A.J. Maguire

Author: ajmaguire

  • Scary Moments Round Robin Tour!

    bannerfans_962234We’d lost the light midway down the mountain. My brother and I were still very new to camping at this point so we hadn’t realized that watching a sunset from the mountaintop wasn’t exactly the brightest idea. So we found ourselves half running down loose shale and steep inclines with only one small pen-light between us.

    I remember thinking how quickly night came in the mountains. No sooner had we stopped gazing in wonder at this magnificent sunset on the top of the mountain than darkness had swooped in. I twisted my ankle over a dozen times and, in the interest of expedience, we both decided we should just cut across the mountain toward camp rather than go back the way we had come.

    Very bad idea.

    Our stepfather eventually noticed our small little light up on the mountain and managed to shout to get our attention. It’s amazing how a voice can carry through the mountains. It’s nothing like in a town where buildings and populace seem to swallow up sound, out there is space enough for someone to bellow and have it carry for miles.

    “STOP!” Our stepfather’s disembodied voice froze us in our tracks.

    He started up his four-wheeler and shined the headlight onto the ridge line, instructing us to follow the light. My brother and I did as we were told and, after quite a bit of hiking, finally reached the bottom of the mountain.

    The next morning he showed us where he saw our light, which was about five feet away from a cliff face.

    My brother and I had been going so fast there was no way we would have seen that cliff in time to stop.

    I might not have been frightened at the time, but I certainly had chills that morning.

    Check out what my fellow authors have to say about their scary moments!

    Heidi M. http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/
    Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
    Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
    A.J. Maguire  https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
    Rachael Kosnski http://the-doodling-booktease.tumblr.com/
    Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
    Geeta Kakade http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
    Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
    Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
    Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
    Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com/
    Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/

     

  • Self-Publishing

    After much deliberation, research, waffling, and picking the brains of several writers I know I have decided to try this self-publishing thing. This is not meant in any way to snub or look poorly upon the small presses who have so graciously published me over the last few years. Wings ePress and Double Dragon Publishing have both treated me very well and I’ve learned a lot about publishing as a business through them.

    And in fact, any and all works that I feel fit those two houses I will submit accordingly. (Yes, Trenna fans, this means Usurper will more than likely be coming out through Wings ePress next year. I have it scheduled for a clean-sweep editing pass and then Wings can decide whether or not they want to continue the series.)

    Why am I self-publishing my next novel?

    Several reasons.

    1) Creative Control

    Basically, I want control of this book and all its sequels. I want to be able to make novella’s on a whim — because I have several mapped out in this universe — and to let the series stretch from four books to seven. (Maybe, I’m still on the fence about that.)

    2) Price Control

    Because … sweet holy bananas on toast, people! Nearly twenty bucks for a print copy of my stuff? Even I don’t want to pay that.

    Plus, you know, this way I can do the sorts of things I’ve wanted to do since first getting published. Things like — Hey! For the month of November all proceeds go to the Office of Letters and Light!

    Which is something I currently can’t do.

    3) Schedule Control

    … Cause it’s nice to know exactly when I can do a cover reveal or book release party. Since I’ll be in charge of the galleys and what have you, I’ll be able to send out ARC copies with little to no fuss.

    (You know, this post is beginning to make me look like a control freak.)

    4) Audio Stuff

    Right now I don’t have the right to produce any of my books in audio form, but I’ve always wanted to. This way I can. (Likely several months after the print copies come out cause … you know … WORK.)

    5) Because It Scares Me

    When push comes to shove, I don’t like it when something scares me. In fact, I tend to get all sassy and confront said fear with bare fists and teeth.

    Which I suppose is exactly what I’m doing.

    So!

    Tapped is currently out on submission with an agency — has been for several weeks now, but it hasn’t passed the point of no return for a response yet. While I wait for its rejection letter — let’s be realistic here — I will be formatting and cleaning up the manuscript (yet again) to make the ARC copies.

    I have chosen Tuesday, January 13th as the tentative release date of this novel.

    … and now that I’ve written that down I might be panicking a little.

  • Prepping for NaNo!

    Woo! NaNoWriMo is right around the corner! For those of you who STILL don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, go HERE and check them out because they will overload you with pure awesome!

    I have been all sorts of excited for this year’s NaNoWriMo because it’s the first year I won’t be in school. Which means it’s the first year in a long time where I can actually participate rather than quasi-participate in accordance ajmaguire-ResidualHaunting-COVERwith homework schedule and what have you.

    (To those of you following along with Residual Haunting, don’t worry! I have an 11 week buffer so the novel will continue to be posted as scheduled until its completion.)

    All year long I’ve stared at November on my calendar and wondered just which novel I would work on for my month of play. At first I said I would re-write Primal into my 1920’s investigator-runs-into-dragons idea but as the date drew closer I became more and more obsessed with my Civil War/Western, The Abolitionist.

    And then I thought I would use the month to be a NaNo Rebel and complete a project rather than begin a new one.

    For realz, it’s a mess in my head most days. I’ve got so many plots and characters and novels mapped out it’s a miracle I’m still sane. 

    Here we are midway through October and I’ve changed my mind again. But this time I’ve committed to the project by actually placing it in my NaNo profile. So!

    I’ll be writing Dead Weight in November.

    I only wrote a little of this novel back when I originally completed Tapped but I’m scrapping all of that and starting fresh. This is primarily because a lot of that original draft has to change to accommodate changes made during the edit of Tapped.

    Note to self: Never start a sequel until the edits are complete on the first novel.

    I considered putting the blurby thingy up here in celebration of the upcoming project but I fear it would give spoilers to the yet-to-be-published Tapped, which would sort of be like shooting myself in the foot. Instead I will leave you with a vague idea of what the novel will touch on.

    Hopefully Spoiler-Free Blurby Thing

    A call for help draws the crew of the Zephyr to Saturn and directly into the path of the Consulate. When the ship is damaged they (because I can’t tell you WHO survives the first book, now can I?) are forced to dock with an abandoned station deep inside Saturn’s atmosphere. But there’s more to this station than meets the eye (Oh, shut up, I know it’s cliche. It’s hard to be vague and enticing all at once) and the crew soon learn that the station isn’t quite as abandoned as they’d originally assumed.

    And there you have it! That’s what I’ll be working on in November.

    Unless I change my mind again.

    Which is entirely possible.

  • Attack of the Plot Bunnies!

    So I was sick for a couple days and I spent a great deal of time in a medicine-induced semi-coma on my sofa. One would assume my brain would have been numbed by the medicine and therefore incapable of creativity, but I fear that wasn’t the case. In fact, I think there’s something in NyQuil that slams my muse into overdrive.

    Muse: What do you mean you’re too sick to be at the computer? (insert maniacal laughter here) Look at all my shiny, pretty ideas! Don’t they make you want to leap out of bed and start hammering away at the keyboard?

    Me: My head is going to explode …

    Muse: … From all my awesome new idea’s, amIright? Don’t answer that. I know I’m right. Now … are you getting all of this?

    Me: mmmph!

    … Ahem.

    The truly irritating part of this ambush of plot bunnies (remember, plot bunnies are fuzzy story ideas that attack when you least expect them) is that none of them … NONE of them … have any bearing on the current project. Residual Haunting is coming along nicely in spite of my furlough into NyQuil and all things ill. Chapter Three will be up as scheduled tomorrow morning.

    These plot bunnies are in reference to Dead Weight, the sequel to Tapped. And yes, they’re awesome. And yes, I can’t wait to start work on it. In fact … I’m so excited to start work on it that I might bump it into my NaNoWriMo slot. Which would totally alter my already altered writing schedule and everything but … you know … half the fun of NaNoWriMo is to work on something you’ve been excited to work on.

    Oh! And NaNoWriMo is all prepped and ready for November! For those who are gearing up to participate this year … You’re all awesome and I’m right there with you! For those of you who don’t know what this is, go visit the site! It’s amazing!

  • Guest Post – Richard Barnes

    My friend Richard Barnes is a fellow author and his latest novel, A Scent of Almond, was just released Scent ofAlmond-WEBthis month. In celebration of that release I invited him to hijack my blog-space and he obliged with a short conversation on the sometimes awkward situations writers have when talking about their work.

    I find myself thinking about my current book, whether it’s in manuscript, in production, or published and wanting promotion. If I’m thinking about writing, I’m talking about writing. The result is the strong tendency to become one-dimensional and a conversational bore.

    Oh, how I struggle with this, and believe there are two reasons:

    • Creative people need stroking. Lord knows, I’m not writing for the money. I write because I love to see my words set down for posterity, and for the world to judge their worth. In a social setting I have to admit I’m waiting for someone to ask about my writing; not necessarily to boost my ego, but for the outside chance that person will have read some of my stuff and say it was good. It doesn’t matter if the compliment comes from a casual reader. It inspires.
    • I get my best ideas for the twists and turns of a plot by bouncing it off someone else. That someone is usually my wife, bless her heart. When a problem arises in the manuscript as to how to go, I find explaining it verbally leads to a solution that, more often than not, I provide myself. That’s not to say my dear soul mate has not given me good ideas, it’s just surprising how just talking it out makes things clear.

    So, I’ll continue to struggle, because I don’t see the above conditions changing anytime

    soon. I’ll continue to stand in the corner at parties thinking about my plot rather than the relatively mundane things (like who’s president or who’s the current terrorist organization) the others are engaged in solving.

    Oh, look. There’s Barbara over by the punch bowl! I wonder if she’s read my latest.

    Thank you, Richard!

    I have to admit that I like to bounce ideas off someone too. My son is only six but he has the ability to just sit there and listen  … OK, so what I really mean is he plays with his toys and constantly suggests that Batman shows up to save the day.

    But really, sometimes all I need is to hear the thoughts out loud. Other times I have to pester a writing friend for more in-depth conversations. It really depends on the problem, you know?

     

  • Vulgarity

    When friends ask where they can pick up one of my novels I always have to preface the conversation with; “I apologize in advance for the language.”

    This is because most of these friends are asking around the pot-luck table at church or something and I feel a need to cushion them from the reality of what I’ve written. I don’t want to shock them or make them feel uncomfortable, so I figure it’s best they know walking into the book that there will be some rough language.

    So why don’t I exclude vulgar language from my novels?

    Easy … because it’s not realistic.

    Let’s face it, we all know curse words. Some of us even pride ourselves in new and creative ways to utilize expletives. I had a Drill Sergeant in the Army who knew how to insert four letter words inside other four letter words — a feat that requires no small amount of talent, I assure you — and who woke us all in the early morning by flicking on the light switch and shouting; “Get the f**#* out of bed.”

    Charming, I know. But also quite effective.

    Cursing seems to be a staple of adult life. There are very few of us who can say they’ve never, ever used a curse word in their lives so it is unrealistic to exclude such language in fiction. That said, there is a difference between using said words naturally, and using them for shock factor.

    I’m just going to go ahead and admit that if I feel the words on the page are there deliberately to shock me, I’m putting the book down.

    Yes, I’m offended by that, but not because of the words themselves. I’m offended because the author thinks that’s the only way to get my attention.

    Trust me, there are better ways to shock and awe your audience.

    Cover Art by Chris Howard
    Cover Art by Chris Howard

    Residual Haunting (which just posted Chapter 2 this morning) has some swear words in it. Mostly there’s slang (frigging and freaking and all variations thereof) but the vulgar words are in there and I’m sure people will notice.

    Authors have to tread a fine line between keeping true to character voice and trying not to offend their readers. It’s awkward — especially around the pot-luck table — but I’ve noticed that every time I apologize in advance, my friends just chuckle and shrug.

    They get it.

    They live here too.

  • Writing Spooky Stuff

    Residual Haunting may be my first quasi-ghost story/science fiction attempt but it’s not the first time I’ve ever used a ghost. In fact, my first published novel, Sedition, featured a ghost that popped up every now and then. And Witch-Born had that boy, Baldemor Delgora, who haunted the shores of Witch-Eater Lake.

    So I think it’s safe to say that I like using the paranormal in my work. Residual Haunting just ajmaguire-ResidualHaunting-COVERhappens to be the first book that centers on such things.

    I’m not sure why I have this attraction to these spooky, unsettling, and often tragic themes, but I do. In my defense, William Shakespeare loved using them too. Macbeth and Hamlet are just two that I can name without having to do any research.

    Granted, his culture and time period was very superstitious so it’s really no surprise that ghosts were used to help facilitate a story line.

    Still, it’s a grand tradition. Writing creepy things, telling ghost stories or anything that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, is rooted into our culture. I mean, Stephen King is like the poster boy for all things that go bump in the night.

    We all know him regardless of whether or not we’ve read him before. In fact, some people avoid reading any Stephen King precisely because they don’t want to be scared out of their wits.

    I know I did for a while. (Oh, come on. If the clown from It didn’t scare you, you’ve lost your mind.)

    In any case, I believe I am in good company writing spooky stuff. Even if I don’t intend to enter the horror genre itself, there’s still plenty of room for the supernatural to find its way into my work.

  • Residual Haunting is now Live

    Cover Art by Chris Howard
    Cover Art by Chris Howard

    Welcome to October!

    As promised, Residual Haunting — my first ghost/semi-horror/paranormal story — has found its way onto Wattpad and its own Story Blog. (Take a moment to admire Chris Howard’s amazing artwork on the cover! I absolutely love it!)

    Now then …

    Why am I posting a draft of this novel online for free?

    It seems like a silly thing for an author, who wants to make money on telling stories, to post their work before any real editing can come of it (thus subjecting any Readers who dare to take the trip to a rough ride of possible typos and awkward wording) and to do so for free.

    Well, there are a couple of reasons.

    First, Residual Haunting is a grand experiment for me. It’s an exercise in whether or not I can write something completely on the computer (normally I hand write everything first) and I know I’m going to learn quite a bit in the process. (Honestly, I already have but we’ll get to that later.)

    If by some chance my experience with Residual Haunting can somehow aid a fellow writer then I would like to share it. Thus, we find the serialization process begun. I’ll go through a focused dissection of the experience when we’ve reached the end.

    Second, I love the history of serializations in general. I got to play Beth in “Little Women” when I was in high school so the concept of serializing stories gives me fond memories. (If you remember, Jo had her stories serialized in the paper.)

    And Third, it’s fun.

    No, really. It’s fun. I had a blast with Persona last year and promised myself that I would do it again once I found a suitable book (one not on contract and focused on learning something about the craft) and Residual Haunting fits that bill.

    So! If you like the paranormal and are adventurous enough to embark on this journey with me then welcome to the experiment! Follow the links above to find the story in your preferred format (Wattpad or Blog) and let’s get started!

  • X-Men Days of Future Past – Review

    I’ve never been shy about my inner Geek.

    Well, I can’t really call it my “inner” Geek, can I? I’ve posted about playing Star Trek Online with my kid (we’re watching Voyager now, by the way) and I’ve talked about nearly every comic-based movie I’ve gone to see in recent years.

    So … the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak.

    I am a Geek. I love comic books, super heroes, novels with magic in them, and the occasional game. And, of course, I love movies that highlight these things as well.

    It’s no surprise then that I loved X-Men Days of Future Past. It’s counterpart – X-Men First Class – went a long way with repairing the whole X-Men mythos after the fairly disappointing renditions done earlier. (I’m sorry. Rogue is my favorite character and they sort of broke her entire story in those early X-Men movies, which made me hate them.)

    In any case, X-Men First Class and X-Men Days of Future Past made my Geek-self happy. And, as was the case in X-Men First Class, much of this had to do with the casting of James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier.

    (Allow me a moment to fan-girl squee.) X-Men-Days-of-Future-Past-character-bio-James-McAvoy-as-Professor-X

    I know Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was sort of the main character in this film, and yes, I do so love that man as Wolverine but … If you can’t get Professor X right, then the whole X-Men regime falls flat on its face. McAvoy has this captivating voice, much like his counterpart in the film, Patrick Stewart, and it was fun to watch them play against one another.

    I did have some consistency questions for the plot but in light of the whole I really don’t care. (It’s a movie about mutants with super powers, let’s not try and treat it as gospel, shall we?) All in all, I quite enjoyed this movie and look forward to any and all future installments.

  • September Round Robin – Abandoned Places

    Sawtooth City is a ghost town hidden in the mountains several hours from where I live. I stumbled on it many, many years ago while camping with my family and it has held my imagination ever since.

    Dilapidated houses, really little more than one room cabins with potbelly stoves, spread across the mountainside in a haphazard pattern. None of them have rooftops anymore and walking through them is hazardous due to rotting wood. It’s a rarity to find one with all its walls up.

    You have to walk because the pathway is too narrow in places for any sort of vehicle, even the off-road sort. I imagine you could get there in the winter with snow shoes and the like but that would be rather pointless as several of the houses would be buried in snow to the point you couldn’t see them.

    I’ve always gone in the summer, when the trees are full and green and the full extent of nature’s power can be seen overtaking where man once lived. There’s a wide, open glen higher up the mountain that is full of yellow flowers and I can imagine children used to play there. And there’s a spot on the stream that cuts between mountains perfect for romance; a cool, shaded place hidden from prying eyes.

    And then there is the mine.

    I’m not sure what sort of mine it is, but it dives deep into the mountain. There are signs warning people from going inside but … Well, I’m an adventurous spirit.

    The wood is rotted here, too. Moisture and time has eaten through it, making the act of climbing inside quite dangerous. Once inside there is a distinct chill that catches you, like the core of the mountain is leaking out and clashing against the summer air. Uneven walls are held up by unsteady beams and the very real risk of collapse becomes an ever-present itch just between your shoulders.

    And that’s when I start to see them, the people who once worked here.

    I’m not crazy. I don’t actually see them. But I do imagine them, and they fascinate me.

    The nonchalance with which they enter the mine, each knowing that there is a chance there might be a cave-in today and still they go. They’re men, of course, so they can’t reveal their fears to anyone else, but each of them has to have it. Each of them has to have that same itch between their shoulders, the one that tells them how many tons of earth and rock are leaning into those beams every second of every day.

    I love that mine. I love the questions it gives me, the characters that populate my mind every time I go there. I’ve always intended to write a western novel based around a mine and I’m happy to say that this year, starting in November, I’ll be doing just that. I’ll be using Idaho City instead of Sawtooth City, for historical purposes, but I’m definitely bringing that mine.

    Check out what my fellow authors have to say about Abandoned Places for September’s Round Robin Blog Tour!

    “http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_at_the_beach” Skye Taylor
    “http://www.helenafairfax.com/” Helena Fairfax
    “http://connievines.blogspot.com/” Connie Vines
    “http://the-doodling-booktease.tumblr.com/” Rachael Kosnski
    “http://www.marcibaun.com/” Marci Baun
    “http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com” Anne Stenhouse
    “http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/” Judith Copek
    “https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/” A.J. Maguire  (You are HERE)
    “http://mizging.blogspot.com” Ginger Simpson
    “http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/” Beverley Bateman
    “http://rhobinleecourtright.com” Rhobin Courtright