All posts tagged fantasy

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


Last week I wrote only 8K, but most of the weekend was spent editing after getting the manuscripts back from the editor. I’m kind of in-between projects as well, wrapping up a story and not sure if I want to continue what I had interrupted or start something else.

And I backed another sci-fi Kickstarter! 🙂 Yes, I might end up writing more sci-fi this year, and it won’t be in the Star Minds Universe. Or Future Earth Chronicles, for that matter. I wrote a hard SF story (still doing the rounds at traditional magazines) and I might explore that sort of future during the year.

I also somehow plan to write less and read more, LOL! Unfortunately, when I write a lot, I lose reading time (did I mention I’m a slow reader) to going through my own manuscripts, so… I will have to find a new balance this year. It might have to do with last year’s mess or my ever-changing moods or I’m evolving again as a writer, but I’m going to take it easy.

And here I’m saring Angela’s Tips for a Happier Writing Life, see if anything applies to you! 🙂 Also, you might want to start thinking long term. I definitely won’t be here in 50 years, but, like my friend’s, my writing might still be. So, where do you want to be long-term, say in 50 years?

The ten biggest literary stories of the year – a reminder of what 2020 was like. And a reminder that we’re still in the Technological Era… after sharing articles on GPT3, meet its artist brother, Dall-E, the OpenAI’s image generator. Ain’t it cool? I hope to integrate some of this tech in future sci-fi stories! 🙂

Now, I did mention I gave up on Goodreads long ago. It seems like this year a ton of bots have joined, so I reinstated the challenge questions. Despite that, friend requests keep coming with that “hi 51XXXXX” I don’t know where they got from. Sorry, “friends”, if you want to connect with me, it’s not on Goodreads that you’ll find me.

I should probably clean my friends list over there like I did with my Facebook private profile, quietly deleting people I never hear from and not accepting new friends unless we met in meatspace. Except I can’t be bothered going on Goodreads anymore, so I’ll just leave those people hanging and ignore them. Sorry.

Follow me on Bookbub instead, and I might soon share a reading recommendation (if it’s in their system, since I’m not very good at adding books that are not mine on that platform, LOL!). If you’re still following Audiblegate because you have audio books with them, here’s an update. Wishing you a wonderful week! 🙂

by Barb on 20/01/2021  •  Permalink
Posted in reading, real world inspiration, struggles to get through
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Posted by Barb on 20/01/2021

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/wednesday-weekly-roundup-67/

Wednesday Weekly Roundup


And it’s April already? Where did time go? Last week I wrote almost 12K but I also threw away 5K. By Thursday I realized I didn’t need to retell everything and decided to just skip to the almost new stuff. So 5K went in the trash bin, or in an “attempt” copy of the manuscript. Afterward I wrote another 6800words, though, and I’m back to 23K into the manuscript like before cutting out those 5K. Same but different is good, and these characters still have surprises, I’m happy they get the spotlight now! 😀

I should have waited until next year, but well… this is just too good. April 1, 2011 also marks the publishing of my first novel, Books of the Immortals – Air. It’s its 9th bookversary, LOL! Since it falls on a Wednesday this year, I doubt next year it will be as perfect, so… I’ll celebrate now, hehe!

paperbacks of Books of the Immortals - Air

An extra happiness is…

I remember I made press releases, sent out 50 eBook review copies (and it still has less than 10 actual reviews on Amazon, so you understand why I stopped doing that) and even did a Goodreads Giveaway with the paperbacks I had left – I ordered 25 copies from Lulu back then. Then I did a new edition with Createspace, now KDPprint.

I did all of that only for that first novel. The rest just came out, announcing it on the blog and on Facebook and on Goodreads and that’s it. Because all that marketing effort had been close to useless, I stopped doing it. I kept doing guest posts and character interviews for a little longer, though… I stopped that too. I don’t think anyone ever bought one of my books because they read a character interview somewhere.

I might do more, eventually. I might do more Backstage Passes on the publisher’s page, or post something in my Facebook group. At the moment it’s hard enough to just write something new, without bothering with marketing stuff. I even stopped drawing (I’m falling behind with the latest strip, so I’ll probably use next week off day job to catch up and finish it, and I’ll do the paperbacks in May, when I doubt I’ll be able to do that trip I hoped to do) because it gives me time to think…

I know I’ll bounce back – I always do. Meanwhile, if you’re thinking of writing That Book, Kristen Lamb is back and she’s going to help you doing it! 🙂 Or you can take an online course or finally do That Thing you’ve always wanted to do, something creative you didn’t have time for so far… Or you can check the reprints from Kris Rusch’s Freelance Survival Guide! 🙂

Sunday night I had enough of writing and beta-reading, so I re-watched Kaabil. Next week I hope to watch something else, but being off Day Job I’ll have to schedule the week differently. Maybe I’ll even manage to finish Book 6 by Easter and move on to Book 7 the following week! 🙂

We’ll see. Meanwhile, stay home, stay safe and have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 01/04/2020  •  Permalink
Posted in struggles to get through, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 01/04/2020

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/wednesday-weekly-roundup-26/

Writer Wednesday


Last week I wrote about 13K and wrapped The Wanderers at 93K. Now I’m going to leave it alone until Mighty Editor checks it, because I’m bored with it and think it sucks, haha. Besides, I’m reading a non-fiction book about medieval Persia, so it might give some ideas for the past of the southern kingdoms (since this story is set before the Quests).

The good thing about NOT having readers clamoring for more is that I don’t feel the pressure of writing the next book. The bad think is not knowing how I am doing, which makes me doubt myself and my skills. Yeah, my self-esteem is currently low, but I will bounce back, don’t worry! 😉

Anyway, I wrote 400K already this year, and even if I’m not sure I’ll write another 100k in the last four months of the year, I don’t care. I proved I can reach half pulp speed (500K) and stick to my own deadlines, now I can get back to having fun. Productivity was never my problem, was it?

If and when some series of mine takes off, I have more books to write. Meanwhile, I have some experiments to do to get out of this burn out. Currently writing shorts for anthos and trad mags, while coloring the Silvery Earth Kids strip (about 10 to color, then about 80 to letter) that I hope to complete by the end of September.

Then I’ll need to do a print attempt with Lulu so I can check it (my eyes don’t like staring at the screen, and printed out mistakes are glaringly obvious) and redraw whatever needs redrawn or adjusted. Not sure yet what my next long project will be. Possibly a contemporary story or maybe another historical fantasy. I did buy some books in Edinburgh! 😉

Still slowly tending the garden, and last week I resumed the Backstage Pass. And since I need to be gentle with myself, I won’t be posting weekly, but every other Sunday.

I’m working on the next instalment, but the topic seems hard to tackle. I do have some articles ready (meant for my never-started magazine or my aborted-Patreon), but I want to write something new that has been on my mind for months. So I will ponder it a little longer.

Meanwhile, there’s another free story up on the Infinite Bard, check it out! Have a great week! 🙂

by Barb on 04/09/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in struggles to get through, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 04/09/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/writer-wednesday-384/

Writer Wednesday


Last week I started on The Path of Metal and wrote 13K. I’m also adding strips to the strip, but I hope to wrap everything in Edinburgh. I have a few short stories to write bythe end of August, lest the submission windows closes! Hopefully those places have some kind of submission form, since one of my latest attempts was flagged as spam and didn’t go through. Sigh.

And we have another batch of missions of the Lone Wolves Team! Again at all retailers, then one more and it’s over… at least for now! I’ll do a collection of the collection at the end of August. Cherry is on the cover, as always by awesome Ravven…

Don’t forget this is the last week of the Smashwords Sale… it lasts only until the end of the month. You have a few more days to grab some of my books 50%off! 🙂 And check out the other authors too! 😀

Here’s an amazing learning opportunity for you IF YOU’RE IN THE US. I can vouch for Kevin J. Anderson and Dean Wesley Smith as teachers, but I always come back frustrated from the business masterclasses, because none of that applies in Italy. But if you’re American, you should definitely check them! 😉

And here’s some advice from Joe Konrath, 6 things writers need to stop worrying about. Very apt since I’m heading for a conference tomorrow! 😉

Also, if you plan on writing sci-fi, check this article. I did read that book of putting science into fiction, and it’s good! Also, the article is right down my alley too! 😉

Now I better go back to my fantasy world… but know that there are a few sci-fi stories to write when I’m done with Torik and friends! 😉

And last but not least, it’s Infinite Bard time again! Hop off to the main page and discover another new author, another free story… Have a great week! 😀

 

by Barb on 24/07/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in struggles to get through, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 24/07/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/07/24/writer-wednesday-378/

Random Friday


Okay, I had to share this because I think it’s too cute. I’ll try to do also a 2020 Silvery Earth Kids Calendar, it will be available with the strip paperback. Meanwhile, here’s a preview with the (unedited) prose version for the visually impaired underneath.

Torik’s New Clothes

Torik got out of bed, washed his face, then grabbed his clothes. He put on his breeches and realized that not only the looked shorter than usual, but also he had trouble making them fit around his waist. Even his tunic looked kind of small for him.

“Mooom! My clothes have shrunk!” he complained.

“No, honey, you’ve grown up,” she replied patiently from the other side of the room. “You need new ones.”

“Oh.” Torik stared at his clothes, disappointed. He tried to squeeze in them anyway, and then checked his boots.

“My boots have shrunk too!” he whined.

“Wear sandals until we get you new ones,” his mother replied.

It was summer, after all. Although going to the forest with sandals wasn’t the best option.

Muttering under his breath, Torik laced on his sandals. They were kind of short too, but at least they didn’t squeeze his feet. The clothes were really uncomfortable, though.

“Can’t move, can’t breathe…” he grumbled.

“Here, take Dad’s old tunic for today,” his mother said, handing him the garment

Torik eagerly took off his own clothes and threw them on the bed. Dad’s tunic was so big, his hands vanished inside the long sleeves and it reached well below his knees. He could go out without breeches, though.

Feeling slightly ridiculous, Torik got ready for the day. Luckily he was spared wood-cutting and his mother took him to the tailor’s shop and then to the shoemaker.

by Barb on 05/07/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in real world inspiration, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 05/07/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/07/05/random-friday-364/

Random Friday


I’ve been reading the last paperback I got in London about the Celts. I bought it to understand better where Bran the Raven came from, but I’m using it also for Torik now.  And I started taking notes for the ancient fledglings of Bran the Raven, namely Helios of Sparta, Marco of the IX Legio Hispanica and Gallo-Roman Druidess Blandine who fleetingly showed up in the novels of Vampires Through the Centuries.

I’d bring those to Edinburgh, but maybe it’s better if I take those to Dublin instead. If I’m overwhelmed at Worldcon, I can always go to the Irish Library and study for Drustan and the state of Ireland in the first century CE (when Helios and Marco go there with Bran, and where Drustan is made).

So I’m trying to go through some antiquity history, which I haven’t studied since high school 35 years ago. Of course the first place to look is Wikipedia, but then I expand and look also elsewhere. I’m considering other Osprey books, but since Bran is no warrior, he’s probably going to stay away from wars anyway, so I don’t really need to study campaigns. He’s probably staying in Carthage when Hannibal conquers Rome! 😉

Anyhow, after Silvery Earth I might go back to those vampires. Write the stories of the ones who show up in Future Earth Chronicles and the older ones who don’t make it to the 21st century. And then we’ll see. I might try to write to market after Edinburgh, if I find a genre I like to read (and it won’t be urban fantasy, even though I’m a city woman).

My brain is too fried to make decisions now. I’ll finish studying the Celts and then we’ll see. Have a great weekend! 🙂

by Barb on 28/06/2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 28/06/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/06/28/random-friday-363/

Writer Wednesday


As expected, last week I wrote only 1600 words, much like last October when I was jet-lagged. And many were of the webcomic/strip – now I have to draw them, color them, etc. Stay tuned…

I’m still putting together those anthologies, so I haven’t started writing yet, but I sure hope to do it this very afternoon and launch into the next Star Minds Lone Wolves Team mission! 😉

And Fantasy Portals is now available for pre-order. Stay tuned for More Portals. During the weekend I’ll work on the paperbacks so on launch day you’ll be able to choose between ebook and paperback! 🙂

And of course Future Earth Chronicles Book 5 went live, so now if you want you can buy all five together and binge-read them! 🙂

And did I mention someone was putting bundles together? Here you have two, one that I’m sharing because even though I’m not in it, it’s Unicorns (my publisher is called Unicorn Productions for a reason! 😉 ) and the other is a very varied collection for all tastes… Stay tuned for more on some Eclectica authors! 🙂

Now if you’ll excuse me, I shall go back to writing… I miss it! 😉 Have a great week! 😀

by Barb on 03/04/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in struggles to get through, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 03/04/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/writer-wednesday-362/

Sunday Surprise – #8Sunday


 

Hello and Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts from their work in ten sentences or less. We are now in Rithvik’s point of view and Kerrien is consulting a mage, hoping to find out what ties him to the beautiful prince. And again, since I have the drawings, here you get your 8-10 sentences illustrated!

***

Veralie sighed, opened her eyes and leaned back.

“No, Kerrien, I don’t feel any magic left in him.”

“But why do I fall asleep when he does and wake up when he does and can’t get rid of him?” Kerrien protested.

Veralie giggled. “Maybe because you like him?”

Rithvik started to like her. Very much. Please make him fall in love with me! Maybe she knew some love spell – but then, he couldn’t ask her in front of Kerrien. He better try to use his old skills again.

***

Beautiful blurb:

Kerrien prided himself on never getting lost, not even in the deepest, darkest forest. That skill came in handy when tracking someone. It gave him an edge over whomever he was looking for. But he sometimes was taken by surprise by what he found.
Kissing a prince awake might not be the smartest thing Kerrien ever did in his life. Especially since he’s now stuck with the beautiful sleeper with a puppy disposition, and has no idea of who sent him to sleep and why.
Feeling a stray cat himself, can Kerrien put up with the young prince demands? Cats and dogs are not supposed to get along, do they?
A fairy tale retelling, a sweet m/m romance, a Silvery Earth novel.

Get the e-book or the brand new illustrated paperback. Beautiful is also included in Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth.

Interview with Rithvik and Kerrien. Another interview with Rithvik and Kerrien at Library of Erana.

I’m also on Patreon. Find all my books here.

by Barb on 24/03/2019  •  Permalink
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Posted by Barb on 24/03/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/sunday-surprise-8sunday-5/

Writer Wednesday


Last week I did my 10K  and worked on publishing a couple of titles, so I didn’t have time to do much more. I couldn’t work on the webcomic/flash series either because I have now embarked in a double writing challenge. I’m revising and expanding a standalone fantasy that will not be translated in English, so this week my wordcount is a mix of English and Italian. I wrote that book in 2004 and there’s still some head-hopping to get rid of as well as settings to add.

I also decided where to end volume 1 of the Legends of the Moren Empire so that in April I can write short stories again. It will be 3 volumes instead of 2, but that’s fine. There is quite a lot of head-hopping there too, even though I’m using the 2004 version and not the original (I learned about POVs that year), so I’m trying to limit the POV characters, although it will be a multiple-POV novel like the Quests books.

At least I can finish it by the end of the month and move on. I have fifteen more missions of the Star Minds Lone Wolves Team to write! 😉 The first batch will come out in April – when that KU exclusive title will finally go wide, yay.

Last week I also had to listen to the whole audiobook, two hours approximately, and request a couple of changes. The narrator was very fast and nice, and now I hit the publish button but I’m not sure when it will actually be available. So stay tuned for further links, probably on the publisher’s page. I also did the paperback so that hopefully Amazon will push it up on its recommendation engine because it has all three formats.

The lucky title is Otherside, and The Hooded Man started production. Still waiting to finalize the narrator for the third audiobook. Since The Hooded Man is shorter than Otherside, though, I probably won’t do the paperback. It’s already included in More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms anyway! 😉

And I published Male Lovers of Silvery Earth Volume 3, with cover art by Eleonora Conti. The only new story is the cover story, Water Creatures. And most of the book is Saif’s Story since it’s a novella or short novel. I published the Italian version almost at the same time, hence the busy week, even though I was off Day Job! 😉

And there’s a Kobo sale or two coming… with two of my older titles included. I don’t have a direct link, but the 500 under $5 Sale is in Australia and New Zealand. The March US Price Drop Sale is of course in the US.

Have a great week! 🙂

 

by Barb on 20/03/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in struggles to get through, writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 20/03/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/writer-wednesday-360/

Sunday Surprise – #8Sunday


 

Hello and Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts from their work in ten sentences or less. We are now in Rithvik’s point of view and you can see what a struggle it will be for him to overcome Kerrien’s denial. And again, since I have the drawings, here you get your 8-10 sentences illustrated!

***

“You’re still used to sleeping like a prince, aren’t you?”

“Well, you could keep me awake…” Rithvik grinned, glancing at Kerrien’s groin.

“Don’t even think about it!” Kerrien warned.

Rithvik sighed. It was going to be a struggle to convince the fierce mercenary to give in to some tenderness.

“Thank you for these boots,” he said. “Much better than my old slippers. What season is it? Will I need a cloak soon?”

 

***

Beautiful blurb:

Kerrien prided himself on never getting lost, not even in the deepest, darkest forest. That skill came in handy when tracking someone. It gave him an edge over whomever he was looking for. But he sometimes was taken by surprise by what he found.
Kissing a prince awake might not be the smartest thing Kerrien ever did in his life. Especially since he’s now stuck with the beautiful sleeper with a puppy disposition, and has no idea of who sent him to sleep and why.
Feeling a stray cat himself, can Kerrien put up with the young prince demands? Cats and dogs are not supposed to get along, do they?
A fairy tale retelling, a sweet m/m romance, a Silvery Earth novel.

Get the e-book or the brand new illustrated paperback. Beautiful is also included in Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth.

Interview with Rithvik and Kerrien. Another interview with Rithvik and Kerrien at Library of Erana.

I’m also on Patreon. Find all my books here.

by Barb on 17/03/2019  •  Permalink
Posted in writing projects
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Posted by Barb on 17/03/2019

https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/sunday-surprise-8sunday-4/

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