Moving to St. George

Hi Bloggers! Just a quick note to let you know I won't have internet for a few days - I'm moving!

See you next week!

Amy

Interview With Award Winning Author Mikko Azul

My good friend Mikko Azul has just released her award winning fantasy novel, Askari, and has agreed to a spotlight interview. Yea!

Hi Mikko!

Would you tell us about your AMAZING road to publication?

I started writing as a venue for escapism. I’d just had a baby and was home with two infants, bored and frustrated with my life. It took years of research and polishing before I finally got the courage to “put it out there” as it were. Entering the San Francisco Writer’s Conference was a huge risk for me. What if they didn’t like it, or worse, completely ignored my work? Writers work in a vacuum, usually sitting alone in a quiet room for months or years at a time, so there is little opportunity for feedback.

When I arrived in San Francisco from my Washington State, I was overwhelmed at the hundreds of people attending and who were effectively my competition. I quickly became intimidated. I had hoped to “pitch” my story to the several agents and publishers attending in hopes of securing a contract. By the second day, I was so discouraged and insecure about my work that I paid one of the professionals there to discuss my “pitch” with me. He suggested that I self-publish and give copies away to my friends and family and try again. It took everything I had not to leave the conference that moment.

As I made my way to the dining room for lunch and the awards banquet, head hanging and shoulders drooping, I began formulating a plan for returning to the workforce and abandoning my dream of becoming a published author. When my name was called as the first place winner of the Indie Publishing competition, I couldn’t restrain the tears of joy. It’s been a fantastic ride straight up since then. I hired an editor to work with me who has helped me refine and craft Askari into a piece of middle grade fantasy literature that I am extremely proud of.

It was a huge boost of confidence to win this competition. I have now been published without spending a dime. Author House is the largest independent publisher in the country and has given me all the advantages of Ingram’s distribution and print on demand capability with the added benefit of booksellers being able to return any unsold books at no charge. Fortunately, that hasn’t been an issue!

Could you talk a little about your main characters and their conflicts? 

Cedron Varkaras is a 15 year-old heir to a hostile nation of people who hate him because he is different. His mother was from an enemy land where ancient hatreds still run deep. Because of his mixed heritage, he has certain abilities that manifest at puberty, putting both him and his land at risk. He is exiled for the protection of everyone involved, but a new and even more dangerous threat looms that requires Cedron to risk everything to return…

Raika Angersol is the eldest of five girls in a family of renowned warriors who discovers the true nature of the evil that threatens their world. Breaking her people’s most sacred law, she seeks out the one who may hold the key to their survival.

Being from enemy lands, Cedron and Raika form an uneasy alliance and undertake a perilous journey to save their world. Their quest becomes more treacherous as forces from their respective lands pursue them for their betrayal of the laws. Death and destruction follow the pair as they make their way across the land of Muralia in search of the lost weapon capable of destroying the ancient evil and the one who has the power to wield it. The last thing they expect is for that person to be an even greater threat.

How did you come up with the world of Muralia?

I am an avid reader of National Geographic magazine. I’ve loved it since I was little because it is filled with so many fantastic places, people and sights. Most of my inspiration comes from it or Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods. I grabbed an Arabic/English dictionary to form the words and names of Muralia so that there would be some meaning. Askari is Arabic for warrior…I thought that appropriate.

Are you a big Tolkien fan? Who are your favorite fantasy authors?

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were the first fantasy authors I’d been introduced to as a kid, and I was hooked from an early age. My contemporary influences are Terry Brooks and Michael Scott, but I’ve found that introducing elements from other genres really enlivens my writing and makes it more unique among fantasy novels. Clive Cussler’s action adventures are huge influences as well as the visual effects from movies like Avatar.

Where can we find Askari?

Askari is available through Author House at www.authorhouse.com or for a more accessible venue, www.barnesandnoble.com. It is available as a hardcover, softcover, on the Nook and Kindle. Amazon carries it online, but their prices are significantly higher for the books, not the Kindle version, than other sites.

Could you tell us about your current projects? Will we see another book from you soon?

Askari is the first book in my Child of Muralia trilogy. The second installment, Yezman, is currently in the works. Like many contemporary authors, I’ve included a sneak peak of Yezman at the back of Askari.

What are some of the things you are doing to market your book?

By far, the most successful piece of marketing for us dead broke authors is social media. I’ve been working on befriending other authors and reading groups for the past few years, writing reviews and blogging to help other authors in their pursuit of the dream. Now that it’s my turn, I’m finding an overwhelming number of interested people reading my book, enjoying it, and passing the word along. Word of mouth advertising is slow, but it is sustainable and the most effective…and it’s priceless. Facebook is my single biggest venue for getting the word out. I’ve got hundreds of friends after working in several different places and states. I use it to notify people of my events like book signings and to tease my readers with snippets or quotes from the book to entice them.

Now for the fun stuff.  What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’m the proud mom of four energetic boys, ages 19, 18, 8 and 7. We live in a rural town in Washington State where we raise dogs, garden and have lots of room to run. I love living on Puget Sound and we spend a lot of time boating, fishing and my personal favorite, SCUBA diving. When I’m not writing or playing, I am a substitute teacher, which I absolutely love!

I understand you were a Marine. Can you tell us how you joined and what you liked about serving our country?

I joined the Marine Corps as a personal challenge. I wanted to push myself and to try and find my limitations. Being a Marine was a transformational experience, giving me the confidence that most teenage girls develop in their 40’s. I was very fortunate to have served during a time of peace, never having to go to war. I honor and respect all members of our Armed Services who have not been as fortunate and now suffer from the repercussions of their dedication to country.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

One of the things that I’m most excited about with the publication of Askari is that it has caught the attention of teachers. Although it is written for the middle grade audience, the language is sophisticated enough to meet middle school state standards. A teacher at my local junior high is writing a grant to get Askari into the hands of every child in her classroom. We are planning to spend the summer months developing curriculum to accompany the book for this coming school year.

Wow, Mikko, that is really cool! I’m so happy for you!!

Where can readers find you on the Web?

Webpage: www.mikkoazul.com

Blog: www.wordpress.com/mikkoazul

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Askari

Many thanks to Mikko Azul for spending your time on my blog! Best wishes for your continued success.  

Checkout Awesome New Book by Maggie Greene!

Nursing Second Chances

By Maggie Greene

A Honey Creek Sweet Romance

Kiersten Hart left Honey Creek the minute she graduated high school and never looked back. When her sister Jeanine is widowed and left to raise two children alone, Kiersten moves back on a temporary basis. When Charles steps in and sweeps her off her feet, she has to decide if the wounds from her childhood can be mended.

After his wife died, Charles Webber swore he’d never love anyone again. He buried himself in his work and didn’t look up until he found out his son was sick. Moving to Honey Creek was supposed to make things easier. Kiersten does little to help keep things simple. Though he is taken with her, he soon realizes the casual relationship they agreed on is turning serious. As their expiration date approaches, Charles must decide if Kiersten is worth the risk.

Turquoise Morning Press

Amazon

I just signed a contract with Turquoise Morning Press to publish my women's fiction romance, Chihuahua Momma (working title). Don't get too excited yet, because the release date is tentatively set for July 2013. The process takes time with editing, cover development, planning for marketing, etc. But I'm thrilled to have this opportunity with an up-and-coming publisher. Chihuahua Momma will be released in e-book and paperback.

To whet your appetite, the first page reads:

CHAPTER 1

Like all males, this one was a sucker for a back massage and he leaned into her skillful hands with a blissful moan. Rebecca’s curly red hair frizzed, tickling her cheeks as she worked suds into the Powder Puff Chinese Crested.

With the teenagers at school, Rebecca sang along to the tune of “Uptown Girl,” booming from the light-rock station. Sounding pretty good, she blasted out the words she knew, substituting “doggie paws” where her memory failed.

She took her hand off the Crested to swipe a strand of hair out of her eyes. Of course the dog took advantage of the freedom and shook, splattering water and suds everywhere. “Darn you little rascal.”

She twitched at the doggie bath water dribbling down her face. Glancing at the mirror, she dabbed her cheeks with her shirt sleeve. The suds in the hair would have to wait.

As she reached for the warm water spray hose, a muffled doorbell rang. Her eyes shot to a plastic black-and-white Chihuahua clock, its tail wagging to the tick of each half-second. Ten minutes early and he’s at the wrong door. Can’t people read the sign? She fastened the grooming loop on the Crested and folded up the side panel of the stainless steel bath to ensure the dog’s safety.

Dashing from her studio, she opened the door of her Southern New Jersey home. With a sharp jolt, her breath caught as a friendly grin and smiling sky-blue eyes gazed down at her. “Hi, I’m Matt Johnson.”

Rebecca stood motionless. Her mouth hung open, her mind unable to focus.

“Ma’am?”

Though his deep bass had resonated on the phone, she didn’t expect someone quite so tall or handsome. Fortyish? He had to be close to her age. With an uncharacteristic wave of self-consciousness, Rebecca slid her fingers through her mop of sudsy hair. “Um, you’re early. Come in. I’m Rebecca Lee.”

http://www.turquoisemorningpress.com/

Breakout Novel Intensive Workshop Notes Day 4

Hello Bloggers! I'm sorry for the break in my report for the Breakout Novel retreat. My husband and I sold our house and bought another, and we're in the middle of the harried process of financing, packing, organizing... you know, it's a mess. Anyway, to continue with my notes from the mind-blowing B.O.N.I. workshop with Donald Maass, below are my notes from day 4. I have to admit that this day was definitely a breakthrough for me. Do you ever struggle with the middle of your novel? Read on friends!

Let’s work on other ways to build Plot/Story and create strong story events.

Find any spot in the middle of your MS that’s kind of blah. Pick any point in your character’s experience.

Identify your MC’s secret desire. Would s/he like to tell someone off? Take action that isn’t possible right now? What does your character want to overturn, subvert, break open, shake up?

In what way does my character want to go wild, shake things up, tell the truth, slap someone around (including self)?

In what way is your character frustrated and what would your character like to do about it?

For your character, what constitutes walking out or rebelling? If he says I can’t take it anymore, what is he going to do right now?

Tape your character’s mouth shut. They have to show us by doing something. Can you make it bigger?

Externalization is something you can do at any point in any novel. Externalizing is an extremely important thing to do. Externalizing the internal is important to try.

Advance 2-3 chapters or scenes ahead. Pick another spot in the story and put it into mind. Think about it and take a break.

What are you avoiding right now? Who needs a kick in the pants, who needs a dose of honesty?

Is this same thing true of your POV character? Your character’s avoiding something – let him do it, face it, say it, square up, tackle it, do what needs to be done, hear what needs to be heard.

Go through your MS and find 10 points where your P isn’t doing very much…dead spots that aren’t particularly dramatic. Ask yourself what you are feeling, or what would I really like to do right now that would be inappropriate, and see if that will work for your protagonist at the moment. Suddenly, a dull spot cam become dramatic and a memorable incident in the story.

Acting is stronger than talking when you are externalizing an internal state. Actions done to others by your P can be more powerful than things being done to your P. If you come up with something that is to messy to put on the pages, list all the consequences that will result from the action. Rather than avoid the action, use the consequences and make them a part of the story.

Remember, we need more for the middle. Consequences, content, events.

Imagine that there is an actual muse or story god who really actually has power to do things in our world…especially to our computer. This is inconvenient. We really need to appease the story god so they don’t mess us up too much.

What is the one thing you hope the story god will not do to your story?

What we’re afraid of is what our readers are afraid of. Our rational selves prevent us from doing it. The story god is really your subconscious mind telling you this is what you’re avoiding, find a way to use it.

Your rational mind is shutting down possibilities that your subconscious mind already has.

SCENES & SCENE ENHANCEMENTS

The thing that concerns Don is the number of unmemorable scenes in MS’s. Often CH 2 is far less memorable than CH 1. It seems the author spins her wheels figuring out what’s going to come next.

Methods to make the scenes livelier and more dramatic.

Pick a flat scene:

Turn the scene into a person. What kind of mood is your scene in? Happy? Looking forward to the next day? Planning what to wear?

How can that mood change by the end of the scene? Write down how the mood will be by the end of the scene?

Write down one thing that will provoke the new mood.

What did your protagonist forget (a $20 in her pocket)? What can help? What has she forgotten about until now? How can that come into the picture? There’s a text message, a letter?

What is the moment in the story when things actually change for your P in this scene?  What is happening that we can see or hear?

After things have changed, write down how it is how your protagonist has changed? How has this character’s very identity shifted, her perception of herself?

This is working on the inner and outer turning points in the scene. The character also changes. One way to work on this is to change the character’s perception itself.

Spend a minute or two and go backwards. Show how this person is not a person that will affect the change that you just made them become.

You can set it up so that this change will feel even more dynamic and dramatic.

Write down what it is that your character does get (or loses) in the course of this scene.

Write down two things in the scene that will suggest that your character will not get/lose what they are going to get/lose by the end of the scene.

HOMEWORK: Take the dialogue from this scene and strip it down. Take out any incidental action. Take out all the dialogue tags and adjectives. Rewrite the passage of dialogue so that what each character speaks takes no more than one line (6-8 lines). Make it a rapid dialogue exchange, lean, fast, and punchy. Find one zinger, slap in the face or insult that you can use. You might also try a leap ahead (one of your characters can cut-to-the chase or get to the point, anticipate what someone else will say ahead of time and go there first)…Find the best line in the scene and make it the last line of the scene.

Write down where your scene is set.

Write down three things that your POV character will notice about this place that nobody else would:

Every place you want to write about has details that people will miss.  Oblique (less obvious) details of the setting that show us how the POV character notices.

HOMEWORK: Take the flat scene that you’re working on and rewrite it. Make it dance and become something really memorable. Start with a blank screen.

Is your story, romantic, suspenseful, funny, emotional, about family, about loss? What is it that you predominantly want your reader to feel and write it down.

What is romantic to you, what is hot, what fills you with terror? What was the moment in your life when you had the warmest, strongest feeling of family? When did you feel the most connected and what was happening? What’s the biggest expression of the word you’ve written down:

IDENTIFY THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF YOUR NOVEL’S INTENT.  YOU WANT TO HAVE THE READER TASTE YOUR STORY BECAUSE IT’S THAT DELICIOUS. YOU’VE GOT TO GET PERSONAL.

Write down the moment in the story when that’s going to happen.

Working Vacation

Me Hiking in the Actun Tunicil Muknal Cave, Belize

The Crystal Maiden

The Cave Entrance

Hello Bloggers - I just got back from Belize, doing some research for my novel, Virtue. I will post the remainder of my notes from the Breakout Novel Workshop in the next couple of days.

Breakout Novel Intensive Workshop - Day 3

Day three examined secondary characters and Plot. As you read this, P is substituted for Protagonist. Don started by telling the class that your characters need to feel strongly, even rant. They need to be stirred up. Then he asked, what is the villain doing when s/he's not on stage?

FOCUS ON SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

All characters are fun to read, compelling, unique. An easy way to access this is by working on their relationship with your P (protagonist).

Pick a character in contrast with your P, What’s the biggest way in which these two people are different?

What is the first opportunity to show this difference?

What is a contradiction about this character? When is the first time we can see it at work.

What’s the most important piece of shared history?

In what way can your P rely on this secondary character? What’s the article of trust between them?

When is the trust broken, or this person betrays your protagonist?

Is it possible to substitute this character instead? Is there a way to repair this relationship?

What kind of self-sacrifice can your secondary character give to your main character to make up for the betrayal?

What does your secondary character see about your P before your P does?

When does your P admit or deny that secondary character is right…

Is there a character in your story – someone in authority who will arrive in the story (eccentric, authority) ? In what way is the character legendary or fearful?

How can this character’s arrival exceed expectations? This is a moment that will pop off the page, a moment that your readers won’t forget.

Find a secondary character. Go through your cast list and find one way to make each character more memorable, distinctive, distracting, eccentric, over-the-top!

PLOT

There are 3 levels upon which stories operate:

1.       Macro Plot – main conflict that drives the P through all of the action in the novel.

2.       Scenes – they are miniature stories. Things change somehow for someone in the level of the scene.

3.       Micro tension – moment by moment. Line by line tension.

When all three are working together you have a story that works. If you slack off on any of these things, the intensity of your story diminishes and your reader gets progressively less interested.

MACRO PLOT:

Write down the main problem or central conflict of your story:

  

Write down one new way in which the problem can get worse? Who’s profiting or benefitting from the problem? Who has become important because the problem exists? Who is enjoying their importance? Who doesn’t want the problem solved?

Is there a deadline in your story? Move it up.

It’s going to cost something to solve the problem, make it worse.

What will your P lose to solve this problem?

Who says you’ve gone too far?

Who says I don’t know you anymore.

How can you handicap your protagonist?

            What can hurt your protagonist?

            Who can warn your P off?

            Who can force your P out of the game?

Think of another way in which the problem can get worse.

Who can throw a curve ball at your P. How can this come out of the blue?

Who can warn your protagonist?

How can your antagonist warn your protagonist? Look – I don’t want to put you through this… you don’t want to go there, look at how much you have to lose...

               

What knowledge can be used as weapons or threats? What mistake from the past can come back and haunt your P? Undermine confidence? (i.e. try to do anything good and people will punish you for it.) Who is going to punish your protagonist for doing the right thing?

Who would rather see your protagonist fail than succeed, and what can they do to insure that failure?

How can the problem itself get worse? How can it affect more people? Who’s going to suffer the most?

              

Who’s got control of the world of this story? Who’s the higher authority? What can they do to mess things up?

              

Does your protagonist have to give up to solve, or keep working on the problem? What does your protagonist neglect?

BLOWING APART THE BOX:

What’s the very worst thing that can go wrong? Do it.

Resistance is natural, but have courage. You love it when other people do it. You can.

Wreck and destroy the protagonist’s dream so there is no going back.

After the worst happens what happens next? How does your P change? What does your P learn?

Give your P 6 weeks or months or years. How do things change? How does the problem itself shift? What’s been overlooked? What understanding? Is there a reconciliation, a forgiveness, and understanding, is there new courage in the wake of change? What’s a new way in which your P can make things right. What can your P build that is different (trust)?

                 

What’s the first ray of sunshine? What’s the first sign that things are changing? What’s the first symbol or hint? What’s encouraging, what’s new? How have the times, mood, weather changed?

What represents success now for your protagonist?

              

What is the new hope? How would we know it’s happening even if nobody said so?

MOST MS NEED MORE HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE:

Think about your P and stage of life. What is it like to be in that stage of life? What are the unavoidable problems.

Write down one problem that your P would be facing regardless if this story is happening or not:

                

What kind of personal problems, work setbacks, family issues, dreams, personal goals. What could go wrong?

Have this exist simultaneously in your novel. Write down 3 ways in which this problem can get worse:

Create a small, incidental problem. What kind of trivial or humorous problem will your P will have to deal with during the time of the story? What can go wrong?

Pick a name from the list of characters and connect them to the Plot and Setting. Pick a character and a part of the plot that they’re not connected to and then connect it to a setting. See if there is any logical connection, and keep going until you find a connection that does work. You will find characters that be involved in more than one part of the story.

Most manuscripts are starved for events in the middle. You do need to overdo it a little. If the story is starting to feel crowded, think of things that you can begin to cut. Most need to cut a lot of the first 50 pages, but to add more in the middle of the book.

HOMEWORK:

Take one of the new plot layers and write out that scene so you can add it to your MS.