The Writer Who Signed an Agent is…Calista!

Cdesses/c.taylor, aka Calista, my critique buddy over on AgentQuery is in the process of signing with a literary agent. Calista decided to move from fantasy to steampunk a few months ago and the move paid off. She’s written a great story about a feisty lass named Phoebe who creates a powerful drink that brings her to the center of a murder mystery. I feel honoured to have read and provided feedback on VIRDIS as Calista has a unique voice and a very simple, crisp, straight-forward style that makes my convoluted, wordy mind envious. When her book comes out, I’ll be sure to let you know so you can enjoy this action adventure/romance/history/mystery story set in London.

What is steampunk? Basically, it is a genre that is part historical, part futuristic. In Calista’s story, the story is set in London in the 1800s. While some things are as they were in the 1800s, such as clothing and social norms, it is a ‘what if’ take on life with a bit more technology. What if steam could be used to power some of the inventions we have now?

Curious? You can read her story, VIRDIS…coming soon!

Critique Partner Gets an Agent!

One of my critique partners got an agent! Woo! I’ll reveal more when she goes “public” with her news.

Isn’t that fantastic?

Book Review: Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World

Book Review: Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Weirdest Animals in the World
By: Jack Hanna
Photography by: Rick A. Prebeg

This is a fantastic book for boys ages 8-12 who have gone animal crazy. Due to reading level, this book may be a difficult read for younger audiences and even the children in this age range. However, it does make a good family read aloud with interesting facts that will appeal to not only children, but to adults as well. Jungle Jack’s book features 30 strange (and lesser-known) animals from the Blue-Footed Booby to the Puffer Fish, meaning there is something to catch the interest of every child. Each animal gets its own page with a large, colour photograph as well as 2-3 smaller images. There are facts such as what the animal eats, where they live and how big they get as well as what makes them wacky.Did you know the echidna is one of only two species of mammal that lays eggs?

The book also has a two page glossary at the back for ‘big’ words like keratin, macropod and endangered, making this a good educator resource. The pages are thick, making them less likely to become dog-eared and ripped in a library collection. The cover is bright and appealing, making this a sure pick for youngsters.

The DVD is 20 minutes long and while toted as blunders, bloopers and behind the scenes, it focuses mainly on behind the scenes and blunders. If you are a regular Junge Jack viewer (he has a TV show), I think you will get more out of the DVD than if you have never heard of him before.

Shop Indie Bookstores

Where Do You Write?

So, where do you write? (Assuming you write.)

I write pretty much anywhere. All I need is my laptop. Lately, I have been editing at the dining room table. But I used to sit on the couch and I have written many a words there. I used to work at a desk. One story I wrote in the public library.

However, these authors have shared pictures taken by Kyle Cassidy of their writing spaces. By looking at these published writers, here’s what you need. Lots of books in your bookshelves and a pet. Cat or dog preferred.

In an older post, I talked about where I write, and here is a repost of the image I used to show my work area. I now work on the table behind here. And naturally, there is more clutter.The laptop is different, the cup the same, cat the same, couch a little rougher and threadbare.

So, again, where do you write?

How Writing a Novel is Like Building a Garage

Some folks say writing a novel is like building a house. I’ve never built a house before, but I am in the process of building a garage, so let’s go with a garage. Plus, with a house, you have to live in it afterwards. You don’t live in a novel (or a garage). Plus, if your novel doesn’t work out, you can shove it under the bed and ignore it. Sort of the same with a garage. Big deal if your garage doesn’t work out perfectly and has flaws–it just hangs out in the backyard anyway. It’s not like your company routinely takes a tour of the ‘car house’. But wait, if you have major structural flaws, then it isn’t like a novel where you can shove it aside because you have this big falling down box in your yard. Then your garage is like a really HUGE headache and will take huge amounts of time and effort to fix. Hey, it IS just like a novel with structural issues.

So, you ask, how are these two things similar? Really, and truly. Well, before you get started on either project, you need supplies and you need a bit of a plan or idea on what you plan to accomplish. Is this a romance? Is it a two car deal? Approximately how long is this novel going to be? How big is the garage going to be? Where is this story going to take place? Where are you going to place this building?

Once you have a few of the main ideas in mind, you can get started. If you are a panster builder, you get moving right away, letting details sort themselves out as you go. You start with the cement pad. Move on to walls… Figuring it out as you go. (Sometimes, you have to go back and change things as you figure out what is going to look or work best.) If you are a plotster writer, you have detailed plans before you even lift your hammer, er, apply fingers to the keyboard. You have your characters sorted out, the main conflict, the ending. Pretty much everything. Everything is ordered up and ready to be used as you need it. More front end work, less on the back end.

When it comes to materials, your cement pad is like your plot outline/story idea. Once that is down, everything builds on it. If you change that–it is a lot of work and basically, you don’t have the same story or garage if you make changes to this. It is your ‘foundation’ of sorts.

Things that make your characters distinct are the touches that make the garage distinct. Eyes/lights, skin colour/siding colour, hair colour/shingle colour. On the inside, what do you have and what do they say? Neat freak/lots of perfect shelves, ome as you are personality/uncovered or unfinished walls. Chipped teeth/chipped concrete.

And of course there are edits. Maybe that chapter is missing driving conflict. Maybe that wall isn’t quite level.

What about pacing and order? Your story needs structure. Things need to happen and flow in a way the reader can follow. Same with building a garage. You can’t turn on the lights before they are hooked up.

And finally, like any form of work, there is always a sign that it is time to take a break. If you don’t, you might nail that sheet of OSB on the wrong way and have to redo it all. DOH!
Happy building!