Commitment

You've probably noticed that all I've been posting here lately are One Word Interviews. I really love those. I hope you do to. I think it's a fun way to introduce you to authors and their books.

My original intent was to post an interview every other week and my own posts every other week. That hasn't worked out so great. I'm keeping up with the interviews, but not with my own posts.

So, I am committing myself to posting on this blog every week, either an interview or some other post. I can do it!

Some important things have happened since I sort of fell of the blogging bandwagon.

I finished the second first draft of my third Defenders novel, Shattered Skies, at the end of June! (I call it the second first draft because I wrote it once, then wrote the whole thing over again from scratch. Sometimes it's just better that way.) I wrote it in only 6.5 months, compared with 15 months for my previous two books, so I felt good about that.

Unfortunately, my publisher decided to pass on my second Defenders novel, The Ransomed Returning. That was a rather hard blow. I have been waffling about what to do with it and Shattered Skies, but in the same sense of commitment I am taking with this blog, I am going to have The Ransomed Returning out by the end of November, and Shattered Skies by next summer. So watch for more information on that!

I published a collection of short stories, Ripped and Other Adventures. It contains nine previously published shorts and one all new novella, Sofie and the Night Eagle. It's gotten some great reviews so far. Check it out!

I also started to work on the first draft of a new LDS science fiction novel, tentatively title The Glory of the Stars.

So my writing goals for the next few months:

• Publish The Ransomed Returning
• Read-through and edit Shattered Skies for beta readers
• Finish first draft of The Glory of the Stars
• Keep up with blogging

No problem, right?

What have you been up to lately?

The Next Big Thing Blog Chain

I was tagged for this fun blog chain by David West at Nephite Blood, Spartan Heart. I get to talk about my WIP, or one of them anyway. So here goes!

What is the working title of your book? Shattered Skies. I got that from the hymn "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" from the line that says, "Ere long her king will rend the skies..."

Where did the idea come from for the book? It's the third in the series that begins with Defenders of the Covenant. (The second is called The Ransomed Returning.) I just put all my characters into another crazy, difficult situation to solve. I came up with a villain I really love--a woman who is passing herself off as a goddess and trying to take over the world. I also wanted the main characters to continue to grow and change.

What genre does your book fall under? LDS science fiction adventure.

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I really have no idea. I'm not all that familiar with actors names. Angelina Jolie might be good for the false goddess. That's kind of how I picture her. Only bald...

What is the one sentence synopsis for the book? Ha ha. I really haven't come up with one yet, so here goes. When a terrible illness and a beautiful goddess threaten the peace across the world, Derek Halstead and the rest of Zion must once again rise to the challenge. (Wow. That's bad. I'll have to work on that one.)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  Neither. I assume it will be published by my current publisher, Walnut Springs. I don't have an agent.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Fifteen months. I'm hoping to shorten that for my next project.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Is it bad that I can't think of any? My genre is not that big. But really it has the same elements as any sci-fi adventure novel, just with religion added in too.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? It's the last of the series and wraps up all the characters' stories. I am so going to miss them when it's all said and done!

Now to tag some others!

TM Hunter at The West(ern) Chronicles
Terry W. Ervin II at Up Around the Corner
Jackee Alston at Winded Words
Tyrean Martinson at Tyrean's Writing Spot

And anyone else reading this who wants to participate.

A New Challenge

My new notebook is ready! 

As you probably know, I finished my third novel, Shattered Skies at the end of August. It took me fifteen months to write it. That's the same amount of time it took to write The Ransomed Returning. I'm thinking, that's just too long! I really need to speed up the process. So, in addition to creating my ideal writing environment, I am giving myself a challenge to write a novel in a hundred days.

That's not quite NaNoWriMo speed, but for me it will be huge. I plan to start in November when everyone starts NaNo. It'll be my own personal NaNo.

At the moment I am working myself into this writing pace with a short Christmas story. Once that is done, I will begin planning the novel. I know that's the only way I'll be able to write that fast. Problem is, I'm not normally a planner. So, this is going to be a big change for me, but I'm excited to try.

Now I just have to figure out which novel I want to write next. Either an LDS urban fantasy demon fighters type thing, (working title: Lions of the Lord) or a straight up sci-fi, alien planet space opera, still religious in nature, but only subtly LDS (working title: Cold Sun). What do you think? Both ideas have been vying for attention for over a year. It's hard to choose, though I'm leaning toward the sci-fi (my first love).

So, what challenges have you taken lately? Are you doing NaNo this year? Do you have any tips for planning a novel?

Don't forget to enter the short story contest! Ends October 31.

Unplugging and a T-shirt Winner!

Well, gang, I am feeling the need to get off the internet for a week or so to work on Shattered Skies. I'll be back the week of June 11, with hopefully an awesome word count to report!

But before I go, I need to announce the winner of my Avenging Angels T-shirt giveaway.

C. Michelle Jeffiries!

Congrats, Michelle. Thanks to everyone who commented on the Defenders posts.

I'll see ya all on the flip side!

Getting Back Into It

I finished my revision of my second novel, The Ransomed Returning! I needed to cut it from 122K down to 100K. It came out at 91K! I could hardly believe it when I finished typing up all my changes and checked the word count. Phew! Who knew I had so much fat in there to cut?

I'll read over the whole thing after I let it sit for a week or two, and I think I'll find it a stronger novel than it was before. This was a fairly new experience for me. I've never had to cut so radically or revise so extensively. Of course, this is my first novel after a decade of short stories, so I guess that's to be expected.

Now that I'm done with that, I'm ready to get back to work on my third book, Shattered Skies. I'm nearly done with it, but it's been six weeks since I looked at it. It taking some effort to get back into it, to figure out where I am and where I was going. Fortunately, it's another sequel to Defenders of the Covenant, so I have been working with the same characters during the revision. That makes it easier. Still, I'm having a bit of trouble getting my head around the story again. Re-reading a few chapters and looking over my notes will be helpful. Daydreaming about the fabulous ending I'm almost at is good too. Other than that, I just have to dive right back in and see where it takes me.

What are your suggestions for getting back into a story you've set aside for a while?

The Ebb and Flow

What with all the excitement and hubbub of Defenders of the Covenant being released, writing on my next novel went down the drain for a few weeks. Sure, I was doing lots of other important writing related tasks, but I still wanted to meet my weekly and monthly writing goals, and it just wasn't happening. Every time I thought I had gotten myself unstuck, I'd write two pages and come to a dead halt again. At that point, it was a lot more fun to go do some "marketing" or something rather than try to work on this book. I felt bad about it. I seriously wondered if maybe I were destined to be a one-hit wonder.

But, I have been through this kind of stuck-ness before, so I knew I could get out of it, if I just kept plugging along. I did. I made myself take time for writing every day even if I got nothing done.

I am happy to report that the writing is flowing now, and it is a great feeling! I just reached page 375, and hope do be to 400 by the end of next week. (I had hoped to get to 400 by the end of the month, but one week back isn't so bad.)

How do you get through periods of writer's block?

Lucky 7 Tag!

I got tagged twice for this little game, first by T.M. Hunter of  The West(ern) Chronicles, and then by J. Lloyd Morgan on Facebook. So, here goes!

To play along, here are THE RULES:
1. Go to page 77 of your current ms.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy and post the next 7 sentences as they’re written. No cheating.
4. Tag 7 other victims, er, authors.

This is from my WIP, Shattered Skies, and ironically enough the first part of  Chapter 7.

I know that's what Eleni believes." He stood up and paced in front of the sofa. "No wonder. Look what happened." Oh, Dori. Oh, Eleni. He had the urge to put his fist through a wall.
 
"Sit down," Mariane said.
 
Wesley stopped mid-stride and looked at his mother. She nodded her head toward the recliner across from her. Wesley sat.
 
"Tell me why you came here," she said.


So, there you have it. Be sure and check out T. M. Hunter's newest release Death Brings Victory (I got to beta read this for him, not to brag or anything), and J. Lloyd Morgan's book The Hidden Sun (which I have reviewed here). Thanks for tagging me, guys. That was kinda fun!

I don't feel up to tagging seven people, so if you'd like to play along, consider yourself tagged. =)