Winners of the Incandescent Drawing are…
Congratulations to Allison Hill and Kellie Kamryn! 😀
And thank you for leaving your contact information. I will be sending out emails and getting you in touch with M.V. Freeman shortly.
A formidable Tri-elemental, Mikhail Petrov commands earth, air, and water. He will use anyone or anything to free himself from the oppressive rule of the Mages, including the untrained fire element he discovers, Laurie. Most of his family has been wiped out in an effort to manipulate him. He thinks he has nothing left to lose. To him, Laurie is a tool, a rare and powerful elemental that is his to use. He fights his feelings for the fire elemental because with caring comes weakness, another opening for destruction. Rarely are emotions as easy to control as his elements.
As he trains Laurie to work with him, he doesn’t expect his growing attachment to her. With the Mages closing in, Mikhail faces a choice: destroy the fledgling relationship with Laurie to gain his coveted freedom, or sacrifice himself for hers.
I wish I started getting serious writing a lot earlier than I did. Perhaps I would be farther along—but my path has made me what I am as a writer. So, I am not going to live with regret.
I’d also know more about contracts. (Seriously, this can’t be stressed enough).
But you know what?—there is no perfect path. I’ve learned that if you’re going to walk this publishing path, one is going to make mistakes. Everyone does. The thing is, I am not going to let it stop me.”
On behalf of all newbies to the publishing industry, I thank you for your hard earned wisdom.
Would you tell us a little about your current Work In Progress, and what you have in mind for your next project?
If you could have any Disney sidekick creature as a manifestation of
your muse, which one would you pick and why?
A smart-mouthed mythical beast with pyromaniac tendencies. I won’t argue with that one. >.>
Paper, plastic, or BYOB (bring your own bag)?
Teresa Y.
For those of you who have an interest in the Urban Fantasy genre, stay tuned–December will feature a new debut author and giveaway!
Author Bio: C.J. Redwine loves stilettos, lemon bars, and any movie starring Johnny Depp. She is the author of Defiance, the first in a post-apocalyptic fantasy trilogy from Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins. C.J. lives in Nashville with her husband, four kids, two cats, and one long-suffering dog. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at: http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/
Blurb: Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan–the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
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To start out, could you tell us a little bit about your journey toward publication?
“I’ve been writing stories since I was in second grade, but I didn’t seriously begin pursuing publication until I was 30. I’d kept waiting for life to slow down (Four kids! Part time job! Life!), but after fighting cancer at the age of 30, I realized it was foolish to wait around for life to be perfect before I followed my dreams. I finished my first novel and started querying. After receiving a slew of rejections, I realized my first book wasn’t going to get published. It was a training ground for honing my craft.
“My next book garnered me my fabulous agent, but it took two more years, and two more books, before I landed a publishing contract. I’d started to feel like the girl who couldn’t sell a book to save my life, but I figured I could either quit or take on the project that felt almost too big for me and keep trying. When my agent called to tell me an editor was going to make an offer on Defiance, I just sat there and cried. I could hardly believe it!”
I doubt anyone could argue you didn’t already have a full plate before you dedicated yourself to writing. Clearly, it’s been a hard-fought victory.
Looking back at all you’ve undergone up to this point in your career as an author, what would you have done differently?
“I’d have figured out faster that I function best when I shut out other voices–reviews, opinions, chat etc–and focus on just my writing and what my trusted team of critique partners and my editor have to say about it. Learning that has been so freeing for me.”
Noise-canceling headphones, eyes off the reviews, clicker off the social media, and faith in your hand-picked cohorts–gotchya!
What does your writing process look like?
“My books live in my head for a long time before I start writing. At any moment, I have 6-8 books in my head, slowly taking shape. Once I do start writing, I usually have a first draft in about 3 months. Then, I rip it apart and revise, revise, revise! The magic happens during revision.” 🙂
Ah, so you marinate in your ruminations. I bet you’re plotting even now…
What made you choose Young Adult as your preferred writing genre?
“It’s the genre I love to read, so that felt like a natural fit for me, plus I just love the immediacy in the YA genre. It’s the first love, first heartbreak, first step away from home, first real risk … and it all feels life or death. YA is such an amazing age range because it’s just on the cusp of figuring out who we’ll be as adults. Nothing is yet set in stone so anything can happen. I also adore that the YA genre has so few restrictions. If you can execute the story well, you can write it. There really aren’t many boundaries, and that’s perfect for a speculative fiction writer like me.”
Well, thank you–you’ve just put into words what I’ve always had trouble articulating. There’s really something to be said for getting to experience newthings along with a character you’re rooting for.
Would you tell us a little about your current Work In Progress, and what you have in mind for your next project?
“I’m currently co-writing a middle grade book that is kind of like Grimm meets Howl’s Moving Castle. I’m super excited about it! Once I finish that, I’ll be writing the third and final book of the Defiance trilogy.”
Ooo…Grimm AND Howl’s Moving Castle? You have my attention, Madame.
Irrelevant, nonsensical questions:
If you could have any Disney sidekick creature as a manifestation of
your muse, which one would you pick and why?
“Pascal, from Tangled. He just GETS me.”
A loyal, comedic chameleon. Sounds all shades of fitting. 😉
Paper, plastic, or BYOB (bring your own bag)?
“Paper. I love paper bags. I know that’s weird. I accept it.”
I hear acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery…
If you were left stranded on an island infested by zombies, what two items would you want to have with you?
“A machete and Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, complete with his sword.”
There you have it, folks. She’s hands-on in the Zombie eradication department, AND she has impeccable taste in male protagonists.
Website: http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CJ-Redwine-Author/214211451945062?fref=ts
Twitter: @cjredwine
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I can’t be the only author who takes the art of character naming seriously.
I mean, how often have people read a book and been thrown off by the name of one of the major characters? The weakly named hero, or the heroine you’re supposed to love, but who unfortunately has the same name as the kid who bullied you in high school . . . Or maybe the gender ambiguous name that’s more confusing than intriguing. Personally, I have trouble if one of the main characters shares my first name — I see/hear it enough as it is, thank-you-very-much. 🙂
Not every possible factor can be considered in the naming game, but there are a few practical considerations I try to start with:
*Ease of recognition/pronunciation.
*Appropriateness to region/genre/culture/time-period.
*Not already taken by someone who is either a) Famous. Or b) Prone to lawsuits.
*Doesn’t begin with the same sound as other character’s names.
*Doesn’t rhyme with the surname, or other character’s names.
*Sounds like a legitimate name when shouted. (Also helpful with naming children.)
*Fitting to the character’s personality.
And then there are the slightly more subjective considerations . . .
-Hero names should, in theory, inspire strength and confidence. (In romances, this often shows up in the blatant ‘alpha male’ designations that conjure the image of a) Weaponry. b) Predatorial/Mythical animals. c) Royalty/Nobility. d) All of the aforementioned.
“Allow me to introduce Sir Griffin McDirk . . .” >.> (Okay, -slight- exaggeration.)
-Villain names are most memorable when they inspire fear . . . or at least, intimidation. Consider the feel and cadence of some of the more famous literary bad guys: Moriarty, Hannibal, Hyde, Ratchet, Sauron . . .
Not-so recommended villain names: Whitney, Lloyd, Edgar, Gordy, Francis, Milton . . .
-And while I do advocate carefully chosen character names, there is such a thing as trying TOO hard. (i.e. Unless you’re going for humor, please refrain from gifting your sultry villainess with a name like: Trixie Vixentrot.)
I began collecting and researching possible names for my theoretical children a good decade prior to their conception. So, I suppose it only makes sense that I would put a similar amount of care into naming the invisible ‘people’ who may one day be as much of a legacy as my own flesh and blood. For me, the traditional wisdom of owning a baby name book gave way to the practicality of relying on online sites like babycenter.com and thinkbabynames.com .
Thanks to my fascination with name meanings and origins, I stumbled upon a printing press that specializes in this type of research. Not only is it a great place to find personalized gifts for anyone with a more exotic or obscure name, but the owner was so kind as to hunt down information on a character name I was kicking around at the time: http://meaning.name/index.html#.UB39RvuLSJA.facebook
In the final analysis, it seems to be all about sound and sentiment. A name has to roll off my tongue, and its implications need to ‘fit’ the character (either in actual meaning, or at least in my mind.). I’ve been known to use names of people I know, or have known, while writing my first draft. I’m not above harnessing the power of mental association if I feel the thought of them summons the right emotional response, or aids in getting me into that character’s head. Of course, just as with borrowing physical descriptions from real-life people, this method is a bit of a no-no when publication time comes around.
But hey, that’s what the ‘find and replace’ tool is for. ^_^
Now, I’d like to see a few other people weigh in . . .
How do you go about naming your characters? 🙂
Hopefully I will be interviewing the Author, C.J. Redwine, somewhere close to her August 28th, 2012 publication date! Stay tuned, there may very well be a FREE BOOK and/or swag involved.
In the mean time . . . on to the next book! Tell me about the best book you’ve read this year, so far. 🙂
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