kaieSpace Posts2024-03-11T23:11:22+00:00http://kaie.spaceK.A. Wigginskaie.web@gmail.comAuthor's Note on Flatliners2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2024/02/28/authors-note-flatliners<p>Sometimes there are stories you just aren’t equipped to tell. The one that became “The Patron Saint of Flatliners” (published in <em><a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/">Mysterion</a></em>, Patreon exclusive until March 28, 2024) is one of them.</p>
<p>I wrote the earliest version of it the summer after my best friend lost a young member of her extended family to the Vancouver drug toxicity crisis.</p>
<p>It wasn’t really a story at that point—just anger and cursing and chaos on a page. Unpublishable. I never expected to come back to it. But in 2023, I encountered Seanan McGuire’s works and found in her <em>Ghost Roads</em> series a surprising parallel.</p>
<p>Perhaps my strange, admittedly somewhat twisted form of processing/coping mechanism had produced something that would connect with readers after all . . .</p>
<p>But in connecting with readers, in taking something that I wrote for my own reasons and offering it to the world, I find myself concerned that fiction may be mistaken for fact.</p>
<p>So permit me the indulgence of straying into facts for a moment, starting with this:</p>
<p>I never met the girl who died. I know her only through second-hand accounts.</p>
<p>A scattering of stark snapshots of her life are here. Her truth is not.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you what it was like to be her. What her hopes and dreams were, how she thought about the future, God, herself.</p>
<p>I can tell you that, while she experienced hardship and betrayal, while she made choices you may not agree with and that she herself expressed uncertainty and regret over—according to my friend who was working to help her in her final days—I didn’t nearly capture her rage and desperation.</p>
<p>Nor the fervour of her religious practice. In life, she was a devout Catholic.</p>
<p>So, while this story does not, cannot, offer full and meaningful representation to that girl or the (many) other victims of the drug toxicity and opioid crises (please seek out survivors’ first-hand accounts and art for that!), it is perhaps in the area of faith that it falls most short.</p>
<p>In portraying an angry, questioning, alienated protagonist railing against God for her isolation, I fear I have crafted an engaging fictional narrative, but reinforced popular, comfortable myths.</p>
<p>There are convenient untruths that we all cling to at times. “Bad things don’t happen to good people.” “People get what they deserve.” “Overdoses happen to those people and <em>we</em> are not <em>those people.</em>”</p>
<p>Popular myths, modern myths, religious myths, even, depending on the context. Nice people, nice families, educated people, professionals, women, students, children, good church-going folks, stable married couples, middle class households . . . immigrants. Believers. Catholics. Pentecostals. Baptists. And so on.</p>
<p>Pick your label. It still won’t protect you and yours.</p>
<p>The truth is that drug use, experimentation, dependency, addiction, poisoning, overdose, all of these can and do occur within the Church, to Christians, to nice people, to our loved ones, to us. They are not, in and of themselves, a mark of “godlessness.”</p>
<p>This story—both the real life story behind the fiction, and the linked piece—also highlight intersecting marginalizations.</p>
<p>While I think it’s important to take this moment—particularly as this piece was first published by a faith-affiliated market—to challenge Christians and religious communities, along with the “comfortable majority,” to recognize their own vulnerability, it’s also desperately important to stop judging and dismissing those who make different choices and/or come from different communities, backgrounds, and experiences.</p>
<p>This is a story about the vulnerability of people of colour, of people from the Global South, of the harms of adoption practices (esp. in white Chrisitan communities), of the abuses of the patriarchy and toxic control within religious communities, of economic vulnerability and the way young people, especially women and girls, are more easily exploited (and trafficked) when they can’t access adequate housing, education, and employment.</p>
<p>I wrote this story to transmute anger and grief and loss into hope (in my own twisted, strange way.)</p>
<p>I couldn’t change the outcome for one girl, but I could give her a sense of purpose and a continuation past “The End”, at least in fiction.</p>
<p>Since her death, the opioid and toxic supply epidemics have only worsened.</p>
<p>I urge you to take action in whatever capacity you are able. Advocate for safe supply, low barrier housing, and best-available treatments as scientific recommendations evolve. Form, fund, engage in, and champion healthy, strong communities and societies that support human thriving. Get engaged with the political process and hold your representatives to account.</p>
<p>And recognize that this isn’t only a “them” problem—we ourselves and our loved ones also may be vulnerable, if not in this moment, then in the future. Love and support starts at home.</p>
<p>With hope amidst the darkness,
—Kaie</p>
Twilight Zone Time2024-02-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2024/02/04/twilight-zone-time<p>Short, fun announcement that I’ve been waiting for <em>ages</em> to make—I’m <a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">The NoSleep Podcast</a> official!</p>
<p>Check out my eerie li’l Hollywood North x Twilight Zone x end stage capitalism flash/audio play short based on that <em>very</em> short window where I got convinced that being a background performer would be a great writers’ life side gig (spoiler: it was not) and ended up as a hilariously clueless but probably overpaid body double for a 12 year old boy.🫠</p>
<p>Anyway, this is probably my most “straight horror” piece yet (not too much genre blending), more eerie and slow-burn than outright terrifying, with a weird Twilight Zone tilt. Available (only, at this point; licensing enquiries welcome!) as an audio performance by the illustrious NoSleep Podcast—<strong><a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">give it a listen for free here!</a></strong></p>
Awards Eligibility & Winter Update2023-12-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/12/14/awards-eligibility-winter-update<p>So, yeah, six+ months since the last update, probably a good moment to remind folks that my <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">newsletter</a> goes out every second Monday if y’all want to hear from me more often.😅</p>
<p>Also, before I drop my release list, if you like speculative fiction but have limited reading time, Sonia Sulaiman has put together a great reading list of <em><a href="https://soniasulaiman.com/readpalestinianspecfic-reading-list/">Palestinian spec-lit that’s really worth a look instead</a>.</em></p>
<h3 id="quick-round-up-of-2023-publications-for-awards-eligibility--end-of-year-reading-list-purposes">Quick round-up of 2023 publications for awards’ eligibility & end of year reading list purposes:</h3>
<h4 id="1-children-of-earth">1. Children of Earth</h4>
<p>2,900 words in FANTASY MAGAZINE Issue 90 (April 2023)</p>
<p>Eco-anxiety takes on a life of its own in a body-horror-riffic romcom about a goblin-mode girl, toenail cryptids & a shared compost bin.🌿 This one goes out to all the desperate Millennial renters~😘</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/fiction/children-of-earth/">Read (or listen) free online here.</a></strong></p>
<h4 id="2-castoffs">2. Castoffs</h4>
<p>2,000 words in THERE’S NO PLACE (Renaissance Press, October 2023)</p>
<p>A washed-up rockstar searches for home, hope & escape from fae-cursed hunger amidst the wreckage of the career she stole from under the hill and over the sea.</p>
<p>My entry in this Canadian small press anthology on housing insecurity/homelessness is an alternate/experimental retelling of “A Song of Dark Things” and the upcoming SONGSTRESS WIP, which mash up Scottish Folklore “The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich” “Thomas the Rhymer” & “Tam Lin” with end stage capitalism, artistic angst & female rage.</p>
<p>The full <a href="https://renaissance-107765.square.site/product/ebook-there-s-no-place/239?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=4">ebook</a>/<a href="https://renaissance-107765.square.site/product/there-s-no-place/238">paperback</a> just launched, but <strong>send me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to request a review copy</strong> of the story.</p>
<h4 id="3-spectres-of-the-old-world-micro-trilogy">3. Spectres of the Old World “Micro-Trilogy”</h4>
<p>A fast-paced, time-skip NA/YA Dystopian Fantasy of loss, destiny & inter-generational trauma in an eco-punk, post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters. Spinoff of/parallel timeline to the THREADS OF DREAMS series.</p>
<p>This “micro-trilogy” of novelettes adds up to a novella (28,000 words) and is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY">free to read in KU</a> or <strong>send me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to request a review copy</strong>.</p>
<h3 id="general-information">General Information:</h3>
<p>All releases lean more fantasy than horror (but generally crossover with dark fantasy/gothic or weird horror). “Children of Earth” and “Spectres” include SF elements. “Children of Earth” is the most accessible (& fun) of the lot, while also having the most body horror. (Funny how that works . . .) Wordcounts are given for each. I’m Canadian, so all works are eligible for the Auroras, as well as speculative awards like the Nebulas & Hugos (& Stoker? IDK if any are horror <em>enough</em> this year . . .) My work is NOT eligible for the Ignyte awards. Thanks for checking them out! :)</p>
<p>That’s it for new releases from me this year (unless there are any late-breaking surprises👀) BUT you can find everything existing & announced on this site under the Available Now & Coming Soon sections of the home page—already three short pieces under contract or accepted for next year, with Submission Grinder stats looking promising for another few in short order~</p>
<p>As a general recap, it’s been a weird year. Some high points—lots of new milestones in terms of short fiction publishing, speaking, etc.—but also it’s getting harder to stay focused and keep moving forward as the rest of the world unravels in spectacular fashion around us. So, yeah, no new novels this year! Better luck next year . . .😅</p>
<p><img src="2023AwardsEligibility.jpg" alt="" /></p>
Write on Bowen2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/06/15/Write-on-Bowen<h2 id="write-on-bowen-festival-of-readers--writers">Write on Bowen Festival of Readers & Writers</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Sunday, September 17, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 1:30-3:30 pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> The Hearth on Bowen Island, BC</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Workshop: “Choosing a Publishing Path”</p>
<p>Learn from the past, peer into the future, and define your personal motivations and publishing goals with this whirlwind workshop on how best to share your creativity with the right audiences.</p>
<p>We’ll hash out the dreams (and unspoken assumptions) we bring to publishing, take a quick tour through publishing history, and survey the (many!) current and emerging publishing pathways available to us (including traditional, independent/self-publishing, hybrid, short, serial, pre-professional, & more) in order to match them up to our personal and professional goals.</p>
<p>We’ll finish with a review of next steps toward the most common publishing pathways and Q&A. (Want to make sure your specific question or situation gets addressed? Feel free to submit it in advance to <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a>!)</p>
<p><a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins">Learn more & register here.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins"><img src="https://scontent.fcxh2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/355826911_311707187856477_6610897282598425736_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&cb=99be929b-3346023f&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=3hyY1aUS9KkAX98nDLE&_nc_ht=scontent.fcxh2-1.fna&oh=00_AfAjpqoAV7WEr3gBGnL3J0_KnI8kfAwGmg7MT-yqOOel2w&oe=64A9AD62" alt="" /></a></p>
Summer News Roundup2023-06-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/06/01/summer-news-roundup<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://members.museum.bc.ca/public/event/details/87a6be19928b3e7de5fc25b5e7ba86287d209396/1" target="_blank"><img src="https://members.museum.bc.ca/cmfiles/8ad90682024fe441/event_logos/Collaborating_with_BC_Childrens_Authors_Illustrators_June_7_Webinar_(1).png" width="60%" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/1220812922777038849/1678228688/1500x500" width="60%" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins" target="_blank"><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f02932_d3bb23b182cf4897b0bef2993d47433e~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_108,w_792,h_407/fill/w_950,h_488,al_c,lg_1,q_90,enc_auto/Artboard%201.png" width="60%" /> </a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>
<p>It’s really turned into the year of workshops & short fiction around here—not making as much progress on launching the next series (yes there are now multiples waiting in the wings . . .) as I’d like, because there’s just too much going on between the different author societies, festivals, magazines, etc., but it’s not a bad problem to have!</p>
<p>Coming up in the calendar (full event postings in the appropriate section below):</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>“Collaborating with BC Children’s Authors & Illustrators” webinar on Wednesday, June 7 from 12-1 pm for the <a href="https://members.museum.bc.ca/">BC Museums Association</a> (Update: <a href="https://museum.bc.ca/brain/bcma-webinar-collaborating-with-bc-childrens-authors-illustrators/">watch the replay here!</a> )</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“After ‘The End’: Building Brighter Futures in Apocalyptic, Dystopian & Speculative YA” presentation as part of the 3-5 pm themed programming block “The Good, The Bad, and The Imaginary: Utopias and Dystopias in Speculative Fiction” on Friday, June 23 at <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/">(Re)Imagining Tomorrow: Agency and Possibility in Literature and Media for Children and Young Adults Graduate Student Conference in Children’s & Young Adult Literature, Media & Culture</a> hosted by University of British Columbia Master’s of Arts in Children’s Literature & iSchool in Vancouver. (Update: <a href="http://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/files/2023/06/2023-MACL-CONFERENCE-PROGRAM.pdf">Read the program</a>, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/657277273017">register</a>, check out the <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jszfVbhefVtGx37GN8RgpZSAnFwiLeGIIZt9XRQxbso/edit?usp=sharing">official slide deck with notes/reference links</a>, and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1k3DdaMyvgZRFxczIBRzWqNM7JHER57_W_eJMgDhk14k/edit?usp=sharing">check out the extended edition slide deck here</a> for bonus content covering additional themes and topics!) )</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“Choosing a Publishing Path” workshop on Sunday, September 17 from 2-4 pm at <a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins">Write on Bowen Festival of Readers & Writers</a> on Bowen Island</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“Read Local, Teach Local: New Releases by BC Authors & Illustrators!” on Friday, October 20 from 9-9:45 am at <a href="https://www.bctlaconference.ca/">BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association Fall Conference</a> at Kwantlen Park Secondary School, Surrey, BC</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>And I’ll likely also be at Word Vancouver in September on Saturdays. Events earlier this year included presentations to the BC Librarians’ Youth Services Institute, Word Vancouver, and Abbotsford Arts Council, along with my usual Creative Writing for Children term-length workshops.</p>
<p>In short fiction, “Children of Earth” was published (in both text and audio formats) in the April edition of Fantasy Magazine (and longlisted in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize), a spinoff “micro-trilogy” of novelettes, <em>Spectres of the Old World</em>, was published from January to February, two new short stories were accepted to a HWA-qualifying podcast and a SFWA-qualifying small press anthology and a third short was award awarded honourable mention in the Writers of the Future awards.</p>
<p>My latest attempt at restocking my short story folder is going poorly—a really fun high fantasy concept absolutely ran away with the wordcount and is stubbornly turning into yet another novel (or new series), so at some point you all can look forward to a deluge of new releases. Another part of the holdup is that there has been a bit of traditional/legacy publishing interest in some of these works in progress. I like to use Twitter “pitch parties” to practice writing hooks and test market interest/create buzz, and happened to get an (agent) full request on CAVE STORY WIP (a MG Ghost Story) and interest from a (Harlequin romantic suspense?!!) editor on SONGSTRESS WIP (a Fae murder mystery/UF), so it’ll take a bit of time to chase down those leads and see if they’re worth pursuing further.</p>
<p>All that said, I’m hoping there’ll be a bit of a slowdown over summer (though there is the possibility of some summer camp workshops . . . and maybe I should actually see my family at some point . . . ?) and ideally I might have a bit of time to get back into revisions/release planning/drafting on at least one (or all three!) of the novels on the go. I’m definitely not up to Kelley Armstrong/Seanan McGuire levels of productivity here, but it’d be cool to have a major release year with a whole bunch of fun reads all at once! Something to look forward to. :)</p>
UBC MACL Conference 20232023-05-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/05/31/UBC-MACL-Conference-2023<h2 id="ubc-macl-presents-reimagining-tomorrow-graduate-conference">UBC MACL Presents: (Re)Imagining Tomorrow Graduate Conference</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Friday-Saturday, June 23-24, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 3-5 pm Friday (1-9 pm Friday, 8:30-6pm Saturday)</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> UBC Vancouver, Henry Angus Building (Sauder)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> TED-style Conference Talks</p>
<p>Honoured to have had my proposal accepted for this exciting two-day conference put together by the University of British Columbia Master’s of Arts in Children’s Literature & iSchool programs.</p>
<p>(Re)Imagining Tomorrow: Agency and Possibility in Literature and Media for Children and Young Adults Graduate Student Conference in Children’s & Young Adult Literature, Media & Culture features creative presentations on Friday, June 23 and academic topics on Saturday, June 24, with two keynotes and over 40 stunningly diverse presenters from around the world.</p>
<p>I’ll be presenting “After ‘The End’: Building Brighter Futures in Apocalyptic, Dystopian & Speculative YA” based on the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series (specifically the final chapters of <em>Burn the Skies</em>) on Friday, June 23 during the 3-5 pm themed programming block “The Good, The Bad, and The Imaginary: Utopias and Dystopias in Speculative Fiction.”</p>
<p>While most of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series leans into its gothic-dystopian and post-apocalyptic premise and conflict, the thing about starting off a book/series with a dystopian setting is that characters trying to “save the world” means they end up envisioning and building something better by the end, so you actually have to figure out some kind of utopian vision along the way. ^_^;</p>
<p>So there are a few points (Nine Peaks in <em>Black the Tides</em>, and to a greater extent, Regen City in <em>Burn the Skies</em> and part 3 of <em>Spectres of the Old World</em>) where community and city building attempt utopianism, and that’s what I’ll be briefly presenting from/on—apocalyptic, dystopian, and utopian futures in children’s & YA literature and how they illustrate better possibilities, expose and bring catharsis to current realities, and confront trauma.</p>
<p>If delving deep into themes, theory, worldbuilding, etc. in children’s & teen lit sounds like your kind of good time, <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/">check out the full schedule here</a> and/or in the <a href="http://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/files/2023/06/2023-MACL-CONFERENCE-PROGRAM.pdf">official program</a>(PDF).</p>
<p>You can also find the <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jszfVbhefVtGx37GN8RgpZSAnFwiLeGIIZt9XRQxbso/edit?usp=sharing">official slide deck with notes/reference links</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1k3DdaMyvgZRFxczIBRzWqNM7JHER57_W_eJMgDhk14k/edit?usp=sharing">the extended edition slide deck with bonus content cover additional themes and topics</a> here!)</p>
<p><a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/1220812922777038849/1678228688/1500x500" width="90%" /></a></p>
BC Museums Association2023-05-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/05/30/BC-Museums-Association<h2 id="collaborating-with-bc-childrens-authors--illustrators-bc-museums-association-x-cwill-bc-webinar">“Collaborating with BC Children’s Authors & Illustrators” BC Museums Association x CWILL BC Webinar</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Wednesday, June 7, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 12-1 pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> online</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong></p>
<p>I’m looking forward to showcasing all the exciting collaboration possibilities (and successful examples) between local kidlit creators and museums, galleries & other Arts institutions for the BC Museums Association.</p>
<p>I love history, and all of my series so far feature local history and/or scenes set at historic sites around the province (Burnaby Village Museum in <em>Black the Tides</em> from Threads of Dreams, ghostly flashbacks through the last 150 years of Chilliwack’s history in CAVE STORY WIP, and SONGSTRESS WIP takes a detour through a kobold community hiding in Britannia Mine Museum), so it’s going to be super fun to get to connect with this group!</p>
<p><a href="https://museum.bc.ca/brain/bcma-webinar-collaborating-with-bc-childrens-authors-illustrators/">Watch the replay here!</a></p>
Read Local! CWILL BC 2023 Spring Preview2023-04-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/04/28/read-local-cwill-bc-2023-spring-preview<p>Special thanks to The British Columbia Library Association Young Adults and Children’s Section (YAACS) for the opportunity to pop into their 2023 Youth Services Institute day for a lightning talk!</p>
<p>Watch the replay for a sneak peek at some of the 2023 new and upcoming BC kidlit releases we’re most excited for at <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2023/04/24/read-local-2023-spring-preview/">CWILL BC</a>, along with a quick overview of bringing BC kidlit authors, illustrators & books into libraries, schools and institutions!</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GG7JFEBheY4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
Fantasy Magazine2023-04-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/04/11/fantasy-magazine<p>Incredibly proud and excited to share “Children of Earth” with the world. 🎉</p>
<p>Eco-anxiety takes on a life of its own 😏 in this laugh-out-loud climate fiction-meets-body horror-meets-rom com about the dangers of lusting after your neighbour(‘s laneway house) & the pursuit of eco-sainthood in Issue 90 (April 2023) of Fantasy Magazine.</p>
<p>It features a goblin-mode Millennial, toenail cryptids, and a shared compost bin.</p>
<p>You can <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/fiction/children-of-earth/">read it (or listen to the podcast/audiobook version) for free online</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/april-2023-issue-90/">buy the whole brilliant💅 April edition as an ebook for just $2.99</a>, or <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/subscribe/">subscribe for even more fantastic speculative lit for under $24/year</a>!</p>
<p>And don’t miss my <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/non-fiction/author-spotlights/author-spotlight-k-a-wiggins/">author spotlight</a> with Fantasy Magazine co-editor-in-chief Christie Yant while you’re there.</p>
<p>Podcast/audiobook version narrated by Judy Young. Longlisted in the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Honourable Mention in the 2022 Writers of the Future Awards.</p>
<p>With thanks to Arley Sorg at Fantasy Magazine for hands-down the best editing experience I’ve ever had, Dean Wesley Smith at WMG Publishing/Pulphouse Fiction Magazine for the killer workshop that spawned this monstrosity, and Rebecca Schaeffer’s MARKET OF MONSTERS series for the twisted inspo (& Mirella’s name).</p>
<p>And it’s kinda a deep cut, but for anyone who’s curious (mild spoiler alert? IDK?🤷), the thing Mirella orders to deal with her little problem was totally inspired by a Lomi machine, so if you guessed that, congrats. 😂</p>
The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub2023-03-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/03/30/zombie-sub<p>I’ve got some amazing news, but first: a quick heads-up on a super short #IndieApril Sale April 1-3 at <a href="https://promotions.narratess.com/">Narratess</a>!</p>
<p>And, in other news, I’m excited to have just been accepted into The Writers’ Union of Canada! Check out my <a href="https://writersunion.ca/member/KA-Wiggins">new speaker’s profile here</a>. I’ll be eligible for funding going forward under the Ontario Writers-In-The-Schools and the National Public Readings programs, so schools and organizations interested in booking an author visit, presentation, or workshop, please get in touch!</p>
<p>And finally, the contract isn’t actually signed yet, but I’ve just had an offer on a short story I never thought would actually find a home, so buckle up for . . .</p>
<h3 id="the-astonishing-case-of-the-zombie-sub">The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub</h3>
<p>If you’ve ever tried to create something, you’ve probably realized in pretty short order that a gap (ahem: yawning chasm, void, black hole, unscalable cliff of doom) exists between what you envision and what you’re able to create.</p>
<p>This is true regardless of the form your creation takes and, to some extent, regardless of skill level, experience, talent, etc.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that you can’t get better at narrowing the gap. A baby artist takes time to gain mastery over her tools. But even a master has that final thread of uncrossable, unscalable, ineffable <em>something more</em> to keep her awake at night.</p>
<p>Every story is, at some level, a battle to translate as clearly and completely that perfect, unattainable vision into imperfect words on a page.</p>
<p><strong>Case in point: in 2019 I set out to capture an idea about a girl who chose to silence herself in order to win her heart’s desire.</strong></p>
<p>It was loosely inspired by Scottish folklore—<em>Thomas the Rhymer</em>, cursed to speak only the truth, <em>The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich</em>, lost from their own time and stranded in a future they didn’t choose or understand, <em>Tam Lin</em>, stolen away by the queen of fairies, or maybe the stealer of virtue himself, destined for sacrifice—and set in a remote corner of modern Scotland where slow decline and struggle for survival roils beneath an idyllic tourism-oriented veneer.</p>
<p>My first attempt was the lyrical, folkloric “A Song of Dark Things,” a longish short story that sold immediately to <em>Unknown Realms: A Fiction-Atlas Press Anthology</em>.</p>
<p>But it didn’t fully capture the depth of what I wanted, the underlying motivation and tension. So I tried again. And again.</p>
<p>The third attempt was something new, something vital and alive and completely different from anything I’d written before. It switches perspectives, introducing an outsider’s view and voice, along with a whole new set of problems and possibilities. And it ended up being the start of something far bigger than I could finish back in 2019. You’ll get a look at it one of these days—it’s now the first chapter in the series I’ve been referring to as Songstress WIP.</p>
<p>But let’s circle back to that second attempt. The weirdest one in the Songstress triptych of tales about fae and rockstars and tricksters breaking barbed promises.</p>
<p><strong>“Calloused” was the shortest, strangest, most difficult story of the three by far.</strong></p>
<p>It jitters between past and present from one scene to the next. It’s entirely narrated, the “action” hinging on quiet, fierce interiority of purpose. While it racked up its share of wonderfully encouraging comments (and took a Silver Honourable Mention in the Writers of the Future Awards last year), it was rejected so many times (59!) that I’d put it through over a dozen revisions and finally resigned myself to releasing it as a subscriber exclusive, or maybe as a launch bonus, when a submission I’d thought was dead came back to life.</p>
<p>This is not an Easter metaphor in disguise, in case you were worried. Short fiction submissions usually have a projected response time. When you don’t hear back by that point, you can contact them for an update or assume (as I generally do) that they’ve either run out of time/money/interest, lost your work, folded, hated what you wrote, and/or all of the above. In this case, the zombie sub popped back up with a vengeance.</p>
<p>The contract isn’t actually signed and there’s always the possibility of things falling apart in negotiations, so I’m not going to share the market yet, but I’m excited—at this point, astonished—to announce that a Canadian small press has accepted “Calloused” for a pro-rate themed anthology this fall.</p>
<p>So this is a tale about persistence, and not self-rejecting, and putting weird stuff out into the world, and keeping at it whittling away at that gap between the thing you want to create and what you’re able to create. You never know what will happen. ^_^;</p>
Intro to Publishing2023-03-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/03/03/Intro-to-Publishing<h2 id="abbotsford-arts-council-presents-workshop-wednesday-intro-to-publishing">Abbotsford Arts Council Presents Workshop Wednesday: Intro to Publishing</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Wednesday, February 8, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 6pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Online</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Workshop/Presentation, Q&A</p>
<p>Join us for the second webinar in Abbotsford Arts Council’s Workshop Wednesday series! I’ll be taking attendees through a whirlwind overview of all things publishing–local visibility, in-person sales and ecommerce as a publishing strategy, as well as planning, drafting, editing, product design/development, launching, pre and post-launch marketing, sales & PR, with time for a Q & A at the end.</p>
<p>This webinar is perfect for local writers looking to learn more about the world of publishing and getting their work from their screens to the shelves. Learn more and register at the <a href="https://abbotsfordartscouncil.com/workshop-wednesday-intro-to-publishing/">Abbotsford Arts Council website</a>.</p>
<p>And check back later for more great local artist resources from AAC. I’ll be offering an asynchronous, multi-part marketing and cover design workshop before the end of March, and there’s more on the way!</p>
<p><img src="https://scontent.fcxh2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/334197283_757585608924590_6561403080703077754_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=KxA8NpufAl8AX9tW9wC&_nc_ht=scontent.fcxh2-1.fna&oh=00_AfD-uktLDCWgQ8Hv-AHzg98zFZ7fw-R3tUm3Vd8C-FOnsw&oe=64083D57" alt="" /></p>
WRAD20232023-01-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/01/25/WRAD2023<h2 id="word-vancouver-presents-world-read-aloud-day-2023">WORD Vancouver Presents: World Read Aloud Day 2023</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Wednesday, February 1, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 10-11am</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Surrey Library Central City Branch</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Author Reading & School Presentation</p>
<p>Shoutout to the awesome team at <a href="https://wordvancouver.ca/">Word Vancouver</a> for the invitation to host their in-person World Read Aloud Day event this year!</p>
<p>I’ll be chatting with <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a> member and recent debut Emily Seo as she presents a reading from her 2022 middle grade novel <em>The Science of Boys</em> and demonstrates some live science.</p>
<p>Local schools will be joining us for this celebration of reading aloud at Surrey Library Central City Branch from 10-11 am on February 1, 2023.</p>
<p>I do also still have availability open on the afternoon of Feb. 1 for schools or libraries who want to book a short, free virtual reading (or, locally, live reading).</p>
WRAD2023 Plus A Not-Announcement2023-01-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/01/25/WRAD2023-plus-a-not-announcement<p>Shoutout to the awesome team at <a href="https://wordvancouver.ca/">Word Vancouver</a> for the invitation to host their in-person World Read Aloud Day event this year!</p>
<p>I’ll be chatting with <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a> member and recent debut Emily Seo as she presents a reading from her 2022 middle grade novel <em>The Science of Boys</em> and demonstrates some live science.</p>
<p>Local schools will be joining us for this celebration of reading aloud at Surrey Library Central City Branch from 10-11 am on February 1, 2023.</p>
<p>I do also still have availability open on the afternoon of Feb. 1 for schools or libraries who want to book a short, free virtual reading (or, locally, live reading).</p>
<p>In other news, I’m very excited to not-yet-officially be able to announce my first audio adaptation has been licensed! <em>Hollow</em> will be coming to a horror podcast near you in the not-so-distant future.</p>
<p>The market has requested the official announcement wait until the story goes live, so all I can really say now is that it’s an eerie, Twilight-zone-esque short story inspired by Hollywood North, a Horror Writers of America-qualifying sale, audio-only (first print rights still available), and despite the horror label, suitable for all ages.</p>
<p>And, as a word of encouragement for the writers out there: don’t self reject! Getting into this market felt like a real stretch to me, the story is kind of a different direction from my usual (more “straight horror” than cross-genre? But not actually <em>that</em> scary? More unsettling/chilling than gory or bloody?), and I’d very nearly retired it from my submissions rotation when the license request came through on a long-dormant sub. You never know what will connect and with whom!</p>
<p>Looking forward to seeing how they interpret this story to audio—so many fun opportunities with the sound design. Will keep you posted when it goes public!</p>
Write A Book In 20 Weeks Workshops2023-01-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2023/01/10/write-a-book-in-20-weeks-workshops<h2 id="write-a-book-in-20-weeks-workshops">Write A Book In 20 Weeks Workshop(s)</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> weekly from January 28 to June 10, 2023</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> Regular workshops at 9-10AM PST (12-1PM EST), Kids’ workshops at 10:30-11:30AM PST (1:30-2:30PM EST)</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Online over Zoom</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Writing Workshop</p>
<p><strong>Need a plan to tackle that “finally write my book” New Year’s Resolution?</strong></p>
<p>Find yourself typing “the end” faster (or maybe for the first time ever!) with a structured, supportive 20-week (term-length) workshop starting January 28 (9 am for adults, 10:30 am for kids) on Zoom.</p>
<p>Each weekly workshop includes live, interactive access over Zoom with short writing exercises and presentations on creative writing, storytelling, plotting & publishing, slide and video archives (for later review and/or if you miss a week), office hours, + individual feedback on up to 20 pages each week.</p>
<p>These workshops are best suited for kids, teens, and adults looking for step-by-step guidance, accountability, and encouragement in starting (and finishing!) the first draft of a (fiction or narrative nonfiction) book.</p>
<p>Class sizes are small due to the amount of individual attention involved, so don’t miss your chance to join!</p>
<p><a href="https://mailchi.mp/b859745a22e4/spring-2023-workshops"><strong>Learn more and apply now!</strong></a></p>
Want to Write a Book With Me?2023-01-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/01/10/want-to-write-a-book-with-me<p><strong>Need a plan to tackle that “finally write my book” New Year’s Resolution?</strong></p>
<p>Find yourself typing “the end” faster (or maybe for the first time ever!) with a structured, supportive 20-week (term-length) workshop starting January 28 (9 am for adults, 10:30 am for kids) on Zoom.</p>
<p>Each weekly workshop includes live, interactive access over Zoom with short writing exercises and presentations on creative writing, storytelling, plotting & publishing, slide and video archives (for later review and/or if you miss a week), office hours, + individual feedback on up to 20 pages each week.</p>
<p>These workshops are best suited for kids, teens, and adults looking for step-by-step guidance, accountability, and encouragement in starting (and finishing!) the first draft of a (fiction or narrative nonfiction) book.</p>
<p>Class sizes are small due to the amount of individual attention, so don’t miss your chance to join!</p>
<p><a href="https://mailchi.mp/b859745a22e4/spring-2023-workshops"><strong>Learn more & apply now!</strong></a></p>
Birth of a Micro-trilogy2023-01-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2023/01/08/birth-of-a-micro-trilogy<p><strong>Escape the past. Save the girl. Take back the future.</strong></p>
<p>A century after Dreamfall scorched the earth and woke its merciless protectors, Spectre squad’s first unsupervised mission is boring as dirt. After all, they’re dream walkers—ecologists and healers, not soldiers.</p>
<p>But when second-in-command Ghost saves a strange girl from sea monsters, they stumble across a secret that shatters the foundations of their society and will change all their lives—if they survive to tell the tale.</p>
<p><strong>The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of one boy desperate to escape his destiny.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY"><strong>Spectres of the Old World Part 1: Mud Monsters & Revelations</strong></a> is a fast-paced YA Dystopian Fantasy of loss, destiny, and inter-generational trauma in an eco-punk, post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters.</p>
<p>This novelette-length adventure ends in a mild cliffhanger and kicks off a three-part YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Romance “micro-trilogy” in the same world (parallel timeline) as the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> trilogy (featuring “Ash” as the crossover protagonist.) <em>Spectres of the Old World</em> stories can be read as a standalone series or, due to spoilers, following <em>Burn the Skies</em>.</p>
<p>Spectres of the Old World are Kindle Unlimited (Amazon) exclusive releases:</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>**<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY">Part 1: Mud Monsters & Revelations</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRPMV6NV">Part 2: Rattlesnakes & Nightmares (23/01/24</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP5Z13S">Part 3: Sedition & Sea Monsters (23/02/06)</a>**</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>_</p>
<p>. . . Which begs the question <em>“what is a micro-trilogy?”</em></p>
<p>When I relaunched the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series in 2021 with the fifth-anniversary edition covers, I missed two titles: <em>Under</em> and <em>Spectres of the Old World</em></p>
<p><em>Under</em> was launched in 2019 as <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">an exclusive novella release for my newsletter subscribers and is still available as a free download</a>. (I’m working on a small glow-up and planning a wide release for later this year.)</p>
<p><em>Spectres</em> is brand new. The only completely new release in the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> extended story world since <em>Burn the Skies</em> wrapped up the main trilogy in 2020.</p>
<p>I actually wrote <em>Spectres</em> a couple years ago and . . . just didn’t find the right moment to release it.</p>
<p>Or maybe knew, at some level, that it wasn’t quite finished.</p>
<p>Because it started as a short story that turned into a long short story—a novelette. And then hit a time-skip and turned into <em>another</em> novelette. And hopped past another chunk of time into the unwritten future of Cole and Ash and the gang where, you guessed it, another whole novelette’s-worth of adventures unfolded themselves.</p>
<p>So I had a novella’s-worth of story on my hands, split into three roughly-even parts, two of which ended on mild cliffhangers, the second darker than the first . . .</p>
<p>Sounds awfully like your classic three-act structure—<em>or a fantasy trilogy</em>.</p>
<p>At the same time, I’d been meaning to play rapid release strategies and KU. So this is a bit of an experiment, allowing the story to follow it’s own natural structure while giving readers an episodic mini-series sort of reading experience. Hopefully it’s fun! And, at some point in the future, I’ll probably pull <em>Spectres</em> from KU and give it a more standard wide-release in novella form. :)</p>
Achievement Unlocked!2022-12-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/12/16/achievement-unlocked<p>Very excited to sneak some (slightly nerdy?) author news in before the end of the year: <strong><a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/"><em>Fantasy Magazine</em></a> just licensed first English world rights to “Children of Earth”(!!!)</strong></p>
<p>Skip this next bit if you’re not into geeky publishing insider talk, but: this news is kind of a big deal because, for writers, short fiction markets operate on a scale from “for the love” (unpaid/for exposure) through various token (small money) and semi-pro rates (little bit more money) up to “pro-market” rates. While I love every story I’ve put out into the world and support and appreciate every publisher and market that I’ve worked with, <em>Fantasy Magazine</em> is my first “pro-market” sale. In real terms, it means (a little) more money, the potential for more exposure and recognition, and it’s also a qualifying step toward membership in professional organizations like the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. So it’s a real milestone!</p>
<p>There’s a bit of fun backstory to how this all came about. <a href="https://kriswrites.com/">Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s weekly business-for-writers blog</a> is a must-read for anyone in publishing or thinking about/moving toward publishing, and her weekly free short stories were also instrumental in nudging me (back) into writing short fiction. She’s an amazing, prolific writer with enormous range, who just so happens to be married to another amazing writer, Dean Wesley Smith. Together, they own <a href="">WMG Publishing</a>. Which, in addition to putting out great books, does some really fun stuff in terms of Kickstarter projects & author education workshops. (One of my “when I grow up” big deal/pro author dreams is to actually do a workshop with them in person one day when I have the money/time, lol.) Definitely recommend their online or live workshops if you’re able/interested. In the meantime, I sneak in the occasional virtual workshop when I can.</p>
<p>In Fall 2021, I did a virtual workshop with WMG Publishing called “Writing a Pulphouse Story.” <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/"><em>Pulphouse Fiction Magazine</em></a> is a cross-genre quarterly that publishes “strange” lit. I’d already written “Castoffs” (the body-horror meets humour short story in <a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream"><em>It Was Only A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em></a>) by then, so I thought it might be my kind of thing. I blew it so hard on the week 1 assignment. Week 2 wasn’t great either. But for week 3, I wrote “Children of Earth.” Dean, who edits <em>Pulphouse</em>, offered to buy it for the magazine. Which was amazing. But, even better, he said I could shop it around first & he’d still be interested in reprint rights. Solid dude. So I entered it in the Writers of the Future contest and (for the first time) placed, with an honourable mention in Q1 of this year (I later received a silver honourable mention in Q3 on a different short story that I’m still shopping around).</p>
<p>Anyway, a big shoutout goes out to Dean Wesley Smith of <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/"><em>Pulphouse</em></a>, <a href="https://smithsmonthly.com/"><em>Smith’s Monthly</em></a> & <a href="https://wmgpublishinginc.com/">WMG Publishing</a> for pushing me to get as unhinged as possible and not edit my voice into oblivion before submitting. I also just so happened to be reading Rebecca Schaeffer’s (fantastic, twisted, dark, violent, complex) <em>Market of Monsters</em> series when I wrote “Children of Earth.” So the viewpoint character, “Mirella,” is an homage to Schaeffer’s series, and I suspect the body horror aspect owes a debt to her series as well. A true CanLit horror queen~</p>
<p>Finally, I don’t actually know the launch date or which edition of <em>Fantasy Magazine</em> the story will drop in yet, but I’ll be sure to shout about it when it does. One of the cool things (among so, so many) about placing a story with them is you all get to read it for free when it comes out! They also sell <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/store/">digital (only) subscriptions</a> if you prefer ebook format, want to support the fantastic work they do, or are looking for a unique gift idea for a fantasy lover in your life.</p>
<p>So, if you loved “Castoffs” in <a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream"><em>It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em> (Hungry Shadow Press, 2022)</a> but thought it could’ve used more body horror, MORE eco-anxiety and a dash of romance, keep your eyes peeled for “Children of Earth” coming soon from <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/"><em>Fantasy Magazine</em></a>!</p>
Fall 20222022-11-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/11/28/fall-2022<p>Yet again I’m waaay behind with updates (join my Twitter or newsletter if you want news while it’s still news, I guess), but here’s some of the cool stuff that’s been going on:</p>
<p><img src="/blog-banners2.jpg" style="max-width:95%;" /></p>
<p>Congrats to CWILL BC Nikki Bergstresser, who just took home the Literary Arts Award in front of a sold-out crowd at the Abbotsford Arts Council’s 18th Annual Arty Awards. As last year’s recipient, I was honoured to have the opportunity to present. :D</p>
<p><img src="/blog-banners1.jpg" style="max-width:95%;" /></p>
<p>BC Teacher-Librarians’ Conference was a blast! I had a great time presenting (over 50!) new releases by BC authors and illustrators of books for kids and talking about collaboration opportunities between school librarians and local authors. CWILL BC will plan on making this an annual event going forward. Word Vancouver Festival was also super fun, with two jam-packed live days plus the virtual/school presentation programming to moderate.</p>
<p>It’s also been a strong year for short fiction:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>CASTOFFS in <em>It Was Only A Dream: Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em> (Hungry Shadow Press, 2022) has done amazing. Cannot believe how much buzz this antho has got!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>THE UNSOUGHT LIGHT was licensed to be reprinted in <em>Seasons Unceasing</em> (Worldsmyths Publishing, 2022) and is 2/3 of the way through edits, scheduled for re-release before the end of the year</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A pre-published speculative short, CALLOUSED, recieved Silver Honourable Mention in Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q3</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A pre-published speculative short, CHILDREN OF EARTH, recieved Honourable Mention in Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q1 and has been shortlisted in a keystone speculative professional market</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>On that note, longer releases will be the focus for 2023, including a new novella and a novella rerelease in the Threads of Dreams series, a spooky middle grade/junior teen novel, and a new adult speculative series. And it looks like my spring creative writing workshop will be mostly middle schoolers, which is going to be super fun. Can’t wait!</p>
<p>Finally, World Read Aloud Day is coming up. I’m happy to volunteer a short reading from an upcoming middle grade novel, YA novels, or short fiction, or from works that inspired me for interested classrooms ranging from grade four through high school. Shoot me a message at kaiewrites@gmail.com to book a free 10-20 minute reading + author visit on February 1, 2022!</p>
BCTLA Fall Conference2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/09/13/BCTLA-fall-conference<h2 id="cwill-bc-presents-2022-bc-books--intro-to-collaborating-with-local-authors-at-bctla-fall-conference">CWILL BC Presents: 2022 BC Books + Intro to Collaborating with Local Authors at BCTLA Fall Conference</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Friday, October 21, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 1-2pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> New Westminster Secondary School</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Multimedia Presentation & Workshop</p>
<p>I’ll be presenting a mixed-format multi-media presentation and workshop on behalf of <strong><a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a></strong> highlighting our free resources for teachers and librarians, presenting 2022 releases, and engaging in dialogue around BC books for kids.</p>
<p>We’ll also have a table in the exhibitors’ hall with free bookmarks, swag, and books for sale.</p>
<p><a href="https://bctla.ourconference.ca/index.php#"><strong>Register at the fall conference site.</strong></a>.</p>
Who do I talk to about...2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//faq/2022/09/13/who-do-i-talk-to-about<p>Please <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">email kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Licensing, film, and other rights enquiries</li>
<li>Speaking engagements including school visits, festivals, and workshops</li>
<li>Interviews, blurbs, collaborations</li>
</ul>
<p>Please feel free to reference the <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x8EKg8U87SF9JMsRjMdbD_P1cpkv7p_T?usp=sharing">media resource centre</a> for promotional images and content if needed.</p>
The Horror Anthology of 20222022-09-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/09/12/the-horror-anthology-of-2022<h1 id="preorders-are-open">Preorders Are Open!</h1>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch40jJGO-5U/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch40jJGO-5U/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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<p>I’ve just seen the print proofs for <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</a></strong> and this is one you won’t want to miss!</p>
<p>The star-studded lineup alone makes it one of the most exciting anthologies of Spooky Season 2022(TM), but the creepy/schlocky, retro-horror-movie black-and-white interior illustrations for each story make this not only an incredible read for horror lovers, but a real show-stopper for your shelves.</p>
<p>Swing by the publisher’s site to <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">grab your copy</a></strong> (drops October 18, 2022/preorders open now).</p>
<p>Brandon at Hungry Shadow Press has really been working overtime making this an exciting launch. Here’s a bunch of us chatting horror and weird fiction on <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMAmXyUKWbo" target="_blank">Bonehead Weekly’s Show</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/news" target="_blank">watch this space</a></strong> for art reveals and interviews with many of the authors about their inspiration and insights into each trope-story pairing (mine drops October 12!)</p>
<p>Content note: while I write for middle grade, young adult, and all-ages audiences and my story in this anthology is suitable for my regular audience, the anthology as a whole is recommended for adult horror fans.</p>
<p>Speaking of my weird-horror-humour short in this anthology, “Castoffs”, it went through five versions and amassed almost 40 rejections before finding its home (all it takes is one ‘yes’—hang in there, writers!)</p>
<p>Here are some of my favourite rejection notes:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>“This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“Fun in its own insane, visceral way.”</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.”</p>
<p>Don’t miss this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories! Preorder now at <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">hungryshadowpress.com</a></strong></p>
Word Vancouver Festival 20222022-09-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/09/12/Word-Vancouver-Festival-2022<h2 id="word-vancouver-festival-2022">Word Vancouver Festival 2022</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> September 19, 24-25, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> Various</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Online (Monday, Sep. 19), Surrey City Centre Library (Saturday, Sep. 24) / SFU Harbour Centre (Sunday, Sep. 25)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Panels, Readings, Activities, Book Sale, Giveaway & More</p>
<p>Join CWILL BC at <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/"><strong>Word Vancouver 2022</strong></a>!</p>
<p>Our authors and illustrators are offering virtual midweek sessions (schools, libraries, home learners etc. encouraged to tune in!), we’ll be offering a children’s activity center on Saturday, and hosting a table in the exhibitor’s hall on Sunday. Stop by to say hi, grab some free bookmarks, and enter our giveaway!</p>
<p>I’ll be on site all weekend helping out with free drop-in kids activities, running the CWILL BC table, and moderating the following events:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Finding the Way in your City</strong> A panel for Early Readers (roughly Kindergarten to Grade 3) featuring author-illustrator Kari Rust and Darren Lebeuf on Monday, September 19, 2022 from 9:30-10:15 am on Zoom: “Two authors share stories of kids discovering how to connect to their city and see places in a whole new light. In one case, a group of children befriend an older man and learn about the many fascinating older objects he holds onto in his house. In the other, a visually impaired young girl experiences the places around her through all her other senses, appreciating them in all their richness.” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUpicy9XOcA"><strong>Watch Recording</strong></a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Twists and Turns</strong> A Reading/Conversation Circle for Middle Grade Readers (roughly grades 4–6) featuring Emily Seo and Bree Galbraith on Saturday, Sep. 24 at Surrey City Centre Library from 1-2 pm: “Life can be full of twists and turns especially when you’re trying to fit in, help family and friends, and ultimately find out who you are. Join these two authors as they share their characters’ unique ways of being true to themselves in a world full of questions and observations.” (No recording available.)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A panel on children’s publishing (for aspiring writers/illustrators & kidlit fans) featuring Claire Lordon, Sara Leach, Bryce Raffle & Danielle S. Marcotte on Sunday, Sep. 25 at SFU Harbour Centre from 11:30-12:30 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxB4tfnEXo0"><strong>Watch Recording</strong></a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Check out the full list of <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2022/08/22/cwillers-at-word-vancouver-2022-festival/"><strong>CWILLers at the festival, free drop-in activities, and giveaways</strong></a> and browse the <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/"><strong>whole schedule here!</strong></a>.</p>
School Visits, Public Speaking and Teaching2022-09-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//faq/2022/09/12/School-Visits-Public-Speaking-and-Teaching<p><img src="/eventbanner.jpg" style="width:100%; margin: 0em 0em 2em 0em;" /></p>
<p>I’m passionate about encouraging, inspiring, and equipping readers and writers of all ages and welcome the opportunity to join events including festivals, conferences, school visits, camps and workshops, and more, schedule permitting.</p>
<h2 id="experience">Experience</h2>
<p>I publish short, novelette, novella, and novel-length speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction & horror) for middle grade (=kids), young adult (=teens & up), and adult readers, and have experience in speaking to elementary, middle school/junior high, high school, and adult audiences.</p>
<p>I’m a registered speaker with (and, as of 2021, president of) the Children’s Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia (CWILL BC) Society (<em><a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/Member_View.aspx?MemberID=82980">CWILL BC speaker’s profile</a></em>) and a member of The Writers Union of Canada <a href="https://writersunion.ca/member/KA-Wiggins">TWUC Speaker’s Profile</a></p>
<p>I’m also a creative writing coach with <em><a href="http://www.cwc2004.org/">Creative Writing for Children Society</a></em>, and have extensive experience creating curriculum and facilitating seasonal camps and term-length workshops on creativity, storytelling, publishing, and writing themes for ages eight and up.</p>
<p>Previous, one-off, in person and remote festivals, sessions, workshops, panels, and masterclasses have included topics on writing and storytelling including craft, short fiction and/or genre fiction, publishing skills, local-history-in-storytelling, eco-fiction and imagining the future, and motivation and resiliency.</p>
<h2 id="logistics">Logistics</h2>
<p>I prefer to work collaboratively with you to identify the best topics for your needs and audience. (Though I can certainly suggest topics that have worked well in the past, depending on age and subject.) Climate futurism, fighting the patriarchy, ghosts of the past, and horror-meets-humour are popular “broad-interest” topics for general (non-writing) groups, while creative writing or ELA bookings may focus more on paths to publishing, worldbuilding, descriptive writing, etc.</p>
<p>Please enquire regarding dates, fees, and any other pertinent logistics with as much notice as possible.</p>
<p>Fees are generally <em><a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/tips.htm">in line with local standards</a></em>, but may be subject to adjustment based on the specific event. Nonprofits should enquire about discounts or alternate arrangements if budget is a barrier. Assistance with grant and funding applications may be available. As a member of The Writer’s Union of Canada, you can seek funding under their programs to work with me, including the Ontario Writers-In-The-Schools and the National Public Readings programs.</p>
<p>Home base is Abbotsford, BC. The nearest airports are Abbotsford (YXX) or Vancouver (YVR). Bookings in Metro Vancouver and/or the Fraser Valley will not incur travel/transit surcharges (happy to drive for day-trips!) Zoom/remote presentations are available.</p>
<h2 id="testimonials">Testimonials</h2>
<p>“Kaie recently joined our Guild of Young Writers program for a virtual Speculative Fiction workshop that exceeded all of our expectations! Kaie provided such an insightful presentation, sharing her own writing process and tidbits about the business of writing itself before diving deep into the elements of speculative fiction.</p>
<p>Her presentation was interactive and engaged the students with specific tips and examples from her own writing, along with suggestions to bring back to their own writing practice. She answered all of their questions with thoughtful and knowledgeable responses and provided the students with such inspiration to move forth with their own writing projects.”</p>
<p>-Rebecca Ruiter, Coordinator & Facilitator, <a href="storystudio.ca">Story Studio Writing Society</a></p>
<p>_</p>
<p>“K.A. Wiggins is an articulate and engaging professional who knows how to bring authors into dynamic conversations meant to inform, entertain and enlighten audiences of all levels. Her ability to seamlessly orchestrate events from beginning to end further demonstrates her passion and care for all that she does.”</p>
<p>-Bonnie Nish, PhD, Executive Director, Word Vancouver and Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia</p>
<h2 id="resources">Resources</h2>
<p>I rarely have footage available from events with young audiences (for privacy reasons, as well as technological constraints), but here are two presentations from Word Vancouver Festival 2022:</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cUpicy9XOcA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxB4tfnEXo0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>I also have a couple mini writing tips posted on social: <em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZfSxMglu1T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Spooky Middle Grade Openings</a></em> and <em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Speculative Worldbuilding Skills</a></em>, and here’s a quick video created by the awesome team at ORCHIDS Childrens Literature Fest (Mumbai, India) with some classroom teaching footage:</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i59lhgzqkQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>Please <em><a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">get in touch directly by email (kaiewrites@gmail.com)</a></em> to discuss your event!</p>
dalightningthief2022-07-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//students/2022/07/04/dalightningthief<p>dalightningthief (pen name) was a middle-school-aged student in my Spring 2022 anthology workshop (remote/Korea) with <a href="https://cwc2004.org/">CWC</a>. Check out his dramatic story from our anthology reproduced <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/313745321-truth">on Wattpad</a>!</p>
<p><img src="https://img.wattpad.com/cover/313745321-512-k435711.jpg" width="80%;" /></p>
MayorChicken2022-07-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//students/2022/07/04/MayorChicken<p>MayorChicken (pen name) was an elementary-aged student in my Spring 2022 anthology workshop (remote/Korea) with <a href="[https://www.wattpad.com/1237039642-pak-man](https://cwc2004.org/)">CWC</a>. Check out his fun story from our anthology reproduced <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/1237039642-pak-man">on Wattpad</a>!</p>
<p><img src="https://img.wattpad.com/cover/313743172-512-k432430.jpg" width="80%;" /></p>
Short Fiction With StoryStudio2022-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/06/27/short-fiction-storystudio<h2 id="writing-short-fiction-for-storystudio-summer-camp-2022-imaginary-islands">Writing Short Fiction for StoryStudio Summer Camp 2022: Imaginary Islands</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> August 2, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 10-11 am PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> virtual</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> workshop + Q&A</p>
<p><a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">StoryStudio</a> is a a Victoria, BC-based charity that provides free and low cost creative writing programming, resources, and contests for kids and teens across Canada.</p>
<p>This is a private event for Imaginary Island registered campers ages 10-16 and registration is now closed, but if you’re a young writer (or a parent), <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">check out their site</a> for how to get involved, upcoming programs, and regular writing contests!</p>
Awards News!2022-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/06/27/awards-news<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🎉New Badge Unlocked🎉<br /><br />Blind the Eyes was shortlisted in the Whistler Independent Book Awards!<br /><br />This is a fun one, since it's the first book award in my own backyard, so to speak. Also, very competitive, with a huge pool of entrants, so I'm honoured (and a little shocked)!😱🖤 <a href="https://t.co/qi49OH8Kii">pic.twitter.com/qi49OH8Kii</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins is celebrating 5 years of publishing! (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1541536284098801664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Celebrating Five Years2022-05-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/05/26/celebrating-five-years<p>My debut novel, <em>Blind the Eyes</em>, dropped June 1, 2018. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a ride ever since. Some things I’d hoped for never turned out; other things I’d never even dreamed of came out of the woodwork.</p>
<p>I’d planned to mark the occasion with something small—a new cover for Under, my subscriber-exclusive series prequel novella. Maybe a little giveaway.</p>
<p>But the redesign looked so awesome, I couldn’t help myself:</p>
<p><img src="/ToD Banners.gif" style="width: 95%" /></p>
<p>So, yeah, buckle up for a complete series relaunch:</p>
<ul>
<li>A brand-new trilogy collection “box set” ebook drops June 1. (<a href="https://books2read.com/threadsofdreams">Get the collection here</a>)</li>
<li>The new edition of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> launches the same day. (<a href="https://books2read.com/thread1">Get the new BTE edition here.</a>)</li>
<li><em>Black the Tides</em> is scheduled for July 6. (<a href="https://books2read.com/thread2">Preorder here.</a>)</li>
<li><em>Burn the Skies</em> will relaunch in August (Links coming soon.)</li>
<li>and the short fiction titles will hit stores throughout the fall (but newsletter subscribers can grab their copies now!) (<a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">Subscribe here.</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for your patience as I work through these updates—pages and links might be a little wonky in the transition (and the reason everything doesn’t drop June 1 is there’s a ton of work on the backend to get all the pieces in play.)</p>
<p>Also, don’t miss the giveaway!</p>
<h3 id="enter-to-win">Enter to Win!</h3>
<iframe src="https://pskd66.sociamonials.com/5th-anniversary-celebration-paperback-giveaway/c17906/" class="sm_iframe_main" width="517" height="500" frameborder="0"></iframe>
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Surprise TOC Announcement2022-05-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/05/15/surprise-toc-announcement<h1 id="check-out-this-star-studded-line-up">Check out this star-studded line up!</h1>
<p>The results are in from the Writers of the Future awards (which is HUGE). <a href="https://www.writersofthefuture.com/writers-of-the-future-1st-quarter-winners-announced-for-volume-39/">Children of Earth got an honourable mention!</a></p>
<p>But that nice little accolade is overshadowed by the sudden and star-studded Table of Contents drop of It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right:</p>
<p><a href="" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61168d1023351869e9565752/bac27e7c-d808-4180-a868-ba232d6c7a24/toc-announcement.png?format=2500w" style="width: 95%" /></a></p>
<p><em>Art by <a href="https://linktr.ee/evangelinegallagher">Evangeline Gallagher</a></em></p>
<p>Why, yes, that <em>is</em> THE Wendy N. Wagner’s name just above mine! AND Gabino Iglesias to the left of hers! In fact, please, go ahead and just take a moment to absorb that fantastic lineup!</p>
<p>No release date yet because the publisher is commissioning interior artwork for the stories, but I’ll keep you posted.</p>
<p>This is really exciting for me because my twisted little story, <em>Castoffs</em>, has been one of my most popular AND most rejected. It features both a “deal with a devil” trope and a rather insider writers joke, which has made it a really hard sell.</p>
<p>But editors LOVE it. Here’s some of my favourite rejection notes:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>“This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“It’s fun in its own insane, visceral way.”</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.” (!!) Seriously, just absolutely glowing over here! And can’t wait to see what else made it in (28 stories total~)</p>
<p>So, look forward to this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories one day soon!</p>
Save the Dates2022-05-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/05/10/save-the-dates<h2 id="save-the-date-1-word-vancouver-festival">Save the Date #1: WORD Vancouver Festival</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> September 19,24-25, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> Various</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Surrey Central Library (Saturday, Sep. 24) / SFU Harbour Centre (Sunday, Sep. 25)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Panels, Readings, Activities, Book Sale, Giveaway & More</p>
<p>Join CWILL BC at <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/">WORD Vancouver 2022</a>!</p>
<p>Our authors and illustrators are offering virtual midweek sessions (schools, libraries, home learners etc. encouraged to tune in!), we’ll be offering a children’s activity center on Saturday, and hosting a table in the exhibitor’s hall on Sunday. Stop by to say hi, grab some free bookmarks, and enter our giveaway!</p>
<p>I’ll be moderating the following events (subject to change as we finalize all the details!):</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>A panel for Early Readers (roughly Kindergarten to Grade 3) featuring author-illustrator Kari Rust and Darren Lebeuf on Monday, September 19, 2022 from (9:30-10:15 am on Zoom</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Twists and Turns</strong> A Reading/Conversation Circle for Middle Grade Readers (roughly grades 4–6) featuring Emily Seo and Bree Galbraith on Saturday, Sep. 24 at Surrey Central Library from 1-2 pm: “Life can be full of twists and turns especially when you’re trying to fit in, help family and friends, and ultimately find out who you are. Join these two authors as they share their characters’ unique ways of being true to themselves in a world full of questions and observations.”</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A panel on children’s publishing (for writers/illustrators) featuring Claire Lordon, Sara Leach, Bryce Raffle & Danielle S. Marcotte on Sunday, Sep. 25 at SFU Harbour Centre from 11:30-12:30</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>More details to come <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p>
<h2 id="save-the-date-2-cwill-bc-presents-2022-bc-books--intro-to-collaborating-with-local-authors-at-bctla-fall-conference">Save the Date #2: CWILL BC Presents: 2022 BC Books + Intro to Collaborating with Local Authors at BCTLA Fall Conference</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> October 21-22, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> TBC</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> New Westminster Secondary School</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Multimedia Presentation & Workshop</p>
<p>I’ll be presenting a mixed-format multi-media presentation and workshop on behalf of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> highlighting our free resources for teachers and librarians, presenting 2021-2022 new and upcoming releases, and engaging dialogue around BC books for kids. Exact date/time TBC. We may also have a presence in the exhibitors’ hall. <a href="https://bctla.ourconference.ca/index.php#"><strong>Register here when the details are finalized</strong></a>.</p>
UF Panel at Storycrafting Sessions2022-05-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/05/09/UF-panel-at-storycrafting-sessions<h2 id="urban-fantasy-layering-another-world-over-our-own-panel-at-storycrafting-sessions-fantasy">Urban Fantasy: Layering Another World Over Our Own Panel at Storycrafting Sessions: Fantasy</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> June 4, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 12:30-1:30 PM EST (9:30-10:30 AM PST)</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> virtual</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Panel + Q&A</p>
<p><a href="https://www.businessforauthors.com/weeknight-writers/">Weeknight Writers</a> is a social enterprise dedicated to creating accessible educational resources and events for fiction authors, run by the Business for Authors team.</p>
<p>In addition to their weekly Twitter chats on Thursday nights (at 7pm EST/4pm PST, #WeeknightWriters), they offer Storycrafting Sessions, one-day virtual conferences with panels exploring a specific aspect of writing, such as worldbuilding or story structure.</p>
<p>Join us for a special fantasy edition of Storycrafting Sessions on June 4, 2022.</p>
<p>I’ll be teaming up with four other awesome authors for the Urban Fantasy panel, “Layering Another World Over Our Own” from 12:30-1:30 pm EST (9:30-10:30 am PST). This panel will discuss techniques and tips for balancing worldbuilding and realism that you can apply to your Urban Fantasy novel!</p>
<h3 id="heres-the-full-lineup">Here’s the full lineup:</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p>11-12PM EST/8-9AM PST—<strong>Fantasy as a Safe Space: Using Fantasy to Explore and Critique Social and Political Themes</strong>—This panel will focus on how Fantasy writers can harness the power of narrative distance and readers’ imaginations to create and shape safe cultural spaces for important socio-cultural critique.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>12:30-1:30PM EST/9:30-10:30AM PST—<strong>Urban Fantasy: Layering Another World Over Our Own</strong>—This panel will discuss techniques and tips for balancing worldbuilding and realism that you can apply to your Urban Fantasy novel!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>2:30-3:30PM EST/11:30-12:30PM PST—<strong>Beyond Elves and Dwarves: Creating Unique Fantasy Species</strong>—This panel will explore the possibilities of using under-utilized mythological creatures & unique species of your own creation to build a rich fantasy world.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>4-5PM EST/1-2PM PST—<strong>They Call Me… Tim!: Passive Worldbuilding with Names, Epistolary, and Food</strong>—A discussion about how passive worldbuilding aspects like epistolary, food, and naming conventions can add complexity to secondary worlds.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>5:30-6:30PM EST/1:30-2:30PM PST—<strong>Harnessing The Elements: the Potential of Elemental Magic Systems</strong>—Learn how to harness elemental magic in new ways by adapting and modifying it to highlight themes, progress specific plot points and display your characters’ development for a more impactful reader experience!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>6:30-7:30PM EST/2:30-3:30PM PST—AFTERPARTY!—Everyone who registers for one of the panels will get access to the Discord server where the afterparty will take place!</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Register for as many (free!) sessions as you like <a href="https://ko-fi.com/post/Storycrafting-Sessions-Fantasy-SCHEDULE--REGISTR-U6U0CJ37E"><strong>HERE</strong></a></p>
<p><a href="https://ko-fi.com/post/Storycrafting-Sessions-Fantasy-SCHEDULE--REGISTR-U6U0CJ37E"><img src="https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/useruploads/display/f90dd0ba-8993-470b-8b59-8347b67ad0f3_fantasy.png" alt="" /></a></p>
Collaborating With Local Authors2022-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/03/20/collaborating-with-local-authors<h2 id="collaborating-with-local-authors-a-cwill-bc-presentation-for-bcla-yaacs-ysi">Collaborating With Local Authors: A CWILL BC Presentation for BCLA YAACS YSI</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> April 14, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 11 am-12 pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> virtual</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> presentation + Q&A</p>
<p>This is a ticketed event for the <a href="https://bclaconnect.ca/divisions/">BC Library Association’s</a> <a href="https://bclaconnect.ca/yaacs/">Young Adult and Children’s Services</a> <a href="https://bclaconnect.ca/yaacs/2022/03/28/registration-for-youth-services-institute-now-open/">Youth Services Institute</a> on behalf of CWILL BC and will discuss resources for, benefits of, and inspiration for library collaboration with local authors, particularly as applies to youth services.</p>
<p>BCLA members, nonmembers and students can <a href="https://bclaconnect.ca/2022-youth-services-institute/">register here</a>. BCLA members benefit from a reduced rate.</p>
Story Studio2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//students/2022/03/15/story-studio<p>I had a great time speaking on fantasy writing for the spring term of <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">StoryStudio’s</a> Young Writers Guild. You can read the teens’ fantastic writing in a beautiful anthology (including a small write-up on my presentation!) Check out their anthology <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Spring-Zine-Issue-5_web.pdf">here</a>!</p>
<p><img src="https://www.storystudio.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Spring-Zine-Issue-5_cover.jpg" width="80%;" /></p>
Award Finalist2022-03-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/03/09/Award-Finalist<h3 id="update">Update:</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/ReaderViews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReaderViews</a> (& 🇨🇦indie eco-horror friend <a href="https://twitter.com/b_bellec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@b_bellec</a> for bringing these awards to my attention)🖤<br /><br />Score another one for the gothic(-dystopian) fantasy team—my original book baby just brought home another medal!🔥 <a href="https://t.co/ACY6U6fHoZ">pic.twitter.com/ACY6U6fHoZ</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins needs beta readers for Spooky MG 👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1501656526401855488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<h3 id="original-post-feb-28-2022">Original Post: Feb 28, 2022</h3>
<p>So this just happened:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BLIND THE EYES made the <a href="https://twitter.com/ReaderViews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReaderViews</a> 2021-2022 Literary Awards finalists list!🔥<br /><br />Congrats to all finalists 🖤🖤🖤 <a href="https://t.co/6ejrlb9kDC">pic.twitter.com/6ejrlb9kDC</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins needs beta readers for Spooky MG 👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1500228950538080256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Story Studio2022-02-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2022/02/24/Story-Studio<p>It’s been another few whirlwind months in writing land and, uh, the rest of the world, too. Wild times!</p>
<p>Popping in today to say I’m excited to be leading a discussion on writing YA speculative (/fantasy) for the teen writers group of Story Studio tonight! I LOVE chatting with teen writers, and so rarely get the chance (so much programming is targeted for younger age groups, for some reason.)</p>
<p>In the spirit of transparency, ease of access, and making life easier for all of us, here are my slides/notes: <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BVds0lJJfzqRygWDXpN2UHuvN-bgF40VQRBS7VeLuuM/edit?usp=sharing"><strong>Students, access slides/notes here!</strong></a></p>
<p>If you’re not familiar with Story Studio, they’re a Victoria (BC)-based charity that provides free and low cost writing programming, resources, and contests for kids and teens across Canada. <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">Check out their site for all the awesome details!</a></p>
<p>Also: I filmed a mini preview for TikTok if anyone’s interested in watching me be awkward on camera for three-ish minutes. :D</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>In other news:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>I’m teaching a term-length (remote) “novel”-writing workshop for kids in Korea this spring + a week long writing (remote) spring break writing “magic-house-sitting adventure” camp for kids in White Rock using Diana Wynne Jones’s <em>House of Many Ways</em> and now all I want to do is write about wizards and magical buildings . . .</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I’m speaking at the BC Library Association’s Youth Services divisions mini conference in April on collaborations between librarians and local children’s authors</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I’m chasing down some leads on behalf of CWILL BC around potentially creating books for kids with language-based learning difficulties</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I’ll be at the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable (VCLR)’s Mad Hatter Tea Party next month—<a href="https://www.vclr.ca/save-the-date/">join VCLR</a> to get in on this fun event for free!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Cave Story WIP is coming along well in the sense that it’s fun, complete, and off to beta readers. Do I have time to revise and submit or set up for preorders? hahahAHAHAHahahahahaNo, but maybe one day . . .</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>So, yeah, busy-busy-busy as usual, with more, very fun, upcoming news that I can’t quite share yet, but stay tuned!</p>
Speculative Fiction with StoryStudio2022-02-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/02/20/Story-Studio<h2 id="writing-speculative-fiction-with-storystudios-guild-of-young-writers">Writing Speculative Fiction with StoryStudio’s Guild of Young Writers</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 24, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 6:30-7:30 pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> virtual</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> workshop + Q&A</p>
<p><a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">StoryStudio</a> is a a Victoria, BC-based charity that provides free and low cost writing programming, resources, and contests for kids and teens across Canada.</p>
<p>This is a private event for their existing teen writers’ group, but if you’re a young writer (or a parent), <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">check out their site</a> for how to get involved, upcoming programs, and regular writing contests!</p>
WRAD with WORD Vancouver2022-01-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2022/01/24/WRAD-with-WORD-Vancouver<h2 id="world-read-aloud-day-with-word-vancouver--cwill-bc">World Read Aloud Day with WORD Vancouver + CWILL BC</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 2, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 11-11:45 am PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> virtual</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Live reading, book talk + Q&A</p>
<p><a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a> is a “celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”</p>
<p>Join us on February 2, 2022 from 11-11:45 a.m. PST for a FREE virtual reading and Q&A in support of the 13th annual World Read Aloud Day!</p>
<p>I’ll be hosting this event, organized by the lovely folks at <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/">WORD Vancouver</a> festival in collaboration with <a href="http://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a>. It features three BC authors of books for pre-K to YA (<a href="http://www.jamigigot.com/">Jami Gigot</a>, <a href="https://www.mahtabnarsimhan.com/">Mahtab Narsimhan</a> & <a href="https://www.marksmithbooks.com/">Mark David Smith</a>) reading from their recent releases and reflecting on what and who inspires their writing process.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/world-read-aloud-day-tickets-253457256477"><strong>REGISTER HERE</strong></a></p>
<p>Also, don’t miss our Q&A bookmark giveaway and grand prize giveaway of books by the authors. <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/world-read-aloud-day-2022/"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://pskd66.sociamonials.com/wrad-2022-giveaway/c16561/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cwillbc.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/wrad2022-landscape.gif?w=640&zoom=2" style="width:100%;" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://forms.gle/3EYhQjGFsvnH641S6" target="_blank"><img src="https://cwillbc.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/wrad2022schools-landscape.jpg" style="width:100%;" /></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Feb2 WRAD Virtual Reading2021-12-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2021/12/01/Feb2-WRAD-Virtual-Reading<h2 id="world-read-aloud-day-online">World Read Aloud Day Online</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 2, 2022</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 9-10am - 12:30-9pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> your classroom, library, or book club via Zoom (or similar)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Live Reading</p>
<p><a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a> is a “celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”</p>
<p>As creators of books for young readers, many members of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> are offering free 10-20 min. virtual readings in support of this wonderful cause.</p>
<p>While I’m more than happy to present to classrooms, library groups or book clubs of all ages, I write for ages 8+ (published YA + forthcoming MG), so for elementary school groups, I’d be happy to read from an age-appropriate Canadian children’s book that inspires me rather than my own work.</p>
<p>Shoot me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading + author visit on February 3, 2021!</p>
Pop-up Book Sale in Vancouver2021-11-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2021/11/30/Dec11-Pop-up-Book-Sale-in-Vancouver<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/975573233365483/" target="_blank"><img style="width:80%" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FF9Gh04VcAIYc8y?format=jpg&name=large" /></a></p>
<h2 id="pop-up-book-sale">Pop-Up Book Sale</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> December 11, 2021</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 4pm - 7pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Academie Duello at 412 West Hastings, Vancouver, BC</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Book and Craft Sale + Live Reading</p>
<p>Fantastic BC small press <a href="https://pulpliterature.com/">Pulp Literature</a> is hosting a local author book (+craft+art) sale in the super cool and spacious Academie Duello swordplay school space in Gastown and you need to check it out!</p>
<p>It’s open from 4-7 pm, and I’ll be rushing over after my workshops end at 5 in Coquitlam, so come say hi if you’re there after 6! My books will be stocked all event, and friends’ books you should definitely also pick up while you’re there include CWILLers <a href="http://www.bryceraffle.com/">Bryce Raffle</a>, <a href="https://cynthiaheinrichsauthor.wordpress.com/">Cynthia Heinrichs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ellenschwartz.net/">Ellen Schwartz</a>, plus Vancouver-area author <a href="https://tanyalisle.com/">Tanya Lisle</a>!</p>
<p>Masks and vaccine passports will be required. It’s a large space, so crowding shouldn’t be an issue.</p>
<p>RSVP on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/975573233365483/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark_calendar%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D">Facebook event page</a> to help vendors get a sense of how much stock to supply and check out more vendor profiles as they drop over the coming weeks. Hope to see you there! :D</p>
Blog Tour & NaNoWriMo2021-10-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/10/29/Blog-Tour-NaNoWriMo<p>Just a quick heads-up on two new developments before I retreat into heavy-duty drafting mode!
<a href="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/spotlight-book-tour-blind-the-eyes-a-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban-fantasy-by-ka-wiggins" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/uploads/5/0/0/5/5005989/blind-the-eyes-tour-banner_orig.jpg" style="width:80%" /></a></p>
<h3 id="1-blog-tour">1. Blog Tour</h3>
<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>
<p>You can enter the giveaway on any of those blogs or by clicking <a href="https://gleam.io/xMYhs/blind-the-eye-by-ka-wiggins-book-tour-giveaway">here</a> until 11:59 PM EST on Dec. 24, 2021.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A haunted teen outcast & her snarky ghost outwit monsters, enforcers & the scars of their stolen past in a race to expose a (un)deadly conspiracy in this award-winning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gothic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gothic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fantasy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fantasy</a>👻💀✨<br /><br />Enter to win hardcover edition: <a href="https://t.co/MNGFprhrwt">https://t.co/MNGFprhrwt</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookGiveaway?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BookGiveaway</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookTwitter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BookTwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/jd9Uq0yZS7">pic.twitter.com/jd9Uq0yZS7</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins finished Spooky MG for #NaNoWriMo👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1473412978858811394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>And here come the blogs! I’ll link to the ones with custom content (guest blog or interview) below.</p>
<ul>
<li>Dec 20 – Bonus: Q&A on <em>Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too!</em> at <a href="https://www.krrlockhaven.com/single-post/humor-in-books-and-other-places-too-an-interview-with-k-a-wiggins">K.R.R. Lockhaven</a></li>
<li>Dec 17 – Interview at <a href="http://victoriazumbrumsreviews.blogspot.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-by-ka-wiggins-and-author.html">Girl with Pen</a></li>
<li>Dec 15 – Guest post on <em>Horror, but make it Fantasy</em> at <a href="https://www.jazzybookreviews.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-by-ka-wiggins-book-tour.html">Jazzy Book Reviews</a></li>
<li>Dec 14 – Interview at <a href="https://booksteahealthyme.home.blog/2021/12/14/author-interview-k-a-wiggins-author-of-blind-the-eyes/">Books, Tea, Healthy Me</a></li>
<li>Dec 9 – Interview at <a href="https://ginaraemitchell.com/blind-the-eyes/">Gina Rae Mitchell</a></li>
<li>Dec 9 – Interview at <a href="https://www.bookshelfscout.com/post/q-a-with-author-k-a-wiggins">The Bookshelf Scout</a></li>
<li>Dec 7 – Guest post on <em>Read Spooky Not Scary!</em> at <a href="https://storeybookreviews.com/2021/12/guest-post-giveaway-blind-the-eyes/">StoreyBook Reviews</a></li>
<li>Dec 6 – Guest post on <em>Designing the Future</em> at <a href="https://jenabaxterbooks.blogspot.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban.html">Character Madness and Musings</a></li>
<li>Dec 2 – Guest post on <em>Chasing Nightmares</em> at <a href="https://www.westveilpublishing.com/?p=13119">Westveil Publishing</a></li>
<li>Dec 1 – Interview at <a href="https://coverloverbookreview.blogspot.com/2021/12/giveaway-interview-blind-eyes.html">Cover Lover Book Review</a></li>
<li>Nov 30 – Interview at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6GoyprbRm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">booking.with.janelle</a></li>
<li>Nov 29 – Guest post on <em>Monsters, Towers, and Lost Girls</em> at <a href="https://www.givernyreads.com/2021/11/29/blind-the-eyes-guest-post/">GivernyReads</a></li>
<li>Nov 26 – Guest post on <em>Horror and Faith</em> at <a href="https://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/2021/11/26/giveaway-tour-blind-the-eyes-by-k-a-wiggins/">Splashes of Joy</a></li>
<li>Nov 26 - Guest post on <em>Reclaiming Monsters and Magic</em> at <a href="https://amybooksy.blogspot.com/2021/11/blog-tour-and-giveaway-blind-eyes-by-ka.html">Locks, Hooks and Books</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>OP: Oct. 29</strong></p>
<p>I’ve got a blog tour coming up for <em>Blind the Eyes</em> (as a result of winning the Page Turner Awards tour prize last year) so I’ll have a bunch of interviews and blogs for you to check out in late November to early December.</p>
<p>I also just wanted to offer, if there are any bloggers among my readers who want to get in on the fun (and take advantage of the free content), you can check out all the details and sign up <a href="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/spotlight-book-tour-blind-the-eyes-a-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban-fantasy-by-ka-wiggins">here</a>.</p>
<p>And there’ll be another chance to win a special edition hardcover coming as part of the tour!</p>
<h3 id="2-nanowrimo2021">2. #NaNoWriMo2021</h3>
<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>
<p>So, uh, this went shockingly well? About 55k words in the first 11 days of the month over 45-50 hours and a messy zero draft is born! In unrelated news, why do my hands hurt???</p>
<p><strong>OP: Oct. 29</strong></p>
<p>If you’ve never stumbled across National Novel Writing Month before, it’s a now-international challenge to write a novel (or rather, 50,000 words of one) in the month of November. I tried it out way back in the dark days of 2020 and produced most of <em>Burn the Skies</em>, wrapping up the Threads of Dreams series.</p>
<p>This year I’ve got something a little different in mind . . .</p>
<div style="width:80%"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
Shop Early2021-09-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/09/27/shop-early<p>So last week was a little crazy. CBC news caught onto a situation that’s been developing in the publishing world. The tl;dr is that a combination of pandemic and shipping-related issues is making books more expensive and making it hard to stock and nearly impossible to restock physical copies of books on any kind of reasonable timeline.</p>
<p>Spent a few days on correspondence, recorded <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-writers-publishers-fear-supply-chain-issues-as-holiday-season-approaches-1.6189109">print/blog</a> & tv interviews and a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1953164867823">live radio</a> piece on behalf of CWILL BC members. Decided it might be clearer to just lay things out in my own words. If you want the deep dive, it’s posted over on <a href="https://medium.com/@kaie.web/still-reading-gifting-paper-books-why-that-might-be-a-problem-this-year-c7a0a2105d82">Medium</a>.</p>
<p>The upshot of all this is that it gave us the kick in the pants we needed to finally launch our (CWILL BC) planned giveaway! If you live in British Columbia, <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/celebrate-local-lit-by-entering-our-give-away/">click here</a> to enter to win a stack of kids books in time for the holidays OR a free author or illustrator visit via Zoom.</p>
<p><a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/celebrate-local-lit-by-entering-our-give-away/" target="_blank"><img src="/Celebrate Local Lit Giveaway-landscape (1).gif" width="80%" /></a></p>
2021 Arty Awards2021-09-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/09/25/2021-arty-awards<p><strong>UPDATE</strong> Cannot believe I won!! Thanks to my mystery nominator and the whole council team, volunteers, and supporters!</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVgYXAv58F/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVgYXAv58F/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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<p><strong>Original Post: September 9:</strong></p>
<p>This was a definite higlight of my summer: someone nominated me in the annual <a href="https://abbotsfordartscouncil.com/arty-awards-2/">Abbotsford Arts Club Arty Awards</a>!</p>
<p>Congrations to my fellow nominees in the literature category, local authors David Tickner, Julia Rohan, Emily Isaacson, and Lauralee Sí:tel Á:la Kelly! The awards ceremony will be held remotely on September 25 at 7 pm.</p>
<p>If you’re a visiting and looking to check out my work in hardcopy, you can find paperbacks locally to borrow through the <a href="https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1776036021">Fraser Valley Regional Library</a>, or for sale at <a href="https://www.bookman.ca/">The Bookman</a> or <a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/">Hemingways Books and Records</a>. Thanks for reading and shopping local!</p>
News Round-Up2021-08-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/08/29/news-round-up<p>Aaand just like that, summer’s over! As usual, I’ve been too busy to share updates as they happen, so here’s a quick rundown of what you may have missed:</p>
<h4 id="threads-of-dreams-complete">Threads of Dreams Complete</h4>
<p><em>Burn the Skies</em> launched on July 6, completing the trilogy. <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Binge the whole series today!</a></p>
<h4 id="elections">Elections</h4>
<p>The Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia society elected me as president on June 30. If you’re a published (or professionally indie publishing) illustrator or author of books for the under-18 crowd living in British Columbia, please join us at <a href="https://cwillbc.org">cwillbc.org</a>. We’re doing a ton of cool stuff!.</p>
<h4 id="awards">Awards</h4>
<p>Not sure I’m allowed to share the news yet, but there’s a super fun awards nomination in the works that I’ll be able to shout about soon. Thanks to whoever nominated me, btw!</p>
<h4 id="instagram-catastrophe-update-its-back"><del>Instagram Catastrophe</del> UPDATE: It’s back!</h4>
<p><del>On the not-so-fun news side, my Instagram (@kaie.space) got unexpectedly shut down. Not sure if I got hacked or flagged by bots or something else, but it doesn’t appear to be recoverable. Sad to lose 3,000+ connections and 5+ years of work, but moving on and starting over with a new handle. Join me <a href="https://instagram.com/kaiewiggins">@kaiewiggins</a> for pretty(?) book photos and book recs featuring YA fantasy and Canadian authors!</del> Main account <a href="https://instagram.com/kaie.space">@kaie.space</a> was reinstated (after a month . . . ) with their apologies, so we’re back up and running!</p>
<h4 id="student-showcase--recommended-resources">Student Showcase & Recommended Resources</h4>
<p>Just launched two new website sections to feature creative projects by emerging writers I’ve had the privilege to teach and compile writing and publishing resources. Between teaching and leading CWILL, I’ve been getting an increasing number of questions about where to start with x or y, so while I’m no publishing guru, hopefully this provides a helpful starting point to refer questions to. It’ll likely grow as I have time and questions increase. Students of past workshops or who I’ve connected with at presentations are welcome to get in touch at any time with a creative project they’d like featured on the showcase page.</p>
<h4 id="up-next">Up Next</h4>
<p>I’m still dithering about what project to dive into next on the writing front, but I’ll be teaching two anthology workshops with Creative Writing for Children in the fall term, growing CWILL BC’s reach and effectiveness, and taking a continuing ed workshop on short fiction with WMG Publishing. Somewhere in all that, I need to plot and draft the next release, genre and title TBD. Stay in touch via the <a href="https://space.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae&id=1839d5c802">newsletter</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">social</a> for all the details as they drop!</p>
Publishing Overview2021-07-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/07/11/Publishing-Overview<h3 id="recommended-resources">Recommended Resources</h3>
<ul>
<li>The blog archives and weekly business-for-writers blog by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is gold. This section is particularly essential: <a href="https://kriswrites.com/business-musings/contracts-and-dealbreakers/">Contracts & Dealbreakers</a></li>
<li><em>The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master</em> by Martha Alderson (gets a little new-age-y but generally provides a good foundation)</li>
<li>Developmental Editor Lisa Poisso collects useful resources on her <a href="https://lisapoisso.com/category/clarity-tools-and-skills-for-authors/">Clarity subsite</a></li>
<li>Reedsy offers plenty of free articles, guides and mini courses <a href="https://blog.reedsy.com/">on their blog</a></li>
<li>The Creative Penn offers a wide variety of learning resources (delivered authoritatively, but take with a grain of salt) on <a href="https://www.thecreativepenn.com/blog/">this blog</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Disclaimer: many free resources are provided in hopes that you’ll invest in a product (workshop, book, mentorship program, etc.) Don’t invest in anything until you understand it well enough to know if you’re getting a good deal.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/7-IP.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="licensing--you">Licensing & YOU</h3>
<p>Experienced and prolific author/editor/publisher Dean Wesley Smith talks about the idea of a “magic bakery’ when it comes to writing. You can read about it <a href="https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/the-magic-bakery-chapter-one/">in his own words</a> and <a href="https://kriswrites.com/business-musings">in this excellent blog</a> by his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. But, in a nutshell, the concept is that intellectual property—like our writing—can be sold over and over, in part and in whole, unlike other goods.</p>
<p>Your work automatically belongs to you from the time of its creation. You own full copyright. (The exception is when you’re writing as work-for-hire, or working on an IP project that belongs to someone else, like a Star Wars tie-in novel, for example.) Technically, you <em>could</em> transfer copyright in a sale (if you sign a terrible contract), but don’t.</p>
<p>Instead, you license the right to use the work in part or in whole. Some examples: Licensing first publication rights in English, then, when the exclusivity period expires, licensing reprint rights (over and over again) or publishing it yourself as a standalone or in a collection. You can also license (and re-license) translation rights, audio rights, production rights (for film/tv), merchandising rights, etc. All that off of one story (potentially).</p>
<p>The moral of the story? Keep your copyright, don’t license more rights than the licensee will use (to your benefit), and make sure your contracts aren’t perpetual (so you can get licensed rights back eventually and re-license them.)</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/8-pro.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="publishing-novels">Publishing Novels</h3>
<p>They’re a bigger effort in terms of time, skill, and investment, but novels are not inherently better than any other type of fiction. Try not to feel pressured into writing one if you don’t really want to!</p>
<p>Whatever publishing path you choose, you will become a small business. Like any entrepreneur, you’ll need to learn business skills and keep up on your industry, even if it’s just a side hustle. Do your research as you approach publishing; things change in a matter of months in this industry, much less years, and you don’t want to be launching with outdated intel. See other posts in the <a href="/resources.html">Resources</a> section for links to groups and news outlets for staying up to date.</p>
<p>Publishing can pay, but it’s usually a slow and gradual path to earning an income. Royalties can accumulate over time. The opportunity to sell additional licenses may emerge. The more stories/books you have out, the more it all can add up, but that takes time, too. Make a plan for how you’ll survive financially for the first years at least.</p>
<p>Be open to nontraditional routes: serial fiction and subsidized or serialed fiction are looking strong right now. Patreon and Kickstarter are good examples of emerging trends that authors have leveraged to the advantage of their careers.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/9-paths.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="one-route">One Route</h3>
<p>Not much to add here. This is roughly what I do these days. It’s pretty minimal compared to some, unneccessarily complex compared to others. I can’t quite bring myself to draft-proofread-publish, but I’m not doing multiple rounds of heavy rewrites, either. If I get really stuck on the plotting, I’ll change formats, which can look like any of these:</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="/13-mapping.png" width="95%;" /></td>
<td><img src="/14-chart.png" width="95%;" /></td>
<td><img src="/15-cards.png" width="95%;" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="/16-diagram.png" width="95%;" /></td>
<td><img src="/17-diagram-red.png" width="95%;" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="story-mapping">Story Mapping</h3>
<p>While all the charts and cards can look complex, the basic structure I’m using is a three act structure with four quarters.</p>
<p>The first quarter and the first act map together and contain the inciting event early on (at about the 10% mark). Something disrupts the main character’s ordinary life and sends them in a new direction. It ends around the 25% mark with the change of plans turning point. This is where the main character chooses (or gets dragged into) the adventure/quest/journey of the story.</p>
<p>The second act is easiest to understand if you split it evenly in two. The first half is the character struggling to make forward progress and understand their situation/world/challenge/self etc. Around the 50% mark or midpoint turning point (end of the second quarter) they make a discovery or realization that shifts their trajectory.</p>
<p>Now, starting the third quarter, the main character(s) (thinks they) know what they need to do to succeed, though they still face obstacles. The second act/third quarter ends with the black moment turning point, the darkest point of the story, either figuratively or literally involving death. The main character may feel as though they’ve failed, there’s no hope, maybe no point going on. They may be focused on revenge or retribution.</p>
<p>But, into the final quarter/act, they’ll need to rally enough to take on the greatest challenge of the story in the final turning point, the climax. Often this follows a mini arc of setting out, making progress, making a sudden realization that changes their perspective or goal, hitting a “black moment” of despair, and then rallying to overcome (in a positive story arc, at least). There’s often an inner and outer component to this, the main character finding inner strength or understanding in order to overcome the outer challenge of the story. The last 10% or so of the final act wraps up the story by showing the new normal—and/or setting up a sequel.</p>
<p>Little Red Riding Hood isn’t the best example because it’s missing main character agency in most variations. Ideally, you want your main character’s actions and choices to be integral to every turning point.</p>
<p>If you hate how structured this all is, welcome to the club. I fought this idea <em>hard</em>—but it really does result in faster drafting and stories readers seem to enjoy more. And there’s tons of room for creativity within this loose structure. Also, those percentages will come in handy in a moment.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/10-wordcount.png" width="95%;" />
Word count graphics from <a href="http://btleditorial.com">btleditorial.com</a> & <a href="https://reedsy.com">Reedsy</a>.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="/11-40k.png" width="95%;" /></td>
<td><img src="/12-YA.png" width="95%;" /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="math-for-authors">Math For Authors</h3>
<p>Everyone’s favourite, right? But hang in there, this comes in really handy.</p>
<p>You can apply the turning point percentages we just looked at to a target wordcount (above) to plan how to draft your novel. Pick a target wordcount, jot down some notes about each turning point (or go in blind, if that’s your preference), and track your wordcount as you write.</p>
<p>For instance, if you’re planning an industry-standard middle grade novel (40,000 words, say), as you’re coming up to 15,000 words you know you’ve got the midpoint coming up and you need to get your character in place within the next 5,000 words or 4-5 hours of writing.</p>
<p>If your target is 80k words for a YA fantasy, you’re going to be preparing to write that midpoint as you near 40k words (or try to include an inciting event within the first 8k words, or a black moment around the 60k mark, etc.) These intervals help make stories feel like they’re moving along at a natural clip to western readers who are mostly used to this story pattern. If you’re far off these proportions, it can manifest as portions of the story feeling slow-paced or rushed.</p>
<p>But, as with all writing advice, you can take it or leave it. Other story structures exist. Some writers have stronger instinctual structure, while others find it easier to write to a plan. There’s no one right way, but if you’re not sure where to start, I suggest trying this structure.</p>
Short Fiction Overview2021-07-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/07/10/Short-Fiction-Overview<h3 id="recommended-links">Recommended Links</h3>
<ul>
<li>Sign up for free newsletter to get regular emails about competitions: <a href="https://winningwriters.com/">Winning Writers</a></li>
<li>Sign up for free newsletter to get regular emails about competitions and story markets: <a href="https://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/ and/or https://authorspublish.com/">Freedom With Writing</a></li>
<li>This link is specifically for markets that accept submissions by teens: <a href="https://authorspublish.com/16-magazines-that-publish-writing-by-children-and-teens/">Magazines that Publish Children & Teens</a></li>
<li>Kid/teen-only opportunities: <a href="https://www.bazoof.com/submit/">BAZOOF! Magazine</a> (nonpaying?) and <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/write/">StoryStudio Contests</a></li>
<li>Tracking services: <a href="http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com">The Submission Grinder</a>, <a href="http://Submittable.com">Submittable</a>, <a href="http://duotrope.com">Duotrope</a> or just in Excel. (These sites can usually be used to search for opportunities as well.)</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><img src="/1-goals.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="identify-your-goals">Identify Your Goals</h3>
<p>This might seem obvious (and it applies to all of publishing, not just short fiction), but it’s actually very important to really dig into what matters to <em>you</em>.</p>
<p>Are you building a long-term career? Do you dream of publishing full time? Do you care more about money or creative freedom or acclaim? Is it really more about getting your stories or ideas out to the world? Do you crave feedback? Is writing really a private pursuit that brings joy to you but that you don’t want the eyes (and opinions) of the world on? Is publishing a path to something else—recognition, acclaim, support for a different eductational or career trajectory?</p>
<p>Your answers may surprise you and/or change over time—which is fine! We all do the best we can and move forward as best we can, making mistakes along the way. But if you can clarify your goals (and dreams and hopes and . . . ) it’ll help you think critically about the information available and choose the most promising path for your needs.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/2-following.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="ways-to-connect-with-readers">Ways To Connect With Readers</h3>
<p>This is vital: if you want to get your work out into the world, that means working with others.</p>
<p>Young writers and newcomers may be used to a more critical perspective on “literature” (damage from high school/college lit classes, no doubt), or channel their insecurities into aggression, or simply lack the experience to recognize just what (and to what extent) they don’t yet know.</p>
<p><strong>Time for a change of focus: other writers are now your peers.</strong> Not long-dead entities to be picked apart in analysis and critique. Not competitors (even when they are). Not faceless corporations. Real people who you may bump into from time to time, friends, colleagues, possibly even someone who will one day be in a position to help or hurt your career. Proceed accordingly.</p>
<p>Try to adjust your perspective on other emerging writers and readers as well; they’re now potential friends, colleagues, and fans. Be kind. Be helpful. Be professional. Don’t be scared.</p>
<p>You’ll need people who are on your side (or at least willing to lend a hand temporarily) at nearly every step of your writing journey. People who’ll share tips, give feedback (if you ask for it), buy books, write reviews, shout about your books to other readers.</p>
<p>If you intend to publish a book or otherwise care about getting your words out to readers, it’s never too early to start. Nothing published to share yet? Build platforms (website/social media, etc.) around shouting about books you like, ideally ones that are similar to what you hope to write. By the time you’re ready to search for readers, you’ll have contacts who you can share the news with!</p>
<p>And consider starting with something smaller and less resource intensive than a book, especially if you’re a student. Short stories, fanfiction, and serial fiction are a few ways to get your words in front of readers with less pressure. Bite-sized content is a growing market <em>and</em> it’s more doable for you, especially if you’re balancing creating with a busy school or work schedule.</p>
<p>At time of writing, <a href="http://wattpad.com/">Wattpad</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/">Archive Of Our Own (AO3)</a> are the biggest fanfiction platforms. Use filters to keep content kid-friendly if you’re underage or simply uninterested in the thriving adult content sections. ;)</p>
<p>Quick aside: ALWAYS read the contracts before sharing your work and make sure your rights are protected. More on that in a bit.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/3-career.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="establishing-your-reputationskill">Establishing Your Reputation/Skill</h3>
<p>This section was originally intended for students, but writers of all ages can get into sharing their words for reputational purposes.</p>
<p>Students may find it helpful in scholarship, college, or job applications. Adults may simply want the prestige, or use it as a (small) building block to a writing career or a complement to a different field.</p>
<p>Awards and accolades don’t sell lots of books. They can be useful in building a “brand” as a writer, however, and may lead to more opportunities or visibility over time.</p>
<p>Larger scale or higher profile awards or story markets can be more beneficial, but the competition will be higher. That’s not to say don’t enter—always take your shot! But local/regional and student-specific competitions/markets will be relatively easier to make a splash in. Also note that certain topics or styles will play better with some judging panels or editors/magazines than others. The closer you match their preferences, the more likely you are to get a ‘yes’ and that has nothing to do with skill or quality. (Don’t get discouraged!)</p>
<p>While publishing as a teen may sound promising, it tends to be less of a selling point than you might think. Unless you’re entering a student competition or otherwise required to disclose such details, avoid mentioning your age/grade.</p>
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<p><img src="/4-income.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="earning-an-income-with-short-fiction">Earning an Income With Short Fiction</h3>
<p>Writing is not known for it’s incredible financial rewards—usually. That doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t pay, but the effort tends not to pay off quickly or reliably. Don’t overreach. The next section dives into rates, but in terms of markets, you can place short stories in competitions, print and/or genre or literary magazines or ‘zines, other types of magazines that sometimes include a small fiction segment, anthologies, or individually be self-publishing.</p>
<p>Reading submission guidelines and writing a custom piece in response sometimes results in better (=closer) fits, but you can also just write freely and then look for the right market after the fact. Note that preparing, submitting, and tracking story submissions takes time in its own right, putting further pressure on any income you might recieve.</p>
<p>Nonfiction (particularly business) writing tends to be paid at higher rates, but you normally pitch the idea of a feature or article to an editor <em>before</em> writing, whereas with fiction, you write the whole piece and submit it.</p>
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<p><img src="/5-rates.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="short-fiction-rates">Short Fiction Rates</h3>
<p>Graphic from <a href="http://writingsmarter.com">writingsmarter.com</a>.</p>
<p>Always ALWAYS read the submission guidelines. There is variation between accepted story lengths and rates of pay. But this works fairly well as a general guideline. Note that professional writers tend to speak in terms of wordcount because page count varies depending on formatting and is an unreliable indicator. We really only use it to speak to readers who are used to thinking in those terms.</p>
<p>Many short fiction “markets” do not pay. Some are prestigious; many are new and/or hobby projects for the founder. That doesn’t mean they’re automatically bad! They make be a good stepping stone or practice for beginners, or provide an outlet for those who love sharing their words but aren’t bothered about the income side of things. As usual, always read the terms/contracts/guidelines to make sure you’re not signing away more rights than you mean to.</p>
<p>We’ll look at rights/licensing in a bit, but it’s good to keep in mind that the first sale is usually the most valuable and accessible to make, and consider holding out for a “higher” level market. Reprints aren’t as widely accepted in paying markets, and it’s harder work to place them. In general, I recommend shooting high and then working your way down a wishlist of possible story markets until a story lands.</p>
<p>Magazines and other short fiction markets rarely pay on royalties, but the exception is anthologies. Sometimes they’re paid in a lump sum upon signing, but “royalty-split” arrangements aren’t uncommon. While your income is therefore unreliable, this can be a good option if you’ve built a platform of readers eager to pay for your work and/or the other authors in the anthology have a strong platform to market to as well.</p>
<p>Token rates are generally in the $5-$40 range, where the market can’t afford more but feels it’s important to pay <em>something.</em> The Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (<a href="http://www.sfwa.org/about/join-us/sfwa-membership-requirements/?fbclid=IwAR1kwEOLL465fHfjtkEGuY0igU81ucK1a1krW5UPOYFpSrCpBkPb6nL4Pzg#short">sfwa.org</a>) has set pro rates at $0.08/word, but you’ll see anything from half a cent on up. Some markets also offer lump sum payments in the 100+ range. Generally, the more they pay, the more the competition, but don’t self-reject—the worst they can do is say no!</p>
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<p><img src="/6-prep.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="gut-check-break">Gut Check Break!</h3>
<p>I’ll keep repeating this, but ALWAYS read the submission guidelines and follow them. Your story should be creative; your formatting and document presentation should not be. If no specifics are given, follow <a href="https://www.shunn.net/format/story/">Shunn Manuscript Format, modern edition</a> as the default.</p>
<p>Some competitions charge entrance fees. Some writing markets charge reading fees, but far from all. You can spend a lot of money <em>trying</em> to get published, but you don’t have to. Avoid fee-charging markets or competitions unless you think your story has an excellent chance of earning the expense back or unless money is no object.</p>
<p>It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit. After a few submissions, you just really <em>really</em> want an acceptance. Try to clarify your goals and keep them front and center. Write them down and post them in your workspace if that helps.</p>
<p>On a related note, always read the contract. Some market post a sample one. Most competitions will also post terms. Some “opportunities” aren’t. See other posts in the <a href="/resources.html">Resources</a> section for links to reading, understanding and negotiating contracts.</p>
<p>Consider the reader(s) before submitting. What kind of reader is likely to appreciate your story (if it’s already written). What might the judges or first readers/editor care about and appreciate? You can research past award-winners or other stories in a magazine to get an idea, but if you’re submitting a lot, it’s not practical to do too much research.</p>
<p>Finally, make yourself a tracking document or spreadsheet early on. Keep track of submissions, contract terms for licensed stories, and details of the stories themselves. This seems silly at first, but if you keep writing and submitting, you’ll quickly get beyond the point where you can keep track in your head.</p>
Indie Publishing2021-07-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/07/09/Indie-Publishing<h3 id="recommended-resources">Recommended Resources</h3>
<ul>
<li>The blog archives and weekly business-for-writers blog by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is gold: <a href="https://kriswrites.com/business-musings/contracts-and-dealbreakers/">Contracts & Dealbreakers</a></li>
<li>Reedsy offers plenty of free articles, guides and mini courses <a href="https://blog.reedsy.com/">on their blog</a></li>
<li>CreativIndie has tons of well-developed resources <a href="https://www.creativindie.com/">on this site</a></li>
<li>David Gaughran is well known as an indie publishing guru, sharing books, articles, newsletters and courses <a href="https://davidgaughran.com/">on his site</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Disclaimer: many free resources are provided in hopes that you’ll invest in a product (workshop, book, mentorship program, etc.) Don’t invest in anything until you understand it well enough to know if you’re getting a good deal.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="/22-indie.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="indie-publishing">Indie Publishing</h3>
<p>If your research tells you the traditional publishing route isn’t for you, you need to actually write a book before you can get it out there on your own. The good news is that technology has made pretty much everything you need more accessible than ever before. The bad news is that you’ve got a huge learning curve ahead. You need to figure out how to write a good book, make it book shaped, get it out to the world, and then keep people interested in it. You may (probably will) need a budget for production costs like cover design, too, if you’re not committed to a completely DIY approach. It’s a journey, it’ll take time, and you’ll make mistakes. But it’s also a strong option in the current market and a way to get your words out to the world and establish a career for yourself.</p>
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<p><img src="/23-stores.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="indie-publishing-retailersdistributors">Indie Publishing Retailers/Distributors</h3>
<p>Just a shortlist of options. The top 5 are Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Google. Distributors can help you get your book out to even more markets and make it easier to get started and coordinate (you set up a book once instead of 5+ times on different sites) but offer less control and flexibility. Most take a portion of royalties in payment (no upfront cost).</p>
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<p><img src="/24-files.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="creating-ebook-files">Creating eBook Files</h3>
<p>The main thing is to get your text set up properly using built-in styles (heading, body text) and page breaks. You can use free software or online setup wizards like Draft2Digital’s. The DIY approach is better for creating small file sizes (important if the retailer applies fees by size) but can be tedious.</p>
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<p><img src="/25-files2.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="creating-print-ready-files">Creating Print-Ready Files</h3>
<p>Starting from the same file you compile an ebook from, you can update the built-in styles to change font, size, etc., set document settings to match the desired dimensions (most books are not 8.5x11”!) and add layout or visual elements. Professional books have a number of distinctive features: alternating margins (wider on the side the page is bound), kerning (spaces between letters, also spacing between words and lines) to ensure smoothly readible text, widow/orphan control to make sure the text isn’t split awkwardly across lines or pages.</p>
<p>Microsoft Word works just fine for this, as long as you don’t have complex visual layout like a photo book or text layout. Professional designers may use Adobe InDesign. I haven’t tested Google Documents, but it’d probably work fine as well. You’ll need to export to PDF for the printer.</p>
<p><img src="/26-files3.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="creating-print-ready-covers">Creating Print-Ready Covers</h3>
<p>Cover design is a balancing act between fitting in and standing out. You want to send the message that your book is like other books the reader likes, while standing out just enough that they pick yours up out of the crowd. You can learn cover design, but it’s another whole learning curve, and a poor cover may hurt your book’s chances.</p>
<p>Derek Murphy shares some cover design resources <a href="https://www.creativindie.com/book-cover-design-tutorials-best-art-and-fonts-photoshop-tips/">here</a>. <a href="https://canva.com">Canva</a> is a good free resource for very simple designs and may work well for certain genres.</p>
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<p><img src="/27-meta.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="publishing-metadata">Publishing Metadata</h3>
<p>The last piece in compiling a book is the metadata. This stuff can have a big impact on how well your book reaches readers, and each element should be considered (and tested) to get the best result.</p>
Traditional Publishing2021-07-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/07/08/Traditional-Publishing<h3 id="recommended-resources">Recommended Resources</h3>
<ul>
<li>The blog archives and weekly business-for-writers blog by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is gold. This section is particularly essential: <a href="https://kriswrites.com/business-musings/contracts-and-dealbreakers/">Contracts & Dealbreakers</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><img src="/18-trad.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="paths-to-publication">Paths to Publication</h3>
<p>Determined to get a book-shaped story out into the world? Here’s a rough outline of what it might look like.</p>
<p>As we’ll look at, traditional publishing is often slower with lots of waiting between steps, and possibly more drafts and rewrites. Agents are <em>not</em> essential but we all act like they are, and it’s unlikely that you can get a manuscript in front of a major publisher without one.</p>
<p>If you choose to independently pubish (self-publish), you don’t have to do every one of these steps, but you do need to either learn to do or learn enough to hire someone to do most of them. And in both cases, your job does not end when that book hits store shelves.</p>
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<p><img src="/19-trad2.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="big-4-publishing">Big 4 Publishing</h3>
<p>Most of this boils down to: it’s slow, there are no guarantees, and you’ve got to look out for yourself. The traditional publishing landscape has been getting worse for authors over the years, but do your research and make the best choice for you and your book. Things may change.</p>
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<p><img src="/20-trad3.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="publishing-tips">Publishing Tips</h3>
<p>Agents (and publishers) have been known to steal from authors. That said, there are some very well intentioned people out there. As always, do your research and be intentional in your choices. Small and micro presses often offer better contract terms. They may still steal from you or go out of business. Proceed with caution, and watch out for “hybrid” publishers.</p>
<p>In traditional publishing, all money (should) flow to the author. If you’re paying for anything, something’s wrong. Don’t pay “reading fees” to agents or publishers, that’s a scam. If you have to pay to get the book out there, that’s independent publishing with a services company (“hybrid publisher”), not a real publisher. If that’s something you want, just be careful with the contracts and don’t sign away licenses without getting compensated.</p>
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<p><img src="/21-trad4.png" width="95%;" /></p>
<h3 id="benefits-of-traditional-publishing">Benefits of Traditional Publishing</h3>
<p>Despite the evidence, it’s not all downsides! Book advances have gone down, but you at least get something, rather then spending your money to get published. There is still some prestige to “being published,” particularly by a major publisher. It can open doors. You’ll be eligible for more awards and speaking opportunities (whether you have a chance or want them is a separate question.) If you write for children (babies through to teens, in the publishing world), traditional publishers may be able to get your book out more widely—to public libraries and schools, for instance.</p>
Groups Worth Joining2021-07-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/07/01/Groups-Worth-Joining<p>Facebook turns out to be an unexpectedly essential hotspot of groups for writers. Here are some worth your time:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/213952985607957">Indie Author Support</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k/">20 Books to 50K</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/wideforthewin/">Wide for the Win</a></li>
</ul>
<p>You’ll also find groups for every interest, purpose, or subset thereof (age range, genre, marketing topic, etc.)</p>
Preorder Bonus2021-06-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/06/30/Preorder-Bonus<p>It’s just <strong>SEVEN DAYS</strong> to <em>Burn the Skies</em> launch day, so I guess I better hurry up and tell you about the preorder bonuses!</p>
<p><strong>All eBook preorders of <em>Burn the Skies</em> (on any storefront) OR library requests are eligible for a FREE digital bonus pack.</strong> 🔥</p>
<p>It includes a exclusive ebook special edition of <em>Boy With No Name</em> (the Ravel antihero side story formerly only available as part of <em>The Devil You Know</em> anthology), plus 6+ sheets of printables featuring adorable nature sprites (debuting in <em>Burn the Skies</em>, because this book needed a little cute-and-cuddly to balance out all the explosive tension!) for custom DIY magnetic bookmarks, stickers and more. 🎨</p>
<h3 id="to-get-your-bonuses">To get your bonuses:</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies">Preorder <em>Burn the Skies</em></a> on any storefront OR submit a new book request at your local library before launch day (July 7, 2021).</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Screenshot or snap a pic of the order confirmation/receipt/library request.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://forms.gle/siTt711yqhqb9wT99">Fill out this Google Form</a> and submit your receipt. Your bonuses will be sent to the email you provide by the end of launch week!🔥</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://forms.gle/siTt711yqhqb9wT99" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/BTSPreorderBonus.jpg" /></a></p>
Advice for Teen Writers2021-06-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//resources/2021/06/12/Advice-For-Teen-Writers<p>Occasionally teens get assigned to interview an author as part of an English assignment or as part of a unit on future career prospects. Answers collected here for easy access:</p>
<p><strong>June 2020:</strong></p>
<h4 id="1-what-sort-of-postsecondary-education-if-any-or-experience-did-you-have-and-how-did-it-help-you-become-an-author">1. What sort of postsecondary education (if any) or experience did you have and how did it help you become an author?</h4>
<p>I knew I wanted to be an author from about the eighth grade on, but everyone in my life insisted I needed a day job because I wouldn’t make any money. So I figured because I loved books, why not become an editor? (Not realizing that other careers in publishing are just as hard to get into and underpaid, lol.)</p>
<p>I was nearly finished with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language (grammar, history, linguistics—as opposed to Eng. Lit., which is more Shakespeare and novel studies) at UBC before I realized it would do absolutely nothing for my prospects as an editor OR as an author. In my opinion/experience, the major didn’t do a thing for me, but some of the things I did in random side classes were helpful (coding websites, using design software.) These days it’s hard to get by without any post-sec education, but in hindsight, I could easily have just gone to UFV and done any arts degree with the same results.</p>
<p>I also took a couple of term-length workshops through UBC extended studies focused on children’s publishing and editing and rewriting fiction in an attempt to snag an internship with Vancouver-based small press Tradewinds Books. Those actually were somewhat useful. It’s important to study your industry and take opportunities for focused continuing ed where you can get them. However, I got buried under finishing my degree and establishing a “day job” for several years, and by the time I was actually ready to publish, my intel was way out of date.</p>
<p>I worked part-time throughout university and was already established in marketing/communications for the Vancouver engineering industry by the time I had graduated, and worked for several years in that before finally returning to publishing. That ended up being fairly useful in terms of relevant experience (and launch funds). Understanding business, the basics of marketing, communications, social media, how to read a contract, etc. all give you an edge.</p>
<p>My recommendation to young writers is to get a two or four-year degree in something they’re interested in and might find useful. Business is a fantastic choice because if you become an author, you will be a small business owner. Marketing/communications are useful. Comp-sci or anything tech-related can come in handy.</p>
<p>You don’t need a creative writing or English degree, but if you’re set on it, there are worse things to do with your time. And you’ll need to have a plan for earning money, at least at the beginning. Few jobs are 100% secure these days, but jobs in the Arts are less reliable than most. There are authors out there making steady incomes (or, in some cases, exceptionally good incomes) but it’s usually something you have to build up to over the course of years. (Royalties can start to add up as you get more books out, as long as you don’t license to a publisher that lets it go out of print.)</p>
<h4 id="2-what-does-a-day-in-the-life-of-an-author-look-like-how-often-do-you-write">2. What does a day in the life of an author look like? How often do you write?</h4>
<p>I don’t subscribe to the “must write every day” camp of authors, so my schedule varies depending on the current project. I also work best when I don’t have to multi-task and switch gears that often, so I try to set aside time in batches to work on writing, instead of putting in an hour a day or whatever.</p>
<p>I teach weekly creative writing workshops during the school year (and camps, in the summer). If I’m in the middle of one or preparing for the next camp, I’ll spend time writing feedback, providing copyedits, preparing presentations, or developing curriculum. On a standard week during the school year, that’s 1-2 days on marking and prep, plus a half-day on the actual workshop.</p>
<p>I also freelance as a business marketing and communications consultant, though I try not to let it eat up too much of my time. So I may lose a few hours a week to writing or rewriting corporate content or sorting out a client’s tech woes.</p>
<p>I’m on the board of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC Society, (currently Treasurer, nominated as President come July) so that’s another hour or two a week responding to requests. (But membership societies are worth the effort from a career opportunity perspective—definitely join one when you get the chance!)</p>
<p>Then there are the not-writing parts of being an author. I send a newsletter every second week, spend a couple hours on social media a week, several hours on things like emails, paperwork, accounts, and research, and a few hours on advertising. I do a lot of things myself, from creating graphics to bookkeeping to coding my website, so it all takes time. Submissions and queries (when I’m working with a publisher) also sit in this huge general “administration” pool. All sorts of random occasional stuff like book formatting, updating book listings, sharing review copies, etc. also fits here.</p>
<p>As much of all that as possible gets pushed to the side for actual book production. You get faster as you go, so at this point, I’m spending about a month on planning/prep/research for any novel-length works, about a month on the first rough draft, another two weeks each on a markup and a rewrite pass, and then another week each (or less) for revisions/rewrites/final review. I’ll spend maybe four to six hours a day when I’m in book mode. (The rest of the time is for unavoidable chores from the previous lists.) And there are two weeks to a month’s break between each step to catch up on everything I ignored while I was writing.</p>
<p>For short fiction, I kind of just throw those together whenever a rare slow day crops up.</p>
<p>So to sum it all up, I work from home and on my own a lot, which suits me. And I’m on the computer from maybe 8:30/9 in the morning to 7-9pm (with breaks to make meals) weekdays and maybe 6-8 hours/day on weekends. Depressingly, most of that time is spent on things other than the actual writing, lol. Again, writers are small business owners, so our experience is not that different from entrepreneurs!</p>
<h4 id="3-how-do-you-get-inspiration-for-a-book">3. How do you get inspiration for a book?</h4>
<p>This sounds a little (or a lot) loopy, but dreams are a big influence, actually. If I have a really entertaining lucid dream, I’ll often make some notes and come back to it. I also think about and do research on industry trends and the current market to try to pick something that may connect with readers. Other books, tv/movies, etc. often provide inspiration I’m unaware of until I look back and see the influence. Same thing with real life—in hindsight, I realized I’d used a lot of places and experiences for “fantasy” settings and situations, just with a twist. In general, I have no problem coming up with ideas, so it’s more a matter of weeding through all the options to find something I’m interested enough in and that has a strong chance of connecting with readers.</p>
<h4 id="4-what-is-the-process-of-publishing-your-books-was-it-very-difficult-to-get-it-published-and-how-do-you-advertise-your-books">4. What is the process of publishing your books? Was it very difficult to get it published and how do you advertise your books?</h4>
<p>With my first book (Blind the Eyes), I was operating on out-of-date information and was aiming for a “Big 5” traditional publishing deal. (In the 2000s, YA books were selling in seven-figure deals, dystopian and paranormal subgenres were hot, and contracts hadn’t gone quite so sideways.) So I spent a couple years writing and then hired a developmental editor to help me get it in the best possible shape for publication. (Learned a lot about story structure and character development!) Then I started querying literary agents.</p>
<p>But by the time I started receiving “full requests” back (a positive result, signalling agent interest), I had started researching the current publishing industry and realizing that (a) I didn’t want to sign over my rights and was very done letting big businesses run my life (b) I might have the skills and resources to build my own career. I figured if agents thought my book would be worth money to them and to publishers, that was a promising sign that it could have value to me even without them.</p>
<p>So I hired a proofreader (it had already gone through a couple rounds of editing) and a cover designer, set up a bunch of promotions, and launched it independently. From a technical standpoint, there’s definitely a learning curve to this approach but it’s not all that difficult. And the way I did it, there’s also some cost, although the more skills you develop yourself, the lower that cost can be.</p>
<p>The last two books have followed the process I outlined below question 2: prep work with my developmental editor, rough draft, couple weeks to a month rest time to get some perspective, read through and markup notes for revisions, wait 1-2 weeks, actual rewrites, send to first readers, third revisions, send to proofreader, final clean-up edits, format, send ARCs, upload final ebook and print editions to storefronts. I have a rough timeline in mind, but I start setting hard dates and ramping up marketing around that third revision or when I send to proofreader.</p>
<p>And then short fiction is kind of its own thing. Contracts are much more favourable, so I do sell short fiction to traditional markets. I do a quick draft, often in one sitting, re-read and clean up, and then start submitting to magazines or anthology calls. Most of the time on short fic is spent on submissions (and endlessly waiting on responses—it can take months).</p>
<p>Advertising and marketing is a huge topic in and of itself, but in a nutshell there are ongoing/longterm efforts and then launch or special promo pushes. In general, I try to make sure my brand is strong and my books are visible as many places as possible. That means a website and listings on every industry site I can manage. Social media. Newsletter “swaps” with other authors. I build connections and maintain them through social and a regular newsletter. I do paid advertising on an ongoing basis (mostly Amazon ads) but in all honesty, I haven’t really cracked the code to sustainability on that front.</p>
<p>For new book launches or special sales, I schedule paid promotions through book deal newsletter services, maybe a small blog tour, sometimes a few days of Facebook ads, and then keep the Amazon ads running. It’s important to keep in mind that some books fit the market better than others and offer better return on investment. My books seem to do well with ongoing/traditional marketing efforts but not as great with paid advertising.</p>
<h4 id="5-is-there-anything-you-wish-you-would-have-known-before-you-wrotepublished-your-first-book">5. Is there anything you wish you would have known before you wrote/published your first book?</h4>
<p>Haha, so much. I’ve mentioned it a few times, but I thought I understood a lot about the industry when I was writing and moving toward publishing my first book. My information was out of date. This industry moves fast. Subgenres, tropes, markets, contract terms, formats, everything is in flux. So some decisions I made around the kind of book I thought I should create and what I could hope for in terms of a career were pretty off base.</p>
<p>I also wasn’t as comfortable with story structure and planning out novel-length (or series-length) stories as I could have/should have been. It made for a lot heavier rewrites on book one!</p>
<p>And I was hyper-sensitive about quality because I’d come from a corporate career and didn’t want indie publishing a sub-par book to reflect badly on me as a professional. In hindsight, I procrastinated, angsted, and focused too much on presentation when I should have been focusing on telling great stories and getting them out to readers.</p>
<p>That said, writing (and publishing) is also a very learn-by-doing skill. You try things, you learn, you adjust.</p>
Sneak Peek and Series Wrap-Up Giveaway2021-05-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/05/21/Sneak-Peek-and-Series-Wrap-Up-Giveaway<p>That’s right, the epic finale to the award-winning <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series is finally (nearly) here! <em>(Scroll to the end for a celebratory giveaway.)</em></p>
<h2 id="in-blind-the-eyes---">In <em>Blind the Eyes</em> . . .</h2>
<p>Haunted 17-year-old shut-in Cole knows she’s missing out on something—maybe a whole lot of somethings—but she’s not quite sure if the cost of finding out is worth the risk of getting thrown to the eldritch horrors infesting her drowned city.</p>
<p>When a suspiciously charming stranger and his dangerously tempting offer drive her into a chance encounter with one of the monster-taken dead, she stumbles across a shocking and grisly conspiracy between the nightmares and the authorities.</p>
<p>Now she and her disembodied best-frenemy are on the run from enforcers, dreamjacking ghosts & soul-sucking monsters in a quest to expose the lies and take back their lives that takes them from the sterile authoritarian heights of Refuge to the glittering hedonistic underground club hidden beneath the floodwaters.</p>
<p>But Cole hasn’t yet uncovered the biggest secret of all—and it might just have something to do with the invisible threads that keep tangling around her fingers and the silver-lit boy from her dreams . . .</p>
<p>Can she take back her stolen-and-once-forgotten powers and expose the web of lies before she’s the next to die?</p>
<p>Find out in the 2020 Page Turner Awards Book Spotlight Prize-winning and Barnes & Noble Press “20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018” first book of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series.</p>
<h3 id="shop-blind-the-eyes"><a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Shop Blind the Eyes</a></h3>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Blind-the-Eyes-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
<h2 id="in-black-the-tides---">In <em>Black the Tides</em> . . .</h2>
<p>Cole’s life has never been better. She’s reconciled with not-so-ghostly-after-all bestie Cadence, rescued dreamwalker and childhood friend Ash, and even managing to suppress (most of) her jealousy about their shared history—a past she still can’t remember. But it turns out being a city-saving hero is pretty cool, even if she hasn’t quite won the war yet.</p>
<p>That’s a problem she’s eager to solve. But when she dives back into battle with the nightmarish Mara too soon, her newfound powers fail to show up for the fight. Narrowly saved by a still-injured Ash, Cole is devastated. And determined to get her magic back, whatever the cost.</p>
<p>Ash has a plan. And she hates it. But when he kidnaps her, Cole has no choice but to brave sea monsters and the haunted wilds in a perilous journey through the monster-infested wilds.</p>
<p>Will she reach the dreamwalker homeland, recover her magic, and save her city before it’s too late for the friends she left behind?</p>
<p>Find out in the twisty, cinematic, and devastatingly cliff-hanger-serving second book of the series.</p>
<h3 id="shop-black-the-tides"><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides">Shop Black the Tides</a></h3>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides " target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Black-the-Tides-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
<h2 id="in-burn-the-skies---">In <em>Burn the Skies</em> . . .</h2>
<p>There’s only so much betrayal a girl can take. But Cole has come way too far to give up now, even if she’s never been more powerless and the stakes have never been higher. The clock is ticking on not only the survival of her friends and the city she’s sacrificed so much to save but the survival of the world.</p>
<p>But disaster isn’t through with her yet. When her quest to muster a dreamwalker army founders, she’s left with one option: turn on the former friend and ally who betrayed her trust and stole her body. But she can’t bring herself to sacrifice the life of a delusional and homicidal child, not even to save all of humanity.</p>
<p>As her pool of friends and potential allies shrinks and resistance mounts, Cole pushes through grief and fear to find ever more desperate ways to fight back, holding back the monsters at the cost of her rapidly-draining life force.</p>
<p>Will her refusal to pay the ultimate cost end with her trapped in an eternal wasteland after everyone she’s ever cared about goes down in flames?</p>
<p>Find out in the breathless conclusion to the series, coming to a storefront near you on July 7, 2021.</p>
<h3 id="add-on-goodreads--preorder-burn-the-skies"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554432-burn-the-skies">Add on Goodreads</a> & <a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies">Preorder Burn the Skies</a></h3>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Burn-the-Skies-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Cover design credit on all three covers goes to the fantastic Christian Bentulan of <a href="http://CoversByChristian.com">CoversByChristian.com</a> with modifications added.</p>
<h2 id="enter-the-giveaway">Enter the Giveaway</h2>
<p>Here for the prizes? This giveaway launches May 31, 2021 and ends at 12:00 am PST July 31, 2021.</p>
<p><img style="width: 95%;" src="/series-wrapup-giveaway.jpg" /></p>
<p><a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3678dbc2/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="d3678dbc2" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_3sliewyh">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></p>
Get Ready for IReadCanadian Day2021-01-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/01/26/Get-Ready-for-IReadCanadian-Day<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a> is a “celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”</p>
<p>If you’re building your #IReadCanadian day TBR, my books qualify—and so do all of <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/kids-books-of-cwill-bc/">these</a>. (Picture books up through YA!)</p>
<p>As creators of books for young readers, many members of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> are offering free 10-20 min. virtual readings in support of this wonderful cause.</p>
<p>While I’m more than happy to present to classrooms, library groups or book clubs of all ages, my fiction currently targets ages 14+, so for readings at elementary or middle school groups I can instead present an age-appropriate Canadian children’s book that inspires me.</p>
<p>Shoot me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading, workshop, or author visit on February 13 or the week of February17, 2021!</p>
Feb3 WRAD Virtual Reading2021-01-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2021/01/26/Feb3-WRAD-Virtual-Reading<h2 id="world-read-aloud-day-online">World Read Aloud Day Online</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 3, 2021</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 9am - 8pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> your classroom, library, or book club via Zoom (or similar)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Live Reading</p>
<p><a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a> is a “celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”</p>
<p>As creators of books for young readers, many members of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> are offering free 10-20 min. virtual readings in support of this wonderful cause.</p>
<p>While I’m more than happy to present to classrooms, library groups or book clubs of all ages, my fiction currently targets ages 14+, so for elementary or middle school groups I will instead be reading from an age-appropriate Canadian children’s book that inspires me.</p>
<p>Shoot me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading + author visit on February 3, 2021!</p>
Feb17 I Read Canadian Day2021-01-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2021/01/25/Feb17-I-Read-Canadian-Day<h2 id="i-read-canadian-day-online">I Read Canadian Day Online</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 13 + week of February 17, 2021</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 9am - 8pm PST</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> your classroom, library, or book club via Zoom (or similar)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Live Reading</p>
<p>“<a href="https://ireadcanadian.com/day/">I READ CANADIAN DAY</a> is a national day of celebration of Canadian books for young people. This is a day dedicated to ‘reading Canadian’ and will empower families, schools, libraries and organizations to host local activities and events within the week.”</p>
<p>As creators of books for young readers, many members of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> are offering free 10-20 min. virtual readings in support of this wonderful cause.</p>
<p>While I’m more than happy to present to classrooms, library groups or book clubs of all ages, my fiction currently targets ages 14+, so for elementary or middle school groups I will instead be reading from an age-appropriate Canadian children’s book that inspires me.</p>
<p>Shoot me a message at <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">kaiewrites@gmail.com</a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading, workshop, or author visit on February 13 or the week of February 17, 2021!</p>
Title Reveal2021-01-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2021/01/04/Title-Reveal<p>Good news: I wrapped up the zero draft of the third and final Threads of Dreams book in early December, which means it’s time for a #TitleReveal:</p>
<div style="max-width: 80%;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TitleReveal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TitleReveal</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoverReal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoverReal</a> to come.)<br /><br />In the city of nightmares, death is far from the end.<br /><br />Series finale BURN THE SKIES drops summer 2021. <br /><br />Preorder: <a href="https://t.co/jFFjS1eL4K">https://t.co/jFFjS1eL4K</a><br /><br />Goodreads: <a href="https://t.co/LKcXSTOePn">https://t.co/LKcXSTOePn</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YAFantasy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YAFantasy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YAHorror?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YAHorror</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DystopianGothic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DystopianGothic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ecopunk?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ecopunk</a> <a href="https://t.co/GC1AWLnerg">pic.twitter.com/GC1AWLnerg</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1346206369423081473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<p><strong>In the city of nightmares, death is far from the end.</strong></p>
<p>Who knew a ghost could get up to so much trouble? Cole’s never been in a worse bind. But her continued existence, such as it is, is far from the only thing at risk.</p>
<p>If she can’t find a way to keep the Mara from being unleashed by the one person she never could have imagined, not only her city, but the whole world will be devoured.</p>
<p><strong>In this thrilling conclusion to the Threads of Dreams trilogy, the spark of revolution is lit—and even a drowned city can burn.</strong></p>
<p><em>Look for the #CoverReveal in early June & a midsummer launch date. You can also</em> <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S23XXLT">preorder now!</a></strong> or <strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554432-burn-the-skies">add on Goodreads</a></strong>.</p>
<p><em>(Preorders default to Dec. 2021 until production delivery dates confirmed.)</em></p>
Page Turner Awards!2020-10-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/10/28/Page-Turner-Awards<p><strong>Update: Results!</strong></p>
<p>Very excited to have won the eBook Award “Book Spotlight” prize and looking forward to working with iRead Book Tours in the coming months to reach new readers!</p>
<p><strong>Press Coverage:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/entrants-stories/vancouver-ya-novelist-shortlisted-prestigious-book-award">Page Turner Awards official press release</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.abbynews.com/entertainment/abbotsford-author-shortlisted-for-literary-award-for-young-adult-novel/">Abby News</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.theprogress.com/entertainment/abbotsford-author-shortlisted-for-literary-award-for-young-adult-novel/">Chilliwack Progress</a></li>
</ul>
<p>As an aside, an <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x8EKg8U87SF9JMsRjMdbD_P1cpkv7p_T?usp=sharing">Author Media Kit</a> is available to any members of the press seeking readily-available resources.</p>
<p><strong>Update, 2020-10-02</strong></p>
<blockquote style="width=80%;" class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This timing is wild, but I'm wrapping up my second release week of 2020 w/ *another* awesome announcement from <a href="https://twitter.com/PageTurnerAward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PageTurnerAward</a> :<br /><br />BLIND THE EYES made the eBook Award shortlist!! <br /><br />😱🎉😱🎉😱 <a href="https://t.co/HNp5FQWeBO">pic.twitter.com/HNp5FQWeBO</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins ~preorder THE DEVIL YOU KNOW antho~ (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1312115636198281216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>Super random that this just so happens to fall at the end of <em>another</em> launch week, but I’m honoured and amazed to learn <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> has been shortlisted in the eBook Awards 2020 category of the Page Turner Awards alongside some wonderful titles!</p>
<p>Very excited to (remotely) attend the awards ceremony on October 20—though a little bummed it’s a plague year and therefore impossible to pop over to the UK for the party.😢</p>
<p>Congrats to all the shortlisted eBook and Writing award category entrants (<a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/2020-finalists-shortlist-and-winners">check out their stories here!</a>)</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Original Post, 2020-08-29:</strong></p>
<p>This is just such an awesome way to cap off launch week: <em>Blind the Eyes</em> is a Page Turner Awards finalist in the 2020 ebook awards category! Always awesome to see my creepy lil murderbabies getting the love~ ^_^;</p>
<p>Check out the finalists’ profile and excerpt <a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/ebook-award-finalists/ka-wiggins">here</a>!</p>
New Paperbacks!!2020-10-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/10/26/new-paperbacks<p>Paperbacks are finally here!! 🎉</p>
<p>Pandemic-induced publishing & shipping woes plus a very stupid mistake on my part 😅 delayed the matching covers by a couple months, but you can finally order the horror-variant covers on Amazon if paper copies are your thing. 👍</p>
<p>Original cover BTE ppb & hardcover will remain available as “special editions” but that artist’s rates keep going up 😭 so the series will continue with these new designs. Additional hardcover editions aren’t currently in the pipeline.</p>
<p>**Shop the new editions on Amazon (other storefronts coming soon): **</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Eyes-Threads-Dreams-Wiggins/dp/1775162796">Blind the Eyes</a></strong> (book one) & <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Tides-Threads-Dreams-Wiggins/dp/1775162788">Black the Tides</a></strong> (book 2)</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-10-26T19:40:15+00:00">Oct 26, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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Finding the Daydreamer2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/10/15/Finding-the-Daydreamer<p>I’m hosting Day 4 of <em><a href="https://findingthedaydreamer.carrd.co/">Finding the Daydreamer</a></em>’s book tour—one of my favourite new reads of 2020!</p>
<p>Check it out on bookstagram below, read an expanded review on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3544981018?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://findingthedaydreamer.carrd.co/">get your copy here</a>!</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-10-15T19:23:38+00:00">Oct 15, 2020 at 12:23pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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BookLife Feature2020-10-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/10/14/BookLife-Feature<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Today in randomly fun news: <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> got picked up for the spooky season Indie Spotlight feature in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife magazine! Catch it in the October 12, 2020 edition (<a href="https://www.digitalpwselect.com/pwselect/booklife_october_12__2020/MobilePagedReplica.action?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TXPWSE201014002&utm_content=gtxcel&pm=2&folio=78#pg4">magazine format</a></td>
<td><a href="https://booklife.com/authors/10/15/2020/indie-spotlight-part-1-october-2020.html">blog format</a>).</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><a href="https://www.digitalpwselect.com/pwselect/booklife_october_12__2020/MobilePagedReplica.action?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TXPWSE201014002&utm_content=gtxcel&pm=2&folio=78#pg4" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkTUhABVcAEgt9R?format=jpg&name=large" /></a></p>
Celebrate The Devil You Know2020-09-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/09/30/Celebrate-The-Devil-You-Know<p>It’s launch day! Get the inside scoop on <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series antagonist(?) Ravel in <em>Boy With No Name</em> plus ELEVEN other villain, anti-hero & morally-grey character adventures in <em>The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Anti-Hero Anthology.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/devilyouknowfa">Pick up your copy here</a> (ebooks out now, paperbacks on their way!) & celebrate with us all day with gifs, games & giveaways at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/clcannon">launch party on Facebook.</a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/clcannon" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjLkPW6U4AA1Fzo?format=jpg&name=medium" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
Anti-Hero Giveaway2020-09-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/09/27/anti-hero-giveaway<p>The authors of <em>The Devil You Know</em> anthology are sponsoring an anti-hero themed giveaway to celebrate the launch! Enter at <a href="https://bit.ly/dykgiveaway">bit.ly/dykgiveaway</a>
<a href="https://bit.ly/dykgiveaway" target="_blank"><img src="https://clcannon.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/screenshot-bookbrush.com-2020.09.24-00_26_08.png" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
Release Blitz2020-09-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/09/14/Release-Blitz<p>Calling all book bloggers, bookstagrammers & booktubers: the anthology publisher is organizing a release blitz for <em>The Devil You Know!</em></p>
<p>Can you share a premade P.R. post with the book’s blurb, buy link, cover, and release giveaway some time during release week? (September 30th - October 7th) Every participant will receive one entry for every place they share in a draw for a $10 Amazon gift card!</p>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceJpyZ40aBd6QGhMwrrKJSl-sQGqJVv_RbvbURBdtzcdB2Rw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2415N_lGC4VE_h60DIZDkVSGxisscjc8DeYpDvzK250acNAMw6U_jJXVI" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgiYHKtWAAAlbjI?format=jpg&name=medium" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceJpyZ40aBd6QGhMwrrKJSl-sQGqJVv_RbvbURBdtzcdB2Rw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2415N_lGC4VE_h60DIZDkVSGxisscjc8DeYpDvzK250acNAMw6U_jJXVI">Sign up here!</a></p>
Boy With No Name ARCs2020-09-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/09/12/Boy-With-No-Name-ARCs<p>This one’s for all the Ravel fans in the crowd: <em>Boy With No Name</em> review copies are now available in advance of its debut in <em>The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Anti-Hero Anthology</em>.</p>
<p><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/e14cca03-f9f4-4b29-9b7a-4230867e4cf0" target="_blank"><img src="http://kaiewiggins.github.io/BWNN-ARCs.png" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<p>Apply now to review via <a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/e14cca03-f9f4-4b29-9b7a-4230867e4cf0">StoryOrigin</a></p>
Black the Tides is Here!!2020-08-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/08/26/Black-the-Tides-is-Here<p><strong>BLACK THE TIDES IS (FINALLY) HERE!! 🎉</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides" target="_blank"><img src="BlacktheTidesShadows.gif" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
<p>More ghosts. More monsters. More existential angst.</p>
<p>Now with bonus nature walks & next-level torment & suffering (mosquito bites! blisters! attack of the snapping turtles!) 😂</p>
<p>In all seriousness, I’m super excited for you all to read it. But just a heads-up: the twist in this one is KILLER. Don’t hate me~ 😈</p>
<p><strong>Buy Black the Tides today from your favourite online bookstore: <a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides">Choose Your Store</a></strong></p>
<p>I’ll be posting quotes and featured content to celebrate all day on <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">Twitter</a>, so if you’ve got time, come hang out and share the excitement!</p>
<p><em>Haven’t read book 1 yet?</em></p>
<p><em>Blind the Eyes is on $0.99 special to make it easy to get started with the series! Grab your copy here: <a href="http://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Choose Your Store</a></em></p>
Surprise! ANOTHER New Release2020-08-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/08/24/surprise-another-new-release<p>There’s been an unexpected wave of excellent news, most of which I can’t share (yet) BUT I am very excited to announce a story in Fiction-Atlas Press’s next anthology:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Part 1 announcement of last week's good news: one of my stories got selected for Fiction-Atlas Press's next anthology!<br /><br />Awesome timing bc it just so happens to be a tie-in story w/ Black the Tides (launching Wed)<br /><br />Thread w/deets, blurbs & author tags:<br /><br />(gif by <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmberMorant</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/BNpXXR3orm">pic.twitter.com/BNpXXR3orm</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins ~preorder BLACK THE TIDES~ (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1298004403476025344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3 id="the-devil-you-know-a-fiction-atlas-press-anti-hero-anthology">The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Press Anti-Hero Anthology</h3>
<p><strong>These heroes might not be angels, but you know what they say—it’s always better to trust the devil you know…</strong></p>
<p>Looking for a typical hero tale? Keep looking. These twelve tales explore the grittier side of what it means to make life’s hardest choices, and let your reputation pay the price. From back-alleys and ancient cities to graveyards and castle walls, these trouble-makers are out for themselves…or are they?</p>
<p>Fiction-Atlas Press is proud to present, The Devil You Know featuring stories by: USA Today Bestselling Author C.L. Cannon, USA Today Bestselling Author Lily Luchesi, Zoey Xolton, K.A. Wiggins, K Matt, K.R.S. McEntire, Scott Moore, J.M. Rhineheart, Angela Kulig, Kat Parrish, Amber Morant, and Nick Edinger!</p>
<h3 id="boy-with-no-name">Boy With No Name</h3>
<p><strong>When you’re nothing, you have to grab everything you can and hang onto it with everything you’ve got.</strong></p>
<p>Ravel clawed his way up from failed test subject to master of the decadent underground club Freedom—not to mention shadow prince of the Towers of Refuge—and his ambition is far from sated.</p>
<p>He knows everyone’s secrets, holds all the keys, and his hand is in every deal worth making. Even the recent, catastrophic invasion of the nightmarish Mara hasn’t shaken his confidence.</p>
<p>When human sacrifice is the price of power, a small massacre is nothing more than a setback.</p>
<p>But when the dreamwalker Ravel’s been obsessed with since childhood vanishes from his monster-infested city, he risks everything he’s built and become to chase her down.</p>
<p>Cut off from everything he knows, can this master manipulator find the right thread to pull and win back his love?</p>
<p>Or will the conscience he’s been running from all his life finally take him down?</p>
<p><em>Tragic pasts and twisted futures collide in Boy With No Name, a standalone-ready companion story to Threads of Dreams book 2, Black the Tides, available exclusively in Fiction-Atlas Press anti-hero anthology The Devil You Know coming September 30</em></p>
<p>Preorder at: <a href="https://books2read.com/devilyouknowfa">books2read.com/devilyouknowfa</a></p>
Black the Tides Cover Reveal & New Date2020-08-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/08/17/Black-the-Tides-Cover-Reveal-New-Date<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong></p>
<p>The release date for BLACK THE TIDES has just been pushed up from September to <strong>August 26, 2020</strong></p>
<h4 id="click-here-to-preorder-for-only-99cuntil-aug-26"><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/0afebf2e-d80d-11ea-b452-0f053dc84439">Click here to preorder for only 99c—until Aug. 26.</a></h4>
<p><em>Matching paperbacks coming soon.</em></p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Original Post: COVER REVEAL. August 11, 2020</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sea monsters 🐉, hauntings, ravening nightmares, "accidental roommates" & road trip bickering make BLACK THE TIDES my tropiest & most horror-forward YA dark fantasy yet: <a href="https://t.co/yeeUkhwRVt">https://t.co/yeeUkhwRVt</a> <br /><br />(Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/byMorganWright?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@byMorganWright</a><br /> for animation & <a href="https://t.co/xVQpq4yfLK">https://t.co/xVQpq4yfLK</a> for design 🥰) <a href="https://t.co/xN76iXvDh3">pic.twitter.com/xN76iXvDh3</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1293247186151464960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Ruppee Rupert2020-08-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//students/2020/08/15/ruppee-rupert<p>Ruppee (pen name) was an elementary-aged student in my first anthology workshop with CWC. Check out Ruppee’s stories on <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/GibberishDude">Wattpad</a>!</p>
<p><img src="https://img.wattpad.com/cover/236036424-512-k798892.jpg" width="80%;" /></p>
ARCs Are Here2020-08-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/08/04/ARCs-Are-Here<p>Get ready for an epic cover reveal (hint: 🐉🐙), a new launch date announcement (maybe more than 1…?) annnd—ARCs are here!</p>
<p><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/718a8197-85d7-4a32-be00-6614876ffc20" target="_blank"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/d11d93f3-c993-4e87-b193-41cbb0da5d0e.png" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<p>Can’t wait to read Black the Tides? <strong>Apply to review now via <a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/718a8197-85d7-4a32-be00-6614876ffc20">StoryOrigin</a></strong></p>
<p>Still haven’t read book 1? I’m releasing a limited number of Blind the Eyes review copies to established bloggers/bookstagrammers/reviewers—<a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">message me</a> to apply📚🎉</p>
<p>Handy links to popular review sites for <em>Black the Tides</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54611871-black-the-tides">Goodreads</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088P5T26X">Amazon</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/black-the-tides-ya-fantasy-with-an-edge-threads-of-dreams-book-2-by-k-a-wiggins">Bookbub</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162951865">Barnes & Noble</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/black-the-tides-1">Kobo</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
Books in the Wild2020-08-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/08/01/Books-in-the-Wild<p>Looking for my books IRL? Here’s an (incomplete) listing of known bookstores and libraries where you can find them:</p>
<h3 id="stores">Stores</h3>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/">Hemingway’s Books & Records</a></strong></p>
<p>33765 Essendene Ave, Abbotsford, BC</p>
<p>2 signed paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/5c836ff1-be84-4f21-8c5b-fa04a9ffbcaf.jpg" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.bookman.ca/">The Bookman</a></strong></p>
<p>45939 Wellington Ave, Chilliwack, BC</p>
<p>2 signed paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bookman.ca/" target="_blank"><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/p960x960/78294396_1042928966050131_3852765099655692288_o.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_ohc=kAwrweRdp0sAQnN2XeNLAi7_Q_JH4nz9LqyxR528yWMHu9r8SXoJwmfGg&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&_nc_tp=1&oh=04d2e55cd2a7eee7b193cf8c3b308fe5&oe=5EA0EF92" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.bookandtoy.net/">Quincy Books</a></strong></p>
<p>3734 W. Broadway Street, Quincy, IL</p>
<p>1 paperback copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bookandtoy.net/" target="_blank"><img src="/QuincyBooks.jpg" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<h3 id="libraries">Libraries</h3>
<p><strong><a href="https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1776036021">Fraser Valley Regional Library</a></strong></p>
<p>multiple locations in BC, Canada</p>
<p>2 paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><a href="https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1776036021" target="_blank"><img src="/FVRLBookstagram.JPG" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/6786290038">Vancouver Public Library</a></strong></p>
<p>multiple locations in Vancouver, BC</p>
<p>2 paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p>1 ebook copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://surrey.bibliocommons.com/item/show/838637071">Surrey Public Library</a></strong></p>
<p>multiple locations in Surrey, BC</p>
<p>1 paperback copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://patagonia.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=88EB7C0E3777AAB5E0D8A8C1DA2B9822">Patagonia Public Library</a></strong></p>
<p>346 Duquesne, Patagonia, AZ</p>
<p>1 paperback copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://search.clevnet.org/client/en_US/cpl-main/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:7605508/one">Cleveland Public Library</a></strong></p>
<p>multiple locations in Cleveland, OH</p>
<p>2 paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1894457082#">King County Library System</a></strong></p>
<p>multiple locations in King County, WA</p>
<p>4 paperback copies of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Watch this space; I update as more locations get added! Also, I’d love it if you’d take a moment to <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">let me know</a> if you spot any of my titles in any other retail or library locations so I can add them to the list!</p>
<p>If you want to request one of my books (or any book, really) at a local indie bookshop, chain bookstore, or library, all you have to do is give them the author, title, and, if you can, ISBN number.</p>
<p>For <em>Blind the Eyes</em>, the ISBNs are:</p>
<ul>
<li>ISBN 978-1-7751627-8-0 (paperback)</li>
<li>ISBN 978-1-7751627-7-3 (ebook)</li>
</ul>
<p>For the <em>Black the Tides</em>, the ISBNs are:</p>
<ul>
<li>ISBN 978-1-7751627-3-5 (paperback)</li>
<li>ISBN 978-1-7751627-2-8 (ebook)</li>
<li>ISBN 978-1-7751627-0-4 (hardcover)</li>
</ul>
<p>For the <em>Unknown Realms</em> paperback: ISBN 978-1-7323406-6-4</p>
Dia Kothari2020-07-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//students/2020/07/13/dia-kothari<p>Dia attended a workshop at the ORCHIDS Children’s Lit Fest in Mumbai. Check out Dia’s stories on <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/DiaKothari">Wattpad</a> and her detailed book reviews on her <a href="https://ddumbreads.wordpress.com/about/">website</a>!</p>
<p><img src="https://img.wattpad.com/cover/236239633-512-k951507.jpg" width="80%;" /></p>
Black Lives Matter and so do Black Stories2020-06-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/06/12/black-lives-matter-and-so-do-black-stories<p>You probably didn’t stop by today for political commentary and, in general, I prefer to make my arguments in fiction (and fantasy at that . . .), but this is also a historic moment. A turning point that will go down in history.</p>
<p>Or, at least, that’s what we need it to be. What we need to <em>make</em> of it.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of wrong in the world. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, to lose hope, to say it has always been broken and will always be broken. To try to find stability and comfort and safety each in our little corner and ignore the fires raging outside.</p>
<p>But we’re all fantasy readers here. We’ve spent years reading our fairytales and dystopias and urban or gothic or paranormal or supernatural or science fantasies.</p>
<p>And, in all our beloved stories of resistance and revolution, there’s that pivotal moment.</p>
<p>It’s not the moment the bomb goes off or the assassin shoots or the capitol burns. It’s not a grand set piece of clashing armies or duelling generals, of kings losing their heads or thrones tumbling, of corrupt regimes imploding or the great nameless evil erased once and for all.</p>
<p>It’s that quiet moment between one heartbeat and the next that a decision is made, once and for all: <em>no more</em>.</p>
<p>That’s the birth of power. Magic. The force to turn the tidal wave and put an end to the darkness. That’s where the protagonist of her or his story steps up and commits to the challenge that will either destroy them or change the world.</p>
<p>So, here’s the question before each one of us: <em>what’s your pivotal moment?</em></p>
<p>What’s going to be (or has been) your “hero origin story,” the turning point where you chose to take action and work to set things right?</p>
<p>You’re probably not going to rally an army (uh, I hope . . .) or unlock ancient powers or wield lost artifacts of magic, and you probably won’t even be at the center of the action when it comes right down to it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a role to play in changing the world.</p>
<p>On that topic, there are far more insightful, educated, and valuable voices than mine you should be listening to right now when it comes to what to do and how to help. Here are a few I’ve come across:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>A Twitter thread on good <a href="https://twitter.com/cypheroftyr/status/1267773750595989505">ways to help right now and going forward</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The Toronto Star on <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/06/04/ive-worked-for-years-on-anti-racism-training-heres-what-ive-learned-about-how-canadians-can-take-the-next-steps.html">Anti-Racism training</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Stratagem on <a href="look like https://www.welcometostratagem.com/post/10-habits-of-someone-who-doesn-t-know-they-re-anti-black">what anti-Black habits</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://afomaumesi.com/black-young-adult-novels/?fbclid=IwAR0COZ6Ozh-_jDlDd5oZkdS0mSnTmj4tZbC4fcxODvRDhjKfSq6D3E24ce4">Black YA Novels to read</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.epicreads.com/blog/new-ya-books-black-authors/#.XtemWvZFAL8.twitter">New Black YA Releases</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>. . . and just in case you’re getting fired up about being Katniss in the Hunger Games, a timely reminder that, while we need to change the world, we need to do so without causing more harm to the most vulnerable: <a href="https://twitter.com/GeekMelange/status/1267822634202312708">a thread on revolutions</a></p>
<p>I want to live in a world where we get all the amazing stories and hear all the beautiful, challenging, original voices without a filter of race, sex, or privilege. That world is more interesting, more fun, and more equitable. It’s also better for us.</p>
<p>But until that world is ours, and for the record because apparently it still needs to be said: Black Lives Matter, and so do Black Stories.</p>
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL4hxmAYPq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-06-08T19:22:27+00:00">Jun 8, 2020 at 12:22pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<p>I’m highlighting Dhonielle Clayton’s stunning YA Dystopian Fantasy <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23197837-the-belles?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GQ4R0DRMYd&rank=1">The Belles</a> in particular today, because yes, we need stories with both real life and fantasy, lived experience and imagined, interrogation and extrapolation and, at times, just straight up escapism in speculative fiction. And sometimes an author wants or needs to write about race in a contemporary or historical setting, but that should never be demanded or expected of them. (a.k.a. give us more Black fantasy!)</p>
<p>Anyway, this book (series) in particular stood out to me because Dhonielle told a gripping story of stunning beauty and devastating dystopian horror and I’ve very rarely seen glitter and misery combined with such excellence.</p>
<p>I’ll be incorporating regular titles by Black authors (trad & indie) into future editions of this newsletter, as well as highlighting indigenous and POC stories.</p>
<p>And if you’re a writer of YA or teen-friendly speculative fiction and Black, indigenous, or otherwise POC, please reach out with a link to one of your books so I can share it with everyone. 💖</p>
MORE Book Recs2020-05-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/05/28/more-book-recs<p>Local author Lois Peterson was kind enough to interview me and a bunch of other CWILL BC authors on her blog.</p>
<p><a href="http://loispetersonwriter.ca/2020/05/27/author-qa-k-a-wiggins-2/">Check it out</a> for bite-sized facts, book recommendations and more at: <a href="http://loispetersonwriter.ca/2020/05/27/author-qa-k-a-wiggins-2/">loispetersonwriter.ca</a></p>
A Sequel is Born2020-05-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/05/23/a-sequel-is-born<p>I’m just gonna leave this here . . .</p>
<p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" data-pin-terse="true" href="https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/572872015104799081/"></a></p>
COVID-19 Response2020-03-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/03/27/COVID-19-Response<p>TBH it’s hard to know what to say or how best to respond. As a writer and freelancer, my lifestyle already looked a lot like self-isolation, except for creative writing workshops and speaking engagements, so for the moment, it’s (almost) business-as-usual. I’ll be working on sequel rewrites, keeping up newsletters and book marketing efforts, and priotizing freelancing a little more than I had been to make up shortfalls.</p>
<p>But I know a ton of people are going through a tough time financially or have lost their jobs entirely, at least during the regional lockdowns. I don’t have enough of a backlist built up to offer much for free, but here’s a list of libraries and subscription services where you can find ebooks of Blind the Eyes:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/6786290038">Vancouver Public Library</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/387925871/Blind-the-Eyes-Threads-of-Dreams-1">Scribd</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2833301">24 Symbols</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.overdrive.com/media/3995334/blind-the-eyes">Overdrive/Libby</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ebook/blind-the-eyes">Kobo Plus</a> (regional access)</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m also offering coupons on ebooks to try to keep reading material accessible for those who don’t use library or subscription services.</p>
<p>-Use <strong>AGB60</strong> to get 60% off at <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/947703">Smashwords</a> until the end of May
-Use <strong>BNPESCAPE75</strong> to get 75% off at <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blind-the-eyes-ka-wiggins/1128583665">Barnes & Noble</a> until the end of May</p>
<p>And, for those of you who’ve suddenly become homeschoolers (especially you BC parents without school support!), I’m open-sourcing some <a href="https://kaie.space/news/2020/03/20/learning-resources.html">teaching materials from my creative writing workshops</a>. They’re tested on ages 8-12, but you could easily scale up or down a few years for maybe a couple hours of edutainment. ;D</p>
Learning Resources2020-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/03/20/learning-resources<p>Since school suddenly got cancelled this spring, I’ve reworked some materials from my creative writing workshops for home use.</p>
<p><strong>Here’s what I’ve got so far!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Tws3KLmCnd2aBNiUORTpdzd1rTDfj9u2"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Reading Questions</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v8cDaHU6AeiyfnF0GfOgs_CmzL_tL8EL"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Craft Activity</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LdUVe3yYONDwmyJOdChbvCnDJA-wjKkh"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Creative Writing Prompts</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-WFbtq8Vjec-cy1pCK4LlQOSq2ZEgyKt"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Facilitator’s Guide</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’re looking for more free home learning resources, <a href="http://teachbcdb.bctf.ca/">TeachBC</a> is well stocked, and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Writing-And-Literacy-For-Ages-8-12">TeachersPayTeachers</a> also has massive amounts of free (and paid) material.</p>
Alternate Cover Launch2020-02-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/02/14/alternate-cover-launch<p>Field testing an alternate cover design for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSHPBGH/"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> by <a href="http://coversbychristian.com/">Christian Bentulan</a> with animation by <a href="https://www.morganwrightbooks.com/morgan-wright-book-cover-animations">Morgan Wright</a>.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is not at all Valentines-related, but hi! Blind the Eyes has a new cover & it's extra creepy:<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoverReveal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoverReveal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/horror?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#horror</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DarkFantasy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DarkFantasy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dystopian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dystopian</a> <a href="https://t.co/ObNzfIaG3u">pic.twitter.com/ObNzfIaG3u</a></p>— K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1228428815266807809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>This will be an Amazon exclusive until I figure out which version performs better with readers.</p>
Feb5 WRAD Burnaby Live Reading2020-01-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2020/01/17/Feb3-WRAD-Burnaby-Live-Reading<h2 id="world-read-aloud-day-event">World Read Aloud Day Event</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 5, 2020</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 6:30-8:45 pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch Library (6100 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby by Metrotown Stn.)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Live Reading, Book Fair, Signing</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a> authors and/or illustrators will take turns reading aloud from their recent works in support of <a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a>. Copies will be available on site for sale.</p>
<p><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/84606837_1098745297135164_567231662153269248_o.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ohc=lGIIWpE9l-UAX9Bcdk3&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=a69b2ca21ba77427e343cfeb53e4ede3&oe=5ECE09D3" alt="" /></p>
Feb3 Writing and Illustrating Kids Books Vancouver2020-01-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2020/01/16/feb3-writing-and-illustrating-kids-books-vancouver<h2 id="writing--illustrating-kids-books-the-inside-story">Writing & Illustrating Kids Books: The Inside Story</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> February 3, 2020</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 7-8:30 pm (6:30 signing/bookfair)</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Central Library Branch, Montalbano Family Theatre, Level 8 (350 West Georgia St., Vancouver)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Panel Discussion, Q&A, Book Fair, Signing</p>
<p>Interested in writing or illustrating books for young readers?</p>
<p>Join six professional children’s authors and illustrators to find out how they broke into this exciting and competitive field and built their careers.</p>
<p>Ask questions and get practical information on topics such as how to improve your writing, how to find a publisher and submit your work, what agents do, what to look for in a book contract, and what the financial rewards are.</p>
<p>Meet authors Glen Huser, Cynthia Nugent, Ellen Schwartz, Carol Watterson, K.A. Wiggins and Pam Withers and get a book signed starting at 6:30 P.M.</p>
<p>In partnership with <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a>.</p>
<p>Full details <a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/search/fq=branch_location_id:(CEN)&fq=types:(53e94ea21fdd7868020058ca)/event/5df81ba869c98645007cffb6">here</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/search/fq=branch_location_id:(CEN)&fq=types:(53e94ea21fdd7868020058ca)/event/5df81ba869c98645007cffb6" target="_blank"><img src="https://cwillbc.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/cwillpanel2020-1.jpg" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
Kicking Off 20202020-01-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2020/01/09/Kicking-Off-2020<p>SO MUCH going on as we head into a new year (could it because it’s been six months since I last updated you? Maybe? Who really knows??)</p>
<p>Anyway, here’s the rundown:</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="sequel">Sequel</h3>
<p>The next installment of Threads of Dreams didn’t make it for 2019, but it did get written.</p>
<p>Look forward to more hauntings, more monsters, more revelations, and a bonus roadtrip to the BC interior.</p>
<p>Revisions, a lot of research as the adventure heads out of the city, and a few rounds of editing lie ahead, but I hope to keep things moving and work on book 3 when book 2’s off for editing this year because y’all are gonna hate me if I leave you hanging with its ending for another two years.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="events">Events</h3>
<p>I’ll be getting out of the house more in 2020, with several IRL events already on the book (<a href="https://kaie.space/events.html">here’s a page where you can keep track of them all!</a>). Briefly:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Writing & Illustrating Kids Books: The Inside Story. Vancouver, Feb. 3, 2020. More details <a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/search/fq=branch_location_id:(CEN)&fq=types:(53e94ea21fdd7868020058ca)/event/5df81ba869c98645007cffb6">here</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>World Read Aloud Day Live Readings. Burnaby, Feb. 5, 2020. More details to come.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Aaand speaking of getting out of the house:</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="coaching">Coaching</h3>
<p>My head is still spinning, this got arranged so fast . . . but I’m officially the newest storytelling mentor with Creative Writing for Children Society!</p>
<p>They’re a local nonprofit that runs after-school/weekend creative writing workshops for ages 8 and up all around the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland region (and, occasionally, overseas.) Term-length workshops end with the kids self-publishing a short book or anthology.</p>
<p>I’ll be running a creativity-in-storytelling anthology workshop in White Rock starting next week (😱) so that’s going to be busy for a bit until I get it sorted. If you have kids interested in doing more creative writing, definitely <a href="http://www.cwc2004.org/">get in touch with them</a> to see if there’s an upcoming workshop in your area!</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="actual-publishing-news-">Actual Publishing News (?)</h3>
<p>You’ll see some familiar stories popping up later this year with a new look.</p>
<p>I did a little clean-up on both On the Edge and A Song of Dark Things and they’re pending consideration for a magazine and anthology project respectively.</p>
<p>A few other short stories, new and old, are under submission as well, and I got the news just last night that Castoffs is pending consideration for a magazine that does print/ebook/audio. Can’t wait for you guys to read it (hope it finally sells!) since it’s so utterly unlike anything I’ve put out before. Kind of weird horror, if that’s a genre? Or dark comedy-fantasy?</p>
<p>An alternate cover for Blind the Eyes is also underway. It’s an experiment to see what a less-creative-more-genre-aligned cover might do on digital storefronts (which are a bit of their own beast when it comes to such things), so look forward to a new/old cover reveal in the next edition!</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="stores">Stores</h3>
<p>Just added a new IRL retail location, if you’re into supporting indie bookstores and/or shopping local.</p>
<p>You can now find signed paperbacks of Blind the Eyes at <a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/">Hemingway’s Books & Records</a>** in Abbotsford, BC.</p>
<hr />
<p>That seems like more than enough for now! As always, you’ll get news a little faster if you join me on social or sign up to the newsletter! :)</p>
Sep29 WORD Vancouver Writing Fest2019-09-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2019/09/01/sep29-word-vancouver-writing-fest<h2 id="word-vancouver-writing-festival">WORD Vancouver Writing Festival</h2>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> September 29, 2019</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 10am-5pm</p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Central Library Branch, Plaza (350 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC)</p>
<p><strong>Type:</strong> Book Fair, Writing Festival</p>
<p>I’ll be staffing the <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a> exhibitor’s table at this year’s <a href="https://www.wordvancouver.ca/">WORD Vancouver</a> festival all day, so drop by to learn more about what we offer for BC-based authors and illustrators of children’s books, or pick up a great new local picture book, chapter book, middle grade or YA novel and get it signed on the spot!</p>
First Anthology2019-08-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/08/13/first-anthology<p>Surprise! One of my stories got picked up for an anthology by Fiction-Atlas Press (coming out next month already!!! 😱)</p>
<p><a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms" target="_blank"><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69692861_2702902193086945_9017343211579899904_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQlmcaSB0X_e77AoUof0ty_QvAFV3AbTcRS2RfEsxwZrteJ8jV-v5dRWuEv_eorfNIo&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=68d5ef6cf176a2afc419676995534454&oe=5E0A6ADE" style="max-height:300px;" /></a> <a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms" target="_blank"><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69979816_10162260041325319_2448780878034239488_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_oc=AQkFy7ETJjKr4VbyQikDFZE-i3LuTLDT95dAepyTfusVzIU0HAycoYwTrSrWn88uSDA&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&oh=65dd86f21c8eb26e11b46cddfc710ca1&oe=5DF6C28D" style="max-height:300px;" /></a></p>
<p><em>A Song of Dark Things</em> is a contemporary dark fantasy inspired by the Scottish fairytales <em>Thomas the Rhymer</em> & <em>The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich</em> and my own travels at the edge of the (old) world. ✨</p>
<p><strong>Blurb</strong> “A Highland teen desperate to escape her smalltown existence makes a deal with the fae to achieve her dreams of stardom, only to discover her heart’s desire comes at an unexpected cost.”</p>
<p>I’m super excited about this story—it’s especially perfect for all of you who loved <em>On the Edge</em>; unsettling and creepy and gorgeous. 💖💖💖</p>
<p>But because it’s an anthology, you don’t just get my weird take on devil’s bargains, you get another NINE amazing speculative stories about stepping into other worlds! 🎉</p>
<p>You can preorder Unknown Worlds now at <a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms">any online bookstore</a> and your ebook will be automatically delivered on October 28th!</p>
<p>Not into ebooks? Paperbacks should hit stores soon (I’ll update with links when I have ‘em!)</p>
<h3 id="expanded-blurb">Expanded blurb:</h3>
<p>Lee would sell her soul to be a rockstar, but no one’s buying. Well, no one around here, anyways. There’s little trade on the Morar Peninsula, and the holiday goers cluttering up the view show precious little interest in her soul. They’re more interested in a romantic highland getaway, clean rooms, and a view of the sea.</p>
<p>Doesn’t matter. She has a plan, and a prospective buyer lined up. Though, if everything goes right, the Folk will deliver her heart’s desire at a much better price. She hopes to trade a night at best, a year at a bargain, and if it takes a century, well. That can be arranged.</p>
Two Kinds of Audio2019-06-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/06/25/Two-Kinds-of-Audio<p>With huge thanks to the Vancouver Public Library’s free creator spaces, I was able to spend a week recording <em>Blind the Eyes</em> in Vancouver. 20 hours later, I have raw files and a mountain of audio editing ahead, but audiobooks are <em>finally</em> underway!</p>
<p><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/69b7865f-e71a-4ec2-b11d-5c5915c1b290.jpg" style="width: 300px" /></p>
<p>Also: I’ve been accepted as a member and registered as a speaker with the Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia Society (CWILL BC). Looking forward to learning, building connections, giving back to the community, and hopefully getting out to see more awesome readers and the next generation of writers!</p>
<p>If you’re an event organizer or a reader lobbying local events to bring in more authors you like, <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/Member_View.aspx?MemberID=82980">here’s my speaker profile on CWILL BC</a> for reference. I’d love to meet you!</p>
<p><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/b078f875-e134-47c1-8db8-c53671f0b4f1.jpg" style="width: 300px" /></p>
First Magazine2019-06-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/06/24/first-magazine<p>UPDATED June 24, 2019</p>
<p><a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/2019/06/on-edge-by-k-wiggins.html">Read <em>On the Edge</em></a> for FREE courtesy of Enchanted Conversation Magazine!</p>
<p><a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/2019/06/on-edge-by-k-wiggins.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eUvshuAZ04A/XPw6fXy8nlI/AAAAAAAAFuo/jYa0XIf3vygIT1GdetETV2NkUsWfl6uxgCLcBGAs/s400/ON%2BTHE%2BEDGE%2B-%2BWiggins%2Bcopy.jpg" style="max-height:300px;" /></a></p>
<hr />
<p>ORIGINAL POST May 5, 2019</p>
<p>Just a quick update today: one of my stories got accepted by a literary magazine! Okay, it’s really more of a genre ‘zine, but either way!</p>
<p>It might seem like a weird thing to get excited about at this point in my career, but it’s actually a first for me. I’ve had short stories win contests, indie-published, and licensed for translation (and published long-form fiction), but I’ve never actually submitted to a publication before.</p>
<p>Even more excitingly, the story was picked up by the very first place I submitted to! (They called it “exceptional and lyrically beautiful!!”)</p>
<p>You can read <em>On The Edge</em> in <a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com">Enchanted Magazine</a>’s June 2019 edition. It’s an NA horror/dark fantasy faery story about walking on water, adulthood & escaping reality in the Scottish Highlands and the ending is possibly my favourite thing written to date.</p>
<p>Hidden paths and ancient ruins! Creatures beneath the waves! ALLLL the millennial angst. Very On Brand #monstersandmagic ✨</p>
<p>Also, it’s inspired by my actual adventures in the UK. Up to you to guess which parts~</p>
Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway2019-06-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/06/05/Happy-Book-Birthday<p>I can’t believe it’s been a year already!</p>
<p><em>Blind the Eyes</em> came out on June 1, 2018, and in a weird and totally-unplanned-for twist of fate, it was three years to the day since I first sat down to write it, making this officially my fourth year as an author (<em>shock</em>).</p>
<p>To celebrate, here’s a look back at one year of awesome milestones and a fun bookbox giveaway:</p>
<h3 id="may-2018-first-copy-sold">May 2018: First Copy Sold!!</h3>
<p>When I talk about how much I love international readers, this is one of the reasons why. The first ever copy of one of my books to sell was a preorder of the BTE ebook, and it went to a reader in the Philippines.</p>
<p>To be entirely honest, I would have been thrilled just to sell a copy to someone I wasn’t related to, but it’s super cool to know exactly who gave me that first vote of confidence. :)</p>
<h3 id="june-13-2018-first-press-feature">June 13, 2018: First Press Feature</h3>
<p>It was almost two weeks after launch, blogger reviews were slowly filtering in and I was <em>still</em> wrestling with KDP to get the paperbacks posted when I got the email.</p>
<p>BTE was selected to be featured in the Summer 2018 Barnes & Noble Press Presents promotion. In case you’re not up on current trends in bookselling, B&N is one of the curated storefronts where human beings (instead of just algorithms) select books to be featured.</p>
<p>After two weeks of book launch madness, this was definitely a welcome development!</p>
<p><img src="/vexoIG.png" style="width:100%;" /></p>
<h3 id="june-19-2018-paperbacks">June 19, 2018: Paperbacks</h3>
<p>Almost three weeks post-launch, but better late than never (sob) Ingram Spark came through with gorgeous paperback proofs. I’d spend the next six+ months wrestling with KDP support to get cheaper versions out to stores, but yay, pretty books!</p>
<h3 id="july-2018-prequel-finished">July 2018: Prequel Finished</h3>
<p>A second Camp NaNoWriMo saw the end of the first draft of <em>Beneath the Surface</em>—now available to newsletter subscribers as the prequel novella <em>Under</em>.</p>
<p>I’d like to circle back and rework this story into a full novel with some tweaks, but y’all are waiting on the sequels, so . . . some day. (shrugs)</p>
<p><img src="/giftwrapped4288long.jpg" style="width:100%;" /></p>
<h3 id="november-2018-hardcovers">November 2018: Hardcovers</h3>
<p>BTE was finally available in three (out of four) formats—and man, those hardcovers look <em>good</em>. Audiobooks are still to come . . . whenever I get free from this #$%^ sequel, lol.</p>
<p>Also in November, <a href="reginawamba.com">Regina Wamba</a>’s gorgeous cover design for BTE was shortlisted as one of the top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy covers of 2018 by the rad team at Kobo.</p>
<h3 id="december-2018-best-of-book">December 2018: Best-Of Book</h3>
<p>Another best-of list! Just before Christmas the Barnes & Noble Press team let me know they’d selected BTE as one of their “Top 20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018” and called it:</p>
<p>“A unique twist on the YA-dystopian genre, Wiggins weaves a complex tale that unfolds like a dream itself — mystical, and sometimes odd, but always captivating.”</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the kind words, B&N Press!</p>
<h3 id="january-2019-paperbacks-part-2">January 2019: Paperbacks Part 2</h3>
<p>Yes, <em>finally</em> the long-awaited KDP paperbacks finally got unstuck from the bowels of the internet and appeared in stores. Rejoice!</p>
<p>I also kicked off a year of releases with <em>Letter From the End of the World</em> on January 31.</p>
<p>I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions, so let’s call it a quiet scheme to release a story a month (mostly to make up for being s l o w getting that sequel out to you).</p>
<p><img src="/carnage8long.gif" style="width:100%;" /></p>
<h3 id="february-march-2019-releases-2-4">February-March 2019: Releases 2-4</h3>
<p><em>Letter</em> is a super-short epistolary second-person villain origin story in the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> world.</p>
<p>I basically just recycled some of my worldbuilding and backstory notes into a side story to explore the possibilities of Kindle Unlimited, so I was frankly shocked to hear from a small international publisher asking about translation rights.</p>
<p>A couple rounds of successful negotiations later and *Lettera dalla fine del mondo” is now available in Italian from Virgibooks, Inc. First translation deal!</p>
<p>Somewhere in between, the 30,000 word prequel novella <em>Under</em> launched to newsletter subscribers.</p>
<p><em>The Unsought Light</em> debuted as a Valentines Day free read before getting reworked for KU. First story outside of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series!</p>
<p>Also in February: <a href="https://mybooks-myworld.com/2019/02/18/my-interview-with-author-k-a-wiggins/">first interview</a>, thanks to Mary Bernal of <em>My Books My World</em></p>
<p>And ALSO, this funny little email about some event in India . . . which brings us to:</p>
<p><img src="/broken7-unsought-long.jpg" style="width:100%;" /></p>
<h3 id="april-2019-my-new-favourite-thing">April 2019: My New Favourite Thing!!!</h3>
<p>I was invited to speak at a children’s literature festival in Mumbai. Even more unexpectedly, I said yes—and loved it! Turns out I love talking about books and encouraging readers and writers—who knew?</p>
<p>I had a great time at Creative Ink Festival closer to home in Burnaby a couple weeks before heading to India as a “practice run” too—great to meet some new friends and make a lot of really exciting connections at both events. Will definitely be on the lookout for more chance to get out and connect with y’all offline more often!</p>
<h3 id="may-2019-more-shorts">May 2019: More Shorts</h3>
<p>Writers reading this might laugh, but it hadn’t really occurred to me to try to license short fiction—even after my first attempt getting snapped up for translation.</p>
<p>But I kind of stumbled across an online call for submissions for speculative stories about water and . . . 1,600 words later a weird, creepy, delightfully dark faery story called <em>On the Edge</em> was snapped up the first place I submitted! They called it “exceptional and lyrically beautiful” so there’s that.</p>
<p>Look forward to reading that later this week at <a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/">Enchanted Conversations Magazine</a>!</p>
<h2 id="celebrate-with-me">Celebrate with me!</h2>
<p>Looking back, it’s hard to believe all the amazing things that have happened in just one year!</p>
<p>So many of the things I expected didn’t happen and tons of things I never would never dreamed of have, so it’s very much been an exercise in adjusting expectations and getting excited about what is.</p>
<p>And so many of those great things are because of the amazing readers, bloggers, bookstagrammers, and other supporters who have taken the time to write reviews, post pictures and, you know, buy books. So, thank you, everyone!</p>
<p>To celebrate, I’ve put together a bookbox inspired by some of the highlights and events of the past year:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Signed paperback of the brilliant Kelley Armstrong’s terrifying YA paranormal thriller <em>The Summoning</em> from Creative Ink Festival</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Paperback of local author J.M. Barrie’s faery fantasy <em>Liminal Lights</em> from Creative Ink Festival</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Hand-bound copy of <em>The Unsought Light</em> with a matching (unlined) notebook</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Gold elephant bookmark and shape notebook from Mumbai</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>“Read” pin</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>One bonus paperback from my collection! Choose from dystopian, dark fantasy, or a copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/BookBirthdayGiveaway.JPG" style="width:100%;" /></p>
<hr />
<p><a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3678dbc1/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="d3678dbc1" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_4uhb299p">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></p>
My new favourite thing2019-05-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/05/02/My-new-favourite-thing<p>The Children’s Literature Fest in Mumbai was spectacular, guys—I wish you all could have been there!</p>
<p>Huge shoutout to ORCHIDS The International School and the other sponsors, and Rupsa and her team for making it happen.</p>
<p>(They also made this rad video—you can see they’re skilled by how they edited my barely-coherent flailing interview into something cool~)</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i59lhgzqkQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>Apparently this was not only the first Children’s Lit Fest in Mumbai, but the largest anywhere? I think 10,000 guests over the course of the festival were anticipated. (So happy I don’t get stage fright!)</p>
<p>The level of production was just unbelievable; they had this thing they called a “story street” that you can catch a glimpse of in that YouTube where they’d created like 10-foot high vinyl-printed illustrations and pop-up installations all along a corridor so you literally walked through stories to get to the festival.</p>
<p>All the storytellers (guest speakers) had these personalized introduction videos (also: we got to walk on stage to epic film soundtracks.) Total celebrity moment! Plus the festival had its own theme song (and later, music video!)</p>
<p>I was so busy connecting with everyone, I didn’t really get around to taking any decent pictures, but you can find some of the videos and images from the festival <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Orchids-Childrens-Literature-Fest-392001844713668/">here</a>.</p>
<p>The team worked so hard—just nonstop running around to make it all happen (one even broke her leg and kept going!! Badass, Taniya!) and it was cool to hear how the whole thing came about because they’re encouraged to come up with creative, ambitious projects.</p>
<p>Some sessions were standing-room only, but one of my favourites was near the end of the festival when only four kids showed up and we got to just circle up chairs and chat writing for a couple hours. Brilliant.</p>
<p>Speaking of brilliant, these kids—wow. I was speaking to mostly 11-14 year olds, with some sessions attended by older teens and adults, and I was worried if they would be too young at first, but even the youngest ones were totally engaged. I wish I’d been half as confident and able to communicate effectively at their age!</p>
<p>Another cool moment: because I mostly sell books online, I’ve only ever personalized books for friends, family, and reviewers. But one awesome dad who brought out his daughter to multiple days of the festival bought a copy as a surprise for her after her next exam. Such a cool moment for me (and I hope for her!)</p>
<p>If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you’ll know that I almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad I did. It was amazing meeting all the brilliant guests, sharing stories, talking writing, and getting to spend time with so many great people.</p>
<p>(I’ll be working on a series to introduce you to some of them in the newsletters and on social in coming weeks.)</p>
<p>As a creative and business owner in the 21st century, I’ve really had a digital-first mentality. But now I’m absolutely going to be seeking out more chances to connect with readers and writers offline as well~</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who helped put on the event, taught, or attended a session—I can’t wait to do more events like this!</p>
Meet me in Mumbai!2019-04-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//events/2019/04/10/meet-me-in-mumbai<p><a href="http://orchidsliteraturefest.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.orchidsinternationalschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lit-fest-orch.jpg" alt="Orchids Literary Fest Mumbai" width="100%" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Looking to get a book signed at the festival? Paperback editions of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> are available in India for Rs.650.00+shipping at <a href="https://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-wiggins-blind-eyes">Pothi</a> and <a href="https://notionpress.com/read/blind-the-eyes">NotionPress</a>.</strong></p>
<p>I will be teaching a masterclass, participating in panel discussions, and leading sessions on three topics (descriptions below). <strong><a href="http://orchidsliteraturefest.com/programme/">Check the schedule</a> for last minute changes and updates.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Download:</strong> <a href="/ResourceLinks.pdf">Useful resource links</a></p>
<p><strong>Getting Started as a Young Writer</strong> (<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pTwixcfSv8IZHRLzV_-WMJx2BTOxXGxx">PPT Notes</a>)</p>
<p>Young writers can benefit greatly from sharing their work. Learn about some of the best ways to get started, whether you’re ambitiously building a career, or recreationally enjoying the wonderful community and creativity of writing.</p>
<p>This session will discuss identifying your goals, types of writing you should try or focus on, and where to start sharing your work.</p>
<p><strong>Masterclass: From Scribbles to Prints</strong> (<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1K48oR3A8vP14Jc0snZxBUsW4v3kN1Cnd">PPT Notes</a>)</p>
<p>Getting a book from concept to store shelves is a massive undertaking! Writing is just the beginning: learn about traditional and independent pathways to publishing your work.</p>
<p>This masterclass will discuss choosing your direction, understanding the business of writing, and the practical steps involved in taking a book from concept to completion in a traditional or independent market, as well as introducing some key resources.</p>
<p><strong>Worldbuilding for Storytellers</strong> (<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=13jrW3Er1gn1XfhXpKz_gCPoq700OazjT">PPT Notes</a>)</p>
<p>Whether you’re writing magical otherworlds, dystopian futures, or contemporary, realistic fiction, worldbuilding is a key art to master.</p>
<p>This session will offer a quick overview of the role worldbuilding plays in stories, how to craft a compelling story world, and how to integrate worldbuilding into your story without getting overwhelmed.</p>
<p><strong>2:30-3:00 Magic & Monsters</strong> (<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Igv5M8CfQ1FM99lDoaj_S--NH3iRKca3">PPT Notes</a>)</p>
<p>Why do we write fantasies, paranormal, and horror stories? How do stories—especially “unrealistic” ones—help us in our own lives?</p>
<p>This session will discuss the role fiction and storytelling has in society and for individuals.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Original Post: March 4, 2019:</em></p>
<p>I’ve been invited to speak at the Orchids Literary Fest in Mumbai!</p>
<p>It’s being held April 18-20 at Orchids The International School, Malad campus, so if you’re in the area, come say hi. :)</p>
<p>It’s a children’s literature fest, but there will be panels, workshops, and opportunities to connect across various storytelling mediums and for all ages. Plus, it’s free to attend!</p>
<p>I’ll post an update when the full schedule has been pinned down (including which sessions I’m in!), but so far there are local and international actors, dancers, visual artists, and—of course—writers attending.</p>
<p>Take a look for yourself at: <a href="http://orchidsliteraturefest.com">orchidsliteraturefest.com</a></p>
A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED2019-03-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/03/31/a-villain-origin-story-translated<h2 id="letter-from-the-end-of-the-world">Letter from the End of the World</h2>
<p><strong>Before her deal with the devil, Maryam Ajera was . . . anything but ordinary. Read the letter she can never send to the son she can never acknowledge confessing the true story of their world before its fall.</strong></p>
<p>Brilliant academic, driven professional, cynical wife, and reluctant mother, Maryam Ajera’s ambition knows no bounds. She’ll sacrifice whatever it takes to rise to the top. But when her secret mission to stop the end of the world gets hijacked by tragedy, the monstrous intelligence possessing her dying city forces her to choose between surrendering her life or signing on for an eternity of sacrifice.</p>
<p><strong>In a city overrun by monsters, she’s not the only one who’ll pay the cost.</strong></p>
<p>Discover the unexpected villain origin story of the unearthly Mayor of the Towers of Refuge in this short spinoff to the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series. Suggested as a companion read, this short story covers events leading up to <em>Blind the Eyes</em> and can also be enjoyed as a standalone.</p>
<p><em>Letter from the End of the World</em> launched on January 31, 2019 and it is a Kindle Unlimited exclusive short story/flash fiction title, so you can only <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MZQ1H1M">get it on Amazon</a> (at the moment).</p>
<p><img src="/carnage8long.gif" alt="Short Story Letter from the End of the World/Lettera dalla fine del mondo by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
<h2 id="now-available-in-italian">Now Available in Italian</h2>
<p>I’m also very excited to announce that Italian language ebook rights for this title have been licensed to international publisher Virgibooks, Inc. The Italian translation, <em>Lettera dalla fine del mondo,</em> hits <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NS76DYH">Amazon stores</a> today!</p>
<p>Since this is a short read, print editions are not planned at this time.</p>
A Standalone and a Prequel2019-03-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/03/28/a-standalone-and-a-prequel<h2 id="two-new-stories">Two New Stories!!</h2>
<p>I’ve been aiming for one new story a month this year.</p>
<p>First up was <em>Letter from the End of the World,</em> a <em>Threads of Dreams</em> flash fiction at the end of January. The translation, <em>Lettera dalla fine del mondo,</em> comes out at the end of March. I managed to wedge these two right in between:</p>
<h3 id="the-unsought-light-a-japanese-fairytale-retelling-with-a-gothic-twist">The Unsought Light: A Japanese Fairytale Retelling with a Gothic Twist</h3>
<p><img src="/broken7-unsought-long.jpg" alt="Short Story The Unsought Light by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
<p><strong>Daughters don’t get to choose their fate. But there’s one choice no one can deny her.</strong></p>
<p>Promised from birth to the son of the clan lord, Hana’s only joy is gazing out over the lake beyond her window. She dreams of floating away on the breeze like the cherry blossoms, but when an otherworldly stranger offers a chance at escape, duty and desire collide in a war that threatens to bring down her family, her clan, and her village.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom. Passion. Family. Fate. What do you do when there are no good choices left?</strong></p>
<p>A gothic retelling of the ancient Japanese folktale The Maiden of Unai, this short story explores the untold perspective of the “maiden” destined for an arranged political marriage in a time and place where family fortunes mattered more than individual happiness or choice. A historical romance in the vein of Rome & Juliet with a supernatural twist.</p>
<p><em>Trigger warning for suicide.</em></p>
<p>This is a standalone short story (the setting might have tipped you off?) and it is also, at least for the moment, exclusive to the Kindle Unlimited program, so you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P3KDXQ8">get it on Amazon</a> as of today.</p>
<p>(Pro tip: Kindle Unlimited books are always free to KU subscribers, but one advantage of the program is the ability to do dramatically lower pricing or even price to free every so often, so you might want to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/K.A.-Wiggins/e/B072N62MXK">follow me on Amazon</a> to get alerts about sales.)</p>
<h3 id="under">Under</h3>
<p><img src="/giftwrapped4288long.jpg" alt="Prequel Novella Under by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
<p>So, I’ve been promising you guys a prequel novella since last summer and it’s (past) time to deliver.</p>
<p>The reason you didn’t get <em>Under</em> last July is that I finished drafting it, replotted it, and came up with a much bigger story to tell, and one which needed tweaks to fit properly into all the complexity of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series. That story is <em>Below the Surface</em>, and it’s going to have to wait its turn (lol).</p>
<p>But <em>Under</em> is a fun, fast-paced little romantic thriller all on its own, so I cleaned it up a little and made it into a newsletter subscriber freebie!</p>
<p><strong>Sibling rivalry takes a new turn as sisters fight for love, identity, and survival in a monster-infested drowned city.</strong></p>
<p>The twins’ bond kept them together through everything the Towers of Refuge could throw at them. But when Ange fakes her own death in a rash attempt to protect her sister, her twin runs away to join a secret club in the abandoned levels of the tower below the floodwaters.</p>
<p>Ange is determined to bring her sister back. But the secrets—and the strangers—they discover below the waterline could sever their bond for good.</p>
<p>This SFF/spec-fic prequel story takes place less than a decade before <em>Blind the Eyes</em> and blends monsters and magic with near-future post-eco-disaster cityscapes for a fast-paced, genre-bending romantic thriller.</p>
<p><a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">Join the newsletter</a> to download a free complete copy of <em>Under</em> and an extended preview of <em>Blind the Eyes.</em></p>
Playing Catch Up2019-02-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/02/23/playing-catch-up<p>Bear with me, guys. There’s been a ton going on this year (how is it almost March?!?) but between releasing new stories, writing newsletters, book marketing, sublicensing, translations(!), international speaking invitations, and even a dash of actual writing in all that, I’ve fallen behind on updating this site.</p>
<p>So . . . keep an eye out for all those things, I guess? And I’ll try to copy important news over here as soon as I get a chance.</p>
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know2019-02-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2019/02/18/more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know<p>Amy Bernal of My Books-My World interviewed me on her blog.</p>
<p><a href="https://mybooks-myworld.com/2019/02/18/my-interview-with-author-k-a-wiggins/">Check it out</a> for awkward photos, way more than you ever wanted to know about my process, and a sneak peek excerpt!</p>
Wishing you hope this Christmas2018-12-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/12/21/Wishing-you-hope-this-Christmas<p><em>(first published in newsletter December 21 edition)</em></p>
<p><strong>Christmas is next week. How are you doing?</strong></p>
<p>I hope you’re having an awesome holiday season with not a cloud in the sky, but for many of us, Christmas is a tough time.</p>
<p>And maybe it’s because New Years looms—with all of its pressure to look back, reevaluate, and set those dreaded resolutions—that it also tends to be a season that shines a harsh light on the gap between reality and our dreams.</p>
<p><strong>Christmas movies love diving into this stuff.</strong></p>
<p>The endless flood of holiday romances, with or without kids in the picture, unpack the longing for love (and freedom from family and societal expectations) and a desire to return to a childlike place of belief.</p>
<p><em>We dream our prince will come . . .</em></p>
<p><em>Or our dead-end career will be replaced by something we love—that also makes us super-successful . . .</em></p>
<p><em>(The turkey will make itself . . . )</em></p>
<p><em>We’ll save the farm/family business/small town/ . . .</em></p>
<p><em>Estranged family members will reconcile . . .</em></p>
<p><em>Our enemies will repent from their wicked ways . . .</em></p>
<p><em>The ones we’ve lost will return to us . . .</em></p>
<p><em>(Peace on Earth . . . )</em></p>
<p><em>The true meaning of Christmas will transform our hearts . . .</em></p>
<p><em>Magic will return to our world . . .</em></p>
<p>It’s easy to read those lines with a cynical inner voice. How silly. How childish. We live in the real world.</p>
<p>Geez, those fantasy writers, amirite?</p>
<p><strong>To be honest, I’m really not a fan of all those Hallmark-channel specials.</strong></p>
<p><em>I don’t believe a prince will come and transform my world.</em></p>
<p><em>I already quit the terrible job, and while the new one is amazing, it’s still a tough slog and when it comes right down to it, work is still work.</em></p>
<p><em>Family is complicated and magic is hard to hold on to.</em></p>
<p><em>Peace on Earth and goodwill to men (& especially women) seems to get further away every year.</em></p>
<p><strong>So where does that leave us?</strong></p>
<p>While I’m all for escapist fantasies in whatever form of media you prefer, it’s also important to live in the real world at least some of the time.</p>
<p>But almost every woman I know is on depression and/or anxiety medication. Suicide rates are skyrocketing.</p>
<p>If right here, right now is all there is, people are opting out in droves.</p>
<p>And, without discounting the value of medication, therapy, and other treatments, I think there’s something about Christmas that can help all of us, wherever we’re at.</p>
<p><strong>Before the song was the poem.</strong></p>
<p>It gets crowded out these days by endless renditions of <em>Jingle Bells</em> and the controversy swirling around <em>Baby It’s Cold Outside</em>, but perhaps you’re familiar with an old carol: <em>I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day</em>.</p>
<p>It’s a pretty tune, even if it doesn’t get that much radio play.</p>
<p>But take a look at the original text:</p>
<hr />
<p>I heard the bells on Christmas Day</p>
<p>Their old, familiar carols play,</p>
<p>and wild and sweet</p>
<p>The words repeat</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>And thought how, as the day had come,</p>
<p>The belfries of all Christendom</p>
<p>Had rolled along</p>
<p>The unbroken song</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Till ringing, singing on its way,</p>
<p>The world revolved from night to day,</p>
<p>A voice, a chime,</p>
<p>A chant sublime</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Then from each black, accursed mouth</p>
<p>The cannon thundered in the South,</p>
<p>And with the sound</p>
<p>The carols drowned</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>It was as if an earthquake rent</p>
<p>The hearth-stones of a continent,</p>
<p>And made forlorn</p>
<p>The households born</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>And in despair I bowed my head;</p>
<p>“There is no peace on earth,” I said;</p>
<p>“For hate is strong,</p>
<p>And mocks the song</p>
<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”</p>
<hr />
<p>It’s a poem about war and death and destruction.</p>
<p>Cheery, right? So festive!</p>
<p><strong>Here’s the backstory:</strong></p>
<p>In the mid-1800s, the dress of an accomplished artist, academic, art critic, mother, and wife named “Fanny” (Frances) caught on fire while she was with her children.</p>
<p>(Flammable women’s fabrics & dress designs were <a href="https://www.racked.com/2017/12/19/16710276/burning-dresses-history">an epidemic</a> of the time.)</p>
<p>Though she ran to her husband for help (and presumably to spare her children) and he sustained severe injuries trying to save her, she died the next morning.</p>
<p>Her husband had pursued her for over seven years prior to their marriage and would mourn her to the end of his days. Christmas was a particularly hard time after her death, as evidenced by his journal entries.</p>
<p><strong>But the story doesn’t end there.</strong></p>
<p>This widowed father of six was the famed American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and his home was the headquarters for George Washington in the early days of the American Revolution.</p>
<p>The year after Fanny Longfellow died, their eldest son ran away to join the Union Army during the American Civil War.</p>
<p>The following year he was shot in The Battle of Mine Run.</p>
<p>His father raced to his side in early December, learning that the bullet clipped his spine and paralysis was likely. Young Charley Longfellow survived, eventually recovering most of his mobility, but that moment had to have been devastating.</p>
<p>Henry Longfellow was nearly 60, widowed twice over, with six children under the age of 20, the eldest of whom was likely to be paralyzed for life.</p>
<p>And his country was ripping itself apart.</p>
<p>Longfellow wrote the poem <em>Christmas Bells</em> that December—but there’s one more verse that I didn’t include above.</p>
<p>He ends his lament against loss, death, and destruction like this:</p>
<hr />
<p>Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:</p>
<p>“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;</p>
<p>The Wrong shall fail,</p>
<p>The Right prevail,</p>
<p>With peace on earth, good-will to men.”</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Hope.</strong></p>
<p>Do you hear the triumph in that final stanza?</p>
<p><em>“The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail . . .”</em></p>
<p>What an absurd perspective. The world was a scary place in the mid-1800s.</p>
<p>It still is today.</p>
<p>There’s pain, loss, the small deaths of day-to-day miseries and the greater deaths of the ones we love.</p>
<p>War continues on, unrelenting. Oh, and we’re probably ruining the planet.</p>
<p><strong>But Christmas reminds us to find and hold on to hope in the darkness.</strong></p>
<p>It makes sense—the earliest baby-in-a-manger source of Christmas was about hope for a broken world.</p>
<p>Along the way, it’s picked up on other influences. Winter solstice—light returning to a dark, cold world. Legends of spirits and saints bringing some comfort into the harsh realities of winter.</p>
<p>Even the commercialistic modern Santa offers a kind of hope—if only for parents to be freed from shopping lists, for kids’ dreams to come true. For a last taste of magic in our prosaic, capitalist world.</p>
<p><strong>Hope can make a difference.</strong></p>
<p>It doesn’t deny or ignore yesterday’s mistakes and losses or today’s realities, but it validates dreams for a better future.</p>
<p>It doesn’t tell you you’re wrong or weak or foolish for the longings of your heart, but encourages you to continue on through whatever today may hold for you.</p>
<p>Hope frees you to keep living. To keep trying. To keep believing. To keep loving.</p>
<p>So this Christmas my wish for all of you is that you find hope that sustains you through this season and all your tomorrows.</p>
<p><em>Kaie</em></p>
BTE is a 2018 fave!2018-12-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/12/18/BTE-is-a-2018-fave<p>So excited to announce that Barnes & Noble Press have just named <em>Blind the Eyes</em> as one of their top “20 Favourite Indie Books of 2018”!!</p>
<p>Here’s what they had to say about it:</p>
<p>“Why we loved it: A unique twist on the YA-dystopian genre, Wiggins weaves a complex tale that unfolds like a dream itself — mystical, and sometimes odd, but always captivating.”</p>
<p>Thanks guys!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/2018-favorite-indie-books/">Check out the other awesome titles on the list</a> for more great indie book recommendations!</p>
All About Covers Part 32018-11-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3<p>Welcome back to the book cover design miniseries! To recap:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html">Part 1 was all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2 was about the process of commissioning a cover design</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) is about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember some of my (D.I.Y.) prelaunch covers, like this one:</p>
<p><img src="/scarf-version-bte.jpg" alt="Pre-publication cover of Blind the Eyes" />
<em>The last version before the true cover reveal!</em></p>
<p>I did try to get the design as close to story–accurate as possible, but the limitations of stock photos and my Photoshop skills are clear.</p>
<p>Thankfully, superstar cover designer <a href="https://reginawamba.com/">Regina Wamba</a>’s mad skills and hyper–organized approach came together to create something both subtler and more specific, as well as, you know, gorgeous.</p>
<p>I flooded her with 10 pages (!!) of notes about genre, setting, symbolism and visual elements, inspiration, characters, etc. plus <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/cover-inspiration/">an overstuffed Pinterest board</a> of cover inspiration, and she came through with a stunning concept that made sense of the chaos I dumped on her:</p>
<p><img src="/BTEFrontJacket.jpeg" alt="Final cover of Blind the Eyes" /></p>
<p>Here’s how some of those themes, plot elements, worldbuilding details, etc. informed the visual design:</p>
<p><strong>The Tower</strong></p>
<p>For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read BTE yet, the entire book takes place in (and under) a single tower in a flooded and monster–overrun city. The tower is a place of both refuge and oppression, as is so often the case, and defines the limits of main character Cole’s worldview and identity for much of this first book.</p>
<p>While technically fantasy, BTE also has a post–apocalyptic setting, and the Towers of Refuge are based on a real–world location: Bentall Centre, a series of integrated office towers built over an underground shopping mall in Vancouver, BC.</p>
<p>I love the way this blends gothic fairytale castle with imposing corporate monolith. The tower looms and bisects the flow of the page. The textured gold fill is simultaneously enticing and tarnished. Perfection.</p>
<p><strong>Gold & Silver/Light & Darkness/Mist & Decay</strong></p>
<p>I wanted to get away from communicating in terms of white and black/light and dark, so in the book (/trilogy), silver and gold are the most important visual cues.</p>
<p>Gold is extravagant, enticing, overwhelming, excessive, even menacing. It’s a glittering mask over reality. Silver is subtle, ephemeral, subversive, easily overshadowed, but also a bearer of light. It manifests in the margins with unexpected power (and readers may recognize a character–driven reason for the rooftop beam dominating the cover.</p>
<p>Both are present throughout the design, pushing against one another, holding the tension. Mist/fog is part of the worldbuilding, trapping humanity, corroding the city, and hiding the nightmarish Mara, and adds visual texture. The negative space of the title speaks to hidden realities, both truth and lies that hide in the shadows, exposed not by their presence but by the weight of their absence.</p>
<p><strong>Threads/Networks</strong></p>
<p>Cole exists in a world that insists on isolation, and she starts from a place of embracing that value. She quickly starts to question her world, discover what lays beyond its borders, and find the power to change the world and her place in it.</p>
<p>The interconnected threads/web visual elements speaks both to this theme of connection (both productive and destructive, illustrated by the gold and silver tones), as well as the powers that Cole begins to perceive and interact with.</p>
<p>It also just looks wicked cool . . .</p>
<p><strong>Genre Crossover, Detail & Format</strong></p>
<p>Cover design needs to meet readers’ expectations for the genre and perform on a functional level. Genre is MUCH harder to pinpoint than you’d think. It incorporates age group (MG vs. YA vs. adult), subgenres (is it Gothic fantasy? Gaslamp? Dystopian fantasy? etc.), and there are even differences between indie vs. traditional cover design trends within the same subject matter/subgenre.</p>
<p>In the case of Blind the Eyes, it hews closer to traditional/big publishing trends in YA fantasy (illustrated/graphic cover design) as opposed to indie trends (girls looking fierce with weapons and/or ball gowns), and I love it.</p>
<p>On the functional side, the cover needs to be eye–catching in small, thumbnail sizes, but still work at full–size and, in my case, various formats of print. Tucking enough detail so it doesn’t look raw and unfinished at larger sizes without muddying the form so much that it looks like a mess at smaller sizes is no joke, and colour profiles vary widely between digital and print formats. (Things look brighter on a screen, since they’re backlit, for instance.)</p>
<p>I’m in awe of how subtle, dynamic, and eloquent the design turned out, and I can’t wait to see how the designs for the sequel looks!</p>
All About Covers Part 22018-11-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2<p>Welcome back to the book cover design miniseries! To recap:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html">Part 1 was all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom)</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Part 2 is about the process of commissioning a cover design</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html">Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) will be about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="what-its-like-working-with-a-cover-designer">What it’s like working with a cover designer</h4>
<p>While designing my own covers was good practice and the outcome could have looked (much) worse, leaning too hard into a D.I.Y. ethos can be a mistake. I felt it was important to work with experts where appropriate—and design work (like editing) is one of those areas where it makes sense to recognize your own limitations and invest.</p>
<p>In this case, those limitations were both creative and technical. My artistic and Photoshop skills aren’t that finely honed, and light alterations to stock photos were about all I can manage. All my attempts at cover designs were only as strong as the stock photos. I could have flailed around for a few hundred more hours and hoped to hack my way into a reasonable layout, decent photo, and genre-appropriate outcome . . . or I could work with a professional.</p>
<p>I started looking for a cover designer WAY early (mostly because I originally planned to publish about a year before my actual launch date.) Many of the character traits, themes, and worldbuilding elements were already established, but some things did change considerably. It all worked out, as you’ll see, but I’d recommend caution if you’re a pre-published author eager to get your cover ordered.</p>
<p>That said, there’s usually a waitlist involved. I’d been keeping an eye out for cover artists and enquired with Regina Wamba in early March after seeing her work on Instagram. She has her business very well organized, which was helpful in quickly getting a sense of whether we could work together or not.</p>
<p>Specifically, I sent a sort of preliminary enquiry clarifying what I was looking for and asking about rates. She confirmed that she’d be interested in the project, sent over a “menu” of services, and set the timeline.</p>
<p>Because Regina’s also a superstar photographer, her offerings ranged from ebook-only cover design (using purchased/3rd–party stock photos) all the way up to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2114538108819983/">custom photography shoots to capture the exact look of the story</a>.</p>
<p>Once a design package was agreed upon, there was a contract to sign, a 50% deposit to pay, and lots of homework. Depending on what you select and who you work with, these terms could vary, but creative work tends to take time, and freelancers have to schedule projects (and therefore often can’t do things immediately/last minute).</p>
<p>In this case, the designer asked for 4-6 weeks minimum to process design inspiration, and I ended up letting her know that there was no rush on the design (because I got held up on the editing side) so it was a few months between drafts.</p>
<p>Design homework on the author’s end can look like anything from some quick notes about design ideas to a collection of images or comparable covers. In this case, Regina had a sort of survey for me to fill out that asked about everything from technical requirements (who’s your printer? what are the dimensions?) to setting, characters, theme, and visual elements to the story.</p>
<p>Given my (obvious) inability to be concise and restrained when it comes to wording, I flooded her with ten pages of chaotic scribbles. And a <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/cover-inspiration/">Pinterest cover inspiration board</a> with over a hundred covers to sort through. So, yeah, you can see why designers ask for several weeks to let it all sink in!</p>
<p>That was the main effort on my end. There were a few small back–and–forths with the draft, but it was over 90% there from the beginning. (The first round had a flowery, more “fairytale”–looking border, and no beam of light.) Deciding on cover text was also surprisingly difficult and made for extra work for the designer; I change up my hooks and blurbs too often, lol.</p>
<p>Design drafts are low-res screencaps, so once a design was finalized, I got a dropbox link to full-size covers. In my case, I hadn’t anticipated all the design resources I needed in the initial order, so that added a few steps. Since the overall concept was there, though, and the cover art was graphic not photo–based, ordering larger–format covers (i.e. the square–shaped audiobook cover and the extended artwork for the hardcover) wasn’t a matter of redesigning so much as simply specifying the dimensions and any new cover text. And then, every new format goes into a work queue, so that takes some time as well.</p>
<p>So, that’s pretty much the process from my end! If you’re a first–time author or indie–publisher getting ready to order your first cover, the steps are roughly:</p>
<ul>
<li>Decide vision (will the D.I.Y. or premade approach work for you? how are you positioning this book?)</li>
<li>Check budget (and revise vision or postpone and start saving!)</li>
<li>Research cover designers, maybe check in with authors/publishers to see what their experience was like</li>
<li>Initiate contact, communicate goals/vision, and ask for quote/timeline</li>
<li>Sign contract/pay deposit/schedule cover design</li>
<li>Send design reference material (instructions/specifications/subgenre, design inspiration, cover text, etc.)</li>
<li>Review artwork & approve or specify changes</li>
<li>Pay remaining fees, securely download/save full resolution artwork</li>
<li>Plan a cover reveal!!</li>
<li>Launch book</li>
</ul>
<p>Part 3, how the design of BLIND THE EYES is informed by worldbuilding and thematic visual elements, is in the Nov. 27 newsletter.</p>
All About Covers Part 12018-11-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1<p>Thanks to the team of lovely human beings at Kobo for shortlisting Blind the Eyes as one of this year’s top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy covers!</p>
<p>You can <a href="https://kobowritinglife.com/2018/11/23/the-kwl-cover-contest-2018-week-2-science-fiction-fantasy/">check out the full list and vote</a> in the public voting round until Nov. 30.</p>
<p>I started drafting a special cover edition of the newsletter and realized there was WAY too much content, so I’m breaking it out into a blog series instead!</p>
<p>First of all: shoutout to my amazing cover designer <a href="https://reginawamba.com">Regina Wamba</a> who designed the published covers for the Blind the Eyes ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook editions. I’ll link out to some of her content within this series to bring in the designer’s perspective, but mostly this will be from the author/publisher’s perspective.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Part 1 is all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom).</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2 will be about the process of commissioning a cover design.</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html">Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) will be about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="as-promised-all-about-cover-design-from-an-authors-perspective">As promised: all about cover design (from an author’s perspective)</h4>
<p>Okay, here we go. Let’s start with an overview of the options, starting with D.I.Y.</p>
<p>A great cover can have a huge impact on the success of a book, which is why it’s one of the most important outsourcing choices and biggest expenses after your editor (and, y’know, the author’s time).</p>
<p>If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember some of my prelaunch covers:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/limited-edition-covers/"><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ab/68/52/ab68526359f06d6a7ed8a29e220c018d.jpg" alt="Prelaunch D.I.Y. covers of Blind the Eyes" /></a> <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/limited-edition-covers/"><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/13/28/88/13288808ef9c9c1bf55e868a020f5cc2.jpg" alt="Prelaunch D.I.Y. covers of Blind the Eyes" /></a></p>
<p>For those of you aspiring authors: yes, it’s entirely possible to make your own and spend . . . well not quite zero dollars, but very little.</p>
<p>When I worked in corporate marketing, I used Photoshop and did a certain amount of design, so I wasn’t completely without skills. As an early publicity stunt (& just for the practice), I actually released the first beta readers editions in five–chapter segments and created a unique cover for each one. I paid for some stock photos, but the total cost was fairly minimal. I also had an old version of Photoshop to use, but you can subscribe for a month at a time or use other desktop, app-based, or online design programs (like Canva) with varying levels of sophistication.</p>
<p>For instance, the two Wattpad story covers (on the homepage) were made in the Typorama app with (free) built-in images and fonts, so obviously your mileage varies in terms of outcome. Are they the worst thing in the world? No—especially not for free or very low cost. But they’re also limited by a LOT of factors, including technical specs, imagination, design sense, understanding of genre trends, etc.</p>
<h4 id="the-next-level-up-when-it-comes-to-cover-design-options-are-premades">The next level up when it comes to cover design options are premades.</h4>
<p>Designers sometimes sell covers with placeholder text, and you can get a great deal if there’s one that matches your book, as long as you don’t need any changes. (Shoot me a message if you’d like some suggestions of where to look if you need one!)</p>
<h4 id="and-then-theres-custom-design">And then there’s custom design.</h4>
<p>This is a pretty broad category, which could include everything from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2031986487075146/">photomanip (Photoshopping stock images)</a> to dedicated, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2135376180069509/">exclusive photo shoots</a>, to graphic or fine artists producing original works of art and then converting these into a cover or working with a design team to create the finished product.</p>
<p>On the low end of custom design, you might work with a less experienced or polished designer for under a hundred dollars to a couple hundred. On the high end, you’re talking thousands or tens of thousands (e.g. for a photoshoot—possibly with paid models and on location—or an original work of art).</p>
<p>That can sound breathtakingly expensive (especially when placed against the likelihood of actual earnings from your book), but it takes time, skills, and experience to produce professional quality work, and the best designers are in high demand.</p>
<p>Cost will also be impacted by formats. An ebook cover is the least expensive option: you just need a rectangular .jpg that looks okay in thumbnail format and on a screen. But a paperback cover is more work for the designer—they have to produce a print–ready PDF and make the design wrap around the spine and back. A hardcover dust-jacket is even more work (you need to continue the design further into the flaps), and even an audiobook cover may be a challenge if your design was originally meant for portrait mode, not square format.</p>
<p>Then there’s the marketing extras. Some cover designers offer additional services like graphics for social media, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2035305050076623/">cinemagraphs or gifs</a> (motion versions) of your cover, book trailers, “making–of” or behind–the–scenes videos, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re an author pricing out covers, always check what’s included in a price against what your actual needs will be (and consider bundling formats at the start for a discount.)</p>
<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2: What it’s like working with a professional cover designer.</a></p>
Overdue Update2018-11-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/11/22/Overdue-Update<p>So, clearly I don’t update the site often enough. Just a heads-up if you dropped in looking for more interaction: I’m on social media <em>at least</em> weekly and even the newsletter goes out more often than I post here, so stalk accordingly. (links in the sidebar)</p>
<p>That said, I’m going to try to get a little more content up on here. Some stuff you mighta missed over the last 4 (!!) months:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Hardcovers are OUT!! They look rad, and you can request paperbacks or hardcovers from your local library, indie bookseller, trade bookseller, or shop online at your preferred bookstore.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The next release (<em>Under the Surface</em>) has been delayed, but it’s still coming! It’s a prequel novella (assuming I can keep the wordcount under control) and newsletter subscribers <em>at the time of release</em> will get it in ebook format for FREE because y’all are amazing. But it won’t stay free forever, so def. get those subscriptions in!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I’m trying out a weekly newsletter format with feature content, some of which may make its way over to this blog space eventually. Planned topics include the recap edition (photojournal/apology for where I’ve been for the last few months), the cover edition, the library edition, the plotting edition, and the character edition (and maybe one on worldbuilding? or edition? who knows!)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Also re: the newsletter, I do featured reviews and bookish shoutouts with every edition, so if you want to recommend a book to the other subscribers or feature your feed, sign up & give me a shout.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>I try not to spam the NL list all the time, so if you’re really keen on hearing about sales, follow me on social media or on a specific bookstore for alerts.</p>
Paperback Proofs are HERE2018-06-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/06/19/Paperback-Proofs-are-HERE<h2 id="theyre-so-pretty">They’re so pretty!!!</h2>
<p>The first proofs just arrived and they look great! I’m celebrating with a giveaway on Instagram, check it out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkN93FHFAqs/?taken-by=kaie.space">here</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b2/a6/24/b2a62461b60fd03eb551092a9f7be7c6.jpg" alt="Blind the Eyes first proofs and giveaway" /></p>
<p>And if you’re not on IG, you might want to <a href="https://emailoctopus.com/lists/6b5e4875-6428-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2/forms/subscribe">head on over to the newsletter</a>! 99% chance there’s gonna be a paperback giveaway in subscribers’ future~ ;D</p>
Achievement Unlocked!!2018-06-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/06/13/Achievement-Unlocked<h2 id="bn-press-presents">B&N Press Presents</h2>
<p>I’m super excited to announce that <em>Blind the Eyes</em> has been handpicked by the Barnes & Noble Press team for the Summer 2018 B&N Press Presents list!</p>
<p>As a creator, it’s always awesome to get a vote of confidence from a respected source like this. <em>Blind the Eyes</em> is on a special <a href="http://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">sale</a> to celebrate, and it’s in some great company, so why not head over to <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/bn-press-presents/teens/_/N-rf4Z19r4">check out the list</a> and pick up a few summer reads while you’re at it?</p>
<p>Here are a few I’m most excited for:</p>
<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940159099181_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<h3 id="running-with-the-wolves-by-je-reed"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/running-with-the-wolves-je-reed/1128523240?ean=2940159099181">Running with the Wolves by J.E. Reed</a></h3>
<p><em>Another dystopian fantasy crossover with nightmare monsters–it’s this summer’s epidemic!</em></p>
<p>Chronopoint was only meant to be a game, but Kiuno finds herself trapped in that world.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>As hideous, twisted monsters only seen in nightmares plague her every move, will she find allies in time or discover death has taken far more than she’d ever imagined?</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940159091659_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<h3 id="stolen-enchantress-by-amber-argyle"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stolen-enchantress-amber-argyle/1128494806?ean=2940159091659">Stolen Enchantress by Amber Argyle</a></h3>
<p><em>A monsters and magic-infused sister story with a fairytale sensibility.</em></p>
<p>Any girl who goes into the Forbidden Forest never comes out again. Except the one who did. Beauty and the Beast meets The Pied Piper.</p>
<p>Larkin should have been watching her sister. She goes after her into the woods and even manages to escape again, but not before discovering the truth lurking beneath the wicked boughs.</p>
<p>Larkin may have evaded the beast once, but with the full force of his magic now fixated on her, she isn’t sure how much longer she can resist.</p>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940162047667_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<h3 id="the-illusion-queen-by-te-dickason"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-illusion-queen-te-dickason/1128768887?ean=2940162047667">The Illusion Queen by T.E. Dickason</a></h3>
<p><em>A dystopian fantasy featuring a brainwashed girl who learns to see past the lies of her homeland and fight for what matters.</em></p>
<p>Aleja is the most celebrated young woman on Corazon, an ancient and mystical island where laws and traditions are carved in stone.</p>
<p>Every generation one Daughter is chosen to be the Vessel. Aleja accepts the honor willingly–until she discovers her sacrifice only serves a lie that enslaves her people.</p>
<p>In order to survive, Aleja must reject the world she thought she knew and learn that even rules in stone can be broken.</p>
So Many Giveaways2018-06-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/06/12/So-Many-Giveaways<p>There are <del>seven (and counting)</del> (currently one, with another coming next week) for fantasy readers, paranormal readers, dystopian readers, YA readers, horror readers . . . just go enter already!</p>
<h3 id="dystopian-giveaway">Dystopian Giveaway</h3>
<ul>
<li>Kindle Fire</li>
<li>Any 2 dystopian novels for your new ereader</li>
</ul>
<p>Enter <a href="https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cdc854b724/">here</a> by July 2.</p>
<h3 id="coming-soon-mortal-instruments-urban-fantasy-giveaway">Coming soon: Mortal Instruments Urban Fantasy Giveaway!</h3>
<p><del>Fantasy Bookcrate Giveaway</del> (ended May 26, 2018)</p>
<p><del>Fantasy Paperbacks Giveaway</del> (ended May 26, 2018)</p>
<p><del>Ultimate Twilight Giveaway</del> (ended May 30, 2018)</p>
<p><del>For the Love of YA Giveaway</del> (ended May 30, 2018)</p>
<p><del>SFF & Horror Ebook Instafreebie Giveaway</del> (ended May 31, 2018)</p>
<p><del>Bookbub Giveaway</del> (ended June 2, 2018)</p>
<p><del>YA Fantasy Giveaway</del> (Ended June 11, 2018)</p>
Launch Day2018-06-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/06/01/Launch-Day<h2 id="its-finally-here">It’s finally here!!</h2>
<p>Three years ago today, I was sitting in so-hip-it-hurts Vancouver standby Brassneck Brewery with a tasting flight, an iPad mini, and a bluetooth keyboard in front of me.</p>
<p>Actually, I totally didn’t plan it this way. Facebook very helpfully reminded me this morning with this photo!</p>
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkaiespace%2Fposts%2F657625451247153&width=500" width="500" height="513" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
<p>Photographic proof that I was typing the first lines of what would eventually become Blind the Eyes on June 1, 2015.</p>
<p>It went on sale today. Three years to the day. I mean, I wish I’d been on it enough to plan it that way, but, um. Total coincidence. ANYWAYS.</p>
<p>Super thanks to my amazing Beta readers who slogged through the many, many drafts over the last three years and to my awesome ARC readers who are already posting reviews!! All-stars, all of you!</p>
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkaiespace%2Fposts%2F657624461247252&width=500" width="500" height="499" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
Blind the Eyes Sneak Peek2018-05-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//book/2018/05/02/Blind-the-Eyes-Sneak-Peek<p>Ebook preorders now open. Ebook and paperback on sale June 1, 2018. Audiobooks coming soon.</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 1: Remnants</strong></p>
<p>Cadence found me the night I surrendered to the Mara.</p>
<p>I got lucky. They devoured only my disobedience.</p>
<p>Cadence’s luck wasn’t so good. She’s been with me for over a year now, and I’m starting to think she’ll be the same impossible child forever.</p>
<p>“So I had this dream last night,” she says. “It was about trees. I miss trees. I miss climbing with . . . w-with—I just miss them. We should go find some. Let’s go now. Okay? Now. Let’s go now. Now-now-now-n—”</p>
<p>“Stop it.” I don’t have time for her lies. Regulation 3: Distraction is destruction. I must not allow myself to be distracted, nor be a distraction to others. It’s why everything here’s the same shade of grey: the paint, the carpet, even us. It’s the reason for these shapeless, hooded uniforms and masks. It’s even why we have to work everyday, instead of letting the computers do it all for us. Distraction leads to dreaming. Dreaming draws the Mara. The Mara would destroy us all—if the Towers of Refuge didn’t protect us.</p>
<p>But Cadence hates being shushed. She blows a rude noise in my ear and proceeds to singsong something that mostly consists of her new made-up word, trees, looped at different pitches.</p>
<p>She needs to stop telling stories and pestering me. Obviously, she can’t have actually dreamt. I’m pretty sure ghosts don’t sleep. And no one in Refuge dreams, not if they want to live.</p>
<p>My skin crawls in a not entirely unpleasant way.</p>
<p>“Dreeeams of treeeeees,” she warbles into my ear.</p>
<p>“Shut up!”</p>
<p>I swat at her and snag my hood. The ward securing it flies off. I scramble to yank it back in place and keep my mask from sagging. The last thing I need is to expose the uneven dark blotches on my naked face.</p>
<p>Forty grey workers sit behind grey consoles in the grey room, bathed in dingy yellowish artificial light—the windows were painted over back when the waters rose to hide the drowned city. Cadence says it was to stop the drowned looking back. In any case, my decidedly non-regulation colouring would stand out like a vivid stain on the face of such bland perfection. Showing my face wouldn’t just be a Regulation 1 offense, either. Regulation 2: Segregation is safety. Minimal contact between workers is essential to our survival.</p>
<p>“Probationary Worker 18-Cole.” The voice is nasal, cracking and uneven. “I might’ve known.”</p>
<p>I flush another shade darker.</p>
<p>Division Supervisor Kistrfyv’s shoes nudge my shameful black probationary hoodband. His damp, bulbous gaze is neatly framed between the loose mask drawn over his nose and mouth and the crisp, even spread of his hood under the dual bands of a supervisor. They’re proper wards, of course, gleaming with protective gold thread. He’s dressed perfectly to regulation: baggy, form-obscuring grey tunic and loose pants hiding soft shoes, gloves under drooping sleeves, hood secured with its twin gold wards, and an opaque, veil-like mask covering every inch of admirably grey, medium-dark skin except the narrow opening around his eyes.</p>
<p>His stance isn’t quite regulation, though; he leans forward, as though eager. If he weren’t the supervisor, he’d be at risk of a violation.</p>
<p>“I don’t like him,” Cadence says. “He’s a bully. And creepy.”</p>
<p>I tighten my grip on the sagging hood. Cadence may be a forbidden distraction, but there’s no way I know of to get rid of her. She’s been around ever since that night in Corrections. The Mara could have killed me, down on Floor 6. It wasn’t the first time I’d failed to follow regulation, or I wouldn’t have been there in the first place. But instead of ending me, the Mara only ate my dreams—and left a troublemaking ghost in their wake.</p>
<p>I earned my way to a probationary position in the Surveillance Technology Division less than six months later. It’s not hard to obey regulation anymore; the Mara took the part of me that could make bad choices. Or any choices. I’m better off without it. If only Cadence would stop getting me into trouble.</p>
<p>“Probationary worker,” Supervisor Kistrfyv says again, leaning in too close. “I will not have you destabilizing my division. Submit. Now.”</p>
<p>The chair squeaks as I stand. My mask droops. I tuck my chin, partly to keep my face shadowed, mostly because the supervisor twitches and glares whenever my head rises higher than his. Head bowed, I shuffle around the console to pick up the black ward—a mark of shameful failure; I won’t qualify for gold unless I can pass probation—and snug it down over my hood. If I could, I’d dream of being invisible. But I don’t want things anymore. I just obey.</p>
<p>“Probationary worker,” Cadence mimics in a whiny tone so like the supervisor’s it makes me flinch, “I demand you extract my head from my butt. Probationary worker, I have nothing better to do with my time than stand here and blink like a fish. Probationary worker, I—”</p>
<p>“Probationary worker.” The real Kistrfyv speaks over her in warning tones. “You’ve held us all up long enough. Submit, and be quick about it.”</p>
<p>“He’s such a weenie,” she huffs.</p>
<p>I twist my hands in the loose fabric at my sides to keep them still and try to look contrite as I mumble through a comprehensive list of my violations: distracting behaviour, immodest dress, lack of focus . . . I wrap it up by mumbling the ritual phrase three times: “I call upon the Mara to eat my dreams.”</p>
<p>Rote submission is different than being Mara-taken. It’s meant as appeasement, a sort of pre-emptive measure. Void your disobedient impulses, turn over your hopes and desires to the Mara fast enough, regularly enough, and they’ll consume the offering and leave the rest of you intact. I’ve performed submission hundreds, maybe thousands of times. Before Cadence came, often there’d be a rush of emptiness left in their wake. Now, I feel nothing. I don’t have enough dreams left to satisfy them; if they came, they’d probably just end me.</p>
<p>Kistrfyv makes me repeat the summons again. Louder. Clearer. Again. I scrunch my eyes shut and tighten my fists. This show of terror seems to please Kistrfyv, or maybe he just gets bored, because he finally lets me stop.</p>
<p>Cadence starts breathing the word weenie in a sort of singsong, gasping air in and puffing it out, drowning out Kistrfyv, who has started in on a lecture without giving me leave to sit. My thighs tremble.</p>
<p>I duck my chin another inch to appear more submissive. I need Kistrfyv to be pleased with me. Pleased enough to arrange a probationary trial soon. Pleased enough to grant me a promotion to full worker and hand over the gold band that wards off the Mara to replace my black one. Pleased enough to erase my record of failure once and for all.</p>
<p>Kistrfyv smooths the dual wards around his forehead as if to emphasize his elevated position and keeps lecturing.</p>
<p>“Betcha he’s bald under that hood.” Cadence warbles an improvised ode to his presumed follicular deficiency at top volume.</p>
<p>I’d kick her right about now, if I could. My legs are starting to ache from standing with my knees locked, but I don’t dare shift my weight under the force of the supervisor’s damp gaze. To make things worse, the pants on this latest uniform are too loose. They edge past my hipbones, one anxiety-spurring fraction of an inch at a time. Meanwhile, Cadence seems to be experimenting with how long she can sustain each syllable. It’s annoying. And distracting. And kind of amazing.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you sick of it all?” she says, as if she knows what I’m thinking. “I know I’m bored.”</p>
<p>I tense. I prefer it when she’s picking on other people.</p>
<p>“Why do you put up with it?”</p>
<p>As if we haven’t been over it. As if she doesn’t know just as well as I do. Better, even.</p>
<p>“Fight back! Defend yourself. Look at him. He’s a shrimp. He’s scared of you. You can’t be satisfied with this. How can you be so passive? Do something—anything! Do you have a pulse? Hellooo . . .”</p>
<p>I can’t respond. She’ll get bored with me—or Kistrfyv will, if I can just hold out long enough.</p>
<p>“Don’t you want more? You’re really going to let that weenie bully you for the rest of your life?”</p>
<p>It’s clear she would do things differently, if she could. Her tragedy is that she literally can’t. Mine is she’ll never let me forget it.</p>
<p>Kistrfyv seems to see past my mask to the exasperated twist beneath. His sneer is so pronounced it escapes the upper edge of his mask. The effect is unpleasant, but not nearly as much as his punishment will be: extra cycles of rec and more Noosh—the dense, flavourless goop that meets all nutritional requirements while ensuring uniformity among the populace. Or it’s supposed to, anyway. It drains the color from the other workers’ skin, keeps them shapeless and slim and more or less the same. I remain an inexplicably vivid shade of brown, my eyes and hair still too saturated and distinctive. I’m too tall and too bony—which only adds to the misery of the rec cycles. On the bright side, every time they increase my Noosh allotment, it seems to dull Cadence’s voice and makes it easier to resist her distractions.</p>
<p>I can see my probationary trial receding further with every blink of the supervisor’s bulbous, judging eyes. He has no intention of letting me live down my failure, letting me blend in with the crowd. He just likes watching me squirm.</p>
<p>I make no further apology, though Kistrfyv eyes me expectantly. He’d probably appreciate a little groveling or a few tears. Maybe I should make more of a show of contrition. Maybe it would motivate him to promote me sooner.</p>
<p>Or maybe it’s hopeless. He tops off his lecture with a group chorus of benevolent regulation, watching me the whole time. After, I’m allowed to sit.</p>
<p>I shift, all sharp angles at odds with the smooth, ergonomic curves of my seat, another reminder that I’m never right, even for something as simple as a chair. A wheel squeaks, high and thin. I cringe.</p>
<p>“You’re both weenies,” Cadence says.</p>
<p>I’d like to tell her to shut up. I’d like to tell her I have no choice, and she knows it. I’d like to tell her it’s better than being like her, forever complaining and never able to do a thing about it.</p>
<p>I’d like to, but I won’t. As much trouble as she is, she’s all I have left. And she’ll back off soon, because I’m all she has. All she’ll ever have.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Want more? Join the <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">newsletter</a> for bonus content including an extended sneak peek ebook, deleted and preview scenes, and other exclusive content!</strong></p>
<p>Are you a bookstagrammer, bookblogger, or reviewer? <a href="https://kaie.space/faq/2018/03/20/Do-you-offer-review-copies">Get in touch</a> today about eARCS and promotional opportunities.</p>
<p>For longer-running fans and book geeks interested in just how much a manuscript transforms from start to finish, the full first beta readers’ edition is being serialized on Wattpad as <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/106720262-bte-beta1">BTE Beta1</a></p>
Updates, ARCs, and Giveaways!2018-04-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/04/23/Updates-ARCS-and-Giveaways<p>Reminder: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">join the newsletter</a> to be the first get content like this and more exclusives. Here’s a quick list of what’s going on:</p>
<ul>
<li>Kindle Scout update</li>
<li>ARCs are coming~</li>
<li>Giveaways</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="so-about-that-kindle-scout-campaign---">So, about that Kindle Scout campaign . . .</h3>
<p>First off, thanks for all your nominations! You pushed BLIND THE EYES to the trending list on Kindle Scout!</p>
<p>. . . Unfortunately, they announced their plans to cancel the whole program on the last day of its campaign, so . . . yeah.</p>
<p>Corporations . . . <em>mumble grumble</em></p>
<p>Just wanted to say how much I appreciate your support in this prelaunch phase. It’s been a long wait, but we’re finally nearing the end – aaand, on that note:</p>
<h3 id="arcs-are-coming">ARCS are coming!!</h3>
<p>. . . for real this time!</p>
<p>I’m not <em>quite</em> ready to announce preorder and on-sale dates for BLIND THE EYES, but plans are well underway. There are a few extra hoops to jump through in order to get print editions, but digital Advanced Reading Copies/Review Galleys/Digital Proofs (whatever you want to call them) are nearly ready to head out into the world.</p>
<p>If you’re a book blogger, reviewer, #bookstagrammer, etc. and would like an early review copy of the ebook, <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">get in touch</a>!</p>
<h3 id="the-prequel-you-didnt-know-you-needed">The prequel you didn’t know you needed</h3>
<p>Um, yeah. It sort of just snuck up on me?</p>
<p>I mean, there I was, minding my own business, racing to get BLIND THE EYES out to you and the sequel underway and . . . BELOW THE SURFACE pulled a JAWS on me and dragged me under.</p>
<p>What it is: a spinoff short that takes place ~6 years before the events of BLIND THE EYES and the main THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Blurb: The twins’ bond kept them together through their parents’ murder, the memory wipe, and assignment to separate work divisions in the Towers of Refuge, the only surviving habitat in their flooded city.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>But when protective older sister Ange follows carefree Amy into the abandoned lower reaches of the towers, the secrets they discover below the waterline could sever their bond for good.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>A dystopian dark fantasy that ranges from the sterile Towers of Refuge to glittering clubs and abandoned tunnels, BELOW THE SURFACE is a prequel to the Threads of Dreams trilogy and blends monsters and magic with near-future post eco-disaster cityscapes and a splash of romance.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I’m doing this for Camp NaNoWriMo, which is a spinoff version of National Novel Writing Month where you set your own goals and pick a writing target for the months of April and July. The idea is for this to be a long short story or short novella, in the 20-30k word range, that I can release as a free newsletter exclusive in the next couple months.</p>
<p>So in other words, sorry that you’re going to have to wait longer for a sequel, but on the flip side, there’ll be something cool to read in the meantime~</p>
<h3 id="fantasy-giveaways">Fantasy Giveaways~~</h3>
<p>I’m ramping up marketing in advance of the BLIND THE EYES book launch and I’ve got a bunch of giveaways planned over the coming months. Some of them are multi-author team-ups, while others will be exclusive to my followers.</p>
<p>You just missed the Ultimate Harry Potter Giveaway. <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">Follow me on Twitter</a> for giveaway news, since some of them will only run for a short time.</p>
<p>You can still <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/t5r4t3">enter the Fantasy Bookcrate Giveaway</a> until May 26, 2018 to win a book box with surprise fantasy-themed content worth up to $600.</p>
<p>In the past, these have included books, gear or swag, and a high-value gift (like a Kindle or an Amazon gift card).</p>
<p>This is a multi-author collaboration giveaway and you can get entries by joining mailing lists.</p>
<p>I’ve also planned collaborative giveaways with dystopian and paranormal themes for those of you who like your fiction with extra bite. Again, you can <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">follow me on Twitter</a> to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities.</p>
<p>And while I’m at it, if you have any ideas for giveaway items or themes (like your favourite author/series/genre) for prizes you’d love to have a chance at winning, feel free to <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">shoot me a message</a> and let me know what those are!</p>
<p>Thanks for being on this journey with me; I can’t wait for you to read BLIND THE EYES! You can’t preorder it (yet), but you can <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35428965-blind-the-eyes">Add it on Goodreads</a>.</p>
<p>And don’t forget to enter those giveaways!</p>
Camp NaNoWriMo2018-03-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/03/29/Camp-NaNoWriMo<p>I tend to have too many projects on the go at one time. My plan is to solve that by . . . yup, adding another one! Yaaaay~~</p>
<h4 id="quick-pause-for-a-commercial-blind-the-eyes-is-down-to-its-final-days-in-kindle-scout-if-you-havent-already-you-can-go-to-kindle-scout-and-nominate-blind-the-eyes-as-a-book-you-want-to-read-if-it-wins-you-get-a-free-copy-before-its-release-date">Quick pause for a commercial: Blind the Eyes is down to its final days in Kindle Scout! If you haven’t already, you can <a href="https://goo.gl/xGWXpz">go to Kindle Scout and nominate Blind the Eyes</a> as a book you want to read. If it wins, you get a free copy before its release date!</h4>
<p>‘Kay, back to the new news. :) So I’ve entered Camp NaNoWriMo to push myself to make more progress writing a prequel to Blind the Eyes that will sit outside of the Threads of Dreams Trilogy and may be a serial, short story, or novella. It shouldn’t be all that long, maybe 10-20,000 words (contrast with BtE at 97k), and it’s not going to go through the same level of production.</p>
<p>The idea is that this could be some sort of incentive/newsletter exclusive or “reader magnet” - in other words, a freebie writing sample that lets me explore some of the world-building backstory, try out some different pacing and structures, and take a different sort of story for a spin while getting over my anxiety about writing book 2 in the trilogy (lol). But my projects have a tendancy to balloon in size and scope, so we’ll see - there’s a chance it could spin off into a full book/series if I don’t watch it like a hawk!</p>
<p>Camp NaNoWriMo runs in April and July, and it’s a sort of “choose your own adventure” version of National Novel Writing Month where you set your own goal (regular NaNoWriMo is a minimum of 50,000 words). I’m hoping the peer pressure/defined timeline/deadline helps me dig in and get my word counts back up and running!</p>
<p>To boost my motivation, I even made it a cover! Check out the synopsis, excerpt and cover <a href="https://campnanowrimo.org/campers/kawiggins/projects/below-the-surface-380586">on the campsite</a> or scroll on for more:</p>
<h3 id="synopsis">Synopsis</h3>
<p>The twins’ bond kept them together through the death of their parents, the memory wipe, and assignment to separate work divisions in the Towers of Refuge, the only surviving habitat in their flooded post eco-disaster city.</p>
<p>But when protective older sister Ange follows carefree Amy into the abandoned lower reaches of the towers, the secrets they discover below the waterline could sever their bond for good.</p>
<p>A dystopian dark fantasy that ranges from sterile towers to glittering clubs and abandoned tunnels, BELOW THE SURFACE is a prequel to the THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy and blends monsters and magic with near-future post eco-disaster cityscapes.</p>
<h3 id="excerpt">Excerpt</h3>
<p>“I’m tired. Aren’t you tired? Maybe we should go back and do this another night.” Or not at all.</p>
<p>Amy hooked her arm through Ange’s and bumped heads. “I’m not tired, and I’m not letting you off the hook, either. This’ll be fun. It’s something different. Something new.”</p>
<p>“I like routine. It’s safe.”</p>
<p>Amy paused, their linked arms dragging Ange off balance. “Nothing’s safe. Nothing’s allowed. Which just makes it all more interesting, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>“You won’t be saying that when the Mara take you.”</p>
<p>Amy snorted and tugged on Ange’s arm to get her moving again. “The Mara are a myth created by Refuge. They’re nothing more than the Bakunawa, the Aswang, the Batibat, the—“</p>
<p>“Stop! Don’t. They’ll come for you.”</p>
<p>“Ange, come on. I haven’t performed submission for months and nothing’s happened to me. Refuge’s just making up monsters to scare us. To control us.”</p>
<p>The metallic tang of fear weighed down Ange’s tongue as she hurriedly muttered submission for the both of them: “I call upon the Mara to eat my dreams.” She repeated it three times while Amy threw up her arms and pressed on down the stairs.</p>
<p>Ritual complete, Ange hurried after her. “It’s not a lie. Our mother believed in the multo, the ghost-monsters, or don’t you remember? Our father told stories about the Nightmare, and the Each Uisge. Refuge protects us from the Mara.”</p>
<p>“Believe what you want. Anyway, if I’m going to get eaten by the boogeyman, I’m at least having some fun before I go.”</p>
<h3 id="preview-cover">Preview Cover</h3>
<p><img src="/BtS_ToD0.1.jpg" alt="BELOW THE SURFACE preview cover, prequel novella to the THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy" /></p>
One Week Left2018-03-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/03/22/One-Week-Left<p>Blind the Eyes is down to its final week in Kindle Scout! It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m excited to finish up the competition and get on with sharing this book with all of you.</p>
<h4 id="if-you-havent-already-you-can-go-to-kindle-scout-and-nominate-blind-the-eyes-as-a-book-you-want-to-read-if-it-wins-you-get-a-free-copy-before-its-release-date">If you haven’t already, you can <a href="https://goo.gl/xGWXpz">go to Kindle Scout and nominate Blind the Eyes</a> as a book you want to read. If it wins, you get a free copy before its release date!</h4>
<p>When I first started researching Kindle Scout, there wasn’t a lot of information online from people who had recently gone through the competition, so for those of you who are interested (& for posterity), here’s what I’ve learned so far. I’ll also update after the competition closes with a retrospective.</p>
<h2 id="what-is-it">What is it?</h2>
<ul>
<li>Kindle Scout is the American Idol of publishing</li>
<li>Readers vote on pre-published books during a 30 day period</li>
<li>Editors read the manuscripts at the end of voting</li>
<li>Amazon publishes the best of the combined editor- and fan-approved books in ebook format</li>
<li>Amazon sends a free ebook to everyone who voted for (“nominated”) a book that gets published!</li>
</ul>
<p>That’s it in a nutshell, but of course it’s more complicated behind the scenes. <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about#how-it-works-authors">Visit Kindle Scout</a> for their current prerequisites and contract.</p>
<p>The best resources I’ve found with the freshest information are <a href="http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.24675.html">this board</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/159261-kindle-scout">this board</a> & <a href="http://jaxonreed.com/bookpr…/kindle-scout-perspectives-2018/">this compilation of blog links</a> so check those out if you’re researching for your own campaign.</p>
<p>To apply for your first campaign, you need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Amazon account</li>
<li>Complete, finished, edited, and proofread manuscript</li>
<li>Cover image</li>
<li>45 character one-liner</li>
<li>500 character description</li>
<li>500 character author bio</li>
<li>500 character Thank you note to be sent to nominators at the end of the campaign</li>
</ul>
<p>You can also add social media links and a few short Q&A style statements about your work. You’ll choose up to four categories (genres) for your book.</p>
<p>In case you’re not used to thinking in terms of character (not word) counts, this is all REALLY short and limited. Spend some time browsing on the KS site before campaigning. You’ll see that the first thing nominators see is your cover, title and tagline, so those have to pop. If they draw nominators in, they can hover over the cover to read the first half or so of your description, and click to see your campaign page, which includes the cover and tagline, full description, first few chapters of your book, and author bio, links, and any other information you shared. Keep in mind, there are less people looking at your material with each step.</p>
<h4 id="the-most-important-things-are-cover-title-and-one-liner">The most important things are: cover, title, and one-liner.</h4>
<p>These will automatically be seen by the most people and they’re your chance to draw readers/nominators in. Next most important is your description, then your first lines/first chapters (expect to start losing people after 5-10 words if the opening isn’t strong).</p>
<p>In my campaign, I think choosing a weak one-liner was my biggest mistake. That, and not writing a more popular genre to begin with! At only 45 characters, you’re hard pressed to cover setting, character, and stakes. Same with the description; there’s just not a lot to work with, so your choices have huges impacts.</p>
<p>It’s important to research data that’s as recent as possible; the KS program seems to be growing, and the effort-to-outcome ratio has changed considerably since the early days, and even within the last few months. A lot of early advice emphasized a professional cover and properly edited work would get you noticed. Based on the current stats being shared, you need a way to drive traffic to your campaign. Authors with books that hit and/or stay on the “Hot and Trending” board mostly have large mailing lists and author platforms and/or have paid for third-party marketing to advertise their campaign. That’s not to say that you don’t get organic traffic, and a cover/title/one-liner that really hits a hook or genre tropes that people love could theoretically rise to the top if it’s lucky enough to stay visible long enough, but a well-produced publication-ready book is no longer enough to get noticed on the site.</p>
<h2 id="why-do-kindle-scout-at-all">Why do Kindle Scout at all?</h2>
<p>Indie authors in particular may not want to wait the 30-45 days it takes to be released from the Kindle Scout exclusivity period. I chose to participate because it’s free marketing. I was definitely too cocky about my ability to rise to the top without outside marketing efforts (I’ll dive into the data at the end of the campaign), but even without hitting the leaderboard, I was able to get 1k+ new eyeballs on my work at a minimal cost, take the book for a test-run to gauge response, and trial some marketing techniques.</p>
<p>Other benefits: at the end of your campaign, that 500 character “thank you” message you wrote at the beginning gets sent to everyone who nominated you, whether or not you win, so that’s a chance for some list building (I directed people to my newsletter) or asking for ARC readers or whatever other marketing effort you want to do. Additionally, other authors have noted that KS sends an email to your nominators if/when you publish that title to Amazon as a Kindle Edition - so you get another free boost in publicity.</p>
<p>In my case, I entered Blind the Eyes because I felt like it was a win-win whether or not the book gets picked up by Kindle Press. On the one hand, KS/KP gives you a trivial amount of cash upfront ($1.5k: yay - pay for production on the next book!) and may give it a bit of a marketing advantage you win and they publish your ebook. On the other hand, they only pick up books that fit their list closely, like with any traditional publisher, so the chances of actually getting caught in that contract (which isn’t bad by traditional standards, but which is still a bit restrictive) are minimal and you’re really more likely not to win.</p>
<h2 id="on-to-my-experience">On to my experience:</h2>
<p>I built up my campaign materials and did some last minute research over the course of a couple days and submitted the application late in the week (Wed/Thurs). It took about two days to hear back that it was approved, and the launch date was two days after that (so, 4 days from upload to public).</p>
<p>My campaign launched at midnight eastern time on a Sunday (Saturday my time). It turns out that launching on a Sunday is ideal, because no new campaigns are posted on Mondays or Tuesdays, so you get an extra couple days of free visibility before newer campaigns bump you off the front page.</p>
<p>If you go to the Kindle Scout website, the landing page has sliders for the following categories:</p>
<ul>
<li>Hot & Trending (top 20 books on the site)</li>
<li>Recently Added</li>
<li>Ending Soon</li>
<li>By Genre (so one each for mystery, romance, YA, etc.)</li>
</ul>
<p>So you get front-page visibility if you reach Hot & Trending, when your campaign is about to end, and when you’re brand new (under both Recently Added and your genre). Here’s the catch: only four books are visible in the sliders at any given time. So, even if you’re in one of those categories, you may not have at-a-glance visibility the whole time. They seem to auto-rotate the ones posted on the same date for more visibility.</p>
<h4 id="the-number-of-new-campaigns-and-total-campaigns-on-the-site-will-limit-your-organic-reach-how-many-people-see-your-campaign-without-you-sending-them-there">The number of new campaigns and total campaigns on the site will limit your organic reach (how many people see your campaign without you sending them there).</h4>
<p>Kindle Scout did a promotion for NaNoWriMo people in February and gave free editorial advice on submissions, so that blew up the number of campaigns and made it super hard to get seen in the crowd. If you can, try not to be like me and launch at the busiest time! Ideally you want no more than four new campaigns a day for best visibility and lower competition. Right now (March 2018) there seem to be around 300 campaigns running at any given time, and about 20 spots on the Hot & Trending list available.</p>
<p>When you’re an author in the program, you get a campaign stats page that shows three main metrics:</p>
<ul>
<li>Hours in Hot & Trending (aggregate and by day)</li>
<li>Campaign views (aggregate and by day)</li>
<li>Traffic sources (percentage and source)</li>
</ul>
<p>It also shows what other books your nominators have chosen. Mine were all over the map, so people don’t necessarily stick to one genre. What it never tells you is how many people nominate your book vs. view its campaign, or how they rated different aspects of your book incl. cover, tagline, PV, blurb. Which kinda sucks, since the only way you really know if people like your book is if it hits H&T.</p>
<p>I was super lucky to have three days before any new books were posted (because it launched on a Sunday), so I got front page visibility for those three days (and didn’t do any off-site promotions to drive traffic.) I got 272 campaign views the first day, 370 the next day, and 435 the third day (total: 1,077).</p>
<p>My strategy was to take advantage of free visibility for the first few days and do a social media push later in the campaign when things got quieter. Don’t be like me, lol. I was super cocky about my chances because I’d invested a lot in a professional, custom cover and well developed work, and other books in same categories had less polished materials, but the materials I had in my campaign weren’t enough to push me to the Hot & Trending list. It could just be that people didn’t like something about the submission (I regret my one-liner), but if you look at the stories of people who had more success reaching the H&T list, they did an upfront push with social media and paid campaigns to reach it. Once you’re on it, you get more organic views and are more likely to stay on it.</p>
<h4 id="id-recommending-doing-a-burst-of-newsletter-and-social-media-marketing-within-the-first-24-48-hours-of-the-campaign-for-best-results">I’d recommending doing a burst of newsletter and social media marketing within the first 24-48 hours of the campaign for best results.</h4>
<p>In terms of paid promotions, I did experiment with a few outlets and saw a bit more outside traffic, but not enough to make a difference. I’ll update with complete stats at the end of the campaign, but right now I’m sitting at just under 1.7k views and zero hours on H&T with an ad spend of around USD$50. My rationale: it’s worth a few dollars in marketing to try to get higher visibility, but reaching H&T isn’t a guarantee of a contract, so it’s not worth spending too much on. Kindle Scout doesn’t just publish the most popular books; they’re looking for a book they think they can sell to Kindle Press readers, so there’s absolutely some editorial intervention, but not making the H&T list at all is a sign that it’s not a match for their regular readers.</p>
<h4 id="as-with-all-books-genre-matters-in-terms-of-audience">As with all books, genre matters in terms of audience.</h4>
<p>Romance and Mystery writers have the best shot of getting noticed, and stand alone or first in series books tend to get preference.</p>
<h2 id="verdict-id-recommend-entering">Verdict: I’d recommend entering.</h2>
<p>After all, nearly 2k people just got exposed to my book on a new platform, which is like free advertising. OTOH, they’re people that have a thing for free books, so idk. It sounds like it’ll still take around four months to publish after the campaign if you win, so it’s slow by indie standards, but lightning fast by trad pub standards, and authors seem to be happy with it. I’ve heard a lot of authors saying they try to publish as soon as possible after they hear back if they’re rejected, to take advantage of whatever momentum the campaign has built. Seems like an ok indie author tool to me :)</p>
<p>If you’re thinking of entering, you might want to sit on the site and watch to see if there’s a slowdown in new campaigns you can take advantage of - I think it’d be a lot easier to get votes if you could hold onto your front page visibility longer!</p>
Where can I get hard copies?2018-03-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//faq/2018/03/21/where-can-i-get-hard-copies<p>I often get asked where readers can find my books IRL, so I keep a running list of bookstores with copies in stock and library networks with lending copies <a href="https://kaie.space/news/2020/08/01/Books-in-the-Wild.html">here</a>.</p>
<p>Online shopping options are linked from each title on the Threads of Dreams and Standalones pages.</p>
<p>(With apologies to those who struggle with reading off a screen, it’s usually not feasible to create print versions of the shorter fiction unless they sell as part of an anthology.)</p>
<p>If you’re a library or bookseller interested in carrying one of my paperbacks or hardcovers, feel free to get in touch or reference the linked cut sheets for the relevant work:</p>
<p><a href="/Blind the Eyes-retail.pdf">Blind the Eyes—Retail</a></p>
<p><a href="/Blind the Eyes-library.pdf">Blind the Eyes—Library</a></p>
Do you offer review copies?2018-03-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//faq/2018/03/21/Do-you-offer-review-copies<p>If you’re a book blogger, reviewer, or bookstagrammer, first of all, you rock & I wish I could take photos even half as well as you. :D</p>
<h2 id="review-policy">Review Policy</h2>
<h3 id="on-reviews">On Reviews</h3>
<p><strong>I believe reviews are for readers, not authors!</strong></p>
<p>On a practical level, by the time reviews are being left, it’s really too late to make changes and the author has moved on—sometimes by a matter of months or years.</p>
<p>On a creative level, one of the things new creators have to learn is that it’s very important not to let too many voices into your creative process and to understand the perspectives, qualifications, and purposes of those voices you do let in, which is why I work with experienced professionals and a few trusted first readers when it comes to shaping my stories.</p>
<p>Besides, there is no one right way to tell a story or shape a book, and feedback only really gives insight into individual reviewers’ tastes. ;)</p>
<h3 id="what-to-expect">What to Expect</h3>
<p>I generally make an effort to avoid reading reviews entirely (occasionally I stumble across them by accident or sift through looking for great blurb inspiration or ad-copy) because it’s very important to me that you feel comfortable leaving an honest, unbiased review.</p>
<p><strong>I never follow-up on store (or Goodreads) reviews in any way.</strong></p>
<p>Social (Instagram, mostly) and blog posts will probably get a like/repost/boost/comment if I’m tagged, but I will never follow up on a negative review in any way.</p>
<p>(I mean, I hope you all love my stories, but even if that’s not the case, you never need to be scared of being honest!)</p>
<h3 id="how-to-request-an-arc">How to Request an ARC</h3>
<p>The best time to request a review copy (/ARC) is up to two months before an upcoming new release, but I will consider all review copy requests and can add you to a list of interested reviewers at any time. A larger number of ebook review copies will be available compared to paperback, given cost, time, and technical constraints, but paperback ARCs are occasionally available.</p>
<p><strong>If you would like to review one of my books, please <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">email</a> the details of your blog or other online presence and the book and format you are requesting.</strong></p>
<p>I use BookSprout and StoryOrigin to coordinate pre-release ARCs when a new book is coming out, and you can also just <a href="https://booksprout.co/author/2405/k-a-wiggins">follow me on BookSprout</a> to get an automatic notification whenever a new review edition is available.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I do have limits on my marketing budget and I also have to screen for book pirates, so not every applicant will be accepted, but do feel free to get in touch even if you’re a smaller/newbie/international reviewer—I want to support those starting out, too!</p>
<p>I welcome bloggers and reviewers from all countries; however, the ability to read and communicate in written English is a necessary requirement. (Reviewers interested in my translated works should contact the publisher directly to enquire about a review copy.)</p>
Who's your publisher?2018-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//faq/2018/03/20/Who-s-your-publisher<p>Snowmelt & Stumps is an independent single-author imprint with no formal business status. It’s used as a matter of convenience in lieu of author name if/when a publisher or imprint field is required.</p>
<p><em>Blind the Eyes</em> and all other in-progress and completed works on this site are copyrighted by K.A. Wiggins, unless otherwise marked.</p>
<p>Italian language ebook rights to <em>Letter From the End of the World</em> have been licensed to Virgibooks, Inc. The translated edition is <em>Lettera dalla fine del mondo</em>.</p>
<p>Other short fiction has appeared in anthologies by Hungry Shadow Press, Fiction-Atlas Press, and Worldsmyths Publishing, and in Enchanted Conversation: A Fairytale Magazine and Frozen Wavelets by The Earthian Hivemind.</p>
<p><strong>For all rights and licensing enquiries, please <a href="mailto:kaiewrites@gmail.com">email kaiewrites@gmail.com.</a></strong></p>
<hr />
<p><em>Blind the Eyes is a 100% indie title written and produced with independent or hybrid publishing in mind.</em></p>
<p>Though I’ve sinced also worked with small presses as a hybrid-published author, I’ve found independent publishing to be a great option. Going indie means operating your own micro-sized publishing company, and I’ve had the great fortune to work with awesome professionals on every stage of bringing <em>Blind the Eyes</em> to life. If you’re looking for support with your own ventures, I highly recommend every name on this list.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.lisapoisso.com">Lisa Poisso</a></p>
<p>Developmental Editing Round 1 on Blind the Eyes</p>
<p>Developmental Editing Round 2 on Blind the Eyes</p>
<p>Substantive/Line Edit on Blind the Eyes</p>
<p>Plot Accelerator on Black the Tides</p>
<p>Plot Accelerator on Burn the Skies</p>
<p><a href="https://alchemy.catherinemilos.com/">Catherine Milos</a></p>
<p>Proofread on Blind the Eyes</p>
<p>Copy Edit with Developmental Notes on Black the Tides</p>
<p>Copy Edit with Developmental Notes on Burn the Skies</p>
<p><a href="https://reginawamba.com/">Regina Wamba</a></p>
<p>First Edition Cover Design (“Tower” variant) of Blind the Eyes</p>
<p><a href="https://coversbychristian.com/">Christian Bentulan of Covers by Christian</a></p>
<p>Digital and Print Cover Design on the Second Edition (2020 update/”Girl” variant) of Blind the Eyes</p>
<p>Digital and Print Cover Design on the First Edition of Black the Tides</p>
<p>Digital and Print Cover Design on the First Edition of Burn the Skies</p>
<p>Modifications have since been made to all three designs. Third edition of book 1/second editions of book 2 were done in house.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.morganwrightbooks.com/morgan-wright-book-cover-animations">Morgan Wright</a></p>
<p>Cover animations for Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides & Burn the Skies</p>
Cover Reveal2018-03-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/03/07/Cover-Reveal<h2 id="its-finally-time-for-the-long-promised-cover-reveal">It’s finally time for the long promised cover reveal!</h2>
<p>If you’re subscribed to the newsletter, you already got your sneak peek yesterday. For everyone else, surprise! In addition to a brand-new, professionally-designed cover, I’ve got some other exciting news: Blind the Eyes is competing in Kindle Scout!</p>
<h4 id="what-does-that-mean">What does that mean?</h4>
<ul>
<li>Kindle Scout is the American Idol of publishing</li>
<li>Readers vote on pre-published books during a 30 day period</li>
<li>Editors read the manuscripts at the end of voting</li>
<li>Amazon publishes the best of the combined editor- and fan-approved books in ebook format</li>
<li>Amazon sends a free ebook to everyone who voted for (“nominated”) a book that gets published!</li>
</ul>
<p>So if you want a chance to get a free copy of BTE, head on over to the Kindle Scout website, <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/E9IM6GHX3YIJ">nominate it</a> and hope it wins!</p>
<p>And hey, why not vote for some other faves while you’re at it? You get up to three nominations at a time.</p>
<h4 id="what-happens-if-it-doesnt-get-chosen-for-publishing">What happens if it doesn’t get chosen for publishing?</h4>
<p>You have to have a fully edited, finished book to compete in Kindle Scout. If BTE isn’t chosen for a publishing contract, that just means I’ll be able to indie publish it even faster because it’s already complete and ready to go out the door!</p>
<p>Look for the release date announcement by mid-April. It’ll come out by May 30 or earlier. And for those of you who aren’t fans of e-reading, yes, I’ll be putting out a bound paperback either way (and an audiobook as soon as possible afterwards). Plus, since I’ve already hashed out the plot of the next Threads of Dreams trilogy book with my awesome editor <a href="https://www.lisapoisso.com">Lisa Poisso</a>, you can look forward to the sequel coming in 2019!</p>
<h4 id="what-happened-to-all-that-querying-you-were-doing">What happened to all that querying you were doing?</h4>
<p>Wow, it’s been over half a year and there are <em>still</em> some outstanding queries! There’ve also been several agents requesting the book, so that’s a great sign that it’s a good quality read. The thing is, I’m just not ready to spend another year or more (at least!) working on connecting with traditional publishing, and it’s not the right choice for every book or every author, either.</p>
<p>I’ve done a <em>lot</em> of research on the writing business and what’s best for books, for authors, and for readers. I’m confident that the indie path is right for me and Blind the Eyes. So, sorry for the long-ish wait while I sorted that out!</p>
<h3 id="cover-reveal">Cover Reveal:</h3>
<p><img src="/FrontCoverSS.png" alt="Blind the Eyes, Threads of Dreams Book One Cover by Regina Wamba, MaeIDesign" /></p>
<p>Isn’t it amazing?! Feel free to share across social media and blogs, but please be sure to <strong>credit my incredible cover artist, Regina Wamba, at <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">Mae I Design</a> <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">(http://www.maeidesign.com/)</a> when you do.</strong> :)</p>
<p>And don’t forget to <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/E9IM6GHX3YIJ">nominate Blind the Eyes on Kindle Scout</a> for your chance at the free ebook!</p>
Turtletime2018-02-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2018/02/06/Turtletime<p>Official announcements plus some updates for the new year! Where things are at:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>I just pulled all the preview editions from ebookstores. The three chapter special preview edition of Blind the Eyes has done really well on Amazon and the other usual suspects, but it’s also been up for half a year longer than I expected, since I pivoted from indie publishing to querying. It’s a little hard to continuously build momentum while also pushing the release date further and further into the future, so for the moment I’m pressing pause on all book marketing initiatives. However, I’ll still be present and active on social media, and the onsite and newsletter-exclusive extended downloadables will remain available!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>& on that note, yes, Blind the Eyes is <em>still</em> under query until at least March 2018. There’s been some good feedback and several agents have asked for additional materials to review. I’ll review opportunities in March and update you all accordingly! I’ve been eyeing the Kindle Scout program, so if I do go indie, that’ll be my first stop (after the cover reveal! You guys, it’s SO GOOD and I’ve been waiting over half a year to show you!)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>but the other reason I’m turtling into my introvert shell for the rest of winter, besides, y’know, just straight up waiting for tradpublishing to get a move on, is because I just finished developmental consultation on book 2 with my awesome editor last week! Friends, it’s gonna be good! Blind the Eyes is just the tip of the iceburg, and things get crazy FAST in book 2 . . . at least, that’s the plan. I start writing this month.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Speaking of book 2, it doesn’t have a name yet because I finally clued in that you can’t just “borrow” song lyrics for titles. Oops! Which means the trilogy needs a new name. I was thinking “Threads of Dreams” would be a good one. What d’you all think?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Other stories are <em>still</em> on hiatus too, but hey, I managed to word-vomit <em>one</em> short story. No you can’t read it (yet). I took a shot at writing a topical contemporary piece, and instead it turned into a weird, profane, and decidedly paranormal take on the Fentanyl crisis in Vancouver. So . . . yeah, I’m thinking I should take some time cleaning that up before sharing. But yay accomplishments - anytime I finish something with a beginning, middle, and end, it’s a good thing!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Freelance writing and consulting work is picking up for the new year, which is another reason to pull back. Find me at <a href="http://www.businesswriting.solutions">Business Writing Solutions</a> for website, technical, and copywriting, among other stuff.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><em>Still</em> in the Pacific Northwest - I totally had a trip back to the UK planned, and then realized I’d double booked over my nephew’s first birthday! But hey, I’m more likely to get that book in your hands sooner if I’m not digital-nomadding my way around the world anyways, right?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Thanks for sticking around for this (looong) journey! If you haven’t already, sign up for the newsletter for freebies, previews, and news when books are available, or follow me on social media, Goodreads, or BookLikes for reviews of recent and upcoming YA fantasy. Links on your left.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Booktree 20172017-12-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/12/20/Booktree-2017<p>Microupdate plus #booktree end of year shout outs to everyone who sent me books this year!</p>
<p>Where things are at:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Blind the Eyes (G&S book 1) is <em>still</em> under query, so the tentative indie release date has been bumped to March 2018. There’s been some good feedback and it may still get picked up by tradpub, thus the long runway. :)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>G&S2 plot is mapped out and undergoes developmental consultation on Jan. 10, so hopefully I’ll be at least mid-draft by the time book 1 comes out! Currently expecting G&S will be a trilogy.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Serial fiction Things Got Out of Hand is finally getting a proper plot map! I haven’t decided whether to continue its draft zero as a serial or take it down yet, so keep an eye on Wattpad in the new year just in case :)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Tiptoeing into some short story writing, since the serials are necessarily on hold for a while yet. The zero drafts need some polishing, but expect some short reads in the new year in a wider variety of genres (I tried for contemporary, but so far I can’t help sneaking in some fantasy or supernatural elements into every story)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Been rounding out my freelance portfolio and recently launched <a href="http://www.businesswriting.solutions">Business Writing Solutions</a> in beta on the boring grown-up side of my life. The part of me that isn’t compelled to write about monsters and magic tends to geek out over template automation and well-crafted copy, lol.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Still in the Pacific Northwest for the foreseeable future. Travel’s on the radar, but there’re just too many bullet points to tick off to make #digitalnomad-ing practical right now!</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>So! On to the shout-outs. Special thanks to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://49thshelf.com">49th Shelf</a> and artist & book blogger <a href="https://twitter.com/IrynaKhymych">Iryna Khymych</a> who have taken the trouble and expense to send me books this year!</p>
<p>As promised in the social media posts that you probably followed to get here, here’s the full list of books with review and shopping links.</p>
<h3 id="kidlit">Kidlit</h3>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtiR0jFFLN/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtiR0jFFLN/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-09-06T19:35:03+00:00">Sep 6, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament</strong> by Anne Renaud & Felicita Sala (Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33961368-mr-crum-s-potato-predicament?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcLGlOWnGJX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcLGlOWnGJX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-01T20:44:26+00:00">Dec 1, 2017 at 12:44pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Dragonfly Song</strong> by Wendy Orr (Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29866071-dragonfly-song?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<h3 id="ya-reads">YA Reads</h3>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8GY40HUlX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8GY40HUlX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-20T21:25:32+00:00">Dec 20, 2017 at 1:25pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Son of a Trickster</strong> by Eden Robinson (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30257957-son-of-a-trickster?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5ZhnxHtLa/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5ZhnxHtLa/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-19T20:15:02+00:00">Dec 19, 2017 at 12:15pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Daughters of the Storm</strong> by Kim Wilkins
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35457253-daughters-of-the-storm?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTmFZiRFgcD/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTmFZiRFgcD/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-02T15:31:03+00:00">May 2, 2017 at 8:31am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>The One Memory of Flora Banks</strong> by Emily Barr
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30849412-the-one-memory-of-flora-banks?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6CYlllpEA/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6CYlllpEA/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-17T19:35:06+00:00">Aug 17, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Riven</strong> by Jane Alvey Harris (Indie Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34584961-riven">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbkZH4cHMRX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbkZH4cHMRX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-11-16T19:56:05+00:00">Nov 16, 2017 at 11:56am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Enough Space for Everyone Else</strong> edited by J.N. Monk and Lee Black (Comics Anthology)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33542852-enough-space-for-everyone-else?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513813841&sr=1-1&keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513813841&sr=1-1&keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513813841&sr=1-1&keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">UK</a></p>
<h3 id="adult-reads">Adult Reads*</h3>
<p><strong>Bellevue Square</strong> by Michael Redhill (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33595663-bellevue-square?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<p><strong>Minds of Winter</strong> by Ed O’Loughlin (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29776084-minds-of-winter?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<p><strong>Transit</strong> by Rachel Cusk (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939363-transit?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<p><strong>I am a Truck</strong> by Michelle Winters (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29902535-i-am-a-truck?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYeCVzjnu5N/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYeCVzjnu5N/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-31T19:07:22+00:00">Aug 31, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><strong>The Felix Chronicles: Freshman</strong> by R.T. Lowe (Indie Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25714503-freshmen?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">UK</a></p>
<p><strong>Floating City</strong> by Kerri Sakamoto (Canadian Read)
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25488994-floating-city?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345809890/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0345809890/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641">CA</a></p>
Books to check out NL32017-12-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/12/04/Books-to-check-out-NL3<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter October 2017 (creepy reads) edition.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/2f8e4dcb-583e-4de4-a2e3-90bfda27f70a.jpg" alt="The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement#">The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff:</a>For those who prefer their fae bloodthirsty and horrific instead of sparkly and romantic. This was a rare 5 star read for me. Excellent character development, worldbuilding, and storytelling.</p>
<p>Also check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10261812-the-space-between">The Space Between</a> for demonic thrills and chills, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667948-fiendish">Fiendish</a> for Southern Gothic-horror…yeah, just go ahead and add all her books to your TBR.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood?ac=1&from_search=true#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/dad77f38-c04d-458c-a830-8b7d5aac20f8.jpg" alt="Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood?ac=1&from_search=true#">Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake:</a> Ghost hunter. Ghost girl bent on bloody revenge. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a girl ready to rip your heart out? Think Supernatural with teens.</p>
<p>Also check out another skilled WA-based author, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6006518-strange-angels?ac=1&from_search=true#">Lili St. Crow’s Strange Angels</a> for a super dark gender-swapped take on monster hunting.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2800905-the-summoning?ac=1&from_search=true"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/0a917310-8188-4a63-9584-770936b4e6fa.jpg" alt="The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2800905-the-summoning?ac=1&from_search=true">The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong:</a> Classic teens-with-powers, but one happens to be a necromancer. The only thing worse than being trapped in a spider-infested, lightless underground crawlspace is knowing something’s clawing its way up from below.</p>
<p>Also check out her YA thrillers <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing">Missing</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24733600-the-masked-truth?ac=1&from_search=true">The Masked Truth</a> for horror sans paranormal.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931344-the-near-witch?ac=1&from_search=true#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/119f7d3a-0f45-4e84-9637-e9f968344345.jpg" alt="The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931344-the-near-witch?ac=1&from_search=true#">The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab:</a> Seems like this is the least-hyped of Schwab’s work, but IMHO definitely the creepiest. Seriously. Classic fantasy with a terrifyingly tangible setting and evil at every turn out to get you.</p>
<p>Also check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10929432-the-archived?ac=1&from_search=true#">The Archived</a> for even <em>more</em> ghost hunting.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783083-the-diviners"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/dc47702e-3140-49eb-a55c-f15b397f58f7.jpg" alt="The Diviners by Libba Bray" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783083-the-diviners">The Diviners by Libba Bray:</a> Left this one for last because it seriously pushes the limits of my horror tolerance - like, don’t-read-at-home-alone level scary.</p>
<p>The Roaring 20s historical fiction setting and over-the-top characters are lots of fun, but the monsters are… yikes. Make sure you have a buddy to check under the bed for you.</p>
Books to check out NL22017-11-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/11/27/Books-to-check-out-NL2<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter August 2017 edition.</em></p>
<p><strong>Best of Summer</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104737.A_Monstrous_Regiment_of_Women"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/66faee30-4fb8-4984-a29a-a31876611a91.jpg" alt="A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104737.A_Monstrous_Regiment_of_Women">A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King:</a> I can’t believe I’m giving top billing to a non-YA, non-fantasy read, but this book honestly takes top prize for my summer reads. All of King’s books seem to be excellent quality, and I’m still working my way through the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, but if you can only read one King book, make it this one. Adult historical fiction/mystery with a feminist twist.
</p>
<p><strong>Best Indie</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573632-the-way-we-fall"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/ec50d252-5438-4c53-8227-f0e428cc4af4.jpg" alt="THE WAY WE FALL by Megan Crewe" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6240223-give-up-the-ghost">GIVE UP THE GHOST</a> & <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573632-the-way-we-fall">The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe:</a> Canadian Indie author bonus points! Crewe writes disarmingly authentic teens with complex and conflicted motivations, awkward, slow-moving romances and a touch of the creepy. The Way We Fall is first in a trilogy of excellent and very Hollywood-esque plague’pocalypse thrillers. Give Up the Ghost is contemporary-paranormal, and it’s <a href="http://www.subscribepage.com/GiveUpTheGhost">FREE to Crewe’s newsletter subscribers.</a>
</p>
<p><strong>Best Canadian</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing?ac=1&from_search=true"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/4c4d3281-344e-4c6f-ae16-587f3c53980e.jpg" alt="Missing by Kelley Armstrong:" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing?ac=1&from_search=true">Missing by Kelley Armstrong:</a> The best thrillers aren’t just action-action-action. This tense, surprising read has a lot of heart. The slow-burn romance and challenging, complex characters were incredibly compelling. Armstrong also has a gift for making remote locations sound appealing. Love all her YA books. Add to your list for Halloween spine-tingling horror-lite (no paranormal, just human creepiness!) <br /></p>
<p><strong>Bonus Round</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32337121-lockdown"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486052805l/32337121.jpg" alt="Lockdown by Laurie R. King" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32337121-lockdown">Lockdown by Laurie R. King:</a> I really don’t tend to recommend novels about school shootings . . . or contemporary novels, period, but this is a must-read. The level of craft alone - King writes in a dozen distinct voices, each with character development arcs and backstories - mind-blowing literary skill. But what makes this story readable is that it brings a distinct sense of hope to the otherwise traumatic subject matter.</p>
Books to check out NL12017-11-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/11/20/Books-to-check-out-NL1<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter June 2017 edition</em></p>
<p><strong>Best of the Best:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1874917240">Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor:</a> you need to read this. Seriously. Beautiful writing. Gorgeous language. Classic, epic storytelling. The richest worldbuilding you can imagine.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1922833230">Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake</a> best YA dark fantasy all year. Three competing protagonists with their own cast and setting. Plus, Kendare’s one of my fave writers who inspired the style and content of Blind the Eyes. PNW writers unite!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1877354261">A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas:</a> and the sequel is even better, an incredible accomplishment when most second books are the weakest of a trilogy. Mature content warning.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Canadian reads to check out:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1971454999">Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston:</a> a strangely uplifting tale of teen rape. Non-explicit trigger warning for trauma, but an incredibly hopeful and instructive read of how to help in the aftermath, and how stepping in changes everything.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2022816960">Missing by Kelley Armstrong:</a> best YA thriller I’ve read in ages (well, since the last one she wrote, probably, lol.) Just the right balance of compelling romance between complex, relatable and flawed people in a high-stakes fast-paced setting.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Book blog2017-11-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/11/13/Book-blog<p>So, I read a ton. Like, well over 150 books a year. And now that I’ve discovered <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Goodreads</a>, I also rate and review most of those books, and then feature them with dubious quality photography on <a href="https://www.instgram.com/kaie.space">Instagram</a>.</p>
<p>What I haven’t done is launched a book blog/reviews section here, because let’s be real; how often do I get around to updating? And how many of you hang out here on a regular basis? So.</p>
<p>However, just last month I discovered <a href="http://kaiespace.booklikes.com/">Booklikes</a>, which not only shares reviews on-platform and pushes reviews to Goodreads, it collects them in a custom blog. Update one place with automatic syndication to all useful platforms? Yes please!</p>
<p>All that to say: <a href="http://kaiespace.booklikes.com/">Check out my book blog</a> for (mostly) YA Fantasy recommendations!</p>
<p>I also do bimonthly book recommendations and “best-of” lists in <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">my newsletter</a>, and those I will to take the time to host on this site (eventually), so look forward to it!</p>
BTE Targeting 20182017-11-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/11/04/BTE-Targeting-2018<p>So there’s good news and there’s bad news.</p>
<p>The good news is, all that querying attracted some attention after all, literary agents <em>do</em> like Blind the Eyes, and the full manuscript has been requested. It’s not a publishing deal (yet, lol), but it’s actually pretty rare to get that far and it took less than 50 queries (many books take over 100 to even get that sort of response), so it’s definitely cause for celebration!</p>
<p>…The bad news is, now I can’t publish BTE in November like I was hinting at, which is super sad because my proofreader did an amazing job AND turned the project around in half the time I’d had scheduled, so it should have been right on target for a pre-holidays release.</p>
<p>Back to good news: this means I can (ahem, should) get the sequel(s) plotted out and written for fast, consecutive releases when BTE <em>does</em> come out. But, yet again, sorry to make you all wait longer and thanks for your patience!</p>
<p>While I’m at it, huge shout out to my awesome team:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lisapoisso.com/">Lisa Poisso</a> did a spectacular job helping me work through the multiple rounds of develoid a pmental and line editing to make BTE a book worth reading</li>
<li><a href="http://alchemy.catherinemilos.com/">Catherine Milos</a> caught the embarassingly obvious logic errors, typos and generally polished everything to a shine</li>
<li>Regina Wamba of <a href="www.maeidesign.com/">MaeIDesign</a> crafted a gorgeously artistic and iconic cover design (that one of these days I will finally get the chance to unveil, I hope!)</li>
</ul>
<p>I highly recommend these guys if any of you are looking to form a publishing team of your own!</p>
<p>So what comes next? Well, there’s a lot of waiting. The waiting period for the querying stage wouldn’t have closed until this December (yeah, I was jumping the gun with a November release no matter how you sliced it) and, for a full mansucript request, you normally add at least six months. If an agent offers representation, that’s another week or so to alert any outstanding queried agents that they need to throw their hats in the ring, then paperwork to hire the agent, then they go to work selling the manuscript to editors. So, more waiting. Years of waiting. And at any point in that, potentially more edits and rewrites.</p>
<p>But, as I’ve said all along, traditional publishing isn’t right for every book and every author, so while it’s very exciting to see a positive response from the establishment, given the current market and opportunities, BTE may do better as an indie book, and as new information comes to light, I’ll be making a judgment call on whether to release it sooner. Again, all the pieces are in place except for final layout design, and I’ll probably book that and get it ready in the coming month or so too, so an independent release could happen fast.</p>
<p>For those of you book bloggers/reviewers who’ve gotten in touch, and those who are thinking about it, feel free to keep signing up, just know the timeline’s been pushed out to next year. I’m keeping a database of everyone who’s shown interest for when the ARCs are ready to go.</p>
<p>Until next time,
K.</p>
Limited Preview Edition of Blind the Eyes2017-10-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//book/2017/10/20/Limited-Preview-Edition-of-Blind-the-Eyes<p><strong>Chapter 1: Before</strong></p>
<p>It was the dead man’s expression that drew me, the depth of feeling on it, bare and exposed and unashamed. It called to me.</p>
<p>That’s a lie.</p>
<p>It was his perfect stillness, the blue-grey cast of his skin shamefully exposed where his mask had slipped in the night.</p>
<p>That’s also a lie.</p>
<p>It was my own distorted shadow, wavering against the pearly sheen of his blown pupils, the unmistakeable mark of the Mara-taken.</p>
<p>That might be closest to the truth.</p>
<p>It might have been why I reached out that night, forgetting the danger. It might be what starts the tingling at the base of my skull even now whenever I think of the dead, the fluttering itch in my fingers that sets them tapping and twisting.</p>
<p>But it’s not the truth.</p>
<p>I don’t know what possessed me to slip out from under the covers and pad across the crumbling tiles of the Corrections dorm that night, ignoring just how many rules I was breaking.</p>
<p>I remember waking, peering across the sleeping rows of failures. There should only have been the faint radiance of blue light marking the locked doors. Instead, it was as though a spotlight illuminated the unnatural stillness of the corpse. He’d been Mara-taken in the night, punished for failing to conform, to obey.</p>
<p>Ignoring the indecency of his shameful nakedness, the line of his jaw and the ridge of his nose uncovered, I reached out to touch the dense roughness of his night-stubbled face. I traced the lines etched there, the deep brackets around his mouth, the ridge and hollow where his cheek stretched over bone. Brushed the faint softness of his lashes, flared wide as if to flee the blank orbs between them.</p>
<p>I spent the night surrendered to the sparkling, tingling fascination of it. They caught me like that the next morning, one hand pressed to the dead man’s twisted face as if, tracing my way through the echoes of his horror, I could know what he knew, feel what he felt.</p>
<p>This is the truth of it: I don’t know why I broke the rules so spectacularly. But the Mara haven’t come for me yet.</p>
<p>I’ve learned to suppress the wanting, hide my reactions, obedient. From the protective gold threaded through the walls and spun into the ward that haloes the hoods of good workers, to the careful drilling in how to turn over all desire and wanting to the Mara before they can kill us, Refuge ensures the survival of the obedient. But those sheltered, obedient workers only live on Floor 10 and above.</p>
<p>So I learned to face forward and ignore the draw of the dead, to focus on stilling the wilful twisting, reaching dance of my fingers by pinching them bloodless into submission. I made it all the way to Floor 18.</p>
<p>But I can’t ever mess up again. I’m only there on probation. One more failure, and the Mara will take me. I have to stop obsessing over the dead.</p>
<p>Which would be a lot easier if I wasn’t haunted.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Chapter 2: Now</strong></p>
<p>Her name is Cadence.</p>
<p>Like me, she’s unsequenced. Singular. Defective. Refuge discontinued her production series after only one unit. Not broken enough to destroy, but not valuable enough to bother making more of.</p>
<p>It may be why I messed up, why I got sent to Corrections in the first place. It may be why she’s able to haunt me even now I’ve reached the shielded security of Floor 18.</p>
<p>Unlike me, Cadence refuses to learn her place. It’s probably how she got killed (she says she doesn’t remember). If I’m not careful, it’s going to get me killed, too.</p>
<p>“So I had this dream last night,” she says. “It was about trees. I miss trees. I miss climbing with—”</p>
<p>“Stop it,” I say quietly, so none of the other workers notice. I don’t have time for her lies.</p>
<p>She blows a rude noise in my ear and proceeds to singsong something that mostly consists of the word <em>trees</em> looped at different pitches.</p>
<p>I don’t know what trees are. Probably just another one of her made-up stories. And she can’t have dreamt. She’d be . . . well, dead.</p>
<p>My skin crawls in a not entirely unpleasant way.</p>
<p>“Dreeeams of treeeeees,” She warbles.</p>
<p>“Shut up!”</p>
<p>I swat at her. My hood snags on one finger. The band securing it goes flying off. I scramble to yank the pale fabric back down over my hair. I clap the other hand over my face to keep my mask from sagging any lower down my nose. The last thing I want is the entire room staring at the uneven splotches on my naked face. Forty bland grey workers sit in bland uniforms behind bland consoles in the bland room. The floor is neutral carpet, the walls an unbroken expanse of neutral paint except for the supervisor’s mirrored observation window and the two doors. The lot of it’s bathed in artificial light. I’d stand out like a dark smear on the face of its perfection.</p>
<p>“Probationary Worker 18-Cole.” The voice is nasal, cracking and uneven. “I might’ve known.”</p>
<p>Division Supervisor Kistrfyv’s shoes nudge my shamefully distinctive black probationary hoodband on the floor. Embarrassment flushes my skin even further.</p>
<p>His damp, bulbous gaze is neatly framed between the loose mask drawn over his nose and mouth and the crisp, even spread of his hood under the dual bands of a supervisor. They’re proper wards, of course, gleaming with protective spun gold. He’s dressed perfectly to regulation: baggy, form-obscuring pale tunic and pants hiding light shoes, gloves under drooping sleeves, hood with its gold wards, and an opaque, veil-like mask covering every inch of admirably grey skin except the narrow opening around his eyes. His stance isn’t quite regulation, though; he leans forward, as though eager. If he weren’t the supervisor, he’d be at risk of a violation.</p>
<p>“I don’t like him,” Cadence says. “He’s a bully. And creepy. Why do you stick around this boring place, anyway? Let’s go already.”</p>
<p>I clench my fists to keep from swatting at her again. She knows perfectly well how important it is I pass probation and get promoted to full worker. I can’t afford any more mistakes. There’s no way I’d make it out of a second stint on Floor 6.</p>
<p>Some days, I wonder if we’re all grown with a Cadence, if she’s not a ghost at all but a sort of built-in temptation. But it’s not as if I can ask. The downside of strictly regulated isolation: no one to bounce ideas off of except your ghost, who’s probably a design defect in the first place.</p>
<p>Cadence is a forbidden distraction no matter how I look at it. We’ve been together so long I can’t really bring myself to blame her for all the trouble she causes. But if she makes me blow my chance to pass probation, I’ll never forgive her.</p>
<p>“Probationary worker,” Supervisor Kistrfyv says again, leaning in too close to be strictly regulation. “I don’t know how a worm like you managed to squirm its way up to this level, but I will not have you destabilizing my division. Submit. Now.”</p>
<p>I ease up out of my seat. The chair squeaks. I wince, and surreptitiously stuff hanks of overgrown hair out of sight. My mask droops from one side. I tuck my chin, partly to keep my hood on and my face shadowed, mostly because the supervisor twitches and glares whenever my head rises higher than his. Head bowed, I shuffle around the console and pick up the black band that marks my inferior status. It reminds every other worker of what could happen to them if things go wrong. Best case: survival as a pariah. Worst: death.</p>
<p>But I worked hard to make it this far. I snug the mark of my shame down over my hood, smooth the mask across my nose, and stand, appropriately slouched and modest once more. What I wouldn’t give just to be invisible—but no, I must not want. I must forget the shivery feeling I get when confronted with the thought cloudy eyes and chilled, stiff skin. I’ve worked so hard not to let Cadence distract me with her made-up stories, her childish fantasies of an imaginary world, her deceitful insistence on a place that is not Refuge.</p>
<p>“Probationary worker,” she mimics in a whiny tone so like Kistrfyv’s it makes me cringe, “I demand you extract my head from my butt. Probationary worker, I have nothing better to do with my time than stand here and blink like a fish. Probationary worker, I—”</p>
<p>“Probationary worker.” The real Kistrfyv speaks over her in warning tones. “You’ve held us all up from our work long enough. Submit, and be quick about it.”</p>
<p>“He’s such a weenie,” She huffs.</p>
<p>I twist my hands in the loose fabric at my sides to keep them still. Then I fix my gaze at the point where Kistrfyv’s mask drapes over his uniform and try to look contrite. I mumble through a comprehensive list of my violations: distracting behaviour, unnecessary interaction, immodest dress, lack of focus . . . It helps that he’s unusually short, and I’m enough taller that I have to tuck my chin, making me look submissive without really having to try. He still glares.</p>
<p>“Weenie, weenie, weeeniiie . . .” Cadence chants in my ear, distracting me.</p>
<p>I finish with the rote submission to the Mara: “I call upon the Mara to eat my dreams.”</p>
<p>It must be repeated three times. I string the words together under my breath, silently begging the Mara not to come at the same time. The only thing that could make this day worse is the Mara actually showing up and hollowing me out.</p>
<p>Rote submission is different than being Mara-taken. It’s meant as appeasement, a sort of pre-emptive measure. Void your disobedient impulses, turn over your hopes and desires to the Mara fast enough, regularly enough, and they’ll take the offering and leave you intact. I’ve performed submission hundreds, maybe thousands of times since they woke me from the Growers’ tables. Sometimes there’s a rush of emptiness left in their wake. Other times, they must not hear me. I know it’s for my own good, but I still don’t want them to come and eat my dreams. Better not to have any in the first place.</p>
<p>Kistrfyv makes me repeat the summons again. Louder. Clearer. Again. I scrunch my eyes shut and tighten my fists. This show of terror seems to please Kistrfyv, or maybe he just gets bored, because he finally lets me stop.</p>
<p>“Weee-neee . . . Weee-neeeee . . .”</p>
<p>Cadence starts breathing the words in a sort of singsong, gasping air in and puffing it out, drowning out Kistrfyv, who has started in on a lecture on the importance of submission without giving me leave to sit. My thighs tremble.</p>
<p>I twitch, suppressing the futile but tempting urge to swat her away. Instead, I lower my chin another inch, concentrating. Visible contrition might trim the length and severity of the lecture, and I need Kistrfyv to be pleased with me. Pleased enough to arrange a probationary trial soon. Pleased enough to grant me a promotion to full worker and hand over the gold ward to replace my black band. Pleased enough to erase my failure once and for all.</p>
<p>Kistrfyv strokes the dual wards around his forehead as if to emphasize his elevated position.</p>
<p>“Betcha he’s bald under that hood.” Cadence improvises an ode to his presumed follicular deficiency and warbles it directly into my ear.</p>
<p>I burn to give her a good kick. My legs are starting to ache from standing with my knees locked, but I don’t quite dare to shift my weight under the force of the supervisor’s damp gaze. To make things worse, the pants on this latest uniform are too loose. They’re edging past my hipbones, one anxiety-spurring fraction of an inch at a time. I pinch the end of my tongue between my teeth. The sharp-edged, familiar sweetness of blood and pain helps me focus.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Cadence is losing interest in her little song. She now seems to be occupied with sucking the words in and out again in a breathy sigh. It’s annoying. And distracting. And kind of amazing. What it would be like to just do whatever I feel like, the way she does? I clamp down on that thought.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you sick of it all?” she says, as if she knows what I’m thinking.</p>
<p>I flinch. I prefer it when she’s picking on other people.</p>
<p>“Why do you put up with it?”</p>
<p>As if we haven’t been over it. As if she doesn’t know just as well as I do. Better, even.</p>
<p>“Fight back! Defend yourself. Look at him. He’s a shrimp. He’s scared of you. You can’t be satisfied with this. How can you be so passive? Do something—anything! Do you have a pulse? Hellooo . . .”</p>
<p>I can’t respond. I’ve got to hold it in. She’ll get bored with me—or Kistrfyv will, if I can just hold out long enough. I can be smart. I can obey. I can wait them both out.</p>
<p>I can survive.</p>
<p>“Don’t you want more? You’re really going to let that weenie bully you for the rest of your life?” she demands.</p>
<p>It’s clear she would do things differently, if she could. The tragedy of her life is that she can’t. The tragedy of my life is she’ll never let me forget it.</p>
<p>I struggle to hold back another eye roll, but Kistrfyv seems to see past my mask to the dissatisfied twist beneath. His eyes crinkle at the edges, and trails of indecent moisture seep out as his cheeks threaten to engulf them in a sneer so wide it escapes the upper edge of his mask. The effect is unpleasant, but not nearly as much as his punishment will be: extra cycles of rec and more Noosh—the dense, flavourless goop that meets all nutritional requirements while ensuring uniformity among the populace. Or it’s supposed to, anyway. I’m too dark, too tall and too bony—which adds to the misery of the rec cycles. On the bright side, every time they increase my allotment, it seems to dull Cadence’s voice and make it easier to stay on task.</p>
<p>I can see my probationary trial receding further with every blink of his bulbous, judging eyes. He has no intention of letting me live down my failure, letting me blend in with the crowd. He just likes watching me squirm.</p>
<p>I make no further apology, though Kistrfyv eyes me expectantly. He’d probably appreciate a little bow or a few tears. Maybe I should make more of a show of contrition. Maybe it would motivate him to promote me sooner.</p>
<p>Or maybe it’s hopeless. He tops off his lecture with a group chorus of benevolent regulation, watching me the whole time. After, I’m allowed to sit.</p>
<p>I move too fast, desperate to rest my quivering muscles, and bump my thigh. The skin burns, and I know it will bruise bright, invisible patterns under my uniform. Great.</p>
<p>I shift, all sharp angles at odds with the smooth, ergonomic curves of my seat, another reminder that I’m never right, even for something as simple as a chair. A wheel squeaks, high and thin, and I freeze.</p>
<p>“You’re both weenies,” Cadence says.</p>
<p>I’d like to tell her to shut up. I’d like to tell her I have no choice and she knows it. I’d like to tell her I’d rather be a weenie with a world to live in than like her, forever complaining and never able to do a thing about it.</p>
<p>I’d like to, but I won’t. She’s all I have. And she’ll back off soon, because I’m all she has. All she’ll ever have.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Chapter 3: Strangers</strong></p>
<p>I don’t hate my job. Hate is dangerous. Hate is not stable. Hate is a wish for change. A wish is a dream that can draw down the Mara.</p>
<p>So I don’t <em>hate</em> my job. I merely appreciate when I no longer have to be at it. The pressure to focus, to keep from drifting off, to keep from being distracted by Cadence’s extravagantly expressed boredom . . . It’s exhausting.</p>
<p>Which is the point of work, after all. It’s the point of everything. Keep us just occupied and numb enough to stay out of trouble. Even water breaks are subject to regulation, carefully scheduled to avoid interaction between workers. But I excel at maintaining a modest perimeter, and my posture is flawless. Stooped shoulders, chin tucked, elbows in, small steps to maintain balance and avoid disruption. It’s not easy. I’m still growing, and I have an unfortunate tendency to trip over my own oversized feet. I clamp my gloved hands together in front as I walk to keep the fingers still.</p>
<p>“I miss colour,” Cadence says out of nowhere. Like she does. “When was the last time you saw a proper, rich blue? Or orange? I miss orange. And fruit. And eating.”</p>
<p>My mouth goes dry as a tingle buzzes the base of my skull.</p>
<p>“Shh.” I glance to either side and roll my neck to make the buzzing stop.</p>
<p>“Oh, come on, it’s not as if they can hear me,” she says.</p>
<p>Not good. She has to stop doing this to me, reminding me she’s a ghost. It makes me think of what comes before. And then I can’t stop thinking about it . . .</p>
<p>“I can hear you,” I say, though my mind whipped past ‘ghost’ and went straight to ‘death’.</p>
<p>“You oughta thank me for breaking the boredom. How you can stare at that screen all day, I’ll never know.”</p>
<p>No, she never will.</p>
<p>I hurry back to my desk and squint at the screen. Maybe if I pretend she’s not there, she’ll back off. I start scanning from the submerged lower levels, deserted except for the occasional sub-aquatic Refuge Force patrol and work my way up floor by deserted floor to the ebb and flow of the Corrections division on Floor 6 and on to the tangle of codes on the higher divisions. Floor 14 is reliably busy, the cleaners coming and going all day long. Floor 18 looks empty, though of course it isn’t really. The system doesn’t track surveillance workers. There’d be no point in sitting here monitoring myself sitting here monitoring . . . yeah, no point at all. The snarl of codes is heaviest between floors 15 and 30, tapering off on the higher levels. As far as I can tell only a few enforcers and a handful of division leaders ever go that high. Apparently the Mayor lives up there, but if she has a code in the system, I haven’t figured it out. Cadence interrupts.</p>
<p>“Oops. You missed one. Hey, if I help you find five more errors, can we leave early? I’m so done with this scene.”</p>
<p>I scan back across the display. A surveillance feed on Floor 10 is patchy, the handful of codes flickering in and out too quickly to represent the actual movements of workers. I flag the anomaly to the field team for investigation and go back to scanning the display.</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t ignore me. Say thank you. Manners. Honestly, were you raised in a barn?”</p>
<p>I don’t understand. Barn? But she’s teasing, playful, which is better than nagging. She did save me from an error, after all. She was also the source of my distraction. I’ve got to do better.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” I mutter into my mask. “Now will you let me concentrate?”</p>
<p>She makes a rude sound in my ear. It’s only a few minutes before she starts up again, complaining about things I don’t understand, distracting, harassing, and occasionally helping, just to change things up.</p>
<p>I won’t admit it helps me get through the day. A good worker doesn’t need release from the boredom. A good drone lives for the boredom—or rather, the boredom is what lets us live. So I don’t let on that I’m struggling to focus, counting the minutes through the day. Not even to Cadence.</p>
<p>I can’t dream of a different life, a better one. That’s not allowed. But can I help it if I’m forced to listen to Cadence imagine wild and beautiful alien worlds? She doesn’t always nag and tease and pester. Sometimes she tells stories, wild fantasies of people and places from the Outside. Colours, not just shades of bland off-white, forms that aren’t purposelessly shapeless and food that’s something other than flavourless and slurped through a straw twice a day. More often than not, her stories end with her trailing off in confusion, usually when she tries to talk about herself instead of just making things up. Because, you know—ghost.</p>
<p>None of her stories are real. She doesn’t remember her past. She doesn’t know any more about the world than I do. So instead of dreaming with her, I do the smart thing. I focus on my screen. Flag the anomalies. Repeat. Build a record of obedience.</p>
<p>I’ve only just sat down after my second water break of the day when I see it. I have to look twice to be sure. Surveillance is down across a full half of Floor 20.</p>
<p>“Is that . . . ?” Cadence sounds awed. “Full crash? How would that even happen?”</p>
<p>It’s a major anomaly. If there were warning signs, whoever missed that is going to be in a lot of trouble.</p>
<p>It wasn’t me, right? Please don’t let it have been me.</p>
<p>I flag it for field service in a flurry of clicks that highlight the breadth and severity of the situation. Whoever gets assigned to investigation on this one is going to be busy for a while.</p>
<p>An alert takes over my screen: “Surveillance Technician 18-Cole-: Assigned to task.”</p>
<p>That can’t be right.</p>
<p>“No way,” Cadence says. “You get to do a field investigation? Awesome.”</p>
<p>That definitely can’t be right. Only senior surveillance technicians are assigned to field duties. I glance at the supervisor’s office door and swallow a rising tide of panic. I should report something’s gone wrong and get the task reassigned.</p>
<p>Unless he did this.</p>
<p>The buzzing in my head settles into a deep, pulsing ache. I push back at it, rumpling my hood. He wouldn’t, would he? Purposely assign a major field investigation to me, just to see me fail? Or—</p>
<p>I take a closer look at the notation buried in the attached files. Two words jump out at me: “Probationary Trial”.</p>
<p>It’s finally here: my chance to leave failure in the dust and blend in with everyone else. I can’t believe it. I’d thought after this morning’s incident, I’d be waiting months, years even. I wring my hands. It’s here it’s here it’s here it’s—</p>
<p>Impossible. It’s a trap. Kistrfyv is setting me up to fail. I hardly know anything about field missions.</p>
<p>But there’s no way to refuse the task, not without admitting failure and giving up my shot at normality. So, fine. I’ll show him. I’ll show them all. I can do it. It’s the smart thing to do, just stand up and head out. Show no weakness, no distraction. In fact, I should get going. The sooner I complete the task, the sooner I can crush that weenie’s hopes of being rid of me.</p>
<p>“Really?” Cadence says as I push back my chair. I almost collide with a passing worker. “You’re actually going? This is so cool. What do you think Floor 20 is like?”</p>
<p>She keeps up a steady one-sided commentary. I try to breathe and walk at the same time. My fingers tap and twine. I clench them into stillness.</p>
<p>I don’t notice the figures at the elevators at first. When I do, my fists jump to my throat, tangling in the loose lower edge of my mask in undisciplined panic.</p>
<p>Refuge Force. It was all a trap. Kistrfyv set me up, and now they’ve come for me and they’ll drag me back down to Floor 6 to die and all of this trying will have been for nothing and—</p>
<p>Wait.</p>
<p>There are several pale-uniformed figures standing there in front of the elevator. Which is weird. They’re too close together—even weirder. Most of them cringe, eyes shadowed under their hoods as if they’re just as afraid of being caught out in an error as I am. And those uniforms . . . Don’t enforcers wear dark, close-fitting uniforms?</p>
<p>“You just gonna stand there or what?” Cadence sounds annoyed. “Let’s get going already.”</p>
<p>It’s as if she doesn’t even see them, doesn’t realize how impossibly creepy this is. It’s a bunch of workers. Together. In the same place, at the same time. Nearly touching, even.</p>
<p>Other than their astonishing misconduct, they seem pretty normal—except for the one in the middle. He’s tall, his shoulders pulled back to show the clear line of his body beneath a carelessly disarranged uniform that obscures his ID code. Where the others keep their heads modestly bowed, he stares right at me.</p>
<p>I blink. His hood is shoved back, exposing dramatic blue-black strands against glowing, golden skin. But even properly covered, he would stand out with those eyes. Bold, fearless, and direct, he stares back with molten gold irises. It’s not the shape that stands out – like most of the workers, his eyes are long and flared, though a fraction wider and more upturned than my own. But such vibrancy and movement, the way they seem lit from within . . . I didn’t know it was possible for a worker to have eyes like that.</p>
<p>Is he an only, too? There can’t possibly be another like him, not in all of Refuge.</p>
<p>I step forward to get a better look.</p>
<p>“About time,” he says.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, Limited Preview Edition</em> (Oct. 20, 2017)</p>
<p><strong>Want more? Sign up for my <a href="http://eepurl.cSevwn">mailing list</a> for bonus content including a free ebook and audiobook extended preview of the first five chapters, preview scenes and other bonus content!</strong></p>
<p>For longer-running fans, the full first beta readers edition is being serialized on Wattpad as <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/106720262-bte-beta1">BTE Beta1</a></p>
Almost there2017-09-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/09/21/Almost-there<p>I should get the next newsletter out in a couple weeks, but since I’m past due for an update, thought I’d pop in and share the progress!</p>
<p>BLIND THE EYES is out for query with a number of literary agents. For the uninitiated, to get a book published in the traditional manner, you send a sort of formal application letter to literary agents, who ask for more information on your book (or decline). If they love the story and think they can sell it to a publisher, they offer to represent you. Then they contact editors and try to sell the manuscript. Then a publishing house responds with an offer (and if you’re really lucky, you get a few of these to choose from). Then you get assigned an editor and work with that publisher and editor to adapt the book, which can mean more editing, rewrites, proofreading, cover designs etc. Then the book comes out in stores, 1-3 years later. And at every step of the process, it’s super competitive and subject to both market demand and the relevant professionals falling in love with your work.</p>
<p>I’ve had some really encouraging responses from agents, but nothing to tempt me away from indie publishing so far. That said, the publishing world moves super slowly, so I’ve only heard back from a quarter of the queries I’ve sent out so far.</p>
<p>So here’s the plan: there’s only a couple steps left to produce BLIND THE EYES as an independent publisher. It still needs a final proofread, final back cover copy and interior layout/design. I’m getting in touch with a proofreader this week to line that up for late October - it’s a minor cost and worth risking to set up. My cover artist can do interior design, but I still need to talk to her about a schedule. If she’s available, I think everything could be done for as early as the middle of November. So… no promises guys, but I’m thinking a holiday release could be a great idea!</p>
<p>Keep an eye out for preorders, and I’ve already had some enquiries from book bloggers and ARC reviewers, so feel free to get in touch at any time if you’d like to be added to that list. We’re nearly there!</p>
<p>In other news, I’m looking at local jobs, overseas jobs and more long-term remote/freelance work, so another round of travel may or may not be in my future. More news on that soon!</p>
Preview ch1 Updated2017-09-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//book/2017/09/04/Preview-ch1-Updated<p><strong>Chapter 1</strong></p>
<p>It was the dead man’s expression that drew me, the depth of feeling on it, bare and exposed and unashamed. Horror. Terror. Longing. Anguish. It called to me.</p>
<p>That’s a lie.</p>
<p>It was his stillness, the blue-grey cast of his skin, shamefully exposed where his mask had slipped in the night.</p>
<p>That’s also a lie.</p>
<p>It was the distorted blur of my own face, an impossible smudge of light reflected in the haze of his blown pupils.</p>
<p>That might be closest to the truth.</p>
<p>It might have been why I reached out with gloved fingers, forgetting the danger. It might be what draws me back, over and over again. It might be what starts the tingling at the base of my skull that spreads and prickles across my scalp whenever I think of the dead, the fluttering itch in my fingers that sets them tapping and twisting.</p>
<p>But it’s not the truth.</p>
<p>I don’t know what possessed me to slip out from under the covers and pad across the crumbling tiles that night, ignoring just how many rules I was breaking. I remember waking, peering across the rows of swaddled failures. It should have been dark, but in my memory, a spotlight lights the inert form of the dead man, a silvery-white glow cast by an invisible lamp. I remember the terrible thrill, the certainty one of us had been taken by the Mara, just like we’d been warned, punished for failing to conform, to obey.</p>
<p>What I don’t remember is fear. Until the dead man, I’d felt fear at the thought of death. Fear when I was dragged away from the other trainees and abandoned to Corrections. But when I saw my first corpse, it wasn’t fear I felt. Not for him, or for me.</p>
<p>I ignored the indecency of getting so close to his shameful nakedness, the line of his jaw and the ridge of his nose uncovered. I further violated benevolent regulation by reaching out to touch the dense roughness of his night-stubbled face. Surrendered to the sparkling, tingling fascination, I must have stood like that for hours before I got caught, one hand pressed to the dead man’s twisted face as if, touching him, I could know what he knew, feel what he felt.</p>
<p>This is the truth of it: I don’t know why I broke the rules so spectacularly.</p>
<p>But the Mara haven’t come for me yet. I learned to hide my reactions. Instead of reaching out to the dead, I’d clamp my hands together in my lap or under my arms, rocking to keep the energy in. It took much longer to train myself not to look.</p>
<p>But I learned. I suppressed the wanting, denied it, obedient. After all, Refuge only exists to keep us safe, from the protective gold threaded through the walls and spun into the ward that haloes the hoods of good Refuge workers, to the careful drilling in how to turn over all desire and wanting to the Mara before the temptation to dream gets us killed. But on Floor 6, Corrections, there’s no gold in the walls and no wards to remind the Mara we’re not food. They only keep the proven failures there. The resisters, the ones who can’t focus, won’t obey. And then they take away everything that protects us and see who survives. Most don’t make it, but I was determined. I learned to face forward and ignore the draw of the dead, to focus on stilling the wilful twisting, reaching dance of my fingers by pinching them bloodless into submission.</p>
<p>They weren’t all like that first corpse, the dead of Floor 6. They weren’t all warped and twisted in torment. The peaceful faces drew me just as much as the anguished ones. It was the depth of feeling, the calm, accepting stillness, just as dramatic in its own way as faces distorted by agony. Just as foreign to me. I wondered what they saw, what they felt in those final moments before the Mara took them.</p>
<p>So few trainees get sent to Corrections. They said I made it out because I was still young enough to learn and change. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I was able to push my failures so far inside because I didn’t have as far to push.</p>
<p>But here’s what I know: I can never mess up again. All I have to do is keep obeying, pass probation, and stop thinking about the dead.</p>
<p>Which would be a lot easier if I wasn’t haunted.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH1</em> (updated version Sept. 4, 2017)</p>
<p><strong>Want more? Sign up for my <a href="http://eepurl.cSevwn">mailing list</a> for bonus content including a free ebook and audiobook preview of the first five chapters, preview scenes and other bonus content!</strong></p>
<p>For longer-running fans, the full first beta readers edition is being serialized on Wattpad as <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/106720262-bte-beta1">BTE Beta1</a></p>
Confessions, retractions and other wafflings2017-08-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/08/27/Confessions-retractions-and-other-wafflings<p>…I know I’ve been babbling about it all over the place lately and I’ve only <em>just</em> finished switching over graphics and web presence to the new subgenre, but I’m seriously considering changing everything back to the previous (non) subgenre for BLIND THE EYES of “dystopian dark fantasy”. Which isn’t an official thing, and I know you’re not supposed to genre-blend, but… it just kind of <em>is</em>. The setting’s pretty dystopian. And it’s definitely future and sort of post-apocalyptic. And dark. And there’s fantasy and supernatural stuff going on. It’s also not a bad fit for urban fantasy, other than the future setting. So I dunno. Waffle waffle waffle. Angst angst angst. lol.</p>
<p>On thing in its favour, the freebie preview ebooks on Amazon got quite a bit stronger downloads when listed as dystopian. So I figure for querying, it should read urban fantasy, and if I end up going indie, dystopian dark fantasy.</p>
<p>But don’t hold me to that, because apparently continuously changing my mind and making work for myself is what I do…</p>
On Monsters, Boundaries and Inspiration2017-08-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/08/26/On-Monsters-Boundaries-and-Inspiration<p>While I love research in a general sense, I more or less refuse to do it while drafting a book. I’m too addicted to that archaeological sense of uncovering another world to allow this one to consciously intrude. However, at some point I generally do have to pull out the books (hi Google) and go hunting for real world equivalencies, or at least reference points.</p>
<p>Enter the Mara. The story that has become BLIND THE EYES emerged out of an image or a scene wherein a girl is saved from monster attack by a hero. And diverged dramatically from there - the Wattpad story-in-progress THINGS GOT OUT OF HAND is closer to the original intent. All that to say, my sense of what the monsters in question were was vague to say the least.</p>
<p>But successive drafts did serve to nudge things along. Fairly early on, I knew the monsters were a waking nightmare, a concrete manifestation of a victim’s fears, though I intended this literally as depicted in TGOOH. Later, with the addition of THE FIRST DREAM (BTE Chapter 8), the nightmare-monsters were found inhabiting a separate plane of consciousness, killing victims in a sort of dreamscape, with only gradual crossover into the waking world.</p>
<p>Around the same time, I realized the monsters, the dream-eaters, had their source in the paranormal world of ghosts or malevolent spirits. Obsessed with mist, fog and boundaries, I envisioned them as hungry spirits of the dead, trapped within a closed city and cannibalizing the living inhabitants. Amorphously inhabiting and twisting victims’ desires or longings to attack, they manifest in the real world with considerably less clarity, little more than a sickly yellow mist.</p>
<p>But dancing around their identity, both named and visual, was adding confusion to an already vague and dreamy draft, and I hated every time I had to write “dream-death” or “nightmare”, feeling it too clunky.</p>
<p>More drafts, more careful excavating of a story world that I could envision but wasn’t making plain enough for readers. My monsters were hemmed in by a literal boundary, a city cut off by environmental as well as spiritual damage. The ocean had risen, flooding the edges of the city, and opening up identities for the monsters in the pantheon of water-monsters that I was most familiar with from Celtic legend. Time to pull out the books.</p>
<p>I started with a survey of aquatic monsters, with a quick turn through dream-eating and nightmare beasts, scanning through familiar Celtic sources as well as Japanese monsters and a brief, not particularly successful survey of Canadian and American First Nations spirits, legends and monsters, and came up with surprising results.</p>
<p>As it turns out, there wasn’t a single likely culprit that blended aquatic and dream attributes, but a Japanese dream-eating monster called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku_(spirit)">baku</a> came awfully close to meeting my dream-eater needs. It seems to function in a mostly positive way, eating nightmares, but it has a darker side where it can go too far and eat the hopes and desires of a dreamer as well, leaving them hollowed out and empty…</p>
<p>…which as I write this, brings up some interesting implications for a historical angle on the story world’s current troubles. I chose to integrate the aquatic or marine element of BTE’s dream-eating monsters by calling them the Mara. In various Celtic/European languages, this ties in nicely to night’mares’ or nightmara, with, at least in my mind, some shadings of Kelpie and other water horses as well, but functions more like the Japanese Baku.</p>
<p>And there you have it, the not-so-well-researched anatomy of a monster, in which my imaginary demons turned out to have surprisingly connected real-world counterparts, confirming once again that human imagination has its limits. I think I’ll do a feature on the world monsters and their traits in my next newsletter (October) - keep an eye out for it!</p>
Fresh Newsletter and New Freebies2017-08-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/08/20/Fresh-Newsletter-and-New-Freebies<p>The August newsletter is out! Musings on the finer points of genre, book reviews (still debating whether to add that as a website feature - thoughts?) and a fresh downloadable for this round.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, <a href="https://eepurl.com/cSevwn">sign up</a> for access to the freebie content, which is currently an extended preview ebook or audiobook of the first five chapters of BLIND THE EYES and an ebook-format downloadable preview of THE FIRST DREAM (currently chapter 8 of the manuscript), which is the first instance of supernatural goings-on in the draft and also the bit where I realized I was writing horror and not just fantasy, lol. I do newsletters roughly every two months with updates, insider content and book reviews. I promise not to spam your inbox endlessly!</p>
<p>In other news, I’ve been dreadfully sick for the last week and therefore have gotten a bit behind again, but I’m planning to pick up with the final nitpicky little changes next week and start the querying process. There’ll probably be an update to the preview freebies following this round, as the first chapters continue to tighten up bit by bit; keep an eye out for it! Also, enjoy the Instagram feed I finally figured out how to embed! Turned out to be way less complicated that posting journal entries with individual IG shots, and innit pretty? ;D</p>
Book Geek Time - Queries Round 32017-08-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/08/05/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2<p>Last query round for now. For the super publishing geeks in the audience, here’s the final Query I went with for Pitch Wars! If any of the mentors send back notes, I’ll be sure to post them for reference!</p>
<p>Dear Mentor,</p>
<p>I’m pleased to introduce my YA novel, BLIND THE EYES, in which a not-quite alive girl and her not-quite dead ghost discover that authorities lie, allies have their own agendas and all monsters wear masks.</p>
<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she must figure out who to trust to bring down the state and stop the dying before the nightmares eat her alive.</p>
<p>BLIND THE EYES is a stand-alone YA urban fantasy novel for ages 14 and up, complete at 100,000 words, with series potential. A dark and dangerous journey of discovery fraught with monsters both traditional and of the human persuasion, BLIND THE EYES evokes STRANGE THE DREAMER and THIS SAVAGE SONG with the flawed, challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS.</p>
<p>Thanks for your consideration.</p>
<p>K.A. Wiggins
[+contact deets!]</p>
Book Geek Time - Queries Round 22017-08-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/08/04/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2<p>I may have used up all my luck before the submission window launched, but I was fortunate enough to win a query and first chapter critique from the awesome Lindsey Frydman. I’ve included the query with her markup/revisions for the writing/publishing geeks out there plus anyone thinking of subbing to Lindsey who really wants to do their research!</p>
<p>Lindsey’s the author of YA contemporary romances with a twist <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/the-heartbeat-hypothesis">THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS</a>, <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/to-whatever-end">TO WHATEVER END</a>, and <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/project-a-i-d-e-n">PROJECT A.I.D.E.N.</a>.</p>
<p>Find her on <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyMF">Twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/">online</a>.</p>
<p>Lindsey’s comments are marked ( <em>LF</em> ).</p>
<hr />
<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. (LF: <em>A query really should start with the character, so I’d put her name in the sentence. “obedience is the only way for Cole to survive. When she learns her…”</em> ) But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she must figure out who to trust to bring down the state and stop the dying before the nightmares eat her alive. (LF: <em>I think this should actually go at the end…after reading the whole query a couple times, I think it definitely belongs down there.</em> )</p>
<p>All desires and distractions are forbidden in authoritarian tower-state Refuge. That doesn’t stop 17-year-old failed trainee (LF: <em>Trainee for what? I think you should add that in here. Round it all out.</em> ) Cole from longing to be accepted as a full worker. But, secretly obsessed with the dead and haunted by the ghost of a child, Cole’s one step away from being abandoned to the Mara, nightmares that devour souls. (LF: <em>This should come after your very first sentence – in my opinion. Tell us about her, who she is, what she wants. 😊 I do love the creepy feel to this story!</em> )</p>
<p>A surprise assignment offers Cole a shot at promotion, but when she succumbs to temptation and reaches out to a corpse, she learns her world is a lie and obedience to the state is no guarantee of survival. Shocked and angry at Refuge’s (LF: <em>I don’t know who this is. It sort of pops up out of nowhere, so maybe a short explanation of them here?</em> ) betrayal and the futility of trying to live up to its rules, Cole vows to expose its lies and sets off to find the allies she needs to take revenge and end the suffering.</p>
<p>BLIND THE EYES is a YA Urban Fantasy complete at 113,000 words. STRANGE THE DREAMER meets THIS SAVAGE SONG with the flawed, challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS. It is one girl’s journey through a world of dreams and ghosts, monsters and magic as she learns to own her choices and transform weaknesses into power. BLIND THE EYES is a standalone with series potential.</p>
<p>I’ve been a crusader against the evils of corporate entropy, a mercenary word-weaver and a guardian of empty spaces. I convinced my classmates there were witches in the back wood of our elementary and my sister that faeries lived in the snow melt (‘cause they do…) and dreamed of growing up to be Martin of Redwall (because small animals with swords and battlecries), Frodo of the Shire (because heroes can be small and still do great things), a Fantasy or Manga Editor (because languages are magic), and a rock star (done). Still waiting for a wardrobe to open, but in the meantime I create my own magical worlds at http://kaie.space (LF: <em>As awesome as I think all this information is, I think you should cut it from your query. It’s just not relevant enough. And you really don’t need a bio if you have no credentials. Not unless an agent specifically states it on his/her submission rules.</em> )</p>
<p>(LF insertion: Thank you for your time and consideration.)</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>K.A. Wiggins</p>
Switching features2017-07-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/07/29/Switching-features<p>I’m switching formats a bit to end the Journal segment and hopefully bring in Instagram and Goodreads feeds. When I started the journal, it was a great solution. It helped me frame my writing time, keep consistent records, continuously update with new content and hopefully provide value for writers and publishing geeks by chronicling in exhaustive detail the long slog of writing. Turns out I suck at updating the website and there’s more actual news these days, plus spending more time on Twitter lately has reminded me that transparency, while an important and meaningful value, is not good policy in today’s climate. So instead I’m planning to feature more pretty books. Journal archives are <a href="http://kaie.space/journal/index.html">here</a> for now.</p>
Pitch Wars Pimp My Bio2017-07-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/07/23/Pitch-Wars-Pimp-My-Bio<p>So this is apparently a tradition within <a href="http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-wars/">Pitch Wars</a>, an awesome online contest to connect with publishing industry peeps and get a manuscript query-ready.</p>
<p>I’ve been resisting making one of these because, really, who likes talking about themselves? But then I had to write an author paragraph for my query anyways, and… Here goes:</p>
<p>I’ve been a crusader against the evils of corporate entropy, a mercenary word-weaver and a guardian of empty spaces. I convinced my classmates there were witches in the back wood of our elementary and my sister that faeries lived in the snow melt (‘cause they do…) and dreamed of growing up to be Martin of Redwall (because small animals with swords and battlecries), Frodo of the Shire (because heroes can be small and still do great things), a Fantasy or Manga Editor (because languages are magic), and a rock star (done).</p>
<p>Still waiting for a wardrobe to open, but in the meantime I create my own magical worlds as (mostly) YA fiction and journal about it here.</p>
<p>I read an insane amount and post to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Goodreads</a> & <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kaie.space_author">Instagram</a>. Spectacular books I’ve read recently that I can’t shut up about are:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Laini Taylor’s STRANGE THE DREAMER. Seriously, there’s nothing closer to a perfect book.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Unless it’s Brianna Yovanoff’s equally amazing but totally different PLACES NO ONE KNOWS. Her MC is me, basically. SO, so jealous I didn’t write it first.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>& Kendare Blake’s work is amazing, particularly the masterpiece that is THREE DARK CROWNS…</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>…and I could go on like this all day, but to summarize, I wish I wrote thrillers as tight and creepy as Kelley Armstrong, dark fantasy as twisty as Holly Black and Melissa Marr, and worlds as big as Cassandra Clare and Scott Westerfeld. But instead I write like me, which means a lot of stuff about edges and boundaries and borders and about being not quite one thing or the other.</p>
<p>I write Pacific Northwest stories. And Canadian stories. And magical crossover stories, because where I’m from, most people aren’t that clear about where they’ve come from or where they’re going. And sometimes moving forward is less about understanding it all, and more about just accepting it.</p>
<p>So BLIND THE EYES is a Canadian story, and a Pacific Northwestern story, and a Vancouver story, and a blended-people-with-missing-identities story and a dark, broken future Urban Fantasy story that doesn’t know it’s any of these things (yet.)</p>
<p>And at the heart of it is Cole, who still hasn’t really learned who she is or what she needs to do, but is scared to death of getting it all wrong. She’s part of a generation who have been taught not to want, instead of being taught how to understand what they want. She’s not a great hero, or even a strong female protagonist, because she’s more about avoiding difficult things and hiding from herself and everything around her than she is about confronting injustice and defeating evil. But she’s not alone, and she’s not as helpless as she thinks she is, and she’s about to find out that her fears and flaws and failure don’t define her, they fuel her.</p>
<p>BLIND THE EYES has been about three years in the making, and for at least two of those I planned to release it as an indie publication, so it’s been through three rounds of editing and painful, painful rewrites to date. It’s not the first book I’ve written, but it is the first I’ve written properly and produced completely.</p>
<p>Other stuff I do/love:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>music. Specifically playing music in bands, ‘cause why just listen when you can do?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>making craft gin. And, of course, drinking said gin. BTW, best group activity ever (premake half so you have something to drink, then let everyone make their own mix!)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Scotch. Drinking, not making. That’s not a DIY sort of activity. But mmm. This was totally my MS fuel of choice. My one regret in Scotland was that I didn’t live near any distilleries. Oh, and Islay fantatic, all the way. Talisker’s ok too.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>thrift shopping, vintage fashion & hats. Not necessarily all together. Actually, I hate shopping, but I love that you can get cheap clothes and put together unique, functional outfits while protecting the environment and contributing toward something good. Plus I love history, museums and other times/places so it’s fun to use styles to access a fantasy of another place or era, like taking that feeling of being in a story world out into the real world with you. And hats are mostly about me and the sun not getting along, and partly about me and my hair not getting along, and mostly just a convenience thing TBH.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>and on that note, I adore historic sites. And museums. Although I get annoyed when the crowds are too big because a) hyper introvert and b) I just want to soak in the atmosphere and pretend to be from whenever and wherever the site originated. I love aquariums for sort of the same reason. Zero desire to go in or on the water, but I love pretending to be underwater without getting wet. And also marine mammals are adorable. I want to write a YA were-seal fantasy. Well, actually I want to write an X-Men meets fairytale creatures fantasy with a selkie trying to survive high school, lol. But were-seal sounds cooler. ;D I mean, imagine being a 15-year-old girl whose super power involves being furry and large and awkward on land. You’d feel like the world’s biggest klutz, and everyone else would think you were adorable. Oh the drama.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>hyper-emotive, over-the-top media like teen shows (Shadowhunters, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries), kid movies and anime/manga are so up my alley. I’m all about the escapism, but bonus points if it’s dark, or works in incisive social commentary without feeling depressing or breaking the story world. But, like, happy stuff’s ok too. Howl’s Moving Castle is the ultimate animated film of all time and I will brook no debate on this subject. Tarzan & Mulan do ok too ;D OK, tbh any Disney or Miyazaki show makes the cut, lol. I’m equally on board with demon hunting and shiny princesses on a mission. Speaking of which, I really want to do a Tarzan inspired Celtic princess crossover world-hopping quest fantasy. But like, with jungle cats instead of gorillas.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets its own bullet point b/c although it’s an over-the-top teen show, it’s also my go-to brain candy. I seriously run this in the background any time I get the chance. Buffy’s got me through hours of chores, programming and some of my more tedious freelancing. Firefly’s pretty great too.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Book Geek Time aka Queries Round 12017-07-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/07/21/Book-Geek-Time-aka-Queries-Round-1<p>Geek writing/publishing craft time: basically my first day after deciding to join this year’s Pitchwars, I won a (luck-of-the-draw) query critique from the amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/alicia_clancy">Alicia Clancy</a>! Alicia’s an Assistant Editor at St. Martin’s Press, Pitchwars mentor for the YA group and happens to be on my on my shortlist of mentors to sub to, so score! But then I had to scramble to actually write a query and synopsis lol. I’ll post Alicia’s version first, a few notes on how it works better, and then my original last for reference if anyone wants to get <em>that</em> geeky with it!</p>
<hr />
<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But seventeen-year-old Cole isn’t like the rest of her authoritarian state Refuge’s citizens—no matter how hard she tries, she simply cannot follow the rules. being haunted by a ghost named Cadence certainly doesn’t help her situation.</p>
<p>When Cole once again fails her probation, Refuge abandons her to the Mara—nightmares that devour the disobedient. But with Cadence on her side, Cole flees her oppressive state, and falls into the hands of a Freedom rebel group. Ravel, the group’s charismatic leader, brings Cole into their underground world and their mission to topple Refuge’s control.</p>
<p>But Cole finds herself distracted by visions—visions of a silver-shrouded boy taking on the Mara. A boy that Cadence seems to know. And when people started dying in more than just her visions, Cole must risk her hard-won status, her home, and maybe even her life to expose the truth—that her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions—and that it’s up to them to defeat the Mara.</p>
<p>Combining the flawed, challenging voice of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS with the supernatural chills of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and the dark fantasy dystopia of THIS SAVAGE SONG, my debut novel BLIND THE EYES is ultimately a story about a girl who’s terrified of never being good enough and the lengths she will go to overcome that fear.</p>
<p>(Add in a 1-3 sentence author bio here)</p>
<hr />
<p>So. For one thing, I obviously forgot to put in wordcount (shame) and skipped the bio paragraph entirely.</p>
<p>I’ve actually been using that first line forever, but one of the Pitchwars mentors made a point of saying how you should lead with the main character, so I pushed it to the extended syopsis. Love that Alicia brought it back to the forefront!</p>
<p>Another thing she does is really bring a more colloquial (younger) voice to it. I was really focused on trying to write tight and brief, to the exclusion of voice, so while the tone feels a bit off to me (because now it’s someone else’s voice, lol), it definitely gives me a push to make sure not to strip out all the tone from my queries.</p>
<p>And finally, Alicia really tweaked the focus on action and motivation. It got a little too far from the actual plot (which she’s never read, so of course,) but gives me a good push to both be clearer on what’s actually happening in the story and forefront motivation and stakes in my final query letter. Stay tuned for future updates, since I’m working with my editor on queries right now (see ‘hooks’ post) and will post further revisions/finals!</p>
<p>& Here’s my rough first version for the super geeks in the room!</p>
<hr />
<p>Dear Alicia,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this - I was so surprised to win the query critique after last night’s live video! It’s the first time I’ve really worked on query materials, so thanks for the motivation to get it together and start polishing.</p>
<p>Seventeen-year-old Cole hides a dangerous obsession with death from the repressive, authoritarian tower-state Refuge and Cadence, the ghost who haunts her. Cole has failed to obey in the past; if she can’t pass probation this time, Refuge will abandon her to be devoured by the nightmarish Mara.When Cole flunks her trial, she discovers Refuge has been lying all along. Obedience to the state never guaranteed safety from the Mara.</p>
<p>Fleeing, she finds an ally in the charismatic leader of the underground club and rebel enclave, Freedom. Ravel offers the power to expose Refuge’s lies - along with a hedonistic new way of life. But as Cole struggles to fit in and earn Ravel’s help, she finds herself drawn into visions of death - and to the silver-shrouded boy in them who fights back against the Mara, a boy Cadence claims to remember from her former life. In the waking world, Ravel is more focused on transforming Cole into his ideal consort than toppling Refuge’s control - and people are dying in more than just Cole’s visions.</p>
<p>BLIND THE EYES combines the flawed and challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS with the supernatural chills of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and the dark fantasy dystopia of THIS SAVAGE SONG in a debut novel about a girl who’s terrified of never being good enough.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>K.A. Wiggins</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>kaie.web@gmail.com</td>
<td>https://kaie.space</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Synopsis follows:</p>
<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she risks her hard-won status, her home and her life to rebel and expose its lies.</p>
<p>Probationary surveillance technician Cole is determined to cast off her reputation as a failure and pass probation in the ascetic, totalitarian tower-state Refuge. If she fails, she’ll be abandoned to the Mara, the nightmares that devour disobedient workers. But to be accepted, she’ll have to suppress her forbidden obsession with the dead, hiding it even from the ghost who haunts her, Cadence.</p>
<p>Cole’s fascination with death torpedoes her probationary trial when she touches a corpse and witnesses a vision of its final moments. Trying to hide her failure, she discovers Refuge has been lying; its endless regulations can’t protect anyone from the deadly Mara. Cole flees Refuge enforcers and follows the ghost Cadence to allies who will help her expose Refuge’s lies, recognizing that no one will ever listen to or follow a failure like Cole. But Cadence lied; there are no allies, and Cole is nearly taken by the Mara instead.</p>
<p>Cole turns to Ravel, leader of an underground club and rebel movement. He teaches her to reject Refuge’s programming. She struggles to earn acceptance in his alien society while suffering visions of Mara attacks. She’s drawn to the silver boy who fights back in the visions, Ash. Cadence claims to know him. When Cole tells Ravel of the visions, and the ghost who haunts her, Ravel blames them on Cadence. But Cole discovers Ravel’s rebellion is restricted to preaching radical self-indulgence. He has no plan to expose Refuge’s lies and abuse. Worse, the illusion of safety Ravel provides is based on a tithe of human sacrifice to the Mara.</p>
<p>Then the Mara attack in the waking world and Cole discovers Cadence isn’t the one lying; Ravel is. The visions are real. Cole finally chooses to stop looking for a leader to follow and fight on her own. She infiltrates Refuge to help Ash. Interrupted mid-mission by another Mara attack, Cole fights back with powers like Ash’s, powers Cadence claims Cole has been absorbing from her. Cole’s secret obsession with the dead has been a side effect of Cadence’s haunting and Cole’s growing powers. Captured by Refuge after the fight and high on her recent success, Cole tricks an enforcer, sneaks off and contacts Ash. She selfishly demands Ash join her mission instead of heading to his location. But the enforcer was watching all along, and shoots Ash on arrival. Ravel kidnaps Cole and drugs her to keep her docile. Cole realizes her priority has never really been on saving people, but rather taking revenge on the system that made her feel like a failure. Cole overcomes the drugs and her guilt-ridden despondency when she discovers Ash survived and sets off to rescue him from torture and execution.</p>
<p>When Ash’s escape is threatened, Cole sacrifices her own safety and hopes for acceptance to turn back and distract the pursuing enforcer. She uses her newfound powers to catch the enforcer in a Mara attack. But the enforcer is possessed by the Mara and Cole loses control of the fight. Then Cadence reveals a truth she’s only just realized herself; the ghost Cadence is what remains of Cole’s own memories and identity before Refuge captured her and wiped them. Cadence helps Cole recognizes her past failures and flaws as strengths that keep the Mara from twisting her hopes and dreams and devouring her. Teaming up with this part of herself she never knew she’d lost and owning her desires and wants, Cole defeats the Mara.</p>
<p>Cole is reunited with Ash, who helps her accept her fragmented self. He affirms her broken and flawed identity as Cole seeks healing and her lost memories while struggling with the implications of Cadence’s separate existence. Ash commits to partnering with Cole and breaking Refuge and Ravel’s abuses to free the people and save them from the Mara. Their journey isn’t over, but Cole has overcome her programming and learned to choose her own path and fight back. Series potential; could be tweaked to show an ultimate defeat of the Mara and destabilization of Ravel’s rule and Refuge’s supremacy for standalone publishing.</p>
Day 2212017-07-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/20/Day-221<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXCNrxrl-Mz/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-07-27T03:16:22+00:00">Jul 26, 2017 at 8:16pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>News to no one, but yeah, definitely falling behind due to my Twitter addiction and obsession with everything #pitchwars right now. Which, I mean, priorities I guess? ‘Cause technically BtE is in pretty good shape and the best thing I can do right now is widen my community/audience/reach and get all the query and pitch material shined up, but it’s eating at me that I might not get the rewrites I want to done in time. I mean, not enough to actually motivate me to prioritize them, but… lol.</p>
<p>I agreed to cat sit for someone next week, before all this, and now I’m deeply regretting it, as they only wanted daytime but they’re an hours walk away or !40m by bus because local transit sucks and I’d spend 1/3 of what I’ll bring in on it just on the bus rides each day b/c it’s not overnight and why did I agree to this? So I have to go over there tonight and do the whole meet n greet orientation thing and I’m just annoyed that it’s taking away from writing/revising/Twitter time (but really: I said yes b/c it’d force me to actually go outside on a regular basis… plus spare change.)</p>
<p>Drowning under the flood of resources Pitchwars is stirring up, including a SUPER depressing one on how you should really only expect to get offered around $10-$20 for your book and even if you’re super lucky and get 6 figures for a two book deal it breaks down to about $20k/year. Which, I mean, I did know and it’s part of why I was moving towards the whole indie publishing thing, but still, the details had thankfully faded in my mind and I was having fantasies of my future actually working out, lol. It really is a super crowded field; my TBR pile is as long as all the books I’ve marked done on Goodreads and only getting longer (1k+) with amazing sounding stories, so I can see how it’s a stretch for everyone to get paid, but it’s pretty insane when compared to the amount of work put in. Justine Larbaleister had a thread about how working writers should get businesslike with it and stop bleeding onto the page, but I can’t imagine cranking out material so cynically (not to mention productively.)</p>
<p>Anyways, got the first draft hooks and comp titles off to my editor yesterday, and she hasn’t chucked ‘em back, so I’m gonna take advantage of the couple hours I can grab to dive back in on rewrites!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
Pitchwars 20172017-07-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/07/19/Pitchwars-2017<p>Oh man, news, news, and more news you guys! I was trying to save it all up to release by newsletter first ‘cause I need motivation to keep up with that, but the thing with news is that you’re too busy doing newsworthy things to have time to shout about it! …and THAT doesn’t sound arrogant at all, lol. But moving on…</p>
<p>So I got final edits back from the amazing Lisa Poisso, which turned out to be a gracious and generous blend of Substantive and Line Edits ‘cause I couldn’t make up my mind about what I was asking for. Still some tuning up to do, but overall the manuscript is in amazing shape and I’m already working on the early stages of query materials with her… and then this happened.</p>
<p>Pitchwars. It’s a (mostly) Twitter contest to polish and submit your manuscript. In the first round you submit to industry insiders like published authors, editorial assistants etc. If one picks you, you have two months to work with them on refining your book and query materials, and then there’s the agent round. If magic happens, you get an agent! At the very least, it’s a great way to make connections and learn a ton - which I have. For instance: apparently BLIND THE EYES is Urban Fantasy, not paranormal or horror or dystopian or dark fantasy or all the various other things I’ve stumbled around thinking it was. Who knew?</p>
<p>Anyways, while it’s slowing down my final revisions (though, lol, we all knew they were going to take me longer than I expected because OF COURSE), I’m super excited to be participating in Pitchwars this year and getting BtE in even better shape for publication in whatever form that looks like! So, no newsletter this month, but I’m being hyperactive on Twitter & IG, so go ahead and follow me there instead. :)</p>
Day 2202017-07-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/19/Day-220<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BW865jrl-jS/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-07-25T01:56:01+00:00">Jul 24, 2017 at 6:56pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Huh. That was interesting. So I got back my first query critique from the #pitchwars pre-competition micro contest. The mentor who offered it is an assistant editor at a big 5 publisher.</p>
<p>It was… really different than I expected, so I guess probably my business background has been showing too much, ‘cause she tweaked things to sound quite a bit younger and less… polished? Direct? More, like, conversational or something. Which is probably more YA. She did push the hook that I’ve been using to the front again after I’d buried it in the extended synopsis b/c one of the #askmentor comments was that the letter should frontline your MC, so that was a plus. And in hindsight, it’s probably not surprising that she shifted it all around to feature more of the character’s journey at the forefront. So, lots to think about on it and clearly lots of revisions in my future, lol.</p>
<p>It’ll be really interesting to see where my editor comes out on things now that I’ve booked a query package with her - and I should probably post it to the #pitchwars forums as well to collect any other feedback. Frustratingly, the whole thing seems to be a lot like sending a book draft out to readers; conflicting feedback b/c everyone has different preferences, and you have to piece it apart to see if you can find what’s not working at the heart of the comments, lol. But everyone has pointed out that this whole process is hard, so it’s all to be expected.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble prioritizing and making progress between social media (so addicted to Twitter) and Pitchwars and rewrites and life… I mean, I could basically be on Twitter all day, just learning and interacting with the massive writer community there, and then Pitchwars posted a forum where you can give and get feedback on genre-specifics, and I also need to scour the blogs, tweets and comments of all the mentors to find which ones to submit to and then start interacting with them…</p>
<p>On the work front, I’m definitely trying to protect my time and get at least a few hours in of uninterrupted writing sprints a day, but probably shifting gears from prioritizing the rewrites to getting the query material done first, maybe with a split of daily work between the two, in case I can’t get through both in the next… whoa. Week and a half. Yikes! And my editor’s booking up into next year, so I should really be scheduling stuff for book 2, but without any sales or even a sense of whether I can afford to keep doing this from a financial or a time perspective, it’s hard to make that commitment right now… Probably gonna myopically focus on what’s right in front of me in order not to get sidetracked! And on that note, the author that was in touch wanting a sequel audiobook produced responded with sales from the first audiobook and… yeah, I just really think there’s no way I’d make any money on it. Like, maybe $5 for a month’s work, lol. So I should probably get back to her and say no, but… if it pads out my experience and gets me more work in general, will it be worth it? Possibly? There’s so many things like that right now, where I could gamble on them paying off down the line, but then they take away from investing in anything that would pay off sooner, so… yeah, lots to think about! But I’m not gonna because whee! time to revise and get some work done!!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Right, so I’ve got a handful of loglines/hooks worked out for my editor to review, on to comp. titles! Which is both harder and easier than it sounds; I’ve got a long list of authors and books I’d like it to be like… whether it is or not is another question, lol. Tweeted out the hooks for opinions too, and I tried a FB live video by hated it & deleted immediately so no exposure via that route. Getting so, so addicted to Twitter. Also need to get back to my editor re: next book editing slots for next year; I hadn’t realized you book the first full edit at the same time, and I have no idea when I can be read for that!! But anyways, I need to power through and get some actual rewrites in today!!!</p>
<p>Revision notes: Need to set up the alien idea of friendship earlier between Cole and Cadence. Then have her push against it, reconcile to it, transfer it to others. Demonstrates her innocence or cluelessness when it comes to relationships and human interaction.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am & 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: water & Yorkshire black tea with milk</p>
Day 2192017-07-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/18/Day-219<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BW3u17PFR5a/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-07-23T01:34:28+00:00">Jul 22, 2017 at 6:34pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Wow that happened fast. So I decided I definitely should enter #pitchwars and participated in my first Twitter Live event where the YA mentors did sort of Q&A, and then in post-event questions ended up winning a query critique. Which is awesome because already I’m building connections and exposure and getting help and all that good stuff, but… now I really need to write/rewrite a query, which kind of sucks timing-wise, because I’m paying my editor to help me with it too, but in, like, a week or two. However! This is all moving in the right direction, so yay! And I now have so much work/deadlines that I’ll have to force myself to be more productive again, so bleh & yay at the same time!</p>
<p>Rewriting yesterday was good in the sense that I actually did some, and terrible in that I’m moving through the manuscript slow as mud. So again, pushing for more hours and more progress will be the main target for this next two week stretch. Today’s plan: draft up some sort of query to send for early review. Then solve the plot holes around eavesdropping and switch gears to do the condensing of early chapters in case someone asks to see them!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire black tea with milk</p>
<p>Ugh, so that took forever. 2 hours of research and rewrites and I’m STILL not sure if my query letter works or not - but I think I’m picking up on a bit more than I did before, and thank goodness I actually have quite a lot of support through this part of the process between my editor & #pitchwars, so yay! Now to do the extended synopsis, and hopefully actually complete some novel rewrites at some point!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am & 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: water & Yorkshire black tea with milk</p>
Day 2182017-07-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/17/Day-218<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BW1K-odFO_l/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-07-22T01:42:36+00:00">Jul 21, 2017 at 6:42pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Getting started considerably later than I meant to today, but TWITTER, lol. It’s hard to balance author platform early marketing stuff with, like, accomplishing anything else in a day - I pretty much just flitted from FB to Twitter to IG back to Twitter to Goodreads to FB to more Twitter, and then more and more and and and… yeah. So #pitchwars is coming up and I’m 98% committed to diving into that wormhole. The 2% concern is that if I don’t tone down the social media and other distractions, I’ll never actually finish rewrites in time. And I’ll probably simultaneously query agents during the process. And it could drag things out a fair bit longer, but! It seems to be a great way to build connections within the YA community and be part of the sort of cohort and critique partnerships that all the YA stars seem to be in, not to mention if it actually contributes to a better book and/or getting an agent, that’s a definite plus. The major downsides being, more opinions mean more changes mean more rewrites mean more angsting and time spent and deadlines pushed and… I’m possibly not enthusiastic/outspoken/interactive/social enough for the whole thing. IDK, I mean, everyone has a digital persona, so I’m probably ok, but I definitely feel insecure about the social aspect of being a YA writer and being engaging/exciting/fun/funny enough… but yeah, like with any career there’s the stuff you’re sure you’ll suck at that you have to do anyways, so here we go!</p>
<p>On a writing note, if I can just master my schedule a bit (a lot) better, I’ve regained quite a bit of confidence for the actual rewriting. I don’t agree with the “write every day” maxim; it’s too absolute, rigid, and in my mind, unhealthy, but… too long away from writing, and I forget that I can actually, you know, do it. So getting in there and back at it tends to be a tough hurdle to cross, but really affirming and encouraging once I push through. And while there’s a lot to integrate at every stage of editing and rewrites, it’s pretty cool to have the tools to take another pass and improve. One of the bigger problems for me being that I can’t resist tangling my fingers all up in the entire draft again! This is the first time I’ve really tried to spot target different sections, and while it’s good practice for zapping out big plot stuff that needs to be resolved, I’m almost certain that I’ll be sifting down to a word-by-word, line-by-line rewrite before this is all through. Super hard to get an objective view when you’re down mucking around in the language though, so I’ll do what I can to be strategic!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 8 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 2172017-07-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/14/Day-217<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BV713YoFqtC/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-06-29T19:21:24+00:00">Jun 29, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still working through renaming and sidling up to the larger changes, lol. Lots going on in the real world; major fires in the interior and some family members getting new jobs, which may or may not mean lots of change in my world over the next little while. Allergies aren’t so bad today, though, so that’s a plus! I need to get this month’s newsletter written up and do a bit of a push on IG, my FB Beta group, and a proper news blog post ‘cause otherwise these journal entries end up being the world’s most boring, worst written blog, lol, but also it all contributes to general procrastination and not moving BtE forward, so… yeah. Priorities.</p>
<p>Been more involved on Twitter lately, which I enjoy the most out of the various channels, but which is also the most inflammatory (closely followed by FB comments section!) Particularly concerned about discourse issues lately; seems to be a lot of hyper ‘woke’ peeps out there railing against authors for failing various litmus tests, and it’s getting so they seem just as bigoted as the original hyper conservative crowd. Writing’s hard, kids. Seeing your own prejudice and breaking out of the lanes the whole industry’s been running in (and you’ve been familiarized with/reading in) your whole life is hard. Getting published and/or getting anyone to read your book is hard. Which isn’t to excuse bad behaviour or bad content, but generally empathy and understanding work toward change more than accusations and attacks. Want to see more #ownvoices diverse authors and stories? That’s awesome, but maybe don’t go around screaming at authors for not going far enough (oh, dark skin but no ethnic backstory? shame!!) and recognize that there are a lot of ‘privileged’ white authors too that aren’t making a living and are desperate to even get a ghost of a career out of their work. I understand that anger is a big part of discrimination (um, woman in business?), but it really looks terrible when the strongest voices on attack are white kids too; like it’s one thing to get upset over your friend’s raw treatment, but don’t go making things worse for them out of your own privileged sense of outrage. Keep discourse open, help people learn, don’t shame them for ignorance. And respect that your opinion isn’t necessarily truth whether or not society applauds you for it at the moment. Also it seems offensive that the push for racial equality and diversity has so quickly been coopted for gender/identity/sexuality diversity - like, I understand if you feel like you got a raw deal within your lifetime, but that’s not the same as multi-generational disadvantages and discrimination. Especially with orientation, you may not feel like you should have to hide your preferences to be treated equally, but that entirely discounts that you have the remarkable privilege of being able to, where the instant, long-standing discrimination towards visible minorities is something they have no capacity to opt out of or put on hold, whether or not they’d be willing to make that sacrifice.</p>
<p>I dunno, for the most part I don’t want to get into the unending battle royale of this stuff online, but on the other hand it gets scary when you look at the way America’s headed and see extremist behaviours and a lack of true seeking to understand on both sides of the equation… I get that you’ll be creamed for proposing a ‘moderate’ voice, and I’m kind of a crusader by nature, but really, seems like we all need to be reminded that it’s both ok to disagree and fight for what you believe in, while at the same time required not to just try to obliterate your opponent. Seems like there’s quite a bit of historical precedent for letting both sides keep some dignity in the fight, for one thing… #worldhistory</p>
<p>Anyways, today’s project: deal with naming conventions/renaming for Refuge costuming sp. uniform, headbands, hood & mask. Justification? Binding? Trade? Sub? …brainstorm, lol. And then maybe actually do the bigger rewrites like I desperately need to…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 2162017-07-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/13/Day-216<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTuMPcwFTDB/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-05T19:04:46+00:00">May 5, 2017 at 12:04pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Probably gonna end up pushing this deadline as well; it takes a surprising amount of time to do even simple things like find>replace updated names/terms, of which there seem to be an increasing number, and I could stand to put more time in tbh. The flip side of that is that time away from the computer triggers the creative problem solving side of my brain, so my subconscious can worry away at all the little issues that need to be ironed over and come up with brilliant solutions (lol) that I’d never be able to brute-force my way to. ‘Course then I have to actually plant my butt and do the work, but hey, one thing at a time. Spoilery revelation for today:</p>
<p>Move overhearing Morristu being abducted to an encounter at the bottom of the stairs; Morristu covers for Cole to escape (background, Ange was trying to reach Morriswan and that’s why she’s available to help Cole. Confused at first - wasn’t paying attention to the code on her uniform?</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 7:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 2152017-07-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/12/Day-215<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUarqoXl46B/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-23T01:45:57+00:00">May 22, 2017 at 6:45pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So my major accomplishment yesterday was rereading the editorial report and Googling forms of headcoverings for a couple hours, lol. It really feels like past time to tweak the terminology and world building to be a little more meaningful than just upper case versions of mundane nouns, so, yeah. And also anything that needed researching to flesh out, it’s really time to get on that. But it’s also a form of procrastination, in that I’m trying to digest suggestions, wrap my head around the story again after a month away, and generally work my way back up to some forward momentum.</p>
<p>Watched the final Sherlock episode yesterday, which was inspiring from a drama-storytelling perspective. I think the villain in particular offers some characteristics to both Serovate and Ravel. Moriarty’s tics and over-expressiveness just the wrong side of appealing are so creepily weird. I’m insecure about my villains, since I have a track record of not writing them well, and I’ve never liked them much. At least the editorial feedback really affirmed that I fixed the structural and plot issues around having the villains/antagonists hanging around in the background without doing enough. Actually, on a second reading, I do feel more confident in the upcoming rewrites. Everything always seems so overwhelming at first, and then I just have to grit my teeth and dive in and make it to the other side. So, here goes nothing! Plan of attack:</p>
<ul>
<li>Terminology issues: find-replace for all terms that need updating</li>
<li>Plot issues: address items of confusion</li>
<li>Pacing issues: condense or expand indicated scenes</li>
<li>Language issues: rewrites/review edits to slow/speed pacing as necessary, improve power and clarity</li>
</ul>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 2142017-07-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/11/Day-214<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUNzkUPlhNC/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-18T01:44:51+00:00">May 17, 2017 at 6:44pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>As chronicled ad nauseam before, getting back into the swing of things with a book is miserable and near impossible. However! The great thing about walking away for a month at a time is that I get a little more distance from the work and a smidge more perspective. Which is good, because I love to fight and wrestle with every round of edits and feedback. And by love I mean hate but can’t leave alone…</p>
<p>My excuse for distraction today was good though; woken up a couple hours early, and then glued to the computer tracking forest fire news - crazy year with flooding and fires in the interior of BC. But since there’s not actually anything to, you know, <em>do</em> about it, I mostly just Googled, tweeted and then, of course, needed a nap. So. Here we are post-supper and I’m finally forcing myself to log a couple hours doing what I apparently really want-but-don’t-want to do.</p>
<p>Editorial feedback was awesome…and as per usual, challenging and disappointing. Amidst effusive, ornate praise, I think I detect a warning signs that more needs to be done. On a story level, I’ve solved the major problems set forth by previous rounds of editing - the plot is tighter, motivations clearer, tension higher, characters more engaging… but. But. Always with the but. There are still some problems with what I think of as pretty key plot points that need a fix - and though my editor seems to think that’s a quick and easy thing, inevitably I seem to see those quick fixes as an opportunity to radically overhaul and come up with new and exciting twists. Which is hopefully long-term good, but means some short-term misery for me. And since there was a line edit kind of snuck in on the side of this round, I’ve got quite a lot of work to do shrinking scenes, simplifying the language and trying to figure out when I’ve over explained and left readers lost in a sea of words, and when it’s just confusing to cut any further. So, yeah, lots of work and the promise that, if I do go with trad pub, agents will probably want to see major rewrites. Which is not terribly surprising given how different people are, but is concerning if it’s an indicator that the story’s not there yet, and doesn’t bode well for my hopes of being nearly done this process, lol.</p>
<p>So yeah, I tend to ignore praise and dig straight into the warning signs beneath the surface, which is unnecessarily dark and anxiety-ridden, but also very pragmatic as there’s <em>always</em> more work to do. The good news is, the story is getting awesome and closer all the time to being in the hands of readers (and freeing me up for future projects!) …the not so good news is, I still don’t know when that time will come exactly, or what-all needs to come in the intervening period. But hey, at least I managed to get around to rewrites today. Small victories!</p>
<p>Before I let go of the story for the month of editing, I made a bunch of potentially spoilerriffic notes on what needed work. Now I can’t quite remember what they meant, but for posterity:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Reveal earlier, Cole resist identity, come to terms during climax</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Ash pushes Serovate in? Or otherwise contributes</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Repeat remember lessons</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Revise the Tower or the Towers of Refuge to just Refuge. Name the uniform and masks and headbands with meaning. Justification? Protections? Modesty?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 6:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 2132017-07-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/07/10/Day-213<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUImub-FNz0/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-16T01:16:26+00:00">May 15, 2017 at 6:16pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>This is it! (I think, lol.) Final edits are in, and apparently have a blend of developmental and line edit involved, but either way are intended as the final round before querying/proofreading & publishing unless BtE gets picked up by a trad pub. So of course I’m looking for ANYTHING else to do this morning, lol. Part of the angsting is traditional (it’s what I’ve done at every stage), part is confusion, since I had it in my head that the edits weren’t coming in until next week and apparently I haven’t learned to use a calendar again. But it’s great timing ‘cause I might actually get through everything I need to do this month on the book after all! Ish… If I can get queries out before the end of the month, I should still have enough time to wait for responses and pivot to self-pub before the end of the year if I don’t get any offers I like. Not quite full steam ahead, but still, better news than in a long time! And my editor’s email was certainly encouraging too, so hopefully any actual rewrites won’t be as intense as the last few rounds, lol. ‘Course that doesn’t stop me being scared to open the report… Gah…</p>
<p>Got a potentially exciting invite to record narration on a YA fantasy overnight too, so more on that later if it goes anywhere. I’ve also just got papers signed with another emerging audiobook service, so there remains a chance that my world may centre 100% around books going forward - yay! On the other hand, I’m still toying with a bunch of other plans on the side - starting in about August, the major work on actually creating BtE should be done and it’ll be time to move on. Lots of startup ideas, but I might take a local job instead for a little while and either write the sequel more slowly or save up to finance another writing stretch. The future is coming! Anyways, time to stop procrastinating and actually dive into the edits. Wish me luck, lol.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: Iced tea</p>
Pick a Story2017-06-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/06/28/Pick-a-Story<p>So I’ve been thinking about doing a prequel novella or short story to Blind the Eyes for the next round of newsletter bonuses. Which of these sound like something you’d like to read? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kaiespace/posts/493675980975435">Vote and comment on FB.</a></p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Teen sisters sneak off from the Tower to the underground club Freedom in its early days and things go sideways. One runs away after a relationship turns dangerous; the other starts up a secret counter-rebellion and stays in Freedom as a spy to save future innocents and atone for ruining her sister’s life.
YA urban contemporary w/ dystopian, supernatural & romance. ~10 years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast includes: Ange, Morristu, Ravel & Cass, possibly cameos by Serovate, Haynfyv & Sam.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The future Mayor of the Tower was once an ambitious young professional climbing the ranks of corporate power with a jr. exec. husband, showcase baby and a secret mission. But when the rising fog threatens the safety of her family and she refuses to leave, she loses her child, her husband, and her chance at success. When she cuts a deal with the evil intelligence within the fog, she becomes a double agent, working on the side of evil for a shot at the power to keep it from swallowing everything.
-New Adult urban thriller, tragedy. Antagonist/villain backstory. ~120+ years prior to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Maria Ashera, possibly cameos by Serovate, Ravel.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Cadence & Ash as kids up north; dreamwalker training, learning to fight, faction politics between their respective camps (displaced First Nations & Roma Traveller). Or Cadence’s family’s failed mission to the city & her capture. Or Ash’s (off the page) journey during Blind the Eyes up to the point where he makes it to the Tower. This one would give a lot of world-building context and background, but is light on encapsulated storytelling/plot.
Kids or YA fantasy/contemporary, possibly thriller/tragedy. 10 years prev., 5 yrs prev. or 4 weeks prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Cadence, Ash (protagonists, Ash formerly Itri/Silver), possibly Sam & Lily.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A young prince of the Tower as a preteen, coming to terms with his background and launching the rebel and counter-culture movement via the underground club Freedom. His rebellion against the Tower leader (/mom) & the deal he cuts with the enemy in unconscious imitation of his mother, gaining power at a terrible cost.
YA dark fantasy, urban fantasy. 5+ years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Ravel, Maria, cameos by Serovate, maybe Ange, Morristu, Haynfyv, Cass.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Tower Investigator Haynfyv geeking out and making a name for himself by being a bizarro luddite and digging into historic practices instead of using Tower surveillance for everything. Mostly just a chance to hang out with the weirdest side character.
Mystery. 5-10 years prev. to BtE book 1.
Cast incl. Haynfyv, Serovate, Maria, Ravel, cameos by Ange, Cass, Morristu.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>A Street survivor saving a refugee from the Tower & Freedom, helping her raise her child, forming a family with the child after the mother cuts a deal to be taken back into the relative safety of the Tower.
Dystopian, romance, tragedy. 5 years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Sam, Morristu, Lily, cameo by Serovate.</p>
</li>
</ol>
Ebook Freebies2017-06-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/06/26/Ebook-Freebies<p><strong>Freebies are live!</strong></p>
<p>You can now download the free Limited Preview Edition ebook of Blind the Eyes, a YA dystopian dark fantasy, at your ebook retailer of choice:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/nstVEs">Amazon</a></li>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/Fvcou7">iTunes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/dstx73">Kobo</a></li>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/t13tgs">Nook</a></li>
</ul>
<p>OR, pro-tip, the Special Preview Edition ebook AND audiobook are <strong>over 20% longer and you can get them free</strong> by <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">signing up for my newsletter</a></p>
Taking Over the 'Nets!2017-06-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/06/25/Taking-Over-the-Nets<p>So I must be overdue for an update; it’s been over a month! <em>Cue gasp, nervous laughter.</em></p>
<p>Aaaaanyways… It’s about two weeks before I get the (hopefully last!) round of editorial back, and it’s been a busy month of book promotions and getting back in the freelancing swing of things. US exchange sucks when I have to pay my consultants, but rocks when I’m the one benefitting from it, lol.</p>
<p>Some cool stuff emerging on the book promo front; I’ve finally (!!) launched a newsletter. If you <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">sign up</a> you get the current freebie (extended preview of Blind the Eyes in Ebook or Audiobook formats), and any future freebies. I’ve got lots of ideas for supplementary novellas, so if I can keep those spoiler-free and under 80k words (lol), that’ll probably be the next freebie. Also doing extended updates and top recommended reads in the newsletter. A lot of indie authors in particular do cross-promotion or newsletter swaps, which is where you agree to promote someone else’s book in exchange for them putting it in their newsletter or on other platforms… which is nice and probably super effective, but I don’t like the idea of just upselling some product I don’t personally know much about, so I’m going to focus more on book reviews and if a handful of indies or Canadian authors make it into the mix, all the better. But no spam, I promise!</p>
<p>And once I’d made up the pretty ebooks and audiobooks for my newsletter subscribers, I realized it would be super easy and a great trial run to make a shorter version and toss it up on all the major ebook stores, so you can now get a (just) 3 chapter Limited Preview Edition of Blind the Eyes on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and Kobo as well!</p>
<p>So the other cool thing about doing that work, besides pretty, pretty files out there for you all, is that I was able to get all of it up on Goodreads, so you can now <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Follow me on Goodreads</a> or on my <a href="http://amazon.com/author/kawiggins">Amazon author profile</a> for notifications through those platforms whenever I publish something new. And, like, reviews n’stuff. Plus I’m pretty sure there’ll be some ARC copies coming along one of these days… So yeah, check it out ‘n give me a follow there!</p>
Day 2122017-06-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/06/04/Day-212<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT-UQ49lIgr/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-12T01:22:43+00:00">May 11, 2017 at 6:22pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>It’s always terrifying looking back at the last day’s work, especially when I think I’ve done something brilliant, something that had flow or inspiration attached, mainly due to the risk that I’ll discover it was useless tripe that needs to be redone. ‘Cause that’s never happened before…</p>
<p>Anyways. Working through the plot in another format proved to be the right move, even if it was retreading ground I’ve passed over before. I’d like to think that I’d be smarter next time, more efficient, more streamlined… but I’m suspicious that the process has to be like this, iterative, a redoing and rehearsing, a niggling of elements and thoughts and tiny and great changes again and again and again… Or maybe I’ve just been making trouble for myself. Hard to say. Either way, it seemed to finally come together this time. I was able to state the story in as close to brief point form as I ever have done. There’s an arc, a continuity of motivation and resolution that I couldn’t quite purify out of the mass of complexity before. Irritatingly, it’s at the final hour, so the actual draft probably still has a great deal of confusing, but part of the trouble all along has been that I refuse to simplify right down to a single motive force. There’s always more complexity in people, in stories, in life, than that. However, distilling and teasing out the main story thread for readers is almost beyond me; it’s in there, but making it easy to see amongst all the words and switchbacks and angst in general is… well, it may or may not have actually happened. Planning to review the plot and story forms today, do a last scan over the last 10 chapters to refine things one last time, and I should probably go through and do a form for every scene, or even macro scene (shudders), but we’ll see. The appeal of just shipping it all off to the editor is immense at this point, but if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that, indispensable as they are, editors are not magic and they don’t do all (or, really, any) of the work for you. Such disappointment. Sigh.</p>
<p>I’ve written these things several times now, the ‘here we go again’ and ‘thank goodness it’s done’ journal entries. This won’t be the last - but it’s bittersweet and painful and joyous each time. It’s nearly done. I have a list of dozens of things to accomplish this month, at least two thirds of which, if past lists are anything to go by, won’t even come close to getting done. I need to freelance and make money. There’s that stupid side business that I should really actually launch. I need to record an audiobook preview of BtE and get it up as a newsletter incentive - and get back on track with the marketing and platform building. I really ought to plot out the BtE sequel and my sadly neglected Wattpad WIP pile as well, but most likely I’ll try to see friends and family, maybe get a tiny bit of a breather, angst about turning 30 because there’s a whole new load of trauma, and muddle around until the next deadline starts breathing down my neck. #writerslife, lol.</p>
<p>Sunday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: Nettle, mint & chamomile tea</p>
Day 2112017-06-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/06/03/Day-211<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT7wPPYFGfY/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-11T01:29:26+00:00">May 10, 2017 at 6:29pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Basically failed yesterday; going out for some fresh air turned out to be a brutally pointless exercise as the cottonwood poison is out in full force and I spent the rest of the day barely able to keep my eyes open. I know it’s not very artistic or environmentalist to hate trees and nature, but… evil, evil stuff, it is.</p>
<p>I’d hoped to finish substantial rewrites yesterday and do a last quick once-through today, but stalled out again just heading into the climax. There are lots of ways to end it, most of them emotionally involving, but whether it’s that I haven’t quite hit on the right one, or the plot and story arc are too clouded by all the revisions, it doesn’t quite flow through the way I think it needs to. So I pulled back and filled out the plot worksheet, which I have worked through something like in the past, repeatedly, but since I change it every single time… yeah. It helped, maybe? This time round I came up with a whole revenge angle, which is interesting, but also derails things and would make for a major revision that I don’t have time for. I think I need to cut some ideas, or at least get clear on what’s primary vs. subplot, but agh! I thought I was way past this point and nearly finished!</p>
<p>Interestingly, this time round I was able to see more clearly how Cole’s initial goals and damage (driven by the desire to be accepted/good enough/not a failure) do actually feed into the entire plot, despite a ‘story goal’ of bringing down the Tower. Thus the revenge angle; I think it could be very emotionally honest for her to work out at some level that her motivation to save people (altruism) is really selfishness and essentially a desire for revenge or to take down the system she can’t ever win under. But then I have this whole thing about connection woven in, which is related but maybe too tangential? And all the threads don’t quite weave together for the ending. So she’s realized her motivation is selfish, despite looking good on the surface, but then she committed to it for more altruistic reasons? To the point of being self-sacrificing? But realizes things aren’t that simple, that self-sacrifice hurts others?</p>
<p>And then there’s the issue of rising stakes, where it’s as clear as it should be how things get worse as they go…</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
Day 2102017-06-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/06/02/Day-210<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT5M99VloqY/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-10T01:42:46+00:00">May 9, 2017 at 6:42pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The redirection is set; a third round of developmental edit starts Monday and runs to the end of the first week of July. I’m (just barely) on track to finish substantial rewrites today, covering the major climax and closing, which may be a big job and leech into tomorrow if I get stuck/tired. However, part of the course redirect is some paperwork to fill out around concept and plot, so I’d like to get that out tomorrow, as well as a final pass at the editorial comments to ensure everything’s been dealt with as comprehensively and neatly as possible. Interestingly enough, my editor seems surprised at how much rewriting and replotting I do between rounds, which shocks me in turn, as I can’t imagine resolving the things she points out with only minor adjustments. So either that’s insecurity making my life difficult, or or change my mind about what I’m trying to accomplish drastically every couple months… which seems probable, actually.</p>
<p>So, second week of July to review final report and come up with any additional changes, then about two weeks to hash out a strong query letter and synopsis, and that leaves only two months (Aug-Sep) for querying agents before I need to kick things back into gear for self publishing if I want to target the holidays at the end of November. I may extend the timeline slightly, publishing for the following June, but I really can’t let it sit any longer.</p>
<p>Here we go; last 5 chapters (fingers crossed!)</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 2092017-06-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/06/01/Day-209<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT2kfZ5F2_g/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-09T01:10:35+00:00">May 8, 2017 at 6:10pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Major change of plan alert! After mentioning the possibility of doing the traditional publication route (query agents, agents sell manuscript to publisher, fresh round of editing…), my editor pointed out that my writing is pretty good at a line level, and the best approach in such a case would be another round of developmental editing to tighten up the story, and a little help with query letter drafting. Which, to me, says that’s the right thing to do either way; if the story needs more work to be up to traditional standards, then it needs more work, period. Which is a horrible thought, on the one hand, as I’m potentially sinking in another close to CAN$2k in the process with the remote hope that I can make it back, but… this far in, I really don’t want to back down. So, new plan. The budget for line editing is going into another round of developmental on the same timeline (due Monday, back in three weeks-ish). That gives me a few weeks to try to make some money through other avenues without as much marketing pressure, although I should really get a multi-chapter epub and audiobook preview polished up and start offering that as a newsletter incentive, along with a comprehensive brand, website and platform refresh. Theoretically, the following rewrite should be faster and tighter (here’s hoping!) if I’ve done a good job on this one, and I’m crossing my fingers that drafting the query letters will also be a relatively quick job. The plan from there is to get the queries out as quick as possible to, at a minimum, the agents I think are the strongest bets, mainly those that represent authors with similar genres, recent breakouts and the like, and then take a step back for a few months, focus on building up the freelancing and keep pushing the social marketing channels to higher visibility. I’m thinking I’ll set an intention to publish by the end of the year - or rather, the Christmas season, so December, unless I have a deal in hand or a close approximation of one by that point, so I’ll have to get back on the line edit, proofread and any additional design materials by, oh, beginning of October at the latest… but that gives 2-3 months for a miracle to happen, lol. And a couple months to make enough to cover additional costs, which is also important. At this point, even if I could get an agent on board that quickly, and hear back from a publisher, it’s debatable whether I could get a strong enough offer to make it worthwhile. I figure, if the advance isn’t enough to cover the costs I’ve already invested and make it possible to finish off this book and write the next, I’m better off doing it myself. Not to mention, a small advance seems to indicate the publisher’s lack of intention to back the book in a way that will help it be successful in the first place! And a restrictive contract that gives open-ended right of refusal on additional works, restricts my ability to freelance and write other books to be self-published, or grabs too many additional rights (regions, film etc.) won’t be worth it, so despite having polished the book to a point where I think it’s become much more competitive, I’m still not sure if I’d be better off pushing forward and self publishing either way… but a few months’ break to get the freelancing side of my career growing again seems like a good thing, as does another round of effort to polish the story up even more. So, here we are again, lol. Keep grinding along…</p>
<p>Thoughts on writing the climax & story arc/theme:</p>
<p>Because the Tower is about disconnection and obedience and Cole’s never disconnected, she’s able to break free. The resolution has to tie back to connection and obedience; Freedom is about shallow, disordered connection and no rules. You can survive without connection, but you can’t overcome. Cadence has to help with the Climax somehow. And Ange and Ash? Ravel?
Cole thinks she can support connection for others without being a part of it? Denial gives death an opening? Then seeks out/admits connection on her terms??
Needs some sort of critique, opposition or response to the Tower by the end. What’s the story arc resolution? What questions are answered?</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 2082017-05-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/31/Day-208<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTxYxjiFBHb/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-07T00:52:00+00:00">May 6, 2017 at 5:52pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So my editor raised the question, yet again, of doing another brief story review before the line edit and now I’m second guessing everything, lol. While it’s a less intensive and expensive service at this stage of the game, the terrible CAD>USD exchange rate means it would be over $500 CAD and push back the schedule at least a couple weeks, so I’m inclined not to go there… but on the other hand, I’d hate to miss a chance to refine and improve the story as much as it needs, and it has occurred to me that, if I wanted to try submitting to agents, there might be some benefit in refining the developmental edits and putting the line edit to the side for a bit. Cost savings, too, if I went that route, but in exchange it becomes a drastically longer timeline and I probably need to map out and write book 2 in the interim, which screws with my schedule for the next year and impacts my freelancing/career/travel choices. So, ugh. Choices. As far as I can figure, there’s not much point going the whole agent-publisher traditional route unless you’re a candidate for breakout success of the year, and… I don’t know. With every revision, I think this story gets stronger and more commercially viable, but… Agh. I hate working with so many unknowns! Makes it harder to focus on the things at hand, if nothing else.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:30 am & 1 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: earl grey tea</p>
Day 2072017-05-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/30/Day-207<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTsVca2l-7j/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-05T01:46:42+00:00">May 4, 2017 at 6:46pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Overnight musings for today’s rewrites: pull back on the whole romance angle with Ash; it’s not really natural. Cole can maybe experience some jealousy, curiosity etc., but she probably can’t navigate or at least admit to herself the whole attraction/falling in love thing. Maybe lean into her being interested in Ash as a ‘saviour’, his driven-ness, ability appeal to her. Also, I only just worked out: Cole & Ash. (Coal & Ash). It’s like before & after, fuel and remnant, but neither is flame. I wonder if I’m going somewhere with that, or if it’s just a coincidence… the subconscious is a scary and wonderful place, kids.</p>
<p>In other news, it was a hard slog, but I did manage to get back on my 5 chapter/day schedule yesterday with a huge push to chapter 40, which puts me back on target to reach the end (ch60) by Friday with a couple days to spare for the inevitable overflow. In hindsight, I should have been a little less freaked by pushing the schedule along and left myself two months for this phase, but then again, it’s been good motivation and I can’t afford to just keep pushing the publishing date back forever and not making money. Interesting to realize that Rin Chupeco is a self-published; need to do some digging and see how she’s done it and where she’s at. Her latest book (The Bone Witch) looks miles ahead of her first two in terms of design and also marketing buzz, IG bookstagram posts etc., so it seems like she’s worked her way up to that point, but I’m impressed that she’s done it within three books or so, and has wide library circulation etc. Gives me some hope, after the disappointment of Melissa Marr’s One Blood Ruby. Poorly proofread with typos and awkward language choices in several spots. Seems like her publisher is maybe pulling the best resources back, which is brutal to see after a successful launch series and several additional books out there, all quite enjoyable and brilliant. It’s a terrible field that way, especially, it seems, in YA where there’s always a new trend and debut author to look at.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So yeah, 2 hours just for review and minimal changes, but I think doing it this way is going to be better than trying for a last minute lightning edit the day before deadline. Little bit brutal facing up to a five chapter window starting, well, now, but hey, if that’s what it takes… Cross my fingers that edits on this segment are minimal and easier to whip through!!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am & 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
Day 2062017-05-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/29/Day-206<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTprMVjFgsS/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-04T00:59:01+00:00">May 3, 2017 at 5:59pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Didn’t get as far as I wanted to on Saturday, but I finally knocked off that one outstanding freelance project, clearing my schedule for all of a week, lol, and hitting my targets for the month on at least one line item. Also renaming Itri to Ash (alternates: Lash, Tam, Tamb, Eladon, Eldon) last name Herne/Hearne or Faa. There’s a thing with true names and daily use names, so Ash may be more of a common name, maybe Eladon or Itri will surface later? I choose names as a combination of meaning and sound, taking into account appropriate heritage/background, but while I originally wanted to draw the connections between light-silver-starlight and what I now call the Travellers (Dreamwalkers), I’ve realized that Itri just doesn’t have good flow or recognition attached, which is a bigger deal now that I’m planning to record.</p>
<p>Feeling justified in taking Sunday off as per usual; made a bunch of notes when I should have been falling asleep last night. The extra brain space freed up generally seems to pay off, even if it is hard to let go and harder to get back into it after the break. Unfortunately, these notes mean I’ll need to loop back and close some plot holes in already-rewritten chapters, but I’m hoping to spin through those and still hit my 5 +3 chapter catchup target (to c40, getting me to c60 on Friday at a pace of 5/day for an extra day+ of buffer) today. There’s some slim chance that the overall chapter count could drop (very, very slim), giving me a bit more margin, and there’s also a developing situation that may call the family away for a few days, giving me unbroken space for the last couple days of deadline and the collapse/catchup period immediately following. So, onward to try to tighten things up and make sense of the maelstrom!</p>
<p>Inconsistencies: rooftop dream, if Cole thinks silver presence that saves her is cadence, doesn’t that mess with feeling abandoned by cadence and angry at her after?
Make Itri more grim, driven, mission oriented. Get to the action personality, problem solver. Cole drawn to his sense of mission, buys in to making change as opposed to Ravels mercurial hot air approach. Reconciles to the idea of cadence showing her visions of Itri as a strategy to keep her motivated. Skip Cass episode? Or rather she’s already decided to commit to getting back to her mission, before she realizes cadence is straight up and Itri’s real.</p>
<p>Insert slowdown of multiple days nights dancing in freedom at first, distracted by getting oriented in the new world before she stumbles across Ravels meeting and gets pulled into the Exchange. Uneasy sleep, restless, over sleeps often and finally starts to wonder why nothing’s really happening besides keeping ravel happy on the dance floor. Waking from uneasy sleep, feels remorse for sinking into mindlessness, ventures out in search of ravel? Dreams don’t start until she loses her mask, wears less gold.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
Day 2042017-05-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/26/Day-204<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTnH72fFCYA/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-03T01:12:27+00:00">May 2, 2017 at 6:12pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Ugh, so far behind on everything! On the plus side, I get an extra day of alone time to try to knock some more out. Not nearly enough, but I’ll take what I can get. Dropping more things every day to try and get more focused and stay on deadline (lol social media), which is not good for my long-range marketing efforts, but possibly maybe helps? Oh yeah, chores and contracts and human interaction also goes poof for at least one more week. The weather is turning miserably sunny and warm though, so it’s not like I actually want to go outside - even the evil cotton fluff is out in force. Nightmarish. Despite all that trimming the fat, so to speak, I did finally get around to dumping a handful of journal entries onto the website in the hopes of ensuring it doesn’t become totally without value. And renewing it - can you believe it’s been a year? And I’ve only redesigned it, what, a half-dozen times? Not that it isn’t due for another overhaul soon…</p>
<p>Slow going yesterday, but some great forward momentum at the same time. Wrote in the exchange scene, which really adds a dimension to the story, but also snarls up the flow of the middle/early second act big time. It’s tough going, trying to piece together continuity and emotional honesty, and even just flow at this point, but at least it feels like it’s going in the right direction. Like every previous stage, the last act is probably gonna get short shrift and be rewritten in, like a day or something because DEADLINES!!! Gah. But needs must. Speaking of needs, I also need to crank out my chapters today and finish off that one horrible outstanding freelance project so it’s not hanging over me. Audiobooks are at a standstill at the moment and I’m only just over a week out from needing to dive back into the freelancing and make some money, so I probably shouldn’t be ignoring them so much, but… yeah. I don’t seem to have much capacity to write and work at the same time. Or at all. But hey, I have a possibly awesome book coming out…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>drinking: Cabernet Sauvignon</p>
Kids' Fantasy Audiobooks Live2017-05-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/05/25/Kids-Fantasy-Audiobooks-Live<p>The audiobook recordings of Book of Curses and The Book of Wishes by award-winning Irish author Conor Kostick are now complete and live on Audible, Amazon Whispersync and iTunes!</p>
<p><strong>The Book of Curses by Conor Kostick</strong> kids adventure fantasy with zombies! Get it on:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Book-of-Curses-Audiobook/B072BNT2L4?qid=1496975906&sr=1-19">Audible</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Curses-Conor-Kostick-ebook/dp/B00FEXBMEQ/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1496976070&sr=8-37&keywords=conor+kostick">Amazon Whispersync-ready ebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/audiobook/the-book-of-curses-unabridged/id1235776506">iTunes</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>The Book of Wishes by Conor Kostick</strong> kids fairytale fantasy with dragons! Get it on:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Book-of-Wishes-Audiobook/B072LVGWQ2?qid=1496975977&sr=1-5">Audible</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Wishes-Conor-Kostick-ebook/dp/B00FEONCL6/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1496976239&sr=8-38&keywords=conor+kostick">Amazon Whispersync-ready ebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/audiobook/the-book-of-wishes-unabridged/id1241087691">iTunes</a></li>
</ul>
Day 2032017-05-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/25/Day-203<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTfZ0xuFRgJ/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-30T01:14:51+00:00">Apr 29, 2017 at 6:14pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Slowly but surely catching up and getting back on track with stuff. Put in a long day yesterday and clawed my way up to Chapter 20 (1/3 done!), so if I can keep up a pace of 5 chapters/day until next Saturday and excluding Sundays, I’ll (just) make deadline. Which isn’t optimal, as that’s really just a thorough once-through, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s not how all books get published; less-than-optimally. And if, given more time, I’d really make much progress anyways…</p>
<p>I did rejig the bookmap for plot issues, so hopefully following that as closely as possible will make a big difference, and pay off as a worthwhile balance of investment, since it did take me weeks longer than I’d planned. Also sent off what I think are the final edits to my cover artist today, though it was super hard deciding on the fine-tuned direction. Struggling with the best blurb (and the inability to just go in and change it myself!!) as well as some art direction-y stuff. More brightness or less? Spikier tower or streamlined? Negative space ‘i’ or starburst? Head-spinning stuff, I tell ya.</p>
<p>Also finished Libba Bray’s brilliant second entry in the Diviners series. Makes me sad I’m not going more epic with a wider cast, but I do see how the added complexity could really sink me. After the overhyped debut of Caraval, I’m pretty aware of how hard writing something that will garner great reviews is going to be. Also read Scott Westerfeld’s Spill Zone, and was reminded yet again of how I wish writers would stick to novels. It’s cool and all, but the whole time I’m just thinking how much more enjoyable it would be as a novel, or even TV. While I enjoy the freedom of being home alone and doing things at my own pace, in my own way, at this stage I pretty much have worked out that there’s no benefit in productivity either way. Though, less distractions once I do force myself to get on the keyboard are a plus. As is the cat hyper-affection; I’d have gotten started hours earlier today if Soul hadn’t decided to climb into my lap first thing this morning and nuzzle his head and forepaws into my hand, effectively pinning me down for hours. Because of course.</p>
<p>So, here we go again. I’ll backtrack a chapter or two to make sure I didn’t rush past anything critical, than push for 5+ chapters today. The word count is still climbing, so that needs some attention, and I’m stuck with characterization for Ravel in particular - I think he needs to become more appealing, less disturbing early on, but getting that across is a whole ‘nother matter. Plus there’s something about reacting in the moment that I don’t think I’ve quite got down… or got down at all, lol. However, there have been a few good scenes that I was able to flesh out for world- and character-building purposes, as well as advancing the plot, so at least some good is coming of all this.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>drinking: Cabernet Sauvignon</p>
Day 2022017-05-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/24/Day-202<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTc0vGelO3L/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-29T01:12:17+00:00">Apr 28, 2017 at 6:12pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So um, yeah. A long weekend to escort mom to family up north turned into a week. Not… not quite sure how that happened. Other than, my ability to focus is apparently connected very little or not at all to the urgency of deadlines. Ugh. I had hoped to squeeze some work in on the drive up or while we were out there, even if just to knock off that one outstanding freelance assignment, but while 5 hours feels like ages to sit in a car, it’s apparently not long enough for me to pull out the laptop. And then, once up there it was just… yeah, focus. Don’t have much of it.</p>
<p>And then coming back, one thing led to another and… yup. Two days blown on catching up on stuff without actually getting the main things taken care of. In my defence, I’d probably have churned out something yesterday if we hadn’t had a storm front moving in and I hadn’t had a passed out/nap afternoon because I’m too much of a wimp to work through atmospheric pressure changes. So that was… well, actually it was kinda fun, but also frustrating because PRESSURE and DEADLINES!!! I had this awesome fever dream where there was a leech in my mouth attached somewhere in the back of my throat and at first I didn’t realize it was there, and then I knew it was there and couldn’t get it out until I convinced somebody to just yank it… yeah. Awesomely messed up. And creepy but not in a night-terror-y sort of way. I mostly don’t get scared when I’m lucid-dreaming, even if they’re situations that I should be scared of. Which is perhaps why I don’t write good horror.</p>
<p>I’m reading the second book in Libba Bray’s Diviners series and annoyed at the dream walkers. I can’t decide if I’m on-trend or just boringly derivative. I didn’t think I’d lifted the idea from anyone, but maybe subconsciously…? At least it’s not shifters, lol.</p>
<p>Of course, all this lack of productivity is probably just a smoke screen so I can keep myself from realizing how terrifying it is that I’m pretty much down to the wire with story changes and I’ll be judged but good on what I come out with past this point… I totally believe in no-mercy reviews, but it does give one pause… especially how every indie author out there seems to think they’ve done a great job and all due diligence… yikes.</p>
<p>I’m not the biggest Maggie Stiefvater fan ever; she’s a good writer, I just can’t get into her stuff. But some of her comments on writing have been very helpful. Particularly her article (blog?) on drawing and characterization in storytelling. (Unless that was Julianna Baggott… who it totally could have been…) Anyways, the idea is we tend to have levels of clarity and quality in literary portrayal that can be broken down like stick figure > comic art > realistic art > photorealistic art, roughly. Like the difference between drawing lollipop trees to sketching off of reference to a line drawing that’s indistinguishable from a photograph. And beginner writers start somewhere in the stick-figure to comic art range with first drafts. It’s maybe identifiable as a person - possibly because you told us, proudly, that that’s what you meant to create. But it lacks depth, dimension, realism. So you flesh it out, after a tough reader or your editor gives you a poke. And it looks more human. But often you don’t make it to the photorealistic level. And, arguably, that might be ok. You might choose to make artistic decisions that take you away from a perfect image to craft a better reading experience. But if characters stay two-dimensional, you probably haven’t learned to flesh them out properly. Which is all to say, I probably struggle with characterization, but my male characters and villains in particular are barely past stick-figure level and it’s a problem. Partly, being caught in Cole’s POV feeds that issue, because she doesn’t relate to others enough to be perceptive yet, but I’m trying to remember that making artistic choices that aren’t in the service of the story is gonna hurt down the road. So there’s that.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>drinking: Cabernet Sauvignon</p>
Day 2012017-05-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/17/Day-201<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTaT_RWlel8/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-28T01:47:39+00:00">Apr 27, 2017 at 6:47pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I feel slightly better about how much of a struggle getting through yesterday’s five chapters was now that I realize the word count was a full third longer than the first batch. Hoping that was unusually extensive, ‘cause man it sucked. Of course, trying to cram the work into a few hours didn’t help…</p>
<p>Generally angsting over how hard it is to get characterization and plot reveals right in-flow. And how my book map always ends up needlessly and confusingly complex. And also how the word count keeps inflating instead of being trimmed. I even cut whole phrases!</p>
<p>Also, I’m tired. Also, I’m hooked on Narbonic and finding it difficult to focus. Also, it’s mid afternoon and I’d really love a nap. Bleargh.</p>
<p>Rewrites notes:</p>
<p>Focus on making Ravel more relatable, appealing (gentle, aware of her fears), frame Cadence’s refusal as more “you don’t need this” + childish disinterest.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 2002017-05-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/16/Day-200<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTVMHE4lpE3/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-26T02:02:37+00:00">Apr 25, 2017 at 7:02pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Read a blog post by Neil Gaiman on George R.R. Martin, among other things, and was pleasantly surprised at the casual daily-life approach he took. Just like mine, except with first class flights, personal assistants and questions from readers on international celebrities. But other than that, y’know, <em>so</em> like mine. Lol.</p>
<p>Webcomics update: currently following <a href="http://skin-horse.com/">Skin Horse</a>, <a href="http://questionablecontent.net/">Questionable Content</a>, Narbonics (Director’s Cut) & <a href="http://www.sinfest.net/">Sinfest</a>, with occasional catchups on <a href="http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/">Gunnerkrig Court</a>. This is what I spend time on when I’m not writing, lol.</p>
<p>Life update: I really need to sort out my meds and figure out what country my healthcare should be in… it’s like being 15 again just now. Shitty skin, gross hair, fat ’n pimply and generally unfit for public. I know it’s all ‘in’ to be body positive in 2017, but bleagh. Fortunately, I currently hardly have to go out in public; working from the couch in sweatpants and hoodies is totally my speed. Unfortunately, there’s a family wedding this weekend, so obviously it must be time for my skin to break out like it’s 2003. Hooray.</p>
<p>In other news, made it through 5 chapters yesterday with more text-level rewrites than I’d expected, so although that was my minimum target… yay, I made my target! And also spent the morning working on the book map! And the evening doing research and rewriting the same chapters to switch the dream/nightmare monsters to ‘Mara’, which comes out with a nicer effect. Spent most of the time streamlining language (who am I kidding, it’s still way too wordy, but anyways) and trying to boost the world-building orienting language, which seems clunky to me, but since readers all seem confused as to what’s going on all. the. time. it’s probably necessary.</p>
<p>Today I really get into rewriting Ravel for the first time since I wrote his backstory long form, so that should be challenging. So hard to rework existing text without ruining the flow, but the way he’s being portrayed just isn’t working. Today will also hit a bunch of challenging points where information needs to be conveyed without breaking point of view or characterization, so yay. 5 chapters minimum, 10 optimal, 15 ambitious, and… go!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Well, so much for productivity and exceeding targets today. Decided to go along for a run by the river. Not to actually run, mind you, just as a chance to skip out on work, kill time that I don’t have, collect some allergens and generally shoot myself in the foot. Ate too much for lunch, I guess, or the fresh air knocked me out as I pretty much passed out for the early afternoon. So. Back at it. I’m running into the usual problem in this stretch, which can be summed up as: communicating information <em>and</em> characterization through dialogue is hard. People interact. It’s confusing and nuanced and not at all straightforward. I feel clever and readers feel confused. <em>facepalm</em> So, back at it…</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>Ugh, so definitely pushing to hit the minimum targets of 5 chapters/day, which probably means I’m gonna be pulling late nights and scrambling at the end of this period, but assuming I don’t have major mid-stream changes, at least the deadline is still doable.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am, 3:30 & 7:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Iced Green Tea</p>
Day 1992017-05-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/15/Day-199<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTIPQkclLsG/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-21T01:20:00+00:00">Apr 20, 2017 at 6:20pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So Mothers Day went well enough; food I made turned out more or less ok, no big parties so cooking and cleanup wasn’t a nightmare, and we made it out to a movie - The Circle, with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson and some other folks whose names I should probably know. The downside being that now I’m feeling like the SF-dystopia angle of Blind the Eyes is strong and cohesive enough and should really be dealt with. Which would be fine if this was like a year ago. Or a few months ago. Or even last week. But today is my must-start date for the actual rewrites, as opposed to plot angsting. So, yikes. Also, consistent feedback seems to be nearly everyone is just confused by the story, which is frustrating on multiple levels. It ruins flow to spell everything out, plus info dumps and too much backstory and worldbuilding weigh things down and are generally unartistic. But no one being able to figure out what’s going on is not exactly what you want to be known for starting out in your career, so… I’ll try to be brutal in rewrites and pin things down more explicitly and less artistically… maybe… Or maybe I’ll hope line-edits are magical solutions to everything!</p>
<p>In other news, we completely failed to drink gin and tonics yesterday, which is something of a let down. But the movie was good, so that was nice. Also, no sales of the first audiobook out so far, so that’s a little frightening. I’m gonna blame it on the awkward cover art and almost complete lack of marketing plan and hope it’s not my performance that sunk it, lol. I’ve also sent in a request for the giveaway copies, so maybe I can stir up some interest that way. Maybe. Also have one article left hanging over my head, as if I needed more pressure this month, and apparently that client hasn’t returned any feedback either, so that’s a little disturbing. Gonna try to forget all that and start producing, though, as I’m down to 3 weeks, which is terrifying…</p>
<p>For interests’ sake, these are my post-The Circle comments on necessary edits to myself:
Because the Tower is about disconnection and obedience and Cole’s never disconnected, she’s able to break free. The resolution has to tie back to connection and obedience; Freedom is about shallow, disordered connection and no rules. You can survive without connection, but you can’t overcome. Cadence has to help with the Climax somehow. And Ange and Itri? Ravel?
Cole thinks she can support connection for others without being a part of it? Denial gives death an opening? Then seeks out/admits connection on her terms??
Needs some sort of critique, opposition or response to the Tower by the end. What’s the story arc resolution? What questions are answered?</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>OK, I think maybe possibly I’ve got the map sorted and the continuity of plot in place from a character/world/quest perspective. Man do I love to complicate things for myself. Anyways. Despite instructions, gonna try to edit straight through from beginning to end with rewrites to ensure continuity, coherency and simply have some goal benchmarking so I can make sure I’m on track with the deadline. High goal is 10 chapters per day (out of ~60 = done in 1.5-2 weeks), low goal is 5/day (barely makes it by deadline assuming under 5 days/week solid work + setbacks when I inevitably realize I’ve got something else that needs changing and/or throw the whole plot and character arc out <em>again</em>. Onwards.</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>Research into nightmare, dream-eating and water monsters. The Japanese Baku turns out to be a shockingly good fit, and along with some variation of kelpie a dream-eating sea monster is a surprisingly logical choice. Wanted to use some Roma or local First Nations legends and language, but I’m coming up blank on the research and don’t have a lot of time for it, so maybe I’ll weave that in later. For now, I’ve re-edited the first 5 chapters to swap in references to the Mara, which translates to useful things in a number of Indo-European languages. Unfortunately means penis in Japanese, so hopefully most readers don’t catch on. The Hebraic ‘bitter’ and Gaelic ‘sea’ as well as the use of Mare or Mara and variations thereof as words literally for nightmares works out quite neatly.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am, 1 & 6:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Peppermint tea</p>
Day 1982017-05-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/13/Day-198<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTFo63yleWV/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-20T01:06:30+00:00">Apr 19, 2017 at 6:06pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>It’s terrible for measurable progress and productivity, but the best thing I’ve found to do while working on plot and creative changes to the book map, themes, character arcs etc. is to… not work. It’s a very delicate balance, though. Too much time away from it, and I make no forward momentum. But stepping away for five minutes, or twenty, to watch a movie or take a bath or read a book, or even just sit down and sketch seems to give my brain the breathing room it needs to solve seemingly impossible problems.</p>
<p>The downside being that I keep coming up with more stuff to weave in which may or may not actually get me closer to being done and having a cohesive, appealing finished product. And also it keeps taking me longer to do things than I think. But in case anyone wondered, that’s why I can’t do much freelancing or work a traditional job or even hang out with people or pursue hobbies and write on the side; the creative problem solving doesn’t have enough space to work.</p>
<p>Thinking of tilting the direction for Cole (again…) Even though the ‘romance quotient’ seems to grow with each draft, it’s never felt like the central element to me (despite the demands of genre conventions…) So, although Cole explores what she thinks and wants out of a relationship with Ravel, with Itri, to a certain extent even with Cass, it’s never that important or central to her. What is core is her relationship with Cadence, which major spoiler of course, is her. So it’s really all identity, knowing and reconciling with oneself… but then they’re very different characters in the first book especially, so it comes off more as a sister or friend story of trust and rivalry. But I kind of like the girls’ relationship being the key element of the story, rather than the guy stuff. Even though dark fantasy and coming of age both dictate romance.</p>
<p>So that’ll be something to explore. But I keep coming up with cool ideas and then struggling to weave them in… and I still don’t really get how to do character development with only one POV, so there’s that… and apparently subtlety just ended up making everything confusing for readers, but it’s not good to explain too much, and also Cole needs to be more of a proactive character with more challenges to struggle against in order to move the plot forward. So basically can there be more action, less reflecting and a shorter word count? Man, if it weren’t a sure ticket to poverty, I really ought to have gone into literary fiction…</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
Day 1972017-05-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/12/Day-197<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTDA6pPFep-/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-19T00:38:28+00:00">Apr 18, 2017 at 5:38pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Thinking I’m gonna give up the regular Fri-Sat trip to Vancouver to see the nephew to keep pushing forward with work (and hopefully get around to that freakin’ last few freelance projects), which kinda sucks as I won’t get to see them next weekend either, but given the timeline I’m on and how much harder I find each round of rewrites, it seems worth it. Story mapping is hard - every time, I start to stumble at around the halfway point, and moving forward character development and reveals at a cohesive and comprehensible rate feels near impossible. Yeah, I make progress each time, and there are traditional books and TV and film that stumble over this stuff too, but… it’s a competitive marketplace and good-enough just isn’t. Plus I’m a crazy perfectionist high-achiever who’s never happy with what I can put out, so there’s that. Internal and external motivation! Also known as endless anxiety and depression! Hooray for the arts!</p>
<p>Seriously, though; it’s annoying to have all this cool backstory worked out, and almost no place to refer to it or use it in any meaningful way. And how do you have secondary character development with only one POV? So many mysteries in the background that Cole can’t know about. Frickin sucks. Of course, it would make the story like 800 pages long, but I really want to bring back in those other POV. Probably it’s some level of writing skill that I need to learn to fix the whole thing, but gah, deadlines! Onward…</p>
<p>Also not particularly surprising that the Audible book hasn’t moved any copies yet, but I had hoped that would emerge into a reasonable income stream in the background, and realistically I probably need to sink some time and energy into promoting that as well… yet another thing I don’t have time for, lol. Plus the chocolate startup needs some attention that I can’t really give it, and I’m concerned about its feasibility as a business in the first place… It has potential, but without a concerted effort and not an insignificant amount of gambling… yeah. But also I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed again, so things probably aren’t as rough as they feel. On the bright side, I’m in line for some non-writing freelance work in June, which could be a good way to shift gears, as well as cash in CAD$, which is something I’m getting short on what with all the international freelancing. I think it’s a better move to leave things in original currencies if at all possible, but it does get disturbing to watch my primary Canadian account dwindle since spending is all local for the moment. So yeah, I have a feeling the rates still won’t be what they should be, but better than nothing, and nice to have some work lined up for my next post-deadline stint without needing to hustle to get it!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Right, time to suck it up and get stuff done! I’m still struggling more than I’d like to admit with the final emotional payoff in the climax; don’t want to go for the sappy cliche ending, but any time I try to step away from that I get pushback, so… hopefully teasing out the second half of the book map will inspire some next-level brilliance…</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>Well, that went differently than expected. Thunderstorm knocked me out, almost literally, for a couple hours. No focus. No, like… awakeness. So. Tired. But I’m back (mostly) now, and I’d better get some solid work in to make up for giving up on family time today! Lol motivation…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am, 2 & 6 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Homebrewed ginger beer with cardamom</p>
Day 1962017-05-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/11/Day-196<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTAcZlXFlcp/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-18T00:40:54+00:00">Apr 17, 2017 at 5:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I made pretty great progress yesterday, capping off backstory for the Asheras, the Travellers, the Morrises and associated parties in well over 8k words and 16 pages, so go me. At which point I knocked off early and went to take pictures of potential bookish chocolate shop products at Costco and otherwise be questionably productive for the remainder of the day. Oh, but I made pretty kick-ass dinner with a bunch of Middle Eastern dishes, so that was cool. What I did not do was rejig the plot (technical jargon alert, lol) so as to stay on track for the next editorial deadline. Nor did I complete the outstanding freelance projects that are hanging over me. But hey, at least I went to bed earlyish!</p>
<p>Back to chocolate. I spontaneously came up with a name while waiting around for errands to be over with. I think it should be called Media Bites (or Bytes?) and then have product lines within that like Story Bites, Cinema Bites, Sound Bites (for classic albums/artists) and Cocktail Bites because of course we need to do an alcoholic line. Now, the downsides to all this are, we’re talking hot chocolate, which isn’t a bite so much as like a sip or a guzzle or something… and also I haven’t done any research into how original or not that branding might be, and also it doesn’t allow for anything that’s not food… but it’s an idea. There’s also the issue of marketing/branding and visual identity, which I can sort of half-ass my way through, but which should really be done right. But startup funds… Augh. Anyways, that’s a nice distraction that I don’t need but should keep pushing forward regardless. Fun times!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Plot mapping is slow and painful work. That is all.
(also, my first Audible book is up for sale! Go check out Conor Kostick’s <a href="https://goo.gl/dXkZI3">The Book of Curses</a> for some pretty amusing narration, lol.)</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am & 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: yerba mate nettle tea</p>
Day 1952017-05-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/10/Day-195<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BS7fJPcFtLW/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-16T02:28:40+00:00">Apr 15, 2017 at 7:28pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Man, I always forget how much time chores take up. Spent yesterday voting, cooking, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, going to the store, the library, doing more dishes… I mean, yes I was having a hard time sitting down and focusing, but still! I’d even cooked and done laundry on the weekend, so it wasn’t like the chores had all stacked up or anything!</p>
<p>I guess I just like to increasing the pressure and anxiety by putting off the things that really need doing like, I dunno, finishing this book and doing freelancing, lol.</p>
<p>Anyways, still stuck in backstory-land, but hoping to actually get down to work on the plot in the book map today. My working plan is to get the structure set as of this week (and polish off the last couple outstanding freelance assignments), and then have the remaining three weeks for rewrites… which is not a lot of time, but meh, here’s hoping.</p>
<p>On the plus side, one of the two complete audiobooks is approved for sale and being set up on Amazon, Audible and iTunes, while the other just came back yesterday with the same feedback as the first (boost average volume), and I’ve finished that correction and sent it out, so those won’t be hanging over me, ready to clamour for attention at some inopportune, deadline-approaching time. Also sent out three more auditions, for both flat-fee and royalty-share opportunities, so I’m free from recording requirements for a few weeks at least, unless I get on with recording a sample from BtE… which I really should do, as someone else signed up for my mailing list and I should actually start promoting and sending messages to those folks, lol.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So I think I’ve got backstory and plot done for the Maria/Ravel angle with hints at Cole & family history… gonna take a stab at some more detailed backstory for Itri - who really ought to be renamed - because he really needs some more depth too, and then hopefully get on to stitching the plot book map back together today. Here’s hoping!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am & 1 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: cardamom iced coffee</p>
Day 1942017-05-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/08/Day-194<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BS2Kn6sFPt1/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-14T00:53:10+00:00">Apr 13, 2017 at 5:53pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Four weeks to go in rewrites! Yikes!</p>
<p>So I had a great time catching up with a friend over the weekend and being almost totally unproductive. (I did cook a crazy amount of food for no real reason, do a bunch of loads of laundry, jot down some more ideas, kill a spider, and thoroughly determine that there was no point in finishing some show in my queue). But of course I didn’t actually get much done, so I’m paying for that now, lol. Couple outstanding articles with one of the content platforms that I’m really not sure when I’ll have time to get to, although yesterday would have been ideal. Polished off another audition for ACX and need to process another couple raw files to see if I can’t line something up for June when I actually have a little bit of time again. Just saw that one out of the two under-review ACX titles is now fully approved, QCd & on its way to publication after only a minor clean-up job to bring the average volume up a touch, so that’s encouraging that I won’t have to sink any more time into getting the files out, affirming that I was able to produce to the necessary quality without much trouble, and exciting that I may perhaps one day make some money off of that work!</p>
<p>Sent off feedback to my cover artist this morning on her first drafts; they’re pretty spectacular and so much more artistic and well-designed than my own (though that one beta readers’ edition was getting pretty good). Really clever stuff happening with the gold and silver and threads and stuff… though come to think of it, I guess I could have tried to weave some backstory in by letting the designer know using west coast, first nations and Romani/gypsy motifs was an option… oh well, that’s probably just unnecessary complexity at this point, and a hazard of designing the covers before the story’s fully edited. From an upfront costs perspective, I’d really love to spend less on editing and cover art, especially with the way the US dollar is rocketing off ahead, but… I’m also seeing the value and quality that investment in solid production brings. I see indie authors making lots of noise about how great their cheap editors and designers are, but… usually the lack of quality is there at a glance. Which, I guess the take home lesson is, just because it’s better than what you can produce on your own doesn’t mean it’s, you know, actually good on a competitive marketplace scale.</p>
<p>Speaking of design feedback, I was lucid dreaming this whole extended scenario this morning and woke up all disappointed that the graphic novel art was a little too rounded and youthful looking for the gritty SF-dystopia I wrote - and the urban futuristic train station setting somehow turned into a steampunk flying galleon with full 3D rendering, and I was stressing about telling the designer she got it wrong even though she did so much work and wondering if I could somehow recast the story to make it work… Man, lucid dreaming’s cool. So much more detail than I ever pick up on when I’m awake.</p>
<p>…and now I’m just procrastinating because I’m scared I don’t have enough time to do this round of rewrites, so of course the obvious thing to do is just put off getting started for as long as possible. My brain is coolest when asleep; awake, it makes very little sense.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair</p>
<p>Drinking: crappy lukewarm black tea with milk because I’ve been too lazy/cheap to go out and get some proper tea and it’s a little late for cardamom coffee and I want to sleep more than six hours a night and I don’t particularly feel like drinking at the moment…</p>
Day 1932017-05-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/03/Day-193<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSzut2mFq0q/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-13T02:10:49+00:00">Apr 12, 2017 at 7:10pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I’ve written on this subject ad nauseam, which by the way is totally spelled differently than I assumed, but anyways, wow is it hard to sit down and write. Or do anything related to the actual writing of a story, such as plotting, reviewing edits, typing, deleting etc. Writing is hard, you guys. (Inspired by Narbonic: Director’s Cut, which I have been devotedly reading instead of rewriting.)</p>
<p>Yes, I know this journal is 98% about procrastination. Deal with it. Also, if anyone’s actually read all the entries so far, you need to get a life harder than I do. Hah!</p>
<p>So. Back on subject. I can’t remember if I’ve written on the subject before, but when it comes to indie-producing a book and finances, there’s a whole range of options. A lot of folks will decry DIY approaches to editing and cover design, but then point you in the direction of fivrr or whatever that site is with rock bottom freelance prices. I figured my own efforts were at least as good as dirt-cheap outsourcing and went the high road with cover art and editorial freelancers who charge on the higher end of the spectrum. Now, as much as my Jewish/Scottish/German/poorfolks genetics wail at me to find a better deal, I do think it’s worthwhile funding the industry of folks with talent, skill and hard work who want to put out good books, plus the part of me with a background in business and marketing figures there’s some fraction of a possibility that investment in producing a book the right way may pay off down the line. Anything else is basically a vanity project, whatever else folks tell you. But lately I’ve been more active in the Facebook ecosystem of indie author groups and exposed to a wider range of freelancers, some of whom offer fairly decent services for a significant chunk less than I’m spending, and that was getting me down for sure. That and the fact that the US dollar keeps climbing against Canadian, so I’m paying 25%+ more than list prices on everything - terrifying! Anyways. This round of editing really brought home to me the value of having top notch team members. None of this is magic, kids. Except for all of it. And therein lies the rub, as far more articulate peeps have said before me. Which is an exceedingly strange phrase, but anyways. Getting words on paper is hard work. Editorial reports are awkward documents pointing out the issues you already knew were there but were hoping were invisible to everyone but you. Cover artists need you to think through everything before they can produce anything worthwhile. But they add something more than the sum of the parts going in - skill, experience, inspiration that you just don’t have, and can’t afford to acquire.</p>
<p>All that to say, one of the first comments on this last editorial report really struck a chord and made me glad I chose the editor I did, because as soon as I read it, I was like: of course. Of course that’s the obvious solution to so many (seemingly huge) issues. Of course that needs to happen. Of course Ravel is actively at work against Cole from the beginning and throughout. Why have an antagonist who doesn’t make things harder for the protagonist and give her things to push against? Oh, right. Because I suck at villains and he’s also a sort of love interest, and boosting his role is gonna force me to admit that this is probably destined to be a paranormal romance, which I feel super awkward about writing, but it still is and there’s no way around that.</p>
<p>So here’s what I’ve got to navigate - and double time, ‘cause I’ve got less than a month until line edits and my freelancing work is a nightmare at the moment. Ravel knows more than Cole realizes, from (before) the start. He’s the one working behind the scenes to force her along, though there are some other, lesser tormentors as red herrings into the mix. In particular, Cole has to trust him earlier so he can be gas lighting her throughout her time in Freedom, actively trying to dismiss and suppress her fears, concerns, her understanding of her own power so she doesn’t realize how she’s connected to the dreams.</p>
<p>Why and how is he doing this? Meh. I haven’t really found out yet either. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Cabernet Sauvignon</p>
Day 1922017-05-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/05/02/Day-192<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSxMaMFFNBq/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-12T02:32:34+00:00">Apr 11, 2017 at 7:32pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So in typical fashion, I’ve been putting off diving back in until the last possible moment, lol. Mostly good stuff; I definitely didn’t get through my full list for last month, but I probably knocked off nearly half of it, and that’s saying something, considering I kept on adding stuff.</p>
<p>The biggest addition has been a nascent startup plan! The bookish chocolate shop is gaining steam, and I’ve been distracted with correspondence, sourcing trips, research, and building intricately detailed spreadsheets. Still a ways from launch, or even really knowing if it’s feasible or not, but that’s one more thing to have on the go!</p>
<p>Totally haven’t done any trip planning, or even let people on the other side of the pond know where I’m at, so bad on me for that, but wow it’s been busy. Freelancing was also irritatingly slow to pick up - I’m up and running with two new copywriting services, I have two audiobooks under review with ACX (by award-winning Irish author Conor Kostick!) and a few more raw files that I should clean up for auditions on my hard drive - but of course it all came together only last week, so most of the month was spent in chasing work, angsting about working, and generally not making money. The good news is, I should have enough traction to hit it hard in June, which is when Blind the Eyes next goes out for editing. The bad news is, I don’t really have time this month for everything…</p>
<p>On the marketing front, I’ve been only moderately lazy; my IG is now over 1.5K and gaining ground slowly - probably because I haven’t actually learned to improve my photos and I haven’t been particularly consistent or interactive. My FB is slooooowly gaining ground, mostly by way of author groups, but hey, at least I got enough followers to have my own shortlink! And metrics! Which reminds me, I really need to update my website links… And speaking of website, I managed to do a bit of minor redesign to tie in the graphic banners I made for FB and Twitter back to the site and headline BtE over the Wattpad stories that - I know! - I haven’t updated in like two months and counting… But I’ve got the first beta edition of Blind the Eyes up and running on Wattpad with daily releases that no one’s reading, so at least I’m active? Promises to blog on my own site have, of course, gone nowhere at all, but it’s not like anyone’s complaining, and I <em>still</em> haven’t launched a newsletter, but my mailing list has a whole four subscribers (thanks guys!) so that’s cool. Mostly it’s because I know I should offer some actual content and sign-up freebies on the newsletter, and in the absence of those I really don’t see the point of spamming people, lol. Planned to record the first 1, 10, 5, or some random number of chapters of the current edition as a freebie preview ebook, but got busy and a little discouraged and never did it. May still do it. Depends on how bad the editorial feedback is that I’m resisting reading, lol. Also need to plot and write short stories/novellas as freebies. Some good ideas that have gone nowhere… but I saw my nephew lots, read a bunch of books, improved my freelancing standing and generally had a pretty decent month, so there!</p>
<p>On the writing front. Ok, deep breath. Yeah. It’s ok, I think. I was super encouraged to have beta readers for the first time from my social media channels - two responded to the call on IG, and one from an author group on FB that I participate in. Only one response so far, which was crushingly bad actually, so that was terrifying, since she’s probably one of the readers most in the target demographic… but other responses have been shining, including my editor’s emails (again, haven’t read her full reports yet)… so I’m gonna have faith in this process and my own stubbornness and keep pushing forward. Despite the crushing, panic-attack-inducing effect of less-than-glowing feedback, it is super valuable in helping me see things from a reader’s perspective and at least flags things I may want to pay more attention to. Hopefully a few of the other beta readers get back to me with their detailed feedback within the next week or two and I can collate responses to get a better idea of how the book will be received. Oh, and there’s someone on FB putting out feelers about issuing an Indie-author specific book box, so that’s hugely exciting. I’m a little concerned, because startup lol, and also they don’t seem to be screening the authors/books very closely, at least at this stage, but if it actually makes it to production and is well coordinated, I think it’ll be totally awesome, and it’d be amazing to have my books and/or the bookish shop involved!</p>
<p>M’kay, I think I’ve killed about as much time as I can before taking the plunge. Time to find out just what I’m in for on this round of rewrites. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 4:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Preview Chapter 12017-04-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//book/2017/04/27/Preview-Chapter-1<p>Now superceded: Sept. 4, 2017</p>
<h4 id="chapter-1">Chapter 1</h4>
<p>It was the dead man’s expression that drew me. The depth of feeling on it, bare and exposed and unashamed. Horror? Terror? Longing? Anguish? It called to me.</p>
<p>That’s a lie.</p>
<p>It was his stillness, the blue-grey cast of his skin, exposed where his mask had slipped in the night.</p>
<p>That’s also a lie.</p>
<p>It was the distorted blur of my own face, modestly covered despite the cloaking darkness, a smudgy shadow reflected in the haze of his blown-wide pupils.</p>
<p>That might be the closest to the truth.</p>
<p>It might have been why I reached out to touch his cool, heavy skin with gloved fingers, forgetting the danger. It might be what draws me back, over and over again, to seek out the dead. It might be what starts the tingling at the base of my skull that spreads and prickles across my scalp when I think of them, the fluttering itch in my fingers that sets them tapping and twisting.</p>
<p>But it’s not the truth.</p>
<p>I don’t know what possessed me to get out of bed that night. To slip my feet out from under the covers and pad across the cold, echoey concrete floor among the rows of cots. To peer across the rows of swaddled failures under the low blue sleep lighting and catch on the inert form of the dead man. To thrill with the knowledge that one of us had been taken, just like we’d been warned, punished for failing to conform, to obey.</p>
<p>And then to approach, ignoring his perimeter, failing to observe proper separation of forms, refusing to turn away from his shameful nakedness, the line of his jaw and the ridge of his nose uncovered. To, having invaded his space, further violate Tower Regulation by reaching out to touch the stiffened roughness of his night-stubbled face. To surrender so completely to the sparkling, tingling fascination of it that the Floor 6 Supervisor caught me like that the next morning, one hand pressed to the dead man’s twisted face as if, touching him, I could know what he knew, feel what he felt.</p>
<p>The truth is, I don’t know why I broke the rules so spectacularly. I knew better, but I did it anyways.</p>
<p>He was the first to die. Later, I learned to hide my reaction. Instead of reaching out to them, I’d clamp my hands together in my lap, or under my arms, rocking to keep the energy in. It took much longer to train myself not to look.</p>
<p>But I learned. I controlled my reactions. Suppressed the wanting, denied it, obedient. I learned to picture them in my mind while facing forward, focusing like I was supposed to, stilling the twisting, reaching dance of my fingers by pinching them bloodless into submission.</p>
<p>They weren’t all like that first corpse, warped and twisted in torment. Some went quietly, slipping from life to death as we stood and recited Regulation in chorus or sat and studied for the futures we were never likely to achieve. The peaceful faces drew me just as much as the anguished. It was the depth of feeling, the calm, accepting stillness, just as dramatic in its own way as faces distorted by agony, just as foreign to me. I wondered what they saw, what they felt in those final moments before death took them for their sins.</p>
<p>They said it was my youth that brought me through. So few trainees get sent to Floor 6. They said it was because I was young enough to learn, to change, that I made it. Maybe they’re right. Maybe I was able to push my failures so far inside because I didn’t have as far to push.</p>
<p>But here’s what I know: I can’t ever mess up again. As an obedient worker, the Tower protects me. All I have to do is keep making the smart choice, keep obeying, pass probation and stop thinking about the dead.</p>
<p>Which would be a lot easier if I wasn’t haunted.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH1</em></p>
<p><strong>Want more? Sign up for my <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">mailing list</a> for extended previews, a chance at ARC copies and more!</strong></p>
<p>For longer-running fans, the full first beta readers edition can be read on Wattpad as <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/106720262-bte-beta1">BTE Beta1</a></p>
Recording for Conor Kostick2017-04-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/04/20/Recording-for-Conor-Kostick<p>Quick news update; Blind the Eyes is still on hiatus while I wait for the next editorial report and the beta readers do their thing, but I finally got my ducks in a row (also known as my tech array implemented) for audiobook production!</p>
<p>I’m recording The Book of Curses and The Book of Wishes for award-winning Irish author Conor Kostick! Coming soon to an Audible store near you ;D</p>
<p>Predictably but disappointingly, it’s been a slow start getting all my freelancing up and running this month, so now that I’m nearly back into rewrites, of course there’s a wave of projects to finish, lol. I’m also doing some light business planning for that bookish chocolate store idea; seems like viable for producing my own swag, but I’m trying to figure out if there’s a larger market for pop-culture/book-themed chocolate products, perhaps for book boxes or other authors wanting a custom giveaway item… I’ll keep you posted, and people interested in custom artisan small-batch chocolate, drop me a line!</p>
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Day 1912017-04-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/04/02/Day-191<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSZ5DaUF9yY/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-03T01:20:54+00:00">Apr 2, 2017 at 6:20pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>It should come as a surprise to no one that I’m resisting finishing this up, lol. Partly, I’m afraid to look at the 8 (!) chapters I wrote yesterday; hitting the build-up, climax and cleanup all in one go sort of makes sense, in the same way that drinking while writing does. It can go very right, or embarrassingly wrong.</p>
<p>But actually, I have a pretty good feeling about the ending - it’s been the hardest part to stick, and I tend to like my endings until I reread them, sleep on them, and realize they’re emotional, nonsensical, and lacking in clear explanations or any continuity with the rest of the book. But, still - it seemed good last night. And I was super impressed at myself for producing over 8 chapters and 10K words of ‘fresh’ writing over 7 hours all in one go; that’s a new record by… a lot. I could work it out if I cared; honest I could.</p>
<p>Another advantage to plowing right through to the end is having an extra day to do cleanup, tweaks, and paperwork before submission tomorrow. Which I should be grateful for, but mostly I just want to be done now, so I’m resisting the final push. That, and I was so hyped up last night that I didn’t actually fall asleep until well after 2am. (Thanks SJMaas, btw!) Seriously, I’m pretty sure I’m the same person I was in the 4th grade, which is a scary thought.</p>
<p>But on the energizing side of things, I casually mentioned that this would be a good time for any prospective beta readers to get in touch in my social media updates last night, and got 3 (!) IG followers asking to read. Super exciting stuff; not only has my IG marketing experiment managed to connect with real human beings, they like the bits and pieces I’ve shared and are actually in my target audience, unlike most of the first round readers (You’re all awesome though!) It’s sort of amazing the progression with this project - from trying to wrap my head around even getting started, much less finishing a full draft, to trying to connect with an audience, and now things are really starting to take shape!</p>
<p>So where do we go from here? This will probably be the last ‘journal’ update for a while (until May), but I’ve finally got a News section up, so I’ll make an effort to keep that updated with anything that goes on over the next month. I’ve promised to keep my hands off Blind the Eyes whenever my editor’s working on it, but I’ll pick up both of the webserials on Wattpad etc., and I’m contemplating putting up the first version of Blind the Eyes as well starting sometime this month. I’m also considering relaunching the publishing section that I hid early on with more coherent (lol) details of what this process has looked like for me and will look like, and maybe get a reviews, suggested reading or Indie author feature segment going, in addition to cleaning up the website (yet again), growing all social media channels, and launching a newsletter. I’ll also put some more thought (and, optimistically, work) into freebie incentives for engagement, maybe get a poll up on what people would like to see.</p>
<p>Oh, and I want to watch Netflix, make some money freelancing, see friends, be lazy, go outside the house on occasion… yeah, the next month’ll be gone in no time at all! Until Phase 3~</p>
<p>Sunday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Honey spiced old fashioned</p>
Day 1902017-04-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/04/01/Day-190<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSXxkzqlEpu/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-02T05:37:04+00:00">Apr 1, 2017 at 10:37pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So, this is it (maybe, lol). Gotta write that climax today. Or possibly tomorrow night. But a final edit/run through tomorrow night/Monday really is in order, and some updated character notes would be good, so today really should be it. Yikes. Guess we’ll see how that goes…</p>
<p>Had an idea for my website/promotions - I wonder if a section called ‘Read Indie’, where I curate a quality list of Indie novels (prob. YA Fantasy), would be of value? Then I could do a newsletter featuring that, and possibly bring in some cash for ads or ask for cross promotions or at least drive some traffic to my site or something… I can’t be the first person to have thought of this, but it seems like a good idea, if only because someone needs to cut through all the shit and help readers find the gems.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed a fair number of Indie author newsletters that I follow include works by other authors, so it’s pretty much just an extension of that idea. The key stumbling block, as I see it, is finding the time to actually read enough Indie books to find some worth recommending, sadly.</p>
<p>It’s stressing me out that there are more excellent and super-hyped YA books coming out every month than I can possibly keep up with. For that reason alone, I may try to query some agents next month and get on with trad. publishers instead of just going Indie.</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1892017-03-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/31/Day-189<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSUyN98FGpv/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-01T01:44:58+00:00">Mar 31, 2017 at 6:44pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>What’s your obsessive thing that you do when you’re avoiding what you should be doing? Right now, all I can think about is making chocolate chip cookies. Which is bizarre, because I don’t particularly care for cookies, and I really don’t like chocolate chip. But my sound equipment already arrived, so I guess my brain had to move on to some other purposeless or slightly negative desire. Sigh.</p>
<p>I’m being (characteristically) angsty about having to write today. I’ve reached the end of content that needs to be rewritten, and now we’re into sketched out area only detailed in the book map to date. Which shouldn’t be that big a deal as I’ve already written well over 100K words, but… yeah. Logic. Not a friend to writers. And so, instead of getting down to it and pushing through so I can meet my deadline on <em>Monday</em>(!!), I’m putzing around wasting time. Lol. I wonder if I’ll ever get to the point where it’s easy to just sit down and write, or if it’ll always be this sort of internal battle to convince myself that yes, this really is what I want to be doing, and yes, it is worth my time, and yes, I can do this…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1882017-03-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/30/Day-188<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSSRnsgF9O3/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-31T02:21:38+00:00">Mar 30, 2017 at 7:21pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Oops. So I thought I had until the end of next week until my editorial deadline, and it turns out it’s MONDAY! I think I was looking at the June day instead or something… so anyways, that’s like the difference between having a week to write the last third of Blind the Eyes and, like, a day or two? Eeek! Definitely shouldn’t have gone to Whistler (especially because I never really even made it outdoors)</p>
<p>…but I think it’s probably still doable. Struggling with the pressure to bring in work fast next month, and the sneaking suspicion that it’s just not going to happen, between learning audiobook narration and marketing, but also trying to let that go and get down to work. Lots of distraction in the immediate environment as family go through round after round of interviews, and all the associated questions related to that. Am I going back to the UK? To Ontario? Alberta? The US? Staying put? And where the heck am I going to get my meds from, living without any healthcare?! Also looking forward next month to doing things like playing music and getting off my ass/the couch on occasion. Here’s hoping!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1872017-03-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/29/Day-187<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSPpJbbBysL/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-30T01:49:30+00:00">Mar 29, 2017 at 6:49pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>In typical fashion, immediately after hyper-productivity, I get next to nothing done. Which is cool and all; I had a few hours alone in the house, so a little indulgence was in order. And not entirely true; ended up doing quite a bit of marketing research. Interesting that it is actually possible to have hardcovers printed up. Yet another thing to debate… Also saw some numbers on Kindle Publishing - yikes! In around $10K in one year is… better than a few hundred dollers/not earning out outsourced investment, but still… absolutely no one is living off this stuff, even the ‘success’ stories, which is insane when you think about how much work, time, money etc. goes in. Learned a little on how to get books into distribution for stores, and in particular, libraries, so that’s a promising lead… and considering staying in this location, or Canada at least, until after publication, which opens up better doors for promotion and sales, but is of course a huge about-face…</p>
<p>Curious about the sound equipment coming in next week and if that’ll prove to open any doors or add any value. I’m seeing some stuff that reiterates the value of video for younger segments of the population, which is a terrifying thought, and came across a platform where you submit query letters to agents. Though it’s yet another distraction, I think I’ll muck around in that world for a bit too. YA seems to be one of those borderline things where the value of going Indie and e-book-first is questionable, and apparently some agents do work with Indies and feel like they can both provide and receive enough value in that to make a go of it.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: spiced honey Old Fashioned</p>
Day 1862017-03-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/23/Day-186<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSAXC-wFJ7j/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-24T03:22:43+00:00">Mar 23, 2017 at 8:22pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>New record; 7 chapters, 10K+ words yesterday. This round of rewrites is mostly reading through and tweaking, with some heavier rewriting every 5-10 chapters to add scenes. So, definitely not producing 10K words in like 4 hours, lol. The timeline will be tight, but I’m wavering between feeling like I can totally make it, and dreading how much refining I’ll have to skip over to meet deadline.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1852017-03-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/22/Day-185<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BR9k-94lCn4/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-23T01:26:47+00:00">Mar 22, 2017 at 6:26pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Sound equipment is in the mail; maybe I can record the first chapter of BtE and offer that as a freebie? A lot of indie authors - including some established, quality ones, not just the wannabes - really rely heavily on free content as an incentive. The trouble is, with so much free content out there, it’s pretty easy for people to surf around collecting it without caring to go any further. Or just dismiss it entirely as valueless. So I’m just not sure about return on investment for putting in the effort, time, finances into polishing up some additional form of media for that purpose. I’m more inclined to agree with the authors who refuse to give away full novels and offer previews, novellas and alternate media instead… but Wattpad stories don’t seem to really be of interest, and mine aren’t really up to full polish yet at the moment, and won’t be for some time… and the problem remains, as a debut artist, no one actually wants what you’re offering yet. How to play the game - and how to create something that’s so valuable that you don’t have to play the game… For today, I keep up with the existing social media and press onward with BtE hoping to make something worth something to someone. Lol.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1842017-03-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/21/Day-184<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BR7I2TEg-1j/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-22T02:42:27+00:00">Mar 21, 2017 at 7:42pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Shoved through the first 5 chapters with some significant improvements to the first two yesterday. There’s maybe still too much narrative worldbuilding at the front, but at least it’s interspersed with some dialogue-based action now! In some ways, I have such a hard time cutting my own text that I’d be better of writing fresh, but I cling to the idea that it’s faster to rework existing text (plus I can’t bear to delete any of those precious words, lol).</p>
<p>I figure I need to keep up a pace of at least 5 chapters/day for the remaining three weeks to hit my April 5 deadline - 5 chapters times ~15 days leaves adequate time for the inevitable slowdown near the end where the third act needs to be written fresh… except that the pattern of baby visits has sliced most weeks down to 4 (or less) working days, and I should probably do another spin through the whole thing at the end to clean up, capture any late changes, and strategize at the scene level. So I’d be better off completing in excess of 5 chapters a day - 7 or more; 10, ideally. Yeah, not likely, I know. Also pretty much dropping everything else for three weeks, which doesn’t set me up for a good April - international travel, mad consulting/freelance, and learning voiceover narration in three weeks or less? Wish me luck, lol.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Just saw more people bashing Carve the Mark on IG and finally felt the need to comment. Now, it may be horribly racist and discriminatory in multiple ways; I haven’t read it, or anything by Veronica Roth, actually, but it was the way things were being approached. People encouraging each other not to read, upset that they’d bought the book, congratulating each other on scorning it… Just, really sad to see, in a forum for book lovers that encourages reading. It was like a far-left variety of book-banning; we don’t like this story, so let’s condemn it and its author. Even if Veronica Roth or her publisher holds the discriminatory views others say they’ve detected in her work, intelligent discourse and, idk, maybe thinking for ourselves? is desperately needed. The comments I’m seeing are horrifying not because of the platforms (racism=bad isn’t that controversial, though some of the comments are…), but because people are vociferously trying to censor others. A fair warning on content is fair; unqualified attacks are not. So now I’m off to get that book in protest, even though I’ll probably hate it…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 4 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
TGOoH on hiatus2017-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/03/20/TGOoH-on-hiatus<p>Things Got Out of Hand is on hiatus until further notice, a.k.a. when I have time to map it out and figure out some clearer direction for the edits/rewrites.</p>
FotC on hiatus2017-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/03/20/FotC-on-hiatus<p>Flame of the Connarii is on hiatus until further notice.</p>
Day 1832017-03-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/20/Day-183<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BR4gEd3Fgwx/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-21T02:07:39+00:00">Mar 20, 2017 at 7:07pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I really failed to log the work last week; no actual writing progress, but lots of broad book progress… 7.5 hours of redoing the plot Monday, another 5 on Tuesday to fill it out and refine, another 4 on Wednesday to transfer it all to Excel and tweak, and then another 4 on Thursday to write up 10 pages of cover art notes.</p>
<p>But no, like, chapters finished or word count momentum, and still the whole climax-resolution, basically the last third needs to be written. And the whole thing rewritten to match the new plot. And I was out in Vancouver F/S, so there’s a week gone. Plus, obsessively distracted by the remote possibility of getting into audiobook narration. So yeah, it’s going to be an insane push to get through by deadline!</p>
<p>But I finally updated Wattpad etc. that the serials are on hold (after missing 2 weeks of posts) until after the editorial deadline, and I think the cover art stuff is out of the way until mid April or later, and I feel like I’ve got a pretty clear idea of what I’m doing with the story and can maybe push through the rest quickly… Maybe. So here goes…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Nettle tea</p>
Day 1812017-03-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/15/Day-181<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:49.49074074074074% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRpv9nQFuEl/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-15T08:37:55+00:00">Mar 15, 2017 at 1:37am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>And after 7.5 hours on plot last night, still not done. But getting there. Some good improvements, but it’s such a monumental, complex beast to deal with. Now I’ll waste time yet again converting it to Excel, and then running through the draft to bring discrepancies in line… sigh. Oh, and my cover art homework is due tomorrow, which is a terrifying thought. And I’m out to Vancouver Friday to Saturday again, so… kind of a write-off on the forward momentum this week. Bleargh.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 6 & 11 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Gear: flipchart/taped tags</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1802017-03-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/14/Day-180<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRpYictlssS/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-15T05:13:14+00:00">Mar 14, 2017 at 10:13pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>After all my crowing about how I’ve gotten so much faster and more productive, this final quarter of the book is turning out to be a slow, painful, fight for every minute push. Some of that is valid distraction. Some of it is spring, allergies, increasing outside pressures as the world tries to break in on me again. Lots of it is panic about what I’m doing - is it good enough, is it going in the right direction, will I be able to take it where I need to go…</p>
<p>I just finished Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Mist and Fury, and wow. Just, wow. I’m so challenged by these excellent books that deal with all sorts of messy, complex issues, and tell a compelling, exciting, fast-paced, high-stakes story along with it. I don’t want to just throw up my hands and go, oh well, it’s my debut novel and I’ll do better later in my career, oh well, I don’t have a big publisher or pro editor to push me, oh well, I just tell weird, indulgent tales that are literary and weakly plotted. But despite my prideful determination, I don’t have much more than self-aggrandizing assertions behind the push for better, more, faster. I spend the whole day thinking about how I should do something about my plot, and then can’t get more than two minutes into it before cringing and turning away in exhausted confusion. Damn plot. Damn character arcs. Damn artistic undisciplined mindset that fails to think in a structured manner. Also, damn distractions, people bopping around constantly, and reality that expects me to be responsible for anything beyond creative output.</p>
<p>Ok, rage over. Here’s today’s plan; make use of the pathetic amount of time left to push further on with the draft built on shaky plot and characterization and worry about fixing it at a later date. Now that I’ve fully established that hiring an editor does not magically push things in the right direction, I have to hold the tension of knowing things need to be done, and making myself remember and do them or suffer. So, yay.</p>
<p>What lots of it comes down to; be nastier to Cole. Demand more from plot. Make it less about emo-ness, more about action. Which means yet another whole draft that I don’t have time to write. For a completely different book. In, oh, about two weeks. Bleagh. I want to stab something. Or blow it up. Etc.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:45 & 7 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Gear: flipchart/taped tags</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1792017-03-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/13/Day-179<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRmqhuqFC3k/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-14T03:52:42+00:00">Mar 13, 2017 at 8:52pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Time change is an evil, evil invention that ought to be erased from human existence.</p>
<p>In other news, I hired a cover artist! Which I’m kinda panicking about b/c it’s yet another significant investment that I’ve got to make worthwhile, and I’ve had several days of not being that productive and still have some concerns over the plot coherency, but panic is apparently my natural state.</p>
<p>Reading Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Mist and Fury and impressed with the incredible (feminist) character growth, despite how much I <em>don’t</em> agree with some of her premises. And feeling inadequate, yet again, as a result, lol. I really admire the messiness of Feyre’s character, but I struggle to tell a coherent and inspiring story without making it too simplistic. Or incoherently full of every possible thing. Tried to spend some more time on plot today, but between Monday-ness and time-changeless and a death in the extended family and travel planning getting closer and all, I basically made no progress. Also, I only just figured out (yesterday) that the Christian perspective on women and specifically women in the church, is a massive mostly un-grounded mess, so that’s been fun. Lol. You think you’ve mastered the critical thinking stuff, and then you find gaping holes that you’ve conveniently just taken on board. Yeah. Awesome. So there’s that.</p>
<p>But mostly I’m just feeling lazy and distracted and dissatisfied, and having trouble thinking coherent thoughts, which doesn’t translate well to brilliant writing. Oh well, back at it, for what that’s worth!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 4:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Cover Designer2017-03-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2017/03/10/Cover-Designer<p>Big news! I just hired a cover designer! There’s a contract signed and everything! Everyone, meet <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">Maie I Design</a></p>
<p>I’ve got to get some materials over to her next week, and then should see new cover art mid April. Time to start planning the big cover reveal!</p>
<p>While I’m proud of what I’ve been able to pull together to market my book, serials and brand so far, part of being a professional is knowing when to bring in appropriate help to do the job right. Plus, I love that I can support other creatives and book lovers in the process.</p>
<p>So while it was a hard decision not to do everything myself (because control freak + bootstrap = DIY), I’m incredibly excited to see how far this crazy little dream of mine can make it out into the world.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading, following and supporting Indie, friends.</p>
Day 1782017-03-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/09/Day-178<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BReTpr5FY8-/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-10T21:58:53+00:00">Mar 10, 2017 at 1:58pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I think I found a cover artist! Man, that happened fast! The paper artist from the UK never got back to me, so no original art, but there’s someone with really pro work (up to and including custom photo shoots!) - sadly, from the states so exchange, but I haven’t seen any freelancers with the quality she offers. It was one of those power-of-social-media things, where she liked something of mine, then I checked her out and she was running a promotion, then talks, then there’s a contract waiting and homework to do! I’m putting off sealing the deal until tonight b/c distractions, but it’s looking like a pretty sure thing. And the price is a little on the high range, but I didn’t want to go cheap and ‘Indie-looking’. So around $700 USD for a full cover that I can use for ebooks and print (fingers crossed). Exciting how real stuff is getting, but also scary! Like, now I have to write something worthy of real pro cover art, lol. And probably step up my branding game… One of the real hard things about all of this is the level of investment, both time and money. Without any additional marketing investment, the bill for prepaid services will run well to around $5K, plus 3 years of my time basically full time, plus I’m sure I’ll have to spend something on marketing at some point here, and I totally haven’t looked into printing costs, in case I want to have an alternative to CreateSpace to work with… so yeah, motivation to write an excellent book that people will love and want to buy and talk about, but also mad pressure!</p>
<p>Couldn’t fall asleep last night for some reason, so I polished off Garth Nix’s Goldenhand, which was typically excellent and inspired me to write better fantasy (not that I actually have any high fantasy on the books, but still), and also made me glad I couldn’t remember much about that first book in the Abhorsen series. Because, spoilers. In fact, just don’t read this paragraph. Anyways, so I finished it and wasn’t tired, so I decided to take the plunge on The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia, which was absolutely amazing. I read 3/4 of it or more last night, and finished up this morning. Loved it, and I’m not usually that into contemporary fiction. It just had great atmosphere. The romance stuff wasn’t too gushy, but it was appealing, and really explained the whole bad-boy context well (with probably some idealistic spin, but whatever), and all the story line threads came together masterfully at the end.</p>
<p>Speaking of masterful writing (lol), I’m definitely not finishing rewrites this week, but I was pretty pleased with yesterday’s progress. A new record: over 6K words in 3 chapters! With lots and lots of recycling, of course, but still. Given my track record, and start time today, that means I’ll get next to nothing done today, but still! Sneaking up on that climax and ending, so maybe I’ll actually get through this and have a chance to clean it up and check for something that makes sense (fingers crossed) before deadline! Which is good, ‘cause my editor checked in with me today and I think we’re go for the original timeline. Not gonna lie, I’m pretty nervous to get back into trying to sort things out by the book map, but it’s the best/only way to get everything lining up, and I think there may still be too many themes/storylines and ideas floating around muddying the waters. So that’ll be fun. And I’m probably done for this week after today; out to see family on Friday/Sat, so it’ll be amazing if I can even get my webserial TGOoH out on time…</p>
<p>Isn’t funny how some days, nothing changes, and then others, there’s a ton going on? In addition to correspondence with my editor and cover artist, there was a recruiter getting in touch (so, hasty resume polishing) this morning. Would be a massive change of plans to take a FT day job in Vancouver again at this stage of the game, but might be worth looking at funding my adventures…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1772017-03-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/08/Day-177<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRZ6bSqlSAq/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-09T05:01:30+00:00">Mar 8, 2017 at 9:01pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Some encouraging developments on the book marketing front; slow growth on FB, but growth nonetheless, another person reaching out on IG and joining the mailing list (thanks!), and dialing the website in to feature the mailing list more prominently. Gotta keep believing every bit helps! And more good news; I either fought off that cold that was coming on, it’s taking a bit of a break, or it was just a bad run of allergies, ‘cause I’m doing way better today. Probably not on track for finishing the rewrites this week, which is a shame, but I’ll at least write my way to the climax scenes before next week now.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi tea</p>
FotC CH15 Flight2017-03-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/03/07/FotC-CH15-Flight<p><strong>Recap:</strong> <em>A stranger, Torchan, materializes out of the jungle, warning of danger and offering to guide the Connarii away to the far edge of the jungle. Toryn decides to trust him. Camlin, working to build a base of power for himself and draw a force away under his own leadership, and Edana, urging escape from the jungle, aren’t so sure. Edana is fascinated by the man that lives in the trees as comfortably as in a house, but also suspicious. Torchan challenges her, alone at night, intervenes when she encounters an Atarrh, a snakelike inhabitant of the jungle, and offers to teach her to survive in the jungle.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>The ground moved so fast, Edana could hardly see where one tree ended and the next began. It was the most amazing thing, like swimming down a river, like the most perfect battle, like riding the summer waves, a dance where she spun and jumped and fell all at once. The ground no longer pulled at her; she rode on the wind.</p>
<p><em>Does he feel like this all the time?</em></p>
<p>Edana leaned her head back to smile up at Torchan. He grinned back, not even looking to his next handhold as he swung forward. He had Edana clamped to his side with one arm, while the other arm and both legs shot forward without pause, grabbing vines and branches, swinging both of them through the jungle many feet off the ground. Coming to a small cliff, he let their momentum carry them off the edge into the air. Edana shrieked as they tumbled through the branches of a tree, then laughed with wonder and amazement when Torchan grabbed a fistful of vines and began their forward motion once again. After several minutes more, she could tell he was slowing down.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter?” she asked as Torchan slowed to balance on a large branch.</p>
<p>He removed his arm from around her waist. “Look!” he pointed, and Edana realized that there was only a thin layer of greenery in front of them, and not the dense jungle growth that she had come to expect. She reached out, parted the hanging vines, and gasped. A large, roughly circular clearing wrapped around the most enormous tree she had ever seen, and halfway up the tree was built a platform the size of a house. Climbing up in terraces from that single enormous floor were several smaller platforms that ascended into the waving branches high above the rest of the forest.</p>
<p>“My home,” Torchan said.</p>
<p>He dropped off the branch to the ground, which was now quite close, then reached up to lift her down. They pushed through the thin layer of brush to stand in the clearing. Edana tentatively approached the tree, only realizing as she looked back that one of the wildcat-like cofu had followed them, and was now rubbing around Torchan’s legs, rumbling out a deep, gravelly purr.</p>
<p>Edana trailed one hand along the smooth bark as she circled the enormous tree, looking for lower branches or a ladder. She made it all the way around – over 30 paces - without finding any handhold nearer than twenty feet up, and turned to stare at Torchan. His lips quirked up.</p>
<p>“I’d forgotten. You can’t on your own. Climb on my back.” Torchan knelt and waved Edana forward.</p>
<p>Edana just looked at him, blinking. She’d forgotten, in the elation of flight, that she hardly knew this man, and didn’t mean to trust him. But it was a long way back to the camp, and Torchan waited patiently on his knees, relaxed, non-threatening. Edana stepped toward him and gingerly clung to his back while he stood and adjusted her arms for a firmer grip around his shoulders.</p>
<p>“Try not choke me on the way up,” he said, and Edana felt his laughter through her knees where they clamped to his sides.</p>
<p>She nearly fell off as Torchan sprang an absurd distance straight up, then shimmied along the smooth bark using invisible handholds, until he reached the lowest branch. From there he leaped and swung his way up the tree until he reached the broad lower platform.</p>
<p>Edana tilted her head back to gaze in awe. An upwardly spiraling series of platforms decreased steadily in size until they swayed in the wind on the slender upper branches.</p>
<p>“Did you build all this?” Edana asked Torchan in wonder.</p>
<p>He shook his head, a mischievous smile dancing on his lips: “Only the upper ones.”</p>
<p>“Only the…? But there are so many. That must have taken years! If you only worked on the smaller platforms, who built the main one? Are there others here too?” Edana straightened her back and widened her stance, scanning the surface of the platform she stood on, and the edges of those above for enemies slinking in the shadows.</p>
<p>She now remembered her suspicions earlier that day, and cursed her foolishness in allowing herself to be separated from the rest of the group. Her sentries had been left without their captain. With only Camlin for a leader; they’d be lost in an attack! And what would that silly, power-hungry boy be up to in her absence? Probably weaseling his way into the confidences of her troops while Torchan’s hordes snuck in through the bushes!</p>
<p>Edana pivoted to glare at Torchan, but saw only confusion and hurt in his eyes.</p>
<p>“There are no others. I already told you. They died many years ago.” Torchan’s eyes were dark, the muscles in his face and body tense and defensive. He didn’t need enhanced senses to perceive Edana’s distrust. “They built the main platform before I was born, died soon after. Why do you not believe me?”</p>
<p>Edana stared at him for a few moments longer, took another long look around for movement, and let out a slow breath, her stance relaxing incrementally.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop angering people today. “</p>
<p>Torchan reached out and took her hand. “Enough. Left one moment alone, you get into trouble. Come with me.”</p>
<p>Startled, Edana stared at Torchan’s strange face, almost missing the subtle look of amusement written on his dark skin. He tugged at her wrist, leading her towards a gently sloping branch. This time, instead of carrying her, he guided her slowly up the network of branches and sturdy platforms, up to the highest point they could both reach without tipping off into the misty air.</p>
<p>This platform was several yards higher than the other trees, so that Edana could gaze for miles in every direction. Even so, she saw no larger clearings; neither did she see the edge of the jungle. She stared at the miles of treetops softly moving in the breeze, at the subtle hints of green and blue and red, always red, among the many-toned grey of the late night. She was just about to ask Torchan if the sky was ever clear enough to see the moon, or stars, when she felt him move away from her.</p>
<p>“We should go back now, before your people get worried,” he said softly.</p>
<p>Edana turned and looked around the platform, then down. For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness for this meager living, with none of the possessions or companions that give colour to life. Then she remembered the sheer joy of racing through the jungle. Torchan’s life, though different, was not without its pleasures.</p>
<p>She let him help her out of the tree and back into the jungle.</p>
<p>This time, as Torchan was picking up speed on his breathless path through the treetops, Edana ducked out from under his arm. He had swung to the next tree already before he could stop and look back for her. She was laughing as she swung ahead of him, alternating branches and vines from arm to arm, using her feet only for balance against trunks and large branches, but moving fast nonetheless. Torchan stared, frozen for a moment, then laughed and raced to catch up.</p>
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<p><em>End, CH15</em></p>
<p><strong>UPDATED: On hiatus until after April 5</strong> Come back next week for Chapter 16 on Tuesday, March 15. In the meantime, why not check out my other webserial, <a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh.html">Things Got Out of Hand</a> or a preview of my upcoming book <a href="http://kaie.space/book/2016/10/05/Preview-Chapter-1.html">Blind the Eyes</a>?</p>
Day 1762017-03-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/07/Day-176<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRXXZgzg3uH/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-08T05:16:56+00:00">Mar 7, 2017 at 9:16pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Yesterday was pretty much a wash, and today’s not looking great either, but in the interest of not just totally dropping out of writing to nurse a cold, I’ll see if I can’t generate a little something while being hit by fever-induced hot flashes. Who knows, it could be the greatest writing yet!</p>
<p>In other news, my first giveaway experiment doesn’t seem to be of interest, but my new FB page is doing not terrible, and by that I mean that sharing it as myself not only got a little interest from FB friends, but there’s some other mystery folks following too, so that’s a plus. Will have to think about some custom content for it as it grows and experiment with what sort of interactions generate interest.</p>
<p>Another thought that I really don’t have time for right now; I wonder if I could rally some other indie authors, debut or otherwise, and put together a sort of compilation book as a giveaway, incentive sort of deal? First chapters of all debut books or short stories around a theme or something? Might be more work than its worth, but I keep hearing about the value of alliances and cross-promotion, and there’s a potentially altruistic bent that appeals to me… of course, it would be better if I’d just get into a writers group and make some actual connections first…</p>
<p>Also put in a proposal on a fairly significant SEO copywriting project that could generate income for next month. I feel like my chances aren’t great, since it was posted on a network that’s mostly full of low-rate second-language freelancers, but hey, it was good practice in writing proposals, since it’s been a while (lol). Yet another thing I need to get on; start bidding on projects for next month so my entire income isn’t riding on a book that I’ve yet to actually publish!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 4 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1752017-03-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/06/Day-175<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRUGN-SgzIc/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-06T22:49:06+00:00">Mar 6, 2017 at 2:49pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So we’ll have to see how this goes. Took it pretty easy (somewhat/kinda/sorta) over the weekend, feeling like I needed more of a break to refuel and have the creativity to get through the critical ending this week… but then spent most of the time on marketing stuff, getting FB, website & that giveaway up and running, though I may have missed the mark anyways with it, and couldn’t fall asleep until after 3am and now I’m either coming down with a cold or allergies are hitting as hard as one so yeah, plan: rest & recharge was kinda a failure. But! I’m feeling moderately clearheaded at the moment, it’s quiet, and I’m committed. Let’s do this thing!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
TGOoH CH14 Killer paperwork2017-03-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/03/03/TGOoH-CH14-Killer-paperwork<p>Rumpled Guy Dave turned out to not actually be a Dave, surprising no one. His drivers’ license said he was Derek Jeremiah Cossald, 27, 5’7, 183lbs, sandy hair, hazel eyes.</p>
<p>His wallet also had his home address, neatly printed in a little insert card, and his keys were in his pocket, so I voted Henry take him home and let him recover on his own couch. I even volunteered to accompany him on this chore.</p>
<p>Henry gave me those eyes, the puppy ones that were wearing thin; I was starting to think kicking would be too good for him. And then I took a deep breath and made myself some tea.</p>
<p>“I just want to say, this is not what I signed up for,” I said as I clattered through the cupboard in search of mugs. “Want a cup?”</p>
<p>“Oh, thanks, yeah,” Henry said, fussing around R.G.D., or Derek, as he was properly called.</p>
<p>I still hadn’t decided if I was going to grant him the dignity of a proper name, seeing as how he’d invaded my home. R.G.D./Derek, that is, not Henry. I wasn’t about to go around calling Henry “Superhero”, after all. Even though he’d looked pretty heroic. And I guessed I’d end up using Derek’s name once he woke up, since R-G-D really wasn’t that easy to say. R-G, though… that wasn’t so bad. Arrrgeee. Yeah, I might keep that.</p>
<p>“April? Where can I get more bandaids?” Henry held up the empty box in illustration.</p>
<p>“That’s all of them.”</p>
<p>“Oh. April?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“We need to go shopping.”</p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p>He just raised one eyebrow at that, and went back to fussing over RG. I went back to clattering in the cupboard. He was right, unfortunately. I was not set up for this, in too many ways. I’d need more pillows and towels, if nothing else. And beds. And chairs. And glassware, plates, food… Yeah, we needed to go shopping. Crap.</p>
<p>I poured the tea, picked up a mug for Henry, and put it down again. Why should I serve him? Just because I’d agreed to let him stick around. RG groaned in a groggy, not-ready-to-commit to awakeness sort of way.</p>
<p>“Tea’s ready,” I said, picking up my own mug and leaning against the counter pointedly.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Henry was kneeling beside the couch looking at RG. He shook his head. “I don’t think he’s gonna be ready for a trip out soon. Better hope there’s not another attack any time soon…”</p>
<p>“You might want to back up,” I said helpfully, “I’m not sure the first thing RG needs to see is your face.”</p>
<p>It sounded nastier out loud than I’d expected. I’d only meant he was kinda dazzling; though maybe RG wouldn’t pick up on that. He didn’t seem the type to put much stock in appearances. But a shirtless, bandaid-plastered Henry seemed like a bit much for anyone to wake up to.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Henry grinned at me and backed up a few steps. “Maybe you’re right. He’d probably respond better to you anyways. You want to keep an eye on him while I have a shower?”</p>
<p>“No,” I said, over the rim of my mug. “No, I would not like to keep an eye on the guy you dragged home. Your stray, your responsibility.”</p>
<p>Henry came over to pick up his mug of tea and loomed over me in that un-self-conscious way of his, still grinning.</p>
<p>“Is that what you are? One of my strays?”</p>
<p>“House rules,” I bared my teeth at him in a humourless grin and took another sip of tea, refusing to engage. I’d set myself up for that one. “Perimeter of four feet, rmember?”</p>
<p>Henry tilted his head and looked down at me, still smiling, knocked back the tea like it was a slug of whiskey and marched off to the bathroom.</p>
<p>“And, RG?” he called back over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Rumpled Guy,” I said, watching him go.</p>
<p>Something was bothering me. Oh yeah, he had nothing to change into. And he was leaving me alone with an unconscious RG. Like I’d told him not to.</p>
<p>“Hey!” I smacked my hand on the bathroom door and hissed at the sting. “Hey, don’t-“</p>
<p>I could hear Henry’s laugh over the rush of water as he turned the shower on. But short of storming in there to drag him out naked - which violated my house rule of, you know, <em>clothes</em> - there wasn’t much I could do. And RG was making moany sleepy sounds over on the couch like he was about to wake up, which was just great.</p>
<p>I marched over to him and stared down, hands on my hips. Up close, he really lived up to his name. Shaggy, shapeless pale hair. Bruised pale skin that showed his brandless athletic wear had to be some kind of fashion statement, as unlikely as it seemed. His jacket was shedding dried mud all over my couch, which was looking quiet a bit worse for the wear after bloody Henry and blood me over the last 24 hours. His pants had soaked up mud, and blood from a torn spot that Henry had widened and meticulously cleaned under, lining bandaids up along a long scratch that tore down his shin.</p>
<p>When he finally opened his eyes, I found his license had been awfully kind - they weren’t so much hazel as a muddy greyish mess, too pale to be brown, too confused to be steely grey. He’d looked younger, unconscious, like he could actually be 27, but awake, his face scrunched up in confusion, he looked a decade older.</p>
<p>“No more taxes,” he said, in a creaky sort of voice that gave me flashbacks to movie math and chess-club nerds. “Just let me die.”</p>
<p>“If only,” I tried to run my hand through my hair, got stuck in all the tangles, and braced it on my forehead instead, like that’d been my plan all along. “But neither of us are so lucky, so how about you get along to asking the normal-people questions, like <em>who are you</em>, and <em>where am I</em>, and <em>what happened?</em>”</p>
<p>RG blinked, his murky eyes watering. “You’re a girl.”</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes and hollered, “Henry! Get out here and deal with your head case.”</p>
<p>Maybe he didn’t hear me over the shower, or maybe he was hiding out, because all I heard back was a sort of squeak from RG. I sighed, pulled the chair closer and sat down.</p>
<p>“OK, look, I’m just gonna go ahead and lay it out there, because as far as I can tell, Henry sucks at explanations and you need to get up to speed.”</p>
<p>“Henry?” RG asked, shifting uncomfortably, as if he wanted to sit up, but was too intimidated to move. Which I kind of enjoyed.</p>
<p>“Did I say you could ask questions?” I demanded, and Henry shrunk back further into the grubby couch.</p>
<p>I had to suppress a smirk. If I had to have surprise roommates, it helped to be the one intimidating them.</p>
<p>“Right, here’s the deal. A nightmare came after you. Henry saved you. He does that. But nightmares don’t like losing their prey, so it’s gonna keep on after you”-RG got even paler at that part and opened his mouth, but I kept right on rolling-“so Henry’s gotta keep you close, like line-of-sight close to keep you alive. So if you were serious about wanting to die, I’d run now while he’s in the shower.”</p>
<p>I paused to give him a chance to make a break for it. Hey, I’m nothing if not fair.</p>
<p>“No? OK then, so here’s the deal. This is my place. I’m April, by the way. I’d say nice to meet you, but I don’t say things like that, so don’t expect it. Henry had the misfortune of saving me first, and now I have the misfortune of housing some kind of hero in return for my continued survival. Apparently, you now need to stay here too. Unless you’d rather take your chances and go?”</p>
<p>I paused hopefully. RG blinked a few times and shook his head cautiously.</p>
<p>“Oh well. Figures. Anyways. We’re still working out house rules, but here’s what we’ve got so far: that room”-I point to my bedroom-“is my space. Keep out. This out here? Also my space, but I’m sharing, for the moment. Also, personal boundaries; I get a four foot perimeter at all times. You can have that, or negotiate your own perimeter with Henry if you prefer. Clothes; we all wear them. We’re working on finding Henry some. You don’t seem to have that problem; keep it that way. Oh, and you all are quiet and leave me alone whenever I say,” I said, in a fit of inspiration.</p>
<p>“That’s it so far, but I reserve the right to adjust, increase or otherwise dictate house rules as I go. By the way, what was your nightmare?” I asked.</p>
<p>RG sat up, finally, eyeing me as if I might be the answer to that last question. “Um. I don’t do well with paperwork,” he said mildly.</p>
<p>“Your nightmare was <em>paperwork</em>?” I nearly fell off my chair. “Paperwork. Like, reports and forms and stuff?”</p>
<p>“Um,” he said, licking his thin lips and looking out the window warily, “and stuff.”</p>
<p>I didn’t have much to say to that. RG was turning out to be a real weirdo. His does one get attacked and killed by nightmarish paperwork, anyways? Death of a thousand cuts? Crushed by the weight of reams of paper?</p>
<p>“Oh, good, you’ve introduced yourself,” Henry said, stepping out of the bathroom in a towel. “Can we go shopping now?”</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH14</p>
<p>Come back next week for Chapter 15 on Friday, March 10. In the meantime, why not check out my other webserial, <a href="http://kaie.space/fotc.html">Flame of the Connarii</a> or a <a href="http://kaie.space/book/2016/10/05/Preview-Chapter-1.html">preview</a> of my upcoming book Blind the Eyes?</p>
Day 1742017-03-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/03/Day-174<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRM0QidgVej/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-04T02:57:28+00:00">Mar 3, 2017 at 6:57pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Didn’t even bother posting a progress update yesterday; barely made it to half a chapter, if that, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to rewrite it all today anyways. Allergy-induced foggy-head isn’t helping. Taking a pass on IG updates and general forward momentum, but I kinda wished I’d just gone all-in on the laziness and enjoyed the day instead of banging my head (figuratively) against the keyboard…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1732017-03-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/02/Day-173<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRJ3SLwFQHx/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-02T23:26:11+00:00">Mar 2, 2017 at 3:26pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Getting there. If I can keep from psyching myself out with how important the next several scenes are, I should finish up this round of rewrites sometime next week. Early, if I keep it together. There’s still bits of recyclable content cropping up here and there.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Ugh tough slogging tonight. It’s at least partially allergies to blame, but blech. Like thinking through mud.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 & 6:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1722017-03-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/03/01/Day-172<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRHt1-TF4ns/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-02T03:25:13+00:00">Mar 1, 2017 at 7:25pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Today I feel totally unproductive and like going back to bed, but actually it’s only mid afternoon (=still time for writing!) and I got my tax returns submitted, and they turned out to be way more in my favour than I expected, so sunshine and unicorns all ‘round! Did some solid work on updating cover art and promo posts yesterday; after sleeping on it and seeing the results in the cold light of day, I think there’s still a few tweaks to be done, but the final product is serviceable and comparable or better with what I’m seeing from other authors. I feel like some indie authors are really challenging establishment marketing and presentation standards, probably because authors don’t invest in it the same way once they’re making money and can afford to focus on the stuff they care about (not marketing…)</p>
<p>If I weren’t about to be travelling again, I’d seriously consider opening a bookish Etsy store. I think I’m starting to have a strong enough grasp of the marketing factors and trend-awareness to do well, but I’m not sure it’s possible to make high enough margins to make it worth my time… Best idea so far? Make custom hot chocolate based on characters/locations/books by adding spices n stuff. I’ve seen lots of bath and paper products, wearables, candles and even tea, but not really hot chocolate, so I feel like that’s a strong untapped market. But again, cost/benefit needs to be run and I definitely can’t lug supplies around while travelling. So, file under future desperate moves.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: spiced hot cocoa</p>
Day 1712017-02-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/28/Day-171<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRFOb0HlFtR/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-03-01T04:12:17+00:00">Feb 28, 2017 at 8:12pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still procrastinating on the travel plans; some exciting developments on the home front that could really impact the choices I make… although if past experience has anything to say about it, I’m likely to end up waiting around for ages and nothing much happening, lol. If things do go ahead, it’ll take away from overall travel/digital nomadism fun, and also writing time, but offer more financial stability. Also, it’ll be something very worth doing, so I’m tentatively excited about the prospect. But while it’s interesting to think about, it’s also a huge distraction from getting on with the writing, and I’m finishing this book darnit (and probably a few to several to dozens after it…) so onwards!</p>
<p>The trickle of IG love is still dripping along, which is a huge encouragement and motivation. Thanks again for the love guys; your comments, likes and messages really help me stay engaged, have hope and keep pushing forward! I worked some more on graphics last night, and I’m going to keep trying to pull together the last few threads to get that giveaway up and running as soon as I possibly can!</p>
<p>But yeah, focus is hard, y’all. In more good news, I think I’m moving toward the end at a good clip and may only have a third to a quarter of this draft left to write! …the bad news being, plot-wise I only just hit the midpoint, so something about the balance is a bit iffy (lol). I really hope I don’t have 50% left to write though…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
FotC CH14 Finding your balance2017-02-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/02/27/FotC-CH14-Finding-your-balance<p><em>Recap: A stranger, Torchan, materializes out of the jungle, warning of danger and offering to guide the Connarii away to the far edge of the jungle. Toryn decides to trust him. Camlin, working to build a base of power for himself and draw a force away under his own leadership, and Edana, urging escape from the jungle, aren’t so sure. Edana is fascinated by the man that lives in the trees as comfortably as in a house, but also suspicious. Torchan challenges her, alone at night.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Torchan was back in the tree before Edana could catch her breath, or her balance, and she sat down in the decaying jungle muck without meaning to, dizzy. It took her a moment to recognize the deep purring high above her head as the great cats’ amusement, rumbling even louder as she hissed in response.</p>
<p>Edana whirled away from Torchan and stomped off through the forest, her heart pounding. What was the matter with her? She really had to get it together, but all the tension lately hadn’t been helping. And this conflict – power struggles with that upstart Camlin, diplomacy with beast-men, magical doings and her sister going mad – this was not the kind of conflict she thrived on… or at least, not the kind of conflict she could stick a sword in and call done.</p>
<p>It was easier to be mad at Torchan for making a fool of her, than to deal with her inability to solve the Camlin problem, or the whole lost-in-a-jungle problem, or Aislynn’s ravings, or… how dare he berate her for going off on her own! How dare he follow her! And his claims to be so innocent; for all she knew, he could have been sent as a decoy. He could be leading them into a trap, or waiting to pick her people off one by one. He could eat humans, for all she knew!</p>
<p>Edana stormed through the jungle, squirming through curtains of dangling vines and crushing broad, squishy leaves. Mud and decaying plant matter splashed up onto her clothes and bushes caught at her arms and legs, snagging the hilts of her weapons as she thrashed her way through.</p>
<p>An unusually large and knobby root caught her toe, and Edana seized a thick vine to stop her fall. The vine gave, and she fell to the ground with a muffled cry as it tumbled down beside her. The vine twitched. Then it unraveled from its heap on the ground to reveal four eyes staring unblinkingly at her.</p>
<hr />
<p>“Don’t move. The atarrh will attack.” A voice whispered from above.</p>
<p>Edana breathed slow and deep through her nose and tried not to look at the glowing eyes of the creature- two eyes to each head, on what otherwise looked like a normal, if unusually large, snake.</p>
<p>She took another breath, and tried not to stare at fangs gleaming from weaving heads. From above and behind the atarrh’s head, a tri-forked branch emerged and sunk lower, to within an inch of the softly hissing beast as it reared back to strike.</p>
<p>“Just hit it already!” Edana screamed, throwing herself back as the atarrh flashed forward and the branch whipped down to arrest the reptile’s movement. Then the creature was thrown up and back against a gray trunk. In the same moment, a gleaming spike of metal grew from the spot where the atarrh’s two heads converged.</p>
<p>Edana looked up to see Torchan clinging upside down with both feet and one hand to a handful of vines, the other arm still extended from the throw. He looked down at her, ignoring the writhing remains.</p>
<p>“The jungle is not safe for you. Atarrh are not the most dangerous of its creatures, and if you are not prepared even they…”</p>
<p>“I can handle a little snake, thanks.” Edana interrupted, shoving up off the ground and taking a few hurried steps back from the corpse and Torchan, who was once again too close for comfort. “I didn’t need your help. I was just surprised.”</p>
<p>She brushed ineffectually at her tunic, only managing to smear mud and slimy green fungus further. Edana twisted her hands around the leather straps to still their trembling. She was furious with herself. Pride of the Connarii indeed! Captain of the guard, warleader – she couldn’t even stay on her own two feet. If Camlin had seen!</p>
<p>Edana heard the thump of Torchan’s feet hitting the ground a split second before he grabbed her shoulders and shook her.</p>
<p>“You-are-not-safe!” he gritted out, giving her a bone-rattling shake with each word. Startled, frightened, embarrassed, and not a little angry, Edana tensed and snapped her head back to stare directly into Torchan’s face. She immediately regretted it. Tears stood out in his eyes, his scarred face twisted in anguished terror. He let go and turned away so quickly that she stumbled and nearly fell again.</p>
<p>Torchan strode to where his rough weapon still pinned the atarrh to the tree and wrapped his hand around the end of it.</p>
<p>“You are the first I have seen since I was small,” Torchan wrenched the shard out of the trunk and caught the atarrh’s remains as they fell. He remained facing the tree, a primitive weapon clenched in one fist, a dead snake dangling from the other. “Every other one like you is gone - destroyed by this place. This is home; I do not fear it- but it. Will. Kill. You. You must be careful until I can lead you out. I can’t… I won’t let there be any more deaths. Do you understand? Not one of you can die- your lives are too precious. You must not be hurt.”</p>
<p>Edana swallowed, at a loss. His emotion seemed genuine, if uncomfortably raw. It could be a trap, a clever show of vulnerability to earn her trust. It could be, if this uncivilized creature had the acting skills of a great storyteller. So, probably not.</p>
<p>Edana reached to her hip and grasped the long knife sheathed there. She pulled it free and held it up between herself and Torchan. He turned at the whisper of the blade leaving its sheathe.</p>
<p>“I have carried this with me always,” her voice was quiet, but not soft. “I have trained from the time that I was barely taller than the length of this blade to wield it against all foes, man or beast. This,“-she extended her staff-“and this, and these,“-brushing the hilt of her sword and fingering the coiled ropes around her arms-“these weapons I am well able to use against any enemy. I was wrong to be angry with you for helping me; it was kindly done, and I thank you, but it is no idle boast when I say that I can protect myself.”</p>
<p>Torchan glanced rapidly from weapon to weapon, his chin low and his eyes dark and unreadable.</p>
<p>“It is my duty and my joy to protect myself and my people from harm.” Edana said evenly. This was not a time for boasting. “I respect your fear and desire to help us, but you must also allow us the freedom to protect ourselves, or we will lose our strength. We will leave this place as soon as possible, and we would be grateful for your assistance in that, as we do not know the terrain.”</p>
<p>She was using the measured tones and cultivated speech of her station. She felt it suited the situation, putting space between her and the man of the jungle even as it calmed his emotion. It also made her deeply uncomfortable, as Torchan wrinkled his forehead and shifted his weight, frowning.</p>
<p>“Look,” she said with a heavy sigh, leaning back slightly and grimacing. “Formality aside; I’m not used to people helping me. I never need help. I’m strong enough and fast enough to take care of myself.”</p>
<p>Torchan let out a huff at that and raised an eyebrow. Edana hurried on over his scorn, “It’s not easy knowing how to act when your whole world changes, ok? I can’t trust anyone or anything right now. My senses, my intuition, my instinct, these help me to react accurately and appropriately to stay on top of every situation. Right now I can’t even trust myself. So I’m sorry for lashing out at you, but I can’t promise not to do it again.”</p>
<p>Torchan’s dark face slowly softened as Edana went on, growing thoughtful, then pained.</p>
<p>“I will help you to find your balance,” he said, reaching a hand out to her. “This place may be dangerous, but it is not as unnatural as it may seem. Come with me.”</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH14</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/03/07/FotC-CH15-Flight.html">Continue to Chapter 15: Flight</a></p>
Day 1702017-02-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/27/Day-170<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRC8JXOlSBn/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-28T06:54:00+00:00">Feb 27, 2017 at 10:54pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So every night I’m like; ok, so tomorrow I’ll just sit down and get right to work early and get in a crazy amount and totally rock this rewrite and finish early… and then it’s midafternoon and I finally force myself to get started…</p>
<p>lol. In other news, I think I’m a definite late-in-the-day/night-writer.</p>
<p>Finally got to work on pulling together and photographing my giveaways, though I’m not entirely happy with the results. Made some custom corner book marks b/c I was wasting way too much time surfing Etsy and trying to find some good ones that would ship in a reasonable amount of time and also match my themes. The results aren’t epic, but they’re not absolutely terrible, so I feel like that’s a win, and actually, the packages are better than I expected once I got them all together. Now I just have to finish pulling together my FB page, making custom graphics for it and my website, sort out some rules and get this show on the road.</p>
<p>Ugh, graphics. So that’s going to take forever and still be unsatisfying… So maybe I’ll just dive in and get my writing done first and keep procrastinating on that one…</p>
<p>I also need to do another spin through the plot and refine the updated plan so I can (hopefully) speed through the rewrites-to-date and adjust for what the ending necessitates. And I should really take the day off tomorrow and go in to Van to catch up with friends and see baby Jasper, but then I’d have to get my FotC serial chapter done today… and I should get on with booking flights and trip planning, so… Yeah, I think I’ll just write and pretend none of that other stuff is happening! :)</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So. Hard. To. Focus. Also, thanks a lot to the guy who posted giant Australian spiders to IG. I appreciate the reminder that I never want to go to Australia.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:15 & 8 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: spiced cinnamon hot cocoa & malbec</p>
Day 1692017-02-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/25/Day-169<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ-AYsLFOXa/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-26T08:54:50+00:00">Feb 26, 2017 at 12:54am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So yesterday actually went really well. Despite losing 3.5 hours on plot, I think it was worth it; I’m tightening things up, and really was able to get a better handle on the climax and how that ties things up. Unfortunately, I really need to backtrack and refine everything else now to support that ending, but at least now I have a clear(er) target to aim for. I seem to be bad at endings.</p>
<p>I also think I’ve still got too much of an ‘internal development’ thing going on with the plot and character arc. Character development is great, but without the external action, it gets too slow and literary-fiction-y, and as much as I kind of love doing things that way, its not what I love reading (at least, probably maybe not…? I like well plotted stuff as well as the weird…) and I’m pretty sure it’s not what people want to read. I’m having a terrible time seeing where to make those changes, though, without just losing what I’ve created/the value of what’s been done/the uniqueness etc. I’d hoped that hiring an editor would really give me that insight and perspective to shape it appropriately, but I’m frustrated with the process. Obviously I don’t have recent experience of what it’s like with a major publisher, but the arrangement I have just doesn’t seem close or allow for a great deal of back and forth. There’s no ‘getting-to-know-you’ process, and I’m not clear on my editor’s reading/familiarity in YA besides that she says she does it… I have a feeling we’re talking about different things a lot, but maybe I’m just being defensive about my work and not wanting to see what she tries to point out…</p>
<p>In any case, good things were done and I kept at it for 8+ hours between one thing and the other, which I think is record breaking for me, if we exclude research and marketing efforts. That also includes my serial chapter for Things Got Out of Hand, which I hammered out at the end of the night in no time flat, as if I were flying (or drunk, which I wasn’t). I basically hopped up and down in place for a while after it was done, so jazzed and energized. The tone, the plot, the banter, it just flowed. So in the zone. And no, I don’t want to think about how it took me like 7 hours to get there… but anyways, TGOoH is looking kinda supernatural rom-com at the moment, with bitchy antisocial sarcasm, so a bit like Sherlock (tv), now that I think of it, but less brilliant. Anyways, I’m feeling good about it, even though it’s kinda directionless and steering super far away, yet again, from where I wanted to take it. I may need to just face up to the fact that I can’t recapture, or more to the point, rewrite the story and feelings that I put into it as a teen. I’m just not in a place to do heartrendingly sweet romance. Plus, it was never a proper story, just a bit of a set-up. No tension. No issues. So I’d have to start from a different place, or use it as backstory or something to make that work (see, I’m learning! I may not be putting it into practice properly yet, but I’m learning!)</p>
<p>Which led into today’s marketing efforts. WAY too much time spent on IG again, and on browsing Etsy for bookish giveaway products. Thankfully or problematically, with everyone else out of the house, I could have Buffy the Vampire Slayer on in the background. Which contributed to me not actually doing any writing until 6 pm, but anyways… the good news is, I signed up my first person to my mailing list! Let’s all stop and admire that triumph for a moment… and then shake our heads at how long its taking me to actually get the rest of my book marketing rolling. Baby steps. It’s partly graphics; they take me forever, aren’t shameful, but aren’t stellar either, and hold me back from just getting stuff rolling. Maybe tomorrow… but! Posting my daily updates continues to connect with a trickle of fans impressed with the innovative form and the content itself, and TGOoH made an impression today as well as BtE, so if I can keep it together and find the time while financially keeping my head above water, I may be able to publish 3 books in the next 12-15 months! Which could get me to the place in my publishing career that I need to be to pull this off! Although, I probably don’t have a prayer of having enough funds to keep up that pace and will have to take a time-out to earn cash… Still, it’s a surprisingly hopeful place to be! Keep doing what I’m doing, and do it a little better, a little longer, and a little faster all the time, and I may make it! Assuming people don’t hate my books once they’re out. Or ignore them. Or…</p>
<p>Right, better get on with the writing before I talk myself into a slump, lol. Anyways, I’ve been treating Sundays as a ‘day of rest’ b/c commandments and gifts of God and creative renewal and general laziness and all that, but I also know a lot of writing advice really pushes the whole write every day thing, plus I am feeling that disconnect where I get my head into it, and then stop almost immediately, so marathon writing sessions might actually be good if I could pull them off. Anyways, I’m not going to try to write/rewrite BtE on Sundays, but I’m considering using them as marketing day (although that seems a little off - maybe more like creative (graphic) design day?) and also starting short story or micro fiction challenges, something short and different… I’m not sure if I can/should schedule myself every day with expectations, but I could really use some experience crafting complete story arcs, and I can’t do 2-3 a year, so I need to get into shorter fiction for practice. I can’t believe I just wrote that, but there it is. I think that’s the only way to really get a handle on the way I can’t plot endings, or, you know, plots. So there’s that. One more thing to work into the rotation. I’ve been impressed at how motivating targets are; I stress about them, which leads to procrastinating, but I also meet them; I haven’t missed a weekly serial release yet (there are 2), and that consistent 2-chapter thing in my daily updates on IG keeps me pushing longer than I otherwise would. What I’m not clear on is, do the additional targets take away from what I put into BtE, or do they exist in a separate place in my head and creative energy and stuff? It’s not like I work on BtE for ten hours a day or anything (not even close…) So yeah, thoughts and stuff to do…</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 7:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Hermannator Ice Bock</p>
TGOoH CH13 Rumpled Guy Dave2017-02-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/02/24/TGOoH-CH13-Rumpled-Guy-Dave<p>“No.”-huff-“Really.”-huff-“You go.”-gasp-“I’ll.”-huff-“Catchup.”</p>
<p>Henry pelted down the street, dragging me by one hand as I tried to keep my toes up and sort of bounced along the ground behind him. It wasn’t going so well.</p>
<p>“You know I can’t leave you behind,” he said, irritatingly comfortable.</p>
<p>Oh, come on. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. Disgusting. I was disgusted. You would have been too. I tried to think of some cutting remark to convey my disgust, but it was hard to think while also trying not to face plant at, like, 100 kph. Or whatever. Also, air in my lungs seemed like the more valuable investment right now.</p>
<p>Besides, it wouldn’t be long. I could hear the crashing and the screaming and whatnot pretty clearly. We had to be close.</p>
<p>We were. Henry skidded to a halt so fast that I swung around in a circle and crashed into his annoyingly-but-conveniently un-sweaty chest before I could stop my forward momentum. Which he really ought to have taken care of, since he was, you know, the one creating it.</p>
<p>“Oops,” he said, grinning like he was thinking the same thing, and wasn’t one bit sorry. “‘K, so you wait just there, behind that bush so it can’t see you, right? And don’t move. This shouldn’t take long. Lucky it was so close!”</p>
<p>“Yeah. So lucky.”</p>
<p>His eyebrows furrowed as he snapped out of whatever kinetic energy high he had going on long enough to focus on my face.</p>
<p>“You’ll be ok,” he said, reaching for my head as if he wanted to pat it.</p>
<p>Like a kid. Or a dog. He caught my expression and pulled back his hand real quick. Dogs bite.</p>
<p>“Just, seriously this time, April. Stay put. If you can’t do that, we should just turn around and go home now.”</p>
<p>His face crumpled a little at the thought. I couldn’t do that to him. Plus, the sounds coming from the other side of that bush? Even I couldn’t walk away from that kind of suffering.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I got it. <em>Go</em>.”</p>
<p>He beamed at me. “Be right back.”</p>
<p>Henry dashed off, producing that light-beam sword-thing that I’d seen him with before out of nowhere, which was pretty cool to watch. Cool enough that I kind of overshot his chosen April-hiding zone, and had to backtrack while trying to watch an epic Henry vs. nightmare-beast battle at the same time.</p>
<p>I needn’t have bothered; it was over in maybe 20 seconds. If that.</p>
<p>There was Henry, launching himself at the ripply bent-light looking mass that was a nightmare attack to anyone not in the midst of being eviscerated or crushed or otherwise terrorized to death.</p>
<p>Then there was Henry digging his blade into this great big whitish-grey-and-black mass that didn’t look much better defined than than the bent-light version, and some black spew fountaining up into the air and spattering all over the place.</p>
<p>And then there was Henry helping this rumpled, wild-eyed guy out of the muddy remains of the lawn.</p>
<p>“OK April, coast’s clear,” Henry called happily, trying to get his shoulder under the rumpled guy’s arm, but way too tall to make it work.</p>
<p>I strolled over like I had all the time in the word and was totally cool with nightmare attacks. I mean, they are a daily occurrence now. For me, at least. Did this make three? Or was it four now?</p>
<p>Up close, rumpled-guy was really white in the face - actually, make that grey, with a tinge of green. He looked to be on the wrong side of thirty, in a boring outdoorsy-athletics kind of jacket and pants that couldn’t decide if they belonged on the bed or in the gym.</p>
<p>“So, April,” Henry said, towing rumpled fashion-less guy along toward, and then past me so I had to trot to keep up. “There’s something I hadn’t really thought of that we need to discuss. You’re not going to like it.”</p>
<p>“That’s what I love to hear,” I say, fast, because I’ve only barely caught my breath from the last time we plowed down this stretch of sidewalk. “And maybe I can hear it when we get home? Which is not that far away, so maybe you could <em>slow down</em>?!”</p>
<p>“Hmm? Oh. Right.” Henry’s slowed down, taking exaggerated slow-motion steps while looking over his shoulder at me. “It’s kind of about that, actually.”</p>
<p>“What, your insane need to move at mach speed? I can tell you, it’s not doing your friend there any favours.”</p>
<p>I pushed past and looked back over my shoulder at Henry and his limp and rumpled acquisition.</p>
<p>“It’s about him too,” Henry frowned down at the rumpled guy. “Hey. What’s your name?”</p>
<p>“Mwaaa? Drrrh.” Rumpled Guy said, his head lolling as Henry hauled him along. He wasn’t doing as good a job of keeping his toes up as I had.</p>
<p>“We’ll call him Dave,” Henry cocked an eyebrow at me. “So April,”</p>
<p>“So Henry,” I said back immediately.</p>
<p>“Hnrrr,” said Rumpled Guy Dave.</p>
<p>Henry picked up Rumpled Guy Dave and hoisted him over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Where are you taking that guy anyways?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.</p>
<p>Rumpled Guy Dave didn’t look in any condition to be giving directions to his place. I felt pleased about how well I’d handled my own ordeal for a split second. Then I felt suspicious. Then I felt ill.</p>
<p>“About that,” Henry sped up to walk a little closer to me on the sidewalk. “Remember how I said the nightmares didn’t like you, you know, not dying? How you were marked?”</p>
<p>“No,” I said.</p>
<p>“So I hadn’t really thought about it, but now Dave here-”</p>
<p>“So much no,” I said, walking faster to get home and lock my door behind me.</p>
<p>“Is marked too. So the only way to keep him, and you, alive is-”</p>
<p>“Endless no,” I panted, jogging.</p>
<p>Henry’s hand landed on my shoulder. “To keep him with us.”</p>
<p>“Rumpled Guy Dave is <em>not</em> moving in.” I spun around and shook Henry’s hand off. He patted my head.</p>
<p>“You’ll get used to him,” he soothed. “After all, just look how well we’re getting along!”</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH13</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/03/03/TGOoH-CH14-Killer-paperwork.html">Continue to Chapter 14: Killer paperwork</a></p>
Day 1682017-02-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/24/Day-168<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ7SJLqFTz_/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-25T07:32:17+00:00">Feb 24, 2017 at 11:32pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Yay - first ‘real’ author comment! Unsurprisingly, it was on a glowing review, but still. Thanks for the interaction Kendare Blake! Made my day :) And seriously guys, go check out her work. Anna Dressed in Blood wowed me, the Goddess Wars were epic, and now with Three Dark Crowns? She’s like the James Patterson of YA, except with better writing, fantasy, character insight, complexity… ok, so they’re nothing alike, other than she’s the plotting queen. Mind. Blown. I can’t even-</p>
<p>So, let’s talk about plot. I kinda suck at it. Or maybe it’s characterization, specifically character motivation and arcs. I’m not doing it right. I’m having a great old time pushing forward, with more action and dark twistiness and all sorts of great stuff, but I cannot map a proper plan for the life of me! Yet again, I get partway through things and realize that Cole is meandering with only the flimsiest excuse for a goal, engaging in all sorts of musings and personality conflicts and trauma, but not actually, you know, doing anything. Specifically her time in Freedom, where she confused herself by thinking her visions are harassment by Cadence. It’s a repetitive cycle of her getting yanked out of trying to navigate a new world and get Ravel’s help, to learn all sorts of good stuff like empathy, love, longing, and worldbuilding factoids. So it’s pretty much an author-crutch that weighs down the forward momentum of the plot.</p>
<p>Well, crap. And I was having such fun with it, too… Thing is, do I want to write a self-indulgent bloated story that only the chosen worthies slog through, or do I want to take a shot at the big leagues and be able to face some of these ladies who are absolutely killing it out there?</p>
<p>Why does that feel like a trick question? K, here’s the plan. Stop. Write down a lean plot, synopsis style (yet again) based just on major action and Cole’s motivation. Focus on; what did Cole do and what did it change for her (consequences for actions) plus what did Cole want at the time and how was she prevented from getting it (forward momentum/dramatic tension).</p>
<p>And… go!</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair & couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1672017-02-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/23/Day-167<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ4dwloFuhW/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-24T05:16:04+00:00">Feb 23, 2017 at 9:16pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still avoiding lots of things that I probably shouldn’t be (lol?) - although I’ve come up with a better excuse for not making plans; my parents my be interviewing for jobs in the States and it would be better for me to be around to cat-sit. Also, I’m definitely not booking anything until the end of next month/editorial deadline b/c let’s face it, I’m gonna need the time to work on this draft anyways. Although I keep saying it takes just as long to recut/edit existing text as write new, I’m now at the point where I have to put that to the test, and if it doesn’t take any longer (which may not actually be accurate), it does take more out of me. I think I’m one of those writers that hates to write/loves to have written/needs to write, lol. Like, it does feel good when I’m in the zone (which doesn’t last long at all), and after, and when I think about doing it but really have no intention of actually doing it, but the worst part is sitting down and getting to it. And also starting doing it. And continuing while doing it. And having to stop and go to the bathroom when I’m in the middle of it. Writing, man. Such love-hateness. And I’m sore from, like, sitting all day trying to convince myself to write, but I don’t want to give up writing time to get out and, like, move. Like, whatever. (lol, I don’t know why that had to be said Valley-girl style, but it did.) I had coffee this morning. I think it’s doing something to my brain. Specifically the language-processing and coordination bits. And now, I think, I need to stop and IG instead of write, which is dumb but anyways…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; chair & couch</p>
<p>Drinking: GT w/ homemade/bathtub gin</p>
Day 1662017-02-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/22/Day-166<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ1nuB0ljAR/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-23T02:45:22+00:00">Feb 22, 2017 at 6:45pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still plugging along at a snail’s pace… well, that’s not entirely fair; I’m keeping up roughly 4 hours a day/3K-ish words/2 chapters, but it feels like slogging. Only got my Wattpad chapter out with 30min. to go yesterday. The idea of worrying about what comes next (travel/work, even marketing/sales) is overwhelming, so I’m just not dealing with it, which is going to bite me down the road, but I can’t bring myself to really care just now. Which makes things out to sound worse than they are; I’m continuing to be productive, moving towards a goal and wishing I were more successful already doesn’t help anything. So, back into the grind.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Still plugging; thanks for the encouraging comments, IG/bookstagram followers! It helps! Feeling a little depressed b/c my parents are looking at jobs in the states and I’d either have to take a FT job or make it absolutely huge with this book immediately to be able to be close to them… and also have to leave my new nephew and his family behind… lame. But also potentially cool, ‘cause they’re looking at the Oregon coast or New York area, and I like coastal foggy areas and cliffs, and NY is the heart of publishing so that’d be rad… Trying not to worry about the future and do the best I can now, but it’s hard not to freak out sometimes and just keep focusing!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10 am & 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; bed & couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Nettle Yerba Mate tea</p>
<p>Listening: Chris Cornell Higher Truth album</p>
FotC CH13 Nighttime fears2017-02-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/02/21/FotC-CH13-Nighttime-fears<p><em>Recap: A stranger, Torchan, materializes out of the jungle, warning of danger and offering to guide the Connarii away to the far edge of the jungle. Toryn decides to trust him. Camlin and Edana aren’t so sure. Edana is fascinated by the man that lives in the trees as comfortably as in a house, but also suspicious. She hopes to convince Camlin to stop agitating for a permanent settlement, but fails to persuade him of the dangers of the jungle. Aislynn affirms her concerns, indicating that it’s an early sign of ancient power returning to the people.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Edana stomped through the jungle, done with sisters and magical doings and mysteries in general. This was supposed to have been simple. She was supposed to finally have been getting what she’d always wanted – a chance to prove herself, to fight, to lead. But everything was going wrong. With no enemy to strike out at and dissension from within as Camlin divided the people’s loyalty, her dreams of glory were taking a real beating.</p>
<p>Edana blew out a breath, kicked a tree, and turned around, shoulders set. That was it. That was all the time she could afford to feel sorry for herself. Time to get back to work.</p>
<p>She made a mental note to take a turn scouting ahead tomorrow, despite her overwhelming response to the jungle being <em>ugh</em>. It would be good for the men, she thought, to see her leading the way, fearless and unflinching in the face of, well, general misery.</p>
<p>Not that Edana was about to go around admitting it, but she was completely creeped out by the dark, slimy-damp jungle, so unlike the bright forests and friendly streams of her lost home. She couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead even in the daytime, with all the vines and bushes in the way, and the heat made struggling through the growth a constant trial even at night. It smelled weird, too; rotting things and growing things and, now, hordes of sweating humans who hadn’t had a good wash in far too long.</p>
<p>Edana swatted aside yet another vine, skipped sideways around a rusted clump of metal half-grown over with slime and then had to backtrack around a clump of bushes with suspiciously bright, speckled fruit. She made a mental note to circulate a warning against sampling the local vegetation when she got back to camp; they had enough problems without poisoning themselves.</p>
<p>Then she proceeded to worry about the sentries that vanished their first night on the outskirts of the jungle. Maybe they’d gotten bored and lazy and sampled something toxic, wandered off in a stupor and got lost – or got dead. Or maybe something just up and ate them. Or maybe the enemy the stranger spoke of got them. Or maybe the stranger had a whole tribe of cat-loving tree-climbing brown-skinned killers waiting in the shadows.</p>
<p>It wasn’t in Edana’s nature to indulge in futile worrying, so it was just Torchan’s bad luck that he chose that moment to drop down from the branches in front of her. He landed quite a bit closer than she’d have been comfortable with under any circumstances, and given her train of thought and the late hour, he was lucky the she didn’t gut him.</p>
<p>Or perhaps it wasn’t luck. Edana finished at full extension; the tip of her dagger glittering in the vicinity of Torchan’s neck, hilt braced for extra thrust. Torchan’s neck, however, was suddenly a good four feet above its last observed location. He hung upside down from a vine, regarding Edana and her dagger mild interest.</p>
<p>“You are angry with Ashn. You argue over me. Why?” he asked, moving to crouch on a tree branch.</p>
<p>“What? You… Ash- you mean Aislynn? What are you talking about?” Edana skipped back a couple steps, unnerved by the suddenness of Torchan’s entrance and subsequent relocation. She lowered her dagger to a guard position designed for mounted attackers, shifting a little further from Torchan’s tree.</p>
<p>“Ashh-linnn,” Torchan repeated with exaggerated care, “You argued with her, ran into the jungle. You should not wander alone. You do not understand.”</p>
<p>“What don’t I understand? I can take care of myself perfectly well.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know the jungle. You don’t know… me.” Torchan rolled forward off of his branch, landing in an easy crouch.</p>
<p>“I know you could use a pair of trousers,” Edana shot back to cover the squelch of her feet as she edged back. It was proving a challenge to keep a close eye on his movements without getting an eyeful. Edana put on her captain of the guard face and toughed it out.</p>
<p>She adjusted the angle of her dagger to Torchan’s new position and wondered if she dared reach for the sword strapped to her back. He took in her stance with narrowed eyes, then tilted his head and gave his shoulder a casual lick, almost but not quite looking away in the process. Then he stretched, both hands kneading the earth in front of him, the long muscles of his back shifting as he rolled his shoulders, looking like a great naked housecat. Then he lounged, there among the underbrush, forcing Edana to adjust her stance yet again as he settled himself comfortably. She flushed hot with anger at his casual dismissal and reached for her sword. A rumbled warning from the shadows above froze her in place.</p>
<p>“Voc,” Torchan spat, rumbling in return, and the thing hidden in the tree silenced itself.</p>
<p>Edana held her breath. One or more of Torchan’s catlike companions, no doubt. Now she knew they were there, she might – might! – be able to fend off an attack from above. But against one or both of the beasts and the man himself?</p>
<p>She eyed Torchan, lounging at the foot of a tree as if he’d forgotten she were there. He yawned hugely. Corded muscle stood out on his neck. He wasn’t some barely-trained almost-warrior, overconfident and easy to trip up. Edana’s heart sped at the thought of fighting him, fierce anticipation speeding her breath. It would be a real challenge, to overcome not only such size and apparent strength, but to meet his unschooled and beastlike movements, fluid and unpredictable.</p>
<p>Torchan seemed to catch something of Edana’s excitement, raising himself up on his elbow, alert, to watch her. She let the thrill fade, reluctantly. It was neither the time nor the place for such a match, not if she could help it. It wouldn’t be fair to indulge and leave her family, her people, wondering what had happened to her. Though, she didn’t feel bloodlust from Torchan or his beasts – and it was no foregone conclusion that she’d lose the match.</p>
<p>Edana met Torchan’s eyes, then sheathed her dagger, holding both hands up to show she held no weapon.</p>
<p>“Fine. I was about to head back anyways.”</p>
<p>Torchan made a sound of approval, a sort of rumbling hum. “You are not afraid?”</p>
<p>Edana held his gaze as she backed away. “I have better things to do than play games with you, stranger.”</p>
<p>“You think I am dangerous,” Torchan rolled to one knee in an easy crouch, showing teeth in an ambiguous expression that Edana thought could indicate amusement or impending violence. There was a tree at her back, and she moved to put it partly between her and Torchan, reasoning that she could use the solid barrier in the event of an attack. Not that she thought one was likely, but it paid to be prepared.</p>
<p>“That I will betray you,” Torchan continued, rising easily to his feet. Edana slid further behind the tree as he continued, “that I put no value on a man’s life.”</p>
<p>He bounded forward and Edana braced herself, sliding into a <em>ready</em> stance, a dagger in hand as quick as thought. He was quicker, one hand pinning hers to the tree, her long knife scraping moss from its bark, the other catching her wrist and pulling. The tree was too close to try a kick, and though she pulled and twisted, his grip was unbreakable.</p>
<p>Torchan turned Edana’s free hand palm-up and examined it, leaning down to peer at it in the dark, putting his neck too close to her. She considered going in for a bite; she probably couldn’t kill, or even incapacitate him, from this angle, but he might let go in surprise.</p>
<p>From so near, she could tell he smelled different than the jungle; clean and wild like some large animal, and raw and green and alive. His hair was long and knotted in heavy ropes that swung around his shoulders, showing grimy skin at the nape of his neck. Silver-white scars twined through the deep treelike tan of it, vanishing under his hairline and curving down over his shoulders.</p>
<p>He looked up quite suddenly, so that Edana had to jerk her head back or risk colliding with his face. He was too close, close enough that she could see the thin tracery of scars over his high cheekbones, the narrow gold ring around his wide pupils. His breath on her face was another shade hotter than the warmth of the jungle at night.</p>
<p>“You fear that I kill without a thought,” Torchan whispered, and Edana held her breath, fearing something she couldn’t name. “You are wrong.”</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH13</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/02/27/FotC-CH14-Finding-your-balance.html">Continue to Chapter 14: Finding your balance</a></p>
Day 1652017-02-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/21/Day-165<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQzHBBzlUq2/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-22T03:21:08+00:00">Feb 21, 2017 at 7:21pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Good news; cheap flights show up later in the day. Bad news; I’m still not motivated to make a call and get a plan in place. Hoping to be at the 50% mark or past in the draft by the end of the week… which actually isn’t great, in that it’s nearly the end of the month and I’d hoped to be done by now. It’s still super speed compared to how long I took on the first draft, but if I work on the draft right up to my April deadline, I only have a month (or slightly less, really) to travel, make money, market etc. until the next push. Which is not a lot of time for all that needs to happen during it. Particularly the part where I have to make about five months worth of money in one while also traveling and being marginally more active b/c I seriously cannot sit still for entire days for months on end…</p>
<p>So yeah, just kinda super unmotivated at the moment… not really pressing onward with the marketing stuff, and slogging along with the writing, making progress but feeling emo about it. Blech.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>lol focus, just wasn’t happening this morning. Which sucks, ‘cause the sun came out and it’s been too many days since I was outdoors, plus I’ve got a serial chapter to push out today too, but… yeah. Choices.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am & 3 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; bed & couch</p>
<p>Drinking: G&T w/ homemade bathtub gin</p>
Day 1642017-02-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/20/Day-164<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQwg9JolcN3/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-21T03:10:04+00:00">Feb 20, 2017 at 7:10pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Unsurprisingly, didn’t get much of anything done over the weekend - slept for half of yesterday with a headache of all things, which is what I get for slowing down on the allergy meds. I’m past due to get on with the travel planning, as flights really only have great prices about 3 months in advance, but I can get so one-track-mind with things. It’s hard to care about travel and making plans for the future (most of which involves me tracking down more work!) when I’ve got a book not quite half-rewritten and a new baby to bond with and a bunch of friends to catch up with as well… And as soon as I start caring about travel stuff, it’s near impossible to get on with the writing. Ugh, balance! And foggy hayfever-head helps none of it at all! But here we go again; sitting down to work and trying to let the rest of it go for a few more hours…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
TGOoH CH12 Adulting involves boundaries2017-02-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/02/17/TGOhH-CH12-Adulting-involves-boundaries<p>“So.” I dropped down on to the couch and looked at everything except him. Mostly, that meant a wood floor that was past due for a vacuum and a plant that had been over or under watered - I never could remember how that worked - and was dissolving into brown-black ooze. “Now what? How does this work? What does this look like? What happens next?”</p>
<p>He was quiet, too quiet, so I darted a glance up, and then another after I saw his face. He was full-on beaming, like teeth and shining eyes squished up under his cheeks and everything. He didn’t even try to tone it down when he caught me looking, just kind of bobbed his head, nodding.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, ok. All right! Good. Great. Good.”</p>
<p>He nodded some more. I could feel my eyebrow heading for the ceiling. He was a little too pleased, too relieved. It felt gross - just, embarrassing, or something. I didn’t like it.</p>
<p>I got up again and stalked off to the kitchen, clattering around purposefully with cutlery and things. Honestly, it was just an excuse to turn my back on him and get some distance. My heart was beating like I’d just been running from a nightmare, and the edges of my mouth were tight where I had pinned them in place.</p>
<p>“So here’s what I think,” I said, clattering some more, checking every couple minutes to see if Henry had calmed down again yet. He hadn’t. “I think we both need to know what to expect and be prepared. And boundaries. We need some boundaries.”</p>
<p>I liked the sound of that. It sounded in control and take charge and purposeful.</p>
<p>“What kind of boundaries?” Henry said.</p>
<p>I jumped. His voice was too close; he’d snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking.</p>
<p>“Shirts,” I blurted, jamming my hip on the side of the counter as I backed away, “shirt-wearing is a good boundary. Actually, clothes-wearing in general is an absolute must. I’m really going to have to insist on continuous covering of skin in general.”</p>
<p>“My shirt doesn’t really cover anything anymore,” Henry pointed out quite reasonably, though his grin hadn’t dimmed down as much as I needed it too.</p>
<p>“Also space,” I slid along the counter until I bumped into the stove behind me. “Like, my space is different than your space. You sleep out here on the couch until we can track down a bed for you and- and observe a minimum distance of four feet of space between us at all times.”</p>
<p>Henry frowned at that. “I’m not sure these boundaries of yours are conducive to your ongoing safety. I was thinking we could have more of a flexible arrangement where I do whatever I need to to keep you safe, and you stick close and make that easier on both of us.”</p>
<p>“Boundaries,” I snapped back, undeterred, “will be observed in all non-lethal environments.”</p>
<p>His mouth quirked up a little again, apparently amused. I nearly growl at him in frustration.</p>
<p>“Fine, what is it that you think should happen? I’m just trying to get us set up to succeed here.”</p>
<p>He backed off a couple steps, hands held up in mock surrender. “OK, April, you got it. Space.”</p>
<p>I snorted. “That’s only three feet.”</p>
<p>He backed off a little further, clearly amused. I noted that this afternoon’s wound seemed to have shrunk again, and yesterday’s cuts and abrasions had somehow shrunk to the point where they could hide under the sad string of bandaid chains.</p>
<p>“I don’t really need any help to succeed,” he said, running a hand through his hair so a fine patter of dirt sprinkled the floor. He looked at it guiltily, then back up to me. “-I’ll clean that up later. Um. Yeah, I really just need you to stick close and I can take care of the rest.”</p>
<p>“Seriously? That’s it? Typical for a guy; no foresight. No planning.” I wasn’t impressed with his show of bravado. Diving into fights unprepared didn’t seem to have been working for him as well as he thought. “How about this? We sort out some, you know, clothes for you to wear.”</p>
<p>I tapped a finger on the counter, thinking. “…and maybe some sort of go bag, like gear you can just grab on your way out the door. You know: weapons, first aid kit, snacks or a juice box…”</p>
<p>He laughed.</p>
<p>“…for shock, smartass-“ I said, eyeing him disapprovingly. He pressed his lips together tight, hiding a smirk. “-you don’t really get much warning when there’s an attack, right? So we should prepare ahead. How do you know, by the way? You do that weird thing where you freeze, right? Is that-“</p>
<p>At first I thought he was teasing me, or just illustrating my point with a clumsy attempt at humour.</p>
<p>“Right, that… Hey! Hey, earth to Henry!” I waved a hand in front of his vacant eyes, then gave him a smack on the arm, then shoved his chest. He didn’t move, didn’t blink. His pupils didn’t even respond when I got in his light and stared at him up close. I pressed two fingers under his jaw, feeling awkward about violating my own oh-so-recently established boundaries and felt his pulse; freakishly slow but steady. His chest didn’t rise; he wasn’t breathing.</p>
<p>“Oh, crap. Is this like…?”</p>
<p>Then, all of a sudden, his pupil constricted as he focused on me, and shivering back to life with a steady, strong inhale.</p>
<p>“We’ve got to move,” he said, reaching for my arm.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH12</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/02/24/TGOoH-CH13-Rumpled-Guy-Dave.html">Continue to Chapter 13: Rumpled Guy Dave</a></p>
Day 1632017-02-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/17/Day-163<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQoyvRclaah/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-18T03:11:32+00:00">Feb 17, 2017 at 7:11pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Just a lot going on around me which is not helping with the concentration and productivity. I’m actually pretty impressed with how much I’ve been able to push forward in the midst of the whirlwind! Set up with a house/pet-sitting network and applied to a place in the Cornwall region to cat-sit for like two months this summer, which could be awesome. Looked at some Help-x places too, but most want too much work for what’s being offered. Probably won’t produce tomorrow, as we have baby visit scheduled, but I think I’ll take the computer in case it’s quiet and a good opportunity (hah! as if, lol)</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 4:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1622017-02-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/16/Day-162<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQmNxs4FN-w/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-17T03:10:04+00:00">Feb 16, 2017 at 7:10pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Progress; despite struggling to just sit down and work, dammit, I’m pushing forward again with the draft. Getting closer and closer to the point that I run out of content to recycle, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the word count seems to run about the same regardless of whether it’s fresh or edited. Still not totally happy with Ravel’s treatment; I think he needs to be more sympathetic and appealing, but Cole and Cadence’s reactions to him are so wary early on that it tips the hand against him. Recycling content is a little bit dangerous in that I slip into the flow of things and it’s hard to break it up and insert the meaningful changes that inform the plot direction and fresh characterization since the original draft, but sometimes I’m so in love with my own words that it seems a real shame to just let them wither in obscurity (lol).</p>
<p>I think this early middle section (life in Freedom) is running the risk of being too low on Cole’s motivation and too high on world building, which may feel slow and unexciting to readers despite the inherent interest in the new setting and situation, so that’s something to circle back to and enhance. Gonna try to keep pushing forward on the same basis; review/refresh/edit last two chapters or so, then push forward two (or more? #goals…) chapters.</p>
<p>Baby visitation over the weekend, so my actual work days are getting squeezed somewhat - all the more reason to buckle down and produce while I can! It’s bizarre to feel like I should be holding a baby, when it’s so new and totally unnecessary; there are other people to do that, after all, but it does feel like, I don’t know, like my arms are empty a lot or something. Which is hilarious, ‘cause I’ve held him for maybe total 20 minutes in his life, lol. It’s pretty cool to see family and stuff in action though; just the reality that something, someone can be so intrinsically precious without doing or being anything of their own volition. So yeah. Stuff n things…</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Man, it’s almost kind of pointless trying to get started in the morning; so many interruptions! And I just hit 1K followers on my bookstagram/IG account, so then I did a follow train and asked about giveaway preferences to gear up for the first one, so then I’ve been busy with that for like an hour setting it up and responding etc. So yeah, slow progress on the writing; slightly better on the marketing side! Must remember to ask questions in posts and interact more in future; great to have the feedback and I think it really builds more of a connection too! Market research, lol. Anyways, back at it!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:30 am & 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
Day 1612017-02-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/15/Day-161<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQjjau0gO4o/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Kaie | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-16T02:21:27+00:00">Feb 15, 2017 at 6:21pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So baby made it and all is well and it’s been super distracting even though I really haven’t actually needed to do much of anything, lol. It’s pretty amazing to experience newborns up close and personal; it’s like they’re an idea, a concept, a cartoon, and then you’re just blown over by how much detail, how much realness they have. Like, fingernails. Fingers in general. They’re amazing! How is it possible for them to come in that size? And it breathes and moves on its own. Shocking.</p>
<p>Lol. So yeah, it’s been cool and crazy and overwhelming and underwhelming and everything at once and I’ve been trying to figure out where I fit in all of it. I’m a little stressed about writing and now having a child in the family. It’s one thing to get past your image and impact on other adults, but wondering how my words could impact a child (who knows me!) is another thing entirely. It’s making me do some soul-searching over my depiction of male characters and my handling of ethnicity for sure. But on the other hand, despite whatever pretensions to culture and maturity I might have, it is teen/YA fantasy romancy stuff, and that comes with a whole set of norms…</p>
<p>At this stage, I think I need to press forward and try not to get too caught up in reworking things - especially in indie publishing, though it probably stands true for traditional publishing as well, the need to continue publishing new material has to impact how much you polish each piece. On the other hand… yeah, quality is not a small issue.</p>
<p>In sum, feeling kinda stuck and unmotivated, while at the same time feeling more pressure than ever to succeed. So there’s that. And it’s rainy and grey out, which is actually great writing weather, but doesn’t help me feel driven and like getting on with things. Think I’m gonna pour a glass of wine and try to hunker down and produce for a bit, and then worry about whatever else afterwards!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
FotC CH12 Secrets and truths in the night2017-02-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/02/14/FotC-CH12-Secrets-and-truths-in-the-night<p><em>Recap: A stranger, Torchan, materializes out of the jungle, warning of danger and offering to guide the Connarii away to the far edge of the jungle. Toryn decides to trust him. Camlin and Edana aren’t so sure. Edana asks Camlin to stop agitating for a permanent settlement and trying to win people over to his side. Camlin waves away her concerns and rebuffs his younger brother’s cry for attention.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Mostly, Edana just thought he looked strange. What kind of man sleeps in a tree? She stared up at Torchan, his dark skin blending into the reddish bark and shadows under the canopy. She thought she wouldn’t be able to move in the morning, if she spent the night all twisted around like that. Then she thought of the way Aislynn slept, all curled around herself like a cat, and smirked.</p>
<p>Probably, she should stop staring at the stranger as he slept. Her cheeks flushed at the thought, but the leaves and the way he curled around the branch covered enough that it wasn’t entirely indecent for her to be looking. And the stranger didn’t seem to care either way.</p>
<p><em>How different his life must be,</em> she thought. <em>What a strange life he must have, spending all his time in trees, with a pair of cats for company. I wonder if it gets lonely… Oh, but there’s probably more like him, hiding. A whole village of half-naked, brown people living in the trees. I bet they just sent him to get rid of us. I can’t believe father wouldn’t allow a doubled watch. I don’t know how he can be so trusting. I bet those cats are just pretending to be asleep. I-</em></p>
<p>“It’s not polite to stare, you know.”</p>
<p>“’Lynnie!” Edana shifted, startled. “I’m not <em>staring</em>. I’m keeping watch. Just because father and you are too trusting doesn’t mean that everyone else should just sit idly by and ignore the danger.”</p>
<p>“What danger? Torchan assured us the Cyrch are days away from here, and he said that there’s no danger from the jungle tonight.”</p>
<p>“How can you be so naive, so trusting? We know nothing about this stranger. He might not even be human. Who made him? Who’s is he? Not Connar’s, that’s for sure. Is he one of Danu’s? Look at him - he’s just so different.”</p>
<p>Aislynn’s feathers rustled as she shifted. It took her a moment to reply, and when she spoke, Edana wasn’t sure if it was with a druid’s confidence, or a thirteen-year-old’s. ‘Lynnie could be so <em>absolute</em> sometimes, so sure and so in love with her magical version of reality.</p>
<p>“He’s not, you know,” Aislynn said, nodding to herself in a way that made Edana roll her eyes, “-not in the way that you think. I saw into his <em>mind</em>, ‘Dana. I’m not really sure how, but I understood him. His body may be different than ours, but his mind, his… heart is the same. He’s not lying to us. He won’t hurt us.”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about? You’re mad. Completely insane. Since when have you been able to read minds? Look, I know this is a hard time, but you have to keep a grip on reality. This is no time to be making up stories. Besides, you’re too old for that.”</p>
<p>Edana felt it was her big sisterly duty to keep ‘Lynnie from getting a big head. Bickering came with the added benefit of helping her feel more firmly grounded to the soil – even if it was alien jungle mud and not good rich earth. She felt, more than ever, that she needed to hold on to something real. Like, tangible real, not whatever transcendent real that Aislynn seemed to be tapping in to these days.</p>
<p>“I’m not making up stories.” Aislynn’s words turned petulant, but when she turned her wide, luminescent eyes on her sister, Edana shivered to see the <em>other</em> looking out of them. “You’re the one who’s ignoring what is true. You <em>know</em> I’ve always understood more. You yourself sometimes understand more than the others.”</p>
<p>Edana made a sound of protest, beyond creeped out, but Aislynn carried on over top of her: “I’ve seen the way you look at this jungle. I’ve heard you talking to Camlin. You feel the wrongness of this place. That is the seed of true knowing, the soul of Connar that whispers to you. I feel it too, but I see more clearly.”</p>
<p>Edana snorted, more to keep up the appearance of elder-sister superiority than anything else.</p>
<p>“No, <em>listen</em>.” Aislynn insisted, her voice getting more remote by the second, her posture eerily still in the dim, flickering light. The stirring of her feathered cloak was the rustling of the leaves, the secret voices of the wind as it moved, the pattering endless water that moved throughout the jungle instead of in streams and rivers and lakes and seas where it belonged.</p>
<p>Edana swallowed, wanting to move away and entirely incapable of motion as Aislynn spoke with the voice of another: “The Connarii were already a declining race; we’ve been dwindling and weakening for generations. You never listened to the Elders. Their stories were not just fiction to fill the evening hours. They were the history of our tribe, of the world. The magic in the old tales, it is not a lie. We have grown weak, since those days, but we are still Connarii. Everything that the heroes of old did, that the sages knew, we can also do and know. I can see what the others cannot. You too have abilities and knowledge locked within you, waiting to be called forth. All of us have the potential to regain what we have lost in the passing of centuries.”</p>
<p>“What-”</p>
<p>“It is a gift, Edana, a gift and not a curse that has been laid upon us. We are free from the thickening air of the old world, from the crushing presence of the younger peoples and tribes, the poisoning that Danu’s tribe brought. The magic is being freed now to run strong and unchecked in us. We <em>will</em> find our way into the Bright Lands. What’s more, I believe that there we will find others like us. Some of the stories…”</p>
<p>The spell was broken. The light in Aislynn’s eyes had dimmed, and the frost in Edana’s veins had melted, her voice finding it’s way out as she shifted back a few steps from the figure that was becoming her sister again. Edana shook off the moment along with Aislynn: “No more of your stories. No more tales, legends, or myths. Take your bards and leave me alone. I don’t want to hear any more of your babblings. I’m going to check the perimeter.”</p>
<p>She pushed past her sister and vanished into the bushes. Aislynn sighed, and made her way back to her father. High above her head, stretched along a thick branch, one of the catlike creatures twitched his tails, and rumbled a sub-harmonic alert to Torchan, who opened his eyes and gazed off after the retreating girls.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH12</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/02/21/FotC-CH13-Nighttime-fears.html">Continue to Chapter 13: Nighttime fears</a></p>
TGOoH CH11 So not feminist2017-02-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/02/10/TGOoH-CH11-So-not-feminist<p>It wasn’t an argument. Henry was very clear about that, and wanted me to be too. It was a discussion, he said.</p>
<p>He was right, it wasn’t an argument; he did most of the talking. Which made it more of a monologue and less of a discussion, but it kinda worked.</p>
<p>“I don’t want you to be afraid,” he said, and, “I want you to be comfortable with me,” and, “we need to make this work,” and, “you can’t keep running away all the time.”</p>
<p>I sat on the couch and listened and looked at my hands. I rubbed my thumb over a scratch on my knuckles until it bled and said nothing, until he reached out and took my hand away and held it still.</p>
<p>“You’re going to be ok, April,” he said.</p>
<p>I shook my head. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”</p>
<p>Then he sat still and kept his hands to himself while I talked.</p>
<p>“I’ll never be comfortable with you,” I said, and, “I don’t want you to be hurt again,” and, “I’m going to try to make this work,” and, “I need you to be patient with me,” and, “I need you to be ok with this.”</p>
<p>He nodded and did those eyes at me, the ones with the dark, wide-blown pupils under knotted brows that make me lose my train of thought, and blinked those long lashes and said he could do that.</p>
<p>And then I kept talking.</p>
<p>“Here’s the thing,” I said, rubbing my hands over and under and over each other until red streaked both sides and Henry bit his lip, nearly vibrating with the desire to reach out and stop me and trying so hard not to, to listen like I’d asked him to.</p>
<p>“I don’t like people. It’s not about you. But I’m going to work on it. And I’m going to let you stay here. And you’re going to do what you need to. That means you go fight when you have to, and I’ll try to let you. You run away when you need to, and you don’t ever come back to me all torn up like this again. And I’ll try not to push you away and to let you stop things before they get out of hand again.”</p>
<p>I said it all very reasonably, and it came out even and strong and only a bit shaky when I got to <em>things</em>. I refused to say <em>monsters</em>, not out loud. I refused to say <em>nightmares</em>.</p>
<p>And Henry furrowed his brows and watched me and didn’t say anything for the longest time. I looked at my hands and drew a wavy pattern through the blood, avoiding the sting of open cuts. Then I went and rinsed them under water in the sink and stood there, letting them drip, and refused to look up again.</p>
<p>“So,” he said, “it’s ok for me to sleep on the couch?”</p>
<p>I nearly choked, darting a glance up to seem him laughing at me. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, it’s ok.”</p>
<p>“Cool. Um,” he paused, stood halfway up, then sat down again, “there’s a bit more ground we need to cover.”</p>
<p>“Hang on, I need to change the wash.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ll help-“ he stood up.</p>
<p>“Sit down.” -he sat down- “Speak.”</p>
<p>I inspected the wash while he spoke, sorting it into clean and needs more bleach.</p>
<p>“I kind of need to keep fighting,” Henry said, as I chucked clean laundry into the dryer. “And I definitely need to stick close to you. Like, line-of-sight close.”</p>
<p>He paused meaningfully. I slammed the dryer door and reached for the bleach.</p>
<p>“So…” he said. I poured bleach and started the wash and closed the laundry closet door. Then I stood with my hands braced against it and thought about what he was trying to say.</p>
<p>“You need me to go with you,” I said, flatly. I didn’t turn around to see if it was the correct answer. The sinking feeling in the region of my stomach was positive it was.</p>
<p>“I know it’s not ideal,” Henry started, then stopped, then tried again, “it’s a lot of people time for you, I know. But I’m not leaving you alone to die. And I’d really rather not leave anyone else alone to die either. Which means I need you to stick by me at all times.”</p>
<p>He watched me as I made my way around the table, sat down on the couch again and glared up at him. Then I stood, so I could glare down at him. It worked better that way.</p>
<p>“And how exactly does that fit into my life? I have a job,” I said, ignoring the fact that, with a good number of my coworkers in pieces outside the office, I might, in point of fact, no longer have had a job. “I have places to be. Do you realize what you’re asking?”</p>
<p>Henry seemed less bothered by having to look up at me than I’d hoped for. To be fair, it wasn’t very far up, although he was seated and I was standing. I tried to loom. It just didn’t go very well… but it did made me feel a little better.</p>
<p>“I need you to be with me every moment of the day,” Henry said quietly. He was very still. “I need you to follow me around and give up your life to help me with mine. I need you to sacrifice the way you want to live to help me save the lives of others. I need you to give up what you want for me and for other people, and I know you don’t want to, but I’m asking anyways.”</p>
<p>With him looking up at me like that, the words felt uncomfortably like a proposal, and I had to shake off the creeping heavy feeling that caused. <em>So</em> not feminist, the whole situation. I knew he didn’t mean it like <em>that</em>, knew that none of it was really even about me. I just happened to be the one stuck with him now. It didn’t make it any easier to shake the feeling that my answer would be the sort of lifetime, heart-felt commitment that generally came with a ring attached. I took a deep breath and made my peace with it.</p>
<p>“OK,” I said.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH11</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/02/17/TGOhH-CH12-Adulting-involves-boundaries.html">Continue to Chapter 12: Adulting involves boundaries</a></p>
Day 1602017-02-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/10/Day-160<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQW9PONATmi/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress! #blindtheeyes</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-11T04:56:57+00:00">Feb 10, 2017 at 8:56pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>More recycling content yesterday, which is nice because there’s some plot and characterization stuff coming up that definitely didn’t show up in the earlier drafts. I’m still conflicted over Ravel’s characterization; I’m not sure I’m getting him right. It’s all from Cole’s perspective, after all, which adds to the complexity, but at this early stage at the very least, he should be more appealing, despite the way that Cole finds him scary. Which is hard to communicate, like how do you write charisma from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really buy into it? The weight of world-building heading into the second act is huge as well, so it’s not fast going even when I can recycle large chunks of text. I think I need to circle back again today and look at Cole’s obsession with death. I have a feeling I’ve focused too much on the corporeal, when it’s important to communicate that what she’s really drawn to is the internal, the emotive sensation and curiosity about others that she can’t openly indulge in. So that’ll be interesting and time consuming. And, oh yeah, a fresh chapter of TGOoH is due today, which needs to both explain some stuff and move the action and character development/relationships forward. So, yay Fridays, lol.</p>
<p>I’m feeling more motivated again, though, after great feedback and interaction on IG/bookstagram! So exciting and hopeful to see people respond positively to my work! I should probably sit down and carve out some time soon to revisit my marketing plan and plot out what to do when - I have a feeling it’s past time to get Facebook launched, and putting some more focus into Twitter and Wattpad couldn’t hurt either. Goodreads is nearing 200 followers, which I feel like is pretty solid, and I could take another look at putting a page up for the book as soon as I sort out graphics and update the synopsis. Which is a crazy word, now that I look at it… and that’s my cue to get back to work!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Spending the first of four hours on editing/revision of the last two+ chapters, then the rest of the time on an additional two seems to be a workable pattern (that eats up most of the day). Diving into Freedom and worldbuilding, plot development and angsty goodness!</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s pretty much as slow working with existing text as writing fresh, but I’m impressed with how much more meaning I can pack into a scene with a plan in place! Making my bookmap was painful, and it’s probably still a little too vague, but I definitely appreciate having it at this point.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am, 1 & 3:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire black tea with spices & milk</p>
Day 1592017-02-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/09/Day-159<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQUceMFgCc8/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress! </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-10T05:32:09+00:00">Feb 9, 2017 at 9:32pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Pretty cool that I was able to recycle almost two whole chapters from the last draft in yesterday’s rewrites, but apparently editing and rewriting existing text to work takes about as much time as creating new text, so it’s not like I’m really further ahead. I must be 25-30% through the book, if I’m actually on track with the book map, which is pretty pro for just over a week’s worth of work, but I’m suspicious of that estimate for various reasons… I think the middle/early Act 2 sequence of scenes and chapters may eat up a more-than-fair percentage of the wordcount because worldbuilding (though I could be wrong and there’s definitely some recycling opportunities there). Also, there’s a baby coming in a couple days, which may or may not change everything. So I haven’t made any travel plans, despite time racing on, and I haven’t really invested anything in the world outside of writing and reading and book-marketing. Haven’t gone to see my brother and pregnant sister-in-law. Haven’t met up with all my friends (and beta readers!) Haven’t even gone out for drinks and music or exercise or shopping or anything, hardly. Haven’t tracked down some freelance work because money. Which is actually pretty cool, in that I’ve been able to be so focused and productive, but I do feel guilty about just checking out of the world in order to do so.</p>
<p>However, the response to my ‘rewrites progress’ bookstagram yesterday was super amazing! Overall ‘likes’ are up across the board, and yesterday’s chapter 7 quote started some really encouraging comment discussions and faster, higher volume likes than any previously. I’d been worried about how little impact my organic marketing efforts and time investment in IG has had, so it’s like the light at the end of the tunnel to get encouragement like that. Maybe someone will read my book and enjoy it! Maybe I have a shot at recovering the costs that went into making it better! Maybe I’ll even make enough money to survive and write more in the future! Trying not to get ahead of myself, lol, but yay!</p>
<p>Part 2
Sooo hard to focus, and working with existing text definitely has its own challenges. Keep wanting to do other stuff and having to force myself to get back into it! Posting the daily progress is great in that sense, since I don’t want to admit to completing less than 2 chapters and 2-3K words on a weekday, so that’s a plus…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:45 am & 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire black tea with spices & milk, Malbec</p>
Day 1582017-02-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/08/Day-158<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRwarGA7aU/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-09T04:28:43+00:00">Feb 8, 2017 at 8:28pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still kinda tough slogging. Characterization is hard! I have ideas of what I want to communicate for characters like Ravel, Serovate, Haynfyv, but it doesn’t seem to flow that way. And Cole and Cadence in this draft are so distinct from the last draft’s Cole and Cadence that it’s hard to keep tone straight. Finding the balance between simply moving forward and having some standards is brutal. Or something. Onward.</p>
<p>Actually, what I wrote yesterday makes more sense than I was afraid it didn’t. Which, as a sentence really doesn’t work, but is true. Trying to do some major recycling of content for the next bit, as we’re getting into stage 1 of Cole’s adventures in proactivity, so it’ll be more like a deep edit than straight writing if all goes well. If all doesn’t… well, let’s leave it at that.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am & 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Old Abbey Ales Scottish Monk & Malbec</p>
FotC CH11 Brotherly advice2017-02-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/02/07/FotC-CH11-Brotherly-advice<p><em>Recap: A strange young man called Torchan materializes out of the jungle, warning of danger and offering to guide the Connarii away to the far edge of the jungle. Toryn decides to trust him. Camlin and Edana aren’t so sure.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“Doesn’t waste any time, does he?” Camlin sidled up to Edana as she surveyed the afternoon’s marching formation. The tribe had just resumed their weary journeying after a disappointingly brief midday rest. The stranger Torchan had been racing ahead of the Connarii all morning, gracefully dodging through the treetops while the villagers struggled in the dense undergrowth. The foliage masked his shameless state of undress, a fact for which both Edana and Camlin were greatful, though judging by the twittering of some of the younger, and not so young, female element, not everyone shared their reserve.</p>
<p>“Why are you complaining?” Edana narrowed her eyes and turned her shoulder to Camlin, pointedly. “The sooner this Torchan gets us out of this jungle, the sooner we can get around to finding our new home.”</p>
<p>“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”</p>
<p>“Don’t start, Camlin. I know what you’re going to say. It’s the same every time you open your mouth. Let’s just get out of here. I have no wish to stay and build a home in this steaming garbage heap.”
Edana shifted uneasily, reaching to scratch at the raw marks where too many days’ march in the sticky humidity and stiffened battle-ready garb had conspired to wear weeping sores into her skin. She stopped herself with a visible show of effort, and Camlin realized it was probably for his benefit. Always trying to act tough. He shook his head.</p>
<p>“Edana, really.” Camlin scratched carelessly at a raw strip where his vest rubbed, affecting a light tone. “ It’s a perfectly nice place, for a jungle. Can’t you see the potential? We’d be able to grow anything here, and there’s plenty of wood for building, not to mention more metal than an army could use in a thousand years.”</p>
<p>“It’s not right.” Edana slowed and angled her steps, moving to inspect the right flank. “The plants, they don’t so much grow as strangle each other, fighting in this dripping air to survive. The wood rots as soon as it hits the ground. The metal, well that’s something different again. It’s the only thing in this place that doesn’t feel alive. It’s all dead; stiff and hard underneath its blanket of vines. Hungry.”</p>
<p>She settled one hand on the dagger strapped to her hip. “Something bad happened in this place, long ago. Can’t you feel it? The metals, lying twisted and bent on the earth – sunken into it - they didn’t just grow that way. Someone put them here, and then just left it like this. Like a forest of blades left to rust after a battle with no one left to bury the dead.Doesn’t the look of them put you in the mind of blood-”</p>
<p>Camlin barked a derisive laugh. “Don’t go soft on me now, girl. You’re sounding as spooky as that loopy kid sister of yours-”</p>
<p>“We can’t live here, boy,” Edana snapped back, “Everything’s wrong. The heat saps our strength, the heaviness of the air, it weighs down our shoulders, slows our movement, our breathing. The vines reach out to trip us, to stop us from entering further into the jungle. They’re trying to trap us.”</p>
<p>Camlin scoffed again, but Edana pressed on, hissing over him while searching the shadows. “The jungle does not want us, and we do not belong in the jungle. We’ve got to leave, to find a healthy forest or some good open seacliffs somewhere. This is not a place where we can live.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, then finally looked at Camlin. “Help me get us out of here. I am afraid of losing our people in this cursed place. The man, Torchan, spoke truly when he said that there was danger here.”</p>
<p>“Well, you do know how to ruin a man’s day, Edana.” Camlin said easily, though his jaw was tight and his face tense. “Watch yourself; some might take your words as a sign of weakness. And here I was enjoying the warm weather. You know, you’re almost as paranoid as that nutty sister of yours. The two of you must have run afoul of a witch when you were little. Honestly, you’re spookier than a cat before a thunderstorm.”</p>
<p>Edana gave him a withering look, opened her mouth, paused and closed it with a snap. She hooked a foot out and caught Camlin’s knee midstride and he stumbled, catching himself with hand planted in much of the jungle floor as she ran on ahead, storming through a thick curtain of vines, swatting it aside like a cloud of flies.</p>
<p>Camlin rubbed his arm and wondered what he’d said. She could be so sensitive sometimes. He’d just been trying to lighten the mood. For a moment there, she’d actually had him thinking he glimpsed traces of old blood under the vines and trees really were trying to trip them up at every step. She always had been persuasive, but this was ridiculous.</p>
<p>Lost in thought, Camlin almost tripped over Owen, who had quietly moved forward to walk with him. Owen had obediently stayed with the children after being excluded from the Connarii forces by his protective older brother. Camlin felt bad about the insult, but not bad enough to expose the boy to any danger.</p>
<p>“Problem, big brother?” Owen asked Camlin, darting a glance out of the corner of his eyes while jogging to keep up with his brother’s long strides.</p>
<p>“Nothing you need to worry about. Grown-up troubles.”</p>
<p>“I’m almost grown-up. I’ll be ten soon. I know about lots of stuff. F’r instance, I’m wicked good with a sword.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Oh, well then. I should just take your word on that, then, aye?”</p>
<p>“Not exactly.”</p>
<p>“Well there, you see?”</p>
<p>“I could show you.”</p>
<p>“Uh huh. And who would you take on, little brother? The next youngest recruit is 12. He also has 40 pounds on you and a good six inches. You want a guard position? Very well; I hereby commission you to guard the nursery with your life.”</p>
<p>“Thanks a lot. I can just feel the love.”</p>
<p>Camlin stopped smiling. He also stopped walking. He gripped his brother’s shoulder hard, yanking him back midstride and shaking periodically for good measure.</p>
<p>“Look. It’s dangerous out there. It’s no thanks I’d be getting for putting a child out on sentry duty. You train hard, and in a couple years I may consider putting a real sword in your hand and letting you help out with the watch. Till then, don’t you go giving me any trouble. I’ve got enough on my plate without worrying about you. Soon as we get settled – on my word, I’ll get to the job of training you properly.”</p>
<p>“Uh huh… Why don’t I go ask Captain Edana if she’ll take me. Bet she knows a good warrior when she sees one.”</p>
<p>Apparently Owen’s patience had run out. He grabbed Camlin’s arm, trying to wrestle away from it with little success. Camlin tightened his grip and pulled the boy closer to prove his point.</p>
<p>“Warrior, huh? You’re not even a novice. And I’ll tell you this much; you try to sign on under a girl and no real warband will ever look at you twice. Not that she’d take you. Whatever else ‘Dana is, she’s no fool.”</p>
<p>“Maybe so, but she listens to Aislynn. Bet Aislynn’d put in a good word for me if I asked…”</p>
<p>“Mm. I’ve been meaning to speak to you about that. You’ve been spending too much time with that girl. That sort of thing’s not good for a boy your age. You should be…”</p>
<p>“I should be training with the warriors.” The boy had both hands around Camlin’s, yanking to break his grip with no success. Camlin tired of his petulance, but Owen plowed on, ignoring the warning in his brother’s manner. “Since you won’t take me, I’ve got to be learning something from someone. Aislynn knows lots of things… maybe not about weapons, but cool things all the same. Forget it. I don’t need your help. I’ll become a warrior all by myself.”</p>
<p>Camlin blinked and loosened his grip. Owen wrenched away and was dodging away back down the line before Camlin could decide on an appropriate response. He’d have to pay more attention to his younger brother… later.</p>
<p>For now, Camlin decided, he’d occupy himself with gathering some of his friends together for a little talk. It was about time to stir up some like-minded fellows and see about herding this pack of sheep into a pen. No need to go tramping through the woods when they could all be living comfortably right where they were. It’d be better for Owen, for one thing.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH11</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/02/14/FotC-CH12-Secrets-and-truths-in-the-night.html">Continue to Chapter 12: Secrets and truths in the night</a></p>
Day 1572017-02-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/07/Day-157<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQPBcx8gTgN/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-08T02:59:50+00:00">Feb 7, 2017 at 6:59pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So turning points seem to be dense, painful affairs. Or maybe it’s just the first one. I found it really hard to write in a linear fashion; kept circling back and filling in what I’d just done, trying to integrate character building, or at least character- and situation-appropriate text while getting across what I needed to. Mostly having a detailed book map seems to have made me more efficient and more able to sit down and churn out work, but sometimes it really slows things down having requirements for what needs to be conveyed at any given point. Which is probably a good and necessary thing, but agh!</p>
<p>Pressing onward nonetheless; I need to look back over yesterday’s work and try to make sense of it, as well as push forward. I should also look at the travel plans again soon, like yesterday soon, but it feels like too much, but if I leave it alone too long, I’ll be here all summer. There’s only a month (or less) of downtime when my editor is working on her input, so I’ve got to come to terms with working on this thing and traveling/having a life at some point here… Yeah, sounds impossible.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Ouch. So an hour of sifting through text later and still haven’t finished editing yesterday’s text, never mind writing another couple chapters. Oh yeah, and I’ve got a web serial chapter due today too. Mostly my computer was crashy though, so not entirely my fault. But mostly. Sloooownessssss.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:45 am & 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Malbec</p>
Day 1562017-02-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/06/Day-156<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQMa91Ig-pj/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Oops, forgot to mark it, but that's he best line imho from ch5</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-07T02:45:04+00:00">Feb 6, 2017 at 6:45pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I think my own targets are negatively impacting output. Apparently I’m not that motivated by a production schedule, or I am, but I have to balance the motivation with the anxiety it causes or something… my brain is weird stuff, kids. Get close at your own peril.</p>
<p>Still conflicted over plot and characterization; It works better now, but I need to be aware of making sure there’s more to the story than Cole’s issues, I think. After seeing how well Maggie Steifvater weaves a lot of the same issues into a much broader, more diffuse storyline, I’m inspired to try to back off of the psychological issues to ensure there’s good development and rising action. The Raven Cycle hasn’t been one of my all-time faves; I just don’t feel that connected or excited by it, but it’s extremely well done.</p>
<p>In social media world, I’m over 800 followers on my bookstagram account, slowly growing on my novel-specific IG account and creeping upwards on Goodreads as well. Tumblr seems to be a lost cause, but I keep flogging it anyways for no reason except that I’ve invested so much time into it it seems a shame to shut it down now. I really ought to get a FB page going, invest some time in curating my Twitter feed and refresh my website with emphasis on a mailing list. Which also means some time working on synopses, artwork and maybe giveaway investment. I’m really hesitant to spend much more than my own time on any of this at the moment, since I don’t want to divert energy to freelance work and making money that will take away from this effort, but I don’t know how hard-line to be; strategic investment is meant to generate increased sales down the road. I’m not a real gambling-type personality, so I’ll probably toe a conservative line on that front if nothing changes, but that may prove shortsighted in hindsight…</p>
<p>Getting into the thick of things in the plot as I round the 25%/turning point mark to the main conflict… assuming I’ve set my book map and plot up correctly. Word count seems more like around 15% of total, which is still crazy good for just a few days last week, so as long as I don’t choke and everything’s actually flowing in the right direction, this could be back on track. I’m getting the impression I won’t be able to actually reuse much text from the original draft, which is unspeakably tragic, but even though the main thrust of the plot is the same, the meaning behind everything starts to shift the scenes and reactions a little too much… but we’ll see… it looks like I can keep the ‘ghost stories’ chapters almost untouched, which is cool. I’m stressed about the intrigue setup stuff; communicating Haynfyv and Serov seems important, and also really challenging to me. I’m going to go back and try to rewrite Ravel to be more something… he should be more appealing early on, more charismatic, if I can figure out a way to convey that. And then I’ll need to take another look at Haynfyv and Serov and make that characteristically accurate as well as informative and tense/threatening.</p>
<p>Considering changing the wider setting a bit. What if the Tower was just a locked-down building in Vancouver? Like, contemporary, actual Vancouver? Maybe it changes too many things, but the idea has some intrigue to me… We’ll see.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
<p>Listening: Higher Truth, Chris Cornell</p>
Day 1552017-02-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/04/Day-155<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQHgXYKAubl/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Pathetic rewrites progress, because Saturday.😅🖋📖✨ #blindtheeyes . . . #yalit #yabooks #yaauthor #rewrites #amwriting #amediting #bookquotes #dystopian #dystopianfiction #paranormal #fantasy #darkfantasy #writersofinstagram #writergram #writersofig #authorsofinstagram #bte #ptp #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE | 🇨🇦 author & bookaholic (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-05T04:56:03+00:00">Feb 4, 2017 at 8:56pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>This morning I had myself convinced I was going to work today. Then it was a snowy Saturday morning and I decided to spoil myself and finish the second book in Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle. Then I had so many ideas from her cleverness that I was going to sit down and work on the book for the afternoon. Then I got distracted by Instagram and a couple hours went by… and here I am deciding to at least get some work done.</p>
<p>As usual, I am both inspired and depressed by reading other people’s brilliance. And I my daily progress posts are lagging on IG, so it’s clear not everyone is impressed by my brilliance, such as it is or is not… Came across somebody just starting to create bookmarks and thinking if launching on Easy. I wonder if there’s a cross-promotion/partnership/commission thing there that I should pursue? Incentives for… something. Joining a mailing list. Ordering. Pre-ordering. A well-known and popular creator would bring more reach, but would come with less flexibility and more expense (probably). Still feels too soon to worry about. And I don’t even want to think about budgets and financing promotions… ugh.</p>
<p>In storytelling world, I’m still less than confident about my plot. It’s better (probably) than the original, but feels simultaneously too simplistic and too complex. Cole’s more proactive, but the whole thing is so internalized… in Stiefvater’s books, she really confronts issues of wanting, what we want, when we don’t know, when it hurts us, when we don’t get it, but it’s within a larger framework. I’m weak on the larger framework and deep into the internal character issues. Which is maybe the difference between a Stiefvater and a Yovanoff, but I’m worried that it’s actually the difference between a pro and an amateur. So off I go to tangle myself up in my plot again and lose track of the ends of the string.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Oof, it’s hard working on a Friday. Or maybe it’s just the stretch I’m working on or something. Slow going! I think I’m subconsciously (now consciously?) afraid of writing the big reveal bit with the Tower agents ‘cause it’s too thriller/mystery/grand reveal weighty. But on the ego-boosting side, someone on IG asked if I had anything up on Kindle, so there’s at least one person out there who might be willing to consider spending money for my words! Maybe I’m doing something right after all?</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 & 6 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Ginger & Crown Northern Harvest</p>
TGOoH CH10 Laundry and other chores2017-02-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/02/03/TGOoH-CH10-Laundry-and-other-chores<p>There were no survivors.</p>
<p>Except for us, of course. Henry checked the wreckage, but he’d hesitated too long with me, and none of the others survived the attack. I didn’t look. I may not like being around people, but I wouldn’t wish that kind of torment on even my least favourite co-workers.</p>
<p>He limped back to where I sat, after, without a word. His lips were pressed bloodless white, but they quirked up at the corners for my sake, a sad attempt at friendliness.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” I said, in a voice raw from screaming. It’s not something I say, but just then, that seemed irrelevant.</p>
<p>“Don’t be. It helped to be able to fight, at least, even if…” His eyes flicked back, but I didn’t look.</p>
<p>“Now what?”</p>
<p>He was quiet for a long moment. His chin dipped, then firmed again as he looked up. “I take you home?”</p>
<p>He offered an arm. I looked at him, bleeding there. I’d caused him enough pain. I could stand on my own. I took it anyways.</p>
<p>“You come home,” I said, holding on.</p>
<p>I didn’t look at him again as we moved away from cracked earth and human remains. He was steady, for someone who’d nearly been eviscerated by a transforming monster. He made it a full block before getting heavier, leaning more on me than I did on him. By the time we reached my building, he was damp with sweat and shivering. We went up the stairs a couple at a time, resting between steps, one of his arms braced on the wall, the other pressing on my shoulder.</p>
<p>I liked it better, that way, being the one to carry him home. Maybe it was just that I was in control of the situation, opening the door for him, helping him into the chair by the table, bringing towels to wipe away sweat and grime. His blood ran sluggishly, the wounds less gaping that I expected, and maybe it was panic that had made them look so terrible, or maybe there was more going on with him than I’d guessed, because they seemed to have gotten smaller, less critical. He should still have gotten treated somewhere with better options than a dwindling stock of bandaids and polysporin, but when I brought up the idea he waved it away without a second thought.</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” he said, smiling a little brighter, a little less tightness pinching the skin around his eyes. “You should get cleaned up, though. Go take a shower, and I’ll help you with the bandaids after.”</p>
<p>I made it all the way under the water, the bathroom door pulled carefully and quietly shut behind me, before I broke down. The water ran cold before I stopped shuddering and rocking in the bottom of the tub.</p>
<p>I didn’t know what the worst of it was, and that scared me most of all. The spiders were bad. More than bad. My worst nightmare. Bad enough that I’d wished for death.</p>
<p>The cries of my coworkers, knowing they were experiencing something just as bad, or worse, and it would be the last thing they ever experienced, that was bad too.</p>
<p>Sending him back into it, not knowing if he’d make it out, and then watching, thinking he was going to be shredded while I looked on, helpless? Still not the worst of it.</p>
<p>Laying on the ground seeing his strong hand half-submerged in bloody muck, motionless, limp… That was strangely horrible, when it shouldn’t have been. Just one more corpse, one more victim, one more person I never should have gotten involved with.</p>
<p>But he was alive. And I was alive. And that was enough for today.</p>
<p>I realized too late that all my towels were out in the main room with him. I really needed to do some laundry. And also dry off. I settled for wiping myself down with a t-shirt before pulling on a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater. I wasn’t actually bleeding at that point, which was a plus.</p>
<p>“Feel better?” he asked as I opened the door, and froze, thinking he’d heard me choking back sobs and shuddering in the bathroom, but no, he was just congratulating me on being clean again. I shook my head, grateful I wasn’t the kind of girl who worried about what she looked like in front of guys. Had I ever <em>not</em> looked like a wreck in front of him?</p>
<p>“I’ve got to do some laundry,” I said, instead of saying other things. <em>Thank you. I’m sorry. I wish it could have been different. I wish I could be different.</em></p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, sorry - here I’ll help-“ he said, getting up from the chair with a wince.</p>
<p>“Sit down,” I sounded harsher than I should have, a contributing factor in how quickly he found his seat again.</p>
<p>I puttered around for a couple minutes, collecting towels, sheets, anything white and washable. This was going to take serious bleach. Then I grabbed the edge of the table and started pulling.</p>
<p>“April?”</p>
<p>“Mhm?” I grunted, as the table squeaked along the floor.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Laundry.”</p>
<p>Henry stared at me. “The machine’s under the table?”</p>
<p>“Other side,” I huffed back.</p>
<p>His head swivelled and he stared at the small folding door set into the wall at the end of the table. Then he sighed, ran a hand up into his hair, and clamped the other hand down on top of the table. He held it there, effectively stopping me from moving it any further. Leaning on that hand, he pushed up out of his chair, and shoved it back from the table, staring at me all the while.</p>
<p>“April?” He said.</p>
<p>“Yeah?”</p>
<p>“Next time, just ask.”</p>
<p>I let go of the table and bustled past him, arms full of laundry, without another word. He waited until the machine was happily clunking away behind the door again before moving the chair across the room to face the couch and dropping down into again. He looked at me and pointed at the couch. It wasn’t a question.</p>
<p>“We should talk,” he said.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH10</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/02/10/TGOoH-CH11-So-not-feminist.html">Continue to Chapter 11: So not feminist</a></p>
Day 1542017-02-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/03/Day-154<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQE5ueIgIq4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress! All that plus another #wattpad chapter on #thingsgotoutofhand ! #achievementunlocked🖋📖✨👏#blindtheeyes . . . #yalit #yabooks #yaauthor #rewrites #amwriting #amediting #bookquotes #dystopian #dystopianfiction #paranormal #fantasy #darkfantasy #writersofinstagram #writergram #writersofig #authorsofinstagram #bte #ptp #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-04T04:39:56+00:00">Feb 3, 2017 at 8:39pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Struggling to push ahead and not get bogged down, although so far my production rate has been up quite a bit. It’s hard to find the right balance between intentionality and creativity; if I get too caught up in whether or not what I’m putting down on paper fits the plan, I get stuck, but if I just write, I lose plot threads and start taking things in different directions. It’s amazing how a crippling fear of inadequacy pops up the second you go to put words down!</p>
<p>Not sure yet if daily progress photos are working or not; there’s good engagement with them, but my overall forward momentum seems to be lagging versus when I was just doing straight bookstagrams. There may also be a slowing factor as you grow, instead of gaining steam, as I’d originally imagined. Still trying to dial in on what creates value for people; if I get too far off from what I’m actually creating, there’s too little correlation between my goals (sell my books) and what I’ve built community around (pretty book pictures), but if I get too focused on what I want (get people excited about what I’m creating) it narrows the group of people that care to look and starts connecting with other book marketers as opposed to readers… will continue for a few more days and reassess. Throwing it up on Twitter seemed to have a surprisingly strong effect, so I may focus more on cross-platform. I really ought to get a FB page up and running soon as well…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; bed</p>
Day 1532017-02-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/02/Day-153<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQCUTo9AQt6/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Rewrites progress!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-03T04:34:29+00:00">Feb 2, 2017 at 8:34pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Yesterday was… actually, not a total loss. I did get bogged down in plot changes, but pushed away from the book map and wrote/cut together the first two chapters with a total work time of around 6 hours counting distractions (lol). It’s kind of hard writing to a specific purpose, but not as hard as trying to figure out the purpose and what happens next as I write, so that’s a plus. Into the second chapter, I was able to incorporate quite a lot of text from the last draft, which was either horribly lazy or a lovely bonus depending on how kind my editor is about it…</p>
<p>Also tried using the work as a promotional component for social media, with moderate success. I’ll keep that up for a few days and see how it goes; more than one post a day seems to net greater interaction and more follower acquisition on IG, but it’s a step away from a nicely curated bookstagram account, which is what the followers are there for, and I don’t want to drive down the value of the interaction by pushing self-promotion too hard.</p>
<p>I’ll try to repeat this pattern for a few days and see where it takes me: updated/adjust book map, review yesterday’s writing and tweak, write a couple thousand words or a couple chapters.</p>
<p>At a rate of two solid chapters a day, I might actually get back on track. As long as I can resist getting bogged down in high-level plot changes, keep to a daily high output schedule (while continuing self-promotion and web serials), create original content at the same rate and not get distracted by soon-to-be baby. Or that it’s been nearly a month since I actually brought in any money. Life stuff.</p>
<p>Anyways, off to the races again!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Ugh trying to stay on topic is hard! Also, research.</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>So, definitely getting bogged down, with relatively little recycled content, which could make things take absolutely ages. Gonna keep pushing for a two-chapter/scene per day pace though!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:45 am, 1:30 & 4:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire tea & wine</p>
<p>Listening: Higher Truth, Chris Cornell</p>
Day 1522017-02-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/02/01/Day-152<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_H6hSA8rx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">My #februarytbr is devoted to #maggiestiefvater marathoning! So much to catch up</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-01T22:48:28+00:00">Feb 1, 2017 at 2:48pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I know I said I was gonna start on rewrites today, but I was thinking about how the causation of the plot and primary character arc motivation had been getting blurred and… yeah. So. Less than thrilled with the variations on fuzzy feel-good connection-based resolutions and empowerment, and while I’m not opposed to the idea of an open-ended messy ending, it makes for a not-very-tight storyline. I think the right move is to wrap up Cole’s angst about wanting the right thing or not with making it about doing. As in (<em>potentially spoileriffic</em>):</p>
<p>Setup:
-Cole tries to always make the smart decision (obey Tower regulation), because she secretly wants things she knows she shouldn’t (obsessed with death).
-Cadence is a ghost. She can’t make her own decisions, and is frustrated with Cole for squandering her agency.</p>
<p>Inciting Event:
-Broken surveillance point, Cole’s unexpectedly sent on field duty to investigate. Cadence is along for the ride.</p>
<p>Quest:
-Cole heads off to do her duty but is interrupted by Ravel (stays on task) and a corpse (caves to her obsession).
-Cadence doesn’t understand Cole’s internal turmoil, frustrated and only seeing the outward lack of decisiveness.</p>
<p>Main Conflict:
-Cole gets tripped up by wanting one thing (access to the dead) and trying to do another (perform her duties). She loses her home and gets someone else killed (captured).
-Cadence’s memories start to return and she gets really driven about trying to steer Cole to fulfill Cadence’s mission, but doesn’t remember enough detail and gets them both in trouble.</p>
<p>Progress:
-Cole resolves to do better at suppressing what she wants (access to the dead, to go home) and choosing the smart thing (find a new home & save people from the Tower’s lies).
-Her attempts to do the smart thing don’t result in the outcomes she expects (nearly dies following Cadence, dissatisfied with life in Freedom).
-She can’t fully suppress her desires, struggles to control the visions. Drawn to the fantasy as if it’s more real than her life (falls for Itri, jealous of Cadence, sad about the deaths).
-Starts to question the effectiveness of pursuing the smart thing and ignoring what she wants.
-Tries to strengthen her connection to Ravel and replicate the relationship she sees between Itri & Cadence and Angelique & Haynfor by trusting him more & is initially rewarded, then rejected.
-Decides she’s just in the wrong place and recommits to doing the smart thing as a way to hide her hurt.
-Decides to abandon Ravel & Cadence to go to the Underground to spread the Truth (but really, is just hurt and running away from being rebuffed)
-Denying what she wants leads to disconnection with herself and others, dual lives. Cole doesn’t trust Cadence or Ravel, forces herself to perform a role of who she thinks they want, damages her relationship with both, and can’t overcome the trust barrier.
-Cadence endangers Cole by trying to lead her, and further alienates her by protesting her decisions. Cadence is sad about not being able to reunite with Itri and refuses to confront reality, acting as if she’s still alive and on mission in the visions. She’s furious when Cole admits that she’s been falling for Itri.</p>
<p>Pt of No Return:
-Ravel saves Cole from Tower agents. Haynfor is killed.
-Cole admits, learns to acknowledge what she wants. Realizes she has no control over the big things and there’s no overarching truth to inform how smart or not her choices are. Lives for the moment instead of big goals like expose the Truth or find a safe place.
-Rekindles trust with Cadence.
-Sets out to complete Itri’s mission b/c she wants to make it up to Angelique for taking Haynfor away from him, wants Itri to be pleased with her.
-When Cole admits her secret obsession with death to Cadence, Cadence realizes her influence on Cole has been more significant than she thought, and renews her efforts to influence Cole. She schemes to have her help with the mission while putting on an act of kindness and allegiance.</p>
<p>Complications:
-Accepting what she wants leads to better connection with others, but doesn’t make everything right.
-It’s empowering; her fascination with death turns out to be power over it as she fights back.
-But she’s not strong or skilled enough to win on her own and Itri’s angry with her for putting herself at risk.
-And her impulsiveness compromises her mission, and then her freedom and Itri’s safety.
-Cadence’s jealousy for Cole leads her to push her toward action.</p>
<p>Black Moment:
-Cole inadvertently betrays Itri and gets herself captured and drugged.
-Pursuing what she wants causes worse damage than doing the smart thing. She has no freedom, no connection, and has lost the person she most wanted to impress. She has no safe place, no allies and no capacity to spread the truth of the Tower’s abuses or help people.
-Cadence finally has to accept that she can never be with Itri again, and her actions have only made things worse for him and Cole.</p>
<p>Final Push:
-But Itri’s still alive
-Wanting things isn’t intrinsically good or bad (but wants are often conflicting); its your actions that matter
-Cole manipulates Ravel to escape
-Teams up with Angelique to rescue Itri
-Tries to run to safety
-But loses Angelique
-Cadence tries to atone for her actions by convincing Cole to save herself and go be happy with Itri.</p>
<p>Climax:
-Cole is caught in conflicting desires and choices; she wants to save Angelique, stop the death, survive, be with Itri, make everything right, run away…
-She chooses to sacrifice herself so Itri and Angelique can live.
-Chooses between all the things she wants to do the right thing (care about others) instead of the smart thing (take care of herself).
-Rewarded and empowered by not making it about herself; Cadence sacrifices her existence and identity to help Cole survive.</p>
<p>Resolution:
-Cole is rewarded for sacrificing what she wants and what she thinks she should do by surviving and saving Itri and Angelique.
-Cadence is rewarded for sacrificing her existence and attachment to Itri, sustained by Cole.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Well, that’s… probably good, but frustratingly slowing me down from actually doing the writing. Freaking book map…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am & 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch & bed</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire tea & wine</p>
FotC CH10 A dark stranger2017-01-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/01/31/FotC-CH10-A-dark-stranger<p><em>Recap: Four of Camlin’s sentries were lost to the jungle the first night. The Connarii press on through the red jungle with no sign of an enemy the next day, but the people grow tired of journeying. Camlin seizes the opportunity to gain a following, promoting a settlement in opposition to Toryn’s leadership. Aislynn is swept up in another vision and predicts mass deaths in their future.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>A wave of heat peaked in contrast to the slowly lowering sun, tangible only as a deepening of shadows as the day’s march progressed through the afternoon. The dense, leafy canopy, layer upon layer, sucked down and held the warmth of the sun while filtering most of the light above. The very earth seemed to sweat.</p>
<p>Toryn sped up in search of Edana, more than ready to call a halt for the day. Apparently she’d gone on ahead of the main body of her troops to check in with her scouts. Camlin burst through the trees to his right in a clatter of swishing leaves and snapping branches.</p>
<p>“There’s something out there!” Camlin barreled ahead, flanked by two wild-eyed guards. “Form a perimeter! Ready yourselves!”</p>
<p>Toryn was not at all impressed by the boy’s urgency. Camlin had been overreaching lately, gaining too much authority among his peers. He might be a useful foil for Edana and a skilled fighter, but Toryn had had enough of his overeager social aspirations. Time to bring him to heel.</p>
<p>“You’ve seen wild animals before, Camlin.” Toryn wiped his face, peering down his nose at the boy. He had to tilt his head back a bit to do it. “What exactly is it that has caused a captain of my guard to make such a spectacle of himself?”</p>
<p>“It- I…” Camlin wetted his bottom lip and swallowed, caught off-balance. “There – there’s something out there! It’s horrible, a monster- a demon! That creature that killed my sentries is coming back for more! Get your spears; get your swords. Whatever it was, it’s coming after us. Look!”</p>
<p>Toryn felt his hair lift as the boy pointed. It might have been the wrong moment to address Camlin’s insubordination, now that he thought of it. He clamped down the temptation to whip around in a panic and turned with magnificent self-possession to stare into the thick underbrush between a close-growing patch of trees.</p>
<p>Toryn’s pulse jumped as he peered through the shifting rust-dark shadows, following the line of Camlin’s outflung arm. There! A deeper darkness, too large and too still for comfort, loomed ten feet above the ground, wedged between two trees. Several feet higher than that, two patches of pure black flanked the larger shadow. A black tail hung down from one, twitching. A low rumble swelled out of the darkness. Toryn’s knees trembled as he drew his sword.</p>
<p>Toryn’s focus snapped back down to the original shadow as a hand extended from the darkness, dirt-stained palm out. Then the leaves rustled and a very tall, very tanned man flipped out of a tree and landed on all fours directly in front of Toryn, knocking the sword out of the Connari chieftain’s hand with a bare foot, before slithering backwards a couple steps. The black shadows leaped from their perches to land lightly beside the stranger, and Camlin raised a spear over his head, his guards falling over themselves to draw. Edana skidded out of the bushes directly behind the stranger and his beasts, poised to attack. She yelled and the creatures – enormous black wildcats, or something much like – howled and spat, whirling to face her.</p>
<p>“Stop!” Toryn flung a hand up in command.</p>
<p>The stranger gazed at Toryn with round eyes, apparently unconcerned with the arsenal pointed in his direction, his gaze open and curious as straightened. He towered at least a foot taller than any of the Connarii men, his intimidatingly muscled and scarred physique entirely and unselfconsciously on display. He stood stone still, watching without fear as Camlin begrudgingly lowered his spear, the other scouts following his lead.</p>
<p>Edana stayed at the ready a beat longer, the point of her sword at the stranger’s back, as she warded off the two beasts at his side with her staff. She withdrew an inch at a time, eyeing the spitting, hissing creatures as she drew back. She edged around to stand beside her father without turning her back on the stranger and his beasts.</p>
<p>“Greetings, friend.” Toryn enunciated each word with care. “You seem to have given us a bit of a scare. Perhaps you would like to explain your actions?” He leaned forward and extended a hand, palm upward, unconsciously mirroring the stranger’s earlier gesture.</p>
<p>The stranger looked confused, cocking his head and shaking it slightly. He opened his mouth an emitted a string of syllables that grumbled and hissed like the beasts that flanked him.</p>
<p>Toryn searched the man’s face, glanced at Edana in clear warning, and stepped forward, ignoring the warning growls of the shadow-beasts flanking the stranger.</p>
<p>“My name is Toryn Ffarach. I lead this people. We had to leave our village. We need to find a new home, but we are lost. Can you help us?”</p>
<p>Toryn stood his ground, smiling, hand outstretched. The stranger’s gaze had been clear and direct throughout the speech. Those eyes had watched him, intelligent despite the clear communication barrier. Toryn saw no hostility in the stranger, though he harboured some concern over the man’s beasts. He held very still as he spoke in a friendly, measured tone.</p>
<p>“Bring me Aislynn,” He said.</p>
<p>It took the guards a moment to realize he wasn’t directing the command at the stranger. Edana huffed and yelled, “’Lynnie!”, provoking an exasperated huff from her father and a sudden tensing on the part of the stranger. The rumbling from the two beasts ratcheted up a notch.</p>
<p>Aislynn melted from the crowd gathered behind her father and sister and paced forward silently, as if in a clear bubble. Her cloak and hair blew back from her shoulders in a soundless gale, feathers shivering in her wake as she approached the stranger from the jungle, and paused, mere inches away. He towered a good three feet above her head, but dropped to his knees to get on a level with her with only a moment’s hesitation. The beasts behind him growled, and he snarled in return. The pair settled back on their haunches without another sound, the only sign of life the twitching tips of their four tails coiling and switching at their sides.</p>
<p>Aislynn reached her hands parallel to the stranger’s temples without a word. Her hair and the feathers of her cloak settled all at once. After a couple of seconds, his eyes went blank and his body sagged back from the young druid. Edana shouted, and lunged for her sister, but Toryn snagged her arm as she passed. The force of the arrest spun her nearly full circle.</p>
<p>“Let me go!”</p>
<p>“Wait. She knows what she’s doing.”</p>
<p>“She’s just a little girl. She’ll get hurt. What if those- those creatures attack?”</p>
<p>“She’s not and they won’t. Stay quiet. Whatever she’s doing, she’ll need all her concentration.” Toryn pulled his eldest back, breathing a remonstrance. “She’s the only one who is even close to knowing what to do right now.”</p>
<p>Edana gave her father a horrified, uncomprehending look, but stilled. She watched on high alert, her jaw clenched, unconsciously mirroring her father’s posture.</p>
<p>Aislynn extended her arms further, rotating her wrists to hold her palms out over the stranger’s prone form. Her hair and cloak swelled again, raying out around her in a spiky globe as the two black beasts cringed back and moaned, rolling their eyes and lashing their tails.</p>
<p>Long minutes later, the stranger groaned and rolled to his feet as Aislynn crumpled to the ground. This time, Toryn beat Edana to her sister, pulling her up and edging as the black beasts snarled. Somebody shoved forward with a blanket, and Toryn wrapped his daughter up, pillowing her head on his knee.</p>
<p>Edana crouched in front of her family, weapons at the ready, eyes fixed on the stranger and his beasts. Her back stiffened when Aislynn moaned, but she didn’t look back. She cut her eyes over at Camlin and he nodded once, edging forward at an angle as Edana stood and slipped forward, gesturing to her guards to fan out behind her.</p>
<p>“He’s alright.” Aislynn’s clear voice cut through the mounting tension, stopping her sister in her tracks. “He’s the only human here; there were others, but they… died, I think,” –Edana craned her neck to give Aislynn a look, and she hurried on-“a long time ago. Something bad happened, and he’s the only one left.</p>
<p>“I tried to wake the memory of language in him, but it’s been a long time since he’s had anyone but his friends over there to talk to, and even then he wasn’t old enough to have learned much.</p>
<p>“He knows this area, but he doesn’t want to help us. He wasn’t sure if we were… safe? No, more like ‘good’. I think that is a no longer an issue now; he’s not afraid of us.”</p>
<p>Edana was speechless, twisted away from the stranger to stare at her sister. Her father had only slightly more composure, sputtering: “He’s… not afraid. Of us.”</p>
<p>Aislynn smiled at him, looking younger and older than her thirteen years at once. Then her brightness darkened. “There’s something else, though. This place isn’t safe for us. He tried to show me, I couldn’t, it’s… there’s something bad in the jungle, something that could destroy us. He wants us to leave; he says it isn’t safe here.”</p>
<p>Toryn cleared his throat as Aislynn pushed aside the blanked at stood up. “Well, all things considering, that was quick,” he said, mildly. “Can I talk to him?”</p>
<p>“By all means.”</p>
<p>Toryn rolled his shoulders back as he stood. He nodded to Edana, and she moved to flank him, waving her guard into a hold position as their king approached the stranger and his beasts.</p>
<p>“Stranger, what is your name?”</p>
<p>The stranger growled, cleared his throat, and coughed out, “Torchan.”</p>
<p>“Torchan,” Toryn tested the name, pronouncing it carefully. “We are the Connarii. We are searching for a home. If this is a good place, we would like to ask your permission to settle here, build a village and carry out our lives and the lives of our children in peace. If this is not a good place, or if others have a previous claim to it, we ask that you tell us, or show us the way out. Can you help us?”</p>
<p>“Go. Jungle is not… safe… for you. Old dangers, new enemies. The Cyrch come.”</p>
<p>“The Cyrch?” Camlin shouldered forward, apparently done providing quiet backup. “What are they? We do not know of these.”</p>
<p>Torchan growled low in his throat, and the dark beasts flanking him echoed him with a deeper, richer rumbling.</p>
<p>“Camlin.” Toryn said. Camlin bristled, but dipped his head in acknowledgement, looking out the side of his eyes to gauge the crowd’s reaction.</p>
<p>“Cyrch. Destroyers.” Torchan rolled his shoulders, hulking, menacing. “Live to kill. Conquer all. Invaders. Demons. Beasts.”</p>
<p>“Monsters? I fear no monsters. We can subdue any enemy. We will not run from these Cyrch. We will fight them for the land, we…” Camlin began to boast in the time-honoured tradition of proud young men, willfully dismissing his fear only a short time before of the ‘monster’ in the trees.</p>
<p>“That is enough, Camlin. We all know of your… courage. Do not burden our ears.” Toryn said, gesturing to Torchan to go on.</p>
<p>“Cyrch greater. Vicious. You not kill, not live with. Follow. I lead you away. Mists in west touch jungle. Escape. Go quickly, now.”</p>
<p>Torchan turned and strode off into the jungle. Toryn moved to follow, but Camlin grabbed his arm.</p>
<p>“Are you crazy, old man?” Camlin hissed into Toryn’s ear. “We follow this stranger – who apparently just learned to talk – wherever he pleases? And you would take us back into those mists, just when we escaped them? There is food here, and shelter. Why should we not stay?”</p>
<p>“It’s a trick!” Edana leaned in from the other side, giving Camlin a shove. “He’s leading us into a trap, baiting us with stories of monsters. We’re not following him into some ambush by the natives. He’s probably the one that took our sentries last night! And even if there are these monsters, these Cyrch, we can fight them. We can find our own way out of here. Do not follow the stranger!”</p>
<p>Toryn shouldered away from the pair. “The last time I checked, I, not Camlin Blyc, was king. Edana, come quietly. This is a time for unity. Aislynn trusts the stranger, this Torchan. I do too. Bring up the rear, Camlin. Edana, order your men to either side of the column. I will take the lead.”</p>
<p>Toryn headed into the jungle, following glimpses of the jungle-man leaping through the trees, though Torchan paused frequently to look back and check on the horde. Edana and Camlin had to race to take up their positions, marshaling the people along as they battled their way through masses of underbrush, hanging vines, crumbling trees, and overgrown metallic mounds that sprang up every couple feet.</p>
<p>Dark fell quickly. Torchan found a perch in the canopy and settled in for the night, leaving Toryn at the base of the tree to sort out the camp. He shut down his daughter’s protests and Camlin’s challenges with a single look. Things had changed. He was in charge. He had a plan.</p>
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<p><em>End, CH10</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/02/07/FotC-CH11-Brotherly-advice.html">Continue to Chapter 11: Brotherly advice</a></p>
Day 1512017-01-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/31/Day-151<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BP8wUqAg9BD/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Bliss wants to know what my #currentread is doing sneaking up on his tail</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-02-01T00:43:50+00:00">Jan 31, 2017 at 4:43pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Maybe possibly kind of pretty much at a good place with the plot. (Perhaps.) I’d like to draw a line in the sand and start long-form rewrites tomorrow (Feb. 1), so we’ll see how that goes. Action quotient is up, Cole is more proactive and heroic than any point in the past, there’s some thematic consistency and the cast are getting pretty tightly interwoven. I’ll probably keep coming up with ideas for the direction, but I think it’s time to move ahead regardless. I’ll work on refining the plan down to the scene level today and hopefully launch rewrites tomorrow!</p>
<p>In other news, my social media momentum is fading fast; I pretty much get out what I put in in terms of time and effort, which is a nice cause-and-effect, but frustrating when I’ve got other things to get done…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire tea</p>
Day 1502017-01-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/30/Day-150<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BP6IsMxg3Xe/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#wellloved 📚✨ . . . #aamilne #kidsbooks #childrensbook #kidlit #childrensclassics #winniethepooh #vintagebooks #classics #classicbooks #retrobooks #bookstagram #bookworms #booknerds #bookbabes #bookdragon #bookish #bibliophile #books #bookgram #instabook #instaread #bookaddict #bookaholic #booklife #oneaday #goawayimreading #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-31T00:19:03+00:00">Jan 30, 2017 at 4:19pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>…and changing everything yet again. Yay.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>Drinking: G&T</p>
Day 1492017-01-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/28/Day-149<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BP1LPFcAtEy/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Current read Unbreakable by @kamigarcia</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-29T02:05:05+00:00">Jan 28, 2017 at 6:05pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I don’t know; I think I get closer to the right mark, and then it all seems to pour away again… I’m starting to dial Cole in, but still not enough, and now supporting cast have issues. Imma try going higher level, despite being shit at anything reasonably concise, and see if sketching it out with broad strokes gives any more clarity, since working through the detailed scene-by-scene plot summary is too much like full work editing apparently; too close, can’t change.</p>
<p>Cole would be a more inspiring character if she reached a point sooner of getting proactive or badass, but a less realistic one. Cadence just comes off as a bully now, Itri’s a barely-there cipher, Ravel’s muddy… Ugh. And what’s this whole thing about again??</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:45 am</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>drinking: hot peppermint milk</p>
TGOoH CH9 Rational and irrational urges2017-01-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/01/27/TGOoH-CH9-Rational-and-irrational-urges<p>I always think I’ll do better. Next time, it won’t bother me as much. I’m a rational person - some would say, too rational. Others might say rational to the point of psychosis. Anyways - as a rational person, a little eight-legged probably-not-poisonous crawling beastie shouldn’t worry me too much. Ignore it. Squish it and move on.</p>
<p>Nope. When confronted with arachnids, the ferociously rational part of me squeals, throws up its hands and locks itself in the closet. The rest of me starts shaking, folds up into the fetal position, and rocks until the crisis has passed. Sometimes I manage to grab a shoe and smush the offending creature before the rocking starts. Sometimes not.</p>
<p>When the nightmare caught sight of me, it was like the rational and irrational parts of me joined hands and jumped off the roof, leaving me entirely senseless and alone. There was no time to curl up, much less grab for a suitably heavy-soled shoe and start flailing. I just stood there, frozen.</p>
<p>It came at me, growing with each rippling-skittering-mind-piercingly horrifying step. I could see myself reflected in too many eyes, reflected and then erased in a flash of white light beaming like an icy sunrise behind its back. Henry had charged from behind, leaping up to slice into the giant spider-nightmare-thing. It reared up, trying to fling him off, but he clung to it, stabbing repeatedly with the blazing silver blade that he seemed to have pulled out of nowhere. The glossy darkness of the spider’s - what, forefeet? Front arms? appendages - rippled, faded and snapped bonelessly, morphing with a gristly crunching sound into pale, smooth ladies’ arms with black-tipped talons for fingernails. A pair of eyes blinked, sprouting long lashes, their darkness shrinking to the centre of vibrant blue and green irises. Then the green eye burst, melting out of its socket to leave a gaping pink and red hole.</p>
<p>I saw Henry’s face slacken in horror, his determination waver. The spider-nightmare-beast tore at him, and he bent over the blade, pressing deeper into the creature’s back, using it as an anchor to keep from being torn off. He bled bright, arcing his back and tucking his head to shield vital areas from the attack. Then he twisted away, ducking and hauling on the blade as he rolled, swinging it in a bright arc that lopped off one of the black-taloned fingers, before digging it to the hilt in another spot on the spider-creature’s carapace.</p>
<p>The severed finger whipped through the air spewing gouts of black blood and planted itself talon-down in the earth beside me. The spider-nightmare shrieked from a fanged mouth suddenly adorned with luscious red lips and a forked tongue, and renewed its attack. It caught one talon under Henry and flipped him, scoring a gash down his side and curling into his stomach. He let go of the blade, knocked loose, and the creature caught him, fist clenched tight, the stump of one finger pumping black muck over him.</p>
<p>That hyper-rational part of me that had fled, earlier? It poked its head up and whispered, “at this rate, he’s not going to make it.”</p>
<p>I knew what was coming next, “you’ve got to run.”</p>
<p>I knew I would, too. I had to. I had to turn my back and haul ass away from this place. It was my only chance. I even knew he’d want me to. I could picture the look on his face, hear the words. He’d shown every indication of putting my safety above everything else, and the least I could do, in his memory, was to follow suit and make his sacrifice worth something.</p>
<p>Or…</p>
<p>I looked at him, his face pale and tight from blood loss and pain, streaked with black and red, his eyes staring at me, pleading. I looked at him and I looked at the monster and I booted the rational part of me right off that roof again.</p>
<p>I grabbed the severed finger, a good three feet or more in length, with a hard, tapered and wicked sharp talon planted in the ground, and hauled it up. Black blood slicked my arms and soaked my shirt, stinging. I screamed wordlessly and charged the spider with its severed finger braced like a spear, terrified. Terrified I’d trip and fall on my face. Terrified I’d vomit and pass out. Terrified I’d be impaled before I could do anything.</p>
<p>The beast opened its mouth wide and laughed, great rolling, shrieking guffaws, flicking its tongue at me in derision. The severed finger in my arms dissolved under my touch, shrinking and pouring and… skittering? It disintegrated into hundreds of tiny - and not so tiny - spiders and I howled with my mouth closed, flailing to knock them loose as the talons reached for me-</p>
<p>And planted themselves in a five-pointed star around me, ends spraying black like evil torches. Henry landed in a graceful crouch in the scant distance between me and that flickering tongue, having sliced through the talons imprisoning him. He called out to me without looking back, but I couldn’t hear him over my own muffled shrieking as the spiders worked their way into my ears and nostrils. I was choking, unable to breathe, but if I opened my mouth…</p>
<p>I blinked fast, trying to keep my eyes clear, so the final moments were like really old animation. Flashes of darkness and everything smudged and blurred. Henry straightening, blade at the ready, somehow. Henry, bracing himself. Henry, diving forward, at, no, under the beast, twisting, driving the blade up. A curtain of black spewing from under the spider-nightmare, Henry dragging the blade through its belly, stump-fingered hands flailing and legs curling as it rears away - and then a burst of air, foul with blood and monster, but blessedly clear, as the monstrous spider dissolved, sweeping its attacking army away in an instant.</p>
<p>I couldn’t stop shaking, so it kind of looked like he was still alive, laying there on the broken ground, hands empty, limp and outstretched. My breath came in gasps, and I gagged, vomiting, curling onto the ground as my body clenched and spasmed involuntarily.</p>
<p>My eyes were clamped shut, visions of the attack replaying against my eyelids as my skin rehearsed the sensation of a million tiny skittering feet and narrow fangs digging in. Then the light was blocked out, and I knew it was the end. The nightmare had come back for me, and this time there would be no one to stop it.</p>
<p>“Shh,” he said, soft like he was talking to an infant or a small animal, his touch even softer on my arm. “Shh. You’re ok. It’s ok now, April.”</p>
<p>I’d never seen anything as beautiful as his face, haloed in light and streaked with muck.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH9</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/02/03/TGOoH-CH10-Laundry-and-other-chores.html">Continue to Chapter 10: Laundry and other chores</a></p>
Day 1482017-01-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/27/Day-148<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPyjvOmAFAR/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:10px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">So remember how I was celebrating sending off my plot revisions two weeks ago? </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-28T01:41:28+00:00">Jan 27, 2017 at 5:41pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still hate doing plots. Still kinda overwhelmed and procrastinate-y. Still trying anyways.</p>
<p>The upshot of all my procrastination is, I’ve finally channeled it into something productive. By focusing on the bookstagrammer community on Instagram, following the heck out of people, posting slightly better and definitely more on-topic photos and engaging in interactions including shoutout sessions and supportive commenting, I’ve more than doubled my follower count in less than a month (about two weeks) to over 500, with about 50 new followers a day right now. I’m channeling success there to Goodreads, adding anyone who’s account I can find, with massive success at almost 100 followers up from less than 20 two weeks ago. FB, Twitter & Tumblr are still no goes, and I’m not-so-seriously considering dropping Tumblr given the high level of investment and low returns. Lots of porny accounts following me and not much else… but I could probably do better on any or all of these accounts if I needed to, using pretty much the same strategy as IG. So on the marketing front, I’m not killing it, but I am seeing some marked progress! Hooray for small victories! To-do items include continuing and increasing growth on IG, reaching out to reviewers and book bloggers specifically to prep for Blind the Eyes’ release, and figuring out how to get a mailing list growing as well, given that everyone seems to think that’s the highest value thing to do…</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and writing a great book that everyone will love. Which brings me back to procrastination and impossible issues like, how do I make Cole compelling, since she’s certainly not lovable? Is it enough that she’s transparent in her issues at the start? Will readers be able to relate to her twisted, conflicted approach to the world? Have I built clear cause-effect into the story so she has to live out and overcome the results of her actions? Oh, and all the other characters - worthwhile? I have to find a way to make Itri and Ravel appealing… And everyone should be complex, not just one-note, and the whole thing should be achingly truth-telling with heart and expansion potential.</p>
<p>So no big deal at all, right?</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>drinking: G&T w/ bathtub gin</p>
Day 1472017-01-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/26/Day-147<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPv3tl6gb6o/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">...and here's the rest of the tags @amidsummerbookishdream sent on over - #toberead & #unreadbooks 📚👍✨& is maybe a third of my current #tbr - gotta pick up the rest at the library this weekend! Features major #book marathon & catchups of @maggie_stiefvater @tessa.gratton @kamigarcia 😅📚 . . . Tagging #bookstagrammer under 500 to keep it going - so many great new accounts have started up this year! Way to crush those resolutions~👏✨ </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-27T00:38:17+00:00">Jan 26, 2017 at 4:38pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So yesterday was awesome; pushed through and redid the whole Book Map. Might’ve been a new record; stuck to it, with lots of IG and breaks, but still, until 10pm! Predictably, today I’ve been avoiding looking at it entirely. Afraid that it doesn’t work and I’ll need to tear it up and start again. And afraid of the deadline getting closer and more remote at the same time. So, self-sabotaging, basically.</p>
<p>Time to get over that.</p>
<p>Keeping the core of the story clear and on-track is one major challenge. Cole’s identity and character, and subsequently, everyone else’s characters are another thing. Fanbait? How do you make it? How do you live with yourself for making it? I get frustrated and stubborn about it; it feels inauthentic to engineer a character for likability, after all. But then I’m challenged by the idea that it’ll be my fault as the storyteller for not sharing the things that make the cast relatable and adhering to inflexible, one-note character traits to the exclusion of all else. So pretty much screwed. Cole. What’s appealing about Cole? What’s her hidden virtue that needs to come out into the light a little sooner?</p>
<p>…no idea.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Ugh. I hate doing plots. The end.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 5:30 & 7:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>drinking: water, wine</p>
Day 1462017-01-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/25/Day-146<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BP3rr3QgxRk/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Gone retro today - #tomsawyer #outlawred #mainstreet #vintagebooks . . .</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-30T01:27:07+00:00">Jan 29, 2017 at 5:27pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Predictably, I’m starting to worry about the direction of the story. Not that it’s a bad one; lots of potential for teen angst and paranormal darkness in this version, which ought to be good for ratings. It’s still a step away from the story I was trying to tell, about a girl who doesn’t know how to know what she wants b/c her world hasn’t given her the chance to learn. Which is a terrible story to tell, when effective storytelling is (apparently) all about protagonist wants and motivation… But in trying to keep both those things on the table, I just keep spiralling away from the core idea. Which is perhaps necessary, but worrying, as I’ve also thrown away all of the alternate drafts, despite how promising they seemed. I’m also terrible at quick/high-level summations of plot; I get wordier as I go on. The good news (if I keep this plot) is that I’m planning right down to detailed scenes now. And a lot of the plot elements that arose out of all the alternate plots are proving useful even as motivations and characterization shifts. So it’s like I’ve told the same story half a dozen ways to mean a different thing each time.</p>
<p>Another issue - one that’s always been there - is likability. Proper heroes are good and appealing, and have to overcome challenges that may bring out some of their failings and confront those issues, but they overcome. Angsty teen heroes, apparently in my mind at least, start out obsessing over, or adamantly attached to, their failings and need help expressing any virtues at all. They overcome by owning their failings and learning who they are and how best to work within those parameters. Instead of becoming good, they become themselves, but empowered and more confident. They need to hear: you’re ok. You can do this. Instead of: you need to change. You need to be different.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>drinking: hot spiced orange juice</p>
FotC CH9 Changes2017-01-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/01/24/FotC-CH9-Changes<p><em>Recap: Four of Camlin’s sentries were lost to the jungle the first night. Edana wants to go after them, rescue them if possible, identify the threat at a minimum. She’s overruled by her father; they’ll press onward, Camlin and Edana each covering a flank of the camp as they move further into the jungle. Toryn hopes to travel through this land and on to a better place without undue losses; he can accept making a few sacrifices to get there. But without knowing the enemy, will this plan prove prescient or foolish?</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Edana and Camlin raced to position their troops as the camp packed up and prepared to march. Edana, fuming and grateful that Camlin’s smug face would be a few thousand souls removed for the day, found her men responsive and alert, for the most part. Apparently the loss of their comrades had shaken them enough that there was no taste to question her right to command. After surveying and instructing her men, encouraging them to keep an eye out for their missing brothers, but not to leave their posts, Edana placed herself at the centre of the forward line, responsible for clearing a path for the Connarii to traverse through the thick undergrowth.</p>
<p>The Connarii moved north, directly away from the mists. The jungle thickened as they went, progressing from the bordering wasteland of stone and scattered shards of metal, covered by creeping plants, to a rust-streaked mess of life. Towering trees of a type unknown to the Connarii dangled creepers and vines to trail over masses of bushes, ferns and flowering plants that grew in heaps, one on top of the other, in the gloom cast by the thick foliage.</p>
<p>The red-hued shadows were eerily reminiscent of dried blood, and the heavy sweet-rot scent that hung beneath the canopy did nothing to dissuade the imagination from dwelling on dark and hurtful things. The leaves seemed to hold in moisture, creating a muggy dense fog that hovered around the Connarii, pearling up on skin and clothes, joining sweat to darken their shirts and chafe the skin.</p>
<p>Small insects swarmed around the Connarii, while larger ones flitted to and fro among the trees. The undergrowth and branches above their heads quivered with the unceasing activity of myriad small creatures going about their business. Edana eyed the unfamiliar terrain and wildlife, unable to identify anything that could have carried off the sentries. So far she hadn’t come across any creature large enough to carry off a full-grown (or nearly so) man. She slashed awkwardly at the greenery in front of her, cringing at this dishonourable use of a weapon and straining to trample down the dense undergrowth sufficiently to allow the Connarii passage. Her muscles ached, but she pushed herself to slog ahead of her men, unwilling to show any frailty and wishing, for once, that Camlin hadn’t had rearguard. He’d be having a pleasant stroll over nicely tamped down turf, after all the feet ahead of him had passed. Edana caught herself picturing Camlin’s self-confident smirk as she hacked at the rubbery vines and wiry bushes. She bared her teeth and hit out harder.</p>
<p>Progress was slow. In addition to the dense greenery that had to be shifted out of the path of the tribe, the strange terrain further obstructed their movement. Heaps of metal jutted out of the soil at uneven intervals. These twisted piles were often overgrown with the multi-toned ground cover and remained hidden from view until an unfortunate warrior made ringing contact with his weapon. The tribe would have to detour around the heaps, which sometimes reached well over the heads of the tallest young warriors, and could dozens of feet wide.</p>
<p>Despite the heavy slogging, the Connarii made their way through the jungle without incident. Whatever had caused the sentries to vanish overnight was either long gone, or doing an excellent job of staying out of range.</p>
<p>At midday there was a brief pause to cook meat from the night before, as well as a number of small and foolishly curious creatures caught on the day’s journey. The complaints and quarrels erupted as soon as the people stopped marching, exhaustion turning to bitterness, irritation to anger.</p>
<p>“Edana,” Aislynn approached as Edana was establishing a temporary perimeter around the halted tribe. “Father requests your presence; Camlin is already with him.”</p>
<p>“This isn’t about last night…”</p>
<p>Aislynn’s expression didn’t flicker. “No. Something else has come up.”</p>
<p>Edana finished positioning and instructing her men, then moved with Aislynn through the resting villagers towards a dense crowd that had formed along the northwestern front. At the centre of the knot, Toryn and Camlin stood facing each other, with villagers flanking. Edana marched right up to Toryn and stood at his right, pointedly, frowning at Camlin.</p>
<p>“What’s all this, then?” Her question was nearly drowned out by the heated cries of the forming crowd.</p>
<p>“The people have made a petition to their chief.” Camlin said. The crowd directly behind him cheered.</p>
<p>“Father?” Edana asked, ignoring Camlin. Toryn sighed.</p>
<p>“A certain portion of the tribe wish to make camp here, a half-day’s journey from the edge of this jungle.” Toryn gestured wearily. “There is a stream nearby that they would like to make a permanent settlement at. They are tired of traveling and wish to spare themselves and the young ones the trial of pushing through this undergrowth.”</p>
<p>“And?”</p>
<p>“Others wish to further explore the jungle and choose the best location for a settlement with full knowledge of the terrain.”</p>
<p>Edana thought about this for a moment, her brows drawn together. What wasn’t he saying, here in front of the crowd? She cleared her throat and raised her voice, choosing her words carefully.</p>
<p>“We’re staying in the jungle, then? I advise against it, father. It does not seem a good place. I had thought that we would look for someplace more like our previous lands.”</p>
<p>Toryn shot her a look of surprised gratitude, responding, “I had hoped for a better choice as well.”</p>
<p>He surveyed the growing crowd before signaling Edana to step in closer. She leaned in, asking, “So? What’s the problem? Tell them that we travel onwards.”</p>
<p>“It’s not so simple.” Aislynn said, joining in and speaking before Toryn could respond. “The people see only the struggle of the children and the elderly. They care only for their own discomfort; no surprise there. Families are anxious to start building new lives and to settle. They need to be persuaded that it is best for them to continue away from here, and that will not be easy, since I cannot promise a better choice somewhere else; only the hope of a better place.”</p>
<p>“It is foolish to take lands now.” Camlin interrupted loudly, butting forward into the private conversation and hauling it back into the public domain, misunderstanding and pointing it in a new direction all in one go. “I don’t know why you Ffarachs resist this place so strongly, but certainly we needn’t settle at the first spot that some children take a nap. Send my party on ahead as scouts; we’ll explore the terrain and report back with the likeliest areas to establish a new village. It’s the logical thing to do.”</p>
<p>“Have you forgotten so soon?” Edana reared back, nearly spitting with hushed fury. “Four scouts! Four of our warriors, our people, are gone. This is no innocent forest, it is a jungle inhabited by at least one type of creature that possesses the ability and desire to destroy humans. We cannot afford to split up our forces.”</p>
<p>“Then you advocate squatting on this piece of land and ignoring the possibilities that exist beyond? What happened to your ‘conquor all opposition’ attitude?”</p>
<p>“Peace, captains. You quarrel like children.” Toryn said, stepping away from the pair. He waved for the attention of the crowd, who were now debating the points made heatedly among themselves.</p>
<p>“We will not stay here.” He said. A murmer swirled up from the people, of approval or of frustration, depending on their side of the argument.</p>
<p>“I understand the your concerns.” Toryn measured the words, placing each with weighty care. “And we will travel with care, moving at a pace suited to the needs of the frailest of our people, but we will continue on. We need to understand this place better, and I am unwilling to allow the tribe to split in an attempt to satisfy this need. I also prefer to look for some place more familiar to our accustomed way of life to settle in. We continue in one hour. Return to your families and prepare them to journey.”</p>
<p>The crowd wavered and began to disperse, some grumbling as they went, others taking a moment to show their support of Camlin. Edana watched in distaste.</p>
<p>“Sometimes I wonder why I worry so much about what happens to them.” She said to Aislynn under her breath. “Fools. So concerned about their immediate comfort that they’d risk all our futures.”</p>
<p>“It’s our legacy.” Aislynn shrugged, her lips quirking up at the edges as black feathers danced around her. The dampness of the jungle didn’t seem to have touched her. “Duty to the tribe has been drilled into us since before we could walk. Besides, sister dear, you live for the honour and glory of protecting the tribe. What else would you fight so hard for?”</p>
<p>“Y’know it’s really obnoxious when you talk like that?”</p>
<p>“Like what?” Aislynn asked, the picture of pure innocence. Her father, rejoining his daughters after making sure Camlin and his supporters had cleared the area, snorted in amusement.</p>
<p>“Like you know everything. Like the wisdom of the ages is housed in your thirteen-year-old body. Like a druid. It’s annoying.” Edana said, rolling her eyes at Aislynn’s playfulness. “I mean, I’m about used to it by now, but really. You could try being like everyone else. Other people’s sisters limit themselves to helping with the chores, gossiping, and chasing boys. You advise the king and sway the opinions of the tribe, in addition to whatever weird druidic studies you’re into on the quiet.”</p>
<p>“You’re a fine one to talk. If you valued fitting in, why did you just have to become a captain of the guard? Girls your age should be thinking about getting married and having a few kids. It’s not like you haven’t had any offers.”</p>
<p>“Not. Funny.” Edana growled, cutting a glance at their father.</p>
<p>“See what I mean? It’s in our blood to be different; for that matter, it’s in all of the Connarii to challenge the world’s standards of normalcy. It’s not like we came from there, you know.”</p>
<p>Edana relaxed. Toryn showed no sign of reacting to Aislynn’s quip about marriage. She rolled her eyes at her little sister. “This is not the time to delve into your precious myths. I should be organizing the troops, not listening to legends.”</p>
<p>“This is the time.” Aislynn insisted, half in fun, half… not, from the glint in her eye. “You need to be reminded of our birthright. In fact, I think I’d better call a story-circle tonight and remind us all of our own history and being. We were originally more than we have become. Not like the other peoples of the world we left behind. Generations of intermarriage and dwelling alongside the native peoples has weakened and changed us… but I have reason to believe that, released from the influence of tradition, habit and the presence of the other tribes, we may regain much that we have lost over the ages.”</p>
<p>“Eh?” Toryn broke in, suddenly paying attention. “Aislynn, you didn’t say… why would you think…?”</p>
<p>“I feel it already.” Aislynn spoke in a hush, her teasing tone well and truly gone now. “Before, I was merely skilled in the knowledge passed down by the elders and the arts known to all the tribes of that world. Not a druid, not a bard, not even worthy to be called a filidh, an apprentice bard, when it comes to it. I was far less skilled even than those of our ancestors who we still speak of. Since we entered the mists, there’s been an awakening. I’m aware of so much more. So much… There are spirits that watch us as we go. I sense things to come, undecided paths, like the changing mists that we passed through on the way to this jungle. Paths of the future, that may or may not come to pass. I feel the power, in myself, and blossoming in others of the Connarii. You, Edana. We share the same pure bloodline; haven’t you noticed anything since…?”</p>
<p>“’Lynnie, you’d better get some rest.” Edana brushed Aislynn’s eerie tones off, suppressing a shiver that defied the humid air under the canopy. “I’ve got to get back to the troops… but I think you’re hallucinating. Father, make sure she doesn’t over-exert herself. Let me know if she gets worse, and I’ll send a couple of men back to help with her.”</p>
<p>“Edana!” Aislynn said with evident frustration. “There’s nothing wrong with me!”</p>
<p>“Uh huh. Just get some rest. I’ve got to go.”</p>
<p>“I said there’s nothing wrong with…” Aislynn’s eyes opened wide. Her arms dropped limp to her sides as she sagged to the ground. Toryn caught her and held her head up. Edana knelt beside her and waved a hand past her blank eyes. She snapped her fingers in front of Aislynn’s face a couple times before Aislynn started and her eyes refocused, flickering for a moment, before focusing on her family’s worried faces.</p>
<p>Edana sighed and pushed to her feet. “I’ll send a couple men back to help her. Find someone to give her some tea or something. She probably knows what she should take.”</p>
<p>“It’s not safe here.” Aislynn sat up and adjusted her clothes, tension in every movement. “There is danger in the jungle and evil at the borders. Many will die. We must move quickly. There can be no thought of settling here.”</p>
<p>Edana and Toryn stared in stunned silence. Edana blinked first.</p>
<p>“Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll have the men make some sort of sling to carry her in; make sure she sleeps.” Edana rose to her feet and turned away, but Aislynn grasped her wrist and pulled her back.</p>
<p>“I am not crazy, sick, or otherwise incapacitated.” She said, insistent, her nails boring into Edana’s flesh. “Get the people through the jungle as quickly as possible. Do not linger for any reason. Be wary; there are hidden dangers.”</p>
<p>“Look. I know it’s dangerous. I have no reason to spend more time than I have to here. You’re sick and you need to sleep. Let me worry about protecting the tribe. And stop raving. It’s weird.” Edana shook off Aislynn’s hand and strode away.</p>
<p>True to her word, about five minutes later two young men showed up, determined to carry Aislynn, who despite her protests, was bundled up and ordered to stay still. Toryn shrugged at her indignation.</p>
<p>“Can’t hurt you any to get a little rest; and I’m not up to fighting your sister for the moment.” He said. He looked away, his mouth tight.</p>
<p>“You don’t believe me either?” Aislynn asked.</p>
<p>“I always believe you, little one. You have never spoken falsely. Still, with all the changes that you’ve gone through, and with the upheaval ahead that you’re predicting, a nap can’t hurt any.” Toryn put a hand to his youngest’s face. Her skin was hot and dry.</p>
<p>“Fine. I’ll meditate as we travel. Maybe I can find out some details about the dangers ahead. Tell these boys not to walk into any trees while I’m out.” Aislynn sighed and put her head down, slipping instantly into a trance. Toryn nodded to the two guards.</p>
<p>“Take good care of her, boys. And let me know if she says anything.”</p>
<p>“You don’t need to tell us, sir.” One of the guards spoke up.</p>
<p>“Yeah, if anything happened to her, our mates would take it out of us but good. Everyone loves the li’l druid.”</p>
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<p><em>End, CH9</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/01/31/FotC-CH10-A-dark-stranger.html">Continue to Chapter 10: A dark stranger</a></p>
Day 1452017-01-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/24/Day-145<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPs3JVxAxNZ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Catching up on #booktags #fellinlovewiththecover & #coverlove - thanks @amidsummerbookishdream 👏📚✨ . . Tagging fellow #bookstagrammers under 1000 to keep the tag going 👏📚✨ . . . Both #shadowcastbystars by #catherineknutsson and #thegirlwithborrowedwings by #rinsairosetti are #underhyped #ya hits with magical realism, fantasy and, depending on where you're from, exotic locales and lifestyles. Hunt them down!📖👍✨ . . .</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-25T20:35:37+00:00">Jan 25, 2017 at 12:35pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I can’t believe it myself, but I actually got down a full plan yesterday, start to finish! Now, figuring out it any of it is useful/salvageable, that I’ve been procrastinating on all day… But I think I’m getting a little closer to the heart of things, or at least starting to see where they go sideways. Likeability is still an issue; I probably need to contrive a way for Cole to be more driven or kinder or something up front. The theme that seems to be winning out has to do with wanting: desires, how to know them, own them, pursue them, abandon or surpass them… it popped up pretty strongly in the first draft, and despite all my efforts to craft an arc without it, it’s what I keep coming back to. There’s also some characterization issues I haven’t settled; is Cadence juvenile and silly or mature and sage-like? Is Cadence a goody-two-shoes perfectionist overachiever or a moody, angsty self-hater? The guys both have issues of the cookie-cutter variety; Ravel is one note bad, while Itri is a distant fantasy creature. But I think a bunch of those issues can be solved by diving into characteristic moments and detailed scene planning… And weaving in more ghostly dark creepy goodness through all of these human moments is something I haven’t even started to work on seriously…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 5:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; couch</p>
<p>drinking: water</p>
Day 1442017-01-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/23/Day-144<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPnvx4vgQ-k/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks @msreader4u for tagging me to cover #oldbooks #secondinbookseries #titlepagewonders and #openbook 👏📚✨ . . I'm cheating a bit, depending on whether you buy #lotr as one book or a trilogy, lol, but it's my go-to original fandom and there's always a few versions on hand for shoots in a pinch (lesser books are boxed and stored b/c #digitalnomad sadly)</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-23T20:55:02+00:00">Jan 23, 2017 at 12:55pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>And here we go again. Back to trying to tell an impossible story. Gonna throw marketability out the window for a while, stop trying to do all the right things, and work on telling the truth. Then telling it in a way that people can understand. Then figuring out what on earth this Frankenstein’s monster of a creation I’ve developed actually is.</p>
<p>Wish me luck. Like Cole, I may not like the rules, but I generally try to follow them and get a gold star. Uncharted territory is scary (but awesome, but scary…)</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Wow this is getting dark & twisted. Uncomfortable for me, but probably an awesome direction, when it comes to it. Very teen, very dark-fantasy/supernatural-thriller/paranormal-horror, lol. Soooo uncomfortable. It’s one thing to put something down in a plot, it’s another to go there and write it honestly and deeply! Yikes! Off to the races…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 & 3:30 & 8:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; table & couch</p>
<p>drinking: Crown Royal northern harvest rye</p>
Day 1432017-01-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/21/Day-143<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPi7C3Ug58y/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Went analog today to try to solve the character and plot issues.</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-21T23:57:17+00:00">Jan 21, 2017 at 3:57pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I’m working in five and ten minute bites, brainstorming, ideating, whatever. It’s back to the beginning, come full circle or spiral maybe, hopefully I’m getting somewhere with all this flailing. Back to the start, and maybe the process is just what has to happen, the mess is what is and what needs to be.</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to swap out variables, put my big girl pants on and make the changes to solve the problems to make it all work. So much for that. I’m back to who Cole is and was at the beginning of all this; someone who doesn’t know how to want. But, maybe, I’m better able to articulate who she is and how she progresses, and if nothing else I’ve got more plot elements to play with on the table now… There are dozens of stories I could tell (hundreds!) and the having of ideas is not the problem. Nor is finding good ideas an issue; pretty much any of them could take the novel in a plausible manner from start to finish. Some might even do better, commercially.</p>
<p>But that’s not the story I set out to (find out I needed to) tell. It’s not who Cole is. It’s not what that world was created for.</p>
<p>What does that leave me with? A mess. A flipchart sheet half-full of fevered scribbles, an ugly-ass self-portrait sketch and another day mostly gone. But I now know what I want to do with the mess (I think. I hope. I must.) and can move forward from there. I’ve learned more about story structure, character arcs and weaving goals and needs and internal and external developments. I’ve figured out how to tell the story without multiple POV. I’ve ruled out a half dozens decisions and ways I could tell the story at least. Call it progress.</p>
<p>The Anatomy of Curiosity is incredible. I need to find writing partners (spoiler; not gonna for this draft, that’s for sure!) Also, my IG marketing is looking healthier these days. Score!</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford; home; table</p>
TGOoH CH8 Antisocial misanthropy and other lifestyle choices2017-01-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/01/20/TGOoH-CH8-Antisocial-misanthropy-and-other-lifestyle-choices<p>I couldn’t look.</p>
<p>Henry just dove into the middle of the mess barehanded, ignoring my shrieks. One minute he was dashing across crumpled pavement, miraculously never losing his balance on the shattered earth, arms pumping in time with his legs, muscle shifting under his skin with a ragged trail of loosening bandaids fluttering in his wake. And then the distorted sea glass glint of the attack swallowed him whole.</p>
<p>Ok, of course I looked. And looked. And I even got to my knees and crept a little closer to look better.</p>
<p>Do you remember those ripply glass blocks that people used to build with? Thick and hard like cinder blocks or great square bricks, but translucent. I think people used to put them in houses back in the ‘80s or something. Probably in bathrooms. They were great for letting light through, but distorted the light so much you couldn’t get much more than a smeared blur of colour from whatever was on the other side.</p>
<p>It was like that, kind of. A little darker, a little more transparent. There were flashes of bad things. Eyes inside of eyes, clustered, impossible. Rows of teeth in a too-wide grin with painted lips. Scuttling grasping reaching rending things. And the flash of human paleness, the artificial brightness of a woman’s handbag or a tasteless shirt, and so, so much red. And in the midst of it all, a growing brightness, a silver-sharp flash at the heart of it that turned the thick distortion more transparent moment by moment.</p>
<p>He was at the heart of it, of course. The miracle was, he was still on his feet. Still fighting, the silver light flashing as he lashed out at the monsters. It was kind of beautiful, as long as I didn’t let my eyes drift down, focus too much on what puddled and pooled on the ground. I didn’t hear any screaming now. The play of the silver light across his face, across his body, tense, agile grace and a face alive with determination and focused rage. The contrast, that light against the darkly insubstantial forms that imploded on its piercing rays.</p>
<p>I moved closer, tripping over the broken ground and barely feeling sharp pain followed the warm rush of blood down my shins. I couldn’t look away.</p>
<p>Henry was beautiful, lit up from within, the light of the sword in his hands seeming to pour also from beneath his skin. An avenging Michael come to slay the serpent on holy fire. Before him, the darkness quailed, retreating in fits and starts, devious as it flowed to the side, behind, but futile as well. He was, against all odds, winning.</p>
<p>I don’t like people very much. That should come as no surprise, by this point. All I really ask for in life is to be left alone as much as possible. In the ancient world, I would have been one of those hermits, off in a cave or a tree or something (except, yeek, spiders). In the old world, I would have worked freelance, or maybe for one of those remote heavy industry sites, on a rig or forestry station or something. People are just… too much. Too much noise, too much want, too much feeling and needing and expectation and… It’s easier without them.</p>
<p>What? I didn’t say I wanted anyone to die. Just that I preferred my world without complications. The human kind.</p>
<p>But this was one complication I couldn’t look away from. I’d had Henry pegged as a nuisance. Sure, he might’ve saved my life (ok, yes, fine, he absolutely did, but still) but he was a guy. Guys are the worst human creatures, besides infants. So full of want and need and hurt. And he’d expected me to trade my space for protection. As if my life would be worth living, with him in it every second of every day.</p>
<p>I know it sounds terrible, ok? It’s not like I go around explaining that to everyone I meet. I mostly just try to avoid meeting anyone. But here’s the thing; I couldn’t look away.</p>
<p>You’re thinking, well duh, hot guy, fighting, muscles, sweat, hero moment, you don’t have to spell it out for me. You’re still not getting it. I cared. About him. And I knew it. Sure, maybe I’d taken pity on him last night - in my defence, I was exhausted and probably still in shock - and sure, I might have felt a twinge about making him sit outdoors all day, and yeah, I’d made him join the fight for his own good. And then I’d realized.</p>
<p>Henry was unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Henry’s existence was unlike anything I’d even imagined existing before. And maybe, just maybe, he was someone I wanted to have around for a bit.</p>
<p>All that was before the beast sprang past Henry and barrelled toward me, coalescing into one-two- -six-seven-eight-oh shit.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH8</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/01/27/TGOoH-CH9-Rational-and-irrational-urges.html">Continue to Chapter 9: Rational and irrational urges</a></p>
Day 1422017-01-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/20/Day-142<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPEKPrLAQX_/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">FINALLY got first round of major plot revisions off to the editor. Kinda the same and yet totally different at the same time. Sooo much work~😅📖🖋✨ . . . #rewrites #plot #revision #amediting #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #ya #yabooks #dystopia #books #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaie.space_author) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-10T01:13:38+00:00">Jan 9, 2017 at 5:13pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So it’s not so much that I haven’t been working on this (I have, really, I should be at day like 150+), but it’s been hard going. Sometimes I come up with answers, ideas, inspiration and fixes by ploughing forward, pushing for solutions. But a lot of the time, they come to me sideways. They like to sidle up in my peripheral vision when I’m not looking in their direction, and then I have to breathe slow and resist the temptation to stare until I can hold on to their afterimage. All that to say, I’ve spent the majority of the last week or so watching TV, reading books, and building up my IG and Goodreads accounts (yay almost 400!) -and then feeling horribly guilty and panicking for not working hard enough and being behind schedule, and then actually getting a bit of progress in near the end of the day, where I can sleep on it and improve in the morning, until my editor kicks my stuffing out and the cycle starts over.</p>
<p>Yay rewrites.</p>
<p>Just finished The Curiosities. I was up until 4 am last night/this morning with it too. Mad (the crippling kind) brilliant, but also inspiring. It’s kick-started at least two ideas or writing sessions, and there’s a sequel that I’ll start on tonight. The last 5 craptastic books I read were also inspiring, in a different way.</p>
<p>I’m a little depressed. I’m a little stuck. I’m a little anxious. It’s been raining. I don’t know how to identify feelings (my own) or remember that other people have emotions. I’m too much like Cole. I don’t understand Cole. I don’t understand storytelling. I’m a drama queen in a wallflower’s skin with a berserker’s heart and a painted mouth.</p>
<p>I feel hopeless and addicted. I’m not good enough. I can totally do this. I just need to work harder. I just need to hang on. I just need to be somebody different, and it’d all be better.</p>
<p>I’m a writer. I’m a teller of stories. I’m a creator. I exist. The quality of me and mine is a different matter. Which matters. But not as much as I matter.</p>
<p>I think it’s stupid when people say you should write for yourself. Don’t they know all I have to do is turn my gaze inside? Why would I go to the trouble of sorting and pinning and cataloguing ideas for myself when they’re vital and alive and mercurially bouncing around the space inside?</p>
<p>I write for myself, to make sense of the ideas and images and thoughts and impressions and sensations that aren’t quite feelings or emotions but something more nebulous. To make of the tangled mess something that resonates for someone else, that tells them they’re both less special and unique and singular, and more at the same time.</p>
<p>I’m a living contradiction who believes in absolute truth. Singularity. Trinity. Three in one but not one in three.</p>
<p>I’ve been reading too much poetry.</p>
<p>Or something. It might be the four hours of sleep last night… or the gin.</p>
<p>I went outside yesterday. In the dark, behind the locked gates. Trash out, trash in, a tiny golden key, a chore, an escape, an excursion. I don’t know if I’ll go out today. I probably won’t.</p>
<p>There are books and deadlines and chores and temptations. I will go out tomorrow.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 4pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford, couch/living room</p>
FotC CH8 Disappearances in the night2017-01-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/01/17/FotC-CH8-Disappearances-in-the-night<p><em>Recap: Camlin and Edana’s rivalry comes to a head during the first night’s watch on the fringe of the jungle. Camlin not only makes it clear that he doesn’t see Edana as a worthy opponent, but suggests a very different type of partnership. Edana, less than impressed with his proposal, is nonetheless distracted by the encounter, and neglects to follow up on or report her men’s observations of a mysterious presence outside the encampment. What’s causing the rustling just outside the reach of the nightwatch’s flames?</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Edana clawed her way up out of a restless sleep haunted by directionless skittering and distorted echoes of Camlin’s voice, Aislynn kneeling over her.</p>
<p>“I’m awake. What?”</p>
<p>“From a log to a wildcat in ten seconds flat. Crazy.”</p>
<p>“Well?” Edana scrambled to roll up her blankets, get dressed and armed, and knot her hair back out of the way all at the same time.</p>
<p>“As you may have noticed, it’s morning.”</p>
<p>“’Lynnie. The point.”</p>
<p>“Father wants to get everyone moving. If you intend to do that nutty practice thing of yours, you’d better get moving. Oh, and Camlin’s just about to take his men off perimeter duty. Thought you might want to touch base there.”</p>
<p>Edana groaned.</p>
<p>“Great. Awkward. Just what I need first thing in the morning.”</p>
<p>“You’re a big, tough captain now. Comes with the territory. Have fun.” Aislynn handed her a piece of bread and waved her on her way, grinning all the while.</p>
<p>Edana debated taking some time out for a workout, or meeting up with Camlin right away. It couldn’t hurt to let him cool his heels a little longer. Besides, ugh. He’d had hours to come up with more obnoxious ideas. She decided she needed a little boost before confronting whatever challenges Camlin had dreamed up for her today. She’d run an abbreviated practice, and only then seek out Camlin to hear his report and arrange the day’s patrols as they moved out.</p>
<p>Edana headed off northwest through the Connarii encampment, edging deeper into the jungle. She didn’t pass any sentries; Camlin must’ve just pulled them off duty, since a few watchfires were still smoldering. A little premature, actually. She’d have to speak to him about that.</p>
<p>The terrain proved tricky. Although she’d managed to find a slight clearing, the jungle growth was dense and layered. It tricked the eye and made it hard to swing a weapon; her whips would be next to useless here, and the sword and staff strapped to her back caught on vines and hanging branches as Edana shouldered through. Throwing knives, though she hated to risk losing any, and the longer daggers would have to do.</p>
<p>Edana flicked mold and leaves from her shoulders, wiping her hands in disgust. Her palms were already clammy, and she hadn’t even started yet. She wound rags around the palms of both hands for grip and took a two blade stance to start with. Her scalp felt hot and itchy, sweat dripping from her hairline and making her vest and waistband chafe, though she’d long since abandoned her boots. She rolled her shoulders, casting around for a suitable target. The jungle felt like it was smothering her, a soaked blanket muffling her in suffocating heat. As she stood, shifting her weight slightly for balance, just breathing and feeling her muscles loosen to start with, she heard… it was barely a rustle, at first.</p>
<p>Edana tensed, dropping lower into an attack stance. The sound built slowly as she turned, measuring the jungle, sifting past each leaf and vine as she tried to peer past the rust-dark shadows and deceitful sway of vegetation. The rustling became a roar, like riding towards a waterfall, though it seemed to come from every direction at once. Edana gritted her teeth in frustration; the jungle swaddled her, dulling her senses. She sought for patterns, but every flicker of movement was a lie, the shadows empty, the scent on the air a thick, hot reek of rot that revealed nothing in its cloying consistency. As she shifted, her foot caught on something, an upthrust root or rock, and as she spun to catch her balance, a sharp pain at her calf drew her gaze down even as the rushing sound peaked. And passed.</p>
<p>Edana scrambled for footing, blades on guard, a fraction of her attention on the long, shallow scratch along her leg and the dull, rusty glint of the something that had bit her, up thrust from the ground. The rest of her cast around for an attacker, picking up on the heavy crashing approach so early it took her a moment to identify what she was hearing.</p>
<p>She just had time to straighten, lifting her chin and sheathing one knife to leave a hand free when Camlin burst through a wall of vegetation, roaring wordlessly.</p>
<p>“Where is it? What…?” Caught off balance and surprised by her presence, he tripped, falling toward the spike that had nipped Edana’s skin some few moments before. She kicked him sideways as he fell, knocking him clear, and watched as he hit the ground and rolled, cursing.</p>
<p>“You- you-!” Camlin fought to his knees, sputtering and seething, though he darted glances from side to side, in between glaring at Edana as he rose. “What was that for? Where is it? Where’d it go?”</p>
<p>“Wrong question,” Edana said. Ignoring him, she crouched to examine the ragged spike. Following her gaze, Camlin froze, his skin paling. She knocked the flat of her blade against it with a dull clonk, scraping off orange flakes to reveal dark grey underneath. The spike left the earth at an angle, and when she pushed against it, moved not at all, so firmly was it planted. Its shape was uniform along much of the length, a weirdly hollow angle like two sides of a square, though it tapered unevenly at the exposed end. Edana thought she’d do well to clean the scratch it had produced at the earliest opportunity, filing away the thought for later before turning to look at Camlin over her shoulder. His breath came in pants, and he was wild-eyed as he stared back.</p>
<p>“What you meant to saw was, “Thank you for saving my life,”” she knocked her knuckles against the metal shard for emphasis. Camlin swallowed, took a deep breath in through his nose, and narrowed his eyes in a moment’s silent acknowledgement of what could have been. Then he visibly dismissed his near-brush with death, his face hardening as he drew himself up.</p>
<p>“I’ve got bigger problems than your ego, princess,” He said. “What are you even doing out here? Did you see it?”</p>
<p>“It?”</p>
<p>“You had to have – I heard it, had almost reached it when you distracted me… Wait. Is this your doing? Some kind of joke?”</p>
<p>“Look, if you’ve been sleeping on duty, I can’t be held responsible for your nightmares-“</p>
<p>“Four sentries missing.” Camlin bit out the words, cutting the argument short. Edana stopped breathing. She drew her shoulders together and locked her knees, fighting the wave of horror. Not good. “No one saw or heard anything except for what your men reported – subdued rustling and clicking about ten feet from the perimeter. The fires were extinguished at the deserted posts.”</p>
<p>Not good at all. Edana felt sick. She should have done something, doubled the watch, forced Camlin to recognize the danger. Instead, she’d been so distracted by bickering with him, she’d… she’d… stomped off in a huff. Gossiped with her sister. Gone to sleep like a good little girl without a care in the world. Unacceptable.</p>
<p>Edana swallowed back the guilt and braced herself. She’d failed in her duty last night, failed as a leader. It was time to do better. Starting now. Starting with him.</p>
<p>“We need to move,” She stepped into the bushes, forcing Camlin to scramble along to keep up.</p>
<p>“There’s something out there, Edana.”</p>
<p>Edana hoped whatever it was, it wasn’t nearby. The way Camlin was crashing along, it would be able to track them without even trying, and worse, she’d never be able to hear it coming. She kept a dagger at the ready as she slipped through the buses and around the trees.</p>
<p>“Looks like our ghosts are real. That or the sentries wandered off to relieve themselves and got lost.” Edana immediately felt bad for the teasing comment. Verbally sparring with Camlin was second nature, but it did nothing to defuse the tension and less for her attempt at mastering the situation. For some reason, though, Camlin just let it go. He tromped along behind her without another word as she led him through the camp, marshaling the troops as they went. The group arrived en masse in front of Toryn. Edana paused to single out sixteen of the oldest and best-trained warriors from both Camlin’s and her groups.</p>
<p>“Pair up and take up posts around the tribe. Space yourselves as evenly as possible and keep the fires burning. Be prepared for anything.”</p>
<p>“What is this?” Toryn eyed Edana and a pale, uncharacteristically silent Camlin. Edana glanced at Camlin out of the corner of her eye, surprised as his lack of response, then stepped forwards.</p>
<p>“Four sentries have gone missing. We believe that there is an enemy in the jungle that has taken them.”</p>
<p>“When?”</p>
<p>“Second watch.”</p>
<p>“Just before first light.” Camlin said, finally breaking his silence. “The fires were out when we discovered they were missing. No sign of a struggle. No way of knowing who or what did this – but suspicious noises were reported. I pursued, but the princess here distracted me.”</p>
<p>Camlin’s chin tightened, resentment writ clear on his face. Toryn frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but-</p>
<p>“We need to go after them.” Edana said, interrupting hastily as she saw her father’s attention shift. It wouldn’t surprise her if Aislynn had found time to mention last night’s little encounter to their father, and she wasn’t about to be derailed by matchmaking of all things. “My men will search the jungle around the encampment. We may be able to save them, if we go now. At the least, we have to identify the threat. Camlin can guard the perimeter until I return.”</p>
<p>“No,” Toryn said, throwing up a hand against Edana’s immediate protest. “No, one complement of guards is not enough to ensure the safety of the tribe if these mysterious attackers return. We will proceed through the jungle and hope to run across the sentries as we go. Captains – your recommendations?”</p>
<p>“Same formation as yesterday.” Camlin seemed pleased that Edana’s plan had been shut down so quickly. “Full perimeter around the tribe as we travel – it’s the only thing to do.”</p>
<p>“Torches.” Edana hurried to add, frustrated but quick to try to regain the upper hand. “The attackers only moved when the fires were out. Warriors should move in pairs, with at least one torch to a pair. A double line of guards should be placed at the front of the column to beat down the underbrush and expose anything that might be hiding in the darkness.”</p>
<p>Toryn regarded the pair silently. Edana resisted the impulse to fidget under his gaze, steeling her spine and lifting her chin. She was very aware of the attention of the troops, and even more aware of her own failure to report the danger when she should have – last night. She wondered how many of them knew of her shame – and why Camlin hadn’t seized the opportunity to publically call her out on it.</p>
<p>“Go ahead. Arrange your men. We move in one hour.” Toryn said.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH8</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/01/24/FotC-CH9-Changes.html">Continue to Chapter 9: Changes</a></p>
TGOoH CH7 Priorities and promises2017-01-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/01/13/TGOoH-CH7-Priorities-and-promises<p>When the first cry broke out behind us, Henry froze. It was like the previous night in the apartment; he went from excruciatingly present to gone in an instant, leaving just a shell behind.</p>
<p>The human reaction would have been to whip around and stare at the source of chaos, but something about his stillness was magnetic. I couldn’t look away, even as the cries escalated, voices joining together in horror. The sidewalk quivered under my feet, and I grabbed at the nearest thing to stabilize myself. Which happened to be Henry. Which was even weirder - to feel the warmth of his skin, the flex and resistance of him - and yet for him to be so completely unresponsive, so absent. It was enough to keep me from realizing, for a moment, just how wrong the situation had become.</p>
<p>Voices. Multiple screams tearing through the golden light of a quiet late afternoon on the coast. That wasn’t possible… The nightmares don’t attack crowds; it’s always a single victim. It’s personal, not mass attacks like terrorism or something. I’d never heard of…</p>
<p>I risked a glance over my shoulder as the sidewalk shook and cracked underfoot, keeping hold of Henry’s unmoving arm for balance. I had to blink a few times to work out what was going on. It was like staring through a heat wave or thick, uneven glass; the shapes were dark blurs, barely recognizable as human. A mirage across the desert; silhouettes through a cloudy curtain. If it hadn’t been for the tree at the centre of the chaos, tilted at an impossible angle now as the ground beneath it crumbled, I could have pretended I didn’t know what was going on.</p>
<p>But the attack was right out in front of the office, the neat, slightly mossy grass crumbling to earth and broken pipe, the carefully groomed bushes tilted with gnarled roots in the air while cracks spiderwebbed through the stuccoed facade. The tree sinking down as I watched, only moments ago Henry had been leaning against it, surrounded by curious admirers. And now their voices carved up the skies as the blurred attack took on a red tinge.</p>
<p>Nightmare. Even as I stared, the near-invisible disturbances took on shape, the hint of a fang here, the suggestion of rough scales there, too-wide eyes blinking and staring and murderous on every side. I shuddered to think what it must be like at the heart of the attack; did they each only see their own worst fear stalking them? Or a horde of nightmares all at once? Or maybe a hideous amalgamation of shared horror stitched and blended together in a Frankenstein’s monster of deadly intent?</p>
<p>It helped to consider the unheard of rarity of the attack, to ponder it academically. It kept me from trying to match the screams to familiar voices. It kept the cold sweat beading on my skin at a distance, the memory of my own all-too-recent terror at bay. It was icy, grim insulation from the horror that I was, now that I thought about it, really too close too. I braced myself against Henry’s unresponsive arm and pushed away, staggering across the cracked concrete. He thawed to life as my hand left his skin.</p>
<p>I paused, a few steps away, to watch. His eyes were wide and liquid with pain, his hands clenched into fists, his body rigid as he turned away to stare at the attack. And turned back to stare at me. His lips were bloodless, pressed so hard that I felt like I could hear his teeth creak behind them.</p>
<p>“Just go,” I said, bracing my feet and gripping my elbows. I felt cold and trembly. Must’ve been the ground shaking. Yeah. That was it.</p>
<p>If anything, the anguish on his face deepened when I spoke. Then it vanished, wiped away by a mask so smooth, I almost thought he was gone again. But this time he wasn’t frozen. He lunged forward, his face set, grabbed my arm and dragged me down the sidewalk so fast I felt like a balloon caught in a gale, just the toes of my shoes bumping along the ground to bounce me airborne again. At the corner he hesitated, lost or disoriented, maybe. I seized the moment of distraction to rip my arm out of his grasp, stumbling backward and sitting down in a heap on the grass.</p>
<p>“Wha-” Henry’s hand hung in midair, fingers outstretched where I’d pulled away. “April. Get up. I need to get you out of here.”</p>
<p>I sat on the grass and dug my fingers into the dirt below. In the time it took me to find the words, he’d knelt and got both hands around arms, ready to haul me bodily along.</p>
<p>“Let go!”</p>
<p>He flinched, but reached out again almost immediately.</p>
<p>“I said, leave me alone!” I twisted away, falling back on my elbows and glaring up at him. He was holding on to his calm, contained mask, but only just. A vein pulsed above his left eye, and tiny lines around his mouth and between his eyes kept creasing and then smoothing away. It was terrible to watch.</p>
<p>“It’s not safe here. We need to go.” He said, kneeling over me. I couldn’t sit up without bumping into him, couldn’t pull further away. A bandaid on his shoulder was lifting, and I shifted my weight to yank it away, revealing a barely-closed red welt curving over to his back.</p>
<p>“Not safe for who?”</p>
<p>It wasn’t fair, I knew. He’d shown every indication of caring about my well-being over pretty much anything, or anyone, else’s. Including his own. Which wasn’t right. I wasn’t about to let him get away with it.</p>
<p>“You’re not safe here.” Henry shrugged away, as if to hide the wound. I waved the bandaid in his face.</p>
<p>“Neither are you.”</p>
<p>“That’s not… it’s different for me. They’re not after me.”</p>
<p>“But they’d hurt you all the same, if you got close enough.”</p>
<p>“Wish to god I could!” He choked on the end of the exclamation, jerking back and away from me. I sat up. “Sorry. Sorry, I- it’s not your fault, April. Can you just… can you just trust me? Just let me help you?”</p>
<p>“No.” I said. He gave me this look, like he didn’t know whether to strangle me or cry, but I held my ground. “I won’t say I don’t need your help. Maybe I do. Maybe I should even let you. Maybe I will. But not now.”</p>
<p>“April-”</p>
<p>“What do you want?”</p>
<p>“April, I- to help, I just-“</p>
<p>“No. You don’t just want to help. What do you want?”</p>
<p>He wasn’t getting it. He was so focused on me, so determined, whether I wanted his help or not, that he wasn’t thinking straight. A part of me was standing a long distance off, laughing at the whole exchange. What did I care, really? Why insist on playing word games with him, now of all times? Why make him confront the source of his anguish, instead of taking what I could get - what I needed, maybe - and letting him suffer, if he wanted to? The rest of me was too focused on him to be amused. He’d helped me, even if I hadn’t asked for it, hadn’t wanted his help. Maybe this was a way of paying him back.</p>
<p>I rolled forward onto my knees and shoved Henry, knocking him off balance.</p>
<p>“What do you want?”</p>
<p>“April, I just-“</p>
<p>“No. WHAT! DO! YOU! WANT!”</p>
<p>It took screaming in his face to break down his insistence, his determined blindness, and he yelled back, every vein in his neck rigid with fury, “To make it stop!”</p>
<p>“Good. Do that.” I held myself from jerking away, but only just. His face fell as he searched mine, anger falling away to pained sadness, resignation.</p>
<p>“No, April. No. We need to get out of here. I promised. I told you I wouldn’t leave. I’d keep you safe.”</p>
<p>“I don’t accept that. Go.”</p>
<p>“April.” He reached out for me, and I slapped his hand away. His expression shifted to frustration. “Look, I-“</p>
<p>“Go!”</p>
<p>“I’m not leaving you to get killed, ok? I can’t!”</p>
<p>“Then I won’t.” I was being unreasonable, I knew. I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to be his excuse, his anchor dragging him down, dragging him away from what he wanted. I didn’t appreciate being forced to find the solutions for him either, but since he seemed to be burdened with a one-track-mind, needs must.</p>
<p>“Look,” I said. “There’s got to be an alternative. How about I wait from a safe distance while you go deal with it? You can keep an eye on me and take apart some monsters at the same time. Win-win, right?”</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s-“ He trailed off, his gaze turning inward. “That could work, maybe.”</p>
<p>Henry was starting to look excited. If he’d been a dog, his ears would have pricked up and there might even have been some tail wagging involved. Disgusting. I had to stifle a laugh.</p>
<p>“Sit right here, ok?” He said, pushing down on my shoulders with both hands as if he could root me in place. “Don’t move. Promise you won’t move, ok?”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to-“</p>
<p>“Promise, April, or I won’t go.” He insisted, staring me down. I could have lied, I guess, but honestly, I was a little curious about what this next step was going to look like.</p>
<p>“Whatever. Fine. Cross my heart.” I settled, cross-legged on the ground and held my hand up like a pledge. Henry’s focus had shifted; he’d half forgotten me already.</p>
<p>“Don’t move.” He said. And then, “it’s gonna be ok.”</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself. He ran back toward the screaming.</p>
<p>Only then did it occur to me that he was unarmed.</p>
<hr />
<p>End, CH7</p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/01/20/TGOoH-CH8-Antisocial-misanthropy-and-other-lifestyle-choices.html">Continue to Chapter 8: Antisocial misanthropy and other lifestyle choices</a></p>
FotC CH7 A surprise proposal2017-01-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/01/10/FotC-CH7-A-surprise-proposal<p><em>Recap: The Connarii prepare to enter the red jungle. Exiled from their homes, they welcome the easy hunting and shelter of the alien landscape over the strange emptiness of the mists they first arrived in. Camlin and Edana each struggle for recognition and power, as co-captains of the Connarii forces. Camlin leads the charge to set up camp and build a new life in the jungle, but Edana responds with trepidation to the stained landscape, wary of Aislynn’s ominous visions and on guard against the promise of danger to come.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“All right there, boys?” Edana started on yet another round, creeping along the edge of the camp to check on her guards stationed in pairs, equidistant around the perimeter of the sleeping masses. Though each pair kept a flame burning bright, the central campfires had dimmed to smoldering coals, and under the thick canopy the humid air was nearly opaque.</p>
<p>“Nothing to report, captain.” One of the men replied. His partner stifled a yawn.</p>
<p>“Stay alert just a little longer,” Edana advised. “You’ve done a good job – and it’s nearly time for Camlin’s boys to take their turn.” She moved along to the next pair of sentries.</p>
<p>“All clear?”</p>
<p>The guards whipped round, tangled together and nearly fell at her feet. Evidently they hadn’t noticed her approach.</p>
<p>“C-clear.” One stammered, trying to salute, regain his balance and stand at attention all at once. Edana stiffened.</p>
<p>“Tell me.” Her eyes narrowed as she peered out into the deep shadows through the trees. The flames behind her tricked the eye, hinting at an enemy behind every bush and trunk while revealing nothing.</p>
<p>“He’s just imagining things.” The second guard gestured towards his partner, misreading his position and awkwardly smacking him on the chest in the flickering light.</p>
<p>“And just what-” Edana shot the pair a hard look before turning back to the jungle, “-is he imagining?”</p>
<p>The men – boys, really – hesitated, shifting their weight. One fiddled with a bit of string tied around his wrist – a charm, perhaps, or a lover’s token. The other held both hands behind his back as if he were standing at attention, though his shoulders rolled forward protectively. Both were nervous; neither was ready for anything, much less a surprise attack. Edana was torn between reprimanding them and addressing the possibility of danger. She settled for a mix of the two.</p>
<p>“What are you here for?” She said. A whisper wouldn’t have had the effect she was looking for, but she took pains to keep her voice low and even, scanning the trees as she spoke.</p>
<p>“To keep watch?” One of the guards answered doubtfully from behind her.</p>
<p>“Which makes you…?”</p>
<p>“Sentries?”</p>
<p>“And I am?”</p>
<p>“A pri– the! – the princess?”</p>
<p>Edana couldn’t suppress a huff of irritation at the tentative response.</p>
<p>“Try again.”</p>
<p>“The captain?” The other guard spoke up, equally hesitant.</p>
<p>Edana risked a look back, making eye contact with each guard as they listened to the crack of the fire and distant rustling.</p>
<p>“You’re sentries. I’m captain. Your job is simple. You keep watch and tell me when anything – anything, you hear? – happens.”</p>
<p>“Yessir.” The sentries replied doubtfully. “Er, ma’am, uh…”</p>
<p>“Captain.” Edana supplied. “Yes ‘captain’. Now, get on with that report.”</p>
<p>She turned back to the trees, alert. One hand rested lightly on the hilt of a throwing knife. The other hung at her side, relaxed, ready to reach for a weapon or guard as the situation demanded. This pair of poor excuses for warriors might have gotten themselves all worked up about nothing… but then again, they might not. They were young, inexperienced. Untried and in a strange place, they might be seeing phantoms in the smoke and shadows… or there might be something out there. Edana thought it a certainty that eyes watched them in the dark; the question was, were they harmless prey or something more sinister?</p>
<p>“It’s really nothing, captain.”</p>
<p>Edana barely restrained herself from spinning to pounce on the fool. How dim could those two be?</p>
<p>“Tell me about this ‘nothing’ that has you two so worked up as to forget your duty.” She clipped each word, edged it in steel and sent it back to impale the two idiots. They, unfortunately, didn’t seem to pick up on their precarious position.</p>
<p>“Well, captain, it’s just this; we’ve been hearing somethin’ moving, for a while now… something scurrying, like. ‘Bout since the fires started dimming low.”</p>
<p>Edana thought there was an excellent chance it was nothing more than the local wildlife getting curious about the camp. The guards were fools, getting worked up about nothing. Still, she’d be diligent in collecting the report, if only to drill the boys in proper procedure.</p>
<p>“Scurrying where?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Can’t see nothing in this here murk,” the guard flapped a hand at the shadows between the trees. “But on the ground mostly, off that-a way, roughly.”</p>
<p>“Probably just some of those tasty little things we ate for dinner, coming back to volunteer for breakfast,” she said, testing them.</p>
<p>“Nah. We thought ’a that too,” one guard said, too fast. The other chimed in, “these sound different. Drier. Sort of clicking or scraping. An’ there’s an awful lot of them. Seems to have backed off since we stirred up the perimeter fires, but… Hear that?”</p>
<p>Edana tilted her head and listened, eyes narrowed. There was… something rustling, just at the edge of her perception, but in an unknown land, it stood to reason that there would be some local wildlife investigating the newcomers. As long as they kept their distance…</p>
<p>“Thank you for your report.” Edana said, her eyes straining to peer into the gloom. “I will check with the other sentries. Perhaps some of them will have noticed a similar phenomenon.”</p>
<p>“We’re not making this up, captain.”</p>
<p>“No. No, of course not. I’m sure you wouldn’t do that.” The guards ducked their heads under Edana’s glare, shuffling their feet. “Shift change in less than an hour. Keep an eye out ‘til then. I expect to hear immediately if you notice anything more.”</p>
<p>Edana continued around the perimeter of guards. Several made similar reports, all equally vague, most more forthcoming with their reports than the slow pair of guards. Edana made a mental note to shuffle the pairs and make sure the slow ones at least had a sharper partner for the next night’s watch. She sent them all off to bed when Camlin showed up with his watch, then took Camlin off to one side.</p>
<p>“Tough night? Ready to hand them over yet?” Camlin grinned, acting like his lot weren’t knuckling the sleep out of their eyes and stamping in place, blinking bleary eyes and yawning. Edana sighed.</p>
<p>“Look. I realize you’re having trouble with this, but back off. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not handing my men over to you. I’ve got a job to do, as do you. Focus!” She paused, tilting her head back to look down her nose at Camlin, who merely looked amused. Apparently he was tired enough to leave the worst of his needling alone. Good enough. “Now – no serious disturbances to report in the first watch, but a number of my men have observed some sort of activity ten to fifteen feet out from the perimeter. Activity increases as the fires dim, so keep them burning bright and you shouldn’t see any trouble.”</p>
<p>“Men seeing ghosts already, ‘Dana?” – apparently he wasn’t that tired after all - You’ve got to keep a firm grip on the reins. Those boys’ll walk all over you if you give them an inch. Just goes to show a woman can’t-”</p>
<p>“Enough of that talk.” Edana stepped closer, rising on her toes to glare at Camlin from, if not eye-level, as close as she could get. He smirked. “I’ll thank you to leave my leadership out of this. We’re going to have to work together to keep everyone safe. Just keep the fires burning and worry about your own men; mine are safe in bed by now.”</p>
<p>Edana whirled away to head back towards the sleeping tribe, but Camlin reached out and caught her wrist. Startled, she reached for her weapons before remembering herself. She stared back at Camlin, fingertips edging a dagger from its hilt.</p>
<p>“Edana…” Camlin began haltingly, looking first at the ground, then raising his eyes to her face. “Edana, it doesn’t need to be like this. I had thought… I had hoped one day that we might… Well, you are the chief’s eldest daughter, and I-I am well respected by much of the Connarii. Foremost among the young men of our generation.” Camlin’s mouth twisted from the smirk he always faced Edana with into the winning smile that he’d built a following on. He continued, his tone conflicted, an undercurrent of pleading spoiling his practiced speech, “I had always expected that we would rule the Connarii together-”</p>
<p>Edana stared in stunned silence for a moment, then smiled.</p>
<p>“So, as a proclamation of your undying love and devotion, you decided to oppose and mock my every move. Makes sense.” She tugged against Camlin’s grip, more than ready to leave.</p>
<p>Camlin scowled.</p>
<p>“Now listen, ‘Dana. A man is head of his household, as the chief is head of the tribe. A wife serves her husband, encouraging and strengthening him. You upset the natural balance, taking leadership upon yourself and removing it from its rightful holder.”</p>
<p>“Idiot!” Edana pushed forward, jamming her heel down on Camlin’s foot and shoving against his chest. Her charge threw him off balance, and his grip loosened as he staggered back, tripping. “I would never marry you. This much you got right; I am not a man. I am a person. You make it sound as if they are one and the same. I will not turn my back and deny my own gifts and abilities merely because they are most commonly found in men. I can fight, therefore I will fight to protect and aid my people. I fight better than the other warriors, therefore I will lead them in battle.”</p>
<p>The heads of the nearest guards had turned when Edana knocked Camlin back; now more watched as she stood over him, ranting. “I was not created to serve a man like you. I wasn’t born to confer upon some greedy and arrogant male the title of chief. I will not marry you and lend my inheritance to your lust for power.”</p>
<p>Edana spun on her heel and stalked away, but after only a few steps, she slowed and spoke without turning back. “We grew up together. We are of the same tribe, but we are not the same. You would make the Connarii weak, by holding to outmoded opinions and customs. Look around you. Everything has changed. So must we change – our perceptions and roles must likewise shift if the Connarii are to adapt.”</p>
<p>“Not a terribly flattering response. Would it help if I said I loved you?” Camlin picked himself up from the dirt, shaking it off while baring his teeth in tight mimicry of a grin.</p>
<p>“Love?” Edana whirled. “What do you know of love? Love does not imprison and bind. Love allows for growth and change. You desire. You pursue power and control with single-minded passion and commitment. Do not speak of me to love. At least do me the honour of honest speech as you always have in the past. You desire my title. Perhaps you even desire my presence by your side as you rule. You do not love me for myself.”</p>
<p>Camlin’s grin widened, his teeth catching the firelight as they ground together.</p>
<p>“A child such as you must not be held accountable for her naivety. For now, I will excuse your foolishness. I must see to my men.” Camlin turned his back and stalked away.</p>
<p>“Child!” Edana huffed, standing for a moment vibrating with rage. She considered rushing after him. “Child indeed! Just because he’s a measly two years older! I thought that was a very fine speech… spur of the moment, maybe, but still! Lucky he didn’t recognize it…”</p>
<p>Edana stomped into her father’s camp. Toryn was snoring peacefully, but Aislynn peeped out of one eye, taking in her sulking sister.</p>
<p>“What is it now?” She raised herself up on one arm, yawning. Edana shot her a dirty look, which wavered and collapsed into a smirk. She started giggling, sitting down quite suddenly as all the tension in her dissolved into a sort of shaky hysteria.</p>
<p>“Camlin just proposed.”</p>
<p>“Proposed what?” Aislynn yawned again, blinking.</p>
<p>“Marriage, dunce!”</p>
<p>“Saw that one coming. So?”</p>
<p>“He was being insulting, so I gave him this great spiel from one of your ballads. You know, the one about love and freedom?”</p>
<p>“You quoted ‘Gareth and Meaghwynn’ to him?”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh. You should have seen his face!”</p>
<p>“Serves him right for always skipping out when I’m telling a story.” Aislynn nodded once to herself, amused. “So that means you didn’t accept?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Well, he is a captain of the Connarii. Fine catch, wouldn’t you say?”</p>
<p>“Take this!” Edana hurled a rolled-up blanket into her sister’s face. Aislynn flung it back, grinning evilly.</p>
<p>“Treat me like that and I’ll tell father you accepted tomorrow morning while you’re off with the watch.”</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t dare! My own sister, a traitor!”</p>
<p>“Go to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Aislynn… you wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“Go to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Aislynn.”</p>
<p>“You’re right. I would never risk saying something like that to daddy. He might die of shock. Imagine, his wild-child, engaged – and to a fine young man like Camlin!”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you a riot tonight. If I weren’t so tired, I’d come over there and strangle you.”</p>
<p>“Hmm. Go to sleep. I promise I won’t say anything to father. Just be careful. I hear jilted lovers can be dangerous.”</p>
<p>“Ha ha. Funny. Hilarious, even. Camlin’s harmless. I’m not. Go to sleep before I come over there and silence you.”</p>
<p>“Threats?”</p>
<p>“Promises. Sleep. Now. ‘Night.”</p>
<p>“Night.”</p>
<p>Aislynn rolled over and fell asleep. Edana piled her weapons in a heap and rolled up beside them in her blanket. Despite what she’d told Aislynn, she didn’t feel like she could sleep at all. Less than forty-eight hours ago her entire tribe had been hurled out of the world. She fought and won the right to captain at least a portion of the Connarii warriors. She had challenged, and to a certain degree overcome, generations-old gender relations. Camlin had proposed… sort of. And then there were those creatures that the watch had noticed. What dangers would she face? Unknown challenges faced her and the Connarii both from within and without their ranks. There was no way to anticipate… but Edana was mistaken. The excitement had taken its toll, and she fell asleep mid-thought.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH7</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/01/17/FotC-CH8-Disappearances-in-the-night.html">Continue to Chapter 8: Disappearances in the night</a></p>
Day 1412017-01-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/09/Day-141<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO-y2uyA80L/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">The 2017 January #tbr pile 📚✨- nice mix of #thriller, #fantasy, #ya & #shortstory 🐳 . . . #oneaday #goals #whaleofatale #nautical #underthesea #tbrpile #shelfie #bookstagram #amreading #leslielivingston #stephaniemeyer #juliannabaggott #maggiestiefvater #brennayovanoff #yabooks #yafiction #books #amwriting #writerslife #shelfie #kaiespace #whales</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-07T23:13:03+00:00">Jan 7, 2017 at 3:13pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Made some good progress on plot and character arc mapping last week, but got derailed on Friday with a bit of consulting and pushing one of the serials ahead - those are starting to be in serious need of some planning too… So this week, for sure, I’ve got to get the plan out to my editor! In other news, it looks like I’ll be house-sitting for a few weeks starting a week from today, which could be an incredible opportunity to concentrate and push forward with rewrites, but also carries the temptation to indulge in distractions and general laziness.</p>
<p>Promotions are still going slow; mass following on IG seems to have a slight boosting effect on overall followers and interaction, and I’ve focused in more on bookstagrammers and related media. Contemplating starting a separate account to feature text from one or all of the books under development. Couldn’t hurt anything (probably), but it is more work, and since none of the text is at the final polish stage, I’m hesitant to go there. Should probably be doing a more focused job on Twitter and setting up a FB page, but since my interaction level on both is pretty minimal, it’s a bit awkward to push there. Plus, everyone seems to feel mailing lists are super important, but it seems like just another chore that no one actually is interested in. Which brings it all back around to, am I creating anything of any worth to anyone? Can I even tell an effective story? Sales are hard (and I haven’t even really started yet!)</p>
<p>Planning baby showers is also hard. More specifically, coordinating tasks and communication across a team without a defined leader is a mess, a lack of cohesion and clarity around purpose, tone, aesthetic etc. is a nightmare, and to top it all off, the ones from my side hate parties and social gatherings of pretty much any type to begin with! However, it seemed sort of sad to not have one, so here we are. And it will be fine (and over) soon, and hopefully the parents-to-be will be happy with the result. It’s kind of caught in a weird no-man’s-land of not fancy enough, but overdone, but some of the trouble is just that I tend to ridicule convention and meaningless trends, which creates conflict with people that aren’t used to looking at their culture from the sidelines. Like, sure: mason jars; cups with handles (and maybe lids!) I’m down with that. Keeps hot or cold things away from your fingers. Burlap and lace; contrast of texture and colour with the option to add one or more bright accent colours. Overpriced and overdone, but aesthetically pleasing and flexible. But so much of fashion, art, design etc. is not aesthetically pleasing, attractive, cost-effective or clever. It’s just a money-making trend or a bland fear of personally distinctive choices. Pinterest, and social media in general, following on the heels of decades (at least) of curated magazine spreads and set design, has a lot to answer for. It’s a bit strange that way; the eclectic layered, mix-and-match aesthetic of youth culture seems to support individuality, yet everyone seems to look outward for inspiration or guidance, instead of starting with their own values, preferences etc.</p>
<p>…but then I go around using IG filters and stealing layout inspiration for bookstagrams, so we’re all guilty in one way or another…</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Oh the distractions~ I saw someone else doing a Goodreads push for followers. I wonder if a reader profile keeps its followers/friends when switched over? Must look into.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 11 am & 1pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford, couch/living room</p>
TGOoH CH6 Mismatched shoes2017-01-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2017/01/06/TGOoH-CH6-Mismatched-shoes<p>“It’s coming back.”</p>
<p>The words hung in the air between us. A breeze stirred the curtains, leaves rustling outside the windows. I cringed. It was out there, somewhere, waiting for me. 20 foot tall death with eight legs and swarming offspring.</p>
<p>There were two possibilities. Henry was crazy, or lying, or both, and my biggest problem would be finding a way to turf him and get back to my peaceful life. Or, he was telling the truth and my days were numbered.</p>
<p>Well, shit. I reached for decisive, and all I found was dazed. I should… I should… do something… say something…</p>
<p>“I need to go to work.” Not quite what I’d had in mind, but accurate, at least. Henry made a sound of protest and shifted in my peripheral vision.</p>
<p>“April…”</p>
<p>“I do. It’s Friday. I’m going to be late.”</p>
<p>“April.”</p>
<p>I think he was learning. Henry held his spot perched on the top of the couch, though his fingers were digging into the cushions rather. Smart boy; I was not in the mood to be comforted, consoled or otherwise distracted. He clearly wasn’t pleased with where this was going. I, on the other hand, was warming up to the new direction I’d stumbled upon.</p>
<p>I pushed away from the table and rushed for my room before Henry could figure out what I was up to. I’d have locked the door behind me, but like most apartments, the bedroom wasn’t individually secured. I stood against it instead, just breathing for a moment. I felt relieved. No eyes on me, no demands or expectations. Space to think.</p>
<p>“April, that’s not going to help.”</p>
<p>I jumped at the sound of his voice, so close. He was just on the other side of the door, invading my space again.</p>
<p>“Don’t come in here! I-I’m getting changed. For work. I’ll be out soon.”</p>
<p>“April, I really don’t think that’s a good idea…”</p>
<p>“I think it’s an excellent idea. I’m not wearing this outside the house.”</p>
<p>“You know that’s not what I meant. It’s not safe out there.”</p>
<p>I’d taken a few steps away from the door and opened the closet. Suiting up against the day, against him, sounded like a great idea just then. A good sturdy layer between me and all this weird couldn’t hurt. Too bad jeans weren’t on the office dress code.</p>
<p>Too bad I didn’t care.</p>
<p>“What if you call in sick? Everybody loves a sick day.” He sounded hopeful, like maybe I’d magically get all enthusiastic about his great plan or something. As if. I wiggled into my jeans, wincing where they grazed the bandaid-padded cuts and scrapes, and layered on a couple loose shirts. I’d grab a jacket on my way out to cover the scrapes on my arms. And a hat, because there was no dealing with the state my hair was in. Of course, then I’d have to wear the hat at work all day…</p>
<p>“OK, fine, I’ll just have to go with you.” Henry said.</p>
<p>No. Oh no. I grabbed a hat and jammed it over my head before throwing open the door.</p>
<p>“You are not coming to work with me.”</p>
<p>“Great, so you’re calling in then.”</p>
<p>“Sure, right, fine. Can you grab my phone? It’s by the TV.”</p>
<p>The moment his back was turned, I scooped a pair of shoes up from beside the door.</p>
<p>“I don’t see it? Where did you say-“</p>
<p>The door clicked shut on the end of his sentence. I dashed for the stairwell, a shoe clutched in each hand. No time to put them on, or he’d catch me. He had no idea where I worked; he might be able to invade my privacy at home, but I wasn’t about to let him take over my entire life.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until I’d hidden in the bushes between my apartment and the next block, grit chafing between my toes and my hat slipping down over one eye that I realized the flaws in my plan. Dirty feet, plus no socks, plus - oh, lovely - I’d grabbed mismatched shoes.</p>
<p>Which seemed like a bigger problem until I caught sight of the cobweb. I’m not great with spiders at the best of times, but the reminder that my worst nightmare was on the hunt for me - and I’d just run straight out at it - didn’t help any. I jumped backward, caught my heel on a root and landed flat out on the lawn behind me.</p>
<p>Henry towered over me, holding up the missing, mismatched pair of my shoes with raised eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Ladies fashion isn’t my forte, but…”</p>
<p>“Just hand ‘em over.”</p>
<p>I put on my shoes in silence, rubbing as much of the dirt from my feet off on the grass and lower portion of my jeans as I can. He let me. I ought to have been grateful. I wasn’t. I wasn’t sure what it was about him that brought out my inner recalcitrant two-year-old, but even I was getting tired of it. He’d been nothing but kind, nothing but helpful - seriously helpful - and I’d done nothing but push him away. It wasn’t his fault he’d drawn an antisocial freak for protection duty. Maybe I should’ve stopped punishing him for his bad luck?</p>
<p>Nah.</p>
<p>I set off to work. He followed. When we get there, he tried to follow me in. Which would have been a problem at the best of times, but in his current shirtless, bandaid-plastered state, was out of the question. I stopped in the doorway and gave him a look.</p>
<p>“I’ll just wait out here then,” He held his hands up in mock surrender. Good enough.</p>
<p>Except it wasn’t. I couldn’t concentrate on work for a moment, between wondering if he was still there, wondering if he’d left, wondering what I’d do if he’d gone… not that he had - the buzz in the office around the hot shirtless guy outside warred with reports of the latest attacks for most distracting. Then there were the questions about what I’d been up to and the pointed looks at my muddy jeans and scratched arms.</p>
<p>Which was good news, all things considered. At least they weren’t talking about my tragic demise, just the mystery crater that had shown up several blocks away.</p>
<p>I thought I showed great restraint, stubbornly sitting at my desk and ignoring the chatter for a solid eight hours. I did steal a peek at lunch time - he was sitting under a tree beside the sidewalk. When he saw me looking, he waved. I quickly withdrew before anyone noticed.</p>
<p>By the time the day was over, my desk meticulously cleaned, the lights half off and the main rush for the door cleared, I finally got tired of stalling. But when I reached the door, he was still surrounded by curious, chattering office workers, not all of them female.</p>
<p>He looked happy enough, smiling as he spoke to my coworkers. Perfect. He was distracted. Maybe I’d beat him home and get a few minutes of peace. I waited until he’d turned to answer a question before bolting out the door. I’d nearly succeeded in slipping away when I caught my name.</p>
<p>“Oh, just waiting for April to finish.” He was saying loudly. “Do you know when she’ll be out?”</p>
<p>I nearly fell on my face. Shit.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m staying really close. April’s place is just a short walk from here.”</p>
<p>Oh no. He didn’t. That idiot.</p>
<p>My first impulse was to run for it. Thankfully reason won out; who knows what else he might have said if left to his own devices?</p>
<p>“Henry,” I called, without looking back. “Hurry up.”</p>
<p>The crazy thing was, he caught up in seconds. Totally just dropped the conversation and the crowd of curious admirers to follow me.</p>
<p>“How was your day?” Oblivious, he loped along like like a puppy beside me.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to talk about it.”</p>
<p>“Lovely weather we’re having today.”</p>
<p>“Stop talking.”</p>
<p>He paced along in silence for a few minutes. Then the screaming started.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH6</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/01/13/TGOoH-CH7-Priorities-and-promises.html">Continue to Chapter 7: Priorities and promises</a></p>
Day 1402017-01-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/05/Day-140<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO5c15SA4CG/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">I've read a fair bit of #claudiagray and the #firebirdseries is worlds ahead (lol) of her previous work. 📖👍✨#athousandpiecesofyou was entertaining, fast paced and well written. Now if only I could track down the sequel! . . .</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-05T21:24:30+00:00">Jan 5, 2017 at 1:24pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Did a great job of staying on the computer pretty much all day yesterday. 9:30 to until after 5pm, with breaks, and breaks, and breaks… Focusing and working steadily through the task at hand, however, pretty much escaped me. Key plot questions, which I was, of course, so confident I had a handle on and could flick through in no time at all, seem to require a great deal more inspiration and concentration than I’d planned to allocate. Part of the trouble is the subtle differences in terminology and emphasis between structural systems - matching up key plot points and acts is not entirely straightforward. Another issue is the evolution of motivation; the ‘lies’ and ‘truths’ keep shifting as I try to get it all to line up. I knew I needed to simplify, to encapsulate the key idea there more neatly, so some of the struggle was there. And then there’s the plot ‘events’ issue - I’ve been over and through the whole thing too many times, and it’s getting harder to remember what happens where, so lining up developmental increments based on events and realizations becomes a challenge. Of course, there are some events and realizations that never existed and need to in order to meet the structural requirements of the plot, so that’s where the inspiration comes in. What works with the plot, existing characters, character arcs, world etc.? What ties in thematic and subplot strings to solve the problem at hand? And how to jog that inspiration at the moment when I need it to move forward? Taking a break, walking a few steps, checking Instagram (repeatedly), changing chairs, postures, drinks, locations, checking webcomics (Unshelved is the current poison of choice) and daydreaming were all given fair chance. Sprawling across the bed, face down with the computer and basically napping proved to break the writer’s block (plotter’s block?) this time, but it’s like hitting a moving target trying to make progress; very little of the questions can just be skipped or shelved in order to move forward, and every day I’m more conscious that I’m getting behind where I want to be.</p>
<p>However! The good news is that I did move incrementally forward yesterday, so today I just need to get through the questions for the Third Act, climax and conclusion without throwing out everything done to that point, and then I can move on to porting it all over to my book map, run a secondary character arc exercise and integrate any subplots needed, then bring my editor back in for any tweaking before starting long form rewrites! Oops, nope. Have to plot it down to the scene level first. Ugh. Well, anyways, if I can get through the character arc questions today, that frees me up to switch gears and write the next chapter to Things Got Out of Hand tomorrow, which is the leading serial on most platforms and REALLY needs to step it up after a few too many talking heads chapters. I’m conflicted about the serials; it’s a potentially sound strategy for getting attention, eyes on my work, and hopefully sales for Blind the Eyes, but it’s also sub-standard work, which is frankly mortifying. Needs must, I suppose, and it’s one way to move forward manuscripts. If I were making money from this, I could pretty much keep my editor on retainer to work on a rotating basis through the manuscripts that way. Assuming I have worthwhile stories that such an investment wouldn’t be a waste on… That’s kind of the thing with diy indie publishing; there’s no one to tell you not to sink money into something that’s not going to sell. So in that sense, the accusation of self-indulgence is legitimate, although you can bring quality up to par on pretty much any project with enough work (I hope!) Anyways, I’ll try to dig in and push forward again today! Maybe the slight caffeine will help with inspiration!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Success! Apparently all the angst for the first two thirds was worth it, as I (more or less) breezed through the Act 3 questions. I think some inspiration may even have snuck in while I wasn’t agonizing! So, despite all the temptation to engage in celebratory alternatives, I think I’ll dive directly into updating the book map. It’s tempting to switch gears and write tomorrow’s edition of Things Got Out of Hand, or, y’know, skive off and watch something/read/play etc. But! Onwards! The sooner I can get the book map polished up and out to my editor, the sooner she can… pick it all apart and set me back again… wait, why was I doing this again?</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10 am & 3:15 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Grey Tea</p>
<p>Soundtrack: New & Classic Mix Alt Rock/Indie</p>
Day 1392017-01-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/04/Day-139<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO2vxUkAezJ/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaiedesign)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-04T20:12:11+00:00">Jan 4, 2017 at 12:12pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Fingers crossed; I may have pinned down the key plot/character arc element to iron this sucker out! After days of research, note-taking, plotting, long-form question answer writing and false-starts, healthy debate seems to have won the day. The ‘truth’ that Cole needs to learn is the value of human connection, which opens up the door to red-herring her with pretty much any of the many great lies in the world, and justifies Cadence & Itri’s presence in the story while creating nice counterpoint character arcs for Ravelwan, Haynfyv, even Itri & Morristu. Probably, for Maria & Serov as well. Balloons and noisemakers all around! It solves the weird dissonance of the climax - as long as I set it up right - while allowing me to play with a lot of the same ideas in the process.</p>
<p>Thanks mom! (Yes, my writing buddy is my mom. Lay off.) So off I go to rewrite all the masses of planning material with this new brainwave in mind. Wish me luck! We’ll finish this thing yet!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
FotC CH6 Welcome to the jungle2017-01-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2017/01/03/FotC-CH6-Welcome-to-the-jungle<p><em>Recap: The Connarii welcome the sight of land. Exiled from their homes, their very world, lost and wandering in a featureless land of mist, they eagerly rush toward the sight of trees on the horizon. But their journey through the mists has not been without benefits for Crown Princess and recently appointed captain of the First Guard, Edana. Not only has she been recognized for her martial and leadership abilities by her reluctant father, the King Torchan, and granted a command of her own, much to the disappointment of co-captain Camlin, she’s even overcome the initial reluctance of her troops, proving herself in combat and winning some hard-earned trust and respect. And just in time, too; with a strange new land on the horizon, and an ominous one at that, Aislynn’s ominous visions forebode more than just internal struggles on the horizon. What dangers await in the red jungle?</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Camlin threw himself down beneath the first tree that he reached, a scant inch behind Edana and still fuming about it. The pair had led the mad rush to the edge of the forest, abandoning dignity as they raced each other, Camlin hurrying ahead of his men to get the first glimpse and a few extra minutes of reaction time. Although, to call the canopy they lay under a forest seemed entirely inadequate – now that he had a closer look, what they were laying under seemed entirely too alien – more a jungle, than anything.</p>
<p>Edana’s troops jogged up, gasping for air, scanning the gloom under the trees suspiciously and eyeing Camlin and his close proximity to their captain. The bulk of the Connarii straggled along behind them, making their way between odd hills and humps of land on the edge of the jungle, towards the first spiky weeds at its base. Both the earth and what should have been greenery were stained with eerie shades ranging from an orange rust to deep, bloody reds. Camlin’s men had formed an unsteady perimeter around the stragglers and were ushering them in, while Edana stationed her troops in pairs to form a shallow crescent just inside the tree line, where they beat down the brush to make a shallow clearing at the edge of the jungle.</p>
<p>Camlin eyed the near-solid grey mass in the distance. The mists closed off the horizon like an iron dome, curving up and inwards, and fading finally into the pale aquamarine of the sky at a juncture many times the height of the tallest mountain he’d ever seen. He whistled, shaking his head at it. “Now there’s a sight to make you feel hemmed in.”</p>
<p>“Have you ever seen the dungeons of the underground halls of the Danaan, Camlin?” Edana scanned her troops and the jungle behind them, sparing a scant glance at Camlin as she spoke. He couldn’t read her tone; it was uncharacteristically subdued, so even it made the hair on the back of his neck raise.</p>
<p>“Of course not! What do you take me for?” Everyone knew nothing escaped those hell-holes but the ghosts of the poor wretches that went in.</p>
<p>“Don’t be an ass. I meant from the other side of the door.”</p>
<p>Camlin bit back a snarky retort, disturbed by her tone. She was too thoughtful. Remote and cold, not the overeager, intense to the point of silliness girl that he was used too. He didn’t like it.</p>
<p>“I have. I even went inside one, for a few minutes. Father and I were visiting the castle. We were being shown the royal defense and justice system. It was part of some lame attempt at diplomacy with those Danaan scum. I went into a cell, and had the guards lock me in – told them it was to inspect their security measures. They were so freaked out at the request, they actually complied.” The shadow of a smile flickered across Edana’s face; Camlin blinked and it was gone. “It was only for a couple minutes, and I had a lighted candle the whole time, but it was terrible. There was no escape. Dark rock hemmed me in on all sides.”</p>
<p>Camlin waited, watching her and resisting the impulse to interrupt. Her tone was heavy, but the story wasn’t all that surprising. Of course it was horrible; what else had she expected from the worst prison in the world? Well, that world. Camlin resisted the urge to turn and scan the shadows more intently.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m back in that cell, when I look at the sky. I feel like the executioner is coming for me with his axe, like I’m locked in with no escape and nothing to do but wait for the end.” Edana grabbed Camlin’s arm. “This is not a good place for us, Camlin. We need to leave.”</p>
<p>Camlin’s eyes narrowed, calculating. A moment of weakness? Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, the brittleness of her speech washed away in the storm of emotion that played across her face. This was his chance to take charge.</p>
<p>“Ha!” He laughed, louder than he needed to, conscious of the attention of Edana’s guards and the edge of the crowd that focused in on him. He steeled his back, puffed up his chest and continued with self-conscious swagger, “That’s girls for you, no stamina. No vision. Whyn’t you just hand over your sword now, princess? You look better in skirts anyways.”</p>
<p>Edana drew herself up, baring her teeth as she hissed in a breath. Camlin rushed on before she could speak, projecting his words for the benefit of the crowd. “We have an entire world before us. There’s plenty of building materials, must be a good amount of rain, and I’ll bet any number of animals in there to tame or eat. I’d rather return to reclaim our home any day, but since that’s not allowed and now we’re here, we ought to be able to turn this to our advantage. I for one want to get into that jungle there, and find out what we’ve got here!”</p>
<p>This got the crowd rumbling. Bobbing heads and grumbled encouragement bolstered Camlin’s confidence. He paused to gauge the reaction, and Edana broke in. “You’re a fool, Camlin. There’s nothing but death in that jungle. Can’t you feel the wrongness in there? Just look at it! Those plants, the earth stained the color of blood, of death, and yet they thrive in it! We have to leave, now, before it’s too late.”</p>
<p>“She’s right, you know. She isn’t often.” Aislynn had come up while Camlin and Edana were talking. She was leading a child with each hand, to whom she had been telling her stories, and moved to sit them down against a tree before continuing. “I feel the darkness too. We should leave. But we won’t.”</p>
<p>“What is it with you two? It’s just a little wood, and I at least, am not afraid of the “menacing evil” found in a couple of trees. I personally find the vividness refreshing after all that grey.”</p>
<p>Camlin strutted off before Aislynn could continue, wary of her effect on the crowd, and the power of the two sisters united.</p>
<hr />
<p>Aislynn watched Camlin retreat, taking in the way individuals in the crowd, his troops, and Edana’s own boys watched him. He said the things others didn’t dare to voice, sticking his neck out and challenging the powers that be over and over again. Her powers, the leadership of her people, her family. He rarely won, but it was the points he scored within the ranks, with the commoners, that worried her. Stubborn pride could destroy much before it could be reigned in, and Camlin was not the only headstrong young man in the group.</p>
<p>Without unity, the Connarii might not make it through whatever trials would come. They certainly were nothing like the solitary heroes that had come through the Otherworld before, in the bards’ tales, at least. Aislynn sank into thought, setting her back to one of the alien-looking trees and flicking through the stories, the collective wisdom of her tribe, all she knew of people and the gods. Even as she searched for a way to escape the coming danger, the villagers thoughtlessly wandered into the fringe of the jungle, spreading themselves through the trees, marveling at the strange growths, both beautiful and grotesque, often at the same time. A part of her followed them, recording their discoveries as the rest of her sought for direction, cataloguing brightly colored fruits of strange shapes and comparing the small tree-creature captured by one small boy with all the species, of her own world and those mentioned in the tales. This discovery of a two-tailed squirrel-like creature inspired the rest of the boys to start a small-scale hunting operation, while their mothers began to set up cooking fires, finding that the stained wood burned just as well as the golden and brown varieties they were used to.</p>
<p>Aislynn drew back into herself as she saw Camlin approach and start bickering with her sister again. She opened her eyes and stretched before interrupting the fight.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you two supposed to be working on security?” Aislynn poked Edana, who cursed while Camlin laughed.</p>
<p>“How soon the mighty fall.” He couldn’t resist any chance to get a jab in, could he? “You have first shift, princess – unless you’d like to hand over both watches to me? I’d be happy to let you get your beauty sleep.”</p>
<p>Edana rolled her eyes. “As if. My men are already at work – what’re yours doing? Napping in the soft grass like their captain?”</p>
<p>“Ah, let them rest. We’re home free, I tell you. Not an enemy in sight. You go off and play sentry, if it makes you happy.”</p>
<p>Edana snorted and stalked off to re-station her men. She positioned her guard around the perimeter of the camp as the people settled in for the night. Mothers gathered grasses and constructed beds in the deepening twilight, and young boys set to work constructing vine traps. They quickly caught enough small, unidentifiable wildlife to provision the entire camp, an embarrassment of riches. The creatures seemed to have no sense of self-preservation, approaching without fear or wariness. Food was brought in without a rest for the cooks until darkness fell, and the feast began.</p>
<p>The Connarii were caught, addicted to the dream of an easy life. There was plenty of food and no enemies. What more could any reasonable man or woman ask for?</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH6</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/01/10/FotC-CH7-A-surprise-proposal.html">Continue to Chapter 7: A surprise proposal</a></p>
Day 1382017-01-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2017/01/03/Day-138<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOvI9Cig_gv/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">A very #vintage #bookstagram to wish all you #writersofinstagram a year full of words that stand the test of time 📚✨ . . . #writers #bookstagrammers #books #amwriting #ya #classics #oldbooks #shelfie #snoopy #readers #reading #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by KAIE (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-01T21:18:18+00:00">Jan 1, 2017 at 1:18pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Happy New Year! Horrifyingly, it’s 2017! Not sure how that snuck up on me, but anyways, it’s here… Hope ya’ll have a better year than the last one!</p>
<p>Monday was a wash - mostly due to Christmas clean-up - and of course, I’m way behind on where I’d wanted to be in the planning and rewriting process, but if you’ve stuck with me for 138 days, you know that’s pretty much par for my course. On a brighter note, I still have ideas on how to move forward (read K.M. Weiland’s Character Arc blog series and go back to the flipchart paper to sketch out the plot based on that), my webfiction serials each have a handful of votes and at least one dedicated reader across platforms (thin, I know, but they’ve got their own issues and I don’t have time to polish them), my website’s working a bit better and more optimized, and my (ignored) Tumblr account is better organized and has more content for the tumblrs to ignore! Small victories, ok? Just let me have that…</p>
<p>I don’t do resolutions, and I don’t much care for goal setting in that I can’t handle the disappointment of failing at my own overly ambitious goals all the time, but I do have some targets for the upcoming months and years. The first one being, meet or get ahead of my editing and publication schedule. The next deadline is the beginning of April for the first round of rewrites, and while I wanted to be done for the end of February so I could get back on the road and maybe convince my editor to shift timelines forward for a June publication, at least I still have a chance of not having to push the entire schedule back (the odds of publishing for next Christmas are frighteningly high).</p>
<p>I’m still trying to get back to the UK, preferably Cornwall, this spring, though I’m flexible on location if there’s nothing there at the right time. In addition to the HelpX route to accommodation, I’ve come across some house-sitting sites, which could be a good alternative. Mostly it involves pet-sitting, and could be prohibitively expensive if I can’t schedule them tightly enough, but having free accommodation in return for much less work and the chance to explore a new town/city/region is pretty optimal. The biggest problem is that I can’t move around too often, in order to have the stability to get work done (freelancing or writing) and make enough money to pay for food, travel/transit expenses and publishing expenses. Still, it could be a promising avenue to pursue! I really need to add another source of projects soon too; the Textmaster work is too unreliable, even though I’ve attained a decently high rate of pay there. But I’m not giving space to any of that until I’ve made more progress and got a plan pinned down for the book.</p>
<p>Key ideas/research:
what’s the starting lie? What’s wrong with the situation or Cole herself at the start that has to change? “Obedience is life?”
-reinforce facets of the lie
-foreshadow Cole’s capacity to change?
How does Cole think she can fix this? Why is she wrong? How does Cole realize she’s wrong and try again?Wants vs. Needs.
-Wants is wrong, usually physical solution. pursuing a solution without addressing and confronting the lie.
-Needs is the answer she has to struggle toward, from looking at the core of the lie. Perspective, understanding, also personified or objectified.
-Want must be sacrificed for need, either for a bittersweet end, or harmonized goals.
-Cole must act on her new belief, her understanding of what she needs and the lie, in the climax to conclusion.
First Plot Point
-events force Cole to a decision
-her response sets up goal (towards the lie) - Don’t be tricked again? Find the truth to obey?
-punished for retreating/fears
self-sacrifice is a rewarding climax and final high in a change arc</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>OK, research done; I’m going to try writing through the questions in Weiland’s character arc series and see if that results in anything workable. So far, I see potential for linking up the plot with her structure, and I appreciated the detail she goes into… Still torn between approaches; what’s the ‘lie’ and ‘truth’ for Cole? Too many directions it could take!
Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10 am & 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: black tea</p>
TGOoH CH5 Hope you like pancakes2016-12-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2016/12/30/TGOoH-CH5-Hope-you-like-pancakes<p>Waking up disoriented was getting to be a pattern. This time, it wasn’t the sound so much as the smell. Although, the sizzling broke through almost immediately after.</p>
<p>“You’re making breakfast?” I yawned halfway through, the inadvertent and unattractive yelping covering over the indignation I meant to express. Henry turned from the stove and smiled.</p>
<p>“Recovery food,” he waved a spatula, wearing an apron that I dimly remembered stuffing into the far reaches of an upper corner cabinet when I first moved in. It showed off the rows of bandaids to nice effect. What happened to his shirt?</p>
<p>“Hope you don’t mind; I borrowed your shower,” He said, noticing my gaze. “Can you get up? The eggs are on the table already, and this is almost done…”</p>
<p>I swallowed back the snarky response that leaped to my lips and shifted my weight. Sleeping on the floor, half propped up against the couch had done nothing for my bruises. I set my jaw and refused to groan as I heaved myself up to the couch, and then, unsteadily, to a standing position. If I hurt this much, how was he managing? His injuries last night had to have been worse than mine…</p>
<p>I turned to look Henry over once more, and yelped, finding him at my elbow, looking concerned.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” he slipped an arm around my back to cup my elbow, “I wasn’t thinking. Here, let me help you over…”</p>
<p>“Whoa! Hands off!” I twisted away, ignoring complaining muscles and the twinge of half-closed scabs. I stomped over to the table and sat down, pretending that he wasn’t half a millimetre behind me the whole way.</p>
<p>He stayed beside me for a beat, standing. My pulse raced. Had I gone too far? Insulted him? All he’d really done was try to help… And what was I going to do if he lost it?</p>
<p>The moment passed, and Henry headed back to the kitchen without comment. Well, good. It was my place, after all. He knew I didn’t want him here. And apparently last night had just been a play for sympathy - he seemed to be alright this morning, after all. No wonder he was trying so hard; probably trying to make me forget that he wasn’t even supposed to be here. And forget what a mess he’d been, losing it like that on some strange girl’s doorstep…</p>
<p>Henry deposited the last couple dishes on the table and then perched on the back of the sofa across from me. What? It’s not like I’d ever needed a second chair before.</p>
<p>“I hope you like pancakes,” He said, smiling at me with wide, hopeful eyes while fiddling with the edge of his apron.</p>
<p>I sighed. “Look, I don’t know what you-“</p>
<p>“I know you don’t want me here,” Henry held up his hands, interrupting me. I raised my eyebrows, but let him continue. Interrupting. Minus five points. “and I’m sorry about that. I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you, April. But I’m not leaving.”</p>
<p>“I don’t remember giving you my name,” I was proud of how neutral my tone was, how still I held myself. He almost flinched, freezing in place for a moment as I continued, “and I wouldn’t keep insisting on promises - or threats - that we both know you’re not going to keep. What is this really about?”</p>
<p>Henry’s eyes widened as I spoke, his gaze flickering away and back, before dropping. He was silent for a moment after I finished, tense and rigid. I felt my lips tighten in grim amusement; apparently I’d backed him into a corner. I took the pause in conversation to scoop eggs onto my plate. I watched him as I chewed, wary. He was bigger than I was, and unpredictable. He seemed like more of a pest than a threat, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. I needed to maintain the upper hand here.</p>
<p>Henry’s shoulders slumped as he exhaled, and when he looked up, pain was etched across his face. His sunny confidence was replaced by exhaustion, worry, hurt.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” It could have been an act, maybe, if he was very, very good, but he gave every appearance of vulnerability as he responded, “I had hoped… but I was too late, it was stupid, so stupid to go like that… You have to live, April - you have to! - and I shouldn’t have gone off like that. I won’t, not until I know you’re safe, I won’t let you out of my sight.”</p>
<p>Hang on, that didn’t sound good at all, even if his expression did tug on the heartstrings, at least a little. I think he saw me getting ready to protest; he sped up a little as he continued.</p>
<p>“I know, it’s not what you want, but you don’t understand. You’re marked now. It’ll come after you again, April. You’re the only one who’s lived. It’s not worth the risk, leaving you alone.”</p>
<p>Wait, what?</p>
<p>“Marked?” I shook my head, sure I didn’t want to hear the rest of this. Dread crawled across my skin, too like the nightmare for comfort, and I rubbed my arms as if I could wipe the memory away along with the sensation. Suddenly, I hoped Henry was crazy, that this was all some elaborate ploy to get a roof to crash under. “I’m nobody. Why would I be in danger?”</p>
<p>“It’s my fault,” Henry covered his eyes, his fingers tangling in his still-damp hair, “you were supposed to die yesterday. I stopped that happening - it’s not that hard, if you know what you’re doing. The only thing is, it doesn’t give up. It gets angry and comes back, and keeps coming until it claims its victim.”</p>
<p>He was wrong. He had to be wrong. Because if he was right - I glanced at the open windows, my scalp itching as I thought about the door behind me, was it locked? - if he was right, the nightmare would be back, and I would be…</p>
<p>“You’re wrong,” I cringed when Henry flinched at the words, his lips twisting painfully as he shook his head. “You’re crazy. It doesn’t work like that. You have to be wrong. Stop lying. STOP LYING TO ME.”</p>
<p>I reached across the table as I yelled, wanting to push him away, to shake him, to make him take it back. Lies. It had to be lies. How dare he mess with me like this?</p>
<p>Henry grabbed my wrists, his grip gentle but solid. I couldn’t pull away, couldn’t move as he stared at me.</p>
<p>“April.” He let go, and I dropped into my seat, breathing hard. “April, I’m…”</p>
<p>“Sorry. I know.” I refused to look at him, rubbing at my wrist as if he’d hurt me.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be so hard. It should be simple. Confront evil. Fight back. Defeat it. Happily ever after. I came to the city to make a difference. I’ve trained my whole life for this.”</p>
<p>I stole a peek at Henry. He stared off into the distance, his gaze remote and his voice soft. Sad.</p>
<p>“At first, it was great. I felt so strong, so right. I was making a difference, saving lives, defeating evil! The victims, they were so grateful - well, most of them -“ His eyes cut over to April and she flushed, looking away, “-and I knew it was worth it, the sacrifice, the years of discipline, everything I’d given up. For a couple days, it was like living in a fairytale.</p>
<p>“And then I figured it out. I wasn’t defeating the nightmare. I wasn’t making anything better. It came back, it always came back. I fought, again, and again, racing across the city, barely resting, but it’s never enough. I can’t keep up. It always wins in the end.”</p>
<p>“Always?” I didn’t realize I’d spoken until Henry’s focus snapped back to me. The dreamy, far away look on his face ironed out to stone. He reached across the table and took my hand.</p>
<p>“This time, I’m not going anywhere. I figured it out. The only way to beat the nightmare is to stay ahead of it. If I’m with the target at all times, there’s no opening. It can’t get past me.”</p>
<p>Henry’s hand was so warm, but I felt sick to the stomach. This wasn’t even about me. It was all some random coincidence; I’d just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time for him. Which was a stupid thing to feel weird about, because…</p>
<p>“So it’s coming back?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. It’s coming back.”</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH5</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2017/01/06/TGOoH-CH6-Mismatched-shoes.html">Continue to Chapter 6: Mismatched shoes</a></p>
Day 1372016-12-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/30/Day-137<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOqdXDfAnVI/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Step into the sun 🚪☀️✨</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-31T01:40:25+00:00">Dec 30, 2016 at 5:40pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Feels kinda like everything is stalling out right now. April and Henry have had one too many chapters of chatting, while Cole’s plot keeps getting bogged down around motivation. The twistiness around the climax is pretty murky; Cole is pretty much either angry or scared all the time, which stops being a convincing motivation, or at least an interesting one. I’ve tweaked it so she at least gets angry and determined within the first third, but that’s probably not a compelling enough reason to root for her, and doesn’t jive with the wrap up very evenly. If she’s determined not to get tricked again, she should work towards breaking free, which she does, and then realize what she wants isn’t to be free, but to… what? Help others? She doesn’t have any basis for believing that. It’s imposed morality. It doesn’t make sense for her to even believe there’s a better life to be had, a reason to keep trying, by the end of the second act. So why keep trying? Why run or stay? If the motivation is to keep trying, then her reward for trying kind of works out. Plus there’s a little built-in catch where you can’t save yourself, you only escape by trying to save someone else, but I can’t just drop that in without setting it up… Agh! Maybe I could work the romance angle harder? Have her more attached to Ravel and Itri? Be all excited about meeting up with Itri and getting saved? But then she’s just submitting again. There’s an essential element of rebellion missing, or at least not continuous. The emotional stakes of Cole/Cadence with Itri seem like the key, but I’m not sure how. Maybe one of them needs to sacrifice his/herself to make it all work? Or a lesson about trying to leave it all behind, but in the end the people you encounter have an emotional bond that you can’t just walk away from?</p>
<p>What if Cole is motivated by a desire to be wanted? Loved? What if her motivation is originally to overcome the boundaries, but she realizes in abandoning boundaries, she doesn’t get what she’s wanted all along, which is to be valued for herself? Or something?</p>
<p>What if everyone else wants something different out of her, and she feels like a failure for not being what they want/need? That gives her motivation for continually trying to be good enough, suppressing her own desires, and culminating in the grand disappointment in not being the Cadence that Itri wants? Her arc goes from trying to meet expectations, running from expectations, abandoning the very construct of expectations, to choosing to turn back and save those whose expectations she fails to meet…</p>
<p>Fiday</p>
<p>Start time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
Day 1362016-12-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/29/Day-136<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOnsa8AAiKm/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Path into the mist . . . . #mallaig #Scotland #highlands #latergram #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-29T23:54:18+00:00">Dec 29, 2016 at 3:54pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I’m coming to the realization that the first 100,000-odd words were basically the cost of getting to know and explore the story world and characters well enough to be able to write an effective story. Not, as I’d hoped, telling the story itself. Or something.</p>
<p>Which could actually be good, if it makes it possible to get through redoing the plot and rewriting in a more focused, effective and efficient manner. Good progress yesterday; I’ve got plot points charted for everything except the story climax and resolution. I got to that point and realized that the motivations/goals/moral-of-the-story type stuff had all shifted and could be interpreted differently depending on the final scenes, and decided a night’s sleep and a fresh read-through might bring clarity and shape the direction better than pushing through. There’s kind of too many interpretations at this point, and I need to narrow them down and support them with the final actions; should Cole’s journey be about escaping, taking responsibility, helping others, owning her power, reconciling with her demons/ghosts/feelings etc.? I tend to embrace the ambiguity and let too many elements lay around cluttering things up, but apparently readers prefer a tidy resolution to a poetic open interpretation, plus I need to set things up for the sequel, and Cole’s ending realization and new goal set that stage…</p>
<p>So, big work to do, plus some mechanics, mapping the plot points back explicitly to goal-conflict-response and character motivation. I think I’m using too many words + long form when I should be keeping it higher level and point form, but it’s too tempting to preserve ideas as they come, and if it’s all on track, I’ll have given myself a jump-start on the rewrites. I also need to review how the plot points incorporate (or don’t) the interactions and intersections of other cast members, revealing enough of the side stories to Cole that she has the pieces to start to understand, talk to the right people, and react down the road appropriately. So, kind of fun and kind of brain-melting!</p>
<p>I’ve had some good moments doing the planning; let’s hope my editor’s response affirms the work and I don’t have to do it all over! I’ll hit send early next week, and if it’s a ‘try again’, I’ll be seriously behind on my actual schedule, instead of just behind on my overly ambitious/wishful thinking schedule.</p>
<p>I’m warming up to the three-act structure spreadsheet, too; it’s certainly constraining, and I think I might have more like five acts… but it did help push me to consider what function plot points were serving and where emotional beats and stakes ought to be communicated. It also kind of forces me past all the concerns about what’s being lost and into strategizing a more engaging story, which is perhaps a bit tragic, but helpful in pursuing my pragmatic career plans over my artistic, self-indulgent fantasies, so it pretty much does what I told my editor I wanted out of her help… Well done, spreadsheet!</p>
<p>Note: The likability problem. Cole is a good kid with realistic reactions. Boring? She displays some intelligence & feistiness early on, but that’s about it…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: black tea</p>
Day 1352016-12-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/28/Day-135<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOlXCR9As_A/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#placesnooneknows by #brennayovanoff was actually incredible. Don't let the pink cover fool you; refreshing, kinda dark yet redemptive - the secrets we live with and the ways we destroy ourselves. Inspirational and frustrating - she pretty much does everything in this book that I wish I could write but haven't yet managed to! . . . . #bookstagram #yafiction #yabooks #supernaturalrealism #fantasy #schoolstories #yalit #greatwriting #books #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-29T02:08:57+00:00">Dec 28, 2016 at 6:08pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Merry Christmas all, and good luck at enjoying a restful, fun and productive time over the holidays. I feel your pain. Or maybe that’s just my pain. Lol balance. And time. Just look at it fly!</p>
<p>Anyways, back on point. The serials are picking up incrementally - Wattpad is still slow, but I’ve got at least one reader per story on Jukepop and textnovel - that’s good, right?? Or maybe not, but I can see how, as you go along, readers would be more likely to invest and engage. The capacity to finish a story must be proven, and all that. The capacity to tell a good one, however… well, I guess there’s grace for that. And rewrites… I’m thinking that, assuming I can get through rewrites before my next deadline (April) on Blind the Eyes, while making enough money, traveling and finding a place to stay that doesn’t incur debt, then I can at least map out character motivations and plot, and maybe even scenes for at least one of the two serials, lining it up for rewrites and eventual publication, if I can build up a decent readership. And by decent, I mean more than a dozen. Ugh.</p>
<p>Back to the first priority. I feel like the current character arc is strong(er) for Cole, so I’m in the process of porting that over to my book map, which should confirm, at the least, that protagonist agency is driving appropriate action from start to finish. If I can get that ironed out and sent over to my editor for review, and then weave in supporting cast or any additional viewpoints to integrate secondary character arcs with the plot, and get that all sorted, I can finally, for real this time, start rewrites! Sigh. The good thing about this process is, tying the plot to a single character arc pretty much writes the scenes for you, at least as far as I can tell, since it straight-up maps to Goal-conflict-reaction all the way through. Although, possibly I just feel like Cole has motivation and agency through the plot because I drew it with connecting arrows… but hey, that’s what you have an editor to check for, isn’t it?</p>
<p>I’m not too sure about the wants/goals motivations still; I can’t work out how to do strong overarching goals with any subtlety - it all just comes out like some kind of fantasy epic or anime quest or something - so it’s more a series of incremental goals. Not a recipe for ultimate reader engagement, but I don’t see a way to follow all the ‘rules’ and still write this story with these characters with integrity. And since I’ve started that other serial to explore if things went in a different direction, I’m not too interested in completely overhauling the cast, plot and setting for BtE. On the plus side, the current character arc and book map allow for most of the same plot points as the original draft (minus all the side stories, which I’m hoping to preserve as freebie and novella fodder), so there’s a possibility that I could revise to correct motivations instead of wholesale rewriting 80,000ish words… But maybe I’m just being lazy and should throw it all out… Nah.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Book map is turning out to be more difficult than anticipated. I think it’s working off of a three-act structure? Which is annoying. Or maybe just challenging. Hard to tell. Based on the spreadsheet, I’ve made it to the early act 2 stage, which is something (only on plot points, though; need to go map points to goal-conflict-response and character motivation still), and only for the Cole-arc plot points, but hey, celebrate small wins, right?</p>
<p>Start time: 1 & 3 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: black tea</p>
FotC CH5 A ragtag team2016-12-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2016/12/27/FotC-ch5-a-ragtag-team<p><em>Recap: The Connarii are making their way through the mists of a featureless land, the gateway to the Otherworld(s) in search of a new homeland. Crown Princess Edana and ambitious upstart Camlin have just been awarded co-leadership of a yet-to-be-formed guard in the absence of the warband, who were lost when the Connarii were banished. This is a huge opportunity for Edana, a chance to prove her leadership capabilities, as well as her martial prowess, but she takes it as a failure to have to share any of her power with Camlin, and it doesn’t help when her ‘troops’ think the whole thing is a joke.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>The scraped-together band of trainees, b-string recruits and elderly has-been warriors certainly didn’t take their king’s declaration at face value. They rolled with laughter as Toryn announced Edana’s position; co-captain with Camlin, at that. A handful of men stood upright with expressions ranging from distaste to full-out disgust fixed on their faces.</p>
<p>Camlin grinned as Edana’s eyes widened. She stepped forward, and a few more of the men stopped laughing and looked questioningly at Toryn.</p>
<p>“And what <em>exactly</em>-” Edana planted one hand on her hip, dangerously near the dagger strapped there, “-is so amusing?”</p>
<p>A flurry of shouted answers to her question rang out from between the guffaws, although slow patches of confounded silence were spreading. Some of the sharper, or less intensely amused, youths began to realize that something was wrong. The range of unwise comments mainly focused on Edana’s gender and a deep-rooted doubt that her combat skills rendered her deserving of the posting. The hilarity petered off into stillness as Aislynn, in full druidic regalia, stepped up beside her sister, who was staring into the middle distance with steely eyes.</p>
<p>“Fools.” Aislynn said crisply and with genuine regret. A number of young men looked crushed. Aislynn was well-liked, even respected among many members of the tribe for her gentleness, knowledge, and generally elevated position (her delicate beauty didn’t hurt her popularity among the ranks, either.) To put it bluntly, they worshipped the ground she walked on.</p>
<p>“It is not as if there has never been a female warrior before.” Aislynn continued more gently. “There is even precedent for a woman battle-chief. You forget your own history. The Connarii of old were much more varied in their skills. In these uncertain times, it is only fitting that some of our customs change with necessity.”</p>
<p>“And if any doubt my capability to lead, let him choose his weapon, and I will prove my worth, and the worth of the Ffarach bloodline, in front of any who care to watch.” Edana raised her staff, edging her sister off to one side. Aislynn rolled her eyes, but turned back to the men.</p>
<p>“Camlin and his men may go and prepare. The rest of you will gather at the head of the tribe and ensure that you are properly prepared for the responsibility of protecting our people. Your captain will join you shortly.” More than a few of the men looked as if they would have liked to argue, but under Aislynn’s steady gaze, none were willing to speak up and the crowd dispersed. Camlin looked less than pleased as he stumped off with his band in tow.</p>
<p>Aislynn waited until Edana’s group had vanished into the mists before turning to her sister and laying a hand on her shoulder. Edana stared off after the men, and spoke without looking at her sister.</p>
<p>“You should not have interfered.” Edana was quiet for a long moment. Aislynn waited. “They thought I was a joke.”</p>
<p>“You cannot blame them.”</p>
<p>“Really? We grew up with those boys, ‘Lynnie. I trained with them, right from when we couldn’t hardly stand to lift the wooden training swords. I’ve beaten most of them, at one time or another. Not to mention, you and I carry the purest blood of the Connarii in our veins. That means power, however you look at it. How could they dismiss me like that? I’m perfectly capable of-”</p>
<p>“Of what? Overturning generations of implicitly understood beliefs? Of eliminating an entire social gender scheme? Of razing centuries of tradition? Revolution is still revolution to the young. You have a <em>chance</em> for change, not a promise of it. Did you truly expect them to accept you without question?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t expect them to laugh.” Edana breathed the words, her face turned away from Aislynn, as if she were ashamed.</p>
<p>“You didn’t think, or you would have. You’re too focused on what you want. You never try to see it from their perspective. The world is more complicated, people are more complicated, than you give them credit for.”</p>
<p>“I’m not stupid-”</p>
<p>“No, no, of course you’re not–“ Aislynn smirked, “-you’re my sister, after all…”</p>
<p>“Very funny. You’re hilarious, you know that?”</p>
<p>“The point is, take it easy on your men. If you’re a good leader, they’ll come to love you for it, and obey you all the better when needed. In the meantime, try to remember how much of a stretch this is for them, and be patient-” Aislynn held up both hands as Edana huffed and half turned away, “-I know, not really your thing. Think of it as a learning experience.”</p>
<p>“You know, I never liked learning. That’s your love.”</p>
<p>“You loved learning to swing those ropes of yours; this is just an extension of those early lessons – the next step in your training. You know how to fight with your own power; now earn the right to guide the power of others. Learn to lead. You can’t seize leadership; you have to earn it. Now, hurry up. Your men are waiting for you.” Aislynn squeezed Edana’s shoulder and stepped back. Toryn stood a few steps away, just watching. Edana shook her head and looked at him.</p>
<p>“What is there left for me to say?” His shoulders rounded as he stood. “I don’t want my eldest daughter, my heir, going out where she can be hurt-” Edana’s expression turned mutinous; Toryn hurried on, “-I also can’t argue with Aislynn – you are as qualified as anyone now left in the tribe to lead the warriors. It would be unfair of me now to keep you from combat after letting you train all those years. Make me proud, ‘Dana.”</p>
<p>Edana grinned at the nickname, turned, and strode off. Toryn sighed and looked at his youngest, running the feathers of her cloak through nervous fingers – ragged, smooth, ragged – and staring after her big sister.</p>
<p>“Am I right?” He looked away as Aislynn blinked and focused on him. “Is she ready? In some ways, she knows so little of the world, of the people. She does not have your maturity and wisdom.”</p>
<p>“Nor should she.” Aislynn’s hands left off preening the feathers and stilled, calm as usual. “Edana is Edana. That is what will save her and give her the strength to triumph. It’s time for this responsibility. She’ll learn quickly, and be the better for it.”</p>
<p>“If she survives the learning.”</p>
<p>“She’s strong, father. That fire in her will burn up any obstacle. She’ll come out fine.”</p>
<p>“Then, if the tribe survives the learning. They can ill afford to bear the scars of youthful flames.”</p>
<p>Edana laughed, suddenly bright and carefree, “Stop worrying. We could all use a distraction. Flame may burn, but it also warms and illuminates. It brings out the color and texture of life. She may be the best thing for us all right now.”</p>
<p>Toryn wanted to smile back, but he couldn’t let go of the worry that he’d made the wrong move. Sure, that Blyc boy was irritating, but maybe it would have been better to keep Edana out of it and deal with the boy alone. Boys grew up and became men. They grew strong and fierce, warriors for the tribe, leaders. Girls… girls grew up to be mothers. Healers. What was he stealing from his daughter by letting her take this path? What choices, what opportunities, what future joys?</p>
<p>Toryn knew the weight of leadership, the burden of responsibility for all those lives, the burden his wife had softened and shared in their short years together, the burden that his daughters now shared, but even so. It was one thing, knowing, discussing, even advising, and quite another being the one in charge, the one responsible for lives and livelihoods, the one who the choice came down to when a sacrifice had to be made.</p>
<p>She wasn’t ready. She might never be ready. Too young, too inexperienced, too brash and careless… Toryn had half a mind to call together the men again, to take it back, to appoint one of the doddering old warriors to lead, or one of the more promising trainees. But Camlin, with all his talent and popularity, needed a strong partner to keep him in check, and Edana, for all her faults, would never lack loyalty to the crown. No, there was no way he could take it back now. She’d never forgive him. And without a male heir, if she could prove herself in leading the men and earn the trust of the people now, they would follow her anywhere, support her as queen… It would ensure security for another generation in another land.</p>
<p>It was a crazy plan, but as long as she didn’t get herself killed, alienate the warriors, fail spectacularly or lose the trust of the people, it might just work.</p>
<p><em>If.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Edana marched through the camp and planted herself directly in front of the pack of lolling young men that she was to command. Hands on her hips, she surveyed the boys who were sprawled across the ground, joking and idly sparring. A few peeked at her out of the corner of their eyes, but were careful not to acknowledge her presence. Their ages ranged roughly from the early teens to barely twenty, with a handful of geriatrics standing stiffly around the edges. Anyone older than the boys and still reasonably mobile had been a veteran warrior, and included in Corwin’s very final excursion, while any boy younger was still at the basic training stage, and not considered eligible for service, even in the current extremity of circumstance. Edana briefly considered accelerating the training process to increase her forces, then shelved the idea for further, and timelier, consideration.</p>
<p>“On your feet.” She ordered. A couple of the youngest warriors quickly got up, and even more rapidly sat down again, feigning a misplaced and untimely nonchalance, small faces flaming, as their comrades roared with laughter. Edana walked straight towards the group, and then through it, as the novice fighters hurriedly tumbled out of her way, yelping as she trod on fingers that were too slow getting out of the path of her feet.</p>
<p>She turned slowly, giving the boys a good look at the weapons strapped around her body. By the time she faced them again, the troops were silent. It was an impressive arsenal, especially when suspended on the small frame of a girl. Brandishing her staff, she paced slowly backwards.</p>
<p>“In my great wisdom,” Edana said, baring her teeth in a disturbingly wide smile. “I have come to the astonishing insight that you are not pleased to be under my command.”</p>
<p>The men were dumbfounded. Many were starting to look nervous, their expectations shifting. Edana grinned, catlike, pleased with the early results of her hastily conceived tactic.</p>
<p>“Come on boys,” She smirked, pacing. Cheerleading and cajoling really weren’t her thing, but she was starting to get into the role. “I’ll forgive you – if you stop rolling around in the muck down there and stand up like men. Come on! You are warriors of the Connarii, the best and brightest of the tribe. You are guardians of our people, body and soul. You are responsible for the honor, pride, and ongoing life of the clans – now let’s get out there and show them what we can do!”</p>
<p>Most of the youths were on their feet now, fingering their weapons and nudging one another. If they weren’t quite inspired, they were at least intrigued. A couple of sullen boys still lolled insolently on the ground. Edana gave the men standing a brilliant smile and waved them into position on one side, turning to face the much smaller group that remained on the ground.</p>
<p>“What? Not tired, my lads? Not too fatigued to defend your tribe, I hope? On your feet, before all the good posts are handed out.”</p>
<p>“I’m not taking orders from no girl – even if she is the king’s daughter.” One spotty boy grumbled.</p>
<p>“We know you ‘Dana,” Another put in. “Your fightin’ s‘all for show. You’re no battle-chief, just a curiosity-like.” A couple of the trainees chimed in with their approval for this statement. The seniors just stood, impassive, at the edges, staring blankly at nothing. Edana lifted one golden eyebrow, and turned to the men standing to one side, watching carefully.</p>
<p>“Obviously it’s been far too long since I’ve been in the sparring ring with any of you.” She told them, her lips curving up at the edges. When she turned back to the critics, who had risen warily, the smile had widened to a wolfish grin. A couple of their number had slunk off to the side, but there were well over a dozen still remaining. Edana reached over to draw her sword, so that she held both sword and the staff at the ready.</p>
<p>“Come on, then. I’m a fair person. I won’t lead men that are forced into service. Let’s choose, here and now. First man to best me takes leadership of the First Guard.” Edana declared, staring down her opponents one by one. The first youth to speak stepped forward.</p>
<p>“I’ll take that challenge.” He drew a heavy double-handled sword. Three years older than Edana, at eighteen he stood head and shoulders above her, his body nearly twice as broad. Though not the oldest recruit, he was certainly one of the largest. He had barely escaped being called into action, and trained at a level nearly on par with an adult Connarii warrior. With a roar he put his head down, brandished his sword, and charged. Edana stepped aside and rapped his wrists with her staff as he passed, sending his sword flying. He skidded to a stop and stared.</p>
<p>“Stop playing around. Go get it.” She pointed to his sword. He walked over slowly and picked it up. Edana scanned the small knot of dissenters and gestured at the second man to speak. “You, join him this time.”</p>
<p>The young warrior blinked, then shrugged and walked over to join the first attacker. They stood together and watched Edana.</p>
<p>“What’s this? You don’t <em>want</em> to be captain? You’ve got to win it, boys, and to do that, you’ve got to beat me.” Edana brandished her weapons as she taunted them. “Look. I’ll even put down the staff.”</p>
<p>She tossed the polished length of wood off to one side and beckoned to the two men. They looked at each other and charged. Edana dropped to the ground just before they reached her, sweeping the feet out from one while she disarmed the other. She beckoned to two more men while the first two regained their feet and weapons.</p>
<p>“Come on already. I’m getting bored.” She announced when they hesitated. This time, instead of taking them out right away, she played with the novice warriors, slipping between their blows while tapping their legs and torsos with the flat of her blade. After a few minutes, she confiscated their weapons one by one and left the four standing flat-footed, red faced and blowing like a herd of winded horses.</p>
<p>“Let’s have the rest of you, then.” She ordered the remaining hold-outs. They were learning a little, by this time, and spread out to surround her. Edana laughed, her eyes alight.</p>
<p>“Captain, a dozen opponents? You’ve already proved yourself. This is ridiculous.” One of the men standing off to the side called out. Others of Edana’s men added their support. A couple of the youngest looked visibly pale, while the oldest looked on speculatively, grumbling appreciation at intervals, and sniffing at the poorly trained lads. She bowed to her supporters.</p>
<p>“I’m happy you’re convinced. Allow me the opportunity to turn your comrades as well.” Edana gestured to the circle of men, a ‘come-on’ beckoning that brought hectic fever-flushes to their angry faces.</p>
<p>In groups of three and four they attacked. Edana danced between them, leading the men to trip over each other as they lunged after her. She sheathed her sword and dove into the center of the pack, flinging her arms outward as she flipped upside-down. She planted her hands on the backs of the churning combatants to spring high, twisting over the melee.</p>
<p>Edana released the cords on her arms as she flew, flicking her wrists to direct them at the boys below. The cords coiled around the combatants, restraining them while at the same time pulling her back towards them with increased velocity. Several hit the ground as she landed. Others she tripped with the cords, while doling out kicks and blows from every angle, using the tension on the whips to spin and weave through the infuriated and increasingly befuddled troops. After a couple of minutes, the would-be captains were sensible enough to stay down. Edana stepped away from the heap of men and bowed to her applauding supporters.</p>
<p>“So?” She rolled her neck to work out the kinks and adjusted the cords coiled around her arms. “I understand you’re convinced. Think they are?”</p>
<p>She turned back to eye the combatants, who knelt, sides heaving and heads down, weapons laid in front of them.</p>
<p>“We’ll swear to you, captain.” The first dissenter told her, panting. “You may be a lady, but you can fight. Blood tells. We’ll do as you say.”</p>
<p>Edana nodded. “I’d hoped you’d see it my way. One thing, though. I’ve trained long and hard to get to this point, and I’ll expect the same of each and every one of you.” She scanned the ranks, making eye contact and taking the measure of each boy and man. Some gazed back in open admiration or awed fear, others avoided her glance or still gazed sullenly at the ground. She nodded again. Hardly surprising. “Now. I’ll take your oaths, all of you – then into formation. We’ve got a job to do.”</p>
<hr />
<p>Two hours into the second day’s march, the fog thinned. By the fourth hour, Edana pointed out to Toryn, who had advanced to the head of the column to survey her troops, that the ground had become visible beneath the shifting mists. It was dusty, grey, and arid, but it was also the first solid thing they had seen in two days. Cries sprang up from the villagers behind as each group noticed the ground anew. An hour later, the ground had brightened to a pale, grungy yellow, and the occasional stone littered the dust. By this time the mists had thinned to the occasional stray wisp floating along the ground.</p>
<p>“Father,” Edana called. “Look. That mass on the horizon. What does that look like to you?”</p>
<p>“Cafan’na! A forest! We’ve made it!” Toryn noticed Aislynn running up from the side of the column. “Look, daughter! You were right. We’ve made it to the Otherworld!”</p>
<p>“Hush, father,” worry creased Aislynn’s smooth forehead, “this is not right. Look at this place! I am afraid that these are not the bright-lands that we look for. Keep the people together. If this is not the shining land of the tales, it could be a very dangerous place indeed. We cannot know what is here, waiting for us.”</p>
<p>Edana frowned, while Toryn grumbled, “Well, now what?”</p>
<p>“Go forward; we can hardly return to that horrible fog! Let’s go find some trees!”</p>
<p>“Right then. Edana? Forward!” Toryn waved the eager families on.</p>
<p>The long line jolted into action, men and women scurrying forward, slowing only to snatch up children and belongings as they rushed towards the reassuringly solid horizon. Edana’s guard had to work hard to stay ahead of the masses, struggling to maintain their dignity and alertness as they dashed forward, peering in all directions at once.</p>
<p>The mists, however, still floated vaguely around the villagers, and the far russet bounds of the distant forest never seemed to grow closer.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH5</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2017/01/03/FotC-CH6-Welcome-to-the-jungle.html">Continue to Chapter 6: Welcome to the jungle</a></p>
TGOoH CH4 Alone at last2016-12-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2016/12/23/TGOoH-CH4-Alone-at-last<p>What the heck was <em>that</em> about? What happened to “I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe.”? One minute he’s acting all determined and concerned, the next he’s out the door and gone.</p>
<p>I locked the apartment door and fumed my way through a shower. <em>Boys.</em> Incomprehensible.</p>
<p>Irritation helped soften the sting of the hot water on all the small and not-so-small abrasions left over from earlier. The attack was already starting to feel distant and far away, like something that had happened in a half-forgotten dream. But the evidence that something <em>had</em> happened was clear in the water running murky, then bright, then nearly clear as I rinsed away the mud. I flicked at the embedded bits of gravel, starting fresh blood flowing as I did my best to reach and clear the worst of the cuts and scrapes. Nothing too deep, thankfully; my modest store of bandaids and polysporin ought to be able to keep up.</p>
<p>Somewhere between <em>clean</em> and <em>close enough</em>, as the water temperature started shifting, I stepped out of the shower and moved on to trying to pat away enough moisture without further abrading the wounds. By the time I’d disinfected, smeared antibiotic cream over and covered the worst of it, the steam had cleared to chilly condensation, and I only stopped shivering long enough for enormous yawns to crack my jaw. I hobbled past the ruined mess of my clothes and headed for my bed. Which was also still a mess. Resentment boiled up, undoing the soporific good work of the last hour’s tedious focus. Stupid day. Stupid work. Stupid nightmare. Stupid boy. Stupid bed. Stupid blood and mud all over everything. Stupid promises that mean nothing. Stupid boy.</p>
<p><em>Fine.</em></p>
<p>I crawled to the couch, yanked the throw off the back of it and reached for sleep with everything I had.</p>
<hr />
<p>The noise hauled me back to consciousness slowly, resonating like the earth-piercing thud of gigantic spider steps. I dumped myself off the couch before opening my eyes, scrabbling to get away, my voice caught high in the back of my throat and my lips clamped to keep <em>them</em> out.</p>
<p>The nightmare was calling my name this time, in between the sharp impact of its footsteps. The beats sped up as it approached, my heartbeat racing ahead. Then a sharp <em>crack</em> and intense pain in my head. I curled up around the pain and held my breath, waiting for the end.</p>
<p>The final blow never came. When I pried my gritty eyes open, I was huddled half-below the coffee table in my shadowy apartment. Someone was banging on the door and calling my name. Henry?</p>
<p>“Go away,” It came out in a gasp, hoarse and far too low for him to hear. I took a couple breaths and coughed before trying again. The hammering stopped immediately.</p>
<p>“April? Are you ok? Can you open the door?”</p>
<p>Right, like that was going to happen.</p>
<p>“Go away,” I said again, shifting my weight gingerly as the accumulated pain of bruises and scrapes clamoured for my attention.</p>
<p>“April, listen-“</p>
<p>“I’m busy.”</p>
<p>He was silent for a few moments. Long enough for me to lever my sore self back up onto the couch. Maybe he’d gone again? Typical. Waking me up for no reason…</p>
<p>“April, I can explain.”</p>
<p>Or not.</p>
<p>“Just go away. I’m not talking to you. I’m definitely not letting you in. Leave.” I knew I sounded harsh. I didn’t care. Much.</p>
<p>I could hear him sigh through the door, then a sliding thump. I wasn’t curious. It was just thirst that made me pull the throw off the couch and drape it over my shoulders as I shuffled into the kitchen. And it was total coincidence that the apartment door was just a foot away from the edge of the counter. I could hear him breathing, weirdly loud and close, a bit ragged, like he’d just run up the stairs, or was shouting or something.</p>
<p>“I’m not leaving,” Henry said, breathing out halfway through the last word like he was short of breath. I snorted. Heard that one before. He must have heard me; he paused for a beat too long before continuing in a softer voice, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run off like that. Just give me the chance to explain.”</p>
<p>“I’m not letting you in here.” I stepped closer to the door despite myself, holding my breath so he wouldn’t realize how close I was. I leaned my head next to the peephole, but all I could make out is the shabby hallway. He must have been sitting in front of the door, too low to see.</p>
<p>“April,” he said. “<em>April</em>. You have to let me explain.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have to do anything,” I replied automatically, hearing a thump at the door at the same time as it jumped under my hand. It felt a bit wrong, how close he was, close enough to touch, except for the door. I slid down the door, feeling the draft under it, the cool air blowing through from the hallway. From where I sat, I couldn’t see a clock, but it had to have been the middle of the night. The sky was dark through the windows, and I was just tired enough to find this argument weirdly soothing. Half-asleep, the emotions associated with the script were distant, more an impression of how I ought to respond than a reflection of what I wanted in that moment.</p>
<p>I must have dozed for a moment; when Henry spoke next, I jerked and hit my head on the door in exactly the same spot I’d bonked it on the coffee table earlier.</p>
<p>“I had to leave,” Henry said. I rubbed my head, disoriented and wondering if I’d missed anything while I dozed. His voice was so quiet, like he had forgotten I was there. “I know the timing sucked, but I had to. It’s what I’m here for. To help people. Someone was in danger; I had to go.”</p>
<p>I shivered. Danger like a nightmare attack? I eyed the dark sky outside, worried, checking for the lightening of dawn. The nightmares tended to cluster around the edges of things. The shore where water and earth collide. Mist and fog, rain and snow, anywhere one thing turns into another. Dusk and dawn. I should pull the curtains before falling asleep again.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Henry whispered through the door, and I freeze. “I’m sorry. Sorry.”</p>
<p>He wasn’t talking to me.</p>
<p>I don’t know what I expected when I opened the door, but that wasn’t it. He was very pale, under the spatters. His head was propped against the wall, legs outstretched in torn jeans, arms limp at his sides. He didn’t look up at me. I stood there for a moment, wavering, then pulled the door closed behind me and sat down against it. Beside him. He kept muttering “Sorry,” like an old toy running down on its batteries. I might have checked for a power-source, except the liquid oozing out of him was clearly organic. Definitely not a robot.</p>
<p>“What are you sorry for?” I whispered. I don’t know why. To avoid disturbing him? To preserve this weird dreamlike space where nothing is the way it should be? To keep pretending that nothing’s wrong, not me still being alive, not me sitting here in this chilly hallway beside this boy who I had no intention of letting in, not his presence here, not the tears in his already tattered clothes or the blood soaking into the carpet beneath him or the way his gaze had turned inward, the way his eyes were wide with horror and heavy-lidded in despair at the same time.</p>
<p>“Too slow,” his eyes drooped, as if he was fighting sleep, then widened again, the muscles in his face and neck tensing. “I was too slow. Too far away. Maybe if I’d gotten there sooner…”</p>
<p>Henry blinked, swallowed, and then blinked several times in succession. The emotion faded from his face as he seemed to notice me beside him for the first time.</p>
<p>“April.” He said. I shivered, and his brows drew together. “What are you doing here?” Then, after another moment, “What am I doing here?”</p>
<p>I stood up and opened the apartment door behind me, wincing.</p>
<p>“Careful,” Henry said. I just looked at him, sitting there as limp as seaweed washed up in the tide. He stared back in concern, apparently unaware of his own condition.</p>
<p>“You coming in or what?” I flicked the light switch, and he blinked in the sudden glare.</p>
<p>“I can explain,” he said again, standing up. It was pretty impressive. The only signs of how hard it was for him were the lines around his mouth as he clenched his jaw and the whiteness of his lips. He didn’t even rest a hand on the wall.</p>
<p>I just nodded, stepping back as he moved into the apartment and turned to look at me. The sight of him in my space was upsetting - I fought down the desire to order him out again - but… Something about the rigid way he held himself, swallowing back pain and exhaustion… I relented.</p>
<p>“Sit down. I’m getting a drink.” I turned toward the fridge, watching in the polished surface of the toaster as he slumped, wobbling a bit, and sank down on the couch. By the time I’d filled two glasses with water and made my way over to the couch, he was fast asleep.</p>
<p>I sat down on the floor and stared at him.</p>
<p>Henry.</p>
<p>A stranger, bleeding all over my couch. A boy, staying the night (ok, it wasn’t like that, but <em>still</em>.) A hero? A madman? (Not a robot…) An alien?</p>
<p>He looked only slightly less perfect, all beat-up and ragged. Boy hero after a battle with the big boss. It was like something out of a movie. Even the smears and scrapes on his cheek looked artistic, the way they traced the sculpted planes of his face, and the muscle tone beneath his ripped shirt was positively <em>Hollywood</em>. I immediately felt guilty for admiring this poor unconscious battered guy while he slept. But it’s not like I’d wanted him here. I’d pretty much done everything I could to send him away.</p>
<p>I should probably have gone and pulled out my depleted first aid supplies, or at least found something to stop the bleeding. Or like, found another blanket for him. But somewhere between watching and thinking and doing, sleep took over.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH4</em></p>
<p><a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2016/12/30/TGOoH-CH5-Hope-you-like-pancakes.html">Continue to Chapter 5: Hope you like pancakes</a></p>
Day 1342016-12-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/22/Day-134<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOVHCVHABsk/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#portreeharbour #isleofskye #scotland</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-22T18:41:18+00:00">Dec 22, 2016 at 10:41am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Success! The flipchart experiment went quite well - I got a good few hours of work in, charted character arcs by motivation for Cole, Cadence and Itri, with side-stream Goal-Conflict-Response charting for each, and explored the fascinating world of ink-stains and hand cramps. So all in all, a good experience.</p>
<p>On the downside, while I think I’ve got Cole’s story arc working well, I’m not so clear on how to handle the rest of the cast. Now that she’s moving the plot forward with her motivation and actions, everyone else’s motivations and interactions seem a bit weak. And since I really ought to limit the story to her perspective, vast swathes of supporting and key cast members’ stories and actions have no real way of coming through, which is a bit tragic. But I kind of have to push forward and not get mired in details, or I lose all momentum, so there’s that too. I should really take a beat and look back at scene plotting too; I have this vague recollection that it might map nicely to protagonist goal-conflict-response, but if it doesn’t, I’ve got even more work ahead of me… But generally, it’s been a good week, and something about working with paper is helping, whether it’s the tactile, a step away from distractions, or just a larger visual working space…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:45 am</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/table</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Grey tea with eggnog</p>
Day 1332016-12-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/21/Day-133<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOSkYmPgXg_/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Atmospheric #portree and its fleet ⛵️</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-21T19:00:01+00:00">Dec 21, 2016 at 11:00am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>New tactic; I’ve been doing research, reading up on theory and coming up with ideas, but not really making progress and generating forward momentum. So, in a dramatic turnabout (for me), I’m going to try stepping away from the keyboard in favour of flipchart paper and pens. Cue fanfare. Yes, I know, how luddite. I may give up on it pretty quickly - never really been my thing - but I’m hoping it triggers some better outcomes. Particularly because I’m now playing with the idea of doing some family time up in the Okanagan between Christmas and New Years, which could be a great relational investment, but also means another week mostly lost.</p>
<p>The latest ideas for the saga of Cole are: What if Cadence expressly identified and explained herself as a ‘ghost’ to Cole? This one comes straight out of Brenna Yovanoff’s brilliant Paper Valentine, where she again manages to do everything I’m failing miserably at. Read it. Love it. Cry with me. Anyways, the advantage to this approach is that Cole has a rational explanation for Cadence’s presence, can be suitably angsty over whether or not to trust her and follow what she says (is she good/evil, good fairy or treacherous antagonist? Who knows?) while setting things up for a twist at the end - oh, wow, Cadence is actually Cole’s former self. And she’s not coming back! Poor Itri; his little buddy’s gone forever! What tragedy! …plus some sort of dramatic irony (potential spoiler alert) with the reality that actual ghosts are the evil at the root of the world.</p>
<p>Although, that could just muck things up royally. Another idea would be to key Cole’s motivation as a desire/longing/drive to understand. She explains this away as acceptable because she’s just investing in admiring the power and goodness etc. of the Tower. But her desire to understand leads her to uncover dark broken mysterious anomalies like the existence and rising violence and frequency of the dream deaths, undermining the Tower system and her own security. Successively looking for a new authority to trust in and find security in exposes the danger and broken dark heart of all the various expansions to her world - Cadence’s naivety (??), Ravel’s mercenary betrayals, Victoire’s essential inefficacy, until she has to turn inward to understand herself and create a new worldview and approach of her own that embraces the dangers and gives her a foundation and a motivation to go out and help others. In some ways, this comes a bit full circle to the origins of this story and could still explore themes, difficult characters and some of the more recent ideas like Cadence as undercover operative pretending to be a dead girl. Or something. So! Time to map it out and see if it actually works!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 13:45 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/table</p>
<p>Drinking: red wine</p>
Day 1322016-12-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/20/Day-132<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOGaByjg-Vb/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Ok, last #castle shot for now. #Scotland #latergram</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-17T01:38:39+00:00">Dec 16, 2016 at 5:38pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Yeah, so that wasn’t quite it. The whole Cole/Cadence/Victoire triad isn’t coming across successfully, while Cole’s key motivation or goal being ‘not responsible’ isn’t setting up the plot much better than the ‘stay safe’ agenda… but! I think a critical distinction to be made is the difference between ‘story goal’ and ‘underlying motivation’.</p>
<p>I’ve pretty much come to terms with this <em>not</em> being the next Hunger Games or what have you, and I’m not too keen on pursuing the kind of fast-paced thriller plotting that could take it there, at least not to the detriment of the character and world rules, the core themes being explored. However, I do recognize that publishing, whether Indie or trad, is highly competitive, my readers expressed clear frustration with the pacing, and my web fiction serials are showing lacklustre performance at best. Something’s gotta change. Even with a ‘perfect’ book, it’ll be a monumental task to promote, gain readers, and make even enough money to earn back what I’ll end up paying out to get this thing out there. Plus, half of the point of hiring an editor was to have someone to push against and be pushed by.</p>
<p>So. Here’s the brainwave - themes and the essence of the character are not the character’s story goal. The story goal is the thing that moves the plot along. The theme and the character kind of happen through and around that. Sound plausible? Practically, this means that I may be able to give Cole a mission while still exploring her ‘difficult’ side, her issues with wanting and feeling and engaging others and taking responsibility. So I’m thinking she’ll start out ‘discovering’ an issue with dreamdeaths taking place (or escalating?) under Tower rule, be suitably upset that her whole worldview is based on lies, which is the motivation for first confirming the premise - by making a clandestine visit to the site of Bell’s death, maybe setting up the Morrises/Serov/Haynfyv subplots and stumbling over evidence of the actual results of dreamdeath to make it more viscerally real - and then in reaction to that, seeking out a way to survive.</p>
<p>(Potential Spoilers Alert!) If you map it out, there’s kind of a cool symmetry to the plot points - she’s existed in this tension between the Tower urge to obey and Cadence’s call to rebel, but then encountering Ravel sort of tips the balance to the rebel side and she starts exploring this larger world… Cadence gets her ‘outside’ to the rooftop, but that’s scary, she doesn’t understand it, and she almost dies. But the Tower’s safety is questionable, so she tries following Ravel, learning about and entering into his world and philosophy. But that’s scary in its own way, so Victoire is born to cope with the ways that Cole can’t handle it. And then dreamdeath invades this new, scary-but-safe world and turns it hostile and Cole ends up in the Tower, which feels like home, so she tries to forget and rejoin her old life. But then the dreamdeath invades her life there too, and nothing’s safe in any sense of the world, and none of the systems or leaders offer an answer she’s okay with.</p>
<p>There’s some threads missing, though. Cole needs to take responsibility, be her own ‘leader’ or discover her own ‘system’ for survival. And it doesn’t satisfactorily cope with the ‘learning to want’ aspect - yet. I think I’ll try mapping this premise out and see if I can get it to cover all the bases I’m not willing to sacrifice… Seems to be the best set up so far! Although, I’m reading another Brenna Yovanoff book (Paper Valentine), which is setting up more protagonists without clear motivations or goals, which is making me more obstinate about conforming to traditional or rule-abiding forms of storytelling… Agh!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Apparently I only like systems when I’m the one making them. All this three-act scene/story/character scripting is driving me up the wall. At least partially, because I can’t see it working for anything except very pat, predictable stories. Maybe I’ve been reading on the artistic edge of pop-culture, when I thought I was in the thick of mass-market? Anyways, it sucks and I totally don’t want to do the paperwork. So instead, I dream up more and more creative ‘what-if’ scenarios that add clutter and avoid the core story problems. Which is, like, cool but totally unhelpful. Must. do. the. paperwork…
Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am & 3:45 pm</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Grey tea & red wine</p>
FotC CH4 Girls and their toys2016-12-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2016/12/19/FotC-CH4-Girls-and-their-toys<p><em>Recap: The Connarii are making their way through the mists of a featureless land, the gateway to the Otherworld(s) in search of a new homeland. Crown Princess Edana and ambitious upstart Camlin have just been awarded co-leadership of a yet-to-be-formed guard in the absence of the warband, who were lost when the Connarii were banished. This is a huge opportunity for Edana, a chance to prove her leadership capabilities, as well as her martial prowess, but she takes it as a failure to have to share any of her power with Camlin.</em></p>
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<p>Edana’s eyes snapped open to take in the unchanging view with perfect alertness and clarity. It felt to her like the early hours of morning, though the pearlescent light that filtered through the mists never seemed to dim. Everyone seemed still to be sleeping; there was no movement as far as she could see across the encampment.</p>
<p>Gathering up the tangled mass of clothing and weapons that she had piled in an untidy heap the night before, Edana edged out of sight of her father and sister. She hummed quietly as she donned the various articles of clothing and weaponry. Over the tightly laced trousers and soft, sleeveless tunic went the stiff leather combat vest. Her mass of shining hair she gathered back from her face and bound with a tie, although several small braids that she had neglected to undo from the night before and a number of recalcitrant short curls she abandoned to swing freely around her face.</p>
<p>Over the whole outfit Edana slung thick leather straps, crossing at her torso and anchored at her waist. From these she could suspend her arsenal. A bow and quiver of arrows were strapped behind her right shoulder, and the hilt of a long sword protruded over her left. A long knife was sheathed at her right hip, with shorter throwing blades slipped between the ties around her calves. A pair of tightly braided hide ropes coiled around her arms, attached at the shoulders to her baldric, and threaded through rings attached to the studded cuffs at her wrists. In her right hand she carried a long fighting staff that could be stowed out of the way beside her sword if necessary.</p>
<p>So armed, Edana began her morning weapon’s practice. Despite the recent upheaval, she would not neglect her usual schedule of workouts, but perhaps she could perform an abbreviated pattern, as a concession to the extenuating circumstances.</p>
<p>Taking a long, slow breath, Edana walked fifteen paces into the mists, throwing a small knife blade-down into the ground every five steps to mark her path, in case she should get lost in this featureless, directionless, silver void. She laid aside her bow and quiver, faced away from the camp, and knelt on one knee. Tilting forward and exhaling slowly, she closed her eyes and reached with her right arm for the long sword on her back. Hooking its hilt with her fingertips, she flipped it out of its sheath and helped it on its way with a soft touch against the flat of the blade as it rose, so that it spun twice and struck the featureless grey earth point first several paces ahead. While the sword was still in the air, Edana flung the long dagger with her left hand into the ground the same distance to her right. Before either weapon had planted itself, she was standing, spinning the staff above her head and in intricate patterns around her body.</p>
<p>As she did this, Edana slowly pivoted, facing back towards the camp, with the sword directly behind her and the knife to her left. Spinning the staff high into the air, she snapped her left arm out so that the braided cords wound around it loosened, and spiralled out into the mists. She twisted her arm and arched backwards directing the cord over her shoulder, while shrugging the cord on her right arm loose and directing it left. The tips of both ropes connected with the hilts of the two weapons in the same instant, coiling around the hilts and snapping back to yank the knife and sword out of the ground, and send them flying back towards Edana. She straightened as the tense cords re-coiled around her arms and caught the falling staff with her right hand, spinning it in and out of the cords as they resumed their former positions.</p>
<p>Leaning to her right as the weapons passed overhead, Edana caught the knife in her left hand, sliding it into its hilt at her right hip while simultaneously tapping the airborne sword with the staff to redirect its awesome velocity into an upward spiral. The staff she slammed into its pocket on her back, as she flipped backwards, releasing the cord on her left arm once again, which snapped up to coil around the hilt of the sword, now spinning down towards the ground, its perilous glint partially obscured by the mists. Edana tugged on the cord, which spun the sword towards her, as she caught herself in a handstand with her free arm. Seconds before the flashing blade would have bitten into her exposed wrist, she twisted her body up and over the revolving sword, flipping to land, the right way up, this time, facing away from it. The force of her midair revolution retracted the cord, which snapped the sword up and over her head, where she caught it and sheathed it in one fluid motion, as the cord re-coiled around her left arm.</p>
<p>Slow, sardonic applause rang out from the mists in the direction of camp. Edana frowned as Camlin’s form emerged.</p>
<p>“Practicing for the traveling fair, I see.” He nodded towards her ropes. “They suit you. After all, if a girl is going to make a spectacle out of herself, why not make it as spectacular as possible.”</p>
<p>“You forget,” Edana crossed her arms and stomped, bouncing the sword and staff from their sheaths on her back and catching them simultaneously in a slight crouch – one of several ready stances that she had perfected. “That I am also proficient in your more traditional weapons.” She began to twirl the weapons in interweaving patterns.</p>
<p>“Save your strength.” Camlin looked down his nose at her, though his eyes flickered as he tried not to track the flashing sword. “You’ll need it today. No cause to go spilling that fine noble blood on something as unglamorous as guard duty. A princess has better things to do with her time. I can’t imagine what your father is thinking.”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t imagine you can.” Edana smiled, showing her teeth and slowing the weave of sword and staff as she dove into the argument. “Not your place, is it Camlin, to see with the eyes of the mighty. Your petty ambition lacks vision; I am more qualified to lead than you’ll ever be. You’ll see, when I lead the men into battle. I will lead them to victory – and you’ll be waiting at home, saving your blood for less risky endeavours and cheering our return just like any other clansman.”</p>
<p>Camlin flinched at the mention of his blood, his inferior blood.</p>
<p>“Big words for a little girl,” Camlin mocked. “If you think daddy is doing anything but keeping you entertained and out of the way with your pretty toys and diversions, you’re fooling only yourself. What you need is a good strong man who can show you your place. You’ve been given your own way far too long.”</p>
<p>“And I suppose you think you’re the one to tame me?” Edana’s knuckles turned a furious white as she clenched her fists around sword and staff, both dropping to the ground, forgotten as she glared at Camlin. They’d competed since they were children, but Camlin had never been so forthright with his criticisms before – of her, or her father. He was going too far…</p>
<p>“Could be.” Camlin eyed her, then paused, visibly struggling against himself. He took a step forward, and Edana noticed for the first time that he too was fully outfitted in the garb of a warrior of the Connarii, although he wore more and heavier garments, and carried an abbreviated arsenal of weapons, restricting himself to a massive sword strapped over the left shoulder, and knives of various weights, and shapes, tightly strapped to his legs and torso.</p>
<p>“It’s time. To set. The guard.” Camlin finally said. He turned away and walked back towards the camp, his shoulders tense. Edana checked to make sure all her weapons were secured before following, pausing to retrieve her knives as she retraced her steps. By the time she made her way back to Toryn and Aislynn, a sizeable crowd of young men had formed ranks, and was being divided into two units by Toryn. She stood silently, across from a smirking Camlin, as her father finished separating the young warriors into two divisions. He looked at her, then at Camlin, before turning to face the men.</p>
<p>“Each one of you has volunteered to be here today. I congratulate you on your devotion to your people, and thank you for your service. I have divided you into two forces. By day, each will cover the tribe as we march. At night you will take it in shifts to keep watch. As you know, Battlechief Corwin and your senior officers are no longer with us, so I have had to choose a new leader.” At this a number of the men gave a friendly nod to Camlin and murmured some few words of encouragement or congratulations. Edana looked murderous. Toryn quickly continued.</p>
<p>“However, due to the dual nature of the force, I have chosen two captains, both of whom will report to me.” Toryn said this last with some force, and the men looked at each other, and Camlin, in confusion, trying to decipher who the second captain might be. Edana straightened and looked hard at her father. She was fairly sure he wouldn’t have changed his mind. Mostly.</p>
<p>“Both captains excel in the various arts of combat, and what they lack in experience, I am confident that they will make up in, (ahem), enthusiasm. Camlin Blyc will lead the rearguard, and take the second night shift.</p>
<p>“The first shift and the frontal guard will be led by Edana Ffarach. Your captains will assign you your positions.” Toryn stepped back.</p>
<p>Then the laughter started.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH4</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2016/12/27/FotC-ch5-a-ragtag-team.html">Continue to Chapter 5: A ragtag team</a></p>
TGOoH CH3 So much for that2016-12-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2016/12/16/TGOoH-CH3-So-much-for-that<p>“I was thinking I could stay with you.” Henry said.</p>
<p>So that happened.</p>
<p>Shaking my head, I pivoted away from Henry, pushing off from the doorframe to stagger into the bathroom. The edge of the sink was smooth, hard, and reassuringly cool. When I looked up into the mirror, I stared right past my mud and blood-smeared face to his reflection behind my left shoulder. I was still shaking my head. He looked worried.</p>
<p>“Look,” He rubbed his temple with one hand, rumpling his hair as he frowned at me in the mirror. “It’s not like that. You could still be in danger. You’re definitely not ok. I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe. Plus, I’m a great houseguest.”</p>
<p>He smiled hopefully. I heaved a sigh into the mirror, fogging his reflection away into a blurry gold and grey smear. The ghosts of tiny arachnids skittered up and down my spine. Sure, this guy was cute - and apparently did chores - but this was my space. Mine.</p>
<p>Some girls would be into the idea of having a cute guy move in. Not me. I treasured those hours of solitude that having my own place afforded, guarded them, anticipated them with longing through every minute of the endless work days. No one to judge or want something from me, no one chattering away and cluttering up the space in my head. No one to be careful of, no feelings to dance around, no mysterious, inexplicable web of unspoken needs and desires and intents and purposes. Just me, doing what I wanted to do, when and how I wanted to do it. Just a clean - metaphorically speaking - empty space to think and be.</p>
<p>I eyed Henry as the fog cleared from the mirror. He shifted nervously behind me. It should have bothered me, the way he filled up the space in the doorframe, hemming me in. Instead, I felt strangely comfortable. Safe, even.</p>
<p>But I knew how it goes when girls let guys in. They get caught up in the romance of it all. The promise. Someone to understand, someone to see them. Affirmation. Acceptance. Love. Stability. Safety. They ignore the reality until it’s too late. Until he’s taking up your space, expecting you to wait on him and clean up after him and accept everything about him without getting anything worthwhile in return.</p>
<p>No, in the equation of men and women, women always come out in the red. I wasn’t stupid. There wasn’t anything he could do for me that would make it worth letting him in.</p>
<p>Except.</p>
<p>I shuddered, remembering the sensation of being slowly crushed under that moving blanket of spiders. The sense of horrified futility, of being unable to escape, fight back, even let go. There was no surviving the nightmares when they stalked you in daylight. I’d never heard of anyone living through it. Ever. But here I was. And here he was, standing between me and that.</p>
<p>I turned around slowly, shifting my grip so I could still brace myself against the sink. He’d crossed his arms and was leaning against the doorframe, all graceful and easy and confident, like everything was going to work out the way he expected it to. But looking closer, I could see his fingers dimpling the skin of his arms where he held on, and his casual smile had a certain tightness at the corners. It was like he was worried and trying to hide it, like my response mattered. When I opened my mouth, I still wasn’t sure what would come out. It ought to be no. But more of me than I wanted to admit was leaning towards yes when the light went out of his eyes.</p>
<p>He didn’t move, but he was gone, just like that. One moment, he was waiting for my response, the next, his gaze had turned flat and empty, one-dimensional. I stepped toward him, letting go of my anchor and reaching out. I laid a hand on his arm and it was warm, the soft resistance of skin over firm muscle. I had half been expecting plastic, the chill of metal bone and wiring, some sort of cyborg superhero or something. Nothing moved in his eyes; it was like he didn’t feel my touch, didn’t see me moving toward him. And then he did. I actually saw his pupils respond, his focus shifting to my new location. As fast as he’d gone, he just came back into himself - and pulled away in the same moment.</p>
<p>I almost overbalanced as he pulled away, catching the doorframe just in time as he left it. He turned his back and walked away, picking up speed with each step. I made a sound, a sort of questioning, shocked squeak at his back, and he hesitated.</p>
<p>“I have to go,” His voice was neutral, firm but not loud. He didn’t turn back to me as he said it. Then he opened the door and left my apartment.</p>
<p>Well. So much for that.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH3</em> [Continue to Chapter 4: Alone at last] (http://kaie.space/tgooh/2016/12/23/TGOoH-CH4-Alone-at-last.html)</p>
Day 1312016-12-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/12/15/Day-131<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOBIFYCgKuH/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">A #fairytale #destination #bookstagram for #lilistcrow 's excellent #ya #fantasy</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-15T00:25:39+00:00">Dec 14, 2016 at 4:25pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>And now it’s official. First day of (for real this time!) rewrites! I’m using exclamation points because I totally don’t feel the buzz!! For real, though: ugh. What do I even…</p>
<p>So I just finished reading Brenna Yovanoff’s Places No One Knows. Which is pretty much everything I hoped I could do in a story, but apparently can’t. Seriously, go read it. All her stuff is amazing; beautifully written and realized, honest, incisive, imaginative, just spectacular. And there are other YA authors creating beautiful, deep, artistic yet entertaining work, just like there are hundreds of YA and genre fiction writers churning out fast-paced, light reads. I just can’t stop seeing it as an either/or. Follow the rules and create an easy-to-like fast read, or dig deep and craft something beautiful, controversial and difficult.</p>
<p>I tried to start the first, ended up aiming for the second, and pretty much missed the mark on both. But back to Brenna’s genius. Dual POV narrative. Complex characters who are painfully recognizable, should be unlikeable but aren’t, who expose the core of humanity without wallowing in venality… And who move through the story without clear goals. Or maybe they have too many goals? Waverley and Marshall. Waverley is the perfect socialite with hidden depths. Marshall is the stereotypical stoner deadbeat trying to drown out his conscience.</p>
<p>On the surface, Waverley gives the impression of wanting, what? Everything? Social acceptance, social currency and power, a peer group, a place, a bright future? But, since we’re in her head for the story, we know that she doesn’t really care for any of it, or at least, she questions the value of it. She’s painfully, adolescently aware of the dark underbelly of the social world, the scheming, conniving power plays, the elaborate, deniable attacks. Which, wow. Props to Brenna for articulating this subtlety! But back to Brenna. She is conscious of herself as separate from it, conscious that her obsessive desire to run and her insomnia point to underlying issues, but she’s also ignoring these warning signs, not wanting to address their root causes, not wanting to upset the balance. She talks about needing to win, to be first, but happily plays Beta to her best friend’s Alpha. So she doesn’t really want to win, to be first, even to play the social game. She doesn’t want to deal with her problems, to understand and acknowledge them. What’s her goal? To be accepted? And then it shifts to wanting to be loved for herself? Not really (spoiler) - she seems to come to understand this by the end - but it wasn’t her motivating force. If anything, her goal is to stay safe, to maintain the balance, to stay where she is… but wait, isn’t that a terrible way to set up a book? Why does it work?</p>
<p>And then there’s Marshall. Marshall who is hurt and hurting, and wanting to drive it all away. Marshall who wants to protect and love and be loved, to be real. But that’s not his ‘story goal’, or rather, we don’t understand that that’s his underlying motivation until the very end. So it doesn’t count as a way to move things forward.</p>
<p>But it’s real, and it’s complex and interesting. I read the book over four days instead of the usual 1-2, but it didn’t feel slow or painful (much) to get through. It gets mixed reviews and elicits a response, but overall ratings are in keeping with Brenna’s more traditional books (nearly a full four stars - pretty excellent). Why does it work? What keeps the story moving forward; what gets you invested in the characters and their journey?</p>
<p>Is it the honesty, the realness and freshness of Waverley’s perspective? Is it the unexplained magic of dream walking - which, wow again; to just not dive into the mechanics at all! - that keeps you reading, the pure strangeness of all of it, the mystery of the unexplained? Because that’s another questionable tactic, if you read the editing books and blogs…</p>
<p>And how can I make it work for me?</p>
<p>I created or discovered a world where motivation, where goals of any kind, are explicitly forbidden. They’re both outlawed and literally deadly. Oops. But that world had to exist to explain Cole, who is totally comfortable not wanting anything. Or maybe more to the point, never knows what she wants at any given time. Which is pretty human. To moderate that effect, Cadence showed up. Cole’s motivation, personified. Except, once she’s a person, she has all the motivation and goals, and becomes the primary way to move the story forward. But to tell the story from her perspective loses the point, which was to take an unlikeable, unmotivated, confused and confusing girl and bring readers into her world. It’s not a story about Cole learning to become Cadence, or Cadence saving Cole, it’s a story about Cole learning to be Cole.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ve been writing the premise wrong all this time. I’ve been saying things about the world, how it’s oppressive, how it’s limiting, how it limits choices, and that’s all true, but it’s just setting. The premise is, Cole’s world kept her from learning how or what to want, and when her world got bigger than the rules, she had to learn what it was to respond, to want or not want, to choose on her own. All of the sudden, she had choices between keeping or breaking the rules, following, staying, or creating her own path. And as her world expands, the voices influencing her do too. She starts with Cadence and the Tower. The Tower says obey, Cadence says rebel. Then Ravel shows up, doubling the call to rebel, and the scales are tipped. Cole follows. But the paths diverge again. Cadence says escape, Ravel says join, immerse, and the Tower’s still there, offering safety in return for obedience. The choices are too big and too divided; Cole won’t commit. Cole wants someone else to be responsible for making the choices. Maybe that’s the key. Cole doesn’t want to be responsible. So when Victoire arises, tipping the scales toward Ravel, it’s not her fault that things are getting scary, getting out of hand. She can explore things without the consequences being her fault, because it’s either Cadence or Victoire at fault.</p>
<p>Spoiler! Potential backstory: Cole was sent on a mission to infiltrate the Tower and the city. She was supposed to just act programmed, but something went wrong. She was actually programmed, but because she was on a mission, it didn’t quite take. Cadence is the part of her that remembers the mission, and remembers that Itri is meant to meet up with her. She’s trying to move Cole to the meeting point. Cole is resisting, following her programming, broken and starting anew, a different person now, and one who only wants to not be responsible. Maybe it’s older trauma, a reaction against who she used to be. Maybe she had regrets as Cadence. Maybe she feared getting in over her head. Whatever. Cole starts as a blank slate and develops into the opposite of who she was a Cadence, but Cadence is still around, pushing her. And it kind of works, because Cole can use Cadence as a crutch to blame failures on, and later, Victoire (who, spoiler again, is just imaginary).</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Abbotsford, BC - home/couch</p>
<p>Drinking: cold rooibos tea</p>
FotC CH3 Edana gets a new job2016-12-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2016/12/12/FotC-CH3-Edana-gets-a-new-job<p><em>Recap: The Connarii are suddenly transported to a land of featureless mist in the middle of the night. Younger princess and seer Aislynn identifies this land as the Otherworld, a gateway of sorts, predicting great danger, but recommending journeying through it to seek new lands. Her older sister, Edana, in typical combative fashion, would rather look for a way back and fight their oppressors to regain their lands in Cornwall. Her rival, Camlin, seizes on this idea as a way to advance his own ambitions, but King Toryn overrules the youths and rallies the people and sets off on a quest for a new homeland.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“Father?” Edana moved up the line to whisper into Toryn’s ear. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Be reasonable. How can you make decisions about our future when you don’t even know where we are?”</p>
<p>“If you’d spent more time with your sister, listening to the elders instead of running off to the woods and mucking around with swords all the time…” Toryn shot a reproving glance at his eldest.
“Better than sitting around all day with those shriveled oldies.” Edana hated being compared to her sister, and she especially despised any form of inactivity. Sitting and listening to tales was well enough for the infants, but once a child could walk, why should they be made to sit and listen when they could be out discovering the world for themselves?</p>
<p>“Aislynn? Explain, will you? I haven’t the energy.” Toryn waved his younger daughter over wearily, hardly helping matters. He stumped away, and Edana made to chase him, but Aislynn called her back.</p>
<p>“You remember Bronwyn Maugh?”</p>
<p>“’Course I do. I’m surprised that you remember her at all. She died years ago, back when you were just a mucky little brat.”</p>
<p>“Just because you’re a mere two years older than me…”</p>
<p>“Anyways-” Edana spoke over her sister’s retort. “She was really going off, there at the end; her stories never made much sense – always so vague and strange. Gave me the creeps; mostly stayed far away as I could.”</p>
<p>“And do you not find the place that we are in somewhat ‘vague’ and ‘strange’?” Aislynn smiled, regaining the upper hand in the conversation. “Creepy, even? Her stories never made much sense because they came from the Outside. They came from this place; you just had no frame for comparison.”</p>
<p>“But what is this place? You can’t seriously think that-”</p>
<p>“Don’t you remember? Think back to the stories. Remember how they always started? The traveller finds suddenly that the world around him is fading. Fog and mists raise themselves around him until the world that he knows is blotted out, hidden by blank, shapeless clouds. He continues on through these blank lands, and at last the mists begin to clear. Through the sinking fog, he glimpses a bright land, glowing and brilliant with life and happiness… Now do you remember? The Midlands, the boundary lands between us and the Otherworld- it follows all the stories; we have been cast out of our own world and are now in the borders of the Otherworld. If we travel on, we should come to the land of the stories. Except…”</p>
<p>“Except what, all-knowing one? Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out, huh ‘Lynnie? Where’s the catch? Where’s that “Time of Darkness” you were going on about earlier in all this?” Edana shifted her weight, rolling her eyes at Aislynn’s portentous tone.</p>
<p>“Oh, stop your pestering, ‘Dana. It’s just this; in some stories, it is true that the wanderer came to the bright-lands, but that does not account for all the tales. It seems that in some, the fabled land was not so… utopic. Some stories indicate a land that would be somewhat less than ideal. The descriptions have differences that could not be accounted for by one land alone. I believe that it is possible that there are many different lands that may be reached once a traveler enters the edges of the Otherworld. I also fear that many of them may not be such good places to set up house in…”</p>
<p>“Hush, Aislynn.” Toryn had rejoined the girls after making a circuit of the tribe, and now glanced anxiously at the nearest family, but they showed no signs of having heard Aislynn’s comments. Toryn’s brow seemed permanently furrowed.</p>
<p>“Really, father! How can you believe these tales?” Edana glared at her father and sister. “Our people are depending on us, and what do we do? Sit back and speculate about some fairytale dreamland. That’s just not good enough. We need real answers, real solutions to this… this… well, whatever it is, it needs a concrete, logical solution. The last thing we should be doing is wandering off into this bizarre fog.”</p>
<p>“Since when have you been worried about our people?” Aislynn said sweetly, but with an edge of warning to her voice. “And for that matter, now that I think of it, you have never been much of a friend to logic and reason.”</p>
<p>“You little-” Edana started, angling forward aggressively.</p>
<p>“Look around you, Edana!” Toryn hissed through his teeth, trying to avoid catching the attention of a family walking directly behind him. “What exactly do you propose would get us out of this mess? Aislynn’s right-”</p>
<p>“Aislynn’s always right!” Edana muttered under her breath. Her father pointedly ignored the comment as he continued.</p>
<p>“All that we have are your sister’s interpretation of the stories and the hope that there could be a good place ahead – and of course, the Message of Connar. That is not to be discounted.”</p>
<p>“Oh no? Even if there’s some ‘spirit’ contacting us, who’s to say it’s a helpful one? It is foolish to head off into uncharted territory, looking for a land that probably doesn’t exist. We should go back. We should return and fight for our lands. We had a good life; why should we abandon it for an uncertain future and probable danger?”</p>
<p>“You forget, daughter, that we simply can’t return. It is not a matter of fighting to regain what we have lost. It is gone. Do you see an enemy for us to defeat, a force to fight against for the return of our homes? Think, Edana! There is no path back! We are here, for good or ill. I at least have hope to turn this misfortune around. Look to the future. Open your eyes to the possibility of light in the darkness. Expect good to come of this, and then work to make it so…”</p>
<p>Edana tossed her shining head and scowled.</p>
<p>“Spare me. I’m too old for sermons. I know what’s going on here, and I will not accept your idealistic lies. Speak the truth to me, at least, even if you will rinse it out of your speech with your precious subjects. People are stronger than you think. They can take the truth. I can take the truth, so stop muffling it under heaps of hopeful drivel!”</p>
<p>Toryn stared at his daughter. Such an outburst he had not expected from her. Edana was not the type of girl who broke down immediately from stress. Not that she took pains to hide her mood, or restrain her opinion, but at the very least, he’d thought that she had a higher tolerance for emergencies. For her to say such things, well, the subject must have been bothering her for quite a while.</p>
<p>Toryn sighed. Children did not come with a set of instructions, and Edana was growing into a strong, rather opinionated young woman. She was quick, too smart for the taste of most; too strong to submit to a man less than her equal. Emotionally immature, perhaps… but strong nonetheless, and with good instincts for dealing with people, when the mood suited her. But what was the world coming to, when a daughter could challenge her father so boldly? He smiled faintly as he thought this.</p>
<p>Toryn alone was responsible for Edana’s behaviour; he had brought her up as a son and heir to the rule of the Connarii; it was he who had taught her to challenge the whole world for the truth of every matter, and allowed her to train with the men in combat. Too bad her mother hadn’t lived, though. She would have taught Edana a little tact; she would have taught her daughter how to argue as a woman, with subtlety and often far greater success. A woman’s magic, now that was something Edana could use. She was getting a little old to learn new tactics, though.</p>
<p>Toryn glanced sidelong at his daughter, studying her profile as she marched, fuming, alongside him. Edana was fiercely beautiful, a fact that had been conveniently overlooked by her peers as she trained and grew alongside them, but which Toryn feared would soon rise to frustrate her. Of a reasonable height for a Connarii woman, slim and strong, she scorned the modest clothing of her female peers and opted instead for a distinctive costume all her own. Booted leggings tightly laced with rawhide strips to mid-thigh. A sleeveless leather tunic belted at the waist with wide leather straps crisscrossing from shoulders to belt.</p>
<p>Edana was only carrying a small portion of her personal arsenal at the moment, favoring mobility. Besides the ever-present dagger at her waist (and several smaller, concealed knives), she carried a long tapered sword on her back, with a smooth staff strapped beside it. Tightly braided cords coiled along her arms, fastened at the shoulders of her tunic and caught up in metal-studded wristbands. Long red-gold hair was bound by a band that encircled her forehead, though it sprung out of the curiously woven braid at every opportunity. The touches of gold scattered among the tawny leather made her glow softly in the silver mists, but her blue eyes burned with a fierce, uncompromising green light.</p>
<p>Except for the eyes, Edana and Aislynn were polar opposites. If seventeen-year-old Edana shone with the sun’s hue and fierceness, Aislynn had the muted, silvery wonder of a star about her. Her eyes tended to take on a silver or violet hue, and while they could hold an iron determination, at the moment they radiated only a calm peace. Aislynn was her mother’s daughter, just as Edana followed her father in appearance, and to some degree, manner. Toryn smiled nostalgically, wishing for earlier days when his daughters were easier to understand, and to handle, and indulged in a few moments of loneliness before turning to look behind.</p>
<p>The chattering families spread out in clumps, clans for the most part gravitating towards each other in the untidy horde that stretched back into the mist. Toryn examined their faces, noting the signs of worry, fear, and already on some, exhaustion, as well as the brief sparks of excitement and hope that glanced back and forth across the ranks. They had been marching through a featureless, shifting grey mass for most of the day, hauling as many of their possessions as they could carry, drag or push, and the young ones were tiring.</p>
<p>Toryn called a halt, and the families quickly bunched into small groups, huddling together to sort out simple cold meals with their limited rations. For the moment, there was enough to eat, though it was largely uninspiring fare. Soon, however, the food would run out. The Connarii hadn’t seen a single creature throughout the days march. Actually, they hadn’t seen anything at all, except mist and their own neighbours. The excitement of adventure had quickly worn out, as had the inspiring effect of Toryn’s earlier speech.</p>
<p>They had better find that land soon, Toryn reflected, or he’d be dealing with mutiny, as well as starvation. People can abandon trust and commonsense alike pretty quickly when their stomachs are empty and their families in danger.</p>
<p>Toryn put a halt to his musing and spent the next hour moving among the clans, soothing and encouraging each family, doing his best to put fears to rest and rally their hopes. Then he returned to his daughters, to snatch a couple of hours of rest in the misty eternal twilight. Camlin, unfortunately, had other plans for that evening. He was waiting with Edana, the two of them arguing in hushed tones when Toryn returned to his camp.</p>
<p>“My king,” Camlin broke off his whispered fight with Edana to kneel to Toryn, the image of respect and deference. Toryn started to worry.</p>
<p>“I have come to request that you place a guard around the camp, and station the warriors around the tribe as they travel tomorrow. I have spoken to many of the young men who had been training under Corwin, and they would be happy to serve the tribe in this way. I would like to volunteer to-”</p>
<p>“I think that would be an excellent idea, father.” Edana interrupted, brushing past Camlin before he could finish his sentence. “It will make the people feel safe, and we will be prepared against any enemies lurking in this cursed mist. I will assemble the men and position them around the camp immediately.”</p>
<p>“What?” Camlin nearly overbalanced, putting out a hand to catch himself as he whipped around to glare at Edana, while Toryn worked to keep his face stern. Edana looked genuinely surprised. Had he not been the responsible one in the situation, Toryn would have laughed at her exaggerated and clearly feigned innocence, and been no less amused at Camlin’s attempts at smooth and sophisticated maneuvering. They both really were still so young…</p>
<p>“What’s the matter?” She asked. “I’ll just collect the rest of my weapons and-”</p>
<p>“Are you out of your mind?” Camlin howled, aggressively towering over Edana, who refused to back down.</p>
<p>Aislynn, who had been making the rounds of the camp, emerged out of the mists and frowned at Camlin.</p>
<p>“You’re too loud.” She said, making a shushing motion with her hands. The feathers on her cloak rustled soothingly. “Stop getting so worked up over nothing.”</p>
<p>“Nothing!” Camlin was nearly screaming now, his face flushing an alarming and decidedly unattractive purplish colour. “Nothing? Your sister just laid claim to the post of battle-chief!”</p>
<p>“So? Is that any reason to wake everyone?”</p>
<p>“She, she’s a girl!” Camlin sputtered, irritated that no one else seemed to be as concerned.</p>
<p>“And?”</p>
<p>“Girls shouldn’t even be fighting, much less leading the tribe’s warriors!”</p>
<p>“You’ve known that I could fight for years, Camlin.” Edana said. Her eyes glinted, warning that her short temper wouldn’t hold forever.</p>
<p>“Yes, but… you can’t, I mean – I, I naturally assumed that I would…”</p>
<p>“Oh calm down, Camlin.” Toryn finally interrupted, his amusement ebbing as exhaustion took hold. Bed seemed further and further off all the time. “I’ll admit that it is a valid point you have. I’ll look into setting up a guard immediately – but neither of you is going to be leading it, so off you go to bed.”</p>
<p>“Father!” Edana complained, while Camlin turned a darker shade of red as he struggled for the words to express his indignation.</p>
<p>“Oh come off it.” Toryn told them. “You’re both too young. The battle-chief must not only excel in combat, but also be experienced in battle, and be able to lead. I will choose someone more suitable, and in the meantime, the two of you will cease this unholy racket and allow the rest of us some peace.”</p>
<p>“Father?” Aislynn said softly, drawing Toryn aside, just out of range of the seething pair’s hearing.</p>
<p>“There isn’t really anyone else; they have a point, you know. The more experienced warriors were all with Corwin when the Connarii were cursed. They are the two most advanced trainees. They don’t have the experience, and I won’t speak to their leadership capabilities, but it seems to me that Edana and Camlin are the only ones even close to qualified for this position. Furthermore, for Edana… This may be a good opportunity…”</p>
<p>Toryn stared at Aislynn. Then he shrugged.</p>
<p>“Be that as it may, I’m making no decisions tonight. We’ll talk about this later.”</p>
<p>“But the security of the camp!” Camlin insisted, as he saw Toryn step away. Toryn frowned at him.</p>
<p>“Fine, fine. What do you kids have against sleep? Camlin – south and east side. Edana, north and west.” Toryn pointed as he gave the instructions, indicating the supposed directions in the suffocating, muted landscape that frustrated all attempts at classification.</p>
<p>“Have all the trainees assembled first thing in the morning and I’ll allocate you each the appropriate number of guards. Until then, I will retain the responsibility for this camp’s security. Now – good night!”</p>
<p>Toryn had to stand and glare at Camlin for a couple of minutes, before the young man snapped his jaw shut, turned on his heel, and stalked back into the mists towards his campsite, clearly realizing that he was in no position to push his luck. Edana wouldn’t even look at her father. She spoke in his general direction while glowering after Camlin.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe you didn’t tell him to stand down, father. I should be the one to-”</p>
<p>“Good night!” Toryn said. Edana huffed and went to her bedroll.</p>
<p>“Good night.” Aislynn said brightly to no one in particular.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH3</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2016/12/19/FotC-CH4-Girls-and-their-toys.html">Continue to Chapter 4: Girls and their toys</a></p>
TGOoH CH2 Can I crash with you2016-12-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2016/12/09/TGOoH-CH2-Can-I-crash-with-you<p>When people in stories wake up, they always seem to focus on stupid things, like describing the ceiling in minute detail, or the feel of the sheets. I mean, who does that? Like I’m going to be lying in bed, returning to consciousness, and making erudite observations about my thread count…</p>
<p>Nah, when I woke up focusing on, well, <em>anything</em>, was the last thing I was about to do. I kind of mellowed my way up from <em>warm, good</em> to <em>blech, fuzzy</em> to <em>oh crap, what the..?</em> in stages, without caring too much about the setting and anything beyond the confines of my own body, which was feeling <em>not good</em>. Like, cotton tongue fuzzy teeth sour taste plus a side of gritty eyes with a smattering of <em>ouch</em>.</p>
<p>It was only in exploring the <em>ouch</em> that I started working out my surroundings. Which were pretty meh. Also, this isn’t the kind of story where I wake up naked and conveniently washed and bandaged, by the way. Which could have been embarrassing, sure, but just then sounded pretty damn appealing. Nope, instead, I woke up fully clothed and shedding gritty debris in my own bed, which was going to be super fun to clean up later. But, you know, at least some guy didn’t see me naked. Yay.</p>
<p>Speaking of guys, oh yeah, <em>boy hero</em>. And the nightmare attack. Which - wow - I must’ve been the first person in, like, <em>ever</em>, to have survived. All of the sudden, smears of dried blood and mud stains on my sheets didn’t seem like such a big deal. In fact, they were starting to be an encouraging reminder that I hadn’t hallucinated the whole episode in a fit of perverse boredom-induced self-harm. So that was a plus.</p>
<p>I kind of heaved myself to the side of the bed and staggered upright in a skittering shower of dirt and pain. The worst damage seemed to be around my feet and joints, and I cracked more than a few scabs standing up, but nothing too severe. Cuts and bruises I could handle, if it meant I could take myself for a nice shower and avoid hospital time to boot. I limped toward the ensuite, but stopped cold when I reached the doorway.</p>
<p>I guess I’d forgotten just how remarkable he looked. That perfect hair, those wide eyes, wider still as he stared back at my mud-crusted hair and stained, torn work clothes. He was standing in the kitchen, holding a pot in one hand, a scrub brush in the other, soap suds trailing across his knuckles and up his wrist.</p>
<p>“You really shouldn’t let the food get dried on,” He waved the pot around, scattering bubbles across the counter.</p>
<p>I should probably have blushed in shame at my delinquent housekeeping or something, but you know, shock. That, and my relief at not having to deal with those dishes - he didn’t know how long they’d been there - insulated me from the embarrassment. I just kept staring back at him. He blinked first.</p>
<p>“That was a joke,” He said, a line marring his forehead as his brows drew together. He put down the pot and wiped his hands on his jeans. What? I have dishtowels. They’re in the wash. Or somewhere, I’m sure… “Hey, maybe you should sit down…”</p>
<p>I took a firmer grip on the doorframe and glared back at him. He held up his hands in mock surrender, then darted around the counter and grabbed for my elbow as I swayed.</p>
<p>“Why are you here?” I tried to pull away, but he just followed me back into the room, pivoting with perfect balance to maintain his hold. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“Hi,” he raised his eyebrows, ignoring my question entirely as he tried to guide me back towards my bed. “I’m Henry.”</p>
<p>“Hi Henry. I’m annoyed.” I dug in my heels and leaned back toward the bathroom, tugging against his grip. “Also, a little freaked out. What are you doing in my apartment?”</p>
<p>“Uh…”</p>
<p>“Look, thanks for your help earlier, but I’d really just like to be left alone right now-”</p>
<p>“But-“</p>
<p>“So yeah, you were a huge help, really appreciate all that life-saving and all, but this is my home and I’d really like to get cleaned up now and all, so…”</p>
<p>I waved at the door, swaying, and then batted at his hand on my arm with the other. Then I made the mistake of looking up at him. <em>Big</em> mistake. He had this look down pat, you know the one, the big-eyed kicked puppy look, where you feel like a monster and would do anything to make it stop.</p>
<p>“Did I do something wrong?” He said, releasing my arm so I could stagger a few steps back. I tried to look away. It didn’t work. I clamped my lips shut, determined not to give in. I took a few more steps backward, bumping into the door frame and wincing. Henry was at my side in an instant, looking worried and hurt at the same time. I needed to say something. Something to make it clear. He had to go.</p>
<p>“Really, thanks,” I said, trying to sound sincere rather than irritated. After all, he had saved my life. “What you did out there, that was huge. And I don’t want to sound ungrateful. But I’m fine now. So you can get back to wherever you need to be. I can take care of myself; you go ahead and get home.”</p>
<p>Henry opened his mouth, closed it, frowned, opened it again.</p>
<p>“I just got to the city,” He said.</p>
<p>No. Oh no. He didn’t mean…</p>
<p>“I was thinking I could stay with you.”</p>
<p>Crap. He did.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH2</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2016/12/16/TGOoH-CH3-So-much-for-that.html">Continue to Chapter 3: So much for that</a></p>
Current Projects2016-12-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2016/12/09/Current-Projects<p>So, lot’s of big stuff going on:</p>
<p>After a few awesome days in London (Camden Blues Kitchen - check it out!), I’m officially back in BC for Christmas… and a couple months thereafter.</p>
<p>The first high-level edit of Blind the Eyes is in. I’ve read it and put it away for about a week to… process. Yes, rewrites will be significant - and need to be done for March. The short version is that I’m a better writer than I am storyteller, and it’s a weird little story that breaks all the rules and needs some big shifts to conform. Which I should make it do, but don’t quite know how to without losing things I’m not willing to give up on. Like a protagonist that lacks motivation. Lol… So that’ll be interesting.</p>
<p>But in the meantime, I’ve been working on a couple other writing projects. I’m hoping to use web fiction/serialized writing platforms like Wattpad and Jukepop to get a better sense of what connects with readers, build a following and eventually market Blind the Eyes, while at the same time just getting in some more practice at different ways of storytelling. Providing free, value-added content is a major marketing move in self publishing these days, so I’m hoping to dovetail that somehow.</p>
<p>So far, I’ve got two chapters each of Flame of the Connarii and Things get out of Hand. FotC actually has a full draft that I wrote as a teen and uni student. It’s terrible, of course, WAY too much sermonizing speeches, but there’s a full cast, a hack-job of a plot and everything. So I’m editing and rewriting that on a chapter-by-chapter basis for Tuesday each week, hoping it’ll come out to something reasonable. At the same time, I’m dealing with my disappointment with the directions things went in Blind the Eyes by relaunching the original story behind the novel and trying to take it in a closer direction to what I originally intended. TgooH is kind of a snarky romance with supernatural stuff in the background (so far), and is a true serial, written day-of for Friday releases.</p>
<p>Of course, what I really need to do is sit down and plot out exciting scenes and character motiviations. Lol. Maybe one day.</p>
<p>Thinking about a significant website overhaul to zero in on the writing more, since that’s the only thing I’ve been keeping up with. That, or I really need to write a bunch of blogs on all the travel… But I’ve got to dive in to the rewrites for real next week, so we’ll see if any of that actually gets done…</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNz27gHgFSn/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Aaand back in the land of wifi for #Christmas - Before and after: #mallaig to #abbotsford and #sea to #snow 🌊🌨❄️ May do some #latergram of the last month or two in #Scotland - keep an eye out!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-09T20:45:37+00:00">Dec 9, 2016 at 12:45pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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FotC CH2 In the mists of the Otherworld2016-12-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2016/12/06/FotC-CH2-in-the-mists-of-the-otherworld<p><em>Recap: The Connarii find themselves suddenly transported to a land of featureless mist in the middle of the night. King Toryn and daughters Edana and Aislynn need to come up with a plan of action quick. Edana, always spoiling for a fight and eager for recognition, wants to turn around and engage the enemy… a poor plan, since they have no idea how to go back to their old home, but one that ambitious Connariian Camlin, seeking a path to greater influence, tries to get in on nonetheless. Aislynn, though the younger of the two princesses, provides better counsel, advising Toryn to unite the people around a common goal and seek out new lands. But then Aislynn is gripped by a vision and prophecies danger and a challenge for the tribe’s future, shocking her father and sister…</em></p>
<hr />
<p>Aislynn gasped, and slumped to the ground as the light from the jewel on her diadem flickered and dimmed to its usual steady glow.</p>
<p>“Aislynn? Aislynn! What on earth?” Toryn rolled his youngest daughter over and brushed the long black strands from her face. Her skin was even paler than usual, and beads of sweat stood out on her forehead, but her face was utterly still. Then the long eyelashes quivered, and she opened her eyes, blinking dazedly.</p>
<p>“Father? Edana?” Aislynn sat up and gazed around at the mists blankly for a moment before seeming to regain focus. “We should get moving.”</p>
<p>“Well, yes, but… what was that?” Toryn flapped a hand, wordlessly encompassing Aislynn’s bizarre behavior over the last few minutes. Edana snorted, though it wasn’t clear if she was expressing scorn at her sister’s display or her father’s helplessness.</p>
<p>“The beginning.” Aislynn responded, and stood up, rearranging the weighty folds of her cloak and brushing back her unbound hair. She looked up at her father. “Only the beginning.”</p>
<p>“Outstanding.” Edana said. Then, brightly, “I’ll just gather the men, then, shall I?”</p>
<p>“Whatever are you talking about?” Her father looked blank, then suspicious.</p>
<p>“Battle, yes? I heard her. “Take up your arms…” right? Father, let me lead them! You know I can. I’m perfectly capable. I’ll have them all suited up and ready to go in no time.”</p>
<p>“Out of the question.” Toryn frowned at Edana. “Put it out of your head.”</p>
<p>“But father!”</p>
<p>“This is not the time, Edana. Right now, our priority is to comfort and direct our people. I think we’ve kept them waiting long enough. You’ll never make any kind of leader, dragging the tribe into battle before they even know what’s happening. Aislynn, anything else to add before I brief the tribe?”</p>
<p>“Hey – if I’m the one who needs to learn leadership, why are you only talking to her?”</p>
<p>Toryn rolled his eyes at Edana and transferred his gaze to Aislynn.</p>
<p>“There will be time later. Right now, if we can just get everyone moving in the same direction. Like I said-”</p>
<p>“Yeah. We know. “Only the beginning.” We heard you.” Edana fiddled crossly with the long dagger at her hip.</p>
<p>“I need your support, now, Edana.” Toryn warned her. “The people look to us for guidance, and as my eldest, you need to…”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I got it. Stand straight, smile pretty, and shut up, right?” Edana gave her father a wolfish grin. “I’ll play along for now, but we’ll talk later about the battle, ok?”</p>
<p>“You know that’s not what I meant…”</p>
<p>“Forget it.” Edana spun on her heel and led the way back into the mass of villagers.</p>
<p>“Listen, my people,” Toryn cried, lifting his voice to carry over the milling crowd as he strode out of the mists, putting on kingly authority like a cloak.</p>
<p>He made his way towards the center of the massing tribe, who quieted, going down on one knee in a murmuring wave. His daughters took up position behind him, Aislynn in a dark pool of fabric and feathers on his left, Edana neat and trim in a personalized version of the standard hide outfit of a Connariian warrior on his right. Camlin crouched restlessly a few feet forward and to the right of him, eyeing Edana, who made a point of staring past his head as if he weren’t there. The young troublemaker had cadged himself a spot at the front of the crowd with a cohort of young friends arrayed behind him.
Toryn waited until all had settled and were waiting silently before beginning to speak.</p>
<p>“The worst has happened,” He announced, and his words struck the people visibly. They swayed back before this declaration, murmuring amongst themselves. Shouted questions rang out from the crowd. Toryn held up his hands and waited until the flurry ceased.</p>
<p>“Many of you knew of the conflict that we have been facing; the Council of Twelve has been conspiring against us. They have threatened us, demanding our lands and our service. We refused to bow to their demands. Two days ago, Battle-chief Corwin led a force of our finest warriors to confront the Danaan Council. He should have reached them either tonight, or early tomorrow morning. It is clear that his mission has failed. The Council has followed through on its threat. Through their dark magic, the druids of the Tuatha de Danaan have cast a foul spell, banishing us out of the Earth forever. That curse has removed us from our homes, and placed us here.”</p>
<p>“And ‘here’ would be where?” Camlin interrupted from his position to the right of Toryn, who eyed him for a moment before responding.</p>
<p>“I believe this place to be the Otherworld.”</p>
<p>“The Otherworld spoken of in legend? That is a fairytale, great king. Surely you cannot expect us to believe that we have been cursed into a living myth.”</p>
<p>“Are you accusing my father of lying?” Edana demanded, rising and stepping forward to assume an offensive posture just in front of Toryn. Despite her personal misgivings, there was no way that she would let a challenge like that stand unanswered. One hand rested on the dagger at her hip, while the other casually swung a thick cord that snaked its way up her arm before vanishing under her sleeveless tunic at the shoulder. She stood proudly upright, leaning ever so slightly forward, resting on the balls of her feet. Camlin said nothing, but lifting one eyebrow, returned his focus to Toryn, who laid his hand on Edana’s arm.</p>
<p>“It’s all right. The question is valid. I myself was skeptical at first, but consider: The swirling mists and utterly featureless land. The mystery of how we, all of us in an instant, found ourselves here in the dead of night, with our possessions scattered as if our entire village had been lifted up and transported, leaving only the land and the structures attached to it behind. The description fits completely with that given in the stories, and myths are, after all, stories of truth and of past happenings.” Aislynn smiled at her father’s back. She hadn’t moved throughout the entire exchange.</p>
<p>“That is all conjecture.” Camlin interrupted again. Toryn hesitated, then continued.</p>
<p>“There is more. I do not make these judgments myself. Aislynn is studied in lore and is gifted with the Sight. You are all aware of her status in the tribe. Chief Druid, despite her age; bard and seer of the Connarii. It is her knowing that has led me to these conclusions – and a…” Toryn choked a bit getting the word out. “…ah, vision. We have been graced with Connar’s guidance in this time of trouble.”</p>
<p>“Connar has spoken to us. We his children are ever in his thoughts.” Aislynn stood in a rustling of feathers. Her cloak seemed to move in a breeze of its own around the slim bright flame of her silvery shift and moon-pale skin. The crowd stared wide-eyed at Aislynn in uncomprehending wonder. She knelt again, and Toryn swallowed before turning back to address the people.</p>
<p>“We must move ahead. There is no going back; the curse cannot be broken, and will not allow us to return. Ahead are new lands. Look to your families. Keep watch, and keep together. Do not allow the children to wander, and stay in sight of the group at all times. Spend the next hour collecting what belongings have been transported across the boundary. In one hour we start our journey to whatever world is waiting for us.”</p>
<p>“Hold on there, old man.” Camlin leaned forward, waving his arms in aggressive punctuation as he argued. “Why should we journey blindly in these mists when we know that a perfectly good land lies right behind us? I say we go back. Any enemy can be fought. We will find a way to regain what has been stolen from us and avenge this outrage! I will personally lead a band against our aggressors.”
Camlin looked around for supporters, and found more than a few heads nodding.</p>
<p>“I’m all for a good fight, but I don’t know about this wandering in grey mists. I’d rather return to face the enemy I know, than advance blindly into the danger I don’t. We had a good life back in the village, and I don’t see any reason to throw all that away.” Camlin’s voice got louder as he went on, and it rang in Toryn’s ears ominously. Camlin had a voracious desire for power, as well as a strange magnetism and popularity, especially among the younger generation, despite his impure blood, and right now the tribe could not afford to be divided by his ill-timed bid for support. This had to be shut down, and quickly.</p>
<p>“Such talk borders on treason, Camlin Blyc. You are no counselor. You presume to direct your betters? Remember your place!” Toryn glared at the boy for a moment, until Camlin blinked and looked away, retreating.</p>
<p>“Due to the extremity of the circumstances, and the extent of the shock which we are all undoubtedly suffering, I will regard your disrespect as a product of this unexpected shift and forgive it. But hear me. This subject is not open for discussion, Camlin. You will all do as I say for your own safety. There is no going back to the village; that path is closed to us. We can only go forward, and hope to come to a land in which we can build a new life. It will not be easy, but if we stay together and work hard, we shall build a new home far better than the first, under the guiding hand of Connar and far away from our enemies.” Toryn quickly stepped out of the circle before more argument sprang up.</p>
<p>He made his way to one side of the crowd with his daughters, and there they stood, watching the tribe pack up. It concerned Toryn to notice some of the young men gravitating towards Camlin. It would not do for the people to take sides. Enmity would kill far more quickly than any of the unknown perils here; the tribe could not afford to be split into factions, and the blood quarrels were always roiling under the surface.</p>
<hr />
<p>An hour later, over a hundred families stood assembled in four unsteady columns, all their belongings slung up over their shoulders or clasped nervously in their arms. The mists that drifted between the lines of the procession caught at all sound, wrapping them in ragged tendrils, muffling the senses until the Connarii felt that they were drifting along with the mists, away from everything solid and real. The feeling lasted for only a few minutes, before Toryn called the crowd back to the business at hand.</p>
<p>“My friends, we embark today on a great journey. Do not fear the future, nor harbor regret for what has passed. We have been given a great opportunity; we, the sons of Connar, will have the legendary Otherworld to make our home in. We are in the domain of magic and dreams, a place that previously only the greatest of us, the true bards and druids, were ever given to walk. We will be counted amongst the great heroes, as we have entered into a mythical quest. We have a chance to find the perfect world, and to build a new life for our people there. We move forward, west, to find the lands where light shines eternal. Come with me on a quest for the shining land of Connar where we can live in happiness forevermore.” Toryn raised his hands as the people cheered. When they had quieted, he waved his daughters into formation behind him, and called out to the people. “Forward, for a new life in a new land!”</p>
<hr />
<p>The first half-day was terribly exciting. The people chattered incessantly as they walked, dreaming aloud about the land that they would find, and the homes that they would build for themselves and their children. There was laughter and singing. Nearly everyone had forgotten, for the time being, that less than a day before they had lived in a large and prosperous village, in a fertile land, where they had been happy and successful. Few recalled the fact that they had been collectively expelled from their homes and shamefully usurped by evil men. Camlin Blyc did not forget so easily. He had inherited good fields and a sturdy house from his father. He had been building his holdings steadily, accumulating wealth and importance among the villagers, garnering respect for the name of Blyc. He had devoted much time and energy in training as one of the young warriors, and had developed a sizeable following among the other youths. He was popular, he was talented, he was wealthy. What if his blood was less pure than most? The younger generation did not care for such things – they had moved beyond such archaic strictures, and they were the ones who would raise him to the top. He had been working hard all his life, and frantically pushing himself in the last three years since the death of his father. He had a plan; marry the eldest princess, take over leadership of the warband, and then, if all went as planned, the tribe itself. King Camlin had such an alluring ring to it. Now all his hard work, all his carefully laid and executed plans had been shredded down to nothing, and thrown to the clinging mists.</p>
<p>“How can we not go back?” Camlin muttered to his young brother, Owen, as they marched near the back of the mass of people. “How can the great Toryn just abandon our homes? How can we listen to him? It is not right. We should return. We should fight for what is ours. It is not a man’s way to allow others to steal from him without retribution; it is not the warrior’s way.” This last Camlin declared proudly, handsome golden head flung back and bright eyes glittering.</p>
<p>A few heads in the near vicinity turned to look, some with annoyance, more with admiration. Young men raised their fists high into the air and called out approval, while half of the young women followed suit (the other half, blushing and peeking out from lowered eyelashes, darted glances at the young men and edged away from their wary mothers.) Camlin waved to these supporters, pleased, and then returned to his sullen musings.</p>
<p>“Have we sunk to this level? A group of helpless women who will stand and watch their holdings be stripped away? A crowd of spineless cowards who turn tail and run at the first sign of a challenge? I am ashamed of us- ashamed of the proud Connarii who fall at the first sight of adversity. We cannot, we shouldn’t, we…” Camlin’s voice sank into guttural expressions of contempt for the honor of his tribe. His brother inched off a few feet, but remained in sight.</p>
<p>Owen Blyc would never desert Camlin. Of the Blyc clan, only the two brothers remained. It had always been a small clan, one that cultivated the frowned-upon tendency to marry outside the tribe, diluting the purity of their blood, and with members who died young more often than not. Camlin’s father, Coll, had married a frail beauty from the willowy Sythann tribe, who had faded after the birth of her first son. The second birth claimed her life. Two years after the death of his mother, Camlin found his father floating face down in the lake. Eight years had passed since then, and Owen had grown up, for the most part, blissfully unaware of his family’s tragic past. He was, however, quite aware of the fact that his older brother had been acting increasingly strangely. Owen stayed close, but not too close. Things were not good. Even a child would know that.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH2</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2016/12/12/FotC-CH3-Edana-gets-a-new-job.html">Continue to Chapter 3: Edana gets a new job</a></p>
TGOoH CH1 One of those days2016-12-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//tgooh/2016/12/02/TGOoH-CH1-One-of-those-days<p>It had been one of those days. A Monday sort of day (though it was a Thursday). An “I can’t wait to get home and forget it even happened” kind of day.</p>
<p>The last time I’d looked around, it was sunny. Beautiful, if you like that sort of thing. Blue skies, sparkling water in the distance past the low apartment blocks that line the streets on my usual route home. Green grass, flowers blooming, all that nonsense.</p>
<p>So it’s not like I was expecting any trouble. No early morning mist, no winter fog rolling off the sea, no low lying cloud cover, and the shoreline was a good few blocks away. No, I was busy deciding if I’d rather unwind with a book or a show when it attacked.</p>
<p>The tremors knocked me off my feet before I’d even registered the shape in the distance. One minute I was hurrying home, stuck in my head like usual, the next I was picking gravel out of my palm and wondering what had happened.</p>
<p>Pain is wonderfully focusing. I caught up to events, or rather, it felt like everything slowed right down, so I had time to soak up every horrific inch of the creature before it took another step.</p>
<p>It was a spider, of course.</p>
<p>The nightmares get inside your head, somehow. It’s always the one thing you can’t stand. The one thing you’d do anything to avoid. But worse than you’d ever feared.</p>
<p>They say you die of horror before the creature has a chance to actually, you know, crush or rend or munch, or whatever it is that your personal nightmare specializes in.</p>
<p>I could tell you that my heart was pounding like it was about to explode or that my breath rasped in my ears, almost but not quite drowning out the embarrassing mewling noises that were arising from my general vicinity, but honestly, I was too caught up in the horror to pay much attention to mere biological functions. I mean, all those legs…!</p>
<p>Oh, and it was the size of a house.</p>
<p>Yeah, the small ones give me panic attacks too, but they don’t generally crack the concrete with each scurrying step. And it was growing. Cracks spread as the concrete sidewalk buckled under its weight and spilled me into the cratered street.</p>
<p>The spider loomed overhead, blocking out all the light, although I think I might’ve stopped breathing a while before, which could have had something to do with the growing darkness. From this close, I could make out tiny, shifting movements all over the massive arachnid. It was overhead now, all eight legs trampling around me, carving a deeper crater and trapping me underneath, not that I’d have been able to make a run for it if I’d wanted to by then.</p>
<p>Then things got even worse. The shifting black dots resolved into a covering of smaller spiders swarming on the massive one - increasingly visible as they started to drop down all around - and on - me.</p>
<p>I bucked and squirmed, rolling against the gravel, dirt, and shards of pipe at the bottom of the crater, trying to crush the smaller spiders off while wishing the gargantuan one would just impale me on one of its horrible legs and end the nightmare. Anything would be better than being slowly crushed by a skittering blanket of the little monsters.</p>
<p>It was getting harder and harder to move as the weight increased moment by moment. I couldn’t do much more than twitch and stare up at the swarming multitude endlessly descending on glittering threads, hoping that death or insanity would hurry up and end the horror.</p>
<p>When the light broke through, it was blinding. He was blinding. He sliced through the nightmare in a single blow, sweeping it away like a cobweb. The spider forms dissipated, blown away in an instant, and</p>
<p>I was left bleeding and stunned, staring up at him from the bottom of a muddy hole.</p>
<p>My rescuer looked worried.</p>
<p>“Are you ok?” He said.</p>
<p>I opened and shut my mouth like a dying fish and kept staring. It may have been his knight-in-shining-armour rescue, but I didn’t think I’d ever seen any one who looked more heroic in my life. The blonde, boyishly handsome kind of hero, not the dark smartass kind.</p>
<p>Also, the kind with a sword. And no cape. Definitely no cape. In fact, just some pretty ragged looking jeans and a faded t-shirt. Plus a great big shiny sword, that I could have sworn had been glowing only a moment before. Huh.</p>
<p>Hero still looked worried. Maybe more worried. What with my gaping and staring and bleeding and distinct lack of actual words, I didn’t blame him.</p>
<p>“Hang on,” he said. “I’ll get you out of there.”</p>
<p>He pivoted, looking all around as if a fire brigade was about to show up with a ladder or something, which it wasn’t, because it’s not like anyone actually survives a nightmare attack. Then he shrugged and sort of hurled himself down into the hole. With me.</p>
<p>Up close, his outfit looked even shabbier, which was good news, since the broken pipes had made a muddy mess of the hole. Plus, blood. Plus, it helped balance out his looks. Which were pretty wow. Although, that could have been the shock talking.</p>
<p>I couldn’t stop shaking, and his hands felt like they were on fire when he fished me out of the mud. Humiliatingly, I couldn’t actually stand on my own, never mind claw my way out of the hole. Maybe if I’d been less traumatized and hurting, I could have enjoyed the storybook fantasy moment of being carried out of there.</p>
<p>As it was, I couldn’t decide if I was more embarrassed or in pain. It did help me stop reliving the feeling of thousands of tiny feet skittering over my skin, though.</p>
<p>When my rescuer finally deposited me on the clean grass several feet down the street, the fear came back, and I started shaking again. The blades of grass, that tickling sensation, and they could be hiding there… I grabbed at the boy’s arm before he could straighten up, startling him and further embarrassing myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go.</p>
<p>He held very still, studying my face from only a few inches away, and something in it must’ve convinced him.</p>
<p>“Ok.” He said. “It’s ok. Whatever you need. I’m not going anywhere.”</p>
<p>The shaking didn’t stop, but it slowed down a little. My jaw was clenched, teeth chattering, but I did manage a nod and the ghost of a smile. I didn’t let go of his arm.</p>
<p>The boy sat down on the grass beside me.</p>
<p>“You’re going to be ok,” he said. “But sitting out here isn’t going to help. Do you live nearby?”</p>
<p>I managed to nod, yes.</p>
<p>“Is there anyone at home right now?”</p>
<p>I shook my head, no.</p>
<p>“Can you walk there?”</p>
<p>I paused, unsure, shrugged. Maybe. Probably not. Eventually.</p>
<p>The boy studied me. I’d relaxed my grip on his arm, but I was still shivering. The cold inside me was keeping the pain at bay, but I could see blood soaking through rips in my clothes in several places. Once the shock wore off, I was going to be hurting. I couldn’t tell if it was emergency room stitches level hurt, or just band-aid-level surface scratches, but since the nearest facility was ten times the distance of my apartment and presumably neither one of us had a phone handy, it wouldn’t be the first stop.
“Probably not,” the boy said out loud, answering his own question as he bounced to his feet and pulled me upright. I swayed for a moment, locking my knees and fighting a wave of nausea, before he made a surprised noise and swept me up again. I must’ve looked as sick as I felt.</p>
<p>“We’ll have a better chance of getting you home if you’re conscious,” he explained, heading off down the street. He stopped at each corner and had me nod in the right direction to navigate.</p>
<p>It was surreal being carried, half conscious and bleeding, into my own apartment by boy hero. I probably should have been worried about the state of the housekeeping or whether I’d left underwear lying around or something, but by the time we made it through the door, I was more focused on not puking on my gallant rescuer. Pain was starting to break through the cold of shock, and my head was spinning and throbbing at the same time, inspiring waves of nausea. Thankfully, the boy had enough sense to take me directly to the bathroom and deposit me on the floor, propped up against the tub. When he turned to rummage through the cabinet, presumably in search of some kind of first aid supplies, I lunged for the toilet. And promptly blacked out.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH1</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/tgooh/2016/12/09/TGOoH-CH2-Can-I-crash-with-you.html">Continue to Chapter 2: Can I crash with you?</a></p>
FotC CH1 The Connarii are lost2016-11-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//fotc/2016/11/29/FotC-CH1-the-connarii-are-lost<p><em>In the endless darkness, seen only by the eyes of the gods, a single form is suspended. A slim, small body, female, yet encased in supple hide – the form-fitted second skin of a warrior. Weapons are attached at intervals; a sword and staff slung across her back, knives concealed at hip and ankle, whip-like cord wound from shoulder to wrist, embracing the muscled arms. Long red-gold hair escapes from its bonds to curl around the pale, freckled face. A young sun blooming in the darkness, as Connar, god of the life-flame, watches. The face of the god is unreadable, but not still. Sadness, pride, anguish, hope, joy, despair, love and rage chase across his face like the tides, continually shifting and changing; unknowable.</em></p>
<p><em>All around the still, silent form, others slowly fade into existence. First one, than another, until the darkness is filled with a blaze of color; men, women, and children arriving to fill the void with suspended life.</em></p>
<p><em>Connar sighs, gazing across the human constellations, and gestures. The crowd blinks out of existence in an instant, and the darkness is complete once more.</em></p>
<hr />
<p>“What happened? I demand an answer! Where are we?” Camlin had the biggest mouth in the Connarii tribe. Consequently, his cries drowned out the three thousand five hundred and thirty-seven other alarmed voices. Their owners milled about in sleepy confusion, and a not a few in embarrassment, as they exchanged inadequate sleepwear for more modest or functional garb, hunting through the piles of household goods heaped about in the shifting mists where chests and hooks had been only moments before.</p>
<p>“Shut your mouth, Camlin.” That was Edana, glaring daggers beneath blazing hair that refused to be braided back and tamed. She would have enjoyed following up with a more pointed attack – literally, one hand on a dagger – had she not been so distracted. The lingering shreds of a dream unsettled her – something about darkness, loneliness…</p>
<p>Her younger sister’s voice jolted Edana back to attention.</p>
<p>“Please, Camlin. You needn’t add to the confusion.”</p>
<p>Aislynn’s remonstrance went unheeded as Camlin stormed over to the girls’ father Toryn, king of the Connarii.</p>
<p>“Well?” He demanded. “What happened?”</p>
<p>The old man sighed. Camlin had never been the most tractable member of the tribe, and what he was about to hear would very likely incite him to new levels of youthful belligerence. No way around it though; waking up to find the whole world swept out from under you tended to stick in people’s minds, and he’d have to offer some kind of explanation, and worse, a plan of action, sooner or later.</p>
<p>Better make it sooner.</p>
<p>Toryn sighed again, feeling worn through and wistful for days gone by. Days when the Connarii had been strong, their kings majestic and their people happy and undoubtedly much, much less difficult. Camlin was still trying to stare him down, jaw clenched, hands fisted, his poor little brother cowering behind him…</p>
<p>All Toryn wanted to do was go back to bed and wake up, oh, say 200 or 300 years ago, when the Connarii had presided over rich holdings across the west of the Islands, before their wealth and dominion had ebbed to the southernmost spit of land along the Cornish coast… and now, even that appeared to have been stolen. Yes, better to have ruled in centuries past, rather than go down in history as the king who lost it all. Toryn would have happily gone back to sleep and never opened his eyes again. Instead, he held up a hand and tried for imperious gravity.</p>
<p>“A moment, Camlin. Aislynn. Edana. With me.” Toryn gestured to his daughters and moved away from the crowd, trying to hide his eagerness to get some distance from the fearful voices and panicked eyes. Sleepiness was shifting into subdued alarm as people tried to work out what, if any, danger they might be in.</p>
<p>The leader of the Connarii waited, tracing the braided gold of the torc around his neck, a brilliant symbol of his rule, and trying not to look like it was choking him, until Edana and Aislynn joined him in the silvery curtain of swirling mists. There, the sounds of the tribe were muffled and the shuffling, wide-eyed people partially obscured from sight. The mists also blurred the ground, making it impossible to determine its composition, and rendering the strange country utterly featureless. The damp air carried no salt or green rot, no hint of sea or shore, and Toryn couldn’t help running his tongue along the top of his mouth, feeling the cottony un-taste of the curiously empty air.</p>
<p>Toryn turned to look at his youngest daughter. Aislynn suited this eerie new landscape a little too well, and he suppressed a shiver. Both his daughters had been waiting with him that night, awaiting the hand of fate, and were attired accordingly.
Aislynn wore the traditional garb of her position: a silver shift under a black-feathered cloak. As clan bard and seer, she wore the cumbersome ceremonial costume with all due honor and respect, the youngest ever to hold that post. Her long hair, the same inky hue as her cloak, hung unbound beneath gossamer veils trailing from a delicate silver diadem, and low on her smooth forehead rested a shining diamond that seemed to emit a steady light of its own, a light which winked and danced where it reflected deep within Aislynn’s eyes. The effect was otherworldly indeed, but at twelve, Aislynn was still so slight as to be barely able to move in the ceremonial garb. The braided torc at her throat, symbol of her nobility, glimmered as she turned her head to scan the mists, before directing her intent gaze at her father.</p>
<p>“Aislynn?” He asked. Toryn wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to hear what she had to say.</p>
<p>The swirling silver mists reflected in Aislynn’s eyes as she responded: “Our worst fears have undoubtedly come to pass.”</p>
<p>“You mean… Is that even possible…?”</p>
<p>“The Otherworld, father. We have been banished to the Otherworld. King Bres and the Danann Council of Druids have thrown us out of our lands, as promised.”</p>
<p>“Impossible.” Edana said, impatient. “Battle-Chief Corwin would never fail, not against that pack of deceitful snakes. He probably has the council member’s heads on stakes as we speak. Our warriors are unbeatable.”</p>
<p>Edana’s shining eyes evinced her adoration of her hero, Corwin the Courageous. She spun a small knife absently as she spoke, flipping it in the air and catching it in the same hand without looking. Unlike her sister, she hadn’t earned her costume or the position that it suited; though she wore a warrior’s garb, she was crown princess, not the battle-chief she wished herself to be. Toryn had allowed the outfit on the grounds that it might be practical in the event of attack, and was already regretting the decision as Aislynn responded to her more volatile sibling.</p>
<p>“Then how have we come to find ourselves in this land of mists in the middle of the night? The entire tribe was asleep in their beds – now they are here. Foul magic is the only explanation.”</p>
<p>“She’s right, Edana.” Toryn said, covering his eyes with one broad hand as he heaved a sigh. “There is nothing else to be done. I must speak to the people.”</p>
<p>Aislynn studied her father in considering silence. He bore the weight of her gaze, the weight of generations of seers that stared out from her luminous eyes. It was a strange thing to have your child as your most trusted advisor, but so, it seemed, had Connar willed it.</p>
<p>“Tell them we will gather another war party!” Edana interrupted. “Tell them we will return, and fight for our lands! Tell them that we will not abandon our own to the grasp of the dark druids of Danu. Tell them that the Connarii are mighty, and will surely triumph over their enemies!”</p>
<p>Camlin edged towards them out of the mists where he’d been eavesdropping, smiling. “Your lovely daughter has an excellent point, Toryn…”</p>
<p>Toryn stared down the young man, who coughed and continued more deferentially “…Your Majesty. I have been speaking to a couple of the men as we wait for your… instruction. We’re eager for a chance at whoever has so rudely disturbed us this night. Allow me to lead a party against our enemies – After all…”</p>
<p>Toryn raised one hand sharply, cutting him off. Resentment stirred in the boy’s eyes, but he lowered his head in a bow and stepped back. Toryn waited a few moments, watching until the boy had retreated out of earshot, before turning back to the argument with Edana.</p>
<p>“What would you have me do? Our best warriors are gone, and since we’re here, presumably dead or as good as. Even if I wanted to attack, how do you propose to engage the enemy? What route would you take? Do you know the path to the Danaan council?”</p>
<p>“Father, you don’t mean that you really believe that this is the Otherworld! That’s just a myth.” Edana set her jaw mutinously, no longer flipping the small dagger, but clenching it in a firm guard position. “This is just a – a bad fog. It’ll clear up by morning – and I’ll have the war band ready by then – just say the word.”</p>
<p>Though her posture was at the ready, even eager for battle, Edana’s gaze was as much pleading as it was challenging. Tory could see how much she wanted him to say yes, but what she wanted was impossible.</p>
<p>“You’ll have the what ready by morning? A fog, you say?” He stared at Edana, equal parts astonished and irritated. “Stop denying the obvious, Edana. We’re not going back.”</p>
<p>“Then you’ve found your answer, father.” Aislynn said.</p>
<p>“Eh? What’s that?”</p>
<p>“There is no going back. So, we go forward; find new lands, make a new home for ourselves.”</p>
<p>Toryn considered this. When he’d sent the warriors, he’d hoped for the best. To lose everything; centuries of Connariian civilization, the citadel and lands – what lands were left – not to mention, apparently, his finest warriors… it hadn’t borne thinking about. But it was all, unquestionably, gone.</p>
<p>“There is somewhere to advance towards, then?”</p>
<p>“According to the lore, yes. This is just the beginning of the Otherworld, a sort of in-between place. Like the shoreline where the tide flows, neither fully sea nor land but shared between the two. Eventually we should come to more… um… distinctive places.”</p>
<p>“You don’t sound so sure.” Edana needled her younger sister, upsetting her poise as only a sibling could.</p>
<p>“Well, as you so kindly pointed out, sister dearest,” Aislynn snapped back, “we are relying on myths. True they may be, but rarely precise. So, we tell the truth as we know it. The people need to have some idea of what has happened, and what will happen next. They need something to hold onto.”</p>
<p>“Yes, yes,” Toryn joined in, catching up to the direction of Aislynn’s thoughts. “Our people need to be reassured, their spirits renewed, their energies channeled. We tell them of the treachery of the Danann, then move on to direct their thoughts outwards, to the future. If they’re focusing on the task ahead, they won’t have time to worry over the injustices of the past. But can we offer them hope without promising what we cannot deliver?”</p>
<p>“There is always hope.” Aislynn said, composed once more, her soft voice deepening as it took on the gravity of a seer.</p>
<p>“There has always been more than darkness in the world, and the presence of light is ever near. Offer them hope, father. Promise them a better life – they have only to seek after it, and in time, it shall be theirs. They-”</p>
<p>Aislynn stopped suddenly, her face still and blank. The diamond on her forehead flashed once, and began to brighten steadily until it illuminated the mist in a sphere around her about three feet across. She dropped to her knees stiffly and her head drooped towards the mist-blanketed ground so that her long dark hair fell over her face.</p>
<p>Edana and Toryn gaped at Aislynn for a moment. Toryn reached out a hand, then paused and looked at Edana helplessly.</p>
<p>“Is this part of…?” He whispered. Edana glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, her brow furrowed. Her sulky expression shifted to one of intense focus.</p>
<p>“I’m not really sure. I’ve never paid that much attention to her special training, it’s not like I’d have anything to do with it. I’ve always thought of it more as an honorific title. Besides, you know I never hang around to watch that sort of thing – music, stories, stuff…”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t have hurt you any to pay a little more attention to your studies.”</p>
<p>“I study! Combat… Anyways, what about her?” Father and daughter looked at Aislynn doubtfully. Truth be told, though she was a headache, Toryn had always felt he understood his eldest best. Such a pity she hadn’t been born a son. And both, he was sure, would have turned out much better if only their mother had survived…</p>
<p>“Well, she’s breathing, and conscious, since she hasn’t fallen over yet.” Edana said finally, breaking into Toryn’s regret.</p>
<p>Father and daughter hovered awkwardly, afraid to touch Aislynn as she quivered and murmured incoherently. When she finally spoke again, her voice had changed nearly beyond recognition. It was low and had a weight, a power to it that spread heavily in warmly rippling waves like syrup.</p>
<p>“A time of darkness and of light for my blessed people.” The voice intoned, using Aislynn as a conduit. Her mouth moved slowly, and not in time with the words, while her eyes stared fixedly at the ground, though it was hard to see past the glare of the jewel on her forehead.</p>
<p>“The children of Connar return from their sojourn among the children of Danu, but who among them remembers the true path home? Great strife, great pain, great joy, great deeds await. Sorrow and gladness, death and glorious new life. Through the strife will come a new Hope. Can the warriors heal; can the weak repair the hurts of the worlds; can the unknowing wage their blind war against the forces of the chasm? Take up your arms and set yourselves; danger is near, and with it opportunity. Strength will be found within my people – hold to one another and set your faces against the darkness, and you will triumph. Be ever ready to find good, and constantly on guard against evil.</p>
<p>“Be ready.”</p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH1</em>
<a href="http://kaie.space/fotc/2016/12/06/FotC-CH2-in-the-mists-of-the-otherworld.html">Continue to Chapter 2: In the mists of the Otherworld</a></p>
Day 1302016-11-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/11/12/Day-130<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMRM7ldAo-o/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Some #castle ✨😊</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-11-01T13:13:03+00:00">Nov 1, 2016 at 6:13am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Lost track for a bit there; it’s been a good few days of sorting out paperwork for my editor. Deposit and first instalment are now paid, and substantive edit manuscript sent as of Monday. It was a huge mess, of course; mainly Beta draft, but with significant edits to the first chapter and a first half dozen chapters reworked and shuffled to read from only Cole and Cadence’s perspectives. And nearly 100,000 words, which was not ideal, but in the interests of moving things forward… For the rest of the week, I’ve been trying to answer some very simple questions for the edit; character motivations, premise and publication categories (genre). Yeah, really shouldn’t have taken a week, but unsurprisingly… SO while every named character - and there are lots - had a backstory and fairly clear core motivation, none of them really had good ‘story goals’ - missions, basically. More or less the same problem with the premise; Cole, as I knew all along, is kind of passive through the whole thing, with stuff happening and others - mostly Cadence and Ravel - moving her along. So building a story arc around that gets a little… Took me about about four stabs at the premise to even distil down to something acceptable, although at least part of the trouble was making the distinction between a detailed plot structure and a basic premise - as usual, not great at being concise. But I think I’ve got it down to something reasonable, which is good. Once that’s gone, I can go through the same murky process to chart and hopefully better edit that excerpt into a short story for a YA magazine call. Then I’ve got until the end of the month… now only half a month, how did that happen… to either work on another creative project, or push for more consulting work… or both, I suppose. There’s been a fairly steady trickle of work coming through, but not enough to catch up with costs between paying my own consultant, travelling and day to day costs. But as usual, if I ramp up the consulting work, it’s not easy to step it back down again, and I’ll need to start the (probably extensive) rewrites at the end of the month. But money would be nice… but another creative work is either publicity or money or both if all goes well… so yeah, convoluted math all around. Meanwhile, I’m wondering what I’m doing sitting on the edge of Scotland and never leaving my room, lol. Oh, work…</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start time: 11 am</p>
<p>Mallaig: The Lodge at the West Highland Hotel, bed</p>
<p>Drinking: Lady Grey tea with turmeric</p>
Day 1292016-11-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/11/03/Day-129<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMJt-cXAKVp/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#scotland</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-29T15:27:53+00:00">Oct 29, 2016 at 8:27am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>And in yet another stunning about-turn, I’ve gone and upended the plan again over the last couple weeks. Which is mostly good. The biggest component of which is my editor(!) who will presumably be helping me get this bizarre compilation of perspectives I’ve been calling a book into some kind of shape that people will actually enjoy reading. Yup, I took the plunge. Signed, scheduled, deposit paid (in USD - ouch!) and everything. The manuscript is due to her on November 6, and she’ll have the first round of edits, a high-level analysis of the plot, characters, and what I need to do to beat it into shape, back by the end of November. Which means my super-long trip back for Christmas and the baby is actually going to be a rewriting holiday. Ugh/lol. But if I want to publish this summer, I’ve got to hit those targets at the very least - it’s going to be a tight fit. The current schedule is first round edits back for end of November, rewrites until the beginning of April, second high-level content edit on those for the beginning of May and subsequent cleanup done by June. Line edits of the near-final manuscript through June… and then it kind of falls apart; I’d wanted to be publishing at that point, but realistically, I’ll need to work through the line edits, which are undoubtably going to be painful, nitpicky and slow like every other stage of this, potentially turn things back around to my editor if it’s still not quite there, and even if it’s all good at that stage, hire a proofreader or three and have them check, then format and publish… so yeah, at this rate I’ll be doing good if I hit next Christmas as a target. Ugh. But I wanted to make sure I put out a high-quality project, so at least I’ve got the ball rolling. And my editor had an opening almost right away, so not having to wait until next May to even get started is a huge step forward… and the beta reader feedback really made it pretty clear that the manuscript needed some hard editing to shine. Or, you know, be readable. At the same time all this was going on, the season at the hotel ground to a screeching halt. Four days in a row off! I didn’t believe them when they said it would get slower, but the time has finally arrived! So I deked off to Skye and Lochalsh for a few days to celebrate. Eilean Donan castle was actually pretty cool, as was Talisker. The rest was kinda meh - I’ve really got to stop staying in hostels when I travel, and with the off-season hitting everywhere at about the same time, it’s getting harder to get places and see things. So many places close or go to reduced hours. And as usual, travel takes a huge bite out of savings, which would have been less of an issue if I’d had more consulting come through in October and not been staring down an enormous editorial consulting bill. Around $3K is pretty standard for the better qualty consulting, but with the Canada-US exchange rate right now, I’m looking at around $4K for just the editing. Miraculously, I’ve had a really large consulting project come through in the last week - irritatingly, just at the tail end of travel on Skye, but thankfully, the returns from the tasks add up to just a shade more than I’ve had to pay for the first downpayment when the exchange is all sorted. Very cool timing, even if it has kept me busy for a straight week. Thank goodness for the slow tourist season! Although on the other hand, now I feel guilty for hanging around when they don’t really need me here anymore… On the (creative) writing side, I think my editor’s under the impression that I’ll be frantically working on revisions right until the handoff, but I think I’ll just go through and clean up some formatting in the snarled mess that is the current draft and let her have the whole mass of it to chew on… Not a cost-effective plan, since editing is charged based on word count, but there’s not time to cut it right back to a Cole/Cadence format, and I’m still not quite sure that’s the best way to go. Also, she’s got a whole pile of paperwork for me to write up, so I’ll focus on actually coming up with answers for her in lieu of bumbling about my own story trying to see through the haze. And then I’m staring down a whole month with not much of a plan. You’re not supposed to touch your manuscript while it’s in editing. So. The hotel’s slow; just a couple of shifts a week for me to worry about. There’s not much in the area I really care about seeing and travel takes money, so it really has to be worth it. I could chase some consulting work - maybe pursue that plan to get into proofreading for the indie market? - but if I land any bigger contracts, and they spill over past the end of the month, I’ve just made it harder for myself. I could switch gears and write something else. The next book would be a good idea (lol, but probably not). I’m toying with the idea - again - of messing around with serial release web novels. I could do something with a story about this location… being here and all… or dust off one of my teen-era novels and jazz it up quick, which is prolly a better plan… or target some writing competitions and embarrass myself professionally for the chance to scrounge some cash. And I should revisit my marketing strategy, as instagramming liquor and landscape shots isn’t really getting my book anywhere… so lot’s to do, none of which I feel particularly inspired to get started on just now. I’ll blame that on the slow-burn cold that I picked up in London. For the moment, I’ll fall back on the usual plan and just sit the computer on my lap until words start showing up.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11 am</p>
<p>Mallaig: The Lodge at the West Highland Hotel, bed</p>
<p>Drinking: green tea with matcha</p>
Day 1282016-10-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/10/20/Day-128<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbZIpgAZ1g/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Great little by-donation #museum in #fortwilliam 👏 ✨ #jacobite history lovers, or more likely, #outlander fans will appreciate all the uprising artifacts. Also the prop #claymore from #braveheart so lots of #highlander and #movie and general combat goodness on offer. #westhighlandmuseum #scotland #scottishhighlands #culturaltourism #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-11T15:40:43+00:00">Oct 11, 2016 at 8:40am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I compiled the draft down to just the ‘Cole’ chapters with a handful of ‘Cadence’ insert chapters to see what that would look like. Ouch. Cuts the word count in half, for an entirely unimpressive 50K, for one thing. I’m still undecided on whether ditching all the supporting perspectives and characters is a good strategy, or just a tactic to get a better handle on the rewrites - it’s so intertwined that it’s hard to work out how the story could make sense without everyone else, and as soon as you start adding people back in (Haynfyv… Ghost…) the rest come tumbling after. So now I’m stuck again; do I send the trimmed-down and mostly-unedited version to my (maybe) editor, or the whole bloated and confusing beta-readers’ edition, and with or without my updated early chapters? With or without the shuffled chapter order? Aargh. So I’m sitting, staring at a (mostly) blank Word document, and trying to figure out what to paste into it. Instead of, you know, actually writing anything. Again.</p>
<p>In other news, there’s a book festival in town this weekend (a write highland hoolie) and I started one of the featured author’s books yesterday: Lie of the Land by Michael F. Russell. Which drops you into a sort of dystopian futuristic setting where you have to figure everything out from context. Which is confusing, yes, but he seems to have gotten pretty good reviews, regardless. So some people seem to get away with subtlety and not over-explaining every little thing. Just not me, apparently.</p>
<p>OK, decision time. I think I’ll paste in my beta edition for my prospective editor, with a note about the updated first few chapters and possible change in direction, and then, time allowing, proceed to work on the draft as if I were ditching everything but Cadence & Cole’s perspectives. Plan->Action->Go.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The Lodge at the West Highland Hotel, bed</p>
<p>Drinking: Gin & Tonic</p>
Day 1272016-10-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/10/19/Day-127<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWPXwWAykB/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">There are worse places to be. ✨😊</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-09T15:39:11+00:00">Oct 9, 2016 at 8:39am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I’m up to five (six if you count the pair-feedback) beta reader feedback responses, which is great. And frustrating, as I probably should dial it back and call it ‘alpha’ reader feedback - significant enough issues flagged that this probably shouldn’t have gone out as a wide-scale release. In all but one instance, the unifying complaint was: too confusing! So I guess the lesson learned is subtlety=bad. Generally, not enough is being explained and grounded as you go along, and the multiple viewpoints are confusing, and the side characters lack development. So, mostly things I was worried about, lol. A trip back to London in the midst of all this, while awesome and not nearly long enough, also stalled any forward momentum that I might have been inching toward… I’m a bit stuck as to how to make things clearer; the multiple viewpoints were a way to give more information without violating that first-person limited perspective. And it’s generally considered ‘bad’ writing to just say what’s going on, so that’s out… And most of the things that need clarity could be brought out in greater detail by secondary characters, but that makes things even more confusing and fragmented… and the villains and secondary characters come across as one-dimensional, which is also unhelpful… and I really just wanted this process to be done already, lol. So. Strategy… What can I cut? What if I moved even more of the perspectives and sections out of the narrative? A.K.A. the novella marketing move. Could the Morristu sections stand on their own? What about the dream deaths? Or Haynfyv? Or even Ghost? What if the entire story were told from Cole’s perspective? Shorter, simpler, more active (eventually), although even less well-informed… I’m afraid to discard anything, as there’s a purpose for each piece, each character, each observation, but readers are saying pretty clearly that they can’t see the links (or not until right at the end), so trimming the subtlety could be a smarter move than trying to go back and spell each connection out in detail without bloating the whole thing.</p>
<p>As far as editors go, the first one I contacted, while recommended by one of the more successful Indie authors, isn’t taking bookings until May. Which at the rate I’m moving is probably not a problem, but still. May. Before I can even start on the end game… So I wasted more time on researching other editors (instead of writing, or at least rewriting, which after all, is what I’m supposed to be doing…) - and came up with another candidate. I really like the coherence and detail with which she explained her services, and the price is… painful, but also more or less reasonable for what she presumably would be providing, and in line with the better quality indie editing services out there. The first book of hers that I tracked down hasn’t been particularly impressive so far, but I’ll push forward a bit from there and see how it goes… As with every stage of this process, this is more painful and taking much longer than I anticipated (lol?) - and yet, I can only move forward. Although, in cruising the indie-publishing thread of Goodreads, it occurred to me that I really ought to do more looking into proofreading and maybe doing some copy-editing for that market. So I may look into that, because why not put more on my plate?</p>
<p>Speaking of which, the ticket is bought, and in a stunning change of plans, I will be flying back to Vancouver on December 7 until sometime in February (post-niece or nephew) - and presumably doing some in-depth writing work as well as catching up with family and friends. I had hoped to have more to show for myself before (if ever) backtracking, but this plan does have its merits. And since I’m not as long for the Highlands and Islands as I’d assumed, I’d better step up my tourist game and get out more in the meantime. And having carted my violin and guitar back up here with me, music is also on the agenda. So yeah. Maybe I can sleep less or something… Sigh.
Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 1 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The Lodge at the West Highland Hotel, bed</p>
Day 1262016-10-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/10/06/Day-126<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLLpmzoAv85/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#bookstagram of @paperbacksandprosecco #mallaig #bookclub October pick, local author Angus MacDonald's #ardnishwashome - modeled in the lovely, sunny #mallaigharbour . . . #Scotland #highlandsandislands #westhighlandhotel #bookofthemonth #readlocal #writerslife #digitalnomad #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-05T12:56:47+00:00">Oct 5, 2016 at 5:56am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So a 5pm start time is a bit unfair; really, I’ve been researching and updating and communicating and all the other stuff writers do besides write, since, oh, 9:30 am or so. At least today’s hours ‘wasted’ had a more tangible outcome than most. I may have found an editor! Strong references from Lindsay Buroker and several other indie-published authors, as well as a reasonably-well presented website balance the probably higher prices than some. I took the plunge and messaged her just now, so perhaps that will get things going. Also had more beta reader feedback overnight, which was great! Well, it wasn’t actually great, but the fact that I got it helped. Basically, less style more substance is what it all boils down to - no one can figure out what’s going on. Lol? Trying to figure out if it’s just a matter of slowing down and explaining more up front, or if I need to full-on change some stylistic choices, maybe go full third-person so the perspective’s not so limited. One idea would be to have Cadence explain some of the backstory and be a guide for us to this world. But she shouldn’t really know everything either, so maybe that just complicates things? Another approach would be to streamline everything down to just Cole’s perspective, making for a more direct narrative arc. That would actually reduce the amount of explanation possible, but it might be less frustrating for the reader. Or all my beta readers could just be doing what all readers do; asking questions, pushing for more, thinking around the story. But yeah, definitely some changes needed. I’m going to have a go at writing a Cadence-perspective insert and see how that works. Typically, I’m instinctively against simplifying things… But I probably ought to sit down and map out the ‘mysteries’ and ‘reveals’ for everything confusing - hard to do when you haven’t actually plotted out the sequels! Also, I’m playing with the idea of introducing the multiple-personality bit sooner - as early as the ‘Bell’ chapter, maybe, just in hints. Which would increase complexity, but also give more background to tie things together with sooner. Or maybe the Bell chapter needs more awareness, Suzannah understanding what’s happening near the end? Seems like it’d really interrupt the flow and suspense, but the consistent feedback is: needs more clarity sooner. So that’s an idea…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 5 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The rocks behind the community centre</p>
Day 1252016-10-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/10/05/Day-125<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJe52kgsAl/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#hiddenspaces ✨</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-04T16:44:47+00:00">Oct 4, 2016 at 9:44am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Two day streak! Of course, I’m <em>still</em> on chapter 1, so no need to get too excited >_>; Put in hours yesterday sorting beta feedback, much of which was simply embarrassing errors and inconsistencies, and I believe I’m waiting on at least one more round to come in. Following that, I’d like to release as a web-serial, but I need to look into the terms and copyright implications of that. Ideally, I’d get up draft 3 as a serial pre-release to create buzz, but then again, I’m not sure how much that translates to publicity for the same (albeit more polished) book, rather than a freebie leading into a sequel as per Lindsay Buroker, of the <a href=”http://www.lindsayburoker.com” target”_blank”>excellent writer’s blog</a> and intimidating publication list. While most of the editing/rewriting has been a clean-up effort, clarifying and correcting pretty obvious issues, I’m wondering if there’s more significant change needed. What can I trim? What doesn’t ring true? Why isn’t there more dialogue? Is my world-building pathetically thin? And then, why is this taking so long??! I need to get on with life…! I’m pretty resigned to not making much money off this even once it’s up and running, but I do want to be able to write in future, or rather, I have this bizarre compulsion to keep writing despite all the excellent reasons not to, so I kind of need to make it happen.</p>
<p>Looking at the possibility of going home around Christmas, and possibly for like, three months, until the baby comes. (!) Which means lots of things, most of which I really don’t have the space, time or inclination to explore in detail. If I published beforehand, if I could even realistically target that Christmas season release date, would/should/could I be doing publicity at home, pushing to get into bookstores and local news outlets? What would that mean for my visa and residency? Costs to maintain dual streams of healthcare etc? Taxes? Work? People stuff? Freakin’ luggage? Lugging instruments back and forth across the Atlantic gets old, fast, and I’m not a fan of ‘going back’ to places I’ve been, really. But that is still where I have friends, family… So, more uncertainty to be a distraction while I try to press onward and upward!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10 am</p>
<p>Mallaig: The West Highland Hotel, staff quarters block 1 the room beside 4, bed & the hotel lobby, armchair nook</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Citizens & Saints/Ghost Ship/Modern Post/Kings Kaleidoscope</p>
<p>Drinking: ginger lemon green tea with lemon</p>
Beta Readers Edition Preview Chapter 12016-10-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//book/2016/10/05/Beta-Readers-Edition-Preview-Chapter-1<p><strong>Now superceded; this full early edition can be read on Wattpad as <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/106720262-bte-beta1">BTE Beta1</a></strong></p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHnCUpPjHky/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#variant #cover art from the beta readers edition batch 2. What do you think? Better than variant 1? kaie.space/gold.html #blindtheeyes #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #fiction #ya #yabooks #coverreveal #betaedition #writing #firstlook #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-08T18:06:41+00:00">Jul 8, 2016 at 11:06am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Updated preview of Chapter 1 for <strong>Blind the Eyes</strong>, the first novel in YA/Teen supernatural fantasy thriller series <strong>Gold & Silver</strong>…and yes, that is the second batch cover, but it just turned out so much better than the one for the first batch, so whatever… Read on below the jump.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-1-trouble">Chapter 1: Trouble</h3>
<h4 id="cole">Cole</h4>
<p>Cadence speaks. Only I hear.</p>
<p>It’s ok though. I know she’s not a Dream. That would be dangerous. But a girl who speaks only to me? That’s perfectly within regulation.</p>
<p>Well, mostly within regulation. Or rather, barely within regulation, depending on the interpretation, but it’s not like I can do anything about it anyways.</p>
<p>Trust me; I’ve tried.</p>
<p>Following Holy Tower Regulation is the way to a long and safe life. <em>Regulation Two: Segregation is safety.</em> In other words, as they drilled us on the Training Floor, we are not to engage any other Tower Citizen, whether Trainee, Supervisor or Worker, unless required in the course of our duties. The distraction could kill us.</p>
<p><em>Regulation Three: Distraction is Destruction.</em> It’s why our uniforms - the exact shade of bland grey that everything else is around here - cover us completely, apart from openings around the eyes for obvious reasons. It’s also why our daily nutrition - administered in a gluey-bland almost-fluid generally called Noosh - is monitored to keep us all roughly the same size…though they still haven’t solved getting the handful of us females to match. When it comes right down to it, an obsessive pursuit of unremarkable sameness is the reason for pretty much everything here. No distractions, whether environmental or relational, means we can stay focused on our painstakingly proscribed routines, leaving no space for undesirable thoughts or inner experiences.</p>
<p>No dreams. No hopes. No fears. No desires of any kind. Because the moment we slip up, it’s over. <em>Regulation One: Dream is Death.</em></p>
<p>And of course, <em>Regulation Six: Obedience is Life.</em></p>
<p>But Cadence breaks all the rules. She’s bursting full of dreams and hopes and wishes and desires. She’s loud and questions everything and pays a completely inappropriate amount of attention to her surroundings. She knows about <em>colours</em>, and all sorts of things that she shouldn’t - or maybe she’s making them all up, which is even <em>worse</em>. And she never, ever gets in trouble for it.</p>
<p>I don’t know where Cadence came from. I think she’s always been with me. She might be my friend (but she’s kind of a pest). She speaks when I don’t. Or won’t. Or can’t.</p>
<p>Like right now.</p>
<p>Digital Monitoring Technology Division Supervisor Kistr is taking a piece out of me.</p>
<p>Publicly.</p>
<p>Slowly.</p>
<p>“Dispassionately.” Supplies Cadence, flitting just outside of my sight.</p>
<p>I resist the temptation to turn my head. The most I ever catch of her is a faint, pale flash in the corner of my vision as she ducks behind me. A private game of hers, no doubt. She’s always up to something, and somehow, always gets away with it.</p>
<p>“As evidenced by the droning voice and glazed expression.” Cadence continues her vocabulary lesson, wrapping it up by making a rude noise in my ear, and dissolving into peals of laughter.</p>
<p>It makes it hard to hear Supervisor Kistr as he warms to his task.</p>
<p>Cadence is wrong. <em>Dispassionate</em> is the opposite of the small man at the front of the room. Deliberate words filter past Kistr’s mask with exacting focus. Only the slightest tremble in his precise tones betrays him. That, and the dampness of his bulging eyes, his gaze elevated to another plane. They shine wetly with unseemly pleasure as he expounds on my sins.</p>
<p>Which is fine. Formal reprimands are to be expected - at least it’s not Retraining. That place was <em>unpleasant</em>. It’s simply Regulation. It’s for my own good.</p>
<p>Apparently I lack focus. I show signs of ambition - and worse - <em>imagination</em>. My youth is no excuse. <em>Regulation Three: Distraction is Destruction.</em> I am a disease that poisons the group.</p>
<p>Of course, he’d never go so far as to publicly blame it on my gender, but it’s implied: <em>girl</em>, don’t be a distraction.</p>
<p>It’s nothing I haven’t heard before - accusations like it have followed me since that day on the Training Floor.</p>
<p>Such a small thing, a moment’s lapse in concentration, a hissed “Shut UP!” as we recited the Holy Tower Regulation.</p>
<p>I wasn’t resisting, when I told them that it was Cadence’s fault for distracting me. She had been singing - <em>again</em> - something silly, nonsensical. I’d just been trying to end the distraction. I was doing the right thing. It was all <em>her</em> fault.</p>
<p>When I said as much, everything went wrong. I was yanked from the trainee cohort and reassigned to Retraining.</p>
<p>I’m not ever going back there.</p>
<p>“Yup. That place was no fun at all,” Cadence says, with typical lack of acknowledgement of any responsibility on <em>her</em> part whatsoever. “Sooo boring! And all those grownups? …hang on, isn’t it just. like. here? Despaiiiiir~”</p>
<p>My shoulders twitch as I suppress the futile, but tempting, urge to swat her away.</p>
<p>Supervisor Kistr narrows his eyes at me and raises his tone as he continues. I hunch my shoulders and lower my chin, concentrating - a little visible contrition might trim the length and severity of the lecture.</p>
<p>“Betcha he’s bald under his fancy-schmancy hood, ol’ Mr. Grumpypants” Cadence breaks in, snickering. “Despaiiiir~ no haiiiir~ despaiiiirrrr~”</p>
<p>Cadence singsongs with great dynamic range directly into my ear, making me burn to give her a good kick. My legs are starting to ache from standing, knees locked, but I don’t quite dare to shift my weight under the force of the supervisor’s damp gaze. To make things worse, the bottoms on this latest uniform are too loose. They’re edging past my hipbones, one anxiety-spurring fraction of an inch at a time.</p>
<p>I squirm, ever so slightly, and get a warning glare from Kistr, who is edging toward the end of his rant, if past experience has anything to say about it.</p>
<p>I sigh, but carefully, so that my mask doesn’t flutter and betray my frustration. The hard-edged, familiar sweetness of blood helps me focus, as I gnaw my tongue to keep it still. Meanwhile, Cadence is losing interest in her little song. She now seems to be occupied with sucking the words in and out in a sort of humming sigh:”~aaaAAAEEEiiirrrrhhhhaaaAAAEEEiiirrr~”</p>
<p>On repeat.</p>
<p>No one ever blames - or even notices - <em>Cadence</em>, exasperating pest that she is. Instead, I’m always the one that gets blamed. Every time.</p>
<p>So I do my best to ignore that little troublemaker too. But she’s relentless, whispering and teasing and laughing, always dashing just out of sight when I try to catch her out. And maybe it’s my fault after all; everyone else seems to be able to ignore her just fine. Not that she ever seems to go off and bother them.</p>
<p>It’s unfair, the way I catch all the blame. Like right now.</p>
<p>“…complete an additional two segments Health and Recreation. Daily.” Supervisor Kistr is finishing up.</p>
<p>I frown under my mask, careful to keep the upper half of my face blank so he won’t notice and increase my sentence for insolence. Whenever I resist, it’s ‘insolence’. Because of my ‘youth’. It’s definitely <em>not</em> because he’s a nitpicky old bully who <em>pleasures</em> in singling me out. One day the Dream Death will get him for that.</p>
<p>The fleeting thought is… <em>soothing</em>.</p>
<p>I’m sure Kistr’s well aware that I’m not a fan of the health and rec programming; he’ll have scoured my stats for the best punishment. Sorry, ‘<em>remediation plan</em>.’</p>
<p>Well, whatever. It’s not like there’s really any better way to spend time. There are only so many options, each day fading into the next, the empty nothingness of sleep interrupted by the tedium of work, interspersed with the draining effort of a health cycle or attention-seeking frenzy of a recreation unit. Mind and body relentlessly occupied, <em>focused</em>, but never really engaged. So pushing back the void of sleep with extra H&R was a well-considered punishment - unpleasant, but fully compliant with Holy Tower Regulation.</p>
<p>I struggle to hold back another eye roll. My effort is in vain; Kistr raises an eyebrow, seeming to see past my mask to the dissatisfied twist beneath. His eyes crinkle at the edges. <em>Uh oh.</em></p>
<p>“Also, a nutrition increase of 15%.” He finishes, trails of indecent moisture seeping from his eyes as his cheeks threaten to engulf them in a grin so wide it escapes the upper edge of his mask. The effect is unpleasant, but not nearly so much as his punishment.</p>
<p>“Hah! You’re just a kid, of course you should get more Noosh!” Cadence snorts, clueless as usual.</p>
<p>I stifle a shudder and ignore her. She’s not the one who’ll have to choke down an extra slurp of that dense, flavourless muck every morning and night. Noosh is not only nasty, but ineffective, at least when it comes to regulating my appearance the way it’s meant to. Although, on the bright side, every time they increase my nutrition allotment, it seems to dull her voice, at least temporarily.</p>
<p>I stiffen my back and let my eyelids drift lower, making a conscious effort to look old, or at least older, and world-weary, as Supervisor Kistr eyes me. I make no response to his sentence. I am not expected to - although, I’m sure he’d have appreciated a little bow, or a few tears.</p>
<p>Cadence’s word irritates me, a not-unwelcome distraction from Kistr’s beady-eyed inspection.</p>
<p><em>Kid</em>. The term is offensive - even more so than the supervisor’s frequent references to my youth, always with that emphasis. It’s singling out yet another failing of mine. I am the youngest in the room, by far; a shameful, inescapable uniqueness.</p>
<p>The youngest to leave training (or rather, retraining), the youngest to join the workers, or so Cadence claims.</p>
<p>She guesses I’m about seventeen. I don’t know how she’d have any idea; as far as I know, the Tower doesn’t record ages. Just roles. Trainee. Worker. Supervisor. Senior.</p>
<p>In any case, it’s obvious I’m the youngest; I keep growing and <em>changing</em>. My ankles and wrists jut scandalously past the wide sleeves and loose pants of my uniform. Exposed flesh is also against regulation, not that that gets me new uniforms any more often. I have to work at wearing mine out fast, so they can be replaced. Though I’m clumsy enough that I don’t have to work <em>hard</em> at it.</p>
<p>I’m on my fourth set of uniforms since leaving training. The protective gold band threaded into my hood and the printed ID code on my back and chest haven’t even had a chance to fray on this one. On many of my coworker’s uniforms, the band is worn so thin and dull that it scarcely stands out against the general drabness, and the ID codes are wrinkled and flaking, not like my shiny black print.</p>
<p>No one else grows and changes here but me.</p>
<p>I’ve been a Digital Monitoring Technology Technician, a full Worker, for fourteen months. I spent only four months in training, and another two years in retraining, absorbing Holy Tower Regulation and learning my Skill with machines and patterns.</p>
<p>Before that, my memory fades to grey fog, interspersed with the unlikely glittering falsities of Cadence’s stories of The Time Before. But I do know that Workers are regularly in training for up to six years, and have even been sent back to the Training Floor for longer, if their Skill or ability to follow Regulation is weak.</p>
<p>I don’t want to go back.</p>
<p>I was already taller than most of the others when I came to consciousness and was transferred to Floor 12: Worker Training. The difference was - and still is - plainest in my arms and legs - stretched too long, aching and bony and endlessly clumsy. Though all of me is clearly thinner than the others, visible even under the careful draping of my uniform. You can see through the dusty tan of my stretched skin - another mark of shame - to even deeper colours underneath, all shadows and movement, the surge of veins and fading bloom of bruises. My hair grows faster too, passing Regulation length between trims, prickling around my ears and poking out from my hood. Of course, it’s too dark as well, making the length even more noticeable, inky against my bland uniform hood.</p>
<p>It all started to go wrong with <em>kids</em>. Trainees don’t know not to talk at the beginning; when we’re new to consciousness, it takes a while to absorb Holy Tower Regulation. The others said I must have been forgotten by the Growers and left too long. Overbaked, singed, burnt around the edges, my skin and hair too full of colour, not even close to Tower-approved ashy paleness. Well, it wasn’t like I was the only one who wasn’t perfectly pale, then. There were trainees with all sorts of tints before Noosh sapped all the yellows and browns and reds and pinks to uniform grey.</p>
<p>The real trouble was my size. Where the others were half my height, or less, when they came to consciousness, they were also faster and more coordinated. In their high whispers, they said I’d been grown wrong, dark and stretched and oversized.</p>
<p>Cadence said no, I was just meant to be this way. She said tall is better anyways, for climbing trees and stuff. Whatever <em>that</em> means.</p>
<p>She said other things too, but by then I knew better than to repeat them. She tells so many strange stories and uses so many funny words and pretends to know so many things, and I never know when she’s making something up, words or ideas. Like <em>trees</em>. And <em>climbing</em>. And <em>kids</em>.</p>
<p>But although I know it’s wrong - <em>Regulation Six: Obedience is life</em> - sometimes I can’t help listening to Cadence’s stories. The one she tempts me best with is <em>weather</em>. I can almost <em>feel</em> it sometimes, when Cadence tells of it: rain like a shower that covers the whole ceiling, sun brighter than the brightest lamp. Wind is mystifying, though, and snow, that strangest of phenomenon… a shower so cold the drops turn hard? But it doesn’t hurt?</p>
<p>But this part of me is wrong too, the part that wonders, the weak, unfocused part that is tempted to listen to Cadence’s ridiculous fantasies. Yet another failing, the way I can be fooled into almost <em>seeing</em> things that aren’t there, flashes of a place that is not the Tower. Because <em>Regulation Four: Tower is All</em>.</p>
<p>So maybe there’s a Grower somewhere on the Training Floor that got sent back to Retraining for negligence. As they should have been, for such a monumental failure.</p>
<p>It is not good to stand out. <em>Distraction is destruction</em>, but there’s an unspoken bit before Regulation Four that everyone knows, even if we don’t recite it. It’s at the heart of everything the Tower exists for and works to maintain: <em>Difference is distraction.</em></p>
<p>Cadence says she loves not being the same as everyone else, which is ridiculous.</p>
<p>If it weren’t for the Growers’ mistake, I would have been perfect. As it is, everything about me is too much, no matter how careful I am. Too tall. Too bony. Too dark. Too long. Too clumsy.</p>
<p>Too imaginative.</p>
<p>I would not be different from the others if I had the choice.</p>
<p>Being different is dangerous. Being different causes reprimands, and other nasty things.</p>
<p>Being different brings death.</p>
<p>“Liiiiieess,” Cadence whispers with a spooky, hissing impression of gravity, then chuckles, distracted by a new rhyme, which she proceeds to sing repeatedly: “No skyyyys just liiiies mad eyyyyes hates surpriiiiise~ess~~”</p>
<p>In the background, Supervisor Kistr is topping off his reprimand with a group chorus of Holy Tower Regulation, watching me the whole time. After, I am allowed to sit.</p>
<p>I move too fast, eager to rest my quivering muscles, and bump my thigh against the arm of my chair with a clatter. The skin burns, and I know it will bruise bright, invisible patterns under my uniform. <em>Great.</em> Even darker, more colourful skin.</p>
<p>The reprimand this time had been longer than usual. My screen has gone blank, and I tap the terminal to wake it. This prompts a sharp look from Supervisor Kistr.</p>
<p>Oops. Mustn’t look too eager to get back to work…</p>
<p>I shift, all sharp angles at odds with the smooth, ergonomic curves of my seat, another reminder that I’m never right, even for something as simple as a chair. A wheel squeaks, high and thin, and I freeze guiltily.</p>
<p>It’s not that I don’t get it. Any slip up, anything gone sideways, anything not perfectly aligned with the careful forms of Tower rule and regulation, even my dull work, can disrupt the fragile balance that the Tower so carefully preserves. My own mind, or someone else’s, could be compromised. The briefest hint of ambition to compete, an unguarded moment, the merest spark of imagination, could prove the opening needed for a Dream to take control. And then it all ends for yet another one of us.</p>
<p>I do know obedience to regulation is the only way. <em>Regulation Five: Control is Holy.</em> Work, or any activity, really, takes second precedence to maintaining stability.</p>
<p>It’s just, if the screen goes blank, it takes on the same drab hues as the rest of the console. And the chair. And the walls. Floor. Ceiling. Uniforms. Even, for most of us, skin tone. The protective gold net embedded in the overhead lights casts a smudge of pale, muddy yellow over the grey uniformity. It all swims together, sickeningly.</p>
<p>Hate is dangerous. Hate is not stable. Hate is a wish for change. A wish can draw down death.</p>
<p>So I don’t <em>hate</em> the blank screen. I simply avoid it as much as possible. I don’t harbour a sinful desire to work more, or faster, or harder than anyone else. I just <em>do not</em> let the screen go blank.</p>
<p>“Stupid screen,” Cadence says. “Stupid grey. Stupid gold. Stupid uniform. Stupid pasty people. Stupid work. Stupid stupid <em>stupid</em>.”</p>
<p>I flinch. I can sense Cadence’s eyes rolling. She openly hates the drabness of our world, and loves tempting me to go along with her. I don’t know how she gets away with it.</p>
<p>Cadence is grumbling in my ear: “Garbage-for-brains picking on you again. Not like he ever gets anything done, hiding out in his lame office. What gives him the right?! We should just walk out of here. What would he do then, huh? I bet even a Dream wouldn’t bother with him. No imagination at all!”</p>
<p>Cadence fumes for a few minutes, while I enjoy the silence. I can almost feel the air shift as she changes tack.</p>
<p>“We could take off right now. He wouldn’t even notice, not that rule-bound twit.” She wheedles, bored and looking for a reaction.</p>
<p>Cadence keeps grumbling in the background as I focus on the screen, only half listening to her.</p>
<p>I <em>could</em> leave. Kistr has gone back to his shielded office, and unless a reprimand is triggered, he won’t bother with me again today. If he even noticed, he’d probably be pleased to think he’d unsettled me to the point that I fled work. And no one else would care; it’s not like work is compulsory or anything. But I find no appeal in the health or recreation cycles, which are nearly as mind-numbing as the work we are assigned to. Even the temporary freedom from the dullness that sleep provides doesn’t motivate me. I can’t be bothered to leave my desk, much less abandon work and go.</p>
<p>“Play <em>hooky</em>.” Cadence chants, delighted with her latest nonsense word.</p>
<p>I rub hard between my eyes, sighing. Cadence is relentlessly loud and talkative and smug. I don’t know anyone else like her.</p>
<p>Although, I don’t actually know anyone else. That would be against <em>Regulation Two: Segregation is Safety.</em></p>
<p>The only contact I have with others, besides Cadence’s intrusive, inescapable presence, and the supervisor’s periodic attacks, is through this screen. Each one of these codes represents a Tower citizen - Trainee, Worker, Supervisor, Senior - and it’s my job to find and flag the patterns. Of course, I don’t really know these people, but I can’t help but find some of them familiar. There’s 3-8MR2, who pops up at the beginning of every shift, and then reliably drops off my screen after the first hour - probably a nightshift Worker. There’s 3-3HY5, the most mobile, tracking across the screen throughout my shift. I keep an eye out for 3-3HY5; he’s the most interesting part of my day, although I haven’t been able to work out his pattern. Much like 3-3SR-, who also bounces around, and then disappears for hours or days at a time.</p>
<p>I’m not supposed to pay attention to the individuals, of course; it’s my job to flag trends for investigation. The computers monitor the day-to-day stuff, sending alerts to supervisors for over- or under-productivity reprimands, or adjusting H&R or Noosh dosages. And they could probably do the trend analysis too, if the Tower didn’t have to find a way to keep all us Worker’s occupied for hours on end.</p>
<p>So I sit here, every single day, and stare at the codes, watching for anything out of the ordinary, because, really, what else am I going to do? But the trouble with looking for patterns all day, every day, for me at least, is that I can’t <em>stop</em>. Take the Citizen codes; of course, it didn’t take me long to work out what they were. Locations - the remaining towers 1 through 4, split by floor and room - along one side of the screen, activities along the other, with codes streaming across the field between them. Well, when codes starting with 3- spend all their time in Tower 3, and the 3-8’s spend most of their time on Floor 28 of Tower 3, which houses the Senior Care Ward, it really doesn’t take much of a leap to work out the pattern - home tower is the first digit, followed by work division code. But then there are the ones, like 3-3MR2 and 3-3SR- who go all over the place, so maybe I’ve got the pattern wrong. For instance, both of them are up on Floor 28 at the moment.</p>
<p><em>I wonder what they’re doing up there…</em></p>
<p>“Go see!” Cadence says, making me jump. My elbow slips and crashes against the edge of the console, a stabbing, sharp burst. I swallow back a hiss of pain. More noise. More clumsiness. More bruises.</p>
<p>I clutch my elbow, pressing against the hurt, and peek past my hood to either side. Of course, none of the workers look up from their screens. <em>Distraction is Destruction.</em> I’m the only one here getting off course.</p>
<p>“C’mon~” Cadence says, putting some whine into it, and I can almost feel her tugging at my shoulder. “Just have a look; then you’ll know. What could it hurt?”</p>
<p>It’s a stupid idea. Not impossible, of course, but stupid. It wouldn’t be hard to get up, go to the elevator, press the button. And then what? Stand and gape in the smooth, sterile corridor? It’s not like I could <em>ask</em> 3-3HY5 what he’s doing up there. Just <em>looking</em> at him would be cause for alarm. No, it’s a ridiculous idea.</p>
<p>But it <em>would</em> be nice to know what that second ‘3’ stood for. A maintenance division, maybe? I stare at the screen, mouth dry, as Cadence prods: “Go on, just for a bit…”</p>
<p>As I watch, code 3-3HY5 drifts away, dropping down the screen floor by floor, leaving the other two behind, and I let out a shuddering breath, relieved. Too late. Too slow. The moment had passed. Well, it’s not like I would <em>really</em> have gone, after all. Just a momentary distraction. All Cadence’s fault…</p>
<p>An alert takes over my screen, making me jump: time for a hydration break.</p>
<p>I sigh again, consider dismissing the alert and continuing. 3-3HY5 is still slipping down the screen behind the translucent grey of the alert, and I trace his path, guessing at his destination. Floor 7 - Maintenance and Cleaning? Floor 5 - Growers? He’s still descending… I hear Cadence draw in a breath, and suddenly I can’t take it any more. I don’t want to hear it, whatever it is she’s up to now. I push away from my desk in a rush to shut her up, and stand, looking towards the hydration console at the far corner of the room. The sight wipes all thought of Cadence and her pestering right out of my head, and I blink repeatedly, squinting to confirm it.</p>
<p>There are <em>people</em> standing there.</p>
<p>At this distance, I can’t hear voices, but their heads are bent together. I shiver, repulsed.</p>
<p>Conversation.</p>
<p>Socialization.</p>
<p>Close contact with others violates Regulation and risks weakening the mind. Interpersonal relationships are to be avoided. (Cadence doesn’t count; she’s impossible to avoid. I’ve tried.)</p>
<p>I look around, swallowing hard. No one else seems to be aware of this violation of Regulation. Shouldn’t there be some sort of alert? Why isn’t the system flagging it? Even Cadence is silent, for once.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, I slip my hand into my hood and through my hair, scrubbing through the too-long mat of it, then adjusting the drape of my uniform to cover the strands better. The motion is calming; it helps clear my mind.</p>
<p>It’s OK. I don’t have to interact. I’ll just go around them, get my drink as quickly as possible, and get back to my console.</p>
<p>I eye the group as I approach, holding my breath in a bid to sneak by without attracting notice. Cadence is muttering in the background - still stuck on the idea that we should go check out Floor 28. She doesn’t seem aware of how <em>wrong</em> all this is.</p>
<p>Four of them. Three men and - could it be? - one woman.</p>
<p>There are so few other women in the Tower, and such close contact with them is most definitely against Regulation.</p>
<p>Two of the men and the woman are standard Tower stock, small, pale and colourless, fading against the bland walls as though I’ll see right through them if I look hard enough. Even their eyes are pale.</p>
<p>And then there’s the other one.</p>
<p>He’s tall, maybe taller than me, even. It’s rare, but not unheard of.</p>
<p>That’s not what stills my steps and makes me stare.</p>
<p>“No. <em>Way.</em>” Cadence breathes.</p>
<p>I agree. <em>I’ve never seen anything like him.</em></p>
<hr />
<p><em>End, CH1</em></p>
Day 1242016-10-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/10/04/Day-124<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLI7EiTgcpl/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This is Henry. He wears ankle bling and wants my lunch. 😳😅🐦🍞✨#wildlifeencounters #harbour #mallaig #scotland #fishingvillage #coastal #highlandsandislands #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-10-04T11:31:40+00:00">Oct 4, 2016 at 4:31am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>“Hope is a waking dream.” - Aristotle, used in Jennifer Rush’s excellent “Altered”. Perfect. Not so perfect is the challenge I’m having tracking down a good indie-published YA book… the obvious writing and storytelling quality issues that I’ve come across in every one so far are really concerning. Is it really just that impossible to access quality editing support as an independent? My research efforts would seem to indicate that that’s the case - not much out there, at least on the surface. I can sort of see where people go wrong - it’s very tempting to think that what I can make, and the degree to which I can polish it is totally adequate. Very tempting to just get it out there. After all, the only thing holding me back is fear of my own blind spots. But is that foolish and limiting fear, or wisdom ringing the alarm? Unfortunately, I suspect the latter, and so will continue investing. I’d really prefer not to go the writer’s group route, but given the slow/lacking beta reader response rate and difficulty in tracking down quality editing services, it may prove the most expedient.</p>
<p>I think it’s time to review the dreaded feedback notes - all three of them (lol/tear). Contemplated a dram of whisky to fortify myself, but it’s a little early, and I want to get a solid day of work in, so I think I’ll be doing this cold…</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So that was exhausting. Two hours to get through another pass of the first chapter and review one beta reader’s comments. This is going to take forever - maybe I should be happy I don’t have much feedback to wade through? Or something. Unpleasant as the slogging pace and tedium of facing every one of my mistakes is, the feedback I <em>do</em> have so far has been excellent for clearly addressing concerns. Quality over quantity, I suppose…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:45 am & 1 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The West Highland Hotel, staff quarters block 1 the room beside 4, bed & the hotel lobby, armchair nook</p>
<p>Soundtrack: the Nashville soundtrack</p>
<p>Drinking: ginger lemon green tea with lemon</p>
Day 1232016-09-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/09/30/Day-123<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BK_R8LTg_2s/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#scottish #distilling tasting to go with my #rewrites . . #rockrose #isleofharris #gin #scottishgin #holygrass #vodka #craftdistillery #drinklocal #teagarden #fevertree #ginandtonic #coastal #seaside #fishingvillage #mallaig #scotland #highlands #scottishhighlands #highlandsandislands #amwriting #amediting #blindtheeyes #writerslife #digitalnomad #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-09-30T17:39:06+00:00">Sep 30, 2016 at 10:39am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I’m coming up to one of those conversations again. The ones where I dread it and run all possible scenarios, comments and expressions in a loop in my head. The ones that generally turn out to be less unpleasant than anticipated, but generally less productive too. Gotta get my hours down again; I’m spending too much time scrubbing toilets and not enough working this book. Or consulting. Or generally enjoying life. All of which rank higher in my strategic plan. But for whatever reason, I have an asking problem. I hate doing it, dread doing, avoid doing it, and rarely benefit from doing it. Feminist theory might have something to say about that… Either way, life lesson fail.</p>
<p>One more run at the first couple chapters, then I’d really better review my bit of feedback and see what lines up. Should probably get in touch directly with a few of those beta readers as well and press for some responses (again with the asking problem). Thankfully, the cold that I’ve been (literally) working through hasn’t been too debilitating, so hopefully I can stay clear and get some good work done. Made little to no progress on the whole finding an editor issue, which I’d be more concerned about if I were further through the rewrites or stumped as to improvements to make…</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>OK, I think I’m happy with where the first chapter (became the first 2, just to add to the confusion) got to. A bit too talky/narrative with world-building, backstory and motivation all cramming in to not enough action, but it feels right, which is about as technical as I want to get with things at this stage. I’ll push through to the first 5 (now 6) hopefully today, and then be able to scan through again based on feedback. If all goes well, I could even start releasing the preview edition on whatever that site was… Reddit, Tumblr and Instagram, I think, to start. Maybe Twitter? Although that’d be super irritating to read, imho.</p>
<p>The Holy Grass vodka is spicy with apple-pie baking notes of caramel-cinnamon. Extremely tasty, and not at all neutral - like complex gin minus the juniper, really. The Isle of Harris comes off a little bland afterward - clean, cool green notes with pepper, and the cucumber manages not to overpower. The Rock Rose couldn’t possibly be overpowered, with a strongly exotic, curry-cumin or dill scent. Fascinating, tasty and layered.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 3 & 4 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: the seawall across from the high school & The Tea Garden Cafe</p>
<p>Soundtrack: ocean waves and passing cars & ‘70s pop-rock?</p>
<p>Drinking: Rock Rose Gin with lime, Isle of Harris Gin with cucumber & Holy Grass Vodka with lemon Scottish Distilling Taster with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic</p>
Day 1222016-09-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/09/27/Day-122<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKq-k6cAJ1-/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Fall is coming. 🍁🍂🍃 also #bridge ✨😊 #arisaig #highlands #scotland #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-09-22T20:25:06+00:00">Sep 22, 2016 at 1:25pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So, one little stint of editing in a week. Oops. In my defence, I got pulled into leading the ‘band’ (ok, like a bunch of girls who want to sing and don’t have any musical background…) at the hopeful little Lighthouse Church in town. So desperately trying to rally my sub-par and very rusty guitar skills, not to mention trekking out past Arisaig and back, took up most of my time last week. It was super fun to be doing music again, but also frustrating - people have all their little people issues to work around, which really gets in the way of making progress, not to mention the technical issues (mostly my bad!) So yeah, a not unwelcome distraction, but a significant one in any case. But it was ok - this week is really the first one that I’m back down to ‘low’ hours (not that 25 is that low…) - so more progress is likely… except for how long it takes to do things and how little time that actually comes out to and how many distractions… so yeah, I’ll be lucky if I get more than one day in again this week, which is unacceptable, but all too likely, especially since I woke up this morning with a very suspicious burning in my throat. Maybe that’s not just allergies after all… Oh dear. And for some reason, you don’t seem to get sick days in the service industry either… The lack of reliable internet access is really starting to get to me too. So much research I could/should be doing! Critically, in this moment, tracking down a good editor just isn’t happening, and desperately needs to be, given the sad state of beta reading responses. Although, I signed on to read for another author last week out of curiosity, and I can see how it would be hard to get responses from people - it’s certainly a chore, having to get down notes/thoughts to send over, particularly if there are problems with the story. The scary thing for me, when I read other people’s pre-publication drafts, is how <em>not</em> publication-quality it is… how bad, really, are my drafts?? Yikes. Blind spots, man. But all I can really to is push forward… so off I go.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So clearly not the most productive day, but all in all, not terrible. The last-minute call-in for a shift also got last-minute cancelled, which was a huge distraction, but at least not a total wipe out of the day. Got down to the cafe in town, which was super cute and had great internet, despite the horde of tourists that arrive at lunch time and made it necessary to flee. Tried heather beer - actually quite good. Got a local library card - finally! - and did some research into editors. Not terribly productive research - finding good ones seems to be a challenge - but at least I got the ball rolling. Now to deal with the fact that I haven’t even cleared the first chapter of rewrites yet… Ugh. It’s getting longer again, which I’m pretty sure is <em>not</em> what’s supposed to be happening…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 9 am & 6:30 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The West Highland Hotel, staff quarters block 1 the room beside 4, bed</p>
<p>Soundtrack: washing machine on the other side of the wall</p>
<p>Drinking: Lemon Ginger tea</p>
Day 1212016-09-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/09/20/Day-121<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKlUhomA38n/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Not quite sunset. #mallaig #Scotland . . . #highlandsandislands #highlands #coastal #seaside #remotework #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-09-20T15:41:26+00:00">Sep 20, 2016 at 8:41am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So. It’s been over two months. Two months of chaos, stress, travel and revelations. Namely, I was never meant to travel with other people. And my capacity for close relationships may also be called into question. I am a watcher and a control freak. Which ought not be surprising, but as it turns out, is. After my last bout of travels (nearly a decade ago), I thought it was a bit sad not to have anyone to share incredible experiences with. As it turns out, I can’t handle the distraction of having another person interrupting the experience. Fascinating. I rather pity Cole, with the incessant presence of Cadence nattering away at her… although thinking again, maybe that’s why I can’t have other people around too much; it gets too busy with the extra voices… Hmm…</p>
<p>I need to track down an editor sooner than later, particularly as none of my beta readers actually gave me feedback in the end. (OK, my mom finished the book…) And yes, I am going to ignore the poor indicator that such a tragedy would seem to be. It’s not because my writing is boring, confusing or revolting. It’s that none of the readers were a good fit. Almost certainly. Or maybe. Oh dear.</p>
<p>…anyways, yes! Hire an editor! One with sufficient qualifications that I won’t be able to dismiss their feedback out of hand, but not so accomplished that I can’t afford him/her… because it is a pain trying to make money! There’s always either too much or too little consulting work, and although the rates can be great, they can also…not. And the manual labour route that I’ve spent the past few weeks on is really not a long term solution, if my bruises have anything to say about it. Not to mention how hard it is to dive back into work after a shift. It does leave time for thinking, though, which could be a bonus. Sat down last week for a bit to start work on a new, male-led semi-autobiographical (or possibly completely) work that I, of course, think has major potential to be brilliant in an awkward, off-beat and self-deprecating way. Like Woody Allen, but less ick. Or something. [Insert clever cultural reference here] lol.</p>
<p>Anyways, yes. Rewrites. Which means I need to read the small bit of feedback I did receive, think about purpose and meaning and effective communication, and make some hard decisions.</p>
<p>Or I could reread what I’ve written and fall in love with it and throw it up on the internet for all to see. There’s always that route…</p>
<p>I’m afraid.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 6 pm</p>
<p>Mallaig: The West Highland Hotel, staff quarters block 1 the room beside 4, bed
Soundtrack: washing machine on the other side of the wall</p>
<p>Drinking: Laphraoig Select</p>
Cover Variant 92016-08-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/08/26/Cover-Variant-9<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJlEcL7jp8V/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">And here it is, the final #coverreveal for the last of the first round of #betareaders editions. Now on to #rewrites 🗡😅✨📖 #cover art #ya #Yakut #yabooks #amwriting #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #thriller #books #teen #digitalnomad in #mallaig #Scotland this week #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-26T16:49:30+00:00">Aug 26, 2016 at 9:49am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>And that’s it folks, at least until I get enough responses from my readers to get rewrites and the second editions out! And in other news, I’m in Mallaig, just south of the Isle of Skye, which is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Of course, since I got here, I’ve been busy cleaning my hella sketchy ‘volunteer’s accommodation’ and whipping out freelance projects so I can afford to hire an editor! And maybe one day, less sketchy living space! But sunset’s coming, so I’m gonna step out for a minute and enjoy that before pressing on!</p>
Cover Variant 82016-08-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/08/19/Cover-Variant-8<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJTNYlmDq5U/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#coverreveal for beta readers edition cover variant 8 - a return to glitter and less of the horror aesthetic, unfortunately, in this penultimate #coverart 📚✨ #ya #yalit #yabooks #amwriting #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #thriller #books #teen #digitalnomad in #Dundee #Scotland this week #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-19T18:21:19+00:00">Aug 19, 2016 at 11:21am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Penultimate beta readers’ edition!! Only one more (extra big) chunk of chapters to go, and then all beta reader copies will be out to the team and I can (hopefully) start diving into reviewing, revising and rewriting! Still in Dundee, Scotland mulling over next steps, but maybe in a week I’ll have a more stable situation and a better basis for creativity!</p>
Cover Variant 72016-08-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/08/12/Cover-Variant-7<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJANbHejB2D/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#coverreveal for beta readers edition cover variant 7 leaning hard on the #horror #thriller angle, lol🗡✨😅 #ya #yalit #yabooks #amwriting #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #books #teen #digitalnomad in #edinburgh #scotland this week #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-12T09:16:05+00:00">Aug 12, 2016 at 2:16am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So yeah, still behind but getting there! Maybe I’ll be able to get back on track with a reasonable post schedule this week? In other news, this super low-effort cover seems to be the most popular (or at least, the one to elicit most responses) of all the Instagrammed covers! Who knew blatent gore could go so far! Or maybe the cover models were just a bit too sparkly, lol.</p>
Cover Variant 62016-08-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/08/05/Cover-Variant-6<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIvkp1jDqMH/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#coverreveal of beta readers edition 6 #ya #yalit #yabooks #bookstagram #amwriting #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #thriller #books #teen #writersofinstagram #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-05T22:11:59+00:00">Aug 5, 2016 at 3:11pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Playing catch-up, as travel kinda blew my post rate out of the water… next cover coming soon!</p>
Cover Variant 52016-07-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/29/Cover-Variant-5<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIc80AzD0uP/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#coverreveal for beta readers edition variant 5 - halfway there now!! #am writing #ya #yabooks #author #teen #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #thriller #novel #writing #writerslife #digitalnomad #london #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-29T16:37:31+00:00">Jul 29, 2016 at 9:37am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Still racing to keep up with all the things - a bit more freelancing work came in this week than usual, and lots of trips in and out to sort paperwork and other details… really must blog it when I can get the time! London has been unexpectedly great, so there’s that at least, to offset the reality that I have 2-3 weeks of cover art and files to make in the next two days… eek!</p>
Cover Variant 42016-07-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/26/Cover-Variant-4<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BINgeUrjpen/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#coverreveal for beta readers edition variant 4~ #amwriting #ya #yabooks #teen #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #thriller #novel #writing #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-23T16:41:17+00:00">Jul 23, 2016 at 9:41am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Travel and a new city are pretty involving - only just got the St. John’s blog post up in less than a week, and this is a few day late too, but… better than never! Will probably struggle to get the artwork and posts prepped for the next 3 or 4 weeks while I’m on the road too, but I’ll give it my best shot (starting… not tomorrow… lol).</p>
<p>Not much Beta Reader feedback yet, but since I won’t have time to review it and start in on the next round of rewrites until mid/late August or even September, meh. Got a library card today. Surprisingly loving the Southfields/Wimbledon/Wandsworth area of London, which is both great and frustrating. Gonna be sad to leave!</p>
A Day in St. John's NL2016-07-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//adventure/2016/07/19/A-Day-in-St-Johns-NL<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIEJC-pj3Y2/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Some pretty rad scenery and scrambling around here. Too bad about the humidity and all the forests as soon as you get off the coast. 🌲🌲🌲Great day trip though. #stjohns #newfoundland #travel #westjet #stopover #digitalnomad #adventure #travelwriter #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-20T01:23:25+00:00">Jul 19, 2016 at 6:23pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>First visit to Canada’s East Coast!!</p>
<p>So it was both better and worse than I expected; on the ‘pros’ side, it wasn’t exorbitantly expensive, I didn’t get in a car accident, and saw/visited some pretty cool sights and generally enjoyed the day.
On the ‘cons’ side, the weather was crazy, the scenic areas were more limited than I’d thought, and it was a crazy long, messy day between flights!</p>
<h4 id="itinerary-all-prices-listed-at-end">Itinerary (all prices listed at end):</h4>
<p>Arrived at 7:40 am at St. John’s airport and rented a car from Thrifty Car Rental. After taking an inordinately long time to load my backpack and figure out how the thing worked (it wasn’t actually hard, lol), I had a quick and easy drive into the downtown area - even found some free parking along the way on Ordnance Street! Maybe a 10-15 min. drive, so it wasn’t bad at all, but… nothing really opened until 10 am, so I had a couple hours to kill.
Since this was still in my home country, I hadn’t done as much prep and ended up winging it quite a bit, so here was the first ‘oops’. I figured I’d walk across town and get a sense of the area… and hunt down some breakfast.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQhMBjjFQl/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">It was a pretty gray morning, but aren't they pretty all the same? #rowhouses #stjohns #newfoundland + expect a bunch of these, I ran out of battery on the trip and need the shots instagrammed so I can loop back to my website! #latergram #writerslife #travelwriter #fishingtown #cloudy #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T20:45:15+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 1:45pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The walk was great - those cute muti-coloured painted rowhouses pretty much stretch across the upper blocks of the downtown, and there’s lots of old stone architecture as well - churches and such.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQiPAUDs2z/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">There's just something about tunnels... #couldntresist #magic #portal #trespassing #stjohns #newfoundland #travelwriter #latergram #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T20:54:24+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 1:54pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Seemed to be garbage day - they had these very thematically appropriate nets over the bags on the street that really tied into the whole ‘fishing town’ thing… Probably to keep off the seagulls, lol.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQhnZSDRPN/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">These thing were kind of awesome. I'm assuming it's to keep the seagulls out? Fishing net over garbage is so thematically appropriate, lol. #culturaltourism #stjohns #newfoundland #fishingtown #latergram #travelwriter #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T20:48:59+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Nowhere inspiring to eat, however… a couple cafes and an ice cream shop were about it.
Did a loop along the top to The Rooms (a museum), which was still a half hour from opening, and then back along the lower streets and waterfront. Turns out, there are maps of recommended walks with historic sights pointed out along the way, but as I came across tehse halfway through the walk (and I was getting hungry), I just kept blazing my own trail. Tried to stop in at Rocket Bakery, but got washed out again by a horde of tourists pretty quick - too many choices, not enough time!</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQipaij1pL/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#perfect - I wanted to stay here all day. But then I got hungry... #stjohns #newfoundland #harbour #coastal #latergram #travelwriter #digitalnomad #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T20:58:00+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 1:58pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Harbourside Park on the way back was also beautiful, and pretty much empty in midmorning. It was at that point that I figured maybe I’d better Google for a breakfast spot, and came up with a recommended cafe… across the street from where I’d started. Sigh.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIC3OFEDYbx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#newfoundland breakfast #diner style: the mystery disk is #toutons pronounced taughtons and eaten with syrup or molasses. Believe it or not, but this was actually the lightest thing on the menu. #culturaltourism #stjohns #classiccafeeast #tooearly #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespaceo</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-19T13:28:24+00:00">Jul 19, 2016 at 6:28am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I finally ended up stopping at Classic Cafe East for a (reputedly) traditional breakfast at a little after 10 am. A bit divey/classic diner style, but it did have the benefit of being both quiet and cheap.
Tried a toutons (I think that’s a singular?), which is apparently a Newfoundland speciality, and is essentially pan-friend bread dough eaten with syrup or molasses. Kind of crispy and chewy at the same time, and in this case, friend in pork fat for a sort of baconey counterpoint to the molasses. Felt rather old-timey as an experience, which was fun… Also tried molasses baked beans and an egg for some protein; turned out to be waaay too much food. Cheap and good food in large portions; I’d come again (and in fact, tried to…)</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQjXjnDvEw/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Really old plumbing. #thecommissariat #stjohns #newfoundland #culturaltourism #history #historicsites #plumbing #travelwriter #latergram #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T21:04:18+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 2:04pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Near where I’d parked was the Commissariat House, which was quite a small historic site, but worth the cost of admission as a second site is thrown in free. They hand out little plastic tabs that grant you access to a port-tasting & historic cellar on the other side of town.
There was a converted barn/interpretative centre which tried to be edgy with a sort of shadow-puppet noir aesthetic about rebellion and newspapers… tbh, I moved on pretty quickly, but I appreciated the production value they’d put in…
The house itself was two stories and held a grand private office and public counter, safe and office along the front, with a kitchen in the back, as well as a formal dining room, parlour and a couple bedrooms, all furnished. I was surprised at how close/far into the rooms you could get.
Perhaps because it was early in the day, the place was quiet - I only saw two other visitors - and the site staff mostly stayed out of the way. Fun to see such early artifacts and buildings; although the level of sophistication was high, the site was hundreds of years older than any I’d visited in BC. I spent less than 30 min. at this location, then walked the couple blocks back to the car and headed out to Signal Hill.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQkFgUDWCx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This stone had a glitter explosion...😳✨ #fairydust #magic #irl #nojoke #chasingfairies #danger #latergram #stjohns #newfoundland #signalhill #travelwriter and #fantasy #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T21:10:34+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 2:10pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Another ~10 min. East, Signal Hill was easily my favourite stop. Great views, not-too-strenuous paths, kind-of free-entry (oops - apparently I snuck in, as their website lists a $3.90 fee… No one checked tickets, anyways…) and some brief scrambling/hiking. Plus whales. Despite the revoltingly hot and humid weather (it was under 30C but felt like 40), it was really enjoyable to climb around on the cliffs. Lots of wildflowers, not too many people in the way on the paths, and whales jumping out on the water made it good fun.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIQkkhVjf4i/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#climbing my kind of wall - the kind you survive a fall from 😜😅 #stjohns #newfoundland #signalhill #hiking #cliffs #seaside #coastal #latergram #travelwriter #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-24T21:14:48+00:00">Jul 24, 2016 at 2:14pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The main attraction, which was pretty much swarmed, was Cabot Tower, which you could climb, learning about communications and site history, visiting a working (amateur) radio outpost and of course, the gift shop. The stairs to the top of the tower are steep, twisty, and crazy busy, but the views are pretty awesome. Some other ruins and small buildings within a few km hike from the Tower and a Visitor Centre a little down the hill round out the site.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BISouPzjhV5/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Old thing on the hill. Tbh, i was more excited about the view and whales, but the tower was cool too, I guess. Some crazy stairs with too many people, a little working amateur radio station and gift shop, and more importantly, even better views from the top! #cabottower #history #culturaltourism #signalhill #stjohns #newfoundland #travelwriter #historicsites #canada #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T16:29:34+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 9:29am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I kind of peeked into the Visitor Centre and decided it wasn’t worth the admission fee, but stopped at the cafe. There are also washrooms in the public part of the building.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BISphZkjEEZ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Sadly meh. Maybe if I'd tried the #chocolate instead - the strawberries were frozen and the ice cream just wasn't up to #Vancouver standards. #spoiled #hipster #travelwriter #newfoundlandchocolatecompany #signalhill #stjohns #newfoundland #foodandtravel #icecream #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T16:36:33+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 9:36am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The Newfoundland Chocolate Company has a location in the Signal Hill Visitor Centre, but since I’m not a huge chocolate fan (and was melting by that time) I opted for an iced coffee and Strawberry Champagne Gelato.
On the plus side, they had free chocolate shavings at the coffee stand. Sadly, though, the ice-cream was overly sweet, kind of flavourless, and full of icy, hard chunks of fruit.
Maybe I should’ve gone for the chocolate after all… Total, I spent around two hours on Signal Hill, but you could easily do the tower in 15-30 min. or take an entire afternoon to really explore and hike around.
There’s also a Geo-Centre further down the hill that I didn’t want to take the time to stop at, but would have been conveniently placed for a full day of fun at the site.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BISz1HjjwLk/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Although it totally doesn't look like a #museum, #therooms has some pretty great exhibits - well worth the $10 admission. The #wwi one was particularly moving. Allow up to two hours. #stjohns #newfoundland #culturaltourism #history #travelwriter #kaiespace #writerslife</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T18:06:37+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 11:06am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>At about 2pm I made it to The Rooms, which is a new, purpose-built museum, gallery and archives building. I was prepared to be indignant at the $10 admission fee, but it turned out to totally be worth it.
Their exhibit on local soldiers’ experience of the first world war was stunning (kind of literally), and their art gallery and local history museums were both worth the considerable time I spent wandering them. I really ran out of time, though; two hours was not enough! I rushed through their natural history exhibit, and skipped the interactive section of their local history/industry museum where (staff?/volunteers?) were teaching little mini-workshops. I’d wanted to check out the cafe as well, but pressed onward to fit in a couple more sights before they all closed for the day.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BISzUyADG-K/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This was pretty awesome. A freebee double ticket with #thecommissariat it includes a free #port tasting, a nice cool place to hide from the sun (#cavedweller 😜) some games that I wasn't patient enough to finish and gorgeous distressed wood, stone and brick interiors. It's like a #restorationhardware #daydream. Loved it. 😊#newmanwinevaults #stjohns #newfoundland #culturaltourism #history #historicsites #canada #travelwriter #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T18:02:13+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 11:02am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The next stop, the Newman Wine Vaults, were included in the purchase price to the first stop of the day, The Comissariat, so I rushed over to catch these around 4, just before they closed. A small attraction, it was still pretty cool (literally) to see the old stone and brick vaults. A small port tasting is included, and they had a couple (actually fun) games to keep you busy despite the small square footage. Super helpful, friendly staff, and meter parking out front.
Unfortunately I had a bit too much fun here, and missed the Pharmacy Museum a block down the street, but I did catch the Railway Museum just before it closed and was allowed in to take some pictures without admission. Some neat dioramas, but overall a very information-heavy and low-interaction museum.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITPcDqjO80/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Irises and sea cliffs. #awesome. The #lighthouse was pretty great too. Wish I'd had a few more hours here. 😊✨🌊#capespear #newfoundland #latergram #culturaltourism #historicsites #history #travelwriter #digitalnomad #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:07:52+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:07pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>At that point, I remembered that there was a lighthouse that was supposed to be a big deal, and found that it was closing soon, but was also only a ~20 min. drive, so I raced back to the car and sped up to Cape Spear. Disappointingly, the area is pretty socked in with dense (pine?) forest except for right on the coast, so the drive itself was less than thrilling, but the lighthouse and surroundings were great.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITP2V4D-vA/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Ok fine, you can have the #lighthouse pic too... #capespear #newfoundland #latergram #culturaltourism #historicsites #travelwriter #digitalnomad #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:11:28+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:11pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Since I was less than half an hour from closing, the staff waved me through without charging for a ticket, and I raced up the stairs to dash through the old lighthouse. It’s a pretty small site in terms of reconstructed historical spaces - just a couple rooms, really, but the views were great and I wished I’d had more time for exploring and hiking the area.
Again, lots of wildflowers and cool-looking cliffs, with quite extensive, but locked-down old military construction lower down the hill.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITQv-ejRZB/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Not my fave #beer flight ever, but it was packed so they're obviously popular with someone. Decent #cider though, and the #stout was interesting. #brewery #drinklocal #foodandtravel #latergram #yellowbellybrewery #stjohns #newfoundland #travelwriter #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:19:20+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:19pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Being a Vancouverite, I figured stopping at the YellowBelly Brewery for a flight and dinner would be a cool, eat-local move, but… nope.
It was crazy busy at 7-ish, which seemed good, but the beer was pretty meh and the food too uninspiring, so I moved on pretty quickly.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITRFibDNdD/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Pretty amazing - try the #killaloesunrise - much less gross than it sounds. #beavertails #foodandtravel #foodtruck #latergram #stjohns #newfoundland #travelwriter #digitalnomad #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:22:16+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:22pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Should have done better research, as I couldn’t find anywhere with live music or traditional food to eat, but I did wander down to the harbour for a Beaver Tail - the Killaloe Sunrise was pretty great, with lemon and cinnamon sugar on a crispy fried disc. Figured I’d head back to the cafe for a greasy dinner, but by the time I climbed the hill back to the car (free 3hr parking at The Rooms), I figured out that the cafe had closed in the early afternoon that day. Oops.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITR8tnDf2S/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">The #scenic side of #quidividi #fishingvillage at #sunset. #travel #latergram #stjohns #newfoundland #exploring #travelwriter #digitalnomad #adventure #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:29:48+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:29pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Googling traditional NL food led me to Quidi Vidi Vllage, a fishing village and development off to the east of the city, but I kind of chickened out about the place I’d planned to go when I got there, Mallard Cottage (there just wasn’t time for a full meal), and decided to be wild and spontaneous and stop off at a divey-looking place a couple blocks back.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITRruNjoA0/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Gettin serious with them #cultural experiences. #authentic #roots #inneofolde #fishingtown #latergram #quidividi #stjohns #newfoundland #travelwriter #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:27:29+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:27pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The Inne of Olde was a logical name - it was the cluttered, kitschy opposite of the current trend in carefully curated hipster bars, with Christmas lights strewn across the place, a wood-burning stove and mismatched chairs and tables. I’m afraid I intruded on the proprietress, presumably Linda of the sign: Linda’s Stories, Beers & Wood-Burning Stoves. Although a young couple was leaving just as I entered, she seemed about to close up, but agreed to track down some soup for me anyways. A (recent) cancer survivor, she seemed happy enough to make conversation while she waited for me to clear out (lol) - overall, a success, in my books.</p>
<p>For some reason, calculating the time I needed to get back to the airport for my 11:45 pm flight out was confusing me, and I had a bit of a panic driving back. Although it had only taken about 10 min. to get into town from the airport, Google Maps seemed to think I needed about half an hour to get back, but obviously I trusted the GPS and settled for just speeding a bit… nope, it was navigating me around to the industrial back end of the airport. Airport at St. John’s is apparently different than St. John’s International Airport. So that was stressful - especially when I was the only one going through security - I figured I was horribly late. Nope. The airport was just that small.</p>
<p>Despite the tiny departures hall (one set of bathrooms!) there was a small shop still open with t-shirts, and after a full day of running around climbing hills in insane humidity and a night and previous plane on the day, I was ready to spring for a clean(er) shirt, so I rounded out the day with a little duty-free shopping and picked up a snazzy St. John’s flower shirt (lol).</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BITQT9CDJNW/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Random crazy house. #respect to whoever did the woodwork on that one... #rowhouses #fishingtown #stjohns #newfoundland #digitalnomad #travelwriter #kaiespace #latergram</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-25T22:15:30+00:00">Jul 25, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Overall? I’m glad I got the flights I did - finally had a chance to visit Canada’s East Coast, had a great time climbing around, successfully rented, drove and returned my first rental car, and tried some weird and unhealthy local specialties.</p>
<p>Would I do it again? Not unless the flights were even cheaper or the stopover longer (overnight at least), which sounds counterintuitive, but I way overestimated the amount of sleep I could get (5 hours flights + airplane seats = basically none) and way understimated how gross it would be not getting a shower and a change of clothes part way through. Cooler temperatures would probably have helped. Definitely interested in taking Icelandic Air’s service with a few days in Iceland next trip, and could be persuaded to stop over in Halifax if WestJet made that an option. Speaking of which, they were pretty fantastic. Dirt cheap flights, even with the extra $60 or so I spent on checking luggage, didn’t miss the airplane food one bit (who eats overnight anyways?), flights were on time and not crammed full - I had the middle seat empty on every flight - and their staff went above and beyond to be helpful. Would totally fly WestJet again.</p>
<h4 id="day-trip-budget-149">Day Trip Budget: $149*</h4>
<p>*Prices in CND as of July 2016</p>
<h5 id="transport-8418">Transport: $84.18</h5>
<p>($280 WestJet Flight Vancouver to Calgary to St. John’s to London Gatwick (single one-way ticket) excluded from totals)</p>
<p>($60 two checked pieces of luggage (no checked luggage allowance) excluded from totals)</p>
<p>$75.97 for 14 hour car rental</p>
<p>$7.21 to top up rental gas tank</p>
<p>$1 in meter parking</p>
<h5 id="meals-4882">Meals: $48.82</h5>
<p>$15.18 Brunch: Black Coffee, Toutons, Baked Beans, Boiled Egg</p>
<p>$8.63 Snack: $5 Gelato + $2.50 Iced Coffee at Newfoundland Chocolate Company</p>
<p>$10.07 Drinks: $8.75 five-beer flight at Yellow Belly Brewery</p>
<p>$6.44 Snack: $5.60 Killaloe Sunrise at Beavertails Food Truck</p>
<p>$8.50 Dinner: $5.50 soup & bun at Quidi Vidi Inne of Olde</p>
<h5 id="attractions-16">Attractions: $16</h5>
<p>$6 The Comissariat (+The Newman Wine Vaults included in purchase price)</p>
<p>$10 The Rooms</p>
Super Map2016-07-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//adventure/2016/07/14/Super-Map<p>Exhibit one of when my crazy control-freak tendencies run into my super Google skills:</p>
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1XISKeWa4GlJxSOID7tkYK4nhJkA" width="95%" height="500px"></iframe>
<p>The route is: Krakow > Brussels > Dublin > Edinburgh > ?</p>
<p>The best part is, I’ll be able to access this on my iPad/iPhone on the ground, so we can switch gears and visit whatever is near us on-the-go. No more painstaking minute-by-minute itineraries.</p>
Cover Variant 32016-07-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/14/Cover-Variant-3<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.528604119% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BH3ZbsHDOO8/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#firstlook at tomorrow's beta readers edition release. 📚 The first cover variant *not* to feature Cole, #coverreveal no.3 features Itri, a #dreamwalker on a mission. ⚔For some reason, it also reminds me of, like, a #garypaulsen novel ⛏or a summer beach book 🍉☀️or something... #ya #yabooks #dystopia #supernatural #thriller #novel #amwriting #coverart #limitededition #writing #kaiespace + #spoiler : #ghosthunting 👻🗡⚰</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-15T02:36:28+00:00">Jul 14, 2016 at 7:36pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Went a little crazy about the upcoming move. Got over it. Back to getting stuff done. Here’s the cover reveal for tomorrow’s Beta Reader’s Edition! Even made the following week’s edition up since I’ll be traveling for half the week!</p>
Why2016-07-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2016/07/11/Why<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHDptuAgMaE/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This is the hats and shoes suitcase. Not to confused with the music, cosmetics and daywear suitcase, or the too-heavy-to-check suitcase. I always think that I'm pretty #minimalist and nonmaterialistic until it comes time to pack... 😱😰 #flyingsucks #londoncalling #digitalnomad #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-25T00:18:14+00:00">Jun 24, 2016 at 5:18pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<h1 id="why-im-terrified-to-get-on-a-plane-in-7-days-and-why-im-going-anyways">Why I’m terrified to get on a plane in 7 days… and why I’m going anyways.</h1>
<p><small>First published on <a href="https://medium.com/@kaie.web/why-im-terrified-to-get-on-a-plane-in-7-days-and-why-i-m-going-anyways-f77e1f32968b#.coyhvz12f" target="_blank">Medium</a></small></p>
<p>I relocate from Canada to the UK in 150 hours. I have a work visa for 2 years starting July 28. I’ve been working on this plan for over a year…</p>
<p>…and after an uncharacteristically emotional weekend, I’m realizing that it’s probably not hormones making me tear up at every little thing. As it turns out, grand adventure is all very well in theory, and stunningly intimidating from close up.</p>
<p>A little background: I’m a compulsive control-freak of a perfectionist.</p>
<p>A little more background: Just over a year ago, I’d worked my way up to business analyst in an international engineering firm. After years of scrambling to be taken seriously as a professional and valued for my work (female + working in marketing = basically a secretary, apparently), I was finally on my way to success and enough power to make a difference.</p>
<p>Except not. Politics, power struggles, poor communication, burnout… on the verge of finally making it, I walked away. I was done. Done sticking around and trying to make the wrong place be the right one.</p>
<p>It had been a decade of trying really hard to do all the right things in Vancouver. Get the education. Get the career. Get the money and the respect and the power. I’d been working away at doing all the right things so long, I’d lost sight of the fact that I’d never cared about any of it. And I was starting to realize that I’d become the sort of corporate drone of a grown-up that my 12-year-old self would have hated.</p>
<p>So I decided to do something crazy. I would move to Scotland. Where companies were better run and housing was (hopefully) cheaper. Have adventures. Travel. Be recognized for my skills and stop being punished for being a woman and not a nurturer. Make way more money with less pressure and lower cost of living.</p>
<p>And then someone asked me what I actually wanted to do.</p>
<p>Want.</p>
<p>Not what did I need to do, what did I have to do, what should I do. Not what was the next step on the road to more.</p>
<p>And to my horror, I had absolutely no idea. But I did have time to figure it out.</p>
<p>So I took a full year off from it all. I wrote a book. I obsessed. I read a lot of other books. I spent time with friends and family. I went for runs in the forest. I started to dream again. I got less desperate.</p>
<p>But now, I’m scared.</p>
<p>I’m scared to get on that plane next week. I’m scared that the real world, the grown-up, practical world will suck me in again. I’m scared that my book will never make it out into the world, and equally scared that it will have been a terrible waste of a year, and also afraid that I’ll never get to write again. I’m scared that I’ll run out of money and crash and burn. I’m scared to leave the comfortable, convenient little cocoon that I’ve been privileged to live in for the past year.</p>
<p>And I’m scared to leave people behind, because in the end, those connections were the things that mattered out of the last decade, the things that made any and all of that misery worthwhile.</p>
<p>But I’m not going to be that control-freak drone that takes all the right steps and hates every minute of it as all her dreams are lost and forgotten. I’m going to be the adventurer and artist and explorer and dreamer that I so admired. I’m going to publish a book and write, and publish more books, and live in beautiful places and take risks.</p>
<p>So because I can be brave, and I can be strong, and I can take risks and I can keep dreaming and keep creating, I’ll get on that plane next week. And I’ll be the person that the 12-year-olds in my life can look up to and feel like it’s worth growing up to be.</p>
<p>You can follow my journey of travel, writing, angst and indie publishing at kaie.space</p>
Day 1202016-07-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/09/Day-120<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHnCUpPjHky/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#variant #cover art from the beta readers edition batch 2. What do you think? Better than variant 1? kaie.space/gold #blindtheeyes #dystopian #supernatural #fantasy #fiction #ya #yabooks #coverreveal #betaedition #writing #firstlook #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-08T18:06:41+00:00">Jul 8, 2016 at 11:06am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>OK, so I lied! One more day (at least) of rewrites. While I pushed through to the end of the final chapter yesterday, I’m really feeling like, especially in the latter chapters, it was a race to finish, and adjustments were too much polishing, not enough critiquing, so I’m going to take a look at continuity and character development notes and see if I can’t incorporate, or at least confirm, those elements. I’m having trouble maintaining the necessary elevation on the plot; I get too caught up in the detail - and also not caught up, I guess, based on all the continuity and clarity issues the beta readers are raising!</p>
<p>So yeah, maybe a couple hours more to really clean things up, and then I’ve got to start getting other stuff done!!</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start time: 11 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 1192016-07-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/08/Day-119<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:37.2685185185% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHnt6WljlR-/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Just a girl. With books. And knives. Nuthin special. #bookoftheday #fantasy #historicalfiction #scifi #stephenrlawhead #coffee #writerslife #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-09T00:27:34+00:00">Jul 8, 2016 at 5:27pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>This is it! The final day of (first round) rewrites! Some more stats, just for fun: The rewrites took only about a tenth of of total time spent so far, but accounted for a little under a quarter of hours spent. As it turns out, it’s easier to press through already-written material than it is to come up with the stuff. Would have taken less time if I hadn’t changed the tense for the last third and had to completely switch it back in rewrites, but at least I didn’t choose to switch the first 2/3 instead! Also, the first five chapters are most heavily rewritten, since I went over them several times. The rest is scanned for accuracy, clarity, consistency and story arc or plot; major reductions were achieved by nixing whole character development arcs and secondary plot lines, but relatively little was done to core people and arcs. Which means, at least in my own mind, the thing was actually written in a coherent, forward-moving fashion. Neat! Total reductions of over 10K words due to the scrapped threads/people, but another few thousand words written to flesh things out, finishing in the 95K word range, which is actually pretty on target. I could see things growing quite a bit in next round rewrites though… So many things to clarify!</p>
<p>Second beta reader’s edition goes out today, with (I flatter myself to think) a significantly better cover variant. Only have feedback from two readers so far, though (thanks, family!) on the first five chapters, and no real plan for moving forward. I’d like to dive into rewrites round two, but with my relocation looming, there are some other errands I really need to get to - trip planning, packing, paperwork-settling and portfolio/job applications come to mind… so Day 120 may not come for a couple months. We’ll see. I do need to sink several hours into prepping cover variants and beta reader editions for the remaining chapters, queueing posts for Tumblr and blogging to my site before full traveling starts in August, but I think I’ll be able to fit in at least a bit of that in London.</p>
<p>On the social media front, small progress: the new cover variant got decent likes (like, more than 10, lol) and one tumblr kid/writer asked a question, so small victories! My existence is being recognized! SOOO much work to do still, but small steps. At least my Klout score keeps climbing (incrementally - now at 53!)</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Martini Rosso, Rhubarb Cordial & mixed cold tea</p>
Day 1182016-07-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/07/Day-118<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHkZ5UmgyZJ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">These guys in the the morning like: what do you want? Oh, sorry, we didn't WAKE you, did we? Well, since you're up and all, can you turn the fountain on already? #cat #ragdoll #catsofinstagram #tooearlyforthis #writerslife #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-07T17:34:57+00:00">Jul 7, 2016 at 10:34am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The beta reader list is growing! Up to 8 with a lead on 2 more brings me up to 10, and since I was shooting for 7-12, that even leaves room for the inevitable dropout or two! (But don’t drop out. Luv you guys… Please don’t drop out!) 75% female, although mostly a little over the target age (although, who do we think we’re kidding? YA/Teen fiction readership is mostly adult anyways…) so in sum, yup, I’m fairly pleased that, at least in one area, things are moving right along on schedule. The social media stuff is depressingly slow to build (ugh; shoulda started sooner after all!), but I’ve got a whole 2 more followers on Tumblr since I started, and more to the point, I think I’m starting to get a feel for what might connect and work for the different channels and audiences. Or perhaps not…</p>
<p>Probably one more day of rewrites, and then I can start looking at edits based on beta reader feedback (although I’ve only 2 back, so we’ll see…) - I’m thinking it could make sense to start distributing that version (beta v2) as a ‘serial’ story to any and all likely sites; my brother suggested Reddit, which I’ve only dabbled in before, probably Tumblr with some syndication to IG/FB/T etc., Wattpad and similar channels could make sense… that’s assuming that things pull together well based on feedback. If it’s too messy, I may do another round of rewrites and reviews first to tighten things up. On the one hand, to warp the quote, any buzz is good buzz; on the other, I’d hate to start getting (bad) reviews if the story’s not quite up to snuff (and assuming it’ll ever get to the point of having good reviews! Yikes!)</p>
<p>Sent in those applications to jobs on Skye, in Inverness and near Thurso yesterday (finally) - no word yet, but that could be killer awesome! Then again, I’ve had ‘great’ ideas before that haven’t panned out, so I’ll adjust. A freelance piece of mine did well (a little over CAD$100 for a ~400 word marketing letter, so not terrible rates) and the client wants some other services for a business launch (or relaunch? refresh? tbc) so I’m making some headway on the freelance front. I still really can’t decide whether it would be more awesome to go full freelance and be completely un-tied-down, or whether a part-time day job in a cool location where I could get to know a community and an area for a while would be better. I feel like I need the ‘real job’ to anchor me, or rather, to force me to make a decision and settle down in one place as a base for further exploration… but there’s definitely a fear that having even just 20 or so hours of work would be too draining and I wouldn’t get around to al the writing and freelancing that I want (and need…) to do. And with the pay for lower level PT jobs like that, it could be a dangerous move…. but then again, how awesome would it be to work at a library on the Isle of Skye? Like, who else dreamed of that life for themselves at, oh, 14-15 or so? Dream come true, even if it’s not all girl-power kicking through the corporate glass ceiling…</p>
<p>So yeah, it’ll be interesting to see where these next few weeks-months take me. All that said, if I can make it writing books alone, I’ll definitely just do that and, like, volunteer a bit or something to get enough exposure to the real world to have good material and inspiration…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: bed/bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: Sontinh Táo Mèo cocktail with Elder Growth Bitters, Scrappy’s Bitters: Lime & Martini Rosso</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHlGLSJg__h/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Sontinh Vietnamese cocktail: #sontinh #taomeo with #eldergrowthbitters and #scrappysbitters lime +#martinirosso #cocktails #mixology #writerslife #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-08T00:01:52+00:00">Jul 7, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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Day 1172016-07-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/06/Day-117<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHijKEiAQ6s/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Fire and Hemlock. #ya #fantasy #fairtyale retelling gets 3/5 stars. I love #dianawynnejones as a general rule, and there's some brilliant stuff going on here... But ultimately not a satisfying read, largely for the (spoiler alert) icky older man romance - she's 10 when she meets him! And he's a divorcee (therefore adult) at the time! I know fantasy mechanics allow immortals and teens to fall in love regularly, but in this case, it's the way an adult nurtures the relationship from age 10-18ish that really puts an icky face on things... Stellar character writing, nevertheless. Full #bookreview at http://goodreads.com/review/show/1686303756 #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-07T00:17:23+00:00">Jul 6, 2016 at 5:17pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>So I managed to cut a good 10K words out of the manuscript by scraping out all the storylines involving secondary characters, except for the bits with Haynfyv and one scene with Maria, and preliminary scenes where they first show up. At this point, I think I’ll be able to feed those in to the second book to build out the world and cast a bit more there, but it does streamline things for the first book, which seems like a step in the right direction. Still considering pulling Haynfyv and Maria out of the first book entirely, and letting Ravel and Serov carry the antagonist roles… or maybe just Ravel? Push Serov to second-book villain, and keep Maria in reserve for the big boss role? OR something… maybe beta reader feedback will be helpful on that front, or second round edits. It feels so strange to fill something out, and then prune it back like this after sweating for every bit and piece of it, but! According to Stephen King’s <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00SQA98C2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00SQA98C2&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">On Writing</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00SQA98C2" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
10% rule, I’m right on track with a 10K reduction out of a 100K word story, so that’s nice.</p>
<p>On thinking further (and writing a review) on <a href="http://amzn.to/29MXPKx" target="_blank">Fire and Hemlock</a>, the brilliant <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4260.Diana_Wynne_Jones" target="_blank">Diana Wynne Jones</a> book, I’m feeling a little better about not scripting elaborate storylines based on brilliant classical literature. Brilliant is brilliant; but the experience as a reader was a bit lacking, and contemporary taste seems to run more to simple, direct and immediate payoffs, whether in emotion or action. However, there’s still room for crippling inadequacy when considering her excessively insightful characterization. Her story people are unparalleled. British writers seem to have a bit of a corner on this part of the field; Pratchett comes to mind as well, for capturing recognizably human traits with wit and ingenuity. So. Jealous.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 1162016-07-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/05/Day-116<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHa7goggyNJ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Bliss with today's book in the late afternoon sun. Diana Wynne Jones never fails to astonish with her remarkable clarity of observation and the fluidity with which she weaves insight into the threads of story. #lifegoals #author #dianawynnejones #fireandhemlock #catsofinstagram #ragdoll #ya #yabooks #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-04T01:16:16+00:00">Jul 3, 2016 at 6:16pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So I wrote applications for the best jobs yesterday: librarian on the Isle of Skye, archives learning officer in Thurso (at the very northern tip of Scotland before you hit the islands) and museum officer in Inverness. Living the dream, kids! Fingers crossed :)</p>
<p>In other news, I switched a dating profile location to London (Because I’ll be there in two weeks anyways) and have been inundated. Now, at least 95% (possibly more) are useless contacts, a distraction, and potentially frightening, but still. At the very least, I should have some good recommendations for how to spend my time once I get there (as if I needed help filling time!!)</p>
<p>Again in other news, I now have all of seven beta readers, one of which is a real-life actual teenage girl!! How perfect!! So that’s great. Of course, immediate family are the only ones who’ve actually gotten back with feedback so far, which is both a little scary, and awesome (because I don’t want to look at it until the first draft rewrites are complete anyways). Just from the little bit that’s come out so far, it’s clear that there are lots of little things that need cleaning up, chief among them that my attempts at subtlety are coming across as just plain confusing (lol?), so second round rewrites are likely to be pretty involved (<em>sweats</em>).</p>
<p>Finished <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4260.Diana_Wynne_Jones" target="_blank">Diana Wynne Jones’</a> <a href="http://amzn.to/29MXPKx" target="_blank">Fire and Hemlock</a> last night. Wow. The story itself was not one of her most engaging, but the essay where she describes what she was doing in crafting it? Pardon me while I go hide in a corner. Yikes. Huge respect for that lady’s learning, planning, and insight. Mind. Blown.</p>
<p>It’s rainy today, which I like, but I’ve spent so many hours working my way up to working that I haven’t had a chance to get out in it, and as there are some errands I really ought to get to, I guess I better dive in and push through another batch of rewrites. Should finish up to ch40 today, but I may get bogged down by the level of rewrites, as I’m now at the point where I foolishly decided everything should be written in first person limited perspective. Oops. So that takes a little more clean-up and is likely to result in embarrassing results. Lol? Also considering pulling the Maria & Raveltu bits as well as the secondary Morristu, Serov & Angelique, Sam etc. bits. But the second Morristu scene establishes Serov as a more significant villain? And the first Maria bit sets up Haynfyv on his path… so unless I dispense with him entirely? Need to have a chat with beta readers about that…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: bed/bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: Sontinh Táo Mèo with Elder Growth Bitters</p>
<p>Soundtrack: <a href="http://www.citizensandsaints.com/" target="_blank">Citizens & Saints’</a> latest single <a href="https://play.spotify.com/track/5DHR1erZUGVng7UtiwxVQd" target="_blank">Madness</a> on repeat</p>
Day 1152016-07-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/07/04/Day-115<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHfyjn1gw7X/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">The to-read shelf. I dunno if I can make it through in the next two weeks... Maybe I can just take a suitcase of books?? #shelfie #shelfoftheday #digitalnomad #bookwithdrawal #mystery #fantasy #thriller #paperback #novels #threedeep #stacked #cyberpunk #writerslife #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-05T22:34:14+00:00">Jul 5, 2016 at 3:34pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Ugh, feedback! Starting to get a little bit of beta reader feedback on the first five chapters, and although I’d intended to batch it all and review after finishing the full first edit, it’s not quite that simple. Receiving feedback is so not fun, but clearly necessary, which perhaps makes it a little easier. For example, in my attempts to reduce the weight of description/backstory/worldbuilding dragging the first chapter down, I inadvertently deleted a paragraph that identified Cole as a female. Hugely blush worthy; that’s a super awkward chunk of story to read about a guy… like, what’s he getting all worked up about??! I like the idea of teasing out bits of the story as you go, but the feedback I’ve got so far seems to be indicating that it’s just confusing, and any mystery or tension is being lost to painful rereading and trying to puzzle out what’s going on - not good! But I’ll try to leave that behind and push forward with the edits; a little over halfway there~~!</p>
<p>Travel planning is stalling a bit; I’ve pretty much got Krakow pinned down, which leaves 3/4 of the trip left to do, and I’m running out of steam and time! Also mildly panicking about financial stuff - will it be too frustrating? Can I get enough work pinned down? Can I focus and produce enough in a day to actually get by? I do have some buffer, but the point at which I’ll need answers is accelerating toward me, and it’s hard not to cringe. The part-time thing with historic site/museum/library etc. is appealing, but may be too frustrating/too distracting and consuming/too little money/too overqualified to get hired?? - and bartending is an option that may or may not be more appealing, but is made less pleasant by the apparent fact that they refer to female bartenders in the UK as barmaids??!!! Blech~~ Although, maybe if I wore a costume and pretended it was historical reenactment or something?? Like those anime where they get stuck in a medieval-fantasy flavoured game world?? But I’d rather be a craftsman or warrior in any case… Guess we’ll see. But it’s becoming clearer that the point at which I’ll see any money from this novel is pretty far in the future (/never…)</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/livingroom</p>
<p>Drinking: black tea with cinnamon sticks & vanilla bean</p>
<p>Soundtrack: cat snoring</p>
And the Votes Are In2016-07-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//news/2016/07/01/and-the-votes-are-in<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.48% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHU-5knAyMp/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks for voting! The title, with 71% of the vote, will be "Blind the Eyes". In other news, launching the first edition of #betareader copies today. I release in 5-chapter segments with limited edition covers. Still looking for a couple more #readers with willingness to give some #feedback to beta read for me. More info at http://kaie.space/gold. #ya #yabooks #dystopia #thriller #supernatural #dark #fantasy #romance #teen #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-01T17:50:26+00:00">Jul 1, 2016 at 10:50am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Thanks for voting! The results came in with a clear winner at 71.4%, so I’m moving forward with <strong>Blind the Eyes</strong> as the title, but keeping <strong>Gold</strong> as the webpage and series title (possibly ‘Gold & Silver’ as the series).</p>
Day 1142016-06-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/30/Day-114<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSwlQagQEi/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#colonial drinking #chocolate and a #princess book, because nothing screams #hotcocoa like a sunny day in June... Note: bizarre drink is from #fortyork in Toronto, because apparently they had a thing for making drinks out of spiced chocolate sticks... #wrongseason #ya #yabooks #fantasy #fairytail #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-30T21:06:51+00:00">Jun 30, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I may be speeding through the rewrites a little too much, but I really need to get this out to Beta readers… I’m thinking tomorrow… July 1 is such a nice, tidy, memorable date. Been messing around with some concept cover art, and my latest plan is to release the beta copies in 5-chapter (or 10?) sets, each with a different cover mockup, as PDF and ebook editions. Starting tomorrow. To all, like, three beta readers I have pinned down so far… That’s assuming that I get anything done tomorrow; it’s kind of a holiday and all, and there’s been a fraction more freelance work lately, as well as some job stuff that I should seriously consider, so there’s that… Forecasting-wise, I’m starting Chapter 26 of ~50 today, so at a rate of about 5 chapters a day, which I’ve been mostly managing, I should be able to finish that part by the end of next week at the latest, and start to get feedback from beta readers before I leave. It’s not where I’d hoped to be at this stage in the game, but it’s at least a decent point to pause at.</p>
<p>Realizing more and more that I really need to track down a better network to build up a following; so far I can count on a couple family members, and maybe a couple friends to care, which is nice and all, but won’t cut it. However, I also don’t have a lot of ‘content’ or shareable, appealing/valuable material to attract attention with. 10 barely-edited chapters, some weak cover mockups, and a few totally unreviewed, embarrassing old stories. Oh, and trivia from my life, which makes for neither stunning photos, nor fascinating reading. At (near) 30, I’m already starting to feel like I’m aging out of being a social-media native; after seeing kids’ amazing Tumblr and Instagram book blogs, I’m pretty horrified at my own capacity. Of course, some would say that makes a stronger case for making the most amazing story ever, since it’s the <em>only</em> way anyone will care about what you’re doing. Which is fair; but I can’t quite bring myself to take that leap and drop the marketing/self-promotion angle…</p>
<p>Anyways, got a ton to do today, and managed to waste most of the day already, so I’ll get right down to it before the caffeine pill kicks in!
Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:00 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: Colonial drinking chocolate… of course, with whiskey. Who would want to drink plain chocolate? That’s just gross…</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Thrice’s <a href="https://play.spotify.com/album/4hFDcpvIU9F4OleRAR9nNZ" target="_blank">new album</a></p>
Day 1132016-06-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/29/Day-113<p>Set up this journal as a reblog-series to Tumblr; so far I have one follower, lol. But one of my Instagram posts went micro-viral yesterday (30+ likes and a couple follows; big progress for me so far!), so there’s that. Unfortunately, the post was travel-related, rather than having anything to do with my ‘author’ identity, and almost certainly did well based on the hashtags alone, but something, in this case, is definitely better than nothing. I’m told that less extreme use of filters and enhancements would be a smart move as well (lol.) Between one thing and another, I’ve actually scored a few website page views too; mostly from Facebook. So from the first few weeks of intentional social marketing, I’m finding that Instagram is a good way to create content, but not a particularly useful networking platform, Twitter basically doesn’t care, and Facebook has low-level but high-value interaction for an existing audience. Tumblr, so far, also doesn’t care, but I’m switching the content strategy to involve more blog content and not just commented photos, which will hopefully boost that avenue. I need a platform with higher discoverability; thinking about serializing the draft on Wattpad (need to look into whether that can be undone and what it means for rights) in order to drum up interest, or at least start to get feedback.</p>
<p>In other news, ‘Blind the eyes’ is in the lead with 5 votes to 2 so far (lol), and since I’m also leaning in that direction, I’ll try to find time to clean up the cover mockup and release it to announce the winner this week. As Beta Reader Kevin Epp pointed out, Gold (Probably Gold & Silver) have some potential as a series name instead. From a marketing standpoint, although I love the simplicity and conciseness of one-word sequence titling for series and clean-edged graphic art for covers, I may be able to get more mileage and attract the right audience by working as much as I can into the title and cover art. Some positive feedback on the cover blurb was a pleasant surprise too; maybe I can do some sort of combined graphic post with the cover draft and the blurb to get link backs and generate more interest? Still not entirely sure the blurb represents the story (or the tagging, but I can’t bring myself to call it a dystopian supernatural romance, so I’ll keep sticking thriller on at the end for now, even thought it doesn’t totally fit). It’s weirdly hard to have perspective and good judgement; by the end of the first draft, I had serious concerns about the plot integrity of the whole thing. Now ~20 chapters in to rewrites, it’s actually holding up… not terribly, anyways. Success! But yeah, already bracing myself for the kick in the stomach that Beta readers will inevitably need to administer. If I get indignant over less than thrilled feedback from 100word freelancing throwaways, I can’t imagine how I’ll take feedback on something of this magnitude…</p>
<p>Also trying to figure out the best way to launch Beta copies. Hardbound and mailed? Epub or PDF with instructions on how to open in digital readers and markup? Word format, with markup? The general consensus seems to be that it’s hardly worth anyone else’s trouble to mess with your creative work, so security and privacy aren’t really the issue… But maybe I should work on building out a more robust website or mailer section on how to beta read? And of course, I should really get around to setting up a mailing list… and then creating content for it… euugh. What would be super cool from a coding standpoint, is to build out a markup-ready text where users could comment out specific sections, publicly or privately, in the browser. I think someone on Medium’s already doing this… but that’s also kind of crummy for the beta readers to have to read in the browser, and really the experience for them should be as seamless as possible… so maybe I should just invest some time in getting the draft into epub format and launch with that for now.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: cardamom water</p>
Day 1122016-06-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/28/Day-112<p>Set up a poll yesterday for the titles; so far ‘Blind the eyes’ is in the lead with 75% of the vote… on three votes, lol. So clearly I’ve got work to do extending my reach… also threw together a cover mockup based on a concept I’ve been playing with. Wanted something simple and graphic, using a niqab-inspired silhouette. I’d been thinking of using Ravel as the cover model, b/c the gold eyes would pop + target female audience, but after thinking it through, that didn’t really make any kind of sense. Ravel would better be shown in full Freedom regalia; as madly exotic as possible. So I went with Cole, and it looks pretty cool… but also (unsurprisingly, in hindsight), way more middle eastern than I intended, or really makes sense. So I guess I should introduce more sparkles & skin… But actually, I’m pretty pleased with the mockup quality, given that I threw it together using watermarked composite photos and in less than an hour. Maybe I can get away with making my own cover? Although, there’s a guy I follow on Instagram that does pro-quality cover art for $5-6K that I should probably spring for instead, especially if I can’t get away with the simple, graphic-look design. I’ve got some basic Photoshope/AdobeCS skills, but nothing fancy, and no real artistic eye.</p>
<p>Frustrating myself with piddling freelance projects again today; some sort of test-section, but it’s under 100 words and heavily industry-specific. Maybe it’ll lead to a heap more work, but in the past this sort of thing has proven to be more of a time-waste than anything else. The rates are fine if I can sail through, but if too much research or endless rewrites are needed, it ends up being far less than minimum wage. Boo. Also, it distracts and takes away from working on this!</p>
<p>Realized I painted myself into a corner yesterday with that new section of backstory for Itri. Dropping his sword in the underground Skytrain tunnel was dramatic and all, but now it makes no sense every time I write him skewering monsters with it… I happen to like swords and other bladed weapons, but they do come off as a little old school for this story anyways, so maybe he’s better off with the knives? Sigh. More rewrites. Would love to start sharing the story around more openly and getting feedback, but every time I move forward, there are more details to be fixed at the beginning.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 1:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Travel Planning2016-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//adventure/2016/06/27/Travel-Planning<p>So this is one of the places where my crazy shows. Partly, it’s that I honestly enjoy the research and the (laborious) process of getting to know a place before I go there, but partly it’s just that my capacity for vividly imagining everything that can go wrong forces me to work out every detail in advance.</p>
<p>Also! As a control freak with an invariably cheap Scottish/Jewish/German heritage, I have to do (and double check, and document) every bit of the planning myself.</p>
<p>I’ve done a fair bit of looking into apps and sites to optimize the process, and really not come up with a lot that I’m impressed with. However, I’m all about the mobile and high-tech when it works. That said, here are my go-to solutions:</p>
<p>(This next bit is going to read like a fan letter to Google.)</p>
<p><strong>Best for Airtravel: <a href="https://www.google.ca/flights/" target="_blank">Google Flights</a></strong></p>
<p>Really. I’ve looked into all the supposed ‘deal’ options (kayak, expedia, skyscanner - which seems to be the next best thing - and several more.) They all fail to match the prices that come up using Google Flights search, which seems to do a much better job of scraping the internet for the best prices at any given time. Bonus: its search tools are (unsurprisingly) top notch.</p>
<p>For my upcoming trips, only a few of the flights needed to be on specific days, so clicking the date dropdown in Google Flights let me scan through two months’ worth of flights at a time in search of the best deals/days to fly on. Be aware; prices fluctuate throughout the day and week, so it pays to keep checking back.</p>
<p>For the remaining segments of the trip, I had specific dates in mind, but some flexibility in destination. No problem: switch to map view and check out flight costs from your starting location to any other point. Brilliant!</p>
<p>Honourable mention in this category goes to Skyscanner: their search tools are pretty comparable, but their prices were just a little bit higher.</p>
<p><strong>Best for Accommodation: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a></strong>
It was either Airbnb it or go the hostel route; hotels were ridiculous. Again, did a pretty complete vetting of ‘deals’ sites (Booking, Trivago, Expedia etc.) Airbnb offers some better pricing, and a lot more character. I’ve never tried it before; fingers-crossed that it works out well! Will report back after with reviews.</p>
<p>We did cave in the end and go for a hotel in one destination, and a student accommodation in another; both were found using <a href="http://booking.com" target="_blank">Booking.com</a>, but the list prices on the hotel website was better, so we ended up booking direct in both cases. If anyone has a super hotel deals website that they can recommend, I’d love to hear it. Used to get great deals a few years ago (ok, more like a decade ago…), but it was pretty unimpressive out there this time round.</p>
<p><strong>Best for Itinerary: Google Maps + Apple’s Notes app with iCloud</strong>
You can make custom maps in Google. It’s awesome. I’ve done this for apartment hunting (numbered so I can hit as many in an area as possible), and even freelanced making these for people that aren’t anal enough to do it themselves.</p>
<p>I like to start by researching and pinning absolutely everything I might want to see in and around the place I’m going. You can save custom notes to each destination pin: I keep quick notes, hours and ticket costs, links to reviews or attraction websites, and confirmation/contact numbers in this space. The ‘pin’ on the map can easily be set to a relevant icon, which lets me know if the museum:pub ratio in any given city has been properly allotted.</p>
<p>Of course, significant points like airport/train station/accommodation etc. can be pinned and marked as such, making it easy to navigate.</p>
<p>As the trip approaches, I’ll sometimes trim down the pins, narrowing down the areas that it will be possible to reach, or weeding out less exciting attractions, but having it all there lets me be more flexible when I’m on the road.</p>
<p>The best part is, open the Google map on your phone/tablet, and you can use it to navigate in real time. Instead of creating a step-by-step, attraction-by-attraction itinerary, you can hang out in an area and take in whatever you have the time and inclination for. And, since you put in the opening hours of each pinned location, you won’t waste time walking to things that aren’t open…</p>
<p>Of course, that’s still waaaay too chill and easy for me, so I have to timeline it all out with every possible detail, confirmation number, and backup transit route. Enter Apple Notes! This is kind of cheating, because really it’s Google notes in the Apple app on iCloud, but whatever. Point is, it’s a plain-text format that follows me from my laptop to my iPad and back again, so every detail I could possibly need is at my fingertips on the road (and can be edited as needed.) I find this step particularly helpful, since there can be a lot of ‘oops’ moments in travel if you haven’t timelined and plotted your steps thoroughly. You know, buses that don’t run on Sundays or aren’t on schedule, attractions that happen to be closed that day, flights that are too far across town to reach without a backup transportation route…</p>
<p><img class="img-thumbnail" src="https://cdn3.f-cdn.com//files/download/32429423/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-24%20at%2011.14.58%20AM.png" alt="Responsive Google Map" /></p>
<p><strong>Best for Budgeting: Google Sheets</strong>
OK, there’s probably a great app out there for this, but I figured I could do just as well with this online, shareable Excel-lite. Since I’m traveling with a friend, getting the numbers down is a must, but of course it’s good practice to do for solo travel as well (despite the cringe factor!) In addition to being free and browser-based so there’s no system incompatibility, a Google Sheets spreadsheet can be shared for tandem-input and real-time collaboration. It’ll also do most of the fancy calculation stuff that you might need; I find I don’t use much more than addition and multiplication, but… it’s easy, flexible, mobile and shareable. Use it. Love it.</p>
<p><strong>Best for Financing: <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/cobrandcard/marketing.html" target="_blank">Amazon (Chase) Visa</a></strong>
My reasons for choosing the Amazon Visa were simple: easy to get, no annual fees, no foreign transaction fees. There are almost certainly better travel cards out there for collecting points (this has a simple cash back), insurance and other perks, but I wasn’t willing to pay for the card or jump through any hoops. It’s a simple, all-online application; they mail the card within about three weeks, so plan ahead. The limits are notoriously low; get around this by topping it up ahead of your trip, or checking and paying it off regularly. It does take a few days for payments to go through, in my experience, so I’d go with putting a few thousand on it ahead of time… But I’ve been loving the no-foreign-transaction-fee feature! Great for online shopping too.</p>
<p>Coming soon! Travel product recommendations, and an in depth look at using Google Maps for customized itineraries + a no-holds-barred budget!</p>
Preview Gold2016-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//2016/06/27/Preview-Gold<p>Special 10 chapter preview of <strong>Blind the Eyes</strong>, the first novel in YA/Teen supernatural fantasy thriller series <strong>Gold & Silver</strong>.</p>
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<h3 id="chapter-1-trouble">Chapter 1: Trouble</h3>
<h4 id="cole">Cole</h4>
<p>Cadence speaks. Only I hear.</p>
<p>It’s ok though. I know she’s not a Dream. Not a wish. Not a daydream, ambition, or hope. That would be dangerous. But a girl who speaks only to me? That’s perfectly within regulation.</p>
<p>Following holy Tower regulation is the way to a long and safe life.</p>
<p>I don’t know where Cadence came from. I think she’s always been with me. She might be my friend (but she’s kind of a pest). She speaks when I don’t. Or won’t. Or can’t.</p>
<p>Like right now.</p>
<p>Technician Supervisor Kistr is chewing me out.</p>
<p>Publicly.</p>
<p>Slowly.</p>
<p>“Dispassionately.” Supplies Cadence, flitting just outside of my sight.</p>
<p>I resist the temptation to turn my head. The most I ever catch of her is a faint, pale flash as she ducks behind me. A private game of hers, no doubt. She’s always up to something, and somehow, always gets away with it.</p>
<p>“As evidenced by the droning voice and glazed expression.” Cadence continues, making a rude noise in my ear, and dissolving into peals of laughter.</p>
<p>It makes it hard to hear Supervisor Kistr as he warms to his task.</p>
<p>Cadence is wrong. Dispassionate is the opposite of the small man at the front of the room. Deliberate words filter past Kistr’s mask with exacting focus. Only the slightest tremble in his precise tones betrays him. That, and the dampness of his bulging eyes, his gaze elevated to another plane. They shine wetly with unseemly pleasure as he expounds on my sins.</p>
<p>Which is fine. Formal reprimands are to be expected - at least it’s not Retraining. It’s regulation. It’s for my own good.</p>
<p>I lack focus. I show signs of ambition - and worse - imagination. My youth is no excuse. Tower Injunction No. 3: An idle mind draws down destruction. I am a disease that poisons the group.</p>
<p>It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. Accusations that have followed me since that day on the Training Floor.</p>
<p>Such a small thing, a moment’s lapse in concentration, as we recited the holy Tower Regulation.</p>
<p>I wasn’t resisting, when I said that Cadence had distracted me. She had been singing, something silly, nonsensical, but it had been enough to make my words falter, my voice dip in the chorused recitation.</p>
<p>It was all her fault.</p>
<p>When I said as much, everything went wrong. I was yanked from the trainee cohort and reassigned to Retraining.</p>
<p>I’m not ever going back.</p>
<p>“Yup. That place was no fun at all,” Cadence says. “Sooo boring! And all those grownups? …hang on, isn’t it just. like. here? Despaiiiiir~”</p>
<p>I shift my shoulders, suppressing the futile, but tempting, urge to swat her away.</p>
<p>Supervisor Kistr narrows his eyes at me and raises his tone as he continues. The words productivity and regulation figure largely in his speech.</p>
<p>“Betcha he’s bald under his fancy-schmancy hood, Mr. Grumpypants” Cadence breaks in, snickering. “Despaiiiir~ no haiiiir~ despaiiiirrrr~”</p>
<p>Cadence singsongs with great dynamic range directly into my ear, making me burn to give her a good kick. My legs are getting sore from standing, knees locked, and I desperately want to shift my weight, but don’t quite dare. To make things worse, the bottoms on this latest uniform are too loose. They’re edging past my hipbones, one anxiety-spurring inch at a time.</p>
<p>I squirm, ever so slightly, and get a warning glare from Kistr, who is coming up on the end of his rant, if past experience has anything to say about it.</p>
<p>I sigh, but carefully, so that my mask doesn’t flutter up and betray my frustration. I taste the sharp tang of blood, from biting my tongue to keep it still. Meanwhile, Cadence is losing interest in her little song. She now seems to be occupied with sucking the words in and out in a sort of humming sigh that it sounds like: (in)”~aaaAAAEEEiiirrrr~”(out)”~rrrRRRRRrrreeaa~”</p>
<p>On repeat.</p>
<p>No one ever blames Cadence, exasperating pest that she is, just me.</p>
<p>Always me.</p>
<p>So I do my best to ignore that little troublemaker. But she’s relentless, whispering and teasing and laughing, always dashing just out of sight when I try to catch her out. And maybe it’s my fault after all; everyone else seems to be able to ignore her just fine. Not that she ever seems to go off and bother them.</p>
<p>It’s unfair, the way I catch all the blame. Like right now.</p>
<p>“…complete an additional two segments H-and-R. Daily.” Supervisor Kistr is finishing up.</p>
<p>I frown under my mask, careful to keep the upper half of my face blank so he won’t notice and increase my sentence for insolence. Whenever I resist, it’s ‘insolence’. Because of my ‘youth’. It’s definitely not because he’s a nitpicky old bully.</p>
<p>I’m sure Kistr’s well aware that I’m not a fan of the health and rec programming; he’ll have scoured my stats for the best punishment. Sorry, ‘remediation plan.’ Well, whatever. It’s not like there’s really any better way to spend time.</p>
<p>I suppress another eye roll. My effort is in vain; Kistr raises an eyebrow, seeming to see past my mask to the dissatisfied twist beneath. His eyes crinkle at the edges.</p>
<p>“Also, a nutrition increase of 15%.” He finishes, trails of moisture seeping from his eyes as his cheeks threaten to engulf them, with a grin so wide it escapes the upper edge of his mask. The effect is unpleasant, but not nearly so much as his punishment.</p>
<p>“Hah! You’re just a kid, of course you should get more!” Cadence snorts.</p>
<p>I stifle a shudder and ignore her. She’s not the one who’ll have to choke down an extra slurp of that dense, flavourless muck every morning and night. Although, on the bright side, every time they increase my nutrition allotment, it seems to dull her voice, at least temporarily.</p>
<p>I stiffen my back and let my eyes drift partway closed, making a conscious effort to look old, or at least older, and world-weary, as Supervisor Kistr eyes me. I make no response to his sentence. I am not expected to (although, I’m sure he’d have appreciated a little bow, or a few tears).</p>
<p>Cadence’s word irritates me, a not unwelcome distraction from Kistr’s beady-eyed inspection. Kid. It’s offensive - even more so than the supervisor’s frequent references to my youth, always with emphasis. Yet another failing, a shameful, inescapable uniqueness. I am the youngest in the room, by far.</p>
<p>The youngest to leave training (or rather, retraining), the youngest to join the workers, or so Cadence claims.</p>
<p>She says seventeen. I don’t know how she’d know; the Tower doesn’t record ages. Just roles. Trainee. Worker. Supervisor. Senior.</p>
<p>But it’s obvious I’m the youngest; I keep growing. My ankles and wrists jut scandalously past the wide sleeves and loose pants of my uniform. Exposed flesh is also against regulation, not that that gets me new uniforms any more often. I have to work at wearing mine out fast, so they can be replaced. Though I’m clumsy enough that I don’t have to work hard at it.</p>
<p>I’m on my fourth set of uniforms since leaving training. The gold band of protection at my forehead and the printed ID code on my back and chest haven’t even had a chance to wear and dull on this one. On many of my coworker’s uniforms, the band is worn so thin and dull that it scarcely stands out against the neutral beigey drabness of our uniforms, and the ID codes are wrinkled and flaking, not like my shiny black print.</p>
<p>No one else grows and changes here but me.</p>
<p>I have been a digital technician, a full Worker, for fourteen months. I spent only four months in training, and another two years in retraining, absorbing holy Tower Regulation and learning my Skill with machines.</p>
<p>Before that, I don’t remember. But I do know that people have been in training for up to six years, and have even been sent back, if their Skill or ability to follow Regulation is weak.</p>
<p>I don’t want to go back.</p>
<p>I was already taller than most of the others when I started on the training floor. My arms and legs are stretched by it, aching and bony, making me even thinner than the others, making it hard to move. You can see through the dusty tan - another mark of shame - of my stretched skin to deeper colours underneath, all shadows and movement. My hair grows faster too, passing Regulation length between trims, prickling around my ears and poking out the eye-opening of my uniform in violation of Regulation. Of course, it’s too dark as well, making the length even more noticeable, inky in contrast against the paler tone of my skin and against the bland uniform hood.</p>
<p>It started with kids. Trainees don’t know not to talk at the beginning. The others said I must have been forgotten by the Growers and left too long. Overbaked, singed, burnt around the edges, my skin and hair too full of colour, not even close to Tower-approved ashy paleness. Well, I wasn’t the only one that wasn’t perfectly pale.</p>
<p>The real trouble was my size. Where the others were half my height, or less, they were also faster and more coordinated. In their high whispers, they said I’d been grown wrong, dark and stretched and oversized.</p>
<p>Cadence said no, I was just meant to be this way. She said tall is better anyways, for climbing trees and stuff. Whatever that means.</p>
<p>She said other things too, but I knew better than to repeat them. She tells so many strange stories and uses so many funny words and pretends to know so many things, and I never know when she’s making something up. Like trees. And climbing. And kids.</p>
<p>My favourite story is weather; I try to imagine what she means, and sometimes even achieve faint images with Cadence’s help: rain like a shower that covers the whole ceiling, sun brighter than the brightest lamp. Wind is mystifying, though, and snow, that rarest of phenomenon…</p>
<p>But this part of me is wrong too, the part that wonders, the weak, unfocused part that is tempted to listen to Cadence’s ridiculous fantasies. The part that is fooled into seeing things that aren’t there, flashes of a place that is not the Tower.</p>
<p>So maybe there’s a Grower somewhere on the Training Floor that got sent back to retraining for negligence. As they should have been, for such a monumental failure.</p>
<p>It is not good to stand out.</p>
<p>Cadence says she loves not being the same, which is ridiculous.</p>
<p>If it weren’t for the Growers’ mistake, I would have been perfect. As it is, everything about me is too much, no matter how careful I am. Too tall. Too bony. Too dark. Too long. Too clumsy.</p>
<p>Too imaginative.</p>
<p>I would not be different from the others if I had the choice.</p>
<p>Being different is dangerous. Being different causes reprimands, and other nasty things.</p>
<p>Being different brings death.</p>
<p>“Liiiiieessss,” Cadence whispers, then chuckles, distracted by a new rhyme, which she proceeds to sing repeatedly: “No skyyyys just liiiies mad eyyyyes hates surpriiiiise~esss~~”</p>
<p>Supervisor Kistr wraps up his reprimand with a group chorus of holy Tower Regulation, watching me the whole time. After, I am allowed to sit.</p>
<p>I move too fast, eager to change position, and bump my thigh against the arm of my chair with a clatter. The skin burns, and I know it will bruise bright, invisible patterns under my uniform. Great. Even darker, more colourful skin.</p>
<p>The reprimand this time had been longer than usual. My screen has gone blank, and I tap the terminal to wake it. This prompts a sharp look from Supervisor Kistr.</p>
<p>Productivity. Right.</p>
<p>I shift uncomfortably, feeling the rasp of the sturdy seat covering through the folds of my uniform. A wheel squeaks, high and thin, and I freeze guiltily.</p>
<p>It’s not that I don’t get it. Everything, even my dull work, can disrupt the fragile balance that the Tower so carefully preserves. My own mind or someone else’s could be compromised, the briefest hint of ambition to compete, an unguarded moment, the merest spark of imagination could prove the opening needed for a Dream to take control. And then it all ends.</p>
<p>I do know obedience to regulation is the only way. Tower Injunction No. 2: A controlled mind is holy. Work, or any activity, really, takes second precedence to maintaining stability.</p>
<p>It’s just, if the screen goes blank, it takes on the same drab hues as the rest of the console. And the chair. And the walls. Floor. Ceiling. Uniforms. Even, for many of us, skin tone. The gold net embedded in the light fixtures casts everything in a smudge of pale, muddy yellow. It all swims together, making me feel sick.</p>
<p>Hate is dangerous. Hate is not stable. Hate is a wish for change. A wish can disrupt the balance.</p>
<p>So I do not hate the blank screen. I simply avoid it as much as possible. I do not wish to work more, or faster, or harder than anyone else. I just do not let the screen go blank.</p>
<p>“Stupid screen,” Cadence says. “Stupid beige. Stupid gold. Stupid uniform. Stupid pasty people. Stupid work. Stupid stupid stupid.”</p>
<p>I flinch. I can sense Cadence’s eyes rolling. She openly hates the beige drabness of our world, and loves tempting me to go along with her. I don’t know how she gets away with it.</p>
<p>Cadence is grumbling in my ear: “Garbage-for-brains picking on you again. Not like he ever gets anything done, hiding out in his lame office. What gives him the right?! We should just walk out of here. What would he do then, huh? I bet even a Dream wouldn’t bother with him. No imagination at all!”</p>
<p>Cadence fumes for a few minutes, while I enjoy the silence. I can almost feel the air shift as she changes tack.</p>
<p>“We could take off right now. Go to the health centre. Or the recreation centre. He wouldn’t even notice, not that rule-bound twit.” She wheedles, bored and looking for a reaction.</p>
<p>Cadence keeps grumbling in the background as I type, only half listening to her.</p>
<p>I could leave. Kistr has gone back to his shielded office, and unless a reprimand is triggered, he won’t bother with me again today. No one else will care. But I have no great love for the health or recreation assignments, where the activities are nearly as mind-numbing as the work we are assigned to. I do not care to return to my room simply to sleep and find temporary freedom from the boredom. I can’t be bothered to leave my desk, much less abandon work and go.</p>
<p>“Play hooky.” Cadence chants, delighted with her latest nonsense word.</p>
<p>I rub hard between my eyes, sighing. Cadence is relentlessly loud and talkative and smug. I don’t know anyone else like her.</p>
<p>Although, I don’t actually know anyone else. That would be against Regulation.</p>
<p>An alert takes over my screen: time for a hydration break.</p>
<p>I sigh again, consider dismissing the alert, push away from my desk and stand, looking towards the hydration console at the far corner of the room.</p>
<p>There are people standing there.</p>
<p>At this distance, I can’t hear voices, but their heads are bent together. I shiver, repulsed.</p>
<p>Conversation.</p>
<p>Socialization.</p>
<p>Close contact with others violates Regulation and risks weakening the mind. Interpersonal relationships are to be avoided. (Cadence doesn’t count; she’s impossible to avoid. Trust me, I’ve tried.)</p>
<p>I look around, swallowing hard. No one else seems to be aware of this violation of Regulation. Even Cadence is silent, for once.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, I slip my hand into my hood and through my hair, scrubbing through the too-long mat of it, adjusting the drape of my mask to cover the strands better. The motion is calming; it clears my mind.</p>
<p>It’s OK. I don’t have to interact. I’ll just get my drink, finish up as quickly as possible, and get back to my console.</p>
<p>I eye the small crowd as I approach, a little breathless. Cadence is still chanting in the background. She doesn’t seem aware of how wrong it all is.</p>
<p>Four of them. Three men and - could it be? - one woman.</p>
<p>There are so few other women in the Tower, and such close contact with them is most definitely against Regulation.</p>
<p>Two of the men and the woman are standard Tower stock, small, pale and colourless, fading against the bland walls so that it feels like I could see through them if I looked hard enough. Even their eyes are pale.</p>
<p>The other is different.</p>
<p>He’s tall, maybe taller than me, even. It’s rare, but not unheard of.</p>
<p>That’s not what stills my steps and makes me stare.</p>
<p>“No. Way.” Cole breathes.</p>
<p>I agree. I’ve never seen anything like him.</p>
<p>Black hair curls out the opening around his eyes, long and dark, improbably catching the light and reflecting back glistening purple-blue highlights. His eyes are subtly tilted and bright gold - as gold and shimmering as the smooth band around his head. I didn’t know human eyes came in that shade. The exposed skin above his mask glows with a soft golden warmth that stands out in sharp contrast to his hood and mask.</p>
<p>I’ve seen tinges of colour to skin before, my own dusty-looking shade included, but never a deep, rich colour like his. And those eyes, lit from within, but dark at the same time; an endless pool of shining.</p>
<p>Gold.</p>
<p>The colour of protection.</p>
<p>Safety.</p>
<p>Maybe that’s why he dares to stand so close to that woman, looking down at her with bright eyes, arms almost touching. Could it be why the others all lean in close, closer than I’d ever seen anyone get to another person, since my time with those stupid kids on the Training floor?</p>
<p>He draws them to him, like gravity, like a magnet, his pull natural and right.</p>
<p>“Cole!” Cadence gasps, and I stumble, catch myself, glance up to meet the eyes of the golden man.</p>
<p>He is - they are - staring at me now, just a few feet away. I had been heading right towards the small group, drawn in unawares.</p>
<p>“Are you all right, Cole?” The golden man asks. His voice is liquid, deep and rich and smooth. I feel a spreading warmth that rushes from the pit of my stomach to heat my face.</p>
<p>He has no reason to know my ID. Did Kistr use my ID during the reprimand? How could he know?</p>
<p>My thoughts are scattered, memories distant behind the racing of my pulse, thundering in my ears, throbbing in my cheeks.</p>
<p>His bright-dark gaze draws mine irresistibly, his eyes upturned and fringed by long, dark lashes under a bold browline. I have to look up a little to meet it, tilting my head back.</p>
<p>He smiles slowly, creasing around the eyes, a softening and sharpening all at once.</p>
<p>It’s hard to breathe.</p>
<p>I blink, and the spell is broken.</p>
<p>He should not have spoken to me. It’s against Regulation.</p>
<p>I nod to him and the group, a brittle jerk of the head, all the while looking hard at the seam where the floor angles into the pale walls, and edge around them towards the hydration console.</p>
<p>“Would you like to join us, Cole?” The man invites.</p>
<p>Cadence sucks in a quick breath.</p>
<p>I almost make the mistake of looking up again, drawn by the warmth in his voice. You can hear the gold in it, a soft, glowy weight.</p>
<p>No. He shouldn’t be talking. He shouldn’t know my name. This is against regulation. It’s not right.</p>
<p>It’s not safe.</p>
<p>I shake my head, staring at the wall, resisting the pull. I can see his smile out of the corner of my eye, as he turns back to his group.</p>
<p>“He’s no joke, that one!” Cadence whispers in my ear, shivering. “Ravelwan is something else. You know he’s a transfer? Not even from this Tower! Bad news.”</p>
<p>Ravelwan? A series ID? There are more like him? …and how does Cadence know about him, anyways?</p>
<p>He’s speaking to the group in hushed tones, and I can’t help but hear as I pretend to study the hydration console’s display. My ears tingle, drinking in that voice, my head hot, skin beneath my mask flushed.</p>
<p>“…at the East stairwell…” He’s saying. “No, that’s too early. 10:30. It’ll be quiet by then.”</p>
<p>“I miss winter,” The woman pouts. “No one leaves their room after six or so; we could have all night at the club!”</p>
<p>Winter? The club?</p>
<p>The words don’t make any sense. Cadence refuses to explain, pouting. She wants to go, forget the consequences.</p>
<p>“Leave it alone. I’ll tell you later.” Cadence says. “Get your drink and get back to your station. Better yet, just skip the stupid drink.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that hatch across from the elevators. What do you mean you’ve never gone that way? How do you usually get out?” One of the pale men is laughing at the other, while the golden man - Ravelwan - and the pouting woman whisper together.</p>
<p>Cadence drops silent at the word “out”, tensing, distracted.</p>
<p>“A way out…” She gasps the words, breathless.</p>
<p>That’s bad sign. It usually is, when Cadence shows an interest in something. Bad for me, anyways.</p>
<p>I feel a weight on my shoulder. Heavy, warm.</p>
<p>I stare, horrified, amazed, at the golden hand gripping my shoulder, the fabric of his uniform spilling back from scandalously exposed flesh, no glove. I am suddenly conscious of an enormous warmth radiating against my back, a slight breeze stirring the edge of my hood.</p>
<p>I am frozen. Immobile. Inanimate.</p>
<p>Cole, for once, is just as horrified as I am.</p>
<p>My heart has surely stopped beating. My blood is pooled somewhere in my feet, vast distances away from my head.</p>
<p>“Join us sometime, little flame.” He breathes in my ear.</p>
<p>Ravelwan.</p>
<p>Why…?</p>
<p>The bright hand moves to my collar, scratching at the border where the drape of my mask falls loose and the bottom half of my hood hangs over the neckline of my shirt, slipping something inside with a soft crackling so that it is pinned between my clammy skin and the light fabric.</p>
<p>I don’t dare move a muscle as the warmth fades from my back. The blood that was pooled around my toes is shooting up all at once to heat my face, flushing my skin and drowning my thoughts. The rushing sound of it drowns out Cadence’s voice, muting the stream of what she calls ‘rude’ words.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if she’s scared or angry. I’m not sure if I am either. Or something else entirely.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, the only thing I can do is move, and I must move. No drink, no desk, no work.</p>
<p>How can I go back to my console, sit, focus on a screen? For hours more?</p>
<p>Without even processing the decision, my feet are taking me to the exit. To the corridor. The elevator.</p>
<p>I glance at the wall across from the elevator, at the faintest seam outlining a large square area that starts at knee height and climbs to the level of my shoulders.</p>
<p>How many times had I walked past it, not interested, unaware.</p>
<p>“The way out?” Cadence says.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that tone from her before. It’s a tone that sometimes creeps into her stories, the ones that start with “In the time before..”</p>
<p>We eye the seamed wall together, tracing the lines one by one, as if we can unlock it with our gaze.</p>
<p>Regulation forbids it.</p>
<p>But… The idea that there truly could be something more… More than the Training Floor, the work room and the personal rooms. More than programmed, mandated activity and health cycles, bland nutrition allotments, sleep, work.</p>
<p>A place where the threat of consequences wouldn’t be constantly pricking at the back of my mind.</p>
<p>Something new. Something unexpected. Like Cadence’s stories. What if they were real? What if even a fraction of the things in her stories could be found, just beyond that opening?</p>
<p>I reach for the hatch.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-2-hatch">Chapter 2: Hatch</h3>
<h4 id="cole-1">Cole</h4>
<p>The elevator door hisses open behind me, and with it, all the air whooshes from my body.
I gasp, head spinning, and snatch my hand back from the seam of the shoulder-height hatch. Cadence lets out a choked sound. It might be a sob.</p>
<p>A guard slumps in the elevator, his heavy, dark uniform rumpled. He’s eyeing me with a glazed expression, too much skin showing around his cheeks, as his mask hangs askew. A small woman marked with the 3-8 code of a care worker huddles in a corner, as far from the guard as possible.</p>
<p>It takes a focused effort to shutter my gaze, to slump and turn, casual, nothing to see here. No reason to take note.</p>
<p>I suppress a shiver and step into the elevator, selecting my floor from the lighted pad and holding position near the door. Floor 3 is highlighted. The Guard is taking the woman down for assessment. And then, probably, retraining. My teeth creak from the effort of holding back another shiver, every muscle tensing.</p>
<p>What was I thinking?</p>
<p>There is the Tower and nothing else. Only death.</p>
<p>Regulation protects us. The Tower protects us.</p>
<p>I am careful to avoid the disinterested gaze of the guard, as the elevator carries me down to my room. His breath rasps loud and slow in the confined space, a heavy, careless counterpoint to the woman’s light, fast gasps.</p>
<p>She is afraid, and therefore dangerous. The guard should have locked the elevator for a direct run. I can’t believe he was so careless as to let an innocent Worker on. Unless he didn’t think I was innocent…</p>
<p>No. It’s nothing to do with me. Stay calm. Almost there…</p>
<p>When I reach my floor, it’s a relief to hear the doors slide shut behind me, closing the danger safely away. I feel less safe when the outline of a large square catches my eye. A seamed hatch faces the elevator on this floor too, a match to the one I’d just left behind. I blink quickly, turn away, hoping Cadence won’t notice.</p>
<p>That was too close, that moment in the hall. I had been having… was it a dream? An ambition? A hope? A delusion, certainly. To think that I would even consider following those crazy people…</p>
<p>Whatever it was, it was not Regulation.</p>
<p>I am lucky to have the protection of the Tower shielding me. I will have to be more careful in the future.</p>
<p>I’ll be good; head back to the safety of my room, suck down my nutrition allotment and go to sleep early.</p>
<p>By tomorrow, I’ll be back on track.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The larger nutrition pack is turning my stomach.</p>
<p>Just the look of it, thick and milky, the same drab colour as everything else around here.</p>
<p>Drab floor. Drab health console. Drab recreation console. Drab walls, with drab spare uniform in its inset cupboards. Drab bed, when folded down from the wall.</p>
<p>I jab a straw in the clear plastic pack and raise it to my lips, stomach churning. Cadence makes gagging noises in my ear, revenge for, as she puts it, “chickening out” earlier.</p>
<p>“Mmmm,” She hums cheerily, “Sliiiimmme, nummmyyy sliiiimmme (gloop gloopy gloop).”</p>
<p>Then she retches noisily.</p>
<p>I tighten my grip on the nutrition pack. Gluey fluid spurts up the straw and into my face and hair, soaking my mask and plopping in goopy splotches onto my uniform, chilling my skin where it sticks. A sick-sweet stink rises from the stain.</p>
<p>Great.</p>
<p>Cadence laughs out loud.</p>
<p>I put down the pack on the floor where I’ve been sitting, back propped against the wall, and head to the sanitation closet.</p>
<p>Change of plans.</p>
<p>I’ll take a shower, then nutrition, then bed. The goop can wait.</p>
<p>Stripping off the now-sticky uniform top, I bundle it, along with my mask and the too-big pair of pants, into the wash hatch. They’ll be cleaned automatically, although Section 2 would look them over for any repairs or replacement needed before returning them. Maybe I’ll get a new set of uniforms that fit this time.</p>
<p>I step into the shower, and it turns on, sensing my presence. Steamy water fills the air with a heavy mist, drumming down on my skin pleasantly. A sweetly-scented spray hisses out of dispensers at shoulder height.</p>
<p>“Tell me Storm,” I say to Cadence. She’s a pest, but she does have her uses. This is my favourite story, and I’m due a little indulgence after all she’s put me through today.</p>
<p>“The air electric, crackles on our skin,” She starts without protest, the words so familiar that I could recite them myself, though never with the special magic she adds. When Cadence tells a story, it’s as if I can see it. I shiver with forbidden anticipation.</p>
<p>“The wind rises, whipping our hair in every direction, and filling us, stretching our lungs near bursting. It tastes of salt and pine and we can’t get enough of it. The sky is filled with clouds, enormous and dark, but each distinct; dark grey shifting and racing with deep purples and flickering greens.</p>
<p>“Lightening snaps from within the clouds, and also inside us, and we want to yell and run and dance and sing and fly. There’s a fierceness in it, in us. The rain comes, cold and sweet, and the wind blows it sideways swirling, so that we breathe it in with every breath, feel it on our face and arms, dashing from every direction. Thunder rolls, distant and deep, and when dad laughs, we feel it in our knees where he holds us in place, strong against the wind and the storm.</p>
<p>“Wild child,” he says, laughing,”my wild one.” And we want to dance in the center of the storm forever.”</p>
<p>As her voice dies, the glorious madness of the storm rolls back. The fury of wind and rain fades into the warm deluge of the shower.</p>
<p>Exhausted, all of the sudden, empty, I sink down on the floor and lean my head on my knees, taking shallow breaths to avoid inhaling water. Wanting something. Just… wanting.</p>
<p>The steam swirls up around me, silvery-white in the light, the patterns mesmerizing; tiny clouds scudding alone in an empty sky.</p>
<p>My lashes drift down, obscuring the vision.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Cole…”</p>
<p>“Cole!”</p>
<p>Cadence is yelling at me from a great distance.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I care. I’m just so sleepy, and it’s so pleasant to stay here drowsing in the warm… downpour?</p>
<p>I pry open my eyes.</p>
<p>Huddled in a corner of the shower, hot water beats down on my head. My limbs are heavy, the air clogged with steam. The light seems so far away…</p>
<p>Cadence is still yelling, although I can only pick out my name from the roaring in my ears.</p>
<p>I flail at the door of the shower with one arm until the seal cracks and the stream of water shuts off.</p>
<p>I heave again, and manage to pour myself out across the threshold, sprawled with my head and shoulders against the cool, damp floor.</p>
<p>I’m suddenly nauseous, the spinning of the foggy air ponderously slow in my head.</p>
<p>The silvered light swirls and dances, and a light breeze raises the hair from my skin, deliciously cool. A wisp of gold entwines with the silver and I wander in the gilded paths of a distant land, a memory of warmth and light spiriting me away…</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>There is a great darkness. It is coming for me.</p>
<p>Silver flashes across my vision.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>I surface from the dream with a gasp, heart thudding in time with the pounding in my head.</p>
<p>My stomach is churning in counterpoint rhythm, threatening a slow climb to my throat in revenge.</p>
<p>It’s too bright. Too cold. I shiver, lying in a puddle on the hard floor.</p>
<p>Cadence is crying, great hiccuping sobs.</p>
<p>I feel bruised and stiff. The air is too thin, too empty.</p>
<p>I drag my arms in, intending to hold my head together, to keep it from bursting. Something crinkles under my hand.</p>
<p>Squinting through the throbbing pulse currently trying to eject my eyeballs from my skull, I examine the object. It’s damp and smudged, a folded bit of yellow paper, drying in ripples.</p>
<p>I crack the edges apart and peel it open. There are three lines of slanted text. The heavy ink is fuzzy, but still legible.</p>
<p>“You are meant for more. Join us.</p>
<p>10:30 pm. The door across from the elevators.</p>
<p>I’ll be waiting.</p>
<p>-Ravelwan”</p>
<p>Under his name is a scrawled device, a check mark? Or perhaps the letter V, flourished ends wrapping back across the note. It doesn’t mean anything to me.</p>
<p>Ravelwan.</p>
<p>The earlier events of the day wash over me, heating my skin.</p>
<p>The reprimand. The group, huddled together in conversation. The golden man, his touch, slipping something under my collar.</p>
<p>His note. His message.</p>
<p>To me.</p>
<p>I start to melt, and harden again in an instant.</p>
<p>Forbidden.</p>
<p>I must destroy it.</p>
<p>I suck in the cold, empty air, push up from the floor to lean against the cool wall, feeling my racing heart slow.</p>
<p>My fingers are icy. Water drips, drop by ponderous drop from the fixtures, condensation building, building and giving in, falling.</p>
<p>I focus on the sound, waiting, breathing in a gasp of relief with every rounded drop as it breaks finally against the floor. I pull my knees to my chest, wrap my arms around them for warmth.</p>
<p>Yes. Destroy it.</p>
<p>Regulation demands it. I am Digital Technician Cole 3-5. I am a Worker of Tower 3. I want to live; I must remain safe.</p>
<p>I will follow Regulation.</p>
<p>“Why?” Cadence’s voice is soft, and so very young, all of a sudden. So fragile. So alone.</p>
<p>My heart aches to hear it. I shake off the weakness, fighting for focus.</p>
<p>Why follow Regulation? To live safely. To live. Following Tower Regulation is the way to a long and safe life.</p>
<p>“Don’t do that!” Her voice is fierce now. “Don’t hide behind their training! Why do you want to live? Why do you want to be safe? What do you have here? What do you have that’s worth living for?”</p>
<p>I don’t know what to say to her. It’s a ridiculous question.</p>
<p>She gets like this sometimes, and I just can’t understand her. Why would I need something to live for?</p>
<p>Not dying. Not feeling pain. Being safe. That is my whole purpose. Our whole purpose.</p>
<p>The Tower’s purpose.</p>
<p>“There’s more.” Cadence says. “There can be more. Family. Friends. Beauty. Sensation. Pleasure. Love. Freedom.”</p>
<p>They lead to death. They are weakness. They invite destruction.</p>
<p>“No, they give meaning. Your life means nothing. Better to seek beauty in a dream and die than continue to live like this.”</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about beauty. I don’t care about freedom.</p>
<p>I don’t need love.</p>
<p>“Cole.” Her voice is pleading, broken. “We did, once.”</p>
<p>I’m done with this, this momentary weakness.</p>
<p>I will destroy this note.</p>
<p>I will dress, finish my nutrition allotment and go to bed.</p>
<p>Decided, I push up off the floor, fighting off a wash of nausea. I drop the note in the toilet and flush, hesitating hardly at all.</p>
<p>My stomach swirls with the paper as it circles the drain, shrinking and clenching in on itself.</p>
<p>It’s gone.</p>
<p>Taking a firm grip on myself, I leave the sanitation closet and pull out a change of clothes from the cabinet. I reach for the remaining nutrition allotment, and raise it to my lips, but lingering queasiness makes me shove it away.</p>
<p>Fine. I’ll just sleep it all off and get back on track tomorrow.</p>
<p>I lower the bed from its compartment in the wall, climb under the sheet and close my eyes. The light automatically shuts off after a few minutes.</p>
<p>“Cole…” Cadence prods in the darkness.</p>
<p>“Cole, you can’t just keep hiding. It’s time.”</p>
<p>I can ignore her. I can ignore all of it. I know what to do.</p>
<p>Follow regulation.</p>
<p>Don’t get involved.</p>
<p>But Cadence is persistent. She won’t give up either. Maybe I can put her off somehow, distract her. A moment’s thought, and it comes to me.</p>
<p>I pull up a clock on the display console beside the bed.</p>
<p>It’s only 9:30. It would be safe. Well within the protection of the Tower. But maybe enough of an adventure to get Cadence off my back.</p>
<p>“Yes. Just a little trip, Cole. You know I don’t really want anything to do with that Ravelwan anyways. Let’s go on our own.” Cadence is eager now, hopeful.</p>
<p>Dangerous.</p>
<p>But I’ll be fine. I have no hope. Just a plan.</p>
<p>I swing my feet out of bed and pad across the floor. The nausea seems to have faded, but my heart is pounding.</p>
<p>I’ve never been out of my room this late.</p>
<p>I slide the door open slowly, peering into the hall, before edging out and closing the door behind me. Softly.</p>
<p>There’s no one in the corridor. Even if there were, being out of your room in the evening isn’t quite a violation of regulation.</p>
<p>Being in someone else’s, of course, definitely would be. I pause, frowning, at each door along the corridor, listening for movement.</p>
<p>I hear the whir of a health cycle coming from behind one, the hum of scheduled recreation behind a couple others, as I prowl towards the elevator, but nothing more.</p>
<p>Finally, I press my ear against the outlined hatch across from the elevator, barely breathing, straining to hear the slightest sound. Waiting for an excuse.</p>
<p>“No one’s there.” Cadence says, making me jump.</p>
<p>It’s all an act. Foolish Cadence hadn’t been paying attention, but I had. The scored lines bordered a smooth, featureless expanse of wall.</p>
<p>With no doorknob.</p>
<p>There had been no depression, no handle of any kind. A simple enough trick; I’ll try the door, it won’t open, and Cadence will have to give up and let me get some sleep.</p>
<p>I take a deep breath and reach out ton the hatch, swiping from one edge to the other in an exaggerated show. Nothing happens, of course. No doorknob; no way to open it.</p>
<p>“No,” Cadence says, her voice rising as she catches on to my game. “Try harder! It has to open!”</p>
<p>There’s nothing to grab hold of, nothing to make the hatch open. I give the door a solid shove where the knob ought to be to prove my point.</p>
<p>Click.</p>
<p>The hatch springs out slightly from the wall, and I leap back from it, tripping myself in the process. From the floor, I can see a slim edge of darkness, where the panel pivots outwards, and, unthinking, reach out to hook my fingers around the exposed edge of the little door. A slight rasping sets my teeth on edge as the door swings wider, showing a dim, dusty space behind the wall. Leaning in, I can see a small crawlspace that runs off to one side in a narrow channel.</p>
<p>“Hurry up!” Cadence hisses, startling me. “Someone’s coming!”</p>
<p>She’s right; I can see the shadow of someone just about to step out of a door on the right. Without a second thought, I dive through the opening and pull the wall panel closed behind me.</p>
<p>It’s dark. The usual lights, with their gold netting, are absent, replaced by a faintly luminous strip outlining the hatch from the inside. The air is cool and musty, and I have to hold my nose to from sneezing.</p>
<p>I hear footsteps approach, and, panicking, crawl further from the door, sliding as quietly and as quickly as I can through the dark tunnel that runs off to one side. It opens out in a sudden, painful drop to cold concrete.</p>
<p>I’m sitting on a small platform.</p>
<p>Stairs climb and drop into gloom ahead of me, one to each side, and I can see the faintly glowing outline of doorways above and below at some distance. A matching glow is at my back; full height, this time. I lay my head against the icy back of the door and listen, holding my breath.</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<p>It should be safe. I’ll open the door slowly, just in case.</p>
<p>Or not.</p>
<p>The handle turns, but the door resists. I persist for a few minutes, shoving silently. I want to kick it, but I’m afraid of the noise. Panting, I let go and slide down.</p>
<p>“Locked,” Cadence says. “Obviously.”</p>
<p>But I can hear the worry behind her tone. I scuff my feet in the dusty concrete and let my head fall back against the door.</p>
<p>I should be afraid — the gold in the Tower lighting offers some protection, and I clutch for my hood, pulling it back up from where it had fallen during my panicked scramble — but this darkness is strangely peaceful.</p>
<p>Pressing a hand against the wall, I find it icy, the texture rough and porous. It’s gritty against my palm, and a dark, damp smell rises off of it. I run my hand along the surface. The whispering dry scrape sends chills down my spine.</p>
<p>It’s new. Different. Strange.</p>
<p>“Fascinating,” Cadence says. “You find it fascinating. You like it.”</p>
<p>I recoil at her quiet accusation, stung, snatching my hand back to the warmth of my body. My palm tingles from the rough cold of the walls. I can hear nothing but our breath and the beating of our hearts. Fast, the twinned rhythm racing.</p>
<p>I feel no such thing.</p>
<p>I feel nothing.</p>
<p>This was a terrible idea. I wasn’t feeling well. I made a mistake.</p>
<p>But an alien thought intrudes: if I could, would I be able to bring myself to slide back that door? To expose this quiet, cold world of darkness — mine! I think fiercely, irrationally — to the cloying sweetness and light and hum that I’ve always known? Even Cadence’s voice is hushed.</p>
<p>It hardly feels like a decision.</p>
<p>So.</p>
<p>Up or down?</p>
<p>“Down, of course! That’s the way out!” Cadence says.</p>
<p>So then. Up it is.</p>
<p>We’re not leaving the Tower. I’m not that sick. I’m just… not quite ready to go back.</p>
<p>I start to climb.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-3-bell">Chapter 3: Bell</h3>
<h4 id="suzie">Suzie</h4>
<p>It’s the music that I notice first. I haven’t heard music in decades, not real music. But there it is, the delicate, far-off trickle of refined piano played early in the day, in a large and well-appointed hall.</p>
<p>My feet swing beneath me, in time to the gentle tune, and for a moment it feels odd to kick my feet, dangling below my wide skirt in their neat stockings and polished shoes so far from the floor; so unspeakably odd to see my own fingers, small and smooth, tapping daintily against the neatly pressed table linens.</p>
<p>A shadow hovers over them, a faded silhouette of withered hands clawed against white sheets, tubes snaking in cruel counterpoint to the bulging veins. My shoulders hunch at the passing ache of arthritis as the gnarled fingers quiver. My mother reaches over to press my small hand and the vision ripples and fades.</p>
<p>Her warmth is alarming, and unexpected, somehow. I look up into her smiling face, smooth and unblemished - so young, why does that seem odd? - and across at my father, frowning near-sightedly at his menu, although of course he’ll order the usual.</p>
<p>Sunday brunch at the grand old hotel downtown, a longstanding tradition. My entire childhood, we never missed a week. But no, of course that’s a silly thing to say, for I’m not more than six or seven myself, hardly grown, and there are years of glorious freedom ahead of me.</p>
<p>Though, of course, I feel very grown-up, dining grandly in the hall. Not just anyone has such advantages, and not for long… but what a strange thought that is, now. There’s no reason to believe that anything should change.</p>
<p>And yet, in this moment, their closeness, their warmth and love feels unspeakably precious and rare. My heart aches, although I have never been apart from them, and tears gather hot in my eyes.</p>
<p>The mouthwatering aroma of bacon and eggs frying, fresh fruit and fragrant dark tea and coffee mingle with scent drifting from the lavish stands of fresh cut flowers. I draw the menu towards me, propping it open on the table edge to scan the list of decadent offerings.</p>
<p>Crisp waffles with cream and fruit. Golden pancakes, or crunchy French toast, drizzled with maple syrup. Bacon and eggs. I picture for a moment an unappetizing bottle of thick, offwhite liquid, with a long tube poking out, but shake the thought away, confused. Milkshake? Not for breakfast, surely!</p>
<p>The music has shifted, the gentle strains in the background jumbled and jarring, drifting from distractingly loud and violent down to creeping near-silence. Such questionable taste, this modern music! Father says jazz is the devil’s music.</p>
<p>Frowning, I close the menu, startled to see a small, ribbon-bound box sitting tidily behind it. “To Miss Suzannah Bell” says the cream-coloured tag, in elegant cursive.</p>
<p>My mother is speaking, her voice lost in a violent crescendo of discordant music. Her eyes are warm, though, and my father, his arm draped casually over her shoulder, is twinkling at me above his carefully oiled moustache. He does so enjoy finding the best presents. I suppose it must be my birthday. Fancy forgetting a thing like that! Am I really eight now? Somehow I feel so very much older than that…</p>
<p>I pull one end of the satin ribbon, and the top and front of the box drop to reveal the most lovely, delicate little doll. No larger than my hand, it is flawless, and dressed to the finest detail in precisely the outfit I have on, the ribbons and lace a perfect match.</p>
<p>The hair and face, I consider ruefully, are not quite an honest copy; her curls being much tidier, shinier and in all ways more appealing; her face an absolute delight, with sweet porcelain features and the most gleamingest black eyes.</p>
<p>I turn to thank my parents, but stop and wrinkle my nose. Surely the hotel’s standards have been slipping of late. A horrid whiff of decay seems to be drifting from the nearest stand of plants. But here is our meal now, sweet and savory scents drowning out the faint swampiness in a wash of fragrant steam. I shift my attention to the meal, sitting the doll up on the side of the table to stroke its shining curls and run my fingers idly along its stiffly starched dress as I eat.</p>
<p>Click.</p>
<p>Something shifts under my finger, and I glance up from my plate. Several faint lines angle across the doll’s face, and as I press, darken. The head of the doll splits with a grating whisper and slides apart into a fan. A pin lost in the curls at the back of the head seems to be holding the delicate, sharp slices together. Equal parts fascinated and revolted, I drop my fork with a clang and pull the doll to me, tipping it to examine the clever toy. Expecting to see some wonder painted on the slices, or perhaps a hollow cavity inside, hiding another gift, I peer down into the doll’s head.</p>
<p>Each slice is unexpectedly dark, save the thin rim of porcelain on one side and fringe of hairs along the other, an empty, flat darkness with no shimmer of paint or reflection of light bouncing off of rough and unfinished inner edges. Frowning I peer closer, and a sudden wave of dizziness washes over me. The reek of decay is stronger now, the violent dissonance of the piano crescendoing as the doll slips from my fingers, dropping towards the carpet so very far below. I reach for it, horribly slow, the floor and the falling doll more distant every moment. I cry out, expecting to hear the fine porcelain crack and shatter any moment now, but the sound is drowned out.</p>
<p>Blinking, I find myself staring at an opulently painted ceiling and a dark, angular structure. As I squint at it, my mind reorients the perspective to identify the unusual view - the bottom of my chair, I realize suddenly. My mother rises in the distance, elegance itself trailing away towards the ceiling, giant-like, and my looms up beside her.</p>
<p>Their apparent lack of concern should be relieving, but something feels wrong. My body is limp and nerveless, the angle of my vision too high. The hall feels cavernous and empty, although just moments ago it was so lively. The crash of the piano has subsided into to a ringing silence, as if I’ve gone suddenly deaf, the scents formerly wafting through the room vanished as if they had never been.</p>
<p>My parents hold out their hands to me. No, past me; the arms are extended in my direction as if to take my hands, but the angle is too high.</p>
<p>The warm, late morning light shifts, blinking suddenly to stark, blinding whiteness in a flash like lightening, silhouetting the long bones beneath their skin, darkly skeletal shadows against the glare. Even as I gasp, the light fades again to golden warmth, skin rapidly reassembling over the raw structure beneath. My heart stutters and seizes, breath caught in my throat.</p>
<p>A pair of flawlessly pale and smooth arms reach back towards them in stiff, unbending unison, and then a small, tidy figure with enormous bright curls flits over and past me to take their hands.</p>
<p>They turn to leave.</p>
<p>I call to them soundlessly from behind a tiny painted rosebud of a mouth, panicked now. What dream, what nightmare is this?</p>
<p>Distantly, my mind snags on the thought and pauses, churning. Dream. It must be just a dream. But instead of relief, terror wells in instinctive response. Yes, it’s all just a dream - it must be! - but a dream with no waking, no escape.</p>
<p>I struggle against leaden arms - if I could only pinch myself, shock myself awake, close my eyes and open them to my own, real life! But my eyes are frozen, wide and staring, my out-flung limbs a dead, cold weight dragging me down. I am trapped in a fragile shell, immobile and helpless. Left behind, abandoned.</p>
<p>The small, golden-haired figure lets go of my parents’ hands, and my heart breaks to see them again after all these years, so young, so healthy and unaware in their short-lived happiness, even if it is an illusion. The ghost of years between us creeps back into my mind and memory. So much loss. So much pain. I want to forget. I want to go back.</p>
<p>The monstrous creature turns and stalks back towards me, glittering eyes malevolent behind her expressionless porcelain perfection of a face. The delicately fanned segments of her head, grown so large now, have slipped back together without the slightest hint of their former, grotesque separation, but for a thin grey line running just at the top of her forehead, parting the hair to show a bottomless gap where the skull curves to the perfectly arched fall of her hair.</p>
<p>Something squirms in the darkness and overflows, trickling down her porcelain forehead and oozing along the angled line to her painted brow, where it pools in the socket of her eye, a gathering oil slick of tears. They overflow, streaking, no, pouring now over the smooth cheek, faster, spattering with acid heat across me as she looms in that flawless replica of my own starched dress.</p>
<p>The sole of her shoe rises to blot out the light.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-4-morristu">Chapter 4: Morristu</h3>
<p>He nearly stepped on the body during morning rounds.</p>
<p>The small room was identical to every other on Floor 18, Tower 3’s Care Ward, except for one thing. In this one, instead of a peacefully sleeping or groggy, just-woken senior tucked neatly into the bed, there was a corpse.</p>
<p>The white body was draped across the floor beside her cot, limbs flung wide and crooked, thin night clothes sunken into the oddly depressed torso. The face was a horror; not only the expression, what little was discernible, but the form itself. The floor beneath had deep cracks running from wall to wall, as if hit by a great, blunt force.</p>
<p>On further examination, the corpse’s skull, ribs, and the long bones of both arms and legs appeared to have been crushed, with deep, bloodless lines cut across her face as if someone had tried to unravel her head in a single, unbroken strip like an apple peel. A faint swamp-sweet stink of decay hung in the air, despite the fact that the body had to have been quite fresh; Senior Bell’s display panel showed that Morristu, the night attendant on duty, had checked in on her not two hours past.</p>
<p>The Day Supervisor edged gingerly around the body, bits of tile crackling underfoot. The cool roughness of the wall he pressed against was a reassuring reminder that it was not he, after all, lying dead this morning.</p>
<p>Observations completed, he gratefully escaped the room. The Day Supervisor was not known for his imagination, but it didn’t take much to picture himself in the dead woman’s staring eyes and crumpled face. The Tower did a good job of keeping its citizens safe, but even its painstaking control was not enough to prevent the occasional tragedy. And, he brightened at the thought, likely this death hadn’t even occurred on his watch. Hardly any chance of a reprimand and, if he was lucky, not much of a delay either. He could be back on his rounds in no time.</p>
<p>Of course, an Inspector had to be called. Protocol demanded it. The Day Supervisor sent the request and summoned the Night Attendant, Morristu, from her bed on Floor 12. Both waited in wide-eyed silence beside the shattered body on the cot. They didn’t have to wait long.</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv was a stickler for protocol, a resolute upholder of the Tower law and a most thorough and successful member of Tower Security. His inquisitiveness, dedication and passion for his job was both suspicious and unhealthy, practically inviting down destruction. But some sacrifices must be made for the good of the Tower and all who sheltered within its protecting walls. Besides, no Worker was accustomed to give more than a passing thought to the business and health of another.</p>
<p>In any case, the Inspector’s eagerness to do his civic duty brought him fairly dashing up the dusty service stairs to the Care Ward on Floor 18, much to the startlement of the Day Supervisor and Night Attendant, who had their backs to him as they waited, facing the elevator. But, shrugging his peculiarity off, they showed him to the remains, waiting in the hallway as he stood in the doorway.</p>
<p>Haynfyv’s eyes widened at the sight of the shattered figure sprawled across the floor. Catching sight of the pale faces of the ward staff, he quickly schooled his features to a more sober, controlled aspect, as befitted his station.</p>
<p>“Your report?” He asked, quite politely, trying for detachment and managing only a faint impression of constipated discomfort.</p>
<p>The ward staff were unfazed. Protocol, they were prepared for. Unseemly interest in one’s work might be a dangerous and regrettable personal failing, but hardly worth interesting oneself in.</p>
<p>The Day Supervisor nodded to the Night Attendant, Morristu. The small woman shook, her gaze fixed on the floor, as she peeled off her glove one finger at a time, and held back her loose sleeve, exposing her delicate, blue-veined forearm. A slightly raised ridge cut across her inner arm, less than an inch from where the web of veins wove close to the surface.</p>
<p>The Inspector, whose distinctly sturdy and fitted uniform included tight cuffs just below the hands, fumbled one-handed with the fastener at his right wrist for a moment before baring the skin. The slight rasping noise of it sent shivers down Morristu’s back, putting her in mind of scuttling insects. Morristu was altogether too delicate of a specimen, and the Day Supervisor, noticing her hand tremble, suppressed a small smirk of superiority beneath his mask.</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv held his sleeve back with one hand, not bothering to secure it back with the uniform tie, and thrust his wrist a few inches above the Night Attendant’s, palm down.</p>
<p>A blue light blinked at one end of the matching ridges as Morristu’s Care Ward worker surveillance chip uploaded a complete log of her activities and patient health metrics over the previous 48 hours. When the light blinked out, moments later, the Inspector thrust his arm at the Day Supervisor, who, slightly discomfited, also raised his wrist to be scanned.</p>
<p>Statements collected, the Inspector motioned the ward staff back and, standing in the open doorway, slipped a slim rod from one of his many pockets. Touching it briefly to his wrist, he proceeded to raise it towards the ceiling, braced between thumb and forefinger.</p>
<p>A line of light rayed out from the device, swept rapidly across the room and vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. A scorched scent filled the air briefly, before the narrow vents at the perimeter of the room whisked it away and resumed misting their customary sweet scent into the air.</p>
<p>The Night Attendant and Day Supervisor stolidly averted their gazes throughout this procedure.</p>
<p>“Your cooperation is appreciated.” Inspector Hayne announced, tucking the scanner neatly back into his pocket.</p>
<p>The Day Supervisor nodded stiffly at this and turned to continue his rounds. Faint stirring and distant babbling could be made out behind the pale walls of the corridor, lined in doors spaced several feet apart down both sides. He was a good half hour late on his morning rounds, time that would have to be made up. He placed his hand on the next door. It slid open with a faint whirr, releasing a puff of disinfectant and body odour under the omnipresent sweetness of the Tower’s ventilation system.</p>
<p>Night Attendant Morristu yawned, unaccustomed to being up so late in the morning, and turned to return to her bed. The Inspector reached out a hand towards her, as if to stop her.</p>
<p>She jerked away reflexively, shrinking against the opposite wall of the corridor. Direct bodily contact was highly regulated according to Tower law. Even the Care Ward staff, accustomed to the necessary, unwanted intimacies of caring for those too incapacitated by age to care for themselves, were actively protective of their personal space.</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv pulled back as well, startled, cursing under his breath.</p>
<p>“Ah, no. No, I didn’t mean to…” He cleared his throat, brow furrowed, and muttered something that sounded like, “Five again…”</p>
<p>“I’d like to ask you a few questions.” Haynfyv said. Morristu blinked, raising her arm again, wrist pivoted outward, but he waved it away. “No, no. Nothing wrong with the scan. Just something I’m trying out, you understand. A certain technique. It’s really very interesting…”</p>
<p>Haynfyv trailed off as Morristu slowly straightened, edging out from the wall as she eyed the Inspector with great suspicion.</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv cleared his throat again, thoroughly uncomfortable now. He would much rather be in his office, combing the reports for any revealing details, or even on assignment out on the streets. A women witness, no less; it made him distinctly uncomfortable. A good thing the Tower made sure there weren’t too many of the creatures around. But he had been dying to try a new investigative technique out: suspect interrogation. He’d found it mentioned in one of the old records. This really was too good a chance to pass up, but perhaps… Yes, perhaps he ought to wait until a better opportunity presented itself… Haynfyv started to raise a hand in dismissal.</p>
<p>The elevator fortunately arrived at just that moment. The doors sighed open to reveal a slight figure in a rumpled uniform rather darker and heavier than the Inspector’s. Tufts of sandy hair poked out around his thick hood and poorly-fastened mask.</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv sighed with relief and turned back to the Night Attendant.</p>
<p>“Ah, excellent timing! Guard Serov here will assist you in disposing of the… remains. He will then escort you to Floor 3 for further assessment.” Haynfyv announced. He turned on his heel to catch the elevator just as the door slid shut, masking Morristu’s sharply indrawn breath.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-5-flight">Chapter 5: Flight</h3>
<h4 id="cole-2">Cole</h4>
<p>Cadence and I are alone in a world of near-darkness. Dying.</p>
<p>At least, I’m sure I’m dying.</p>
<p>I’m dripping in a cold sweat. Heart racing, about to burst. My muscles quiver on the verge of collapse. The breath rasps in my throat, tasting of blood and pain.</p>
<p>Cadence doesn’t seem to be having any problems, but I can’t spare the energy to check on her right now.</p>
<p>I realize now why the Tower didn’t bother prohibiting use of the stairs. The assigned health cycles never prepared me for anything like this. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve scraped and bruised my shins and elbows on these stairs. The burning in my legs competes with the fire in my lungs for attention.</p>
<p>My room is on Floor 12. I counted eight glowing outlined doors before losing track. I could have passed as many as a dozen by now, and I’m just starting to realize that I can’t remember how many floors there are in the Tower.</p>
<p>“32,” Cadence pipes up cheerily, sounding not the least bit winded. “And you’ve climbed ten levels so far, so you’re already halfway now! Cole, this is so awesome! Can you believe how clear the air is in here?”</p>
<p>I would strangle her, if I had the energy. As it is, I can barely summon the will to raise a hand to the next step, panting. Pause. Now my knee.</p>
<p>My palms are scuffed, dust-caked and probably bleeding. The knees of my pants are wearing through; a small concern compared to the sharp pains shooting through the joints. If it weren’t so dark, I’m sure my vision would be tunnelling towards black.</p>
<p>As it is, I’m not entirely sure I am conscious right now. I have been climbing this stair for an eternity, and will continue on for all time. I can’t remember why I started and I don’t have the will to stop. I am a machine, set to continue until the parts wear out.</p>
<p>The thought of retracing my steps is more than I can take. Besides, I’m not at all sure how to tell which floor is mine on the way back.</p>
<p>Cadence snorts. “Not going to be a problem. You’re being ridiculous. Get over yourself. A little exercise is good for you. Weakling.”</p>
<p>She singsongs “weakling” up and down in the darkness, faking echoes to her own words.</p>
<p>I’m sure I can’t hear her over my racing pulse and ragged breaths. (Jerk.)</p>
<p>I’ve stopped trying to look up, stopped searching out and struggling towards the next outlined doorway, the next platform. My world has narrowed to the next few inches of darkness.</p>
<p>Heave. Scrape. Pant. Heave.</p>
<p>When I reach the last door, it’s not so much a surprise as a revelation.</p>
<p>I press forward dumbly against it for a moment. Pause. Press again. Swing my head round, shuffle sideways in a crab crawl until I’m back facing the door.</p>
<p>Stairs stretching down to a faint outline behind. Door ahead. Walls.</p>
<p>I made it.</p>
<p>I draw a deep, rasping breath and start coughing.</p>
<p>My tongue is buried under a blanket of dust. I curl on my side against the door, and listen to the sound of my heartbeat slowing, receding.</p>
<p>I can hear something in the distance. Something beyond the door. Sharp, high calls, piercing and far off, behind a faint drumming that rises and falls like one of Cadence’s less inspired songs, like breath. In and out; strong and faint.</p>
<p>Sweat stands out on my skin, icy now. My clothes are soaked. I’m shaking from terror, or something like.</p>
<p>Cadence is entranced.</p>
<p>“Seagulls.” She breathes in awe and delight.</p>
<p>The word means nothing to me. I have no interest in meeting the source of that alien sound.</p>
<p>A groaning, rattling roar starts somewhere far below, shuddering upward, carried on a wave of air that races nearer, forcing me towards the door.</p>
<p>Suddenly, I’d much rather meet these ‘seagulls’ than whatever monstrosity is now surging behind me.</p>
<p>With quivering muscles, I strain upwards, sliding along the doorway until I feel a handle — a protruding bar, this time — and press.</p>
<p>The door flies open, snapping at its limits and bouncing back before the onrushing air presses it away again at full extension.</p>
<p>The thought of roaring and shrieking dangers is wiped from my mind in an instant.</p>
<p>I have discovered light.</p>
<p>In the instant before I curl in on myself in anguished pain, a brilliance unmatched by any I have ever seen overwhelms my senses.</p>
<p>I must have more!</p>
<p>But for the moment, all I can do is rock with my head in my arms, tears streaming from my eyes.</p>
<p>“Cole,” Cadence’s voice is hushed. Awestruck.</p>
<p>“Cole, look.”</p>
<p>I edge my lashes apart, still huddled in a ball.</p>
<p>I see myself lit from without, a tangle of radiance and shadows, color and texture with a depth and a range that I had never imagined existed. Each finger rimmed in light, translucently red as I flex and unclench my hands, allowing that light entrance.</p>
<p>It’s so warm.</p>
<p>I’m sitting in the doorway. An expanse of textured material stretches out before me. Past that, a raised edge and…</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>Cadence sighs in happiness.</p>
<p>Colour. All colour. And somehow, light and color at the same time.</p>
<p>White light, so bright I can hardly look at it, wreathed in warm tones of gold and red and purple shading to blues and grays. Ripples and movement above and below, the light shifting and sliding. A channel of brightness falling just on me, curtained by a shivering rush of water from the sky. Air moves, casting icy drops against my face. Wind.</p>
<p>Storm.</p>
<p>It is… impossible. More than I have ever known, and yet somehow terribly, painfully familiar.</p>
<p>Overwhelming and intense and there.</p>
<p>“Sunset. That’s the sun. This is what it looks like at the end of the day.” Cadence is saying, but her words are distant, dry information compared to a scintillating reality. There are dark, still things out there beyond the edge, framed against the riot of light and colour.</p>
<p>“Towers,” Cadence explains, absently.</p>
<p>The other Towers? But I count more than five…</p>
<p>Past the towers, the sky stretches along, rain rolling back to leave a cool stillness, sky above and below divided by heaped blue forms in the far distance; the movement above a slow swirl, the movement below a steady rocking shimmer, darker, fading into a formless, muddy mass swathing the towers in murk.</p>
<p>The towers, some small, almost lost in the roiling mass, others as tall or taller than my own, so many more than I had ever heard of…</p>
<p>The thought slides away in the face of that brilliance, still shifting, still moving. A glorious whirl of gentle movement, sliding and rocking and shimmering. Dark things move in dizzying patterns in the sky-above, emitting the high pitched cries I’d heard earlier. Seagulls, then.</p>
<p>Some are quite close - one swoops out of the sky and lands on the low rail that runs along the edge. It too is a marvel of shape and texture, colour and motion, brighter than I’d first thought. I hardly notice that my feet have brought me near, until it launches itself in a sudden flurry.</p>
<p>It leaves something behind in its wake…</p>
<p>“Feathers,” Cadence puts in, absently.</p>
<p>They are… floating. Drifting on the air, so slowly, so lightly. Swirling, dropping and then rising again.</p>
<p>I lean on the rail, transfixed. What would it be like to be carried by the air like that, cushioned, suspended in the warmth of that brilliance, in the ordered riot of colour and motion, swaying, dancing, spiraling on invisible currents?</p>
<p>I can feel it, feel the air buoying me up, feel the gentle warmth embrace me.</p>
<p>I am flying in the sunset.</p>
<p>The colours paint patterns across my skin, dressing me in vivid crimsons and deep aquamarines. I turn lazily, moving easily through the deepening shades.</p>
<p>Sky-above is banded in ever-deepening waves of colour; Sky-below a dark mirror in motion in the distance, but nearer… Directly below, as I turn, is the sickly-dim mass that cloaks the feet of the towers, dense and muddy with creeping yellows and browns, crawling towards darkness.</p>
<p>I twist away, seeking out the light.</p>
<p>It’s getting darker. The brilliance is fading.</p>
<p>I realize suddenly that the air is no longer raising me up, that I no longer move at will.</p>
<p>I am sinking, picking up speed as darkness rises to meet me. Air rushes against my body, stinging my eyes and stealing my breath, stealing my warmth.</p>
<p>I can’t see anything. I can’t feel anything, except the wind of my fall, and I am falling. The cloying stink of decay rushes in. The ground is rising to meet me in the inky distance, and once it does, I will not be. There is hunger and greed and dark pleasure in the darkness, waiting for me.</p>
<p>I am horror, and even that will soon be gone.</p>
<p>I am despair.</p>
<p>There is a sound, far away and indistinct, but it pulls at me, tearing at the edges of my despair. I focus, concentrating what little I have left on the sound, a lifeline.</p>
<p>Hope.</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“…Kkk…”</p>
<p>“Cole!”</p>
<p>Cadence. She’s so far away, so far, but I’d know her voice anywhere, and I can almost make it out…</p>
<p>“…Fly…”</p>
<p>But there is no hope. I can’t fly.</p>
<p>I’m not a seagull. Not a feather. Not embraced by the wind and light.</p>
<p>Condemned.</p>
<p>“Cole!… Can’t fly… …you…can’t… fly!”</p>
<p>Even in my last moments, she can’t help harassing me. Taunting me. Of course I can’t fly. Of course… I…</p>
<p>I can’t fly!</p>
<p>And by extension; I wasn’t flying! So this was all a dream… Again despair crashes down on me.</p>
<p>Dream and die. Tower regulation was my salvation, and I abandoned it.</p>
<p>This terror is nothing more than I deserve.</p>
<p>This is my due, what I earned by listening to Cadence and reaching for something more.</p>
<p>I feel the end getting closer. It’s too late for anything.</p>
<p>Too late for regret.</p>
<p>One traitorous thought lingers, here, so close to the end.</p>
<p>At least I got that one moment of wonder. That storm. That glorious sunset. That light. That freedom.</p>
<p>That moment was mine, and mine alone.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>And the impact comes.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>And I shatter.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The force of my fall snaps my neck back, wrenching my limbs and bursting my head. Blood and bone part ways in a violent collapse.</p>
<p>And yet, still I am.</p>
<p>I think. I know myself. Though I am bonelessly limp, I ache in each drooping limb.</p>
<p>I am a mass of bruises and scrapes, a collection of pain, but I am.</p>
<p>Pressure forces my shoulders and knees upwards, and I dangle helplessly from these supports. Something shifts beneath me, and my head rolls up and to one side, supported on a warm and resistant surface. Heat radiates along my side.</p>
<p>A distant rumble fades in and out of buzzing static.</p>
<p>I sense questioning. Concern. Amusement.</p>
<p>Finding that I do indeed continue to have a body, I make an effort to open my eyes.</p>
<p>A failed effort.</p>
<p>There is a jolt; pain swells and subsides.</p>
<p>I sense roughness, a hard surface. The warmth withdraws as my body settles on cold ground. Indistinct sound, far away.</p>
<p>A voice? Why can’t I hear?</p>
<p>This time I manage to pry my eyes open, just a crack. Searching through my lashes, a figure wavers into focus, dark, but outlined in a blurred corona of brilliant light.</p>
<p>The form fizzes, fades and disperses, and the world is silent.</p>
<p>I blink once and drift away.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-6-blotches">Chapter 6: Blotches</h3>
<h4 id="serov">Serov</h4>
<p>Morristu was a slight young woman, pale and delicate, prone to troubling, but thankfully only periodic, bouts of interest in her subjects in the Care Ward. Her tendency to show a surfeit of regard for the elderly was the primary reason she had been switched to the evening shift. The nutrition mix provided to elderly Tower citizens ensured that they slept soundly - and dreamlessly - through the nights, and no little portion of the day at that.
As Night Attendant, Morristu made sure each patient in the ward slurped down their evening allotment, and then spent the long hours remaining of the artificially observed night - the ward, like all the upper of the Tower had no windows - monitoring health feeds and pacing the halls. Her sixteen months as Night Attendant had been nearly flawless, as Guard Serov observed on her records. Not a single dream death, a statistically-normal five natural deaths, and only two formal reprimands for excessive solicitousness observed while supplying nutrition to her wards.</p>
<p>The guard swiped from Morristu’s professional record to glance through her personal stats. Nothing out of the ordinary since she had been reassigned to nights. Perfectly correct health and recreation habits observed prior to her shift, regular nutrition intake, long and undisturbed sleep during the day hours. The odd inconsistency observed prior to her reassignment - unexplained wakefulness, subpar health and recreation logs, low nutritional intake and suspiciously high colour - had been entirely corrected. Morristu had been a model citizen - as he’d expected.</p>
<p>Serov smiled widely, eyes glimmering above his mask. He reached up and casually unhooked it, letting it hang askew and showing teeth. Night Attendant Morristu jerked and shrank back against the cold wall, shivering. The Assessment Room on Floor 3 had the same regulation paint as the rest of the Tower, but managed to look even more drab, if that were possible. Scuffs and gouges along the wall and door made her shudder. Even more alarming was the presence of the three large windows on the far wall. Sickly-looking yellow-tinged fog swirled against the grimy glass. Morristu thought she could smell it. Damp and sour and musty, a thickness in the air. The subtle sweetness of the Tower ventilation system was absent, as if this floor had been entirely abandoned to the broken world outside its walls. A world she was desperate to forget</p>
<p>Morristu paled even further, nearly disappearing against the wall. Her eyes were dark, shadowed with exhaustion and fear. The Guard were not well liked as a rule; their heavy uniform, thickened bodies and darkened skin were a constant reminder of the dangers outside the Tower, of the poisoned world that they alone moved in. The world she had chosen to abandon.</p>
<p>But it was more than that. More, even, than the subdued twinges of an animal instinct not wholly suppressed by decades of sterile existence. Something about this Guard in particular. His hidden smile and flat gaze, the way he kept his arms in close to his body, hands held in front an incongruously delicate posture, sent ice trickling down her spine. She had tried so hard to forget, to leave it all behind.</p>
<p>The horrific work of disposing of those shattered remains, and subsequent interrogation after a full shift was wearing on Morristu. She wanted nothing more than to fall into her own bed and leave it all behind. Running away had always been her problem.</p>
<p>“You are being committed to provisional reassignment due to mismanagement of nutrition.” Guard Serov announced abruptly, pleasure clear and menacing in his tone. His voice was oddly high and smooth, oily.</p>
<p>Morristu stared at Serov, her mind racing. Reassignment? Wasn’t that excessive given the circumstances? After all, despite the best efforts of the Tower, the occasional dream death was an unavoidable reality, particularly among the undisciplined aged citizens, with their failing health and drifting minds, not to mention the shortcuts taken in the shielding for their floor…</p>
<p>She cast an anxious glance at the walls and window again, noting this time that, although some gouges were disturbingly deep, no shimmer of gold dust, wire or net presented itself. The view through the window was likewise suspiciously bland. No screen or film was visible. Unthinkable that this floor should be so unshielded!</p>
<p>Morristu wet her lips, hesitating to speak, but bursting with the urge to escape. She remembered the words, whispered in shadowed corners so long ago, then cheered under kaleidoscoping lights, over thumping beats and shimmering tones. Words of safety. Words of rescue.</p>
<p>“I request–” Her voice cracked, and she paused, swallowing hard. Serov’s smile widened, rippling past the edge of his mask. Predatory. It wasn’t the first time she had made her plea to him.</p>
<p>Morristu squeaked and looked away, fixing her eyes in horrified fascination on the swirling smog outside the window.</p>
<p>“I request visual review of the alleged mismanagement.” She finished in a whisper, glancing back and away from Serov as she finished. The toothy grin had vanished, lips pinched in a tight smile, white-lipped with control. His dead stare was fixed on her, eyes heavy-lidded, as if with boredom. Something squirmed in their depths.</p>
<p>“Certainly, my dear,” He replied, unconcealed hunger plain in his pitchy voice. It fairly buzzed with anticipation. “You are entitled to a comprehensive briefing as a Citizen of the Tower. We value your contribution and have only your best interests at heart.”</p>
<p>The words were rote, but Morristu felt none of the relief that she had expected. Been told to expect. Not like last time. Not like when he had taken her away from it all. Not like when he had taken her back. But now he played the stranger.</p>
<p>“Regrettably,” Serov continued, gesturing tightly with an elegant turn of the wrist. “I do not have a working display port on hand in this location. However, I would be delighted to contact Retraining and let them know that you will be late. We can take our time with the review. If you’ll just come with me, there is a display port quite near here.”</p>
<p>Guard Serov took Night Attendant Morristu by the arm and pressed her toward the door. She cringed back from his touch; his grip tightened in response.</p>
<p>He was taller than her by several inches, and made no accommodation for her height or pace, so that Morristu stumbled to keep up as he dragged her down the hall. His skin burned through her thin uniform sleeve, the smell of him, so close - too close! - sharp and bitter over the musty air of Floor 3. He was headed toward the elevators and - hope flashed through Morristu - back to safety. But instead of pressing the elevator call button, Serov headed toward the opposite wall, towards a door set so subtly into the wall that it nearly vanished.</p>
<p>Serov paused in front of the door, shoving Morristu against the wall with one arm and leaning in on her heavily. She squeaked in panic and squirmed, but the pressure only increased as he glanced up and down the hall, before pressing the door in and to the side and shoving her through into the darkness.</p>
<p>Morristu stumbled forward in the gloom, catching herself against a damply gritty wall that scraped her palms. She clung to the wall, crouched and trembling.</p>
<p>The stairwell. It had been so long.</p>
<p>“Yesss,” Serov’s voice hissed in the darkness, his form blocking most of what dim light radiated from the outlined door. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, little mouse? You went back to your cage so readily. Tell me, did the hidden paths still call to you in your neat world upstairs? Was it regret? Did you think you had us fooled? That you could just go back; that the Tower would take you back?”</p>
<p>“I never,” Morristu started.</p>
<p>“You did. I can smell it on you. Little rebel. Little deviant. What made you stop meeting your little friends, hmm? Your little family? Why did you beg to return?” Serov moved closer, looming over Morristu.</p>
<p>“No, I didn’t, I don’t…” Morristu cried, “I don’t want that! That broken world, that danger. I was young. There were… things… people… but I left them! I left it all! I chose the Tower! The Tower protects me!”</p>
<p>“Wrong.” Serov’s voice was gleeful now. “The Tower protects nothing, and least of all you, little deviant. It’s time to pay the fee. You’re mine now, mine to play with as I will. And I’ve a mind to run some more tests. See, I’m not entirely persuaded that that poor old lady didn’t die of something else, you know. Mighty strange markings. But I’ve had a thought about that. I think I know how that kind of damage is done. Want me to show you? Special just for you, I’ll do a very… thorough… review.”</p>
<p>“No! No, please! I— I have information! I can give you names! Meeting places! Just don’t… Just, please, I… I can take you there! Please, let me take you there… Just—“</p>
<p>Serov’s hand closed fast on Morristu’s throat, choking off her cries and bouncing the back of her skull off of the cold wall. Morristu saw stars dancing through the darkness as a roaring filled her head. She felt the scraping of his rough-gripped gloves grinding her loose mask against the delicate skin under her chin as he drew back slightly, allowing her to gulp down the musty air. His glove was cold against her burning skin, elbow pinning her against the wall, thumb and forefinger tracing bruising lines along either side of her neck.</p>
<p>“They were going to get rid of you, you know.” Serov breathed into Morristu’s ear. “All of you. Women. Unnecessary. Useless. Unpredictable. But I always liked your kind. So soft. So noisy. So lovely. So foolish. So… breakable. No. I don’t want your… intelligence. I have better uses for you.”</p>
<p>Serov was practically on top of her now, pinning Morris with a knee and one hand, the other drawn back, waiting. Daring her to scream again. Daring her to struggle.</p>
<p>Morristu remembered then. Things lost in the soporific fog of Tower life, looming from the haze in disjointed flashes. There had been men out there that had been fascinated by her too, and she by them. Touch, smell, sensation. Freedom. Pleasure. Wonder.</p>
<p>Fear. No control.</p>
<p>She had run from it back then, trading the pleasure for safety. She couldn’t run now. She drew breath to scream.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Inspector Haynefyv passed Guard Serov in the hall of Floor 3, absently raising a hand in acknowledgement as he mulled over the latest case.</p>
<p>Something had seemed off, but all the reports looked clean. Neither of those care workers had failed in their duties; every moment of their shifts scheduled and accounted for. Perhaps a little negligence in the nutrition allotment? But after all, the old ones were only there to die. What did it really matter whether the death came for them a little earlier and a little harder than nature intended? There were so many more important, more interesting, things for a Tower Inspector to concern himself with anyways… But still, it was a chance to try out that technique. Haynfyv’s fists clenched in anticipation.</p>
<p>Suspect interrogation. You actually talked to them, face to face. Fascinating. The things people used to do… Such a shame, though, that it had to be a woman this time. So uncomfortable. And something about that little night attendant was bothering him.</p>
<p>She had seemed to unremarkable at the time, but in hindsight, she seemed far too responsive, too alert. Too afraid. And the look on her face when that guard showed up. Terrible. Although, he himself had never thought much of the man. Creepy little bastard. Far too eager about away assignments and terribly sloppy with his reports…</p>
<p>Hang on. Hadn’t that been…</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv paused, spun and stared down the hall after the guard.</p>
<p>“Hey! You! Hang on! Anything come out during the disposal?” Haynfyv called.</p>
<p>Serov turned at once to respond, though he was by this time some way down the hall.</p>
<p>“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Serov reported in oily tones, flapping his gloved hands lightly at chest height. Something dark spattered off to stain the wall. “All cleaned up and everything back where it should be.”</p>
<p>“ And which room…” Haynfyv started to ask, before being interrupted.</p>
<p>“Apologies, Inspector. I’m afraid Night Attendant Morristu has already been remanded to the reeducation centre. She was so very… eager to please. I’m sure they’re well underway with her retraining.”</p>
<p>“Retraining?” Haynefyv was startled. “I requested the suspect be held for interrogation.”</p>
<p>The word escaped his lips before he could think to hold it back. Haynfyv cringed as the guard looked up at him, brow furrowed.</p>
<p>“Interro-what sir?”</p>
<p>“Ah, never mind that. The point is, I didn’t order the suspect to be sent to retraining.”</p>
<p>“Really, sir? How strange. I was sure that’s what the chart specified. Perhaps, when you have a chance to review the report…?”</p>
<p>Little turd, trying to push his negligence on me, Haynfyv thought. Still, I had my doubts about wasting an interrogation on a female… He waved a hand in weary dismissal.</p>
<p>“I’ll do that, Guard Serov. I’ll do that. And perhaps, in future, you could double check your orders as well before taking action. I would… appreciate… being informed about any additions or alterations to my cases while they are still under my jurisdiction.”</p>
<p>Serov ducked his head respectfully, folding his hands in against his chest, hiding his expression. Haynfyv waved the guard off irritably.</p>
<p>Really! The one time the scruffy little man performed his duties with any efficiency, and he’d not only gotten it wrong, but had the gall to try to shift the blame!</p>
<p>Serov turned to go, but Haynfyv gazed absently after him for a few moments more. Serov gave him the oddest feeling, but he couldn’t quite place it. Must be his general untidiness — the guard uniform was spattered in dark blotches, and a salt-sharp odour drifted in his wake. Haynefyv ought to submit a formal reprimand. There was no excuse not to have uniforms cleaned between excursions — it had been days since the last one, after all.</p>
<p>Yes, he should submit a reprimand. If he remembered.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-7-secrets">Chapter 7: Secrets</h3>
<h4 id="cole-3">Cole</h4>
<p>My eyes open to a world I have never seen.</p>
<p>The air is sharp, icy, clear. Like my mind.</p>
<p>Everything feels more real, more present. A fog has lifted that I never knew was there. The light - what light there is - is hard-edged and silver, scattered above me and collected in an enormous shining disc against a deep and welcoming dark. I raise myself, grit scratching my stinging palms, every muscle aching. Black silhouettes against the glittering sky mark the few towers taller than my own, and in the far distance, the irregular outlines of mountains across the water, mirror still, a net of stars shimmering on the surface of the inlet. It is mine alone, my own perfect paradise of hidden night.</p>
<p>It is glorious.</p>
<p>And with a shock, I realize I am alone. Perfectly, completely alone, as I have never been. No minders, no trainers, no workers, no supervisors.</p>
<p>No Cadence.</p>
<p>No one to give me words. No one to supply the knowing behind simple experience. Mountains. Inlet. Moon. Stars.</p>
<p>Paradise.</p>
<p>Glory.</p>
<p>These words, these things, belong to Cadence’s stories, not to me. I turn, clutching at the empty night for her, my companion, my own. The night is still beautiful, but now the head-spinning beauty seems cruel. Mocking.</p>
<p>Where has she gone?</p>
<p>The dream. That had been a dream, hadn’t it? Floating, flying. Falling.</p>
<p>But I’m still here. Did Cadence sacrifice herself for me? Was that who I felt, there at the end? That voice on the edges of my consciousness, that supporting silver presence?</p>
<p>I feel empty. The loss of Cadence…hollow.</p>
<p>Stillness echoes inside me.</p>
<p>I turn my back on the beautiful, horrible night, turn back, stumbling, to the door to home and safety, foggy-dim security.</p>
<p>I abandon this empty freedom without a backward glance. The door snaps shut as I feel for the first step in the darkness.</p>
<p>“That. Was. Amazing!!” Cadence crows in my ear.</p>
<p>Thankfully I fall backward instead of forward. The ache in my tailbone barely even registers as I stare wide-eyed into the dim stairwell.</p>
<p>“What?” Cadence asks.</p>
<p>Stupid. Stupid girl.</p>
<p>Where were you?</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>Where did you go? You’ve never gone before.</p>
<p>Ever.</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” The excitement in her voice is shifting to exasperation. “You just reconnected with the freakin’ universe, and you want to know where I go when you sleep?”</p>
<p>I wasn’t asleep.</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, not the whole time you sure weren’t. Of course you couldn’t manage to keep your eyes open for the good part! Who was that? You just about kicked it there at the end, you know.”</p>
<p>That wasn’t you?</p>
<p>“What, saving your skinny butt? Nope, I was praying my face off right about then.”</p>
<p>Huh.</p>
<p>I scoot forward and feel for the next step. Crisp, crystalline alertness is draining from me into the cold, concrete steps. The sharp pricks of scabs cracking compete with the burning ache in my muscles as I move. The darkness seems to heighten every sensation.</p>
<p>It’s a long way back to my room. I have no idea how much is left of the night, but I am screwed if I don’t get all this grime off and these scrapes covered before work tomorrow. Or today. Whatever.</p>
<p>Cadence keeps chattering as I feel my way down the unending stairs, keeping careful count of the palely outlined doorways as I go. The words ‘silver’ ‘hot’ and ‘amazing’ keep repeating. I think she might be in love with our mysterious, probably-not-even-real stranger.</p>
<p>Who saved me from a dream.</p>
<p>Which isn’t possible.</p>
<p>So he definitely doesn’t exist.</p>
<p>Cadence ignores this line of logic almost as thoroughly as I ignore her chattering.</p>
<p>Finally. I’m definitely almost positively certain that this is the doorway to my floor.</p>
<p>Mostly.</p>
<p>Possibly.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, I reach for the handle, remembering as the icy metal chills my hand that it’s locked. I’m about to turn and look for the crawl-space tunnel, when the handle shifts. I tighten my grip, turn, pull the door open a crack and peer into a headache-inducing golden glow.</p>
<p>The good news? This door opened.</p>
<p>The bad news? Not my floor.</p>
<p>So not my floor.</p>
<p>I have never seen anything like this before in the Tower. The gold-threaded lights are familiar, but the condition of the pitted, gouged walls, the grungy, trash-littered floor… There aren’t nearly enough doors either, and the corridor is so short — I can see where it turns, not twenty feet away, way too soon…</p>
<p>“Get back,” Cadence hisses in my ear. “Someone’s coming!”</p>
<p>I can hear the footsteps now, not ringing, but shuffling, detritus shifting and scattering under a heavy, slow tread.</p>
<p>I edge the door shut, holding my breath until the gap is sealed.</p>
<p>This place is wrong; I shouldn’t be here. I want to run, but I’m too afraid, and my body is hours past worn out, every muscle and joint competing with shredded skin for my attention.</p>
<p>The shuffling step is faint behind the door, but getting closer. Closer.</p>
<p>Here!</p>
<p>I hold my breath, pulse pounding.</p>
<p>Cadence is silent. Or maybe praying. Since apparently she does that now.</p>
<p>It’s passed.</p>
<p>I resume breathing, cautiously. Edge back from the door.</p>
<p>I must have lost count and gone too low… or maybe I’m still too high up? I can’t go back to the top and count again… My throat tightens, eyes dampening in misery and desperation. There’s no way…</p>
<p>“Too low,” Cadence whispers.</p>
<p>I jump.</p>
<p>Someone catches me, warm hands at my back.</p>
<p>“Whoa! Look who decided to join us after all!”</p>
<p>It’s too dark to see, but I think I’d recognize the touch of those big hands, that liquid voice anywhere.</p>
<p>“Ravelwan!” Cadence hisses. My heart stops. Stutters. Starts up again in double time.</p>
<p>Him. The golden man.</p>
<p>A high pitched voice titters in the darkness: “Look at that! You scared the kid! Better keep those hands to yourself, Ravel.”</p>
<p>I feel the vibration of his laugh. Other voices murmur in amused agreement, and now I hear the rustlings of light uniforms, soft slippered shoes on the stairs. How could I have missed so many? How could there even be so many, moving about the Tower at this time of night?</p>
<p>I turn toward the hidden stream of people, and Ravelwan’s arm moves with me, slipping around my shoulders as I turn.</p>
<p>I flinch away, the shock of his touch meeting the exhaustion of my spent body. My knees feel like rubber. Ravelwan’s arm tightens around me, his hand catching at my scraped elbow. Shooting pain shocks me upright, keeping me from fully collapsing to be trampled under the feet of the shadows flitting through the dark.</p>
<p>Cadence is freaking out, but I can’t spare her any attention just now.</p>
<p>“Go on ahead. I’ll catch up soon.” His voice is low and clear. Commanding.</p>
<p>Irresistible.</p>
<p>The soft rustling pauses while he speaks, resumes without comment when he is finished, the soft movements fading down around the next corridor. It’s just the two of us now. Well, three of us.</p>
<p>I think Cadence is hyperventilating. Or maybe that’s me. He’s ignoring it either way, which is awfully nice of him…</p>
<p>“So I take it you got my note?” He asks.</p>
<p>Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to need an answer; I’m not having much success getting one out.</p>
<p>“I can’t tell you how very pleased I am that you came to meet us, Cole.” Ravelwan continues, his voice warm and heavy.</p>
<p>It’s hard to focus. I try to shrug his arm off, and this time he loosens his grip. I step away, feeling for the cool solidness of the wall. Leaning against it, I let the cold seep into my burning skin, draining the heat from my head until I can focus on his words.</p>
<p>“I knew you’d come,” He says.”I needed you to come. We need you with us, Cole. And you need us. I’ve been watching you. You’ve never been out, have you? You’re going to love it, Cole.” His voice is excited, intense. His hands are gentle, reaching out to stroke my head, shoulders, arms. “There is so much more than this, this strangled existence that the Tower allows you. You were made for more than this. I can’t wait to show you how much more.”</p>
<p>I let him coax me from the supporting wall, simultaneously drawn to, and terrified of his words, his presence. His voice, his nearness, his touch.</p>
<p>It’s all wrong, dangerously, fascinatingly wrong, violating everything I’ve ever known was right. Safe.</p>
<p>This could kill me. This temptation, this allure. I’ve already had one close brush with a dream today; I won’t survive exposure to a second.</p>
<p>He’ll kill me.</p>
<p>“Escape,” Cadence breathes in my ear.</p>
<p>The word echoes in my head, quivering down through my body, vibrating tensed muscles into action. My heart clenches as my feet carry me, unwilling, away up the stairs, stumbling, catching shins against hard-edged steps, but surging onward.</p>
<p>“Cole!” His voice follows me, hurt, confused, demanding, compelling.</p>
<p>And falls silent with the scrape of a door sliding open. A beam of light bounces off the wall as I turn the corner to the next flight of stairs, while his footsteps thud lower as we both flee the light.</p>
<p>Too close. No matter what, the Tower can’t know of anything that goes on outside of its light. We’d been exposed to too much. Too dangerous. I don’t know what they’d do to me. One thing was certain, it wouldn’t be good. I have to get back to my room and get cleaned up before anyone…</p>
<p>“Anyone else…” Cadence pipes up.</p>
<p>…Anyone else finds out. Like that cold eyed Guard from earlier. Somehow, I feel like his attention at least would not be good.</p>
<p>“Welcome to the world of secrets.” Cadence says.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-8-mori">Chapter 8: Mori</h3>
<h4 id="takkun">Takkun</h4>
<p>I hate this. Sitting here, day after day, smothered under the numbing influence of the Training floor. Bathed in the yellow glow of artificial light, cocooned in an endless rhythmic routine.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m the only one awake, though this room is full of trainers and trainees, even a couple former workers, back for retraining, their bodies broader and skin smoother than ours. They share the dull, empty stare of the other trainees. The trainers at least seem to be able to focus, to have some will and consciousness. It can’t be only the dullness of our daily routine.</p>
<p>I’m suspicious of everything here. The bland food, a liquid diet of flavourless, thick goop that the trainers administer twice daily, observing and adjusting until we grow and smooth out to blend with the herds of grown Workers. The sweet-smelling clouds that hiss out of air vents and disperse into a light haze throughout the Training Floor, the corridors, our tiny rooms.</p>
<p>I hate it all. You’d think I’d get used to it, that it would fade into the background. Sometimes I forget for minutes, hours, whole days… and then a stronger whiff of it brings all my revulsion to the fore and I can hardly stand it. I’ve learned to force down the meals while they watch, and then purge it all out later. It seems to make a difference. My head feels so much clearer, my body lighter, eyes sharper. When the trainers murmur their lists of regulations and have us mimic the simple tasks of a Worker, I learn faster than any other trainee. They don’t seem pleased. That’s fine, I can slow down, play dumb, mimic the dull movements and incomprehension of the others and let my mind wander. I imagine an alien world, a fantasy of danger, joy and freedom.</p>
<p>In the world I escape to, I am very much smaller than I am now, and I live with two people - Workers? - they’re full size, anyways, but sharp, like I am. Their eyes focus; they see me. They smile. Laugh.</p>
<p>We are together in a small, dim place, very unlike the large, open spaces of the Tower Training Floor. The air is thick with a yellowish fog that they try to shut out, covering over doors and windows whenever we return to the small place that we all live. Together! There is a single room that the three of us eat, sleep and play in. And what food! What play!</p>
<p>A Trainer is leading a recitation of holy Tower regulation, and I mechanically recite along while letting my mind take me away to that other world. There, we have food that you have to cut and tear and chew, but it has flavour and texture. The taste makes my mouth water and my stomach churn. One of the Workers, a woman, she prepared it, taking parcels and strangely coloured things that we would collect from the outside and turning them by magic into wonderful things.</p>
<p>In my world, we have our own language, and we have names, not ID and title, but actual individual names. I called the woman Worker Kachan and the man Tochan. They have a name for me, too. I reach for it, straining.</p>
<p>“Mori!”</p>
<p>No that wasn’t quite right. Funny, most of this world I escape to comes so easily, but every so often there are pieces that I just can’t get a good look at. Mori… it’s more like a title, like Trainer or Worker, it’s what all of us are called, Kachan and Tochan and me…</p>
<p>“Trainee Mori!” The Trainer repeats himself, bending over to get a better look at me. “Remember Injunctions One and Three! Dreams lead to death. An idle mind draws down destruction!”</p>
<p>I jump a little in my chair, startled. I must have forgotten to drone along to the Regulations. I’d have to do better. I mumble an apology and focus for a few minutes until I feel like I’ve gotten back into the flow of things.</p>
<p>It was so much more fun to learn things in my world. Kachan and Tochan would repeat things for me, just a few times and then I’d know it, and we’d move on to something else. They show me how to do things and take me places, new and different places.</p>
<p>It’s hard to see much on the streets when we leave our home; the fog is so thick that you can barely see the outlines of buildings, jutting up on either side, and you have to be almost on top of the little stalls where we buy the materials that Kachan makes our meals from. Tochan wants me to climb a building with him. He says you can see past the fog if you go high enough. We try, but in my world I am very small, and the steps seem huge. I get tired too quickly, and he gives up and carries my home.</p>
<p>That’s another thing. In my world, we all touch each other a lot, casually, like it’s no big deal. Tochan hugs Kachan and me, they hold my hand when we walk outside, carry me when I get tired. There’s something called ‘tickling’ that I love and hate at the same time. It makes me laugh until I can’t breathe.</p>
<p>Kachan says there’s another way to see past the fog. It’s dangerous, but she says I should see. Just in case, I should get to see. She seems sad. Tochan says it’s best to go just before dark. Easier to get away. Prettier. We’re all afraid of something, but I’m not too sure what.</p>
<p>Kachan helps me dress in dark clothes, tight-fitting, sturdy pants, heavy shoes, a thick coat. We wear a lot more clothes than anyone I’ve ever seen in the Tower, even the Guard. The fog is even darker than usual when we get outside. Tochan says hurry, hurry so we can still see it. He pulls me along at first, sweeping me up to carry me, even though I’m really getting too big to be carried, so we can go faster. Kachan is having trouble keeping up. She says to go on ahead, to ‘catch the light’. I don’t know what she means…</p>
<p>I leave my world reluctantly. It’s always a welcome escape from the boredom of the Training Floor, but rarely so exciting! The Tower Regulation recitation has ended, and the Trainers divide us into groups by type of work. Today I’m training as a Section 2 Cleaner. We use tools to wipe solutions along floor and walls, and go through piles of laundry, looking for signs of wear before bundling into machines. It’s tediously slow, like all the work they have trained us in. If you go too fast, make too many mistakes, or stop working, the Trainers come over and start retraining the skills until you can go at exactly the right speed. Apparently this is calculated to keep your mind and body occupied without being too exhausting. I’m faster and smarter, though. Once my body settles into the rhythm of wiping, scrubbing a long-handled brush along surfaces in a smooth pattern, I slip back into my world.</p>
<p>Tochan is holding me in his arms, moving quickly through dimly lit streets. The fog is thinner here, and I can see more of the buildings on either side of the street. They’re further apart, and I can see higher, higher, to where they end and there’s nothing above them but light. My eyes widen as I stare at the emerging sky. It’s so high, the air now so clear. We leave the last of the buildings behind, and the road ends here. Tochan puts me down on the shifting surface of the beach and keeps his hand on my shoulder. We gaze out over glittering waves at a far shore and distant mountains painted in the crimson glow of the sunset. I have never seen so far, or so clearly.</p>
<p>The fog blends with the cloying miasma of the Tower in my mind, both a distant reality next to this glorious vision, and one I wish never to return to. There is nothing so beautiful or so glorious as standing here in the salt-clear air beside my father, the dipping sun warm on my skin, the wash of waves on the shore soothing as my father gives me the words, the keys to this amazing world. But even in the midst of my wonder, a shadow falls upon me.</p>
<p>Darkness is coming. Darkness to all my worlds, the Tower and the Home and all of Me. I widen my eyes, staring out across the waves, trying to hold on to the light. But now the beauty burns and destroys. I’m losing everything else but the golden light, the touch of my father ripped away. Salt and sweet mingle in the air and burst as hot blood pours down my face and I feel a terrible wrenching.</p>
<p>At the last, the long-forgotten cries of my father mingle with the screams in the Tower.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-9-temptation">Chapter 9: Temptation</h3>
<h4 id="haynfyv">Haynfyv</h4>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv dreaded his visits to the holy Lady of the Towers.</p>
<p>Her Worship Maria Ashera, Mayor of the Towers of Refuge, provided guidance and shelter to the Citizens from her gilded suite at the top of Tower 3. As chief of the Council of Guardians, First Mother to the Citizens and the Breath of Tower Regulation, all work Division Managers, Inspectors and Guards reported directly to the Lady Maria.</p>
<p>Haynfyv much preferred to submit his reports remotely to Her Worship’s office. He found her presence absolutely overwhelming and never failed to leave it with a persistent migraine. She positively shone, the silken gold of her hair matched by her glowing gaze and mirrored in the gold-lined walls and gilt-threaded finishings of her suite. Her kindness and care for all her charges were legendary; her sacrifice for the safety of every Citizen and her unflagging concern for their comfort and well-being unparalleled in the history of the Towers. The sweetness of her scent was matched only by her tone, her every word honeyed so that they stuck in his ears and clogged up the workings of his mind.</p>
<p>Haynfyv preferred a clean and well-ordered mind, the better to flick through facts, identify truths and pursue mysteries at full speed. He liked nothing better than following the trail of an obscure lead or exposing an errant Worker’s lack of appreciation for the great gifts of the Towers of Refuge.</p>
<p>Haynfyv eyed the lit button for Floor 33 with impatience. It felt like the elevators moved slower every year. There was no helping it; Her Worship summoned and he must answer.</p>
<p>Still, it was a rare thing to be called alone to Her Worship’s chambers. Haynfyv had never seen her without the mitigating influence of a half dozen inspectors and guards at least. He considered idly what she might want. It had been months since he had last been Outside, weeks since he had even been to another Tower in the complex. More and more it seemed that guards were taking on all the Outside assignments. Perhaps he’d mention something to Her Worship about it.</p>
<p>It was dangerous, of course, going Outside, terribly dangerous, but there were only so many possible assignments within the Tower, and rarely any with the slightest hint of challenge to them. Take that crumpled old bag of bones this morning, for instance. The Bell file. Textbook. The old ones, their resistance to the suppressants in the nutrition was always high, their minds notoriously suggestible. Those timid care workers would never dream of trying anything, and their personal monitors reported as much; not a single hair out of line…</p>
<p>The door sighed open and Inspector Haynfyv stepped out of the elevator into the gorgeous opulence of Her Worship’s private suite. Distant music trickled out of hidden speakers. Real, old music, not the automated background noise of the recreation programs.</p>
<p>Even the air here was different, alive with the scent of real flowers, sweet, but not the artificial sweetness of the suppressant infusions piped through the ventilation systems. The gold-laced ceiling lights were replaced with standing lamps, toning down the brilliance of gold-lined floors and walls, and casting shadows over the complicated, old-fashioned furniture placed lovingly throughout the rooms, so alien next to the bland and hard-edged utilitarianism that populated the rest of the Tower.</p>
<p>Well, and why not? With this much gold around, one could afford a little luxury, a few small daydreams, without risking too much. Come to that, Her Worship could probably dream her days away without being touched.</p>
<p>It occurred to Inspector Haynfyv that, here in this place, he could afford to indulge in a few small fantasies himself. His steps slowed as he reached for some inspiration, and then faltered as he realized he couldn’t summon so much as an ambition. Well. Perhaps just a little hope. If he were able to choose his own assignments, to go where he would, try out all the lost techniques and technologies of the past…</p>
<p>But Haynfyv rounded the corner and came upon Her Worship herself, reclining in glittering majesty on an ornately carved chaise. The Lady Maria’s bright eyes were disconcertingly clear and fixed on him. All ambition was wiped from his mind in a moment.</p>
<p>How could he have forgotten Her? And yet, it came back to him that this momentary realization had struck him unnumbered times in the past and been forgotten again.</p>
<p>Although Her Worship’s term in office dated back to the first days of the Towers of Refuge, her figure was that of a young woman’s, her shapely form barely obscured by diaphanous swathes of glittering fabric, her heavy golden mane framing entirely unmasked and flawless skin that no line or mark had ever dared mar. First mother indeed! This was a woman in the prime of her youth, with beauty and allure that men would kill for. Would die for. All the conditioning and suppressants in the world couldn’t hide that.</p>
<p>Haynfyv flushed as he felt himself respond to her, feeling at war with himself. It had been years, decades, since men and women had had those kind of relations, and yet it felt as if the world had spun and reverted to the dark days. The Towers had made such things obsolete. This, this woman, had made a new world, one that neither needed nor allowed lust. Haynfyv swallowed hard and forced his eyes back up to her face.</p>
<p>“I have come, Your Worship,” He said.</p>
<p>“My darling Inspector,” The Lady Maria purred, and Haynfyv found it suddenly very hard to focus past the flaming heat of his skin.</p>
<p>“You have my gratitude for taking the time away from protecting us to meet with me,” She continued. “I do apologize for interrupting your critical work, but I desired very much to see you in person, and to offer my personal thanks and commendation for your excellent performance. Your commitment and resourcefulness in pursuing your duties has come to my attention. I understand you have gone so far as to uncover the techniques of the past in order to pursue your investigations…”</p>
<p>Haynfyv floated in a perfumed cloud of praise, drifting in and out of quite improper speculations and daydreams. Realizing that it had been some moments since Her Worship had ceased speaking, he cleared his throat thickly, and searched for some sort of appropriate response.</p>
<p>“Your gratitude is most appreciated, Your Worship,” Haynfyv began, and paused, willing his mind to settle. “But most unwarranted. This humble worker offers service as your Regulation allows. If any benefit is found, it is only due to your most gracious and wise rule.”</p>
<p>Her Worship made a graceful little moue of irritation at this, her face quickly smoothing to its customary tranquil beauty.</p>
<p>“Your humility and devotion to our beloved Regulation is most befitting. Your excellent services have not gone unnoticed. I hesitate to place an additional burden on such a valued Citizen as yourself, my dear Inspector, but if you would permit me to further rely on you?”</p>
<p>The dear inspector’s jaw hung slack as he absorbed this unaccustomed praise. Her Worship didn’t seem to actually require him to hold up his end of the conversation, and continued in dulcet tones without waiting for his response.</p>
<p>“You are aware of the grievous conditions outside of our Refuge, of course? The sad state of those poor souls that lacked the capacity to take ahold of the protection we so yearned to afford them? The unutterable pathos of their desperate desire to cling to some mythic notion of freedom that prevented them from seeking the salvation of the Towers at the time of Dreamfall?”</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv managed to make a low noise that he was pleased to think managed to convey a suitable awareness of the sad state of the foolish Street-dwelling creatures.</p>
<p>“I have the greatest regard for your work in extending the compassionate hand of the Towers to these poor lost souls,” Her Worship purred, drawing herself up and slipping her legs over the side of the chaise to the floor in a graceful flow of flesh and fabric that quite distracted Haynfyv from his consideration of exactly which part of his duties had involved extending a hand to the wretches of the Streets, compassionate or otherwise. He preferred to consider the curve of the Lady Maria’s hip, traced by a sheer, fine-woven net of gold. She advanced toward Haynfyv in a shimmering fall of fabric, moving to grasp one of his dark gloved hands in both of her fine small white ones. She peeled the glove off to trace his callouses, glancing up at him through heavy lashes. Her nails were painted with gold and filed to points, like a great golden cat. Haynfyv trembled at her cool touch.</p>
<p>“My heart breaks for my children,” She whispered in his ear, leaning in to him. Tears welled in her tawny eyes and slipped silently down her flawless cheeks. Haynfyv wanted to weep with her, to hold her close, to destroy anything that dared make this beautiful goddess unhappy.</p>
<p>“Won’t you defend my children,” Her Worship pleaded tearfully, and Haynfyv silently pledged himself, body and soul to her defence and any cause she cared for.</p>
<p>“There is a sickness, an evil, that infects my children,” Lady Maria said. “A cancer that has invaded from Outside and poisoned us. Find the source. Round up the infected and cut off the routes of infection. Bring any that will be healed to me and destroy the root of the sickness.” She leaned into him bodily now, whispering the words, their power at odds with her delivery. “I authorize complete access; go wherever you need to and do whatever you must to accomplish this for me. You have complete clearance to every room, floor and Tower, to go and come from the Outside at will, and to take in or out anyone whom you see fit. I beg your forgiveness for exposing you to such danger, but I have no one else to turn to. Will you do this service for me, my child?”</p>
<p>Inspector Haynfyv basked in the blessing of his goddess, shivering with fervour and shame as she slipped a cloth of gold from her shoulders and wrapped it slowly, oh so slowly, around his waist and across his torso.</p>
<p>“My sign to you, my child,” She breathed, hands resting lightly on his chest. She pushed him lightly away. “Go now and be my agent of blessing and protection.”</p>
<p>Haynfyv stumbled away, hand clutched unconsciously in the cloth at his breast, delight, awe and astonishment a fizzing counterpoint to the baser sensations churning deep within. He rested his forehead against the polished gold of the wall when he reached the elevators, just for a moment, to cool down. When the doors slid open, he moved to enter without looking and collided unpleasantly with a very grimy Guard Serov.</p>
<p>“All right there, Inspector?” Serov said. He had put his hands out to steady Haynfyv when they collided, and continued the unwelcome connection, fingering the edge of the cloth of gold. Haynfyv batted Serov’s hand away, repulsed, and wrinkled his nose at the sharp metallic scent of the man.</p>
<p>“What are you doing here,” Haynfyv demanded, moving to block the odious little man from gaining further access to Her Worship’s sanctuary.</p>
<p>“Oh, ‘bout what you’ve been up to, Sir,” Guard Serov smirked, eyeing the Lady’s sash, “Man’s got his needs after all, don’t he?”</p>
<p>“The likes of you has no business…” Haynfyv started. Serov was waving a tablet under his nose with great condescension. A tablet with a formal summons to Her Worship’s suite.</p>
<p>Haynfyv growled, low in his throat, and pushed past the smaller man, careful not to brush the precious sash against his filth. To think that the Lady Maria would be left alone with that lowly Guard…</p>
<p>Haynfyv’s blood boiled. He reached out, intending to stop the doors closing, but was too slow. His last sight of the glorious chambers of his Lady was the hooded gaze of Guard Serov, a twisted smirk on his lips beside a carelessly unhooked mask, and his hand tucked in the opening of his uniform jacket, stroking a darkly gold glimmer beneath.</p>
<hr />
<h3 id="chapter-10-notes">Chapter 10: Notes</h3>
<h4 id="cole-4">Cole</h4>
<p>The world of secrets.</p>
<p>Cadence’s teasing comment resonates in my mind from yesterday, echoing in a previously undiscovered hollowness inside of me.</p>
<p>Between aching muscles, scabbing patches of skin, and the shivering buzz of adrenaline, I barely slept. I pry myself out of bed, inch by teeth-gritting inch, reduced to a shuffling mass of trembling rawness. The struggle to dress myself brings tears to my eyes, but I fear missing work for any longer.</p>
<p>I can’t afford a visit from the care aides. I shudder to think what would happen when they show up to investigate a cold and find my palms and knees abraded. My behaviour yesterday was thoroughly in contravention of any number of regulations. I need to get back on track.</p>
<p>“Or we could just go…” Cadence pouts. She’s not impressed by my pain. She tends to think I’m a hopeless weakling at the best of times.</p>
<p>“And boring.” She adds with a huff.</p>
<p>Sometimes she really doesn’t seem to have the strongest grip on reality. It’s like she lives half in the world of dreams herself, and forgets all the danger, all the realities that I have to live with. The protection of the Tower that I depend on, the routine and regulation that keeps me safe. I shudder, remembering that dizzying fall into darkness, that hopelessness, caught in the mesmerizing grip of death…</p>
<p>“Stupid.” Cadence says crisply. “You didn’t die, dimwit. Last night was amazing!”</p>
<p>I resent her for reminding me. It had, of course, been beautiful. Astonishingly, heart-shakingly, mind-bendingly glorious. The light, the openness, the movement. Flying… and although I had fallen, that silver presence, there at the end, that had stopped the fall. Saved me.</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>It had been a dream, and dreams lie. Dreams cannot be trusted. Dreams lure you in with promises, the promise of your hearts desire, of everything you could hope for, of fantasy and fiction, and then as soon as you think you’ve found paradise, they turn on you and crush you.</p>
<p>How much of last night had even been real? Maybe there had been no end to the stairs, maybe that whole revelation had been a lie. That light, that space…</p>
<p>It couldn’t be real. I had just gotten into an unguarded, exposed pocket of the tower or something…</p>
<p>“It was real. You know it was real. You remember.” Cole pleads.</p>
<p>It wasn’t real. There’s no way it could have been real.</p>
<p>I lean against the wall to eye my morning nutrition allotment through gritty eyes. On the one hand, some of this hollowness might fade after breakfast. On the other, my stomach is flipping slowly in revolt at the prospect of being expected to perform any sort of useful service in the foreseeable future. Plus, I’m in no hurry to crack the stiff, new scabs on my hands for the mere purpose of feeding myself.</p>
<p>Still, it’s going to be a long day. I weigh my options, deciding that muscle ache is preferable to cracked scabs.</p>
<p>Reaching out with both arms, I pincer the container between my wrists and shrug my way far enough down to get the straw to my lips. The first sip is bliss, a wave of numbness that loosens all the tightness and dims the shrieking pain to a distant murmur. The dizzying spin of my thoughts - light! pain! silver! Ravelwan! touch! danger! secrets! - whirls in slower, wider arcs, calming to a gentle ripple. Cadence’s voice fades along with it.</p>
<p>I know what I need. Stay safe. Follow regulation. Keep to the routine. Get up. Eat. Go to work. Eat. Sleep. Follow the prompts; the Tower takes care of the rest.</p>
<p>So that’s what I do.</p>
<p>Suck down the bland nutrition packets. Sit at a desk, typing slowly, stiffly, careful to keep the scrapes and scabs hidden from view. My supervisor is pleased that I am no longer pushing the limits. Take breaks as prompted, careful to keep my gaze on the floor, careful to walk routes that keep a safe distance between myself and others - especially! no, don’t even think about it - and back to work. Run an activity cycle to work through the distant aches. Sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.</p>
<p>Don’t think, just repeat.</p>
<p>But the notes keep appearing. On my chair, tucked into the corner of the hydration unit when I take a break, propped against the door of my room, once, shockingly propped on my bed when I was slow returning after work.</p>
<p>He’s trying to break the cycle, to break my resolve. He’s not so bold as to start something in person, although he lingers as long as he can without drawing the attention of the supervisor whenever he takes breaks, starts from his chair whenever he sees me move.</p>
<p>The notes are different every time, but all the same. They turn into a refrain that haunts my days.</p>
<p>Cole, break out. Be free.</p>
<p>Cole, adventure is waiting.</p>
<p>Cole, you were made for more.</p>
<p>Cole, join us.</p>
<p>Cole, we need you.</p>
<p>Cole, I need you.</p>
<p>Cole, I’ll wait for you.</p>
<p>I start to dispose of them without reading them. They jar the routine, tempting me to break my gaze, to open my eyes wide and see beyond the haze. They make my face warm, my heart beat, my mind wonder. They make Cadence nag.</p>
<p>“Not him! I don’t like him!” She’ll say, and it helps. It helps cool my skin and slow my heartbeat.</p>
<p>It’s the only thing she says that helps. She still nags about breaking the routine, about skipping meals and staying up and maybe trying that hatch again, that one across from the elevators that I carefully don’t see twice a day.</p>
<p>But I’m getting really good at drowning her out. At drowning all of it out. I think the Tower is helping me. The lights seems yellower, the air more sweetly thick, the nutrition allotments larger and headier. If I keep my eyes half closed and my ears tuned to the buzz of the lights and my mind stolidly occupied with plodding through my days as slowly as possible, I can control the temptation, the deadly allure. I can stay safe.</p>
<p>Except at night. At night, I dream.</p>
<p>Nothing specific, nothing clear. Oddly, nothing dangerous. Not like the bright-edged hyper-reality of that night, that night that could not have happened. But not nothing. Definitely not nothing.</p>
<p>When I close my eyes, I am not alone. Dim shapes and colours move. At the centre of it, a smudge radiating brilliant silver-white light. Sounds, indistinct, as heard through a wall, like someone in the next room is shouting, or has a rec cycle turned way up. I feel like the sound is attached to the silver light, to that distant, indistinct shimmer that grows every night. It’s starting to look like a silhouette, and Cadence chatters about it all day, and it’s getting so hard to drown her out.</p>
<p>So hard that I lose focus, and Ravelwan finally catches me alone, returning from work one night.</p>
<p>I had forgotten the shocking heat of touch. His hand on my shoulder, his breath in my ear, that radiating warmth at my back. I would jump, but every muscle is disconnected, frozen in place, missing the spark of motion.</p>
<p>“Cole.” He whispers, and I shiver, flashing back to the terror and exhilaration of that dark staircase, that night of wonder and horror. “Cole, I’ve missed you. We’ve missed you. Where have you been?”</p>
<p>I manage to shrink away from Ravelwan, resting my shoulder on the wall. I glance at my door, inches away, miles away. If I could just cross those vast spaces, I would be safe again. But once in my room, nothing but Regulation and training would stop Ravelwan from entering, and he’s already broken critical regulation simply by touching me. Somehow, I doubt a door would prove a true barrier against him now.</p>
<p>Cadence is dithering, debating herself in a frenzy, trying to work out an escape route. No luck, despite her usual sharp creativity. Even though work has just ended, no one else seems to be moving in the corridor. I don’t know if he’s managed some sort of elaborate scheme, or if he’s just taking advantage of a rare opportunity, but Ravelwan has somehow carved out a moment away from the Tower scrutiny, and with it, overturned all my rigour and protections, all my resolve.</p>
<p>Adrenaline pushes back the Tower-supplied fog, sharpening my mind, widening my eyes, speeding my pulse as my skin heats against the cool wall. I’ve avoided this feeling, this uncertain thrill for so long, and now all my determination just seems so distant and vague.</p>
<p>Abandoning all caution and good sense, not to mention Cadence’s panicked pleas, I turn my gaze to Ravelwan. Those golden eyes, mesmerizing, a wild creature, entirely focused on me. They crinkle in a smile, and I feel my face move in unfamiliar ways in automatic response. He’s reaching out again, a hand on my shoulder, another stroking lightly down my arm, and it’s horrible and it’s amazing and I can’t think to make it stop, to remember why exactly it should stop, and I’m still caught in his gaze. He’s been speaking for some time now, drowned out by the torrent of Cadence’s outrage and the roaring in my ears. He pries me softly, steadily away from the wall, propels me towards the elevators, I break out of my daze enough to start catching his words.</p>
<p>“…going to love it.” He’s saying. “Like nothing you’ve ever imagined. So much more than the Tower could ever give you. I can’t wait for you to be free of all the lies.”</p>
<p>“No… Not like this, not with him…” Cadence is moaning in horror.</p>
<p>She’s really overreacting about all of this, I think dreamily, floating down the hall. It’s going to be fine. I’m going to be fine. I want to know. Whatever it is that Ravelwan has to show me. After all, he’s worked so hard to reach me. Just for me, he’s gone to all that effort to sneak notes, to catch me here, alone…</p>
<p>I frown, distracted, and my steps falter. Ravelwan’s pressure increases for a moment, then releases. He steps ahead, lifts my chin with one hand, stoops to catch my gaze. My breath stops, caught in the liquid wonder of his eyes, so focused, so deep, so intense.</p>
<p>“You want this,” He says.</p>
<p>I want this.</p>
<p>“You were made for this,” He tells me.</p>
<p>I was made for this.</p>
<p>“Don’t look, don’t…” Cadence shrieks, her voice cut off as he brings his face even closer, hands gentle on either side of my face, fingers edging past my mask, threaded through my cropped hair, and all I can see is gold.</p>
<p>“You’re going to love this.” He says, and I Believe.</p>
<p>He is right. I have wanted nothing as much as I want to please him, to discover whatever mysteries he has for me. I’m not surprised when he steers me towards the hatch across from the elevators, not afraid in the darkness when he moves me down the endless stairs, surely, quickly, dizzyingly down and around and around and in the distance is only more darkness. He supports and guides me, and I believe I can go on forever like this, into cold darkness, with the memory of that golden liquid heat wrapping me in calm surety.</p>
<p>Finally, an eternity later, our journey ends in a door. Ravelwan lifts my hand, places it against the door, his own covering it so that I am caught between ice and fire.</p>
<p>“Welcome to Freedom.” He whispers, and the door opens.</p>
Day 1112016-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/27/Day-111<p>Blind the eyes. From the song: “Gold and Silver blind the eyes…” Because I’m obsessed with the old Appalachian song All my Tears. Which would also make a good title. Cool? Lame? Nonsensical? At least it’s better than Gold, right? Right?</p>
<p>I’ll have to think about it. Something that doesn’t hit you over the head would be nice. But the simplicity of Gold-Silver-Bronze is also appealing. However, titles could go with a line from the song? So many good ones: Temporary riches lie. Drink from heaven’s store. Thirst no more. Laid to rest. Washed away… narrative gold mines.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLMyR6gcE9/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Boring day of #rewrites today, so enjoy this return to the #shelfies series before I have to box them all up for the move! #shelfoftheday #fantasy #classics #kidslit #ya #kipling #cslewis #georgemacdonald #peterpan #scarletpimpernel #epic #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-27T22:39:22+00:00">Jun 27, 2016 at 3:39pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Just realized I have like three weeks left before the move. (insert freak-out exclamation here). Oh. My. Super need to get a move on. Also, realizing there’s got to be so much more to do than I budgeted time for. At this rate, I’ll be lucky to get first round rewrites out, and maybe a copy into the hands of beta readers.</p>
<p>It’s for real, now. Sent off the first supersize suitcase with my uncle this weekend (which was amazing! now I can bring my strat!) so now I’ll definitely have to follow if I want to ever see my shoes again (lol). Hoo. Deep breaths. Ok, just keep getting one thing done after the next!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>So writing in a little better adventure for Itri ate up ages and added another 3K words, but (hopefully) worth it. Definitely upped the creep factor and squickiness. Really gotta start getting this out to Beta readers.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am & 3:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: turmeric tea & cardamom water</p>
<p>Soundtrack: <a href="http://www.cobraramone.com" target="_blank">Cobra Ramone </a></p>
Day 1102016-06-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/23/Day-110<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So the good news is that I’ve brought up my <a href="https://klout.com/#/kaiedesign">Klout score</a> from about 30 to 50 over the last 90 days. The bad news is, it’s not like any of that reach is connected to the audience I really need. Lol marketing. Of course, Instagramming about alcohol is probably not the best move for an under 19 audience… but beer and Scotch posts get the most likes! Or hearts. Whatever. Hoping to push through to a good chunk more chapters today, since the last three days have been spent on only the first five. Which I just released as a public preview, so it makes sense to be cleaning them up, but… time is racing by. At warp speed.</p>
<p>Rewrites are interesting. There’s way more security in knowing where (more or less) the story and people are headed. Character is mostly set for everyone, so it’s just a matter of refining and trimming them back (ish) to be more clear and consistent. Although, every time I go in for editing, things get longer instead of shorter.</p>
<p>It’s probably bad that I keep comparing myself on writing quality instead of storytelling. Just started <a href="http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/">Jessica Day George’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B009SJZQAI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B009SJZQAI&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Princess of the Silver Woods</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B009SJZQAI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
, and feeling confident like: yeah, I can do this! My writing is at least this good! …but I have zero objectivity when it comes to assessing how effective the story telling and characterization is, and it’s a foregone conclusion that I know how to put words in a pleasing order on a page. (I assume…)</p>
<p>Had a great visit with Michelle M. (well, back on Tuesday, but anyways), who despite coming up on baby no. 2 seems excited to publish with me, so one of these days I really need to pull out the story I tossed at her and see what I can do about trimming an (award-winning, lol) theme-driven short story into a viable picture book. Hoping that upcoming time with my 2-year-old cousin Jack will kick-start the process; it’s been too long since I paid much attention to how picture books work. But it’s kind of cool to diversify. Also hoping to help Michelle get an adult colouring book out, because hello trends. I wish I’d gotten on the idea of building it as an app when it first occurred to me, since I could have ridden that wave, and now we’re playing catch-up. But at the same time, there’s now an established market to tap into, which is great. A little worried about the mechanics of converting paper, IRL artwork to digital files for print, but cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe we can get away with conventional scanning? If not, I think it’ll be a big initial investment, which is not where I want to go with things. I prefer to keep the gambling tipped in our favour (lol). But sometimes, nothing ventured… Yeah. We’ll see.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BG73t--p29A/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks for hanging out, catching up and plotting more adventures in publishing today, @mrsmayorga! #fishoutofwater #kidsbooks #illustrator #publicart #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-21T23:46:41+00:00">Jun 21, 2016 at 4:46pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>I’m still concerned about its quality. World building vs. action being the key tension. Is there a compelling enough or authentic enough voice to carry readers through the info-dumps? Or is it too ‘talking-heads’-y? Guess I’ll loop back for one more scan through the first five before trying to push onwards. So running out of time!!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 1092016-06-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/22/Day-109<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-_PhCJ2xm/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Getting ready for the big trip. Who else besides @kickass_panda has one of these clever contraptions? #trtlpillow #travelpillow #flyingsucks #londoncalling #digitalnomad #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-23T04:50:09+00:00">Jun 22, 2016 at 9:50pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> The amazing Rebel gave me this awesome contraption for travel yesterday: the <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00LB7REFK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00LB7REFK&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Trtl Pillow</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00LB7REFK" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. It’s a pillow. But also a scarf. Like a travel-pillow-scarf. Inventors are awesome. Keep innovating, all you creative problem solvers out there! Also in the trip-planning wins, my <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00JA19TJ8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00JA19TJ8&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">silk sleep sheet</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00JA19TJ8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
came in today. Hoping that it helps reduce the ick factor (and the potential for bedbugs) of travel and strange beds. Also, it’s pretty.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHOE0x3gZvK/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">More #travelplanning coming together! Excited to try #silk #sleepsheets to reduce the ick factor and hopefully avoid any brushes with #bedbugs 😬😱 #travelwriter #londoncalling ...and #krakow ...and #brussels ...and #dublin ...and #edinburgh ...and... #digitalnomad #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-29T01:27:32+00:00">Jun 28, 2016 at 6:27pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Despite having released the first chapter as a ‘preview’, I’m still concerned about its quality. World building vs. action being the key tension. Is there a compelling enough or authentic enough voice to carry readers through the info-dumps? Or is it too ‘talking-heads’-y? Guess I’ll loop back for one more scan through the first five before trying to push onwards. So running out of time!!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 7 pm</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 1082016-06-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/20/Day-108<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Stupid social media. I’m about at the point of being ready to launch the site (officially), but getting traction on social media is turning out to be pretty d#$% slow. Lots of friends and family likes, and little else - although I think I’m starting to make some progress… Drinking photos seem to be the most popular, as well as bookshelf/book photos. Sharing earlier in the day has been better than later. Trying to hone in on the right hashtags (with little success). What I really need to do is up my blogging game and get on a few platforms with an audience. I’ve been assuming Tumblr is still the go-to for teen/YA fan audiences, but I should probably confirm that before investing too much more there.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHBI7cDAjwm/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Just not enough poison fog in this photo... 😓 #Vancouver #urban #dystopia (except it's really #poco ...) #writing #ya #supernatural #dystopian #fantasy #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-24T00:53:16+00:00">Jun 23, 2016 at 5:53pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Finished the <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1423136829/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=1423136829&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Bartimaeus Trilogy</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=1423136829" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
trilogy yesterday. Love the seriously twisted protags and snarky humour. Always good to see stories being told from multiple perspectives as well (if only because it confirms I should be able to get away with it). Smart world building and underlying mechanics, plus some great sacrificial heroism as well. Curious how much Jonathan Stroud writes by plot, and how much he just worked out as he went - how early in did he know that ending would go like it did?</p>
<p>I seriously need to pick up the pace on rewrites. In a month today, I’ll be landing in London, and leaving for two weeks of travel about a week and a half after that. So I should be rewriting about 5 chapters a day (note: I’ve finished one. And I should really go back and have another go at it…) Oh dear…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 2 pm</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 1072016-06-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/17/Day-107<p>So I could go with the excuse that there are just too many things to get done, and not enough time. Getting my website ready to launch (since, clearly, no one’s visiting it without a concerted push), developing content and social media material for promotion, scanning (and in some cases, applying for) jobs in the UK, (lazily) applying for the odd freelance project that I don’t really have the time or motivation for anyways, hacking away at travel plans, and spending time with the people that I’m about to leave behind. Plus, removing myself to a private space to work is shockingly challenging. Just starting, as always, is the first, and possibly greatest, barrier to getting anything done.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BGxxhLpp28a/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">The modern fantasy shelf. Call it research. #shelfie #shelfoftheday #hollyblack #helendunmore #thedarkisrising #susancooper #howlsmovingcastle #dianawynnejones #ormelling #fantasy #writersworld #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-18T01:40:06+00:00">Jun 17, 2016 at 6:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Or I could own up to the fact that I’m paralyzed with horror at the thought of rewrites. What if it sucks? What if it takes forever? (Julianna Baggot just owned up to doing <a href="http://bridgetasher.blogspot.ca/2016/06/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about.html" target="_blank">over 30 rounds of wholesale rewrites</a> on her excellent novels. No thanks.) What if I just can’t do it? What if I run out of time (hint: more a possibility with every hour I stall)? What if I run out of money and can’t afford to hire an editor? What if I hire an editor, but they’re no good? What if…</p>
<p>Stupid, right? (Please say yes…)</p>
<p>So, a miraculous gift. An entire day (and maybe night?) without interruption. Time to make the magic happen, and to hell with the results. If I have to fail, let it be spectacularly (and if I’m destined to fly, why not get along to it sooner than later??)</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: chair/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Kronenbourg 1664 (I know!)</p>
Williams Lake BC2016-06-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//adventure/2016/06/16/Williams-Lake-BC<p>Preview mini adventure!</p>
<p>Dates: June 3-6, 2016</p>
<p>We hit the road at about 4pm, taking the Fraser Canyon route out. The scenery isn’t too thrilling for the first while after you get past the Fraser Valley; lots of trees, if that’s your kind of thing. It is mostly riverside, winding through the canyons, which makes for a bit more visual interest. About an hour in, the mountains are a little less furred and look considerably more dramatic. At least for a little while, before it devolves into a dryer, deserty stretch where the hills take on the look of pilled cotton. Keep an eye out for wildlife (mostly deer) and scattered wood-frame and log structures. Many of the old cabins and barns along the way have collapsed from neglect; a couple tiny wood frame chapels and the odd log or sod-roofed home remain along the way. Not a fan of road trips/driving, but there are a few decently scenic points along the way.</p>
<p>We pushed through to Cache Creek area before stopping. Towns along the highway are mostly of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety, but in the past we’ve stopped to explore Clinton, which has a decent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clinton-Coffee-House/219401501420099" target="_blank">coffee shop</a>, a tiny but well-stocked <a href="clintonmuseum.ca/" target="_blank">museum</a> (with scary-chatty volunteer staff) and more antique/junk shops than one little town has any right to have. Other attractions include a gas-station/corner store with soft ice cream and a half-hearted stab at souvenirs, public washrooms, and some cute historic homes on the back streets. Definitely one of the more picturesque towns along the way.</p>
<p>Another past stop was the <a href="www.thesugarshack.sfobc.com/" target="_blank">Sugar Shack</a>, around 70 Mile House, an amazingly busy and popular stop offering poutine, a small selection of meals, lots of dessert options, maple-sugar-related paraphernalia and no-frills bench seating.</p>
<p>However, we tried a new stop this time ‘round: <a href="http://www.horstingsfarm.com/" target="_blank">Horstings Farm Market</a>. Open 8-6 daily, I can’t recommend it enough. Right off the highway and down a lane, the market has a few components: huge greenhouse full of potting and basket plants, orchard, roaming packs of peacocks, pastoral views, souvenirs, light grocery, full sandwich/soup deli/lunch counter, produce, and best of all, the most amazing bread you’ve ever had. Seriously; it’s almost worth the drive. Good prices for soup/sandwich, with outdoor picnic benches under a shelter and along the orchard.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BG192kGp2-b/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Barbed wire & cows. #latergram #horstingsfarm #roadtrip #potatobread #cachecreek #ranching #writersworld #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-19T16:44:50+00:00">Jun 19, 2016 at 9:44am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Having stopped at Horstings, we weren’t able to check it out for dinner, but apparently there’s a spectacular Thai place, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g1050313-d8059399-Reviews-Sunyam_Thai_Restaurant-70_Mile_House_Cariboo_British_Columbia.html" target="_blank">Sunyam</a>, in an unassuming little spot coming into town, so keep an eye out for it.</p>
<p>About 3.5 hours in, we arrived at the night’s destination; family of a friend of my mother’s right around 108 Mile.</p>
<p>Fun fact for those not familiar with BC pioneer history; all these ~Mile or ~Mile House places are <a href="http://basementgeographer.com/mile-houses-of-the-cariboo-road/" target="_blank">leftover from the old roadhouses</a> along the Cariboo Road route north from Lillooet to Barkerville, part of the gold rush legacy. They were places to stop and refuel, often sparking little towns along the way. A historic attraction nearby, the <a href="https://historical.ca/" target="_blank">108 Mile House Heritage Site</a>, includes a roadhouse and several outbuildings. Oh, and some pretty good ghost stories, if <a href="http://www.wltribune.com/community/239279001.html" target="_blank">sex, horse-theft and murder</a> are up your alley. <a href="http://www.hatcreekranch.ca" target="_blank">Hat Creek Ranch</a> is another along the route; I haven’t had a chance to stop, but if you’re interested in a taste of historic BC, pioneer and ranching history, these are the best opportunities before <a href="http://www.barkerville.ca" target="_blank">Barkerville</a>.</p>
<p>June 4 we got on the road around 9, with a quick zip up to Williams Lake, only about an hour away. This section of the drive is more scenic; ranching country, it features more expansive valleys, dotted with ponds, marshes and lakes, and of course, lots and lots of cows. Walked and drove around the downtown area a bit, exploring and killing time. There’s quite a good coffee shop, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebeancounterbistro/" target="_blank">The Bean Counter</a>, attached to the public library, with the <a href="http://www.cowboy-museum.com/" target="_blank">Cowboy Museum (Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin)</a> just out back, but not much else of note. Try the Birch Water at the coffee shop for a caffeine alternative; pricy, but an interesting cultural experience. Like maple syrup before it was syrup.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media text-center" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BG0VmcOJ2_P/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Tastes like nothing. Really good nothing. #birchwater #52north #weird #roadtrip #writersworld #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-19T01:33:52+00:00">Jun 18, 2016 at 6:33pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>The museum is also worth a visit, if it’s open; some gorgeous saddles and costumes, to start with. It’s a pretty good sized attraction, with local history (beyond ranching and the stampede) exhibits in the basement.</p>
<p>Spent most of the day out at my mom’s sister’s place up on the mountain; the highlight of the visit being when one of her sheep got itself caught in a fence. Disappointingly, it got itself out again without her needing to haul it out.</p>
<p>Stayed with her brother’s family on the opposite side of the lake; great views. Shame about the tracks just across the road. My mom’s parents live just a few streets away, so we walked up in the evening and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. I’d forgotten how that worked; clearly been in the Vancouver area for too long! I’ll need to plan ahead for the future. Bonus, though, my cowboy grandpa seemed to think I needed to represent for the Cariboo on my upcoming move to the UK; two new hats, belts, and bags later, I think I’m well stocked.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media text-center" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BGpzoItp2wT/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Canadian cowboy(/girl?) starter set. My northern relatives seem to think that I'll need to represent across the pond. Watching Nashville to get in the mood. #playingdressup #oldwest #cariboo #ranching #cowgirl #cantrideforshit #nashvilletvseries #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-14T23:24:36+00:00">Jun 14, 2016 at 4:24pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<p>Tried for an early start home on the 6th, reaching 108 Mile around 10 to pick up my mom’s friend for the ride home. We collected her at <a href="http://love100milehouse.com/businesses/soul-concepts-aesthetics" target="_blank">Soul Concepts Aesthetics</a>, a suprisingly spacious and lovely little spa a couple minutes off the highway.</p>
<p>Had to make a stop again at Horstings and pick up some bread for the way back, of course. Only regret is that I didn’t stock up more! After that, it was a straight shot home; slightly more traffic on the Monday morning, but no jams.</p>
<p>So! Not the most exotic or exciting trip, but there it is! In terms of planning and budgeting, there really wasn’t much to speak of. Did some looking into attractions and where to find decent coffee, but didn’t end up having a chance to stop.</p>
Day 1062016-06-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/06/13/Day-106<p><small>Contains affiliate links</small>
So I managed a good four weeks of separation from the manuscript; that’ll have to be good enough. Time to get this show on the road!</p>
<p>What I’ve been up to:</p>
<ul>
<li>reading articles about publishing… and deciding to switch gears from traditional to indie/self-publishing based on that research. Retaining full rights over my own work and making high royalties per unit are the main motivations. It’s a tough switch, especially at this point in the game, but it makes sense. So. Now I need to track down a great substantive editor and a cover artist (and pay them!), learn the publishing industry, self-market and get this thing launched. Just a few small details, right?</li><br />
<li>harassing friends about publishing… as it happens, all that research made me curious about how well one could use systems and networks to publish, so… I’m launching a one-woman indie publishing house/consultancy to help (a) an old friend publish her travel writing, (b) another friend publish her art in a co-produced picture/storybook, (c) republish my great-grandparents’ stories (if I can get rights and material), and (d) republish a bunch of history and memoir books from the Cariboo and around BC, again, if I can get ahold of someone with the rights to publish. Partly this is all in service of learning the ropes of self-publishing, building a brand and (hopefully/probably not) making some money so I can keep playing with books for as long as possible, but there’s also some pure fun involved (helping friends get published), some wish-fulfillment (since I never did make Editor at one of the NY publishing houses) and a desire to preserve stories that are going to be lost if no one digitizes them. </li><br />
<li>reading books about writing/editing/publishing… and realizing that I have a LOT of work to do in the rewrites. Specifically, <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain-ebook/dp/B0099P9UI0/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&keywords=techniques%20of%20the%20selling%20writer&linkCode=ur2&qid=1465860552&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&tag=kaie06-20">Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> was hugely beneficial to framing intent and direction, and of course the classic <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0058I7TFI/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B0058I7TFI&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Elements Of Style (2011 Edt.) by William Strunk</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0058I7TFI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&keywords=stephen%20king%20on%20writing&linkCode=ur2&qid=1465859635&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&tag=kaie06-20">On Writing by Stephen King</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> was amazingly encouraging; the more I read about other writers’ experiences, the more I feel like I’m not a lazy-ass, insane freak sitting at home wasting her time. Namely, because apparently every other published writer ever has had the same fear… I have another book on editing and rewrites on the go (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself-ebook/dp/B003JBI2YI/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=ur2&qid=&sr=&tag=kaie06-20">Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />), but I’m feeling the time crunch, so I’ll plan to do rewrites in the mornings at least, in order to keep things moving along, and then portion out the afternoons for research, marketing etc.</li><br />
<li>setting up a website and starting the social media swell… hand coded, of course, because why do anything the easy way? Actually, it’s super-cool; lightning-fast because it’s all just html&css with a minimum of server queries, responsive layout that works great on mobile on up, and not entirely hideous. Content-wise, it’s pretty light, just a shell, really. It did force me to ‘blurb’ my own stories, which was somewhat informative (read: terrifying.) The social media stuff is miserable - I hate posting regularly - but I’m at least getting a rhythm down; daily Instagram post replicated to any or all of FB/Twitter/Tumblr, so far mostly of drinks I’ve made, but I’ll branch out eventually. Photos do seem to be a little less effort (and get better responses than) text-based content. </li><br />
<li>travel and people stuff… spent an extended weekend traveling up north to my mom’s family; forgot to take postable photos</li><br />
<li>freelance/job stuff… bookmarked a couple more sites, realized that I can probably make the most money simply doing copywriting, even though coding is the sexy thing right now, drooled over job postings with heritage societies in the UK (would I make a good interpretive guide to a historic site? There’s opportunities in the Orkneys!!) and generally despaired over the not-so-slow drain on my bank account that having no income entails</li><br />
<li>oh yeah, and I turned 29, which yet again ratchets up the compulsion to prove myself. Even though I’ve pretty much figured out that my life goes better when I’m not trying so hard all the time. But yeah, taking a year out hasn’t been great… although it’s done wonders for my pride (lol). </li><br /></ul>
So, the proving time; do I have a story here? Characters that people will care about? Good (read: appealing, readable) writing that is more than simply self-indulgent? Strong, measured plot and pacing? In essence; a book that will be read and bought, and which will enable me to write the (very necessary) sequel? Time to make it happen.
Note: Days 101-106 were devoted to research and promotion; no journal entries were made.
Monday
Start time: 9:30 am
Location: bedroom
</li></ul>
Day 1002016-05-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/19/Day-100<p>I’m not writing. It’s a bit of an effort, but so many sources seem to say that it’s important to take a break before starting the rewrites. I’m still jotting down ideas (more than I had been for ages; it’s like I’m back at the start again, fascinated by the world), but instead of diving in on the rewrites, I’m reading blogs and articles on best-practices and working on my coding - finally passed the javascript component!! - so, at least I’m maintaining a minimal level of production.</p>
<p>I’m fairly worried about this next step. It’s embarrassing to admit, but when I glance back across my writing, I kind of fall in love with it. I can’t imagine changing or erasing it… but I know there are changes that need to be made to make it more consistent, correct, coherent, things that have changed and need to be adjusted to match, dialogue and characterization that needs to be ironed out, or created in the first place. Plotting, structure… I pretty much did it all instinctively, in bites and chunks, and there are probably huge holes and dragging bits to sort out. But for now, I think I’ll aim to hold off until next Wednesday as the official start of rewriting.</p>
<p>It would be smart to launch a website and social media presence in the meantime, but we’ll see… I’m also increasingly tempted to go the self-publishing route, since I really can’t imagine letting anyone at my work with a sharp pencil, but I know that’ll probably make for a lesser product… So hard to let go!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Turmeric tea</p>
Day 992016-05-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/16/Day-99<p>So, after ten+ minutes trying to set up the commemorative selfie, I have sealed my fate. It’s happening. THE END. Today.</p>
<p>It’s really more of an epilogue. Or whatever. But it’s the last scoped-out section of writing before I dive into rewrites, and as it happens, I magically acquired another day of solo, couch-sitting, PJ-wearing working space - and the landscapers have even stopped buzzing away outside.</p>
<p>So for reals, it’s time to make this happen.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Date: 12pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Bowmore Islay Scotch</p>
Day 982016-05-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/13/Day-98<p>I’m mildly irritated at how I’m missing all the nice round numbers in the final push here. Just passed 50 chapters, with two to go. Sitting on Day 98 of writing with only one more day left in the first draft. Wouldn’t that have been nice; an evenly divisible 50 chapters in 100 days and (it won’t quite be) 100,000 words? Simple math; an average of 2,000 words per chapter at a rate of 1,000 words per day. Estimating would (will be) a dream.</p>
<p>Thankfully, we have discovered the wonders of rounding, so I’ll just memorize my nice, round numbers, thanks muchly, and pretend they’re real.</p>
<p>Zippy, shortish chapters last week moving things along clear as mud when it comes to Sam and Maria, who kinda sound like a couple, but totally aren’t. Still teasing big reveals, which as we hit the penultimate chapter is a naughty move, I know. It might be my fear of wrapping it all up, but there’s really not a heck of a lot of explanation or development by the end of this first book, which is going to raise the pressure for the next one (ugh.) But there was no way I was going to be able to wrap it up in a reasonable length/timeline with just one book. Self-indulgent and lazy, perhaps, but I’m planning to gamble that there are some who will appreciate this long-winded tale…</p>
<p>It’s looking more like a Teen Supernatural Thriller than YA Adventure or juvenile horror… minus all the excitement, blood and terror that it needs to really work, lol. But it sounds better than ‘emo girl is so stuck in her head she doesn’t realize she’s talking to herself’ - snappier. There’s some chance that the rewrites will up the action and tighten up the pacing with more careful hints and paced reveals… some chance, but not a lot, lol.</p>
<p>So here we are; the final day of uninterrupted, solitary work, before I have to get more aggressive about protecting my space. And here we are at the end of Cole’s story (for now) - the grand emotional climax, the big reveal, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… ugh. Hang on, I need another drink…</p>
<p>So, there’s this thing where I read a lot of Teen/YA fiction, which often has a action/horror/SF/fantasy/supernatural hook, but which is mostly a vehicle for romance. Which isn’t something I’d have admitted (to myself or anyone else) a decade ago, but which I’m getting more ok with - it’s just another type of escapist fantasy, after all. But owning up to writing that sort of thing, and actually writing it out, terrifies, embarrasses, and pretty thoroughly paralyzes me. Like, I’d respect myself more if I could write technically and politically complex SF or emotionally-raw realism or something, but instead I’m playing in the drippy romance sandbox. And the crazy thing is, I actually have a somewhat intellectually-defensible reason for being there - all meaning, all stories hinge on human relationships; they’re what makes any and all of it matter. And the romances, little crushes to grand, tragic epics, are what motivate, distract and define everyone in everything, even when they’re going about the rest of life. Because, present dating crises aside, mostly people want to be with other people and mostly they get married and either stay married, or go looking for someone else. So all the girls watch the boys, and all the boys watch the girls, and even when nothing much comes of it, it still goes on.</p>
<p>And so Cole is distracted and lured by Ravel, and Itri goes searching for Cole, and in another universe, Edana forgets herself when she meets Torchan, and Torchan gives up his world for Edana, and a little girl named Nia is tempted by the false promise, the merest hint of affection, and then follows a boy into another world. Because we all give up our worlds for the promise of the new ones that another human soul inhabits. And even when we have to make our own, we’re always waiting for the chance to slip through the gateway and find ourselves in that magical foreign world.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Bowmore Islay Scotch</p>
Day 972016-05-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/12/Day-97<p>So that got… weird.</p>
<p>The trouble with this pace of writing is that characterization keeps shifting. Amy Morris is infantilized, which could be an honest emotional response to her situation, but doesn’t sync up with previous chapters, while Lily Morris Sr./Angelique is by turns controlling, abusive, and absent-minded; again, none of which are impossible, but all of which come up as surprises.</p>
<p>Lily keeps getting sharper and more mature in her thinking, too, making her age almost impossible to place; with Itri, she acts like a small child; maybe around age six. Now, she’s acting and thinking like a ten-year-old and trending up from there…</p>
<p>On the one hand, I love the creative challenge of this sort of work; taking a scenario and fleshing it out, discovering all the things that go into a set of actions/interactions. On the other hand, I may be getting a little too freeform with it, as though every chapter is stand-alone. Or something along those lines. Rewrites rewrites rewrites.</p>
<p>However, the end (of phase 1: first draft) is creeping closer all the time. Only four more sections (based on the current summary) left to go; a week, barring any surprises. Less, if I can get another chunk done tomorrow too. Which I should, because my parents are finished at the office today and out of town tomorrow; next week marks the start of a new rhythm or lack-thereof. Here’s hoping it’s a more productive one than I’ve found thus-far.</p>
<p>While sitting at home being minimally productive, alone for hours every day, is actually the closest thing to a native, well-suited lifestyle that could possibly exist for me, its days are almost certainly numbered. I’ve been stumbling across all this material about the new ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle. (Thanks, Product Hunt!) It seems to be (young) people moving all over the place for fairly brief periods of time to do remote work from interesting locations. Which sounds pretty ideal, except for the part where they all seem to cluster together in frat-house type enclaves. Which is probably a sensible way of dealing with the isolation and lack of supportive relationships that come with travel, but doesn’t seem to be as cost-effective as one would think.</p>
<p>I’m sort of struggling with incompatible desires right now. I read about brilliant, risk-taking, box-breaking original thinkers who do things in a way that makes sense, while breaking all the rules, and I feel dissatisfied with my paint-inside-the-lines life… I mean, it’s clear that the current system(s) are broken. Education, employment, capitalism… it all just feeds a cycle of abuse in the real world, however well-designed the theory was. So why follow the system? Why study, work, buy, sell, acquire, stockpile, strive? If you’re not an abuser yourself, you inevitably work for one…</p>
<p>I’m not an adventure seeker in the typical sense of the label. I couldn’t care less about backpacking SE Asia, skydiving or swimming with sharks, or whatever it is kids do for a rush these days (lol) - but I’m not satisfied with a ‘basic’ life, either. I dream of rugged coastlines and a simple life, while at the same time, acknowledging that I’m pretty optimized for condo-living, and that money means freedom, power and agency. I will not be controlled, but I don’t enjoy conflict or challenging authority. I will not be chained, but I value things that mostly, I don’t actually enjoy. Community, relationship, support. People in all their peopleness. I believe it is good, even while seeking an escape route. So I don’t really know what I’m doing next. I believe in making a difference, making things better; while at the same time acknowledging the utter futility of fighting the inertia, the cycle of decay, the weight of evil.</p>
<p>And yet, I believe in fighting anyways, in struggling and striving and trying, never giving up (even though I have given up), in being a warrior, a crusader for a cause that is clearly a losing one. And so I tangle my hands in the threads of human mess and try to unravel the knots, while at the same time looking over my shoulder with longing at an impossible dream of paradise.</p>
<p>And then I laugh at the self-aware but unrepentant adolescent mind that insists on overblown self-indulgent fantasy. Welcome to my world; don’t stay too long. It will ruin you.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Bowmore Islay Scotch</p>
Day 962016-05-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/11/Day-96<p><small>Contains affiliate links</small>
Was watching the great, star-studded and painful film <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B017N5I2KO/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B017N5I2KO&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Suffragette</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B017N5I2KO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and observing how strong the link between behaviour and circumstance is. Women being radicalized, or in less politically-charged language, pressured into action by increasingly abusive situations.</p>
<p>Dramatic, exceptional, societal-norm-rejecting behaviour seems to be a fairly natural extension of excessive force. Or in other words, terrible experiences push people to react accordingly.</p>
<p>Must remember to consider and incorporate this in the rewrites, matching motivating factors to responses in personal development, particularly Cole’s, and also to a lesser degree, Haynfyv, Morriswan and Morristu, Lily, Sam… Maria. Even Ravel(s).</p>
<p>Everyone has some backstory and motivation except for Serov, who seems to be pretty purely evil, or at least, the source of his twistedness isn’t explored in detail… there’s a good chance it’ll get chalked up to possession based on the current outline, but that may be simplistic. Why was he vulnerable to possession? Is there innate evil (in the world of the Tower, anyways?), or is there always more to the story? Is he a product of his environment? One possible consequence of children ripped from their families and fit into moulds? Does the abuse in his story predate the Tower entirely? Was he simply an ‘empty vessel’? Does everyone really need a fully developed backstory anyways? Doesn’t that get tedious…? Gah.</p>
<p>Reading too many reviews messes with my head… But yeah, I think Cole’s catalyst for change needs to be explored more, or made more explicit. It’s more authentic for her to make slow, backsliding progress as she learns to question and be more decisive and responsible, but the turning points and decisions are muddy and unclear. This is partly the fault of my slow progress; her greatest growth, her experience of coming into power, doesn’t even get rolling until the next book (at this rate, anyways…)</p>
<p>At the very least, I think I need to get the ball rolling with some foreshadowing or early, uncontrolled displays of power midway or sooner through the first book. Again, rewrites. (Sigh…)</p>
<p>The pacing may be somewhat (very…) off, with masses of development and slow progress, and not enough excitement, magic, revelation etc. Twists n turns and all that good stuff. Or maybe I just get impatient because what would take hours to read takes me months to write… it’s very hard to get an accurate sense of the pacing when you progress a chapter at a time… Although, I figure that, in straight time spent, I write at roughly a fifth of my reading speed, which is pretty darn fast.</p>
<p>So there’s that…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Bowmore Islay Scotch</p>
Day 952016-05-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/10/Day-95<p>Thinking about likability. It seems like it’s related to identifiability, or radical traits. If someone really stands for something, stands out or is unique in a definite, defining way, you have the opportunity to be inspired, moved, impacted by that uniqueness, to respond warmly or negatively.</p>
<p>Seems to explain why story characters are so often extreme. If they’re too bland, too close an approximation of everyday-normal, there’s nothing to grab ahold of and love or hate. Whereas, if they’re extreme in some way, or have some very clear trait, interest or belief, at least some people will identify with that and be drawn in, and a majority will form a love or hate connection.</p>
<p>In short, likeable people are distinctive people. The rest are just a faceless NPC crowd.</p>
<p>So the question isn’t “is Cole (Itri, Haynfyv etc.) likeable or not?”, it’s “is Cole (etc.) distinctive, interesting or relatable?” …and I’m not sure about the answer. She’s a bit of a cypher as it stands; alienated, solitary, strait-laced. Cadence should be more interesting, at least once the rewrites roll around and her role expands, but that poses different problems.</p>
<p>What happens when your protagonist is the least exciting person in her environment? It’s not really a classic ‘audience-insert’ set-up; who would want to be Cole (at least, at the beginning?) There probably needs to be more hints or development of her power, more attention paid to her uniqueness (even if it’s in contrast to her behaviour, intent or thoughts) early on.</p>
<p>I wanted to get away from the ‘chosen one’ trope, where the protagonist is magically special… but in the end, that’s pretty much where all this is headed, so maybe it’s better to embrace it at the start? It’s so American to set up the protagonist as the loner hero who sees through all the lies and fights for a different future, though.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 942016-05-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/05/09/Day-94<p>So. It’s been a much longer break than I’d intended, what with one thing and another. Or chalk it up to laziness…</p>
<p>I’ve been pulling in some good rates on corporate marketing writing/rewriting, but low volume. Up to a few hundred Pounds and a handful of Euros, which I only realized after proposing, will basically be impossible to spend, as I’m not likely to be opening accounts outside of the UK, but anyways… Use it on eBay or something eventually. Turns out PayPal charges a fair bit to accept funds in other currencies and from other countries, but lessons learned, I guess. Trying not to get too caught up in all that, while at the same time increasingly aware that I need to make some money and not just be spending it hand over fist.</p>
<p>And on the ‘spending money’ topic, I just received my UK work visa! Two years starting in July! So it’s like, for reals now.</p>
<p>I’ve also started making Luxardo cocktails (maraschino flavour + lime juice + ginger ale) to use up the bottle I bought last year… working on trimming down the stock! Weirdest thing you’ve ever tasted; bitter and floral and sour all at once, but fairly refreshing and intriguingly complex.</p>
<p>One of these days, I’m going to get back into the swing of writing in bars and breweries to bring the travelogue component back in to these notes, but for now, it’s cheaper and more accessible to write from home, not to mention easier to concentrate!</p>
<p>An 11 year old - let’s call her Lily, no relation to Cole’s (soon to be) friend - I’ve been feeding books to just produced an astonishingly good short story, which has been the coolest experience (for me). Fascinating how exposure to reading, and ‘good’ reading, converts to increased writing and communication skills, and in such a short time, too! Made me more determined than ever to retain a minimum level of literacy in my writing; dumbing things down may have it’s place, but it’s not where I want to focus my energy. Three cheers for glorious complexity; beautiful, intricate, elaborate and excessive art is the way to go!</p>
<p>I think last weekend was my last opportunity to perform for a while, which is kind of a shame, but I do need to focus. I’m pretty done participating in selfish, self-satisfying church expressions, so it was hard to push through, but after the first set I was able to just have fun and go crazy. It’s great what not caring does for creativity, lol. Someone came up and wanted me to teach his teenagers afterwards, which was gratifying, if unlikely. I quit studying at their age and have never taught music at all, although that was my dream at one point. Something to think about for the future; maybe I could teach workshops on improv or something…? Tutoring tends not to be a great gig, though, and it’s not like I need any more distractions…</p>
<p>My uncle (in London) will be visiting in June for my other uncle’s wedding, and offered to take a piece of luggage back for me, which is awesome, as I would have felt super weird about asking, but could totally use the help. Still not sure if it’ll be enough, or if I should get yet another piece of luggage for when I go to take more stuff over, but it does reopen the possibility of taking my guitar and violin along. Still don’t get why, when I have no clothes or shoes (comparably), I can’t fit everything into a suitcase, but I got a travel scale and vacuum pack bags to ride those margins.</p>
<p>Stuck again in this weird balance of wanting to write (and finish this project!), but not actually getting to it, and totally wasting time on things that don’t really matter or that I don’t care that much about. I did watch some shows over the last few weeks, even great ones, but I’m not as drawn to, or capable of, continuously marathoning TV or anything. And reading articles is nice, but often simply a distraction. Trying to back off of the library and make more progress on my to-read shelf so I can clear that out before I go, too. So, so much left to do…</p>
<p>So get to it, right??</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Luxardo cocktail</p>
Day 932016-04-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/21/Day-93<p>It’s been a shockingly good week, despite spending hours on articles(reading), hiding from the nasty heatwave, and various other distractions. Over 2 hours of writing and over 2K words, even nearly 3K words produced a day.</p>
<p>At a rough estimate, given the current rate and the sketched out chapters left, I could be done the first draft within two weeks - one, if I weren’t going to be home alone next week.</p>
<p>Starting to seriously reconsider the charm of writing to an outline. I can’t imagine it working very well if I mapped things out at a book level, but sketching the next 5-10 beats out and then having something to sit down and write to seems to make a huge difference. Plus, things are starting to tie back together now that the groundwork as been laid (even though I keep changing basic premises, invalidating previous pieces), and there’s more action and development to get into.</p>
<p>I quite like writing fight scenes, although I get the sense that the detailed trivia I piece together bit by bit (problem solving a straitjacket escape, for instance) is significantly less thrilling to read than I’d hoped. However, given the success of The Martian (which I loved, despite not having much interest in space/astronaut stories), I feel like maybe I could tap into a niche market…?</p>
<p>I’ve just got to take a beat here and note that home-mixed steeped gin is absolutely spectacular as an alternative to the raw smokiness of Scotch or Mezcal. OK, sidebar done.</p>
<p>Did another trial pack yesterday, and somehow, even though I keep hauling bags of clothes away and trimming down my closet drastically (it’s a good thing I write in pyjamas - there’s nothing left to wear!) I can’t seem to trim down the amount I’ll need to haul.</p>
<p>To complicate matters, I have a minimum of two instruments (violin & guitar) to transport, several full swing dresses with at least one, and possibly more crinolines, and extra small packs to fit inside the larger cases. Laaaaame. Shoulda skipped the repro-vintage shopping sprees.</p>
<p>Also, I feel like my shoe collection is extremely modest, particularly when I trim out the aging pieces. Five pairs + flip-flops is nothing (and matches absolutely nothing…) - but still takes up a horrific amount of space.</p>
<p>And then there’s all the extra stuff that I want to drag along and really shouldn’t. And cosmetics, jewelry, hats… so many hats… Again, I’ve halved or better everything I owned, and it’s still way to much to take.</p>
<p>My dad seems to think I’ll throw in the towel and run home too quickly to make carting it all over there worth the effort, but since he’ll be moving in the near future, I don’t really want to saddle them with any more of my crap to haul around… Not to mention, I don’t want to come running home immediately!</p>
<p>Did some more looking into the Tier 5 visa yesterday, and it looks like you can’t apply more than three months before your arrival date, so combining that with my plan to push my start date to September in order to travel without wasting productive time, its still too soon to apply… making it worthwhile to keep waiting to see where flights settle.</p>
<p>Nothing stellar so far, but more possibles coming along all the time.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: home-made gin on the rocks; the spice mix</p>
Day 922016-04-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/20/Day-92<p>The freakishly warm weather has all the curtains closed against the sun; wonder if it’ll help me focus any better? Despite my complaining, this has been a really productive week. 2+ hours each day, already past 85K words. Even got a little freelancing in on the side.</p>
<p>Could be staying at home all day is helping, though. Thought I’d run more than two days this week. Checked the weather report and got over that impression fast.</p>
<p>Some marginally better dates coming out for the flights - later than I’d like, though. The best one gives only about two days on the ground in London, which isn’t enough. Ideally, I’d like about five to seven. Long enough to get settled, over any jet lag, and paperwork accomplished. Also long enough to get a sense of how comfortable the arrangement is, and short enough to avoid too much discomfort if it’s not really working out.</p>
<p>It occurs to me that I could perhaps calibrate the visa to take effect at the end of August or in September. Must look in to that…</p>
<p>Writing Cole is, as usual, both easier and harder than everyone else. I worry that she’s too emo, too overwrought and hacky, too vague and impressionistic. Also, she often gets me into pretty awkward writing situations, where I have to figure out how to write attraction, manipulation, and just generally uncomfortable or steamy sections. She doesn’t really take initiative much, and she’s pretty wishy-washy and indecisive, changing her mind and losing track. She’s not so much growing and developing over the course of this book, as being disrupted and going on an adventure, which is less than ideal. But at every turn, events force her hand, and she almost lacks the internal structure to grow. Hopefully that can all be adjusted in rewrites…</p>
<p>Also, there’s an inadequate amount of horror - or maybe the better way to say it is, the darkness of the Tower and of Freedom and really, of the whole society, isn’t being communicated clearly. I really hate to sacrifice named people, though (or so it seems.)</p>
<p>Also, I probably have far, far too much complexity in terms of disparate writing and storytelling elements that detract from, instead of support, the story. It’s starting to be more like a game: pick your character! Explore my dystopia! Levels and mysteries abound!</p>
<p>…maybe I can make it into some sort of VR adventure… Oculus Rift fodder or something… Speaking of which, how does one become a game writer? I feel like having really very little interest in games probably disqualifies me from working for that industry as a whole, but it’s probably a fun job…</p>
<p>Plus, free beer.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Mezcal - Los Sietos</p>
Day 912016-04-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/19/Day-91<p>I wonder if I can wrap up the first draft before I hit 100 days? It’s hard not to do the math. 100 days or ‘sessions’, really, of writing. In months, that’s only just over three months if I had written every day (instead of over eight months…) Or about five, with weekends.</p>
<p>And since it translates into about an hour a day, say 1.5 hours to be kind, that’s only 150 hours/40 hour week (with weekends, even!), that’s a solid month’s work. Makes more sense how some guys can be so prolific - if they can actually focus and move forward on a reasonable schedule, they’d be churning out a half-dozen full-size novels a year. Crazy.</p>
<p>Although, I doubt many people have the capacity to write for eight hours a day, five days a week. Or at least, that’s what I’ll tell myself…</p>
<p>The weather turned bizarrely hot all of the sudden - from around 15°C to 30°C overnight. Disgusting. Even hiding inside, it gets sweltering by mid afternoon. And having all the windows open is crazy noisy, between the landscapers and the construction down the street.</p>
<p>Starting to seriously reconsider the whole freelancing thing; too annoying and anxiety-inducing, dealing with clueless clients. Or maybe that’s just the kind of (low-level casual) stuff I’ve been working on…</p>
<p>I really need (want) to move forward with some speed - the endpoint, at least for now, is getting pretty close (a half-dozen chapters, maybe? Just over a week’s work, if all goes well), and I had wanted to finish up this week, take next week off and clear my head, and then dive into rewrites in May.</p>
<p>But of course, every day is still a mental argument, with a lot of whining involved. Too noisy. Too distracting. Too hot. Too tired. Too lazy. Just wanna waste time… Ugh, discipline.</p>
<p>So instead of diving in and getting things done, I’m sitting here having an argument with myself about whether I should turn on a background soundtrack or trust that I’ll be able to focus once I get going.</p>
<p>OK, I’m finished. Bathroom break, soundtracks, and let’s get to the actual writing by 9:30. If I can push for closer to two hours/session, I may actually get through this thing!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 9:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire tea</p>
Day 902016-04-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/18/Day-90<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small>And the distractions continue. I can’t seem to help myself - bidding on freelance projects, bidding on remote-work language teaching projects, coding (failing at JS more like), and it continues.</p>
<p>But at least I’ve made some progress on the primacy factor. Writing comes before the projects, even if it means I may lose opportunities by ignoring them for hours/days at a time… And then, of course, my dad just resigned from his role, which means I’m editing resumes and hashing out negotiation points. It’ll prove a great move for them in the long run, since Abbotsford is a black cesspool of self-absorption and sub-par mental faculties, but makes for a lot of drama in the short term. And of course, eats into my productive hours, once I have two people banging about the house all day long, all week long. I don’t know how writers with kids manage! Respect, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=JK%20Rowling&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">JK Rowling</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. Respect.</p>
<p>Just finished James Patterson’s final Maximum Ride book(<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Maximum-Ride-Forever-James-Patterson-ebook/dp/B00K5UNVJ2/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&keywords=maximum%20ride%20forever&linkCode=ur2&qid=1465874515&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=kaie06-20">Maximum Ride Forever</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
) - the series that went from engaging YA thriller to preachy environmentalist propaganda and back around again. Which is not to say that I have any real argument with his premises, just that the writing felt pretty stilted and goofy when it got all cause-driven. Especially the Fang’s blog tie-in. Did anyone under the age of 30 actually buy that? But a middle-aged guy writing believable teen-speak is a stretch anyways - to think that he mostly got it right is a marvel.</p>
<p>Already, I think I’ve passed the point of maximum cultural relevancy (if I ever was relevant…) Case-in-point, just over a year ago I really wanted to correct jr. marketing team boy every time he used the phrase “shit-ton”. Like, really? Turns out, it’s now being used all over the web in journalistic attempts at casual cool, which means… yup. Call me a dinosaur and install me in a museum. I am officially out of date.</p>
<p>Which is perhaps why I have to write fantasy/sf/supernatural/post-apocalytpic… when you make up your worlds, you can define the trends, craft the slang, and sidestep the unending, regionally-siloed trends in language and youth culture. Maybe. Thank you <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=scott%20westerfeld&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Scott Westerfeld</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
! Oh, and Joss. Just rewatched <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00HRVUVFO/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00HRVUVFO&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Firefly</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00HRVUVFO" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
with my mom and still can’t believe that Shiny never made it into popular slang usage. Or rutting. Sounds so much more cultured than f<em>()#</em>$.</p>
<p>Anyways, back to James Patterson and the final Maximum Ride novel. Guess what? Present first-person narrative by the protagonist plus third-person past sections from the perspective of other characters. So I didn’t invent it, but I sure as <em>**</em> can use it.</p>
<p>Now I just have to go back and fix all the sections that I ‘fixed’ and wrote in the wrong mode. Talk about patchwork… The writing is taking twice as long as I projected. The rewrites are looking to take that and at least double it again… ugh. Will never finish.</p>
<p>Some dung-face just wrote one of those helpful listicles about how to enter ‘flow’ zones for writing/coding/artistic vomiting. Eurgh. That only exists for introverted thirteen-year-olds who are bolstered in their determined focus by the hovering of irritating relatives.</p>
<p>But anyways… Guess I’ll just keep plodding along.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
Day 892016-04-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/13/Day-89<p>Considering looking for a Junior Software Developer position in Scotland. It’s a step back, in seniority and pay, but not a huge one, and it would be interesting to experience the business world as the talent, as opposed to the support staff. Although, maybe it’s just as bad everywhere…</p>
<p>Still, if the hours aren’t too insane, that would give me reliable income, hopefully benefits (dental!), the ability to rent somewhere to live and have cash for travel (I assume junior staff get decent vacation time there, as it sounds like they’re a step ahead of Canada on that front), and the option to have my visa extended and stay in the country after my two years are up. Could even be fun…</p>
<p>But also distracting, as I haven’t really gotten that far with coding projects yet, and have a lot to learn. The priority is writing for now - and in a way, I should really just focus on writing, full stop. But business writing, blogging, marketing etc. are all kind of miserable… Well, it’s common to writing in general, but so many opinions and armchair critics! It gets exhausting trying to fit into someone else’s mould.</p>
<p>And speaking of armchair critics - I just heard a pretty scathing review of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Divergent-Ultimate-Four-Book-Collection-Insurgent-ebook/dp/B00IRCZH3I/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=ur2&qid=&sr=&tag=kaie06-20">Divergent series</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. Implausible reactions to extreme violence and embarrassingly simplistic inner thoughts, apparently.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the first movie, but haven’t read the books, so now I’m curious and a little worried. I’m pretty aware that there’s a lot of ‘inside’ stuff with pretty much everyone in Gold, and Cole gets especially emo…</p>
<p>Then again, I’m under the impression that Veronica Roth has done pretty well for herself, so a bad review (by a late 20-something boy) maybe isn’t all that telling. Not sure how I’ll deal with reviews; the best route may be to simply ignore them entirely… but I’m way too curious for that, and the tension of not knowing and trying not to care would probably make me sick. But crappy reviews will make me paranoid and anxious, so there’s really no winning. Feedback is necessary to improve, but a necessary evil. Bleagh.</p>
<p>Man, I really need to pick up the pace on the writing… Running out of time. Always running out of time… (and energy, and focus, and…)</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: iced tea</p>
Day 882016-04-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/12/Day-88<p>Passed Level 3 guide on Google maps and halfway to Level 4; it’s taking longer than I’d expected, and there seems to be some requirement to maintain involvement, which is… well, could be worse. Maybe I can build an API to pull my activity in and display on a website as a part of the travel section?</p>
<p>Really ought to get the Google app, but I hate filling my iPad with clutter. They have a new offering called ‘Create’ that requires weekly input, and again might be an excellent way to stimulate involvement, or could really suck to chase and fail at… I need to look in to the API options there too…</p>
<p>Which is starting to beg the question, why not just use Blogger as a base? Especially because I’ve been stuck on a JS lesson for three days now - and it’s not even a challenge assignment, just a basic learning module. Gah! Somehow I’m managing to just miss what they’re asking for… repeatedly.</p>
<p>Frustrated that I have to go in to Vancouver and get there early to see the dentist - and pay for it! I’ve had jobs with healthcare and/or coverage under my parents or school for my entire life, so it seems just… wrong. But it makes more sense to pay for dental care here than to wait until the UK and deal with an unfamiliar system and 2x in currency exchange.</p>
<p>Priorities are get Google Guide Level 4 status, transfer all files from the Pro to Google Drive (with that free TB of data), refit my old MacBookPro, sell all the things on eBay and Craigslist, do another trial pack and maybe get more luggage as needed, finish trip planning, apply for visa, push through at least to the end of the JS and object modules of freeCodeCamp, and start recutting/editing writing to stockpile material for timed release, update marketing plan and build and launch website and social media.</p>
<p>Learning guitar seems to have dropped off the list - still there, but in the background for now. My life is a series of switching efforts from music to writing and back again…</p>
<p>Funny, some sections of writing seem to flow so much more easily - Itri has become one of the more natural ones to write - I can tell what he’s doing, where, how, why, without putting much thought into it. The villains are the hardest - I know they’re up to something, but I’m not used to scheming and catching their thought process and how it fits with their actions is tough.</p>
<p>Hayne5 is kinda like that too, a tough head to get inside of. Then there’s the ones that I didn’t expect to grow and so wasn’t paying attention to, like the Morris sisters… So many moving parts to keep in mind!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: iced tea</p>
Day 872016-04-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/11/Day-87<p><small>Contains affliate links.</small> So JavaScript is seriously messing with my brain. Every step, I get stuck on the logic and syntax. Even when I hack my way through to the next module, I’m not sure if I actually understood how I got the solutions (hint: mostly by swapping terms until one sticks)… At this rate I’m going to have serious issues when it comes to the assignments.</p>
<p>But it’s also more rewarding to knock off the modules when I’ve been stuck for ages on the logic or syntax. <a href="https://www.freecodecamp.com" target="_blank"> freeCodeCamp</a> has really put together an excellent program. Concepts are broken down pretty small, but not everything is explained, and testing comprehension happens continually and organically, teaching problem solving skills along with the language theory, syntax and usage.</p>
<p>There’s not a ‘cheat/answer sheet’ either. You can go ask questions in a subject-matter forum (if you’re willing to look like an idiot) or Google for answers, but even then, you have to do some work to make the solutions fit your problem. I’m excited by the possibilities, and not a little bit horrified at how much harder this got once I pushed past the html/css/bootstrap front end design stuff… perhaps not as genius as I’d hoped to be :(</p>
<p>Also struggling with packing questions, as in: how much luggage to take (how much can I physically move through time and space? what does that cost?), how many things to leave behind, what matters, what doesn’t, how long will I be gone, what shoes will I wear with that!?!</p>
<p>Shoes are the hardest part of travel. Well, laundry and avoiding chafing and shoes, anyways. And not looking like a hobo or an easy mark while puffing under a mountain of luggage (full of shoes).</p>
<p>Sounds insane, but I want to make room inside my bag(s) for other bag(s) because of course you need different bags, just like you need different shoes and jackets/sweaters/coats and… So I get caught in a cycle of “wouldn’t this be good to have” but “I can’t take everything” and “I should just start over…” and make myself dizzy.</p>
<p>Actually tracked down a hockey bag in ValueVillage that wasn’t disgusting and all the zippers worked… but it turned out to be too big for standard luggage, which gets super expensive. So now I’m adjusting the plan - maybe one of those foldy-zipper clothes luggage things? I could just flop it on top of the big suitcase and drag them both along? And no wheels or hard structure could save weight?</p>
<p>But also, that’s a huge and unnecessary distraction since I haven’t even rebooked my flights and I still need to finish this story…?</p>
<p>(pauses to go get Mescal and refocus) I haven’t really heard that alcohol helps people focus, but it helps me slow down and hone in, somehow. Maybe it blasts the airways enough to clear my head? Like an allergy-fighting tonic?</p>
<p>I’ve been hooked on <a href="http://medium.com" target="_blank">Medium</a> for the last couple weeks, since freeCodeCamp got me on it. Switched from doing surveys (because the money is pathetic and the distraction is unending) to that in the mornings, which seems like it may be good for my creativity, and undoubtably good for my Twitter following.</p>
<p>Articles on feminism, writing, coding and business combine to give me a boost in the relevant and timely creative ideas department. A series on digital interfaces, implants and virtual reality helped bring a lot of clarity to Inspector Hayne5’s role and interactions in the Tower.</p>
<p>The Underground kind of just sprang into being a couple weeks ago after I realized how the SkyTrain tunnels and Royal Centre are so close to Bentall Centre (the model for the Tower and Freedom). And then Lily Morris (Angelique/Morris1) sort of materialized along with her home and Morris2’s unexpected survival. Which means that no named and developed people have actually died yet, which is kind of a problem if I go for the whole dystopian dark supernatural fantasy angle.</p>
<p>It’s funny how I went from having no idea who <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/">Kelley Armstrong</a> was to really taking her work as a sort of roadmap, a litmus test for “can I do this?”. It’s been like the “what would Kelley Armstrong do?” show around here lately. Like: “oh, look, Kelley has first person AND third person present narrative!” and “Kelley doesn’t wrap up loose plot threads until the next book either!”</p>
<p>So I guess that goes to show that collaboration novels are something to remain open to in the future (came across her through her excellent collaboration series (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Iron-Trial-Book-One-Magisterium-ebook/dp/B00I5T2KJ2/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&linkCode=ur2&qid=&sr=&tag=kaie06-20">The Magisterium</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
) with <a href="http://blackholly.com" target="_blank">Holly Black</a>/currently reading her collab. series (<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0316274305/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0316274305&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Blackwell Pages</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0316274305" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
) with <a href="http://www.melissamarrbooks.com" target="_blank">Melissa Marr</a>.</p>
<p>Although, the true moral of that story is probably to be open to making new friends, lol. Any authors out there looking to drive yourself crazy by trying to cowrite a series with me? I wonder if team writing feels more or less hopeless and insane than solo creative work…</p>
<p>And now that I’ve blown through exactly one half of my allotted writing time… onward to landmark Chapter 40!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
Day 862016-04-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/07/Day-86<p>It helps, every time I hear about other writers feeling like it’s hopeless, impossible, unending, when they’re in the middle of working on a book. So maybe sharing this journal, this journey, will help… if there’s anyone crazy enough to wade through all the muck.</p>
<p>Finished (more or less) my first full/scratch coded portfolio site yesterday and on to JavaScript today, so edging closer to launching that side of things.</p>
<p>Parallax works, which is pretty rad (do people still say that?), but scrollspy and forms don’t, so not an unparalleled success (haha)…</p>
<p>Still, looks decently ok, and does most of the things it should… so it’s really past time to get something built for my platform and get that off the ground… maybe if I keep saying that, it’ll eventually happen!</p>
<p>Also dabbling with another content farm freelance site since the current one hasn’t had much work available… disgusting to start at the bottom making $1/100word rates again, but it’s not like I’m investing a lot of time in making money at this point anyways, and it makes sense to start building the stats to the point where I could be making more when I really need to be. Ideally, the coding thing will get me better rates, or data/business analysis…?</p>
<p>Frustrated that I’ve now spent an entire week on a chapter that I intended to burn through in a day, which means the rest of the writing is going to be way longer than I projected… that, or I’ve just wasted a week writing content that should be condensed and summarized into a quarter of the length and detail.</p>
<p>But it feels like a big shift to go from macro plot planning to micro detail and incorporate the in-between considerations of tone, interest, plot velocity/pacing… It’s pretty hard figuring out what will be interesting and a worthwhile inclusion, and what’s irrelevant and boring…</p>
<p>So I’ll keep plugging along with my nose to the ground and then try to get some elevation on the whole thing later…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 852016-04-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/06/Day-85<p>OK, the plan is to get as much done as possible before the allergies/atmospheric pressure changes/flu explodes my head and I have to lose hours out of the day again. Seriously, I barely got anything done yesterday; pathetic.</p>
<p>Oh, except for a little freelance research/copywriting project that paid less than a dollar an hour. Brilliant. At this point, I’m not sure I can think my way out of a box. But needs must. Whatever that means. At least the Scotch helps (temporarily). It’s always good to have a plan. Except when it’s not.</p>
<p>Reading about the rural towns on the west coast of Ireland and wanting to move there to rescue them. Wonder if the cost of living is any cheaper? Although, I really must get over the hero complex where I instinctively want to fix any and every broken situation… Still, something to keep in mind for two years from now when the UK kicks me out after my visa expires…</p>
<p>Assuming I have a better impression of the country after my upcoming trip with Rebel. And assuming the whole freelancing or writing thing works out… And assuming I can handle the rural thing and don’t need to live in the land of shiny new condos with no yard work and public transportation…</p>
<p>So possibly not.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:45 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Bowmore Scotch</p>
Day 842016-04-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/05/Day-84<p>I’m starting to think that I should launch a ‘temporary’ platform hosted somewhere like <a href="http://medium.com">Medium</a>, and work on coding an ‘owned’ platform longer term. All things considered, I’ll probably have better reach and interaction using existing platforms to access an audience rather than trying to claw an audience over to a stand-alone site, but I feel like the sole-owned site has more value to publishers and as a place to integrate all the threads (social media, blogging, writing, journaling, coding etc.)</p>
<p>Wondering if there’s a way to/if it makes sense to get into reviewing and integrating or hosting the work of other writers somehow, without turning it completely into a hosted fansite. In a way, it makes less and less sense starting something new, since everything you could possibly target seems to already have a dedicated site, app or feed already, but climbing the ranks of users on someone else’s platform isn’t totally going to meet my needs.</p>
<p>Providing value is an issue too; what’s valuable to others? Does sharing my journey, compiling resources, providing samples count? I understand that you can’t project one-to-one results, but if there’s no overlap between potential fans/supporters/beta-readers/colleagues and the users of whatever value I can provide, isn’t that just taking away from time and energy I should be focusing in on making better stories?</p>
<p>Probably the way to go is split-testing - just try different avenues, channels, content, with an eye to outcomes over a pre-determined period of time. Or something like that.</p>
<p>Really time to get to work, though! The days and weeks are just pouring through my hands, and time is a finite resource. Already, I’m behind the schedule I set for myself (this week) - not yet at 75K words, not keeping up with my chapter/day target pace, and realizing all the time that things are being missed and need to be filled in, expanded on, corrected, adjusted…</p>
<p>And in the mean time, my brain and fingers keep getting slower and more clumsy as the allergens increase the pressure behind my eyes and I can’t breathe.</p>
<p>But the word count keeps going up. And the events keep counting down to the end of the first book, at the least. And if I keep writing, keep sitting down with the laptop, keep pushing forward, inevitably the end must come - and preferably before the days run out… right?</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:45 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 832016-04-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/04/04/Day-83<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> I’m going to take a leap here, and start planning seriously for a sequel and probably a trilogy plot structure, based mostly on reading two teen <a href="http://kelleyarmstrong.com" target="_blank">Kelley Armstrong</a> series in the space of a couple weeks where she cuts the story very much in action, leaving huge unresolved plot threads dangling. So I think this book will end when Cole makes it out of the Tower, and possibly reunites with Itri.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that does mean that a number of the best parts of the story aren’t going to make it into this book, which could backfire… Currently, there aren’t any ‘high-stakes’ deaths or significant emotional high points, it’s like a whole book of stage-setting, which shouldn’t work… but if I can get the action quotient high enough, or get readers to cheer for Cole, that should be enough to carry them through to another story.</p>
<p>It’s funny; in the first blush of this story, the ‘monster attacks’ and rescue was a barely-there prequel, a necessary set-up to Cole and Itri’s developing relationship… which has slid so far away that I’m not sure we’ll ever really get there.</p>
<p>Also, I feel like there should be more comedy, to raise the stakes. Like Cole is clumsy or Cadence has a silly or teasing tone or whatever. I also have this feeling that Cole is angry, like simmering-just-below-the-surface rage angry. Maybe that’s not until later or something.</p>
<p>Making slow progress with the coding stuff right now, and reading articles saying to ditch the blog efforts and go with mobile app-based micro-communities based around your audience and subject, which is a significant departure from where my plans were at. So lots of resetting all ‘round.</p>
<p>I’d like to wrap up first drafts over the next two weeks, take the next week off while my parents are out of town as a mental break (up to two weeks maybe?), and then dive into rewrites, strategy, and sharing content. Beta readers come after that, and then hopefully before I leave the continent in July, the first round of query letters. B</p>
<p>ut it’s not like I’ve stayed much on target with any other efforts so far, so that may all be a pipe dream. I can waste time with the best of them, so taking a break doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but it does feel very wrong to stop moving forward with this project and just let it sit for a long enough time that I can come back to it with fresh perspective. And a week or two is probably (absolutely) not what people mean when they say you should do that.</p>
<p>So I guess I’m breaking all the rules. Over and over again.</p>
<p>Here’s to breaking rules, taking chances, and failing spectacularly!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 822016-03-31T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/31/Day-82<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So my updated passport finally came in! Paperwork step one: check. A whole decade of not having to worry about where I’m at, geographically speaking, at least.</p>
<p>Watched the first episode of The Scheme documentary (BBC) yesterday, which made me seriously question what I’m planning here… But trying to keep some perspective; it’s not like I spent time in bottom income/recovery communities here, so taking that as representative of my experience in another country would be misleading.</p>
<p>Although, given that I may not have a full professional’s income when I go, I can’t totally dismiss the fear that I could be stuck in the midst of people that I can only understand a tenth of the time. Irrational fears will eat me alive (lol).</p>
<p>Been reading <a href="http://kelleyarmstrong.com" target="_blank">Kelley Armstrong</a>; engaging Canadian author with proven success, some social commentary along with fantasy/supernatural elements, definitely someone I should be looking in to.</p>
<p>Although as per usual, I feel simultaneously encouraged and terrified by her work (and not just because it has some pretty strong horror elements… another reason to emulate!) When I read back in my work, I feel like: yeah, this could work. When I think about how much it would take to shape and carve that ability to put one word after another in a pleasant way into an engaging, compelling, entertaining story… yikes.</p>
<p>I get pissed off enough just by submitting 100 word copywriting projects that get thrown back a few times for rewrites. It’s hard to imagine that at 100 times the scale, and about something more closely tied to my personal creativity.</p>
<p>But since I don’t write for my own amusement, it’s a necessary step that I <em>WILL</em> do. I hope. Probably. Almost certainly. Eventually. If I ever finish…</p>
<p>The fixes that need to be incorporated in rewrites are stacking up the closer I get to the end (or what I think is the end…) and I can’t imagine how to do them. I write with the intent of final draft - full, cohesive, flowing (I hope, or delusionally believe, anyways) scenes, which makes it hard to interrupt or redirect those sections.</p>
<p>However, Hayne5 needs to be a ‘straighter’ character for the first half of the story, believing in and supporting the Tower, but with an internal ethical core and moral code around his work that force him to recognize and struggle with inconsistencies, and eventually sets him at odds with the Tower. As is, that pulling away and skepticism is too strongly telegraphed too early.</p>
<p>Cole’s kind of the same way, or at least Cadence’s voice in Cole. She needs to be swept along completely by Ravel1 for much longer, particularly the pace that the story is moving at. Her realization that Freedom and Ravel1 are something to be escaped is a emotional high point and key plot move, and something that she’ll need to struggle with to make Itri’s arrival on the scene more meaningful and more of a contrast. Victoire may need to go.</p>
<p>And those are besides the small but pervasive details that have shifted, like the redesign of the uniforms to be burka-like cloaks with masks.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Finished <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0031TZ9N0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B0031TZ9N0&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Summoning</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0031TZ9N0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
by Kelley Armstrong, which cuts off very much in the middle of unresolved action. Perfect - that’s what I need to do.</p>
<p>Book One (Gold) is about Cole escaping the Tower and developing enough agency to make choices and see through lies.</p>
<p>Book Two (Silver) is about Cole recovering her identities, accepting and blending them, and gaining the power to affect the world around her, and not just be affected by it. The Tower tries to take her back, and she has to choose a path. The Tower falls.</p>
<p>Book Three (Earth) is about Cole learning to live in relationship, to lead, to be responsible for others. Revolution and picking up the pieces after all the frameworks have been shattered. Escaping and accessing a wider world, because there’s always another wall to climb and another world out there.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:45 & 4:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 812016-03-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/30/Day-81<p>I can’t seem to summon any energy or focus this week. The weather changed - jumped ten degrees celsius and turned sunny basically overnight, so I’ll blame it on that. Or allergens. Or low iron. Or anything, really.</p>
<p>Seems like the worst thing I can do is tell myself that I need to kick it into high gear; it’s paralyzing. So much to do that I start avoiding ‘the list’ as much as possible, wasting hours on distractions.</p>
<p>Like writing how to get over writer’s block tips on <a href="http://quora.com" target="_blank">Quora</a>. Absurd.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m subconsciously afraid of finishing and having to leave this second adolescence that I’ve been basking in - all the joys of unbounded creative freedom with no true responsibilities. Or maybe I’m just full of shit. Either way, nothing stays the same for long. It would be wise to make the most of this opportunity.</p>
<p>Not feeling very wise at the moment, but if I can maintain a general forward trajectory, that’s something at least.</p>
<p>I’m concerned that my renewed passport hasn’t been delivered yet. Half a trip booked, flights and accommodations pinned down, and I can’t even apply for my visa yet. Plus, there’s a lot of unreliable components in the mix, like tenuous accommodation connections and hard to pin down budgets and timelines.</p>
<p>It’s going to be great. It’s going to be exhausting. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. So much pressure to make the most of every moment, see and do and…</p>
<p>I mostly just want to live. And create. And do awesome stuff. And break down barriers. And inspire others to more.</p>
<p>So the trip will be great. And then it will be time (past time) to move on to something else.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 802016-03-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/29/Day-80<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So I’ve been reading <a href="http://kelleyarmstrong.com">Kelley Armstrong’s</a> stand-alone novels (the not-fantasy ones: <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00SPVPY0W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00SPVPY0W&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Masked Truth</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00SPVPY0W" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
& <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B015VA8OAG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B015VA8OAG&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">City of the Lost</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B015VA8OAG" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
), and feeling alternately hopeful and horrified. <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00SPVPY0W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00SPVPY0W&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Masked Truth</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00SPVPY0W" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> uses alternate first-person present and a form of third person to express a second primary character. So maybe if I stuck with Cole’s POV in first, and everyone else in third-present? Seems like shifting from present to past is where it crosses the line…? Or something.</p>
<p>Absolutely blasted my focus and concentration over the weekend with interminable hours of trip-planning logistics and research, although I did take a break from the computer for most of Easter Sunday. Airbnb and the obsessive drive to save a few dollars are destroying my mind…</p>
<p>So I’ll take that as an excuse for why it’s taken me all morning to pull up ‘Notes’ and start working. Also, struggling to get over the nightmares in which I finally broke down and confessed to my former boss that all I knew about finance was based on a high school semester of beginners accounting, and then children were maimed and swallowed by the landscape.</p>
<p>It was tense but not terrifying, interestingly enough. My dreams never really are; I’m just a little wired and intrigued in them. It’s when I wake up to the palpable presence of evil staring down at me that the terror sets in.</p>
<p>Thankfully, that doesn’t come too often. So mostly I’m just dealing with low-grade anxiety and stored tension, rather than demonic torment. (lol?)</p>
<p>I hear movement upstairs, so I’d better shift gears to get at least a little chunk of writing in before I get disturbed…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 792016-03-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/24/Day-79<p>As it so happens, I think we are going to switch out our second destination from Prague to Brussels despite/because of the terrorist attacks. It would be noble to say that we’re defying the oppressive nature of the enemy, but really, it’s because that destination is pretty cheap to fly in/out of, is pretty looking, might become even cheaper for tourists after the attacks, and we figure, now that it’s been hit, it’s not a likely target in the near future. More pragmatic than noble, but maybe the net effect is the same. Plus Rebel’s excited about Belgian beer… and waffles. It’s crazy how expensive flights are from Krakow to Prague! I have this idea that all these historic cities with their castles and museums and stuff will just meld into one anyways, so it’s kind of meaningless seeing one over the other…</p>
<p>I’m working on a portfolio page/micro-site with freeCodeCamp at the moment, which is great, but predictably, the more I learn about something, the more I realize how much there is to know and how far away that target is… so hard to keep up confidence and squash the imposter syndrome all the time! I’d really like to style myself as a guy, for coding work at least, but now that everything is so interconnected, I’d have to scrub my social media and fabricate a male persona with graphics/pictures somehow to make it work…</p>
<p>Is it a cop-out to erase my female identity in order to get treated and paid better? Am I giving up the fight? Or just recognizing and capitalizing on existing structures?</p>
<p>It would be an interesting trial to create a duplicate identity - build out a Google profile, LinkedIn account, Twitter, the works, and then bid for work under both personas and document the process. Like, I could credit my male alter-ego for building my website. Is that unethical? Illegal? Seems like bidding against myself could cause problems… Pretty anti-free market. If I fabricate work experience for my fictional male self, is that going to have a net negative effect? Would anyone ever even notice?</p>
<p>Note to self: make this happen. Sell the story to the Post or equivalent. Maybe a feature for Fast Co.? Although, I’m sure that someone’s already come up with this idea and put it into motion…</p>
<p>And yet again, must. stay. on. track. Finish this story. Beat it into something worth reading. Release to the outer world. Then dive into projects or other stories (I wonder if Orca books would publish a micro-novel on the topic? Hmm…)</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 782016-03-23T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/23/Day-78<p>Just work.</p>
<p>Just.</p>
<p>Work.</p>
<p>Or something like that. The hardest part is starting.</p>
<p>Except for continuing. Finishing, refining, sharing, distributing, marketing, monetizing, negotiating, reinvesting.</p>
<p>So yeah, it’s all hard. I think I need to do less online surveys and reading of articles, and more focused learning and creating. But even with an extremely limited lifestyle, more money is going out than coming in and I just can’t let go of the need to get on top of that cycle. Even though I’ve planned for it and committed to this plan.</p>
<p>So, stop whining and just get over it? Focus. Finish. Start again. Stop worrying about tomorrow (next year’s…) problems.</p>
<p>I wonder if I’ve got too many narratives, the personal journeys of too many people… Morris2 surprisingly survived past her cameo at the start. Background figures are popping up and showing off their initiative and hidden lives.</p>
<p>Is this creative and sympathetic, or just unfocused? Like, yeah, everyone (everyone!) has a back story in the world, but that doesn’t mean we need to know it…</p>
<p>The crappy bit is that I could spend all this time fleshing out material that ultimately needs to be cut to keep the story focused and moving forward. The upshot is that I then have shareable micro stories to share.</p>
<p>The criteria is simple: does it help move the story forward? - but the interpretation is hard; whose story? How much does it have to help? Is it acceptable, desirable, to rework the sequence of events to reduce complexity? Is it honest or real?</p>
<p>Too many questions, not enough creating for this stage, anyways.</p>
<p>Moving on…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 772016-03-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/22/Day-77<p>So I sat down yesterday afternoon to start building a website and launching my writer’s platform… and only got as far as installing Python before I realized I really needed a skills refresher.</p>
<p>After a couple false starts, got onto <a href="http://freecodecamp.com">freeCodeCamp</a>, which is an absolutely spectacular tool. Bite sized practice lessons, a full, step-by-step curriculum up to and including Full Stack Development, gamification-type tools that keep forward motion addictive, and eventually, portfolio projects that actually help non-profits.</p>
<p>It was a nice little ego boost to finish the first 13+ hours in less than half that time, although with previous coding experience in all subjects covered, I probably should have blasted through faster. The downside, of course, being that I am now obsessed with a new subject and all I want to do is problem solve coding challenges for the foreseeable future. I’m so predictable…</p>
<p>There was a terrorist attack in Brussels this morning; airport and transit bombings, so now my family is feeling anxiety about my impending travel plans. Not that I’ve made a ton of progress on that either… I’ve been costing out estimated portions of the trip, which has proved to be mildly productive in that it identified a necessary extension of the trip, as Auschwitz is closed on the date we planned to visit, but it’s also a lot of effort for kind of minimal results.</p>
<p>Trying not to think about the costs; I can sort of justify it by not having spent any significant money on a vacation for the last half dozen years, but it’s a little scary to think of money going out, and nothing (at all) coming in at the moment… Even though I’ve planned for this and all.</p>
<p>Increasingly, I’m considering the self-publishing route, but I’m worried that it might just be laziness recommending that path to me. Instant gratification, total control, etc.</p>
<p>Having a significant advance from a publishing house, not to mention their resources to polish up the book and sell it, would be far preferable in the long run, but in the short term, the idea of finishing this thing, kicking it out and making (minuscule) income is more appealing than going through months/years of process in the hopes that someone will pick it up. Not to mention, self-publishing lets me get away with some strange artistic choices (like too much inner processing and not enough action!) that I’m not looking forward to having edited out…</p>
<p>But I’ve made the mistake before of pulling the pin too soon, and I don’t want to see a year or more of effort flushed because I couldn’t hang on and put enough effort into polishing and presenting the story as effectively as possible. Again, really not sure about the switching-perspective first-person narratives; could use some outside feedback on whether it’s too contrived/boring/indulgent, but I don’t want to share with beta readers until I’ve reached the ‘end’, gone back and fixed all the continuity issues and cleaned up typos at the very least!</p>
<p>Just a little longer (…I hope…)</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 762016-03-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/21/Day-76<p>Tearing my hair out (just a bit!) with travel planning; I have this obsessive need to research and map out every moment, which is hugely distracting and possibly not that productive, since I keep having factors slide around on me anyways. Turns out my arrival date is no good for the family that I’d been planning to stay with at first, so I either need to rebook that or make plans to continue on to another destination right away (and deal with the massive luggage in tow!) At which point, the questions only start multiplying: earlier in June, or even May? Later in July? Keep the date and proceed on to job hunting in Scotland immediately? But what if I don’t go back to working in an office? What then…?</p>
<p>So many questions that I just can’t engage with right now. So many possible tracks. Occasionally, endless possibility is alluring and hopeful; more often, it’s crippling, or at least dizzying. A tempting, deceitful illusion.</p>
<p>As much as anything, what I need more of is focus - commitment!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 752016-03-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/17/Day-75<p>St. Patrick’s Day!</p>
<p>Not that that really translates to anything here. Another day of work, chores, wasting time, running errands… but still, maybe I’ll make something with that bottle of Jameson later…</p>
<p>I did some more (very light!) research on travelling with Rebel, and the locations look amazing (Poland, Krakow, Croatia, and of course Scotland/Ireland), but the money is making me a little bit stressed. It should be doable, but I’m never comfortable when I’ve got more going out than I do coming in, and right now it feels like my entire life is one enormous gamble. But not necessarily in a bad way.</p>
<p>Just because people love comfort doesn’t mean too much of it’s a good thing for them, right? So I’m going to press on with the risks and try to enjoy the ride!</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 742016-03-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/16/Day-74<p>So, silver lining to the whole losing EI/no income thing: I can now talk/post about my plans, build a platform, self-promote and all that irritating but necessary stuff without having to play my cards close to my chest for fear of being busted!</p>
<p>Not that I’m actually getting around to doing any of that… but it’s nice to know I <em>could</em>…</p>
<p>Came across this Google guide thing where if you review enough places in Google maps, they give you 1TB of storage for a couple years, which would solve my space issue and let me deal with the laptop thing finally… so just spent most of the afternoon reviewing a half dozen places after spending most of the morning catching up on Gilmore Girls and snapping pics of junk to sell on eBay (because income) - both chores that I’d resent doing as actual work, but for whatever reason, I happily do for no guaranteed pay…</p>
<p>And of course, now I don’t want to keep writing because I’m distracted by projects that I’ve started and not finished. So, poop.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m really missing the target with the multiple voices/narrative thing. It worked a little better when I was switching tense (or maybe not), but now it’s becoming strikingly clear that everyone needs their own distinctive voice with appropriate characteristics and tone… so much for avoiding dialogue because it’s too hard! I just turned the whole freakin’ book into dialogue! Agh! Something else for the rewrites, I guess.</p>
<p>One issue that’s cropping up, it that Hayne5’s voice is getting rougher, and I’m tiptoeing around the language thing - I don’t really swear (although I do use mildly crude language in conversation), and I don’t really support publishing books that promote or normalize negative behaviours, but… A story is also a reflection of reality, and you can’t over-edit reality without watering it down or warping it out of all meaning.</p>
<p>And then, the bigger issue, despite all the world building, I haven’t envisioned or mapped the development of things like language drift (slang will have changed in a different community/environment/time), not to mention environmental degradation. How much of our current world is no longer reference-able in language? How careful do I need to be with metaphors? When people are controlled down to the level of their memories, do they even have a memory of God to reference in cursing? How do they learn to curse if their society prevents them from experiencing anything worth cursing about? Head… spinning… lol.</p>
<p>Also spent some time recently researching Prague, as Rebel wants to visit there this summer.</p>
<p>I. Can’t. Even… sometimes there’s too much out there to even consider. Too many sights, sounds, experience, not <em>nearly</em> enough time or money! TT_TT</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
Day 732016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/15/Day-73<p>Saw some excellent (and not-so-excellent) shows in Vancouver over the weekend, both for CelticFest and within the broader local music scene.</p>
<p>Sketchy location, but <a href="www.patspub.ca/">Pat’s Pub</a> on East Hastings had a great selection of on-tap beers and hosted the spectacular <a href="http://jeffandrew.bandcamp.com/">Jeff Andrew Band</a>. Rare to see a violinist/fiddler leading the band and trading off vocals like that; totally inspiring. Also makes me feel inadequate on all three instruments that he was kicking my ass in…</p>
<p>In not-so-great-developments, my EI just ended two months earlier than I expected… I really thought I’d checked and seen May as the end date. It’s possible I misread it, or they didn’t like the way I was reporting things, or something just went wrong.</p>
<p>Had a near-encounter with my ex-boss yesterday, so my paranoia level is max. Disappointing not to have a few thousand more dollars to survive off of and save for the trip, particularly because my brilliant musician friend Rebel wants to travel Europe with me in August!</p>
<p>But whatever; I’ll adapt and survive. If anything, it gives me more incentive to start lining up my freelancing ducks in a row with a bit more time to go before changing timezones.</p>
<p>Still struggling with whether to really double down on the whole writing-as-a-career/calling thing, or to diversify in the interests of having a sustainable lifestyle. Lost cause today; I’m just not getting that much done, but something to think about…</p>
<p>Did some research yesterday by walking through the Marine Building, the Burrard Centre underground, and the Royal Centre - I’d forgotten that there was so much underground in that area, including access to the tunnels with SkyTrain right there… Opens up a whole world of possibilities. Layers of hidden society. Maybe a secret staging ground for an invasion/attack on the Tower?</p>
<p>I’d like to work the historic buildings in somehow too… The rewrites are really starting to pile up, and there’s a strong possibility of losing some important threads here, but I think I’d better focus on moving forward and get to the end before starting over from the beginning!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 722016-03-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/10/Day-72<p>Still distracted, but trying to prioritize and get over my need to deal with all the details RIGHT THIS MINUTE! Because, seriously, the trip is now four months away, not two, and I’m not going to be able to retain any detail of what I look at now.</p>
<p>I’ve booked flights, I’m watching for rental car deals in St. John’s (ongoing), I’ve mapped out all the historic sites in St. John’s that I could possibly be interested, and done some minimal research on London transit, sights, and UK train/travel costs - yikes, btw, I’m going to need a serious income source to survive those costs!!</p>
<p>Yeesh, London! It’s awesome that your museums are free, but the other attractions are like Disneyland order of magnitude expensive!</p>
<p>So apart from getting my paperwork done step-by-step and maybe getting another piece of luggage, there’s really not a lot that needs to be done for the trip for the next few months.</p>
<p>Of course, there’s a ton to do here: strip my old laptop and find (buy) space for all those files that won’t fit on the new one. Get a new iPad. Ebay all my stuff. Build a multi-channel platform. Finish this. Focus.</p>
<p>Focus!!</p>
<p>Or something. Continuing to be mildly encouraged by the Orca press books, and simultaneously depressed. I think I can write as well as them (I hope…), but I’d estimate they’re bringing in - max - in the tens of thousands per book.</p>
<p>At that rate, I’d need to put out a minimum of four books a year. Instead of, like, 0.5 books per year, which is currently feeling pretty freakin’ ambitious.</p>
<p>Oh, and the sirens have started to compete with the gusting wind and falling branches outside. Must finish writing before the power goes out!</p>
<p>Fairly happy about Hayne5’s progress; he just keeps rolling along in the background making small, almost-unrelated steps towards the finish line - whatever that is. Need to cycle back to Morris2/Serov/Maria to keep those balls rolling - Serov is unpleasant, but too minor in the proceedings. He should be more threatening. Or maybe replaced. Come to think of it, his role could be rolled into Ravel’s (is he Ravel1’s alter ego? Is Serov just another of the Ravel series? Or is one guy popping up all over the place? Different names - aliases - for characters seems to have become a ‘thing’).</p>
<p>Since Ravel is functioning as a de-facto villain - building trust, tempting, manipulating, betraying - it lessens or negates the need for the more ‘fabricated’ villains (Serov/Ravel series/Maria) - but if this goes duo/trilogy, building levels of villains in the background doesn’t hurt.</p>
<p>Not sure how acceptable it is to leave threads hanging; does everyone need to reach some level of resolution or purpose before the end of the book, even if their true resolution takes place in a later story?</p>
<p>I’ll need to strengthen the plot for almost all secondary roles, since they currently mostly resolve at a later point - unless, the end is further away than I thought…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 712016-03-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/09/Day-71<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So, predictably, I’ve been hugely distracted by travel planning. Once I start something, man, it just takes over all my focus and energy. I guess I’ve managed to hold on to a bit of that adolescent obsessiveness.</p>
<p>Time has been rolling along here, but I finally FaceTimed my uncle and aunt in London and realized that I should really look into getting the arrangements started. I realized my passport will expire in under two years, so in order to avoid getting turned away on landing, I needed to renew that - which meant I couldn’t apply for my work visa until after I got my new passport, which meant I was starting to cut things pretty close.</p>
<p>My fault for sticking around a half year + longer than I had said I would. But whatever, I’d had alerts set up on <a href="http://skyscanner.ca/">Skyscanner</a>, and the prices had been trending up for a while now, with the best deals pushed all the way back to September - time to take action!</p>
<p>I booked my flight to London on Monday. May 20 - sooner than I’d expected, and paperwork was going to be an issue. Plus my parents are quietly freaking out about me leaving so soon. But whatever; it was an excellent deal - under $200 before fees/taxes, just over (~$220) with them. Connections in Edmonton and a long daytime layover in St. Johns - finally, a chance to see the East Coast!</p>
<p>I forwarded the confirmation to the parents (just to unsettle their day a little more!) and went off on one of my Vancouver days, telling all my friends about my plan, now finally in motion. They seemed surprised I had actually made plans, but excited for me.</p>
<p>Mildly insulting, but I’ll admit, I’ve wondered once or twice myself if anything would come of all my big talk. The timing would be soon - so many arrangements to take care of! - but if everything went optimally, it would just fit.</p>
<p>My EI payments would run out the week I leave - good cashflow - and I’d budgeted just about enough time for this book - just! - which meant I’d barely have a chance to do rewrites and send off enquiries.</p>
<p>Not ideal, but I can’t hang out at my parents’ place taking a break from life forever. And then I got home, late that evening, and they asked why I wanted to pay for a hotel in Edmonton. What?</p>
<p>Turns out, on the itinerary, the flight gets into and leaves Edmonton with almost no break - I dismissed this as a minor computer error. Nope.</p>
<p>It was a 24 hour layover, after a 1.5 hour flight. In Edmonton. Whyyyyy…</p>
<p>So that explains the cheap tickets. Or so I thought. Having become marginally more proactive in my advanced years, I decided to look up cancellation policies… I wouldn’t mind a full day’s layover in… well, really any city in Canada except that one (sorry Edmontonians…), and a ~$100 savings on tickets would be eaten up and then some with the costs involved in spending time on the ground.</p>
<p>Turns out, there have been some major changes since I last flew. Thank you <a href="http://www.westjet.com/en-ca/index">WestJet</a>! No penalty cancellations within the first 24 hours!</p>
<p>The next day (yesterday), I rebooked for ~$100 more on July 4. A brief change of planes in Alberta, an overnight flight to St. John’s, and then 15 hours to play in the oldest settlement in Canada before a second overnight flight to London, arriving on July 6 at 8 am!</p>
<p>The only downsides were exorbitant car rental fees/no public transit from the airport to the city (really?!) and only 5 hours to sleep for two nights in a row. Between the Gravol and lack of sleep, I may or may not be able to find my way once I land in London, but caffeine and willpower will just have to see me through!</p>
<p>Shame on you, Budget etc. for charging Canadians twice as much, btw! Very uncool to land on the .com page all excited, and find out I have to book through the .ca, with automatically doubled list prices.</p>
<p>Thankfully, looks like I can bypass the region controls by using Hotwire or similar once I get my <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/cobrandcard/marketing.html">Amazon Visa</a> (no exchange fees!)</p>
<p>So, long story short, I haven’t done any writing this week, and I keep getting distracted by trip planning - the upshot being that I should have my St. John’s plans nailed down before the week is out!</p>
<p>So many things to remember… Must find another large-but-easy-to-move luggage piece (rolling duffle, maybe?), do another trial pack to ensure I’m within the less expensive baggage range, figure out how to get at least one instrument included in my carry-on, convert files from my old laptop to the cloud so I can ditch it, get a new iPad, get all my paperwork processed and approved, look into and procure any and all discounted items (city passes, rail passes) that can only be procured remotely, arrange travel plans with all the friends who insist that they’re in the area at the same time, meet up with everyone who will be lonely once I go and try to convince them to make friends, oh yeah, and figure out what I’m going to do once I get myself relocated! Write? Freelance something or other? Career? Couch surf, board, roommate or rent?</p>
<p>So yeah, my brain won’t stop spinning. Oh, and I’ve got a good 40+ books to read and half my stuff to ebay/Craigslist before I go. But priorities; I haven’t been out for a run in, like, a month, but I <em>will</em> keep moving forward with Cole’s story.</p>
<p>I’ve been super impressed by <a href="http://www.orcabook.com">Orca Publishing’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1459810821/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=1459810821&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Secrets</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=1459810821" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> historical fiction series - seven novels with a shared original/launch story, seven authors. Looking into the publisher, and they’re a local-ish Victoria-based concern. Excellent! What an opportunity! Nope.</p>
<p>Based on published sales figures, I’d be bleeding money publishing with them. Just not enough distribution and marketing reach. Sigh.</p>
<p>Must. break. into. the. US. market. Too bad - the stuff they’re putting out is quality. But I’m not (currently) writing historical, they have an insane word cap of like 60K, which means I’d have to limit this story to basically Cole getting free of the Tower. Which may happen (trilogy, anyone?), but would still take a lot of tightening up.</p>
<p>Thinking Cole needs to have a more active role in things - it’s good for her to be analytical, but she should use that to move forward, whether it’s exploring/colonizing the roof, hacking for/against Freedom… Really play up the problem-solving, against her suppressed motivation via emotion.</p>
<p>Just watched <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01DX72JZA/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B01DX72JZA&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Martian</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B01DX72JZA" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> - brilliant, just so entertaining to see his hacks for everything. So yeah, maybe in the rewrites I can bring that out a bit more and make Cole a bit more active - it’s fine for her to be emotionally reserved, timid, cautious, whatever, but the victim thing is really defining that this point, and I’m not sure I like it (although it’s probably a more authentic/realistic portrayal).</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 702016-03-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/03/Day-70<p>Internet’s down, and I feel frustration and a sense of loss. How dare the mysterious workings of wireless data disrupt my indulgent routine?!</p>
<p>But I want to get started earlier anyways, so… meh. On it goes.</p>
<p>Today I wondered if I should have been a marine biologist - I love the aquarium (but not actual nature…), and I got great marks in biology - at least up to the 100 level that I actually took…</p>
<p>Then I realized I should have taken coding back in high school, but instead I took all the AP Arts classes, because I could use them to skip the first level of university…and only lower class boys took trades courses like computers.</p>
<p>So yeah, my bad. Pride strikes again.</p>
<p>But I’m writing again, so maybe something good will come of all the wrong turns in the end, or maybe I started on the right path, and just didn’t have enough determination and focus to stay on it for the last decade…</p>
<p>It’s weird to remember <a href="http://blackholly.com">Holly Black</a> and her cohort as the next big thing in emerging Teen/YA fiction, and now see them writing kids’ adventure stories for their own children.</p>
<p>I’ve let myself be left behind.</p>
<p>But then again, at least it’s not for their grandchildren.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Sencha</p>
Day 692016-03-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/02/Day-69<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So I came across this <a href="http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/02/27/grace-dove-woman-who-played-leonardo-dicaprios-wife-revenant-163563">article</a> about Grace Dove, a Northern BC Shuswap (First Nations) actress currently in the news for playing DiCaprio’s wife in <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01AFS4GI8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B01AFS4GI8&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Revenant</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B01AFS4GI8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
.</p>
<p>Early on in the development of this story, I wanted Cole to be of First Nations descent, and Grace Dove would make a great model, but…thing is, the reasons I had for doing that aren’t really still in play and will probably make their way into a separate book, plus I’m worried about whether having people of colour in my books is just another way of abusing white privilege instead of empowering diverse audiences, plus the way I’ve written Cole and structured the story plays up this idea of paleness/whiteness, and I’m just not really sure how to write a different appearance…</p>
<p>How do you write non-white skin tones without being awkward/racist/confusing?</p>
<p>But it would be authentic to a Vancouver-future west-coast city to have mixed races with influence from European, Asian, Native etc. - in fact, based on the current trajectory, the weirdest, least-likely future would have maintained clear racial divisions. There’s so many interracial marriage/births that it’s got to outpace immigration and ethnic purity at some point.</p>
<p>So long story short, I guess the Tower papers over the inevitable ethnic diversity with the burka-style uniforms, and I’ll just have to figure out how to write different skin tones!</p>
<p>I like the idea of Maria staying blazingly blonde and white, though that makes it harder to write the Ravels, since I had pictured them as somewhat Asian…</p>
<p>Right now Itri is kind of a south/eastern European/middle eastern mix, darker skin… I keep going back and forth between full on black, even brown, or a mixed, olive/tanned type skin.</p>
<p>I’d like greater visual diversity between him and Cole, which is part of why I described her as very pale at the beginning (the other part being that I’m not sure how else to write her…), but given that I want him to have kind of broad, not Hollywood-clean features (is swarthy pejorative?), yeah…</p>
<p>It’s like there’s a type of visual binary in writing. You have sharp-cut, pale/bright looks = good, vs. ‘other-ness’, and I want to write multiple types of distinctive ‘other’ in roles ranging from hero to villain, but I feel like I’m lacking the tools for it. Maybe I’m just not that observant. So for the rewrites, I think I’ll try to track down visual models, or at least a ‘look-book’ composite of models to improve the descriptiveness. There have been enough heroines with red/blonde curly hair, underdeveloped bodies and green/blue eyes, and there have certainly been enough tall, defined, sharp-jawed heroes to represent those looks.</p>
<p>I’ll do my best to write diverse looks, abilities and body types so that we can all have someone to identify with. Speaking of which, I need to circle back and take another look at Lily’s descriptions vs. Sam and Morris2’s for consistency. It could be cute if she were half Asian - someone for my future niece/nephew to identify with? Although, it’s not like I’d let him/her read this at age 7 anyways, so maybe not…</p>
<p>In other news, had a decent planning & research session yesterday. Starting to build out a promo plan and get an idea of what kind of effort needs to go into that (hint: too much!) - It’s tempting to just dive right in, but probably not advisable.</p>
<p>So many questions that need answering, not least of which is: what to call this? Pseudonym vs. real name? Cute/catchy/descriptive? How much content to prepare ahead? What kind of targets are realistic vs. necessary? What tools/platforms/languages? What on earth am I going to do for graphics?? Gah!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
Day 682016-03-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/03/01/Day-68<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Predictably, getting back into this after two weeks of trying my utmost to be indulgent and unproductive is terribly hard.</p>
<p>Sad to say, my ability to marathon Netflix/anime/movies/docs etc. for days on end - or even a single day! - has tragically eroded over the past several years, to the point that I actually managed to get my tax returns done. The horror!</p>
<p>Clearly my artistic brain is shrivelling and decaying as I age. My ability to snack on horrendously processed foods continues unabated, though, a fact for which I will now proceed to suffer. I rarely eat absolute crap, but when I do, I really commit. Also, hooray for daily drinking!</p>
<p>On the plus side, I’ve been stacking up insights about where to take this story - on the minus, I haven’t actually done anything with them. Must review my notes and see if there’s anything useable there.</p>
<p>Also, watched <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00UA00EPQ/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00UA00EPQ&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Shetland</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00UA00EPQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0128P0WKW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B0128P0WKW&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Home Fires</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0128P0WKW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
miniseries over the break - continually more inspired to move somewhere desperately rural, which makes no sense. I’m a city girl with zero tolerance for inconvenience, personal transportation, insects and property maintenance, and yet… seriously, those landscapes are eating my soul through my eyes.</p>
<p>But at the very least, I’ll need to move somewhere with exceptional internet, which narrows the prospects considerably. The costs of importing and transport on the islands are also prohibitive, not to mention the reduced social possibilities. Though, to be realistic, I’ll never have more than three or so relationships at any given time, which doesn’t exactly set the bar at ‘metropolis’.</p>
<p>It’s funny: the first inkling of Cole’s story was a very indulgent fantasy romance - mortal danger, a dazzling hero sweeping in, some improbable circumstances setting up cohabitation, slipping into romance and a glorious superhero future.</p>
<p>The reality is unravelling with every further glimpse of Cole’s world and situation. I’m not sure she has the capacity to be in a healthy relationship, and I’m starting to think that Itri’s going to have to be the one to break that to her. That’s not the happy ending I wanted.</p>
<p>I wonder if it would help at all to gender-swap Itri, if things aren’t going to go full-romance? It’s a big change, but… nope. I really think that would torpedo saleability.</p>
<p>I like the idea of writing a clearly feminist work, but reality is too complicated. Cole isn’t an aspirational character; she may or may not be realistic, but she suffers from very recognizable flaws: lack of confidence, uncertain identity, fear, crippling emotional scars, disempowerment. She’ll grow and get stronger, and maybe eventually she’ll be healthy enough to love and accept love.</p>
<p>I hope she does, but I just don’t see it yet. It’s different from Twilight’s New Moon - Itri doesn’t remove himself for fear of the harm he’d bring to Cole, he removes himself to save her the harm she’d inflict on herself. It’s actually love, not the fantasy of love. Maybe that makes it hurt less? Probably not.</p>
<p>They’ll both suffer for it, but not as much as if they tried to build a future together on secrets, lies and shattered identities.</p>
<p>I’d like Itri to be stronger than he currently is, but it’s not shaping up that way either. The one person I do love for no clear reason is Lily. She’s young for her age (around 7?) and kind of unrealistically sweet and loving, but… children like that do exist.</p>
<p>I feel deep sadness, almost anguish at what’s in her future - not to mention her past, which is odd considering her ancillary position, her existence that almost never was, but for some reason I feel the most compassion for her, and maybe Sam. She’s tragic and empathetic, in a way that Cole should have been but isn’t.</p>
<p>In a way, Cole is so comfortable with her isolation and frosty composure that she’s impossible to pity. Much has been done to her; everything has been taken away from her, but she’s not broken within that, and maybe that’s the most feminist thing to be said. She’s not endlessly hopeful, innately strong, voraciously ambitious, but she continues to quietly, clumsily be, in the face of dreary existence, in the face of abuse, under the burden of hopes and expectations.</p>
<p>Itri was raised to be a hero, and steps up to those expectations with gravity and intensity, but Cole was shredded, abandoned, suppressed, and continues on regardless.</p>
<p>If she learns to love, it will be the greatest triumph of humanity.</p>
<p>Part 2: Planning time!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:00 & 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
Day 672016-02-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/11/Day-67<p>It’s funny; every time I start to feel like this is impossible, like my writing is crap and my storytelling boring, I glance back across a previous section, or read something someone else has done, and go: huh. This could work. It might even be good.</p>
<p>Here’s hoping!</p>
<p>In rewrites, I really need to timeline everything and then shuffle the chapters - I wrote initially based off of a sense of appropriateness and urgency that I’m kind of unwilling to let go, but the pacing, although it may read well, is pretty confusing when it comes to timelines, and especially as things go on, I’m feeling the perspective shifts chapter-to-chapter less and less; in most cases, it makes more sense to keep going and raising tension for at least two and up to four chapters.</p>
<p>Or something.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’ll be a key issue for the substantive edits/rewriting phase.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 662016-02-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/10/Day-66<p>Finally saw the new Star Wars yesterday. Wow.</p>
<p>Inspiring storytelling and characters with just enough pops of Star Wars nostalgia. Visible minority hero without making a thing of it. Female lead, without an over sexualized costume. Romantic elements that don’t infantilize the woman, but emphasize both partnership and caring, with both parties showing emotional and practical love for one another. Saving one another in turn. Ending with the girl, not the guy, fighting the final battle.</p>
<p>Wow.</p>
<p>I’m a little lost. I feel like I’m floundering in the midst of the story, and it’s a bigger push uphill to keep going right now than it has been since the holidays.</p>
<p>It’s not that I’m unsure what to write next, exactly - there is both the original plot outline (not reviewed for the last 20 chapters, but anyways…) as well as the growing pile of notes that I keep transplanting from chapter to chapter.</p>
<p>It’s more that the emotional and narrative force isn’t there. There’s an increasing number of things that I need to go back and deal with in rewrites. There’s a lack of amusing, delightful, exciting or comedic elements, which is weighing the story down, making it all drama and emo introspection, as well as the visceral horror elements.</p>
<p>There’s my fear of writing dialogue and expressing characterization properly as well… But as always, I feel like there’s no way but forward.</p>
<p>It’s hard balancing my experience - painstakingly slow, wrapped up in details - with the end reader experience, who goes through stretches in a matter of minutes or hours that take me weeks to write.</p>
<p>Or so I hope…</p>
<p>Also, the timelines are too divergent by far; I flip between everyone’s experiences as if they were concurrent, but forget to factor in stretches of time that pass, particularly empty time…</p>
<p>OK, that’s it. I’m going back and rewriting everything to first person present, with switching viewpoints. This third person past thing just isn’t working for me. When I get time…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: G&T</p>
Day 652016-02-09T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/09/Day-65<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Been thinking about doing the James Patterson writing masterclass. It’s funny; I launched this project thinking I wanted to write the next YA bestseller, set a new record for first novel sold, that kind of thing, but the more I get into it, the more I’m realizing I have to do things in a way that works for who I am, whether it’s writing schedule, content, pacing, characterization, etc.</p>
<p>So on the one hand, I’m afraid to start looking at what others recommend (James Patterson and Stephen King being the two sources I’m primarily looking at), for fear of their ideas influencing my direction in a way that degrades the uniqueness, because let’s face it, I’m never going to pace a thriller to compete with either of those publishing masters. That said, I would really like to know how they approach various things, and it makes sense to take advantage of ‘lessons learned’.</p>
<p>So, don’t hold me to this, but I think the right thing to do is to finish the first draft without outside input, and finish a whole first round of edits/rewrites, before looking at what outside advice I can bring in.</p>
<p>I may be overestimating my preciousness, like so many of my generation are accused of doing…</p>
<p>yeah, probably.</p>
<p>Apologies to all of you in advance who have invested in learning your craft; I’m just going to keep winging it for now. Although I have career experience in marketing, communications and strategy, I’m going to try instinct and artistic freedom instead, foolishly.</p>
<p>But in an industry where doing everything right is no guarantee of success, why not try doing everything wrong? How much worse could the odds get?</p>
<p>Meanwhile in the real world, my parents just floated the idea of going into creative arts direction/worship leading as a career and it blew my mind.</p>
<p>What a stupid idea.</p>
<p>What a compelling idea.</p>
<p>I wanted to be a pro musician or at least a music teacher in high school, and it was always at war with my desire to write and my need to have a stable career. But to be paid to help churches connect with people in a meaningful way, to make music and work with musicians and bands, to coordinate creative arts and marketing in the service of something meaningful… it’s horribly, terrifyingly compelling.</p>
<p>Also, quite impossible feeling. I’d need years of guitar and probably piano and theory lessons still. I’d have to overcome objections to women in leadership. I’d have to build and work with teams, engaging in difficult conversations (going to an office…), deal with the burden of having my lifestyle scrutinized for sin and spiritual discipline.</p>
<p>Not to mention, being judged for the way I look, and then being out of a career in a decade, when I age out of it…</p>
<p>Hmm… Of course, then I’d be free to write another book…</p>
<p>I’m sure I’m not talented enough, skilled enough, social enough, attractive enough, holy enough or strong enough to do the job. But oh, do I want to!</p>
<p>So, maybe, maybe I’ll find some time this week to keep practicing those guitar exercises, to drag my brother’s keyboard out from under the bed. Certainly, I could use a professional excuse to have all these instruments lying around!</p>
<p>And back to the writing world, I’m still concerned about Cole’s characterization/introduction. Is she compelling as a person? Is she interesting? Do you want to know more about her?</p>
<p>Oh! Another encouragement, too. I had very nearly decided to switch the storytelling mode to third person, when I started reading <a href="http://www.helendunmore.com">Helen Dunmore’s</a> latest Ingo book(<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0055DL934/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B0055DL934&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Tide Knot</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0055DL934" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
). Written beautifully in first person present!</p>
<p>She’s a fantastic writer. One concern is that the whole book (so far) has been very nice and linear, single perspective, which is, of course, what you are supposed to do with that type of storytelling. I’ll deal with that problem later… (ugh!)</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: G&T</p>
Day 642016-02-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/04/Day-64<p>This whole week has felt like blah~~ …but I’ve made decent headway regardless, which is reassuring.</p>
<p>Starting rewrites was less than encouraging, and I’m debating between intensifying rewrite efforts and holding off so that I can keep up the forward momentum.</p>
<p>Probably not going to get much extra done this week - it’s chore day, and I have a small freelance project to turn over - but I think next week is the last clear one before vacation, and I’m still not sure if I’m going to keep plugging through the two weeks of vacation, or if I’ll devolve into an unproductive, Netflix or Crunchyroll-addicted lump and hide from the world for the full two weeks.</p>
<p>Decisions, decisions!</p>
<p>In terms of value for followers, also not sure that all the material I had thought of sharing will make it up. This journal-blog, for one, is probably not terribly valuable for anyone but true obsessives, but maybe if I offered a platform? Build the tools, and then get other writers to use them? Or something…</p>
<p>All assuming I’m as clever as I think I am, and can actually code anything useful…</p>
<p>Future problems are for the future.</p>
<p>Leave it alone…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi Ginger Tea</p>
Day 632016-02-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/03/Day-63<p>Another day of astonishing lack of productivity. It’s turning into an amazing week. Ugh.</p>
<p>However, I did watch a documentary on addiction that suggested some drug forebears to the nutrition that the Tower uses to control the populace. Vivitrol, gavapentin, anti addiction drugs that subdue cravings. Some are monthly injections, others are pills.</p>
<p>Totally plausible, right?</p>
<p>Yesterday’s edits were depressing. I’m not happy with how the first chapter is turning out, or how Cole’s sections read. Also, it took about as long as writing it in the first place. Blearg.</p>
<p>I’m hesitant to switch to a full third-person past mode throughout, since a lot of Cole’s stuff would be lost, or at least I feel like it would really lose her perspective, but I can’t see telling the whole story from her perspective, nor can I adjust all the other sections to be first person present.</p>
<p>When I get a chance, I’ll try rewriting that first chapter in third person past and see how it comes out… maybe it’ll be ok?</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: cold mint tea</p>
Day 622016-02-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/02/Day-62<p>Gah! Cole’s emoness is getting to me! She’s all in her head and making stupid moves and slowing down the progress, but I can’t seem to get her to pick the pace up! Quite a turnaround from when she was the only one that I felt comfortable writing.</p>
<p>Didn’t have a very productive day yesterday (but it was a Monday, so…) hopefully today I’m able to make a start on the platform building, or at least put in some time on the rewrites.</p>
<p>Thinking of launching a ‘behind the scenes’ portion of the site with stats, this journal-blog of emo goodness, writing notes, useful links, personal stats like a reading list… Could be painfully self-involved and tedious, or attract online abuse, which is never fun, or simply be a complete flop, but on the flip side, I do think it would be valuable to have resources like it online.</p>
<p>It’s information that I’d find valuable to have had access to as I started this process, like how <a href="http://www.melissamarrbooks.com">Melissa Marr</a> shared details of her experience, what she got paid etc. I can’t imagine following it step-by-step, but then I’m not the sort of person to enjoy reality TV either, so what do I know?</p>
<p>Building connection is a key component of having a strong, supportive following, as terrifying as that is. In many ways, I’d rather take the <a href="http://www.lemonysnicket.com/">Lemony Snicket</a> approach to writing and publish under an impersonal pseudonym, a character, but I’m afraid to risk that. I guess I could write under a character or persona, but then that makes this portion, among other things, harder to include without major redactions.</p>
<p>Part 2: And time for those edits!</p>
<p>I will now proceed to pretend that I didn’t just spend the last few hours intending to polish off some freelance posts and instead looking stuff up online.</p>
<p>Onward: Chapter 1!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:45 am & 3:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 612016-02-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/02/01/Day-61<p>Made it past the 50K word mark!</p>
<p>As per my earlier goal-setting efforts, this marks the launch of my writing/author’s platform as well as the definitely-over-halfway mark.</p>
<p>And by launch, I mean baby steps towards developing a plan and setting up an online presence.</p>
<p>I was all excited to start sharing content, but then took a step back and decided it would be in my - and everyone else’s - best interest to develop a marketing plan and take things slow.</p>
<p>Also moving away from sharing the first draft in the immediate future, partly on the advice of my wonderfully talented musician friend Rebel, and partly because I keep having ideas that require significant updates/rewrites, and it wouldn’t be fair to share the story with huge inconsistencies and zero cleanup.</p>
<p>Most specifically, the idea of using masks and a more comprehensive burka-type uniform to play up the contrast between the Tower obsessive control (no skin! no touch! no identity! no individualism!), the party scene (masked faces but bare skin, all about self expression and feeling) and the Streets (? masked for environmental safety?), as well as the contrast between Silver/Itri in his seeming vulnerability.</p>
<p>So that’s going to impact a lot of the early, and ongoing, descriptions and interactions. I’d like to go back and dig in a little deeper into the underground party scene too, show horror, excess, art, wonder in a more compelling way.</p>
<p>It would make the most sense to see it through Cole’s eyes, but at this point she hasn’t spent much time conscious down there, and can be thought of as an unreliable narrator. Maybe more switching of viewpoints between Cole/Cadence/Victoire? Or setting up stronger characterization down there for someone like the other Morris sister, zeroing in on her experience?</p>
<p>Since I’ve finished my major consulting project and have (in theory) more time, I’m planning to set aside afternoon work/2nd hour work for rewrites so I can continue first drafts in the mornings/first hour and keep moving towards an end point.</p>
<p>Realizing that a lot of opportunities in the UK are sailing by based on my current timeline of a late Spring entry - will end up competing with students for low-level jobs if I go the lifestyle instead of career route once I get there…</p>
<p>But first things first; get a move on with the book, build a platform, hopefully head towards monetizing my writing not too long past when the EI runs out.</p>
<p>Just looked at the end of last week, when I passed the 50K mark, and both of the major works I’ve focused on in the past (YA adventure/fantasy and hard kids fantasy/faery story) have manuscripts of almost 50K, so what I’m hoping to do is launch a platform and advertise a weekly release schedule of a short or single chapter of an original work, and then bounce between the YA and the kids story as a serial-release, with teaser (dream-death) chapter-stories and maybe the odd chapter from this main work, with the intent of sacrificing quality/editing and saleability of the YA and kids stories in favour of releasing fast, entertaining material.</p>
<p>If all goes (miraculously) well, maybe they will make it to publication one day, but in the meantime, I’m willing to sacrifice past work to launch present efforts. Who knows; the world could hate this story and love one of the previous, more childish efforts (but please love at least one of them!)</p>
<p>Since I think it’ll take a while to build a plan, build a site, and launch the platform, hopefully I can dig into an effective schedule (sure haven’t today…) and cycle between first draft, rewrites, ancillary works rewrites/edits and platform development.</p>
<p>Getting close; getting scary!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 602016-01-28T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/28/Day-60<p>Was looking at flight costs to the UK yesterday. I should really plan to leave by May.</p>
<p>I’m not going to be ready.</p>
<p>Not that I’m motivated to move faster or anything. Ugh.</p>
<p>On the one hand, I’m attracted to the idea of writing everything to overblown, adolescent excess: Cole is grievously injured in every halfway-dangerous encounter.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it is kind of overwrought and ridiculous, and necessitates magic-like interventions to return her to operational status in order for the story to keep moving.</p>
<p>Not plotting based off of a timeline is going to be a problem; there are several storylines with different people in different places, and I’m feeling like they don’t line up very neatly at all. It’s looking like the action only takes place over a couple days - less than a week - based on Cole’s timeline. But it feels like it should be longer.</p>
<p>Another concern is all the names/identities spinning around. Not only are there a lot of named characters, but nearly everyone has multiple names, if not multiple identities that are used meaningfully, not interchangeably, but are meant to address the same physical existence.</p>
<p>But! There is a good(ish) reason for it! Usually…</p>
<p>I keep telling everyone I’m not trying to get all artistic and highbrow with this, but then I keep making decisions that are complex instead of entertaining… bleah.</p>
<p>Also, autocorrect is killing me here. Gah.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Gray tea</p>
Day 592016-01-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/27/Day-59<p>Still debating how much material to go live with next (?) week. I’d like to throw everything out there, but as a friend pointed out, there’s a risk of feedback inhibiting the direction of the story, or the work being judged in an incomplete state to its detriment. But I don’t feel like I have the time to hold off until I’ve reached full completion…</p>
<p>On the other hand, it’s a definite concern that I seem to like writing hints, teases and cliffhangers, but I don’t necessarily bring things around to answers in a cohesive, timely fashion. Those endings, though… Terrifying.</p>
<p>Case in point; I spend whole chapters with Morris2 trapped in anguished torment, with bare moments of action sweeping in at the last second and then switch focus. Tantalizing or irritating?</p>
<p>In other news, I’ve developed a strong interest in home gin-brewing (or more plainly, vodka-infusing), which has spectacular results, but I cannot find juniper berries anywhere. The horror!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 582016-01-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/26/Day-58<p>Finally finished that one huge, boring project for a friend’s company and coming up fast on the 50K word mark, which is perfect.</p>
<p>The recruiter for the London job got back to me, which is less perfect, but he was asking about my eligibility to work in the UK, so there’s a chance it’s a no-go after all, which would frankly just be easier at this point.</p>
<p>I’ve gotten significantly more focused and productive since New Years, but the idea of going back to an office job is still faintly nauseating. Not sure I can make a living wage freelancing (or writing!), but I’m less and less opposed to trying.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble catching hold of Inspector Hayne5; I feel like I write him differently every time he comes up, which perhaps isn’t surprising, as he didn’t have a strong presence or purpose from the start, and I’m just getting to know him.</p>
<p>At some point here (hint: the end…), I should really go back and craft the sub plots by character a bit more carefully, but they just keep emerging and evolving without me having much to do with things.</p>
<p>It’s hard to trust it’ll all come around to a neat, tidy ending, never mind an exciting, satisfying or worthwhile one, but there’s no direction but forward for me now. The further we get, the harder it’s becoming to hold all the threads and people in my head, so yeah, lotta faith at this point…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:00 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Gray tea</p>
Day 572016-01-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/25/Day-57<p>So, almost made it to a full 2 week/10 day streak…</p>
<p>Derailed by a message from a UK-based recruiter about a job in London. On the one hand, it sounds like it’d be a breeze, and the money was… not horrible, though not impressive.</p>
<p>On the other had, it was support-level administrative, which kinda hurts my pride to even consider. One of the great questions of life; is it better to serve and have no responsibility, or pretend to have some power and suffer for the pretence?</p>
<p>On another note, I really need to get a handle on how I should talk about different groups within the story; using ‘shadow’ as an adjective for a people group is getting increasingly redundant and meaningless.</p>
<p>I think I’ll have to take a hard look at the pacing of the intrigue in rewrites to identify when hints vs. reveals should be; it’s pretty haphazard at the moment, and even I’m getting confused about what I and the others should know at what point. I think a central misdirection should be the identity or agency of the death - blaming it on dreams confuses the root cause, which is (I think) trapped human souls. Why are they trapped? Who thought that would be a good idea? Are they the big bad?</p>
<p>In many ways, I keep letting everyone be victimized; Maria feels trapped by a bargain with the dead, in multiple senses of the phrase. Ravel is trapped by Maria and his own programming. Cole is trapped by fear, by having been and choosing to be separated from aspects of her own self. Silver mourns the loss of Cole and his own lack of ability to be whole and complete saviour of her, not with her. Morris2 is trapped by her poor past decisions, both for freedom and for safety. The Inspector (whose name I have the worst time trying to remember…) is constrained by his position, and although he doesn’t know it yet, by his family who can be held hostage for his behaviour.</p>
<p>Serov is the only one who isn’t particularly trapped; he chooses destruction for its own sake, because of who he has chosen to be and what he chooses to want, and in that sense is the most evil of the entire cast. He cannot blame circumstances, at least, no more circumstance than constrains everyone else. He simply desires betrayal and destruction, and in pursuing his authentic self, inflicts misery on others.</p>
<p>But a reason for one’s actions does not that action justify.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Lonetree Dry Ginger Cider</p>
Day 562016-01-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/21/Day-56<p>Finally gonna wrap up my biggest freelance project this week, which is timely, since I’ve been saying that I’d start launching my platform at the 50K mark, which should hit next week. Still some writing sources trying to get my attention, but it does take some of the pressure off.</p>
<p>I may try doubling my targets (two whole hours of writing a day?!?) or taking on another story instead, tbd.</p>
<p>Unsure whether it’s better to just throw the first draft out there for feedback and beta reading, or to finish the whole thing, circle back for at least a light rewrite, and then share. I’m attracted to the idea of a full-disclosure approach to sharing the experience of moving through publishing start to finish, but I also can’t imagine anyone taking the time or being entertained by wading through that much material, repeatedly, and it may not help the story be successful. Getting close to pulling that trigger though!</p>
<p>In other news, I’m actually fairly pleased with how Maria Ashera came out in Chapter 20 - I think it was necessary to circle back to her for some character building in order for her role to have any significance. Not sure if she’s successfully menacing or intriguing as a villain, but at least it contributed to the plot.</p>
<p>It’s weird how I never refer back to the plot outline, but things keep kind of drawing together in the same direction.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Ginger Tulsi tea</p>
Day 552016-01-20T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/20/Day-55<p>So apparently the only people who actually do online dating are based out of Algeria and South America. Not so helpful, unless I wanted to write Cole a long distance stalker with poor language skills but much persistence.</p>
<p>Hmm… Actually, I could probably use that somehow… Anyways.</p>
<p>I feel like Silver’s ending up as kind of a weird person. If I ever share my first draft of their story, you see this near-godlike heroic figure that sweeps out of nowhere and overturns Cole’s life.</p>
<p>But then, Cole started out as quite a different person, in a different world, so I guess it all kind of works. Sometimes I’m sad that that original story will never grow and be told, but then I remember that how I got here was leaning into that story and, on closer inspection, finding out it was this one.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Silver/Mist/Itri is turning out much less cool and much more fallible than I wanted or expected. Lily’s showing extreme empathy and resourcefulness for her age, which is also worrying.</p>
<p>On the plus side, they’ve got a plan and now I know what to write next, so there’s that.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Ginger Tulsi tea</p>
Day 542016-01-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/19/Day-54<p>Day 54</p>
<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Officially past the 40K word mark!</p>
<p>I’m gonna call that the halfway point (as if I know, lol), but it seems reasonable.</p>
<p>Could be some exciting events coming up as the plot heats up (fingers crossed…) and the largest portion of the world building and character-building efforts are now behind us. Which may be a challenge, as I just lost my private workspace. OK, focus. Focus… gah!</p>
<p>In other news, I am stepping up my online dating game to try to get some kind of useful material for this story; having rarely experienced attraction (never mutual attraction, lol), and with no experience in dating, I’m forced to rely on second hand ideas, and I’m afraid that may weaken the emotional impact of Cole’s story.</p>
<p>Although, Cole is kind of distant and weird anyways, so maybe it’ll be ok? Anyways, I’ll be a good, hard working author and do my best to get the research done, lol. Unless it becomes too much of a distraction, in which case I’ll just crib off of every popular teen romance from the last decade. Hello, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0316015849/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0316015849&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Twilight</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0316015849" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
love! <a href="http://www.melissamarrbooks.com">Melissa Marr</a>, I pay homage to your superior teen writing skills (please don’t hate me…)</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Gray tea</p>
Day 532016-01-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/18/Day-53<p>I’m having nightmares about my last job. Shudder.</p>
<p>They called me in to complain that I’d been sleeping on the job and hadn’t produced anything. I woke up at that point, fell asleep again, and spent the rest of the night trying to gather my courage enough to tell them I’d quit half a year ago and they didn’t have the right to blame me for their failures or fire me. lol?</p>
<p>Too scary for this book; I’ll be sure to stick to fog monsters and giant spiders for the deaths around Cole.</p>
<p>In other news, I picked up a cheap Yamaha SV-100 yesterday, rounding out my electronic twinning of instruments. It can keep my Squire Affinity Strat company in the corner until I get around to giving it some more attention. I truly do love making music; I just mysteriously don’t get around to it.</p>
<p>Super-size pile of library books, guilty need to run and keep plugging on freelance projects, and multiple seasons of TV to catch up on will do that to hobbies. Also, my nails are kinda long right now, which looks great in eye-popping nail polish, but doesn’t work out so well for jamming purposes. And my amp is tiny. And my skills are lame-ass. And on it goes…</p>
<p>Cole has just reached the end of the latest Freedom arc (without escaping), and I’m 100 words away from hitting 40K. Not sure where to take things; ought to build suspense, but not sure if flipping to another story thread or continuing Cole’s progress makes more sense, particularly because I’m not sure the others are up to a heck of a lot at the moment, and I’m getting low-ish on upcoming events notes, but I don’t want to take a break and strategize, or compare schedules, for fear of slowing down the progress.</p>
<p>Should probably cycle back to Silver and Co. next to underline that the latest death was the woman he’d recently saved. Cue despair? And the Inspector needs to get out there and be active. Plus all the villains need some fleshing out to actually be worth their existence.</p>
<p>Could Morris2’s sister maybe pay her a visit? Break her out and start her recovery? Plus hint at the existence of the Ravels in the Lady’s chambers? Ought to be enough to go on for now…</p>
<p>Also, must remember to circle back and switch everyone to the same mode in rewrites; flipping between first-present and third-past is seeming less clever the more I do it… but it leaves so much more room for exposition!</p>
<p>What to do…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:45 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Gray tea</p>
Day 522016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/15/Day-52<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> I just started reading <a href="http://www.melissamarrbooks.com">Melissa Marr’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00HLIYVEK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00HLIYVEK&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Made for You</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00HLIYVEK" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, written in first person present! Awesome!</p>
<p>I got a couple chapters in before I even noticed, proving that it can be done!!</p>
<p>In other news, I just finished <a href="http://www.lainitaylor.com">Laini Taylor’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002TSZD6W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B002TSZD6W&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Lips Touch: Three Times</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B002TSZD6W" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
, which demonstrates how to wallow in adolescent excess and mortifyingly honest emotion to create something beautiful and magical. Mmmm.</p>
<p>Pain and beauty are so closely intertwined. I feel so hopeful, although, as always, it’s hard not to start comparing and wallowing in my own inferiority.</p>
<p>Got interrupted yesterday, so I’m just about to dive in to the next death scene. Also, realizing the value/necessity of expanding Ravel as a more significant villain; he’s sequenced, which opens the door for multiple Ravels fulfilling complementary roles. While Ravel1 is programmed to compulsively undermine the Tower, there could be an army of Ravels serving The Lady’s purposes. Clones? Children? Or does Ravel1 have more going on than he has shown so far?</p>
<p>Must remember in rewrites to circle back and sync up appearance notes, among other things. Also (thanks, Laini Taylor!) must really work on simile as well as metaphor and direct descriptions to flesh out Cole’s experience. Although, maybe <a href="http://www.melissamarrbooks.com">Melissa Marr</a> can demonstrate better how to do that effectively in first person present…</p>
<p>In theory, it should be possible to use metaphor and simile to illustrate (demonstrate? communicate?) Cole’s personality and evolving reality, but as it is, her lack of emotional awareness and depth, not to mention knowledge of the world, really limits the expressiveness that can be attributed to her…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start time: 1:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: hot chocolate</p>
Day 512016-01-14T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/14/Day-51<p>Cole is both the easiest and hardest to write. It may be partially the first person present mode, where I find it easier to drop into the story with her than with the others, or it may be that I’ve known her the longest.</p>
<p>That said, I’m ready to be done with her latest stint in Freedom. Victoire is a pain to write, and I have little patience with writing the club - I’ll need to swing back and fix up the descriptive writing later.</p>
<p>In some ways, I’m also a bit fuzzy on where to go from here, which is making it hard to pick up the pace.</p>
<p>Cole needs to escape soon, or the entire plot line will have to shift to her simply getting out of the Tower. There should be just enough space left for her to get out and her and Silver/Itri to do… something…</p>
<p>I’m starting to expect this to work as a teen dystopian romance-ish thing, rather than an action YA title, which would argue for a love-triangle type set-up where Ravel and Itri are more evenly matched, but the way it’s going, Cole doesn’t yet have the emotional capacity and depth to dig into anything more than a slight attraction. Ravel is turning out abusive and manipulative, and Itri is shaping up to be more needy and less heroic than I had first imagined.</p>
<p>Is it better to keep away from the romancy elements than to set up people with no good chemistry? Itri has shown up for Cole a few times, so she should hero-worship him to a certain extent, but anything more than that will be hard to steer. But the story is very caught up in Cole’s internal life, her experience and struggles, so it makes sense that it would extend to relationships, based on the probable readership. I’m not sure there’s enough action or horror elements to carry the day alone…</p>
<p>Speaking of which, I think I’ve got a bloody death scene coming up today, which should be interesting. Not feeling it at the moment, but maybe when the time comes…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: hot chocolate</p>
Day 502016-01-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/13/Day-50<p>Day 50! Halfway(ish) there! And I wrote on an away Tuesday for once! Double score!</p>
<p>Gonna keep pushing on with Cole’s weird experience in Freedom for at least one more section/chapter, since that seems to be working as a way forward for now. Lotta loose threads dangling, but I guess I’ve got 40K+ words to tie them up with.</p>
<p>How does the Inspector and the Guard fit into all this? Post-escape only? (Probably)</p>
<p>What about Morris2? I can’t very well leave her being tortured for days to weeks, and now that big sister and the family have been introduced, there really ought to be some sort of reunion scene, or at least a tragic almost-reunion.</p>
<p>Thought: would Morris1 work better as a Hayne? Maybe Hayne4? Or is there a role for another Hayne somewhere in here? Should Ravel or The Lady have their own cut scenes to establish character? When will Cadence reemerge?</p>
<p>Gotta keep all the balls tumbling for just a little longer (as in, 3+ months longer, lol.)</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: mint tea</p>
Day 492016-01-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/12/Day-49<p>Victoire: feeling, sensation.</p>
<p>Cadence: memory.</p>
<p>Cole: being, analytic, remote.</p>
<p>Maybe I just don’t have the capacity to write complex, multi-dimensional characters? I know the multiple personality thing is an overdone trope, a writer’s crutch, but it just kinda happened…</p>
<p>And man, is Victoire making things awkward. Not to mention Ravel keeps getting more warped (in a useful way?) every time he pops up. I had thought some of these guys would be more inscrutable, but their weird weaknesses keep floating to the surface too soon. Might need to suppress some of that in the rewrites…</p>
<p>Also, this seems to be tipping toward the Teen section more and more; I’d like to keep things pretty PG (at most, 14A), but man, Victoire just keeps pushing that upper limit…</p>
<p>In other news, wedding photos are a massive waste of money (sorry aspiring photographers!) and image-crafting has jumped the shark. So ick.</p>
<p>Also, rounding Day 50 and the 40K word mark by the end of this week! Subtracting time spent (wasted?) on planning, plot, early rewrites etc., I seem to be holding steady at an average 1K words/hr for 10K/10 hours or 10K/2.5 weeks. If the target is 80K words minus 40K by EOW, 40K by 2.5 weeks per 10K is 2.5x4, so 10 weeks of work ahead before full first draft completion? That puts me at April, give or take any hiccups (hello vacation slacking!) for completion of first draft. Assuming I can wrap up in 40K more words (am I halfway there? no idea…) and not 60K+ more.</p>
<p>I’d like to think rewrites can be handled quickly and efficiently, but chances are not stellar. At this rate, finishing first draft, thorough rewrites, cool-off period to gain some distance from the draft, beta reading, and submissions should take the rest of the year. I have money coming in until May at the latest. Hmm…</p>
<p>Must. Pick. Up. The. Pace.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: mint tea</p>
Day 482016-01-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/11/Day-48<p>Cole is in a bad place, trapped and fragmented.</p>
<p>In Chapter 16, a third perspective or expression of self arises fully: Victoire. It’s Ravel1’s manipulation; a counterpart that he forms and guides. Victory, of the Revolution.</p>
<p>But Cole takes this pet name, this label, and unconsciously internalizes it, using it as an escape clause, a doll to pin everything she fears, desires, doesn’t understand. It allows her to stand apart from herself and observe with curiosity, without emotion, without judgement on her core self.</p>
<p>Will Cadence be able to see that? To understand? If Cadence achieves self-awareness, it will collapse the whole construct. Child, drone and idol will collapse back together. Cole’s identity will be shaken, or shattered.</p>
<p>But if Cole has the safety and acceptance, the stability to start absorbing Cadence, and even Victoire, to start becoming whole and real, before acknowledging the partitioning of her identity, than she may survive the experience.</p>
<p>Silver/Itri will play a significant part in building that environment of safety and stability around her if he reaches her in time.</p>
<p>I still don’t know if he will or not.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi/mint tea</p>
Day 472016-01-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/07/Day-47<p>It’s funny how not-strategic this novel has been, after all my big talk and weeks spent working out plot outlines and summaries, character sketches, my insistence on the importance of strategy in the work world… I haven’t checked my plot in, what, months?</p>
<p>I did stop and sketch out content for the next few chapters a few chapters ago, which worked well, and I seem to be more or less heading in the same direction as the original plot, although the characters keep developing beyond my intent…</p>
<p>When I step away from the work, I worry endlessly about it’s tone, pacing, characterization, comparing it unfavourably against everything I read, but as soon as I dive back in, it feels like there’s no choice but to continue what I have begun in the same vein. Maybe rewrites will alter this significantly.</p>
<p>I have this idea that, if I could just pick the best strategy and follow it, I’d be assured of success (sales! fame! more book deals! never going back to the office!), but once I get in the midst of the story, all of that fades away, and I start to wonder: what if this story, told this way, from this perspective, emo, personal, internal before action, what if that’s just what I do, the only thing I can do, the only way I can connect?</p>
<p>Or rather, the only way that this story is meant to be?</p>
<p>I’d like to get to tandem projects, to see if it’s more about the way that I communicate, or the way this story wants to be told. Maybe Cole just took over and all of her suppressed feeling and emotion and goopy emo teen-ness is just seeping out. She certainly seems to insist on her first person present voice, despite all my qualms about it.</p>
<p>I mean, really. Who does that? Not to mention, switching tenses every chapter in order to give everyone their own voice and place is looking like less and less of an intelligent choice all the time.</p>
<p>However, it totally doesn’t feel like a choice at all, so there’s that…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 462016-01-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/06/Day-46<p>The hardest part is starting.</p>
<p>Or maybe continuing.</p>
<p>And finishing will probably be a challenge too.</p>
<p>This should be easy; my life is the most relaxed it’s been since preschool. So why am I so stressed?</p>
<p>Too many expectations, too much fear, not enough practice in saying no. Imposter syndrome; someone’s gonna notice I’m a fake and call me out. Or something.</p>
<p>Logic and illogic at war. My head hurts. I think it’s allergies; I refuse to accept that it’s a cold. So fuzzy. My ears ring.</p>
<p>I might be hugely creative. Or just confused, incomprehensible.</p>
<p>Get more done. Faster. Better.</p>
<p>Have more, get more, do more.</p>
<p>I start a lot of sentences with ‘or’.</p>
<p>I don’t know what I’m doing.</p>
<p>I know exactly what I’m doing.</p>
<p>I’m done being emo.</p>
<p>Maybe being emo is my only shot at success? Be more emo?</p>
<p>Autocorrect hates ‘emo’. It keeps changing it to ‘ego’.</p>
<p>There’s a lesson in that somewhere. Just be. Just do. Do better. Strategize.</p>
<p>Is success the result of realizing the most natural version of yourself, or calculating and strategizing your way to the top? Does it matter? You only find out in hindsight anyways.</p>
<p>Silver. He’s turning out so different than I expected. In the first flash, he was this invincible, confident hero, sweeping in to save the day. But when I stop and get a proper look at him, he’s all twisted up inside with fear and loss and longing. His strength is his difference, but he desperately wants to no longer be alone. Just one more, one more like him, one more to see him behind the glow.</p>
<p>Will he be able to hide it from Cole? His longing? When he shows up for her, can he be the hero she needs? The hero he wants to be for her? Or just one more needy child putting on a show to get attention?</p>
<p>Cadence wants freedom. Cole wants safety. Silver wants to belong. Serov wants to possess. Ashera want(ed) to protect, and now controls. Morris2 wants comfort. Sam and Lily want peace. Bell and Mori wanted love. Hayne5 wants truth. Ravel wants to rule.</p>
<p>But desires shift. When needs are met or left unmet too long, they can change.</p>
<p>Silver wants to protect. Cole wants to save. Serov wants to destroy. Morris2 wants to shield. Sam and Lily want revenge.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi tea</p>
Day 452016-01-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2016/01/05/Day-45<p>So.</p>
<p>Christmas is over, New Years is past. Passed? Whatever. My head hurts (unrelated).</p>
<p>2016: the year of the novel.</p>
<p>By the end of this year (well, hopefully, by the end of the first quarter of the year!) at least one novel will be finished (first draft, anyways). I’ll settle for forward motion, but I’d like to get some speed up.</p>
<p>One scheme involves going to my parent’s office at least one (or a couple?) days a week to sit in an empty room and get a full day of writing in.</p>
<p>I’m not sure it’s possible, but it sounds good, right?</p>
<p>Another scheme involves running two or more projects at the same time, maybe one as a serial for immediate online release. I have most of a fantasy/time-and-dimension travel YA novel done that could be edited for quick release, another kids fairy fantasy with some progress that could go out, and I’d like to work on a historical fiction-fantasy (/romance??) too…</p>
<p>Again, not sure if it’s possible, but in that vein, I’m going to push to get through the contract work I have to clear the deck for these projects. At the 50K word mark (of this project), I’ll start building the online presence, and potentially launch the serial, quick-release projects as part of the platform building efforts.</p>
<p>Off to the races!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi tea</p>
Day 442015-12-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/12/17/Day-44<p>The first snow of this winter is falling outside in big, heavy clumps and my desire to go out for a chilly but beautiful trail run in it is warring with a desire to stay cuddled up next to the fire place… and my need to get all the things done. Writing. Chores. Band practice. Reading. Netflix. Present wrapping. But snow!</p>
<p>It’s amazing how you can acknowledge that something is messy, inconvenient, uncomfortable, possibly dangerous, and still be foolishly enamoured of its beauty. Sounds like a metaphor for love?</p>
<p>I passed the 30K word count bar yesterday. Limping along towards the finish! It’s mostly a matter of discipline, not inspiration, that holds me back. But now that the wedding is out of the way, the pressure (and sick-churning-ick anxiety) to be productive and a meaningful, contributing member of society is rising again.</p>
<p>I predict that it will become much worse after Christmas, and I’m torn between being as unproductive and self-indulgent as possible until the holidays are over, and dealing with the root of the issue, which is being a leech and a slacker… So yeah, I’ll keep pushing on that word count today!</p>
<p>Possibly the last day of work before the holidays wrap anyways, so might as well put in a good effort!</p>
<p>The way I tell this story seems to be shifting as well; it went from 100% planning to 100% stream writing, linear and straight through chapter by chapter (although not, in the case of this story, linear in real time events), and now it’s shifting back again a bit to planning, where I sketch out some events and voices, and then jump between them for a few chapters. Partly that’s probably a side effect of the exponentially increasing degrees of complexity as the story rolls along, and the weight of detail and backstory to balance and integrate.</p>
<p>Pretty unsure about the mystery side of things. I know there are ways to write, well, anything better: mystery, horror, thriller, romance, action, etc. No idea what they are, and I’m entirely to blame for that ignorance, because I’ve made a point of not knowing.</p>
<p>Hopefully that leads to meaningful creativity and not just a boring, unnecessarily complicated mess. Really curious to start getting feedback from others, but, of course, also terrified…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi tea</p>
Day 432015-12-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/12/16/Day-43<p>So, my baby brother got married.</p>
<p>It was crazy, exhausting, and perfect.</p>
<p>Nothing’s going to be easy for them and I don’t know why they’re not terrified of all the challenges ahead, but it happened.</p>
<p>How quickly things change. I had to practice saying ‘sister-in-law’, and we’re all happy they’ll be gone over Christmas because it’s just too soon, too new to have the family disrupted.</p>
<p>I wonder if it’s easier when kids get married younger, when you haven’t had as many years to find the balance…</p>
<p>I like to understand things, to work them over and find the meaning, to piece apart people and their problems into neat piles of cause and effect, impulse and motivation. Emotion, commitment, love; so many human behaviours are complex, irrational.</p>
<p>I am afraid that my stories either press for a rigid, block-by-block construction of rational, obvious motivations and reactions, or wallow in contrived mires of emotion for the sake of introducing complexity without understanding humanity.</p>
<p>Or something.</p>
<p>And then I worry that my stories are all navel-gazing and no action, so there’s really no winning.</p>
<p>But it does reflect some of how Cole interacts with her world. She sees herself as separate, apart. She feels that division keenly, although she would never recognize that as a negative, at least not at first. She clings to the familiarity and security of the rules, of Tower Rule, in part because she can’t understand, won’t allow herself to relate to anything less than that rigidly reliable structure.</p>
<p>If she were able to be honest with herself, if she wasn’t divided between Cadence and Cole, she would admit that the alien in the eyes of the other is terrifying and alluring, that it fascinates her in a way that makes her feel sick inside, feverish. She is like an addict, resisting the call of a drug that she doesn’t remember. It is only the feeling of cold sweat on her skin, the tremors that threaten to show her weakness in the twitch of limb and the quiver of fingers at rest that hint at the terrible strength of that call. Come back, come back to humanity, come back to community, to family, to love.</p>
<p>She doesn’t know it, but her power, her hope, and her salvation lie in the way that the call remains deep within her. She can still hear Cadence’s voice. She actively resists feeling anything, which means that the ability to experience the world as more still remains to threaten her careful balance.</p>
<p>Although she would never admit it, Cole is not incorruptible. Her weakness comes from strength and will become strength that supports many.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: mint tea</p>
Day 422015-11-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/26/Day-42<p>Got more detail on my paternal great-grandparents yesterday.</p>
<p>My great-grandfather was a Jew who escaped persecution in Romania. We don’t know anything else about his family. If he had any, if they survived…</p>
<p>There are so many untold stories behind the sparse list of dates, locations, births, deaths… Hurts that lasted generations, that sent ripples that have shaped the people I know.</p>
<p>I can’t tell if I want to know the stories, or just create them.</p>
<p>Is it opportunistic to want to gather these details, build that skeleton of truth and rumour, and then clothe it in fantasies and dreams of my own making? But I can’t help making those stories for myself, filling in the gaps. Obsessive.</p>
<p>In other news, boys are stupid, dull, lazy creatures.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Laphroaig</p>
Day 412015-11-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/25/Day-41<p>Considering tandem-writing 2 or more books… Clearly I don’t ‘write’ full time, but I don’t seem to do much else that’s productive with all the not-writing time.</p>
<p>Well, not productive in an employable, income-earning sense. Lotta research…</p>
<p>I wonder if I could work at a historic site or museum? Two birds one stone?</p>
<p>Anyways, all my efficient future-forward schemes like freelancing, learning coding etc. seem to just distract and take away from writing, so what if I could get more productive writing time out of myself (reaching here, I know!) by switching stories?</p>
<p>But by that argument, couldn’t I just get the same effect by switching perspectives and sections (hint: apparently not.) Something to work on…</p>
<p>Debating between fantasy/historical fic for the next project and teen/adult vs. kids/YA target audience.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 402015-11-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/24/Day-40<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> My sister-in-law to-be’s bridal shower is this weekend, so of course planning that is taking all my creativity and mental energies.</p>
<p>Or something.</p>
<p>I spent most of yesterday matching old family photos to our <a href="http://www.ancestry.ca">Ancestry</a> tree map with the latest <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00R6HLPCM/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00R6HLPCM&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Mr. Selfridge</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00R6HLPCM" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
season on in the background.</p>
<p>Rewarding-ish, but not doing much about my productivity anxiety. Am I doing enough? Am I justifying my existence? Is there a point to any of this? Will I ever get published - will I ever even finish a draft?? - or am I just abusing the chance to be lazy for half a year or more??</p>
<p>So yeah, I figure at the very least, I’ve got the artistic temperament down.</p>
<p>Discipline is necessary to accomplishment… probably.</p>
<p>In other news, the wind has been incredible here lately. I love storms. Wind, rain, the air just before or after rain…</p>
<p>Not a big fan of blazing sunshine, but crisp, windy post-storm sunsets? Worth it.</p>
<p>So often, we settle for less. Things that bring joy, wonder, peace, we put those away and draw on lesser things. Small pleasures.</p>
<p>Another fun fact: the nutrition that Tower residents are fed is based on gamer-fuel <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00NL2COGC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00NL2COGC&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Soylent</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00NL2COGC" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
dosed with liquid or powder-form soporifics - like meal replacement drinks infused with Valium…</p>
<p>Note to self, do some research on what drugs suppress dreams and make people zombies! Pretty sure there’s anxiety or depression medications with that type of side effect. There must be something out there!</p>
<p>Hoping for at least a little bit of plausibility to the scenario since it’s running the border line between SF and supernatural/fantasy.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Tulsi rose tea</p>
Day 392015-11-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/19/Day-39<p>My brother is getting married in three weeks. It’s a wonderful excuse for distraction.</p>
<p>It also means that I inevitably confront the questions of good relationships. How does attraction work? What makes a good match? How can people choose to be together when they’re so different?</p>
<p>I don’t really want to write romance as a main focus of any story, partly because I can’t relate, but questions of attraction, gender-based power and influence, and healthy/unhealthy relationships are surfacing in Cole’s story.</p>
<p>It seems to be a key element of human existence; I can’t figure out how to inhabit Cole’s world without these threads coming out.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 382015-11-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/08/Day-38<p>After sketching out the next few chapters, I’ve distributed the plot outlines across chapter stubs - I feel more drawn to following through Cole’s story - partly because I find it easiest to slip into her perspective.</p>
<p>Realizing I need more dynamic characterization, more strong women, more interest…</p>
<p>Been flipping through mental lists of great stories and comparing this work unfavourably. For instance, a big cast isn’t fatal - Harry Potter has tons of characters, many of which are beloved and who start out as background but grow… but they’re all interesting.</p>
<p>How do you expose the underlying humanity, uniqueness, fascination of someone? It’s not enough to just tell a story… or it is, it’s just a different approach?</p>
<p>I get caught up in all the different ways to do this. Adventure? Exotic setting? Twisty plot revelations and suspense? Fascinating, quirky or lovable characters? Focused? Broad? Angsty teen navel gazing (I think I’ve got that one sewn up!)? Introspection and self-obsession? Single perspective? Whiplash storytelling where person and place shift constantly?</p>
<p>Getting too focused on the mechanics and not moving forward again, ugh!</p>
<p>So, I’ll step back into Cole’s head and watch her world for a bit, see where that goes. The rest can happen in rewrites (? maybe//?)</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Yikes! Just shifted from a cyberpunk dystopian YA fantasy to a full-blown teen supernatural horror!</p>
<p>The dream death has ties to ghosts - human spirit (any spirits?) trapped by the fog/gold and drawn to human life - dreams, ambitions, hopes, feeling of any type. The hungry dead invading first your mind, and eventually your world as the balance shifts to more spirits per city than living souls!!!</p>
<p>Or something.</p>
<p>Been reading too much <a href="http://www.collectorsweekly.com">Collectors Weekly</a> and <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com">Atlas Obscura</a> on Victorian ghosts and spiritualism… also a little loopy from fighting off a cold, or allergies, running, ice cream, gin and Scotch… lol.</p>
<p>But it just felt like suddenly another piece(s) snapped into place. Yes! Ghosts! Not just vague danger, but a clear (??) cause with meaningful ramifications for plot!</p>
<p>Of course, I get way more excited about ideas, concepts, clever angles and struggle with the step-by-step of getting there in Cole’s world… gah!</p>
<p>So wait, hang on… if the true danger is ‘ghosts’, then it’s ok to attribute the danger and deaths to ‘dreams’ through the main player’s perspectives, and save the reveal for later…</p>
<p>Cole/Cadence don’t know. Does the Lady? Ravel? Certainly not the Inspector… how much does he know? What’s the accepted narrative for a regular Tower citizen? Administrator? What do the Streets believe? The Deviants? What about the dream walkers?</p>
<p>The references are definitely nonstandard. Gold = evil, Silver = good/holy?? Which side are the ghosts on? Gold doesn’t explicitly work in their favour; it functionally maintains a victim pool (food source…???) but also is a trap, so do the ghosts have individual agency? Are there good and bad individual spirits? Or just an amalgamated, amoral mass?</p>
<p>Is Silver linked to spirits, like the ghost walkers are connected somehow, inhabited, more open to the spiritual plane of existence? Living on both sides of the divide? Stillborn? Possessed? Ugh, please no. Just… sensitive? Is this turning into a gothgirl fantasy romance??? ugh…</p>
<p>Thought: I’ve been accused in the past of writing myself as the protagonists. In this case, I think I want to be Itri, not Cole. Strong, solid, unflaggingly focused and otherworldly Itri, not cold, empty, cast-adrift Cole. Itri.</p>
<p>Itri.</p>
<p>Sunday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:45 am & 4:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>drinking: Laphroaig 10 yr</p>
Day 372015-11-05T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/05/Day-37<p>So a bit stuck again; did some work on upcoming plot developments that should shape the next 1-4 chapters and also a bit of rewriting to repurpose an initial bit character (Morris2), rather than having to introduce even more named characters - there’s at least 3 more coming up in the next few chapters, and the cast is already huge, so…</p>
<p>Plot is surprisingly on target considering how freeform I’ve been with writing - there may actually be a passing resemblance by the time I’m done. Wild.</p>
<p>In other news, still obsessed with history and genealogy research, so that’s eating up lots of time. I’ve got a fair bit of chores and side work that I’ve been ignoring and that I should really clean up for general peace of mind and stress reduction, so I’ll dive into that next…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 362015-11-04T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/04/Day-36<p>Yeah, this is really turning into a teen romance fic, I think. Lots of internal monologue (well, after all, I’m writing the protag in first person present, so what do you expect?) Shaping up to be a form of love triangle, not a heck of a lot of action (well, monsters, gruesome death, revolutions, kidnappings, abuse… so maybe a little action!)</p>
<p>I’m realizing more and more that I may not have any sense of pace or timing. Like, is this slow and boring, or action-packed and engrossing??</p>
<p>I’d really like to start getting feedback, but it’s hard to control quality, and I think that would slow down my progress significantly, so I’ll try to keep holding off.</p>
<p>In other news, halfway to the next milestone (30K words), and there’s starting to be some narrative movement and threads coming together, so that’s great!</p>
<p>Haven’t looked at my plot outline in over 10K words, so it’s probably a mess, but I think that’ll be a problem for the rewrites stage…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 9:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
Day 352015-11-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/11/02/Day-35<p>Uh… so, yeah, three day stretch plus a three week vacation… I can get obsessively immersed in everything <em>except</em> writing or doing work, apparently.</p>
<p>First it was family history/geneology stuff (still going on that but…) made it back to 885 on one side of the family, with some guesswork and questionable research… Apparently descended from the King of Wales and a queen of Mercia (England) if that tree isn’t totally fantasy, lol. It’s like an unending jigsaw puzzle, with unlimited pieces. It goes not only back, but sideways and then down, so it’s more like one of those tropical trees that drops down at the end of branches and turns into a whole ecosystem of interlinked life.</p>
<p>Anyways, I can’t tear myself away because there’s always a new route to trace. It’s so addictive. Lots of great, scandalous stories that make me itch to write historical fiction, too. Multiple child deaths in the same year, allegations of improper conduct, cross-class and -national marriages, marrying sisters… great stuff.</p>
<p>Soon after, I also became obsessed with 50s clothing to vintage clothing and undergarments to vintage, retro and historical anything (thanks for sucking days of my life away, <a href="http://www.collectorsweekly.com">Collectors Weekly!</a>) so yeah, I feel like historical fiction could be a future pathway. Maybe fantasy-fusion?</p>
<p>Also, the parents went on vacation, so of course I couldn’t possibly be productive while they were gone, and took my own staycation in solidarity… ugh…</p>
<p>So many good ideas, so little discipline! But I do appreciate the way that switching up my focus and exploring other interests sparks ideas for me!</p>
<p>Now to try and put them to use!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: water</p>
<p>Background: leaf-blowers (lol)</p>
Day 342015-10-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/10/08/Day-34<p>Yes! Three day stretch!</p>
<p>Celebrating small victories, lol. Gets later by almost an hour every day, but…</p>
<p>So the second protagonist made his debut yesterday without me planning it. Pretty mysterious, gives a whole different spin on the world, setting, plot, intent… suddenly, it’s not a story about Cole finding herself and maybe escaping the tower, it’s a hero tale.</p>
<p>My inner feminist is worried about where this is going. I don’t want him to be a total pushover or a distraction, so he needs to have a strong personality and a valuable part to play, but at the same time, if he does everything for Cole, she loses agency and becomes an object that men control (well, there’s a woman at the top of it all, so there’s that…)</p>
<p>He’s turning out more fallible, less perfect and saviour-like than I had imagined already… a side effect of getting inside his head, I guess, and letting him be human. (maybe he could be an angel or something? solve that problem right off the bat!)</p>
<p>I’ve been switching perspectives with at least some consciousness of the effect - Cole exists in first person present, dreamers exist in first person present (until they expire), everyone else is in a third-person past-tense, more traditional storytelling mode.</p>
<p>Worried this might be jarring in effect, and it’s going to be a lot of work to change if I need to, but it feels right to me.</p>
<p>I wonder if there’s something I can do with Cole’s character/language here? As she reconciles with her past and inner self (Cadence), the language could shift? But since it’s going to be gradual, that would be hard to pull off and not have it just seem like an error.</p>
<p>As it is, her language shift from empirical, experience-based, in-the-moment short declaratives to expressiveness, emotion, imagination, even just vocabulary and sophistication of grammar that develops… that should be a little easier to script (although in first-person, that really limits descriptive options early on.)</p>
<p>Also, I’m sure there’s some emotional impact to introducing (yet another) set of players in the form of the street people (plus, they’re an integral plot point if we ever get back to the plot I laid out in the beginning… tbd), but they don’t lend themselves to the male protag’s voice, and there’s already a worrying amount of dangling threads (the whole cyber-punk implants reference in the care ward scene, for one!)</p>
<p>OK. Quick edits to the last two chapters, and then it’s time for another dream death… either supervisor, street or partier…</p>
<p>Let’s go with street, to establish the increasing violence and the male protag’s role outside of Cole’s partner. Then it can escalate to supervisor or partier to push Cole a little bit more…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 12:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 332015-10-07T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/10/07/Day-33<p>10 chapters. Over 20K words and 50 hours.</p>
<p>Still introducing new characters, lol.</p>
<p>I don’t want to lose momentum by stopping and charting locations and timelines, but this is all getting pretty off course from the plot and even the character outlines.</p>
<p>Oh well. Save it for the rewrites.</p>
<p>Apparently I’m not good at strategic writing, things just happen as they happen.</p>
<p>Also, racy much?! This is definitely turning into a ‘Teen’ or upper YA read. I know that Ravel1 was supposed to be dark and manipulative, and Cole needed to start experiencing emotions and independent thought, but yikes, steamy! Making me blush just writing it; can’t imagine how much I’m going to hate letting the beta readers get ahold of this.</p>
<p>Also, the names are kinda awkward…? But they make sense in the structure of the world…</p>
<p>Again, rewrites problems, I guess. Onwards!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 322015-10-06T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/10/06/Day-32<p>So… sidetracked again!</p>
<p>Errands, trips to Vancouver, distraction… federal elections’ coming up, so I just finished reading the entire Green Party position and joined up. As a creative, I feel the need to back utopian dreams over dirty political maneuvering. Or something.</p>
<p>Also, saw a new film effort, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3752766/">Charlotte’s Song</a>, in the Vancouver Film Festival with a friend. Beautiful, but definitely some storytelling gaps that are making me sweat. Trying to do too much, lack of connection with characters, vague storylines and quick changes between setting, action etc.</p>
<p>Sound familiar? Panic…</p>
<p>Oh well, no way to go but forward!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:45 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire black tea</p>
Day 312015-09-30T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/30/Day-31<p>I’m probably doing a terrible job on the writing side, but it feels great once I’m actually in Cole’s world.</p>
<p>Marathoned <a href="http://blackholly.com">Holly Black’s</a> latest book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00K5UNWV4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00K5UNWV4&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Darkest Part of the Forest</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00K5UNWV4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
last night (sleepy), and in her end notes she mentions the doubt and frustration of feeling like it’s just not going to come together or be ok, so I guess if #1 NYT bestselling authors feel that way, I’ve still got a shot.</p>
<p>Just keep moving forward, even if it’s slow, even if I feel lazy, even if it’s possibly terrible and a waste of time.</p>
<p>I could stop, but if doesn’t feel like an option. I couldn’t leave Cole and everyone hanging like that…</p>
<p>I other news, I got a sweet Squier Strat yesterday. So yeah, some motivation there for getting to work and knocking off to-do items from my schedule today so I can start rockin’ out. Would be nice to make rock star before the green hair grows out (bleach=boredom).</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Yorkshire black tea</p>
Day 302015-09-29T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/29/Day-30<p>So yeah, my timelines are not linking up; glad I got on that earlier rather than later! It makes sense to have some overlap between the different storylines to help tie things together a bit earlier on, so I made a point of Cole and Serov with Morris2 in tow running into each other in the elevator, Serov and the Inspector encountering each other in the course of their days, which makes a bit more sense really.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, given the time of death for the Bell Case, in conjunction with Cole’s escape from work and nighttime adventures, puts their relative story times at completely opposite times of day. Morris2 would be completely out of the picture by the time Cole skips work (not sure dead or just incapacitated, but certainly not flitting around in public).</p>
<p>Also, I really need to map out at the very least Tower3, if not the Tower complexes and surrounding neighbourhoods, sooner than later. Elevators and stairs up and down are getting a bit tricky, as I keep forgetting what floor I (more or less arbitrarily) have assigned to whom/which activity. I know there’s probably some fact checking on the copy edit end of publishing, but these mistakes mean some major rewriting, since they impact settings!</p>
<p>I’ve started in on a really tight timeline (think minute-by-minute) to try to ground activity in the real world, but it is a slow process, so I’ve only made it a few hours into the story, roughly corresponding to maybe three simultaneously-occuring chapters. It’s been great for really thinking out not only plot, but background information and the mechanics of Tower life. For instance, what time do workers get up, when do they actually go to work, etc? Are there different ‘shifts’ or schedules for different workers? How does the uniqueness of each person impact their response to the standard schedule?</p>
<p>But I’m also tempted to get caught up in these details and put myself back weeks or months again by planning instead of writing. I’ve been mildly horrified (ok, majorly horrified) to find out there are at least two second-degree connections that have written novels in about a month. Sure, one of them was only 50,000 words, but even so, I’m holding at 15K words in up to 4+ months. Yikes.</p>
<p>In other news, I’ve been obsessed with getting an electric guitar, and have narrowed down my tastes to the (thankfully) budget Squire Strats. So now I’m trying to shove my desire to make arrangements with Craigslisters in order to actually get any work done. Haven’t done any freelancing in… three weeks now? Give or take. Bleagh.</p>
<p>Also, reading <a href="http://www.blackholly.com">Holly Black’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00K5UNWV4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00K5UNWV4&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Darkest Part of the Forest</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00K5UNWV4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. I’m not all that comfortable with some of the elements she brings in (seems a little populist, for one thing), but man does she write well, and the most natural teen/youth culture writing I’ve ever seen. Not a hint of text-speak. Jealousy… Also, darkness, romance, supernatural… all done exceptionally well.</p>
<p>Go Holly!</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:00 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 292015-09-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/24/Day-29<p>I’m dreaming of buying an electric guitar. And dabbling with the idea of getting a five-string violin. Everyone else is getting these sweet hollow-body electrics, and they’re just so much easier to play, not to mention gorgeous!</p>
<p>Of course, it makes no sense for me to be spending money on another guitar (we have 3 acoustics and 1 electric in the house already, not to mention all the other folk & stringed instruments!) …but it’s seriously hard to concentrate on anything else right now!</p>
<p>Had a great mini-vacation cat-sitting in Vancouver this week (thanks, Rebecca!), but of course now I’ve had yet another super-long pause in work. The new 12” macbook is great for typing, however. Regretting ordering those solar keyboards (especially b/c the adaptor to USB-C hasn’t arrived yet and I can’t use them!)</p>
<p>Pretty cool experience in Vancouver catching up with all the relationships and realizing that, despite my angst about group activities, I did end up with a lot of meaningful relationships and discussions. Turns out all the hard work was never about making progress at a career or even helping the church plant launch, it was about making a difference in people’s lives, helping them encounter Jesus and better live life with and for Him. At some point in the last 3+ years I kind of lost track of that, but it turns out I met all my goals regardless!</p>
<p>So, yeah, fairly gratifying trip. And now I have like three days of music, so that’ll be good too. Must. ignore. guitar… and get this thing written!</p>
<p>And… Dive!</p>
<p>Nope… hang on… I think I need another planning session. The timelines and interweaving viewpoints/storylines are getting a little too layered, and I need to anchor them in some real-world logic. (plus, I’m not too sure what happens next… another dream? Back to Cole? Do I introduce Mist as a character, or keep him as glimpses around the edges of things?)</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 9:45 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Lime Gelato (Davidstea)</p>
Day 282015-09-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/17/Day-28<p>So~ sleepy~~ It’s looking grey and potentially wet outside, no one’s home, the cats are sleeping quietly and the fireplace is on. Fall allergies have kicked into high gear and all I want to do is close my eyes.</p>
<p>Well, not all I want to do. I’d watch something. Take a bath. Eat. But a nap is highish on the list.</p>
<p>Fascinating; spellcheck doesn’t mind the word highish. I guess I wasn’t the first to invent it. Probably means something totally different, but meh. Force click doesn’t want to look it up for me, so I’ll just let that one go and hope it makes some kind of sense…</p>
<p>Word count is over 15K and progressing towards the next milestone (20K) nicely. I think total manuscript (post rewrites & editing) for submission should be around 80K and no more than 100K words, so that means I’ve passed the 10% complete mark, and could be as much as a third of the way complete… terrifying thought.</p>
<p>I have a feeling there’s too much world building and introspection, and not nearly enough action and tension, but I’m going to need great beta readers to really help me nail that down. I feel like I’m only at the beginning of the story, still introducing key characters, environments and premises. But it could be that once the action starts in, the speed will pick up too.</p>
<p>At 15K words in, and about 6 chapters, we have our protagonist, Cole, her boss, her coworker Ravel1 and an increasing number of unnamed coworkers, Cadence, of course, the dead old lady Suzannah with her parents, the two Care workers including Morris2, more significant players in the form of Inspector and Guard (Serov), the dead kid Mori and his parents, and most recently, the Lady Maria. Plus the unidentified presence in Cole’s dream, which will turn out to be the male lead. Day 28
Thursday, September 17, 2015
10:30 am
couch/living room
MacBook (new)</p>
<p>So~ sleepy~~ It’s looking grey and potentially wet outside, no one’s home, the cats are sleeping quietly and the fireplace is on. Fall allergies have kicked into high gear and all I want to do is close my eyes. Well, not all I want to do. I’d watch something. Take a bath. Eat. But a nap is highish on the list. Fascinating; spellcheck doesn’t mind the word highish. I guess I wasn’t the first to invent it. Probably means something totally different, but meh. Force click doesn’t want to look it up for me, so I’ll just let that one go and hope it makes some kind of sense…
Word count is over 15K and progressing towards the next milestone (20K) nicely. I think total manuscript (post rewrites & editing) for submission should be around 80K and no more than 100K words, so that means I’ve passed the 10% complete mark, and could be as much as a third of the way complete… terrifying thought. I have a feeling there’s too much world building and introspection, and not nearly enough action and tension, but I’m going to need great beta readers to really help me nail that down. I feel like I’m only at the beginning of the story, still introducing key characters, environments and premises. But it could be that once the action starts in, the speed will pick up too. At 15K words in, and about 6 chapters, we have our protagonist, Cole, her boss, her coworker Ravel1 and an increasing number of unnamed coworkers, Cadence, of course, the dead old lady Suzannah with her parents, the two Care workers including Morris2, more significant players in the form of Inspector and Guard (Serov), the dead kid Mori and his parents, and most recently, the Lady Maria. Plus the unidentified presence in Cole’s dream, which will turn out to be the male lead. So 11 named characters and 20+ including unnamed. Of that, about 6 will continue to play a significant part going forward. Probably too much; I’ll have to see if I can trim the NPCs or something in the rewrites. Besides that issue, I have two main concerns. One: is it interesting? Just because I’m entertained by diving into this world doesn’t mean that anyone else will have the patience to go with me. Two: is Cole likeable/are the people compelling? I think there should be a strong emotional connection with the cast, but I don’t have really strong, cool hero types (yet). And on we go…</p>
<p>So 11 named characters and 20+ including unnamed. Of that, about 6 will continue to play a significant part going forward. Probably too much; I’ll have to see if I can trim the NPCs or something in the rewrites.</p>
<p>Besides that issue, I have two main concerns.</p>
<p>One: is it interesting? Just because I’m entertained by diving into this world doesn’t mean that anyone else will have the patience to go with me.</p>
<p>Two: is Cole likeable/are the people compelling? I think there should be a strong emotional connection with the cast, but I don’t have really strong, cool hero types (yet).</p>
<p>And on we go…</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 272015-09-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/16/Day-27<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So I finally bit the bullet and bought a new <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00VSB16BW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00VSB16BW&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Mac</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00VSB16BW" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
.</p>
<p>Feeling super conflicted about it. On the one hand, yay shiny new hardware! Gotta love new toys!</p>
<p>On the other hand, I’m downgrading to half the storage, significantly less RAM by the numbers, and a 17” to 12”… that’s a lot of screen real estate. Plus, you know, money.</p>
<p>Already, this is proving to be way better for writing on - I’m regretting ordering those <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0081TIE64/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B0081TIE64&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">solar keyboards</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0081TIE64" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
and rethinking my plan to upgrade the <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016PW2W70/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B016PW2W70&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">iPad mini</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B016PW2W70" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
this year - but I’m still really attached to my <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003G2ZKMC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B003G2ZKMC&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">MacBook Pro</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B003G2ZKMC" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. Do I have emotional issues with my technology? Resounding yes! Comes from sleeping with it, I suppose.</p>
<p>Have to say, these ‘butterfly’ keys are pretty rad, though. Also, losing a lot of time to transferring data and setting up a new machine is a fairly dumb move, but hopefully the timing is at least less painful than it might have otherwise been… Either way, go Apple! Gorgeous tech!</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Westlake Seattle Scotch</p>
Day 262015-09-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/15/Day-26<p>I have a beta reader signed up!</p>
<p>My brilliant east coast friend Christina S., who is just about to move from Vancouver back to her home coast offered to read for me. If I can get a bit more consistent with my writing schedule and keep up with the freelancing projects, I’ll start doing some more coding learning and build myself a site with an official list - in chronological order! - of my superstar readers :)</p>
<p>More good news: WestJet just announced direct flights to London for $200-$300 next year, so when I do get this manuscript polished and ready to go, it’ll be quick & cheap to make the move. Sure hope the timing works out to be there for at least a few months before this book gets moving. It’ll be good practice for all the touring (lol).</p>
<p>Wish I could publish anonymously! Like that <a href="http://www.lemonysnicket.com">Lemony Snicket</a>, but with a cooler name, like <a href="http://www.avi-writer.com">AVI</a>. KAIE.</p>
<p>What are the chances…?</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: White tea - silver leaf</p>
Day 252015-09-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/11/Day-25<p>So, bite the bullet, get on with it… possible motivations include ducking out on various work that I could/should be doing and really just don’t want to get around to…</p>
<p>Some idiot in Kuwait that keeps wanting his copy-written projects edited and adjusted because he couldn’t be bothered to put what he really wanted in the first place.</p>
<p>Like seriously? I’m not your in-house marketing staff; it’s piecework, and I’m losing money to your cluelessness… So yeah, not gonna keep dropping everything to do that…</p>
<p>Also, fun fact in the wonderful world of grammar. Apparently ‘alright’ is not actually a word, and the correct usage is ‘all right’, which looks incredibly stupid on a page, not to mention confusing. Who knew?</p>
<p>More to the point, when are the dictionaries going to catch up to us?</p>
<p>I’m resisting working on the draft, which is generally what happens when I start edging close to plot points and action, and I can’t just float around in the mindscapes of the characters getting nothing done…</p>
<p>Cole’s running into the guys, Ravel1 in this case, and my mild horror at writing teen romance is choking my imagination and creativity just when I need to be going full dive. It’s all just so… embarrassing.</p>
<p>I mean, it’s one thing to read the stuff, but to write it? To channel/create it? I’ve built my reputation on, like, decades of resistance to foolish romance! But it must happen/is happening, so I’d better get on with it…</p>
<p>Oh, Cole.</p>
<p>Sorry.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Westlake Seattle ‘Scotch’</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Ghost Ship’s ‘Costly’</p>
Day 242015-09-10T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/10/Day-24<p>So I critically lack discipline and focus.</p>
<p>Surprise to no one but me, apparently. The thought of diving in to this is a major deterrent for no apparent reason. I drag myself through the miseries of copywriting without nearly the same level of kicking and screaming, and it’s getting harder and harder to beat back money making initiatives to keep doing this.</p>
<p>But. I. Want. To.</p>
<p>So. On it goes.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.oldhandcoffee.com">Oldhand Coffee Shop</a></p>
<p>Drinking: decaf latte</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Vintage ’50s symphonic?</p>
Day 232015-09-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/09/08/Day-23<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> So. Two weeks off. I take more vacations than an American princess.</p>
<p>If you ask me what I want to do, what I was made to do, even, it’s this. Writing. Writing <em>stories</em>. Creating. Creating this thing that is heart and music and flight and magic. Feeling and being and experiencing everything through my fingers and this screen. Jacking my veins to the machine and just letting it <em>download</em> everything.</p>
<p>Or something like that. But instead, I slouch around all day with petty distractions. Marathoning the first two seasons of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016J37O3M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B016J37O3M&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Under the Dome</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B016J37O3M" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
and alternating with the entire <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=Brian%20K.%20Vaughn&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Vaughn</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
catalog and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=Buffy%20GN&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Buffy after’verse</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
comics. Also <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=X-Men&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">X-Men</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
, random Netflix, old anime, frequent trips to Vancouver and online shopping. Also, I tried lifting again for like 10 minutes. It was not much of a thrill.</p>
<p>I can’t get anything done when I’m alone, but I get distracted (let myself get distracted) whenever anyone else is around. I’ve dropped out of most of the world, definitely given the finger to adulthood, and for some reason, I still care too much what my freaking family think of me to really commit to just laying around being useless in their presence.</p>
<p>Patterns. Disciplines. I thought I was so disciplined, but my track record of sticking with, well, anything is looking pretty weak. However.</p>
<p>I’m not giving up. Thanks <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=Brian%20K.%20Vaughn&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Brian K. Vaughn</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
. Dystopia, politics and post-apocalyptic worlds duly absorbed. Between you and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=Joss%20Whedon&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Whedon</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
, I might even have a shot at writing a half-way decent feminist book. Maybe.</p>
<p>No. All of that is bullshit. The real problem is that I’m afraid to full-dive for this next part. Don’t want to let my inner psycho out enough to write the type of twisted crazy that I know is waiting in Cole’s world. Or maybe I don’t want to let the outer darkness in.</p>
<p>It was one thing to start relaxing into Cole’s icy reality, but she’s only a side effect of the heart of darkness that’s consuming her world. Serov’s a direct product, a willing participant. Christ be my lifeline, because I can’t get any further without diving, and I’m not willing to turn and go back.</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Jasmine tea</p>
<p>Soundtrack: <a href="http://www.ghostshipmusic.com">Ghost Ship’s</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00ZGJ83B8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00ZGJ83B8&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Costly</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00ZGJ83B8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
Day 222015-08-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/26/Day-22<p>In typical diva fashion, having anyone else around or anything else to do is proving a major distraction. Thus proving what I want and what I want rarely cohere into a single want at any given time.</p>
<p>I want to be a lazy consumer that splits time between sleeping and imbibing various media.</p>
<p>I want to be fit and social, rocking the stage and investing in relationship.</p>
<p>I want to be disciplined and successful, a hard worker that never quits.</p>
<p>I want to learn, practice and perform music.</p>
<p>I want to be a great (and successful!) writer, focused and productive, creative and artistic all at once.</p>
<p>So my list of “I wants” is crippling me from ever achieving any of these goals.</p>
<p>Funny thing is, I’m not actually good at identifying and expressing what I want. I’m a little better at figuring out what I absolutely need to do to survive and getting that taken care of.</p>
<p>Writing Cole’s personality takes a cue from that. (Spoiler) She’s been shut down as an individual, and so she isn’t able to access ‘wants’.</p>
<p>This is trademark Tower; programming people to be safe by erasing themselves, but it rarely works as completely as it did on Cole. She’s a model Tower worker. Except she’s not.</p>
<p>Cadence survived, and Cadence carries all the personality, wants and desires that Cole lost, and she’s there to bug Cole about them. Constantly.</p>
<p>Which is a start, but eventually Cole is going to have to learn to dream on her own.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
<p>Drinking: Earl Gray</p>
Day 212015-08-25T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/25/Day-21<p>This is starting to be exciting.</p>
<p>I feel really good about the chapters written in Cole’s voice. The other chapters come harder, but it’s starting to be a lot of fun to slip into her world and feel through her.</p>
<p>Intentionally worked out some stylistic rewrites/edits today to keep Cole’s voice consistent - portrayed in short, relatively simple sentences and language. Very choppy and broken up, but still indicative of her worldview.</p>
<p>Her personality, needs, motivations are starting to emerge (to some extent, without my conscious participation!), and I feel like there could be a hint of art, or at least craftsmanship starting to come through to my lately-unschooled prose (lol).</p>
<p>Maybe it’s a blessing that I’m not fully aware of all the things I should be doing. I’d get bogged down even more than I am already!</p>
<p>It’s cool to see the story, world and characters taking shape, and easier to mould sections that have already been written than to push forward and uncover the parts that haven’t. I’m not entirely sure how to dive into the villains and other characters, probably because I’m not entirely confident in the plot and their roles or characterization. I should just get over it (tomorrow…?), since it seems like the story, characters and plot prefer to reveal themselves to me anyways, but it does feel daunting.</p>
<p>Also, days seem too short. I write for a couple hours, and then intend to get back into it, but by then there’s something else that needs attention, or someone else, or just low-level distractions. If I could only focus…</p>
<p>But as Cole is finding out, sometimes you have as much freedom as you let yourself have!</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: coffee & tonic on ice</p>
Day 202015-08-21T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/21/Day-20<p>I can’t sleep (too much coffee?), and I’ve been writing lines in my head, so I may as well get them out. The world rotates a bit when I move, but that’s perfect.</p>
<p>I’m going to write the trip through the darkness and the flying/falling dream that’s Cole’s first brush with the dream death. Ideally suited to the small hours of the night and silent darkness.</p>
<p>Although, I’m really channeling emo for this… could be too much!</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:00 am</p>
<p>Location: kitchen table</p>
Day 192015-08-19T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/19/Day-19<p>Broke my winning pattern today; selling (more) furniture on Craigslist, and not getting started first thing really throws me off, apparently. Start the week strong and trail off towards the weekend seems to be the plan of choice.</p>
<p>Despite that, I feel like I’m starting to really settle in to this and make progress. Cole is developing, the story is going off in weird directions, and everything is right in the(ir) world.</p>
<p>The experience of exxploring and discovering places and things (and people) you didn’t expect is better than pretty much anything. Like some sort of VR game, but smoother, more tailored to you. I think it’s part of why people write fanfics, to spend time with beloved worlds and people.</p>
<p>Not that I approve. The idea of someone writing fanfics about <em>my</em> world and <em>my people</em> is horrifying, lol. At least wait until after I’m dead!</p>
<p>Also, this coffee mixed with tonic is brilliant! Worth the crowd and spending a week’s (freelance) pay!</p>
<p>I’m worried about the length of my writing - I’ll hit 10K words by the end of the week (fingers crossed), which is more than 1/10 of the way if I follow the general industry guidelines (and I should…), and that’ll only be 5-ish chapters and hardly any real action yet!</p>
<p>Although, with worldbuilding, establishing characters and all, it probably takes more text to set it all up than it does to write action. Maybe? Hopefully?</p>
<p>I don’t feel in control of this thing at all, which on the balance may be a pretty good thing, lol.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 3:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.oldhandcoffee.com">Oldhand Coffee Shop</a></p>
<p>Drinking: Coffee tonic (+ Skolebrod)</p>
<p>Soundtrack: <a href="https://play.google.com/music/r/m/L7yyx4akq7fvqanr2sxeemvwhvq?t=Epic_Film_Scores">Epic Film Scores</a></p>
Day 182015-08-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/18/Day-18<p>Trying to get serious about this now (although I’ve been trying for a while now, but…) with regular schedule and a greater amount of effort/time. Three hours solid & in a day is the record so far! Also about 2K words in 3 hours seems to be an average pace for first drafts.</p>
<p>It’s hard not to immediately start in on rewrites of existing work when I look at it… so much opportunity (need!) to expand, layer, deepen.</p>
<p>Cole snapped from an idea into a character for me last week, and that’s really providing the impetus to move forward now. I’m writing in first person present in her voice, which feels pretty good, as I get to track along with her and experience the story firsthand.</p>
<p>However, I kind of feel it’s not very sustainable… I keep slipping into past tense and struggling with keeping verbs in the right form. It does lend a sense of immediacy, but I wonder if it will read as too self indulgent or juvenile?</p>
<p>Also, I had been planning to put the ‘dreams’ in first person present and write the rest of it in third to set them apart, so I lose that angle… I think there will be third person (present? past?) sections where action goes on outside of Cole’s experience, although I feel like I’ve been told that breaks some sort of writing rule. Pretty sure I’ve seen other authors do it though.</p>
<p>Still very distracted by the desire to start sharing this work too early and building a following (prima donna much?!), and also by the pressure to start back in on moving forward with life plans… training, work, moving to Scotland…</p>
<p>Which is maybe good, since it pushes me to get a move on with this piece.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:15 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 172015-08-17T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/17/Day-17<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> I really want to get the other pieces moving. Set up a platform, start getting beta readers and fans, lol. Submit for peer review and get some feedback on the direction and tone. But I’m trying to gloss past actually writing the freakin’ thing. I need to accept that first drafts aren’t beautiful, or even that compelling and just get it all out on a page.</p>
<p>Trying hard to shut down the part of me that wants to reengage with a career, start planning next steps and tracks to take… I want to do this, even when I don’t want to do this. I think.</p>
<p>I may be overcomplicating things (including the plot and the characters!), but I don’t seem to be able to stop myself, so I guess I’ll just need to turn that into a strength.</p>
<p>Watched <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00NQI7KD8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00NQI7KD8&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">The Maze Runner</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00NQI7KD8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
last night. Thinking that this may not be quite in the same vein as those dark dystopias (I’m looking at you, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004XJRQUQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B004XJRQUQ&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Hunger Games</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B004XJRQUQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
& <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00IRCZH3I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B00IRCZH3I&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Divergent</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00IRCZH3I" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
series!) - I don’t want the death toll, and not sure I can generate the same degree of tension.</p>
<p>I want to tell a story, build characters, but getting a tense plot with nonstop action and mind-bending twists, upping the ante continuously? How do they even do that?</p>
<p>Maybe on the rewrites…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:00 am</p>
<p>Location: bedroom</p>
Day 162015-08-13T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/13/Day-16<p>Just getting out more details based on the new direction.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 10:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 152015-08-12T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/12/Day-15<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Reading <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=books-ca&keywords=Edgar%20Allen%20Poe&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Edgar Allen Poe</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
to try to figure out how to write scary (creepy, eerie, I’d settle for any of those!)</p>
<p>Not sure if I’m too detached, or if it’s just terrible writing, but I’m not getting the fear response I’d like for the ‘dream death’ sections. So far, not finding Poe as helpful as I’d hoped. His work is merely tedious, although a series of essays accompanying one of my reference books is helping unpack some layers for me.</p>
<p>Looked into website domains, but .web apparently is not a real top level domain, and kaie.com, .ca etc. is already taken. Not sure when to try to start building a platform - sooner than later would be good, based on how much time/effort it takes to get things up to a reasonable level, but if there’s no quality or quantity, it won’t grow either… and it’s a drain of energy and resources that I should really be investing in the writing itself (no patience at all!)</p>
<p>Found some good peer review and author sites; I’d like to give <a href="http://www.youwriteon.com">youwriteon.com</a> a shot, but I know the feedback is going to kill me, and I’d like to polish up (or at least finish writing!) the first few chapters first.</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Funny how your brain keeps working along in the background. Reading Edgar Allen Poe to try and pick up some technique (yeah, probably not working), but it gave me this great angle for my protag.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0176YUZM0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B0176YUZM0&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">William Wilson</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B0176YUZM0" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
got me thinking about multiple personalities/conscience in stories, and opened up this great voice and insight into Cole, where her personal name and history/memory, something destroyed by the conditioning of the Tower, emerges as a separate character, kind of an imaginary friend. That leaves Cole to act out the necessary drone-like perfect Tower citizen role, while still letting the protag. be interesting and rebellious. It gives a way to portray her character development through speaking style and add another level of salvation and freedom.</p>
<p>Kind of wanted to open with a death dream for dramatic effect, but I was worried about leaving the protagonist a minimum of three chapters in… could be hard to connect when you’ve already tried to attach to two characters who are killed (shown or implied). Maybe damages reader’s trust?</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 6 & 7:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 142015-08-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/08/11/Day-14<p>So apparently I’m getting in all my vacation at once before I start…?</p>
<p>Just over a month’s hiatus to pack and get moved out of Vancouver to the Valley. My level of discipline is pathetic by any standard; I get worn out by selling things on Craigslist!</p>
<p>Even after weeks of nothing much (lots of Netflix!), it was brutally hard to get back into this. How can there be stories boiling in me and yet the thought of opening the file to start typing makes me mildly nauseous? So bizarre…</p>
<p>In other news, I’ve been trying to get set up as a freelancer, and wow, is that ever a pathetically low-paying enterprise! The writing is both boring and shockingly challenging, the transcription painfully low-paying - think $3 for an hour! - with demanding standards, and anything even remotely classed as ‘skilled’ unattainable without significant qualifications and experience.</p>
<p>I have no intention of sinking hours into that enterprise, but I had hoped that it would provide better support with less effort, as I clearly cannot manage to write while holding down a more demanding job!</p>
<p>Ah the life of an artist! (lol)</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:15 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Black mint tea</p>
Day 132015-06-27T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/27/Day-13<p>So apparently the crippling fear that one has no skills nor talent to speak of is a spectre that haunts all writers. I’ll make a point of trying not to make that a subject of ongoing thought, as it doesn’t seem to be particularly productive.</p>
<p>Starting to get more into the story, which is already taking a on a life of its own just 5 pages/1 chapter/2.5K words in. My character profiles are slipping and turning, and all my best intentions to write clearly and intentionally are fading into a swamp of decidedly purple prose.</p>
<p>However, every time I reread my draft so far, all I do is expand on it. The editing is going to be a nightmare, but the story and characters are starting to take a hold of me.</p>
<p>I’m starting to see it all; the cold, utilitarian insides of the tower, severely antiseptic, the shapeless uniforms designed to conceal form and dull interest, contrasted with the sturdier, more functional uniforms of inspector and guard.</p>
<p>It’s turning much more sci-fi than I ever intended, advanced technology sprouting up where I had expected to find magic, but I can’t seem to get rid of it. I’m sure my heart will be cut out when we get to the editing stage, as I’m losing nearly all objectivity.</p>
<p>I can feel it draining away, being pushed to the edges of my mind as the story and the world expand and take form. It feels more like discovery than creation.</p>
<p>Perhaps all true creation does.</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1:30 am</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: earl gray</p>
Day 122015-06-26T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/26/Day-12<p>Gave notice on my Vancouver rental suite yesterday and spent the day registering and sending in samples to freelance sites. My first 150 word article (?) was rejected for not being what the buyer wanted; my rating is 3/5. If he had accepted the article, I would have made less than $2. So yeah, not the most productive or fulfilling day.</p>
<p>Starting to wonder if I have any objectivity regarding my own writing abilities; am I just deluded and self-satisfied with objectively inadequate skills?</p>
<p>That’s enough emo for today. Going to churn out some content and hope I’m the next big thing…</p>
<p>Friday</p>
<p>Start Time: 1 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: tea</p>
Day 112015-06-24T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/24/Day-11<p>Officially starting to tell people I’m moving in with my parents, staying unemployed and writing a novel. Encouraged that everyone acts so excited, and mildly horrified. It’s probably good to have the incentive to keep pushing forward, since everyone will keep quizzing me on the progress.</p>
<p>Finally dived back in on that first chapter yesterday. I’m maybe a third of the way through refining the plot, and going a bit stir crazy. After dinner yesterday, everyone was just drifting around and it just happened. Over an hour of pushing, and probably would have kept going another half hour or more except for the distractions at home, so that’s encouraging. I really need to get more efficient at this!</p>
<p>I’ll revise and expand today, but I’m sure the writing quality wasn’t stellar. Overly wordy and dense with a drastic excess of adjectives and adverbs in a sophomoric attempt to be descriptive and atmospheric.</p>
<p>So pretty much my usual…</p>
<p>Also getting suspicious that my first-book plot is more like a few books worth of plot… but possibly that’s where the editor refining bit comes in.</p>
<p>Seems tragic to be trimming down, when all I think about right now are things to add, expand and flesh out. Considering writing and releasing character backstories as short stories/teasers so as to have something to post online to drum up interest without releasing the full novel manuscript (and then having to admit how low my fanbase is!) …but of course, that’s more distraction from the core goal of producing an interesting story.</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start Time: 2:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.oldhandcoffee.com">Oldhand</a></p>
<p>Drinking: Peppermint Iced Tea</p>
<p>Soundtrack: soft alt</p>
Day 92015-06-22T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/22/Day-9<p><small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Not the earliest start ever, but here we go. Monday. A fresh start. A new challenge to suck it up and be productive.</p>
<p>Flipped through the Agents section of the 2015 <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1599639424/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=1599639424&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Writer’s Market</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=1599639424" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
guide; daunting to say the least.</p>
<p>Which is a bit ridiculous, since I’m quite familiar with the corporate world and the hostile language used to weed out the pretenders in that arena. Seemed that attending writers’ conferences to meet agents was a requirement for the better agents. Blech. I think that would be a great way for me to waste money and feel inadequate about my lack of assertiveness. Will likely go the self publishing route before taking that step, but who knows?</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Doing some cleanup on the computer; copy content to Google Drive using Google docs, clean up plot and character profiles, maybe settle on some names?</p>
<p>Research: word counts. I think my target is 65-95K, lower is better for YA, but sf/fantasy trends on the higher range.</p>
<p>Since my plot alone is 4K+ right now (at about 5 hours of work), it might be reasonable to assume that 1hr = 1,000 words of raw content, so 65-95 hours to write the thing?</p>
<p>Not sure how to average in the proofreading, rewriting, editing. .5x? 3x? 5x? At 5x, that looks like about 400 to 575 hours until I’m ready to hit the query stage. Assuming an average of 3 hours per weekday (15hrsx week) that’s 38 weeks or roughly 10 months.</p>
<p>In other words, a year wouldn’t be unlikely. Assuming it takes another year of concentrated effort to get through the publishing process, and a third year to get another story far enough along for an advance, initial contract should be minimum $150K and closer to $300K? Advances range from millions (yes please!) down to the $3K range (or negative sums for the self publishing route!)</p>
<p>If the first time author’s book is seen as a potential bestseller, $500K seems to be the low end of the target. However, the pressure to perform is high; if the book doesn’t make up and exceed targets, you’re going to be stuck self-publishing or getting out of the game…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:00 am & 2:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: Abbotsford Public Library Garden & couch/living room</p>
<p>Soundtrack: <a href="https://play.google.com/music/r/m/L7yyx4akq7fvqanr2sxeemvwhvq?t=Epic_Film_Scores">Epic Film Scores</a></p>
Day 82015-06-18T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/18/Day-8<p>I need a villain.</p>
<p>There’s a mystical evil force, a shadowy government conspiracy, a charismatic and twisted rebel leader and a crappy middle management boss…</p>
<p>Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I’ve never written a villain, well or otherwise. Kinda afraid of going there, really. The heart of darkness and all that.</p>
<p>Where can I bury a criminal mastermind in the cast? Are they there masquerading as good or neutral from the start? Or hiding to be revealed in glimpses or just near the end?</p>
<p>The perfect villain is almost as key as the hero, maybe even more so. Sauron. Voldemort. Darth Vader.</p>
<p>Crap, pretty much no idea where to start.</p>
<p>…In other news, I’m taking steps to disengage from Vancouver and enter self-imposed exile in Abbotsford (the small, uncool city in the region) to save money and fund this enterprise.</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>Start Time: 11:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
Day 72015-06-16T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/16/Day-7<p><img src="https://67.media.tumblr.com/c4a2aac833f81908eaf0973ff9f4fd43/tumblr_inline_o9imwxWpnI1s1qzkf_540.jpg" alt="33 acres brewing" class="img-thumbnail" />
<small>Contains affiliate links.</small> Making some progress on names; I think all the gifted need a ‘star’ name, as well as a common name from birth, heritage, alias etc.</p>
<p>Some good things coming out of the profiles; physical appearance reflecting some meaning, impacting plot more than I expected. It’s hard to think critically about these things; it kind of feels like information aabout plot and characters emerges from somewhere else, which makes it weird to refine, and I’ve never been great at making choices.</p>
<p>So many variables!</p>
<p>But I’m pleased with the progress overall. Not getting as much done in my days as I expected or hoped for, but not terrible either. Getting awfully close to needing to lay down some actual writing and not just scoping out details, which is building anticipation and also suppressed terror.</p>
<p>Fun issue; my bluetooth keyboard likes to repeat characters regularly, which is going to make for significant rewrites.</p>
<p>I think my casual lifestyle is agreeing with me though. I’m starting to look more like a healthy person, despite my dissipated lifestyle!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>Not sure I’ll make it to the third time today. Watched <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00UZHQOKS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B00UZHQOKS&linkCode=as2&tag=kaie06-20">Home</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=as2&o=15&a=B00UZHQOKS" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
and realized once again the iimportance of a good, solid story and likeable characters. It really uses crutches to prop itself up: low, slapstick comedy, absurd trademark speech and characterization, tearjerker death/abandonment issues with no setup and little depth. It was kind of boring, unengaging, trying too hard and without tension.</p>
<p>I’m gonna need to find someonne to push me on the characterization and plot. It seems kind of crazy to have to do all that before even getting an editor, though. I guess you need to have a story established far enough that it stands out from the crowd, but sheesh.</p>
<p>It’s tempting to think I can put together a really compelling pitch and bring in an editor early, but on the other hand, don’t want to burn through all the good agents by taking a chance on an incomplete manuscript…</p>
<p>Ah the life of a creative; overwhelming hubris and crushing inadequacy~~</p>
<p>In other news, still tiptoeing around diving into the actual writing of this thing. I think that’s more of an at-home, big(ger) chunk of time endeavor, but I could just be being a diva about it too…</p>
<p>Guess I’ll keep building out character profiles until the stars align.</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 12, 1 & 5:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="33acresbrewing.com/">33 Acres Brewing</a>, <a href="http://elysiancoffee.com">Elysian Coffee</a> & <a href="http://www.harrisongalleries.com/thebuzz/page/About-The-BUZZ-Cafe.aspx">The Buzz Cafe and Espresso Bar at Harrison Gallery</a></p>
<p>Drinking: 33 Acres taster: Life, Sunshine, Euphoria and Fervor (Life is bitterest, no surprise. Shoulda tried Nirvana), Nitro Cold Brew & Genmaicha</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Retro Soft Rock/Pop? <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=music-ca&keywords=Crosby%2C%20Stills%20%26%20Nash&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Crosby, Stills & Nash</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
album & Vintage Folk? I think I heard some <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&index=music-ca&keywords=Gordon%20Lightfoot&linkCode=ur2&tag=kaie06-20">Gordon Lightfoot</a><img src="http://ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=kaie06-20&l=ur2&o=15" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></p>
Day 62015-06-15T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/15/Day-6<p>Time to get serious. Vacation is over! (-ish) now into the fourth week of freedom(?)</p>
<p>I seeem to currently have a creativity cap of about an hour, but I’m going to need to find aa way to disengage, and then dive in again at least a few times each day in order to make this at all viable. Should be doable, considering there are a number of other projects to work on, from playing music and learning instruments to launching a business, certifying on some software, even just getting my EI application in and picking up some freelance gigs. Gotta pay those bills or move home, stat!</p>
<p>Although, getting started in the morning may have been a fluke… Planned CrossFit session turned out to be a free day, so taking advantage of the change of plan.</p>
<p>Amusingly (predictably…) my nice line by line point form plot outline turned into long form paragraph mashups without my noticing sometime in the last week.</p>
<p>Now I’ll probably have to clean up with a rewrite before I’ve even taken a stab at a first chapter…</p>
<p>Let’s see if I have any creativity to spare before noon!</p>
<p>Part 2</p>
<p>New record, two in one day. Did a very little bit of research on the publishing process, most of which supports what I already knew. No real money to be had in Canadian publishing (market the size of California’s). Manuscripts should be not only complete, but well rewritten, edited and polished prior to submission. I’m gonna have to commit to this thing, and not just for a little while, in order to make it work. No real connections, no lauded background, and a bit of childhood praise to run on. Good thing my fatal flaw is pride.</p>
<p>Made it to the end of the plot outline, kind of. Reviewing what I’ve got so far, I think it could go to a sequel or trilogy at least, with a kind of soft resolution/off to the next stagee of training ending to the first novel. But I need to do some research on what apprropriate/preferred book lengths are for my genre and age group (and pin those down…. and figure out how much I actually can write/will write place against plot pointss…yikes) - and then I need to revisit that plot, chart it step by step against tensionn and reveals, maybe get some advice on what to include? And of course, at some point I’ve got to sit down and start actually writing the stupid thing. Should also plot out an alternate ending in case it doesn’t get picked up for continuation. In the meantime, I’m gonna take a beat to work on some character profiles, which at this point is an element I’m not too confident about.</p>
<p>Part 3</p>
<p>Just breaking records today; heading towards a three hour peak!</p>
<p>Definitely feeling like I need to get serious; I spent a very brief amount of time looking at bank accounts, applying for EI, browsing contract, temp and part time gigs as well as some corporate stuff.</p>
<p>Verdict: it’s easy to spend money and hard to make it.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble with the character profiles. Possibly because I don’t have a history of liking people much?</p>
<p>Can’t even decide on a name. Research project for some other time, I think.</p>
<p>Other writing-related projects; get this up on a blog, map out all necessary character names, split out my warmup notes from plot from chapter summaries from character profiles from notes and create backups in another program besides Notes in case of program failure.</p>
<p>Things I should get done in my downtime from creative production, which somehow slips by at a rate roughly four times that of office work.</p>
<p>Astounding, that.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 9:30 am, 5:30 & 10:30 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.matchstickyvr.com">Matchstick Coffee Brewers</a> & <a href="http://www.ourtowncafe.com">Our Town Cafe, Kingsway</a></p>
<p>Drinking: Celinga roast, Bancha & Cranberry Apple Iced Tea (+ gluten free coconut key lime bar) & Los Sietos Mezcal</p>
<p>Soundtrack: vintage, mostly rockabilly</p>
Day 52015-06-11T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/11/Day-5<p>So. 28.</p>
<p>Coming up to the end of the third week of being free (unemployed…) and it’s about time for the vacation to end. If I can’t start producing next week, I need to start hunting for a ‘real’ job.</p>
<p>Scared by all possibilities; pursuing my dreams (is this even my dream? Do I have dreams? Ironic, considering the topic of this novel), going back to the grind and discrimination of the corporate world, scraping by with part time, starting my own ventures, moving back home… still too much out there.</p>
<p>Which means break it down and do small, short things. Like making it out to a coffee shop to write for an hour or two. Or rather, strategize plot. Not sure when the last time I actually wrote was. Not sure if I can bring any skill to it, or if it will all remain pathetically awkward and juvenile.</p>
<p>While the fame and fortune (mostly fortune) of being the next <a href="http://stepheniemeyer.com">Stephenie Meyer</a> is appealing, my pride needs to produce at a higher level of skill. But fear isn’t worth putting this off for any longer. I’ve been running long enough, and I don’t think I need to wait until I’m 50 to create.</p>
<p>Although I could be wrong; I certainly thought I was ready at 20, and that didn’t go anywhere at all… I’ll probably cave to the pressure to succeed based on what I think everyone else cares about. But until I can’t take it anymore, I’m gonna keep playing novelist.</p>
<p>Went through a stack of kids and YA fiction this week and wrote down all agents and editors listed in the acknowledgements and author’s notes sections. Wonder how much I have to have together before I can/should start chasing down the business side of this venture? Clearly more than I have now, but it’d be nice to know if I needed to be prepared for months to years without knowing…</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:30 am</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.oldhandcoffee.com">Oldhand Coffee Shop</a></p>
<p>Drinking: Macchiato (+Skolbrod)</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Can’t tell; it’s almost lunch time and the shop is packed. Buzz is better than a quiet room with limited conversation…</p>
Day 42015-06-08T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/08/Day-4<p><img src="https://67.media.tumblr.com/9ae1aaa35a843e8c5c9bd31ca7158979/tumblr_inline_o9ilqpj4N01s1qzkf_540.jpg" class="img-thumbnail" alt="Oldhand Coffee Abbotsford" /></p>
<p>So first week: 3 days of writing, maximum of two hours in a sitting.</p>
<p>Not great, but not terrible for being half on vacation.</p>
<p>However, hours of doing nothing (Netflix…) don’t seem to be contributing to great creativity and midnight productivity as I had first assumed. Must find some other way of spending my days that doesn’t involve creativity or occupying my brain too greatly.</p>
<p>Solution: went out of town for the week to my parent’s place.</p>
<p>Pros: people to talk to all (/most of the) day, free food and entertainment, cats, air conditioning, no screaming, thumping children, less ability to lay around watching tv all day.</p>
<p>Cons: Abbotsford, full days with little time to be productive, +5 degrees heat or more.</p>
<p>They’ve offered to let me move home to conserve funds while I play author. Time to find out if I can survive that life, or if it’s back to the desk for me.</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 3:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.oldhandcoffee.com">Oldhand Coffee Shop</a></p>
<p>Drinking: Cortado (& free (!) blueberry earl gray scone!! Thanks guys :) )</p>
<p>Soundtrack: Soundtrack 70s/80s poprock</p>
Day 32015-06-03T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/03/Day-3<p>This journaling as a warm up thing seems to be working for me, if only because I’m too stubborn to ruin my record. That’ll probably fade off eventually.</p>
<p>More success today; watched tv/read webcomics for less than half the day (more like a third…), ate some vegetables, cooked real food, dabbled in business planning like a productive(ish) member of society. Thought (briefly) about working part time. Took a quick run.</p>
<p>I need to ramp up to more than a two hour daily writing cap in order to get anywhere, though. I don’t think I have 8-10 hours of creativity or attention to detail in me, but I should be able to eke out a solid 4-6 eventually… (right? right??!)</p>
<p>That translates to about two chapters worth of synopsis, or a page or two of actual solid writing (assuming I can still do that).</p>
<p>Bonus points; yesterday I had a bath after working on chapter-by-chapter synopsis, rallied, and managed to point-form plot structure my way through maybe the first quarter to third of the novel. - that’s 20ish chapters! This could work after all!</p>
<p>It’s been a while since I really put much time into researching the publishing world, but last I heard, novelists these days tend to submit the plot and a writing sample to agents/editors rather than sending the whole manuscript. I wonder if sending a CD/USB has gone into vogue yet, or if it’s still all paper copy? That seems archaic and wasteful, but whatever…</p>
<p>I’ve considered self-publishing or serially publishing too, but I think it takes longer to see profit, and the quality suffers dramatically…</p>
<p>Wednesday</p>
<p>Start time: 11:20 pm</p>
<p>Location: couch/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Balvenie</p>
Day 22015-06-02T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/02/Day-2<p>I’m still exploring my new lifestyle. It feels like hitting reset, and not entirely in a good way. More of a “I kind of hope this file was saved recently and can be at least partially recovered, assuming I decide to go back to it” sort of way.</p>
<p>Which is to say, I didn’t trust my discovery yesterday that writing must be done outside the house and/or I don’t want to pay for writing space at this stage of the game. Thus, I spent the last 12+ hours watching TV and thinking about the possibility of going to the gym/going for a walk/moving off the couch/writing.</p>
<p>At 9 I finally rolled off the couch for a run. Now here I am, with the laptop open and most, if not all distractions temporarily silenced. Still panicking about the state of my life. Still bizarrely drawn to the idea of giving life to this story.</p>
<p>I don’t seem to have the ability to sketch out a plot in short form, but I did develop a synopsis of the first two chapters. This could take a while to build out the whole story. And I’m not too confident that I can frame up the whole thing and then go back and write to my own script.</p>
<p>Experience would seem to say that I’ll choose a different direction every time I dive in… But it’s a step forward from writing blind and getting lost somewhere in the first third of a story. And I feel like the concepts and structure are fairly solid right now.</p>
<p>Considering prologuing or alternating each chapter with a ‘death by dream’ for dramatic effect, at least for the first portion of the book. Too much? Could be good in a thriller/horror/mystery setup where I tease out the protag’s involvement.</p>
<p>It’s been 10 minutes. Time to review/revise (‘cause I can’t help it) and get another couple chapters plotted out. General notes page is still filling out with concepts and conceits, albeit a bit slower now. Should (hopefully!) start to gel soon…</p>
<p>Tuesday</p>
<p>Start time: 10:00 pm</p>
<p>Location: armchair/living room</p>
<p>Drinking: Laphroaig 10yr with a dash of Islay spring water</p>
<p>Soundtrack: dishwasher and unidentified electronic buzz. The upstairs folks are unusually silent; expect intermittent thumps, shrieks and heavy objects dragging</p>
Day 12015-06-01T00:00:00+00:00http://kaie.space//journal/2015/06/01/Day-1<p>I’ve been ‘free’ from my corporate analyst job for exactly one week.</p>
<p>I turn 28 in a week tomorrow.</p>
<p>Mild panic fizzes through my dreams and churns while I’m awake, motivating me to do exactly nothing. I could go get a high-powered, highly paid corporate job. The thought fills me with dread.</p>
<p>I could move overseas; I’ve wanted to get back to Scotland ever since I visited in university. But I’d still have to work the dreaded office job.</p>
<p>I love the prestige, the money, the status of being a talented working professional. I hate the hours at a desk, the dress code, the meaninglessness of everything you produce, and the drama with which all workers fill their experience as a form of punishtainment.</p>
<p>So I’m going back to the beginning. I was a writer as a teen. A melodramatic, self-absorbed, clueless writer, but everyone has an awkward phase. Now I’m equal parts hopeful that I can find my way back to the unstable artist inside and terrified that I’ve let the talent decay to nothing, or worse that there never was anything there to begin with.</p>
<p>I know there are precious few authors that are self-supporting as novelists, and for whatever reason, that’s the only type of writer I’d ever consider being. Possibly because the stress of my prima-donna writing style and artistic obsessiveness is too much to dive in and out of business or academic writing. Probably mostly because I hate criticism, constructive or otherwise.</p>
<p>Also: I learned today that I have no capacity whatsoever to write at home. Ironic, since I hated going to the office everyday, but I spent two hours today walking in search of somewhere to write, after three pretending to be just about to sit down and write (while watching TV, responding to emails, making tea and handling general correspondence….)</p>
<p>So this may turn into a bit of travelogue and drinker’s diary… Note: the Multiweizen was pretty good. Black Light tastes like ash, in a pleasant, heavy way. Roughly 6oz in, I’m just starting to feel the pleasantly floaty buzz. Watch the incoherence mount!</p>
<p>I’ve never dated. Hardly ever even come close. There are lots of reasons and no reason why. I wonder if I can write a good romance? Maybe an entirely imaginary romance is superior to a realistic one? I’ll proceed on that assumption for my own peace of mind.</p>
<p>I feel like romance is a fundamental part of life and thus a necessary component in nearly all stories. I think I’ll write YA novels. When I was a teen, I wanted to write children’s books; now my characters are really 20-something, but I think I can shove them back to their teens - the movies do it all the time, after all.</p>
<p>It might be a problem that all my characters track along with me. I’ve been accused of writing protagonists as myself in the past. I’m going to try not to this time, but of course you can only write perspectives that you can imagine.</p>
<p>I made a point of going out to experience life, meet people, try to understand. I guess now I’ll find out if I’ve captured my world believably, or at least in an interestingly warped way.</p>
<p>Today is a planning day. It’s tempting to just jump into the story and start writing, letting the characters and world lead me, but I’ve never reached the end of a story that way.</p>
<p>This story is a bit different. It’s set in Vancouver, and has elements of sci-fi, fantasy (maybe?), and horror, or at least thriller. It was very clearly a fantasy romance (or paranormal romance?) originally, but I’m wondering if that will still crop up, at least the same way.</p>
<p>On the one hand, it seems to sell right now. On the other, I seem to get more feminist every year. I may be at risk of finding answers through my own writing. I’m not sure I care.</p>
<p>Also, either this keyboard is not the best shape for me, or the 12oz of beer is starting to catch up to my typing.</p>
<p>Not a fan of the No Brainer pre-prohibition style. Which means I’d better down it next to get it out of the way.</p>
<p>Anyways, I’ve got a page or so of world-building notes around a sort of post-apocalyptic/alternate world Vancouver where dreams take on form in order to destroy dreamers. The idea was initially a bit Godzillaesque; nightmare monsters stalk and kill people. They emerge from the mists, fogs, shorelines, anything borderline really. Think giant spiders. A hero swoops in with the ability to cut down these monsters, and the protag falls in love.</p>
<p>Pretty cut and dried. I started fiddling with some light and dark fairies, abandoned children at local monuments, trying to get it to tie in to an idea I’ve had for a while about an X-Man style superhero team where every member is a mythical/fairytale creature that transforms. No idea if it’ll go there or not now.</p>
<p>On the one hand, I don’t think the tone matches. Kind of like the original The Vampire Diaries novels when it jumps the shark and starts going to other worlds (dimensions?) and Japanese monsters attack?</p>
<p>On the other, I have no idea who the antagonist is or where the plot goes without these items. I’m looking at something more nebulous (horroresque?) now… like every dream, good or bad, has the ability to take form, warp and drive the dreamer to madness and death. Anything that might contribute to a dream (sleeping, daydream, ambition etc.)</p>
<p>So society is crippled, all art, music, architecture, opportunity, fantasy is outlawed and human lives are regimented in order to try to keep people from dreaming. Childhood and adolescence is likewise abolished.</p>
<p>Of course, human beings being as they are, a fatalistic underground movement simmers.</p>
<p>It’s been nearly an hour and I’m nearly through my beer. It’s time to go take a stab at roughing out the plot. Wish me luck!</p>
<p>Local shout-out: Brassneck at 5th&Main has been a nice, quiet location. Interesting beer and nice snacks. On the expensive side for a poor writer; spent close to $20. The Viognier Changeling is excellent, for those of you in the area. Hmm… Coincidence?</p>
<p>Monday</p>
<p>Start time: 2:15 pm</p>
<p>Location: <a href="http://www.brassneck.ca">Brassneck Brewery</a></p>
<p>Drinking: 4-flight taster (No Brainer pre-prohibition style corn lager, Multiweizen five grain weisse beer, viognier’s changeling sour fruit beer with viognier grape must, black light black alt beer) and Maui beef jerky</p>
<p>Soundtrack: vintage prohibition instrumental? Sounds like it’s alternating between smooth Hawaiian slide guitars and horns, and the Sleeping Beauty soundtrack.</p>