Blog Hop: The Mind of a Writer

I was tagged in a fun blog hop by my wonderful writer friend and romance writer, 

T. L. Gray.

Curious about what goes on inside the strange minds of a writer? Well here’s a glimpse:

What am I working on?

At the moment, I have two projects that split my day.

I'm editing the third book in the White Road Chronicle series titled Emanate. This story continues on the next day where Luminosity left off.

Alyra is preparing to travel to Drakensburg to rally the dragons. With her is Ethan, her brother, and Riyah, her guardian instructor. And, possibly Tarek, who has more to him than anyone realizes, including himself. But you'll have to read and see how Alyra and Tarek's friendship (?) plays out.

Katrina the Curian is still in Denovo, trying work out the mystery of what happened to her people who escaped the Dark Lord's attack. But Katrina has to fight a battle her people have struggled against for ages and the very one that brought them down in the first place. But you'll have to read to find out what that is, too. lol.

Jerin finally gets to return home, but not in the manner he'd hoped. And when he gets there, boy is he in for a surprise. And yes... you'll have to read it to see.

Finally, as the centaurs work to complete their task, they risk having it all brought down on their heads by a self-proclaimed dwarf king of Wilderland. The Meeting Hall holds a promise of protection and sanctuary. They will find out if they've progressed enough for it to stand to it's full potential.

So yeah, that's one of the projects I'm working on. The other one is a prequel to The White Road Chronicles. A series of three novellas from Tarek's point of view that I'm calling White Road Tales. (Look for a cover reveal and more information soon)

Captured, the first in this series, is completed and with my editing readers. Here you'll find out how Tarek ended up in Racah and met Princess (Alyra) in the first place. And, you'll learn there's more to their friendship than Alyra remembers.

The second book-which I'm writing now- Will either be called Snatched or Stolen. (I kinda like the first).  Will dive further into their relationship and show one of the means Darnel uses to control his subjects. I'm enjoying this one.

The third book, which I'm not sure what to call it yet, is mostly written and will end up tying into Book One: Illuminated.

I've been busy, busy, busy which is why I've not written a lot on my blogs lately.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I certainly don't write traditional fantasy. Yes, it's set in a medieval kind of time-frame. But Alburnium is an alternate world. That should be obvious. I never enjoyed how bogged down some fantasy books tend to be, so I tried to keep things light, with just a bit of modern-osity. (That can be a word if I want it to. lol)

I enjoy books that leave the reader with a take-a-way nugget. Kate DiCamillo and her The Tale of Despereaux, and Because of Winn Dixie left me different than when I opened the first page.  So did stories from Hannah Hurnard, C.S. Lewis and so many others. And all along, I've wanted to write stories that offered a bit of take-away for the readers. 

So, I'm not entirely certain how my books differ. There's so many wonderful tales out there that make mine look like a scrawny weed. Readers have said my story reminds them of a modern Pilgrims Progress. Others say it has a Narnia kind of flavor. One review said Illuminated was The Wizard of Oz meets Narnia. I loved that.

Another one of my favorite kinds of reads are journey books. That's simply how I see life. A journey to find yourself which can turn into a quest to make a difference once you begin to see the value in who God created you to be.

God doesn't do shabby. Everything he creates is done with excellence and painstaking great detail. Just look around. Really look at a tree and try to find two leaves that are exactly alike. I don't think you can. Look at the delicate build of a flower, the vibrant colors and designs. Or simply look up at the sky. Is there many times during the day where you're not left in awe? The deep blue, the wistful clouds, the colorful show of sunrise and sunset, the power behind a storm....

And he created us! With the same thoughtfulness.

This is what I want to convey when I write. At least, I'm trying.  But I'm getting off topic. LOL.
Back to the questions. (Sorry. =D)

Why do I write what I do?

Think I answered this one in the previous question. I write because written words give me a voice. I can be a naturally quiet person. Until I really get to know you, I'm shy when you first meet me. I DO NOT enjoy speaking in front of people.

However, I have things I wish to say. I'm a thinker. A ponderer. I'm always looking at life from different angles. And writing lets me shine.

I'm including this quote from Mandela because it sums up how I feel about being a writer. It's my greatest passion. Has been since I was a child. If I had a medallion like those in Aloblase, I'm sure it would have a quill and paper on it. Stories help life make sense. You can lecture me and it'll go in one ear and out the other. But tell me a story... and it's a part of me forever.

So, basically, that's why.

How does my writing process work?

I'm still working on a "process." Basically, it means sitting down and just doing it. It means I've had to bow out of extra activities. Say "no" even to doing really great things. At least for now. I'm building a foundation and that's hard work.

I get up in the morning and dress as if I'll be going somewhere that day. I spend quite time with Father God, asking for direction and talking about my stories and what needs to happen next. Then I check out what other friends are doing through emails and social network sites. (This is still my stumbling block and something I'm working on gaining better control on.

Then I get to work. I have a word count goal I set for new works. And an editing goal for revisions. I make lists... but... you know. I'm still in the process of learning how to be... (ugh) disciplined.

Maybe someday. Maybe.

But that's it in a nutshell.  I have no qualms admitting I'm a strange one. lol. But I'm who God created me to be and I'm using the talents he's given me to get though this life. So I'm good with that!



 If you enjoy reading about how this crazy world of fiction works, please take a moment and hop on over to Julie Marx's site and PacJac Carroll's blog later this week! You won’t be disappointed. Their current writing projects are AWESOME.