Hey everybody! Popping in to say hello on a Tuesday! I wanted to reach out today and offer two brand new links of new listening material for you all.
Recent Podcast Appearance
Last Thursday, I had the privilege to have a wonderful conversation on my good friend, Eddie’s podcast series, The Weekly Grind. We had a fantastic time talking about writing, his current work, and my upcoming debut novel, Chasing Fae. I would love it if you guys would take a listen!
Chasing Fae Official Playlist
I’ve been itching to share something unique, so today I’m making my official Chasing Fae playlist public! Each song on this Spotify playlist corresponds to a specific chapter or a specific scene. I used many of this songs to draft various important moments in the book. I’ll be releasing more details and descriptions of each song and its significance via my beta reader community soon. So if you haven’t yet purchased a copy of Chasing Fae, I would highly recommend picking that up soon right here!
That’s all for today! More updates to come. Happy writing, everyone.
Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during this chaotic time in the world. My family and I have been practicing social distancing for the last week now, and we have been doing the best we can to fill up the time. I have been working on lots of outreach this week for my preorders as well as starting the sequel to Chasing Fae, tentatively titled Chasing War. I have also been spending lots of time with my sister playing board games and working on some creative projects together. Online classes start on Monday, and it’s definitely going to be… interesting. I hope everything turns out alright.
Today, I want to talk a little bit of my experience in starting this sequel and some tips on how to start your second book as a continuation of the story in your first. I think it’s an interesting topic that I haven’t touched on yet in terms of working with a fantasy series.
Starting Chasing War
I have tried to start this sequel three times since I finished Chasing Fae. Which is pretty amusing to me because based on the outline I’ve created, this book of the trilogy is probably going to be my favorite to write. The first time was during NaNoWriMo where I got extremely ill and ended up having to cancel my attempt while I recovered. The second time, I ended up having intense midterm exams and papers that all coincided with each other. Finally, I’m having an opportunity to write during this period of isolation at home. But even now, I’m having a little trouble.
I think the simple explanation is that somehow I’ve forgotten what it’s like to write the first draft. Which brings me to my first major tip of writing your first sequel:
Don’t Forget That The First Draft Will Not Look Like Your FINISHED First Book.
The first draft is inherently flawed. And that’s okay! That’s more than okay! The first draft is about having something solid to build off of and modify and evolve into something incredible. Try to remember that your first book takes months and months and maybe even years to complete. The first draft will not represent the extent of what you can produce. Remember that. I’m trying to!
Your sequel should have its own arc.
While your sequel does build off the previous book, each book needs to have its own unique arc that gets wrapped up by the end of the story. Remember, your reader wants to see something new out of your characters and out of your universe. Your main character needs to take another transformative journey and evolve as a person. You will see the world in your novel change, sometimes in subtle ways and other times in dramatic times like the outbreak of war or a widespread disaster. Feel free to let your imagination run wild!
Bring New Characters To The Table
Time to create new voices! One of the best parts about writing a sequel, in my opinion, is to add new characters to the mix. There is always a new character or group of characters that comes in and shakes things up. Personally, I have a whole host of new voices that are going to change everything for Grace, and they are going to cause a LOT of trouble. Trust me.
Don’t be afraid to start something new. Happy writing, everybody!
Oh! And if you haven’t checked out my preorder campaign for my debut novel, Chasing Fae, please click here to learn more!
CHASING FAE IS HERE! My debut YA fantasy novel is out for preorder today, and exclusive signed copies and access to special content will be available until MAY 15th. – Recently extended!Secure your copy today!
Yes, I know this is Timothée Chalamet, but this is exactly who I envision playing Leo in a future Chasing Fae movie. So deal with it. xD
Here lies Leo Donovan Richardson, a kind soldier and a loving brother. May the Lady guide his soul.
My brother, Leo, was the kindest, most compassionate man that I have ever met. He never hesitated to do what was right no matter what that meant. Leo taught me absolutely everything I know. We were homeschooled together, and he loved to teach me about the book he was reading or how to navigate with a map. He wasn’t just my brother; he was my best friend. We did everything together growing up.
When Leo decided to become a soldier, my mother and I were both terrified. She tried to respectfully talk him out of it whereas I threw a fit and stormed out. I was just scared. Anything could happen out on the roads in this realm. He could have been sent to a peaceful town, or he could be sent south to the farm country where they’re fighting for whatever scraps they can get and they don’t care who gets killed. But he held out against both of us. Started training the day he turned eighteen and never looked back.
I
was sixteen and he, nineteen when he was first hired to run security out in the
trading ports of Bay Point. We cried when he left home, promising to be home in
the spring. But we rejoiced when he sent home his first paycheck, and we could
afford new clothes and fresh fruit from the market. Leo sent home every copper
outside of his own expenses home to us. He had always said he wanted to take
care of us someday like Mom had for all these years on her own, and finally, he
had the chance.
Leo
bounced around from job to job until six months ago, when he was summoned to
city hall with the other mercenaries in his company. I thought maybe the
government wanted to offer him a job, but no. It was the higher higher-ups.
The Fae. The Fae have always had a hand in the politics of the Middle Realm;
they control the alliances, the trade, the resource distribution. And they all
just sit up there in the Upper Realm in their fancy castles and their bountiful
homes with their magic and just watch us all run around down here like ants. The
Fae needed their worker ants, a group of mortal soldiers, to come run security
for a top-secret operation in the House of the Sun. They offered more money
than anyone in this realm had ever even heard of, and of course, Leo jumped at
the chance.
One more assignment, he said, and then he would be home for the Winter Solstice. Just one more assignment, and he’d bring me back something nice for the celebration. Just one more assignment.
Hey everybody! Today, I want to share advice about marketing yourself online. I think this topic touches many different disciplines outside of writing, and it is an important subject to discuss. Over the last couple weeks, I have stepped up my social media presence and the construction of my brand. I have been hearing a lot of questions around Twitter and around my own campus about what it takes to build your brand online and market yourself. So let’s talk about that today and shed some light on the subject.
When should I start building my brand?
In my opinion, it’s never too early to start, especially if you’re a writer. You can start by bringing your audience into your writing process. Let them see how your work in progress is faring. Share your successes as well as your failures. What scene is being written really well today? Which chapter is giving your writer’s block? Your book or project does not have to be finished in order to talk about it or start a discussion about the topic.
Where should I start building my brand?
Everywhere!
Well… everywhere with conditions. Everywhere you have time to put time into and everywhere that you can reach people who want to hear what you have to say. Depending on your genre of writing or your area of expertise, different platforms may suit your needs while others don’t.
I think everyone should build a website. With platforms like WordPress and Wix available right now, it is very easy to build something beautiful with minimal technical knowledge. Free plans do offer you a decent amount of customization options, and if you choose to upgrade to a paid plan, your options expand greatly. Take a couple hours and think your website through. Add tabs for your current project or projects as well as any published material you have out already. Consider adding a blog that you can update semi-frequently. And don’t forget an “about me” page! Think about your colors and your layout because believe it or not, every little detail can be a part of building your band.
Special Subsection: Social Media
You must also consider what social media platforms you want to use. Again, you should try to pick places that will reach the audience you want to communicate with. This is going to require a bit of research on your part. Find out where your people are. And don’t be afraid to change it up after a few months if you find one place is working better than another! Or don’t be afraid to wait it out. My Pinterest account that I created to show off inspiration for the world my book is set in wasn’t doing much for the first few months. But within the last two months, I have seen a dramatic increase in traffic from Pinterest to my website as well as an increase in people saving pictures to their board.
How should I market myself?
This part is easy. Way easier than you think.
Be yourself.
Relax and be yourself!
Share pieces of your life. Share your goals and your aspirations. Write posts about your writing, your daily life, and your favorite moments. Ask questions! Starting discussions is one of the best ways to connect with your audience and meet new people.
Post frequently. Doesn’t necessarily have to be every platform every day, but invest actual time and effort into this. You need to in order to see great results.
And have fun with it! Experiment and try new things, but always keep it true to yourself and the way you want people to see you.
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Fluff About Fantasy on another wonderful Saturday. I signed my publishing contract on Thursday, and I can’t wait to get started this coming week with the publishing process! It’s so exciting. Today, I want to talk about worldbuilding! This is one of my favorite topics to talk about, and I haven’t written about it in a while. At Fluff About Fantasy, I have touched on questions to shape your world, naming places, and drawing out your own maps, to name a few. Today, I want to talk about a technique that spurred my creation of the Twelve Houses in the Upper Realm. I hope it will inspire you too!
The Twelve Houses
Now, just for a brief recap if you haven’t read about my universe yet: the Upper Realm in Chasing Fae is made up of twelve noble houses that have control over different portions of the land. Think of it like twelve separate kingdoms, but lorddoms instead. (That is actually a word! It’s a very old word, but it’s a word.) When I first began conceptualizing these, I wanted them to be distinct lands with their own cultures. There would be similarities between them like the agricultural production of one area in comparison with another and the governmental style. But the intimate details of each House would be unique to that area.
To accomplish this, I chose to pick one element that would be the essence of the House and then build every other detail of the culture around it. I really like using this method because it allows all of the details to fit together cohesively. Let me give you an example.
The House of the Evening
This is my favorite of all the Houses that I’ve created, and it is the one that I personally would want to live in the most. I wanted to make sure that the House of the Moon and the House of the Evening were very different places, so I let the House of the Moon center around the mystical, magical properties of the moon in terms of spell-casting. That created a more intimate, mystical society with priestesses and one of the highest concentrations of magic in the entire Upper Realm. For the House of the Evening, I decided to go with nightlife.
I grew up with my dad taking me to bars and restaurants to listen to live music most weekends. I fell in love with the atmosphere. Even as an introvert, there’s something about blending in with a crowd that’s all tapped in to the same rhythm, the same beat. It was the same thing at school dances; sometimes the animosity between people can disappear for a night when the bass is turned up loud and everyone’s jumping up and down to their favorite song. I wanted to capture that feeling in the House of the Evening.
The House of the Evening has the best nightlife and the best festivals you will find in the entire Upper Realm. Every night, there’s live music pouring out of every tavern. This is the place young musicians come to try their hand at the craft. You can travel all over the land and hear every genre of music you can think of. There are shops for craftsman instruments of all kinds, but particularly violins. (This becomes relevant in the series.) The House of the Evening brews the best beer and grow grapes to create amazing fine wines. People in the House of the Evening go about their own lives during the day, whether that’s in the home or out at their job. But in the evening, everybody comes together to spend time out on the town. Community comes alive in the nighttime. It’s late nights and late mornings in the House of the Evening. Looking over the towns at night lit by candlelight or tiny fairy lights, looking up at the purple hued mountains covered in snow, it’s just beautiful.
Thanks for reading, everybody. If you’re curious about the House of the Evening, you can read a profile here!
A potential author picture for inside the cover of Chasing Fae
Hooray! Today marks Fluff About Fantasy’s one year anniversary and the website’s one hundredth post!
I am so proud of what I have been able to accomplish in the last year. I’ve grown such a vast audience in such a short amount of time, and I want to thank all of my readers who have been with me since the beginning. I have immensely enjoyed contributing stories about my experiences writing fantasy and what I have learned along the way. This is one of my favorite projects to work on during the week, and your support is immensely appreciated. To celebrate, I wanted to share with you the stats of all of my and Fluff About Fantasy’s platform from the first year. Tracking the progress has been really fun; I’m so happy with how far I’ve come as a person and as a writer through this site.
Created Free Revision Checklist for Beginners – not getting a lot of takers so far. STILL AVAILABLE!
Listed on Feedspot’s Top 60 Fantasy Book Blogs And Websites For Fantasy Readers and Authors from July 2019 through January 2020 (present).
58 Countries in the first year (in order of number of views): United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, China, Australia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Germany, Sri Lanka, France, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Poland, Taiwan, Macedonia, Iceland, Nigeria, Sweden, Brazil, Finland, Bulgaria, Malaysia, Hungary, Romania, Pakistan, Armenia, Thailand, Jamaica, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Aruba, Mexico, Croatia, Vietnam, Russia, Uruguay, Israel, Guernsey, Tanzania, Indonesia, Austria, Norway, Morocco, Chile, Italy, Lithuania.
Inspiration boards for each House semi-regularly updated with new ideas
Pinterest stats fluctuate so much, but currently seeing 7.6k Monthly viewers
If you’re not already keeping up with me and Fluff About Fantasy on all of the social media platforms, make sure to follow, like, and subscribe! Chasing Fae is due to be released July 2020, and you’ll want to be the first to hear all the publishing updates. Much love to everyone, and happy writing!
Alright, it’s time for me to get back to writing about fantasy writing! One of the most important elements of a novel that you have to nail is your ending. Your beginning pulls readers in, and your plot and your characters keep the reader engaged for the subsequent book. But your ending has got to bring everything home. A bad ending on a great book will leave a sour taste in the reader’s mouth. Trust me, I’ve been there. Even if you love the book, there’s something about a poor ending that can erase part of that happiness.
So, the ending is pretty important. Today, I want to talk about what it means to finish a book well and a few tips that I’ve picked up while writing Chasing Fae.
Finish Your Plot.
This seems like it should be obvious, but it warrants saying anyway for several reasons. Your ending has to wrap up the main storyline. You have to finish the main plot arc of the book regardless of whether you are continuing on the storyline in a sequel. A definitive end must be visible for your reader, or you may leave them wanting. You should also consider your subplots. If it’s a standalone story, everything must end. If you plan on having a sequel or several sequels, then in my personal opinion, subplots should come to a natural stopping place. It doesn’t have to be a positive place; for example, you can end a relationship in a tumultuous position. But I think that it’s important for readers to feel like there’s a clear pause.
Make sure your ending makes sense.
Your ending should feel natural. It’s perfectly acceptable to wrap up the main plot and then have a scene or two afterwards that allows the characters to simmer down to normalcy or the new normal after the climax. Let’s see the aftermath of the character’s decisions over the course of the book. What has to change in order for the world around them to stabilize? Does the world stabilize, or is this the beginning of a new conflict? If your main character’s world calms down, write about how they feel now that the adventure is over. Who is in their life now to stay? Who has disappeared? If your ending is going to lead into a new conflict in a subsequent book, your readers want to see the inklings of that rising. Offer some hints into what is to come, even super vague ones. One of my favorite books of all time, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, has an amazing ending that was a little strange and intriguing reading it the first time. And then when you read the second book, about midway through, I suddenly went “OH! EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW! THIS IS AMAZING!” *subsequent reader screaming*. Experiment with your ending. Write it a few different ways and see what you like best. Get other writers’ or readers’ opinions.
Show Your Protagonist In All Their Glory.
Your ending does not have to showcase a triumphant moment. Your protagonist could be suffering after a horrible loss. The most important role of your ending is to show how your main character has grown internally over the course of the novel. Whether you are depicting victory and resolution or defeat and the construction of a new plan, your character’s emotions will show up on the page. In a victory situation, you will see happiness or you may see them step into a new role in their lives. There may be an aura of calm about them that is totally different from what the reader has seen over the course of the novel. In a defeat situation, there’s a lot of anger and sadness and fear, and you have a real opportunity to lay out your character’s innermost thoughts. You can attest to their stubbornness and their determination and as a writer, strongly convey that pivotal decision to get up and try again in the next book. I personally love both kinds of endings, but especially the latter. You want to know if the protagonist will get what they deserve out of life. As a reader, I crave it; I absolutely have to know. And that’s what keeps me reading and keeps me buying the next book in a series.
After posting my big news, I really didn’t know what to post next. I’ve got two more days until my big anniversary post, and everything I was thinking of seemed anticlimactic. Maybe on Sunday, I will go back to a post about fantasy writing, or maybe not. I may ride this out a little bit and switch back to fantasy writing posts on Saturdays.
So today, I thought I would share some of the thoughts that I’ve come up with today on how I want to begin marketing for Chasing Fae. I would really love for writers and readers alike to comment their opinions and any ideas that you have for places and people I should reach out to. Please please please share! All of the input I can get is very valued.
Email Newsletter for Chasing Fae
I desperately need to create an email newsletter. I know that it is one of the best ways to connect with fans and share up-to-date news about your books and your writing life. I have just never been able to find the right time or the right way to go about it. The last time I tried to create a newsletter, I started a really cool template on MailChimp. I really liked that platform, but when I went to send a test email to myself, I realized my home address was printed at the bottom of the newsletter. I was a bit horrified, so I tried to turn that off. It turns out that because of international spam law, a mailing address has to be printed. I thought about using my William and Mary PO box, but I haven’t made a solid decision about that yet. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Revamping My Facebook Profiles
Fluff About Fantasy currently has a Facebook page, and frankly, it doesn’t get a lot of traffic at the moment. I want to spend some time making some unique posts on that platform outside of posting links to every Fluff About Fantasy post. Closer to the release date, I’d like to host a live video Q&A session! I’ve never done one before, and I would love to try it out. I’m also toying with the idea of creating a Facebook author profile that focuses on my work as an author and/or a Facebook group specifically for Chasing Fae. I don’t know if I need all that just on Facebook, but I think each type of Facebook profile has its own merits.
Who To Reach Out To In Anticipation Of The Book Release
I have a lot of people to reach out to!
I’ve spoken briefly to my high school back home so far about promotion for my book, and they are excited about my work! I’m really happy to be able to share this with my former classmates and the current student body. I haven’t reached out to the right people at my college yet, but it is only day one. These will be my first places to promote my book through newsletters, any public announcements, and hopefully, communicating with librarians to potentially house my book.
Regional newspapers would be a good place to send a press release to if I can find the courage to make the connection. I’m looking at three cities right now: Charlotte, Williamsburg, and Richmond (the biggest city close to me). I also want to find websites and magazines devoted to young adult books and/or the fantasy genre who may have a place for me to submit a guest post with my bio or welcome authors to promote their work. Still working on that research! If you have any good names or websites, please comment below!
That’s the bulk of what I have so far. Thank you so much for all your support in this journey so far. I can’t believe I’m finally kicking off the publishing journey! I’m going to have so much to share with you over the next coming months, so stay tuned!
Summary: The mortal Middle Realm has its high and low points. The atmosphere isn’t quite as spectacular and awe-inspiring as the Upper Realm, but it has its own unique modest beauty. This beauty can be found particularly on the coast and in the farmland. Cities, however, tend to be tiny and thick with people. They end up with high rise gray buildings with stacks upon stacks of apartments. Food is bought in small city marketplaces that hide under smoke and dimness. The richest people leave outside the cities in manors where musicians like Grace and her mom travel to to play. The outskirts and the poorest towns are filled with peasants and farmers who are just trying to survive. Some areas are facing extreme poverty and famine.
Flag: Deep purple flag with a circle of thirty white stars in the center.
Potency of Magic: 1/10
Main Exports: Copper, Mineral Resources, Salt, Farm Animals
Government: The Middle Realm government is a farce. It is a parliamentary government overseen by a puppet prime minister appointed by the Upper Realm. Speculation says he could be Fae himself. Each town and city elects two representatives to the main body of government which congregates in Clinton nine out of the twelve months in a year (30 places, 60 representatives total).
Lisden: Lisden has never been a city of glamour. The people do their best to make it one, but they have never had the means to be more than what they are: a factory city. The streets are filled with thick, pale grey smoke from dawn to dusk with little reprieve. The only spots to get away are high above the city. The factory whistles blow at 7 am sharp every morning although the smoke starts earlier. It’s that stand out sound that wakes you up in the morning and reminds you to get going. Lisden’s buildings are varied. You’ve got your silver skyscrapers that house the richest among the people as well as the most lucrative businesses. But most of the buildings in the city are brick and stocky and old. Doesn’t matter whether they house a factory or an apartment complex; they’re just old. The whole city is also crawling with tight alleyways. They’re really kinda sketchy. But they work very well when needed for discreet matters, especially for matters concerning the black market. Grace’s hometown.
Bay Point: Bay Point is an ocean city closest to the border. Leo used to spend time stationed there. With its proximity to the Upper Realm, it is a frequent center of black market smuggling from the Fae side. It’s a fairly quiet town. Most of the jobs are based down by the docks in fishing, canning, and trading by ship. Because of this, during most of the day, the town appears like it sleeps all day. Cobblestone streets wind through aimlessly around small cottage-like buildings. The city centers around a series of fountains, located at different circles throughout the land. The beach lays at the bottom of a hill that cacades outside the city down to the water.
Lorraine: Lorraine is the town on the Middle Realm/Lower Realm border. It’s a very dusty town, reminds me of a ghost town. It can really only be considered a town due to its size, not its activity level. Lorraine is a mining town, and most of its citizens spend their time in the home or underground. When night passes over Lorraine, the air is very still and the buildings are very silent. The people seem forlorn and almost forgotten even as they move through their daily lives.
Upper Realm/Middle Realm border: The border wall seems only as tall as the largest skyscraper in the Middle Realm, but there’s a visible shimmering force field that fills in the space from the top of the wall up to the sky. The border is heavily guarded every day on the Middle Realm side by Fae soldiers. Nothing goes in or gets out without their say-so.
Middle Realm/Lower Realm border: The border wall looms large, a mass of solid rock that extends to the sky as far as the eye can see. The dark grey rock is jagged and rough with no easily viewable gaps or holes in which to pass through to the other side.
