The Dangerous Task of Writing a Sequel: A Guest Post By Chrystalla Thoma

I am above all and foremost a reader – have been since I learned to read, and even before that, when I blackmailed my parents into reading to me every night before falling asleep. Such a long addiction and deep love of stories can only mean that I’m a demanding reader. I can’t stand clichés. I frown at wooden dialogue and flat characters. I can’t abide plot holes and bad prose.

See how difficult I am? But I think we all are, when it comes to something we truly love.

As luck had it (or fate, or just natural predisposition), I ended up a writer. Since then, I find myself divided between two opposite camps – on the one hand, I am the creator, the founder, the writer, and on the other I am the world’s most demanding critic.

No wonder I feel I’m going crazy some days.

Series are a particularly touchy topic for me. I love them. Since I’m an escapist and want my books to be thick as bricks so that I can lose myself in them forever, series accomplish this to the utmost degree: they allow me to be lost in a greater world.

But series are tricky to write well. Very often, the first book is amazing, but midway through the second book things go awry and by book three you want to strangle the author – not so much for the waste of money, but for the destruction of the magic.

Cue dramatic music: I decided to write a trilogy (Elei’s Chronicles). I wrote the first book, Rex Rising and released it last summer. Meanwhile, I began working on the second book, Rex Cresting.

Cue percussion. Stress. Fear. Insecurity. Will my second book deliver? Will the third?

As a result, I pestered my friends and beta readers (critiquers) for months with questions such as “is this too melodramatic”? “Is this a good sequel?” “Is this crap?”

I swear, I’ve never felt such stress and angst about writing a story. First books are easier: you set up the characters, the premise, the conflict, the world. But the second book has to follow through and develop those characters more, bring the conflict to the next level, give hints as to the resolution that is coming in the final book.

I now sympathize with all writers who write series. A marvelous idea can degenerate in the second book and fall to pieces. Wonderful characters can step over that thin line that turns them from likable to disagreeable. The writer walks a tightrope.

And have I succeeded with my second book?

Too soon to tell. Besides, I’m too close to the book to be able to see it critically right now. I have done my best. Now it’s up to the readers to tell me whether it fulfilled promises made in book 1 or not.

Let’s hope it has.

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Thanks, Chrystalla.

Chrystalla lives in Cyprus with her husband and her hoards of wild books. She writes fantasy and science fiction and is now starting a non-fiction book about the dragons of the world. She is interested in parasites, ecology, Indian recipes, love in all forms and medieval music, not necessarily in that order. She is currently writing Book 3 of the dystopian sci-fi YA series, Elei’s Chronicles, and a gay sci-fi novel with androids and lots of mayhem.

Mayhem, in fact, is her middle name. You’ve been warned.

Chrystalla is all over the internet:

Blog: http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com
Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/Chrystalla-Thoma/e/B001JOWZCC
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chrystallathoma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Chrystalla-Thoma/117863861560579
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4397966.Chrystalla_Thoma
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Chrys

Elei’s Chronicles series (YA dystopian science fiction):
Rex Rising (on sale this week for .99 cents)
Rex Cresting Rex: Equilibrium (coming summer 2012)
Also: Hera (a novelette set in the world of Rex Rising)

Hell in Michigan: An interview with paranormal romance auhtor Andrea DiGiglio

Today I'm talking with paranormal romance author and screenwriter Andrea DiGiglio about her paranormal romance, FINDING ALICE.

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1) Tell us about your book.

FINDING ALICE is a story about a young woman who chooses to continue a secluded life from most of society, mostly due to her condition of extreme empathy. As all humans do, she eventually finds companionship in some locals and her entire reality is altered from it instantly. Quickly, Fallen Angels emerge to protect her from the wrath of God they had created. Choosing a side isn't the issue for Alice, she only hopes to survive it all.

2) What inspired this book?

I wanted to write about a strong woman who faces all challenges with intense bravery and strength. I also wanted her love interest to be supportive but equally strong, and above all, no outrageous love triangles. The rest just came to me honestly, though I do have a enormous infatuation with Fallen Angels.

3) There are a lot of paranormal romance titles on the shelves. What sets your story apart from others?

From what I have read and heard, I am the first to address God's feelings about what Fallen Angel's really did.

4) How did your Michigan background influence the setting? Were there specific aspects of Michigan that you felt compelled to include?

The city Hell in Michigan seemed too perfect not to use and I am proud of my state as a whole. Max's Bar, does not exist as far as I know. As for the "field" (I don't want to give too much away), I did in fact visit a field in Hell, MI that resembles what I described in FINDING ALICE.

5) Angels and fallen angels are creatures that have been deeply embedded into the religious and mythic fiber of Western society for thousands of years. Do you think that makes them more difficult to write about than something like vampires, which despite their current reputation, didn't have much penetration as a major creature until relatively recently?

No, I think it makes it easier at least for me. I think people are more likely to believe that an angel or fallen truly exists and therefore can quickly get lost in a novel.

6) You have a screenwriting background. Did that influence your novel writing process at all?

In a sense yes, meaning if I can't see it in my head playing out like a film I will never be able to write it. My writing itself, no. I had to research and retrain myself to write my novel correctly.

7) If you were casting a FINDING ALICE movie, who would you want for your leads?

You with the tough questions! I would say Ian Somerhalder for Cole. And Alice? Honestly, me. Mostly because I have been dying to play a role like that. It's the reason I started writing screenplays in the first place well over a decade ago. If I had to choose someone else, I would choose Danielle West.

8) This is book 1 in the Alice Clark series. How many books do you have planned for this series?

I am currently planning on three, but you never know. I swear Alice has a mind of her own.

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Thanks, Andrea.

If you want to read more from Andrea, please visit her at http://www.andreadigiglio.com/.

FINDING ALICE is available in both physical and ebook format at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

Don't Fear The Snowman? An interview with Tiffany Craig

Today I'm talking with Tiffany Craig, about her horror take on winter.

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1) Tell us about your short story.

"Snowmaggedon" is the tale of a small town that, during a bad snowstorm, is suddenly overrun by gigantic snow monsters that eat anything, including humans. The characters in the story are forced to use their wit and ingenuity to battle the creatures as they fight for their town and their lives.

2) Where did you get the idea for this story? Snow can be dangerous, but generally isn't something that people find sinister.

Back in February 2011 we had a tremendous snowstorm here in Missouri, and my brother and sister were let out of school for almost an entire week. We entertained ourselves by roasting marshmallows over a candle and making up scary stories. One of our favorites was about snowmen that came to life and ate people. The story blossomed from there.

3) Is the sinister mundane more unsettling than the obvious horrific monster in your opinion? If so, why?


I think the mundane has always been much scarier than obvious horror. I mean, you can watch a zombie movie and be scared, but there's always comfort in the knowledge that it's not real. On the other hand, when you see a movie about weather in any form, it's a lot scarier because you know it could happen at any time.

4) Stepping away from deadly snow creatures, what frightens you the most?


Spiders, velociraptors and garden gnomes. In that order.

5) What's the most frightening short story you've ever read? Is this related to your greatest fear or something else entirely?


It seems kind of silly, but the most frightening short story I've ever read came from a Scary Stories To Tell Your Friends book. It's about a girl, who's driving home from a dance when a mysterious car starts following her. She freaks out and tries to lose the car, but it's always there, flashing its lights and honking. It turns out the man in the mysterious car was just trying to warn her that there was somebody in her backseat with a knife. I can't remember if the girl dies at the end of the story, but I do know that I always check my backseat before I get into my car.

6) Can you tell us about any of your other work?

In November I published "The Dragons Of Avordshire" on smashwords.com. It's a ballad poem about a young man named Harold Sprack who has to slay forty dragons or he'll lose something very dear to him. The response to this story has been tremendous! Almost the day after it was published I got an email from the artist Richard Svensson. He wanted to illustrate the story for free! I was in absolute shock and literally dancing around the house. I have the first few illustrations now and they are incredible, as soon as the project is done I'm going to republish it on Smashwords.com, but don't worry, it'll still be free!

7) Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas: Is this a Halloween movie or is this a Christmas movie?


Technically, I think it's a Christmas story being told/acted out by Halloween charachters, but I think it's actually a story of finding love and coming to terms with oneself. At the beginning of the film Jack Skellington was tired of being the Pumpkin King and was looking for something new, something different. What he found was a renewed love for his title, world and responsibilities.

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Thanks, Tiffany.

You can see more from Tiffany at www.craiganmorebooks.yolasite.com.

You can download "Snowmaggedon" and "The Dragons of Avordshire" for free (or read them online) at Smashwords.

Macabre Poetry: An interview with poet Justin Bienvenue

Tonight I have something a bit different, my first poet interview. It's doubly unusual for me in that the poet, Justin Bienvenue, specializes in poetry about the macabre and horrific. My personal poetry tastes run more toward the 18th- and 19th-century Romantics, but I still find the idea of a poet focusing on horror fascinating.

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1) Please tell us about your collection.

The Macabre Masterpiece is a collection of all types and takes on horror. It goes beyond the simple elements of what one could be scared of. Each poem tells an in-depth tale on its subject and either grips, scares or shocks the reader which is in all intended purposes. Each chapter tells of a certain type of horror, but all give that disturbing, gruesome or mysterious aura that makes it so. It’s up and down in terms of scare level. Some have that direct meaning of horror others have a lighter and not friendlier but rather a calmer likeness to it. After all not everyone likes to be totally scared or grossed out. There’s a good amount of both which overall blends in together nicely and gives the book it’s core.

2) What kindled your interest in the darker side of fiction?


I’ve always liked the scary take on writing, but it wasn’t until I really sat down and saw what I had that it interested me. I already had a good share of horror poems I felt I could expand on the topic and it was then that I started seeing more horror books being put out, creepy shows on television, and it really inspired me and made me decide to go into the path of dark horror. Once I had enough material boiling in my brain, I realized it was time to turn to the darkness of fiction if you will, and begin.

3) The public's taste for horror, regardless of the form, seems to wax and wane over the years. Why do you think horror is more popular at some times versus others?


I would say it’s just like any other thing, a trend or phase. Horror is always there, but when someone or something new and innovative regarding it comes out it really catches peoples attention and draws them into it and being totally involved in it. It also depends on what exactly the topic of horror it is, vampires for example have quite a big following which means when they become popular so does the horror genre.

4) Do you have a favorite among the poems?


I have quite a few but I’ll name a favorite for each chapter. “The Rage of Hades" (Hell), “The River of Blood series" (Blood), “Vampires series” (Creatures), “The Portrait of Dorian Gray”(Creepy) and “The Nightwatchman” (Suspense). I like these because they more than most really tell an in-depth tale.

5) Can you share with us why you decided use poetry for your horror work versus prose?


I really only write poetry and I am a big writer of it. Like I said before, I already had some horror poetry so I decided to expand on it but also felt horror poetry would be a good way to go since you really don’t hear much about it. I felt the way I write and my take on horror would come together very nicely, and I believe they do just that.

6) What strengths does poetry offer for horror versus prose? What weaknesses?

Strength-wise I would say you get to take in each line and read beyond what’s being said. It gives you more of an appreciation and anticipates you for each line after. Poetry is mainly written with feeling and there’s no better feeling then being scared. Weakness-wise is the fact that it is poetry. Not everyone is a fan of poetry, which means they may not care for it even if they like horror, but I always say that poetry is just a form to which its written, it still tells a story just in a different way.

7) While many may not instantly associate horror with poetry, there's a long association between poetry and the macabre, including more atmospheric works but less explicit works such as Poe's "The Raven" to some of the moralistic horrific imagery of Hell related in Dante's The Divine Comedy. Do you feel that poetry is currently under-utilized for those interested in producing works of horror?


Absolutely, It’s works like "The Raven" and Dante’s Divine Comedy that make you ask, "What happened?" Where did we go wrong and when did it stop? Poe is one of the, if not the finest, poet of the macabre and yet while he’s known and liked it seems like it stopped with him. People these days seem to go with the obvious clique of let's write a creepy thriller or let's make a movie about it. We’ve seen this done over and over, but yet it's the works of Poe that are some of the best that are in fact poetry. That makes me wonder why don’t we go back to those roots. I feel there needs to be more writers of horror poetry. It's something different for a change, something creative, something that’s really died down and should be revived to add another unique twist on the horror community.

8) Are there any poets who have influenced your work? Are there any authors?


Well continuing on from the last question, Edgar Allen Poe influenced some of the works in the book. I mean if I was going to write macabre who better to be influenced and inspired by then him. In some poems you can see similarities while in others you can’t, but I did get inspiration from him. Also my works are influenced by Shakespeare. This is mainly outside the book, but in the book there are a few Shakespeare-like themes. As for authors, I would have to go with Stephen King. While there aren’t any direct references to King's work in any poem,, but the influence is in there in small ideas and, of course, the gruesome aspects.

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Thanks, Justin.

His collection can be purchased at Amazon.

You can hear more from Justin at his website: http://jbienvenue.webs.com/.

The Land of Morning Calm and Evening Struggle--Joseon Korea #1: Birth and Death of a Dynasty

Recently, in addition to the Regency and Heian Japan research I've been conducting, I've started researching Joseon Korea. Though I spent two years living in South Korea, until recently my knowledge of pre-20th century Korea was somewhat limited. These entries will occupy my third slot in my rotating Thursday historical entry series. As of this time, I have no plan to add another period to my historical series.

Joseon  (Joseonguk, lit. Joseon Country or Kingdom of Joseon) was the political entity that controlled the Korean peninsula from 1392 to 1897. At its height, Joseon controlled the entire area of what is now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Most of what we'd consider "Korean" culture today was established during this period.

The Joseon state was controlled by the Yi dynasty. The originator of the dynasty was one Yi Seong-gye, later Taejo. Throughout this series, I will be using the terms Yi Dynasty, Joseon, and Joseon Dynasty fairly interchangeably.

Originally Taejo was a military official under the previous Goryeo Dynasty (which, incidentally, also lasted 500 years). At the time Goryeo was dealing with being under the influence and presence of the Mongols, who had for several centuries prior also controlled China during the Yuan Dynasty period. The collapse of the Mongol-lead Yuan Dynasty and its replacement with the Han Chinese-lead Ming Dynasty provided an opportunity to eliminate Mongol influence. Goryeo military forces proceeded to eliminate Mongols remaining on the peninsula. Taejo made a name for himself during this period for actions against the Mongols, Japanese pirates, and certain Chinese forces, including an anti-Yuan rebel army.

The splintering dynastic transition lead to factions in the Goryeo court who supported both the Yuan and Ming  Dynasties. Yi, as you might surmise from his blade dancing with the Mongols, was more of a Ming man. Unfortunately, the Ming also wanted Goryeo to cough up a large portion of their northern territory. I won't dive into the details of all the various claims, but the Goryeo government planned a further northern invasion into Ming territory. Yi was selected to lead the invasion despite his protests.

Instead, he turned around and overthrew the king. There were some shenigans with puppet rulers for a little bit but, in the end, Yi eventually ascended the throne himself inaugurating a new dynasty. Over the five centuries of Joseon's existence, the country reached heights of culture, technology, art, and literature. During this period, King Seijong the Great commissioned scholars to create hangul, the modern Korean alphabet, to improve literacy.

Joseon had a mostly peaceful two-century span between the the 17th and 19th centuries accompanying a mostly isolationist period. Unfortunately, that period of peace was book-ended by intense instability. The early centuries of the period were marked by intense and often violent political struggles between various political and scholar-bureaucrat factions.

Geography didn't help matters. The Korean Peninsula's position between China and the rising power of Japan lead to a battlefield destiny. Invasions from Manchus and Japan made the first three centuries of the dynasty an often unstable affair. Japanese and Chinese pirates also were a persistent problem.

Both the Kingdom of Joseon and the Yi Dynasty (effectively the same thing) would last until Japanese chicanery, including the brutal assassination of the reformist Empress Myeongseong, at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century robbed the Korean Peninsula of its independence until the end of World War II.