Okay, I'm a sucker for covers...Seven Point Eight ROCKS!! Please enjoy this guest post from author Marie Harbon today, touring with her book over at Goddess Fish Promotions. Marie is also giving you a chance to win some really cool prizes so be sure to leave a comment with your name and email.
Tips
For Writers
A
story follows what a character wants, what she’ll do to get it, and
what costs she’ll have to pay on the way. The journey of your
character is paramount, as your readers will track what she learns,
the decisions she makes, and how her life changes as a result. This
is the essence of myth – which is a journey leading to oneself.
Myth relates to all stories, not just fantasy. You can use a physical
journey as the basis for this, even if it’s only from one side of a
city to another. A good example of a journey is in ‘Stand By Me’,
when four boys walk on an adventure to see a dead body. Along the
way, they discover a lot about themselves.
Flow
is one of the most important elements of a good story. Ensure ease of
reading for your audience, so that they’re not jarred by complex
language or names that are difficult to pronounce. They’ll just
substitute gibberish instead, and the human eye singles out difficult
words. While you believe you’re being clever, most likely, your
readers will find it a turn off.
Another
key element is pace. A slow plod will cause the reader’s interest
to decline, although it allows for greater detail. A hectic pace will
take the reader on an adrenaline saturated rollercoaster ride,
although it will exclude detail. This pace is perfect for suspense,
whereas a slower pace is more appropriate for literary fiction, as it
allows character development and analysis. Most genres strike a
balance between the two.
My
third key element is emotion. This is what really drives your story,
not your flawless prose or your technical genius. Readers must feel
what is happening to your characters, be joyful in their successes
and tearful in their heartache. They must travel the journey by your
character’s side, and care what happens to them. Make your reader
feel excitement, tears, triumph, disgust, annoyance, and laughter.
Some
authors give strict technical advice about the use of adverbs,
semi-colons and prologues, to name a few. Excellent flow, pace, and
emotion trumps technical factors, because readers don’t pick up a
book to check out how many adverbs an author used. They read to be
transported to another world. Perfect technicalities cannot mask a
lame and pointless story. Many of Amazon’s best sellers are not
works of technical genius: they merely take the fantasies of readers,
translate them into words using the authors’ hearts and souls, and
sell them back to the world.
What
are the ingredients of a good story? Make a wish list of everything
you’d like to see in a book or film, what interests you
passionately, what entertains you, and the themes that capture your
imagination. Choose some key elements that naturally intersect, and
build your vision from there.
Don’t
neglect the depth of your story world. It’s not necessary to
describe everything down to the trees and the soil, but you should
seek to capture an evocative snapshot of your world. Sometimes a bold
metaphor can perform this job more effectively than a whole paragraph
of description.
Play
around with ‘what if’ scenarios. If it can happen, then let it.
When
developing your lead character, remember, he/she must drive the
action. This character doesn’t have to be instantly likeable or
perfect. Sometimes, the most fascinating characters are those who are
challenging, complex, and make mistakes, just like us.
Don’t
develop one character and neglect the dimensionality of your
supporting cast. Where relevant to the story, allow them to express
themselves, without sidetracking. See all your characters together as
part of an interconnected web, who interact, and affect each other’s
emotions and decisions.
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Marie
Harbon has worked in both the retail and fitness industry. She has a
degree in sport and fitness, and taught group exercise for several
years, delivering aerobics and Pilates. For two years, she delivered
BTEC sport courses and has also instructed dance and sport with
children.
Marie is
a member of Nottingham Writers Studio, Her future plans include not
only completing the 'Seven Point Eight' series, but involve writing
YA, children's and adult books, short stories, novellas and scripts.
Aside
from writing, Marie is a self-confessed fabric geek and purveyor of
beautiful, often ostentatious bags, bustiers and clothing. She lives
in the town of Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, which is in England.
Website
- www.marieharbon.com
Facebook
- https://www.facebook.com/marie.harbon
Twitter
- @marieharbon
BLURB:
Seven
Point Eight:
'The
Truth Will Set You Free'
In the
second instalment of the Seven Point Eight series, the legacy of the
OOBE project weighs heavily on the conscience of Dr Paul Eldridge.
Tahra Mamoun needs to muster all her courage and venture back into
the alternate dimensions of reality. Through a series of challenging,
surreal and frightening experiences, she comes to comprehend the
destructive power she can yield and must face her own demons in the
process.
Paul
continues his quest to understand the ancient knowledge of the
cosmos, while dark forces seek to hijack his research to further a
secret agenda. With their lives in jeopardy, Paul and Tahra confront
their enemies against an international backdrop featuring the
pyramids of Giza and the peaks of Switzerland.
Meanwhile,
Sam and Ava endeavour to uncover their past, even though it may
irrevocably change their lives.
In a
tale of courage and tragedy, love and betrayal, their lives are
interwoven around the demons of one man, Max Richardson, who'll stop
at nothing to achieve his objectives.
Written
in the style of a TV series, Seven Point Eight draws together quantum
physics, psychic powers, alternate dimensions, time travel, past
lives, ancient wisdom and conspiracy in a soap opera for the soul.
It’s
the ideal read for lovers of sci-fi, contemporary fantasy,
paranormal, metaphysics, ‘Lost’, ‘Fringe’, ‘Touch’, and
Dan Brown books.
Titles included are:
Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) by K. S. Haigwood & Ella Medler
Blood is Heavier by Ella Medler
The Transient by M.W. Russell
Betwixt by Melissa Pearl
Foundling Wizard by James Eggebeen
Paradox: The Angels Are Here by Patti Roberts
Paradox: Progeny of Innocence by Patti Roberts
Accountable to None by Ashley Fontainne
Card Tricks by Jon Messenger
Struglend Tales by Jan Jacob Mekes
Book of Curses by L.D. Hutchinson
Soul Sisters by Janiera Eldridge
Marie will be awarding a free copy of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle via Smashwords and a 12 ebook swagbag including, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and YA titles to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
January 21: Racing To Read
January 22: Books Amour
January 23: Sandra's Blog
January 24: Melissa Keir- Sexy Between the Covers
January 25: Rogue's Angels
January 28: Author Raine Delight's Blog
January 29: BadBarbsPlace
January 30: Bunny's Review
January 30: STOP 2 Hope Dreams. Life... Love
January 31: The Write to Read
February 1: The Cerebral Writer
February 4: Immortality and Beyond
February 5: Wake Up Your Wild Side
February 6: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
February 7: Andi's Book Reviews
February 8: Books and Other Spells
6 comments:
Thank you so much for stopping in today Marie :) Love the cover and the post was fantastic!
Thank you for hosting today.
The series sounds interesting -- and your future plans are certainly ambitious! Thanks for introducing me to the series. I'm a fan of the genre :-)
mnark111 AT gmail DOT com
Great advice for writers! Thanks for sharing and I wish you well on your tour:)
Michelle
Pit Crew
Wow! I love the cover! And her looks! She is so unconventional!
I love the red hair and dread lock. Cool! I hope it has been a great tour experience for you!
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