Archive for the ‘Elfy’ Category
A Monday Editing Blog (AKA, “What’s the Deal with the Second Half of ELFY, Barb?”)
Folks, it’s been an interesting week around Chez Caffrey.
As most of you know, I’ve been struggling with my final edit for the second half of the ELFY duology, now titled A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE. (I like this title.) I haven’t discussed why I’ve been struggling so much, but there have been three things getting in my way.
Today seems like the time to discuss these things.
First, I’ve been doing a good amount of occupational therapy for my hands. They haven’t been good since I suffered a bad burn in February; that burn, which was to the left forefinger and left middle finger, set off a bad carpal tunnel flare-up. I went to the doctor, got treatment, and started doing exercises.
After almost two months of exercises, I’m now back to the point where I can type a good four or five hours every night. I still must needs take breaks, and of course I have to keep doing my exercises as well. But things have improved.
The second reason why I have been having trouble is because I wrote the book twelve-plus years ago. Times have changed. Some specific references needed to be updated. And because the book was split, I had to try to make the book appear like it could stand alone…though no matter what I do, it’s going to lean heavily on the first half of the book (AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE), as that’s by design.
(Clear as mud, right?)
My third reason for needing to take time with this? Well, you have to be in the right frame of mind to see what is actually in your own manuscript rather than what you think is there. This is the main reason most authors do not edit themselves; granted, I had an editor do the first pass for me, and I’m following what she said when I agree with it. But the editor didn’t read the first half of the novel, and that means some of what she said has to be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Now, I’m very fortunate in that I have two great mentors in my corner this time around: Stephanie Osborn and Katharine Eliska Kimbriel. They both have looked at my revised first chapter and have given me excellent advice. They also have been a strong sounding board, and have listened as I’ve wrestled with this final edit for the past several months.
What I try to do with the Elfyverse is to be consistent. I want to tell the best story I can. I’ve improved my actual writing mechanics a great deal since I originally wrote ELFY in 2002-3, and I want to reflect that…but I don’t want to take all the life out of the story, either.
It’s because I had this twelve-year break in the action that I can edit for myself at all.
And make no mistake about it: This is a full-on edit. It is not editorial changes, which is a much different animal. This is my own take on my own work, yes, but it’s also my older and wiser self editing my younger and more exuberant self, while trying to keep track of all the details — you may feel free to read “keep all the balls in the air” if you wish — at the same time.
So to answer the question I posed in my title…the deal with the second half of ELFY is that I’m working hard on it, and I hope to have it in to my long-suffering publisher very soon.
At that point, I’ll find out what the revised timetable is for publication, and I’ll be glad to trumpet that all over the Internet.
But until then, wish me well as I continue to recover from the worst carpal tunnel flare-up I’ve had in years. As I definitely need all the well-wishing I can get.
Wendy Van Camp Interviewed Me, and It’s Up at Suvudu…
Folks, Wendy Van Camp interviewed me a few months ago, and that interview is now up over at Suvudu.com.
(Ignore the misspelling of my last name. It happens.)
I enjoy doing interviews, and try to bring at least something new to the table with each one.
Did I do that this time? Well, that’s up to you to tell me. But I hope you’ll find something interesting here that may whet your interest as I continue my long, hard slog through the final edit of A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE (also known as the second half of the ELFY duology).
Here’s a bit from Wendy’s interview of me:
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I’m not sure if I’m a messaging sort of writer. I think mostly I want people to believe in themselves and keep trying, even if all seems lost — that’s my own, personal message, and of course that’s reflected in Bruno’s storyline. But I also think if there is another message in AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, it’s that the people you meet can be every bit as important as your family — perhaps even more important, as they understand you better and want to be around you because they like you for yourself.
Anyway, please go read the interview, and see what you think! (Then do come back and let me know. I need some encouragement; my final edit has run long, partly because of my ongoing hand issues…and partly because my backbrain is refusing to tell me something vital.)
Seven Things You May Not Know About My Writing
A few days ago, author Aaron Lazar tagged me on Facebook with a new type of blog challenge: Name seven things people probably don’t know about your writing, and link back to him.
As Aaron gave his list on Facebook, I can’t link properly to his list. (I can only link to his webpage instead.) But I can write down seven things people may not know about my writing…and here they are.
- I’ve been a writer since age ten. My first story was about a girl who wanted to be a ballboy at Milwaukee County Stadium. (There was no such thing as a “ballgirl” in the 1980s.) She was prepubescent and looked like the guys; her parents and the team were in on the deception, and gave her a room all to herself to change in. She was OK until she started a friendship with one of the other ballboys…and then I didn’t know what to do, so I ended the story. (Hey, I was only ten.)
- I started writing poetry and science fiction stories when I was a teenager; I started writing fantasy in my twenties.
- True story: In my high school creative writing class, the teacher asked everyone to grade themselves. (We had to come up with a grade for ourselves, and defend it.) I was the only person to go in and say, “I deserve an A.” (And I got my A, too.)
- My first-ever short fiction was a SF story about characters from the “Star Trek” lower decks. (Yes, this was long before Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, much less the episode with the low-ranking officers.) I got a note back with my rejection, but as I was only 19, I didn’t know that meant I was doing something right. So I put my writing aside for a time.
- I started writing nonfiction again around age 27, and worked as an opinion and arts and entertainment reporter for the Parkside Ranger News (the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside).
- Later, I was the only non-journalism Master’s candidate to ever write regularly for the Daily Nebraskan. (This is the student newspaper of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. One of my regular “beats” was to let the arts and entertainment writers know what was available. Usually I wrote the stories myself, but occasionally someone else would be sent out to attend an opera or band performance.)
- The ELFY duology was not my first-ever attempt at a full-length fantasy. CHANGING FACES was my first attempt…but I couldn’t figure out how to end the story until I met my late husband Michael. And by that time, I’d started ELFY, so I put CHANGING FACES aside for a while.
Now for a few bonus facts:
- The first writers I remember reading in the SF&F genre were Poul Anderson (especially the Dominic Flandry series), Andre Norton, and Isaac Asimov.
- The comedic fantasy and SF writers I’ve enjoyed include Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, Esther Friesner, Jody Lynn Nye, and Douglas Adams.
- My late husband Michael helped me come up with the Bilre language (used by the Elfys).
So how’s that for a few interesting factoids?
Now, as for some other writers to tag? How about Jason Cordova, Chris Nuttall, and Mrs. N.N.P. Light?
The Revenge of C.diff — and Other Stuff
Folks, I’ve been dealing with a nasty intestinal illness for the past several weeks. It’s called C.diff, and it came on suddenly after I’d finished a course of antibiotics for a sinus infection.
Because of this, I haven’t blogged, I haven’t written much, and I haven’t been able to do as much editing as I wanted, including the final touches to my novel A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, the sequel (or continuation) to AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE. (Or, as I put it to myself — and for long-time readers — the second half of ELFY.)
I’ve been put on a very strong medicine to combat this C.diff, and while it seems to be working, it has left me weak and tired.
That said, I will persist…as I said a while back, I may be slowed, but I haven’t stopped.
And I won’t stop.
Admittedly, I am frustrated. I want to be doing so much more than this. (“Outrunning time,” as Lois McMaster Bujold put it in A CIVIL CAMPAIGN.) Being sick for weeks or months on end is certainly not my idea of an endgame, and I hope I will somehow be able to regain my health soon.
That said, I continue to work on my final edit of A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE. I hope to have it to my publisher within a few weeks’ time, and then start work on my final edit of CHANGING FACES. I also hope to finish up a few short stories and attempt the Writers of the Future contest again this quarter if at all possible — though with the quarter end rapidly approaching, that might not be doable.
As for an update with regards to the Joey Maverick series started by my late husband Michael, I remain stalled there also. I am working on a novelette or possibly a novella in that universe, but it’s going extremely slowly — possibly because of how little energy I’ve had to work with due to the present nasty illness, already in progress.
Now, why am I telling you all of this, when I’d rather be discussing anything else? Partly because I believe in being honest. Partly because I think we need to talk more about what troubles us. And partly because I know there are people who follow my life and career — God/dess help them — and have asked me what the status is with regards to my writing and my health.
My weekend plans are to do some editing, both for myself and for a client who’s been patiently waiting, and to see if I can get any writing done. I also plan to finally review Dick Button’s interesting book on figure skating, PUSH DICK’S BUTTON, over at Shiny Book Review later today for Nonfiction Friday. (Edited to add: review is up.)
So I’ll continue to do what I can, and hope that things will pick up from here. (I can’t remember now if the phrase is “We live in hope” or “We live and hope,” but either way, that’s what I’m doing right now.)
And thanks, as always, for coming to my blog. I do appreciate it.
Enter the Wined, Dined and Read Blog Hop!
Folks, a while back, Aaron Lazar over at the excellent writer’s website Murder By 4 invited me to the Wined, Dined and Read Blog Hop. This particular hop discusses food in the context of our favorite characters…and is possibly the most unusual blog hop I’ve ever taken part in, to boot.
Are you ready to read more about my tastes in wine and food, much less my main characters from AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, Bruno and Sarah, and their taste in food? (As they’re too young to drink much wine as of yet?) If so, read on…
If your main character were a glass of wine, which one would he be?
Bruno would definitely be a merlot, as like a merlot, Bruno is much more complex than he seems at first.
Describe your book in one meal:
What Aaron Lazar did here was to mention a meal his characters in BETRAYAL actually had instead. As that seemed to work well for him, I’ll do the same thing and discuss a meal Bruno and Sarah have in AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE (extra word added by me for the sake of clarity):
After a quick survey of the (refrigerator’s) contents, they realized ham, cheese, grapes, apples, and juice were readily available.
“Sarah, we can’t carry all of this at once. We’ll spill it and make a big mess.”
“We’ll be fine, Bruno,” she said reassuringly. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Bruno took one step and asked, “Like this?”
She laughed so hard her shoulders shook. After she’d recovered a bit of sobriety, she said, “I suppose if we each took one step, it would take forever.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But at least I made you laugh. I missed you, Sarah.”
“I missed you, too,” she said quietly. “But for now, let’s eat. Then we can catch up.”
“All right,” he agreed, wondering why girls always stated the obvious.
“I have an idea, though,” she said.
“Oh?”
“Why not take a little at a time into my bedroom, as we took the bowls and the crackers before?”
“Ah! That makes a great deal of sense,” Bruno agreed.
“I thought you’d see it my way,” she said dryly. Then, smiling, she picked up two apples plus the grapes and went into her room. Bruno picked up the ham and cheese and followed her.
“See? We’re halfway done,” she said brightly.
“Won’t we need glasses, too?” he asked as he followed her back out into the kitchen.
“You worry too much.” She took the step-stool, went to the appropriate cabinet, ascended to the right level, got the glasses and handed them down to Bruno. “See? No problem.”
Bruno took the glasses into Sarah’s bedroom, holding the door open for Sarah as she carried in the orange juice. “Is that heavy?” he asked.
“No, it’s not too bad,” she said. “Besides, it won’t be as heavy to carry back because we’ll drink a lot of it!”
“Well, that’s one way to look at it.”
“That’s what I thought,” she nodded, satisfied.
Other than Sarah having to run into the kitchen to get a knife to cut the ham and cheese, the breakfast wasn’t too bad.
Or in other words, Bruno and Sarah will eat whatever is readily available, as they’re in a crisis situation. (Clear as mud, no?)
What candy would your book be?
Deep, rich, dark chocolate, preferably with hazelnuts in it. Bruno is partial to it, and he believes the chocolate in the Human Realm (our Earth) is far superior to the chocolate made in the Elfy Realm.
What does your book smell like?
Like springtime, where the birds are chirping, the small animals are coming out of hibernation, and everything seems fresh and new. (But no flowers, please. Bruno is allergic.)
Your book’s snack would be:
Chocolate chip cookies. (Again, Bruno’s partial to them.)
Describe your most memorable meal:
On Christmas Day in 2002, my husband Michael cooked chicken kebabs along with roasted potatoes and — because he knew I liked them — some zucchini and some rutabagas. (The last is my family’s favorite holiday food. Michael didn’t like either one, but he made them just for me.) The kebabs were particularly flavorful, while the potatoes, squash and rutabagas were just the right accompaniment. This, by far, was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.
One food word to describe your writing style:
Appetizing?
What will someone find you eating/drinking when you’re really into a good book?
A diet soda over ice, some tortilla chips and salsa (which probably negates any good I’ve done with the calorie-saving diet soda), and possibly some dark chocolate for dessert.
Sweet or salty?
It depends on my mood. Usually I’d reach for something salty over something sweet…but I might just reach for a sweet something-or-other just to be contrary, too. (I’m like Sarah, that way.)
That concludes my part of the Wined, Dined and Read blog-hop…maybe a few other authors will want to chime in? I’m tagging Jason Cordova, Chris Nuttall, and N.N. Light as authors who might be intrigued enough to give this one a go down the line…but whether they do or not, go check out their sites and do read their books!
Get “An Elfy on the Loose” for Free on March 1, 2015
Folks, if you’ve wanted to read AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE but haven’t had the money to do so, listen up.
On March 1, 2015 — that’s just a few minutes from now — AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE will be free at the Twilight Times Books website.
Yes. Free.
Why? Well, it’s “Read an e-book week.” There will be a number of excellent Twilight Times Books offered this week for free, including Stephanie Osborn’s THE CASE OF THE DISPLACED DETECTIVE: THE ARRIVAL, Chris Nuttall’s SCHOOLED IN MAGIC and Aaron Paul Lazar’s DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU. All you have to do is bookmark this page for the next week, and you can be reading excellent free books all week long.
I’m not exactly sure when my book AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE will be available for free, mind…but it will happen sometime on March 1, 2015, and will stay free for 24 hours.
Once I know for certain that it’s available as a free e-book, I’ll be Tweeting about it and probably writing something on Facebook as well. But for now, all I know is that it will be free on March 1…
And the clock is ticking. (Are you ready?)
Time for a February #MFRWHooks Blog!
It’s time for a Marketing for Romance Writers Book Hooks promotion! And as it’s a whole lot easier to write that as a hashtag (#MFRWHooks, for short), I think I’ll just do that for the remainder of this blog.
In combination with #MFRWAuthor ReTweet Day (which I discussed yesterday), I decided to take part in this week’s #MFRWHooks. I’ve done this before, as it’s an excellent way to let new readers know about my comic YA urban fantasy/romance novel, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE (say that five times fast — I dare you!).
So without further ado…let the #MFRWHooks Blog Hop, February 11, 2015, edition, begin!
The rules of the #MFRWHooks blog hop are simple: You post six to eight lines of your novel plus a short blurb, and then you head to the next hop.
Ready? Here’s eight lines from the first chapter of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE. Note that at this time, Bruno the Elfy’s name is still Jon…as to why? (You need to read the book to find out, though this brief excerpt is part of the answer.):
“While you’re pacing, will you please tell me your name?” Jon asked. “No one here has asked my name, and no one gave me their name in response, and, well, well—it’s just bad manners!”
“I think my parents are terrified the Elfy-Welfies, being so elusive, are that way because of the souls they’re supposed to have stolen,” the girl said softly. “Which the Elfys never could have done if names hadn’t been freely given—”
“What utter rubbish!” Jon interrupted.
I hope you enjoyed that little snippet. But perhaps you’d rather read a short blurb about what AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE is about instead?
Bruno the Elfy believes he’s very young, has no power, and has no enemies.
He’s wrong.
Quickly sent to our Earth (the Human Realm) and told to watch for magic, Bruno must unravel the lies, keep his mentor from being tortured, and—oh, yeah—figure out why he’s so strongly attracted to young, Human Sarah.
Because his life depends on it.
* * * * * End blurb * * * * *
Or maybe you’d just like to read more of the sample chapters? (If so, here they are.)
Or maybe — just maybe — something here intrigued you. If that’s the case, here are my buy links:
Amazon (US): http://amzn.to/1p6xvQj
Amazon (UK): http://goo.gl/dDoBnd
Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/m8o49ad
Now, go be fruitful and multiply — or at least make your way to the next blog in the hop by visiting http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com, as that’s the easiest way to discover any number of other interesting books, all featuring at least a small hint of romance.
Enjoy!
Slowed, but not Stopped
Folks, I’ve been very quiet over the past week-plus. I didn’t want to be, mind you, but I had to.
Why? Well, I burned myself while cooking. Badly enough that I went to the emergency room right away. And I was told I did the right thing, as a second-degree burn on the hand is nothing to play around with.
You may be asking yourself why I went in right away. (If so, you’re in good company, as some of my own family members asked the same thing.) Well, as I’m a musician, writer, and editor, I need my hands for my professions. When you add to the mix that I also have carpal tunnel syndrome (I’ve made no secret of this), the burn slowed me down even further.
Anyway, I was told that I had to rest my hand so the burn could heal. I was not allowed to use my left hand at all, and was typing messages out one-handed to editorial clients and others I absolutely had to stay in contact with. While I did do some Tweeting, I again typed only with my right hand, and mentioned on Facebook and Twitter that I was dealing with “finger issues” so people would not be worried that chatty me wasn’t responding to their various comments.
Yesterday, I was seen in a follow-up appointment, and was told that I can resume typing with both hands, with caution of course. I still have to keep the burned area covered and put a special ointment on it; the area will probably scar. But if I have full use of the area, I don’t particularly care about that.
So I’ve been slowed, but I haven’t stopped.
Along the way, I hadn’t been able to share some exciting news with you all, so I may as well share it right here and now.
I have a title for the second half of the ELFY duology at long last!
Yes, my publisher and I agreed that the new title of the second half of ELFY should be…(wait for it)…A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE.
I’m very pleased I can now pass this word along.
As far as a release date for A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, I’m still pushing for late April, mostly because the events of the entire ELFY duology center around Mayday or as Bruno calls it, “Ba’altinne” (otherwise known as Beltane). But I’m working on my final edit, still, and wouldn’t have a prayer of it coming out then except that it’s only going to be available as an e-book.
So in answer to several of your off-line questions, yes, the second half of ELFY will be out soon.
I’m glad my hand is healing. I still can’t do as much as I’d like. But I can type again with my left hand, I can do some work, and I am pleased with that. (It’s progress. I’ll take it.)
As far as reviews go, I hope to be able to review at least one book over the weekend at Shiny Book Review, providing my hand holds out.
And as far as music goes, I am scheduled to play the alto saxophone in the Racine Concert Band’s February 26 concert at Horlick High School in Racine. I wasn’t sure at first whether or not my hand would heal enough for me to do this, but as I can type today (with some difficulty and pain), I should be able to play in another week or two (which is when rehearsals are due to start up again).
Anyway, that’s all I know…excepting that, as always, I will persevere and do my level best to overcome all obstacles. (Really, would you expect me to say anything less?)
New Interview (Mine) at Ally Shields’ Blog Is Up…
Folks, I wanted to let you know that urban fantasy author Ally Shields invited me over to her blog today and interviewed me…and the interview has been posted. It’s a conversational interview — hence the name, “Coffee Chat” — and I enjoyed being interviewed by Ally immensely.
Please be sure to check out this interview, as Ally asked me some extremely interesting and relevant questions that I hadn’t been asked before. She’s an urban fantasy author herself, so one of her questions was about what attracted me to the paranormal/UF genre — and I told her that, along with many other interesting things.
For some reason, I’m having trouble cutting and pasting from that interview, so you’re going to have to go directly there and read it for yourself.
Thanks again, Ally, for having me over for a Coffee Chat.
Before I forget…
Today was a day for mentions at other well-read blogs, folks. And as I’ve already mentioned my appearance at Joan Reeves’ Sling Words, I figured I’d best get over here and mention the other wonderful blog that mentioned me — and my book AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE — today.
That blog is Cheryllynn Dyess’s “CDyess Writes,” and she featured me and AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE in her “50 Days of Indie” promotion. She and I know each other because of belonging to the Fantasy and Science Fiction Network…or #FSFNet for short, if you’re using Twitter hashtags.
Cheryllynn was kind enough to let people know about my novel AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and I truly appreciate that. FSFN highlights novels that do not exceed a PG-13 rating, and AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE assuredly qualifies as there’s no sex, little cursing, but much rousing action and a whole lot of funny moments along with some age-appropriate romance between Bruno my “teenage” Elfy hero and his love interest, the short but very human teenager, Sarah.
Please take a look at her blog, and check out some of the other wonderful authors she’s featured in her “50 Days of Indie,” including Kasper Beaumont, Leeland Artra and Kia Carrington.
And thank you so much again, Cheryllynn, for your willingness to spread the word about me and my writing!
Edited to add: By the way, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE remains at ninety-nine cents, but it won’t stay that way for long. (Just sayin’.) That’s the only thing Cheryllynn didn’t know about, as the regular price is $3.99 (as she stated), and the original plan was to raise the price back up before this point.
But since it’s still at just ninety-nine cents, why not take a chance?
I mean, really. Where else are you going to get a full-length, action-packed and very funny urban fantasy for less than the price of a latte?
Barb Caffrey's Blog 