Andra's Blog

Redarian -- an Excerpt

2009-11-06T03:15:36Z

Travis Garrity felt the man's breath on his neck and tried not to cringe.

Did the self-appointed governor of this expedition have to eat so much garlic, and on top of that, stand within a half a meter with everyone he wanted to talk to?

"We're not there yet," Travis said for the nineteenth time today. He knew. He kept track.

Governor Isaac Johanna leaned over the console, his breath even more pungent, and said, "You said it would be today, Garrity."

"And it will, but you hovering over me will not make this bucket go any faster."

Travis could feel Johanna's glare when he said, "This bucket has been your home all your life. Show some respect."

Home, Travis thought. More like a prison and the only way out was the vacuum of space. How could he respect that? Truth was, he was more eager to get to their destination than the governor, and most of the other colonists aboard this 70-year-old heap named "Red Dagger."

Red Dagger. What a name. Pink Rust Bucket was more apt in describing her.

Travis smirked and gave the pilot console a small caress. He did love her, even as he despised her. She brought them through many a hardship with few problems. She was well-built even if she was ugly.

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This is how my latest nanowrimo novel begins. It's a prequel to my very first nano-novel entitled "Red Dagger." The first novel wasn't about the ship named in this one, but in fact takes place almost 600 years in the future.

Kinda fun not only coming up with a new story, but an entire universe.

But also daunting. So far I'm a bit slow in writing "Redarian." It's not because I'm not interested in the story, but I feel out of practice in writing over 1500 words a day. It's intimidating, because I've spent so much time lately editing. I keep wanting to either edit as I go, or stop to rephrase a word, paragraph and constantly ask myself, "Is this scene even necessary?"

Who cares!

The point is to write, and write anything. It's about volume, not quality. The fixing can come later.

So I best get to writing, even if it is total ick.

The Scoop

2009-11-01T20:11:43Z

The Marcher Lord Select contests officially started today!

It consists of two separate contests: the Main contest and Premise contest. Phase I for the main contest consists of the 20-word premise, 100-word blurb and a single-page synopsis. The winner of this contest will be published -- although the publisher, Jeff Gerke still makes the final decision.

Phase I of the Premise contest (where I'm an entrant) is the Title of the book and 20-word premise. The 20 stories with the most votes moves on to Phase II, with a total of four phases. For the winners of this contest, Jeff Gerke will read the entire manuscript and decide whether or not it will be published. There's no guarantee, but at least we're moved to the top of his reading list. For the ones who didn't win, they aren't immediately rejected; they'll just have to wait a little longer for that thirsted after "Send your entire manuscript."

I hope you'll participate in the contest as a voter. The more the merrier. The only caveat is you'll have to vote at least three times and you'll have to sign up as a member to the forum. Also, if you know anyone who might be interested, especially if they like science fiction and/or fantasy, please send them over as well.

Voting begins November 13th.

To find out more click on the image below:

A Kiss Goodbye

2009-10-25T20:41:35Z

When a child grows up and you see him, or her, leaving you behind, it's a bitter-sweet sensation. You watch after him, hoping you dressed him cool enough or warm enough. Did you teach him all he needs to know about surviving, such as looking both ways to cross the street, not talking to strangers, and a million other pieces of advice?

How we feel about our writing is not much different. We hope and pray with every query, proposal and entire manuscript submission that our literary child is ready for the world.

Yesterday I received a blanket email from Marcher Lord Press. It asked if I had turned in my premise yet as only five days remained. He noted only seven had sent theirs in. Good for me if it stays at that number, because my chances just jumped to 8:1 instead of 40:1.

I'm not counting my fingers just yet, though. I was waiting until the last minute so I could spend more time preparing my little premise who I'm still not sure is ready.

Good thing the publisher sent the email and I read the whole thing through. It turns out that even though my story is entered into the premise contest, I still need to send a 100-word teaser, 1-page synopsis (not giving away the ending), and the first 500 words.

Oh.

Now I'm really glad I waited, otherwise I would have sent my 20-word premise and nothing else.

I sent my proposal out into the big-bad scary world today.

I hope and pray it survives, even thrives.

Turning off The Brain

2009-10-23T04:34:51Z

When my 21-month-old son gets frustrated with a toy not assembling the way he expects it to, he either pounds on it, tosses it across the room, or he stares at me and groans as if demanding I fix it for him.

Quite calmly I say, "Just walk away, honey. You'll figure it out eventually."

Whether or not he understands the concept is doubtful, but he does listen enough to walk away. Sometimes. The rest of the time I have to take it away and distract him with something else.

He takes after me, poor fella.

Now if only I would take my own advice more often.

Last night my single braincell told me to leave the premise alone. I didn't want to, so it distracted me with the desire to play with and upload more photos into my flickr album.

Two hours later and happily forgetful of my premise I went to bed. Not ten minutes later, I had it! I knew how to word my premise. Well, the first dozen words anyway.

With my still fully-functional braincell, I jumped out of bed, ran to the living room (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration) and grabbed a notebook, booklight and pen. I returned to bed and wrote down my premise. I left the notebook et al by my pillow just in case another aha! moment struck me.

It didn't, but no matter. I figured out the hardest part of my premise. The rest could wait until the morning.

An hour ago I finished it up, using only 2 pages of notebook paper to get there.

It is now in the hands of two fellow writers who volunteered to bleed on it for me.

I changed my mind about posting it here, because if it's to get any votes in the contest, I want it on merit alone. Will that hurt my chances? Probably. But if my premise gets me into the second round or higher, I'll know the words alone got me there.

Okay, God, too *grin*.

Just Shoot Me

2009-10-21T03:33:20Z

You would think after working eight years on a book, I would have such a good grasp of the concept along with the story, characters, et al, writing a 20-word premise could be a snap.

Sure, if writing and deleting every word for 47 hours, 20 cups of coffee, a sore scalp from pulling out all my hair, and cracked fingernails from pounding on my computer keys in teary-eyed frustration is considered a snap (long enough sentences there, for ya?).

Okay, it's not that bad. But boiling down a 100k story into so few words is a challenge this lady doesn't feel qualified to accomplish. At least not enough to make a bunch of people say, "Wow! I wanna read that book!"

Yes, this is a temper tantrum. No, I'm not giving up. Sometimes plopping down on the floor and screaming my head off helps to purge all the negative thoughts and feelings.

*plops down on floor and screams into pillow*

There. I feel better now. My apologies if my mental flailing hurt your eyes or emotional stability.

Back to work.

A Tiny Step -- Better Than None.

2009-10-18T21:31:09Z

October 17, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select

(Colorado Springs, CO)--Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; www.marcherlordpress.com.

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I received the above press release from Jeff via email, along with an invitation to participate in the premise contest. It's not the main contest, but hey, an opportunity is an opportunity, right?

So now I have 12 days to once again sweat, cry and bleed over my premise and submit it. Also, if you'd like to participate as a voter (please, please, please do!) click on the Anomoly forum link above. I may also post my premise here in the next few days so you can give me ideas on how to improve upon it. I could use all the help I can get.

The Age-Old Question

2009-10-09T02:16:34Z

Why do bad things happen to good people?

It's a question we all ask ourselves, especially when the "bad" hits close to home.

Why does a wife lose her husband, a husband his wife, and a mother her son? Why does God seem to turn his back on all the prayers asking for a stay of Death's hand?

It's all so excruciatingly unfair.

Especially when there are so many people who seemingly do nothing but evil remain untouched by the darker side of life.

Will my attempt at an answer sound trite at best?

I can't know the mind of God, why he chooses to grace some with his healing touch here on earth and others he calls home - from our perspective - all too soon.

A few days ago I read Isaiah 57:1-2:

Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.

Does that really help the family and loved ones left behind? Not really. All we can do is grieve and hope that someday we can breathe without the stab of loss.

All the rest of us can offer is our shoulders, our ears and our tears. None of us leaves this world untouched by losing someone we love sometimes more than life, so none of us ever grieves alone.

Sometimes if that only someone is God himself.

Sure he allows bad things to happen to good people, but that doesn't mean he doesn't grieve with us and offer some measure of comfort. The comfort may come in the form of a kind word, a hug, or a simple passage of scripture that promises a day when Death is not even a faded memory.

From One Addiction to Another

2009-10-06T01:54:24Z

You would think that after about six weeks of not hearing whether or not my book will be accepted by a publisher, I'd be a wreck.

Keeping busy with either writing other projects are submersing myself into a different hobby helps keep the noggin' screwed on straight.

For me it's taking pictures. To the point my son gives me a dirty look whenever I grab the camera. No kidding. Over the last few days I've slowed down quite a bit. The weather has turned dreary, and darkness falls too soon for good outdoor shots.

And my creativity for indoor shots has dried up a bit. I turned my focus away from snapping pictures until my finger falls off to using software to modify and add special effects to the pictures I have now. I borrowed from the library two digital photography books, and so far I've learned a lot about how digital cameras work. Interesting stuff. I'm also reading "The Last Eye Witness" by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, a fictionalized story of John, the last of the original disciples and the one who wrote the Gospel of John.

Once I finish that, I hope to continue to work on my new manuscript using the Snowflake Method. I hope complete enough of it done I can use what I learned there to write it during Nanowrimo beginning November 1.

In the meantime, I'm going to spend less time on the computer, which means still not many entries for a while. Hopefully not a full month in between this time.

After spending eight hours a day on a computer at work, the thought of logging more hours at home? Blech. Luckily if I want to write, there's always the ever-available and reliable pen and paper.

Now it's back to reading. I hope the weather hasn't turned too cold for you, and if it has, you're warm and toasty. Hmm. Good idea. A hot coffee and snuggling in a warm blanket on the couch with my book sounds heavenly.

Later!

Not Thinking About It -- Much

2009-09-07T20:18:23Z

Two weeks ago today I sent off my proposal.

Two weeks of hearing nothing.

Are my fingertips reduced to bloody nubs?

Nope!

I've been staying busy with going through my manuscript one more time for basic spelling/grammar errors. Finished that this morning.

A friend and fellow writer (Hi, Loraine!) asked me to go through the first part of hers, so that took up my attention for a few days.

What else?

Taking TONS of photos. Owning my camera less than a month and already I've snapped over 2900 pictures. The one here is what I call the Accidental Grasshopper. As I was taking shots of my son at a playground, I happened to notice a small lump on a park bench. I zoomed in as far as I could and snapped the shot. Only after I downloaded it did I notice the lump was a grasshopper. Pretty cool, huh? To see a better view, click on the photo. You can also see all the other photos I've taken (the better ones anyway, so no worries about sifting through 2900+ pictures).

I also assembled and printed a book for a friend whose husband passed away at the end of August. It contains photographs, poems and other expressions of sympathy from her other friends.

Is it wrong to say I enjoyed putting it together?

I guess when someone dies, we feel powerless to help those who are left behind. Even though nothing we say or do will take away their grief, we still need to do something, anything, to let them know they're not alone. I suppose it's no wonder people shower the grieved with food, flowers, cards and the like. The book was a way to express my sympathy.

Starting tonight I plan on diving into my WIP mentioned in previous entries preliminary-titled "The Redarian Wars." I'm going to dive into Step 2 of the Snowflake Method where I expand my one-sentance summary to a full paragraph.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Nothing like a little terror . . .

2009-08-25T02:58:52Z

to ensure I'll get not a wink of sleep.

Not one minute ago I submitted my novel proposal to a publisher.

Will this be one more rejection to add to my as yet paltry stack?

I'll keep you apprised.

Hopefully I'll still have fingernails by the time I hear back.

15 Lousy (Grueling) Words

2009-08-21T02:51:41Z

Step One of Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method requires I spend an hour writing a one sentence summary. Of less than 15 words.

I've said before, writing a 100,000 word novel is much easier than a single-page synopsis or query letter.I'd rather eat a raw onion.

After a half an hour (I didn't have the patience last night for an entire hour), and thirteen iterations later I ended up with a fifteen word summary:

Both murderer and spy, one man decides the fate of two cultures and one planet.

Does it say enough?

Perhaps I should spend another thirty minutes on it.

Still, it's better than my first try (they subsequently worsened, believe it or not):

A grounded pilot stuck between two cultures must prevent a war.

I didn't like it, because the main character may or may not prevent that war. He may decide to walk away. Plus the sentence doesn't say enough to titillate the interest of potential readers.

Whether or not my final (as yet) effort does, I'll let you decide.

What I've accomplished

2009-08-19T03:07:30Z

With regard to writing, not much.

I'm a bit stuck. I've tried to write an outline, but I've written less than a page. To help push me forward, I'll give Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method a try.

I've also allowed another obsession to grab hold of me: photography.

My new camera can do so much, I'm having a great time figuring the thing out. The quality of the photographs are killer -- once I figure out the settings. The fun part is learning which settings go best with the subject, available light, and determining composition.

I caught this dragonfly in my neighbor's garden this evening. It took a few tries, though. My camera did have difficulty focusing on it at first, and it kept flying away.

But that's the fun part.

Hopefully taking pictures won't take up all the time I need to spend writing. There is one advantage to writing at night: I can only take so many nighttime photos.

If you want to see more photos check out my Flickr Page.

Giving up my blanky

2009-08-13T02:39:30Z

I've been working on "Traitors" since February, 2001. I wrote the first draft in three months. It's gone through over ten major drafts in the last eight years.

It's a friend, comfortable, and in some ways predictable.

Now that it's finished (for now), I need to concentrate on writing an entirely new story. I wrote 14k of it in 2007, and need to finish it.

My first plan of attack is to write an outline of where I want the story to go. I have yet to write a single word. Why? Because I don't want to give up my comfortable blanky. It means thinking up a unique story with unique characters.

I know the premise, I know the main characters, and I know about where the story will go.

Writing it down, for whatever reason, daunts me a little.

Okay, a lot.

But I must if I don't want to stagnate. Sometimes throwing away the beloved thread-bare and stinky blanket is the only way to grow.

It'll take some tears, much grumbling, a few tantrums, but I'll be happy about it once it's done.

I have two working titles (science fiction): "A Planet to Call Home" and "The Redarian War". The second sounds more adventurous, don't ye think?

A rough blurb: Two groups of colonists fight over who controls the planet, Redarian. The main character, Travis, is caught between the two. He was shunned by one colony for dereliction of duty resulting in the deaths of five people, and nearly killed as a spy by the other. Can he bring the two together, or will he be the first casualty of a long and brutal war?

Intrigued?

If so, perhaps I need to get my fingers tapping.

95,578 Words Later

2009-08-09T02:09:59Z

And I'm done!

With three days to spare.

That's right. I finished the latest rewrite of my novel. Boy does it feel good.

What happens now? I print it out, let it sit for a week and skim through it for spelling and grammar errors. Anyone wanna help, say a few chapters at a time? There's a present in it fer ya.

2nd on my list of to-dos: Gather a list of agents/publishers. So far I found one publisher that I really, really want to take me, but I admit to some ambivalence. What if they reject me, er, my manuscript?

I know, I know. Only one way to find out.

I shall keep you apprised.

3rd on my list: Because I made my deadline, my reward is a new camera. I spent the last month searching, reading reviews, comparing features, and decided on a Canon Powershot SX10IS. It's what they call a prosumer (professional/consumer) fixed-lens superzoom. Got all that? Anyway, it has high megapixels, 20X zoom with the ability to add an external flash and other gotta-have features. For a mere $350. All I can say is I love birthday money!

The camera reviews I paid most attention to were the negative ones. I soon discovered that in many cases the problem wasn't with the camera, but the buyer's expectations.

We're in a gotta-have-it-now-don't-make-me-have-to-work-for-something society it seems. I noticed when novices (and I don't imply that as an insult, because I are one) bought one of these prosumer cameras with a slew of manual settings (it'll take months to figure it out myself) they expected it to act like a simpler point-and-shoot.

Not every camera will take the same kind of pictures, and two different people using the same camera with the same settings will never take the exact same picture.

Example: My husband used to take his two-wheel drive Toyota Corolla places people who drove 4-wheel drive Jeeps wouldn't dare go.

He also used to take pictures with a Minolta waterproof 110 film camera. The quality of photos he took with that thing always left me in awe and a twinge of jealousy. I couldn't touch the excellence of his pictures with my more expensive 35mm.

It's not always the camera that allows a person to take amazing photos, but the user. A camera in its simplest form is a tool.

Some people can use a hammer and create beautiful, sturdy furniture. For others, it's a way to make wood look like a hailstorm attacked it. The reason Dave could drive to scary places in the mountains is because he pushed his car to its limits and learned what it could do. As for picture taking, I believe he has a natural eye for composition. He also pushed the little camera to its limits. Not being afraid of damaging it also helped, I'm sure.

Will this camera help me to take better pictures? Perhaps, perhaps not, but it's always a joy to learn how to use a new tool. With enough practice, I may take envious photos.

In the meantime, I plan to keep up with my writing. I've kept a decent schedule for the past month, and I don't want to let it slide.

What to write? For starters, I want to finish the book I started in the 2007 Nanowrimo (national novel writing month). I at first thought about editing another manuscript, but I need to set editing aside and write something new. It's like doing pushups for a month and nothing else. Time to work a on a different set of muscles so I don't burn out.

You will likely see me around more. Lucky you *snicker*.

Why Research is so Important

2009-07-22T03:00:29Z

When we first decide to seek out a publisher for our works, it's very easy to go too fast, and tie ourselves to the first publisher who gives us The Nod.

Another blogger I know on writing.com published her books through Mystic Moon Press. Apparently neither she, all the other authors, and even the employees haven't received royalty payments in months. The authors banded together and Mystic Moon's website is now down, Fictionwise has pulled all their books, and they are now working on getting Amazon to do the same. As for whether or not the authors will get their money back, only time will tell.

Scary stuff.

I know several others who published through Mystic Moon Press, so I admit to a little surprise, and sympathy for all those authors who were swindled.

Two minutes of research yielded some interesting facts, namely in April, 2008. Karen Scott wrote a blog about how the owner of Mystic Moon Press had swindled before under a different publishing company:

http://karenknowsbest.com/2008/04/10/kristi-studts-disgraced-ex-owner-of-triskel...

That popped up after searching "Mystic Moon Press scandal". I'm sure if I searched more and included writer beware sites such as http://www.sfwa.org/beware I would find out even more about not only Mystic Moon, but the owner. I could then be better informed about whether the publisher is legitimate, or not.

I want my books published, and there was a time not too long ago I would have jumped at The Nod, to hell with any research into said publisher.

After reading horror stories like the one above, I'm a bit more cautious.

As we all should be. Some steps to take:

1. Check out any complaints against the publisher by its authors.

2. Ask said publisher for references and a means to contact its authors. If they refuse to even provide a list, wave a hearty goodbye.

Anyone else have a burned by a publisher experience and would like to share?

My list of what do to do is a bit paltry (I'm tired and can't think straightly). What more advice can you impart to authors seeking publication (traditional or indie, don't matter here)?