Sunday, August 28, 2011

Jezebel is close!

I just finished my own final pass to Jezebel. I made a couple goofs that everyone missed, and there were several square wheels I had to smooth out. But I have the Amazon ebook all formatted. It feels good when everything falls into place. We're working on the cover now. I'm as excited as my nine-year-old son when we told him he could paint his room lime green.

For a blog, I'm told I should write about things that instruct or entertain. I suppose instruction for the aspiring writer and entertainment for everyone else. I don't know squat about marketing yet. My only advice on writing right now is do it a lot, and get someone brutally honest to show you your faults before starting again. That leaves me with telling you a story.

I edited this last night and smiled. This is part of a scene where Claudette, an actress friend of Jez, was sent to warn the sister of a main character. In my outline, it was supposed to be off camera. But Sedna wanted just one more scene. The sister, named for the icy goddess of the underworld, takes over here and totally hijacks the original ending of my story.

“You think we’re freaks,” accused the woman in black.
“I can’t fathom how your little sister can screw that often, but you want what everybody wants,” Claudette said, her voice cracking slightly.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” said the assassin, approaching with menace in her stride. The starlet backed against the wall. The pert beauty contestant had been a thin disguise for Sedna, one she had shed long ago. Sedna leaned forward until her lips almost touched Claudette’s nose. In terror, she watched the words as they formed. “I can’t have you following me. Maybe it’s time you found out how the other half lives.”
“I don’t…” Claudette began. The pain lanced through her as the weighted fist pounded into her midsection. She slumped to the floor.
“Stay down,” the assassin threatened. “Or I’ll make it hurt more.”
The victim whimpered as a Velcro pouch opened. “Are you killing me? I came to save you.”
“You’ll provide the necessary distraction,” the attractive Goth said as she removed a cool slip of golden paper. “This is about freeing you from constraints and expanding your narrow mind.”
Ice stung her forehead. The ceiling became a doorway of light, and Claudette couldn’t close her eyes. Her synapses opened to the information.
“Enter your new incarnation,” whispered the dark lips.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Got a Kindle Authors interview!

The delay still throws me. I am about to release book 4 and book 1 is getting onto people's read queues now. But I'm happy with the results so far. The Kindle Author site gets about a thousand hits a day.
Here's a link to my interview.
http://kindle-author.blogspot.com/2011/08/kindle-author-interview-scott-rhine.html

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Reading for Writing

Weston has finished his pass over Jezebel. Two other editors are about 100 pages away. The romance reader didn't get past the first chapter. I want Tammy to read it as well (which could take the longest with her schedule). Being an English major turned therapist, she has valuable insights. Once I decide the final name for my villain agents, polish one last time, and get the cover, I'll have another e-book!

I've switched my reading to old Jack Vance and David Eddings, authors who know how to make the land and culture a living part of the story. Then, I'll dissect the first book of Traveler, where the kingdoms are also characters. I split it in two because of Print on Demand. I could have a unified book for $21 or two books for $13 each. My odds of getting a purchase are much better in the second case.

I keep laying awake, though, thinking about the first scene of Hero of Fire, where Aaron comes back to the mortal realms as a lightning bolt.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Falls the Shadow

From T.S. Eliot's "Hollow Men"

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long

That's how things feel in the between time when I'm waiting for opinions and criticisms. I am sending out lots of emails requesting reviews for Foundation, and critiquing other people's work in return. Weekends are taken up with the family, week days with work and watching the kids. When I have spare time, I'll make a second pass to crush and refine Traveler book 1, tentatively called Houses of the Holy. There are still major flaws in it but the beauty could still make it work.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Temple of the Traveler

I had an epic fantasy, over 250K words long written between 94 and 2004. This was during the break for kids. It changed a lot from the first draft. Originally, one character was warrior and priest. That made too many superlatives. Splitting the character made much more sense. The seed for the whole story was a picture of the Jain temple on Mount Girnar. Anyone could visit and leave offerings during the day, but at night it was the City of the Gods. I took that idea to an entire empire and pantheon of gods. I even redid calendars and coins. The problem now will be naming the two books which combine to make Temple of the Traveler. I think they will be Houses of the Holy, and the Answer.
I made a first pass at the split and reduced from 139K to 131K words. I have also scheduled edits and art for volume one. I still need to get maps and to finish volume two. Expect this one closer to December.