#WritersCoffeeClub 5.1 — Intro and update: Introduce yourself and / or update us on your writing journey since your last intro.
Hi everyone, I'm Hannah (not my official name).
I'm a German writer of fantasy (sometimes SF), writing mostly in English. I prefer feel-good stories with a good ending, although my heroes do get mangled quite a bit until they get there.
I also often write about underdogs and people fighting for what is right. I write mostly series.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 3.12 Do you agree with Ray Bradbury, who said, "Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things you're doomed"?
"Doomed" may be a little overblown, but I like to see writing as a craft. And like every craft, writing needs practice and challenges.
So there is a relationship between how much you write and how fast you get better at it.
I'm sure that learning curve is very different for everyone, though.
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#PhantastikPrompts 12.3. Wo und wie schläft deine Hauptfigur am Anfang der Geschichte? Und am Ende?
Am Anfang schläft Sun in seinem House, im Sacred Square, dort wo er sein Leben lang gelebt hat. Er sollte dort auch sterben (genauer, auf der Sun Pyramid), aber daraus wurde dann nichts.
Am Ende schläft er in seinem Bett in seinem neuen Zuhause, ziemlich glücklich. 😉 Und mit einer neuen Aufgabe.
Sun Burns, Pillars of the Empire 3
(WiP)
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@da5013b0
Still waiting for it to get through all servers. It should be up on Amazon.
Google has a glitch, and Apple etc. will take a little longer. I'm chatting with Google Support right now.
@b2ab0244
Thank you. ❤️
I'm strangely not really excited. This has taken such an effort to get it all done.
And I'm not really trusting myself a lot right now.
@b2ab0244
Kinda sorta. It should be live on Amazon. Google is throwing up an error message.
D2D is still pushing it through to Apple etc.
I'm starting to collect the links.
This has where it's live now. Will add more links as they come in. And I'll do a full announcement tomorrow morning when it should all be settled.
https://books2read.com/EarthPillarsEmpire
#WritersCoffeeClub 7: Have you ever seen a TV show or movie so close to one of your ideas you wished you'd written it?
Not really.
I do dream of seeing my Wolves turned into TV serials. I actually started writing the screenplay for A Wolf's Quest. Got some good comments for it.
That one would have three episodes, to cover what happens in the book. I can see it so clearly - but let's be honest and face that it has a snowball's chance in heaven to work.
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#WolfShifters
#WordWeavers 10/7 — How does your MC handle strong emotion?
Earth gets overwhelmed and shuts down.
She's used to the people in her House, but not at all used to keeping a secret. A secret dear to her heart.
When it gets found out, she almost crumbles.
And then she throws herself into the next best distraction who happens to be Sky Bear.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
(Live on Amazon and Google Play Store as of now. Links coming.)
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#EpicFantasy
@50dd0c9c
Glad it was worth it for you.
And don't feel bad about not liking South. That's fine. It's why I make it free, so people can try the series with no risk.
#PennedPossibilities 94 — What is your MC or SC's biggest secret?
Earth has someone she cares about, outside of her House.
That is a huge, huge act of rebellion. She is supposed to serve the Empire with all of her magic and all of her heart.
But her secret man is everything the Priests are not... and she cannot let him go. He's the one bright spot in her life right now.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
(It's going live today!)
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#EpicFantasy
@50dd0c9c
Yes, there's a redirect on the first link that your browser probably blocks. I hope you can still grab some of those books for free.
(Mine definitely still is.)
@c48aa580
*sending all the hugs*
Sometimes, we pay money to learn things - and sometimes, those things are not what we thought we would learn. Alas.
I always chalk that up to "Lehrgeld".
@c48aa580
Ugh. That sounds awful.
I stay away from Instagram and TikTok. Yes, I know a lot of authors sell books through those channels, but I cannot bring myself to wade into those cesspools.
Maybe only with a burner laptop I only use for that stuff. The spying isn't cute at all.
@6e9427cf@b2ab0244@ebd90c48
One of the very first short stories I wrote features an MC who does not reveal their gender.
Name is Max, and I avoided pronouns in the entire story. Most people don't even notice.
("Sequoia" - a short story, published in 2013)
Writing that wasn't easy, but Max consistently refused to tell me their gender. Might be my first genderfluid character.
Max is also very likable, even if I say so.
Gute Nacht, Freunde!
Unproductive day.
I did run my Mastermind this morning, and we plotted the new Wolf story, among other things.
And then the day got away from me, I lost myself in books and played Titan Quest.
I promise, I'll get Earth to you soon... (Yes, I feel bad about that.)
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#WordWeavers 6: Has your MC ever done anything contradictory to their values?
Earth went against her orders at one point, by not killing someone they had been sent to kill. Instead, she saved him.
Disobeying the Priests is very much against everything she has been taught.
And yet... she rebelled. And she kept rebelling, quietly, carefully, until the day she... didn't.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
(Release any day now)
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#WritersCoffeeClub 10.6 — Are you self-published or trad-published? How's it going?
Self-published.
I started out working with small press, then I got represented by a German literary agency. They never did anything for me, but trapped me in writing in German.
After I cancelled the contract, I started writing novels in English and entered self-publishing in 2013.
By now, I have self-published about 20 books. I'm not getting rich that way, but I won't go back, either.
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@c48aa580
Fortunately, I haven't experienced it that much myself (being a German author), but then, I decided to write fantasy in English, after giving up representation by a German literary agency.
Being part of an English-language bubble has made me more aware of racism and bigotry, strangely enough.
And yes, it's quite prevalent here in Germany. Very sad to see. We could know better...
Gute Nacht, Freunde.
Wrote 400 words for the new Wolf story (A Wolf's Christmas).
Went to work at the office, walked home in beautiful weather (a squall passed harmlessly to the south), sat on the balcony and read another romance (yummy), and chatted with the Creative Writing Club. (Left when they pulled Dad jokes.)
I'm feeling a LOT better and I really hope I can rebuild my writing speed and get books out.
Earth Splits upload tomorrow!
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#AuthorLife
#WiPQuote
*We like to invite you to Christmas*, I read and frowned.
Turning the envelope around, I found the sender’s address and realized with a start that it had come all the way from Germany. Now I knew why the stamp had seemed so unfamiliar. I went back to reading the cursive handwriting.
*We look forward to see you, and maybe you can help us with a small problem.*
A Wolf's Christmas (Wolves of the South Book 7)
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#UrbanFantasy
#WolfShifters
For all the Fantasy lovers among my friends:
There's a big event coming:
FANTASY FREE-FOR-ALL
But it only happens tomorrow, on October 6th. Sign up for reminders below:
FantasyFreeForAll.com
Over 130 titles, for free, for you to grab. (Including one of mine.)
Deal? Hit that link. And boost the heck out of this.
#Fantasy
#ReadersOfMastodon
https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/111/183/590/403/114/796/original/49d574c481cc1d44.jpg
@73b17510
Here's hoping. I have been working through burnout and depression for most of this year, and I'm just getting back on my feet.
But the Wolves are my bestselling series, and I love writing them, so adding a couple of more books to it will actually mean income.
(And A Wolf's Christmas will take place in Germany. 🙂 )
#PhantastikPrompts 5 — Leben der Hauptfigur, wenn es kein Abenteuer gegeben hätte.
Ohne das Abenteuer wäre Earth jetzt tot.
Sie und alle anderen in ihrem Haus sind dazu bestimmt, zur Wintersonnenwende ihr Leben zu geben. Ihre magische Energie, die bei ihrem rituellen Tod frei wird, erhält den Schutzschirm über dem Heiligen Reich - zumindest dient das als offizielle Rechtfertigung.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1 (auf Englisch)
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#DeutscheAutoren
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@41b437fa
I'm one of those pantsers who do not plan their books in detail.
Yes, I have some landmarks I need to hit (and there are more the deeper I get into a series!), but I need the discovery of writing while I go to finish a book.
Mine are also fairly short (50-70k), so if (big IF!) I manage to write at NaNo speed, I can get one written in 4-6 weeks, putting in an hour or so a day.
I do not rewrite. I do edit them myself. And I self-publish. That's how I do it.
Not easy. But doable.
#WritersCoffeeClub 10/5: What are your writing project goals?
1) Publish Earth Splits (next few days)
2) Write "A Wolf's Christmas", so I can publish it end of November 2023.
3) Complete and edit "Sky Falls", so I can publish it in January 2024.
4) Write another Wolf book - "A Wolf's Hacker".
5) Write and finish "Sun Burns".
6) Long term: Bring back other series, polish them and finally publish them.
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#Fantasy
@41b437fa
Yes! My sister recommended them to me - she read the German books. Of course, I had to get the English version.
Compared to indie books, those are expensive, though! (At least they were published through TOR, that is one publisher I do not mind supporting.)
#WordWeavers 10/5. How often do you discuss your writing with your real-life friends and family?
Practically never.
My family does not like/understand fantasy. They also don't understand writing/publishing.
None of the very few real-life friends are interested in my writing, either.
It does get very lonely at times. I am glad I have some good online friends who are also writers. And of course, the Mastodon community is awesome.
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Gute Nacht, Freunde.
Recovery day - and office day. Both together means not getting much done. And that's okay, because self-care is really important.
Read the Murderbot book 1, and that was very well done and quite a good read. Not indie, alas.
Also read some comfort books, sat on the balcony for a bit, ate left-overs and played some Titan Quest. All good stuff.
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#pennedpossibilities 91 — How do your characters want to be seen by others? What image do they wish to portray?
Earth wants to be seen as friendly and competent. It does make life easier with the Priests who watch over her House.
When her life suddenly changes beyond her imagination, she wants to be... valued. And possibly loved.
(Can't talk about others, because of spoilers.)
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
(Coming soon.)
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#EpicFantasy
#WordWeavers 4/10. Character development, world-building, plot—how much attention to each?
Of all three, I focus on character development and plot. World-building happens as the character walks through their world.
Yes, it's different for each series/novel. Yes, there are limits imposed by the world itself.
I'm mostly a pantser, I do not plan much ahead. Even so, I like setting some framework while I think about a story. It's very fluid.
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#Fantasy
@41b437fa
It was. I'm so glad she came to spend the weekend.
I appreciated her support with the admin stuff on Saturday, and I'm glad I could give her some much needed time away from everything.
Put her on the bus to the train station this morning (had to go to work), and right now, I miss her. Heh.
Such is life.
@638bb534
That looks pretty much par for the course - they are using a system for typesetting, not people.
I don't really like using "justified" for that very reason.
@b2ab0244
You know how I use chapter images in the Winds books?
*takes deep breath*
A while ago, Atticus eliminated their "backmatter" area in order to be able to offer easy formatting of boxed sets.
Which meant that the chapter graphic showed up in the backmatter pages.
I had to convert those pages to "chapters", and then I could check "hide chapter image", and all was well. They still work as templates.
Easy fix. Very happy with it.
#Atticus
Yesterday afternoon, I ran into a problem while formatting Earth Splits with Atticus.
I emailed support.
Found an answer this morning, only had the time to work through it just now and wow.
Easy fix, worked exactly as they said it would, and now the file looks great.
I am so glad I bought Atticus for formatting. Makes my life so much easier.
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#PennedPossibilities 90 — Do any of your characters have disabilities? Can you relate to them on some level?
I have a character who has a clubfoot and deals with it - Sidren, the MC of Dragon Prey.
Others may or may not be neurodivergent.
I can relate because I'm autistic, often depressed and overreact to histamine.
I admire authors with disability who still manage to write and publish books - because it's so much harder.
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#AuthorLife
#WritersCoffeeClub 03: Should a writer have a face shot on their book cover or within their book?
Yes and no.
Too many people judge the competency of people by their looks. If a writer isn't pretty or handsome, that can backfire.
On the other hand, it's nice to relate to a writer beyond their book.
Having said that, yes, I have a head shot in my books, in the back.
See me in all my aged, grayed glory. Yes, that's Ember sitting on my shoulder.
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https://cdn.masto.host/writing/media_attachments/files/111/171/729/433/956/001/original/bbd82bfc01cf7045.jpg
#WordWeavers 10/3: How do you convey characters' emotions?
I usually write close third person or first person POV, and that means being in the mind of that person.
So I like to show how their thoughts wander, what they associate with things that happen, how they react or plan.
WIP:
I closed my eyes, swallowed against the lump in my throat and pulled the door close. With trembling fingers, I locked it, turned and stepped away.
A Wolf's Christmas
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#WolfShifters
Gute Nacht, Freunde!
Back from a lovely afternoon and evening out, meeting with friends at an Italian restaurant, great food, good talks, just back.
This is very much a vacation, and definitely something I absolutely needed.
So happy my sis is here and we do these wonderful things together.
Also made great progress with Earth until I ran into a snag with Atticus while formatting. But I'm very close to a release!
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#WritersCoffeeClub 10/2. How often do you write in a typical week? How do you find the time?
For a very long time, the answer was: "Every day."
Then I fell into burnout.
I want to get back to writing every day. But there is also editing, admin work (and a pesky day job). Right now, maybe two/three days a week.
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#WritersCoffeeClub 9/30: What dumb things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?
"Oh! I have this awesome idea! You write the book and we split the royalties."
"Where do you get all your ideas from?" (Not the same person as #1, obviously.)
"Really? When will you get a movie contract?"
At least there are always a few who think it's cool and who actually ask reasonable questions about self-publishing.
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#PennedPossibilities 89 — Do your characters believe in happy endings?
My Winds and Pillars do not.
I mean, they grow up knowing they will die the year they turn 25. They will have their throats cut on top of a pyramid, feeding their energy to the Veil that protects the Holy Empire.
No happy ending there, unless they can frame it as the culmination of their service to the Empire.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
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#EpicFantasy
Gute Nacht, Freunde.
Happy day with my sis.
Walked down to the water, hopped on a ferry to Laboe, strolled through town, caught a ferry back home just before the rain started.
Rode it to the main station (yes, there is a place for ferries to stop nearby), grabbed a bus home and chilled for the rest of the evening, mostly reading.
A very good day, and I'm off to bed now. All that pure oxygen, you know. 😉
More ideas about my Wolves...
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#AuthorLife
A friend of mine has an Amazon Daily Deal on Amazon UK today.
If you like historical fiction with a dark and twisted MC, "At the Kings Command" is for your.
It's book 1 of the Mowbray Chronicles, set in the time of Richard II.
Check it out here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Q2H2QLH
#HistoricalFiction
#ReadersofMastodon
@b2e37e2e
#WritersCoffeeClub 10/1 - Shameless self-promo. What's your WIP? What's it about?
This month, I want to talk about Earth Splits. That's the book I need to give a final editing pass and get it published asap.
It's book five in my Winds and Pillars series. Earth is, in fact, the first Pillar who is an MC in that series. As her name indicates, she has Earth Power, working with dirt, plants and everything in the ground.
Earth Splits, Pillars of the Empire Book 1
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#Epic
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