Posted in Books & Movies, Snippets, tagged fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower on October 23, 2021| 2 Comments »
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, Snippets, tagged Deby Fredericks, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower on October 20, 2021| 3 Comments »
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, Minstrels of Skaythe, plotting on October 16, 2021| 2 Comments »
I’ve started work on the next Minstrels of Skaythe novella, which is tentatively called The Fall of Dar-Gothull. Honestly, I’m not sure about that title. It might give away too much. “Gosh, what do you think will happen by the end?”
Anyway, there isn’t much to report as yet. It’s mostly exploratory work right now.
The whole premise of Minstrels of Skaythe is that this group of renegades (so called because they reject the cruelty of Dar-Gothull’s oppressive regine) had to split up and each one used their own strategy to find safety as they could. To get going on the finale, I have to figure out where these characters were at the end of their novellas, who their allies were, and then basically claw back what they thought they had achieved.
The other thing I need to get a handle on is who the viewpoint characters should be. After five novellas, there are a LOT of characters. It would be great if all of them could return, and we see what they’ve been up to in the several months since their last part of the story. Repeat appearances are one of the great things about a series.
At the same time, I don’t want to repeat exactly the same POVs. Those who told the story before have had their arcs and their growth. The readers already know them (I hope?). With this volume, the telling needs to continue through new eyes. These characters may previously have appeared, but they have their own growing to do.
For this while, maybe until the end of 2021, I’m going to be hopping around and exploring all the avenues. I’ll probably also do a total re-read, as well, to avoid inadvertently skipping important details. Ultimately, I’ll keep what I can use, store the rest (I never dump work if I might need it later) and start my somewhat vague process of plotting and writing the actual next novella.
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, tagged Bad Moon Rising, Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts, Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, Minstrels of Skaythe on October 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
It’s my day on Bad Moon Rising, where I’m talking about my second Minstrels of Skaythe novella, Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts. I hope you’ll wander by and check us out. Here’s the link!
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower on October 13, 2021| 4 Comments »
As previously mentioned, I’ve been working on the cover copy for Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. I thought I would share what I’ve come up with.
Alemin only wanted to help an innocent. Instead, he was caught by the dreaded hunter-guards. Now he finds himself flung into the Larder, where the very walls are steeped in nightmares and his fellow inmates are dangerous killer. Worse, the warden has far too many questions about Alemin’s friends, the Minstrels, and their subversive lifestyle.
On the outside, the renegade mage Lorrah receives a vision of her friend’s capture. She’s desperate to save Alemin, but the Larder is a prison for the most vicious criminal mages in all of Skaythe. They say if you aren’t mad when you get there, you soon will be.
Luckily, Lorrah is not alone. She has help from the fierce women warriors of Badger Squad. Yet even their combined forces might not be enough to get Alemin free from Dar-Gothull’s Larder!
Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear about any strengths or weaknesses you spot.
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe, Prisoners of the Wailing Tower on October 6, 2021| 5 Comments »
Now that I’ve finished my polishing draft on Prisoners of the Wailing Tower, it’s time for someone other than me to take a look at the manuscript. I have one friend that I’m hoping will do a proofing run. While I wait for that, I get to start on the fun parts of self-publishing.
For a couple of weeks, I’ve been peeking in at Shutterstock for potential covers. I plan to stay with the same artist I’ve already used for the series. Having a consistent look to the covers is important. After saving everything of his that I thought might work, I’ve been slowly deleting pieces. On Sunday I had it down to four, and last night I made the final pick. The piece was large enough for a full cover spread, but I know I can crop it to fit an e-book cover. Later, if I decide to do a print book of the second set of novellas, I’ll have an image ready to go.
The next step will be to create the title itself. With that, I’ll be able to start assembling the cover on Canva. I’ll also do a couple of different sized ads that I can put on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This is one of the fun and creative parts for me, and I’m looking forward to it. The text won’t be ready for several weeks more, but that’s all right. Starting advance promotions ahead of time is all to the better.
Another exciting thing is that Teri Polen has started her book feature, Bad Moon Rising. My day is October 10th, and I’ll be featuring Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts, second in my Minstrels of Skaythe series.
The slightly sad thing is that Fall Folk Fest, where I’ve been reading my stories for the past few years, has announced the cancellation of their live performances and craft fair. Like SpoCon, this is disappointing but not surprising. I do have the option of putting together a video of myself reading for their virtual concert, but I’m not sure if I really have time or the skills for it.
Anyway, that’s what I’ll be up to for the rest of the week.
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe on October 2, 2021| 2 Comments »
What’s Happening? I’ve mentioned that I was involved with SpoCon, the local science fiction convention. Unfortunately, conditions are such that we’ve had to put it off for another year. I’m not surprised at all, but still discouraged about it.
What I’m Working On. With SpoCon off the table, I’m doing a revision on Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. When that’s done, I’ll start the practical process of laying out, cover creation, etc. The Thanksgiving publication date is easily doable.
What’s Next? The final Minstrels of Skaythe novel is starting to take shape. I hope to begin some exploratory scenes before much longer.
Fun and Games. Currently I’m playing an indy game, Sable. My character is a young person on a walkabout type mission to find her purpose in life. It’s very minimalist and low-key, with a lot of climbing and jumping but no combat. I like that In Animal Crossing, my younger kid has their own village. We’ve been visiting each other about once a week, and it’s fun.
October is here already? That means it’s almost time for Hallowe’en decorations!
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe on September 4, 2021| 2 Comments »
What’s Happening? The big change at my house is that my older kid has moved out. One of his friends owns a house where my kid will be renting a room. After years of restaurant work that he hated, Kid also found a job he really likes. It’s janitorial, not glamorous, but perfect for a night owl who doesn’t want to deal with people. It’s a big step, and we’re proud of him. Here’s hoping it will last.
What I’m Working On. Being Director of Programming for SpoCon is taking all my creative energy at the moment. I was able to get the schedule posted before school resumed, so mostly now I’m adjusting for the speakers’ requests and also tracking down their photos and bios. With 60% of my community resisting both masks and vaccines, I don’t even know whether to expect that we’ll be able to host our event. Again, here’s hoping!
What’s Next? When I have a moment to think, I need to do a fresh pass on Prisoners of the Wailing Tower before publishing it around Thanksgiving. At least I don’t have to “here’s hoping” this one. As an indy author, I can make these things happen on my own.
Fun and Games. Currently I’m playing Skyrim. My character is a cat person who’s part of the Thieves Guild. In Animal Crossing, I’m trying to catch 100 fish in a row. Thrill a minute, right?
Here’s hoping you all have a fun Labor Day weekend (if you live in the United States).
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Books & Movies, Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe on August 14, 2021| 2 Comments »
That short story, “Hag,” was my summer project. I finished it before going back to school, and I feel really good about that. That means I can start looking ahead to the series finale for Minstrels of Skaythe. Step one of that will be to firm up my continuity from the previous five novellas.
What do I mean by continuity? In writing, it’s basically how you keep track of the details of a story. Everything from the broad plot actions to the details of a character’s appearance are part of the continuity. Most writers keep track of stuff like that so that they don’t make embarrassing mistakes. Growing up as a comic fan, I was always aware of continuity because characters would mention things that happened in previous stories, and we got footnotes telling us what title and issue that took place in. (Which, possibly, was also a bid by the publisher to keep up interest in collecting back issues.)
For myself, I usually did stand-alone novels, where most continuity can be addressed in outlining. Knowing Minstrels of Skaythe would be a series, I’ve been keeping track of continuity in a different way. Some of the things I’ve tried to note for each volume are where the story takes place and who the main antagonist is. If there are important minor characters, I note them down. I try to always have a giant creature of some kind, and that gets written down, too.
Mentions of the other minstrels are also important. The minstrels are a group of mages, each of whom has one volume directed to them, but I still want the readers to know the other ones are out there. I accomplish that by having them say things about each other. Finally, the minstrels are followers of a philosopher-mage named Ar-Thea, and they sometimes quote her wisdom. All of those mentions and quotes go into my continuity document.
I have roughly 2 weeks left before returning to work, so before then I plan to go over my continuity document before then. I think I got in a rush with Renegade of Opshar, and didn’t do those entries. Honestly, that should only take me a few days. I can’t let myself get too lazy!
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
Posted in Writing About Writing, tagged Deby Fredericks, fantasy writer, high fantasy, Minstrels of Skaythe on August 7, 2021| 3 Comments »
What’s Happening? I’ve been nursing my garden along through the waves of this summer’s heat. Cucumbers and miniature pumpkins have started coming in, but my beans and tomatoes are sadly lacking. I feel that perhaps the smoke has prevented them getting enough light. We also have had roof work done, which looks great but did not pass inspection. The contractor promises to take care of it. Home improvements are always such a saga, aren’t they?
What I’m Working On. I’m about to start work on the fifth draft of Hag. I thought I would be done with it by now, but what did I know about it? However, the plot is firm and that will allow me to begin tightening, setting the imagery up to fit the theme, and so on. I do hope to be done with it by the end of this month, because that’s when I report back to the school.
What’s Next? In addition to SpoCon’s programming, which is coming together well, I have the next Minstrels of Skaythe novella to get ready for publication. Prisoners of the Wailing Tower is already written. Actually, I was working on it this time last year. Then I realized that for purposes of continuity, The Renegade of Opshar had to come out first. There will still be adjustments, but I plan to have it out for Christmas.
Fun and Games. In Animal Crossing, I made a major achievement. Lilies of the Valley have started growing on my island! This is a sign that I have a “perfect” village, and I’m pretty happy about it. For my other game, I took a rest on Conan Exiles. The building is still fun, but I got stuck in a spot where I lost a lot of gear. By Crom! Anyway, I’m doing a replay of Dragon Age II and having fun with it.
I hope you’re all having fun this summer, and getting your projects written, too.
Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.
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