Check out this e-book sale! Over 60 authors are participating (including me).
Click here.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Book Three Update
So it’s time
for a book update. I have seven chapters left to edit in book three of the Screwing Up Time series. (Seven out of
forty-two.) So I’m getting close. Then the book goes to editors. This book has
been a real journey. I wrote the first draft faster than anything I previously
wrote. I was jazzed and thinking how quickly I’d get it out to my readers. And
then, I hit the speed bumps.
Family health
issues and lots of them. I think we should get easy hospital check-in. And it’s
definitely a bad thing when someone as faceblind as I am begins to recognize
surgeons.
Huge laptop
problems. My computer spent almost two months traveling back and forth and back
and forth for repairs.
My youngest
child applied for college. If you have not filled out college applications in a
while, let me tell you how heinous it has become. It’s all online, which should
be easier, right? But one application we filled out was actually timed. In the
right upper corner of the screen was a countdown timer and if the form wasn’t
filled out in time, you lost all the data you input. How insane is that?
Thankfully, a friend let me know about this feature ahead of time, so my son
had his essays written earlier and we shift/copied them into place.
Are there any
more speed bumps coming? Yeah. But that’s why I’m getting those last seven
chapters edited this week and then the book is ready for my editors. So when I
post next Wednesday, I should be announcing that the book is with editors. (If not, I'm sure I'll have a post on what the latest speed bump is.)
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Editing as Escape
Today I was
wondering how on earth I was going to edit. So many difficult things are going
on in my real life that all I want to do is pull the cover over my head. But,
honestly, I hate wearing pajamas all day. And there’s a huge amount of laundry
to be done. Not to mention I have two kids who need me to edit their papers. So
I got up, had my coffee, and started laundry.
And I still didn’t want to edit. And then, editing sang her siren song. She reminded me
that I could immerse myself in another world. That I could spend a couple of
hours thinking about a knife fight, a room being stormed by ancient soldiers,
and Molotov cocktails.
Now I’m in a
hurry to get to editing. There’s nothing like hurling Molotov cocktails first
thing in the morning to get the blood churning.
N.B. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I normally post on Tuesdays. Between this blog and my other blog, A Merry Heart, I’m blogging four days a week and that’s a bit more than I can do right now. So I’m planning to post on here on Wednesdays (instead of Tuesdays), and I’ll be posting at A Merry Heart on Mondays and Fridays.
Monday, November 25, 2013
The Fussy Librarian
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26, Screwing Up Time is being featured at The Fussy Librarian, a website I mentioned once before, that offers personalized ebook recommendations. You choose from 40 genres and indicate preferences about content and then the computers work their magic. It's pretty cool -- check it out! www.TheFussyLibrarian.com
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Kindle Books and Tips
Screwing Up Time is being featured at Kindle Books and Tips. It's a great site for authors looking to promote their books and readers looking for e-books, especially if you want a bargain.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Editing Groove
Oops. I know I was supposed to post here today. But the truth is that I've hit an editing groove. Words and pages are flowing. My editing muse must've finally decided to show up. So I really don't want to stop. And I'm hoping you don't want me to stop either. But I promise to make it up to you.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Indie Life, NaNoEdMo
November is NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month. 50,000 words isn't actually the normal length of most novels (except middle grade). Most novels fall in the 75k to 85k range. But the idea is write along with lots of other people and to provide each other encouragement.
I've never done NaNo because Novembers are always much too busy for me, and first drafts aren't my struggle. Editing is much harder for me than drafting. And I'd love to find a group of writers who are also editing, who want to encourage each other and hold each other accountable (For example, I need people who remind me, "Don't watch that cute YouTube video that was just posted on Facebook because you haven't met your editing goal for the day/week." Or, "that spilled orange juice--let the dog lick it up, you haven't met your editing goal." Or, "hey, your kids need clean clothes, teach them how to run the washing machine and get back to editing.") Hmm. If my kids see this, I'm pretty sure this post will get hacked.
Anyway, if there's anyone out there who like to do NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month), let me know. Even if it's just one or two other writers--I don't rue small beginnings. Most great things start small.
Leave me a message in the comments. Or email me Connie (dot) M (dot) Keller at gmail (dot) com. And do it soon, before my kids wipe this post from cyberspace.
And be sure to check out other posts in Indie Life.
Because being Indie doesn't have to mean going it alone.
JOIN US FOR INDIE LIFE!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
People Watching
When I was
young, I sometimes went with my grandfather to the airport. My grandfather was
a very punctual man. But often we’d get to the airport 2 hours before the
flight we were waiting for was due in (this was back in the old days before TSA
and you could wander the airport). My grandfather would pick a comfortable seat
near a main artery of airport-people-traffic and he’d sit. I’d sit next to him
in companionable silence. A few minutes before the flight was due in, we’d walk
to the terminal and wait for whoever was arriving.
When I was an
adult, we were together at the airport and I finally asked him, “Why do we come
so early?” He smiled and said, “So we can watch all the people.” And, of course,
that’s what I’d been doing too in those hours while we sat. I’d watch the
people go by and made up stories about their lives. But I was taken aback when
he said this. I’d always viewed him as a practical man. He was a contractor who
built homes. He’d served in the Dutch Underground during World War II. He was a
man who did things with his hands. But I should’ve known there was a romantic
in him. He was known as a gifted organist—back in the old country when organ-playing
was a sign of culture. When he was 88 years old and came to visit our family
for a week, he got down on his hands and knees and played Matchbox cars with my
little boys. And he always had a peppermint in his pocket for me.
 |
| Here's a photo of my grandfather in his Dutch army uniform. |
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
KidLit Blog Tour, I'd Probably Be a Scullery Maid
The lovely Laurel Garver, author of Never Gone and Muddied-Finger Midnights, tagged me in the KidLit Blog
Tour. Thanks, Laurel!
What are you working on right now?
Right now,
I’m finishing book three in the Screwing
Up Time series. It involves several time travel locations, two in the past
and one in the future. And I’m beginning to play with ideas for book four. (But
I won’t allow myself to write any new ideas down yet. If I did, it would be too
tempting for me, and I’d start traveling to this new place and begin the
adventure there. And that would be so unfair to my readers who haven’t gone to
any of the places in book three yet.)
How does it differ from other works in
its genre?
The majority
of YA/NA books (time travel included) are written from a girl’s perspective. But
when I started this series, my sons were in their teenage years, and they and
their friends were wonderful guys—creative and funny, people I enjoyed being
around. I wanted the chance to tell their story. How does a guy see and
understand relationships, his own weaknesses, and how do his experiences help
him to grow?
Why do you write what you do?
I love YA
because it’s one of the most creative genres out there with lots of subgenres
(dystopia, zombie, romance, sci fi, etc.). So there’s something for everyone,
both readers and writers. Plus, it has tremendous energy with its quick pacing
and dynamic characters. How can you not love it?
How does your writing process work?
When I start
a book, I usually have a general idea of where/when the book is going and who the
new characters are. But how the story is going to get there is a complete surprise.
It’s like riding a rollercoaster while wearing a blindfold—and I love it.
Any departing words of wisdom for
other authors?
I'm tagging Anne Riley, Melissa Pearl and Rowenna . I can't wait to read their answers.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
The Fussy Librarian
Okay, I found a new site a few weeks ago, and I really like the service it provides. So I've decided to share it with my readers. Enjoy!
Do you remember the "good ole days," when the librarian knew your name and reading preferences? And when you walked in the door, she'd take you aside and say, "There's a great new book, and I know you'll love it." And you read it, and she was right. You loved it.
Well, there's a new site on the web called The Fussy Librarian, and their aim is to be just like that librarian that you used to know and love. At The Fussy Librarian website, you fill out a form about the genres of books you like to read. Then, you let them know what your preferences are with regards to profanity, sex, and violence. They crunch the data, and once a day, they email you a list of free and cheap books that fit your reading needs and preferences. Simple. And FREE.
If you'd like to sign up (I did), click here.
If you're an author, you can submit your book to be considered. But they do have certain requirements in terms of ratings, quality, etc. But you can check that out here.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Seeing the Past In Time Travel Novels
If you don’t
follow my “A Merry Heart” blog (check out today's post--very exciting), you might not know that I’m taking a MOOC class
(massive open online course) on historical fiction. It’s called “Plagues,
Witches, and War.” And it’s great.
So many
topics the professor has discussed have got me thinking about how they apply to
my Screwing Up Time series and other historical
fiction I write. One of the topics the professor discussed was the diachronic
elements of historical fiction, i.e., the fact that in historical novels at
least two historical times are at play, the time that the novel is set in and
the time in which the author lives and writes.
One of the
interesting things about time travel fiction is that it’s very honest in its
diachronic elements. For example, when Mark time travels, you know he’s seeing
the past through the eyes of a modern person. So as a reader, you know he’s
seeing things just like you would if you were there.
In other
historical fiction, that’s not as clear. The characters are all in the past. But,
you’re still getting a modern reading of the past. It’s just not as clear that
that’s case. Neither is “better.” They’re just different. And, as an author who
writes both kinds of historical fiction, I love being able to show our modern
prejudices (many of which I share, *swallows uncomfortably*) through Henry. And
I love being able to show Miranda’s perspective, which, don’t forget, is my
idea of how a Medieval girl would view modernity and the ancient past.
Without
droning on too long, my view of historical fiction (which many may disagree
with) is that it shows that no matter how strange the past is (and I LOVE the
strangeness), people and human nature aren’t really that different. Or, in my
favorite quote from our readings thus far, speaking of the benefits of
historical fiction, “…Much more profound is the realization that history is not
primarily about the past. It is about human nature. What makes it historical is
that it examines human nature through the prism of a different age.” ~Ian
Mortimer.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Joy in the Journey
I just want
to thank everyone for your encouragement on my last post. Writing can be long
and exhausting. And like a marathon, it’s nice to have friends cheering along
the way.
And I am
making progress. The first draft of my new literary fiction is almost complete.
Book three of the Screwing Up Times
series is moving along. I should get it to my editor/reader soon.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Indie Life, Motivation When You're Not Feeling It
I know I'm supposed to write something encouraging or informative, But, ugh. I'm so not feeling it. Life is complicated and too busy right now, and it's sucking all my creative/emotional energy. And as much as I love my WIP, it feels like a nagging wife. (I once had a writing prof who compared short stories to love affairs and novels to marriage.) So my WIP is nagging me, "Take out the trash."
It's really trash that needs to be taken out because I'm in the midst of editing. Honestly, I need to change my mindset. When the real trash needs to be taken out, i.e. black banana peels are spilling onto the floor, I don't ask myself if I want to take out the trash. I just do it. And while I'm out there, I'll breathe the crisp air and marvel at the colored leaves. I need to remind myself that editing is the same. I have to remind myself how much I love what I do, that when I get into the text, I'll have fun. Yes, it'll be hard work, but anything worth doing is hard.
So, I'm pouring myself a cup a coffee. A large cup. And I'm trying to decide where to steal my writing time. From kitchen cleaning or laundry washing? More likely the kitchen. People in my house get cranky when they don't have clothes.
Because being Indie doesn't have to mean going it alone.
JOIN US FOR INDIE LIFE!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Author Interview with M. Gerrick
Today, I want to give a special welcome to blogger Misha Gerrick and her debut novel, The Vanished Knight!
I've known Misha almost since I started blogging. She been a great encouragement and I was eager to let everyone know about her and novel. So without further ado, here's my interview with Misha. (Be sure to read the book blurb and author bio, which follow the interview.)
1. Writers get lots of ideas for stories, but not all of them
become books. How did this book start, i.e. why did you fall in love with these
characters and this story?
Well, this book
started with one character who walked into my head and demanded I write the
story. Honestly, I told him to go away at first. I was planning to take a
year-long break from writing. He kept coming back, showing me bits here and
there until I fell in love with him (because come on, who wouldn’t?) and the
story.
As for why I fell in
love with them… they’re all strong, but have deep vulnerabilities and fears
etc. that make them amazing people, each in his/her own way.
2. How did you come up with the title?
Double answer time! The War of Six Crowns is named for a war
that occurs later on in the series. It’s between four countries, one of which
has three kings. The other three countries have one king each.
Each of my book
titles in this series will involve some aspect of the war or events leading up
to it. The Vanished Knight deals with
what happened after one country’s king orchestrates the kidnapping of another
country’s sole heir.
3. What kind of research did you do for your novel? Anything
weird or strange?
Mmm… off the top of
my head: Castles, manor houses in Britain, medieval saddles. I also did some
Western Martial arts in order to understand how real life sword fighting works.
Not weird, but serious fun.
4. Where do you write?
Most of this book was
drafted in coffee shops and restaurants while I was at University. These days,
though, I retire to my room and write on my bed. My writing desk is home to
seven orchids and two Cape Sundews. No space to write there…
5. How do you plan to celebrate the book’s release?
By buying three fancy
notebooks so that I can write more stories. Already have them, in fact.
Honestly, though, I buy a notebook (or six) for the smallest of excuses. I’ll
inscribe these three with the publishing date, though.
6. Are you working on a sequel to your novel?
Sequel’s done and
ready for Etopia Press to edit. The rough draft of Book Three is also finished,
so only a rewrite and edits left for that. Books four and five will come after
book two is out, I’m hoping.
7. Can you share one thing about yourself that might surprise
us?
Let me think… Uhm…
I’m actually a blonde, but I’ve never let it grow out for me to see what the
shade looks like on me.
Blurb:
Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...
When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.
But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.
Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.
Bio:
M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has basically created stories since before she could write. Many of those stories grew up with her and can be seen in her current projects.
She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain.
If you’d like to contact her, feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)
Links:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain.
If you’d like to contact her, feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)
Links:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Why I Write YA Time Travel
The other
day, I signed up for an historical fiction class. I’m an official auditor.
(Yes, I loved school and can’t wait to take a new class.) This one has an
optional hist-fic writing component. Yeah, I’m all over that.
In any case,
it got me to thinking. If you’ve read this blog you know I write both YA time
travel and hist-fic/lit fic for “adults,” and I got to thinking about why I
love historical fiction. And why I love writing time travel fiction for young
adults.
1. I love
historical fiction. Sometimes the things that are old are completely new and
cool. For example, cockentrice (which I actually have a recipe for and am
totally willing to make if someone will bring me a pig and a large capon), poison
rings, cuneiform, ziggurats, and cam cloth (oops, that’s from book three).
2. Juxtaposing
the modern and the ancient. I love to put the ancient and the modern
side-by-side. Because when you do, you discover that although there are so many
differences, they still wanted much the same things we do.
3. Young adult
fiction has a lot of action. I know writers sometimes complain that writing for
young people is intense—your competition is video games, texting, and YouTube.
But I love that. The challenge of capturing the intensity of modern life and
translating that into another culture in a way that’s fresh to our culture’s
jaded eyes.
4. I love
writing from Mark’s perspective. Growing up, my brother was a lot younger than
I was. He was eleven when I left for college. Now I have three sons (two are
grown). And getting to peek into the heads of teenage guys has been wonderful.
I think they’re grossly underestimated by a lot of people. I want to give them
a chance to be noble, brave, and fallible.
5. Bottomline, I
love the rush of blending sci-fi, hist-fic, and fantasy. I can’t wait to finish
book three because book four is already waiting to be written. And it’s taking
every bit of self-control not to tell you about both of them.
Here's a hint from book three.
 |
| Excavated by Jacques de Morgan. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. |
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Screwing Up Time Book Three Teaser
Now that the short story, "Screwing Up Mongolia" is available. Click here. I thought I'd start telling you all a little bit about book three in the Screwing Up Time series.
Here's a color engraving of one of the settings book three. Yes, one of the settings means that Henry and Miranda travel to more than one time. I'd love to show you more pictures, but most of the images are subject to copyright laws. This old image is done by Martin van Heemskerck. (I love those Dutch artists. He also did an engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.)
So, readers, what place/time do you think this is? Leave me a message in the comments.
Here's a color engraving of one of the settings book three. Yes, one of the settings means that Henry and Miranda travel to more than one time. I'd love to show you more pictures, but most of the images are subject to copyright laws. This old image is done by Martin van Heemskerck. (I love those Dutch artists. He also did an engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.)
So, readers, what place/time do you think this is? Leave me a message in the comments.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Screwing Up Mongolia Release
After a few more gray hairs that I gathered from formatting issues, I'm thrilled to announce that "Screwing Up Mongolia" is live on Amazon. "Screwing Up Mongolia" is a short story set between Screwing Up Babylon and book three. (It was originally published in the Winter Wonders anthology.) And it's available for 99 cents, Amazon's lowest price.Click here.
Here's the blurb.
As if being a teen guy isn’t hard enough, Henry is also a time traveler with a job to do. And a horde of Mongols who don’t want it done.
It should’ve been easy. All Henry and his girlfriend Miranda needed to do was time travel into a Mongolian caravan, steal some mammoth tusk, and get out. But thanks to a peacock, the Khan’s warriors attack them with scimitars swinging. Only Henry’s Granddad can help, and he doesn't know who they are.
Here's the blurb.
As if being a teen guy isn’t hard enough, Henry is also a time traveler with a job to do. And a horde of Mongols who don’t want it done.
It should’ve been easy. All Henry and his girlfriend Miranda needed to do was time travel into a Mongolian caravan, steal some mammoth tusk, and get out. But thanks to a peacock, the Khan’s warriors attack them with scimitars swinging. Only Henry’s Granddad can help, and he doesn't know who they are.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Screwing Up Mongolia
I had hoped to have "Screwing Up Mongolia" available by today. But I ended up spending most of the week helping a friend who was in the hospital. But my goal for this week is to get the story properly formatted and uploaded to Amazon.
After that, I want to finish editing book three in the Screwing Up Time series. I'm so close, less than thirty pages before I send the novel off for editing crit.
Thanks, everyone, for being patient.
Here's the SUM cover in case you missed it last week.
UPDATE: "Screwing Up Mongolia" is now live at Amazon. Click here.
After that, I want to finish editing book three in the Screwing Up Time series. I'm so close, less than thirty pages before I send the novel off for editing crit.
Thanks, everyone, for being patient.
Here's the SUM cover in case you missed it last week.
UPDATE: "Screwing Up Mongolia" is now live at Amazon. Click here.
 |
| Cover art by Tara Rimondi, http://www.tararimondi.com/ |
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Screwing Up Mongolia, Cover Reveal
A special thanks to Tara Rimondi for her amazing cover art. Here's a link to her website.
Here's the blurb.
As if being a teen guy isn’t hard enough, Henry is also a time traveler with a job to do. And a horde of Mongols who don’t want it done.
It should’ve been easy. All Henry and his girlfriend Miranda needed to do was time travel into a Mongolian caravan, steal some mammoth tusk, and get out. But thanks to a peacock, the Khan’s warriors attack them with scimitars swinging. Only Henry’s Granddad can help, and he doesn't know who they are.
"Screwing Up Mongolia" is a Screwing Up Times series short story and comes between Screwing Up Babylon and book three. It was originally published in Winter Wonders, an anthology published by Compass Press.
If all goes well, I hope to have "Screwing Up Mongolia" available soon. I'll definitely post a blog when it's live.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A Chance to Win
Today is a short shout-out. Tomorrow (Sept. 4) I'm being interviewed at Crystal Collier's blog for Writerly Wednesday. And there will be a chance to play "Two Truths and a Lie" and win a Screwing Up Time mug. Don't miss it!
Here's what the mug looks like.
Here's what the mug looks like.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Super Sweet Blogging Award
Special thanks to Crystal Collier for the award. So here's what I have to do. I have to answer five "sweet" questions.
Without further ado, the five questions and their answers.
1. Cookies or Cake? Both? Um. I'm not much of a sweets person. So how about salt and vinegar potato chips? Or honey mustard pretzel pieces. YUM. (And since this is true confessions, I've bee known to eat salt--but only really good salt, like the pink salt. And it's healthy. Really. All that pinkness is from essential minerals. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Okay, this does hit my one sweet weakness--Chocolate. Dark chocolate. Always. It's a gift from the angels.
3. Favorite Sweet Treat? Coffee. I know this isn't really sweet, but I do put some sugar in it. There's nothing like a mug of steaming, black coffee in the morning
4. When Do You Crave Sweet Things The Most? Chocolate is the panacea for all ills at all times. Depressed? Chocolate with sea salt and caramel. Happy? Chocolate with black currants. Bored? Chocolate with pear and almonds. Sick? Chocolate with cayenne. Yep, there's a chocolate for every time and need.
5. Sweet Nick Name? Sugar. Weird thing is that no one I actually know calls me this. But when I moved to the South seven years ago, total strangers began calling me "Sugar" or "Baby." When I first moved here, my little Nutmegger heart (people from Connecticut are called "Nutmeggers," don't ask why because no one knows) thought "I'm so not your baby or your sugar." But after seven years, I respond, "Hey, girl." Okay, I don't really say that, but I think it. And that counts.
My nominees for the award. (To fulfill the award, you have to display the certificate, answer the questions, and nominate a baker's dozen--i.e. 13-- other bloggers.)
1. Julie Dao
5. A.B. Keuser
10. Kat Owens
12. Misha Gericke
13. Anne
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Indie Life
The second Wednesday of every month is the Indie Life Celebration!
This month, I want to let everyone know about Crystal Collier's blog and her Writerly Wednesdays. Every Wednesday she celebrates a YA writer who writes fiction with a fantastic twist (fantasy in all varieties, paranormal, speculative fiction, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, etc.)
There's always a chance to play a game (two truths and a lie) and win books or other swag. So check out her blog today, and make sure you go back tomorrow for a chance to play and win.
JOIN US FOR INDIE LIFE!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)