Today I'm being interviewed over at Tyrean Martinson's blog. So if you'd like to know my top tips for writing, or where I find inspiration, or some other quirky things about me, then head on over.
What are you reading at the moment?
(And oh my goodness, have you seen the new Netflix animated series called Arcane? It's excellent! I highly recommend it and I've only seen the first two episodes so far.)
Don't forget to pop on over to Tyrean Martinson's blog.
Today we have cover reveals, new releases, a guest snippet from the great Tyrean Martinson, and the IWSG question of the month. So let's begin!
COVER REVEAL
Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional
365 days of inspiration and Bible wisdom to lighten your heart.
365 devotions to bring you peace in uncertain times.
365 ways to Cling to God.
This special book is a year-long journey with inspirational messages and uplifting scripture. It includes short Bible-based teachings that will encourage and refresh. It is faith building and thought provoking with reassuring reminders of God’s love.
A great companion for individual worship or for group Bible study. The perfect gift book or personal keepsake that will be cherished for years to come.
Start each morning with Cling to God to brighten your day and draw closer to God.
OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE: 3rd Nov
--
GUEST POST by Tyrean Martinson
Klah in Dragonsinger and Coffee by Other Names
If you read science fiction and fantasy or enjoy science fiction and fantasy movies, you might have noticed a tendency for writers to give a unique twist to one of Earth’s favorite beverages: coffee.
As a reader, the first instance I encountered of coffee by another name came in the form of klah in the Harper Hall Series by Anne McCaffrey. I loved the sound of Klah. It was always warm and soothing to the characters, as well as a slight stimulant for waking up.
In Dragonsinger from the Harper Hall Series, the main character Menolly is rescued and taken to Harper Hall, where she is removed from everything she knows except for her fire lizards, her music, and the comfort of the familiar klah.
It makes sense for science fiction and fantasy writers to bring coffee, tea, or their favorite comfort beverages into their unique worlds, whether they call it coffee, klah, or another name.
In The Rayatana Series, the beverage “awak” is like a mixture of coffee and tea with similar stimulating properties. When I came up with the idea, it was in homage to all the other science fiction and fantasy beverages out there in the books and movies I love.
Honestly, her role as Rayatana is a mess.
She may never get to use her powers for anything good. Not if her teacher continues to keep secrets, and not if her powers keep harming others. Putting her mother in a coma should put her in prison, but she has a mission. She wants to bring peace to her people. She needs to become the Rayatana.
Amazon, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, Goodreads, Bookbub.
Tyrean Martinson is a word hunter. She forages for words both sweet and tart in the South Sound of Washington State. An eclectic writer, she writes speculative fiction, contemporary and historical fiction, short scripts, devotions, writing books, song lyrics, and poetry.
Tyrean's Writing Spot Blog, Tyrean's Tales, Instagram, Twitter, Tyrean's Tutoring Website.
--
IWSG question of the month
While I have no qualms reading stories with salty language, it seems I'm not comfortable including it in my own writing. You'll find no F-bombs in my stories, or colorful phrases. As for topics, I try to stay clear of anything too sensitive or controversial. I want my fiction to be escapist and fun. Of course, having said that, I do deal with physical abuse in Wielder's Prize, my debut fantasy novel. It's a topic that makes many people uncomfortable so I softened an instance of it in a more recent edition. I didn't want the focus to be on the abuse. I wanted it to be on overcoming it and forgiveness.
--
Don't forget to leave your email in the comments if you'd like to join my review team and get a free copy of Cling to God:365-Day devotional.
What topics or language to do you shy from? Are you excited to read Tyrean's new book? What do you think of the new cover for Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional?
A big thank you to Tyrean Martinson and Jemi Fraser for supporting me with my cover reveal. Please pop on over and say hi from me.
Teen/YA dialogue, like any dialogue in any novel, is dependent on character, and is often used to indicate different character traits. While I know I used the phrase, “Cool,” more often than most people I know, one of my daughters says, “Coolio,” with a hint of sarcasm. After watching Community, our whole family started saying, “Cool. Cool, Cool, Cool,” like Troy and Abed. In real life, the phrases we use indicate something about who we are. They can be considered habits of speech. With characters, these habits can become catchphrases or markers of character within a dialogue.
If you’ve watched Scooby Doo, you know “Zoinks!” is uttered most often by Shaggy, “Jinkies!” is usually Velma’s catchphrase, and “Jeepers!” is more often said by Daphne than any other character in the show. “Looks like we’ve got another mystery on our hands,” is Fred’s signature line. Between all the variations of the Scooby Doo universe, there are more than 120 episodes filled with dialogue and these catchphrases come up in nearly every episode. The danger is that catchphrases can become overdone, so in later renditions, the Scooby Doo creators tried different phrases, or mixed up which character used them.
While catchphrases are useful, we don’t want our readers to start thinking we’re lazy as writers. This means, we need to dig into our characters and figure out why they say what they say. In Liftoff, my characters are a teen girl from Earth and an alien boy from a different part of the galaxy. They have a few discussions about language, which was my way of addressing the problems with slang, and also addressing the issue of “universal language” that shows up in many science fiction tropes. Sol doesn’t understand Earth slang and he’s reticent about details concerning the war his people are involved in – both were something I did purposefully to share who he is as a character.
While I think TV is usually a half-step behind the most current slang, watching some episodes of shows set in modern culture can be a way to begin to understand modern teen/YA slang. If possible, find out what teens you know are watching. Ask parents of teens about slang and word usage, as well as references. My character Amaya has been sheltered by her parents, was sent to private schools, and she enjoys reading; she makes some references to indicate those things about her character.
Dialogue is often at the heart of how we show who our characters are and how they are developing throughout a novel. It can be tough to do well, and I think in many ways, it takes practice, as well as research. In addition to using TV to guide our dialogue, we always need feedback from beta readers. I know many teens are busy with activities and homework, so I have found the best way to get feedback is to choose a scene or a chapter, and ask for feedback on that. This goes for parents of teens, as well. I ask them to be honest, even if it’s brutally honest. I want to know if I’m doing it right, or not. I changed some of my dialogue because of feedback I received from beta readers who only read three to four chapters. I applied their help to the rest of the book.
Writing requires dedication and some of that dedication requires listening to the world around us. Listen for the cadences of speech, the cultural references, and the slang in real world conversations and on television shows, and it will help guide you. At the same time, much of writing takes practice. So, write the dialogue. Get it on the page, and get help as needed.
Liftoff: The Rayatana Series, Book 1
A spaceship in disguise,
an Earth girl searching for a sense of home,
and a Thousand Years’ War between alien races,
all collide on a summer afternoon.
An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.
Amaya gets trapped in the middle of an ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.
What will it take to survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?
Liftoff is a fast-paced read for fans of Code 8, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cobra Kai.
Kindle - Barnes and Noble - Kobo - Smashwords - Goodreads
Tyrean Martinson is an author and teacher from Washington State. As a former fencer and kickboxer, she enjoys writing fight scenes in fast-paced novels and novellas. As a teacher and writing tutor, she loves to get students writing and reading comfortably by any means: talk-to-text, short writing assignments, short stories, novellas, and adventures. She wrote her latest novella, Liftoff, for herself during COVID, but realized it also fits a dream she’s had for a while: to create a short, fast-paced read for teen/YA readers who love popcorn movies, adventure, and sweet romance.
Blog - Newsletter - Instagram - Twitter - Facebook
--
Don't forget to visit Elle Cardy over at Alex's Blog and over at Tyrean's blog
Update: I have a guest post on Ronel Janse van Vuuren's blog
I have two cover reveals for you today. Both novellas! The first is the young adult fantasy novella I've been working on for longer than expected. I blame a dead computer and other distractions. Well of Ash is a standalone with dragons, magic, and a touch of romance. It will be released early November.
I am currently looking for more critique partners and/or early readers. If you're interested, let me know in the comments or in an email.
The second cover reveal is a YA scifi novella by Tyrean Martinson. Liftoff is book 1 in the Rayatana Series. The release date is November 10th.
An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.
A spaceship in disguise, an Earth girl searching for a sense of home, and a Thousand Years’ War between alien races of The Great Galaxy, all collide on a summer afternoon.
When the spaceship rumbles to life, it traps Amaya in the middle of an ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.
What will it take to survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?
Liftoff is an action-packed science fiction novella for teen/YA book lovers who enjoy space battles, fistfights, and a hint of romance.
Pre-order Sale: 99cents for Kindle. This price is only guaranteed through the first day of book release.
To find Tyrean Martinson: Blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
I started writing in my early teens and it took nine years to finish my first book, which I promptly shelved. I literally wrote a sentence here and there, a single paragraph one month, then I'd have a burst before slowing down again. It may have taken close to a decade to finish, but I still saw myself as a working writer because my ultimate goal was to get published. It didn't matter that the first book didn't reach that goal. I'm a firm believer that no writing is wasted writing. You're only a hobbyist if you strictly write for yourself with no intention of sharing it with anyone else. At least, that's my definition. What's yours?
