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Join me at The Popculturedivas for New Scottish Historical Release and Angels-and-Demons YA Cover Reveal.

Writing Process Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Worldwide Writing Process Blog Tour.

I was invited aboard by epic speculative fantasy author C. D. Sutherland, author of The Dragoneers series. Thanks, Charles!

You can read about his writing process HERE.

What am I working on?

I'm currently working on Book 2 and 3 simultaneously for my Dragonsfyre series.

Book 1 -- Bound by Dragonsfyre -- was the result of an online serialized fiction project where I posted a new chapter every week here on my blog A Piece of My Mind for a two-year run, beginning in April of 2010 and ending just before the book's official publication in May of 2012.

The good news is: it's taking me half the amount of time to get the next two books finished, but it would feel quite long if you're the reader waiting to see what's going on with Scorpius. Both traditional publishers and self-published authors have listened to readers who find it incredibly hard to wait a full year before finding out what happens next to their favorite characters in a series.

So I'm completing this section of the series before releasing Book 2 -- because Book 3 will release very soon afterwards.

I say 'this section' because I really enjoy writing about the characters inhabiting the Eighth Dominion. There are twelve dominions in this realm, and I'm now planning a sweeping series following developments in each of the numbered kingdoms.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Until recently, I would say that my work differed by its tendency towards very dark and violent tones. Also, that it didn't exactly fit certain genre conventions.

However, my Dragonsfyre series has released at a time when Game of Thrones has killed off almost an entire family line at the Red Wedding -- and on television. I hadn't categorized my dark fantasy series as YA, even though Book 1 is a coming-of-age story, because once we head into Scorpius' adulthood, things take a drastic turn for him. Yet Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series contains just as much violence as my Dragonsfyre world, so I'm re-evaluating how I've been marketing it and finding readers.

As for my Brotherhood of Blood vampire series -- at first I resisted marketing it as paranormal romance. It follows the convention of not tying up the story arc until the conclusion of the entire series, in the manner of the fantasy genre, as opposed to each title having its own conclusion even when part of a series, in the manner of the romance genre. Also, it retains my tendency towards a very dark tone, so I was actually marketing it as horror.

However, the plot is driven by a love story. Darker paranormal romance series have built a readership tolerance for unresolved endings while waiting for the series to wrap up. The challenging part of having a truly fresh take on things is: how do you describe these genre-defying books to readers? I'm still refining this for myself.

Why do I write what I do?

The quick-and-dirty answer is that I have always been a square peg in a round-hole world. I write hard-to-define stories because that's what I love to read and watch.

My TV viewing habits definitely reflect what I'm attracted to as far as genre: Supernatural, True Blood, Once Upon a Time, Agents of SHIELD (all technically contemporary but with the all-important addition of the supernatural or the fantastic,) Game of Thrones, Vikings, Downton Abbey. Aside from these series, my husband and I are big fans of TV series produced in other countries, such as Bednaya Nastya (Poor Anastasia) from Russia, Riget (The Kingdom) from Denmark, and The Great Queen Seondeok from South Korea. We always discover these series through serendipity, and then watch them either through an online service such as viki.com, or by ordering the DVD.

For the most part, as long as there are swords involved, with horses not cars, corsets not cell phones, and so on -- I'm attracted to it. There could be a storyline about a turf war, but if it was a contemporary story set in the lap of luxury between drug lords, I would probably pass it up. However, if it was basically the same turf war set during the Crusades between a Knight Templar and a disinherited Saxon lord, with a love triangle thrown in for good measure, I am all in. Believe me, I find this amusing about myself, but there you go.

Of course, there are exceptions. Tarantino's Kill Bill films are on my Top Ten list -- nothing of the fantastic involved in those (although you could argue some magical realism.) I do love science fiction. Straightforward historical is always a great idea (yet the closer the time period gets to present-day, the less I'm engaged.)

If I describe my Brotherhood of Blood vampire novel as a Dark Ages vampire superhero origin story, you'll see how my muse has gone for a giant mash-up between all of my favorite genres. The fact that a few reviewers have mentioned things like "Puts the monster back into vampire," and "[her] vampires are dark and dangerous" are why I was shying away from steering the book towards paranormal romance readers. Yet the entire story revolves around two lovers and their driving need to be together. I may be attracted to darker subject matter, but I'm definitely a romantic. A gothic romantic of course, but still...     

        

How does my writing process work?

Well, I would say that my initial exposure to other stories from the genres I love is really the first part of my writing process. For me this is more of a visual-and-auditory thing than reading other books in my genre.

I just soak it all in – the atmosphere, the lighting, the location, the costumes, the music, and especially the emotions from my favorite scenes. I’ll include my passion for ballet here, because many of the story ballets qualify as fantasy genre. Immersing myself in full-length ballets never fails to inspire my creative muse.

Eventually scenes will start playing through my head as though I have my own personal story channel in there somewhere. They just play out as though fully formed, but I have to pay attention and figure out what’s going on. Who is that? Why are they doing that to him?

I write out the initial scenes, and then I have to do some mental unravelling of the story threads until things start to make sense. This is usually done while I’m walking by myself, or when I’m on the bus.

At this point I used to start writing without trying to plot. Now that I’m working on two series, I have trained myself to make a Save-the-Cat sketch of the storyline before heading into my natural pantser mode (writing by the seat of my pants.) I suppose I should mention here that I always write at my desk with headphones on and music playing. Unless I'm out somewhere, in which case I write longhand in an old school notebook.

I’m also a veteran of five NaNoWriMo marathons, which I’ve discovered is key to unlocking the heart of my story. NaNoWriMo forces me to write for word count, which pressurizes my creative process well past my comfort zone. I keep writing within a scene for longer than I would normally stay there, purely for word count purposes – and this always leads to discovering things about my characters that would have remained hidden if I wasn’t doing NaNo.

This in turn requires weaving together two manuscript files – the regular one I’d been working on before NaNo, and the NaNo version. I find this part of my process very draining mentally, yet the shining-jewel scenes I get from this way of working is absolutely worth it.

Once I weld these together, I do an initial revision to make sure nothing’s missing and that it all makes sense. Then I give the manuscript over to several readers for initial feedback.

I do a second revision based on that, and then I hand the manuscript over to a professional editor. I do a third set of revisions based on her recommendations. At that point, the book is ready to go to the formatter’s before uploading to the various retail platforms.

Thanks for joining me for this Writing Process Blog Tour.

At this point I’m supposed to hand the baton over to three more authors. However, there is a good-news-bad-news thing about this sort of blog tour.

I asked quite a few authors to take part. The good news: all of the writers I know are currently writing to deadlines and didn’t have an opening in their schedules to take part in the tour.

Or – the writers I know had already taken part in this tour.

So to wrap up this Writing Process Blog Tour, I’ll introduce you to three of my author friends who have already posted about their writing processes:

Angels-and-demons YA author Shawna Romkey

You can read about her writing process HERE

Scottish historicals author Kate Robbins

You can read about her writing process HERE

Contemporary Newfoundland-settings author Victoria Barbour

You can read about her writing process HERE 

5 on Friday -- Set 208 and a Cover Reveal for Kate Robbins

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

I've got lots of New Year's goodness going on at A Piece of My Mind today. I feel much more excited about the beginning of the Year of the Horse than I did at the Dec. 31st turn of the year for the western calendar. It's just how I roll.

Today my 5 on Friday set celebrates the horse that rides through the celestial path this year. Horse Year brings decisive action, after having shed old skin during Snake Year in 2013. Remember that horses love to gallop with the herd, so stick to your own instincts and don't get wrapped up in impulsive ideas.

Following the music set, keep reading for a cover reveal for my friend Kate Robbins, whose Promised to the Highlander releases later this year.

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

  

1 - 15 Lions and 1 Dragon traditional dance ritual -- Jing Wo Martial Arts and Athletics Association of Canada, Calagary, Alberta

Welcoming the Year of the Horse!

2 - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! -- Corb Lund

3 - Heavy Horses -- Jethro Tull 

4 - I Ride an Old Paint -- Woody Guthrie

5 - All the Wild Horses -- Ray LaMontagne

Ah...my horse obsession. I doubt it will ever leave me.

And now, on to my great delight in revealing the new cover for the upcoming release Promised to the Highlander, by Kate Robbins.

Second in her Highland Chiefs series, Promised to the Highlander, is Kate Robbins’ follow up to her debut Bound to the Highlander.

Promised to the Highlander, Blurb

Nessia Stephenson's world was safe until a threat from a neighbouring clan forces her to accept a betrothal to a man whose family can offer her the protection she needs. The real threat lies in her intense attraction to the man who arranged the match—the clan's chief and her intended’s brother, Fergus MacKay.

When powerful warlord Fergus MacKay arranges a marriage for his younger brother, William, he has no idea the price will be his own heart. Fergus is captivated by the wildly beautiful Nessia, a woman he can never have.

 When the feud between the MacKay and Sutherland clans escalates, Nessia, William, and Fergus all must make sacrifices for their future. Longing and loss, honour and duty. How can love triumph under such desperate circumstances?

Promised to the Highlander, Excerpt

“For a man who isn’t eager to meet his future wife, you’ve got quite a set of nerves there lad,” Fergus said to William.

William straightened his linen shirt and smoothed his tunic as he glared at Fergus. Yet, the comment was absorbed and William ceased his pacing to sit on a chair near the fire. Fergus watched his brother adjust his belt again. The young man wore his usual dress but had taken greater pains today to perfect his appearance. Fergus glanced down at his linen shirt and sleeveless leather tunic. William’s long hair was tied at his nape while Fergus’s was left hanging loose. He recalled having to take extra pains upon his betrothal. Thankfully those days had passed and he needn’t worry overly anymore. A young lass would surely find William’s neat, respectable appearance appealing. He hoped so, but before he could dwell on it further, a servant entered and announced the arrival of Thomas Stephenson, his daughter Nessia and several of their clansmen.

William sprang to his feet and crossed the floor in a few quick strides to greet them. He continued to fidget as Fergus sauntered up from behind.

 “Thomas! Welcome. We thought we’d have to send out a search party soon,” Fergus said as the stout man turned the corner leading into the great hall.

“Aye, the road was a bit rough with a wagon in tow,” Thomas said. The man’s brow was streaked with sweat and he looked weary from his travels.

“We’ve had a lot of rains this harvest there’s no doubting that,” Fergus said. In truth he would have gone searching himself had another hour passed. Earlier that day he’d heard more rumours about Ronan Sutherland. Apparently, the lad had agreed to his father’s suggestion and would commence his campaign in the coming days. Fergus sensed William stiffen beside him as Thomas began the introductions.

“Fergus, William, this is my brother Neville and these three are my sons, Colin, Robert, and Camden my youngest. And this is my daughter, Nessia.”

Fergus acknowledged each man in turn. When the introduction came to the girl and his gaze fell on her, his breath caught in his throat. With black hair and bright blue eyes she stood proud before him with her chin lifted and all the regal confidence of a noblewoman. She displayed no fear or reservation at all, something which was unusual in most men he met, but more so in a woman. The gentler sex usually cowered before him—not this lass.

Fergus stared at the girl, his heart drumming. His guts clenched as if he’d been punched. He had to force himself from moving toward her to touch her hair which looked like spun silk, for surely it could not be real. Fergus remembered his brother then and tore his gaze from her to find William eyes wide and his jaw slacked. An unexpected pang ran through him.

When he turned back it was to find her still staring at him, seemingly unabashed for staring openly at a man. A bold one, then. Fergus’s drew his brows together. What did she want?

Kate Robbins, Bio

Kate Robbins writes historical romance novels out of pure escapism and a love for all things Scottish, not to mention a life-long enjoyment of reading romance. Her journey into storytelling began with a short screenplay she wrote, directed, and produced which was screened at the 2003 Nickel Film Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She has also written and directed several stage plays for youth.

Kate loves the research process and delving into secondary sources in order to give readers the most authentic historical romance possible. She has travelled to Scotland and has visited the sites described in her Highland Chiefs series.

Promised to the Highlander is the second of three books set during the early fifteenth century during the reign of James Stewart, first of his name.

Kate is the pen name of Debbie Robbins who lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada with her hubby, the man-beast, and her two awesome boys, the man-cubs.

You can find Kate online at the following:

Into the Highland Mist

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today

Join me at The Popculturedivas for 13 Questions for Kate Robbins, Author of Bound to the Highlander.

5 on Friday - Set 173

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

My writers' group wraps up its winter/spring session with an all-day June workshop this Saturday, and I'll be co-presenting the first workshop along with a local Halifax actress I met at the Women Making Waves film conference in March -- Kirstin Howell. We'll be talking about which sorts of character-finding methods actors reach for in their technique toolboxes.

Our group is completely giddy to be meeting one of our long-distance members in person. Kate Robbins lives in Newfoundland and has joined our online email loop, has attended a few sessions via Skype and regularly interacts with us on our Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada Facebook page, as well as on our individual pages.

There will be a meet-Kate Friday evening dinner, a lunch break during the all-day session, and a Saturday evening dinner, with much laughter, conversation and wine-drinking anticipated.

So this week I'm celebrating friends.  

1 - Moy Drug (My Friend) - Igor Krutoy and Igor Nikolaev

This video is made from clips of the Russian historical series I fell in love with last year, Bednaya Nastya. It features besties Baron Vladimir Korf and Prince Mikhail (Misha) Repnin, played by Daniil Strakhov and Pyotr Krasilov.

Frequent visitors to my blog will know that the hunky Russian (dark-haired Daniil Strakhov) is the model for my captain of the guard character in Book 2 of my Dragonsfyre series, currently very, very close to being delivered to the first wave of critique readers.

Translation:

My Friend

How many people I've met in my life

How many guests I've let into my heart

How many times I have mistaken them

It didn't bring anything good

But it has happened so

That I withstood the attacks

And God gave me

My good friends

My friend, please forgive me

For everything we had to go through

My friend, at the twist of my days

I see clearer and clearer who is my real friend

A friend isn't someone

Who is valiant when sitting at the table

When drinking somebody's health

A friend wouldn't shout, "Bottom's up!"

A friend will sense

That it grew cold for you on this earth

And he will warm you

Without the wine

2 - I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders

3 - Reach Out (I'll Be There) - The Four Tops

4 -Shining Star - Earth, Wind and Fire

5 - Shout - The Isley Brothers

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing is a blog hop, where a published author or unpublished writer is given the opportunity to answer ten questions about their current WIP. They then tag four more writers, who will post about their respective WIPs the following week and pass this invitation on to four more writers to keep The Next Big Thing going.

In November 2012 I was tagged by sci-fi suspense author Charlene L. Roberts for the blog hop, but at that point I was just finishing up NaNoWriMo. So I thought, I'll get to that in December.

In December, I was tagged by contemporary romantic suspense-with-a-humorous-twist writer Janet Corcoran. Hmm, I thought. Christmas. No one will be able to do this one right now. I'll wait on that.

January sped by as my day job made the diplomatic use of staffing challenges stretch to the breaking point. No extra energy left to do much blogging. All my energy was flowing into my work in progress, where blissfully my infatuation stage continues, sweeping me up into the story so that I can't wait to get back to it.

This month, Kate Robbins tagged me and I'm ready to introduce you all to my next big thing.       

1) What is the working title of your next book?

It has an actual title so I'm only going to refer to it as Scorpius Book 2. The title will be revealed once I start doing the promo for the book, late this spring/early summer.

As the working title suggests, it follows the further adventures of Scorpius, the falconer's apprentice turned lord's man from my dark fantasy Dragonsfyre series.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

This is going to sound rather sinister, but those who know me are familiar with the manner in which stories generally come to me: in vision-like bursts of emotional scenes deep in the heart of the main character's black moment.

Unfortunately for Scorpius, the scene that burst forth took place in a shadowy dungeon with screams ricocheting off the stone walls.

Because I was heading into series territory for the first time, this pantser had to map out the plot according to my favorite framework, Save the Cat Goes to the Movies. It was important to figure out what kind of story I was telling.

Strangely enough, once I broke down the story elements of BOUND BY DRAGONSFYRE (Scorpius Book 1) I surprised myself by discovering I was writing a Whodunit. I don't even read or watch mysteries/thrillers/suspense. Not too often, anyway.

I do love BBC's Spooks/MI-5. And The Prisoner.

Once I began work on mapping out Book 2, it wasn't too long before I realized I was writing a Monster in the House story.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

The Dragonsfyre series is in the dark fantasy genre, long a favorite of mine. It's also a political intrigue series, with court intrigues of the Eighth Dominion providing the backdrop to Scorpius' journey.   

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

There are a few new characters in Book 2, including this captain of the guard whom we first meet as a young cadet at a military school. To be truthful, this character made two brief appearances in Book 1, but he takes center stage in Book 2 alongside the woman whose fate is intimately entwined with his. The actor who would play the guard captain with secrets that must be kept hidden for the sake of the dominion is Daniil Strakhov, a Russian stage, television and film actor.

In a realm where magic was outlawed by a religious order generations ago, this noblewoman's powers as an adept would lead to her execution if they were ever revealed. Not even her powerful family would be able to save her. Not even when her powers might be the only way to save the dominion from the ravages of dragon's fire. This noble adept would be played by Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 

The noble adept is cousin to Lord Thibault, second son of the Duke of Pruzhnino, and Scorpius' master and best friend. A radical choice of bride ignites his world in political upheaval, leading to grim consequences for his bodyguard when he is put to The Question. Will Thibault's loyalty to his wife's people be paid by Scorpius' screams? Lord Thibault would be played by English stage, television and film actor David Oakes. 

Once raised to be a noble though never claimed from the nursery, apprenticed out to a falconer and then trained to serve Thibault as his lord's man, Scorpius learns to stay beyond reach of blades and of corrupt noble schemes. His vow to serve his young master descends into a brutal ordeal when Thibault's enemies use any means possible to get what they want. To protect him, Thibault spirits Scorpius to his cousin's Keep, only to embroil Scorpius in a fight for which he has no defense--a fight for his heart, one in which the guard captain becomes a dangerous and unpredictable rival. Scorpius would be played by English stage, television and film actor Richard Armitage.    

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In the Eighth Dominion, the sacred powder known as dragonsfyre burns away lies, bringing terror to a stout heart when the fate of a kingdom comes down to one man, one secret, one pledge to serve even unto death.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I'm a self-published author who puts together a creative team including a professional editor, graphic designer and formatter when I bring my books to readers.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I wrote it in several disconnected sections. I first began writing this adult character of Scorpius several years ago following a writers' retreat, spurred by exercises given by Renee Field and Lilly Cain. I set that aside to begin the boyhood back story for Scorpius, which then became serialized fiction featured weekly on my blog. When that in turn became BOUND BY DRAGONSFYRE, I returned to the adult story line and ran with it during NaNoWriMo. I'm now revising Book 2.  

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It's a thrill to say I've been compared to George R R Martin by several reviewers. Mercedes Lackey fans would enjoy this series, as well as anyone who enjoys watching The Borgias. 

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

When I saw Richard Armitage's performance in North and South, I knew he would come to me as a character inspiration at some point. When it turned out to be Scorpius, I was ecstatic. I adore Scorpius.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Once the book is released, there will be a book trailer which I directed--produced by Charlie Mac Productions --to go along with it.

Here's a sneak peek of the Scorpius Book 2 costume which my costume mistress mom created:

Here's how the book trailer for Book 1 turned out:

And now:

A-tagging I will go, a-tagging I will go...

Jennifer Leeland

Joy Renee

Shelley Munro

Susan Helene Gottfried

Come on down! You're tagged for The Next Big Thing on your blog, next Wed the 27th.