Welcome back to another post about the books I am looking forward to reading. This time I'm looking at summer releases, as in books released in the months of June, July, and August. Here are some books I'm really looking forward to buying and reading.
Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen
I absolutely loved reading Stolen Songbird, the first book in this trilogy, and I waited in anxious anticipation for any news regarding the sequel. Naturally this included practically stalking NetGalley in order to get an ARC...which I did, so the review will be up soon. These books are wonderful and I can't wait to see how the story concludes in the final installment next year.
2 June 2015
A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes
Okay, so this book is a spin-off of Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms series, and I already have enjoyed reading the first three (and the fourth is on my most anticipated winter books) so delving into a spin-off sounds like a good idea. We'll see what happens when introduced to new characters, and to see how Morgan Rhodes handles new elements, like having some modern young adults from our world venture to the magical realm created in the FK books. It should at least be interesting.
23 June 2015
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I've read a couple books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I have enjoyed them. This one is advertised as being Scandal meets Veronica Mars. Some have said that it is perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars or Heist Society. I love Veronica Mars and I adored reading the Heist Society books. So, we'll see if this book rises up to meet the hype.
7 July 2015
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
I don't care that this book is basically being aimed at a 12-15 year old audience. It is a book revolving around the idea that the great Library of Alexandria survived. Everyone can access the Great Library's information, but personal ownership of books is illegal. I can be drawn into any book if it has an interesting angle on librarianship and access to information, so I am looking forward to seeing exactly what this book is about.
7 July 2015
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Do I really need to say anything about why I'm excited about this book? It is what Harper Lee wrote before To Kill a Mockingbird and features a grown-up Scout Finch. IT IS A NEW HARPER LEE BOOK. I am so darn excited about this! Seriously, this is awesome.
14 July 2015
Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep
Okay, so I'm only on book 6 of this series, and this is book 13, but I'm still really enjoying the characters and the setting and the plot, so I already know that I'm looking forward to reading this latest installment in the Elemental Assassin series. I want to see what happens to Gin next, and I can't wait to see what tantalizing food descriptions lie between the covers. These are not books to read on an empty stomach.
28 July 2015
Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking
Obviously if I had the first two books in the trilogy on my most anticipated lists, then this final book of the Kanin Chronicles is on the list as well. I am amazed that Amanda Hocking can write so quickly and write well enough to have three books published in a year. It is a dedication and skill that I aspire to achieve. Really, I would just like to have two books out a year. Anyway, I loved the Trylle trilogy, and to get to see another side of the same world with the Kanin is pretty darn cool. Now I wonder what Amanda Hocking will create next.
4 August 2015
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
It's Felicia Day's memoir! She is a geek girl goddess. I am a subscriber to the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel and I follow Felicia all over social media, and I'm also a member of her Vaginal Fantasy Book Club, which has introduced me to a lot of really fun books. So getting to read a book by Felicia that is all about her growing up and becoming the amazing and successful geek girl that she is today is something I am super excited about. I'm also looking forward to her announcing her book tour, because if she gets within 4 hours of me, I am going to the signing. Meeting Felicia is definitely one of the top items on my bucket list.
11 August 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Basics of Writing: Setting
Welcome back to another Basics of Writing post. This week my topic is setting, and it is something I have actually been thinking about quite a bit lately. Let's be honest, I only really thought about the most basic details of setting in the past, but that's changing now.
First, though, let's look at the definition of setting. Here's the definition according to dictionary.com:
noun
2. the surroundings or environment of anything:
The garden was a perfect setting for the house.
5. the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place:Setting can refer to place, as in specific and definite location of a story. This means the planet, continent, country, state, city, neighborhood, street, etc. What details of setting ground the story into a sense of space.
The setting of this story is Verona in the 15th century.
Setting can also refer to time. This is relevant because the concept of time can have an effect of technology, speech patterns, class, race, and gender norms, traveling methods etc.
Finally, setting can alter the mood or emotional scale of the story. A story set out in a dilapidated manor in the middle of a gloomy forest already adds a sense of isolation, loneliness, bleakness, and possibly even danger. Likewise, a story set in a sunny coastal tourist-filled town or city might seem a little more jovial and filled with life and excitement.
Obviously, setting can and should be a rather important part of the writing process, but I only really focused on locations if they were needed for a fantasy scene or two in the early stages of my writing. My original setting for Souls Unknowing was a made up place in Pennsylvania, but since I spent 95% of the story at the boarding school, I never cared to delve any deeper. And as for the Project Death series, the setting is unimportant to most of the narrators. They live in these facilities that aren't actually on Earth.
What I'm saying here is that setting is an area I need to focus on more. Currently it is one of my weakest points. But in my planning for the Souls Unknowing rewrite, I am doing research on locations and trying to make my school seem more realistic by giving it a sense of community. The same can be said for work on Project Death: Redemption, as the narrator was human and obviously did have a home and friends.
So, what's important when writing about setting?
There are numerous possible answers, but it all boils down to what is important for the story. In a city or out in the countryside? Does the reader need to know that the location has stores or houses or plants? You want to paint a picture of the surroundings but that picture will vary depending on your narrator/POV.
Think about it: would a painter observe the world in the same way as a detective? No. What about if the narrator happens to be blind or dear? How does that change how the setting is written? A teenager would not see the same world as a senior citizen. These are all points to remember for any writing project.
When writing urban fantasy, the setting is very important. It is why the genre is called urban fantasy, because the city is almost like a character too. So for UF a writer needs to write the city with enough detail that the reader believes everything. This is true regardless of whether the city is real or imagined. Books like Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series make New Orleans come alive, with the addition of vampires and other paranormal creatures, while Jennifer Estep created the city of Ashland, Tennessee at the border of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, which feels just as real as New Orleans in the Jane Yellowrock books. Plus Estep has a way with describing the food in the region that just makes you hungry for some good Southern barbecue.
With epic fantasy, which takes place in a completely made up world, everything still needs to feel real. Maps can come in handy for this genres. There should be cities, towns, villages, forests, plains, mountains, deserts, whatever fits into the created universe. The setting can be vague and general or very specific and detailed. Setting defines other important aspects of world-building as well, including trade, religion, weather, race, temperament, clothing, flora and fauna, and even government. All of this just to make a believable world.
Science fiction likewise can use reality and imagination. The setting could be on a known world, a created world, or just on a spaceship. Just like with fantasy, there are so many elements to be utilized to make the world feel real. This is especially true if alien races are involved as well.
Historical stories need to be aware of not just the location but also the time. As mentioned above, setting is not just about places but also era and atmosphere. England in the 1800s would be quite different from America at the same time.
See what I mean about how expansive setting is? I have a lot to think about with future novels, and it's all thanks to thinking about these Basics of Writing posts.
Next week: Relationships in stories. See you then.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Basics of Writing: POV
When I started thinking about my blog posts for this year, I realized that about half of my writing posts were about getting ready for NaNoWriMo, or participating in NaNo or Camp NaNo. Basically, those months sort of have a theme. Because of that, other theme-like ideas came to me. For the next few Wednesday posts, I will be going back to the basics and discussing topics to consider not just while planning a story, but also through every step of the writing and editing processes.
Today's topic is a big one: Point of View.
Technically this can also be tied into the topic of Voice as well, but I will save that for a later date, because I don't want to throw too many concepts into the same post.
First, we should probably define Point of View. The point of view (POV) is from whose eyes we see the story^1. That is a pretty basic definition, but there is so much more to POV than that. Henry James called the point of view in fiction a "central intelligence." By this, he meant that point of view operates as eyes, ears, memory, and understanding through which the narrative makes its progress^2.
Point of View is very important for writers, and often POV has an effect on everything else within the story. It sets parameters for the voice or voices, for the writing tense, and even on how some readers feel or react while reading.
Think about it: How many stories have you read using 2nd person POV? Probably not many. 2nd is difficult to pull off well in most scenarios and can be confusing to many readers. The obvious exception to this is Choose Your Own Adventure books. They almost always seem to be in 2nd person. "You walk down a hallway. At the end are two doors. You look at each in turn, knowing you must go through one of them, but which leads to safety?" The use of "you" puts the reader into the adventure in a way the other POVs don't.
Most stories will either be in 1st person (I) or 3rd person (he/she) and each have their own pros and cons. In fact, I know there are readers out there who prefer to read only 1st or only 3rd. So let's take a closer look at the two most popular points of view.
1st person POV is actually quite popular in many genres, but I see it used a lot in YA, romance, and urban fantasy/paranormal. This particular POV allows the reader to get inside a character's head. We get to read the character's thoughts, feelings, and actions first hand. Of course, this does not always mean that a reader feels connected to the narrator, but that once again deals with voice more than anything.
1st person can be limited to one character or a few characters, but it is usually not wise to utilize 1st person POV if writing from the perspective of say ten characters. Imagine reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series if each chapter was in 1st person. It is hard enough to give each character a distinct speaking voice, let alone continuing that in thought as well. One of my favorite childhood book series, K.A. Applegate's Animorphs featured five--later six--different main characters and each book is in 1st person POV. However, that POV is limited to one main character per book, with the exception of the Megamorph's books and the final book in the series. Those specialty books change narrator each chapter.
1st person can be written in either present or past tense, with benefits and limitations to each. Obviously present tense makes everything that happens feel more immediate, whereas past tense gives a little distance. My Project Death books are written in 1st person past tense, changing narrator with each book. My narrator for book three wants to tell her story in present tense though. And in the fourth and final book the 1st person POV alternates between two characters. I feel that this gives each book distinction from the others.
Finally there is 3rd person, which has a plethora of uses and benefits. With 3rd person POV, readers may be limited to following one character, a small handful of characters, or even an omniscient/omnipresent narrator. This all depends on the story being told by the writer. For example, what fun would a mystery novel be if the 3rd person narrator already knew everything? Mysteries tend to limit the reader to following one character of a couple. This can be seen in the books by "Richard Castle," Based on the TV series Castle. In those books the POV is 3rd person, past tense, and the reader gets to follow Nikki Heat, Jameson Rook, and occasionally Detectives Raley and Ochoa. The reader learns information at the same time as the characters, which is nice.
3rd person allows for a little distance from the characters too. You can get glimpses into their thoughts but don't live in them like what happens with 1st person. 3rd person seems to delve deeper into description of setting and action as well, as it is not limited to what the 1st person narrator might observe. This also makes covering a large cast of characters simpler, as the same voice can be used for narration throughout. It is why GRRM can handle having a large cast and spending chapters focusing on one at a time (for example, some chapters focus on Tyrion, or Arya, or Dany, or Jon). In the first of the series-- A Game of Thrones--chapters rotate through nine characters, but by the fifth book--A Dance With Dragons--we have 31 different POV characters.
My upcoming Souls trilogy utilizes 3rd person POV because I don't want to limit myself to the thoughts of one character at a time or throughout. I like the idea of having a little bit of distance from their minds, and won't have to dive so deep into a character's consciousness like I have in other series. When I started the trilogy in high school I wrote it in 3rd person present tense, which I know realize was a horrible mistake. That only works if you know how to do it right, like James Patterson.
Obviously this post only covers the most basic information on POVs. For more information search online or look through books on writing. There is so much to study about writing, and so much to consider with any story.
My other Basics of Writing posts this month will cover Setting and then Relationships. If there are other Basics you would like to learn more about, let me know. Finally, I will wrap the month up with a post on my Most Anticipated Summer Reads.
See you next time.
^1 Your First Novel by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb, 2006.
^2 What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers 2nd edition by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, 2004
Today's topic is a big one: Point of View.
Technically this can also be tied into the topic of Voice as well, but I will save that for a later date, because I don't want to throw too many concepts into the same post.
First, we should probably define Point of View. The point of view (POV) is from whose eyes we see the story^1. That is a pretty basic definition, but there is so much more to POV than that. Henry James called the point of view in fiction a "central intelligence." By this, he meant that point of view operates as eyes, ears, memory, and understanding through which the narrative makes its progress^2.
Point of View is very important for writers, and often POV has an effect on everything else within the story. It sets parameters for the voice or voices, for the writing tense, and even on how some readers feel or react while reading.
Think about it: How many stories have you read using 2nd person POV? Probably not many. 2nd is difficult to pull off well in most scenarios and can be confusing to many readers. The obvious exception to this is Choose Your Own Adventure books. They almost always seem to be in 2nd person. "You walk down a hallway. At the end are two doors. You look at each in turn, knowing you must go through one of them, but which leads to safety?" The use of "you" puts the reader into the adventure in a way the other POVs don't.
Most stories will either be in 1st person (I) or 3rd person (he/she) and each have their own pros and cons. In fact, I know there are readers out there who prefer to read only 1st or only 3rd. So let's take a closer look at the two most popular points of view.
1st person POV is actually quite popular in many genres, but I see it used a lot in YA, romance, and urban fantasy/paranormal. This particular POV allows the reader to get inside a character's head. We get to read the character's thoughts, feelings, and actions first hand. Of course, this does not always mean that a reader feels connected to the narrator, but that once again deals with voice more than anything.
1st person can be limited to one character or a few characters, but it is usually not wise to utilize 1st person POV if writing from the perspective of say ten characters. Imagine reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series if each chapter was in 1st person. It is hard enough to give each character a distinct speaking voice, let alone continuing that in thought as well. One of my favorite childhood book series, K.A. Applegate's Animorphs featured five--later six--different main characters and each book is in 1st person POV. However, that POV is limited to one main character per book, with the exception of the Megamorph's books and the final book in the series. Those specialty books change narrator each chapter.
1st person can be written in either present or past tense, with benefits and limitations to each. Obviously present tense makes everything that happens feel more immediate, whereas past tense gives a little distance. My Project Death books are written in 1st person past tense, changing narrator with each book. My narrator for book three wants to tell her story in present tense though. And in the fourth and final book the 1st person POV alternates between two characters. I feel that this gives each book distinction from the others.
Finally there is 3rd person, which has a plethora of uses and benefits. With 3rd person POV, readers may be limited to following one character, a small handful of characters, or even an omniscient/omnipresent narrator. This all depends on the story being told by the writer. For example, what fun would a mystery novel be if the 3rd person narrator already knew everything? Mysteries tend to limit the reader to following one character of a couple. This can be seen in the books by "Richard Castle," Based on the TV series Castle. In those books the POV is 3rd person, past tense, and the reader gets to follow Nikki Heat, Jameson Rook, and occasionally Detectives Raley and Ochoa. The reader learns information at the same time as the characters, which is nice.
3rd person allows for a little distance from the characters too. You can get glimpses into their thoughts but don't live in them like what happens with 1st person. 3rd person seems to delve deeper into description of setting and action as well, as it is not limited to what the 1st person narrator might observe. This also makes covering a large cast of characters simpler, as the same voice can be used for narration throughout. It is why GRRM can handle having a large cast and spending chapters focusing on one at a time (for example, some chapters focus on Tyrion, or Arya, or Dany, or Jon). In the first of the series-- A Game of Thrones--chapters rotate through nine characters, but by the fifth book--A Dance With Dragons--we have 31 different POV characters.
My upcoming Souls trilogy utilizes 3rd person POV because I don't want to limit myself to the thoughts of one character at a time or throughout. I like the idea of having a little bit of distance from their minds, and won't have to dive so deep into a character's consciousness like I have in other series. When I started the trilogy in high school I wrote it in 3rd person present tense, which I know realize was a horrible mistake. That only works if you know how to do it right, like James Patterson.
Obviously this post only covers the most basic information on POVs. For more information search online or look through books on writing. There is so much to study about writing, and so much to consider with any story.
My other Basics of Writing posts this month will cover Setting and then Relationships. If there are other Basics you would like to learn more about, let me know. Finally, I will wrap the month up with a post on my Most Anticipated Summer Reads.
See you next time.
^1 Your First Novel by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb, 2006.
^2 What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers 2nd edition by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter, 2004
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