Broken Truce: The Finished Cover!!!

So here it is at last!!!

The cover for the next book in my Broken City series: Broken Truce!!!

I would love to hear your thoughts (and/or questions!) on the cover! I'm hoping those of you who have read Broken City will be intrigued.  ;-P 

Also if there is anyone out there looking for an illustrator and you like the cover for Broken Truce, my illustrator is available for commission. Just drop a note at the bottom of the page and I'll send you her info!

Getting Back To Editing!

I'm not sure how many of you remember that when I started my 3 book challenge this year, it was with the intention of editing Broken Truce while writing The Vow.

It turned out that I couldn't do it; Broken Truce is written in the first person present tense, and The Vow in the third person past tense. Going back and forth between the two was driving me NUTS!!!

Now I'm half way through Severance, and I'm trying again! So far it seems to be going well, I've just passed the 30.000 word mark in the first edit. For those of you who haven't studied my writing habits (why haven't you?!?!?) I always write my first draft by hand, and use my first edit to copy the manuscript over on to the computer...

O.O

Yes. 100.000 words. BY. HAND!!!  ;-P

I'm not sure why but I'm more comfortable with a pen and paper, filling up a blank page with my untidy scrawl elegant copperplate, than typing away on the computer. There is something about staring at a blank computer screen that sucks the ideas clean out of my head!

But I digress...

I really got stuck in to Broken Truce last night and managed to do a fair bit of editing.  As I was writing I couldn't help thinking about how readers would react to certain parts of the story. I'm so excited with wondering what people who read Broken City are going to make of Broken Truce!!!

There is this one scene that I've just edited and I know it's going to cause SUCH an uproar when people read it (I hope so anyway!!!) I have a friend, Claire, who I met through Broken City (she read it, friended me and the rest, as they say, is history!!!). She's my first fan girl, and a without her I might never have decided to turn Broken City in to a series. She's been HUGELY supportive and has taken on the role of head cheer leader!

I'm digressing again, aren't I???

Anyway: I just know that at various points in the book I'm going to be receiving an irate email from her, demanding to know what the heck I think I'm doing!

I cannot TELL you how encouraging that is!!! The idea that someone enjoys your book as much as you do, that they care about the characters, that they want to TALK about them!!! It's incredible! It's what keeps me going through the good, the bad, and the down right ugly!!!

Broken Truce has taken me by surprise, I think it's quite different from the first book in the series; not so hopeful, a bit darker and you see the City from more peoples points of view. Deeta has grown up a lot, and she's wiser than before.

I've had soooo much fun with the characters in this book. Yes, Deeta and Tom remain the focus of the story, but they share the limelight with Tom's brothers, most especially Jayden. (For those of you who don't remember who Jayden is: he's the twin that Nova tipped orange juice over in Broken City.) You really get to know Jayden in this book, his faults as well as his strengths, he's very much a fish out of water. I really enjoyed writing him, he has such an attitude on him, but at the same time you can't help liking him (I hope!)

I had a blast with some of the secondary characters this time round as well, the first story is quite insular, focused the the group of people that Deeta loves and cares about most. Broken Truce introduces you to a lot of new characters, some good and some bad.

These side characters were some of my favourites to write; Ian, a scout from the Brownly tribe, Julian, Max, Ned and Linus, I can't really tell you who these are without being too spoilerish, but they were sooooo much fun! Wren, Falcon, Raven and Peregrine, siblings from a tribe known as The Birds, and so much more!

I'm hoping to knuckle down and have the manuscript ready to go live in January...

Contrebutions to the cause in the form of brownies and fluffy pillows are very much appreciated! ;-P


DeeDee.

It's Almost Ready!!!

Broken Truce's book cover, that is!

I have an artist friend who very kindly took on the job of designing the art word for the 2nd book in the Broken City series. I've always loved her work so I'm MEGA excited!

I wanted to keep the theme from the first book, but I wanted to incorporate some thing new and, if you've read the first story, something unexpected. 

Are you curious yet???

Broken Truce has some major new elements to the story, the biggest difference for me as the writer is that, unlike the first book, only a third of the story is narrated by Deeta. The remaining two thirds follow other lead characters. Because of these diferent point of view chapters, you start to see different sides of the world that Deeta inhabits.

I also had a lot of fun introducing new tribes into the mix, as well as new characters that become very important as the book, and the series, goes on.

Now I just have to finish editing the manuscript...  ;-P



DeeDee

Goodreads Review Guidelines Update: What Do You Think???

Someone posted this( http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1... ) on my Facebook page and it seems to be getting people hot under the collar.

So I was wondering what you thought of it???

As an author I can't help feeling a tiny bit relieved: you hear such horrible stories of bullying. 

But on the other hand, I can't help feeling that some Indies really do ask for the trouble they receive, by being very rude and thinking that they have a right to spam and demand good reviews just because they've written a book. 

No one likes to hear that their 'baby' is ugly, but when you put yourself out there, you should be ready for people to not like you're work. It's their prerogative, and I always like to say that if something as universally yummy as chocolate can have it's haters, the rest of us haven't a hope!!! ;-P

I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to be treated like a professional writer, then you must behave in a professional way. As authors we have a duty to treat the public with respect, after all: without readers, where would we be???

It's that old saying, isn't it: the customer is ALWAYS right?

I don't understand the nastiness, and I don't think I ever will.

You didn't like the book?

I can understand that, I've read a lot of books that I didn't like and you have my full sympathy. There's nothing more irritating than wasting your time on a book you end up hating!

You give it a bad review?

That's fine by me, I've written bad reviews myself! Yes, as an author it's depressing to receive a bad review, but hey, as the song goes: you were never promised a rose garden. 

Along with the good reviews that bring sunshine to your day, there's going to be a little rain sometime. You just have to learn to deal with that.

But attacking someone whose behaviour you deem unacceptable?

This is where I stop being on your side. 

The very thing you are accusing them of, and are disgusted with them for? You've just done exactly the same thing.

Don't get me wrong: I've had authors be horrible to me too. Sometimes it was because I didn't like their book, but more often because they didn't think that I was important enough to be nice to.

I've met those people, I've been on the receiving end of the nastiness, so please don't think that I don't know that there are some authors out there who don't know how to behave.

But I have my revenge: I never buy another thing from them. I don't 'like' their activity on goodreads/facebook/amazon/etc. I gain satisfaction from knowing that they will never see another penny from me, not ever again!

And for me, that's enough.

As an author, I've never replied to a bad review. It doesn't help the situation and in my opinion this is where the problem starts. By putting your book out there for others to read, you are ASKING for their opinion. You're asking them to part with their hard earned cash, shouldn't that entitle them to decide whether your story was worth it or not?
Even if you gave it to them for free, they still spent their time on it, probably their precious leisure time! They should be able to say if it was time badly spent!

On the other hand, I've met a lot of fellow Indies who are very nice! They've helped me with proofreading, and in return I've helped them when they need an extra pair of eyes. I've even criticized their work and had them thank me for my opinion!!! Sometimes they ignore what I say, and sometimes they take it on board. Either way, I'm happy. I want people to know that I'm telling them the truth, that when I tell them I loved a book they KNOW that I mean it, and that when I say that a book wasn't for me, they know I've actually READ the book and I'm not just paying someone back for not liking my stories, or for saying something that I've took offence to.

I guess what I'm taking so long to say is: 

Readers, 

please don't give up on us Indies. Not all of us are crazies that will stalk you and be unpleasant to you just because you didn't like our book!

Authors,

someone posted a bad review of your book that you think was unfair, or targeted you personally? That sucks, but it's also life. Engaging in ANY kind of interaction with them will only make things worse. Not for them, you understand, but ALWAYS for you. 

Think that's unfair? Well, maybe it is. That snarky comment you post, the down votes you hand out in retribution, or the friends that you rally in your defence, isn't going to make it any fairer. You'll just prove them right, because all of those things you do in revenge DO make you a jerk. 

That might not be the most pleasant truth to handle, but it's still the truth.

This is just my opinion of course, feel free to disagree without fear of retribution!

D.D. Chant

Star Trek: In To Darkness.

Yes!!!

DeeDee has finally watched Star Trek 2!!!

This film combines two of my favourite things: Star Trek and Sherlock! Or to be more precise: Cucumberpatch!!!

First off I just want to say poor old Admiral Pike! ;-(
I liked his character a lot in both films and was sad to see him go. Also I could have done with a bit more 'old' Spock, I missed him.

I really enjoyed the movie, it had the same snappy dialogue that characterised the first film, and I think it shifted from excitement/suspense to comic/wise cracking very smoothly.

Some funny in jokes and the continuation of some old gags in the first film worked nicely too, I particularly like Bones ever more inventive metaphors. I also want to see Sulu get his own ship, just so I can hear him say his first name more often.
Hirkaru, just in case you were wondering.
I really love that name...

Anyway... If there was one niggle it's that Spock wasn't really Spock-like enough for me this time around. In the first film I think Zachary Quinto really nailed it, this time I felt a little disappointed. I liked how he explored Spock's struggle to contain his anger, but I feel he was too soft in this film.
Gotta be honest, I don't want to see Spock crying.
That is just wrong on soooo many levels... I can't even... just no.

Then of course there is Captain Kirk... I don't really have a lot to say about Kirk. As a child William Shatner was my favourite character in the TV series.
Don't judge me!
Chris Pine is an okay Kirk, I just don't find him very memorable, or very likeable. Spock gets to be all reserved and mysterious, with all that pent up anger that makes him interesting. Bones gets to be all dry wit and wise cracks. Chekov gets to be sweet and nerdy, plus he has a cute accent. Hirkaru, because I'm refusing to call him Sulu now I know his first name, has skills when it comes to a samurai sword, the guy needs nothing else to be epic! And Scotty: well Scotty is SIMON PEGG!!! He just has to stand in front of a camera to be funny!!!

What does that leave poor old Chris Pine???

He's stuck playing a womanising hothead, with a seriously bloated idea of his own cleverness, who seems to stumble upon the right thing to do by accident rather than any merit of his own.

Did that sound harsh???

Blame it on all the exersize I'm doing lately! ;-P

And then we have Khan... or Cucumberpatch, as I like to call him. Well... what can we say about Khan other than he wasn't a baddie: he was just tragically misunderstood!!! ;-P
Great acting and very much a scene stealer!!!

So I guess this is where I tell you which of the crew of the Enterprise was my favourite this time round...

Bones takes it again!!!

Consistently good in both film, I'll like to see more of his grumpiness in the next film.

Who's your favourite???

Comment below and tell me!


DeeDee xxx

Starting At The Beginning (Again!!!)

Yes, it is that time once more!

Yesterday I made a start on the third book in my three book challenge. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with writing the first fifteen to twenty thousand words of a new story. It is of course easier if it is the second in a series, and you're not introducing a new world, and new characters, to your readers from scratch. However the follow on books in a series come with their own problems.

First lets list the Pros:

1. I love the feeling I get when I open a brand new writing pad and set pen to paper.

2. I love knowing that in a few months time the book will be completely full of my handwriting.

3. I love that I know already the path that I want the story to take, but also know that the twists and turns that get me there are going to take me by surprise!

If it's the next book in the series then there are even more Pros:

4. Catching up with familiar characters. I love writing about characters I've already developed, when I started writing Broken Truce I could hear Deeta's voice in my head as though she'd never been away.

That sounded crazy, didn't it?!?!?

5. Revisiting a world you love. It is soooo much fun to pick up where you left off in the last book, and add more and more detail to a world that exists entirely in your head...

I'm back in to crazy territory, aren't I???

The Cons

1. Engaging the reader. I know that's pretty basic but it is SO HARD to set up the story, everything that's to come, and hook the readers interest at the same time. Information overload is a big risk at this point!

2. Don't rush! Another thing I really struggle with: as the writer I know what's coming, and I can't wait to start writing about it! Building up to the BIG scene, the one that hooks the reader completely, is sooo important.

If it's a book in a series:

3. Making sure your characters are the same. This one is the one that's giving me sleepless nights at the moment. We've all read that book, had our favourite characters and waited, oh so impatiently, for their book only to be disappointed when finally reading it. THIS isn't the character you love, sure they have the same name, live in the same world, and have the same friends as the character that you love. But that doesn't make them the same person!!!
I hate, hate, hate it when that happens!!!
I want to find the writer and demand a re-write! Somehow it's very personal, like the writer destroyed my favourite character on purpose, just to hack me off!!!
Sooo obviously I don't want to be putting anyone reading my books through that experience!



On the plus side I'm really enjoying writing 'Severance', it's my Nana's and my cousin Bobby's favourite series, and they both keep telling me how excited they are for me to finish...

So there's no pressure then!!!



DeeDee   xxx

D.D. Chant

Oh. My. Goodness!!!

I am sooooooo excited right now!!!

For those of you who remember my 2013 self challenge to write the next books in all three of my series: I have news!!!

*Clears throat*

I have just finished 'The Vow', 2nd book in The Lady Quill Chronicles series!!!!

Yay!!!

'The Vow' is Finan's story but all the gang are back, along with some new faces. ;-P   This book took me a little by surprise, there were a lot of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. Finan proved a very hard hero to pin down, his bluntness and silence not making him the easiest romantic lead to write! In fact he fought me most of the way through the book, but in the end he did what I wanted him too, even if it was on his terms!

You get to see a different side to him: in 'The Promise' he is cool headed, very protective of Rafe and Leofric but some how a little remote. 'The Vow' shows you why he's like that, and you get a clearer idea of just how Evoric's death affected him.

I think that the character I had most fun with this time around was Daegmund, I have to admit to having a rather large soft spot for his brand of arrogant carelessness. He gets to say and do all the things that everyone else is thinking, but is FAR too polite to say! He and Rafe's sister, Aisly, dislike each other intensely on sight and I had a right giggle putting poor old Rafe in the middle of all their arguments!

Now I'm going to have a few days off before I start on the 3rd and final book of my challenge: Severance (Chronicles of Discord, 2#)

DeeDee xxx