Advance Review (or sometimes called Reader) Copies are books released to reviewers ahead of publication. These reviewers then post their honest opinions about the book on release day across multiple platforms (like Amazon and GoodReads). Whether it’s a 5 or a 1 star, an honest review is worth it’s weight in gold—which is one of the reasons ARC editions are free to the reviewer.
Our first read is FOURTH WING, by Rebecca Yarros! Book club starts today, but if you're seeing this after Sept. 1 2023 don't worry: you have until the end of October to join and finish the book!
Life has been a little all over the place for the past couple months. I had surgery, my sister had surgery, my husband was let go from Twitch, and now we're in the middle of moving! So with all that excitement, the newsletter and Book of the Month went to the wayside.
I want a way to continue Book of the Month, but in a way that lets me get to know you all better, and lets you see what an author looks for when analyzing and learning from a novel. That means, Book Club Time!
1. Sign up for a Fable.co Account
2. Join the Sword & Board Discord
3. Click on the Fable Link pinned in #Book-Club
4. Follow the Fable instructions on how to pick up the book.
As an author, my mantra is to tell challenging stories and minimize harm. The major failing I see with sexual violence in many media forms is where the point of view and gaze fall. Particularly in western media, that gaze is often heterosexual masculine. That means sexual violence comes from that same perspective, and makes grotesque GoT Sansa scenes where her rape is all about the men (either perpetrator or witness). The violence is there to horrify and titillate the viewer. We should be horrified. We should never be titillated. Respect for the survivor is missing in these situations. I could break down where this failing is in a lot of media, but I don’t think that is the most important conversation to have. I think the more important questions are: 1) should sexual violence be included in stories for shock value, and 2) how can sexual violence be written.
If you’re looking at this before May 1, 2022, we’re currently running a special promotion on our Patreon where when you sign up at any tier, you receive the patron-only Gods Chronicle Anthology, volume 1. It is an alpha read edition that gives a great deal of backstory for characters within The Dying Sun, such as Merikh, Loralee, and Nikias. It also gives perspective to oft talked about characters Mansur and Rajiya.
Below are snippets from each of the shorts within the anthology. If you’d like to read them in full, please consider becoming a patron. Tiers start at $5/month. Thank you!
Advance Review (or sometimes called Reader) Copies are books released to reviewers ahead of publication. These reviewers then post their honest opinions about the book on release day across multiple platforms (like Amazon and GoodReads). Whether it’s a 5 or a 1 star, an honest review is worth it’s weight in gold—which is one of the reasons ARC editions are free to the reviewer.
We’re taking the plunge into new territory: WattPad! Think of it as a massive ebook library, and now you can find Gods Chronicle short stories there too!
In this article we will review what seem to be newer, or simply alternative forms of sharing your writing with the world.
One of the formats that I did not expect to become as popular as it did, as fast as it did, was pay- per- read formats. I have not yet tried it (As of the time writing this) so I will be drawing off the experience of two other writers who have tried it. I am sure there are plenty of sites that use this format, but the one I am most familiar with is Medium.
A book I’ve been excited for, by an author I enjoy and respect, was just released. I’ve been listening to the audiobook edition with my sister and at one point I had to stop it. I could not listen to another repeated line from the villains. It didn’t help that the sound design for the voice was grating, but even if it had been the most melodious of voices I would have hated it. These one-liner villains were what the series had been building up to as part of the Big Bad’s Master Plan. They simply don’t feel adequate to face off against the rather brilliant protagonist. Therefore, this is the perfect time to discuss what makes an enjoyable villain?
Do you like small conventions? Intelligent discussion? Do you have the ability to debate points like an adult and then have dinner with the holder of said dissenting opinion? Do you have an interesting affectation (not required but definitely encouraged)? Basically, when boiled down to it, do you have an open mind and enjoy learning and the occasional well-placed f-bomb?
Then Narrativity is for you.
One of the greatest challenges with writing The Gods Chronicle series is the number of perspective characters and plotlines. Keeping everything straight can be complicated, which is why I have a massive ‘book bible’ with all of my notes. Unfortunately, sometimes things slip through the cracks. Sometimes they become small plot holes that can be easily fixed with a couple paragraphs of new work. Sometimes, they become full-blown tangled snarls and require a great deal more work to fixed.
The Dying Sun was meant to be the first book in a trilogy. When I completed the manuscript, it was approximately 72 000 words long. It fell right into the “correct length for a new fantasy author” guide. I was reasonably proud of myself for this achievement and handed it off to my beta readers. By the time The Dying Sun was sent to the presses, it was approximately 182 000 words long with a two-part series planned, and at minimum four books per part of that series. Why did it grow? And what does this have to do with Imposter Syndrome?
