Tag: The conjurors
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How to Release (or Re-Release) Your First Self-Published Novel
When I originally published the first novel in The Conjurors Series in 2011, I had no concept of self publishing. It never occurred to me to promote my book. I simply used Amazon as an easy way for friends and relatives to download my book so I didn’t have to buy them a hard copy…
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On Retitling My Novel After Publication
My writing kryptonite is naming and titling people and things. From titling my book to naming my villian, I always have to go through an excruciating process that takes hours. I comb through the thesaurus, look up historical references, and poll family and friends. I’ll even admit to carrying around a scrap of paper on…
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Jumping into the Rabbit Hole
Since I was a kid, I have always been drawn to the story of Lewis Carroll’s (whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The idea that you could be walking along in a completely ordinary world, and then fall down a hole into an extraordinary one, is mesmerizing. At night when I can’t fall…
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Read It and Weep (Literally)
This week I killed off my first character, ever. It was difficult – even though I wasn’t super attached to him, I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. After all, he was a good guy and under different circumstances maybe he could have lasted for another chapter or two. But after reminding myself that he…
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7 New Studies on How to Boost Creativity
I don’t know about other writers, but when I hit a mental block, I’ll try just about anything to get past it. And I’m willing to admit that I’m not above looking for an easy answer. After all, if I can get a boost of creativity with minimal effort, there’s no shame in that, right?…
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What’s Your Writing Research Style?
A few years ago, when I read The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, I was struck by how the depth of his research made his story so appealing. He had obviously deeply studied the legends around the historical buildings and objects he mentioned, as well as their recorded history. And when Robert Langdon found something…
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100,000 Words in 100 Days
Lately I’ve been fighting with myself. There are so many excuses not to write every day – I have a toddler with a virus every other week, a demanding day job, and family and friends that I want to spend time with. At the end of the day I’m so tired that I feel like…
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Five Terrifying Young Adult Fantasy Villains
Over the past few weeks I’ve been creating the backstory for the villain of my series, The Conjurors. I want him to be believable, compelling, and frightening. For inspiration, I looked to the masters of young adult fantasy and considered which villains I found most captivating. Below are my top five. Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter,…
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Falling in Love on the Page
I’m writing the second book in my series, The Conjurors, and my main character is falling in love. Writing this in a way that feels real and conveys the power and passion of love when you’re 16 has been exceptionally hard for me to do well. If I keep it too minimal, readers won’t have…