Blog – Page 2 – The Fantasy Nook

ARC Reviewer Opportunity

Hi all! So Trader Prince of Aleshtain, the second book in the Legends of Alcardia series is coming out in paperback later this month and in ebook format on Christmas. In preparation for that, I need advanced review copy (ARC) readers! ARC readers read a free ebook/print copy of the book in exchange for a review on Amazon and other sites on the day of release.

It’s a great way to get a free book while also helping out the author. For those who haven’t used Amazon to publish or are new to it, the site doesn’t start promoting your book through their algorithms until you hit 50 reviews, and they don’t allow close friends or family to review anymore, so you can imagine that it can be hard for authors to find those first 50 reviews no matter how good the book is! I’m trying to find people who want to review an ebook copy of my upcoming release. We can work out the exact date your review would need to go up on Amazon.com and whatever other sites you might review books with (only Amazon is required), but in general, I am aiming for reviewers to post reviews between December 7th and 25th, with the latest date to post your review being the day of release on the 25th.

Now, to help you in deciding whether or not you’d enjoy the book, I’ve provided the book info below along with the general “rating” of the content and any possible trigger warnings. There is also a brief excerpt to give you a glimpse at what’s in the book. You can contact me via email at arielpaiement@gmail.com if you’re interested in helping out!

Title: Trader Prince of Aleshtain

Genre: High Fantasy/Romance

Rating: PG-16

Trigger Warnings: There is a bit of a power exchange dynamic between the two main characters, but there’s no abuse in the relationship. However, there are mentions of prior abuse and, later in the book, mentions of a rape that occurs. The sexual abuse/rape is not described in the book, but due to the more mature themes these issues present, it may make some readers uncomfortable and renders the book unsuitable for younger audiences.

Book Description:

He is faced with a hard choice. The path of freedom or the path of duty. Only one leads to his salvation.

Eras has always dreamed of escaping his gilded cage and his title of Crown Prince to become an air captain. But duty to Aleshtain and her people keeps him bound to a loveless future and a heavy crown. Unlike his revolutionary friend, he has no aspirations to do anything but his duty, and he’s determined to stay out of the power struggles in the palace until he is king. But his love of justice and his yearning to be free of his father’s oppression soon make that impossible.

When he takes a bold step to protect a slave girl from his father, he places himself in the thick of the struggle for power within the palace. Now, he must face the system head on and win. His life and his new slave’s hang in the balance. All he ever wanted was his freedom. Now he must fight for both freedom and life. But even if he succeeds, the costs will be staggering.

Can he win their freedom from a kingdom of death before it claims their lives?

Trader Prince of Aleshtain is the thrilling second book in the Legends of Alcardia high fantasy series. If you like riveting plot, intrigue, and complex characters, then you’ll love Ariel Paiement’s high-stakes fantasy.

Excerpt:

THE LITTLE RESTAURANT where Eras took her was a quaint place. With the warm lighting and crackling fire nearby, it felt intimate in a way even Eras’s room didn’t. She shook her head as she followed Eras and the barmaid to a table in a secluded corner. Just because they were in disguise, had ditched the guards, and were spending a night out like a normal couple didn’t mean things were different.

“Rhubhian?”

She looked up and blinked. “Yes, sir.”

The barmaid gave her an odd look, and she ducked her head. Shades of Rith! She hadn’t even thought about how that would look. It came naturally to address him that way in public after weeks of doing so. Hadn’t Eras said men expected deference from their women? Why did the woman keep staring at them? At least she hadn’t slipped up and said Sire instead of sir. That would be harder to laugh off.
Eras took her hand with a laugh and winked at the barmaid. “We’ll take a pint of ale and a hot cup of slightly sweetened aledh tea for the lady.”

The barmaid cleared her throat. “Of course, sir.” Then she scurried off and left them alone.

Rhubhian collapsed onto the pillows on one side of the low-lying table with a sigh. “I thought you said women here deferred to the men,” she hissed at Eras.

He shrugged. “Well, they do. But usually they don’t speak much.” He grinned. “And most men don’t require their women to address them as sir. Given names are fine.”

“Well…” She hugged her knees to her chest.

“Don’t do that.” He reached across the table and tapped her knee. “It’s considered rude and very childish in our culture. Cross your legs instead like I’m doing.”

She obeyed with a blush. There was still so much she didn’t know about this culture, and clearly palace rules weren’t the same as the rules around here. “So,” she whispered. “Since we’re in disguise, what do I call you?”

“Dhiabhan. It’s my street name.”

She laughed, loosening up as she noticed he was at ease and no one was paying them any mind. “You make it sound like you’re some sort of street thief or something.”

“Yes, that’s my night job.” He leaned in closer across the table. “But it’s a big secret. You can’t tell anyone.”

A giggle burst out of her, and she clapped her hands over her mouth. What was she doing? She was acting like a girl in love for the first time. Foolish. So foolish. She wanted to get to know him better, but she couldn’t fall for him under any circumstances. She was going home as soon as she could, and a Faelkishian didn’t fall in love with an Aleshtainian. Ever.

Eras frowned. “What—”

The barmaid chose that moment to return with the requested drinks. She lowered the tray to the level of the table, and Eras took their drinks off it with a nod to her. “Thank you, Maredh.”

The blond nodded with a hint of a smile. “Are you ready to order, Dhiabhan, sir?”

He glanced at her. “Should I choose, or would you like to know what’s on the menu?”

She bit her lip. Given how different it was here from the palace, she probably wouldn’t know what to do with the menu anyway. If she could even read it. Speaking Aleshtainian was hard enough. Reading it was worse. “You choose.”

He nodded. “We’d like the spiced Serat as the first course, two bowls of the deagaler stew for the second, and some of the house’s hummus, with extra flatbread to go with it. We’ll decide on dessert later.”

The server scribbled it onto a scrap of paper. “I’ll go have the cook start it right away, then I’ll be back with the bread and spiced Serat.”

“I know the drill. Thank you, Maredh.”

“Anything for my favorite guest.” She turned with a smile and rushed off toward the kitchen’s entrance.

“So… She seems to know you well.” Rhubhian watched her go, a strange, sharp twist in her chest.

“I come here for a night away regularly. She’s always working night shifts or really any shift she can get, and I’ve built a bit of rapport with her.”

Rhubhian nodded and took a sip of the tea. It was perfectly brewed just the way she’d come to like it when the palace maids made it up for breakfast. “Why did you ask me to come with you tonight?”

“I wanted to spend time with you where we could just be two people having fun and enjoying each other’s company.” He took a pull of his ale.

“Oh.”

“Why did you think I asked you to come along?”

“I… I don’t know,” she admitted. “But it meant a lot.”

“I could tell. You lit up like a beacon when I asked.”

Her cheeks burned and she stared down at her cup. “Did I?”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he murmured. “I’m glad you agreed.”

She nodded and took a slow breath to steady her nerves. What was there to worry about? Tonight, they had the chance to be normal without the slave-master dynamic and without the pressures of keeping up the act in public. “I’m glad I did too.”

Update

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Hi all! As those of you who are regular readers here may have noticed, there hasn’t been much in the way of content on here lately. This is because I’ve run out of things to discuss. If you guys have topics you’d like me to cover that aren’t in the archives, by all means, please suggest them! I am more than happy to do posts answering questions or covering discussion topics you have. However, aside from that, most of the content I will be posting will now be related to my books, short writing snippets, and (of course) book reviews!

None of the content I’ve published previously is going anywhere. I’m just shifting gears a bit on what the more regular content will be. I’m going to aim to share pieces of what I’m working on with you all every other week for now, and I may also have some fun giveaways or contests to run, particularly when I have book launches going. Keep an eye out around Christmas. I have a new release coming out, and I’ll be sharing about that as well as doing something to celebrate with you all!

Additionally, I may start doing more sketches to add to the library of artwork that officially goes with the various series I have. This would include sketches of the different clothing styles and maybe even some of the creatures mentioned in the books. So if any of you really enjoy seeing visuals to go with the books you read, I’ll be slowly adding more of that in for you all. I may also start creating some mood boards on Pinterest to share here for those who like to look at them.

If you have other things you would like to see on the blog, feel free to shoot me an email at arielpaiement@gmail.com or get in touch through my Facebook Page. I’m always happy to get suggestions from readers!

Thursday Technicalities: Genre-Switching In a Series

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Introduction

When I asked those who follow this blog on Facebook to give me some topics they’d like discussed, this was one of the suggestions. This is a somewhat nuanced topic, and the question is: how do we approach genre-switching in a series, and is it going to lose readers? That’s the question I will be getting into today.

When can you employ genre-switching?

First of all, every book in a series has different needs to make it a good story. Generally, series stick to the same overall genre, but they may change in tone or flavor through the progression of the series. For example, book one in a steampunk fantasy might focus more on action and fantasy while maybe the second one moves to a more urban fantasy/steampunk mix.

A good example that comes to mind is Orson Scott Card’s Ender series. Ender’s Game is mainly action/sci-fi. But the second book, Speaker for the Dead, sees Ender a bit older and traveling through space. The book takes on a heavily political tone with less action/adventure undertones while remaining sci-fi. The books after that were more philosophical than anything, though, again, they remained sci-fi.

So what do we take from this? Primary genre shouldn’t change. If book one is fantasy, you can’t switch to realistic fiction and romance in book two. But you can change the secondary genre. Perhaps book one is fantasy romance but in book two the characters are now married and the focus shifts from romance to adventure giving you a fantasy adventure. As long as the transition is smooth, you’re unlikely to lose readers over this. A well-told story is more important than a contrived adherence to secondary genres or elements.

How do we make the genre-switch?

This depends on the needs of your series. Some switches are easier than others. Going from action to adventure or from fantasy to science fantasy is easier than going from urban fantasy to high fantasy might be. The goal is to make the transition smooth whatever switch you are trying to make.

Abrupt changes in genre are no better than abruptly going from a kick-butt heroine to a whiny teenage girl between books with no warning (Divergent…). We want a gradual transition. Setting up a shift in secondary genre–especially if the change is big–is a part of setting up for book two. It’s your job to leave the clues there in the end of book so that the reader is unsurprised by the genre shift.

Unless the series is made up of standalones tied by some sort of theme besides genre, you don’t want your genre-switching to be a surprise. Again, I want to stress that how this is achieved varies from book series to book series. I would be doing you a disservice if I told you there was a one-size-fits-all solution. That is rarely true in writing, even in grammar.

How do i know if genre-switching is working?

I have two suggestions when looking at how well genre-switching is working for your series. First, you should be an avid reader. If you are a writer and want to be a good one, you need to read. You need to know what a good story looks like to construct it. As is the case in so many things, learning by example and by doing is much better than reading thousands of books on the topic. If you have been reading well-written fiction, then the first suggestion I have will work well for you. Use your intuition.

So long as you’re honest in your assessment of the transition, your intuition can go a long way in helping you decide if genre-switching is working.

Second, get outside perspectives from friends who read a lot of books, especially ones that are well-written and in your genre. They don’t need to be fellow writers, but if they are, that’s a bonus. This is especially important if you’re a new writer or don’t read much because your intuition will likely catch only the most glaring issues.

However, even seasoned authors should be looking for outside input. I started writing at eleven. I’m twenty-two now, and even after eleven years of writing, I still hold the insight of my beta-readers (or listeners since my mom prefers I read the stories to her instead) in high regard. No matter how well I can write or edit, there will always be blind spots I have that my readers don’t. Every honest, seasoned writer admits the same. Never discount the usefulness of beta-readers and critique partners. They are indispensable and the really good ones deserve your appreciation and a huge thank you at the very least.

Conclusion

I hope this has been helpful in providing you with guidance on handling this nuanced area of writing. There’s no one way to handle genre-switching mid-series, but there are some ways that work better than others. So be willing to try several methods until you find the one that works for your series. You can always delete, re-write, and edit. It’ll be worth it for a piece that is of exceptional quality.

Getting Back Into Writing After Publishing

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Introduction

Anyone who has published before knows it’s a long, involved process. It isn’t easy, and getting back into writing after publishing can be hard. After pushing so hard to reach the finish line of publication, we often feel burned out and unprepared to dive back in. But if we’re trying to build our list of publications, we have to keep writing. So how can we get back to writing after publishing?

Tip #1 For Getting Back into Writing: Take a Break

Not all of us are able to do this. We may have deadlines looming for other projects. This is the case for me as I just finished editing Trader Prince of Aleshtain and am preparing to launch in in December, but I also have to dive headlong into pounding out the words on my Children of Chaos project then editing and launching that, all before April 2021. It doesn’t leave much wiggle room to take a break.

However, if your deadlines allow for it, do take a break! Often, we feel burned out because we haven’t properly balanced work with life. I know I’m absolutely horrid about balancing these two areas. My family and best friend will tell you that I would probably work myself to death if my health issues didn’t flare and force my body to quit going at some point. And even, then, I still push myself far past when the first warning signs of a breakdown in health appear and frequently need to be told by others I trust and respect to stop. So I know very well how easily imbalance leads to burnout, unfortunately. While the opportunity to step away is often impossible during the process of getting a book publish-ready and then actually published, a break after goes a long way.

Tip #2 For Getting Back into Writing: Lessen Time

If you can’t take a full break, try lessening your time on other projects for a bit or breaking it up a little more. This allows for a little breathing room if you’re struggling with burn out or going back to writing after publishing. This is most frequently the method I employ, and it’s the one I’ve employed with Shadow’s Dissident for the Children of Chaos series. After the whirlwind of writing and editing and now formatting with Trader Prince of Aleshtain, I really do need a break, but I can’t take one. Lessening my time spent a bit and breaking it up so that I can focus on sewing (something else I really love) in between or can go read really works wonders.

Tip #3 for Getting Back into Writing: Vary What You Write

This one is a little less obvious, but sometimes I find that writing in a different genre or having two projects going that I can switch between does help. Especially if one of those projects is just for fun and has no deadline. It helps me to remember why I love writing, and that makes it easier to go back to the writing that’s on a deadline. It puts the life, creativity, and fun back into things and gets me out of any ruts I might have ended up stuck in with the previous project. It also gets the previous project out of my head. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the project you just finished because you’re so invested and you just need to find a way to let go and be excited about something new.

Tip #4 For Getting Back Into Writing: Rewards

We are reward-driven creatures. None of us does anything on any frequent basis that we don’t feel like doing unless there is a reward for it or, alternatively, an unwanted consequence for not doing it. Since there aren’t always consequences to choosing not to write when you should be (especially if you are only answerable to yourself for the missed deadlines), rewards are the way to go. It doesn’t have to be big, but set small goals and corresponding rewards for finishing them.

Tip #5 For Getting Back Into Writing: Take It At Your Pace

Lastly, take it at your pace. There’s something to be said for sitting down and writing a little bit each day, even when you’re not feeling inspired. It builds a good habit. However, overwhelming yourself with huge word count goals or large time commitments right after a large project’s completion is setting yourself up for a struggle at best and failure at worst. Start small and build into your routine for the new book. No two books are the same, and you may find that the routine you had with the last book changes for the new one. Be flexible and learn to know when you’re overdoing it.

Conclusion

Everyone handles burnout differently. These are just a few tips I’ve found work well for me. Some may work better for you than others, and some may not work at all. That’s fine! The important part is finding what works for you so you can still get writing done if you need to without burning out. Have tips to add? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Thursday Technicalities: Blogging – To Blog or Not to Blog?

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Introduction

One area I often hear discussed by groups organized to help authors is blogging. It is repeated over and over that authors should have blogs, but many of us have no idea what to do with a blog if we even decide to take the advice to start one. So these authors frequently start one up and then barely touch it or procrastinate out of uncertainty on where to start. Starting a blog can feel overwhelming. So let’s break it down in relation to you as an author. Knowledge is power, as they say.

Blogging Tip #1: Decide on Your Subject

Okay, so it’s a bit over-repeated, but you should be blogging. That’s not something many dispute. The problem is where to start, and I recommend you start with the main theme or subject of the blog.

Well, that’s easy you might say. I’m an author, so there’s the subject, right? Me as an author. Well… Not precisely. While readers may want to know things about you as an author or about your books, it’s unlikely they care to hear about Fluffy the cat or your grocery store trips. So you as an author or a person is not the subject in most cases unless your everyday life is both highly interesting and relevant to your writing.

So what is your subject? Well, if you write fantasy like I do, your subject matter could be anything from fantasy book reviews to serial fantasy provided for those reading each week. If you have a lot of writing experience, then writing tips or discussions could also be your subject.

Blogging Tip #2: Decide on Your Audience

Once you have a general subject or topic, decide on your audience. Is it readers? Writers? Some other group?

This is one of the most important pieces of blogging because it determines what kind of content you focus on within your subject area. Your opinion of fantasy books isn’t likely to attract many authors since they’re busy writing their own things, but it would interest fantasy readers (some of whom may also be writers but are there as readers, not writers).

Blogging Tip #3: Decide on Your Approach

The third key blogging tip is to decide on your approach to blogging before you write anything. What will the tone be? Light? Humorous? Educational? This choice matters a great deal as it informs what and how you will write for the rest of the time that you are producing content for the blog.

The step should not be neglected because, much like the other two, it will help to give you structure and direction. If you’ve been feeling like you have neither, this may be the missing link, particularly if the first two have already been set in stone.

Blogging Tip #4: Decide on Self-Hosting or Free

Free always sounds good to us, doesn’t it? Undeniably, self-hosting is not cheap in blogging or any website endeavor. If you’re just starting out, I don’t recommend self-hosting unless you can afford to sink 200-300 dollars on it a year. That said, if you ever intend to offer anything for sale via your website or wish to know your content will never be intentionally removed from your site (unless it’s illegal), self-hosting is in your future.

If you can afford the cost, start with self-hosting when you begin blogging. Switching from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress platform was nothing short of a stressful, nightmare-inducing process even with all the help from Bluehost tech support. I sorted it out eventually, no thanks to the WordPress team over on the non-self-hosted site, but I could’ve saved myself the headache if I’d chosen to go with self-hosted to start. Unfortunately, with little knowledge of blogging and an even slimmer budget, that wasn’t an option. But if it is for you, I recommend saving yourself all the hassle.

If you can’t afford it, save all of your blog posts somewhere you won’t lose them and then expect to have to repost them on the new site when you move to self-hosted. I did not anticipate this, and that was a large part of my issue since I could not migrate the site with the backups that the free version of WordPress offered.

Blogging Tip #5: Decide on a Schedule

Finally, be consistent. As consistent as possible, that is. Life happens, but try to post at least once a week and have a set day you do so. I like to schedule my posts for the same day and time every week so long as I have the content to schedule.

The schedule will help you to turn out content regularly so you can build up your content sooner. It also allows regular readers to know when to go look for your newest post, which will often encourage one-time readers to become more frequent readers as well.

Conclusion

Blogging isn’t easy. But using the five blogging tips provided here will give you a strong starting point. If you work these things out prior to starting your blogging journey, you will be better prepared and can have more confidence in where you’re headed. As I said in the introduction, knowledge is power.

Thursday Technicalities: Philosophy in Writing

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Introduction

Recently, it struck me that one of the reasons I rarely find anything to challenge my mind in indie fantasy (and even in many traditional fantasy pieces) is that the authors do not often intentionally use worldview and philosophy in writing their books. They generally tell a good story, but it doesn’t challenge me to think or to consider a different perspective on anything in particular. While the occasional mindless read can be stress-relieving, turning one’s brain off isn’t the purpose of reading, in my opinion. I’d watch TV if I wanted that. So how can we ensure we’re including philosophy and worldview in our writing in a balanced way? We’re going to go over that here.

What Do I Mean by Philosophy and Worldview in Writing?

When I say philosophy or worldview in respect to writing, I mean the unique set of beliefs and the outlook on life you possess. These may come out subtly, but in fantasy, it’s easy to become so divorced from reality that we don’t concretely ground our work in the world around us and in our own unique take on that world. We then lose even the smaller ways that those views may come to light. But when we fail to give to our work the underpinnings of reality, philosophy, and worldview, things tend not to resonate as well with readers.

In the Interest of Honesty With Philosophy in Writing

When dealing with worldview or philosophy in writing–particularly in fantasy–we have to be careful to keep ourselves honest and transparent. This doesn’t mean that we hit the reader over the head with our point of view, but it does mean that we have nothing to hide and are not trying to use our words to in some way trick the reader into agreeing with us when they would not otherwise do so. We’re not propagandists; we are authors looking to tell a good story that also imparts some truth or viewpoint that might not otherwise be as well received outside of a story context. (Or even truths that are. There are many reasons to include even basic truths in our work, particularly if we’re writing books that are meant to teach good values to a younger audience.)

This transparency and honest might come in the form of an author’s note at the beginning if the purpose or inspiration directly relates to real world issues, your philosophy, and your worldview. But it could be more subtle in that the worldview may simply manifest in an easily seen theme or element that acts as an undercurrent to the entire story. There are many ways to handle this area, but the goal should be honesty and transparency. Present your viewpoint and let the reader decide what to accept or reject, whether your viewpoint or another you have also represented that may not agree with your own. It is particularly crucial we do this when writing for younger audiences who are highly impressionable and may not always be able to pick up on worldviews if they are not clearly presented. Whatever your audience, fantasy is still fantasy. We’re looking to tell a good story at the end of the day, and adding in worldview is part of that goal. We aren’t interested in sacrificing the story for the sake of creating a soapbox out of it to preach against whichever philosophies we dislike or for those we do like.

Avoiding Heavy-Handedness Using Philosophy and Worldview

One thing I know many authors I’ve spoken to struggle with is how to include philosophy and worldview without hitting the reader over the head or becoming preachy with it. There’s no one right way to handle this area in order to avoid the pitfalls. However, i have found a few that work well for me or that I have observed used to great effect by others.

Philosophy in Theme

This method is one that I frequently utilize. Each book I write has one or two concepts (occasionally more for longer works) that provide the underlying theme of the book.

For example, Trader Prince of Aleshtain’s theme is mostly living for what’s right in the face of persecution and the struggle to decide whether it’s right to leave a place bent on destroying you for doing the moral thing. Bane of Ashkarith focused on the theme of truth, its worht, and the ways that people can take objective truth and twist it or subvert it until it is considered a lie. In Darkness Lost focused on how we handle suffering. My short story for Glimpses focused on submission to show readers the strength that can be found in a person who chooses to submit to another’s authority while still retaining the capacity to think critically.

All of the themes have a great deal of variety, but each fits neatly with the story showcasing it. Theme is one of those pieces of a story that should develop naturally from the plot and your worldview intersecting. This, rather than weakening the story with poor attempts at philosophizing through the story, strengthens and deepens it because it is a natural result of story and worldview instead of being forced.

Philosophy in Allegory

Allegory is often considered a device used only in religious fiction. While this is often one of the largest uses for it, the technique can be used to convey any sort of idea or philosophy through story so long as one or more elements intentionally and clearly represent their real world equivalents. I haven’t employed this technique as often, though I suppose some might say my Eclesian Chronicles series has allegorical elements when you get into books two and three. But for a better example, you’ve got C.S Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia or something like Idi and the Oracle’s Quest by T.N. Traynor (see the review I did for that here.)

Philosophy in Individual Elements

And the last major way to achieve our goal is to include elements of the philosophy directly and intentionally where the story allows. If you’re making a social commentary, for example, on poverty and caste, you might weave both into the story to great effect by simply doing it directly. If you’re trying to illustrate the destructiveness of certain habits or beliefs, having characters and/or societies who have these beliefs or habits and discover their destructiveness can also be extremely effective. You get the idea. Every story, particularly in speculative fiction, varies in the degree to which you can employ this technique, so use discretion in how much you use it and where.

Conclusion

Worldview is a vital part of writing. We can’t escape it as readers or as writers, nor should we try. More and more, we see that today’s fantasy is particularly shallow in this area, but we don’t have to contribute to that trend. Let’s start utilizing worldview and encouraging our readers to engage mentally with our works even as they enjoy a good story.

Thursday Technicalities: Story Ideas

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Introduction

Today, we’re talking about story ideas, both before and during the writing process. After all, all the things we’ve been discussing about plot do us no good if we have no ideas or concepts to play with. Often, people I meet discuss the idea of writing a book but not the idea they will write about. One results in a pipe dream that never happens. The other gives the chance, at least, to see a dream become reality. Fellow writers and those aspiring to be writers alike have asked me how I come up with ideas so easily, hinting to me that–especially in the realm of fantasy–they don’t know all of the areas of inspiration open to them. So let’s talk about where ideas can come from and what to look at when you’re stuck.

Story Ideas in the Real World

One of the things I notice disappearing from fantasy as a genre these days is the grounding in reality. The great fantasy writers of old, and even today, certainly included many fantastical elements, but they also brought it back to Earth by including in those elements a glimpse of reality. They took real world problems into their fiction, whether it was through the ideas of the day or a specific event they wished to focus on. For example, Tolkien’s inspiration for the final scene in the Shire has been said to be the destruction of the countryside he loved so well in the real world. He drew that into his story, and it leaves something that can resonate with fellow lovers of nature and idyllic beauty seen in the countryside. We can do the same in finding story ideas.

All of us have experiences and see the events around us in our world. Why waste those two things? They make the books you write, however fictional, seem even more real to the reader when you artfully weave reality with your fictional world. This is what an author does. They tell truths in the form of artfully woven lies. The truths are the themes behind the tale, and the story itself is the lie since it isn’t reality.

Experiences

This is, in a way, a subset of the real world, but we all have experiences that have taught us things about life. We can use those experiences which are unique to us to find story ideas that can inspire or touch others. My book, In Darkness Lost, is entirely founded on that premise. It is fantasy, but it is inspired entirely by an experience that occurred in my life when I was around eleven or twelve. You would be surprised how many people are more connected to a book that has its roots in a personal experience of the author.

In Darkness Lost received the most notes from readers who were touched by it and wanted to tell me it had encouraged them. Readers have said my other works are eye-openingly realistic at times. However, they have not left notes saying that it was an encouragement. Why? Because the encouragement to the reader came from hearing a story rooted in personal difficulties. They then read about the real story behind the book in the author’s note and felt encouraged. They felt that encouragement, many times, because someone else understood their pain.

Story Ideas from History

The third place of inspiration is history. You may have heard the saying that reality is often stranger than fiction. Well, it’s true. Even if your book isn’t about history, you can find many strange tales in history to draw ideas from. In the process, you give your story grounding in the real world even if the tale itself is fantasy. It brings that sense of humanity to the story that otherwise might not have been present.

As an added bonus, this has the effect of expanding your mind and your knowledge. Two birds with one stone, right? You get story ideas and a chance to learn interesting things you hadn’t heard before.

Story Ideas from Other Books

This is the final place I frequently find inspiration. You have to be careful here because you don’t want to plagiarize, obviously. However, other books can be great places to draw inspiration, ideas, and learning. I’ve found some of my greatest inspirations for books in reading someone else’s handling of a topic then having an idea spark on the topic from another angle. You can do this as well.

This one, like history, has an added bonus. You get to see the trends going on in your genre and in the world of writing in general. For authors, this is indispensable. Knowing what the competition is doing so that you can stand out in a manner appealing to your target audience is essential. So while you’re drawing inspiration for your own work, you can also use it for research purposes.

Conclusion

There are so many avenues of inspiration available to us if we will learn to stop, observe, and remember. Wherever you choose to find inspiration, there is little reason to be bankrupt of ideas when you’re actively taking the time to observe, live, and learn. Even fantasy writers can use these sources of inspiration to give them the characters or a plot for their next novel. We just have to learn how to utilize it. Once we do that, we often end up with more ideas than we know what to do with!

Sunday Stories – Set-Apart Living Pt. 2

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Last time on Sunday Stories, we talked about set-apart living and what it is and is not. This week’s focus will be on how we can go about a set-apart life practically. It does us no good to know what something means if we don’t also know how to utilize what we know, so this second piece is an indispensable part of the discussion.

What Does Set-Apart Living Mean Practically?

Set-apart living is going to look a little different in practicality for each of us. For me, God has nudged me to eliminate certain books that are likely to contain content of an impure nature and to spend more time listening to or reading biographies and autobiographies of Christians who did live a set-apart life to Christ. The reading content I have removed led only to temptations to sully my mind and soul, which should be an inner sanctuary for my Savior. However subtle the impurity and however “clean” the immorality’s nature is compared to the worst the world can offer, books that are heavy in this content or that are focused on it present the encouragement to sin. So, as Scripture says to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, God drew me to eliminating the temptation. But He didn’t just draw me toward eliminating the temptation and then leave that space a vacuum that could be filled with other temptations. Instead, He drew me to filling that extra space in my reading time with Christian autobiographies and biographies that could encourage me in my walk with Him instead of tearing me down. Furthermore, He has also convicted me of things I spend too much time doing, even though they aren’t bad, and that has led to placing limitations on my writing time. I only write two hours a day, at most, instead of writing every spare moment. This leaves me with time to focus on His word and prayer as well as time to spend with those who can help encourage me in my walk with Him.

For you, it might be the same, but it’s highly likely that it’s something else. Maybe it’s a friendship that doesn’t point you closer to Christ. Maybe it’s cutting back on social activities to ensure you can make Him a priority. For every individual, it’s a little different, but the outflow of those changes is the same: a clearly set-apart, different life that reflects the nature of the One we are walking closely with.

Signposts of a Set-Apart Life

As a natural outflow of the changes in our focus, attitude, and hearts, our lives will begin to show clear differences from the world. As Romans 8:7-10 says, the spirit and the flesh are in enmity. They cannot coexist. Those who live in the Spirit, set-apart to God, display the qualities of their Master, Christ. They exude an unusual peace, joy, and confidence. They aren’t perfect, but they seem to have an inner radiance that is unexplained by any worldly lifestyle or standard.

Another sign of a set-apart life that, though the person is not living in sin or in anything worthy of reproach, they are still ridiculed. For example, young people who choose to honor God and their future spouse by staying pure physically and emotionally are mocked, and these days, it isn’t just the world that does the mocking. It can even be people within the church who should have been supporting and guiding, not discouraging and rebuking. If you take a strong view on sin? You’re seen as being intolerant. Refuse to abide bad language, crude jokes, and inappropriate behavior, you’re a prude or a goody-two-shoes.

Choosing to live the right way out of genuine love for our Lord will give us an inner loveliness, but the world doesn’t value that sort of beauty and so, as a whole, will deride, dismiss, and detest it in others because it brings conviction and uncomfortability simply by existing and refusing to take part in the unholy activities of the world or by giving up behaviors and things that pull us away from God.

The Character of a Set-Apart Life

But a set-apart life is also characterized by a spirit of meekness and love. One who is walking in the Spirit and living holy before God is one who adorns the Gospel of Christ and makes it lovely. This means that, even when we must tell someone they are doing wrong according to the Scripture, we do it in a way that is tempered with grace and love. A set-apart Christian is one God is teaching daily to approach those around them with gracious truth.

Those who are living in Christ may at times have to take a firm stand against sin (in fact, it is inevitable that this will happen). But when they do so, the attitude in which they do it will be markedly different from those who are following a list of rules. There will be not only Bible behind what they say but also a spirit of humility. At times, the truth must be stated bluntly. As Proverbs says, there is a time to answer the fool according to his foolishness. But most of the time, in dealing with the world around us, harshness under the guise of being blunt is the MO of Christians who have the right doctrine but are not approaching those erring from that doctrine or those truths in a humble, love-centered mindset.

On the flip side, there are those who sacrifice the truth because they would prefer not to offend in the name of “love”. A set-apart Christian is prone to one or the other of these areas as much as any Christian, but their lives will reflect the balance Christ had in His approach to people. At times, a stern rebuke may be called for so long as it is done from a heart of humility and concern for God’s glory as well as for that person. But at other times, a stern rebuke would do more damage than good, and a soft answer is necessary. Only the life that is walking in step with Christ will reflect the balanced approach needed to respond to both individuals and situations in a Christ-like manner.

The Conversation of a Set Apart Life

Often, though we may face social disdain and ridicule from society, I have found in my life that when I am walking close to God and focusing on Him, it comes out in my conversations with unbelievers in a way that results not in scorn but instead in either bewilderment or appreciation. This isn’t because I’m somehow finding a magical formula for approaching others. It’s simply because when I’m walking close to God and my mind is focused on God, my view of people is aligned with His view of people. He died for sinners, and I am talking to sinners (whether saved or not). Should my actions not reflect the same love of Christ that was both meek and lion-hearted at the same time? Should my discussions with non-believers not reflect His firm remark to the woman at the well regarding her sin but also His gentleness with the sinners He came to save?

More often than not, it is those who are religious and have become puffed up in their own perceived righteousness that are most critical and cruel to those living in sin or even in some perceived “error”, and they, like the Pharisees, must be firmly rebuked.

But those who are un-believers? I have often received the comment that I was “not what they expected” or that even though I stand for my beliefs and am firm on the Bible, I am “more open-minded than most conservative Christians”. They define conservative Christians as harsh, unfeeling, uncaring, and prideful. At times I have been all of those things, and I know this response from any unbeliever I may come into contact with is through no merit of my own. In and of myself, I can be exactly what they believe all conservative Christians are: unduly judgmental, harsh, critical, and unloving in the way I present the truth. I naturally lean toward the side that is inclined to look at those living lives not in line with Scripture and to turn my nose up at them. But God has shown me a better way and has patiently worked on me (and still is working on me) to develop His purity, holiness, and loveliness in me and in the way that I interact with people.

The God-Given Encouragement in Living a Set Apart Life

My point in saying this is to simply encourage you that though the world’s system will mock you and many individuals may also do so, there will be those in your workplace, your school, and your neighborhood that take notice when God is shaping your words, actions, and attitudes. And they will not only take notice, but they will appreciate it. They will be more willing to ask you to pray for them and for those they care about. They will understand that somehow, you are an individual that is close to Him. They censor their behavior too, in many cases.

I’ve seen this time and time again in my life and that of others. Many of the people I know refrain from swearing around me because they’ve noticed that I don’t swear. A few weeks to a month ago, my coworkers and I were discussing the issues with the virus, and I mentioned that if you’re feeling ill and have symptoms, you should get tested. I stated that I’d been ill over one weekend and had gone to get tested because I didn’t know what was causing the issue.

I felt better the next day (and didn’t have the virus, as it turned out), but I went anyway just in case. My boss remarked that many people my age can’t tell the difference between being hungover, allergies, and actually having the virus. But she followed it up by saying, “Of course, we know your problem isn’t going to be a hangover.”

They knew that to be true because of looking at how I talk, dress, act, and live my life. They knew that because of my stance on the Bible, I wouldn’t do certain things, and drinking is one of them because I don’t want to open any door for Satan to gain a foothold through insobriety and drunkenness. My hope is that all of those in my life see Christ in me and that with each passing day, the image of my Lord and Savior grows clearer. But if I’m not living a set-apart life, that will not be true of me.

The Power to Live a Set Apart Life

Of course, we wouldn’t fully cover the topic if we didn’t take a moment here at the end to focus on where the power to do this comes from. It can never come from us because in and of ourselves we are unholy, unlovely, and thoroughly sin-stained creatures. Instead, the power to live the kind of set-apart life that honors God comes from living in Him and in His power.

It comes from walking closely with Him and from going to him for strength every day whether we are struggling with any given temptation or not. It comes from our relationship with our King and Heavenly Father, not from within ourselves. It comes from listening closely to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He does His work to guide us through God’s Word and through the conscience that God has given each and every one of us.

The moment that we allow any hint of pride to creep in and begin to believe that we have the strength in ourselves to achieve this set-apart life of purity and holiness is the moment that we lose the battle. Our greatest enemy is our own flesh in so many instances, and the only way we can combat it is if we’re living out our position in Christ.

Conclusion

A set-apart life isn’t easy. There must be sacrifices to live in step with a holy God. While our salvation is secured by grace through faith and can never be lost no matter how heinous the sin (See 1 & 2 Corinthians for an example), our fellowship and friendship with God can be broken if we clutter our lives with unholy things, idols of any shape or form, sin of any sort, or so much busyness that God is pushed off to only when we can “make time” for Him.

But as much as a holy life isn’t easy, the worth of it is beyond measure. It’s worth any cost. If you’ve been on the fence on the matter of set-apart living, I encourage you to take the first steps toward it. Spend some time in serious prayer asking God to show you what He would have you to remove or to add, and ask Him to soften your heart toward Him. This soul-searching should be coupled with His Word to shine a spotlight on your soul and any areas of your heart and life that need cleansing.

If there are things you already know need to go, get rid of them and put down some boundaries in those areas that will help you to ensure you don’t let those things creep back in. A holy, set-apart life is of immeasurable value. Don’t let it pass you by because you bought into the lies of an unholy, ungodly culture around you.

Thursday Technicalities: Upping the Stakes

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Today, we’re going to talk about upping the stakes. Last week, we talked about sub plots, and we’re going to tie together our sub plots and upping the stakes. Often, sub plots are the result of upping the stakes. Whether you end up with a sub plot or not, however, upping the stakes will always result in more complex plots.

What Does It Mean to Up the Stakes?

Simply put, upping the stakes just means making things more difficult and more important for your characters. You want the outcome of the story to come to matter so much that the character cannot walk away. In some cases, the stakes may rise so much that the character’s stake in the situation is a life or death matter. But making things matter so much for them is going to require some work on your part. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve this.

Upping the Stakes – Where to Start

The exercise to figure out where and how to up the stakes for characters is relatively simple. Get out a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. Then write down the characters and, next to their names, what it is that matters most to them. Once you know that, ask yourself how you make that thing matter even more. Keep listing out reasons until you run out of ideas. Then set it aside and come back to a little later to see if you can add even more ways it will come to matter.

Using the Exercise

Once you’ve listed out all the possible reasons that what a character wants most comes to matter, look over the list. What are some of the best reasons in your list? What will work well with the story or add layers of complexity to what you already have? Are there any surprising reasons on the list? Often reasons that add complexity or are in some way surprising are the best ones to add in. They keep the story interesting and engaging for the readers while simultaneously forcing the character to a point where they must make choices, fight for what they want, and decide not to walk away (or perhaps are unable to do so).

The key is to take away from the exercise at least five or six good reasons that you can develop as the story goes along.

Developing the Stakes

Once you know what will keep upping the stakes, you have to develop those stakes in the story. If they were all out in the open to begin with, there would be no progression of events, and you really wouldn’t be upping the stakes at all. Instead, take the most obvious motivators or the ones that still allow the character to walk away from the fight and start out with those. Let’s take a look at an example.

Trader Prince of Aleshtain

In my current WIP, Eras wants to become an air captain. It’s been his lifelong dream. Unfortunately, he’s the crown prince of a country, and he can’t just ditch his duties to go flying a ship through the skies. That’s the first stake. He wants to be an air captain more than anything, but if he did so, he’d have to leave his home and his people behind. But what can make his childhood dream matter even more? The introduction of a slave girl he’s trying to keep out of his father’s clutches.

As his father thwarts his attempts to keep her safe, he goes to increasingly high risk methods to keep her from harm. Eventually, he bets his father that in two years as a trader and captain of his own ship, he can make enough money to pay off any investment his father has in the venture. If he succeeds, he wins his freedom, which is what being an air captain really means to him. He also wins the ability to do as he pleases and to protect his woman from his father.

And if that isn’t reason enough to care? His father’s treachery and backstabbing in an attempt to ensure Eras loses that bet force him to send his woman away, perhaps permanently. And doing that puts his own life at risk in an increasingly unstable political environment. So now if he doesn’t win the bet, he could lose his life, not just his chance at freedom. So by the time that the book is beginning to come to the climax and conclusion, the matter of becoming an air captain—and thereby winning his freedom—has become a matter of literal life or death for him and for those he’s trying to protect.

Your Process

This is the same process you want to follow. Your character’s stakes won’t be the same, but the point is that it has to come to matter so much that they have no choice but to fight for one thing or the other that they want or need. It must seem like life or death for them even if, in the end, their failure won’t actually result in their deaths.

Sub Plots and Upping the Stakes

In the process of developing the stakes, you may discover that you end up with sub plots without really trying. For example, a sub plot that developed from the example above is Eras’s time traveling around Alcardia to trade. It’s connected to the main plot, but it is not the true plot. Similarly, Rhubhian’s time in her country after Eras sends her away is a key sub plot and leads to development for her. Despite that, it isn’t the main plot even though it leads into happenings within the main plot. If you find this happening in your work as well, don’t stress about it. Let it happen. Usually this results in a better, stronger story even if you didn’t plan for the piece to go that direction.

Conclusion

I hope that this has helped you to better understand how to up the stakes in your novel. How you choose to go about doing so is up to you, of course. Everyone has a different way of figuring out how and where to up the stakes. The method I presented in this exercise is simply my preferred method out of the ones I’ve tried.

Whether you choose to use it or another method, however, upping the stakes is a must. No matter what type of story you are telling, the book will fall flat without the work you will do. Upping the stakes will broaden the story in ways other techniques can’t. It will certainly make the characters’ main desire matter ever more in the course of the story. This will result in better reader engagement in the end. The work will be worth it!

If you’re looking for more detail on upping the stakes, check out Donald Maas’s Writing the Breakout Novel set.

Book Tour: Sweet Dreams

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Hi, all! Today, I’m helping out a fellow author by featuring her book on the blog as part of her book tour with Silver Dagger Book Tours. Kae Galla is one of the authors in the Children of Chaos series, which I’m participating in, and since I do book features and interviews, I wanted to help her out in getting the book out there! So, without further ado, let’s go take a look at a bit about the book and the author.

Sweet Dreams – Book Info

Children of Chaos Series

by Kae Galla

Genre: Paranormal Romance

There are stories and legends written, all around the world, about my father. Many of those tales, although highly fictionalized, do speak some semblance of truth. My father is what you’d call “The Sandman.”

For eternity, the men in my family have traversed the realm of dreams, putting the world to sleep. It’s a great honor and fantastic ability…at least, that’s what my father says.

I wouldn’t know, because I have yet to gain my legacy.

As the school year comes to a close, and I spend more time with the loneliest girl in class, things begin to change.

What will happen when her secrets come to light?

Will I be able to help her?

Will she be able to help me?

**Only 99 cents!**

Goodreads * Amazon

About the Author

My name is KAE Galla and I’ve loved writing since before I knew how. I’d sit with my mom and grandma telling them exactly what I wanted my story to be, and they would write it down under misshapen scribbles I tried to pass off as art work. It wasn’t until years later that I finally decided to go full throttle with my passion and share it with the world. Now, thanks to the support of my loving family, great friends, and an amazing team, my dream of becoming an author are reality. My heart is in Paranormal Romance, and Romance in general, but I love challenging myself and broadening my horizons so you can bet there is more to come!

If you’d like to follow KAE Galla, you can do so using the links below!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Giveaway Notice

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!