The Violet War

If you follow @mlvalentine on Twitter, you probably know I’ve been published before. This past week, a horror short story I’ve written was published in an anthology for Pinebox, Texas. Pinebox is kind of a weird place, it’s a little bit like the X-Files meets Twin Peaks.

My store is entitled “Pie,” and it’s about a specific type of villain — a Skinwalker — who is trying to save her own skin. Another villain in town masquerading as a college professor is trying to pin some murders on her, so he’s free from suspicion. This is one of my darker stories, partially because I found that the Skinwalker is a pretty evil character to write about. In Pinebox, a Skinwalker can only assume (or wear) someone’s skin for a limited time before the skin starts to rot. There’s a bit of black magic involved that I hinted about, but one of my biggest concerns was the disposal of the skin.

If you’re the least bit curious about this anthology, be sure to visit the Buried Tales to Pinebox, TX from 12 to Midnight page. There you’ll see some previews and also a bit about the other authors in this anthology which include popular horror authors like David Wellington. There’s both a softcover and an e-book version available, too.

Tales of the Seven Dogs is a trio of novellas, one of which was written by yours truly. Also written for a setting, my story is about two, twin brothers named Edgar and Ralph (Edgar Allen Poe and Ralph Waldo Emerson) who have a unique psychic ability called “Presque Vu.” This ability allows you to see “the Grand Design.” Well, when I was reading through the psychic powers for this group of supernatural investigators, I was drawn to this particular one because it was very strange. You see, how do you know if you’re interpreting the “signs” correctly? After all, the Grand Design is a pretty lofty thing. Coupled with part of the mystery of the setting, reviewers have commented that my story might be considered literary. If you’re interested, you can check out the e-book of Tales of the Seven Dogs Society or order the softcover of Tales of the Seven Dogs.

If you’re going to be attending GenCon: Indy this year, I’ll be on several panels through the Writer’s Symposium and I’ll be hanging out in Author’s Alley. Feel free to stop by and say “Hello” if you’re there. I’ll be happy to sign your books if you’d like me to as well.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to promote my other work. Your support is really appreciated.

I’m working on my revisions to the second draft of Argentum, but I wanted to share with you a comment I received in email this past week.

I’m sorry to see that you feel the experiment failed. I disagree. I found it very interesting. I never got around to finishing the whole thing so if you wouldn’t mind I would love to see how you ended it. I’m excited for you that someone expressed interest in the setting. It is an excellent setting and can be developed, I feel, into a very dynamic world with lots of potential. Please keep us updated on any progress or changes. I would love to someday read a published copy. Thanks for the look into your creative process. I found it quite enlightening. I wish you lots of luck. –C

Of course, I was delighted to receive a comment from one of you as it helps keep me motivated to get through the second draft. In this case, it’s also interesting because those of you who supported me and stuck around truly understood that it was a “first draft.”

The challenge, of course, is for those non-careful readers and professionals who stumble upon this world and don’t catch the words “first draft.” As I’ve mentioned to all of you before, my master plan is to submit the finished book to be published. Not sure where, when or even if that’s going to happen, but that’s the hope.

I don’t regret posting my first draft for all of you at all, and I’m glad that you’re sticking with the progress of the second draft and what might happen next. As my way of saying “Thank You” I’m going to offer you more goodies from this setting, but I need to get the book done first.

Your comments are always appreciated, both positive and negative. Thank you again for your support of my work, and have a wonderful, magic-filled day!

Dear Readers,

As I mentioned earlier, this has been an experiment for me because I was offering my first draft. What I’ve found first and foremost, is that many readers and reviewers have not taken that into consideration when adding comments or providing me with feedback via email. The book that I’ve offered here is not a finished product, and one that I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with.

Now that I’ve been approached by someone who potentially wants to license this setting, that conversation has led me to think that I should consider finding a publisher once the book is revised. Finding a publisher that’s interested may (or may not) happen, but due to contract negotiations and other legalese that often accompanies this sort of thing, I’ve decided to offer the draft for serious reviewers only. If you contact me, I will provide you with a password to get into the book.

No, I don’t know what’s going to happen to this series or if it will ever take off, but I’m going to keep writing it, revising it, and pursuing it. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that the scope of this site is going to change. Instead of “just” providing the first draft for those who want to read it, I’m going to start working on other goodies that will shine some light on this setting once the book is done.

Each and every one of you that has read Argentum is extremely important to me, and I will ensure that I do my best to keep you on my radar.

In the meantime, I’m going to get back to writing the book, for without that — I have nothing to submit. I’m both excited and sad at the same time for these changes. Sad that I feel my experiment “failed,” and excited that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Either way, I appreciate your patience and your time, for your support means everything and then some.

Yours truly,

Monica

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for your support and kindness. I’ve added a few more chapters of my first draft for you to read; Ch. 19 was a bit shorter than I had expected because in 20 I’m plotting a big confrontation. After all, there’s a traitor on the loose…

This weekend I’ll be speaking at WisCon, which is a feminist science fiction convention in Madison, Wisconsin. If you’re around for this convention, stop by and say “Hello.” Several great authors and editors will be on hand for you to interact with, get your books signed and tell them how much you enjoy their books.

Don’t forget to support your favorite author and keep reading! Cheers!

My Panels at WisCon 2009

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Dear readers,

I am pleased to share with you a site called the “Web Fiction Guide.” This website offers a comprehensive list of online books, and features many excellent finished works.

One of the staff reviewers at this website was kind enough to review my first draft of Argentum, which you can read here online. I’ve been connecting with a lot of published writers over the past month, many of whom were surprised I was offering my first draft. While it appears that some reviewers aren’t taking that into consideration, I believe that this is an excellent review that offers both positive and negative feedback.

Review of Argentum on Web Fiction Guide.

I’m hoping to finish the story this weekend, then fill in the chapter breaks. Feedback is extremely useful, because it will make revisions easier to provide.

Offering my first draft has been an experiment, and based on my experiences it’s interesting to see how this might end up.

Thanks for sticking with me. I’ve been bogged down with projects and convention appearances, which is the reason for the pause in updates.

Sincerely,

Monica

So if you’ve been following how Argentum has been developing, you’ve probably read a post or two where I describe a little bit about my writing process. Well, this past weekend at OddCon, there were a lot of conversations that I had with other writers about their writing process. When I mentioned I was offering my first draft for all the world to see, I raised a few eyebrows because often a “first draft” is somewhat scary to reveal, because it’s part of a larger process before a reader sees the story in print.

My process for writing is often an odd thing to describe, partially because I obsess not over the meanings of words but over the sounds of them. I hear the way certain words sound and it becomes my favorite word-of-choice for a while, then I cast it aside and choose another one.

Argentum started as an idea that I had a few years ago, inspired by a painting. In this painting, the Alchemist would literally “boil” their skin to get ready for their ritual. I kept hearing how the words “boiled” and “skin” might fit together, and I grossed myself out. At the same time, I was asking myself question about anti-heroes: Can a murderous character be forgiven? What if the main character is not the hero, but a victim? A villain? When I didn’t write anything down, another question arose in my mind: What if all the magic we’ve ever described through mythology was actually real?

Needless to say, I didn’t answer that one either and more questions popped into my head to the point where I started to respond to them by building a functional setting that all started with the image of a man in a bath of boiling water. This setting became my playground to tell a very “big” story that will hopefully one day entertain you.

So what is my writing process now? Well, I sit down at my computer. I write a chapter, however long it needs to be, and then I post it online. I usually don’t re-read it, and rely on the red, squiggly lines to tell me if I switched my letters around again. In part two, I go through and read it after it’s been posted a while, read any of your comments or emails, and then fit it into my plot matrix. (Which is pretty much a fancy way of saying that I’m tracking characters and plot threads as they appear in the story.)

There is a third, fourth and fifth part to that process that I haven’t gotten to yet, but much of it will depend on the feedback I receive. Truthfully, I hate writing in first person but I feel it’s necessary for this story to be told for many reasons. One, Serafina has a broken mind which is integral to the plot. Two, this world I built is so big I didn’t want to spend chapter after chapter describing what the world is like. The list of reasons goes on and on and on…

Offering a first draft is unusual, because this is literally from my mind to your screen. If you have any comments to share, good or bad, feel free to share them. I don’t take those comments personally because this is not a finished work and I understand my story may not be entertaining for everyone.

However, if you do have something negative to say that isn’t related to proofreading, pacing or continuity, tell me why. There are many things that will be fixed in the final, but if there’s something you truly enjoy about it (or truly hate) that feedback will ensure you’re going to get a great story, wherever (and however) that might be published.

Hi everyone,

I’m preparing for my convention appearance at OddCon in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend and will be posting new content to Violet War after the convention. I posted an extra “piece” last Thursday to express what “streaming” was all about.

Here’s more information about the panels I’ll be on. I hope to see you there!

From April 24th through the 26th, I will be appearing at Odyssey Con 2009, a small science fiction and fantasy convention held here in Madison, Wisconsin. This will be the first convention I’ll be speaking at this year, and I’ve taken on quite a few panels in order to share my thoughts with you and promote my work. Unfortunately, my new short story that will appear in the Buried Tales of Pinebox, TX anthology may not be released just yet. I’ll bring along a few copies of the Tales of the Seven Dogs Society, though. Here are the panels I’ll be appearing on:

• Networking at conventions (15)
• Worldbuilding – Some Necessary Background (31)
• GAME FICTION: The Good, the Bad the Ugly (89)
• SF and Horror (91)
• So You Wanna Be A Freelancer? (107)

In addition to the OddCon panels that I will be appearing on with Guests of Honor Patrick Rothfuss and Sarah Monette, you can join in the fun! Be sure to check out the fiction writing contest and come to network with other writers and fans of the genre. Also on hand will be Emma Bull Guest of Honor, Matt Forbeck, novelist and game writer, Michael Damien Thomas and Lynne Thomas, Jeff Preston, Illustrator, Matt M McElroy of the Flames Rising Horror and Dark Fantasy Webzine and several other wonderful guests!

Hope to see you there!

One of the things that’s a lot of fun writing for Argentum, is that I can offer you my first draft before any revisions are made. Some writers might find this a bit scary, but I don’t. You see, I really enjoy reading how a script or book evolves, and I’m happy I can share with you what’s going on with this series before I get to revisions.

While I’ve been sticking with a publishing schedule (every Tuesday and Thursday a different piece of the book is revealed), it’s pretty hard not to want to go back to Chapter One and revise, revise, revise.

One of the biggest revisions I’m leaning toward making, is changing the point-of-view from first person to third person. First person has allowed me to keep things in Sophie’s head, but it is a bit limiting for this story. I feel as if there are times where her mindset doesn’t really reveal how she’s reacting (i.e. first chapter she’s been sedated or “drugged” into pliancy) to the world around her. From what I’m reading, I also see that the influx of all these characters are confusing to the reader, even if they are part of the story.

Some of you have commented that you like how the story is being told “as is,” but I’m not so sure. Regardless, I’m going to continue writing the first draft from Sophie’s perspective all the way through to the bitter end.

Happy reading!

When I revisited how Argentum, Book One of the Violet War was going earlier this year, I had mentioned I had planned to make changes for my reader’s best interests. One of the things I talked about, was updating when I had five Chapters available rather than just one, and that I wanted to move toward bi-weekly updates.

I’m happy to say that bi-weekly updates are continuing every Tuesday and Thursday, and I’ve completed the story through Chapter 15. The sections of the book are called Preparation, Refinement and Ritual for a reason. I’ll give you a hint — they’re all part of an Alchemist’s process. Preparation was completed toward the end of last year, and I’m happy to say that we’re halfway through Refinement.

To read Chapters Ten through Fifteen of Argentum, you can simply follow along by visiting Refinement, Section Two of Argentum. The quote that you’ll find there is fairly ominous, but does provide a little glimpse about what is to come.

Once the proper steps have been taken to prepare yourself and your Space for the upcoming Ritual, you must then refine the Base elements you require. In order to ensure your Ritual will work, seek out only the purest of Elements — Prometheus, the Father of Alchemy.

It isn’t easy posting a first draft, because already I see things I want to shift and change in the final version. This has been a lot of fun, however. I’ve created my book trailer for Argentum, Book One of the Violet War series and I’m also playing around with producing an audiobook version of the story. I’ve had a lot of requests for an audiobook, but much of what I’m doing here is a learning process.

Thanks for sticking with me through this experience. I appreciate your comments and your feedback. Until next time…