Time for Redemption by Helen Henderson

 

Fire and Amulet by Helen Henderson
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Reaching the landmark 70,000 words on a work-in-progress is always exciting...and terrifying. It means there are only a few more scenes (or more likely a few more chapters) to write. Then comes the really hard part, developing the cover concept, writing the blurb, and scheduling the book launch events. I don't have to work on the last part until after the new year., but the covers and blurb need to be done sooner than later so that I have some ideas ready to work on when the story is under the tender care of my proofreader.

The components for the cover for the first book in the series were relatively easy. Find a suitable image of a dragon of the correct color and a jewel worthy of being called a dragon tearstone.  

In his true form, Trelleir is rust-colored. When you peer into his dark red eyes, the irises can appear to have flames in them. He wears his dark hair with red highlights, short. Trelleir is slender and tall for a human. But still manages to present the image of a bookworm, someone who is not a threat. He is so striking he is pictured on the cover of Fire and Amulet.

But what about Fire and Redemption? Although Trelleir appears in the sequel, his role is more secondary. So, having him on the cover would not really work. And it might make the two covers too similar and confusing to the reader.

After I type "The End," I need to do more hunting through a graphics database to find images suitable for the fantasy.  Among the items I'll be looking for are an iridescent blue-green dragon and a gypsy wagon.

Note, no dragons were harmed in the
taking of this image. And yes, it is a dragon.
Just not a winged one.

Oh, another possibility for the cover design, but more difficult to find that is free of copyright restrictions is the setting I'm currently living in with Brial and Karst, and Deneas and Trelleir -- the tombs and temples carved out of rock at the world archaeological site, Petra.

To purchase the Fire and Amulet: BWL

 ~Until next month, stay safe and read.   Helen

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack. Find out more about her and her novels on her BWL author page.

Setting as Character by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
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One of my favorite characters to write is setting. Once a reader suspends belief, the world can encompass whatever the author's imagination can create. Or, possibly more important, places that I would love to visit.

In the Windmaster Novels, readers are invited to journey the high seas, and from mountain heights to cavern depths on an epic quest to save the future of magic. One inspiration for the land of Tarekus in Windmaster Legacy was the Australian outback. The landmark where Lord Dal and Lady Ellspeth were to join the caravan was based on Uluru, or Ayers Rock, the massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Australia's Northern Territory.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

In the veldt, Dal, Ellspeth and the caravan encounter long-necked animals that eat the tender leaves off the top of trees. These creatures are called by tree-trimmers by the locals.

Settings can not only be where an author wants to go, but have been. Looking through old travel photographs of the Desert of Maine reminded me of the area around Montrat. The area is a perfect place for a rogue mage, such as Leod in Windmaster Golem to practice his spells without anyone being aware of his activities.

Spelunking is a  non-starter for a fun activity. That is unless the ground opens up and swallows you, and traveling the underground is the only hope of escape. On the other hand, Ellspeth willingly entered a cave to save the future of mage. And, she had to do it without the knowledge of what was to come or the comfort of Lord Dal and his magic.

That is not to say that I didn't have real-world experience that served as inspiration for the cave in Windmaster. I have visited caves open to the public from Ohio to New York and used the experience as inspiration for Ellspeth's adventure. Each had their own unique world. Access to the underworld varied from rough-hewn, water-slicked stairs to a modern elevator. Some chambers were narrow and walked. Other sites had large, vaulted rooms with a river running through them and visitors traveled by boat.

The real world does not consist of one environment, one microsystem, or one geography. Varying the setting is important to me. And I hope my readers enjoy their journey in the dunes of Montrat, the scrub of Tarekus, and from mountain heights to cavern depths.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

~Until next month, stay safe and read. Helen

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination. Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter.

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one of the pack. 

Not Fun Anymore by Helen Henderson

 

Windmaster Golem
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A rule often taught to fiction writers is adversity. Depending on the storyline and character, the author's job is to throw roadblocks into their creation's plans and make their life "interesting." While you can be told it is a blessing, "May you live in interesting times" can be a curse. This post covers a few examples of how "interesting" life can be from the mildly annoying to decisions that can change the direction of the someone's life.

The post, Green Plant versus Brown Thumb, discusses my history with gardening and my current attempt to grow tomatoes and onions. None of the onion plants prospered. Since none of my family had any better luck, I didn't feel too bad.

The tomato plants are the reason for the title of today's post. Why? Overnight they went from thriving, fruit-laden plants to defoliated sticks. And the tomatoes that were just about to blush went from food to garbage. The zen aspect of gardening and the pleasure of watching the plants grow vanished. It was not fun anymore. The plants had survived heat indexes of 105 to 110°F to succumb to four-inch long, green, ill-tempered hookworms that teleported in from nowhere. 

Image by Margaret Martin from Pixabay

How does this relate to writing? Not every situation has to be life-threatening. Even simple, everyday situations such as a bill arriving after a due date or being late to an appointment can be the setting for tension and "interesting" times.

When Kiansel hears the summons to the council fire in Windmaster Golem, her problem isn't that she will be late for the ceremony. Unlike the nervousness of the younger mages who know their destiny, Kiansel is unsure whether or not she will attend at all. For in doing so she might succumb to the lure of magic

Image by Comfreak from Pixabay

In Fire and Amulet (coming spring 2022), the environment makes life interesting for dragon slayer Deneas. Ahead of her is an impassible hedge row of poisonous, thorn bushes. Retreat means risking going beneath stone-laden ledges ready to collapse. Her only logical path is to walk the stones of a washout and freestyle climb a cliff face to get past places where the path eroded away.

 

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

~Until next month, stay safe and read. Helen

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.  Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack. 

Clearly Working by Eileen O'Finlan

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Click here to visit Eileen O'Finlan's website

My friend and fellow author, Jane Willan, has been renting office space at a place called Clearly Coworking to get away from all distractions so she could finish her lastest cozy mystery. Clearly Coworking offers multiple shared desk space as well as private offices and conference rooms. Mostly rented by people who would otherwise work from home, but who want to get away from distractions, it's a perfect space for professionals who need an office away from home. As it turns out, it's also a great place for writers to find a place of their own.

Jane became so enamored of the place that she got me a day pass, so I spent one Friday with her. It's only a few minutes from my house so I loved the convenience of it. When she told me the address, I also realized that it was formerly a funeral home so, of course I had to ask if it was haunted. Apparently, not. Oh well.

Interior of Clearly Coworking in Worcester, Massachusetts

We had the place mostly to ourselves as Covid has returned most of the renters to their homes. In fact, so many have pulled out that the owner has had to sell. It closed for good as Clearly Coworking on July 31st. Because it was closing, the owner generously allowed Jane to invite me to come write with her every day of the final week of July for free. It was fantastic! We spent the first part of the day writing, then around 2:00 we'd email what we'd written to each other. After reading, we'd go into one of the small conference rooms and critique each other's work. Lunch was another fun part of the day as we spent it chatting about various aspects of writing, marketing, and publishing. We also helped each other work out unruly plot lines or come up with that one missing piece that would make the story work.

I was there just long enough to fall in love with the place as well as the concept. With a full-time job, renting office space is neither affordable nor sensible for me since I wouldn't get much time to use it. However, I did come to find out a couple of very important facts:

 

1.) I could easily spend eight hours a day, every day writing and be quite happy. I am more convinced than ever that writing is my calling and that working towards becoming a full-time writer is my main goal.

2.) Having another writer as critique partner and brainstorming mate is immensely helpful.

I had already sensed both of those things to be true, but this experience cemented them for me.

Now that Clearly Coworking has closed, what will we do? Well, Jane has found another place in downtown Worcester called Idealab. She's already secured her spot. As for me, I decided to make my den/guest room into a home office/writing room. It took nearly two full days to get it set up to my liking, but now that it's done, I am enjoying the heck out of it. I used to write where ever I found a spot to set up my laptop. Now that I have a dedicated space, I've got that "room of one's own" feel and I am loving it.

As for mutual critiquing and brainstorming, Jane and I continuing to email our work to each other and meet on Zoom. Once the pandemic is finally a memory, we'll get together in person often for the same purposes. Best of all, we'll be able to reschedule the half vacation - half writing retreat trip to Vermont we were planning for this summer. Only the end of COVID-19 will dictate when that will happen, but when it does, I'll be sure to chronicle it in this blog.

Holiday Reading

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When I travel, I like to read books set in the place I'm visiting. Before my trip to Malta this April, I took out an e-book from my local library, The Information Officer by Mark Mills. It helped me appreciate many of the sights I saw in this island nation in the Mediterranean Sea.

The novel takes place in the summer of 1942, when Malta was a British colony. Its strategic location 50 miles south of Italy made Malta a target for Hitler in WWII. During the novel, the Maltese are enduring daily bombings by Axis planes launched from Sicily.

In the capital city of Valletta, Malta, we visited the Lascaris War Rooms, underground headquarters for the Allies' defense of Malta. This strategy map shows little Malta below the bigger island of Sicily. Italy was under Mussolini's fascist rule in 1942 and part of the German Axis. 

The Information Officer is a detective novel. Our hero, Max, is, essentially, the British officer in charge of propaganda. His job is to boost the spirits of the Maltese civilians under continuous attack. Max investigates the murder of several women, whose deaths are being ignored by his superiors. Is there a cover-up? Are the murders an attempt to undermine Malta's resolve to sacrifice for the war? In addition to bombing the cities, Axis planes are sinking cargo ships bringing food and supplies and the residents of Malta are close to starvation.

Malta at War museum displays a Maltese citizen's daily rations for a fifteen day period during the siege. 

In the Malta at War Museum, my husband Will and I put on hardhats to explore an air raid shelter built during the siege. A character in The Information Officer commented that the Maltese had become creatures who lived half their lives underground. The tunnels included hospital and birth rooms for those who needed those services after the air raid whistle blew.

Birth room in the air raid shelter

The siege effectively ended in November 1942, after the Allies sent Malta 163 Spitfires for its defense. King George VI awarded the George Cross for bravery to the citizens of Malta. Each April, Malta commemorates the deaths of the 7,000 soldiers and civilians who died during the siege. Other countries, including Canada, still send flowers.

The novel also mentioned other aspects of Malta, which we encountered on our visit. The Dingli cliffs, the island's highest point, were used for signals during the war.

Hiking on the Dingli Cliffs

Maltese balconies, a characteristic style of  architecture, appear on houses across the island.

Many residents paint their Maltese balconies bright colours

And our hero, Max, took a short recreational break on Malta's smaller, more rural island of Gozo, as Will and I did with the mass of local tourists on Good Friday.

Sipping a cappuccino in the main square of Victoria (Ir-Rabat), the capital of Gozo 

                                   
If you're travelling this year, check out Books We Love's selection of novels set in lands around the world. BWL authors offer a variety of historical and contemporary stories set in the United States, Europe, Australia, every region of Canada and more.