Readers Don't Give a Damn

Raise your hand if you're an aspiring author who's been to an online writer's community. Chances are, the senior members (those who have been doing the whole aspiring author things for years, who have been to writing workshops and attended conferences, some of whom have landed agents) have lectured you at one point or another about the "rules" of writing. No passive verbs. No adverbs. No dialogue tags. Did you just switch POVs in the middle of a paragraph? Shame on you! And what is all this excessive description in the middle of an action scene? Kill that darling! And for Heaven's sake, don't let your manuscript run too long!

These little nagging voices have pecked at me for so long, I figured only self-published books ever broke the rules. Because I've been wrapped up in indie books for this blog, I haven't had a chance to read any mainstream fiction in a while. So this week, with Flynn edits done, I decided to dive into Cassandra Clare's "Infernal Devices" series for a bit of market research. I bought the first two solely because of their shiny steampunk covers, and I figured it couldn't hurt to see what all the kids are reading these days (I'm a little behind on the times - the last YA book I read was The Hunger Games).

If I'd read it two years ago, or even one year ago before Artificial Absolutes went into edits, I would've just giggled at the cheesy romance and shameless emotion porn (not criticizing them - just saying they make me giggle). But after having spent so long with my head in the writing "rules", the little red pen in my head went berserk. Cassie Clare! Did you really write two YA books that are both about 150,000 words long? Why, that's almost as long as Mansfield Park! And what are all these dialogue tags? And floating heads - aren't your characters doing anything other than running their mouths? And did you really just interrupt a tense scene to tell us about your character's dress? Oh my, you switched POVs in the middle of a paragraph! Your character can't see her own mouth! Passive verbs? Adverbs? How dare you use "this" and "now" and "today" in your prose when you're writing in past tense? Shame, shame, shame!

Except the fact is, readers don't give a damn. The "Infernal Devices" books have sold millions of copies and have raving reviews on Goodreads. Which are well deserved - Cassie Clare tells a helluva story. No one mentioned the fact that she was breaking all the "rules" because frankly, it doesn't really matter.

Of course, the "rules" are still helpful for beginners. The last thing you want is to bog your story down with random problems. However, I've decided to stop fretting as much about the "rules". I'll still abide by them for the most part because, in my case, I do think they make my manuscripts flow better, but I won't obsess as much. Because ultimately, it's the story that counts, not the writing. If you're writing fluffy/pulpy tales of adventure like me. Things are probably different for high-falutin' lit fic.

REVIEW: The Sword from the Sky / R. Janvier del Valle

TITLE: Sword from the Sky
AUTHOR: R. Janvier del Valle
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
AVAILABILITY: Amazon (Kindle), Amazon (paperback)
APPROXIMATE LENGTH: 99,000 words (351 pages)

GENRE
Fantasy - Epic / Swords & Sorcery

PACE
While the plot isn't that fast-paced, the dialogue and world-building keep the story moving ahead at a relatively quick pace.

PERSPECTIVE
Third person omniscient

CONTENT REVIEW

12-year-old Luca has a wooden leg, but that doesn’t stop him from attending the prestigious Blade School of Davi. The adopted son of Prince Druuk, Luca’s origins are shrouded in mystery. All the reader knows is that Druuk was in love with Luca’s mother, and that an encounter with a dark entity left Luca’s leg crushed when he was an infant. The Sword from the Sky follows Luca as he faces trials at the school. Then, a mysterious woman arrives claiming that she’s his aunt and therefore has custody of him. She comes from a sunless land, and she brings with her an army of shadowy warriors with the goal of shrouding the land of Bune in eternal darkness. Luca must stop her before she plunges his world into eternal night.

Sword from the Sky’s main strengths lie in its world-building. R. Janvier Del Valle has created a richly detailed epic fantasy world with its own history, mythology, and magic system. The Blade School of Davi comes to life with skilled masters and eager students, and the mystical elements, such as the guardian star being that watches over Luca, are fascinating. Del Valle has no shortage of imagination, for sure. Much of the book is devoted to creating and developing this world rather than strictly advancing the plot. Nevertheless, it’s a fairly fast-paced read. Many scenes consist primarily of dialogue, which switches between the archaic style of classic fantasies and contemporary slang.

Luca is an easily likable main character. He doesn’t let his wooden leg slow him down. In fact, it’s easy to forget that he has one, since he’s so determined to keep up with the other students. Even when it becomes something of a disadvantage, he never uses it as an excuse. He’s a classic heroic character, and he’s mature well beyond his twelve years. Vohro, a deaf swordsman whose eyesight has developed to almost supernatural levels, is another interesting character. He is, in many ways, a role model for Luca – someone who didn’t let his disability keep him from becoming a master of combat.

There are plenty of action scenes in this book, culminating in an epic battle between the shadowy warriors and the Davinian swordsmen. Del Valle writes in the fanciful style of classic epic fantasies, and for the most part writes in third person omniscient, showing the points of view of multiple characters in each scene. The writing forms a atmospheric texture around the story, surrounding the reader in the myth and magic. My one criticism of the writing is that every so often, a modern reference would pop up (like to a cubicle or a jackhammer), which, alas, reminded me that I’m not actually in Bune. It’s clear from the descriptions that Del Valle loves molding words to create rich images. For example, here’s a description that stuck out to me:

“An amber dawn crept into the embracing arms of the horizon, but unlike other days, the sun had awoken exhausted, weak from the dizziness of the lurking fog.”

The plot of Sword in the Sky meanders somewhat; it’s not immediately clear what the story’s trajectory will be. However, there are enough mysteries and adventures to keep things rolling forward, even without a clear goal. What we, the readers, do know is that Luca is a chosen one of sorts (even though he doesn’t know it), and while he’s busy worrying about his school and his crush a beautiful but somewhat prickly girl, dark creatures are after him. The book ends with a cliffhanger (in the middle of a scene, in fact!).

 Sword in the Sky is an entertaining story set in a fanciful world of swordsmen and magic. Despite it’s apparent length, it goes by really quickly, thanks to a lively setting and interesting mythologies.

THE NITPICKY STUFF
This book is well-edited. I spotted a handful of typos, but nothing distracting.

This book contains some fantasy style violence, but it's pretty mild. It is suitable for young audiences.

AUTHOR INFO
R. Janvier del Valle holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and a Master of Theological Studies from Spring Hill College. He has worked in the Advertising, Marketing, and Communications industries for over ten years and has taught a number of classes in philosophy and theology to adults as well as children.

He resides with his wife and daughter in Georgia. When he isn't writing, he's sleeping. And when he's not sleeping, he's spending time with his family, running, hiking, hitting the gym, watching movies, buying overpriced one-sixth scale action figures, studying and reading philosophy and theology, and most of all, collecting pointy, shiny things that tend to gleam of a certain silver whenever exposed to the moonlit eventide.

For more information on R. Janvier del Valle's upcoming works, please visit: www.rjanvierdelvalle.com.
  

How I Broke Myself By Writing

A few months back, I hosted a guest post about the Health Risks of Writing. I should have paid heed to it. Instead, I dove into a frenzy of writing (for Butterfly Dome, a WIP) and rewriting (for Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil, which is currently with my editor). I did what I always did: sat down on the couch with my laptop and typed away. I guess I figured since I'm young and healthy, I could get away with things like bad posture and staying up late for no reason. Wellp, I was wrong.

This whole thing began back in March, when I randomly decided to enter April's Camp NaNo (a spring version of the National Novel Writing Month) to get cracking on an idea for a YA sci-fi/paranormal romance that popped into my head somewhat randomly. I was between books at the time - I'd just finished a draft of Synthetic Illusions (the sequel to Artificial Absolutes) and hadn't yet received feedback for Flynn. The plan was to just start jotting stuff for Butterfly Dome down while letting Synthetic percolate in my head (I hadn't submitted it to my publisher yet). 

Unfortunately, my brain had other ideas. I ended up spending April revising Synthetic and getting it ready for submission. Then May rolled around, and I felt guilty for completely neglecting Butterfly. I started writing it with the idea that I'd get through maybe half the manuscript before it was time for Flynn revisions. But then I somehow got really into writing it, and thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if I finished it?" So I stayed up late trying to accomplish this lofty goal, depriving myself of proper sleep for weeks. It became a disease (as I mocked myself for in a previous post). Spring allergies and work stress (from the good ole day job) meant trying to go to sleep was nightmarish anyway. Instead of spending ages tossing and turning, I opted to just keep typing, since I couldn't sleep anyway. Bad idea. I should've reached for the sleeping pills like a rational person. Or tried meditation. Or at least turned my brain off by watching TV.

And that's how I broke my brain. By June, the effects of my insomnia plus my brain always being "on" were so bad that I ended up blacking out. As in, I'd be sitting around chatting with friends, and suddenly, I'd come to, having missed the last five minutes of conversation. It was freaky. Simple situations seemed impossibly convoluted, and anything I typed came out looking like babbling nonsense. Once, someone gave me their phone number, and I went to write it down a few seconds later. I couldn't remember a single digit. And when it came to writing? Ugh! I couldn't figure out how to describe a cardboard box!

By the time it came time to revise Flynn, I had the mental capacity of a cucumber. For about two weeks, I could barely do anything other than reread the manuscript and try to get my head back into the universe. Eventually, by taking sleeping pills to deal with the insomnia and adhering to a strict sleep schedule, I managed to become mostly functional again. Even so, just last week, I went to a kickboxing class and couldn't tell left from right to save my life.

Then there were the physical effects. I developed cramps in my neck and shoulders that made it hard to turn my head without getting stabbing pains. Even when I wasn't moving, my shoulders were perpetually sore. If this persists, I might have to get physical therapy. That's right - I might actually have to go to an actual medical doctor for writing-related injuries. I'm also pretty sure my eyesight has suffered from spending far too much time staring at screens.

So... I'm trying to break these bad habits so I don't break myself again. No more typing while sitting on a couch - the couch is for typo-hunting only. I'm also trying to be mindful not to hunch over the keyboard. Also, sleep is extremely important. So are breaks. When your brain is always on, it eventually burns itself out.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: James Butler

Science fiction author James Butler talks about his latest release: Dynasty Wars.

 

Hi James! Welcome back to Zigzag Timeline. Last time you popped in here, you were promoting your epic space adventure, the "New Dawn" books. Your latest book, Dynasty Wars, starts out in a somewhat similar vein in that it takes place in a dystopian space opera-type universe, but quickly shifts gears to Alternative History when its protagonists are thrown back to ancient China. What was it like, writing such a different kind of book?

Hi Mary, it's great to be back. Well, my favorite genre to write would have to be Alternate History, actually. I've loved history since I was a little kid. When I discovered Alt Hist in 2009 – yes, I wasn't a big reader for most of my life, I admit – I knew that was the kind of thing I would most love to do. I find it fascinating to consider pivotal moments and wonder how history would differ if one or two key things were different. Everybody and their mother who writes Alternate History has done WWII stories to death – hint, the Nazis win almost every time, lol – so I wanted to stay as far away from that as I could.

In Dynasty Wars' space age opening, individuality is considered a threat, and straying from the collective is punishable by law. What inspired this dystopian world? Is there a message behind it?

The stories of H. Beam Piper helped inspire the world itself. I recently came upon his works and marveled at how he envisioned the world of the future: with all nationalities mixing together. That's how my characters of Kurt Ito Rodriguez and Xu Maria von Steiblitz came together. Since the level of wonderfullness of such a thing really happening is up to future historians to debate, I chose to go a darker route than Piper with my 'everyone connected' future earth. Of course, in Piper's universe, Earth was also at the center of a human empire, mine is just a darker place, full of the abuses of government.

Why did you choose to write about Han dynasty China?

That era of Chinese history has always fascinated me. In many ways, it was the rival of its counterpart, Rome in the West. Technologically, the Han did things differently than Rome – they didn't have aqueducts that still work today, for example – but the people of the Han, especially the Eastern, or later Han, had the first functioning crossbow and knew of gunpowder. The end of the dynasty in particular is more interesting than most others, with perhaps the possible exception of the Ming Dynasty, the last truly Chinese dynasty. The later, Qing was ruled by Jurchen people, not considered 'true' Chinese even today.

What kind of research did you do in order to depict ancient China?

Hmmm, how to divulge the truth without being laughed at? Oh well, lol. I first found interest in the time from two different video game series. One called Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a war/strategy game series begun in the late 1980s. It's based heavily on the Luo Guanzhong novel, written during the early Ming Dynasty. It pulls you heavily into the story of three warlords – Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan – who rise to eventually split the empire into three, smaller states. The other game series is called Dynasty Warriors and is much more action oriented. You play as any of the Three Kingdom characters – with some made up ones too – and run through a battlefield hacking people up, lol. I also lived in southeastern China – Shenzhen to be exact, near Hong Kong – for close to 4 years. I learned many things about modern Chinese culture that have been around for centuries, which I applied to my Chinese characters. For instance, it's a terrible insult to hold out your pinky finger to a man, for it implies you have a small, er, male member. Or if you say someone has 'small ears' it means they are bad in business.

What's your favorite scene in Dynasty Wars? Could you please describe it and/or share an excerpt?

One of my favorite scenes is where Wan, the humble court maiden of young Emperor Xian, classically the last Han Emperor, truly transforms into the historical character Diaochan. She becomes enamored over Daoism, particularly the Yin or 'female' side, eventually coming to believe that only a woman can truly understand the inter-relationships between Yin-yang. I did have to do some research about Taoism – now spelled Daoism under the current pinyin Chinese to English translations. Side note: All spellings to the best of my knowledge, are in the current version (example, the new pinyin makes the character name Cao Cao, pronounced with an 'S' sound, while the older translations spelled his name T'sou T'sou. Mao, founder of the modern People's Republic of China, is currently spelled Mao Zedong, whereas in the older version it was Mao T'se Tung). Everyone in the Imperial court plots against everyone else, and Wan succeeds in outdoing them all in her guise as 'humble courtesan'. In this excerpt, Wan cleverly deceives the powerful – but naïve – warrior, Li Bu, then uses the same tactic to deceive the Prime Minister, Dong Zhuo. By the way, though the English spelling appears to be Lu Bu, in China everyone said his name as Li or Lee Bu, so I've chosen to spell his name Li.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, Li stood up with her, towering over the maiden. "What is it?" he demanded. "How have I offended thee again?"

"You have not given offense," she said meekly, then tore away from him, nearly shouting, "Dong Zhuo, your precious lord has given offense!"

Horror spread quickly across his features and he rushed to clamp a hand down over her mouth. "You must say no such things, especially in so loud a voice, my lady," he demanded. "Do you wish for scorn, or worse, death?"

"Death would be most welcome, for I have already been scorned by those living," Wan replied. The wind gone from her sails, she dropped heavily onto her stool. Without conscious thought on the subject, she had to admit to herself that this was the performance of a lifetime. In another life, she might have been a denizen of the stage, if women had ever been aloud, of course.

"The dead are my only considerate companions now," she added sullenly.

"Say not such things," Li Bu told her hotly. "The spirits can hear, and they will take your soul prematurely if you voice such thoughts too frequently. That can only end in misery for all time."

"What do I care for 'all time'?" she asked quietly. "I am raped every night by the Prime Minister of the empire. Can there be another, harsher fate awaiting me?"

His eyes grew wide until he appeared as a green tree frog, a foolish thing indeed. "What?" he croaked, almost drawing a laugh from her. "Raped?" A faint redness swelled in his cheeks that he fought to keep from his eyes. "I thought you chose to return to my lord's bed chamber?"

Turning away from him, Wan bit her tongue again, forcing more tears out. "Wang Yun chose for me." Sobbing once more, she tried in vain to push him away. At last, when he stared into her bleary eyes once more, she continued. "I thought, when he adopted me, that I would be safe. Instead, to gain favor with the Prime Minister, my lord Wang convinced him to take me back. Now, I endure all over again, every night."

"I will slay him!" Li nearly shouted, then hushed himself aggressively. "Such a monster must not be suffered to lead our people." His eyes had gone far away in that moment, but then focused on her intently. "A monster should not be allowed to abuse one so beautiful as you."

"Oh, master Li," she said in a throaty voice.

Descending quickly, Li Bu's lips came down over hers in a fury. Arms tightening around her shoulders, she reacted by touching his chest, hoping she would not have to endure a long humping by the ignorant tree frog. That comparison nearly made her giggle again, but doing so with his lips against hers would make him wonder what was really up. With real force, she shoved the idle amusement back down for later, when she was alone.

About to break the lip lock, Wan touched his hand, intent on leading him to paradise, if it would then bring him to do as Wang Yun wished. Instead, she gulped when the door slid open. A startled gasp and a grunt of anger broke the would be lovers apart.

"See this insolence!" Dong Zhuo roared.

"Unbelievable!" the man with him shouted. In a blur, Wan recognized him as Li Su, an adviser to the Prime Minister who hailed from the same town as Li Bu and might have been a cousin.

"Give me that!" Dong shouted to an unseen person in the hall. Half his body disappeared, leaning outside the small chamber while Wan and Li Bu gaped, half stuck in a trance. Tearing away from Bu, Wan began to sob again, clutching at her left arm.

Quickly, Dong swung back fully into the chamber, a halberd clutched between meaty hands. "I shall not miss this time, thou fiend!" he screamed at Li Bu before lunging with the dangerous weapon.

Terror flashed across Bu's face as he dodged the clumsy, rage filled strike. Leaping, Bu tore through the paper window in Wan's chamber, to flee into the night. The lout was quick as a tree frog, she observed, this time painfully; now, she would surely die, unless her performance was exceptional. She'd half hoped against hope that Bu would have stolen the halberd and slew his master, rather than run away. Ultimately, though, she judged Bu a coward who would fight ferociously if in self preservation, but not for anything - or anyone - else.

"Whore!" Dong was still raging when her thoughts returned to the little chamber. "Tell me why I should not slay you this instant!"

Seizing the moment, Wan rose from her seat and glared at the fat oaf. "Tell you I will!" she screamed, equally up to the task of speaking to him in that tone. Shocked, Dong sputtered something incomprehensible before falling away into a much welcomed silence.

"I should be thanking you, my lord," she ground out through clenched teeth, "but instead, you threaten my life for almost being raped." Li Su appeared ready to say something, but Wan struck out with a finger in his face which kept him quiet. "That man would surely have taken what he wanted, and yet you say I am the whore?! Who is the larger of us, my lord? Who is the stronger? Who the quicker and possessor of martial might?"

"But saw you with our eyes, we did!" Dong protested. "You were engaged as much with him as he with you."

"Do not believe her, my lord," Li Su suggested. "To save her life, this courtesan would say almost anything."

Rounding on him, Wan loaded every bit of scorn she could muster and shot it at him in her words. "And you, son of a fatherless whore, would say anything in defense of your countryman and cousin."

Before the insulted man could react, she'd rolled up her sleeve and shoved her left forearm at them. "This was the price I paid!" The arm was purple and red and swelled slightly. "Earlier in the day, this was how he lured me here." The tears were flowing freely now. Remembering every injustice to ever befall her, in the heat of the moment tears came easily. "Then again, when you burst in, did you not see the grip he still held? Do you see!" she screamed, shaking her arm close to Dong's face.

Turning away, she sank to her stool, showing her back to the Prime Minister. When next she opened her mouth, her voice sounded hollow in her ears. "If you will no longer love me, but instead shame me, I may only save honor through my death. Permit me, at least, my lord Dong Zhuo, the last saving grace of suicide to avenge myself on those who have wronged me."

Who is your favorite character in Dynasty Wars? What makes him/her unique?

You always ask the tough questions, Mary, lol. Tough, but good. My standard answer would be that I love all my characters equally. However, I identify best with Kurt Rodriguez. I try to make characters believable, so I often ask myself: What would I do in his/her shoes? Often, depending on my mood, the answer is different. I put myself, and others I've encountered in life to varying degrees, into my characters. To me as an author, that's the best way to create believable characters. To my mind, Kurt and I are in similar positions in life with similar goals, to be independent and individual, though Kurt knows less of what that really means, as he was raised by his government in the distant future.

Are there any themes or messages in your book?

Oh, yes. We here in the United States are facing our greatest test. Do we want to further push our citizens under compliance and dominance of the federal government for some often promised, yet under-delivered idea of 'security', or do we wish to remain as individuals, free to make our own choices and mistakes, and pay for them accordingly. I personally don't want someone else telling me how to live my life, what items I can/can't purchase, what programs I have to support, etc. So I'd say the biggest theme in Dynasty Wars is about the whole idea of who's responsible for your actions: you alone or society as a whole? Kurt has to figure out how to accomplish his goals, while wrestling with the way he was raised and trying to find a happy medium where he was never taught the value of individualism. He only has a vague notion of what that means – some instinctive, feral, down deep in his gut – and spends much of the book trying to form it into something concrete, while still trying to help his people and the local Chinese who've come under his care. These are big issues not easily dismissed, nor should they be left up to others to decide for us.

What are you working on now?

My current WIP is a political manifesto, of sorts. It takes place in the not so distant future and may have repercussions for all of us currently living, along with our children. I'm also working on a book that continues in the New Dawn space opera galaxy my friend and sometime co-author Anne McAlduff aka Jade Max (check out her Faded Phoenix series, it's awesome!) and I created some years ago. It's a stand alone book, so there's no need to know what happens in New Dawn. I'm also working on another alternate history story set during the Hundred Year's War. I also have a book ready to publish that's a sequel to my alternate American Civil War book, Birth of a Nation. The sequel will be out next March!

Dynasty Wars is available at: Amazon US (Kindle), Amazon US (paperback)

SPOTLIGHT: Stone Ends Book 2 Revealed!

Today, I'm pleased to spotlight the sequel to one of my new favorite time travel adventures: Keeper of the Black Stones by P.T. McHugh. Keeper is the first book in the Stone Ends series, which follows a teenage boy, Jason, who must travel through time in order to stop a dastardly villain bent on changing history. A thrilling YA science fantasy, Keeper kept my attention from start to finish, and I can't wait to read its sequel, which will be titled...

A Rebel's Stone

Below is a teaser excerpt from A Rebel's Stone:

Have you ever had a dream so real that when you woke up, for one brief moment, you weren’t sure where your imagination stopped and reality began? Where you forgot who you were and how you got there, and had trouble remembering even your own name?

I only ask, really, because that’s been happening to me a lot lately.

I realize this sounds crazy, but it’s not too hard to imagine when you think about what I’ve seen over the past few weeks. God, has it only been that long?

I guess I should probably start at the beginning, for this to make any sense at all. Months ago, John Fleming, an old friend of my grandfather’s, introduced him to an archeological discovery. A large stone, which looked more like a kitchen counter than the find of the millennium. His son had found it on an archaeological dig, and taken it to Dartmouth College to unravel its secret.

Fleming showed the stone to my grandfather – Doc to me – because he was a mathematician. See, the stone had hundreds of symbols engraved on its surface, and Fleming thought he’d be able to read them. In the end, of course, he did a lot more than that. He deciphered their meaning, yes. And then he listened to their instructions. Turned out the stone wasn’t just a dusty old relic carved out of granite by an ancient civilization. Or rather, it was, but it was also something a lot more. A portal, capable of doing the impossible. Capable of transporting someone back in time, into the very history of our books and stories. And it wasn’t the only one.

Allowing that journey, of course, means allowing us access to that history, and the people that made it. And that, my friends, is the crux of the problem.

My grandfather recognized immediately how dangerous the stone was. He knew that going back in time would endanger history, and the fate of the world itself. Unfortunately, Nicholas Fleming, John’s son, looked past the danger and saw the fame and fortune that such a discovery would bring. Unwilling to listen to my grandfather’s warning, Nicholas armed himself with a weapon and his twenty-first-century knowledge, climbed onto the stone, and went merrily back to Old England, to reappear some five hundred years before I was born.   

My grandfather, with his ability to read the stones, identified Nicholas’ destination and went after him. His plan was to bring the man home, to safety, but that goal was quickly overshadowed by what Nicholas was doing. Because within days of finding him, Doc realized that Nicholas’ ambition had gone far beyond money and glory. He had decided to reshape history to his liking, starting with the War of the Roses. And in changing history – for reasons that still escape us – he was putting the entire world in danger. He had to be stopped.

You might be asking yourself how I got involved in all of this. Devine intervention, coincidence, bad luck? Well, that’s the million-dollar question that keeps me up at night. And I still don’t have a good answer. Not one that would make sense to anyone other than myself. The simple truth is that I also have the ability to read the stones. And I can do it better than my grandfather. I can travel back in time, yes, but I can also do more. Somehow, and I know how crazy this sounds, I can talk to the stones. Learn from them. Use them as the tools they actually are. And it’s all with one goal in mind: to preserve our past. To maintain history and, with it, the thread of time, and the world around us.

How do we do that? I have no idea. But I can say with a bit of pride that we’ve already started. Doc and I, with the help of my friends, Tatiana, Paul, and Katherine, and my recently acquired body guard Reis, defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth, despite Fleming taking his side, and thus helped to close the door on the Dark Ages. We stopped Nicholas Fleming from throwing the world off balance by changing the outcome of that one important war. So we’ve already started our fight for history and the world.

Unfortunately, Nicholas Fleming, now known as Dresden, escaped. Doc believes that Dresden has no true relationship with the stones, and therefore can’t predict their line of travel. Based on that, he thinks that Dresden’s last trip on the stones must have ended up at the bottom of the English Channel, or atop Mount Everest under several feet of snow. He doesn’t believe that Dresden survived his escape. He thinks that we’re safe, now that Dresden has disappeared.

But I know differently. I know what I saw when Dresden escaped, and the stone he was on made sure I understood. In reality, Dresden was sent to Germany in the year of 1939, right when the Nazis were coming to power. He didn’t know where he was going, but I’m sure he made it there safely. And I have to find him. No matter how much Doc tries to convince me otherwise, the stones don’t lie. Dresden is still out there, somewhere. And I have to find him and stop him, before he does anything else to damage history.

Because the world won’t be safe until I do.

Jason Evans

Keeper of the Black Stones

10 Things You Didn't Know About Jason

by P.T. McHugh

Below are ten tidbits about Jason Evans, the teenage hero of the "Stone Ends" series of YA science fantasy books (Book 1: Keeper of the Black Stones, Book 2: A Rebel's Stone - to be released in 2014)

1. Favorite Movie(s): The Lord of the Rings trilogy, of course. He’s read the books, but the movies were better.He loves the fantastical world and the fact that there are elves and dwarves. He loves the fact that the hero wins, and gets the girl. He loves the hobbits, who are the best kind of buddies – people who travel anywhere together, and never fail to take care of their friends. Most of all, though, he loves the history of the world, and wonders if it might have actually happened. If so, could he use the stones to get there? Would he survive the trip? Could he take his friends? 
2. Favorite Book: Catcher in the Rye, though he’d be hard pressed to tell you exactly why. There’s just something about it that feels familiar.
3. He was given an IQ test when he turned eleven, and his score was 143, which he’s heard is pretty high. He doesn’t take that too seriously, though, because he doesn’t think it means much. Certainly nothing to do with the real world, which now consists of jumping through time and outsmarting bad guys while surviving random medieval torture devices.
4. Jason’s never kissed a girl. Not that he really wants to. He thinks girls are fine, really, but he can think of a lot of things he’d rather be doing than trying to get one to like him. Movies, golf, finding out where Dresden is hiding … the only girls he’s met that he’s even slightly interested in (other than for looking at) are Tatiana and Katherine. He finds them both incredibly confusing and a LOT smarter than him, which doesn’t happen often. He also knows that Tatiana could kick his butt, and though his male ego finds this shocking, he also finds it somehow fascinating. (He does, of course, let Paul think that he’s interested in Cristina, from school. It gives Paul something to tease him about.)
5. Jason was diagnosed with insomnia after his parents died. He doesn’t know if there’s any connection, but he does know that he has to do certain things to get to sleep: have his pillow lined up exactly with the top right corner of his bed, have his slippers where his feet can reach them, have either the lamp on his desk OR the light in the bathroom turned on, and be wearing one of two sets of pajamas. If he goes to sleep without these things, he’s prone to terrible dreams about things he doesn’t want to remember.
6. He carries a picture in his wallet that shows him at six years old, on a bike path with his dad. They used to ride their bikes for hours, making up stories to tell each other, and then race home to tell his mother. She was the judge, and whoever had the best story won one of her famous chocolate chip cookies.
7. He’s allergic to cats, despite his affection for Milo.
8. He fell off his bike when he was ten, and got his foot caught in the tracks. Then he heard the train coming, and realized he was going to be one of those kids – like the one in Fried Green Tomatoes, which Paul made him watch – who died by getting stuck in the train tracks. He’d seen the train coming, and thought he was a goner, but Doc had appeared at the last moment to save him. He still doesn’t know where Doc came from or how he knew Jason’s life was in danger, but he has nightmares about that day, and the scars to prove it.
9. He didn’t take his first steps until he was two and a half. His mother was afraid he’d never walk. But once he did, she couldn’t keep him still. 
10. His favorite hobby is fishing with Paul on a Saturday afternoon. His dad taught him, and he still uses the fishing pole his dad gave him for his tenth birthday. He likes to think that his dad is connected to the pole, which makes him feel like Mr. Evans is there fishing too. Which brings him to his fondest wish – somehow seeing his dad one more time.

Agent Searching

by Steven Vincent

First off, I would like to thank Mary Fan for letting me on her blog today! I would also like to note that this article is not about making a query letter, not about making a synopsis, and not even about landing a deal.

My point in writing this is not so much the quest for representation, as it is getting ready for the quest.

1.) Ready the Book

Don't assume all the kinks will be worked out by professionals; that's you! It's your job to make the book as good as it can get. An editor can correct the mistakes, but if you present a clean manuscript to an agent, you will stand out that much more.

2.) Plan the Pitch

I fully recommend rereading the book from cover to cover to try and figure out what the heart and soul of the story is. How would you best describe the central plot? After you figure that out, find a way to keep the description telling, but vague enough to build some healthy anticipation.

This will become the core of your query letter, and probably your synopsis, too.

3.) Get Resources

The biggest pain of contacting agents is finding them. Before you start contacting, try to get a good idea of sites or books that list updated information on agents, especially new ones looking to build their client list. Agent Query and Writers Digest are both helpful sites for this.

4.) Keep a List

Short but sweet; KEEP a list of agents you contact, their email address, agency name, and any other information you might need. Getting confused about who you've written is not fun, and neither is digging through your sent mail.

5.) Stay Motivated

The fifth and final tip, and also the most important one. Sending letters can be a very tiring task, believe it or not, especially when the fate of your book seems to hinge on your every word. Try to keep a schedule of when you'll contact agents - usually ten at a time.

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One word can be all it takes to paint the wrong image in an agent's mind. This may sound bad, but the good news is it works the opposite way, too! It also means that rejection doesn't mean your book is trash.

Keep at what you do, and eventually you will find your place.

- Steven

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