A year passed.... Working on the sequel

Since it's been a while --which I know and I apologize for, but in case you did not hear that was due to family matters I needed to attend to first-- I am going to attempt to begin catching you up with everything that has been going on.

Rejections... Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm sick of hearing that word.  I received my latest rejection a few days ago.  Nonetheless, I am continuing to strive forward with Cursed with Power. 

Finally! I've been waiting to fill in everybody about New Life.  It actually gets a bit exciting here because before there was so little I could tell you about the book.  I'm proud to say I've already started a journal and began writing down various ideas when they come to me.  Maybe it sounds maddening, but believe me if it wasn't for the journal I'm writing in right now this book would not go anywhere when I do begin writing it.

Where did the time go?  I realized today that only a year ago I had just begun writing Cursed with Power.  I never imagined I was going to be at this point, starting on the sequel and querying agents.  It may sound like I'm taking too much pride in myself at the moment, but believe me it's been a while since I've been able to feel... To feel accomplished.  A year ago the idea of five Dark magicians all struggling for their own survival sounded ridiculous.  Now that I'm here I cannot imagine what I would have done if I hadn't gone through with the idea.  However, this has to be one of the best decisions I've made in my life.  I don't regret writing the book, creating the characters, and continuing to spend mass amounts of time on my work.

Getting back on track.... During the last few weeks, I've spent my free time writing up anything that comes to mind.  Any idea, no matter how crazy, bizarre, or useless it sounds is written down.  I even mapped out what Léal's city looks like.  (And believe me when I say I'm a writer and can never be an artist.)  Throughout this process, I've become aware of what lays ahead --not only for this sequel, but for the entire series as a whole.  Cursed with Power is the book that needs to drag readers in and interest them to want more, but the books following have to be the ones adding into the suspense, mystery, magic, love, and everything else in between.

Unlike Celestria, Léal doesn't have dreams that hold significance to him or others he cares about.  All the same, that doesn't go without saying that there's no dark history of his own.  I don't want to ruin how anyone sees him from what they read in Cursed with Power, but I will say this: He is a much different magician from Celestria.  The good part about Léal's story being the sequel to CWP is that events in the first book can be referenced back and be meaningful to the reader.

After reactions on Léal's character in Cursed with Power, I'll admit it's going to be a new experience working on the sequel.  The last thing any author wants to do is deceive their reader because once they've fallen in love with one idea you snatch it away from them.  

Before the week gets crazy again hopefully I'll be able to post more about New Life.  In the meantime be sure to comment and tell me what your favorite scene from Cursed with Power is so I can share it with the rest of the followers.

What pulled you toward Léal's character?  Did he stand out to you or was he simply just another person Celestria met?  Any thoughts on the sequel?  And yes, fans, this is the part where you can scream and squeal.

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

New Life book trailer

Everyone I finally got this trailer done. (I was so good about it I did it while you weren't even expecting anything.)

Since I haven't started writing New Life, a new trailer might be posted up later on because of whatever changes are made and whatnot. Nonetheless, for those of you who have read Cursed with Power, finished it, or haven't read it at all but still remain curious --I urge you to watch this trailer. I am looking forward to writing New Life as much as you are excited to read it.

I'll try to update later on --another day--about everything that is going on with the series. Until then I hope you enjoy the trailer and I'll be posting this on my other blog tomorrow (or so I plan to, if all goes well.) Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts. While the trailer isn't perfect, tell me your reactions to what the story is about.

Enjoy!

Fictional Setting

When we think of fantasy books we typically think of the typical setting --an unknown place the author makes up and in time we come to understand.  However, this does not to be the type of setting for every fantasy novel.  
Today I'm addressing the setting in Cursed with Power.  Whether you've read the book or not, it should not be all that much of a surprise that the book is set back in Transylvania during the late 1500s.  Transylvania is a part of what we know now of as modern day Romania.  I'm no history teacher, though, so I won't bore you with what I do know about the place.  Instead, I decided to talk about the locations in CWP and what inspired them.  Let's be honest, for those of us who do write fantasy novels... Where the heck do we get these ideas in the first place?


Even before I figured out the official setting for the book, Celestria lived in a rural area.  Her town was a typical, small, warm and friendly place where everybody knew each other.  In this kind of setting, it intrigued me to figure out how Celestria could hide the dark secret of hers.
Though the setting is in Transylvania, all of the places Celestria travels to are fictional places inside of the state/country.  (I'm fairly certain in the late 1500s it wasn't considered a country yet.)  Anyways, coming up with the names for Deloys, Finton City, Belsgar, and so forth was an interesting battle... to say the least.  When you're writing fiction all you have to depend on is your own imagination; most days I looked out of the window I was staring at and tried to imagine as much as I could.
I am, however, proud to say that none of the places in Cursed with Power are at all similar to locations in The Magic of Light.  (That's my other book, for those of you who don't know.)  It felt good to finally feel a real change, and CWP definitely brought the change I desired.  The most difficult part with working on the scenery was describing everything in Celestria's world.  Even in her flashbacks I still struggled, trying to find the words that could elaborate on everything around her.
On the bright side, that's over with and what do I have to think about now?  I actually did realize when I finished CWP that I have a lot and a lot of planning to do for New Life.  A sequel is complicated; a sequel that is part of a five book series... More complicated.  I'll have more updates later tonight perhaps.  First I need to look over more chapters of Cursed with Power.  Until then...

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

A Greater Destiny *possible cover?*

Of course it is much too early for me to begin talking about the third book in the series when New Life is barely even in the "making".  However, I wanted to share this cover with you to hear your thoughts.  Now mind you I understand it could be a bit more interesting, but this caught my eye.

Anyways, this is an extremely short post so apologize.  Don't worry, there are numerous times you'll be able to see this cover again and we can all debate about it.  (It's the third book...  Did you see how many times the cover for Cursed with Power changed?  Exactly.)

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Inseparable

How close are we to the people we know, care for, and love?  I asked myself that same question when I was writing Cursed with Power.  And that was when I started thinking...
What if you were close enough to person that even when they weren't with you, it felt like they were?  You would never truly be separated because you would be able to feel each other's presence.  The idea of this inspired me during the writing process.  As you know, I've recently announced that I'll be posting excerpts from CWP that are reader's favorites.  Since I haven't received any requests lately I'm posting a scene I enjoyed writing.  

Léal stood up and came toward me, and I was unable to back away. He approached me and stared into my eyes. I raised my brow, for no one else before had been able to see me. Why did Léal take notice of my presence? How could he notice me when I was incapable of seeing myself? The questions ran through my mind as he stood before me, breathing and waiting for a response that would never come. He extended his hand to me and…
“Sir?” A woman opened the door. Léal dropped his hand while she shook her head at the pieces of paper scattered on the floor.
“How is she,” Léal said.
“She is better, sir. She needs rest and time, but she has improved since she first arrived.” The woman replied. He smiled and then placed the quill onto his desk.
“What of these papers, sir?”
Léal laughed, though he sounded uncomfortable. “Clean this up and leave the letters in my room. I shall attend to them later when I return from speaking with our quest. I expect Alaire is with her already?”
“Da, sir, he has been with her ever since the accident,” she said. She picked up the papers Léal had written on, and he slowly walked out of the room. I tried to call out to him as he entered into the hallway. However, the walls surrounding me were fading. I watched Léal as he continued on with a sense of pride. The gray jacket and black pants he wore were all that remained colorful. The writing on the letters vanished, and slowly a bright light raised and shined into my eyes.

“Celestria, welcome back.” Floarea said from behind.
I realized I was in the forest again and standing on the other side of the river, as if I had never walked across the bridge. I turned around to look at her and she began to ramble about the history of the river. However, I was incapable of hearing everything she said because there was a voice in the wind calling out to me.
“Celestria?” It was a man’s voice.
“Léal?” I whispered.

This scene is an excerpt from chapter 24 in Cursed with Power.  Whether it feels like a dream or not, doesn't it seem like sometimes the impossible is real?  Suppose Celestria and Léal were close enough to feel and see each other when apart?  I continue asking myself that question, and if that were so I cannot think of how that would be an issue.
This isn't one of your nightmares, Celestria.

Read the first book in the Magicians series....

Cursed with Power

Readable online on inkpop.com.  Here: link  

For updates via email about Cursed with Power and/or the following four books in the series, visit my contact page to email a request.

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Unexpected Love

When I first started Cursed with Power I thought there wouldn't be any romance involved.  Celestria's relationship with Adam was over --the distance between them kept it that way.  How was it romance came into the story, then?  Well in case you were ever curious, I'll enlighten you.


Originally I had a very brief image in my head of a romantic relationship that could begin in Cursed with Power, but it wasn't that image that ended up on paper.  Instead, it was a different kind of relationship that wasn't so much focused on love, but rather more so on friendship.  Even so, I was amazed at how quickly romance could still jump onto the pages before my eyes.  (I make it sound like it all happened fast.  Psh, I wish it had been that easy).  Love is a strange thing to incorporate in a book.  Personally, I just always find it as an interesting experience because the love your character is involved in is not often something that you can relate to.
Celestria and I had our first connection because of Adam.  Though there's no clear evidence about how she feels for Adam, her mentioning of "scars" in the prologue of the book was only the beginning of allowing readers to see the heartbreak Celestria experienced.  I was inspired to give her this dark past with how the relationship ended by a past relationship of my own, though I cannot say ours were alike.
I think it wasn't until Alaire came into the story that he changed around everything.  For me, Alaire was that beam of light that the book needed.  Something new, something interesting, and for once maybe someone Celestria could stay with.  I am not going to say anything about Celestria and Alaire's relationship in great detail (for those of you who haven't read the book, I'm purposely not for you), but I will say that their encounter with one another changed a lot in CWP.  There didn't seem to be anybody for Celestria to care about until Alaire came along, and when he did it was both challenging and intriguing to unravel how they could interact with one another.
Some writers say they rather stay away from romance --they want to focus on the wonders, the fantasies, the mysteries in their story.  Celestria's story doesn't focus on romance, but in the end I am pleased with the decisions I made.  And even though Celestria's heart was broken and she lost a great many people she loved, did she not find others later on?  


I do care about you, Alaire.
Perhaps we can only infer from Celestria's account of events.  Nonetheless, when I say romance was added into the book I do quite honestly mean that there is love even though no one actually admits to any feelings of such.

Coming next: Remember, that you can still request excerpts from Cursed with Power.  And the "questions" section of this blog is getting awfully quiet --ask away anything you like.  I'm going to try to post more this week, but we'll have to see if I find the time.  You've probably had enough of my rambling for one night, so until then I have writing to do and you... eh, who knows.  Good night all.



"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Coming of New Life

With Cursed with Power being finished, I understand that some are you are waiting to hear the news about New Life.  Truth be told, there is a lot that I have gotten myself involved in for when I do start writing the sequel.  I've only beginning writing down ideas here and there and briefly thinking about them, so it will be a while before I will actually be able to start the book.
For those of you who are patiently awaiting the arrival of the second book, I promise I will post little excerpts here and there from the book --that could be possible excerpts.  I'll also be posting excerpts from Cursed with Power and I may briefly mention new ideas for the second book.  Please just keep in mind that this is a maddening process so it will take a lot of time and effort, especially since New Life is the sequel to CWP and therefore involves even more detailed thinking about how it will relate back to the first book and etc., etc.

I'm looking forward to all of it, though.  I'll keep you posted!

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.