Top Reads of 2015

Some people have an instinct for storytelling. They are able to take all the disparate parts - plot, structure, setting, character - and weave them into a tale so fascinating, so heartfelt, so exciting that you not only can't see the seams, but don't even think to look for them. And these are the stories that reach out from the page, grab hold, and don't let go. In some strange, indefinable way, these stories become part of you. In short, some people can bring whole worlds to life with only the written word.

I'm not one of them.

Getting a story to come together into something cohesive, something that flows - something that fits all those separate elements into something greater than than the sum of their parts - is a real struggle for me. It feels like juggling a thousand balls in the air at once, and I never was any good at juggling.

And when you count the pressures that seem to go along with being a writer in this current day and age, it becomes infinitely harder. Not only must one be an excellent writer, but also editor, agent, publisher, promotional wiz, and advertising department. It's a lot to expect from one person, especially for those who, like me, aren't sure they have what it takes to begin with.

All this to say that I've done very little writing this past year. But I have been reading a lot this year, and I've had the (rare) privilege of encountering several books in 2015 that reached out and grabbed hold of me - the kind of story that left me dizzy and dazed, that I want to read again as soon as I turned the final page.

And they've made me realize that is why - despite my doubts - I want to write. Not for fame or fortune, but for the hope that someday I will write something that will reach out and grab an unsuspecting reader, leave them dizzy and dazed, and become part of them. After all, what better way to repay the writers whose stories I love than to pay it forward and write something that someone else will love?

Without further rambling, I present my top reads for 2015:

5 Secrets of Creativity You Already Know But Might Have Forgotten

Most writers worth their salt already know everything on this list… but sometimes we need a reminder. I came across this yesterday during a short-lived bout of cleaning. I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

There are cycles of creativity

Just as there are seasons in a year and cycles in preparing, planting, nurturing and harvesting, there are creative cycles. We are not always in the harvesting phase — we do go through the dormant cycles of winter that feel as though nothing is happening. When we honor this, we complete the cycle and move on to the planting and harvesting phases.

This is something I've struggled with lately. I've been in a dormant phrase with my writing for many months now, and can't seem to pull myself out of it. This has been a welcome reminder that at times we must let our creativity lie fallow, and replenish itself for future projects. And that it's OK to do so.

Creativity takes time and silent space

Known to writers as Butt-In-Chair time — staking out regular quiet time. Make an commitment to yourself and your writing, whether it is every day or several times per week. Many writers feel guilty when they take to the time to engage in their work. It may mean letting some things go, not overcommitting, and saying no.

As the saying goes, "I say no to many things, so that I may say yes to what gives me life." We need strong boundaries so that we have energy and time for our creations.

Work from your strengths

"If you were to spend 80% of your effort to become good at a weakness you might improve that area 20%. But if you were to spend that sane 80% of your effort to improve an area of strength, you might improve it 100% or more!" ~ Cheryl Lackie

When we focus inordinate amounts of time and energy on our weaknesses, it can be easy to forget our strengths. But don't lose sight of what you're good at, or why you enjoy writing in the first place.

Fear is a companion of creativity — make friends with fear

Unless you're a thrill-seeker, you will likely experience some degree of fear when you venture out into unfamiliar territory. You can pause, examine it, slow down for a moment. Just don't let it stop you—after all, the only way past fear is by facing it.

Fear is a jolt of energy. put it to work by channelling that energy into your writing. Expect it, redefine it, use it. Just don't let it get the better of you.

Stop criticizing yourself

We can defeat ourselves before we start by constantly feeling we come up short. I know I've found myself thinking like that far more often than I'd like. You can polish your work and improve your skill, but you don't have to label yourself wrong or a failure in order to do so.

When you have to do something perfectly, you will rarely try something new because you can't do new things perfectly on the first try. Do your best, but don't hold onto it something until it's perfect because by that time it could well be outdated.

Adapted from "The Top Ten Secrets of Creatively Successful Women" by Iris Fanning

Light and Dark

Summer is finally loosening its grip, and fall waits just around the corner. The last of summer's endless heat is always a welcome time in Arizona, and every year autumn is too brief for my tastes. Shorter days, cool nights, clear blue skies and golden yellow aspens… it's the perfect time to be in Arizona.

Light and darkness both have their place in the cycle of the year, in our lives, and in the lives of our characters. Don't get too caught up in one, because each always leads to the other. Both have their time and place. The challenge is to understand and appreciate what each has to offer. Derek Murphy over at CreativIndie has a wonderful article on this theme that's definitely worth a read.

I've been working to get Last Night in Ghosttown ready to debut on Smashwords. No (re)release date just yet, but I'll do my best to get it back on the virtual shelves sometime this month. All of my other projects have been backburnered recently for some soul searching. As all I turned up in the course of my searching were a few existential dust bunnies and an odd sock or two, I suppose I'll just keep on keeping on and continue writing at my own glacial pace.

How do you stay balanced between light and dark? What role do each play in your writing? In your characters' journeys?

Link Soup: Trees, Plots, and Being Normal

 

Trees in Fantasy (part 1) ~ Fantasy Faction
I've always been fascinated by trees, and in the best fantasy stories there is usually no shortage of them. My fourth grade teacher read several of the Chronicles of Narnia aloud in class, ending with The Magician's Nephew. The idea of the Woods Between the Worlds enthralls me to this day. This article is the first of a series, and examines tree mythology from around the world - as varied as many creation myths are, it's notable how many of them include trees in some way.

Are YOU the Writer's Block? ~ Donna Cummings
Essential reading for any writer. My answer (and I doubt I'm alone in this) is a resounding YES! Though I find my type of writer's block tends to be of the "I'm not good enough and everything I write is crap anyway so why bother doing it because my time would clearly be better spent alphabetizing my sock drawer" variety. Which is even less helpful than it sounds.

Too Much of a Good Thing: Over Plotting Your Novel ~ Janice Hardy
I generally struggle to come up with the main plot for any given story, so over plotting has never been a big concern. But this excellent article from Janice Hardy is still very interesting. I found her over plotting symptoms extremely helpful in a reverse engineering kind of way. And her final checklist of what a novel needs is essential for any kind of writer.

But I Just Want to Be Normal! ~ Fantasy Faction
I admit it, when I saw the title, I immediately thought of Charmed. If you saw any of the later seasons, you know exactly what I mean (this was practically the show's motto). Confessions aside, this post is a must-read for anyone writing urban fantasy or any modern-day SFF.

Novel Diagnostics ~ Kristen Lamb
More wisdom from the always-helpful Kristen Lamb. This breaks down the most common (and easy-to-miss on your own) problems that show up in the first ten pages, and gives excellent ideas on how to remedy them.

"Dryad's Dance" and "Dryad's Dance II" courtesy my alter ego

All Quiet on the Western Front

It's been awfully quiet around these parts lately, I admit it. May is usually a bit of a whirlwind for me, and this one has been no exception. I've had family in town and a big painting to distract me from all things writing-related. I had big plans to (finally) get back to the short story this past week, but unfortunately I've been distracted for a much less pleasant reason - the start of wildfire season here in Arizona.

I confess to lately being glued to both computer and tv for the latest news on the Slide Fire. Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most scenic and beautiful parts of an extraordinarily scenic and beautiful state, and I've spent many hours there over the years, wandering through the pine forests, watching the river flow and daydreaming of characters and stories. It's been horrifying to watch it go up in flames the past five days.

So if you have any spare good wishes, vibes, prayers, happy thoughts or whatever else you might deal in, send them on over to northern Arizona. We sure could use it!

In better news: LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN releases in two days! Woo hoo! More to come on that very soon.

A Rant: Hobbits, Women, and Orlando Bloom

Last December, a review of the second Hobbit film "The Desolation of Smaug" ran in a local paper. It was no different than any of a thousand other Hobbit movie reviews, until I came to this line:

"… and the return of Orlando Bloom as elf Legolas. Now, besides hairy-footed hobbits and bushy-bearded dwarfs, women have a reason to get excited about this trilogy."

Excuse me?!

I didn't know I needed a reason to get excited over this latest trilogy. Silly me, I thought watching all of the previous trilogy (extended editions, no less!) and reading Tolkien's books was reason enough.

But, it turns out, I was wrong.

Because clearly I, as a woman, couldn't possibly be interested in any other aspect of these movies.

Not the richly detailed world. Not the story of an unlikely hero finding his courage and saving the day. Not the mind-blowing scenery of New Zealand or special effects. Certainly not the acting chops of some of the UK's most talented character actors (most of whom I'd have few other chances to watch here in the US). And of course I wouldn't be interested in a dragon!

Because clearly the only thing that could possibly make my girly little synapses fire is a so-called* pretty face.

It's not like I could possibly watch a movie for several hours without Hollywood's idea of eye candy to keep my attention. And I couldn't possibly find any of the other male actors compelling by virtue of their screen presence or acting ability.**

Because clearly I couldn't have been devouring fantasy books since I was old enough to read.

And I certainly couldn't make weekly trips to my library to find *more* fantasy and sci-fi books to inhale.

Because clearly women aren't interested in sci-fi and fantasy. Right?

* No offense intended to Orlando Bloom, who seems like a nice guy.

** Two words: Lee Pace.

3 Writing Quirks That Work For Me

~ Not writing every day

I know, it's like breaking the First Commandment of Writing ("Thou shalt writeth every day, no matter how numb thy bum may be"). But one of the most beneficial things I've discovered is knowing when to write, and when not to. Some days it's just sheer laziness and procrastination, and I just have to push myself through that wall. But then there are days when the creative juices are all dried up, and my metaphorical tank is running on E. And on those days, odds are high that no amount of butt-in-chair time will produce anything beyond frustration and stagnancy.

It's something I long ago discovered in my artwork as well (you knew I'd have to mention painting sooner or later). There are days to push myself past the "don't wanna" stage, and there are days when making myself paint will result only in a ruined piece and a bad mood. Sometimes these kinds of days are good to sit back and think on trouble spots, brainstorm ideas for what happens next; but usually I've found them best to completely ignore my WIP, so I can come back to it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Sometimes it's the best thing I can do for a troublesome story.

~ Using pen and paper for story notes

There's something about a blank word processing document that's absolutely terrifying to me. It's a void, an utter absence of anything and everything — which means, of course, that it could become anything. And in the face of such endless possibility, how can I not be intimidated into paralysis?

I get around this by writing all of my notes the old-fashioned way, in a spiral-bound notebook with a pen. In this technological age I know this won't work for everyone, but it's one of the best writing habits I've picked up. Somehow a blank sheet of paper is far less intimidating to me (don't ask me why), so it helps me get around this initial, overwhelming paralysis at the beginning of projects. And all of my notes are in one place — one jumbled-together, paper-clipped-to-death place (and I wouldn't have it any other way). I can drag my college-ruled notebook anywhere, anytime — unlike my iMac — and I never have to worry about power, wifi, hackers, none of it. Strange factoid: I start writing my notes in the back of the notebook, and work my way forward. I don't know why; it just works out that way.

~ Focusing on one WIP at a time

Another unspoken "do" of writing: have several projects going, so you can always be working on/editing/submitting something. But this is another one of those non-rules that, no matter how logical, just doesn't work for me. And for the record, I'm not talking about scribbling down notes and random "what if's" that pop into my mind, I mean writing actual drafts.

When I really focus on a creative endeavor, I don't like to be distracted. It's one of the reasons I have a hard time shifting between painting and writing, and rarely do the two concurrently. When my mind gets into something, that's it — that's my focus. And the same is true of writing multiple stories at one time. How can I get into Character A's head enough to discover her voice if I'm also trying to figure out what's going on in Character 1's mind? How can I firm up the quirks of World B if I'm also trying to explain what must happen in World 2? Likely this is something that will come to me with time, and experience. Which means I better get my butt-in-chair time in, and start writing more often...

Links and Check-In 3.8.14

Are You Living Your Dream? ~ Jami Gold
An excellent post that I think every writer on the planet can relate to. It can sometimes feel insurmountable trying to balance writing between real-world distractions (bills, jobs, day-to-day life) and personal obstacles (finding time with/away from family and friends, writer's block, and that demon self-doubt). Though ultimately it is one of those journeys that only you can discover your truth, Jami's ideas on reclaiming the dream are very helpful and encouraging. (Warning: don't watch the video if you don't want that Lego song stuck in your head for the rest of eternity!)

Is Fear Driving You Forward or Dragging You Under? ~ Kristen Lamb
A sister post to Jami Gold's, and also a very timely examination of the fears that dog us both as writers and as human beings. I've said before that I never expected my first novella, LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN, to go any farther than my hard drive, yet here I am two months away from its release by Eggplant Productions. And as amazing and exciting as this is, at times I find myself struggling - with the fear that LAST NIGHT is a fluke, and perversely with the fear that my writing will go on to require more from me than I have or want to give it (i.e. at the expense of my artwork). Fear is a funny thing, attacking from all angles if we let it. Lately I've been reminded of the famous quote from Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us… As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~ ~

As for the check-in, all of my writing time this week was focused on edits for LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN. Still researching for the mermaid story (though the dystopian fantasy keeps trying to cut ahead of it in my mental "ideas" line). I've been letting the short story simmer in the meantime, though the other night I had a really great idea on something to add into the mix. Now if I could only remember what it was...

World Builders and Storytellers: Hayao Miyazaki

Now and then I'll be spotlighting some of the people who have most inspired me. First off, in honor of his final film The Wind Rises releasing in the US last week, I'll focus on Hayao Miyazaki.

Famed animator and creator of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's films are known for their poignant stories, beautiful animation and breathtaking landscapes. Being born and bred in the US, with practically no knowledge of anime, I'd never heard of him until eight years ago, when Turner Classic Movies devoted an entire month to featuring Miyazaki's movies...

Saturday Check-In 2.22.14

Not a very exciting report today, I'm afraid. Edits have come back for LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN, and I haven't had a chance to work on the short story this week. It's for the best, since I think the short story needs to simmer on its own for a bit. I've never had much success with the "write even if you're not feeling it" school of thought. Sure, some days it's just laziness, and as a writer I have to buckle down and push through it. Other days, though, it's just not there. I discovered this with painting long ago, and learned to listen (after ruining enough sheets of watercolor paper by saying "I'm just going to paint something anyway!"). For me, when the creative well runs dry no amount of butt-in-chair time will change that.

Still researching and cogitating on the mermaid story. At some point I'm going to have to relinquish the library's oceanography book and start really fleshing out the characters. But until then…

Word of the Day: Guyot (or, my mermaid colony has a home!)

Links and Check-In

Procrastination (Or Why You Can't Trust a Version of You from the Future)

I am so very guilty of this. In fact, I've spent all week procrastinating this post, which was in turn my excuse for procrastinating working on my short story. Very interesting take on why so many writers, myself included, put off writing that hard scene ("I may have no clue how to write it today, but surely Tomorrow Me will know just how to do it!")

Premise vs. Plot: Which Do You Have?
This could have been written exclusively for me. Premises come to me as easily and often as oxygen. Lately I've had about seven different premises vying for attention in my brain. Plots, however, have always been a different story. It often seems to come down to the fact that my characters prefer standing around talking to actually, you know, doing anything. I have no idea where they got that trait from *ahem* Anyway, this article breaks down the difference of plot and premise, has some handy tips on fleshing out an idea into a story. I've bookmarked this baby!

What Makes a Story Event a "Turning Point"?
Another article that could've been written just for me. As I said above, plot has always been a challenge for me. Sure, I can come up with things to keep the characters busy, but how to keep all those events from becoming a random mishmash of obstacles? Finally my writing mentor introduced me to what so many other writers already knew of, the "trigger." It's not just that events A, B, and C happen to the characters - it's that A happens because of the initial setup, B happens because of A, C happens because of B, and so on. This article explains it all in detail, and will surely be invaluable to me in the future.

* * *

As for my own writing, I've been battling the Demons of Self-Doubt and haven't gotten too far on the short story. I did go back and rework the opening, which I'm much happier with. Currently a bit stuck, but if I can silence (for a little while at least) The Voice telling me my time would be better spent organizing my sock drawer, then I can push through and get on with the story. Fingers crossed.

Also, Arizona has been the only state in the US not buried under a foot of snow, so I feel obligated to enjoy the sunny weather on behalf of all of my fellow writers. How's that for an excuse?

Writing Links

Who Cares? ~ Rachel Herron
Excellent summary of how I've always felt about first drafts (though I didn't realize it until I read her post). My natural tendency as a writer is toward a long, rambling, and distinctly violet-hued style, so I tend to overcompensate by writing lean. As a result, my first drafts are often little more than awkward beats interspersed with clumsy dialogue. And, perhaps most importantly, I've yet to get a really good grasp of my characters and their voices (it took three drafts to feel like I really knew Dev's voice in Last Night in Ghosttown).

In Defense of Pantsing ~ Jami Gold
Really great post about plotting vs. pantsing. I write by a mix of heavy research and planning before I ever write a single word, then more or less turning myself loose on the early drafts. So many interesting points develop as I write - things I never, ever could've planned for. When gaps in my research and planning become apparent, I fill them in in preparation for subsequent drafts. So the thought of being a strict plotter, complete with outlines and bullet points, just leaves me cold. Basically, I write like I paint - lots and lots of prep (possibly to the point of over thinking everything) then get out the paint and go with the flow.

On Recent Doctor Who ~ Lenora Rose
Interesting analysis of Moffat-era Who. She pegs some of the things that have really bugged me about recent seasons ("series" for any Brits out there), like why Moffat's writing has irked my feminist sensibilities. It really all comes down to this:

While I'm looking forward to seeing what Peter Capaldi does with an older looking Doctor, we didn't actually need a new Doctor. We need to get rid of Steven Moffat as head writer.

I would disagree slightly in that I was more than ready for Matt Smith to leave (while he's a good actor, I've felt from the start that's he's simply too young for the role. YMMV). And I too can't wait to see Peter Capaldi come this fall. But with Moffat still in charge, we'll likely continue to have the inconsistent characterization, convoluted season-arcs and nonsensical resolutions that, honestly, made me lose interest in Who by Matt Smith's second season.

I want a new head writer, too.

Saturday Check-In

Not very much to report, I'm afraid. I didn't write anything this week, and didn't get to starting on the next draft of the short story. I did however continue research on various topics for my two WIPs.

The short story, which I've mentioned previously, combines knitting and Chinese vampires into a darkly humorous urban fantasy. (At least, I hope it does. That's what I'm aiming for!)

The other WIP is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, and will likely be a novella or novel. Novels intimidate me, to be honest, but if that's what the story needs to be then I'll do my best to do it justice.

That's all for now. Hopefully I will have lots more to report on these in the future.

On First Drafts

Confession time: I'm doing it again. Neglecting this blog because I don't feel like what I have to say is worth sharing. Not a good habit for a writer, even one as erratic as myself.

The good news, though, is that I actually sat down and wrote a short story this week! It's about 3K in length, and it's awful. Really awful, in fact. But my first drafts always are, so I'm not overly concerned.

Some writers enjoy the first draft, with its freedom to let the imagination run rampant before later drafts start fussing over the details. Not me, though. First drafts are like pulling teeth for me. Something about a blank page (whether paper or pixels) just intimidates me to no end. I do better with revising. Though it's always a lot of work, and often quite a slog, I find it easier to reshape what's there into something better, something stronger. Creating it in the first place is scary stuff in my world.

As with everything, this brings me back to art. When I start a sketch, I block in the shapes very lightly, and very loosely. Often it bears very little resemblance to the finished (or idealized) product, and it's easy to get discouraged ("This looks like crap! I wasted how much time on this?") But subsequent passes refine each shape, making sure their proportions, placement, and relations to one another are right before I put in the details. This is how I think of my writing — each draft gets the big stuff into place until I start refining down the details.

In summary: "I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." ~ James Michener

10 Random Facts About Me

I'm not very good at talking about myself. In fact, I'm what's known on the internets as a lurker. I will read what other people have to say, privately agree or disagree, but rarely post my own thoughts. Sometimes it's out of sheer laziness, sometimes it's just because I don't think what I have to say is worth putting down. An excellent quality in a writer, I know. So if my posts here on this blog are infrequent or incoherent, now you'll know why.

I love to knit and crochet. I don't get to do as much of it as I'd like, because my eyesight is terrible, so I can't just, say, knit while watching tv because of constantly having to take my glasses off to see my stitches, then glasses on to watch tv, and so forth (see above, re: laziness) And I'll admit, I usually don't want to take time out of my day to knit or crochet because there are always so many other things to do (I call it Creative ADD).

I lived in Ontario, Canada for ten months when I was eleven. Even though this happened to coincide with one of the coldest winters the region had seen in some years, I really enjoyed my time there and would love to see it (as well as the rest of the country) again someday.

I love plants and flowers, but can't grow them to save my life. My mother has two green thumbs, and sometimes I think she can make things grow just by looking at them. Sadly, I did not inherit that ability. So I compromise by doing as many paintings of nature (especially flowers) as I can manage.

I am too wordy for Twitter. This probably stems from my love of run-on sentences, big words, and commas. 140 characters?! I'm just getting started!

I took dance lessons from age twelve to twenty-one. Jazz and modern were my favorites, though I did take some ballet, and a smattering of other styles as well. Though I don't dance anymore, I enjoyed it a lot, and love watching others dance (when I can find anything on American tv, that is).

Back in St. Olaf… I have seen every episode of Golden Girls and The Simpsons more times than I can possibly count, and can usually Name That Episode in under a minute.

I home-schooled for two years. I actually skipped seventh grade, entered high school at thirteen, and graduated two months before my 17th birthday.

I have a near-perfect memory… when it comes to things like movies, music and television (just don't ask me to remember why I've walked from one room to another). I can recite nearly every line of movies like Clue, Princess Bride, and Highlander, to name a few. What can I say, some things just stick in my head, the more useless the better.

I lived in Arizona for nine years before seeing the Grand Canyon. And it's not like I live in the southern part of the state, where it can be a long drive to reach the Canyon. I don't know why, it's just how things worked out. But it was certainly worth the wait!

On writing, and dreaming big

I never set out to be a writer.

I've always loved reading, so wanting to create my own stories came naturally. And I did make up my own stories over the years, when the mood struck me. But my first love has always been art - and since 2005, specifically watercolor paintings.

Art is who I am, and how I see the world. Which pigments would best capture the exact shade of blue of an Arizona sky? What kind of brushstrokes would best express the needles of a pine tree caught in the sun? When I see shadows on a white car, I study how the shadow changes from grey to blue to purple as it curves along the car, away from the sun. I live and breathe art.

So to keep a long story short (too late): although I've been drawn to storytelling for as long as I can remember, it was never my go-to mode of expression. Whereas art came naturally to me, writing has been a challenge. Oh, not the basic, high school English class stuff. But the nitty-gritty of plotting, structure and the like just doesn't come naturally to me. In a lot of ways, learning to write has been like rewiring my brain to function in Mandarin - utterly foreign to me.

All this to say I've never been the most prolific writer. Or the most dedicated, if I'm going to be honest. Many ideas have come and gone over the years - some I plan to revisit, some are probably best left in the past. In the spring of 2010 I got the spark of yet another idea, for the story that would become Last Night in Ghosttown. And somehow, my interest in it never waned. Sure, the writing always went on hold when I'd get inspired for another painting. But I kept going back to LNiG, and plugged away on it for over three years. My ultimate writing goal when I started my little novella was to finish it. (Nothing like dreaming big!) Despite a long journey filled with lots of self-doubt, hair-pulling and trips to the library, I finally finished it in the summer of 2013. And to my great surprise, I actually liked it quite a bit. Frankly, this was more than I'd ever hoped for.

So imagine my complete shock when I received an offer to publish Last Night in Ghosttown. It's so far beyond the scope of what I would have ever dreamed that I still can't quite believe it sometimes.

I don't know where my writing will take me next. There are far too many characters, and their stories, bouncing around in my mind for me to stop now. I can only hope that my next project doesn't take me three and a half years to finish! Talk about dreaming big.

2013: Looking Back

2013 was, in most respects, an awful year. Personally, I was sick a lot. Artistically, my alter ago was very productive, creating 15 paintings last year. And as a writer, I started with an all-but-trunked WIP, Last Night in Ghosttown... and closed the year with a sale for LNiG to be published in 2014!

When 2013 started, I hadn't touched Last Night in Ghosttown in seven months (blame my alter ego for taking over my limited attention span). I decided 2013 would be the year I'd finally finish that poor thing, after starting it waaay back in 2010 (why yes, I am the world's slowest writer). Somehow I managed, in fits and spurts, to finish the third act until I reached the pivotal ending scene - and got completely stuck. The ending I’d intended for years just felt... stale, somehow, and I didn’t know what to do. LNiG probably would have languished in Unfinished Hell forever if not for the friendly, much-needed prodding of my wonderful beta readers. With their metaphorical kicks in the butt, I finished it... and with their encouragement, I took a chance and subbed it, expecting absolutely nothing to come of it. And on the last day of 2013, I received a contract offer. Happy New Year indeed!

And now, thanks to the amazing people of Eggplant Productions, Last Night in Ghosttown will be making its debut to the world in a few months time. So to everyone who has helped me in this long and unpredictable journey, I thank you. You’ve all helped me to achieve more than I ever would’ve hoped for. Group hug!

Intro

Welcome to my blog, wherein you'll find ramblings on writing, fantasy and sci-fi, and whatever else comes into my mind. Any resemblance to coherency is purely coincidental!

My sci-fi novella "Last Night in Ghosttown" will be released this May by Eggplant Productions:

Last Night in Ghosttown by Kathryn McKade explores love, loss and hope set in a far-flung, future Bharat empire. 

In the Maharajah’s Consortium every aspect of citizens’ lives is monitored by the GRID.  Throughout the galaxy, on every planet: money, property, even lives are tracked by General Resource Interactive Display.  Everywhere, that is, except for Ghosttown.  Ghosttown: slum, theme park, holy city, the city that time forgot. 

Enter Dev. In five days he leaves for Misra 7, a planet entrenched in a war so deadly it’s known as The House of Death.  So it’s one last hurrah before he ships out. 

Despite being on a strict time table, Dev allows a would-be thief, Rishi, talk him into handing out expensive med-gems to the sick and needy.  What Rishi gets out of this, Dev doesn’t know.  What he does know is that he keeps putting off his departure date, and he can’t deny that Rishi is the reason. 

Does Dev stick around for Holi, help the people trapped in Ghosttown, and risk getting branded a deserter?  Or should he clear out before he gives up his heart to Rishi?

More info coming soon! I can't promise I'll be the most frequent blogger, but I will do my best not to let this blog languish in cyberspace.