And Three Makes a Series!

Set in the unexplored magical worlds of the Arctic, Norway, Finland, Siberia, and Scotland, the Witches of Galdorheim series follows the travails of Katrina, a witch with spelling problems. The newly released "Scotch Broom" takes Kat into the Otherworld located just a smidge in time and space in the Scottish Highlands. Along the way, she meets the denizens of the fey world. One of these creatures is called a skrat.

Download a PDF Sampler of all three books in the series and the bonus short story, Spellslinger. Just click here.

The Skrat

Besides the big ol’ gods, legends, and spirits–the ones that get all the press–myths are populated with a myriad of often tiny, more often unmentioned beings. Their job as minor characters in the mythos is not always mentioned, but they exist (well, in the mythical sort of existence) nonetheless.

While writing the Witches of Galdorheim series, I delved into western European mythos finding the supporting cast for my books. Like bit players everywhere, they often ended up on the cutting room floor.

For example, in the opening scene of Bad Spelling, I mention tussers and tomtes. Raise your hand if you can tell me what they are. No peeking at the book OR the internet! Right, you’ve never read the book (except for a couple of you), so you’d not have a clue. Please note in the comments if you already know. Anyone? Go look it up in the Encyclopedia Mythica.

In the third Witches of Galdorheim book, Scotch Broom, I elevate one such small-time player to the exulted role of minion. If you watched the Ice Age animated films, you might be familiar with the proto-squirrel (with fangs) named Scrat.

The screenwriter either made the name up or also hit the Encyclopedia Mythica like I did. If the latter, then he simply used the name because a skrat is not a proto-squirrel at all.

One of the many creatures that are said to move into the farmhouses from time to time is the skrat. He usually lives in a beech tree or a cave and looks like a chicken that has been caught in a downpour. His wingtips and tail drag on the ground. He may also transform himself into a small bird, a goose, a dog or cat, or even a hair-covered man. Any family he lives with becomes rich.

Excerpt from Scotch Broom:

Here’s a brief scene illustrating the skrat playing its minion role.

A scratching at the door caught her attention. Walking over, she peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone. “Oh, bother. Is some spoiled brat trying to play tricks on the old woman?” She grabbed the handle and jerked the door open, screaming, “I’ve got you!”

Nobody stood on her porch. A clucking made her look down. A scraggly, wingless chicken, looking as if it’d been out in the rain, crouched at her feet. The skrat stood on four wobbly legs, staggered around Cailleach’s legs and into the house. It squatted by the fire and ruffled its feathers.

Cailleach glared at the scruffy creature. She never could tell one from the other, but they had their uses. “What do you want, Skrat? I’m busy—”

Skrat spoke in a high-pitched, ragged tone as if he was gargling pebbles. “I have news.”

Cailleach stepped closer. The skrats didn’t bother her unless they had something good to report. “Tell me.”

“Witch is near.”

The hag considered for a moment. “Is it one of the Wiccans? They’re harmless. Always collecting plants for some potion or another.”

“Wiccan, yes, but witch, not wannabe.”

Cailleach narrowed her eyes and plucked at the hair growing from her chin. “Where, exactly?”

“In bogs.”

“Why would a real witch be there? Staking out territory?” The crone pondered a moment then looked down at the skrat, which had not dried out at all.

“You watch. Bring your brothers with you. Report thrice daily to tell me what she’s up to.”

The skrat nodded its featherless head. “What you pay?”

Cailleach aimed a kick at the skrat, but it scuttled out of the way. “Bother! You’re always asking about pay. Have I ever shortchanged you?”

“No. Want to tell brothers.”

Cailleach glared at the creature. “A month’s grain for each of you.”

“Done. I go now.”

The skrat wobbled to the open door and departed. Cailleach closed it behind the creature and returned to her fireplace. She swished the brew in the cauldron a few times.

“Bah. This isn’t right. It should be green by now. Besides, it stinks.” She hefted the handle and dragged the cauldron to the sink. Grunting, she lifted it and tipped the rim, pouring the slimy yellow guck down the drain. She had no more time for experimenting with ancient formulas. If this invading witch was out for a fight, Cailleach needed to be ready to give her one.

Note: Cailleach is the Scottish Celtic goddess of winter fallen on hard times in the present day world. She’s tired, aging, a mere vestige of her former glory, but a scheming old bitch like her won’t ignore opportunities when they fall from the sky. Which is exactly what Katya does.

Witches of Galdorheim Series

BAD SPELLING - Book 1 of The Witches of Galdorheim Series
A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?
Amazon Kindle or MuseItUp Bookstore

If you’re a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home. 

Katrina’s spells don’t just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo.  A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father’s non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman.
The young witch, accompanied by her half-vampire brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way.

MIDNIGHT OIL - Book 2 of the Witches of Galdorheim SeriesShipwrecked on a legendary island, how can a witch rescue her boyfriend if she can’t even phone home?
Amazon Kindle or MuseItUp Bookstore

Kat is a nervous wreck waiting for her boyfriend's first visit to her Arctic island home. He doesn't show up, so she's sure he’s given her the brushoff.

When she learns he’s disappeared, she sets out on a mission to find him. Things go wrong from the start. Kat is thrown overboard during a violent storm, while her brother and his girlfriend are captured by a mutant island tribe. The mutants hold the girlfriend hostage, demanding the teens recover the only thing that can make the mutants human again–the magical Midnight Oil.

Mustering every bit of her Wiccan magic, Kat rises to the challenge. She invokes her magical skills, learns to fly an ultralight, meets a legendary sea serpent, rescues her boyfriend, and helps a friendly air spirit win the battle against her spiteful sibling. On top of it all, she’s able to recover the Midnight Oil and help the hapless mutants in the nick of time.

SCOTCH BROOM -  Book 3 of The Witches of Galdorheim
A magical trip to Stonehenge lands a witch in the Otherworld where an ancient goddess is up to no good.
Amazon Kindle or MuseItUp Bookstore

Kat expects to have a great time on her graduation trip to Stonehenge. However, from the moment she leaves the witches’ arctic island, Galdorheim, she gets in nothing but trouble.  Her younger half-brother tries to horn in on her trip, she gets lost in the magical Otherworld realm, is led astray by a supposed friend, then she has to confront a Scottish goddess who’s fallen on hard times.

While dodging the goddess’ minions and trying to find her way out of the Otherworld, Kat soon learns she shouldn’t underestimate the old has-been for one second; the crone still has a few tricks that can drain a witch’s magic in a flash. To make matters worse, Kat's brother secretly followed her into the Otherworld. Now he’s in danger too.  Kat has to go one on one with the goddess to save herself and her brother.

Never Settle

You've finally finished your novel.  You've revised it and rewritten it and edited it 800 times; it's now ready for the next step.  The most mind-numbing, emotionally draining, self-confidence wrecking step:  submitting it to agents/publishers.  You've done your research of how to spot a "bad" agent or publisher, and you know how to avoid them.  You just know a respectable person is going to pick up your book.

It's no secret that the publishing world is full of "Nos."  They have form rejection letters that they send out because they say no more often than they say yes.  At first, the rejections slide off your back.  You shrug your shoulders and say, "It's okay, someone will like it."  Then, after countless rejections and your confidence sliding down the drain, you become desperate.  You think, "Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I'm a horrible writer."  You beg and plead in your mind for someone to pick up your story.

Then, you finally get a "yes."  All of the negativity melts away and you are floating on air.  You knew it all along; you knew your book was good.  That moment is very exciting, and it does make the whole ordeal worth it, but you still need to keep a level head.  Just because a company is reputable, that doesn't mean they are good.  Here are some things to do before signing the contract.

1.  Read the contract through word for word.  Make sure you understand everything in it.  If you don't, ask questions.  Have a lawyer or contract specialist look through it, especially if you don't have an agent.  It might sound pompous, but this is your work, your career, make sure your rights are protected.  Again, if anything arises, make sure to address it with the publisher. 

2.  Contact some of the authors and see if they are happy with the publisher.  A company can look great on paper; they can have tons of sales and hundreds of books, but how happy are the authors?  Does the publisher answer emails in a timely fashion?  Do they get their royalties when they're supposed to?  Little things like this can make working for someone incredibly stressful and frustrating.  Most authors are more than willing to share their experiences, so shoot them an email and find out.  I recommend talking to at least three or four.

3.  Follow your instincts.  If you've done both of the above and still think the company is great, then go for it.  But if there is any doubt in the back of your mind, do a little more research, continue to send the manuscript out.  Having a bad publisher is NOT better than having no publisher.  Being angry and stressed out because the publisher is not holding up their end of the bargain can take its toll on your writing life.

In the end, it boils down to what is going to make you happy.  While having a book published is the ultimate high, dealing with a horrific publisher will completely undermine everything you've worked for.  Always do your research and make sure the company fits your needs and will make you happy.  Sometimes, that means dealing with a few more rejections or putting your novel away for a while so you can work on the next one.  As hard as that is, it will make everything better in the long run.

Pembroke Sinclair has had several short stories published.  Her story, “Sohei,” was named one of the Best Stories of 2008 by The Cynic Online Magazine.  She has novellas and a short story collection forthcoming from Musa Publishing and eTreasures Publishing.  Her two novels, Coming from Nowhere (adult, sci fi) and Life After the Undead (YA, horror), are available from eTreasures Publishing, as well as Death to the Undead (YA, sequel to Life After the Undead), which is forthcoming.  Life After the Undead was a Top Ten Finisher in the Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll in the YA category and the cover art category.

Under her real name, from March 2008 to January 2011, she wrote scientific articles for Western Farmer-Stockman.  She has a nonfiction book, Life Lessons from Slasher Films, scheduled for release in summer 2012 from Scarecrow Publishing (an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield).

Pembroke has her Master’s in English and is a freelance content editor for Musa Publishing, as well as a content and line editor for eTreasures Publishing.  You can check out her blog at pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com.

Top 10 Ways I Relax

Being an author, mother, reviewer, and homeschooling mom can be crazy.  It seems like I’m always going somewhere or doing something.  Recently my mother in law moved back down to California.  Needless to say my life has been CRAZY.

There’s one thing I learned from my mother.  You have to make ‘you’ time to keep your sanity.  If you don’t, no one else will.  I know some might think that’s selfish but the way I look at it is you need to have time to regroup and recharge.  The old saying, ‘When momma is happy, everyone else is too’, is so true.

I thought I’d share some ways I love to recharge after a hectic day or week.

1. Go to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

I love this coffee house even more than Starbucks.  Why?  Well, I’m more of a tea lover and this place has a great variety of teas.  My favorite?  Mint Moroccan iced tea latte with chocolate.  Nom.  I also love Swedish berries and Wild Cherry. Once there I order a drink then write.  It’s great. 

2. Get a pedicure.

I love getting pedicures.  It’s feels great to be taken care of for an hour plus I get to catch up on reading the latest celeb gossip with the People magazines in the salon.

3. Get a facial

There’s just something about getting pampered that soothes the soul.

#4. and #5

Go to a bookstore and/or library to read a good book.  Believe it or not, just strolling in my local bookstore is better than any Prozac.  It calms me down.  I love the smell of books and just being around tons of them.

6. Go to a movie by myself

I love to do this.  My favorite movies have to be bittersweet love stories like THE NOTEBOOK and BECOMING JANE.

7. Being with friends

I love to get together with friends just to chat.  It’s nice to be around adults especially since I’m with my ten year old a lot.

8. Write

Yes, writing also helps me calm down and relax.  If I’m really stressed out I found that by writing poetry and expressing how I feel, really helps

9. Power walk

Getting up an hour early and going outside to power walk, really helps me regroup.  I love being outside and just reconnecting without anyone expecting anything out of me.

10. Watching a favorite TV show

Yes, I admit it.  I’m a huge Vampire Diaries fan.  I’m totally loving where this storyline is going, especially the other night’s episode that had that amazing kiss:

Research, anyone?

Bio:

About the Author:

Kim Baccellia was a bilingual teacher in Los Angeles County for eight years and during that time she didn’t find many books for Latinas that were upbeat or dealt with their heritage.  During the time she wrote Earrings of Ixtumea, she was learning about her own Mexican heritage and decided to write a novel that was set in a Mesoamerican world.

Kim has also written Crossed Out, a YA paranormal and her YA fantasy No Goddesses Allowed has a tentative release date of Christmas 2012.

A current member of SCBWI and YALITCHAT, Kim is currently writing the sequel to Crossed Out and a YA multicultural Sci-Fi.  She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.

The fun of writing Paranormal Fantasy...

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My first attempt at writing YA Paranormal Fantasy came about when I was invited to join a team creating a Computer and Card interactive game GEMREALMS with Paradise Arts. 

Given beautifully depicted drawings of creatures, from half orc/elf to an Azerith, a half human/lobster, and the outline of the game objectives, I was allowed to let my imagination create the storyline of each character. 

This is a glimpse into their paranormal adventure... we meet Malika (an elfin healer) Hugo (an elf/orc half breed) and Fussel, (a Yacreen: an underground creature) rather less imposing than the hammer swinging orc/elf.

Malika

“Trust me, Malika, we need to keep moving. Fussy, come on lad. The lady has already risked everything to bring you back, don’t waste the opportunity to live a little longer.”

“Hugo…” Fussel’s eyes opened. Mud streaked his grey skin and a distinctive smell of damp earth accompanied every move he made. “Ahh… I remember the lightning. Nothing good followed, to be sure, to be sure. This rain, it is over-rated, Hugo. Can we go home yet?”

“Soon, Fussy. We need you on your feet, unless you want me to carry you?” Hugo offered, smiling as Fussel’s eyes opened wide and his face screwed into an indignant pout. “I take that as a ‘no’?”

Fussel

“Carry me? You!” Fussel scrambled to his feet, sending streams of water moving as he threw away Malika’s cloak. “I am fine.”

“That worked better than my spells!” Malika caught the cloak and shook it once before wrapping it around her own shoulders.

“I fear we are too late.” Hugo sniffed and gripped his battle hammer. Before he could raise a spell of protection, the air chilled although no breeze disturbed the torch flame. Fussel cocked his head, as if he too sensed sudden danger. “I guess Lamia is ‘in’.”

Hugo

“Lamia, the seductress vampire? She doesn’t exist does she, except in children’s tales?” Malika licked her lips and wrung the fabric of her cloak between her hands. “Tell me you are joking, Hugo.”

“No one jokes in Lamia’s realm, Malika.” Hugo dropped the torch as his spell crafted flames spluttered and died. “Trust me, she offers little in the way of levity or mirth.”

“Although described as more beautiful than moonrise and more powerful than night.” A smooth voice shimmered through the still air. In the gloom, Hugo watched Fussel stagger against the wall, while Malika covered her mouth as if she bit back on a scream.

Lamia

“Lamia.” Hugo did not turn, or try to see the creature he addressed. “Don’t look into her eyes, Fussel, Malika. Let me do the talking.” He added, daring to offend the vampire in her lair. “Lamia, it has been a long time.”

“Hugo?” the voice sounded close. The air grew colder. “Have you brought me a gift? How sweet. A healer, you know I cannot resist the blood of a healer.”

“Ahh… these bodies are not for you, Mistress of the Night.” Hugo swallowed and turned as he felt the presence of the vampire emerge from the deepest recess of the shelter. “I know of an Azerith and two humans though, with warm blood pumping.” He could see the vampire now, despite the lack of light. She owned a dark tempting beauty few living souls could resist. “They left without offering you your due.”

“Will you share the hunt with me, Hugo?”

Azerith

“Not this time, Lamia. I am on a mission. Have we permission to shelter from the storm in your domain?”

“Permission?” Lamia’s cold laughter chilled Hugo’s blood. Fussel and Malika clutched each other, their eyes showed white around dark irises. “I will not stop you entering or leaving, but I do not live here alone. Other creatures share my labyrinth. They only feed through the night hours. Do not stay too long. You know I can offer no assurance of safety once you step into the shadows.”

“We will not disturb your shadows. It is shelter and warmth we seek. Our path takes us to the Ravaged Goblin Realms. Azira has been up to her old tricks”

“Azira?” the vampire tossed her head and spat the name as if it tasted of poison. “Then you are welcome to travel through my halls, Hugo Orc Elf. You can save your weak companions three days of travel in terrible weather.” Lamia’s voice lifted in laughter.
 “If you dare.”

Thanks for dropping in today. Hope you enjoyed this peak at THE HEALER'S QUEST. I hope to keep working on this novel in the near future. I have permission from the owner of the game,  Nstarstudios to post the pics I was working from. So much fun. A new and exciting experience, although the project is still in the creation process, writing for the characters taught me a lot about creating interesting character traits, backgrounds, cultures and the world they inhabit.

The Writing of Live and Let Fly

Rebecca asked me to write about why I wrote Live and Let Fly.  Really the answer is simple:  the story was in my head and if I didn’t write it, it would have driven me nuts!

That is the long and short of my life as a writer.  I get a story in my head; it grows until I am seeing, hearing, even feeling the characters living it out, until I am cleaning the kitchen while arguing with some Norse god.  If I don’t perform an exorcism by getting it onto paper, I can easily see the day that my husband comes home to find me curled in a chair with that blank “watching TV” look people get.  Only I won’t be watching TV; I’ll be living whatever adventure my characters have set for me.  It’s Virtual Reality 1.0.

It’s been a couple of years and even more stories since I wrote Live and Let Fly, so I don’t remember exactly why I chose a spy spoof for the next adventure for my dragon detective, Vern, and his partner, Sister Grace.  I do remember thinking that I wanted them to have a more dangerous case than the one in their first novel, Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, or the ones in their short stories.  To do that, I needed to get them out of their comfort zone: Los Lagos, Colorado, where the Faerie world and ours intersect.  And, if they’re going abroad, they might as well have secret agents and all the fun clichés they bring.

That’s another reason I wrote Live and Let Fly:  I love to laugh.  I love to take old stereotypes and make something new.  My character, Rakness, Stan Rakness, carries a lot of James Bond characteristics yet has a style all his own, like being more aware of his own cheesiness and playing into it when it suits.  I love puns.  I love to put characters in wacky situations—like when the rescue party gets trapped and attacked by a giant game board.

I like adding new dimensions to known characters, too.  Loki is actually kind of a nice father to Hel; he visits her in the dark world of Helheim and encourages her to laugh (they watch YouTube videos of practical jokes) and to decorate her kitchen in Japanese anime cats.

Because the DragoneEye, PI universe includes both our world and the world of myth, I have a lot of room to play.  I’m already working on the next book, Gapman, which will be a superhero spoof.  I started this one years ago, too, and don’t really remember why I started it other than I had such fun with Live and Let Fly that I wanted to continue to spoofing trend.  Already, I’m coming up with some fun new characters, again by combining clichés and twisting them into something new.  

That, too,is the long and short of being a writer:  finding joy in taking something that’s been done and twisting it into something new.

Live and Let Fly comes out April 20.  If you are interested in ordering it, please comment below and I'll send you a link.  Also check out the scavenger hunt for a chance to win this book and other prizes:  http://dragoneyepi.blogspot.com/p/l-tour-calendar.html.

Discussing The Hunger Games by Barbara Bockman

In THE WRIGHT THREE by Blue Balliett, Scholastic Press, 2006, the teacher is trying to get her students to express their feelings and assessment about art. The kids come up with a list of criteria with which to judge art. The art object in question is a piece of architecture.

I thought it might be a good exercise to use these criteria to discuss THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. Now these will just be a few thoughts off the top of my head, and you are welcome to agree or disagree. Then, come up with your own examples.

ART SHOULD HAVE SURPRISES. THE HUNGER GAMES is full of surprises. It seems like “games” should be fun. But SURPRISE! These games are not fun. They are dangerous and deadly. I like the way we gradually find out how Katniss and Peeta, the baker’s son, originally got to know each other. I like the way the gift of the Mockingjay pin becomes a symbol of Kat and her mission. I like the way the old (previous) games winner gives her just a touch of advice which proves to be golden.

ART SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. I know; there’s a lot in the book that makes you feel bad. But ultimately, don’t you think there are things that make you feel good? How about the way Kat is so determined to take care of her little sister? Kat may be tough, but she has strong family feeling. Maybe you can’t relate to that. If not, then determine now that when you create your own home, you will make sure that the glue that holds it together is family feeling.

ART SHOULD MAKE YOU THINK. After finishing the book, I’ll bet you thought about how this fictional world resembles the one you live in. After experiencing the stirring emotions of fear and friendship, hunger and hatred, determination and confusion—along with the characters, you saw the irony in the fact that everywhere you look in our world, someone is engaged in some form of electronic communication. It seems we’re voyeurs watching voyeurs. George Orwell had already warned us in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR about being watched over by Big Brother. (I kept wondering where the cameras were in THE HUNGER GAMES). Suffice it to say, they were there. Now, are you going to think about the deeper messages of the book? Or do you think it isn’t worthy of your time?

ART SHOULDN'T BE SPOOKY. I’m afraid THE HUNGER GAMES fails this criteria. And that’s okay; mature readers can handle the spookiness. Being surprised by unexpected attacks is a pretty spooky thing. But let’s look at this a little closer. Going back to the Greek philosopher and literary critic, Aristotle, we find that spookiness is a good thing in art. Aristotle thought that art (he was speaking directly to dramatic tragedy) should create enough fear in the audience to purge or purify one’s emotions of that very fear. But there are incidents in other stories for little kids that create anxiety, -----you fill in something here. After all, this standard was suggested by a child, and spookiness is something parents should oversee in the lives of little kids.


ART SHOULDN'T BE DANGEROUS. In my novel-in-progress, I have a statue falling on someone. Just the other day, a painting fell off the wall in my doctor’s office. (No one was hurt). But THE HUNGER GAMES. Now—there’s danger, there. There’s danger in starving to death, there’s danger in the games, and there’s danger of a totalitarian government sucking the life out of an entire society. So the book is ultimately political. It takes a lot of motivation to stand up to those with power.

ART SHOULD BE A THING YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH. If you bought the book (or plan to buy the video when it comes out), then you want to live with this piece of art. You will be able to look on your book shelf and see this piece of art and watch the video anytime you want. You probably have posters on your wall, and figurines sitting on your shelves. Most of the time, you get to choose what art you want to live with. But project into the future for a moment. Do you think books will die out with the advent of electronic readers? Are books going to be something to see in a museum behind glass? Is the book a kind of art that is disappearing? What are your feelings about that?

ART SHOULD HAVE SECRETS. THE HUNGER GAMES passes this criterion with flying colors. There are enough secrets in this world to fill three books; and that’s just what Ms. Collins did—she wrote two more books. In Greek Drama the artistic secrets came as a surprise near the end of the play. Only then does the viewer understand the real motivation behind the characters’ actions. There are secrets throughout THE HUNGER GAMES, such as when Katniss and Peeta come out in flaming costumes, and the secret love affair planned by Hamish to keep the two alive. In my novel, WOUNDS, Craig's secret motive for attempting to cut down the tree is explained near the end.

Do you think the people living lavishly in the Capital were interested in art? Did they read books?

I copied this from Nancy Stewart’s blog:
“Books are really part of what makes us human.” So says Rosemary Agoglia, curator of education at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, in a New York Times article about efforts to teach children the merits and pleasures of the “pre-web page,” of books.

WHAT CRITERIA DO YOU USE TO JUDGE WORKS OF ART? Please share your formulas.

Handling Critique

You said what? Boring? You want me to re-write? Do you have any idea how long I spent on this scene?

Yes, admit it. Some of us have reacted in a similar lackluster way toward someone who has critiqued our work in progress. Whether it is your parents, your significant other, a classmate, workmate, your editor. Let me try and simplify things: if you cannot handle critiquing, input, advice, suggestions, or constructive criticism of any sort—don’t write. In fact, your inability to be taught will follow you in life and you will complain, fuss, and &@!$ at any type of support given to you.

Rule: If you want to be a good writer, darn good writer, or an excellent writer…listen to others, especially those more seasoned than you.

If dealing in a specific genre, editors and publishers have tons of experience in your field and only want you to get better. That’s their job, to help you. I hired a freelance editor, Susanne Lakin, to help me in my early start. By printing out her editing, I created a notebook with her suggestions and corrections. Before you know it, tada!—a study guide. I thank God for her. She is awesome. After contracting with MuseItUp Publishing, I was blessed again with a fantastic staff that critiqued me from the owner, Lea Schizas to the cover artist, Delilah K. Stephens. My God, you are being worked over around every corner! And I am better for it.

Be willing to take instruction. Gather several views of input and compare all of them as you move through your story. You may find similarities in what they saw, or insight to things you were totally blind to.

Now, there is another side to this. Don’t give your story to someone who has no idea of what you are writing about. If they don’t read, if they are jealous, if they have no concept of writing anything, avoid them. I would not ask advice from a vacuum salesperson on how to fix my roof. Duh. At times, these people may have some good advice, but make sure it is not a ton of notes pertaining to their preference instead of an honest, constructive critique. If they want a story to go their way, have them write it!

The bottom line is this: be open and humble to listen to others. I’ve had one word said to me by someone unexpected who dropped by my office, and it set the tone for a positive day. Despite your humbleness, also remember it is your story. You may be adamant in having a scene go a certain way, but with another set of eyes, perhaps you can still have the same destiny taken on another route. Take care.

Nick G. Giannaras

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