Novelista

I offer to review books .  Usually, I will post my review here and on Goodreads as well as post links to buy the book that I got to read.  However, every once and a while, I read a book that won’t get a good review.  This is that book. This book is the author’s first book, so I will not mention the title nor the author’s name.  I have emailed the author about my poor review before posting, and actually have agreed to review the sequel.  With that said, let’s talk about the book and its issues. The premise of the book is that the main character, whose name I can’t remember (problem), becomes a masked hero to save her city from a destructive alien.  The concept is great.  The execution has major issues.  I am going to put my editor’s hat on to critique the issues in this book. The first issue is the prologue.  It could have been a chapter on its own.  I personally feel that the book should have opened on its main character.  The openi...

Handwritten manuscripts of seven novels I’m excited to announce that a first draft is almost complete. And, it’s all because I returned to handwriting my manuscript. There was a point where I couldn’t hold a pen. The doctor confirmed my suspicion: Carpal Tunnel.  I started writing seriously (as in, hey, I’m going to write a book) in roughly 2005. I wrote with pencil on lined paper. That’s what I had at the time. Then, I transitioned to pen and blank computer paper because ink is easier to see than graphite.  At first, I wrote rather large with decent spacing between each line. Then, my writing got smaller. Words crowded the page. Pens sacrificed their ink quickly. I started using whatever pen I had in arm’s reach. Sometimes, those pens were cheap stick pens. They cramped my hand.  Until late 2016, I wrote prolifically. Novels, short stories, flash fiction, articles for others. With the exception of these blog posts, all those were handwritten first.  Al...

It has been almost a year since I last typed the sixth book of my fantasy series.  Before the last day of July, that is.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I write my first drafts on pen and paper, then type it.  I started typing it again.  Getting to this point has been a struggle. Rewind to November of 2016.  Hope, The World In-between book 5, released.  I already began writing book 6 as soon as I penned the final word of 5.  That’s how I work.  I write and type simultaneously, even the same book.  The exact day my book released, my mom was admitted to the hospital. I would take my writing to the hospital.  Sometimes, I’d get pages done, but mostly nothing. After my mom’s death, I kept writing although not as much.  I lost the connection to my characters.  No amount of pen ramble would bring that back.  Writing another genre helped. I put my fantasy series aside.  I hoped that someday...

It's spring, or so the calendar tells me.  The weather hasn't made up its mind yet.  Such is life in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I'm sharing an excerpt of the detective story I've been intermittently writing with my fantasy series.  This story takes place in present day, has no portals to magical worlds, and is currently titleless. Here is an introduction of something different.  From the first page: Rain pattered Zia’s umbrella while the cold, spring air made her arm ache.  She thought nothing could be worse than Pittsburgh’s winter for her mending bicep.  Then, Pittsburgh’s spring came.  Tucking the umbrella’s rod between her neck and shoulder, she rubbed her upper arm.  Her pace increased as she peered at the six story red brick building—the only legally occupied building in one of the forgotten, dilapidated sections of the city.  She hurried inside, hoping its warmth would ease the pain. An original to the building, out of comm...

Book 6 of The World In-between fantasy series, currently titled Dreamweaver, nears its close.   Yes, I’m still working on the first draft.   This book proved difficult to write for me.   I’ll go into my trials in a later post.   At the time of this posting, the heroes approach the final battle.   Book 7 knocks on the door, whispering consequences of the happenings in Book 6. A blog redesign is in the planning stages.   I want something a little cleaner, so I’m slogging through scads of templates for one that speaks to me.   The finished product may take a while to emerge. Since Google Plus shutters April 2, I have migrated my social media home to MeWe .   I will not accept friend or chat requests from people I do know or with whom I have not interacted online.   My writing posts will be public. Here’s to a great 2019!

I gave myself a Thanksgiving deadline to finish writing the first draft of Book 6 of The World In-between series.  While I have made great strides on the book, it will be not be finished come Thursday.  Berty and company are on their way to the final major plot point in the story as I write this blog post.  The final plot point keeps getting more complicated the closer I get to it.  Hopefully, I ’ll have it all wrapped with a bow on top by Christmas. In the meantime, I’ll be joining other local authors at the Mount Pleasant Public Library during the Shop Local Saturday Cookie Tour again this year.  There will be books and cookies. During this special event, my books will be $5 and $10.  I take cash and all major cards. When:  Saturday, November 24, 2018  10 am to 2 pm Where:  Mount Pleasant Public Library 120 S Church St. Mount Pleasant, PA 15666 Parking:  Parking Lot beside library (metered) or on Church Street Th...

Sometimes, I edit manuscripts that make me question all I have ever learned about punctuation, especially commas.   I devised this quick guide to commas to reinforce what we learned (or didn’t learn) in grammar school. When to use a comma: Addressing a person by name or nickname. Example: Hello, Sweetums. Jane, do this. Show us on the doll, John, where the commas have hurt you. Linking two sentences with a conjunction (and, but, or, so). Example: This is sentence one, and this is sentence two. Dependent clauses and words that act as clauses. Example: After this clause, you put a comma. Second, a comma goes there. Yes, these examples are on the snarky side. I spent hours editing pages of comma issues, producing deep snarkiness. Had the page not run red, due to my markings, I would have only experienced a mellow, not to mention short, snarky mood. In a list of more than two of the same (nouns or verb...

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas It’s the third day of my American Southwest Adventure and I’ve done a lot of writing in my mind. That’s a fancy way of saying I’ve written jack squat. However, there was plenty that sparked my imagination. Tonight, I’m staying in New Mexico and the landscape and dry heat is extremely New Mexico. It is exactly how I pictured or believed New Mexico should be. My mind’s eye could see the man on his horse, surveying the land while the wind whipped, not moving him, try as it might. Texas surprised me and did not disappoint. Mind you, I’ve only seen Texas via I-40. My first impression of this part of Texas was: Those who write post-apocalyptic stories probably have traveled through here. Amarillo sprawled. The half hour ride to Palo Duro Canyon excited. Then, there was Palo Duro itself. What a gem. Every turn held more and more beauty. Oklahoma should be five states for how different it is. The Osarks in NE OK...

Going on vacation doesn’t have to mean taking a vacation from writing.   I am going on a road trip to the American Southwest soon.   Between the Grand Canyon and staying with my husband’s family, I can’t promise that I’ll get any writing done.   But leaving it at home guarantees no writing. Two weeks.   One car.   Four thousand plus miles.   What is the best way to pack the writing? Unless I’m writing a blog post or other short piece, I write the old way.   Pen and paper. I can see it now.   Leaves of ink scribbles blowing across the plateaus until being impaled on cacti needles.   So not happening. What stays at home: Original manuscript papers Notes Story folders Hard electronic files (such as on a laptop) Flash drives What comes: Messenger bag/zipped tote To contain all the writing materials.   Must have a good shoulder strap that can go across my body.   I’ll probably take the one I use ...

Me with the Easter Bunny So much of who we are flows into our writing.   Or, at least, it does for me.   This Easter morning, memories of childhood Easters seep through the cracks. My parents would hide Easter baskets somewhere in the house for me and my brother.   They kept the same wicker baskets from year to year, but would fill them with our favorites and,   perhaps, something new they thought we’d like.   Every year, they would throw in something we disliked, too.   Things like black jelly beans (my mom’s favorite) and white chocolate (my dad’s favorite).   And, of course, they were always happy to take it off our hands. My grandmother would purchase candy for the house, such as one or two pound eggs filled with chocolate buttercream, fruit and nut, peanut butter, and my personal favorite, coconut.   After sampling some candy, we feasted on my mother’s delicious cooking. For Bow of the Moon (The World In-between 2), I t...

Whilst wallowing in a sinus pressure haze, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and veg-watch something familiar.  I chose Iron Man. The movie begins with an attack on Stark’s motor envoy.  Then, it flashes back to all the important details about Tony and Stark Industries.  When it returns to the bombing aftermath, Tony begins his path to Iron Man (even if he doesn’t know it at the time). It’s a great way to introduce a character, show character development, and create an origin story for a character that will last well into the series. As I watched, I wondered if I could use the Iron Man method for my book. The book about which I speak is Dreamweaver.  It doesn’t introduce a new character.  There’s no origin story here.  In fact, it’s a later book in a series with already well-established characters.  So, can I? The next morning, I answered, “Yes.” My main method for writing is to get the story out first, everything...

On the docket for the New Year: Dreamweaver (The World In-between, 6) Truth be told, I didn’t get much series writing done last year.  This year is already different, writerly speaking.  Not to mention, book 7 wants to get on the page. Cross Country Road Trip Off to see America, or part of it anyway.  While journeying to family, hubby and I plan to visit some of the ancient and early American sites.  Mounds, glyphs, ruins, and nature.  It’s going to be great. More Flash Fiction My writers’ group regularly displays themed flash fiction and poetry in the local library.  I’ll be posting them here as well. I anticipate a year full of writing, laughter, and adventure.  Happy New Year!

A view of the lake I attempted a writing weekend earlier last month (September).  It went… Since it was a beautiful fall-ish day, my hubby-to-be and I packed our writing and a picnic lunch and traveled to a county park.  We found an empty pavilion and spread our stuff across the tables.  After eating, we strolled while collecting our muses. We sat on a bench near the lake.  Puffy, white clouds dotted the clear, azure sky.  A breeze rustled the partially turning leaves.  My mind tried to turn over the story for picking apart.  My tummy sabotaged it all. Writing didn’t happen.  At least not at the park.  Later that evening, I did break out my pen and paper.  What I discovered was that the story idea I mulled would not work as a short story.  It wanted to be longer, much, much longer. “Oh, but, IE,” you say, “had you’d planned your story in an outline first, then you’d know it would take more words than what you w...

*THE* Blank Page Blank Page Oh, blank page why, oh, why do you taunt me so?  Do you not know I have things things in my mind ideas words words that must pour out out from my fingers? If they stay my mind may explode explode all the words. Then the words would leave me and may never return not in the same manner anyhow. Allow me if you please blank page I implore you let me splatter splatter the black across your white. These words in this order across and down down the page and perhaps to the next. Blank page, we may never never be friends however if deep down you have a desire to not be blank forever let my words fill this space and be blank blank never more. —IEC

If I only had a name Writing has been coming along well.  The only impediment: mandatory research.  Most research, for me, starts with the big G.  I research names, images of places that I have in my head, and, this time, history. Without giving too much away, Dreamweaver (The World In-between 6) is about Berty being stuck in a dream world.  Once he escapes his own dream, he goes from dream to dream, rescuing dreamers.  Dreamers mean new characters.  New characters mean names, which, in turn, means research. I love learning about name meanings, history, famous namesakes, and name origins.  Yes, sometimes, I take all this into account when naming characters.  Other times, I just like the name.  Or this character feels like a so-and-so. Soon, I’m coming up to naming a new Dragon character.  Most of my Dragon names in The World In-between series mean some form of fire something-or-other or ancient or serpent/dragon/etc....

Beginnings On the docket this year is Dreamweaver , Book 6 of the World In-between fantasy series.  Already the beginnings of the book have used a good portion of a ream of paper and a new pen.  Dreamweaver brings the series back to Berty’s point of view.  Unlike the previous books, it continues exactly where Hope ended.  The sixth installment should be the last novel in this series.  I say should because although planned, sometimes my characters decide otherwise. Once Dreamweaver is finished, different options wait in the wings.  Which book to continue next?  I may just write them all and see which one the pen flows over best.  Or one may beg to be brought to the forefront.  I have some time to contemplate what comes next. In the meantime, I read.  And, I am starting to post book reviews on my blog.  Look for the first one this month.  If an author wishes to have a book reviewed, email me with a review reques...

Spring marches swiftly.  Robins poke at the grass outside my office window.  I spend mornings writing with the window open.  Chirping and increasing road traffic reverberate around my writing nook.  Although Hope (The World In-between, 5) takes place in the spring, the outside becomes background noise. This one scene sequence constantly plays in my mind.  It doesn’t care if I’m not at that point in the story yet.  My main goal has been to get my characters there.  The scene is a major turning point in the story and in Hope’s character development.  I want to say that I didn’t plan that scene when I first started, but somewhere in my mind, I think I did.  Why else would I have dropped the breadcrumbs? It’s funny.  In my literature classes, we were expected to deconstruct stories, look for meaning, what the author intended, et cetera.  When I walked across that stage and received my degree holder, writing had well taken ...

My short story, Sector Three-Three , is going to be in Laurel Highlands Publishing's next anthology, Across the Kármán Line . Vace has a dream—to get to space.  At the moment, she is a kreel well worker with a past she’d rather forget.  An incident at the kreel lines forces her to face her past and tempt her fate. Across the Kármán Line In space, fate rests in the hands who created the craft.  Wits and creative risk separate life from death while navigating the three-dimensional sea or marooned on an alien planet.  The trust between captain and crew unifies a mission.  And sometimes, the final take-off is the hardest. Across the Kármán Line will be released 19 May 2015.  Ebook pre-orders are available at Amazon ,  Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple iTunes , and Google Play .