A Resolution Fulfilled... And A Character To Interview! (Ask Shaetha)

Good evening, fellow digressors. Or is it morning? Afternoon, maybe? Well, I guess it depends on when you get around to reading this post. How were your holidays? Did you make any resolutions for the new year? I generally only make one or two, and they tend to be writing-related, but maybe I should get into the habit of making ones relevant to my lifestyle. Or, hey, I could resolve to be more regular about my blog posts. 

Eh. Okay, I should have done that like a year ago. If you have any tips on how to do it, please feel very free to drop them below. 

Speaking of resolutions, though, mine last year was to finish writing 'The Sehret Chronicles: The Rescuer' by the time 2016 rolled around. I didn't make it. However, a week ago today... 

I DID IT. 

That's right -- I have a big, messy, nearly 144,000-words-long monster to grapple with now. But a complete monster. (Perhaps a bit too complete, actually, considering that it's about 40,000 words longer than either of the other two books in the trilogy.) 

I'm not sure when I'll manage to get it on the market, but I would very much like to edit and release it before I turn 22 in May. It might be feasible, depending upon how much editing I end up having to do. I have no official cover yet, but I did create one for fun a while back, and I uploaded it for use on the front of the first draft proof copy which should arrive in the next week or so (and I will show you pictures when it gets here). For now, here is the mock-up cover: 

On that note, if you feel like playing around with a cover of your own (or a poster, or anything along those lines), check out Canva. It has some beautiful pre-made designs and even some free images and special fonts that you can use. Also, it shows you when the design element you're moving is fully centered from left to right. How delightful is that for a perfectionist? 

Oh! You know what else is exciting? 'Heir War', part 1.2 of 'The Kinsman Chronicles' by Jill Williamson is coming out on February 2nd. I'm in the process of reading it, so I can't give you much of a review yet, but so far it's fantastic. I daresay I'm liking it even better than 'Darkness Reigns'. The introductory parts are pretty much over, and so there's more action going on, and it makes me happy. Note: The dark parts are still there, but the light has also begun to creep in to provide contrast, so things are starting to come together, though I have no doubt Jill will take me for a few more twists and turns by the time it's over. Or several more. Who knows? Well, I suppose she does, since she wrote them. Brilliantly, of course, as always. By the way, the official website for the series is here and, as stated there, you can visit Jill's website for more cool things related to the series and the world and characters involved in it. 

Me, a fangirl? Don't be silly. Wherever did you get the impression that I was a fangirl? 

Ahem. You, um, really don't have to answer that question. 

Anyhow. 

Since I finished writing this draft of 'Rescuer', I've been mostly occupied with (1) finding people to read and give feedback, (2) trying not to let myself edit yet, and (3) attempting rather unsuccessfully to get my brain to work on my next scheduled project, 'Distorted Dimensions', a contemporary YA science-fiction novel about a PK who encounters the town "ghost" and has to both figure out what happened to him and help bring his "haunting" to an end. However, I'm having a fair amount of trouble working on that, and have instead been straying to other stories. One is a contemporary YA with no speculative elements, but technically it's not supposed to exist because it's populated by alternate versions of the characters from 'The Sehret Chronicles'. 

My point? Well, as long as I'm procrastinating by writing other things, I might as well work on something that is supposed to exist. So expect another installment in 'The Runaway' fairly soon, provided life doesn't get in the way. But for now, I have just one more announcement for you... 

Another character interview! 

Yes, you read that correctly. Some of you may remember a while back when I did a series of character interviews, wherein I would present a character to you and give you the opportunity to ask them whatever questions you liked. I've decided to do it again, at least for one character, though I might not get into another series just now unless there's interest in such a thing. And the lucky character this time around is... 

Shaetha Sohran

Shaetha wasn't really what you would call a major character in 'The Follower', but in 'The Rescuer' she could almost be considered the protagonist around whom the story revolves (although I think Sohrem is somewhat more central). She's fifteen, nearly sixteen, an ENFJ (Extroverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging), and a Yahveh-Follower who recently came to recognize Jeshua as Yahveh incarnate. Her parents died in a house fire when she was five, and her father's last act was to run back into the house and push her out to safety. Since then, it's been Shaetha and her older brother, Lehn, against the world. She suffers from recurring nightmares and pyrophobia as a result of the event which claimed her parents, but she's getting better about being around fires and handling her bad nights on her own (whereas Lehn would usually come running to console her). She's a positive soul who tries to see the good in everyone, and this can sometimes come back to bite her if she overlooks one potentially dangerous flaw too many in someone she loves. Pressure scares her and pushes her outside of her comfort zone, but when someone really needs her, she'll rise to the occasion, so long as that occasion does not involve wielding a weapon much bigger than her hand. However, if she's been under stress without someone there to help her sort through her feelings about things, you'll find her more bossy and direct than her usual personality would suggest she's capable of being. Overall, she's a goodhearted young woman in the throes of growing up, and one of her greatest challenges is in learning how to function and thrive on her own, apart from anyone else's direction or supervision. 

Since I haven't posted an interview in a while, and it's the middle of the week right now, I'm going to leave it open for you to ask questions through the 27th. So fire away! (But not with real fire, please. Shaetha may be braver than people think, but let's try not to trigger her intentionally just now, shall we?)