Well, after a little hiatus due to some health struggles and moving to a lovely new house, I’m happy to say things are getting better over here!
Literally everything in my life was scrambled in the last 6 months. My belongings, my environment, my finances (ahem), my health, my diet, my mental health… Yeah.
Fortunately after a lot of trial and error, I seem to have found a way to manage some of my health issues if not get rid of them… We shall see how that goes. I have more doctors to see, but at least I’m not sick in bed 3 – 5 hours most days now!
It’s felt so good to get my desk set up and into a routine of writing regularly again. 🙂
Before we get to my personal stuff, this month is Fantasy Romance February! If you enjoy that genre, there’s tons of events this month. This is the fifth year running! Find out more here:
Project Update
I have two projects I hope to finish this year, both of them fantasy at the moment. I do hope to work on some sci-fi shorts and side projects too.
The first is a story I have been wrestling with for literal years now, tentatively titled MIRROR OF DECEIT… This is a romantic fantasy with a very sassy heroine and a lot of palace intrigue… More about this one below, but suffice to say, it could be summed up as:
An exiled wizard must join forces with a lost love to save the very king that exiled him.
The second is a new series altogether, which I’m honestly burning to tell you about, but I’m not quite ready to share too many details.. More about that one in future newsletters… I’m tentatively calling this series the ELEMENTAL ALLIANCES series, because it has elemental magic and druidry in it. But googling, I’m seeing that’s also from Lego Ninjago… Well, maybe I’ll have to noodle on that title. 🙂 (Great show, by the way, if you have kids, watch it – or even if you don’t.) At any rate, I’m enjoying getting to know these new characters and discovering who they are.
Clanblades #3 is unfortunately on hold right now. Sadly, this series has limped along and overall not made enough money to cover the costs involved in editing and covers at the the moment. I’m considering maybe reading it as a recording on YouTube or making my own audio recording to help it get out there more. Maybe also new covers for all the books when I get to the third.
If you love this series, be sure to tell your friends! I’m determined to finish this series, but I need to get some fresh books out that might have more earning potential to keep my business afloat.
Your Input Needed
Now for the somewhat controversial topic I mentioned…
Tense and Point of View in books!
Most of the books I write are written in what we call third person, past tense point of view. Basically they are written with us referring to the narrating character with the pronoun he, she, or they, and the story as told as if it happened in the past, which is sort of funny because many use this point of view style because when you read it it feels like it is happening to you in the moment. Like you are with the character, watching over their shoulder, but also that you are them at the same time.
Here’s an example: She ran to the edge of the cliff, peering over the edge. Her stomach twisted at the drop.
There are other styles, but many of them are uncommon.
The most common other style is still pretty rare in fantasy. This is First Person Present Tense. (You can do First Person Past as well.) This is something people either love or hate. It can be more immediate feeling and very intimated and exciting… but it depends on how well the author executes the voice of the character. A popular example of this style is the book THE HUNGER GAMES that shows how well it can be done.
An example: I run to the edge of the cliff, peering over the edge. My stomach twists at the drop.
So why are we talking about this?
With MIRROR OF DECEIT, I started this story as more of a lesson or training exercise, practicing writing in the first person present to grow my skills as a writer. But the characters got their hooks in me, and now that I want to finish this story and share it, I am realizing…
Almost no epic fantasies that I’ve heard of are written in First Person Present!
Is this going to be a pain in the butt to read?!
WHAT HAVE I DONE?!
So, I’d love to hear your opinions on this.
Do you ever read First Person Present? Do you like it? Do you hate it with the passion of a thousand suns? Is it a delight or a bane? Do you think you would be interested in reading a story in that style from me, or would it be a deal breaker for you?
I’m 50-50 as to if I should edit MIRROR OF DECEIT into the third person past tense, which would be significant work. But I am likely edit it significantly before I’m through with it anyway. Or maybe I should leave it as is, even if it’s a unique little flower.
Here is a little snippet from the first page of MIRROR OF DECEIT to gauge what you think.
“Where is the wizard?” I call out to the blacksmith as we cross the road toward his forge. My tone says an answer is non-negotiable. At my elbow, my companion Bria winces as our skirts sweep through the mud churned up by wagon wheels and horse hooves. She’s a better noblewoman than I. To me, what difference does it make if your already black skirt is a little mud-caked? The king might be breathing his last breath as we stroll through this pathetic little village.
.
There isn’t time to worry about trivialities and appearances. A storm thickens and darkens the overcast evening sky anyway. We’re not making it home unscathed—by nature, mud, or man.
.
Gherill the blacksmith squints and lowers his hammer to rest on the anvil as we enter the forge. His lip curls in a slight sneer, as if he doesn’t appreciate women—even noble ones—making demands of him. His gaze slides over my face, catches on the mirror-like locket hanging around my neck, then slips lower, like a filthy caress across my skin toward my cleavage.
.
I narrow my eyes, not that he’s looking at my face to notice. He gets one more moment to correct his mistake.
.
One.
.
He doesn’t see me move, doesn’t see the needle slip from the bottom of my bodice’s edge. But he does hear it thwang into the wooden wall behind his head.
.
R.K. Thorne, MIRROR OF DECEIT, Unedited and subject to change
So what do you think? Would you read more in First Person Present? Let me know – in the comments, in email, or on social!
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