Happy “Bookversary” to my first publication, Four Sisters.

It has been a full year since the novella was released. And while for some it may not seem like a big thing, it really is for me. Until this point, I had tinkered with short stories, novels, and poetry between classes and jobs but didn’t go forth and publish. To tell the truth, most of it was because I got so caught up in the grind of school-work-volunteer-family-school-work-school-life. What very little time I had left was not spent writing, even though I wanted it to be. I found myself becoming a 9-to-5 schedule zombie, scraping together minutes for creativity. Often the outlet was sewing (by hand, to boot) or random things here-and-there, but the writing was lacking. Big mistake. Apparently I get very grouchy and the void lurking within makes itself known.

Tragedy & the (Re)birth of the Self

And then it hit me: my mother’s very sudden, very shocking, very depressing death. In the middle of June 2012, I remember waving goodbye to her and my father from the concrete walk of the train station. I had spent several days with them as I usually would, but needed to get home to my work. At the time, one of the projects my colleagues and I had worked diligently on had just hit the fan and we were feeling grief from losing individuals we were trying to help. I was not in the best of moods.

Then in the middle of the night on June 30, 2012, my partner and I received the dreaded phone call. Mom had passed that morning in her sleep. Her heart just stopped. No warning. No chance to say goodbye. Just… stopped.

Everything that was important at the time went out the window. Family became the everything. And mourning took over. I found I couldn’t focus. It was really apparent when I received a very simple, straightforward email from a colleague and read the first sentence 15 times before realizing I had no idea what it said. The email was in perfect English. It was a simple sentence. My eyes saw everything; my brain processed nothing.

And that’s when I turned to writing. Why?

It was the only thing I could actually do.

Reading emails, news articles, reports — all of it went over my head. But the creative writing thing stuck. It’s funny, almost as if when I’m stripped down to my most basic parts, the storytelling is at the core. And to tell the truth, it isn’t a huge surprise. This isn’t the first time writing has been associated with death in my life. It’s the second, at least. The first was when I was 6 years old and wrote my very first story (or so I remember). It was a story about a boy who lost his mitten. I wrote it because I was killing time at my babysitter’s house, waiting for my parents to pick us up. The day just got longer and longer; the night darker and darker. By the time my parents arrived, the story was done.

Then I found out my grandfather died earlier that day.

Now the story, his death, and the birth of my writing are forever linked. Incidentally, it’s the same story that my 1st grade teacher submitted to the regional Literary Guild program, then I was chosen to read the story to my peers at the event.

Bringing Life to Death

At the time of dealing with my grief, I just wanted to be productive, not curl up into a ball every day and let time pass. So I left the work behind and focused on writing. I spent most of my time on an adult novel I had started years before, letting my subconscious take the story to the next level.

Somewhere along the way, I decided to branch out and see what else the world had to offer.

Peddling back a bit: by the time I was twelve, I knew I wanted to be a published author. One of my schoolmates swears I knew this way before then and, now that I think about it, she’s probably right. Maybe I was 9 or 10. In any event, I spent so much time speed-reading and writing as a kid that I wanted to be like those people I admired. I had ideas, too, and an active imagination. When I was about 14, I gave publishers a go. My mother, bless her heart, helped me prepare proposal packages and we sent them to a few publishers I had pulled from my copy of Writer’s Market. They were all rejected, but nicely. After that, I put the queries aside and focused on improving my skills in school.

But then jump to the more recent past of 2013, where I was toiling in thoughts and my head felt like I was stuck in a snow globe someone had shaken over and over, blocking out everything from my sight. I was checking out agents and publishers and what 2013 had to offer. So much had changed since 1997! Now things were at my fingertips in a matter of kb/s.

That’s when I discovered submission calls that caught my interest.

Two novellas: one adult romance and one that said simply “12 Days of Solstice”. It could have gone anywhere, but something about the Solstice call screamed YA to me. I also loved the idea of writing something for a publishing house called Pagan Writers Press. The calls were for shorter stories — not novels — so I dove right on in and worked on both at the same time. I hadn’t written a short story in a long while and had been working on a novel up until that point. I thought it would be a great time to do something new. Spread my wings. Get some experience in this new, technological, eBook-devouring, Indie and small-publishing world.

How It Begins Isn’t Necessarily How It Ends

The solstice story didn’t come as easily as I had hoped. The original idea I had for it didn’t work out in my soul as much as my head thought it would. The premise was about a girl who discovered her Norse spirituality while on vacation with her parents, a trip she didn’t want to take. There was something about her leaving the cabin and getting lost, then getting found by… something. I don’t what anymore. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t happening. The days dwindled. The deadline crept up.

Then something hit me. I don’t remember exactly what, but it smacked me in the head. Something about a fairytale-like story. A myth. Fantastical, which is my default genre; my home. I started thinking about this boy who ran into elementals and had a problem.

This is what my notes looked like:

Then I just kept going. I pulled out photos I had found while browsing social media and other websites and started pulling together characters.

Fun fact #1: Originally, Fallow’s name came from thinking about one of my friends, Fallon. Her name is fabulous and fits her so well. I didn’t want to totally steal it, though. Then the “ow” end came to mind. I’m pretty sure it came from the recesses of memory, after I’d heard it in passing or came across it in a story. I was certain it was a real word. When I looked it up, I nearly fell over laughing. The name suit perfectly in its own way. So it stuck. Thanks for being an inspiration, Fallon. The first time but not the last.

Fun fact #2: The appearance of all of the sisters in the story are derived from photos I particularly loved. I can’t share them because of copyright, but they’re from photo shoots, costumers, stock… wherever. I scoured my options and threw collages together for each family, setting up sister after sister. They came together pretty easily. Even their names weren’t a far stretch. Then again, I love the naming process.

Let the Nail-biting Begin

The story did not start with ease. It took me a little while. I had to switch rooms, positions, and approach just to get it. Then a creepy image took over. Once I got through the first few paragraphs, the rest of the scene flowed. Then the rest of the story. It took some patience, believe me. But by the end, I was confident and thought I had pulled something fun together.

The editing process didn’t kill me half as much as I thought it would, and I’m still learning even now. But I did the best I could and submitted it.

The waiting was worse. Would the publisher hate it? I was no stranger to rejection, but I’d hoped for something positive. I finished the other novella at around the same time. Ugh x2.

The next month, I checked my email late at night.

Hello acceptance.

I freaked out. Blinked. Blinked some more. Checked the submission manager. Sure enough, I wasn’t going blind or delusional. The first thing was to email the publisher back. And call my partner with an “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God”.

After so long of being out of the game, and scrambling to catch up, it couldn’t have made me happier. A complete stranger took something of mine on.

Then the edits came around. I hadn’t dealt with an editor in the professional capacity before so it was a new experience. Not as painful as I thought. Then the proofreading. Again, not as painful. I think waiting for the cover art was the scariest part. I put my faith in the lovely Angie Mroczka (owns PWP) that she’d come up with something amazing. The ideas I had for the cover weren’t as helpful as I’m sure they could’ve been. I’d never had to worry about cover art. Plus, visual art isn’t my strong suit. Neither was sifting through stock photography for something that’s awesome. Though I’m trying to get better.

So when Angie sent me the file, I didn’t know what to expect. Opening the file, I held my breath…

Gorgeous. Loved the cover from the first moment. So much better than I originally had in my head.

Then Release Day happened.

Again, another first. Of course, it was December 20. And I was supposed to be traveling by train that day, visiting family. Needless to say, it was a very busy day. I couldn’t stop checking social media sites and the internet in general. Or Amazon. I can’t even begin to count how many of the hits that day were from one of my computers. It’s no better now.

It was alive.

And so was Regine Allison Claire.

Where Does It Go from Here?

That was how I said farewell to 2013. This was the very first, traditionally published story of mine to be picked up and put out into the world. Since then, I’ve had other novellas and short stories picked up for this pseudonym and my two others.

But this — this — is the one that started it all. The one that gave me that boost of confidence. The one that suggested complete strangers who owed me absolutely nothing could be willing to take a shot on something I wrote. I wouldn’t say that I’ve had a major struggle with confidence and self-esteem, but I won’t say that I’ve been a stranger to them. We meet somewhere in the middle. I was always that annoying kid in school who the teachers praised for the great work, but that didn’t go to my head. I’ve always wondered what the rest of the world would think. I still do. Each new story is another test of my nerves and hope.

So, when something like this — after being out of the storytelling thing for so long — gets picked up after what I considered a long shot, it does some pretty cool things. And I’m sure so many of my fellow writers know exactly what I mean.

This is a good time for us to give life a smile and pat ourselves on the back. Just because we need to celebrate the firsts. Our little steps in the big world. Our risks and those times we doubted ourselves meanwhile someone else was willing to take it on, no matter what they saw in it.

But there’s just one thing… now that the foot’s in the door, you either yank it back out or inch the rest of your body through.

Inch is right. Though even shorter since I’m Canadian. It’s more like centimetres. But I can’t make a verb out of that.

Unfortunately, this year hasn’t been about YA. I have several ideas for new YA stories, and a few NA, but it’s mostly been adult stories that have won out. Except there are 2 things that are true about my next steps:

1. I have 4 YA flash fiction stories being published in 2015, all in anthologies through Pagan Writers Press (PWP). That’s another post for the new year.

2. I will be working on a trilogy. The first book, Family Secret, is semi-outlined. It needs work, as much as the rest of the trilogy does. The ideas were flying out of my head in 2014, and they made it to paper. They just haven’t come out in story form yet. But in the spring, I intend to get on it. I know enough about the characters get started and their school will be based off my alma mater. At this moment, it is called the Within series. Book #2 is Possession and book #3 is facing an identity crisis. Though it seems to have been seriously pondering Unbound for a title. The titles are significant, but again… another post for another day.

And that’s how we celebrate around here, with thanks to Angie, PWP, both my parents, my partner for putting up with the long nights and crazy creative moments, and most of all everyone who takes the time to read and review my work.

Happy Firsts!

Click here to find out more about Four Sisters, including links to where it can be purchased.

Pagan Writers Press is having a huge sale for Cyber Monday! Almost all the books in the catalog have been discounted. Here are just a few of the Young Adult (or YA/NA friendly) selections, though there are titles available in almost every genre!

Young Adult Fantasy

Stains on the Soul by Jamie White – Reduced to $.99

Morrigan by Laura DeLuca – Reduced to $.99

Four Sisters by Regine Allison Claire – Reduced to $.99

Young Adult/New Adult Romantic Thriller

Dark Musicals Trilogy by Laura DeLuca – Prices reduced on the entire series!

#1 – Phantom ($.99)
#2 – Demon ($2.99)
#3 – Hyde ($2.99)

And after those, pick up Scrooged for only $.99 to round out the set!!

Historical

HerStory – Edited by Tara Chevrestt -Reduced to $3.99

To The Other Side by Julianne Chadwick – Reduced to $1.99

Science Fiction

Guardian Series by Andrew P. Weston- Reduced to $2.99 each

And the snow has sprung. Er, dumped. With that, it’s the perfect time to share new promotional material for my debut, Four Sisters!

Released last year (December 20, 2013, to be exact), the novella is perfect for the cold, wintery days some of us have been experiencing in the northern hemisphere. It takes place in the fantastical town of Wyndeswytch during the winter, and fifteen-year-old Fallow Glyph is at the centre of the story. But why babble on when I can just post the blurb?

Fallow Glyph daydreams during class, asks too many questions and pushes the rules. Even worse, he is haunted by strange nightmares and is fascinated by the Border, the monstrous black wall that all villagers in Wyndeswytch must avoid … or face punishment.

When his feet lead him to the Border, Fallow is determined to find out what is on the other side. What he discovers is nothing like what he anticipated. Caught in the middle of a violent feud between two families of elemental spirits, Fallow finds he must resolve the conflict if he wants to stay alive.

Can an unremarkable teenager become a hero?

Since I started blogging after its release (and haven’t given it the love it deserves since), I’ll be posting all about the story in December, with some insights and background. For now, I thought I’d share the promo stuff I worked on recently. After seeing so many of the quotes and pictures other folks have been posting, I thought I’d give it a go. Out popped these, which I’ve started sharing on Twitter and Facebook and will continue posting for the next few months, and whenever they feel like popping up during the rest of the year … realizing that, yes, stories about the snow are bound to be unpopular in the likes of July than now, when so many of us are bundling up and freezing our toes off.

I love the first one the most, but shhhh, don’t tell the others. It could start a riot in my folders…

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sale Price!

Guess what? The eBook  is on sale! $0.99 @ Amazon, from now until Tuesday, December 2 (or $1.11 @ Amazon.ca).

It’s also available at Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Or stop by my Facebook or Twitter and drop a line!

1st Anniversary in T-22 days.

Platform

In a blink
you are gone with the whistle
and today’s glory drowns
in my heart’s sadness
as the metal rattler
full of willing
bright-eyed prey
whisks you away
into adventures unknown
claiming independence
driven by insatiable curiosity
and leaving me behind
with what once was ours

I wrote this poem last night as the extended form of the poem I wrote specifically to be shared on Twitter, thanks to inspiration from Heart Soup. On July 12, 2014, their prompt was #128, “Gone”, which sparked inspiration for a few poems, all very different!

This took a few turns along the way, evolving from a quick writing session that lasted a few minutes to an edited, clipped, 140-character-friendly version to what it is now: a poem that’s a few lines longer and more accurately captures what I was hoping to communicate. That 140-character thing is killer, but a great challenge which forces writers to be quick, succinct, and clever.

This was the original:

In a blink,
you are gone with the whistle.
My day drowns in the darkness
overtaking my heart
as the metal snake
whisks you away
into adventures unknown
claiming independence.

This was what I ended up posting:

You are gone with the whistle
and today drowns
in my heart’s sadness
as the metal rattler
carries you away
into adventures unknown

And above … well, that’s what I’m the most happy with. The previous versions lacked something for me so I put it in, now that I’m not restrained by character limit.

Although, this isn’t my first time with this sort of imagery. In high school, I took OAC (grade 13) Writer’s Craft, which I loved because I got to exercise my creativity instead of just writing essays. As part of it, we touched on poetry and one of my poems was this:

Pushing forward
the snake finds the tracks
to where the meal awaits

I suppose my subconscious decided that it just wasn’t done with this concept. Instead, this time, it wanted to infuse emotion (in this case, sadness of loss) into it.

(And just to clarify: I do, in fact, like snakes. It’s worms and larvae I can’t stand!!! If I start spouting poetry about them, someone stop me! Ughhhh.)

But this is all in the eye of beholder and while I prefer the longer, I know the shorter has its merits. Preferences, anyone?

Booyeah.

4 flash fiction stories down, each significantly different from the next and all within the 1,000 to 2,500 word count. Boom, baby!

So let’s back it on up. In May, I wrote about diving into writing flash fiction despite not having done it for 14 years or so. Kind of intimidating but I was willing to meet the challenge. I suppose it’s like getting back on that bike, once you get the wibbly-wobbly part out of the way and the body goes, “Oh, yeah, THAT.”

Out of the five anthologies presented to our group of authors, I thought I’d whip up a little something for four – the more YA-friendly themes. Almost immediately, the ideas began to flow which was great. Even better, they seemed like small ideas that could be expressed in a teensy space. Two ideas came more easily than the rest; the other two eventually came around after some deep thought and random bits of fluff in the middle of the night.

The first week of June was a bit of a bust on the writing front, unfortunately. Something about not getting much sleep and feeling tapped. There’s a good reason but that’s a different story and a completely different pen name.

On the other hand, the next week was kinder and allowed me to catch up. I finished them on a Saturday night. I spent the following Sunday night and Monday morning taking the ever unkind and never sorry “red pen” to the pages. Choppity chop chop. Submitted by Monday 10am then I threw the red pen out the window and dragged my zombie-brained body off to bed. Oddly exciting even if overly tiring. And that’s not the craziest thing writers do. Oh, no.

(And if any fellow writers have crazier stories, feel free to share! We’re all in the same boat.)

Now that I’ve had sleep and some recovery time from the intense focus, I thought I’d share a tiny little bit about each since I love talking about what I’ve been working on. But no spoilers! :D

Shift
This was the first one to be written, mostly because it was the first, fully-formed concept that came to me thanks to musical inspiration. Most of the story was written to 2 versions of the same song by Conjure One, “Center of the Sun”: the album version and Solarstone’s Chilled Out Remix from the compilation album, “Relax Music”.

I gushed in the previous post about how brilliant I think the song is, so I won’t this time. Let’s just say that it helped immensely, keeping everything on track. Not just because of the delicious, dark sound but the lyrics tipped me off to the original concept: the idea of being in a dark market where the girl is poorly treated and there’s a boy who cares about her.

So how did that translate?  Almost literally, actually. There’s a dark market, catering to the needs of the thirsty patrons of the paranormal world, and a human teenage girl who needs rescuing. There’s the shifter boy who loves her, desperate to free her by the means available to him as a teenager. And then there’s the man standing between them: the Head of Human Resources … except not the type of HR we’re used to.

One of my favourite things about this story is the title, which I had a bit of a time with until the word “shift” got stuck in my head. I wasn’t sure about it but grabbed my paperback dictionary and did some looking. Jackpot. Almost every definition works. Double-checked with The Free Dictionary (my favourite go-to site for wordsmithing!) and made up my mind. It feels so awesome when a story has a title.

Burden
This one I’m equally happy with and it’s a bit creepy, at least in my head. Hey, it says “dark” in the anthology theme so I went there. It’s thanks to a matter of timing, really. In the previous post, I talked about the boy locked up in a bedroom for up to 2 years. That’s pretty dark stuff. I was taken with the story – which isn’t the first, by all means, nor the last, sadly – and was intrigued with the concept that this couple would allow their daughter freedom and not their nephew. My inspiration was pulled to it.

Except I wanted to explore a little more than that, leaning into a bit of further darkness. I can’t get into it without spoilers but I took it into a new direction from the real, live story. It revolves around Keldie, a young girl in high school who has a family secret she’s too scared to keep. The story is about her struggle to do the right thing … even though the result is far from what she expects.

My thanks to Conjure One and Poe, again, though there were two other songs which provided great inspiration for what ended up on “paper”: Florence + the Machine’s “Heavy In Your Arms” and Within Temptation’s “Dog Days“. Without these, the feel wouldn’t have been quite the same. Rawr.

The Flying Dead
This story took a while to come around. I had originally kicked around a more somber idea, catering to the serious side of Samhain as the Celtic celebration of our dead.

Yeah, no. Wrote that idea off. Instead, I wanted to write something fun. And funny. Shift and Burden are dark so I wanted something amusing!

The idea came around when I was trying to get back to sleep one morning: the concept of the Ouija board. I’ve been around one once and we had an interesting experience for the rest of the day, so I’ve got something personal to work from and not just TV shows like Charmed. Except I wanted it to be about something more than that.

Enter fantasy; my love, my sanity.

There always has to be something that happens in the story which the main character has to resolve. I dipped into the fantastical world for this one to give it some spunk. The protagonist is Kurt and his family is different: they’re pledged to protect the dead. Samhain is a huge to-do for them with all the dead who cross the Veil and this Samhain isn’t any exception.

I also gave Kurt a bit of something special to make him even more amazing: he’s a transgender youth. He knows who he is and has courage, throwing off the mantle of “Katie” to be himself. This is important to me, not just because I love diversity of all sorts, but because it’s real and something worth putting out there in a way that isn’t derogatory or unkind. There are a lot of kids (not just adults, like those I know and love) who go through this and aren’t as supported as he is, but they need it. I believe gender shouldn’t determine whether you’re a hero or not, just like it doesn’t determine whether you’re a good person or maybe need some help in that department.

It’s not a long, in-depth story but this one’s for all of you. You know who you are. ♥

Words Needed
And the fourth flash fic. Arg. This one gave me a right good run around. To tell the truth, I don’t find as much inspiration in writing “real world” stuff, unless it’s urban something-or-other where magic, other dimensions, or something spices it up. (I’m so completely about speculative fiction!) But this one had to stay real.

Best remedy? Personal life.

I was thinking about one thing, which led to another, and then another. Finally, I gave into the concept of a girl discovering paganism very much in the same way I did. Some of the details changed but the essence remains the same. So you’d think it was easy, right, writing from precisely what I know because I lived it?

Nope. Not even close.

This was the most difficult of the four to write! The editing went a bit more smoothly. Still, laying it down … not as easy as I thought. I couldn’t even get the soundtrack right for it – and that’s strange, considering I always manage to find something to play over and over. It’s also the shortest of the bunch. I tried not to ramble. We’ll see how it fares.

And that’s how my journey into flash fiction has fared. Right now, they’re in queue for consideration and I’m busy doing some other things. It’s been a thrill, though. I’ll have to try this again sometime.  New worlds to explore and all.

Giants, Monsters, and Dragons:
an encyclopedia of folklore, legend, and myth
Carol Rose (2000)

Buy @ Amazon

 

What lay within the bounds of human knowledge and was relatively familiar could be reasonably and comfortably accommodated, no matter what its size. But that which lay outside the bounds of human knowledge was monstrous and awesome. Explanations for the chaotic, precreation nature of the world and the universe, the vast fissures, the threatening geographical features of the earth, the unexplored regions, and the disappearance or transformation of those who ventured into the unknown were accommodated in the concepts of the monstrous. Those beings that existed beyond the human realms of order were the constant threat that challenged the human world and had to be appeased, controlled, banished, or defeated.

- Carol Rose, “Giants, Monsters, and Dragons” (2000), pg xxv

I can’t remember when exactly I got this book, or from where, but it’s been sitting on my shelf for a few years. My partner says I received it as part of my Children’s Literature class when I was in university, which isn’t impossible since I received a huge box of books for that one class alone!

In any event, I finally pulled it out to consult it. Originally, I was looking to get some ideas for one of the flash fiction stories I’m working on, Shift. The intention was to obtain a little extra information on werewolves. While I found it, there was more. I came out with the idea to explore the ideas of a were-bear in another flash fiction story, Burden.

And then I couldn’t stop looking. It’s been hanging around my desk while I’ve been working on these short stories and every couple of days, I can’t help but pick it up and skim over it.

I love this book.

Other than discovering that “were-bears” are a thing (despite the fact that I giggle because it’s way too close to sounding like Care Bears), this book is packed with useful information, names, geographical references, and other info. In the introduction, Rose reveals that material was drawn from a variety of sources: encyclopedias, dictionaries (of mythology), ancient and medieval texts, classic literature, folktales and folklore, chronicles and annals of historic events, fables, chapbooks, nursery rhymes, and surveys (genealogical, heraldic, anthropological, topographical). Way cool. It makes me want to have been there writing it with her. Then again, I’m a sucker for research projects … especially any that include ancient texts. YAY!

Reading it reminds me of watching the TV show, Charmed, or Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (the Robert Tapert/Sam Raimi version with Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hirst Hurst) – which is cool because I enjoy those shows. And there’s gorgeous artwork included, taken from a variety of sources, just to give your eyes a break from the text. It’s also easy-to-read and accessible, good for everyone.

It’s a big book and offers a little on everything, including monsters like Champ, a cryptid who is said to live in Lake Champlain between Québec, Canada and Vermont, USA. (A fun little tidbit for me, since I live in the province next door.) And I’m happy to see the likes of Grendel (and Grendel’s Mother) from the ancient tale Beowulf  included. Tolkien‘s Ents and Shelob are in it, too, along with Lewis Carroll‘s Jabberwocky!

In the back are a “Selected Bibliography” for further reference and Appendixes categorizing the beings, including “Beings associated with weather”, “Beings from literature”, “Heraldic beasts”, “Beings by country, realm, or people”, and a long list of others. Useful.

Though I think my favourite thing is how it touches on so many different areas of interest and subjects. History, anthropology, linguistics, geography, religion, spirituality, mythology, literature … it’s a little bit of a lot of things rolled up in one nice, pretty, neatly bound volume that fits well on any shelf without feeling like a brick. It has an international feel, taking the reader on a journey to peek inside all of the different human cultures. This book is one that ties us all together; for as different as we may seem, our monsters aren’t all that different. Dragons, giants, shifters, and similar creatures are everywhere! They might have different names but they share a lot in common. It’s a gentle reminder that while we fight each other and believe we’re completely different, we’re actually very much the same.

Now, I might be terribly biased because I fell in love with cryptozoology as a teenager, but I’d recommend this book to anyone – everyone – in the speculative fiction world who writes about creatures and beings, whether you pen fantasy, horror, paranormal, science fiction … whatever. You know, just in case you need a little help or inspiration. Or if you just like looking at the pictures and awesome names.

Flash fiction.

I read these words and the warning alarms, bells, and whistles start to go off in my head. Probably because writing teensy stories has not been my forté – well, maybe just not my default. Once upon a time, I used to write really short stories … and that was when I was a kid. But when I was about 13, I got it in my head that I wanted to write novels, inspired by one of my favourite authors at the time: Carolyn Keene, responsible for the Nancy Drew mystery series (with warmest thanks to a long list of ghostwriters and publisher, Edward Stratemeyer of Stratemeyer Syndicate). The last time I remember writing something considered flash fiction was when I was 15. Again, for class. Amazingly, these stories were 500 words or less. Except I think that was thanks mostly due to the amount of time we had to craft said stories, which wasn’t very long. It was kind of like pop story-writing: sit down, shut up, and write until told to stop. And I loved it.

But now I find myself knocking on that door again. A new submission call came out this week from my beloved publisher for a few flash fiction anthologies and I’m ready to pounce on them like a strawberry trifle topped with Belgian chocolate. Why? New challenge, that’s why! Well, you know, other than my obsession with writing … but that’s always to be implied.

Yes, I love the challenge. In the last 14 years, I’ve leaned towards writing novels and poetry though I’ve also discovered the joy of novellas. Recently, I’ve been reintroduced to short stories (we’re talking 8,000+ words) and found I haven’t completely lost the ability to write them, either. So, next stop: flash fiction.

In a way, it’s liberating. More than that, it’s a fantastic exercise to keep the writing mind sharp and cleanse the mental palette before launching into longer works (because brace yourselves … there’s a trilogy coming once I get through some smaller projects!)

On further reflection, I think it’s one of the suggestions I’d pass along to aspiring authors and fellow writers: write across the spectrum of length, or at least give it a solid shot. As in 3 times or so before packing it in and deciding what works and what doesn’t. Every length has its own challenges and blessings, with poetry at one end and novel series at the other. Poetry demands brevity and clever word play around imagery, emotions, and other things that draw in the reader. Flash fiction equally demands brevity, though it’s a tad bit more forgiving around the word play but still, you can’t go running off in every direction but pick and choose and cram. Longer short stories and novellas allow for more words, assuming they’re used well, and are great for delving more into characters and landscape. Novels, too, which are perhaps the most forgiving of all – or so I’d say. They still require clear focus and well-pruned language, but there’s a lot to work within the length. Although it’s the length which is one of the most challenging aspects because of the little R word that’s imperative to all storytelling: restraint.

Rest-whaaaaat? I know. It can be a scary word, especially when our characters run off and insist we follow them down the rabbit hole (thanks Lewis Carroll). It’s easy to get carried away when we see “90,000+ words” and the potential it holds. And you know, it’s true for novel series, too. So is the fact that a novel series, while the longest on the spectrum and certainly great fun, is so utterly challenging. It has the added fun of keeping everything straight from one novel to the next which isn’t always easy, as well as making sure it keeps going (but not for the sake of going) while always being fresh and exciting instead of blah and ugh and “Whyyyy?“

(And as I’m writing this line and staring at the blog platform, I’m thinking that in our 21st century, all of this is applicable to the art of blog writing. Also a valuable exercise for any author.)

Time to Play in the Pool

So, here I go. This week (also known as “from now to whenever this week apparently ends”) I’m jumping into the flash fiction scene. Of the 5 specific anthologies in the submission call, I’m planning on going for 4: paranormal romance, Hallowe’en/Samhain, Pagan Contemporary, and dark/urban fiction. So far I’ve got ideas for 3 which have been slowly creeping into my head since they were announced.

Thanks to Conjure One‘s “Center of the Sun“, the paranormal romance was the first to pop up. I LOVE that song so, so, so bad; partially because Rhys Fulber is amazing and mostly because Poe (aka Anne Danielewski; aka Jane) is a unique brand of awesomesauce that I’d serve with any meal. I managed to outline the story early this morning between naps so now it’s just a matter of putting the fingers to the keyboard and watching the letters fly. Shape shifter, werewolf, and a human girl. Could be interesting.

The Hallowe’en/Samhain anthology is a bit up in the air right now. My original idea, inspired by the song “A Thousand Years, Pt. 2” by Christina Perri, is bittersweet. To be honest, it’s channeling some of my emotions from losing my mum, who was born on Hallowe’en. Not sure if it’ll stick or not. A bit somber but that’s part of Samhain – not all just fun and games.

Still haven’t figured out the contemporary pagan story yet. Feels like a mental 404 HTTP error (you might recognize this as the “not found” error you get sometimes when trying to access a webpage).

And thanks to catching the first few minutes of the local news last night, I think I’ve got a lead on the dark, urban fiction. A terrible story about a boy here in my city: 10 years old, locked up in the master bedroom by his aunt and uncle for an estimated 18 to 24 months (read: 2 years), living on 2 servings of fast food a day in a room with nothing but furniture and access to the bathroom (though there was still bodily waste found in the room). Apparently their kitchen was filthy and they have a 9 year old daughter who went to school, enjoyed freedom, and basically got to be a kid.

It’s one of those moments where I think the Tom Clancy quote can be aptly applied:

The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.

Because, at this point, this real-life story doesn’t make ANY sense. The poor kid. Though there’s hope for him. He apparently had two requests: real food and to go to school, even though he’s never been. Something tells me he’ll pull through this yet.

I have to admit I’m interested to see what happens as police and media question the aunt and uncle and trot them out for their trial. Just what possible reason could they have for locking him up for 2 years, while letting their own daughter run around without the same treatment? There’s always a motive, an impetus, even if it doesn’t seem to make sense on the surface.

I don’t know exactly where this little tidbit of inspiration is going to lead, but I’m feeling a pull towards telling a story from this type of darkness, possibly from the POV of a girl in the same situation of the daughter. We’ll see what happens.

But then again, that’s the way of all things, isn’t it?

Dragon Shield at Amazon.

Welcome to an interview with Dianne Lynn Gardner, a fantastic author and artist, as well as one very busy and incredibly awesome lady!

Today’s interview is part of her blog tour for the re-release of her book, Dragon Shield, the second book of her Ian’s Realm Saga.  This re-release comes with a facelift and a new short story among other surprises. And to accompany this interview, Dianne’s provided a great excerpt to get us started on the next part of Ian’s journey.

Will you tell us a bit about Dragon Shield and what inspired you to write it?

Dragon Shield is the second book in the Ian’s Realm Saga. It was actually the first book I drafted, but once the story was written I had so many questions from my beta readers I knew I needed to write a prequel, hence Deception Peak. By the time the first book was written, so much had changed that Dragon Shield was almost entirely revamped aside from the characters, the plot and the theme.

I began the Ian’s Realm Sage to satisfy a need for my grandchildren. I have 9 grandsons and whereas my granddaughters were always reading, the boys were not. I asked them what kind of books they’d like, if they’d like a story about a dragon, and they were excited to be part of the conceptual process. While I painted a 9 ft 3 panel dragon painting, the story evolved.

Can we look forward to seeing more of Abbi and Ian’s father?

Yes. The next story is Rubies and Robbers and concludes the trilogy. Book IV is titled Diary of a Conjurer. That book weaves A Tale of the Four Wizards series into the Realm Saga. Book V is Cassandra’s Castle, and we have a couple of cameo appearances in that one. I’m still working on book VI, Abbott, which in the timeline comes somewhere after Diary but before Cassandra. I plan on doing a book VII but it hasn’t been outlined yet.

In Deception Peak, Ian learned some tough lessons and it’s one of the things I loved most – the “tough love” approach. Should we expect more from this second installment?

Most definitely, even more so in fact. The closer Ian comes to manhood, the tougher it is on him. He has some pretty hefty lessons to learn.

What are your favourite things about Ian? What makes him dear to your heart?

He’s so much like my grandsons. Life isn’t easy even for good people, and we all have flaws in our character. I think growing up, making that transition between child an adult, is the toughest thing people go through. Ian struggles to be a man when he’s still a child. He wants to make the right decisions and yet he stumbles not knowing how. I remember how awkward my coming of age experience was and all the mistakes I made. I feel for him.

Other than Ian, do you have a favourite character in Deception Peak?

Amleth. He was fashioned after someone I know, and I combined his traits with of the honor and just temperament of Native Americans I’ve met.

Are there any lines from Dragon Shield that stick out in your mind – any favourites, perhaps?

Yes. Aren is the one that says it to Ian. The words cut our hero like a knife. His indecisions and lack of backbone revealed him in a less than desirable light in the eyes of the Kaemperns.

 “Integrity isn’t just something you think about doing. Integrity is who you are.”

What is the main message(s) you’d like young readers (and older!) to take from Dragon Shield?

I love the way Shelia Deeth put it in one of her reviews. I’d like to quote if you don’t mind.

“After all, heroes aren’t born, they’re nurtured with wisdom from mistakes, valor from battles, and kindness from pain. Ian learns all these lessons in this book as he steps forward to take his father’s place, and learns there’s a lot more to leading than just saying no to potential followers.”

The re-released editions of Deception Peak and Dragon Shield have short stories about four young wizards. First was Silvio’s story and now, Meneka’s. What inspired you to write these stories?

There’s much more to the Realm than what Ian is seeing in his short time there. There’s legend, and these short stories introduce us to the magic, and conflict that is stirring in the Realm. They are doors to future books as well, and some of them hold little nuggets bout Ian’s story that you wouldn’t see otherwise. I am really glad we’re including them with the novels this time. I’d like everyone to have the chance to read them.

Speaking of inspiration …what inspired you to write YA fiction and what is it that keeps you coming back?

I love teens. I absolutely love them. I feel they are underrated and misunderstood. Like I said, growing up for me had been harder than any other part of life, and more so because of inner conflict. I’m hoping to shine a light in those dark places for young people.

And finally, a really fun question! If you were to write yourself into the story, where would you be and what would you be doing?

I’d be a Kaempern hunting with the guys and living in a yurt, catching the wild steeds from time to time and riding on the beach of Inlet Bay at sunset. :)

“On Fire” – Painting by Dianne Lynn Gardner in “Dragon Shield”

More about Dragon Shield

“Integrity isn’t something you do, it’s who you are,” Aren tells the confused Ian in  The Dragon Shield. 

Now a young man, Ian returns to the magical Realm to fight against the tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different place, the forest is dying, the Kaemperns have lost the shield that protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle to do right buries him in confusion, and he must fight his own will to prove his integrity. The Ian’s Realm Saga is filled with sorcery, wizards, magic, and fantasy adventure, great for young readers and the entire family.

Watch this award-winning trailer on Youtube.

Purchase a copy of Dragon Shield today over at Amazon!

Excerpt:

“You’re Kaemperns, aren’t you?”

The man didn’t speak, but Ian recognized the clothing and the men’s complexion as that of the Northern tribe.

He eyed Brad burying his head in the sheepskin. I guess we do look pretty suspicious, if not pathetic.

Ian cleared his throat. “I know we appear to be trespassing, but that’s not really the case. You see I’ve been here before. I know some of your people. If Amleth is still your chief, if he’s still around, please give him a message. Tell him Ian has returned.”

Their eyes grew wide, their faces paled and they exchanged glances.

“You recognize my name, then?”

“We’ve heard the name.”

“Well, that’s good. Amleth has too.”

The men proceeded to unarm him.

“Take that to Amleth,” Ian said, as they took his sheath from his belt. His voice was a bit shakier than he would have liked. “Show him my sword. It’s from a different world. He’ll know it’s mine.”

They took his bow off his shoulder and his quiver from his back.

“There’s not a bow around here that looks like that. Amleth will know where it comes from.” Ian watched with remorse as they gathered his things in their arms. But when they unfastened his armor from around his chest, it was all he could do to hold back his rage.

“This is my Dad’s armor,” he protested.

They said nothing as they unfastened the leather ties and pulled the metal chest guard away. He wanted to lash out at them but held back. If he were going to be accepted, he had to remain calm. This was a test, that’s all. They were testing to see if he was a friend.

Everything will be resolved when I talk to Amleth.

With the weaponry in hand, one of his captors knelt over and picked up the shield that lay by Brad’s bed.

“Hey,” Bran protested and jumped to his feet.

“Brad.” Ian said. His eyes stopped the boy.

“But…”

Ian shook his head. The man who held the shield asked. “What’s this?” After inspecting the shield, his comrade turned to Ian.

“You’re free to move about in this camp; eat, make a fire and stay warm. But you are under guard, and if you flee, we will find you. A second chance at leniency will be much harder to achieve.”

Ian nodded. “I have no plans of escaping. This is my destination.”

The men stepped out of the yurt with Ian and Brad’s belongings. When their footsteps could no longer be heard, Brad sat up.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Ian frowned at him. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“Are you crazy? We’re prisoners. We have to escape. That’s what prisoners do. You’ve got the remote. Click it and we’ll be gone. They’ll never find us.”

“What are you thinking? This isn’t a game.” Ian said “Is that what you think? That this is some kind of video game or something?”

Brad’s stare was blank.

“I’m here on a mission. Why you’re here is a puzzle I’ve yet to solve. You came here uninvited. You actually have no business being here.”

“It was an accident.”

“Accident? An accident that you were in my house–touching my things?”

Brad just squinted like he didn’t know what Ian was talking about.

More about Dianne, Ian’s Realm and her other works!

The Pacific Northwest is my home. After living in the dry desert of Arizona for over 23 years, I tired of always praying for rain, so I decided to come and get it on my own. Gray skies and deep forests give way to the most glorious summers you could ever imagine. Not to mention the abundance of berries, clams, oysters, salmon, fruits of all kinds, to me the Puget Sound area of Washington is the richest place in the world.

I have seven children, all grown. Sixteen grandchildren that need stories written, and so they are my inspiration.

People always find it fascinating that I lived in a mud house for over 13 years, hauling water from the well in a bucket, cooking on a wood stove, planting blue corn in desert washes, and generally living out of the box. Some of these experiences are tapped into my novels.

My website is http://gardnersart.com You’ll find books, audios, artwork and how our movie production is coming along on that site.

• Dianne on Facebook
• Dianne on Twitter
• Dianne’s blog
• Dianne @ Amazon Author Central
• Dianne @ PDMI Publishing
• Ian’s Realm Saga on Facebook

Deception Peak (Book 1 in the Ian’s Realm Saga) is also available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FCZ32MG

Other books by Dianne:

Altered, published by MKSP, can be purchased from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Dianne-Lynn-Gardner-ebook/dp/B00JLLZHNE/ref=la_B0090LIYEO_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397282182&sr=1-2

Deception Peak
by Dianne Lynn Gardner

Are there really such things as Magical Realms? On the other side of your computer screen? For teenager Ian Wilson, his normal life will never be the same.

When a portal magically appears on his computer screen he follows his father through to a deceptively beautiful Realm, where horses run free, the wind sings prophetic melodies, and their computer avatars come to life.Then the two are separated and Ian is abducted by a tribe of dragon worshipers. He must find his courage as he struggles to obtain his freedom.

Will he find his escape?  

Can he find his father and discover the purpose for his magical journey or will his adventure end tragically?

If you enjoy wizards, magic, dragons, an adventure, fantasy and traveling to a different world, you will enjoy Deception Peak! Includes ‘Silvio: A Tale of the Four Wizards’.

***

My Review

Being a teen is tough – especially when you’re caught up in a world you know nothing about while your dad’s lost somewhere. The challenge of school and every day life will never be the same.

I’ve been excited to read Ian’s story since I first heard about his characters and “Deception Peak” did not disappoint. The story is adventurous and a pleasure to read, painting very real images with both words and beautiful visual art created by the author. I absolutely adore stories that pull you into a character and rumble around in their head with their highs and woes, like the internal struggles and growth Ian experiences. The story has consistent movement with plenty of action the reader gets to experience via Ian.

I enjoyed the contemporary elements and the ties to the real world throughout, making sure it’s never truly astray. Particularly touching is the father-son aspect which draws me in even more because it reminds me of my own family, where my father and brother share an interest in technology and working on projects together. It’s like being home.

The kindness shown by Amleth and others caught my heart, providing a lovely balance to other characters who aren’t as kind. I’m also a sucker for the varying emotions involved in the story, making the characters real like they should be in any great adventure. Sometimes the world is up and sometimes it’s down, but Ian keeps going. He has pluck and courage, yet there is certainly a lot of potential for him to grow! He faces several hefty lessons but his heart is in the right place, all of which is valuable to our youth who are reading and learning about the world and who they can be. I look forward to see how Ian progresses.

Want to read Deception Peak? Purchase it in print from Amazon or get it on Kindle. There’s even an audio version. Or, you can also purchase it in print from Barnes & Noble.

Stay tuned for more about Dianne this week with her exciting re-release of Dragon Shield, the second installment in the Ian’s Realm Saga! On Friday, May 9th, I’ll be posting an interview with the author and more.

What’s your first response when you read this?

Mine was “what does it matter?”, followed by the urge to blog about how ridiculous it is there’s a need to even defend oneself against judgement.

I found this meme a few days ago while reading through my Facebook News Feed, posted by another author.  Then yesterday, I discovered this article by Giselle/Book Nerd Canada in response to a posting on Facebook.

Why is this even a thing? Why is there judgement? What purpose does it serve for one group of people to look down upon another just because someone considered an adult wants to read books which are aimed towards younger adults? As far as I’m concerned, if you like reading YA books, knock your socks off. No one should have to defend themselves against something like this.

A story is a story, regardless of age. The story may be their thing based on an individual’s point of view, but it is what it is. Readers read want they like. Adults have the ability to choose what they want to read in most parts of the world, and if they find YA exciting and interesting, great! You know what it means?

It means people are reading.

That’s it. And you know what? That’s the important part we ought to be focusing on. In a world where we value literacy, that’s the goal we should be keeping in mind. Not to mention that it means storytelling lives on! The desire (and need, as some would argue) for our species to tell stories, share, and communicate ideas and experiences is incredibly alive. Adults need stories as much as our youth. So what if a particular story may be presented through the eyes of a 16 year old? We should be more interested in understanding the messages in that story. We need those messages. We need to hear the same things over and over whether they be messages of love, hope, need, overcoming challenges, becoming a better person, or exploring the strengths and weaknesses in the human condition.

We also need the dialogue created around those stories. What can we learn? What does it tell us about ourselves and each other? Just the simple act of coming together to say how something touched us brings us closer together as people, sharing something beautiful. Sometimes it leaves inspiration behind, becoming a creation that sparks creation. Now that’s some real magic.

Let’s be honest: age is just one variable to make a story, helping to give it perspective and an identity. Tell a story with a 16 year old protagonist. Then, tell it with a 50 year old. It won’t be the same because of their experiences but that’s what makes them equally special. The world seen from the eyes of the youth will be different than an adult – but that’s not a bad thing. It provides a rounder viewer of the world, especially when you’re an adult in an adult’s brain. While we used to be “that age”, we get wrapped up in “what adults do” in the “grown up” world. I’d like to think that being an adult willing to delve into the YA stories allows for broader perspective and openness. It can be a fantastic exercise. On one hand, we can connect better to our adult selves. At the same time, we can connect to our younger selves – maybe even learn more about who we were as youths when we didn’t understand. That knowledge may even allow us to better understand who we are as adults.

Thanks to Giselle’s article, I was able to follow through on a few other articles on the issue. After reading all of them, I think Kelly Jensen’s article “Ridiculous Ways the Internet Explains Why Adults Read YA”, is my favourite though Malinda Lo’s, “Unpacking why adults read young adult fiction“, is a good read, too. Both of these come down to the same conclusion:

Adults read YA books because they want to. Because they derive something from it. It’s not the same something, but there’s something they like. Something that grabs them.

There’s absolutely no reason anyone should feel the need to justify it. No reason to be shamed. No reason to be considered “abnormal”. The meme above shouldn’t have any reason to exist. The Facebook excerpt in Giselle’s article shouldn’t have reason to include the labels of “weirdly YA-obsessed adult”.

This sounds a bit backwards and warped to me, this attitude that YA is somehow lesser than its adult counterparts. Treating YA literature as if it’s good enough only for youths and not adults doesn’t make sense … especially considering that we want our youth to read these stories during their formative years – the time when the things influencing their minds and actions are so incredibly important, ushering them into who they will be as adults. These are the stories that teach them messages and meaning, that give them new perspectives and ideas, sparking the flames of imagination and new thinking.

Instead of looking down on YA literature as if it’s “dumbed down”, we need to be giving the YA genre the best of the best to give our youth the best. We need to see YA literature as important to us all. Treating it like low-grade, second rate literature does us all a great disservice. Because really, if as adults we judge it as crap, why are we allowing our youth to read it? These are the people who will control the world in the future. Let’s give them some respect, and respect the works written with their demographic in mind.

And lastly, I want to flip the issue and look at it from an author’s perspective. It’s an insult. If people think adults reading YA books is weird and abnormal, what does it say about the adults who write them? Only a portion of society are writers; of them, only a portion write YA literature. It’s not for everybody, requiring passion for the stories and an ability to get into the YA thinking which not everyone can do. We won’t discriminate against the ages of our audience, though. We can’t afford to, sure, but why would we want to? If adults want to read the YA stories we right, fantastic! Thanks for reading because every individual counts. If we touch anyone’s heart and/or mind, that’s gold – regardless of age.

I’d also like to point out that in many cases, it’s adults who help get the books into YA hands, from publishers and reviewers to parents and teachers. It’s particularly helpful if parents read the work and pass it on to their kids. They can directly influence youth to read and know what the kids are reading. Adults who read YA and share those stories with their kids are an amazing thing – not only are they being a great role model and responsible parent, but there’s a chance to relate to each other and talk about something. There’s an opportunity for communication and sharing between parent and child. And that’s beautiful.

I think I’ve finally found the end of the post. To wrap it up, I just want to leave it with some positive thinking. Reading is reading. Investing the time into storytelling is time well spent. We’ve got young adults who read adult literature. We’ve got adults who read YA literature. At the end of the day, people are reading. Let’s just focus on that and let the rest fall away.

Hi!

Thanks for dropping in. I know, it’s looking sparse around here. I’m working on getting this theme fixed up and info loaded in. The virtual curtains, sofa, TV and munchies should arrive soon.

In the meantime, a little about me: I write fiction for young adults. It tends to come up fantasy but I’m not one bit surprised when something of other speculative forms comes up.

I’ll make this post short … which could be considered amazing in some cases since my favourite things to write are novels. With that said, I’ll leave you with a touch of trivia about me.

(1) One of my favourite YA books: Master of Murder by Christopher Pike. I’ve read it so much, the cover of my paperback is no longer attached. No wonder: it’s about a writer.

(2) One of my favourite movies: Taming of the Shrew starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. ♥ “AAAAMENNNNNN” (watch it and this will make perfect sense).

(3) What I wanted to be when I graduated high school: A cryptozoologist. Awesome job combining the study of animals with the unknown. Did you know that Giant pandas were considered a cryptid? People didn’t know what they were and believed they were only found in Chinese folklore. They turned out to be real. Nice.
Wrapping this up now … be back again soon.

♥ Regine