A.J. Maguire

Tag: A.J. Maguire

  • Favorite Scenes — Dead Magic Edition

    I promised I’d post my favorite scene from the upcoming novel Dead Magic so … here we go.

    Once again, I’m not one of those people who likes spoilers  … Unless I get invested in a character, then I have to know if they survive the book/story. No, really, I flip to the end of books and hunt for names just to make sure they’re still there. I won’t read the whole thing, I’ll just check if they still have dialog and then go back to reading like normal.

    I know, I’m terrible.

    Anyway, I won’t give any spoilers but I will post my favorite scene. I’ll give the barest amount of setup for this one — this scene happens early(ish) in the book and I cut it off before anything major can be revealed. Fans of Witch-Born will recognize the two characters (Dorian and Elsie). These two do play a major part in Dead Magic but as I’ve said before the book itself is more focused on Winslow Agoston and Valeda Quinlan.

    Why do I love this scene in particular?

    I think because it’s honest. Dead Magic takes place eight years after the ending of Witch-Born. Things have changed. Relationships have strained and while the love between Elsie and Dorian is still every bit as strong as in Witch-Born, all is not perfect.

    Please note that this is an unedited version of the scene. 

    Dead Magic: 

    “Why would you promise that woman something you know you can’t give her?” Dorian half chased Elsie around the western perimeter of the ark, thoroughly annoyed that he’d been forced to hunt her down again.

    “Who says I can’t give her what she wants?” Elsie kept a brisk pace, lithely avoiding the overgrowth of jungle around them. Her black hair was pinned up in a tight bun, making the exotic, angular curves of her face more prominent. If he hadn’t been suppressing the desire to strangle her Dorian might have given her a compliment.

    “The Council says you can’t.” He had to catch himself on a fallen bit of tree when she abruptly stopped. The moist ground slid away from his left foot and he quickly found a better standing spot.

    The ark was built precariously close to the edge of the ridge-line, its entire circumference taking up a four mile wide, three and a quarter mile long declivity in the mountain range. The egg-shaped monolith of iron and steel was far enough from any towns that it looked like a shadowed lump of hillside at a distance. Up close, however, it was big and bulky and looked quite impenetrable. Which, he thought with a frown, was the point.

    Elsie turned to an iron ladder built into the side of the wall and prepared to climb. Dorian grabbed her elbow to stop her. There would be people wherever she was heading and they needed to do this conversation in private.

    “You promised, Elsie.”

    “No,” she said. “As I recall it, you are the one who promised silence, not me. I stood there like an idiot, trying to remind myself why I didn’t kill them all where they stood.”

    “Elsie. Think of the hysteria that would happen if word got out.” Dorian moved closer to her, glancing at her gloved hand and preparing himself for the battle he’d just stepped into. “If Valeda Quinlan publishes the fact that Magic is dead, the Untalented will panic. There will be riots and mayhem and a lot of innocent lives will be lost.”

    “Even the Witch-Born will panic, Dorian. Talented or not, all of Magnellum’s fate rests on the Warding Pillars. Panic is exactly how the people should be reacting.” Elsie scowled at him but didn’t move, still poised to climb the ladder. “The Wild is coming, Dorian. It’s coming and there’s very little we can do about it.”

    “The Wild has been ‘coming’ for eight years now, Elsie!” Exasperated, he let go of her and shoved his fingers through his hair. “By Fates! I’ve been listening to you for eight long years. I’ve watched you build this … this …” He waved at the side of the ark in frustration, “this insanity using resources you shouldn’t have. Don’t try to deny it, either. Delgora was rich when you ascended to House Witch, but it wasn’t this rich. You’ve been spending more money than we’ve got, insistent that world is about to end, and for what?”

    Elsie blinked up at him, her caramel eyes glimmering with an emotion he couldn’t recognize.

    “The Warding Pillars haven’t failed, Elsie. There’s peace in Magnellum right now. You cannot overturn society on a whim.”

  • Steampunk Flavor

    So there I was trying to write a straight romance novel for National Novel Writing Month in 2008, bored to tears because … well, I guess I’m just not made to write romance novels … when my friend suggested I make the story “steampunk.”

    I had no idea what “steampunk” was at the time, but in the spirit of NaNoWriMo I took up his challenge. The world of Magnellum, where Witch-Born and Dead Magic take place, was given a distinctly “steampunk” flavor in all its trains and dirigibles and telegrams, but it does fall short of being an actual “steampunk.”

    Real steampunk would focus more on the steam-powered technology and how it works and how it affects the characters and … you get it. Witch-Born and Dead Magic do not do this. They focus more on the magic in the world, thus detracting from the steam-tech on the page.

    That being said,  I enjoyed the flavor. It opened me up to new possibilities within the novels like the dirigible — because who doesn’t love a good dirigible? And it gave me Valeda Quinlan.

    Valeda is a newspaper reporter. The distinctly steampunk flavor of the novels sort of threw the concept of a reporter at me. I mean, if they have telegrams then they have newspapers. If they have newspapers then they have reporters.

    Yes, Valeda is unabashedly a character trope. She’s as nosy and tenacious as they come. But she gets thrown into a situation where her talents as a reporter can’t help her, which is what makes her so fun. I do love “fish-out-of-water” stories.

    Valeda is also more at home with the steam-technology prevalent in her world. Where the Witches of Magnellum tend to avoid mechanical contraptions, Valeda sees nothing wrong with them, so Dead Magic explores these things a trifle more.

    The original draft even had a massive clock with all its gears and shifts for me to play with, but in the end that was edited out of the book. It distracted from the main storyline and had no real purpose than to blare “STEAMPUNK FLAVOR” at you.

    In fact, there were many such instances like that one where I had to walk the tightrope between too much flavor and not enough. Perhaps one day I will make a revised edition of Dead Magic that puts all of that flavor back in, should Readers desire it and I feel so inclined. For now, however, the work will stand as it is.

     

  • Space Ships and The Suspension of Disbelief

    Who would win in a space battle; the Millennium Falcon or the U.S.S. Enterprise?

    I know, I know, that’s basically asking if a smuggler can best an explorer when the guns are drawn. Not to mention it dives headlong into the rift of animosity between Star Wars and Star Trek fans. (Personally I enjoy both, but whatever.)

    Whichever space ship you believe would win they both bring to mind a particular structure, a particular image that has become iconic in the science fiction industry. And one of the unique challenges of writing science fiction (space travel science fiction, anyway) is making sure that you don’t copy what has already been done.

    Plus … you know … maintaining some form of realism within the book.

    This requires answering a list of questions from “how does your ship have gravity” (if it has it, of course) to “where’s the restroom” and “what powers the ship” and … The list goes on.

    In the movies we don’t really get those questions answered. Not in specifics anyway.

    Does the Millennium Falcon have gravity? Well, they’re walking normal and there are no floating Wookies so … yeah, it does.

    In books we aren’t given quite as much freedom. While there are some assumptions that can be made, relying on those assumptions too heavily can be seen as lazy writing. Now there are arguments to be made between “soft” and “hard” science fiction, but no matter how “soft” your novel is you still have to walk the tightrope between fiction and reality here.

    There’s only so much a Reader can take before their “suspension of disbelief” is irrevocably lost. Don’t insult their intelligence. They know people can’t breathe in the vacuum of space without some help. They know another planet is going to have a difference in gravity. And they know a space ship has to be uniquely designed for space travel.

    When beginning work on Deviation I knew I was going to have to build a space ship. A ship capable of flight both in the atmosphere and out of it. Thus was born the Lothogy. I do all sorts of things wrong with it and I know it. (I even take the silly thing under water, though in my defense I do address how wrong it is for the ship to go there.)

    I will confess to cheating. My two main characters (Reesa and Kate) are not scientists and are fairly thrown into the world against their will. Most scenes dealing with how the ship functions are done through their point of view because they are really clueless.

    And when things got really tough and my research was making me twitch and I didn’t know how to explain it all, I went back to Kate’s core motivation — getting home to her son alive — which meant she really didn’t care how it worked so long as it didn’t explode around her.

    (Writer’s Cheat #1 — when all else fails, focus on your character instead.)

     

  • Life Sans Two Fingers

    As pointed out in my previous post, I made a stupid mistake with an avocado and managed to cut the nerves in two of my fingers. Given my chosen profession, this has been problematic.

    While I can hand-write everything still fine (because I’m right-handed and all that), I cannot type with the speed and duration that I used to. The Doctor said it would be six weeks to three months before I started to feel anything in those fingers.

    (Yes, apparently I was really, really aggressive with that stupid avocado. What can I say? I was hungry.)

    The plans I had to start serializing Residual Haunting on June 1st obviously didn’t work out. I’ve decided instead to begin serialization in October. Which, let’s be honest, is likely a better choice given the theme of ghosts and what have you.

    Editing has been slow-going.

    And I do mean slooow going. However, I am beginning to make progress again. All those lovely words I have on paper are coming to the screen. I have, in short, managed to train myself into typing sans two fingers. It’s been difficult, but I’ve managed it.

    Here’s what else I’ve managed to train myself to do without two fingers;

    1) Wash my hair.

    Believe it or not, this is a very difficult process when you’re missing two fingers. I no longer have the full-on scalp massage during the soaping process and must compensate with the other hand in order to make sure everything gets clean.

    2) Drive.

    Now, let me explain that.

    The location of the puncture wound was in my palm, about three-quarters of an inch below the two offending fingers. For a very long time I found myself having to use the heel of my palm to drive. More often than not I drove with one hand, but turning the vehicle became slightly more difficult.

    3) Wrestle with my son.

    He’s a boy. He’s active. He likes to play. For the first little bit I had to learn to wrestle one-handed since … you know … bumping a puncture wound kinda hurts. Now it’s a lot easier. I just can’t feel those fingers and have to be certain nothing untoward happens to them mid-play.

    4) Carrying in Groceries.

    Mhmn. This was a pain. But I worked out a system where I looped several bags on the left forearm and went from there.

    5) … Type.

    I already said it but it can be said again. This was the real kicker, after all. Learning to type without two fingers was quite difficult. There were moments where this really horrible ache would set in and I would have to sit back for a minute or two. That ache is mostly gone now, which is why I’m able to start working again.

    So! This is me … halfway through 2014 and way behind on all my writing deadlines. But I think with a little determination and a couple dozen sleepless nights I might catch up again.

    Deviation and Dead Magic will both be released in August. Persona still has a tentative release date of December 2nd, though for marketing purposes and what have you I might delay that release in 2015. (Hey, it’s my first self-published. I get to pick the time-frame.)

    Usurper is in the middle of the editing process. Sorry, Trenna fans, you’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer.

    And Tapped … Oh, my. Tapped is nearly finished with this latest round of edits. Once that is done, I’m sending it out on submission.

    Yes, good old fashion submission. Because I love rejection. It’s like my favorite thing in the whole world and I can’t get enough of it.

  • Usurper Update

    A lot of people have been asking me about Usurper lately. Which, let’s be honest, makes me happy since it means everyone really, really likes Trenna’s stories and wants to see what happens next.

    So! For this week’s post I’m going to go ahead and give an update on where I am and … because everyone has been so very patient … I’ll include a snippet at the end.

    I am right at the end of Usurper. And I do mean right at the end.

    All the pieces are in place. All the characters have made it to their destinations and are gearing up for the final battle. All I need to do now is finish that final battle. But battle scenes take the longest for me to write.

    They’re also my favorite bits to write, but they still take the longest because it’s hard to bring clarity in the middle of swords clashing, people screaming, and wounds being inflicted. Every character has a different set of motivations that become all the clearer amidst bloodshed — remember the end of Sedition?

    I will have Usurper’s draft completed by the end of April. It will go in to my publisher/editor people on May 1st. After that, we’ll be waiting on the publisher and all that jazz, but this publisher tends to be very quick about getting things done so … Yes, you will (should, most probably) have Usurper in your hot little hands before 2015.

    But I should warn you … there’s a lot of action in this one. Trenna’s back at her prime and getting her hands dirty.

    Well … see for yourself … (Please remember, this has not been edited yet. Any and all grammatical errors are the hazards of the craft.)

    She spotted the assassin first. Sitting at the table nearest to the hearth, Faxon Mylonas was profile to her, looking almost exactly as he had twenty-odd years prior. Trenna felt real fear curl in her gut at the sight of her son and husband sitting near the man, but her anger overtook that emotion when she spotted Troy. Trapped between the assassin and a woman whose occupation could only be that of a Blood Mage, Troy’s eyes were puffed and swelling and he was holding a bloodied handkerchief to his face.

    Liana was moving before Trenna could stop the girl. She saw Faxon tense and knew he was preparing for Liana’s advance.

    “Big T, thank gods,” Barmy stood from his stool. “I tried to warn them …”

    “Thank you, Mister Friggs. May I borrow your stool?”

    “My stool?” Barmy’s face creased in puzzlement.

    Liana drew her cutlass, which sent a hiss of alarm through the already tensed room.

    “Well, yes, I suppose …” Barmy stopped when he spotted Liana’s advance, gasping with further horror.

    “Thank you.” Trenna grabbed the stool and started forward. She waited until Faxon stood, until he had his full focus on intercepting Liana, before she flung the chair over her shoulder with all her might.

    It struck the Blood Mage on the side of her head, startling everyone at the table. Trenna took her advantage and rushed forward. The red-headed Mage fell against the table, dazed enough that she wasn’t prepared for Trenna’s second assault. She got to the table before the mage could find her wits, grabbed a fistful of spiky red hair and slammed the woman’s head into the hard, pitted surface.

    With the flick of her wrist, Trenna snagged the dagger from her belt loop and held it to the unconscious woman’s throat in clear warning.

    Faxon didn’t move. Whatever attack he’d planned against Liana had ceased and his wild, golden eyes fastened on Trenna. Nelek, Kaden and Troy had moved during the attack. Nelek stood with the boys flanking him, not entirely out of harm’s way, but at least they’d have a sporting chance now. Liana’s advance had been stalled as well. Trenna saw her slide toward Troy.

    “Hello, Trenna.” Faxon still didn’t move. “Nice to see you haven’t lost your civilized touch.”

    (And to answer … yes, I mean the Faxon you met in Sedition.)

  • Villains – Round Robin

    Honestly, villains are hard for me to write.

    They were always hard for me to play when I was a kid, too. My brother and I would have our G.I. Joe’s out and stuff and he would be all for the bad guy coming in and causing mayhem and I would be more for the “natural disaster” sort of plot because I didn’t like seeing character’s die.

    (Ironic, I know, since I kill so many characters in my fiction.)

    Marsali from Sedition was my first antagonist, the first time I’d ever delved into the mindset of someone who was clearly ruthless. The only way I managed to write her was to focus on why she was willing to be ruthless, and in her case it was the fact that she quite literally believed her home was in danger.

    Reonne from Witch-Born had a huge back-story that never fully made it into the books. For her, she’d been passed over one too many times and she was bitter because of it. She had a false sense of entitlement that took her to dark places.

    And now that I look at it, I see a clear pattern. Both women were powerful, refined, educated, capable and ambitious. I like those kinds of villains. I like the villain who knows precisely who they are, who can use good manners to cover their malice, and who are intelligent.

    That’s the kind of villain I like to write, read, and watch on the screen.

    Saboteur didn’t have one of these. Saboteur’s main villain was prejudice and ignorance and I personified those two inside Brodis Windringham. And I’ll admit … that was tough.

    For me as a person I see nothing more dangerous in this world than ignorance and prejudice. History has shown us that together they are deadly. It drives people to do terrible things.

    But I think the most fun I’ve had with an antagonist was with my up-and-coming Deviation. In that book the hero becomes the villain and the villain becomes the hero, and I totally did that on purpose. The idea was to show that even hero’s have a breaking point, and we watch as Hedric Prosser is run down until he literally has nothing left. Rather than finding that spark that makes a hero push on, Hedric goes dark.

    And the arrogant, refined, powerful Matthew Borden (See what I mean about the pattern?) is given a chance to become something other than the antagonist. I’m not going to tell you how, you have to read it when it comes out. (In August.)

    Anyway! That’s my very personal take on villains. The more refined the better, because intelligence is a scary opponent.

    Round Robin Continues! Check out what some of my fellow author’s have to say about their villains and what they look for.

    Anne Graham writing as Anne Stenhouse at http://wp.me/31Isq
    A.J. Maguire at https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (You are Here)
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
    Diane Bator at http://dbator.blogspot.ca
    Fiona McGier at http://www.fionamcgier.com
    Ginger Simpson at http://mizging.blogspot.com
    Geeta Kakade at http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
    Connie Vines at http://connievines.blogspot.com/
    Beverley Bateman – http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Rhobin Courtright – http://rhobinleecourtright.com

  • Blurbs & The Hated Synopsis

    As of today I have 38,643 words edited in the Tapped novel. According to my calendar I should be on Chapter 11, but I’m actually moving into Chapter 13 next week. I’m supremely pleased with the way it is turning out. Thanks to my developmental editor I’m having a blast fleshing out all those places that were too lean before and bringing more color to the characters/relationships on the page.

    Author’s note : Developmental editors are editors who look at the story as a whole and tell you what works and what doesn’t work. They often note in the manuscript if there are serious grammatical errors because … well, because I think they probably twitch whenever they see you’ve abused every literary device known to man. 

    I also managed to write a new working synopsis to help reflect the changes going into the book. It’s a horrible draft and it’s a mite too long, but at least it’s started so that when I begin the querying process I won’t have to start at square one.

    I’ve decided that blurb and synopsis writing require a different sphere of my brain than my normal writing. And it’s a sphere of my brain that absolutely does not like to work. It’s like a koala when you wake it up in the middle of the day (they’re nocturnal and eucalyptus leaves do fun things to their chemistry so they’re kind of drunk) so what you get when you rouse my koala-like marketing sphere is a hung-over grouch that can barely function.

    So!

    I utilized a marketing professional to help me. She went through my website and suggested several changes that I’ve already implemented (Yay! I’m officially ajmaguire.com!) and helped me draft a blurb for Tapped that looks professional and manages to capture the core of the book.

    The experience working with this professional was quite interesting. She was extremely helpful, kept the dialogue pointed in the right direction, and didn’t admit to cringing when she had to go through the working synopsis to get a feel for Tapped. (Though I’m sure she did cringe at least twice.) She was also reasonably priced and I will certainly be going back to her.

    I highly recommend both developmental editors and marketing professionals to any aspiring authors/writers out there. Both have given me invaluable insight into the business side of novel-writing.

    Tapped – Blurb

    Jorry thought winning a galactic war would be enough to buy a peaceful life. She was wrong. Running from the government she fought so hard for, she carves a simple life out for herself and her family. When her family is dragged into a black market deal Jorry finds herself directly in the sights of those she’s been hiding from and must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the people she loves.

  • Women and Science Fiction

    So … apparently there’s this thing about women writing science fiction. I think I’ve read five or six articles about a couple of male science fiction authors (I really don’t know how many there are or even who they are)  who are displeased by women writing science fiction.

    The general arguments I have encountered in these articles are that women are somehow incapable of writing “real” science fiction. That women tend to muddy the waters of what should be science fiction with romance instead. That somehow this romantic tendency was damaging “real” science fiction.

    (Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees the oxymoron in that sentence. I mean … “fiction” … “real” … C’mon, people.)

    Well, in August of this year my first science fiction — Deviation — will be released by Double Dragon Publishing.

    I am also a woman.

    So I imagine that gives me reason enough to make a response to these naysayers.

    Here it goes …

    When I was in the Army I was trained to roll my socks a particular way. They had to be little balls of white and black (only white and black socks; white for physical training and black for the uniform) and they had to sit side-by-side in perfect arrangement so that when the drill sergeant did a locker check he or she would be pleased.

    Granted, I did this because I wanted to avoid doing push-ups, but the habit eventually became so ingrained in my person that when I got out of training I still folded my socks that way.

    And then one day my (ex)husband folded the socks. It drove me nuts.

    He did it completely the wrong way. There was no tight little ball of black or white. There was no dress-right-dress in the top drawer. There was chaos; little flappy tongues of white and black that only proved what a civilian he was.

    It was offensive, I tell you.

    If I heard the dryer go off I would dash for it, praying I got there before he did so that I could fold those socks the right way. The Army way. Because God help me if my First Sergeant decided to come visit my home and check my sock drawer.

    And then I realized … they were socks.

    It didn’t matter how they were folded or who folded them. Unless, of course, I was about to go out on assignment, in which case the socks really did need to be folded into those little balls to save space in my duffle bag. But that’s besides the point.

    The point is … you’re looking at socks. If you don’t like the way a woman folds them, don’t pick them up. They probably won’t fit you anyway.

    But you know what? They’ll fit somebody. And that’s who they’re for.

    My science fiction is not a romance. It does, however, feature women. A lot of women. This does not make it less science fiction. It just makes it mine.

    Respect the craft regardless of its form. And respect the authors around you.

    Because really, this argument is about as pointless as fighting over socks.

     

     

     

  • Letting the Internal Editor Bare its Teeth

    At the beginning of January I started editing my science fiction – Tapped. (Which is a working title, I think. Every time I read it I twitch a little.) I’m implementing developmental edits that my editor Gabriel Fitzpatrick suggested and I must say I’m having a blast.

    It’s interesting to me that the process I used to loathe (editing) is now one of my favorite parts of writing. It means I have something to work with, for one. And it means I get to let my internal editor bare her teeth.

    During the rough draft, the creation part of the book, I have to kind of muzzle her. She wouldn’t let me get anything done if I didn’t, you know?

    But right now, with Tapped, she has been set loose and is — yet again — ripping this book down to the genuine story underneath. She’s getting down to the story I meant to tell, and revealing the story I unconsciously told as well.

    Perhaps that sentence needs some clarification.

    The original purpose behind Tapped was to write a mother-son story. I was tired of mother-daughter/father-son stories. Being a single parent with a son it is important to me that this kind of relationship be exposed without the gross implications made in Oedipus.

    (Though I will say that I think Greece was pretty messed up when it came to mother’s and sons. Somewhere I read that the whole story of Perseus taking down Medusa was an analogy for Perseus needing to cut off the ties from his mother before he could face Andromeda as a man. )

    Anyway, I wanted to write a mother-son story. So I did.

    But my internal editor exposed that I was not only writing a mother-son story, I was writing a brothers-in-arms story that needed just as much attention. And in fact, in choosing which of the main characters was actually the main character, I discovered that the book is primarily this brothers-in-arms story.

    The mother-son story is a very, very close second. But in order to fully understand it, we have to understand the mother. And her life lives in the context of having been a soldier.

    Thank you, Internal Editor. I wouldn’t have caught that without you.

    One final note on the Internal Editor; her teeth are only as sharp as the books I read.

    Currently I am reading Dawn on a Distant Shore by Sara Donati.  Her writing is absolutely beautiful. I feel like I’m breathing in another time and place while I’m reading it.

    My internal editor is really sharpening her teeth on Donati’s work, bringing into focus word choices and characterization so that when I sit down to edit I can more clearly see and understand the craft of writing. It helps me pay attention to how I write.

    In short; writers are only as good as the books they read.

  • Good Lord, is 2013 almost over?

    Looking at my blog schedule I realized that I have all of 3 weeks left in the year. 3 weeks and 2013 is over!

    Well, three weeks and a few days if we want to be technical. But since the end of this year is actually going to be supremely crazy for me (5-year-old + Christmas = Mayhem) I thought I’d better write my year-in-review now. Because honestly, apart from making New Years goals this happens to be one of my absolute favorite posts to make. (Uber loves and thanks go out to Lisa Cohen for getting me hooked on this.)

    So! What did I say I wanted to do in the year 2013?

    1) Submit my edited copy of Dead Magic to DDP on my deadline of March 1st.

    There’s a big check mark in that particular box. Dead Magic was sent in, edited twice over by the fine people at DDP, and will be released in 2014.

    2) Finish Usurper.

    To be totally honest, I’m still working on this one. But if I follow my schedule I will have it done on December 3oth. Which is cutting it a little close but … eh … at least it’ll have a completed draft.

    3) World Build and (hopefully) complete Tapped.

    Another big check mark. Tapped has a completed draft AND went through the hands of an editor. I’ll be editing Tapped using the editor’s notes starting January 2nd.

    4) Climb 2 Mountains.

    …….. Well, you see, my car broke. I couldn’t drive up to the mountains in a car that kept breaking, so I couldn’t climb any mountains. But I totally made up for this, I swear!

    Those are the 4 goals I planned out for 2013. Here’s what I did in addition to all of that;

    1) Re-wrote and serialized my first historical fiction — Hurray Persona!

    2) Participated (and lost) NaNoWriMo, leaving me with 37 thousand words of a truly entertaining ghost/science fiction story.

    3) Edited Deviation per DDP notes — subsequently Deviation will also be released in 2014.

    4) Wrote a short story for a new DDP anthology — which I imagine will come out soon. (The Nano-Fisherman’s Wife)

    5) Wrote another short story for a completely different anthology which will hopefully come out around Christmastime. (Countdown to Goodbye)

    6) Started lifting weights. (This is not a joke. I totally have started lifted weights and my arms look incredible. If I weren’t allergic to the whole “selfie” picture thing I would totally post one just of my biceps.)

    7) Started researching the Civil War era for a prospective historical novel.

    And that’s all on top of the whole school work thing. Which, by the way, I will graduate in the Spring. But I’ll post next week about all the fun things I get to do in 2014. For now, I’m just happy to see what I managed to accomplish in 2013. It was truly a year of hard work, but it was work I enjoyed doing so that made it worth all the hours in front of an empty page.

    I hope everyone else had a wonderful year and I’m looking forward to a fruitful 2014.