I know, I know. I probably should have mentioned all the birthday shenanigans over the last week but ... Hey, I was busy doing fun things. Like visiting Craters of the Moon and going to the movies and eating steak and having pie. (I maintain that pie is better than cake.) But in the middle… Continue reading Birthday Shenanigans and Release Buzz
Tag: Historical Fiction
Fact vs. Fiction – Historical Novels
Persona is my first attempt at the historical fiction genre and while I love history, I found writing within the confines of known facts difficult. This isn't too surprising given all my other novels are fantasy or science fiction, but it was still an eye-opener for me. Take, for instance, the very first chapter of… Continue reading Fact vs. Fiction – Historical Novels
The Countdown
I am now exactly three months away from Persona's publication date. What does this mean for me? Well, it means a lot of work, actually. I have a list of things that need to be done like ... hunt for virtual space (AKA - look for people online who wouldn't mind me commandeering their blog/site… Continue reading The Countdown
Kindle Scout
Alright, so we're sort of in a mid-way point with the Kindle Scout campaign for Persona and I figured I'd do a little update to give you the sense I'm getting of this thing. If you didn't know already, I'm pretty awful at marketing. Let's just be honest with that one. I'd rather go to… Continue reading Kindle Scout
Prepping for Launch
Gutter space and margins ... check. Cover art ... check. (FYI, Chris Howard is still a genius.) Back blurb ... hmmm ... that's gonna change a couple more times, I'm sure. (Pause to remove new kitten from the desk. He's too curious for his own good and he's constantly attacking my hands while I'm using the… Continue reading Prepping for Launch
Missed Deadlines and Fighting the Muse
I know there are a lot of writers out there that just go with the flow, throwing out however many words a week at sporadic intervals, relying on their Muse to get them through. I envy these people. I imagine their Muse sitting right beside them, nagging them at all hours of the day to… Continue reading Missed Deadlines and Fighting the Muse
Working with Historical Timelines – Persona Version
WWII is heavily documented. I have volumes and volumes of historical content that have helped me better understand how and why events took place throughout the war. No, really. Volumes. I also have several Documentaries on DVD which have helped shed some light on the timeline for Persona and the general feel of what was… Continue reading Working with Historical Timelines – Persona Version
Historical Fiction and the Suspension of Disbelief
When I first made the decision to try my hand at historical fiction I knew there would be a lot of research involved. But since I find WWII fascinating I imagined this would not be such a big issue for me. And it wasn't. I enjoy hunting through history to find little tidbits that I… Continue reading Historical Fiction and the Suspension of Disbelief
Research as a Writer
Writers are really life-long scholars. Sure, we get to play around in fiction and make up rules in our fantasy worlds sometimes, but when push comes to shove we are constantly having to "Google" one thing or another. Whether we're researching words (Hello, online Thesaurus) or we need to find out just how far away… Continue reading Research as a Writer
The End & Thoughts on Serializing Novels
Well, Persona is finished. Or at least a draft of Persona is finished. Here in the next couple of weeks I'll be searching for an appropriate editor to go through it, and then I'll edit and edit and ... edit some more. Until then, I'm in celebratory mode. I've got Nantucket Dark Chocolate cookies (from… Continue reading The End & Thoughts on Serializing Novels
AJMaguire 