Indie Author Month: How Books Can Save the World by Tiana Warner

How books can save the world

Reading fiction is one of the most important things you can do, and science can prove it. Here’s why a good fantasy or sci-fi has the power to make the world a better place.

I truly believe that the problems facing our world stem from a lack of compassion — prejudice, inequality, the treatment of animals and the environment, even nasty comments on social media. If everyone had more concern over others’ suffering, the world would be a better place.

Indie Author Month: Editing with Dyslexia – Samantha Nicklaus

Editing with Dyslexia by Samantha Nicklaus

I’ve known I’ve had a learning disability since I was about nineteen years old. The running joke in my house was that I was the best dyslexic reader in the world. I could read two books a week no problem, but my spelling was absolutely laughable. I couldn’t “sound out” words I hadn’t heard before. If I had to read in class, it was painful for everyone involved. But I didn’t have any classic signs of dyslexia. Words and letters never “floated around” for me, and when I was reading silently, I had no issues. To me, this wasn’t a learning disability, it was just how I worked.

Indie Author Month: Review – Plastic Wings by C.T. Callahan

Author: C.T. Callahan

Age/genre: YA Fantasy

Published by: Three Little Books Co.

Publication date: 09/12/16

Pages: 306

My rating: ★★★.5

 

Indie Author Month: Guest post – R.N. Merle

The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

Goodreads Synopsis:

‘In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian, Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren. And always in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?’

Indie Author Month: Review – Orgo Runners by R.J. Furness

Author: R.J. Furness

Age/genre: MG fantasy

Published: Independently through Amazon

Publication date: 12/02/18

Pages: 111

My rating: ★★★★★

Indie Author Month: Guest post – Christina Crook

The Poisonwood Shadows, and How I Learned to Be a ‘Writer’

The Poisonwood Shadows has tormented me for almost seven years now (in the nicest possible way!). I began writing it in 2011 and, let’s just say – it’s been a real journey. I’d struggle to quantify just how much I have learned about writing with these books. To begin with, I submitted it to agents, was rightly rejected (back in 2012!) and then self-published it WAAAAAY before it was ready. I’ve lost count of the number of edits it has gone through. But it’s been a brilliant first project, and I’m very proud of what it is today. Everything I have learned over the last few years will go towards making my future books even better.

Indie Author Month: Guest post – C.T. Callahan

Writing Diversity: Eliminating “the Default” in Sci-Fi Fantasy

When it comes to writing fiction, “the default” often refers to the way that white, allocishet, abled characters are often the go-to character design. For instance, in a book that doesn’t describe its characters’ races, every character is presumed to be white. Oftentimes, a book won’t describe race for its white characters and will only stop to touch upon it for the story’s one or two people of color.

Indie Author Month: Guest post – Rosie Threakall

Hello! I’m Rosie and I blog at https://rosiefrecklereads.wordpress.com/ and when Nicola tweeted about Indie Author Month, I knew I HAD to get involved. Me and my friend Josh Baldwin are bringing out a young adult contemporary, dual perspective novel on the 4th September.

I have always loved writing and making up stories. Whether it was setting up a school for my teddies, playing Harry Potter in the school playground or wishing away my science lessons with the characters I created in my head, it’s always been a part of my life. It wasn’t until university where I thought “yeah, I could do this.” I did a drama degree, so I was no stranger to my work being criticised and you have to get over that self doubt pretty quickly. I mean, with performing I’d done that by age five, but my stories had only ever been for me. It was a whole other ball game allowing people to hear my stories. Some were awful and I mean AWFUL but that was first year. I didn’t want to take a playwrighting class in second year so I didn’t get back into writing until third year. I would feel so nervous to the point where I’d get sweaty palms but my friend would read my work, and people wouldn’t cringe. This was, in my mind, a huge achievement. It was a natural choice for me to do an extract of a novel for my final piece and it was the best thing, writing it. I fell in love with characters I can’t wait to revisit at some point. when I got more into book blogging and saw authors at events talking about their books, I felt “that could be me one day” (thank you Katie Webber).a

Indie Author Month: Guest post – Samantha Nicklaus

I’m Not Going to Read, Read, Read!

I hate writing advice. I go out of my way to avoid it, to ignore it, and to actively disregard it. Writing, like all art, is too personal to advise. What works for someone else won’t work for me. What works for me won’t work for someone else. If you happened to find writing advice that clicks with you, it is sheer dumb luck.

Indie author month: guest post – G.R. Dix

Adults in children’s fiction – Villain, Useless or Reactive?
GR Dix

I think a useful ‘rule’ to have in children’s stories concerns the adults that interact with the main character(s). Essentially this rule states that, in terms of the events of the story, every adult in the hero’s life must be either:
• the Villain – self-explanatory;
• ‘Useless’ – not completely useless, but provides no help with the problem your hero must overcome (e.g. a parent);
• or, ‘Reactive’ – that is to say, they will only provide the specific help, advice or information that they are asked for.