Novelista

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...

I read and read and read.  Reading books on my phone has become one of my favorite non-writing past times.  Using my subscription to Scribd , I read, on average, 4 or 5 books a month. Going through my Scribd Library, I read some great books, some okay books, and some that I never finished.  Here are the 11 best books I read this past year.  I gave all these books 4 stars or higher on Goodreads . No particular order.  I kept series together.  Enjoyed them all. Clockwork Heart (Clockwork Heart, 1) by Dru Pagliassotti Clockwork Lies: Iron Wind (Clockwork Heart, 2) by Dru Pagliassotti Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire (Clockwork Heart, 3) by Dru Pagliassotti Calling On Fire (Fire and Stone, 1) by Stephanie Beavers The Watcher’s Keep (The Triadine Saga, 1) by Timothy Bond The Dragon Rises (The Triadine Saga, 2) by Timothy Bond Riddle in Stone (The Riddle in Stone, 1) by Robert Evert Betrayal in the Highlands (The Riddle in Stone,...

January is a good month to evaluate and re-evaluate.  I don’t know about you, but the cadence of falling snow helps me think.  Not that my mountain rural community has had much … yet.  Snow or no, I’ve never been one to make resolutions.  Deviating from convention, my system of doing things has always been a little different.  Even the process I use to write my books sways away from the norm. As I fill out this year’s calendar, I am finding that not everything I did last year will fit.  The things that I need to accomplish are taking me down a different path than the one on which I currently stand. 2015 Plans Read as much as possible.   I tend to read books that strike my fancy in cover and description.  The majority of the books I pick up are fantasy of some kind, but I like to read most genres.  What keeps me going to the very end are good, solid characters.  Without them, the plot is lost, and so I am. Hav...

I never thought I’d say it.   I love my ebook subscription service. When I received my free subscription for being an early adopter author on Scribd , I honestly thought that I’d never use it.   Then, my books were reported as being read.   I gave it a second look. Although I had wasted a month not reading, I browsed the books on their site.   I chose books and added them to my library.   Books were picked by cover and description. After downloading the Scribd app on my phone, I began to read.   Sometimes, I read before bed, and, sometimes, when I didn’t feel like getting up yet.   I found myself reading while I waited for my food to grill or during the rare times I wasn’t writing. My voracious reading habit returned.   I consumed book after book—any book that looked interesting—regardless of publisher or author.   Half the time, I had no idea who I read until afterwards. Some books I did not finish.   But, with a ...