Fantasy books for Christmas? Yes please!

Can you think of anything better than more Fantasy and Sci-Fi titles to put under your Christmas tree?

Yeah, I can’t think of anything either. So hold onto your Santa hats–I joined with fifteen talented authors for a blog tour! Each day a different author and book will be featured, from now until December 19th.

My day is December 4th, where you’ll have access to a fun excerpt from Burn, book 3 from the Firebrand Chronicles. (BTW, did you know a Firebrand Chronicles box set is releasing in January?!? Woot!)

Aside from amazing books to add to your towering TBR pile, there’s also a giveaway! Want all the pretty pictures and more details? Go here!

Here’s the tour schedule:

November 29th: Launch
November 30th: R.J. Anderson – Swift
December 1st: Ralene Burke – Armor of Aletheia
December 2nd: Michelle Diener – Breakaway
December 3rd: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads – Mortal Sight
December 4th: J.M. Hackman – Burn
December 5th: Sharon Hinck – Forsaken Island
December 6th: Ronie Kendig – Dawn of Vengeance
December 7th: Carla Laureano – Oath of the Brotherhood
December 8th: Belle Malory – Deviant Descendants
December 9th: Sara Schaller – The Genesis of Seven
December 10th: Jennifer Silverwood – Stay
December 11th: Anne Wheeler – Treason’s Crown
December 12th: Melissa Wright – Between Ink and Shadows
December 13th: Morgan Wylie –  Silent Orchids
December 14th: Kristen Young – Apprentice
December 15th: Grand Finale

Hope to see you there!

 

The Firebrand Chronicles Boxed Set

I’ve got interesting and exciting news–the Firebrand Chronicles will be released as a boxed set! *cue the confetti, marching band, and awkward cartwheels*

After Burn was released, there was a flurry of emails between me and my publisher discussing this. I got to work and wrote four short stories about Brenna and beloved side characters. It was a lot of fun to flesh out the world of the Jasper Territory a bit more. I’m thrilled to share it all with you!

The three books of the Firebrand Chronicles will release with the four short stories on January 11, 2021 (just one more reason 2021 looks better than 2020) 🙂

We’ll be planning a fun release week, and I’ll be putting together an Instagram challenge. And for those of you who avoid IG like the plague? If I can expand the fun to Facebook, I’ll do that, too. 🙂

Keep your eyes on this website for more information coming soon. But if you want to be kept in the loop, come to the Facebook group The Pryomaniacs or sign up for my newsletter (the gray box on the right). We have giveaways, updates on upcoming books, and other bookish stuff.  We’d love to see you!

 

Not Perfection, But Direction

Hi, welcome to Jilligan’s Island! Today we have author Tabitha Caplinger visiting!  Her upcoming book, The Wolf Queen, not only has a beautiful cover but an intriguing story. What’s it about? Glad you asked!

Ylva was raised by wolves. That is the story her clan tells of their Wolf Queen. The truth is far more miraculous. Her Gift, bestowed by the Light, enables her to see deep inside the hearts of men. Prince Rohan considers the Light mere superstition and only believes in what he can see with his own eyes. But a great evil is infecting the Four Realms. The battle between the Light and the Darkness is no longer bound to human hearts, and words Ylva and Rohan thought were just legend are being whispered again. The dragon is rising.

Sounds amazing, right?  I love learning about the “stories behind the stories.” You know, those things only the author can tell you? Tabitha has some interesting thoughts on choices, living chosen, and how it all ties together in The Wolf Queen.

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If you hang around me or my social media at all, you will eventually hear or see the words, “You are powerful, chosen, loved, and never alone.” These are words I firmly believe. Why? Because I believe that each of us was created on purpose, for a purpose. I think that is why we like hero stories and Chosen One tropes. We want to be the hero. We want to be chosen. I believe we already are.

Maybe we aren’t chosen to save the whole world from an apocalypse, but we are chosen to speak life and light to the people around us. We all can live chosen.

That thread, living chosen, is the thread that ties all my books together. Whether it’s urban fantasy, paranormal romance, dystopian, or a little Viking-inspired fantasy coming soon…each and every story carries with it a piece of what it means to me to live like we are chosen for more.

The Wolf Queen focuses on the idea of choice. It’s ultimately a story about how the choices we make can guard our heart and keep it full of light or can let the darkness creep in and take hold.

Ylva was given the ability to see into human hearts and determine whether they were ruled by light or darkness. Looking into our own hearts isn’t so easy. We have to be intentional about opening our eyes to the choices we are making, big and small. We have to be careful to listen to the Light and walk in obedience. When we can’t see our hearts, He can.

To live chosen is to guard our hearts, to consider our choices with care. Why? Because the state of our hearts will determine the state of our lives. When we are full of light, we will reveal that light in our attitudes and actions. When we are full of darkness, it will taint our perspective and defeat us before we even get started in finding or living for our purpose.

Now, this isn’t about being perfect. I’m also a youth pastor and something I say all the time to students (and my pastor husband says it too) is “It’s not about perfection, but direction.” We will make bad choices. The next choice is what will matter most. Will the next choice take us back toward the light or will it pull us further toward the darkness?

I know, all the light and dark talk feels ominous. You could think of it differently if it helps. For you, it could be a choice between peace and anxiety. Or a choice between love and fear. Perhaps it’s a choice between gratitude and complaining, or insecurity and confidence. Depending on the circumstances, those choices could be easy or indescribably difficult. But they are choices we make that will lead our hearts and lives in a direction. Are the choices we are making leading us in the direction we want to go—the direction God wants us to go?

We were each created on purpose, for a purpose by a God who wants to help us discover and live that purpose out. It starts in the heart—with a heart yielded to Him and choosing to follow His leading.

In The Wolf Queen, there is a saying—a battle cry of sorts. “May the Light lead you, and the Darkness fear you.” That is my hope for you. Guard your heart. The Light will lead you. The Darkness will fear you.

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Thanks so much for sharing, Tabitha! If you’d like to be notified when the preorder is available, check out this link: https://www.blueinkpress.com/pledgetobuywolfqueen.html

About the Author

Tabitha Caplinger gets way too emotionally invested in the lives of fictional characters, whether it’s obsessing over a book or tv show, or getting lost creating her own worlds. Tabitha is the author of The Chronicle of the Three Trilogy, a Christian urban fantasy, and a lover of good stories and helping others live chosen. When she’s not writing book words, she’s reheating her coffee, binging a new show or teaching God’s Word to students. Tabitha, her husband and two beautifully sassy daughters desire to be Jesus with skin on for those around them. They live to love others…and for Marvel movies.

TO FOLLOW TABITHA ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website: https://www.tabithacaplinger.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TabCaplinger/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Tab_Caplinger/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tab_Caplinger

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Tab_Caplinger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12824805.Tabitha_Caplinger

 

 

Writing a Series vs. a Standalone

I’ve heard authors ask, “Should I write a series or a standalone?”

My first answer would be to write the story in your heart. DO NOT WRITE TO TRENDS – say it with me. Do not. By the time that story’s written, revised countless times, edited, and polished, that royal Tasmanian zombie-shifter prison quartet trend will have flashed and died.

But if you can see your story going either way, here are a few truths regarding series and standalones.

  • Historically, authors are told to write series. Series sell better. If you’re shooting for traditional publishing, it shows agents/publishers you have more than one book in you. Readers like following characters they’ve read about before. (This last point is a double-edged sword. More on this later.) But if there isn’t an arc there, and you aren’t interested in adding or fleshing out secondary characters, don’t force it. Some stories might only be one book long. That’s not a crime. In fact, lately, I’ve hesitated to buy or read a book in a series. Every story seems to be part of a series (says the author who wrote a trilogy. Ahem.) Sometimes I just want to read a well-told, juicy standalone. Sometimes I just want to write a well-told, juicy standalone. But…
  • There’s a benefit to sticking with characters you’ve created, tortured, and triumphed with after just one storyline. I found this especially true with the Firebrand Chronicles. I grew to really know and love Brenna, Baldwin, and Arvandus. Spending all that time with them made me imagine what else could happen to them. After finishing a story, I usually imagine different connecting points between characters and plot. Even my short story “Everwild” (which is in the anthology Mythical Doorways and is FREE, BTW…) is already a four-book series in my head. I have plenty of adventure and mayhem planned for half-fae Flint and full-fae Lila. I just can’t get all my projects written as quickly as I’d like.
  • At the outset, writing a series requires more planning. Detailed notes are imperative—a “bible” for your world, with the characters, their backstories, descriptions, towns, magic system, tech level, money system, languages, belief systems, etc. You won’t remember it all—trust me. Take copious notes and keep them with you while you write. A map is good too, even if it’s one scrawled on notebook paper (which is what I have for my current WIP. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s working—for now.)
  • Over the long haul, world-building is generally less work. Although there are detailed notes being listed in your notebook bible, you create one world. That world lasts for the duration of the series. For each standalone, the author must create a new world. Every. Single. Time.
  • I mentioned how much readers like following characters they’re familiar with. I’ve found some readers don’t want to buy a book and then wait a year for the next installment. So they’ll wait. (*Raises hand.*) Many will wait until all the books are out. You won’t see sales. Don’t let that discourage you. Keep writing the next story. If you’re self-publishing, you could avoid this problem by doing a rapid release (which is writing all the stories, editing and polishing them, and then releasing them in quick succession, usually no more than six months apart.)

Don’t feel you have to create a series if it’s not in you. There’s a place for everyone at the table, both series writers and standalone authors.

Going Deep in Your Story, Part 2

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There are plenty of ways to go deep into the story you’re telling. Many people think going deep refers to deep point of view, which I covered in last week’s post. Today, I want to discuss ways to add richness to your storytelling by going deep in other ways.

One way is to use all five senses (smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing). Yes, I know this is a basic rule. But think…in this digital age, when was the last time you put your phone away and just looked?  Learn to be an observer of people and environments. People watch. What do you notice? What about your environment? What color of blue is the sky? How does the snow look when it falls slowly?

Take a scene you’re currently working on. Have you included what the character experiences? The purr of a sports car? The stickiness of a fast-food counter? Smells are sometimes overlooked, but I love these lines from Rudyard Kipling: “Smells are surer than sights or sounds/To make your heart-strings crack…”

Sometimes I’ll include the sixth sense, intuition (sparingly). You know that feeling of knowing when someone’s lying or when your hair rises on the back of your neck? This sense is great for creating tension.

I can imagine you’re thinking, “But I can’t write the story and include all of that at the same time—it’s too much!” You’re right, it is. So just write the story first. One of my favorite quotes is by Terry Pratchett: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Spill everything onto the page. Don’t edit, don’t fuss about word choice. It doesn’t need to be pretty—you can add the five senses in the following drafts.

Something else you can include in the second draft (& third, and fourth, and fifth, and…) is descriptions. Metaphors and similes add to the mood of the story as well. Make use of them (again, sparingly) through the character’s eyes. For example, a high society woman wouldn’t say or think someone was “as happy as a pig in slop.” Stay true to your character so the reader can stay in the character’s skin.

Show, don’t tell, how someone feels. Telling is much weaker than showing.

Shari felt anger sweep over her. Instead: Shari clenched her shaking hands into fists.

Ron was ashamed. Instead: Ron blushed and turned away.

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a great resource to use. It matches actions to feelings to help you make the shift from telling to showing.

Enjoy going deep in your next story!

Going Deep in Your Story, Part 1

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Have you ever heard of deep point of view? As a  writer, you want to transport the reader into the story. You want them there with the characters, feeling and experiencing everything they are. Deep point of view accomplishes that.

It’s a more intimate way of writing. The writer removes the narrator and settles into a comfy chair in the chosen character’s head. Although deep POV usually refers to third person, I’ve also found writing this way helpful in first person as well. It is limiting, though. You can’t know what the other characters are thinking because you’re firmly entrenched in your comfy chair. You can see reactions, but the other characters’ thoughts are hidden.

There are several other things to remember with deep POV.

You have to pick a character to inhabit. You can’t do two or three characters at a time. When you change scenes or chapters, you can slip into someone else’s head, but don’t do it within the scene. It’s sometimes referred to as head-hoppping, and it’s very confusing to the reader.

Avoid dialogue tags (in third person.) If you’re in Ron’s head, you wouldn’t say Ron snapped at Sharon. You’d use interiority to give the reader a window into what’s he thinking. For example: “No, you can’t have the last pickle.” He gritted his teeth. I’ve never seen someone as selfish as Sharon.

Avoid “distancing” words. She felt, noticed, realized, thought, looked at, etc. For example: Shari exited the shop. She noticed the dark sky. In seconds, she felt the heavy raindrops soak her clothes as she ran for her car. I’ll have to drive home carefully, she thought.

The same passage with deep viewpoint: Shari exited the shop. Dark clouds loomed, blocking the sun. In seconds, raindrops soaked her clothes as she ran for her car. I’ll have to drive home carefully.

Although these aren’t excerpts from the great American novel, the reader is closer to the characters. They sense Ron’s irritation and experience the storm as Shari does.

A couple of books cover this writing technique. A good one is Rivet Your Reader with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. Another is Writing Deep Viewpoint by Kathy Tyers.

Try this technique the next time you sit down to write. It’ll make your characters come alive for your readers.

 

Avoid Vanilla Writing, Part 2

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Welcome to #WritingWednesday. Last week we talked about a few ways to avoid boring writing. This week, I have a few more tips for you to keep your story interesting and your readers engaged!

 

  1. Hello Again: (At these two words, I’ve got The Cars singing in my head.) Anyway, have you ever read something like the following?

“Hello, George.”

“Hey, Larry! Long time no see. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good. How about you?”

“Well, I can’t complain. How are your kids?”

Yawn. I don’t care about George, Larry, or either of their families. While dialogue should be natural, don’t dwell on exchanges like this. Move on to good dialogue that moves the plot forward.

2. The Land of Exposition: Description is good, as is internal narrative. You’ll need both to flesh out your world and your characters. But please don’t dump it on the page in a massive paragraph. The eyes need white space to rest on. Lots of black words in a big chunk is an invitation to read a little and then skim. Some readers are fine with navel-gazing, descriptions in detail, and mental ruminations on the meaning of life. But keep it pertinent to the world-building, plot, and/or character because a little of this goes a long way.

3. Nobody Cares: The climax scene is critical.  As the two armies face each other, Minerva knows she must keep the faith. If her kingdom doesn’t win the war…she won’t make it to her bridge game on time. The only one concerned about that is Minerva herself.

Make your stakes matter. Then make it worse. What’s the worst-case scenario? Write it into the scene. That’s what your readers will care about. “Make it bad, then make it worse” so the happy ending’s satisfying. Which brings me to my last point…

4. “…and everyone lived happily ever after, forever and ever, with a big, red bow.” Hmm, maybe not. I NEED a happy ending. (I was very cross with Veronica Roth after reading the Divergent series. Just sayin’…) But that’s just me. You must decide how happy your ending’s going to be. Somewhat bittersweet? Tragic, like Romeo and Juliet? Or do we get the true HEA (Happily Ever After)? Even with an HEA, not every character is happy—not the villain and perhaps not some secondary characters. There may be unpleasant circumstances due to bad decisions. That’s okay. Just remember the expectations of your genre (romance readers expect an HEA or an HFN–Happy For Now). A spark of hope on the last page will satisfy your readers.

I hope these points help you craft exciting, riveting fiction. Do you have any rules you follow to keep your writing fresh and interesting? What are they?

Avoid Vanilla Writing, Part 1

Welcome to this week’s #WritingWednesday post!

We’ve all heard different rules of writing—show, don’t tell; avoid –ly adverbs, don’t head-hop with point of view, blah, blah, blah. But a sure death knell for a story is vanilla writing. No one wants to write the yawn-inducing DNFed story (Goodreads speak for Did Not Finish). While “avoid vanilla writing” is a bit vague, here are a few ideas to keep your readers up late turning pages.

  1. Murder your darlings: this quote is attributed to William Faulkner or Oscar Wilde (or others), but actually originated with Arther Quiller-Couch from his 1914 lecture “On Style.” Good job, Arthur! But what does it mean? It means all those things you absolutely love, the cutie-patootie characters, clever dialogue, and flowery descriptions should be eliminated if they’re unnecessary or don’t move the plot forward. Believe me, I know it’s tough—I’ll weep with you while we read on.
  2. Zzzzz: Ending the chapter or scene with the character going to sleep. I’ve done this. Sometimes it can’t be helped. But if you can find another ending, maybe a twist to ratchet up the tension, the scene will be better and the reader will keep reading.
  3. The Normal Routine: Mary Sue wakes up to the sun streaming into her room. She stretches, slips out of bed, and pads downstairs for her regular cup of coffee. She pulls her favorite cereal from the cupboard, but the dog Benny whines and dances around her ankles. She lets the dog out and gazes out on a lovely morning with white, puffy clouds and singing birds. The bird feeder was empty–she’d have to refill it after breakfast. Her thoughts turn to what she can make for supper this evening. Perhaps her husband’s favorite casserole…

Have I lost you yet? Aside from my bad writing example, it’s boring! Nobody cares about Mary Sue or her coffee or what she’ll make for supper. Summarize and get to the point when she discovers her husband is having an affair or her dog tore up her neighbor’s prize-winning roses…

Check in next week for Part 2 of Avoid Vanilla Writing. And in the meantime, go have some ice cream. After all, it’s still National Ice Cream Month. 🙂

 

 

Pictures from Pixabay

Three Different Kinds of Maps

While maps are often necessary to get from point A to B (especially for someone directionally dyslexic like myself), I also love to find them in books. It helps me understand the journey and the landscape of the characters I’m reading about. When I have a map of my own world, it also helps me write better. As I’m writing descriptions, I can check my map. What does the character see? Will the mountains or the towering trees hinder her view? What scents will carry on the wind?

Even if you think you’re not artistic, you can create a map. There are different kinds and one of them will definitely work for you.

  1. Notebook/grid map: I started with this method when writing Spark. It was originally unlabeled land masses sketched on notebook paper. That worked for a while, but I eventually started erasing, adding, and revising the map. I then redrew it on grid paper (don’t know why I went with that, especially since I wasn’t really trying for scale). I finally scanned the thing into Paint but was dissatisfied with the “flatness” of it. After watching tons of YouTube videos, I drew my own version of it on nice blank paper. I was so pleased with how it turned out, I added a map in each book of the Firebrand Chronicles.
  2. Pinterest map: This is great for those who only need pictures of landscapes. If a drawn version is beyond your skills, pick some pictures on Pinterest and put them on a board. I’ve even seen authors print them out and put the pictures on poster board as a kind of vision board. Do whatever works for you.
  3. Professionally drawn map: Some authors will hire someone to draw a map for them. Ask on Facebook for artists who take commissions; there are also artists on Fiverr who offer these services.

If you still feel you could never do any of these, just try one. As someone who really can’t draw, I never thought a drawn map would be possible. In your attempts, you might discover something new about your world or about your abilities. Most of all, have fun!

Three Great Books for Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding is hard. Right? I can hear you moaning and pulling out your hair as you try to build up your world. I’ve been there. In fact, I find it one of the more mentally taxing parts of creating. What’s unique and profound that’s never been done before? (Uh, nothing. Even Solomon said so, but we keep trying anyway. That, my friends, is called insanity.)

If you’re struggling, there are some really great resources to help you create a realistic world. While I could never list all of them, I’ll list the ones I’ve found to be most helpful. Below, I’ve listed three books (and as a bonus, one website) I’ve found invaluable while creating.

  1. Storyworld First by Jill Williamson

Aside from being a great person with a cool name, Jill is one of the hosts of the Go Teen Writers website (GoTeenWriters.com). Her book is fantastic, covering all aspects of a world, such as geography, creatures, magic, languages, etc. In the back of the book are worksheets, charts, and word lists–extra bonuses to help you through the worldbuilding maze.

  1. The Writer’s Digest Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

This thing is massive at 408 pages, but it includes more than just worldbuilding information. There’s a “how to write” section at the front while the second half is the nuts and bolts of creating a world (races, cultures, religion, clothes, weapons, etc.) The last chapter was the anatomy of a castle (which isn’t much help if you’re looking to stay away from the typical European epic fantasy). The rest of it is wonderful and well worth the purchase.

  1. The New Age Baby Name Book by Sue Browder

This is not your typical baby name book. From Abebi to Zersiro, I’ve found these unusual New Age names to work for towns, races, religions, really anything that needs a name. Even better, meaning and pronunciation for each one are included.

  1. And lastly as a bonus and related to number three, this is the website I find myself going to over and over: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/

It generates names of diseases, political parties, superpowers, and theme park rides, among numerous other things. It’s really worth a look, not only to inspire you, but also to flesh out your world more, by seeing what you’ve missed. 🙂  Because trust me, you’ve missed something.

A last piece of advice before you go: make sure you have a notebook to write down names and places, ideas, meanings, and pronunciation. You’ll want all your choices in front of you when you start naming and labeling. Having the perfect idea there in black and white sure beats having to look it up while you’re writing.

So go. Create. And don’t forget to have fun, too.