A.J. Maguire

Author: ajmaguire

  • About Character Growth – Part 2

    My first post about Character Growth dealt with Nora Grayson in particular. She is the main protagonist in the Nora Grayson Adventures and my focus was on how she has grown over the past several books. Currently I’m drafting Book 3 and outlining Book 4, so I have a pretty good idea what she looks like at the end of the series compared to book 1.

    Today I’m looking at other characters in the books, which might have some mild spoilers but I’ll try to lean on the HINTING side instead of the outright telling you side of things. Because we all know I’m not big on spoiling books.

    First, I’ll say that some of the comments from Werewolf Wedding have been about the team in the CEB. That’s Lieutenant Eucilla Norwind, Derrick King, Elliot Cade, Gretchen, and Sam Witters.

    Basically, people want to know more about them.

    And I get it.

    Because I do too.

    I should preface this with saying I am a kind of hybrid author. I do a basic worldbuilding bit to start, and then the story surprises me with the details as I move forward. Which means I take a LOT of notes as I write. And I have a Story Bible that is constantly being referenced to make sure I haven’t broken canon already set in stone.

    Fun note: the Story Bible is the messiest thing you’ll ever see. It’s my creative brain at its finest, handwritten in multiple shades of ink with circles and highlights and extra punctuation. The outlines are done in here. And the read-through notes when I prep for editing.

    Why is this important?

    Because it means I only had a hint of who these people were when I started. They grew with the story and told me who they were mid-draft.

    Now, this won’t work for every author out there. Some need to know everything from which kind of peanut butter their character prefers to how many times a day they think about their mother. And that’s fine. That works for them.

    It does not work for me.

    Drafting is a conversation between me and the characters. It’s where they show me who they are and tell me their story. If I knew everything going in, I’d get bored and stop writing.

    Now, writing in a series means I have to keep a tighter grip on things. Each of them have to grow, have to show a little more of who they are, without breaking what’s already established. So… I do a weird thing, and maybe it’ll work for someone else but… here it goes.

    I have Scrivener. And Scrivener has this amazing tool where you make character sheets. Before I start each book, I go through that messy Story Bible and type up what has already been established for each character. It’s my Filtered Download of the character, if you will. And then I go through my outline and put what I call CBP — Character Beat Points — at each chapter.

    CBP’s are comments and/or questions aimed at each character. Things like; How does Gretchen feel about the pawn shop? or Don’t forget Sam is still new to Earthside and doesn’t get a lot of the customs.

    And then, you know… I draft the first version.

    The CBP’s are mostly there to instigate questions that can be explored as the narrative unfolds. Oftentimes they lead to more interesting questions that get fleshed out between draft one and draft four.

    Anyway, that’s what I do. Maybe it’ll help someone else.

    Happy Writing!

  • Book Review – Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

    This book captured me. It dragged me back to the pages every time I tried to get on with my regular life and do some of my own work. It was enchanting. And smart. And I absolutely fell in love with the two main characters.

    Moreso, I fell in love with the way they fell in love with each other. Roman Kitt and Iris Winnow have leapt straight to the top of my favorite couples list. Right after Jamie and Claire Fraser.

    The world was everything I never knew I needed in a fantasy novel. WWII-esque with shades of magic. Where magic does very little outside of the pantheon and people maintain their day to day struggles of paying the bills. There are some special artifacts, like some enchanted typewriters, and the idea of a shop being able to weigh what’s in your coin purse and shuffle what you can afford straight to the front of the shelves.

    It was brilliant.

    I adored this book. Seriously.

    5 stars.

    5.5 if we want to tag a little extra on because Roman Kitt’s reactions when in the trenches hit me so hard in the guts that I could scarcely breathe.

    Divine Rivals Purchase Link!

  • About Character Growth – Part One

    As we’re gearing up for the release of Nora and the Duke of Autumn, I can’t help but see the differences in Nora Grayson’s character from book one. She’s still got a clear sense of right and wrong, her values haven’t changed even if everything about her life has been shattered, and she still has the compassion and empathy that I wanted to highlight in the first book.

    For those just joining us, Nora was inspired by the character of Deanna Troi from Star Trek the Next Generation. In particular, the empathy that Deanna portrayed on the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise is something I snagged and enhanced for the character of Nora Grayson. Only instead of making her an alien she is, obviously, a half human magic wielder.

    Because it wouldn’t be a Fantasy novel otherwise.

    The idea was to let a character with Deanna Troi’s talents stand front and center of her own work, because emotions are important and we should allow ourselves to process them rather than… You know, bury them away and pretend they don’t exist.

    SO!

    How has Nora changed from Book One to Book Two?

    SPOILERS AHEAD! Turn back now if you don’t want to know.

    …

    Still here?

    Alright, for starters, in book one Nora was confronted with the fact that her two caretakers – Nana Bess and Uncle Martin – are criminals. This eye-opener has wrought a lot of strife in her. She feels stupid, and every new part of Fairy that she learns about is feeding her rage at having been duped.

    Book Two has her struggling to find a sense of self again. There’s some self-pity in there because, well, who wouldn’t be ashamed? But this second book is all about overcoming that shame and finding the strength to make something new. By the end of Book Two, she has more control over her own life and is ready to start building again.

    Which is why Book Three is so very, very romantic.

    Ahem.

    Gird your loins, people. The romance that has already begun is about to take center stage.

    And that’s the only spoiler I’m going to give you.

    Nora and the Werewolf Wedding is available on Amazon in Paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.

    Nora and the Duke of Autumn is available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle.

  • Book Review – The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Caressa Broadbent

    A while back I picked up Six Scorched Roses by this same author and I enjoyed it immensely. It embraced some of the cliches of vampire romance novels but it did this in such a way that I was comfortable instead of rolling my eyes. I enjoyed this so much that I went ahead and snagged the novel The Serpent and the Wings of Night.

    I’m not gonna lie.

    I struggled through the first chapters of this book.

    The main character made me twitch every time they mentioned how dangerous the world was that they were living in, and how fragile they were compared to the vampires she lived amongst. Seriously. It was at least once a page and I was starting to feel like the author was beating me over the head with it and I nearly put the book down. But because I loved Six Scorched Roses, I continued.

    And I am glad that I did, because somewhere in the middle of it I started to realize that the mantra of weakness and danger was supposed to be there. It was drilled into the main character’s head by her father, and was a means of controlling her, and it was very satisfying to see when our little serpent began to see that control for what it was.

    So, my proverbial hat’s off to Ms. Broadbent. That was masterfully played.

    The world created was interesting, even if I found her pantheon a little confusing at times, and the action was brutally engaging. The vampires weren’t the undead that I grew up with, so I didn’t have my normal repulsion of them — aka, they’re alive, it’s just a weird kind of undying. I loved rooting for the characters and the romance built very nicely. I will note for my friends who read these reviews that it is an adult novel with adult scenes.

    At any rate, it’s a good book with an interesting slant on vampires and a lot of heart-pounding action.

    PURCHASE LINK for Amazon!

  • The World of Nora Grayson – Setting

    With the second book of the Nora Grayson adventures set to release later this year, a couple of questions have reached me regarding the setting of the novels. This is not your typical Paranormal Romance, nor your typical Urban Fantasy. And I should know, I’ve read plenty of both.

    Nora and the Werewolf Wedding walked the line of Urban Fantasy pretty close. We only left Earthside — That’s the here and now for anyone who hasn’t read the book — and went to a safehouse in Fairy, without actually stepping foot in Fairy itself. Instead we were treated to Boston, Massachusetts and Allegany, New York — albeit it with magical creatures walking about in the daylight.

    Why?

    To be frank, because that’s what my Muse wanted me to do.

    There was an argument early on with my Muse about having this as Urban Fantasy, and in truth it does not really fit the framework of your typical urban fantasy novel. On the one hand, yes, you see magical creatures walking in and amongst humanity in a present world, urban setting. On the other hand, humans have been left wholly alone.

    We don’t have a human — or a character who grew up thinking they were human only to discover they were a fantastical creature in hiding — stumble into the fantasy elements of the book. Nora knows she’s a Bright creature, has known it all her life, and has a basic understanding of what that means.

    In point of fact, Bright creatures have been in hiding from humanity for centuries, and the lore of the novels is such that Fairy was created as a safe haven for Bright creatures to run to if they were in trouble. Also, the urban part of the novel doesn’t last long. By chapter six we’re in the woods, sequestered away from human society so that my werewolf socialites can do… what werewolf socialites like to do best.

    In Nora and the Duke of Autumn, we make a shift toward Fairy. 80% of the novel takes place in Fairy as Nora travels to what is known as the Autumnal Estates, where she and the trusty team from the CEB are investigating the murder of a high born sidhe.

    Does this mean it’s not really an Urban Fantasy anymore?

    Heck if I know.

    I’m just writing the books, you guys can categorize as you see fit.

    I will say that my steampunk loving self had a great deal of fun describing and creating Fairy for this book. The village of Delporte is my favorite, if anyone wants to know.

    Since I am midway through drafting the third book and have a clear image of how the fourth book is meant to go, I can state with confidence that we still bounce between earthside and Fairy at a pretty decent clip. I mean, if you could jump into a body of water and come out the other side in a whole different world, wouldn’t you go for it?

    Purchase Link! Nora and the Werewolf Wedding

    Pre-Order Link! Nora and the Duke of Autumn

  • Book Review – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

    Given how much I have enjoyed Sarah J Maas and her worlds, it should come as no surprise that this Romantasy has been on my radar for a while. I was lucky enough to be given a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas and immediately set about snagging this book.

    MILD SPOILER ALERT — Only read on if you don’t mind a smidgen of talk about THINGS.

    First thing to note — I loved Xaden. Like, from moment one of him entering the stage, I quite enjoyed him. All the stuff I heard about this novel, I thought I would have moments where I didn’t like him but truth is… everything he did made sense. And everything about the world this girl was raised in had all my red flag alarms going off.

    Which means that the big reveal at the end didn’t really hit me the way it might have hit others.

    You mean the militaristic society banning certain books and allowing kids to plunge to death on Conscription Day just to see if they’ll have the wits to get across a parapet is hiding something evil? Who would guess?

    So the entire book I’m mostly watching Violet to see when she wises up, and munching popcorn while the emotions fester between her and Xaden. But I really dug into the narrative the moment we meet the dragons, because I love stories where dragons bond/speak/get on the level with humans. Tairn’s exasperation was excellent.

    I will say that Andarna probably shouldn’t have been so puppyish if they were trying to keep her age on the down-low from authorities. Any adult watching that scenario would be stroking their chin about the true nature of feathertails, and that’s based on maybe three interactions they get to see from afar.

    Next up…

    Having been through Basic Training, I thoroughly enjoyed the militaristic aspects of Violet’s training. Outside of the very real threat to the lives of these kids, I was right at home with the physical demands they placed on her and the struggle she had to overcome them.

    The romance built nicely, but as always, I warn Parents that there are explicit scenes in this book. Which, to be fair, I keep meaning to have a longer conversation about explicit scenes in books because they are so popular. Before I do, let me clarify by saying ‘kids’ in this book are consenting age, I’m just showing how old I am in calling them kids.

    My very conservative upbringing blushes at a lot of these scenes. If I feel they are gratuitous, I pass them over. My eyes literally skim the page hunting for the conversation that comes after because, quite frankly, while intimacy is important to keeping a romance healthy, its the vulnerable moments after that truly define that relationship.

    Because I am constantly trying to improve my craft, I did read a book recently that describes what makes a good intimate scene, and when I remember the title and who wrote it, I’ll be sure to update this post, but for now I’ll make note of what truly stuck out to me. What was explained was that you had to be able to say why only these two people could be having this scene at this time, what it reveals about them as individuals as well as them as a couple. And this makes so much sense to me that I have to wonder why I didn’t notice it before.

    Suffice, in this book, the intimate scenes made sense. I mean, some of it could have been put behind a closed door, but you don’t pick up a romantasy without certain expectations so… fans might have murdered Yarros if she closed that door too soon.

    The story was fun and I get the hype that surrounded it. The characters have stuck with me, even if some aspects of the world haven’t, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

    Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros

  • What Sort of Author Am I?

    When my first novel was published, it was labeled as fantasy romance, so I always imagined that must be what sort of author I was.

    A fantasy romance author.

    For those who have read Sedition, I think many of you will note that while there is a romance between Nelek and Trenna and it does have an impact on what those characters end up doing, the book as a whole is not what many would call “Romantasy” these days.

    Maybe there’s a difference between “Romantasy” and “Fantasy Romance” but the popular moniker seems to encompass them both these days, which is why I’m sitting here today, pondering my writing style and preference.

    If you need a reference, Sarah J Maas’s books are all labeled Romantasy. And yes, I can see why. You have the relationship of two main characters as a centerpiece that works in conjunction with the larger fantasy plot. The world building on the Crescent City novels alone is beautifully done and I quite adore this author and her works, and will continue to read them as they are released.

    A quick bit of research suggests that fantasy romance is fantasy with a significant romantic element, whereas romantasy seems to be a romance set in a fantasy backdrop. Which… well…

    Alright. I think the main difference is going to be focused on exactly how significant an element that romance is in a fantasy novel to let properly categorize it. If you’re comparing the books of Sedition and A Court of Thorns and Roses, the two are super-duper similar. Focus is on the world and the characters in it, with a romance blossoming that the characters end up having to fight for.

    But once we move on from those first books in the two series, things start to look very different. A Court of Mist and Fury reveals a much larger romance, one that begins to shape that series into something very identifiable ad Romantasy. You’re showing up to see how these two come together and stay together through a great deal of strife.

    Saboteur sticks to the same romance introduced in Sedition and while there are some questions on how they are going to survive together, the main thrust of the book is centered on the world itself. So I can see a major split between what I write and what is popularly called Romantasy.

    I am not shy in admitting that there are romances in all of my novels. I am a romantic at heart. I love when two characters really know one another, accept all of the good and the bad, and choose to make a go of things. You are always going to see a romantic element in my books but I admit that these romantic elements are normally treated as just that, elements of the story and not the story itself.

    Except for Nora’s books.

    The second novel in Nora’s series really opens up the romantic element. And the third is just unabashedly about these two characters recognizing what they have is special.

    So what kind of author does this make me?

    I suppose… just an author.

    Sure, the romantic elements are there through most of them… Tapped wouldn’t be nearly so much fun if Jorry and Seach weren’t constantly duking it out over who gets the final say on board the ship… And when I turn my attention back to Nelek and Trenna I suspect we’re going to see a lot more of that romantic element come into play.

    But at the end of the day, it’s all words on a page. It’s all craft.

    So here’s me, nodding to the romances in my books and getting back to work.

  • Book Review – Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

    SO, I have been reading and I have a backlog of reviews I need to post up here. My husband recently introduced me to BookTok on TikTok and I have discovered a ton of books that I want to read.

    Six Scorched Roses was one of the books that kept popping up and it caught my attention. I should preface this review with a disclaimer — This is a romance novel. It has explicit scenes.

    I knew it was “Romantasy” when I picked it up but I had no real knowledge about what world I was walking into, so color me surprised when I discovered vampires were still going strong. I have strong feelings about vampires in the romance genre, which I haven’t been shy about in the past. There are some discussions to be had about the psychology behind death and sex walking hand in hand, but I never saw the appeal of a predatory half-corpse giving me the come hither look.

    Necrophilia, much?

    That said…

    I loved this book.

    The vampires were not the undead – not that I could tell anyway? Her other books may delve deeper into the worldbuilding behind them. They had two distinct species (feathered wings versus bat wings) and while they did feed on blood and have weakness to the sun, they did not fit neatly into the cookie cutter stereotype we’ve come to know for vampires.

    This was enough of a difference that I was able to move past the idea that Vale – our curmudgeon antihero – was a vampire. I enjoyed him as a character. And I enjoyed how Lilith – our protagonist – interacted with him.

    But what I really enjoyed was the language.

    This book is beautifully written. And the story itself – outside of the romance – is just classical enough (scary vampire in the manor at the top of the hill) without crossing into cliche (we have a medical crisis that has to be solved and a loved one on the line if it isn’t solved soon) and… yes. I loved it.

    Again, this book has spice. Explicit scenes. So if you prefer clean romance, this might not be for you. For everyone else, I do recommend it.

    You can find Six Scorched Roses on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

  • August 2023 Round Robin – POV

    This month the lovely people at Round Robin are having a conversation about POV. The question is which we prefer to read and write in, and boy do I have some things to say here!

    Somewhere, some way, I grew into the belief that it wasn’t a professional book unless it was written in Third Person. Limited or Omniscient didn’t matter, but it had to be third person. I have no idea where this came from, I just know that it stuck and for a very long time I focused on Third Person exclusively.

    I shied away from First Person Books even if they were on the NY Times Bestseller lists.

    Except for Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which I fell in love with. But I told myself it was a fluke and really, she broke the rules in book 2 of that series and sort of hopped between First Person and Third Person and it worked really well. So well that I might give that a try.

    Most of my books are in Third Person Limited, and I do enjoy writing in it. Some of my favorite books are all in Third Person as well, The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare or Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or His Majesties Dragon by Naomi Novik, just to name a few. I do have to admit that I prefer Limited to Omniscient. I do not enjoy hopping from one character to another in a scene, it feels like cheating and – at least to me – I feel like the real motivations/emotions get skimmed over for the characters.

    I prefer when the author digs in like a tick and unearths those really big, core things about each character.

    And then…

    And then I read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J Maas.

    This is, for most of the series, First Person POV.

    And I loved every second of that journey.

    Suddenly my very shallow understanding of POV was challenged. I don’t know what teacher impressed upon me the need for Third Person, but it had to have been someone influential in my younger years to implant this in me for so long, and I must admit now that this is an entirely WRONG standpoint.

    With that in mind, I approached Nora and the Werewolf Wedding from a First Person POV. This was my first real foray into that POV, and I loved writing in it.

    As in, I blew through the first draft of Nora’s second book in three months. And the third book is looking like it’ll take just about the same amount of time. There is a flow to the narrative that I haven’t been able to catch with Third Person POV, and it limits what I’m writing to precisely what Nora feels/sees/tries. This adds a sense of immediacy to the story.

    This isn’t to say that I am abandoning Third Person limited. Last Child of Winter was written in Third Person and I deeply love that story. What this does say is that POV is a tool, just like all the other tools at a writer’s disposal, and everything is going to come down to the story the author wants to tell. A good author can make any POV work for them to enhance the story.

    Check out what my fellow authors have to say about POV!

    Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

    Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

    Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

    A.J. Maguire https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ ( YOU ARE HERE)

    Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

  • Nora and the Werewolf Wedding Release Shenanigans!

    That’s right, you heard me. Nora and the Werewolf Wedding is AVAILABLE NOW from Amazon!

    Advanced reviews have been amazing and I sincerely hope everyone continues to enjoy Nora and her adventures. I’ll point to the graphic on the side for some quotes from reviewers because they are all awesome! These are direct quotes from Goodreads and Amazon reviews!

    In celebration, I thought I would make a couple of notes about what makes this story unique and some of the plans I have.

    #1 – Nora is a guilty pleasure of mine.

    She is quirky and funny and I adore the world she lives in. With all the terrible things happening in Real Life these days, I find it an absolute joy to escape into her realm where magic literally lives next door.

    #2 – Nora is inspired by Deanna Troi from Star Trek the Next Generation

    We can thank my mother for being a Star Trek fan and raising me to be one as well. The empathy that guides Deanna Troi was yoinked and given to Nora – in a magic sense instead of a biological science sense. So I have to tip my proverbial hat to the writers of her character on the show and to the lovely actress who portrayed her for so many years.

    #3 – Yes, this is another series

    The second book is already written and the third is under way. I can note that there is also a fourth book, and some smaller stories I can pepper throughout for funsies, and yes, I am focused on getting them completed right now. With the exception of Last Child of Winter, Nora’s stories are at the forefront of my work schedule until the series is completed.

    I am so excited to show you what happens next in Nora’s story, but for now, I hope everyone enjoys Nora and the Werewolf Wedding. And if you DO enjoy it, I would go absolutely banana-ecstatic to hear about it in either a review or a comment or email.

    Happy Reading!