Life and Writing Updates

No, I haven't died suddenly, or been stranded off-world due to a DHD malfunction, or kidnapped by goblins, or incarcerated by the FBI, CIA, DHS, IRS, ICE, KGB, or any other organization with the capability of making someone vanish for an extended period of time.
Well then, you may ask, where exactly have I been?
Well, for the entire second and third week of May, I was flat on my back with a massive respiratory infection. Not exactly how I wanted to get my spring started off. The last time I was sick for that long at once was when I was six years old and had pneumonia. Thankfully I'm well now. Unfortunately, I passed the joy on to my family, who have been passing it around ever since. (When your family is the size of mine, it takes a while for sicknesses to go through everyone.) We're down to the last two of us, though, so hopefully we're almost done! ; )
And then there was the internet...
We live in what many people refer to as "the sticks", so internet service is difficult to get, but we've been quite happy with the provider we were using. Unfortunately, during my convalescence, the company whose tower our provider used de-programmed our bandwidth, leaving us with no internet whatsoever. We've talked to other providers, but most of them want to chop down trees or dig trenches or charge a king's ransom just to get it out to us, let alone the monthly fees. We've found another wireless provider who can get service to us without any such drastic measures, but they're still building the tower that will be serving our area, and it won't be finished for another few weeks.

So in a nutshell, that's where I've been for the last month. (I know, only a Pursselley would have an explanation that complicated, but it's the truth.)
Then, of course, there were the wiener dogs, and the snow storm, and the tornadoes... yeah, it's been a circus.

If you're interested in an update on my writing, here's the scoop:
Son of the Shield is in the editing phase as we speak! Splashdown Books has a really unique editing system that consists of all the writers in the "family" working together on different projects. Right now, one of the other authors who writes the same genre is going over my manuscript, making corrections and suggestions. Once she's finished the ball will be in my court for a while. I'll be sure to keep you all updated when that happens!
We've already made a few changes right off the bat:

I was thoroughly embarrassed to realize that every time I thought I was using the noun "Prophecy", I was actually using the verb "Prophesy". And in Son of the Shield, that's a word that gets used pretty frequently, so there were a lot of instances of that mistake. *head-desk, head-desk*

We also added in a scene or two with Ryker Verone, one of the secondary characters, to flesh out his subplot a little bit. I certainly didn't mind that! Captain Verone is a fantastic character who I love working with, so any chance to do more with his story is A-okay with me!

We've also added a little bit of shading and layering with the main character so far, but I am not at liberty to disclose the details of that at this time. (Mwa-ha-ha-ha!) Just let me assure you that it's going to make the story even better.

The biggest change we've made so far, though, is to change the story's title. (*pauses to wait for collective gasps to die down*) Yes, I know, you've all been hearing about Son of the Shield this and Son of the Shield that for a long time - some of you for years. Trust me, it's hard for me to get used to, too. But believe me when I say it's for the best.
The truth is, I was about two years into the writing/rewriting/editing process when I realized that the title Son of the Shield didn't really fit closely with the story anymore. It was, after all, the title I had chosen literally on Day 1, the day I first had the idea for the story, and long before I really knew what the story was about. The more it grew, and the more I learned about it, the less SotS really fit. But by that time, the story was two years old and SotS was what I was used to calling it. Plus, the title could work, albeit loosely. So I just left it alone. Honestly, when I first sent it off to Splashdown for consideration, I suspected they might ask me to change the title.
And, sure enough, it was one of the first things Grace suggested after she accepted it. Unfortunately, by that time I had been living with the story for six years, so asking me to change the title was something like asking a mother to re-name her six-year-old child. I had absolutely no idea where to start. So, armed with some suggestions from Grace, I sent a query to all of my friends who have already read the book, asking them for suggestions.
They sent me quite a few, but even staring at a list I drew nothing but blanks. The story simply was SotS in my mind, and I couldn't get past that. In desperation, I sent the list off to Grace, and she made the choice. Ready to hear it?

SotS's new title is:

Song of the Wren-Falcon

Different, I know. Trust me, it doesn't sound weirder to any of you than it does to me. But I'm getting used to it. In fact, I'm even starting to really like it.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't still draw a blank when someone hears that I'm getting a novel published and asks me what the title is. (My best friend has had to jump into multiple conversations to remember it for me, while I'm standing there blinking, saying "Um...") Really professional, I know. But I'll have the hang of it eventually... I hope.

 

So there's what's happening in my life these days. I don't often have the chance to use public Wi-fi, so I'll probably be pretty quiet for a little bit longer, until I get my internet back at home. But in the meantime, I hope everyone's spring is turning out to be as beautiful and exciting as mine is!

P.S. I'd love to hear what you all think of SotS's new title, so be sure and leave a comment to let me know!

A Very... VERY... Exciting Announcement

I'm tempted to go into a long, drawn-out and dramatic introduction to delay delivering the punchline for as long as possible... but, I'm too excited so I'm just going to say it:

Son of the Shield, my first novel, the one you've all been hearing since I first started this blog, has been accepted for publication by Splashdown Books!

You can visit their website by clicking Here. Last October I had the privilege of meeting Grace Bridges, the head of Splashdown Books. Most of you probably remember seeing my pictures and reading my post about that - if not, you can do so Here. Well, the heap-big secret I didn't mention at the time was that by then, Grace already had a copy of Son of the Shield, which I had finished up in July, and I was waiting for her answer. *sneaky laugh* Believe me, it was extremely hard not to say anything!
A week or so ago I spoke with Grace, and she told me I could expect an answer, one way or the other, after the weekend. This morning I woke up to find an invitation to join the Splashdown team waiting for me in my inbox. What a way to start off my day and my week! Oh - and in case you're wondering, I said yes!  ; )

There is still some work to be done before SotS is completely ready to publish, but we're already getting started on that. I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on the progress as we get closer to actual publication. Oddly enough, instead of dreading another round of editing, I'm actually excited about it. I didn't realize until now how much I've missed working on Son of the Shield. I guess after all this time (SotS turned six in February) it's just become a part of me.
So all of you, eat some ice cream or drink some ginger ale for me in celebration. This is probably the coolest day of my entire life so far, so I hope you all have a great day too!

~Mary

Character Costume Challenge - Orienne Seritan

For this 'edition' of the Character Costume Challenge (started by Gillian Adams on her blog), I decided to dress as Orienne Seritan, the leading lady from my first novel, Son of the Shield.

Orienne is a twenty-four-year-old Adelfian woman whose older brother, Allegar, is one of the six highest-ranking leaders in the nation. Allegar has been her only family since an epidemic claimed both of their parents years before, and Orienne travels with him everywhere he goes. Since this prevents her holding down a normal job, she volunteers at healers' wards (hospitals) wherever they're staying, and serves the Adelfian government and military in a diplomatic capacity when needed.
Orienne is a tough girl who can get down and dirty if she has to, but she much prefers peace and quiet. Her greatest dream is for the war between Adelfia and Moritar to end, and to settle down and start a family of her own.
She has dark brown hair, by the way, so just pretend my blond hair is brown. ; )

Orienne's shield pendant - a gift from her brother, that she wears everywhere, every day.
Normal Adelfian attire for a woman usually consists of a plain shirt with any of several variations of vest or overshirt on over it, and a garment the Adelfians call 'larrons' - basically a pair of pants with some kind of overskirt over it. There are plenty of styles and variations of these too; with the practicality of pants and the femininity of skirts rolled together, they help make any outfit both serviceable and tasteful.

"A lone mountain rose sharply from the center of the Basin, towering above everything for miles... And covering [its] slopes was Farindel. The tarekstone walls of the city's structures reflected the sunset's light, making Farindel look like a shining mounting or ivory." (from Son of the Shield)
 
I know, I know, but I just couldn't resist the temptation to replace the cows and bale rings I was actually looking at with at least a rough representation of Farindel (the capital city of Adelfia). The artwork I used for the background is not mine. I have no idea who the original artist is, but no copyright infringement is intended.

A mud-covered, purple-eyed Orienne after a very long and strenuous several days of being dragged through the mountains, fighting and running for her life, and experiencing crushing heartbreak. (Yeah... I'm not really nice to my characters.)

Orienne in much better circumstances, clean, rested, and happy. You might also notice that her eyes are now green. That's because the color of her eyes changes according to the emotion she's experiencing. There are seven basic colors that they turn, with variations and fluctuations depending on the circumstances. After all, whose emotions are ever completely clear-cut and unmixed? : P

For formal or special occasions, larrons get traded in for actual skirts or dresses. ; )
This is my representation of the outfit Orienne wears in one of the last scenes of the book - a huge, once-in-a-lifetime ceremony that she and the other main characters all get to take part in. By this time she's been through a lot physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's been a rough journey, and she knows she will never again be the person she was before the journey began, but she's okay with that. She knows that the Shield is using every one of the events that have taken place for His glory, and she's coming to a place of accepting whatever she has to face as part of His plan... including the one last, daunting task still awaiting her completion in the very last scene of the book.

*

Well, that about wraps it up for this round of the Character Costume Challenge!
Very special thanks to my brother Caleb for hiking all over the place with me and taking all the pictures. You did an awesome job, bro!
Thanks once again to Gillian Adams, who is the reason we have the CCC in the first place.
And of course, thanks to all you loyal blog followers. I hope you've enjoyed this little look at a character I've spent so much time with over the last six years. (Yep, I said six! This month marks the sixth anniversary of the very first idea I had for Son of the Shield. Man, that's hard to believe!)
I had a ton of fun doing this, and I'm already looking forward to the next edition of the Character Costume Challenge!

Until next time,
Mary

The First-Ever Writer's Lair Book Giveaway!

October is my favorite month all around, but after just coming through the hottest, driest summer of my lifetime so far, I'm especially excited to welcome it this year! Time to start filling the house with the smell of baking pumpkins, take the last cuttings from the herb garden, clean the chimneys, build up the woodpile, and plow up the garden. And for the more leisurely side of things, too - long, long walks through the autumn woods, listening to the leaves fall, watching thousands of geese pass overhead, looking like pencil sketches of mountain ranges as they fly in their mismatched Vs, making tea in the old camp pot over fires in the woods, laying on a hillside soaking up the last of the year's sunshine, getting ready for trapping season... I love life in the country.

And, this October, I'm very excited to be hosting the first-ever book giveaway here at the Writer's Lair! Here's how it's going to work:
October 16 is Dictionary Day - a fun holiday, I thought, for writers and readers and word-lovers-all-'round to observe. We're going to be having a lot of fun with words in general here at the Lair over the next couple of weeks, but October 16th is the day the winner of the contest will be announced.
And, since I know you're all dying to know, the book I will be giving away is (*drumroll*) a brand-new copy of the Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer.

I can say without hesitation that this book is the single most valuable monetary investment I have ever made in my writing career. I have used it almost every single day for four years. As the cover says, the Flip Dictionary is 'For when you know what you want to say but can't think of the word'. And it really works! By looking up a key word or phrase, you can find just about anything you're looking for in this dictionary.
Can't remember the word for a person who says something hilarious with a completely sober expression? The word is 'deadpan'. It's in the Flip Dictionary under 'Serious face when telling a joke'.
Need to know what those rib-like beams in the hull of a ship are called? It's a 'futtock', and you can find it in the Flip Dictionary under 'Ship and Shipping Terms'.
The lists in this book are great, too. Look up the word 'Purple', for instance, and you come up with a list of fifty-two different words for colors of purple.
It also works great as a thesaurus. Say one of your characters is laughing, but you want a word that's a little more specifically descriptive than 'laugh'. Well, look up 'laugh' in the Flip Dictionary, and you find a list of synonyms... though I'm not sure I would recommend using the word 'cachinnate' in something you plan on submitting for publication. 'Howl' or 'giggle' might be better. ; )
Excited yet? Me too!

With my novel, Son of the Shield, currently out in the wilds searching for a home with a publishing house, I'm trying to add as many followers as I can to this blog, so SotS will have as big a welcoming committee as possible once it finds its way into the world of published books.
So, Rule #1 of the Dictionary Day contest is that you must be following the Writer's Lair. If you're not currently doing that, you can do it by clicking the 'Join This Site' button on the right-hand sidebar, just over the 'Followers' list.
If you're already a follower of the Writer's Lair, all you'll be required to do is follow the instructions that will be announced the Saturday before Dictionary Day. (Don't worry - they won't be hard.)
However, if you would like to increase your chances of winning, you can announce the contest on your own blog and refer your readers to the Lair. If you do this, leave me a comment letting me know you've done it, and include a link to your post. Doing this will give you an extra slip in the hat when it comes time for the drawing!
Word-of-mouth referrals are greatly appreciated too, though for obvious reasons I can't give extra credit for those. If you have friends who love Christian fantasy, send them this way!
Beyond that, the only thing you have to do to enter this contest is follow the instructions I will give you closer to Dictionary Day itself. Remember, the winner of the Flip Dictionary will be announced on that day, the 16th.

I'm so excited that God has given me the opportunity to do something like this, and I'm looking forward to the 16th!

Autumn Plans and Happenings

Hello again! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, a delightful Hobbit Day, and a glorious beginning to the autumn season!
Personally, I am very excited to be moving on into fall. It's my favorite season anyway, but this fall in particular there's a lot going on that I'm excited about and looking forward to. There's going to be a lot happening here at the Lair too, so here's a quick update of what's going on and what's coming up:

- Many of you have been lifting up my friend Andrew in prayer, since he lost a finger in a farming accident a week and a half ago. His finger is healing well, but he could still use our prayers. He spent this past Thursday and Friday in the hospital having his appendix out. Yeah, it kinda stinks to be him right now. So continued prayers would be appreciated.

- The book trailer for Son of the Shield is in the works! God has provided me with a group of very willing and capable friends, and with their help and His blessing the trailer is going to be awesome! Right now I'm in the process of casting people in roles as my characters - a surprisingly difficult undertaking. There is no shortage of willing volunteers, the trouble is just finding people whose appearances are appropriate for the characters they'll be portraying. They're slowly coming into place, though, so all is well.
On that same note, thank you to all those who shared their opinions and advice in the poll I held recently regarding the teaser for the trailer. It looks like we'll just be making versions of the trailer instead of just picking one (since the votes never really singled out one teaser), but that's perfectly alright with me.

- Work is continuing on Empathia's Hope, my current WIP. It's been a bit draggy for a while, but things are finally starting to fall into place and pick up speed. The characters are opening up and starting to cooperate with me (and each other), which is a tremendous help. I'm not going to set a goal date for completion yet, but I'm hoping to have a very sizable chunk of it finished by Christmas.

- Falls the Shadow, the futuristic/steampunk novel I've been posting with friends H.A. Titus and Elynn W. Marshe over at The Lost Scribes is wrapping up. The final segment will post October 15, and we'll be pulling the story from the website shortly after that to begin editing, start thinking about publishing, and start working on future Lost Scribes projects. Don't worry, there will still be plenty going on at The Lost Scribes. Those of you who've been following it can still expect something on the 1st and 15th of each month, as usual. More details on that to follow at a later date!

- October is going to be a very exciting and busy month. Most of the plans are still classified so I can't give out details just yet. But I will give you two clues. One is: a first-time meeting including myself and a very special person whose name I won't disclose... yet. The second is: The Writer's Lair is going to have its first-ever book giveaway contest, and friends, it's gonna be good. You will not want to miss it.

- It dawned on me today that NaNoWriMo begins in 37 days. Which is so not what I wanted to think about today. I've competed the last two years and would love to do it again... but I have absolutely no idea at all what story I'll write if I decide to compete this year. So, as if I didn't have enough to do, I have to start thinking about that now. *Note to Self: Start now, stocking up on chocolate-covered pomegranates.*

Those are my plans for this fall - at least, as we say here in the Ozarks, 'Lord willin' and the creek don't rise'.

What are your plans or hopes or goals for this fall?

Work Begins on SotS Trailer! Opinions and Votes Needed!

Yep, it's that time! After getting a crazy summer behind me, I'm finally buckling down to get production of the Son of the Shield book trailer underway! And just as I promised, I'm letting my loyal blog followers in on all the behind-the-scenes action.

Today I started work on the trailer opening. It starts out as a black screen with white text that fades onto it. That's where you all come in: I've come up with a few different teasers that I like, but I need your help choosing which one makes the cut and goes into the trailer. I've labeled them A, B, and C. Use the comments box to let me know which one(s) you like or dislike, and provide a bit of explanation for your choice as well. This will help me determine how best to achieve my aim, and what changes, if any, need to be made.
FYI - The teasers will not appear as a block of text. Each line will appear on-screen by itself.

A.

The Fate of a Nation

The Faith of Its People

The Destiny of a Traitor

B.

The pursuit of a dream...

The value of a promise...

The cost of loyalty...

... the call of destiny

How far would you go?

C.

A man's search for home...

A woman's dream of peace...

A nation's fight for freedom...

A betrayal that could destroy all three.

Well, what do you think? I understand that without having read the book it's impossible to know which one fits the best, but which one of these would be most likely to catch your interest? Which one would make you want to go get the book and read it? Which one makes you want to know more?

The Comments box is open, y'all. Have at it!

What Now?

I found myself asking that question Friday night as I lay in bed staring up at the dark ceiling and listening to my Yorkie terrier 'woof' in her sleep. What do I do during the waiting period between Son of the Shield being finished and the next step, getting it published?
It's a bit of a silly question, considering the number of other projects I have waiting for my attention. But for five-and-a-half years now, Son of the Shield has been my focus, my Priority 1 writing project, and now suddenly it's done. I don't have to worry about tweaking this bit of internal monologue or revving up that fight scene or intensifying those emotions... it's done.
Weird feeling, let me tell you.
But, being born and raised a hillbilly, I don't know how to sit still for more than a few seconds, and it didn't take me long to push that 'what now?' feeling aside. So today, after enjoying my first Son of the Shield-free weekend in five-and-a-half years (Attending the Answers in Genesis conference made a great weekend vacation!) I'm turning my focus onto my next project!
Have I got you curious?
Some of you may have been following my short story series on Avenir Eclectia (you can Click Here to read it). For those of you who don't know, Avenir Eclectia is a multi-author micro-fiction project from Splashdown Books. I started writing stories for the project last year, mostly just for fun. But when the AE project's artist and composer, Michael L. Rogers, offered a creative idea for a plot twist, the story thread I had started began growing quite a bit.
The Avenir Eclectia Anthology, Volume 1, is slated to release later this summer or fall. Here's a look at the awesome cover art:

Notice the fifth name from the bottom? : D My first time in print - as in, on actual paper, not just online! I'm so excited!
Only one of the several stories I've published with AE is going into the anthology, though. Reason being:
Grace Bridges, the Avenir's commander-in-chief, has given me the go-ahead to turn the rest of my short stories, the ones that follow the same characters and plot, into a novel!
That's my next big fiction project: an Avenir Eclectia novel. So I'm shifting gears from fantasy to sci-fi for a while - and it ought to be quite a ride!

Do you find it difficult to 'shift gears' from one project to another? What do you do to make the transition easier?

The Unofficial Son of the Shield Soundtrack

By soundtrack, I don't necessarily mean that every song listed below actually goes with a specific scene in Son of the Shield. Some do, but a lot of them were simply what gave me the idea for a certain scene or concept. Others helped me work through and figure out difficult character arcs or problems within the story. Some songs are the ones I blared through my headphones while frantically pounding the keyboard trying to keep up with the images rolling through my head. But all of them pertain in some way to SotS and the journey that writing the story took me on. Someday, there may be an Official Son of the Shield soundtrack but for now, I hope you enjoy the unofficial one.
I've put my SotS-themed name for each track on the left (while trying not to let the name spoil the story) and the real name and credit for the song on the right. Clicking the link will take you to a Youtube recording of the song. I hope that's not too complicated or annoying, but with my level of technical savvy it's about the best I can do. So here goes:

• Prologue: The First Prophesy - 'Main Title', Ladyhawke Original Soundtrack - I spent so many hours listening to this early on in the writing process, it's not even funny.
• The Rules of War - 'Minas Tirith', Return of the King Original Soundtrack - Great for writing action scenes!
• Farindel - 'As One Tale Ends...', The Forbidden Kingdom Original Soundtrack - If the scene turns out half as good as the music, I'll be happy!
• Where We Belong - 'She was sad at first', Ladyhawke Original Soundtrack - You can't tell I like movie soundtracks, can you?
• The Last Stronghold Collapses - 'Things Left Unsaid' by Disciple - A gut-wrenching song. My goal was to capture some of its intensity in the story.
• Traitor - 'What is Eternal' by The Tran-Siberian Orchestra: Beethoven's Last Night - Another one that was a huge help in the early stages of writing and character development.
• Shekiah - 'Song of the Banshee/Lament of McCrimmon' by Sheila Chandra - This song was the inspiration for this entire character. I was listening to it shortly after having the idea for SotS, and poof! There she was.
• Shattered Illusions - 'This is Who You Are' by The Tran-Siberian Orchestra
• Guilt and Grace - 'Learning to Fall' by This Beautiful Republic - I love this song...
• Searching for Answers - 'Lord, I Don't Know' by The Newsboys - I think we've all been here and can identify.
• A Step of Faith - 'Safe' by Britt Nicole - Another one I just love. I couldn't have written the end of the book without this song.
• Prophesy Fulfilled - 'Only the Beginning of the Adventure', The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe Original Soundtrack
• Son of the Shield: the Theme Song - 'The Reason' by Julian Drive - They couldn't have written a more perfect theme song if they'd read the book and tried.

This is by no means exhaustive - there are many, many scenes and plot points in the book that aren't represented here - but these are the songs that I listened to the most or that were the most helpful during the writing/editing/rewriting process.

Enjoy!

Color Wars

(Son of the Shield Status Report)

I am what is considered a self-motivated person. For some reason, a lot of people take that term to mean that I never struggle with a lack of motivation, it's just always there automatically. While that would be immensely handy, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Being self-motivated means just that: I can motivate myself, and it's usually more effective than motivation from an outside source. But it doesn't happen automatically. It still takes effort on my part - sometimes a lot of effort.
I'm also a very visually-oriented person, and I've found that being able to view my own progress is essential to keeping myself motivated. When I was still in school, I kept progress charts and crossed off each block of work I had completed. Being able to see and track my progress that way made a huge difference in my motivation level.
This past week as I was working on Son of the Shield, I found myself wishing for some way to do that same thing. Since I'm editing and rewriting, tracking word count is impossible. Since I'm not going through the book in order, tracking page numbers won't work. Since half the chapter breaks haven't been placed yet, checking off a chapter at a time can't be done.
So, I've finally settled on a game of color wars to keep me cracking (and to keep myself from going over the same favorite section again and again trying to make it 'just a little better'). Once a section is completed, it gets put into blue font. The sections still needing work are in black. And, I'm happy to say, Team Blue seems to be in the lead! It's difficult to be certain because the sections are very mixed up and it's hard to tell percentage proportions without wasting ridiculous amounts of time. But, if progress continues well, it should be very easy to tell very soon. So stay tuned for the next update on the progress of the great Son of the Shield Color War!

Where do you get your motivation? Do you find it easy to stay motivated, or is it a struggle?

Son of the Shield Status Report

Only seventeen days left to go on the deadline, friends. I'm nervous about it getting so close, but I'm also getting pretty excited. I'm starting to see all the little pieces of the story that have been disjointed or in a mess until now come together and start to look presentable, and after so long trying to organize this monstrous mess that is a happy sight, I can assure you.
I feel like I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster the last few days, though, since I'm moving so fast through the manuscript. One minute I'm in the midst of a furious battle, then an angry tirade (the character's, not mine) then a one-on-one swordfight, then a capture, a chase, an escape (insert Peter Falk's voice saying 'revenge, giants, monsters, true love, miracles...') etc.
My characters and I are all going to be utterly exhausted by the time June 16th gets here. But that's okay, because starting June 17th, we're all taking a vacation. I'm going to sit in a lawn chair under the maple tree and start on the stack of new books that have been piling up waiting to be read, and my characters will all be free to relax and do whatever it is they do when we're not together trying to organize the three-ring circus called Son of the Shield.
But until then it's back to work. Daylight's burning.

Observations from the Whiteboard

Last summer I installed a small whiteboard on the wall of my bedroom/office, and it's proven invaluable for making story outlines, jotting down ideas, and making notes I know I'll only need for a while. At the moment, it's covered from top to bottom with notes on Son of the Shield. That should come as a surprise to no one, but this morning as I was dashing around trying to get ready for a trip to the used bookstore (Reason #1 I will never be a millionaire), I suddenly looked up at the whiteboard and noticed a recurring theme among my hastily scribbled melee of notes and ideas.

A few examples:

"...This will add a lot of depth and intrigue..."

"... you need to increase the intensity and emotion in this section..."

"... the readers need to feel the devastation..."

"... Make this part a chapter ending to make your readers freak out..."

Hmm. Well, if one were to draw a conclusion from my notes-to-self alone, I suppose it would be reasonable to assume I'm writing this novel just for the sake of torturing readers and dragging them to the brink of some kind of emotional breakdown. Let me make it clear right now that that is NOT my intent. If it were, I could accomplish it with much less trouble by simply dressing you all in wool socks and sweaters and throwing you into a pit filled with crushed-up Styrofoam peanuts... while playing Skillet CDs in chipmunk... and reading Amish romance aloud... and I'm sure you're beginning to get the picture.  ; )  Truly, I'm not doing all this just to torture you guys. I'm just trying to tell a good story.
That being said...

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

One month to go!

That's right, friends, my deadline for finishing Son of the Shield is exactly one month from today!

Will I make it?

Son of the Shield - Status Report

Wednesday I spent an approximate total of six hours editing/rewriting sword fight and ambush scenes. During those six hours I had the Minas Tirith theme from the LOTR soundtrack on repeat (Click Here to listen) since it makes such great ambush music, but I'm pretty sure it's permanently engraved on my brain now. I've even dreamed it the last few nights.
Son of the Shield has some awesome revamped ambushes in it, though! (If I may say so without sounding boastful ; )
Special thanks go to my brother James, too, for all his help and insight on how the mind of a man works. I'm sure by now he's very tired of me saying "Okay, James, so if you were in this situation and so-and-so did such-and-such..." but he's been very patient and helpful, so hopefully my male readers of the future won't be disgusted with me. : )
The project as a whole is moving along well, and I'm very hopeful about making my deadline. 
A fellow Christian writer, Brian McBride, also gave me a great idea with some graphics he did for his own WIP (you can check them out Here, at his blog) and I'm starting to think about doing something kind of similar.
First things first, though - and finishing Son of the Shield is definitely first!

Deadline: June 16th!

Son of the Shield is getting close, my friends. I'm very close to completing the final edit/rewrite/overhaul before it's ready to start showing to publishers. Progress is even starting to speed up, the more I get done, sort of like putting a puzzle together - the more pieces you get put in place, the easier it is to find where the remaining pieces belong.
Still, as just another way of keeping myself focused and motivated, I've decided to set a deadline for having it done. I'm the kind of person who thrives on a good challenge (part of why I love NaNoWriMo), and deadlines have helped me stay focused on projects in the past, so it ought to work now too.

I've chosen June 16th as the deadline for having Son of the Shield finished.

Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. One, June 16th is my birthday so it's an easy date for me to remember. Two, June 16th is close enough to be a challenging deadline to meet. Three, June 16th is far enough out to be realistic and allow time for unforeseen disasters such as tornadoes (always a possibility where I live), farming troubles, work or family crises, nuclear war, civil unrest, outbreaks of the bubonic plague, etc.

So, all you noble, faithful followers who have been hearing of and waiting for Son of the Shield for so long, take heart! The time is drawing near!
But wait, there's a task for all of you as well. (You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, now, did you?)
I set a deadline for myself because I wanted to have a goal to work towards. But now that I've shared it with all of you, it's official. And I expect you to hold me to it. I am officially granting permission to each and every one of you to nag, harass, and pester me about it. I'll be posting some kind of progress update on it at least once a week... but if I don't, you may torment me about that too.
And when it's finally finished, I plan on having some fun here at the Lair to celebrate my biggest writing accomplishment so far. I don't know what it will include yet... Some behind-the-scenes looks at the writing of Son of the Shield, perhaps, or maybe even some sneak peeks?... but I guarantee it will be a lot of fun. Your dedication and nagging will not go unrewarded.  : D

And with that, I'm off to work on Son of the Shield. June 16th is only thirty-nine days away!

Good Friday and the Cross - Finding Beauty in Ugliness

We've all seen the beautiful, jeweled, stylized crosses hanging on the walls of people's homes, worn as jewelry, screen-printed on clothes and bags, and dangling from rear-view mirrors. Most of us probably even have one or two. We talk and we write and we sing about the beauty of the cross. But I have to wonder... do we ever stop to think about its ugliness?

Before it became the symbol of salvation and Christianity, before it was a jewelry item or wall decor, the cross was a torture device - the most brutal means of death a pagan empire could come up with. Like the song says, it was 'the emblem of suffering and shame', a synonym for cruel, agonizing death.
'Ugly' is an understatement.
If you think about it, the concept of sacrifice is the same way. The idea of someone completely undeserving being punished instead of someone who is deserving (and who then gets off scot-free) is, on its surface, ugly. Where is the justice in that? How can that be right?

I know what you're all probably thinking: Why am I asking you to look at the ugly side of things instead of the beautiful side? Well, I'll explain.

Beauty is only meaningful if we have something to contrast it with. What would the beauty of a summer rain mean if we hadn't seen the ugliness of parched, withering grass and dry, cracked earth? Would a beautiful, healthy baby mean as much if we had never seen a weak, diseased, deformed one?
Would summer rain and healthy babies still be beautiful? Absolutely. And we would still enjoy them. But we wouldn't appreciate their beauty half as much without something ugly to contrast it with.

Sacrifice and the cross are the same way. If Christ had snapped His fingers and poof! sin was paid for and death was vanquished, what would that mean to us? Even if He had died for us, but peacefully - in His sleep, free of any pain - what would that death mean to us?
He didn't, though. He loved us enough to embrace the ugliness of dying on a hideous, barbarian torture device, sacrificing His life for a stubborn, undeserving lot of ungrateful wretches. He knew the terrible, all-consuming power of the Father's wrath, and yet He was still willing to take it - all of it - on Himself, to save the creation He loved.
Yes, the idea that the Creator of the world had to die in order for His rebellious creation to be saved from their own selfish pride and stupidity is ugly. Sin is ugly. Death is ugly. The image of a completely innocent man dying the torturous death of a criminal is beyond ugly.
But the incredible, awesome love it took for Him to willingly do that... well, 'beautiful' doesn't even begin to describe it. And it becomes even more amazingly beautiful when we take a moment to look at the ugly side of it.

That's where the beauty of the cross comes from. That's the kind of God we serve: a God who can take a compilation of the ugliest concepts in existence and from them make the most beautiful outworking of love ever to take place.

And that's why we writers fill our stories with war, danger, disaster, trouble, and heartache rather than care-free stories of ease and pleasure. It's why happy endings are important: because as Christian writers, our stories are reflections on our King - a God who can take the biggest, ugliest disaster imaginable, and make it into something beautiful.

So this weekend, consider taking a few moments to look at the ugly side of Easter. It makes the beautiful side mean so much more.

Have a wonderful Easter, everyone. And here's a great Easter worship song to enjoy while you're at it.

The Joy of Writing God's Story

Those of you who know me personally will probably agree with me when I confess that I take myself way too seriously. It hurts to admit it, but it's a fact.
Another flaw I struggle with is getting way too focused on and wound up about minute details. Kind of like tunnel vision. Sometimes this can be a good thing, true. But when a situation calls for a look at the bigger picture, it can be a problem.

No, this isn't 'The Confessions of Mary', it's just a bit of intro into the thoughts I've been mulling over for the last day or two.
As I'm sure you can imagine, my tendency to take myself too seriously often attaches itself to my over-active attention to detail, and the results on my writing can be... oh, how shall I say it?... frustrating.
It's really nothing that extraordinary for me to find myself agonizing over the same section of a WIP for hours - occasionally days - because of some minor detail that really doesn't matter to the story, but that my sense of self-importance won't let slide.
Recent case in point: Should I, or should I not, give names to the different sectors of the capital city in Son of the Shield?
No, this decision will have no effect whatsoever on story or characters, it's just a detail that I had considered putting in to help flesh out my fantasy world. But I worried and stressed about it until it finally dawned on me: it doesn't matter! It has no effect whatsoever on the story, so why am I wasting valuable writing time stressing over it?
Naturally, my detail-obsessed, self-important side was quick to chime in. Isn't depth of detail important to creating a vivid, life-like fantasy world? After all, look at the kind of detail J.R.R. Tolkien built into Middle Earth - and The Lord of the Rings has been a best-seller for how long, now?
It was quite a heated little internal battle, let me tell you, but I eventually found the bottom line. It's this:
I am not J.R.R. Tolkien. I have not been tasked with building the next Middle Earth or writing the next international, multi-generational best seller.
I'm Mary Pursselley, and God has given me my own unique story to tell. My job is to do the very best I can in telling it... not to equal or even rival anyone else.
Somehow I don't really think God is all that interested in whether the sectors of the capital city have their own names. I get more of the impression that He just wants me to tell a great story about His grace and sovereignty.

So, I'm working on easing up a bit with the obsessive attention to detail and the exaggerated sense of my own importance. Sure, detail is important in building a fantasy world, and as a writer and a Christian I'm committed to always doing my best 'heartily, as unto the Lord'. But for now I'm putting away the microscope and working on just telling God's story, not building the next great fantasy world.
Interestingly enough, I'm having a lot more fun.

Editing Progress

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time has no doubt had to listen to a few of my rants about my dislike for the editing process. Dear friends like Heather and the Traveler get to listen to it even more in phone calls and emails. It's no secret: I hate editing and I wish novels could just be perfect the first time around.
But, alas, it doesn't work that way, and so I am left with the humongously overwhelming task of editing Draft 1 of my novel, Son of The Shield--all 108,642 words of it (as of last count at 1:00 this afternoon). Yes, it is a huge novel.
These days, editors seem to want stories that top out at 100k max, and with that in mind I'm trying desperately to reduce my word count. Unfortunately, I keep finding and being informed by friends of all these scenes I need to add to clarify and develop things. So far I've only come across two scenes in the entire novel that need to be cut.
However, aside from those little problems, I have actually started making great progress with editing, for the first time since finishing Draft 1 at the end of December!
Since there's a lot of clarifying and explaining to be done throughout the novel, I'm focusing on streamlining as a way of reducing word count right now. It can get frustrating, taking down the word count 1 and 2 words at a time, but it makes for better quality, so I'm glad to do it.
And, the big thing that has (finally) kick-started my editing: I have finally managed to nail down my main character in my head! I know it sounds crazy, to have been working on a novel for three-and-a-half years and to just now be able to really grasp a character's (especially the main one) essence, but it's the truth.
I've had trouble with this character from the beginning--everything from understanding his thought processes and feelings, to simple things like being able to picture his face clearly in my head. I've had recurring dreams of being in the world where SOTS takes place, running in circles trying to get a look at this character's face, and he keeps turning away from me. No joke. Needless to say, this created a major problem when it came time to develop his character and write the dialogues, thought sequences, and scenes that he starred in. I managed to bungle my way through a blurry and disheveled Draft 1 in spite of it all, and since I was my only critic at the time I could let myself get away with it. But then came the critiques from my cohorts, Heather, LoriAnn, and Katrina. And they weren't letting me get away with anything. They dragged me, kicking and screaming, to face the awful truth: my main character needed to be more solid, more developed. But no matter how I tried, he just wouldn't seem to come to life like the other characters.
Until last week, that is!
I am absolutely ecstatic that Sorek has finally come to life in my mind! Now I can picture his physical appearance perfectly, and I understand his personality at a very deep level. And to make matters even better--he's really cool!
I'm really not sure what triggered the change and made him finally come to life for me, but I can tell you that it is making editing SOOO much easier! Instead of feeling like I'm dragging my main character around and forcing him to act out scenes like a marionette, I'm watching him take charge of his own scenes and live out the story like he's supposed to. Draft 2 is finally underway and rolling... and I'm beginning to think that this might actually shape up to be a pretty good story!

Son of The Shield Teaser

Okay, I know that in real life the writer of the story doesn't get to be the writer of the teaser too. But I just couldn't resist now, while I have the chance. So, here's my teaser for Son of The Shield.
**********

The fate of a nation...
And the faith of its people...
Have collided with the destiny of one man.

A twelve-year-old war and a centuries-old enmity are racing to a catastrophic finish. The country of Moritar has rallied the forces of evil in a merciless onslaught against the nation of Adelfia. The force of their desireto destroy is equalled only by the force of the Adelfians' determination that they will not be conquered. And the scale of victory and defeat is balanced in the hands of a man withno true loyalty to either side ... a man who is a traitor no matter which side - and diestiny - he chooses.

Son of The Shield

The promised inside info...

Whew! Suddenly I look up and it's been almost two weeks since my last post! Sorry about that, but as a few of you know I have to drive to my grandparents' house to use the internet - and with all of this snow I haven't been able to get out! By the way, I think we should all make an effort to congratulate all of the environmentalists who so nobly gave up their SUVs and incandescent bulbs for the sake of stopping global warming - their efforts have obviously met with smashing success. Now can we please go back to SUVs so we can thaw out for a while? ; )

But I digress.

Since you've asked so sweetly (and since Heather and Traveler might come after me if I don't), I'm posting some of that insider information I promised on Son of The Shield! So here goes:

First off, I'm sure some of you have noticed the capitalization 'error' in the title (shouldn't it be Son of the Shield instead of Son of The Shield?). Nope. That's deliberate. Reason being: just as, in our world, we refer to God as "The Lamb of God" or "The Lion of Judah" - by His title, not His actual name, in Reyem, the world where SOTS is set, they refer to God by His title "The Shield" instead of by His name "Azor". Likewise, as in our world followers of Christ are called "Christians," in Reyem the followers of The Shield are called "the Protected".

So, if The Shield is God of Reyem, the title Son of The Shield means 'Son of God' right? Well, yes ad no - that's a little tricky to explain. Let me start by telling you a bit about how I had the idea for SOTS. I was standing in the kitchen doing dishes - a great start, eh? Anyway, I turned around and looked down the hall to the front room, where the lights were off and it was dark. I saw a shot of a man with blonde hair and blue eyes sitting on a horse, and a young woman with dark hair and gray eyes standing nearby. As I watched, the girl's eyes suddenly went from pale gray to black, and - well, I won't say what she did next, because that would give away part of the story! (mwahahaha) Anyway, I was quite intrigued by what I had seen, and I went and got my name book, hoping to find some good names for the characters I had just been introduced to. Skimming through the girls' names, I found the name 'Orienne'. Perfect! It suited the dark-haired woman wonderfully! So I moved on to guys' names. None of them really grabbed me. I did, however, find a meaning of a name that I loved. The name was Ransom, and it meant - son of the shield. Sweet! I didn't care for the name, but the meaning was awesome - perfect for the title of a story, I thought. So I named the man on the horse Ransom in spite of my dislike for the name, hoping that it would grow on me. It didn't. As time went by, I actually grew to dislike the name even more. It just didn't work for the character, no matter how I tried to make it. But I had already begun to call my vague little idea by the title "Son of The Shield", and that part fit perfectly.

Eventually I found the name 'Sorek' - a perfect fit for the man on the horse. The name 'Ransom' became the name of the group of six men who are chosen to lead Adelfia. These men, "sons of The Shield," are ranked as sons, from First-Born to Sixth-Born. If one of the younger sons dies, for instance: the Fourth-Born, the sons younger in rank than he move up to fill his place and a new youngest son is chosen by the remaining sons. If the First-Born dies, however, his replacement can be chosen only by The Shield.

So, while technically the title SOTS does mean "son of God", it doesn't refer to the Son of God. It simply refers to the men chosen to lead The Shield's people. All of the Redeemed are Sons, after all. "And if children, then heirs"... you get the idea, I hope. If my rambling attempts at explanation have left anyone profoundly confused, please let me know and I'll try to clarify!