Glitter and the Crown of Fae Series
February 9, 2025 • No Comments
The first words of the first chapter are a careful choice. We’re told to launch the narrative at the moment when everything changes, withholding any background explanation until such time as the reader is thoroughly hooked by the drama. Building an entire fantasy world and figuring out where to start is even harder. Or, in the case of the Crown of Fae series, starting when the end of the world begins (and figuring out how to end that beginning).
Initially there were four orderly novels, then a prequel (Flicker) and now a prequel to the prequel (Glitter) designed to fold in all that backstory we’re not supposed to tell. I blame the Brightwing dragon shifters, who keep invading my carefully plotted history with yet one more family member wanting a story of their own. First it was Fliss and her boarding school adventure. This time it was big brother Telkoram and the school’s headmistress, Caliste. I won’t say they have a meet cute, but they definitely meet and are about as cute as a dragon can manage.
About that backstory. Those who have dipped into the books may remember the four groups of elemental fae wish to summon their High King to rescue Faery from the Shades. Quake features the earth fae—especially the wolves–and also the outcome of the quest for the High King. The seeds of this story are sewn in Flicker and Glitter, where there was more scope to detail the history of the story world in an entertaining way. In other words, sometimes a prequel of a prequel is entirely necessary and not the hyper-indulgence it first appears.
No wonder Tolkien had entire volumes about all the stuff that came before Bilbo and the gang. It takes a very large canvas to paint an entire universe.
Glitter is exclusive to my reader community. If you’re interested in joining and receiving that story for free, sign up here.
Out of Winter
February 2, 2025 • No Comments
January and February are such odd months. If we get snow here, it’s usually now. On the other hand, my yard is full of early blooms. We’re stuck in a half-and-half holding pattern, ready for spring but not yet out of winter.
This season leaves me restless. The bright sun draws the whole city outside, so on my walk this bright afternoon, the park was crowded. I witnessed a cricket match, wandering peacocks, and ducks in love. A few people sat outside, bundled up to their eyebrows but still eating ice cream sundaes. It seems everyone else is ready to shake off winter, too.
The same impatience infects my writing. My work in progress is so last year. I finished the rough draft of Glitter last night and of course there will be plenty of editing to do, but my heart is already leaping toward the next adventure. I can hear the characters’ voices luring me on. They have secrets, and I must know what they are.
Every new book is different, but there is always a dance, a courtship with the essence of the story. The tale has to be unique, and there must be a challenge to keep my interest—a new technique or unknown subject matter. I can’t write the same book time and again any more than a reader wants a repeat.
Equally important, the characters must be willing to surrender—not all of them are—and be ready to spread out their loves and heartbreaks like wares in a hidden market. If I must be worthy of their trust, they must woo me as well. I won’t weave just anyone into a tale.
Which is why I’m always intrigued by new voices in my imagination. I’m ready to be seduced. It’s time to leave my creative winter even if the real-life season isn’t done. A new story is demanding to bloom.
A goal is a target, not an action
January 26, 2025 • No Comments
The superhuman effort required to be an adult in this world is profound. I’m serious. The struggle to get out the door every morning in some semblance of a public-ready mindset (not to mention clean socks) cannot be overstated.
Still, some of us try to run an author business on top of whatever other icebergs we navigate on a daily basis. Proof of insanity? Case closed.
That said, I’ve come across some good practices that make the journey easier. No, this isn’t another productivity post, because heroic writing sprints aren’t that much fun when you’re actually doing them, and after a certain point at least I stop making sense. As far as how fast you put words on the screen, you do you. This isn’t about how much you do, but how to work smarter.
Am I on track? Do I know where the track is?
Organize whatever tools and ambitions work for you into something actionable. In January I plan where I want to be in December and how I’m going to get there. Yes, I consider productivity, but realistically. Do I want to release three more books in my series this year? Then I need to work out how many words a day I can write, and how many days a week, and mark on the calendar when that adds up to a book. So, if a writer writes a thousand words a day every day, it will take (roughly) three months to finish a manuscript. Add a few weeks for unforeseen interruptions, then a few more for an initial review before it goes off to an editor. Repeat that three times, and there are my three books in a calendar year. I don’t plan to accomplish more than I can actually do.
However, I can monitor my progress through the year. Some don’t like to feel pressure on their creativity, and that’s fair. I’ve had periods like that, too, when it’s not the right time for deadlines. Yet sometimes it is, and I can always change a due date. I never feel the least bit guilty about protecting my well-being—but I’d rather know if I’m off course, because then other timelines need to be adjusted.
Scheduling a release without hurting your brain
Once a book is written, it should come out when it makes the most strategic sense. Uncoupling writing and releasing makes a big difference. Sometimes it makes sense to stockpile stories for a rapid release, coordinate with a particular holiday (hello Christmas books), or build excitement in a slow part of the year. Don’t rush. Ideally, one should give reviewers at least three months to read and review an advanced copy of the book. A longer pre-order also allows for more promotion and (hopefully) a more successful launch. Plan accordingly and schedule launch and pre-order activities on the same calendar as your writing progress because one may impact the other in terms of available time.
Don’t forget marketing and promotion, even if you want to
The third calendar layer is marketing beyond just book launches. This includes content marketing (the cool stuff we put out into the world beyond “buy my book”), newsletters, social media, and paid promotions such as sales on backlist books. Put all those dates on the calendar, too, along with the lead time you need to start working on the material.
How micro one gets is a personal choice. Just the highlights? Or every Instagram reel? Either way, planning a few weeks ahead helps coordinate content topics with release events, newsletter dates, and social media content. Whether this happens on a spreadsheet or in the margins of a date book doesn’t matter, as long as it happens.
There’s always more… and more
My calendar covers writing, releasing, and promotion, but that’s me. It could list podcasting, personal appearances, research dates, or anything else. Any planning calendar should include whatever make sense to the individual.
Goals are good, but without some step-by-step directions, they can sit there like a china shepherdess on the mantelpiece—just another pretty thing collecting dust because they have no real function. When goals have action items on paper and accounted for, then magic happens. It’s dead easy to figure out what needs to be done in a week, budget the necessary time, and address all those authory “shoulds” that never get attention.
Or that’s the idea, anyway. Yes, plans unravel, and my work calendar is no exception. I run out of hours, slack off, or plain forget stuff, but I do get closer to where I want to be. I’ve done the steps that need to happen before crunch time, whether that’s getting the ISBN before last-minute uploading or discovering all the promo sites are booked up long past launch date. Yup, I’ve done both. I needed a method to save myself from myself.
Put another way, I’ve done the dumpster fires so you don’t have to. I’ve learned the hard way. My takeaway was to focus long enough to make a plan, even if it was only once a year.
A Simple Revision Tool
July 21, 2024 • No Comments
One of the first writing workshops I ever taught was about a simple revision tool for structuring a novel’s plot structure, and over a decade later I still use the same principles.
I’ve never been a great out-of-the-gate plotter because I’ve never seen a literary butterfly I didn’t want to chase. But, If I plot too much, I get bored with the story because I know what happens. If I fail to plot, I end up with a big steaming mess. Because I can’t avoid this struggle, I learned to get words on the page and revise later. Usually, I go through some kind of a course-correction process about every 5 to 10 chapters. It’s a chore, but it works.
The process is extremely simple. I know the main two or three characters have a character arc. If it’s a romance I know there’s a conflict between the two lovers. I know there’s an external plot—the mystery or adventure that drives the book. Maybe there’s a theme or two I’m keeping track of, a subplot, or other notable thread. So I make a table with each of these as a row, and create a column for each chapter. It will look something like this:
Chapter | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Story Action | |||
Hero’s Arc | |||
Heroine’s Arc | |||
Romance Conflict | |||
Mystery/External Plot | |||
Subplot 1 | |||
Subplot 2 |
I recall the participants of that first workshop looking wild-eyed at the prospect of using a spreadsheet. In truth, any table will do. Hand draw the squares and stick it on the wall—whatever works. The object of the game is to have a container for your notes. Under each chapter, list what happens in that chapter that advances each arc, conflict, or plot. If there’s nothing for a particular row, that’s okay, but most of the squares should have something. If they don’t, why is that chapter in the book?
I like doing this because it allows me to a) not lose a plot thread, b) spin out the threads evenly across the story, and c) ensure my timeline makes sense. Also, if I have a lot going on that doesn’t fit on the table, I can either weave it in better or get rid of it. It’s also helpful to flag key points (climax, black moment, point of no return, etc) that are important to the story structure. One wants the emotional conflict and psychological development of the characters to track properly with external events.
This is terrifically helpful if I get stuck. If I put down what has happened to date (say, up to chapter 6), I can make sure I know what needs to come next. If I’ve wandered off course or I’m not driving to the next plot point, it’s obvious. I’ve heard that most “writer’s block” is actually “writer is lost in a web of their own devising.” Creating a map helps.
Wafflemania!
March 10, 2024 • No Comments
Once in a while, I get a craving for waffles and then nothing else will do. I don’t need to worry about food allergies, but I know any number of people on gluten-free diets who have had to avoid the toasty decadence of this brunch favorite.
In an effort to end this tragic situation, I got together with a friend and tried three different gluten-free waffle recipes to see what we could learn. Note: we greased the waffle irons with olive oil for all the recipes
In the picture, from left to right, are recipes #1, #3, and #2. Note #1 used a small waffle iron.
Test Recipe #1:
My go-to recipe is from a 1907 Lowney’s cookbook. The page is covered with stains and splashes, which indicates it was used a lot. As is more common in these old recipes, it’s sugar-free and so can be used for sweet or savory combos–and if I’m smothering my breakfast in syrup anyway, I don’t need sweetness in the batter. The real secret to this recipe is whipping the eggs whites and folding them in last. This gives the waffle a fluffy, light tenderness that remained in a gluten free state. The only change I made was substituting Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour.
Sift:
2 cups of flour (gluten free, see above)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt.
Add:
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup plus 1/3 cup milk
3 egg yolks
Beat the egg whites to a stiff peak and fold into the batter. Cook to golden brown perfection!
Test Recipe #2:
Sift:
1.5 cups amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch each of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg
In another bowl, mix:
1/3 cup apple juice
3 beaten eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. Add more liquid if the batter is too thick. Proceed to the waffle iron.
Test Recipe #3:
Follow Recipe #2, but use teff flour instead.
Our Findings:
All three recipes produced waffles that could be frozen and reheated. The first recipe was very close to a “traditional” waffle. The teff waffles had a nice nutty flavor, but were quite dense. These would be best served with a juicy berry mixture or other topping that needs a firmer base. I would like to try this one again and beat the egg whites separately as per recipe #1. The amaranth waffles were also sturdy, but had a lighter flavor I liked a lot. I think there’s more experimenting to be done, but overall this session produced a tasty product sensitive to gluten-free requirements.
New Year, New Plans
January 21, 2024 • No Comments
Like everyone, I get distracted by the holiday whirl leading up to the main event, but every year I spend a delicious few days post-feast surviving off leftovers and planning the writing year ahead. Some of the items that make it to the to-do list are practical (do I have all the right vendors listed on my website?) and some are more strategic. Very few are quick wins because, if they were, I’d have done them already.
Still, I was able to plan the coming year with more confidence than I’ve had for a while. Part of this is due to having some books already written—while I’ve not been releasing as much lately due to personal life chaos, I have been working ahead.
That said, it’s not just the book in front of my nose I need to think, but the two following ones as well. What needs to be done in terms of promotion each month? How much prep time is required? What can I outsource, and what do I need to manage on my own? What will it all cost?
To this end, I had approximately 5,678,341 pieces of paper with bright ideas stuffed into an assortment of folders. I spent quite some time sorting and distilling all that into a series of tasks lists. Research, release plans, blog, social media, newsletter, paid advertising, administrative upkeep, upskilling, etc. The awkward aspect of all this is that they are interconnected and can’t be treated in isolation. They are also mostly timebound items with a best-before date when applied to a specific book. However, I came away with a calendarized workplan to test out.
The first and probably the most important realization is that this isn’t just about add-on activities to check off a notepad. These streams of activity (blog, research, social media, and so on) are like the infrastructure of the house where my creative output lives. If I don’t fix the roof or ensure the heat is working, it’s not a good shelter and my creative output can’t thrive. These activities are more than a necessary evil. They are an extension of the works themselves and deserve as much imagination and interest for their own sake. That’s a mind shift!
Some takeaways:
* In order to treat my creative infrastructure well, I need to set aside dedicated time to attend to it. I’m still playing catch-up, but I’m thinking 1 day a week for maintenance-level activities once the catch-up is done.
* The time to start assembling promotional material is the instant I start Chapter 1.
* Content marketing is 1,000 times more interesting to me than advertising. This is the “here’s my research” approach rather than “buy my book”
* I’m building places for our collective imaginations to hang out. This isn’t about individual products but entire story worlds, so the focus has to be broad.
I’ve set some steep goals, but I do have specific ideas on how to achieve them, which is something. Let’s see what works and what doesn’t.
Basic Pickled Beets
July 23, 2023 • No Comments
I often get over-excited at the farmer’s market and bring home more than I can use. Sometimes this applies to beets and, while I can steam the greens alongside chard, kale, or spinach, I can’t always use the roots as casually. So, I like refrigerator pickles that can be chopped into a salad, on a burger, or used as a garnish. Here’s a very easy recipe:
Steam 3-4 large beets, then slice to desired size chunks. Arrange in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid (a canning jar is ideal)
Boil together:
- 1 cup of cider vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt (large grain type, such as kosher salt)
- 1/4 tsp each peppercorns and mustard grains
- pinch dill seed
Pour the liquid over beets in the jar (don’t strain out the spices). Once the jar has cooled, refrigerate. This will keep for several weeks.
Applesauce Loaf
August 7, 2022 • 2 Comments
Every autumn I turn the scruffier apples from my tree into applesauce. If I’m lucky, I can also scrounge extras from friends who have a bumper crop. Applesauce is great in baking, so I freeze as many pints as possible. It’s a moderate amount of work, but the payoff is worth it.
Here’s an easy applesauce loaf so moist it doesn’t need butter. The recipe makes two loaves, so I have one to freeze or give away.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans.
Sift together dry ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 5 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon mace (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt.
Combine:
- 2 ½ cups of applesauce
- ¾ cup sugar (could be more or less depending on preference)
- ¾ cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk or kefir (I use coconut kefir)
Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time until thoroughly mixed. Finally, mix in:
- 1 cup of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans are good)
Divide batter between the pans and bake for an hour or until a knife comes out clean. This may depend on the amount of water in your applesauce, so be sure to test it and bake a little longer if necessary.
I recommend this with sharp cheddar as a quick lunch on the run.
Hungary Water: Part 2
March 21, 2022 • 3 Comments
This is the continuation of this 
blog describing the recipe and my first try at recreating Hungary Water. I left the test batches to steep for about three months. I waited some months more to let the scents settle down and blend.
My first observation is that volume is important. By the time I strained the vegetable matter from my test batches, I didn’t get much yield—maybe half a cup per jar. The results were also very concentrated. When I do this again, I’m going to use at least a quart-sized container and more liquid.
The rosemary scent dominates the results, but that could be because it was the one element that was home grown and therefore freshest. All three bases initially overpowered the scent of the herbs but calmed down with time. The witch hazel version was fairly raunchy when it first brewed but is now the most pleasant of the three. It is a nice addition to a bath and as a facial astringent. I used the cider vinegar version (diluted) to rinse my hair after shampooing it. This is an excellent way to add scent and shine, but please be careful with color-treated hair as the vinegar can be drying. The vodka version was my least favorite. It killed some stubborn weeds in the driveway and probably any other living entity within five yards. I’m pretty sure the driveway glows after dark and the raccoons are building a bomb shelter.
My honest assessment is that a) a greater liquid volume would create a better balance of scents, b) the combination of herbs could possibly be simplified, and c) I need to do more research into a good liquid base for this purpose. The witch hazel is acceptable, but I’d like to keep exploring.
Bottom line: this experiment opened the door to some interesting possibilities for more research and experimentation.
Pesto!
February 20, 2022 • 1 Comment
As a follow up to our previous post about basil, here is my favorite pesto recipe. Substitutions are easy–if pine nuts are too expensive, walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, or
any combo of the three can be used. If basil is not in season, I’ve used spinach or a blend of spinach and arugula for a punchier sauce.
Put into blender or food processor:
- 4 cups of basil or other greens (such as spinach, parsley, arugula and/or other fresh herbs)
- Crushed fresh garlic (3 cloves) or good-quality powdered garlic to taste
- Half cup pine nuts or other nut/seed combo
- Scant cup of grated parmesan cheese
- Dash of lemon juice
Blend the above until smooth, adding olive oil to thin to the desired consistency (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup).
Pesto literally means “paste” and can be treated like any other condiment. It’s brilliant on pasta, but can also be combined with yogurt to make a great salad dressing. I also use it as a flavoring in wraps and sandwiches or as a veggie dip.