I was recently invited to participate in a blog hop, and though I usually tend to write about book cover related topics, I thought it’d be fun to join in and talk a bit about the writing side of things. I was invited to participate in the blog hop by R.T. Driver on Absolute Write, an author who has recently published a young adult, science fiction novel: Isaac Comett: My Life as a Shard Knight. You can find his blog here: http://rtdriver90.tumblr.com/ and his book here: Amazon
As part of the blog-hop, each person is asked a series of questions. These are the questions, and these are my answers. 🙂
Q: What am I working on?
A: I’m currently working on the Distant Horizon series and The Messenger of Gaia. Distant Horizon is in the process of being beta read before I start querying agents again, while I’m just now starting the first edit of Messenger. Distant Horizon (which includes several stories, some just plotted, some written and in need of editing) is set in a world where super heroes have been wiped out and super villains rule half the world. The main character, Jenna, learns that she has super powers and sets out to put an end to a government conspiracy that turns those with powers into sub-human monsters for a secret army.
Messenger of Gaia is about a space colonist who wakes up on the wrong moon and finds she’s being worshiped as a goddess. She convinces them she’s not the goddess, and ends up playing the part of their messenger. The story follows her charade while she searches for what happened to the colony ship she was on.
Q: How does my work differ from others in its genre?
A: There’s a lot of genre-bending going on. Distant Horizon takes place in the future, but it’s in a world where super heroes used to exist, super villains fly around on airships (which are decorated to look Victorian/steampunk, though more advanced), people with powers are turned into sub-human monsters, and powers range from your typical telepathy/telekinesis, to ones like fourthwalling (later in the series) and the ability to manipulate plant growth.
As for Messenger, the twist revolves around her trying to charade as someone more powerful than she thinks she is.
Q:Why do I write what I do?
A: Because I enjoy it. 🙂 Really, I enjoy exploring the worlds and all the nooks and crannies, and seeing how everything ties together. I write what I want to read, and I hope that someday, other readers can join in on the fun and enjoy those worlds the way I do.
Q:How does my writing process work?
A: Lately, my stories have been collaborations with my husband, Isaac. We create the story with table-top role-play games. He creates the world and a majority of the characters, as well as the basic plot. I then create my character, and we see what happens. Once the campaign is over, I write what happened– or a variation of it.
It started with Distant Horizon, which, about half-way through the campaign, I decided to write down so I wouldn’t forget the main character’s feelings. It evolved into a series of novels; the first one is in the process of being beta-read. The second one has been through a few rounds of edits, and the third one is a rough draft. I try to write all the books (or have a good chunk written/outlined) before publishing, that way I can iron out any plot holes and add stronger foreshadowing.
The DH series has evolved quite a bit since the original campaign– and spans outwards into what I hope to be a series of short stories/novellas.
For Messenger, we also did a role-play to get the basic story down. Once we had the plot, I started writing the story. (And taking notes, since it may be a while before I write part two). Afterwards I’ll edit and revise as needed, and then it’ll go to beta readers. And then it’ll go back to edits. Right now it’s a bit of a long, winding process.
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Next week there are two more blogs up for questioning, and I look forward to reading what they have to say. 🙂
Carissa Taylor – who writes YA science fiction [ http://carissa-taylor.blogspot.com/ ]
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek – who writes YA/MG fantasy [ http://kissedbyliterature.blogspot.com/ ]
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 