SiWC Day Two v4.0 October 26, 2011

World building!

World building!

Everybody say it with me, “World building!”

Okay, I’ll admit, not everyone gets a thrill of excitement when contemplating creating a new world out of whole cloth, but there are some who live for it. People have been known to spend weeks or months developing incredibly intricate magic systems and fantasy worlds.

My best friend and I tried to write a high-fantasy novel when we were in first year university. Sadly, we were more excited about parodying current television characters with our elves and barbarians than creating a believable world, so while it was incredibly entertaining for us, the book as a whole didn’t have much going for it.

I went to a workshop on world building by Alyx Dellamonica because it seems that no matter how mundane a plot I start out with, something fantastical (sci-fi, paranormal) always creeps in. I’m beginning to fear my writerly lot in life will be to live and play among the infinite worlds of speculative fiction. (And yes, I am totally okay with that.)

This was a very interesting session because Alyx really put the ‘work’ into the workshop. We spent a good chunk of time brainstorming and writing. And writing some pretty darn interesting things, I might add.

She started us off with an exercise in building a paranormal story (and when the topic of vampires was chosen, I seriously considered sneaking out the back door – but boy am I glad I stayed), and after we agreed on some standard rules for our paranormal creatures, we each chose a new rule – something to set our vampires apart from the pack… flock… murder… bunch?

I was disappointed at the amount of resistance I felt toward the writing assignment. I like to believe I’m very open-minded, but I really had to work past a brick wall before I could start writing about vampires. However, once I had my twist on the ‘genre’ I found myself enjoying the exercise. I was stunned as the words started to flow and I thought to myself, “I can actually see myself writing this story to its end.”

We played around with some other genres and methods of delivering backstory as well. The whole session was highly informative and I came away itching to sink my teeth into a new world. If you have a chance to take a workshop with Alyx, I recommend it!

C.

The Firestorm Conspiracy IN PRINT! June 9, 2011

Yes, you read that correctly.

The Firestorm Conspiracyis now available in trade paperback from Amazon. It’s officially labelled Book One of the Firestorm Saga because I fully intend on repairing the sequel and launching it in some form or another. I’m using Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat book on screenwriting to wrestle the plot into submission.

Actually, I use the term ‘plot’ loosely. I know NaNoWriMo is all about quantity, not quality, but I have learned my lesson: One should not write 55,000 words of romance without paying any attention to the rest of the story. It is not a simple thing to ‘simply add a plot’ into the mix. My poor sequel is poised to go under the knife (no, that’s too gentle – it’s going under the chainsaw).

As we gear up for summer vacation, my plate is beginning to fill up. The textbook people have been in contact with me again, and I have some more work to do for them. The Firestorm Betrayal is getting a deep makeover and I have another YA novel (about mental health–suicide–with a sci-fi twist) I’d like to draft. Plus, Nikko is going out on submission soon and there’s always the possibility that whichever publisher picks him up will want a sequel or companion book too!

I am thrilled with the writing piling up – I love it. I live for it. Bring on summer vacation!

C.

Book Launch May 23, 2011

Wow, can you believe it? My book has been for sale for one whole week!

I added a link to Goodreads on the side of my blog in case any of you would like to add it to your bookshelves.

Last Monday we held a launch party to celebrate the publication of my first book.

We had cake:

And look what my creative students did with the drink boxes!

(Yes, it spells Firestorm…)

We had draws for free copies, signed book covers, and the whole thing began with a showing of my book trailer!

More than fifty people came out to wish me well, and that was the most touching part of all. Friends, family, students, and even a few I didn’t expect to see…

One colleague brought her eight-year-old son and we had a lovely chat, published author to published author (his teacher is printing out his class’s stories, and he came with a sticker on his shirt that read, “Ask me about my book!”).

I have no idea what will happen with the book, or with the manuscript out with my agent, and you know what? I think that’s absolutely awesome. I look back at where I was when I decided I wanted to write a novel (complete with prologues and dream sequence openers *shudders*), and I compare it to where I am now, and I get so excited because I am nowhere near the end of this journey. I can hardly wait to see what’s around the next bend.

C.

Firestorm FOUR STAR Review! May 3, 2011

My book made the front page!

The Firestorm Conspiracy was reviewed by the large UK site, www.sfbook.com, and they posted the review today. Here are some of the highlights:

“The plot is very well laid out, with snippets of information given out at just the right intervals and plenty of twists, turns, intrigue and conspiracy to keep your eyes really glued to the pages.”

“The narrative is very well written and the action sequences brief but descriptive, keeping the pace moving at a very fast speed and allowing the prose to flow by.”

“The Firestorm Conspiracy is a very strong opening episode into what I hope will be a long and rewarding series, creatively written with plenty of drama and a breakneck pace, recommended.”

For the full review, please go to: http://sfbook.com/the-firestorm-conspiracy.htm

I am still reacting to the review on an emotional level, so I will save commenting on how I am handling the review experience for another post. For now I will offer huge thanks to Ant over at sfbook.com for taking the time to review my novel and help spread the word.

C.

Bad Austen Contest Results April 18, 2011

Woo hoo!

After waiting and wondering, and emailing and tweeting, the winners of the Bad Austen contest were notified earlier today. I did not win the $250, but my short story, John & Rebeccah: Love ‘Midst the Stars, has been chosen for publication in the anthology coming out in November.

I am thrilled to be adding another publication credit to my name.

I’m even more thrilled by the fact that a story involving the characters from The Firestorm Conspiracy has found its way into a print anthology. The more people who read about, and fall in love with, John and Rebeccah, the happier I will be.

C.

PS – A special shout out to my fellow #badausten tweeters: Thanks for your support throughout the wait! Glad to hear you’re getting responses too.

Cover Art February 17, 2011

I received my first round of line edits for The Firestorm Conspiracy on Monday and sent them back last night. Within minutes of ending my conversation with Jason Ashlock and Brianne Mulligan this morning (more on this later), I received a couple of amazing emails from Lyrical Press.

The first email included an attachment: my cover.

ZOMG, I love it! I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. I don’t think they could have effectively captured the image of an avian or the ship without it looking hokey. And to put John or Rebeccah on the cover when it really is an ensemble book wouldn’t work well either.

This cover captures the essence of the sci-fi element of the story. Yes, it’s vague, but damn it, it’s frikking gorgeous. There’s a majesty and beauty to the scene that I think will appeal to anyone who enjoys those grand old space romps. And the font? Can you say ‘Trek’? Which, really, is a great idea to put into a reader’s head – this is an ensemble group, and we’re just going to assume space travel and aliens exist.

I love it.

I can’t stop grinning every time I see it.

C.

Can you believe my NaNoWriMo 2009 novel is coming out in less than three months?

Author Questionnaire Response #2 March 27, 2010

Who do you think will buy your book?

The Firestorm Conspiracy

While this book is technically ‘science-fiction’ due to its setting, faster than light travel, and aliens, it is not ‘hard’ science-fiction. The science is there to provide a backdrop for the characters, it never takes centre stage. In that respect, this novel is more ‘soft’ sci-fi, bordering on space opera. This book is for anyone who likes a good space/alien tale without worrying about how it all works. In terms of gender interest, I believe the book has something for all tastes. Things go boom, people die, characters grow and explore their inner motivations, and bumbling aliens melt your heart, making you want to take them home and hug them. If you’re more interested in why people are flying the space ship than how, this book is for you.

Job Hunted

I’ll be honest, this book is probably going to appeal to more women than men. That doesn’t mean men won’t like it – I’m sure many will. It’s full of suspense, conflict, explosions, and murder, BUT it is also about a strong female protagonist, her family, and sex. When I imagine the ideal reader for this book, I see a woman somewhere between 25 and 45 who would love to be able to step outside society’s norms to face life the way the protagonist does. I see a woman who enjoys escaping into a fast-paced drama complete with violence, cussing, and toe-curling sex because living out these fantasies help her feel more comfortable with the world she currently inhabits. My ideal reader is someone who loves my protagonist as much as I do, and who will cheer for (and chastise when she screws up) her right up to the last page. She demands committment, and if you’re ready for a relationship with a kick-ass, sarcastic, larger-than-life heroine, then this book is for you. Don’t expect to walk away from her at the end though – she’ll come and whup yo’ ass in the second book if you try.

I have an update for the NCAA March Madness pool: I am in 16th place! It is mathematically impossible for me to win, but I am hopeful my goal of finishing on the front page will be realized.

My first page submission to WEbook has started to receive some ratings. As of this posting, it has been rated nine times. One person gave it a two (out of five), four people gave it a three, and four people have given it a four. No matter what, my page is guaranteed thirty ratings, and maybe as many as one hundred. If, after thirty, it doesn’t look like my page will garner enough strong votes to move it to the second round, it will be dropped from the circulation pool. If it’s getting good reviews, it will be kept in until it reaches at least one hundred ratings. At this time, the criteria to have my page read by an agent is 20% of votes being a five, or 15% fives plus 15% fours. I will let you know how the numbers are playing out as I get closer to that magical thirty ratings mark.

From beyond the keyboard (and in the dark, running on battery power in honour of Earth Hour),

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com

Bravery? Thy Name is Fool! March 11, 2010

I did it. I sent my query to the Query Shark to gnaw upon. I hope she finds it filling without causing bloating. I also hope that if she rips it to shreds I will be able to pick the remnants off the floor and soldier on. I’m excited in a oh-my-goodness-i’m-on-a-roller-coaster-and-about-to-go-down-the-first-terrible-drop sort of way. This could be a great ride or it could scare the you-know-what out of me, but either way I’ll probably scream.

I think the bravery surrounding throwing myself out there for public humiliation has gone to my head. Not only did I submit my latest query to the Shark, but I dusted off (tweaked) my query for The Firestorm Conspiracy and sent it out to five more agents. Perhaps it is spring fever. Whatever it is, I seem to be tossing my work out for possible rejection at a feverish pace. I wonder if I’ve been feeling too appreciated at work lately…

I am off to finish what is turning out to be an absolutely brilliant first chapter.

From beyond the keyboard,

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com

Contest Update February 9, 2010

In order to help me keep track of what I have entered, and hope to enter, I decided to make today’s blog post about the contests influencing my writing life. As the deadlines approach, and as results are announced, I will be sure to let you know how I’ve done. In no particular order:

Writer’s Digest Your Story: Deadline February 10th, 2010. My entry is a short piece entitled, Magic Gone Awry.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future: Deadline April 1st, 2010. Word count limit is 17,000 words.

PARSEC’s Annual Writing Competition: Deadline April 15th, 2010. Word count limit is 3,500 words and must be written on the theme, “The colour of silence.”

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award: Deadline was February 7th, 2010. Those moving on to the second round of judging will be announced February 25th, 2010. My entry is my science-fiction novel, The Firestorm Conspiracy.

Writer’s Digest 79th Annual Writing Competition: Deadline May 14th, 2010. Word count limit is 4,000 words for the genre writing category.

Surrey International Writers’ Conference 18th Annual Writing Contest: Deadline September 10th, 2010. Word count limit is 5,000 words for fiction.

Writer’s Digest 10th Annual Short Short Story Writing Competition: Winners will be notified by February 12th, 2010. My entry was a short story called, Gossip.

I am currently working on a piece that I plan to enter in one of the contests I have not already entered. Which one will depend on the final word count, and with regards to the PARSEC contest, whether or not it addresses the theme. Thanks for letting me use this post to organize my writing contest life, and wish me luck!

From beyond the keyboard,

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com

Writing and Rejection February 3, 2010

I am enjoying writing with intention. It is different from the crazy NaNoWriMo experience where quantity trumped quality. I wrote another 300 words last night and it was a joy to contemplate each word and phrase as I went. NaNoWriMo was a wonderful frenzy of writing, and it was a fabulous way to free myself from my overactive inner editor, but there is something to be said for taking the time to craft each sentence or scene too.

I haven’t come up with a title for the piece, but it will be a short story (probably 3,000 – 4,000 words) set within the avian world of my novel. I guess, due to lack of humans or avian science, it is a fantasy story but I can’t help thinking of it as science fiction due to its association with my novel. The story is set several generations prior to the novel, and revolves around a young female, Trilla, and the deadly intrigue involved with being a member of the royal house.

I plan on entering this story in a contest (which one depends on the final word count for the story), and I will keep you updated as once the entry is submitted. Speaking of contests, the two contests I entered in December and January are due to be announcing their results soon. While I am hoping my entries will receive recognition, I am also excited to see what the other participants wrote. I love to see others succeed–I feel joy and excitement just thinking about how thrilled those people will be to see their work recognized.

This post isn’t just about writing. The title hints at the other side of the writing/publishing coin–rejection. I received an email rejection for my flash fiction piece, Agony. It was a simultaneous submission, so it is still being considered by several other magazines. The letter was very polite and I am finding that the more letters I get, the easier the rejections are to receive (not that I am encouraging any agents or editors who may be reading this to help further develop my thickening skin). Someday, somewhere, my stories will find a home. If they never reach a paying market, I will be pleased to post them here to share with the world.

From beyond the keyboard,

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com