So what's going on Nancy?

Well I'm glad I asked! It's been a couple months since I posted anything here, but I have been busy throughout that time. I have been consistent in getting my writing done 4-6 days a week for 4-6 hours in the afternoon most days. Now and then I will boot something up on a day where I had other, non-writing projects going and at least get in a couple more hours. And all that pushing out work has paid off too. I have 3 novels completed this year in rough draft, and I went over a short story I wrote last year in the Chandra Smoake paranormal investigator series and was able to have that turned into to an eager publisher within a few days. Plus I wrote a healrtfelt essay about a late writer friend that is supposed to appear in a fund-raising anthology where the proceeds go to his next of kin.

I've also done some gardening; mostly potted plants that are lining the cement steps and walkway alongside the house, and covering a utility table out in the yard. Plus I try and visit with the adult sons, daughter-in-law, and grandkids at least once a week. Evenings are generally spent in front of the TV with Jeopardy and the Red Sox ballgame, or something else we all enjoy watching. I do belong to an online writer's group that meets once a week in the evening to share our latest creations as well as news, publishing hints, and what's happening in our lives. So yeah, I keep busy in these almost 'Golden Years'. (I'm 64 and proud to admit it.)

I want to focus on the novels here, because they are all longterm projects. That means they require a serious commitment over a far lengthier period of time than the occasional short story I put out. Regardless, I take any writing I do seriously. I have not had any hard deadlines on books this year, but I've been plugging away regularly and I'm farther ahead at this point than I expected to be. Three books that are finished in at least rough draft by the middle of summer is nothing to sneeze at. So let's see what we have...

First done was my latest contribution to the Airship 27 series Sinbad: The New Voyages. This one is a novel titled SINBAD AND THE MINOTAUR. Yes, it's that Minotaur, the one associated with King Minos the First, the labyrinth, and the hero Theseus. This is my third Sinbad tale for the series, the first was a short story in Volume 1, the second a novella in Volume 6. I've kind of had my own story arc going within the series, with the magical etheric devices that were developed from the formula Sinbad found in the first short story I wrote, and which got implanted in the Blue Nymph's figurehead and transported them all to an Ice Age destination in the novella. In this tale, Sinbad & Company are taken to early Minoan Crete and play a part in what happens there with the current sacrifice of innocent Athenian youths to the monster of the labyrinth. I tried very hard to work in as much historical detail of the era as I could find along with the mythology of that time, and it's a pretty interesting tale. Plus it has that bloodhthirsty Cretan mostrosity that is half bull/half man along with the bronze giant Talos, and a cameo by Poseidon, so how can you go wrong? As usual, my longtime love of the Ray Harryhausen animated movies comes through loud and clear in this one. I'm about halfway through my second and final pass, so am hoping to turn this one in soon. This was a story I started back in late 2019, and had to keep setting aside to work on other projects. Finally got it done, and frankly was surprised it turned out to be book length.

Just recently completed in rough draft as well, and also aimed at Airship 27, is the eighth Jezebel Johnston pirate novel, subtitled REVELATION. I don't want to totally spoil it, but in this one Jez finally acquires her own ship and plans on sailing away from the East Indies and back to her Caribbean homneland to continue her pirating. But things don't go quite so smoothly and she finds out that it's far harder to be the one in charge than she expected. Plus there are some surprises along the way, and I also included the exploits of the last folks she had gone a-pirating with. None of the tie-in plots are put into the books randomly or as fillers, for some of these people will cross paths with Jez again farther down the road. A select few will be allies for life. There are at least four more books in this series, and there could be more than that, depending on how well these do. I have been developing some ideas that could expand the series even further. I'll continue writing them as long as they are well received.

Also recently completed was a novel that another dear writer friend had been working on before his untimely passing, a manuscript that co-editor Lee Houston Jr. and I decided to finish for him at the request of the potential publisher. Lee and I had been asked by the original author to go over it and make suggestions, which we did, and then the individual's health began failing and we lost contact. This one was a labor of love for both of us, because as writers, we understand how tough it is to get work done when you have such extenuating circumstances as chronic health issues. I can't talk much about the actual story itself, other than to say it was written as a period piece set in the 1930s with a classic-style pulp hero who gains abilities beyond the average human being. Yet these abilities must be learned and perfected. And there are ruthless enemies of society out there who will stop at nothing to become the dominant organization of this location—with eyes on expansion over time to a far larger territory. The story was over half-finished when we got it, and Lee did a lot of editing work on it before he sent what he had to me. I started at the beginning, initially just rereading it and trying to get a feel for what the original author intended. Yes, this is a bit out of my usual writing wheelhouse, but all well-told tales have a similar working formula, it was just the specific genre that I had to bone up on. As I started to write additional material and researched topics, I found ideas coming to me frequently of how to use what was already there to move the story forward toward a conclusion. For a long time this was a one day a week project, but as I got closer to what was going to be the grand climax of the book, I set everything else aside for several days at a time to focus on it. The day I wrote THE END was an emotional one for me, because I pictured that friend smiling about having the book done at last. I need to make a second pass, and I will do that once at least Sinbad is turned in. Then Lee gets it for a going over. While this book can be a 'one and done' standalone novel, Lee and I have talked about continuing the series if the publisher likes it and thinks that would be viable. My only caveat is that our friend, the original author, gets his name on those covers too, if that is doable. It was his brainchild after all.

Every book or story we have in print is part of our legacy as writers. It is something special to be recognized for having accomplished, something we did outside of the things we must tackle in our everyday life. For me, it's a later life career that I built story by story—by myself, for myself. I might not be getting wealthy with my writing, but I have a whole bunch of stuff that I've created that will hopefully outlive me. It's fiction that entertains and at times uplifts, something I can offer to others when life gets too real. Like last year during the worst of the pandemic and the social-political upheaval. To be able to escape all that online hoopla and the ever-screaming headlines and news bulletins with a good book is a priceless thing. When I was young and times were hard, books were always my go-to antidote for bad or sorrowful days; a way to travel outside my life to places I'd never been. They still are, and I read just about every night before I sleep. How wonderful it has been to have the opportunity to create new and entertaining fiction that can actually reach an audience. That's why I work so hard at writing, I'm paying it forward for all the books I have read that got me through the tough times by giving me somewhere else to be and something else to focus on for a bit. Between those covers were people I would like to have known, places where the good guys can triumph, the bad folks get their due in the end, and the resolution makes some sense after all. My gift back to the world around me now is in those carefully chosen words I put on every page.

Writing ever onward,

~NANCY

The first Silver Pentacle book is now available!

And here it is!

Find it here!

Below is the official press release that gives you a hint of what is going on with this book.  Afterward I'll give you a bit more inside information on what this book and and the rest of the series entails.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION

Presents

THE SILVER PENTACLE

Airship 27 Production is thrilled to announce the release of writer Nancy Hansen’s newest fantasy saga.

In the far distant future the Earth has long been abandoned with the majority of mankind traveling to the stars to discover new worlds. Whereas old hatreds continue to fester among those who remain until a global nuclear war lays waste to everything. Hundreds of years later a demigod named Jordyn Orion descends on what remains to discover new human enclaves have sprung up among which are men and women possessing strange, supernatural abilities.

One of these is the young fire-starter Aleta Kalama and together they battle the Angel of Death in the ruins of a once great Metropolis. Later they join forces with a lovely Wind Shaper to take on a merciless sea pirate known as Crazy Katy.

“The old phrase about throwing everything into the mix including the kitchen sink was the reaction I had when reading this book,” reports Airship 27’s Managing Editor Ron Fortier. “Nancy Hansen is a treasure to the New Pulp community and her work is always fresh, exciting and above all else original. ‘Silver Pentacle’ is nothing like her previous works and we are very excited to be bringing it to her legions of readers.”

Master Storyteller Nancy Hansen launches her most imaginative series yet in “The Silver Pentacle.” These are fantastic tales from a time and place lost to the future.

Colorado based artist Guy Davis provides both the interior illustrations and the painted cover, while book design was handled by Art Director Rob Davis.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Available now from Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

This book is actually the first in a series, and it's a collection of two long stories. The premise is that post-apocalyptic Earth has been nearly destroyed by a a series of cataclysmic events. Nuclear warfare over dwindling carbon fuels and the resulting environmental breakdown those battles caused has killed masses and ruined the environemnt, while ongoing mechanized warfare (read that as large, automated hostile units) as well as chemical and biological incursions are still ongoing in some areas. Billions have have suffered and died and what is left of humanity mostly exists in small and scattered mixed groups wherever life can be supported. Lingering radiation has caused both sterility and mutations that have made it hard to repopulate the planet, let alone thrive where so much of the world is a desertlike wasteland and people are relegated to subsistence living. 

Ah, but there are other less technologically-based dangers as well, so this is not simply a story of science and industry gone wrong...

Because of the often sudden and violent exodus of so many souls, the foretold Rapture has occurred, and those who were still true believers have followed their God to whatever paradise was promised. The rest of the lost souls are just sort of bobbing around the Universe as formless energy beings, and their sudden influx has caused rifts in space and time. So all sorts of beasts and beings from the past, as well as monsters and individuals of legends and myth, have begun to appear or reappear on Earth. It's not unusual to come across living examples of Earth's history such as random dinosaurs, lost Roman Legionaires, or megafuana, interspersed with things like dragons, Atlantean merfolk, demons, and cannibalistic underground dwellers. Many levels of technology now exist at once as well, so these stories have everything from advanced war mechs, bio labs, laser or plasma weapons, and thorium powered cargo ships; to ironclads, zeppelins, swords, cannons, catapults, and Tesla coils. Abandoned, bombed-out highrises in coastal regions are flooded or inhabited by predatory sentient beings, and in the war-torn areas there is great trade in scavenging anything that can be resold from ruined machines. Mankind is struggling, but still trying to hang on.

All this activity has drawn the attention of higher vibration 'ascended beings'—most of them former deities or other immortals who see the potential for growing more powerful by mining converts from the humans who are left behind. Not all of them have Earth's best interests at heart. And sent forth to clean up the mess, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are now appearing, for Earth is designated for total annihilation as a lost cause. This is of course something that these angels of destruction relish, for their stock and trade is that of mayhem and death. Earth is now their battlefield as well as their playground. In the meantime the other gods and goddesses have gathered to prevent that, and sides are being taken as the leaders gear up for yet another war—this time for the souls of those left behind. As always, frail humanity, already teetering on the edge of extinction, is caught in the middle. Of the ascended, nobody seems to care if the remainder of what was once Earth's most uniquely intelligent and prolific species pays the ultimate price in another senseless conflict over who gets to rule these now vacated stomping grounds of the most popular god. There is sport to be had and old scores to settle.

Yet one optimistic demigod from the ever meddling Orion clan isn't quite ready to give up on humanity. So he decides to go down and take a look around. He is greatly disturbed by not only how thoroughly the humans destroyed their once beautiful world, but also what he can already see will be happening next. In his travels across the planet he stumbles across the first elementally gifted being that has been engendered in eons. If he can find three more before it's too late, there will be four to face the Horsemen, and with his help five to stand  together and fight, each with his or her own unique ability. Only then will there be a tipping in the balance of powers to thwart the Horsemen, and enough incentive to unite the returning godlings. But it will take a lot of work to reach out, convince, and train each of these four talented individuals how best to use their special gifts for the greater good. Along the way, they must inspire the battered and weary remnants of humanity to stand up once more and fight for their world, which will bring forward other unique individuals who will join in to save Earth from becoming a dead rock in space and humanity from being completely wiped out.

Yeah, nothing simple about these books. So for now, let's just talk about the two stories in Book 1.

TO KINDLE A FIRE introduces our cosmic traveler and humanity's cheerleader, Jordyn Orion. He's currently the last of his line, and having grown bored with immortality, decides that saving Earth would be an interesting diversion. In this story Jordyn finds Aleta Kalama, a young woman who willingly sacrificed herself to a local fire demon to ensure his ongoing protection for her people. Aleta is slowly and painfully ressurected and reanimated many leagues distant, and now she has the ability to project and manipulate fire—if she can get over her terror of the burning and learn to use it. She travels with Jordyn and along the way, finds herself sorely tested in both learning to accept and use her newfound gift while dealing with the memory of her past trauma in acquiring it. But it is a skill that could turn the tide when they stumble over a rebuilt settlement with an ugly secret. On the outskirts lurks an old adversary who has raised a legion of the damned to not only take over the area they are currently residing in, but to subjugate humanity altogether into thralls that will become a source of breeding material for more monsters and sustenance to keep them all alive.

WHERE FAIR WINDS DO BLOW gets Jordyn and Aleta to the Unified Islands, what is left of the UK, for a trip across the Atlantic to North America. While waiting to board, they meet the second elemental being, the Wind Mage Zephirine Merriwether who is working her way across the ocean as the sail settler on the cargo ship they will all be traveling on. The ship's engine runs on thorium, but they use a parasail to pull it along and save fuel, and being able to read and interpret winds for the best placement makes Zephirine a highly valuable asset. She is from a bit more civilized and well-to-do family in a culture where such talents are frowned upon, so is in denial of her abilities. Along the way though she and Aleta become friends, and in the difficult and dangerous situations they find themselves in while at sea, they soon begin to work together. Zephirine is no warrior, but she has to learn to fight or she will surely die like so many others. In finding her courage to face all the death and destruction around her, she too realizes that she has more control over what she can do than she ever thought possible. And now Jordyn Orion has found two of the four elemental beings he needs, and his hope for humanity is growing.

So why the series name THE SILVER PENTACLE? Two reasons really. First of all, there will be five main characters in the series, the four elementally gifted humans, along with Jordyn Orion. They correspond to the five points of a pentacle, which is simply a crisscross star shape held within a ring. There will be a greater significance to it later, on but for now it is a symbol of hope as each point corresponds to a particular 'gift'. Jordyn as the top point and being a demigod means he represnts spirit; that which inspires and motivates us to work for the greater good. Aleta represents the element of fire, Zephirine the element of air. There will also be a water elemental (introduced in the next book, which has already been written and turned in) and an earth elemental (in the 3rd book which I have started and will go back to working on a little later this year). There will be more books in the series after these first three which introduce the team and set the scenario up, for we still have a lot of ground to cover even after all that.

Also with the pentacle idea, each of our elemental beings will have a patron god or goddess who once the skill is mastered and some commitment is made to using it for saving humanity, will offer a silver pentacle medallion that is specifically designed for the wearer. For instance Aleta's has a golden flame backdrop, Zephirine's has wings (she doesn't fly but can at times float while buoyed on a cushion of air). Jordyn's has not been revealed yet, because I don't want to tip my hand there. There's also sort of a treasure hunt ongoing throughout the books, but it's too soon to talk about anything related to that.

I've done a lot of writing over the years, much of it in the last thirty. Of all the things I've written, this series is probably my oddest and most ambitious undertaking. It's quite a mashup of genres. I sure hope you enjoy reading it even half as much as I have writing it. So exciting for me now is seeing it come to life not just in reading format, but with both a fantastic cover and equally amazing interior illustrations by the very talented Mr. Guy Davis. All told, it is a labor of love, and I'm positively thrilled to have it available to readers who want something just a little out of the norm and more than a bit edgy.

You keep reading them and I'll keep writing them,

~NANCY

New Releases & Ongoing Projects!

The past couple of weeks have been busy for me. Besides the neverending writing, of which I am working on four books at the same time, I've recently had a couple things come out in print. I'll talk about the new releases first, and then we'll get into what I'm currently working on.

On March 30th, WAR FOR MONSTER EARTH was released by Mechanoid Press. It's available in both Kindle and Paperback formats. The cover as you can see is gorgeous, that is by the uber-talented Mr. Jeff Hayes. This is the third and final book in the Monster Earth series. 

I've been fortunate to have a short story in both this one and the the very first book (MONSTER EARTH) but all three of them are well worth picking up (BETRAYAL ON MONSTER EARTH is Book 2). 

If you loved the old kaiju movies and the concept of giant critters being groomed by governments and used as weapons of mass destruction, these are books you don't want to miss. For myself I can say I enjoyed being part of this series, and the stories were awfully fun to write. Kind of sad to have it over with, but it's a great little series that you don't want to miss out on it.

Just recently released on April 5th from Pro Se Productions was the fourth book in the COMPANION DRAGONS TALES series, LAZLO AT HOME. I'll have more details on this one on CDT blog,  but this is the continuing adventures of the little blue dragon familiar Lazlo and his wordsmith witch companion Nancy Bittergreen. Now that he's settled into her magical household, Lazlo is learning all his very important responsibilities and he has to make some difficult choices and decisions. Not everything goes smoothly for the little guy, but somehow Lazlo always manages to muddle through.

The books in the CDT series are written with children in mind but also with a nod toward the adults in their lives who might wind up reading to them. In that respect they are appropriate for all ages, and can be handed around the family. We try to keep them accessible but witty, adventurous with child suitable scary sections. I had a lot of fun writing this one which is a collection of four short stories featuring Lazlo figuring out what exactly to do in each dilemma. They're not preachy with morals, but I think any kid will understand that sometimes when you get into trouble you need to stop and think how best to get out of it because some situations can be bad for more than just yourself. Sometimes the solution might require some personal sacrifice. These stories are first and foremost entertaining but also written with some heart and thoughfulness behind them.

And by the way, the first three CDT books, A FAMILIAR NAME (Kindle or Paperback), FINDING WAXY (Kindle or Paperback), & COPPER'S CHOICE are also still available. 

So those are the latest releases. There will certainly be more to come. Now on to what I have been writing lately...

First of all, I am currently writing four books at the same time. Yes, you read that correctly: 4 books. I've always multitasked when it comes to writing, but this is a new record for me. The most I've worked on before was two books and a short story at the same time. 

I've blogged about this before, but there is a reason I prefer to work this way. Over the months I tend to get more writing done with less downtime. I have the ability to kind of compartmentalize whatever I am working on so that when I approach a writing project, I'm thinking solely about what that particular book or story needs. Plus I tend to reread previously written passages, at least from the last session or two. That allows me to get back into the groove again with the tale I'm facing on any particular day. It also keeps me from getting stale on a project, which leads to that dreaded 'writer's block' you hear so much about. Of course this is not for everyone, because there is a lot of self-dicipline involved in getting back to work on something that has languished untouched for a while. Some people do better working a project from one end to the other. That's great! This is just my way of juggling multiple manuscripts.

So just exactly what am I working on? I'm glad you asked! 

First on my list this year was getting out the 8th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel, which has now been subtitled REVELATION. This one will be the end of a second quartet of books, all of which took place in or around the early East Indies trade area. No worries if you are a fan, this is NOT the end of the series, I've got more books planned. I don't want to spoil this one for readers, but I will let you know that Jez will be heading home to the Caribbean in this one, and she is somewhat better off than when she left her home waters behind. But nothing is easy in the pirating life, and sometimes you gain something important only to lose it again. Right now I am nearing the halfway point on this novel, so in spite of having 3 other books in the works, I'm getting writing done. I spend at least a couple of weekday afternoons working on this, though I have on occasion worked on it during a weekend when not much is going on at home or elsewhere. Most of these exhaustively researched historical fiction tales have taken about nine months to write, and since I only started this one back in January, that's not too shabby. As I tell people it's helpful that I love what I do and that I have no social life. 😆

Also occupying my weekdays is the Sinbad story I started back in late 2019 and have been picking away at ever since. This one turned out to be a novel, though I think I was the only one surprised that it did. That I tend to write 'big' is a well-known fact. The concept was large as well though; I'm continuing the story arc I started in the Airship 27 Sinbad adventures which allows the intrepid cast and crew of the Blue Nymph to do some time traveling. In this tale, they land in Bronze Age Crete, in the time of King Minos the 1st and his dreaded labyrinth-confined Minotaur. I worked in as much of the mythical tale as well as the archaeological backdrop as possible, and yes, bold Theseus will be making an appearance. I'm deep within the climatic battle of this one now, and so the end is in sight in more ways than one. 🙌 Some interaction with the big bronze giant guardian of Crete, a construct named Talos, also happens. So it's a real romp and I think people will enjoy seeing those days of legend and conjecture come alive along with the ongoing clandestine adventures and camaraderie amongst Sinbad and his companions. There might even be some treasure involved...

The third book is one I can only speak of in general terms. It's something Lee Houston Jr. and I have been picking away at since late winter. A dear friend and fellow writer passed away last year and left in our hands the half finished rough draft of a manuscript. We'd been asked if we'd kindly read through it and give some input, which we did. When Lee and I were approached by a potential publisher to see if the book could be finished, we gladly accepted the task. Lee went through it first, reformatting and tweaking what he could, and then he turned it over to me to see what I could do. I had previously read it to get a feeling for the flavor of the piece as well as the author voice, so I started again at the beginning and began to fill out the rough spots. It's a genre I have not worked in that often, but writing is writing, so as I went along, the story began unfolding and telling me what it needed to be. The bare bones were already there, so my job has been to paint in those incisive details that will lead to a satisfying conclusion; one that Lee and I agree it needs to have. We've been kibitzing all along on this, and so nobody is out of the loop. The book had a title, but the original author's name will now be part of it so that there is no doubt about whose idea this was. I work on this one at least one day a week, mostly on weekends. It's become my Saturday afternoon book, and I'd guess it's about 3/4 finished in a somewhat updated first draft mode.

Ah and book #4. That one is a true labor of love. I've already written here about the little teddy bear my 6 year old granddaughter gave me, and how that prompted a story idea or three. Tucker T. Bear's story is something I've not worked on as consistently as the other three, but I do get some time in when and where I can. It's mostly been Sundays after blog posts are up, but I have had at times the occasional weekday where for whatever reason I have been tied up with other things and only had a short period to write in. I'll usually turn to this little tale, because there isn't any exhaustive research involved. This is going to be a children's book about a teddy bear come to life, who goes off with the elderly grandmother he lives with and has amazing adventures. That bear began whispering his stories to me as soon as I got him home, and he hasn't stopped since. 

While some folks might find that a bit bonkers on my part, I'm a writer and we can get away with that under the hypothesis that it's part of our overactive imaginations to dream up such things.  I've learned not to ignore the prodding of potential story fodder, so I started writing things down from the beginning. I didn't get a chance to work on it last week, and today is looking iffy as well, but the tale is nearly 4300 words long and going strong. The main cast has been introduced and I know where this first story is taking place and what Tucker has to do. So there you go! What to do with it after I write it can be resolved later on. I look forward to reading it to my two younger grandkids when it's done. They are already drawing pictures of Tucker's adventures.

Right now that is about all I'm working on, but if something else comes up, I'll manage to squeeze it in. As I said, none of these have hard and fast deadlines, so I can always drop something to work on another project that does. This is the beauty of being self-employed but not dependent on it as an income. I get to write what I want, when I want to, and I can be flexible about what I work on most days. I still do get quite a bit of work done. And as I've said repeatedly, it's wonderful to be able to do what you love. I get up every day looking forward to sitting to my desk and getting down to work. Best darn job I ever had, even if it doesn't pay the bills (yet).

You all keep reading and I'll keep writing,

~NANCY

Monsters and Mayhem!

 Over the past couple of weeks there has been a cover reveal for the upcoming Mechanoid Press release, WAR FOR MONSTER EARTH. This is the third and final book in series. I'm privileged to have a story in this multi-author anthology as well as one in the very first book. I thought you'd all enjoy a look at the gorgeous Jeff Hayes cover art.

What's not to love about a series where the countries of the world are less dependent on nuclear weapons in an armaments race than they are on all sorts of behemoths to fight their battles? This hearkens back to the Kaiju movies I loved as a kid. In this particular volume, there is an alien menace that threatens Earth, and it's our world's staunch defenders to the rescue.

I'll let you know as soon as it is out. I believe it's in the final editing stages now. So stay tuned folks, this one is going to be a doozy! The other two Monster Earth books, MONSTER EARTH and BETRAYAL ON MONSTER EARTH are still quite available. You might want to grab them if you haven't read them yet, they're a bargain on Kindle.

Happy reading folks!
~NANCY

What to do when an idea hits like a ton of bricks...

Now and then, I get an idea for a story that seems to come out of nowhere. Other times something will prompt it: a piece of artwork, poetry, or the lyrics of a song, a movie scene, or a vivid dream. Occasionally it will be a conversation or even something inanimate that just gets the juices flowing. The latter possibility is what prompted this blog post, but I need to give you the background details first.

My younger grandkids have an excess of toys now, things they've been given by relatives over the holidays and for birthdays and special occasions. Many are no longer being played with. So Mom, Dad, and Uncle Jason who have to deal with that mess on a daily basis have asked them to pick through what they have, decide what they should keep, and either pass on the rest to younger relatives or donate the excess. It's a slow process and kid-driven, because young children (they are a 6 and 7 year old sister and brother) have a tough time parting with anything. My granddaughter is the youngest, and she loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals, so it's especially hard for her. So I was visiting one day and she told me about how they were going to thin out the toys, but then went running off and came back with a light colored, fuzzy teddy bear. She wanted me to take it home in case I got lonely when I couldn't come over, so I'd have something to hug and I wouldn't forget her. I thought that was very sweet to worry about Grandma being lonesome like that. Naturally I forgot to actually take the teddy bear with me when I left, but she did not forget, and on my next visit she brought it to me again. This time, it went home with me.

Grandma is sentimental about such things, and the gift of a grandchild to me is a token of love that I hold near and dear to my heart. That teddy bear was going to be cherished. It did not have a name, and obviously was never played with much, but to want to give me a part of her collection showed how important I am in my granddaughter's life. So I set him on the bookcase headboard of my bed, where he managed to fall into bed with me almost every night. He's not that big, so I didn't notice until the next morning that I was sleeping with a teddy bear. I've slept with worse, but that's a story for another day. 😉 Anyway, I have a writer's imagination. and so it didn't take long before the teddy bear began to talk to me. He told me his name was 'Tucker T. Bear' and that he had some stories to share.

Oh yes, Tucker has stories! Once you open that magic door to inventive imagery, they all start tumbling out like an overstuffed closet. I found out that Tucker came to life when three tears from a grandmother and granddaughter dripped down on him at the same time. He resides with an elderly lady who writes greeting card poems for a living, in a big house full of marvelous things. His best friend, confidant, and mentor is an elder Scottish Terrier named McTavish with a very long and detailed pedigree. Tucker goes everywhere with his rather excentric mistress, who vacations all over the world. She often travels to greeting card conventions and dresses up for cosplay as any one of a number of characters her cards feature. So having a walking, talking, adventuresome teddy bear at her side is not going to stand out there. Just imagine the possibilities!

I actually dreamed about Tucker several times, but can only remember a couple of snatches from those dreams. He seems to have some sort of utility vest that he carries things in. In one dream he was riding a camel in a desert scene with pyramids in the background, so I assume they were vacationing in Egypt. In the another, it was a night scene where it was dark and foggy except for an overhead streelight where the illumination came down in a cone shape.  Tucker was holding a sword shaped letter opener outthrust to keep the 'bogeymen' (dark shapes with glowing eyes) away. There was also something about having to ride in a hot air balloon to get over a dificult area—I could see him looking down in wide-eyed wonder and perhaps just a bit scared. That's pretty powerful incentive when you start dreaming ideas for a series of written adventures.

No matter whatever else I was writing, I couldn't stop thinking about Tucker and his stories. And believe me, I am plenty busy with three novels of my own in various states of completion, a fourth one I am editing and cowriting with someone else to finish for a deceased friend, and some other editing and writing projects begging for my attention. But Tucker refuses to take 'no' for an answer, so I am going to start picking away at his initial story as well. I've learned over the years to not ignore those probing pokes in the brain from the muse because some of the best stuff comes from random ideas that refuse to wait their turn. I won't drop everything to do it, but I will have to give Tucker's tales at least one day a week. Otherwise he's not going to let me sleep! Whatever I can get down on the pages can always be expanded later on.

While I primarily write for older teens and adults, I'm not the least bit daunted by having what amounts to a children's book idea crop up. My earliest writer training was in writing for kids, and I do have Companion Dragons Tales, which has an all ages appeal. This one though I want to be more accessible to beginning readers and listeners which are those youngest kids that adults read books to. I'd love to do picture books if I had the art background or had a dedicated artist to work with. I know what Tucker wants though; an ongoing chronicle of all of his exciting adventures in exotic locales where he can be whatever he wants to be. I think that's why he came to live with me, so that I could write his stories for him. There's nothing I'd love better than to hand my grandkids a book I wrote that has a teddy bear that used to live in their house as the main character. We'll see what happens, but right now I have got to get to work. Tucker expects more than a blog post from me today.

Writers... we get away with things that other people get medicated for! 🤣

You all keep reading them and I'll keep writing them,
~Nancy

It's only one opinion!

Three of the hardest things a writer has to deal with are rejected manuscripts, harsh critiques, and negative reviews. I've had plenty of the former, because it takes a while to learn your craft, and we all think our work is amazing until someone else says it really isn't. I've dealt with my share of biting commentary on my writing as well. Not everybody gets what you are trying to do or enjoys it, and people are plenty willing to point out the flaws in grand detail. Ouch! At least that usually comes before it's finalized in print. But the hardest for me is to have something already in print and well accepted by the publisher and editing staff, and then see it get trashed by a reader. Man does that sting!

And that just happened to me recently. But before I get into the bad review, I want to talk about the first two potential bubble-busters.

Rejections are something every new writer has to learn to deal with. You send your polished and primped baby out there to what you hope is a receptive publisher with an audience of readers dying to be entertained by your sharp-witted prose. Publishing is a busy world, so you know you're going to have to wait some amount of time to get a response. You're praying all along, "Please let this be the one that launches my career so I know I'm not wasting my time." With smaller publishers, feedback is often rather quick, and more personal. They will let you know why they didn't accept it, but you may not understand the answer. Even if you do, it still hurts, though there is a lesson in there. If you're lucky, you might get a second chance with a rewrite. With the big houses, it takes months, and all you might get is a brief form letter with an electronic signature and a vanilla statement about how 'this doesn't fit our needs at this time'. And you're crushed! Now and then, someone might pencil in some comments on a page or two, but it's the same thing. They didn't like it as written. It somehow wasn't good enough. And most times, you don't have a clue why not. You want to curl into a fetal ball and hibernate until the worthless feelings go away.

Well, don't. It doesn't help. Rejections are just part of the business. Don't take it personally (like I used to) and quit writing. Or stop stop sending things out. It's all part of the process. You're paying your dues to get your industry chops. You've already done something most people might contemplate and talk about, but never get around to. You've written a manuscript from start to finish and did your best to make it readable and interesting. You put it in a format you believe looks professional. Then you screwed up your courage and sent it out into the world. That takes time, effort, perseverance, and guts. Don't give up now, the journey just began. Learn from the experience, see what you can do to improve your writing or presentation, and send it somewhere else. All of us go through this. Repeatedly. Rejections don't just magically end one day after your first, or fifth, or even your fiftieth publication. You still get them. I'm sure even the big names get them—or at least they're asked for rewrites. See if you can figure out what went wrong. Was it riddled with typos and grammar errors you didn't fix? Did the storyline meander too much? Were the characters cardboard cutouts or did they overshadow the plot? If you can't figure it out, and there's no guiding commentary, have someone else who loves to read go over it. Or just send it out to another publisher. But never give up. You definitely won't be published if you stop writing and sending things out.

So, you've joined a writer's group, where you meet regularly with other writers and read excerpts of your stuff to each other. Or you've handed off a manuscript to a trusted friend or associate who will read through it and give you their thoughts. You want them to be honest and you might even say, be brutal. But then when they are merciless, you're caught off guard by all that negativity. My gosh, they picked your baby down to the bare bones and found very little to praise it for, but it certainly seems to have numerous flaws. You were blindsided and totally devastated. What do you do now?

Take a deep breath, step away until you can look at things rationally. Face-to-face criticism is the hardest to take, because it can feel like an attack on your character as well as your work. You can hear the inflection in the words as they are spoken, see the expressions, and feel the contempt. It's hard to listen to, but listen you must—and possibly take notes. Because in that cruel assessment, there might be some gems of information you can use to actually improve your writing. But if it's repeatedly nothing but negativity, then you're working with the wrong folks. They just don't like or understand the kind of writing you do, and it's more about that than it is about you and what you wrote. While I use beta readers on occasion and I do belong to a writer's group online, I have learned how to choose my clan carefully. Most of the people who get to read or hear what I'm writing are authors with published works. They write a variety of fiction as do I, but with the emphasis on action/adventure in many genres. So they understand what I write and can offer contructive criticism put politely, because we all know what it feels like to be blindsided by a harsh assessment. I try and be as supportive, helpful, and honest as I can be and point out not just the problems, but the things that I find really good as well. And there always are some real gems in there. Nobody is that bad! With a beta reader I always choose people I trust who I know have read and understood my writing, and I do listen carefully to what that person says. If something stands out as problematic to my beta reader, it certainly will to a reader who paid for the book and doesn't know me at all. That trusted person doesn't necessarily have to be a writer, but should be a reader of the type of material you produce. You have to understand and enjoy that category of writing in order to be helpful.

Reviews! The gold standard of feedback. Oh how we covet readers who write reviews. Besides the obvious ego-boost (Somebody actually reads my stuff!), we're hoping to have something tangible to show others that says yes, I do know how to write! Reviews help readers find material worth paying for, and they boost your ranking on whatever site they appear on. All win/win for us authors, at least until you get the dreaded bad review. Then it sits there on the page like a glaring neon sign on a tawdry bar in a rundown neighborhood. Somebody came sauntering in on your happy hour, and with a sucker punch knocked you down a few stars. How do you handle that?

You don't. Unless the review is totally unfair, uses inflammatory language, or becomes a promotion for someone else's writing that is better than yours, you read it, and go on with your life. It really sucks when it's the only review on the page, but hey, that's the breaks. Keep in mind this is one person's opinion, and that there may have been others who read your offering and enjoyed it but just said nothing. Or maybe they read it and didn't enjoy it, and said nothing. You'll never know. The person who wrote the review at least took the time to express an opinion. It's not what you wanted to hear, but there you go...

That actually just happened to me recently. I found a somewhat in-depth and negative two star review on Amazon that mentioned me by name (see it here) and basically trashed the novella that I wrote for an Airship 27 Sinbad book. It also somewhat pooh-poohed the short story that finished the book, so I wasn't the only victim of the negative critique, tthough mine was much more strongly worded. It was from a Kindle customer from the UK. Well, you can't please everyone!

So what did I do? Not much. I read it a couple times, took a few deep breaths, lamented the fact that it was the only full-fledged review, and went on with my life. Someone else's 5 star rating (no review) did even things out and I'm grateful for that. So somebody enjoyed it and somebody thought it was pathetic. In the end it's just one person's opinion either way. Sometimes people don't like what you write. It didn't ruin my day or stop me from writing any more, because I'm past that point. In fact, I was working on the next Sinbad adventure when I read it, having logged over to Amazon looking for the release dateof the last one. I said a few naughty words and went right back to work. Because writing is what I do.

So please, don't get discouraged if you get negative feedback. Learn what you can from it, do whatever you need to in order to live with it, and go on with your writing. Unless you're getting enough rejections and hate mail to paper the walls, you're probably doing okay. And even if you are, it's part of the learning process that goes with the business. And this is a business, even if you're only writing part time and have a day job that pays the bills. No publisher stays solvent long if they take books and stories that don't sell because no one bothers to read them. They have to be choosy to survive. You'll get better as you go along, though occasionally something like this will crop up. One negative comment doesn't make your book or short story a stinker. Just like one rosy review doesn't make it a best seller. Keep those fingers tapping the keys and the ideas flowing, and it all evens out over time.

When you do get to that point where you can accept things as they come, remember these days and give another newbie a confidence boost. Pay it forward. You might just save someone's career aspirations as well as their sanity.

Writing onward always,
~NANCY