Over on Amazon UK Kindle Posts, I talk about MAGIC WITHOUT MERCY and how being directionally-challenged might actually be a *good* thing.

On the Deadline Dames, I talk about procrastination and writing.

Hmm….doesn’t seem like quite enough content for a blog, so I shall talk about the ghost forest my family and I visited on Sunday!

This is Neskowin Beach, Oregon, about an hour and a half drive from my front door.  Back in 1998, an estimated 200 trees, which lived somewhere between 1,700 and 2,000 years ago, rose up out of the sand after a particularly stormy winter.

Ghost Trees in sand, looking south (copyright 2012 Devon Monk)

They are Sitka spruce trees, and were once a forest of trees growing upwards of 150 feet tall.  Now they are called the Ghost Forest of Neskowin, and are buried, still standing with their roots in the soil they once grew in, the exposed tops of the trees covered in barnacles and other sea creatures, while the ocean washes around them.

Ghost Trees in ocean, looking south (copyright 2012 Devon Monk)

How did the trees come to be standing in the ocean? It is suspected that over a thousand years ago, an earthquake covered them in sand, preserving them, and turning them into ghosts we now see.

Here’s a link to an article if you want to know more about the ghost trees.

We walked all the way to the end of the south beach, and stopped against the cliff wall (seen in above photos) there. Here’s a picture I took while standing against the cliff, looking north. Those are rocks in the foreground, but in the background are the ghost trees, and beyond them, Proposal Rock.

Ghost Trees and Proposal Rock, looking north (copyright 2012 Devon Monk)

After that, we drove north. There is a sign beside the very twisty road that says “Do Not Stop In Road”. It is clear why they had to post the sign.  Here’s the view from the road:

North Oregon Coastline (copyright 2012 Devon Monk)

No photo-snapping automobile accidents were caused by this photo. We obeyed the sign and pulled off at an approved viewpoint.

Pretty lovely, isn’t it?

MAGIC IN THE SHADOWS

MAGIC ON THE STORM

and

MAGIC WITHOUT MERCY

Excuse me while I run around my house making happy kermit-the-frog noises! Yaaaaaaaaaay!

To celebrate my books coming out in the UK, I had hoped to do a cool giveaway, but don’t have everything together for that yet. Please stay tuned for a giveaway in the near future!

1. I’ve been trying to teach myself to be better at developing characters. Do you have any tips? Tricks? Resources you could recommend? I enjoy self-teaching myself how to do things, if I can just locate the right resouce(s) to get started

This is one of those questions for which there are hundreds of answers because I think every writer approaches character development in different ways. 

Just as no two novels write the same for me, no two characters show up in my head in the same way.  Sometimes a character is a lingering, soft echo in my mind that suddenly forms into a whole person with a story to tell.  Sometimes I have to really climb into a character’s “skin” and write several test scenes to figure out who they are and what they want (and just as importantly what they don’t want.) Sometimes I’m minding my own business and a character blasts into my story fully formed, and I’m just along for the ride as they reveal who they are.

But it is always, of course, the author’s job to figure out how to get all that on the page for the reader.

I recently wrote a post on the Deadline Dames about how to “spice up” a character who wasn’t working well as a protagonist, and other Dames (Jackie Kessler, Jenna Black, Lilith Saintcrow) have also addressed different approaches toward characterization.  Here’s a link for some of those, found under our “Writing Tips” category. 

There are many writing, writing organization, and author blogs filled with great advice.   A quick Google search will offer up bunches of ideas and approaches for developing characters. There are also numerous How To books and workshops out there covering characterization. Happily, resources are everywhere! 

Off the top of my head, here are a few blogs filled with articles you could check out:

Science Fiction Writers of America

The Writer Magazine

Writer’s Digest

Also happily, I don’t think there is one “right” way to develop characters, so exploring several different approaches until you find one that’s a good fit for you is definitely the way to go.

Tracy Erickson asks:

2. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings. He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Thoughtful Dog ponders the universe. And woodchucks.

The UK release of Magic in the Shadows, Magic on the Storm and Magic Without Mercy! I am so excited for these to be available with their beautiful covers through Berkley UK!  To celebrate, I’ll be doing a giveaway, of course. Stay tuned for that in the next few days!

Back in April, I opened up the blog for questions.  Several people stepped right up and lobbed some my way. (Thank you, readers!)  I thought it was about time I post some answers.

Readsalot81 asks:

1. First off, when things are a little more difficult (ie: sick, family business, bad news.. what have you) how do you motivate yourself to write? Do you stick to a schedule or a current project or do you let yourself do something else?

I think it helps in that this is my job. My full time job. Just like any other job, if I don’t show up and do the work, I’m not going to get paid, and I *like* having money for groceries.

Deadlines help too, and the sheer panic at the thought of missing them. Miss too many deadlines, and pretty soon you have worn out all your good will and possibly strained your working relationship with your editor. When a writer misses a deadline that means the editor has to juggle not only her schedule, but also the schedules of dozens of other authors, the editing team (copy editors, proof readers), art, marketing, sales, and more.

So..it looks like my main motivator is fear of unemployment.

But really it is also this: I love writing. I love it best when the words are flowing and everything feels easy. But even when it is difficult and life is chaos, writing fulfills a need in me like no other thing I have found. For me, the world is made of words, and story is my solace.

And secondly (err ok, thirdly).. since you’re an established author with 2 series under your belt, how do you keep complacency at bay? I’m asking because I like your books and don’t feel like I’m getting the same thing over and over (which is not unheard of with authors).. and since *I’m* not a writer, I’m curious as to the process of how you make things happen.

Oh! Thank you!!  I looove to try new things.  And one of the great things about writing under the science fiction/fantasy umbrella is that I can always ask the “what if” question.  Every new book gets new “what if”s thrown at it. 

Also, with every story, I strive to make at least one part or aspect of it better or different than what I have done before. I want to reach into story and characters and get messy up to my elbows.  I want to explore worlds and ideas and hearts. 

I want to be *good* at this writing thing one of these days, and I know I’ll only get there if I keep challenging myself to learn, learn, learn and try, try, try. Which sort of puts me in a constant state of daring to improve, while simultaneously risking an over-reach of my skills. That, in turn, might mean I fail at what I’m hoping to accomplish. Or, you know, I might stick the landing.

It’s a tricky state to be in.  Sort of a held-breath hope with clear-headed preparations for disaster. But then, I’d rather have a book go down in a blaze of glory than a blaze of boring.

Thank you, Readsalot81, for your questions!  I will be answering more tomorrow.

Thoughtful Dog ponders the universe. And squirrels.

My whimsical country herb garden:

Herbs: purple sage, sweet basil, oregano, thyme, curry, rosemary.  My hands smell like a spice shelf, and I am SO happy with how it turned out. 

A couple years ago, Borders, the only new bookstore in town, closed.  That could have been a heavy hit for a city full of readers.  But Salem is lucky to have several fantastic used & new bookstores that stepped right up, drastically expanded their selection of new titles, and are now providing wonderful browsing, buying, and community experiences for book lovers.

One of those great bookstores is The Book Bin, downtown on Court Street.   I had the chance to do a signing, reading, giveaway, and Q&A there last night.

It was wonderful!

But if you couldn’t stop in last night, don’t worry about it.  I signed copies of the entire Allie Beckstrom series and Dead Iron, and they are on the shelf, looking for a home.  You don’t have to be local to score a signed copy. The Book Bin will be happy to drop one in the mail for you!

If you are local, and it’s been awhile since you’ve browsed our bookstores, might I suggest you head downtown, get a nice cup of coffee, and stroll on in to the Book Bin?  I think you’ll be happily surprised by their abundant book-goodness.

And to keep up on events and book picks of the month, you can also follow them on Facebook.

Thank you readers, and all the staff of Book Bin for creating such a lovely event!  I had a terrific time, and I hope everyone else did too.

To start us off, I’ll answer a couple questions I’ve recently received in email:

1. Where is the audio version of MAGIC WITHOUT MERCY? When will it be out? 

I don’t have an answer to this yet, but I am looking into whether or not we’ll have an audio version of the book available.  As soon as I find out, I will let you know. (And thank you for asking! It’s great to know there are a bunch of you out there enjoying the audio books!)

2. How many books are there in the Allie Beckstrom series?

Nine. MAGIC FOR A PRICE is #9 and will be out in November.

3. Why don’t you post a picture of your dog?

Because I am a sucky photographer and every time I take a picture of him his ears go down and make him look sad.  But here’s one I took through my office window a couple summers ago when he wasn’t looking.

Mojo was a pound puppy, and no one wanted to adopt him because they were afraid he might be a Rottweiler. (He really looked like a Rottweiler when he was a pup, and was separated from his litter mates.  I don’t know why.  He was the most docile little guy ever.) He is a sweet, kind boy who is, as far as we can tell, part Australian Shepard, mixed with collie or border collie.

If you have a question, ask away!

My signing at Readers Guide in West Salem last week was a lot of fun!  Thank you, readers for stopping in and picking up a book (or two!) and for hanging out to talk with me.  I had a great time.

I left an advanced review copy of Tin Swift there, and the bookstore owner, Jenn is going to pull a winner on the last day of April.  So if you get a chance, head into the store, drop your name in the jar, and hopefully, you will be the lucky winner of Tin Swift!

Next Signing:

The Book Bin – Salem, Oregon

Friday, April 27th at 7:00pm

I will be giving away the LAST advance review copy of Tin Swift at this signing.  I hope to see some of you there!

MAGIC WITHOUT MERCY RELEASE IN THE UK

Yes! We are getting so close to the UK release date for Magic Without Mercy!  And this release is going to be a doozy!  Mark your calendars for May 10th, when not only book #8 MAGIC WITHOUT MERCY will be on the shelves, but also books #3 and #4, MAGIC IN THE SHADOWS and MAGIC ON THE STORM will be out!

Here are the awesome covers:

I absolutely LOVE the redesign on these covers!  Thank you, Berkley UK, for making Allie look so good!

Writing News:

I was given a chance to take an extra week on revisions for MAGIC FOR A PRICE.  That week allowed me to read through the entire book, fiddle with some things and add in a few scenes I thought might make the book even stronger.  I ended up adding a few thousand words and cutting out a good chunk of words too.

Yesterday, I turned it in to my editor.  If she gives it the thumbs up, I will next see the book for copy edits, then proofs.  And then Allie Beckstrom’s journey will be done.

This is not to say I don’t have some other projects up my sleeve.  As soon as I get word that I can share THAT news, I will certainly do so.

My next signings will be:

April 18,  5:00-7:00 - Readers Guide to Recycled Literature

1105 Edgewater St. NW Salem, OR

I will be giving away one ARC of TIN SWIFT!

April 27, 7:00 – The Book Bin

450 Court Street, Salem, OR

I will be giving away my last ARC of TIN SWIFT!

Hope to see some of you at these great local independent stores!

Emerald City Comic Con 2

All right. I’m down to answering the last two questions I posed about my first-ever experience of attending Emerald City Comic Con.  The questions are:

• Where did my car break down leaving me, and the half-dozen people who had caught a ride with me, stranded?
• Is Darth Vader playing bagpipes while riding a unicycle as cool as it sounds?

Ah…the car. It’s a minivan and perfect for hauling people. Since nine of us were attending the con, the van was a natural fit.  Before the trip, we took it in for a tune up, found out the breaks were great but the front end alignment was shot, so we got that fixed, put on new tires, and were ready to rock and roll.

The drive to Seattle was pleasant: rain, interrupted by downpours, with short breaks of torrential drizzle. You know–Spring.

We made the hotel without getting lost. Always a victory for me. I am directionally-surrendered, one step below directionally challenged. So finding my way around my home town takes some serious concentration, much less gallivanting off to another state.

Remember how I said nine of us were attending the convention? Seven of those people were college students who all needed to be back no later than Sunday night so they could hit their first classes of the new term Monday morning.  That will be important.

Friday and Saturday go by like a flash.  There is much cool seeing of costumes…

…and browsing of booths, and listening of great panels.

Around 7:00 am Sunday morning, they bring the van out of valet parking. One of the college students wants to attend Sunday Mass and has found a nearby church I volunteer to drive her to.  I pack my netbook, planning to find a place to park and work on my deadline while she’s at service.

As I  get in the van, I notice the battery light is on and the charge is low.   Driving does not charge the battery, neither does sitting in the parking lot across from St. James Cathedral, and running the engine.  All that does is kill the car dead.

So there I am, 250 miles from home, on a Sunday, with a dead vehicle and seven people needing to get home in a few hours.

First thought (because I am a writer): “This is killing my writing time! I’ll never make the deadline!”

Second thought (because I’m a realist): “Time to call a tow truck and try to find someone open on a Sunday to fix an alternator. Please, let it only be the alternator.”

I call hubby, who is at home and probably contemplating a quiet morning of fishing.  We discuss options, and he gallantly decides to start the drive to Seattle in case the van can’t be fixed in time, so I can use his car take everyone home and he can get the van to a service center on Monday.

The good news? Salmon’s Service Center in Northgate was open. The mechanic there, Mitch, was pleasant on the phone, very helpful, and willing to get the alternator fixed before 5:00 if at all possible.  And he did!  So here’s a HUGE shout out to all the weekend workers out there–you are my heroes!  Thankfully, all nine of us…ten, counting the gallant husband…got home on time!

LAST QUESTION:

Just how cool is Darth Vader playing the Imperial March on bagpipes while riding a unicycle?  Here is pictorial evidence to consider:

Answer: totally cool!

TONIGHT: I will be at Powell’s Books, Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon

7:00 pm  to sign books and give away an advanced copy of TIN SWIFT

Hope to see some of you there!

Emerald City Comic Con

A couple days ago, I said I’d write a blog about my first comic con…Emerald City Comic Con, which I (and my best friend, my sons, and five of their friends) attended on the last weekend of March.  Here are the questions I said I’d answer.  I’ll start with the first today.

• What famous star shared an elevator with us?
• Where did my car break down leaving me, and the half-dozen people who had caught a ride with me, stranded?
• Is Darth Vader playing bagpipes while riding a unicycle as cool as it sounds?

Famous Star:

This one needs a little set up: My son, his friend, my best friend and I gamely sat through 45 minutes of karaoke, trivia contests, and false starts waiting for the costume contest to get underway Saturday night.  Since I was under a writing deadline that had landed in my lap at the last minute, I didn’t feel like losing more writing time waiting for the show. (The ninja who broke out into spontaneous dancing in the audience was, however, fabulous!)

So here’s me: tired, cranky, stress zit in the middle of my cheek, makeup rubbed off, hat on head because hair is stupid, disappointed from the non-costume contest.

Here’s the others with me: Best Friend–tired, but happy from a day spent sitting through a marathon of panels.  Son and Friend–Cool, calm, chillax after a fun day.

We head back to our hotel. It’s late. Hardly anyone in the lobby.  I’m thinking about the work I should be doing (i.e. am distracted).  I see a man waiting at the elevators.  We are a short distance off, when the elevator “bings.”

“There’s one now,” I say happily. We jog for it.

Man at the elevator glances at us, startled.  He spins so that his back is facing us and sort of tips his head down.  Then he seems to decide something, gets in elevator and holds the door open with his arm.  We each say “thank you” as we step into the elevator, and he (maybe a little surprised) says “you’re welcome” back to each of us.

Scene: Man to my right facing bank of buttons.  Me at the left facing the other bank of buttons.  Best friend in back corner behind man.  Son in back corner behind me.  Son’s friend in middle against back wall.

I wonder why the man hasn’t punched the button for his floor yet.  His finger is hovering, but not pushing.  “Odd,” I think.  No worries, I press our floor: 26.  Out of the corner of my eye I see his finger slide down to the 2-3 range, then his shoulders slump and he pushes his floor: 21.

We are now in for a long-(ish) ride together.

He turns away from the buttons and sort of faces me, but is kind of looking down too.  I (distracted) am staring at his t-shirt trying to figure out what comic cover is printed on it.  The shirt is green “Green Lantern!” I think…but no…that’s not green lantern.  I do notice the man is very fit and think, “geez, this guy must work out” followed by, “I really ought to start working out more.”  Still can’t figure out the cover on his shirt.

“You guys having a good convention?” the man asks.  His voice is nice.  Kind of familiar.

My son who is a very gregarious guy and never drops a conversation cue, is dead silent.  “Strange,” says my distracted mind.

Best Friend, happily: “I think this is the first time I’ve been back to the hotel all day!”

Me, picking up conversation cue and glancing over at my friend: “And that’s how you know it’s been a good con.”

I think about telling the man the only thing so far I hadn’t liked was the costume contest that was so delayed, and then I notice he has one of those special badges on.  I keep my mouth shut because what if he’s one of the people coordinating the event? I don’t want to complain when I’m sure they were doing the best they could to keep the con running smoothly.

A little more silence my best friend fills with a comment about how this one elevator seems to shake more, and me adding a lame comment on us plummeting to our death.  Comment is lamer than usual because I’m still trying to figure out that t-shirt.  Green Arrow?  No.  It says THING, but the shirt is all green and doesn’t have the Thing on it.  Swamp Thing maybe?

Door chimes.  We’re on the 21st floor.  Distracted brain finally gives up on the maddening t-shirt.  I look away from his shirt.  And at his face.  Just as he says, “Well, goodnight.”

And we all say, “Good night.”

He steps through the doors….my distracted brain clicks everything together: voice, build, face.

The doors close…..

Oh. My. God.

Son blurts: “Do you know who that was?!”

And, suddenly, I knew!

Yes, we had just shared an elevator with Eddie McClintock, Pete from Warehouse 13!

He was very nice, wears a t-shirt particularly well, and since we were all distracted (or in the case of my son, stunned) we did NOT fan-splode all over him, which maybe he appreciated.

I do wish I’d put two-and-two together faster and had at least told him that we loved his character on the show, and had thanked him for coming to the convention.

So, Eddie, if you’re reading this: thank you for coming to Emerald City Comic Con.  We love your character on Warehouse 13!

–All best,

The stressed out, distracted, t-shirt staring lady from the elevator