Posts Tagged ‘A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE’
My Latest Guest Blog (About Editing “A Little Elfy in Big Trouble”) Is Up at Murder By Four
I’m happy to report that my latest guest blog, this one about editing A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE twelve years after I first wrote it, is up at the prestigious writing website Murder by Four.
Now, you might be asking yourselves, why have I been doing so many guest blogs? (Much less why I have had a number of guest bloggers at the Elfyverse.)
There is, of course, a reason for that.
A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE has been out exactly one month. And between that and the two stories I have in the EXQUISITE CHRISTMAS anthology, I wanted to make sure anyone who had any interest in my writing was aware of these things.
(As for an answer to the second question: reciprocating with my fellow authors in the EXQUISITE CHRISTMAS anthology just seemed fair…besides, they’re all fine writers and I thought at least a few of you would enjoy hearing about them and their stories.)
Anyway, I’ve tried to write a wide variety of things. Some have been about the nature of romance, while some have been about editing.
Why did I write two blogs about editing? Well, I found editing A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE to be a major challenge, something completely unlike anything else I’ve done to date. And I figured that two places would appreciate hearing about this — my friend Chris Nuttall’s blog, and the prestigious writing website Murder by Four.
Fortunately for me, both places appreciated me talking about editing. Chris ran the blog first — bless him forever! — and now, Murder by Four has decided to run the editing blog as well.
Here’s a bit from the guest blog:
“So, Barb, what’s the difference between a full-on edit and a rewrite? Especially since you’re talking about adding things or rewriting them?”
A full-on edit is meant to help you, as a writer, figure out what else needs to be added to complete your novel and make it the best novel you are capable of writing. It is not a rewrite, because those usually mean you’re starting from scratch, and you might use some of what you had before – or you might not.
It’s a matter of emphasis, mostly. Analytical skills, perhaps. And certainly a matter of thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and sticktuitiveness…because when you edit for yourself, you have to believe you can see it as someone else does.
Anyway, I do hope you will enjoy reading this guest blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Sunday Special: New Guest Blog Is Up for Author Gemma Juliana…
Folks, it’s Sunday. And as it’s the Sunday before Christmas — a holiday nearly everyone in the Western Hemisphere observes, whether in its breach or in its keeping — I have an extra-special treat for you.
Author Gemma Juliana and I got to know each other due to our participation in the Exquisite Christmas anthology. I have two stories there, both featuring shapeshifter (and woman of size) Marja and her lover, Tomas, a telepathic mountain Troll. But Gemma has me beat — she has three stories in the anthology!
(And all of them are great reads, too. You really must go and see.)
Anyway, I enjoyed chatting with Gemma so much via e-mail, she was the very first person I asked for a guest blog. And while her holiday schedule was full, she said I could guest for her — while she’ll guest for me after the New Year. (I can’t wait!)
My guest blog for Gemma discusses the differences between writing romance for teens/young adults and more mature adults, and I used my characters Bruno and Sarah as foils for Marja and Tomas. This is not the same blog you have already seen, either; I wrote a few iterations on this topic, and I actually wrote this one for Gemma first.
Anyway, here’s a wee bit from this guest blog:
…about the only thing Marja and Tomas have in common with my young Elfy protagonist Bruno and his mostly human teenage girlfriend, Sarah, is that despite the somewhat exotic subject matter, their romances feel genuine. We can empathize with them, because they have quirks and flaws, just as we all do.
Now, when you’re talking about teenagers and their first forays into romance, there obviously are some differences from writing about two settled adults such as Marja and Tomas. Bruno and Sarah are experiencing everything for the very first time – the first time they hold hands, the first time they kiss, is special. They don’t know what they’re doing, but they know they want to be doing it…and they know they’re going to do it “come the seventeen Hells or water over the levees,” as Bruno would say.
Then I used a few examples, one from A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, and one from the second of my two stories in Exquisite Christmas, “To Hunt the Hunter.”
So please, do go take a look at this guest blog — then, if you would be so kind, check out the sample chapters of A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE if you haven’t yet read them. They may just intrigue you…or at least make you laugh.
And isn’t having a good laugh important at this time of year?
…and Today’s Blog Exchange Continues at Lyndi Lamont’s Site
Folks, I hope you will not mind traveling today, as I am guesting at Lyndi Lamont’s blog for today’s “blog exchange.” (Lyndi is also known as Linda McLaughlin, and by either name is an excellent writer. Her site is LindaLyndi.com, and she has all sorts of interesting articles over there. Do make a note of it.)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the differences between writing a romance for teens — or at least stories that contain romance as an important element such as in my Elfyverse — and a more mature love. And as Lyndi and I both have stories in Exquisite Christmas, I decided to use examples drawn from the second of my stories there, “To Hunt the Hunter.”
So, you have Bruno and Sarah on the one hand. They are innocent, young, involved in their first (and only) serious romance, and are feeling their way. They don’t yet know what they want, but they do know they want something.
And then you have Marja and Tomas, the protagonists of “Marja’s Victory” and “To Hunt the Hunter” (both included in Exquisite Christmas). They are not young. Marja in particular is not beautiful and does not care to be, even though she’s a shapeshifter so she obviously could be if she wished. Tomas is a telepathic mountain Troll, so he’s used to people lying to him and values someone who’s being truthful above all others.
After I put up a couple of excerpts (you need to go to Lyndi/Linda’s blog to check them out), I said this:
First, Bruno and Sarah are obviously young. This is their first and only serious relationship, and they are both respectful of one another and innocent, to boot. (They both like to think they’re not, of course. But that comes with the territory.)
Marja and Tomas, on the other hand, are not young. They have been in a serious relationship for quite some time and work well together. But there is genuine love there, and genuine understanding, besides – note that Tomas says, “Those other fools who passed on you do not matter anymore.” No male of any species would ever say that to a woman if he didn’t truly and deeply love her. And no woman would smile just for him (as Marja does, though I ended the excerpt before she smiled for the sake of brevity) after hearing something like that unless there was genuine love on her part as well.
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy my guest blog over at Lyndi/Linda’s site. I know I enjoyed writing it — and I enjoyed having Lyndi here at the Elfyverse today as well. (I’m even hoping to coax her to come back in the New Year, so she can tell us more about what’s going on with her stories.)
Happy holidays, everyone — and do check out the Exquisite Christmas anthology as it’s a true “comfort book.”
My Guest Post about Writing Romance for Teens and Adults Is Up at Author Dee Ann Palmer’s Blog
All apologies for the very lengthy title today, folks, but I wanted to make sure you all knew it — my guest post at author Dee Ann Palmer’s blog about writing romance for teens and adults is up!
In fact, she posted it at two sites — here, and here.
Here’s a brief taste of that:
The main difference I’ve found in writing romance in my novels AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, which features a teenage couple in Bruno the Elfy and Sarah, his mostly human teenage girlfriend, and the stories “Marja’s Victory” and “To Hunt the Hunter” in Exquisite Christmas, is that teen characters don’t exactly know what it is that they want. Everything is ahead of them. They are experiencing love for the very first time, and aren’t sure what they’re supposed to be doing – or when they’re supposed to be doing it. Whereas adult characters know exactly what they are doing and why they’re doing it, but don’t always know if their wishes are going to be reciprocated.
Then I discussed my characters Bruno and Sarah from the Elfy duology (book 1 is AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, book 2 is A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE) as my teen representatives (Bruno assuredly would be considered a teenager in his culture), and my characters Marja and Tomas from the two stories “Marja’s Victory” and “To Hunt the Hunter” that are included in the Exquisite Christmas anthology.
So, if you are interested in reading the rest of my guest blog, please hop on over to either of Dee Ann Palmer’s sites and take a look. Then be sure to check out the Exquisite Christmas anthology, as there are quite a few heartwarming stories and recipes there to keep you amused well into the New Year!
And check this space…because in the New Year, Dee Ann will be stopping by and contributing a guest post of her own here at the Elfyverse. (And I, for one, can’t wait!)
Happy Thanksgiving from the Elfyverse!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Instead of the usual blog, I thought I’d take a cue from author Charles Yallowitz today and tell you what my characters in the Elfyverse are thankful for.
So, without further ado, here we go!
Bruno: “I’m thankful that Sarah is in my life, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Sarah: “I’m thankful for Bruno, of course!” Then, she muttered, “As if I’d be thankful for anything else right now. Really, Barb!”
Reverend Samuel: “I’m thankful for my family, for my friends, and can’t wait to share my wife’s bountiful Thanksgiving dinner with them.”
Rebecca (Samuel’s wife): “I’m in a hurry, cooking right now, but of course I am thankful for my family, and my new friends Bruno and Sarah — you know, that boy eats twice his own weight and is still hungry.” (Then she shooed me out of the kitchen.)
Mikayla (Samuel and Rebecca’s daughter): “I’m thankful for my new boyfriend, Jason, my family, my friends…and for the knowledge that Elfys exist.”
Reverend Keisha Madhrogan: “I’m thankful that Sarah has grown up hale and healthy, despite her parents’ noxious influences, and that Bruno’s with her. I’m also thankful for a life of learning, love, and happiness — and that I don’t have to cook dinner today.” (She’s going to Rebecca’s house, you see, along with Bruno and Sarah.)
Adept Shirley Wilson: “I’m thankful for the Elfys, and for my forefather Robin Goodfellow (AKA Puck).” Then she gave me a sidewise wink and asked, “Is it too late for me to invite myself over to Rebecca’s house?”
Five-year-old Andrea Wilson: “I’m so, so, so, so happy that Bruno’s finally here! I dreamed about him for a long time, before he came to Earth…I knew he’d be my friend, and he is! It’s the best Thanksgiving ever!”
And, finally, Dennis the Dark Elf…
“What? You’re still here?” He sniffed loudly. “The only type of thanks I’m going to give is when all the Elfys are dead. And despite all my trying, we’re not there yet…so just go away and leave me alone!”
So that’s it, folks…may you have a wonderful day of feasting ahead! (And on a personal note, I truly hope the Green Bay Packers will beat the Chicago Bears today. Brett Favre’s number is being retired on the Packers Ring of Honor in Lambeau Field, and I would love to see the Packers win today because of that.)
N.N.Light’s Blog Features A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE Today!
Folks, I’m very excited to report that Mrs. N.N. Light has featured A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE at her blog today.
You see, Mrs. N. has a much bigger following than I do. So it’s quite possible someone will see my lengthy excerpt from Chapter 5 (not included in the sample chapters up at TTB, but I have permission from my publisher to share this additional excerpt — she actually said I could share anything I liked, to build interest, as goodness knows I need to build some interest ASAP), enjoy it, and maybe also figure out AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE (book 1 of the Elfy duology) is also available?
Anyway, I am very appreciative that Mrs. N. was able to do this so quickly. She’s a great friend, and I appreciate her help more than I can say.
So please, if you are interested in reading more about A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, go over to the POTL blog (AKA N.N. Light’s blog) and take a look.
Now Available in E-Book: A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE
Folks, I’m very happy to be able to finally report that my second novel — and the second novel in the Elfy duology — A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE has been released. It’s available right now at Amazon and OmniLit…the latter will be most useful if you need an e-pub version of the file.
Edited to add: Barnes and Noble link is now live as well. Now returning you to your regularly scheduled post…
If you have never seen anything at all about the Elfyverse — or read book one in the Elfy duology, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE — this little blurb may help you with what’s going on:
Young Bruno the Elfy and Sarah, his mostly-human teenage girlfriend, are in deep trouble. Bruno’s Elfy mentor Roberto the Wise is about to be sacrificed by a Dark Elf, and Sarah’s parents have decided to help the Elf rather than the Elfy. Things look bleak and are getting worse by the minute, but Bruno and Sarah have a number of allies — human, Elfy, and ghosts — that the Dark Elf can’t possibly expect. Can young love, desperation, and great unexpected power win out despite it all?
And here’s a short excerpt — note, it first appeared here, as part of the Marketing for Romance Writers Book Hooks blog hop:
Bruno took Sarah’s hand and led her back outside. He looked with his mage senses, and felt nothing; no Elfy magic, no Human magic, and as far as he could tell, no Elf magic, Dark or Bright.
He put up a light shield that should help conceal their voices, and decided it was safe enough to talk for a bit.
“Tomorrow is Ba’altinne, Sarah.” Bruno rubbed his fingers through his hair and tried not to look too hard at Sarah. Goddess, she was beautiful. But he had to stay on topic. “That’s your May Day. Tomorrow.” He shook his head and tried not to frown. “How can we get everything together in time to stop Dennis the Dark Elf?”
“I have faith in you,” she said. Her eyes darkened. Bruno felt as if he were falling, before she gently brushed her lips against his.
————————— End Excerpt ————————————-
If this has intrigued you (and of course I hope it has), but you aren’t sure you will like my book yet, I also have three sample chapters available at Twilight Times Books’ website — here’s the link for that: http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/ElfyinBigTrouble_ch1.html
A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE continues to make me laugh. I’ve enjoyed writing about Bruno, Sarah, Reverend Samuel and his family, Lady Keisha, even Dennis the Dark Elf…and I hope to write more about them, ’cause I have a hunch their stories are not over.
At any rate, most of you know the labor of love that kept me working on Elfy for years. I’m ecstatic that both halves of my novel have now been published, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
Anyway, both novels are available now as e-books. So what are you waiting for? Go grab a copy — or copies — today! (And be sure to tell your friends. ‘Cause, really…how can you go wrong?)
A Writer’s Work Is Never Done…
It’s Friday, folks. And as such, I figured I’d give you all an update as to what, exactly, I’ve been doing this past week.
Most of the week was taken up with a major editing project, but I also found time to check over the ARC of A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, do some work on CHANGING FACES, and of course write my blog complaining about the Milwaukee Brewers trade of Francisco Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers for a single-A infield prospect.
I managed to get a great deal of work done, this past week. But of course there’s still more to be done — A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE should be out next week, just before Thanksgiving, and I have to read over the file one, final time just to make sure I have dotted my i’s and crossed all my t’s…or at least made sure I didn’t misspell Bruno’s name.
When I get this busy, sometimes it’s hard to remember which end is up. I’ve been juggling three major projects — the edit for someone else, A LITTLE ELFY ON BIG TROUBLE, and CHANGING FACES. While I’m good at prioritizing, and I am reasonably good at remembering just where I’ve left off at any given project, I only can do so much.
That said, during the past week I also worked a little bit on two other projects — because three major projects obviously aren’t enough, right? (Must. Have. More.)
Anyway, the major edit has been turned in. A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE is wrapping up, and will be out — thankfully, as I know many people have been waiting for it and have asked repeatedly why it’s not out yet. (Patience, my young friends. And old ones, too — ’cause I don’t want to leave anyone out.) And I get closer to finishing my final edit/rewrite of CHANGING FACES every time I work on it…the hope there is, I should be done in time for a Valentine’s Day launch.
Finally, two of my paranormal romance stories are included in the forthcoming Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology, this time to be offered via Amazon (and priced at ninety-nine cents USD). I’ll try to get you links when the anthology goes live…and I hope you will enjoy them.
Barb Caffrey's Blog 