Have a great rest of your week, and I'll see you tomorrow with Dave's cover!

I #Amwriting, I #Amediting...

Things in my writing world are finally taking shape. I currently had some help from a fellow Word Weaver pal. She formatted "Adversarius" for Smashwords. I no longer have vetting errors and I fixed my book cover in Gimp to meet their requirements as well. It is currently being reviewed for Premium Status. Whether or not it passes review, it is now up for sale for all eReaders here.

As my title indicates, I'm editing and revising book two, "Veritas" for publication. Once I've given it the once over, then the twice over, I'll need to find an editor willing to work with me.

I'm also finding that writing my little flash fiction pieces with the artwork is really helping me a lot. I love it. If you haven't seen them, the latest one was on Monday and you can find that one here.

Hope you are all having a good week and I'll see you next time!

Flash Fiction Monday...

Sitting above the city, looking down at the milling crowds, oblivious of the girl high above them. Blood drips from her blade as she contemplates the life she removed from this realm


~ Art by Kim Seung-jin

Writing Wednesday: Building Worlds...

World building. Sometimes it sounds like fun, but when you figure in everything you need just to begin, it becomes a bit overwhelming.

Think about it, you are about to create a whole world. At first it gives you a giddy, God-like feeling. But then you realize, you have to get the details just right or people will rip it apart.

Begin with the basics. Doesn't matter if you are writing fantasy, romance, horror, etc. You have to make sure the world around you is realistic. If your setting is in this world, you've got lots to draw on from memory and make sure you write about areas you are familiar with. If you haven't been where your story is set, you are going to fail. Why? Because people will read what you've written, see you've gotten something wrong with the area they actually live in and it very well may turn them off from reading your book. You don't want to name a historical landmark and then plop it in the wrong location of your book.

When I read the first Joanna Brady mystery book J. A. Jance had written, I was smitten! Yes, I realize I rhymed. But what ignited that spark? Sadly, the character's husband had been shot and killed. She was at the hospital in Tucson, Arizona. University Medical Center! I gave birth to my two children there! Her character then went outside, walked across the street and down to a local hotel I used to pass by on a regular basis. I could see Jance's character, Joanna, walking along that sidewalk! I could practically hear the traffic on Campbell as she walked away from the hospital.

THAT is what initially made me fall in love with her books and that particular character. The rest of the books were written in Cochise County area and I knew it from visiting there on several locations.

Get where I'm going with this? Good!

So get your geography of any area straight before you begin writing.

Now if you are building a world from scratch, you've got lots more to think about. Why is it cold in the north and warm in the south? Flip that around if you like. Or, make it colder to the east and warmer in the west. Be creative, don't stick to the norm, if you write fantasy. This is your chance to think outside the box. But make it believable! Explain why your world is different. Maybe the tilt of your planet in comparison to that world's sun is wonky. Yes, technical term there, wonky.

When I first drew a map of my world, I started with a city. That soon turned into a small blob of a kingdom which grew into a continent. I added several more blobs that transformed into other kingdoms. Next, I had to work on each area and decide what the society would be like. What customs did I want to incorporate? What types of food, speech or clothing? Were they simplistic in nature or were they extravagant? Farmers? Merchants?

While there is a lot to think of and work out when building a world, if you are organized you can accomplish a lot. If you have to name characters, rivers, lakes, kingdoms, cities and the like I strongly suggest you have some lists you can pull from first. Figure out what would be good names for these things and categorize them. I have a whole three ring binder with pages of names ranging from Gaelic based to Asian based, to mythological and common. I first label the page with 'Lakes' or 'Cities' then I list the names. Don't cross off the name after you've used it! Label it with what you used that name for.

When I am naming characters, I do cross off the name on the list simply because I know I've used it. But names for things like inns or taverns, I list the location of each one. City names are labeled with the kingdom, etc.

I have several good name generator links in my links page of this blog. I have dozens of print-outs of names and labels. Figure out your surroundings before you plop your characters down into unknown territory. Figure out vegetation, water sources and forests. Where will you place a swamp? If you don't know, research the sort of climate/area that would create a swamp to begin with. But make a map, make lists and keep notes! You will have to use them more than once while writing, I guarantee!

What's your organizing like when writing or building a world?