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Tag: The Prophet’s Key

Rethinking My Publishing Plans

Tracey Dyck 28 Comments

At the beginning of the month, I mysteriously mentioned that I was “reconsidering publishing tactics.” Well, since then I have spent about half a dozen journal pages–and a fair bit o’ brainspace–tossing the ideas about. Though it scares me a little to move these thoughts from a private journal and personal conversations to a place as public as a blog . . . I shall bare my soul. (Not really. Just inform you of my thought processes on this topic.)

The blog post that knocked me over

In July, I read a post on She’s Novel that tossed all my plans upside down. (By the by, if you’ve never checked out Kristen Kieffer’s blog, you’re missing out on some awesomely detailed writing advice!) In How to Create a Smart + Savvy Publishing Plan, Kristen talks about how your first novel is not necessarily the one you should publish first.

The whole post is golden, but what really jumped out at me was this: for a publishing house, signing a brand new author is always a risk. But it’s riskier to publish a debut author’s first-book-in-a-series than it is to publish a debut standalone novel. Because what if that first-in-a-series flops? They’re left with an unfinished series, which is kind of awkward for everyone involved. If it’s a standalone (especially one with series potential) however, it’s not as big a deal if it bombs; and if it succeeds, they can capitalize on it by having the author write follow-up books.

Or–here’s another thing–if you have a series you want to publish, but you’re a new author . . . You could publish a standalone in the same (or similar) genre to prove to publishers, “Hey, I can actually sell genre X. I have an audience! They like what I’m writing! And, just a little aside, I also have a four-book series in that genre I’d like to get out there.”

And the publisher might say, “What’s that? A series in the same genre? Can we have that too, please and thank you?”

Because you’ve got a track record, taking on your series is now less risky.

What does this mean?

Remember my long-time baby, The Prophet’s Quest? For years, it’s been my dream and my plan to publish that first, and to follow it up with The Prophet’s Key and at least a couple more books in the series. Epic high fantasy with dragons and world-hopping–that’s my jam. It’s a series I’ve poured time and effort and pieces of myself into since I was twelve.

Now all of a sudden, I’m hearing advice that suggests delaying that plan. Again. If there was one word that could sum up the journey of writing this Journeys of the Chosen series, it would be DELAY.

I read the She’s Novel post, nodded along to some parts, but kind of passed off the rest as a “that might be good for you, but not for me” sort of thing. (Don’t we all like to think we’re the exception to the rule?) But I gave it some more thought, and uncomfortably realized she made a lot of sense. Plus, I don’t relish the idea of shopping The Prophet’s Quest around for months, if not years, waiting for a bite.

Now I’m thinking it would be the wisest course of action to first put out a YA fantasy standalone, and then get TPQ & Company into the big, wide world.

The next question is what that standalone should be. Why, The Brightest Thread, of course! While trimming it down to size for the Five Magic Spindles contest last year, I ached because there was so much more story to explore, and the word limit kept me from doing so. But even in its lean, streamlined form, this story made it to the top ten list,* which gives me hope that it could become a successful debut novel–once I expand it, of course.

*I’m still in shock when I think about it!

There was something special about writing The Brightest Thread. I felt as if I’d truly discovered my voice. The story and I just clicked, and though there were struggles along the way, most of the writing felt very natural. Very much me. In the context of a fairy tale world, I could paint in vivid color and deepest black. I could craft my sentences with musicality and rhythm and punch. I could draw out themes in a fantastical way different from the more grounded Journeys of the Chosen books. Thinking back on Luci, Hadrian, Aleida, and Vyntyri, I sense they have a fuller story to tell.

But reaching this decision was not one resolute nod of the head and squaring of the shoulders. Like I do with many big decisions, I deliberated. A lot.

Deliberations

  1. It feels like abandoning my “baby,” Journeys of the Chosen. I’ve never been the type to leave a good story in the dust to chase after a shiny new one. I hate quitting things I’m passionate about.
  2.  It feels like betraying the mentors who helped me so vastly with The Prophet’s Quest.
  3. I’m scared that after expanding and publishing The Brightest Thread, I would return to my series and discover I’ve outgrown it. And if my love for it does grow cold, maybe TPQ was never meant to see the light of day. Oh, it pains me to entertain such thoughts!

My brain offered arguments against all three hesitations, however.

  1. It’s not abandonment, just postponement. I don’t want to give up Journeys! I will come back to it, just at a later date than expected.
  2. Practically speaking, it’s not betrayal. The mentorship I’ve received has affected all of my writing, not just this series.
  3. I have outgrown them numerous times, and each time the series has evolved along with me. Every break away only fosters my love for it, so that when I come back, it’s new and exciting again.

At the end of the day, I really just need to trust God with this series. Trust that He knows best, and that every delay and detour is for a reason. My dreams, including my dream career as an author, is safe in His hands. Whatever twists the road may take are not surprising to Him.

So what’s the plan?

Once I get back into agent research, this means I’ll be researching with The Brightest Thread foremost in my mind, and Journeys second. And it probably also means I won’t begin querying this year like I thought. There’s information to gather and things to write first.

But I don’t like leaving one project hanging unfinished for long, so I will finish drafting The Prophet’s Key before moving on. It’s currently sitting at just under 60k words. I’ve been consistently adding approximately 10k a month, so at this rate I expect to finish sometime between the end of 2016 and the end of my first year of college. That’s a big window, I know, but it’s impossible to predict how much I’ll be able to work on it while in school!

TPK is trying to throw a bit of a wrench into those loose plans, though. It’s telling me it needs to be split into two books. Say what now? Well, the pacing is weird. According to my outline, I kind of have two climaxes. There’s a very distinct line between the first half of the book and the second half–and the first is becoming quite a large half, even though there are lots of details I’ve left out. We’ll see. I’ll have a better idea of whether or not to split it up once I reach that halfway point.

(And today is not the day to get into the concern that if I split it, book 2 will be a letdown for readers. After spending most of book 1 in Alewar, who’s going to want to hang out on Earth for a whole book? But I said I wouldn’t go into that . . .)

Anywhozens. Once that draft of TPK is complete, whether it’s half my outline or the whole kit and caboodle, I want to rewrite an expanded version of The Brightest Thread.

And then we shall think about querying agents and such!

It’s my not-so-secret hope to go to the Realm Makers writing conference . . . hopefully next year? It’s being held in Reno, Nevada, which is a long ways away for me–but Ted Dekker is going to be the keynote speaker. (!!!) I mention this now because wouldn’t it be the most awesome thing ever to have The Brightest Thread rewritten in time to pitch it to agents at the conference?! Big dreams, yes, but it’s something to shoot for, right?

Flexibility is key!

Some of these things are next to impossible to plan because there’s no way of knowing how full life will be or how well the stories will flow. If nothing else, I have the sequence of events laid out–finish drafting The Prophet’s Key, write the new and improved The Brightest Thread, get TBT published, then start publishing the Journeys of the Chosen series. It’s the timeline that is very much subject to change!

And now I’ve talked about myself for more than long enough. I wanted to keep y’all in the loop, but didn’t mean to get so longwinded.

So. A question for you: as a reader, do you prefer standalones or series? How about as a writer, if you are one?

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Subplots and Storylines – July 2016

Tracey Dyck 23 Comments

July hummed and whirred with activity, a month sandwiched between the freshness of June and the heat of August. This midsummer season was brimming with all things alive . . . Watching Canda Day fireworks while slapping mosquitos, savoring the sweetness of just-picked raspberries, shelling peas until my fingers turn green, turning off the lights to better see the lightning forking across the sky, biking to the gas station where my brother works and getting blueberry swirl ice cream. This is full-blown summer, you guys.

Some notable threads weaving throughout July . . .

My sisters did two weeks of dog-sitting again, and I joined them a few times to play with little Mocha, a Pomeranian-Yorkie mix who’s always beside herself with excitement every time we show up.

My mom and sisters and I spent a day shopping in the city, during which time I let myself splurge a little on some clearance sweaters (fall is coming, unfortunately, and I won’t say no to new college clothes), a Ranger’s Apprentice book, some odds and ends, and two soundtracks (How to Train Your Dragon and Battle of the Five Armies EDIT: I meant to say An Unexpected Journey).

Work was full, and I opened and closed by myself several times. Opening is my favorite.

Our family garden’s pea season began late, and the bean season started early, so the two collided and we had to pick both on the same day several times. The beans have been especially prolific this summer.

I got to spend a great day with a friend who’ll be leaving soon for her second year of university several provinces away.

An aunt and uncle visited from the States, which was quite fun.

Last weekend, I felt a bit like a kid again. A watergun fight with the siblings, ridiculous jokes, parks, bike rides, and a library trip will do that to ya!

Read

Raising Dragons Graphic Novel by James Art Ville and Bryan Davis

After the monstrous length of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, I needed something breezy. This seemed like a great choice. Being one of the Kickstarter supporters back when they were raising funds for this project, it was super cool and nostalgic to see the fruit of Mr. Ville’s labor. He did a great job reimagining Raising Dragons! I’m especially pleased with how Bonnie turned out. The story felt abbreviated, of course, because a 300+ page book needed to be shrunk down to 150 pages of pictures and dialogue bubbles, but it retained much of the heart of this beloved story. (And now I want James Ville to illustrate the rest of the books!)

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead

OH MY TEA. THIS BOOK. I’ve been loving the Bright Empires series, and this, the fourth instalment, really really really raised the stakes. I’m talking “the universe will be in big, bad trouble if you don’t do something” stakes. As one of the characters said, “Cataclysm does not seem a large enough word to describe it.”

The book started a little slow, with quite a bit of recapping–which wasn’t all bad, since it’s been about a year since I read book 3–but once the crew gets together . . . things happen. Chapter 19 in particular marked the place where the plot started blowing my mind. One thing I love about this series is how Lawhead takes things from real life–science, theories, ancient history, geographical landmarks, etc.–and blends it almost seamlessly with the story. You’re not always sure where fact ends and fiction begins, and I love that.

Also I’m very much shipping two particular characters.

And I need book 5, The Fatal Tree, right this minute.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Just like Cinder, I often caught myself composing a list of fangirly comments in my head the way I do when I beta read my friends’ stories . . . and then remembering, “Oh wait, this is published and I don’t actually know the author.” There must be something about the hilarious and feelsy character interactions that reminds me of my writer friends.

Anyway, I liked the first book more, and prefer Cinder and Kai’s romance over Scarlet and Wolf’s. I’m just not an insta-love sort of person. Scarlet goes from pointing a gun at his head with the purpose to kill, to kissing him and trusting him with everything–in one day. Just one day. She is hotheaded and brash, I get that, but come on. This guy should not be trusted so quickly. That being said, Wolf has some adorable ticks like scratching behind his ear, and his fascination with tomatoes is also cute.

I guess I just identify more with Cinder, who’s more practical and logical. (I do feel deeply, but I have more restraint than Scarlet, and almost never throw myself headfirst into something without thinking it through first.) So I loved the parts with her and Thorne (THORNNNNE!). And Kai just needs a hug right now.

Beta Reading

Perhaps one reason my reading levels were down again this month is because I devoted more time to reading and responding to the chapters my friends have sent me. Knowing my inbox is swollen with beta stuff but not knowing exactly how much, I sat down to actually count them at the beginning of the month.

Seventy-plus chapters, guys.

Some are from months and months ago. WHAT. It has been decided that I need to catch up before college, and after that beta reading will be have to be rather infrequent for a while, I’m sad to say.

But! I devoured 22 beta chapters this month, including a novella retelling of Sleeping Beauty (yes, one of the entrants from last year’s Rooglewood contest), a couple short stories, miscellaneous bits of novels, and a chunk of another friend’s Beauty and the Beast novel. Lots of awesome story-ness all around!

Watched



The Return of the King

My brother and I absolutely loved it! And I cried again, more than once. I’m sitting here now, trying to come up with words to describe my reaction to this movie, and I’m almost at a loss. I must have used up all my words in my last post. TRotK was epic in every sense of the word, and seeing everything culminate in that huge, amazing ending was incredible. (With a goodly dose of bittersweetness as well, as the ship leaves for the Undying Lands and takes certain characters with it.) Oh, and Eowyn is now one of my favorite heroines!

Once Upon a Time (part of Season 4)

My sisters and I are about halfway through the season now, and we’re really enjoying it. I’ve decided the Frozen elements do integrate well (and Anna is the sweetest person); I strongly dislike the Snow Queen but loved the climax of her part in the story; and the Charming family is my favorite thing ever.

The Flash (first three episodes of Season 1)

So I started watching this with my brother, and it’s pretty great! I love Barry/Flash–his character is so earnest and warmhearted and down-to-earth. His relationship with his father is so good to see. A number of secondary characters are worming their way into my heart as well, and the motley villains are intriguing. I think this’ll be a fun ride.

Wrote

I finished the workbook stuff from session 8 of The Creative Way (the writing course by Ted Dekker that I’m taking) and also did session 9. Progress is sporadic, obviously, but still happening.

Another sort-of-writing-related thing was the Silmarillion Awards that took place this month! Narnia really stole the show this year, didn’t it? I had loads of fun hosting the Riddling and Poetry award, which culminated recently with Bilbo presenting the Silmaril to the Sorting Hat, and later on, me gushing about Tolkien and how much the books mean to me. Many thanks to Jenelle Schmidt and DJ Edwardson for coming up with this marvellous idea, and for inviting me to join them!

What I did on my actual WIP, The Prophet’s Key–that willful child made of rough edges and elusive magic, which I’m trying to capture–is write 11,399 words. A great month for me, considering work and whatnot! I finished drafting the Scotland scenes (sniffle . . . goodbye, Highlands–see you in editing. . .) and have just split up the crew, sending one half gallivanting to Australia and the other to Moscow, Russia. Hooray for writing about places I’ve never been to! And for tiring of research and then proceeding to write without gathering facts first! I will have plenty to shape up during editing, and that’s putting it kindly.

But I’m getting a teensy tiny bit better at loosening up and just focusing on getting the story out. Details can be fixed later. That’s the beauty of revisions. (#messyfirstdraft) I’m also happily suffering from bouts of wanderlust when I do research places. I honestly thought I’d never want to visit Russia. My mind has changed.

Also on the writing front, I’ve been reconsidering publishing tactics this month. But until I’ve sorted it out for myself (aka spent half a dozen pages journaling about it), I won’t say much more here. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be cruelly mysterious! Just wanted to record the fact that these thoughts arrived in July 2016. Once they take a firmer shape, I’ll explain myself more clearly. Promise.

That was July!

Full of green, growing things; a celebration of fantasy and Tolkien; books; and learning to write more freely. And I’m breathing a great sigh of relief, because I’m taking almost a week off now to kick back and unwind! I hope to get in some bigger writing days, catch up on more beta reading, and enjoy a more fluid schedule that allows time for little things like journaling or sketching or coloring or falling into a book for a few hours.

Keep a watchful eye on Adventure Awaits during August, as I have a couple of special things planned! One is something I’ve never done before, and the other involves another blogger. (Aren’t I such a tease?)

So how was your July? (Can you believe it’s August already? August. How in the world . . .) Did you enjoy the Silmarillion Awards? What’s one of the best books you’ve read this summer? Have a glass of lemonade and share the summery stuff going on in your world!

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Subplots and Storylines – June 2016

Tracey Dyck 27 Comments

I’m pretty sure I just wrote one of these S&S posts last week, yet here I am writing another one. I’m really not sure where June went. Presumably to that land shrouded in mist and starlight, that land to which all days and weeks and months must travel eventually . . . a land from which there is no return. The Land of Yesterdays.

*cue eerie music*

But before June slipped away to that scary place, it offered a joyful fruit salad of summer happiness. (Fruit salad? I have no idea what I’m talking about. I shouldn’t write things when I’m overtired.)

June was a month of  little family get-togethers, ice cream, barbecues, bike rides, and sun tanning. Rain made a regular appearance in between warm, muggy afternoons. One day we went to the local fair type thing . . . I went on only two rides: one I loved and one which my stomach regretted afterwards.

A bit of romance appeared in the form of a cousin’s bridal shower and a friend’s wedding (the friend for whom I helped fold origami flowers, if you recall).

I helped chaperone my siblings’ youth event, an Amazing Race-style game across town. It made me feel old, I tell ya, having all these kiddos yammering in the backseat of my vehicle. The event was pretty fun, though, and I was sorely tempted to compete with the youth in our last stop, the shoot-three-balloons-with-a-pellet-gun stage.

I took a first aid class (required for my new position at work). I hope I never have to use these skills, but it’s good to know them just in case.

My brother graduated high school, so of course we threw a party for him. He MC’d it himself–needless to say, I laughed till I cried. He’s now working at his first job, and I’m so proud of him.

Earlier in the month–I know I’m all over the place here, but bear with me–he and I had our college interviews . . . and we both got accepted! I don’t think I’ve mentioned much about my fall plans, have I? Here’s the scoop. We’ll be taking a leadership/Bible program together. It offers a really practical, hands-on approach with lots of getting involved in church ministries. The Bible school aspect of it goes side by side with learning leadership: people skills, management, personal growth, building and leading a team, working on projects, etc. I’m going to have a very busy schedule during those nine months, especially since I plan to keep a couple shifts a week at my job, but I have a feeling it will fly by. And honestly, I’m so excited for it!

You can see the paint can picture behind us. 🙂
Another June happening was my friend Kianna’s art gala. (I interviewed her a while back.) It was amazing to see an entire wall of her work displayed at the art center for public enjoyment. Some of the pieces were new ones I hadn’t seen yet. One of my favorite paintings depicted a bunch of paint cans, with girls made of paint leaping out in joyous splashes.

Movies & TV

My sisters and I began Once Upon a Time season 4–we’ve seen the first five episodes so far. I wasn’t too sure about the Frozen elements at first, but I’m getting used to it, and there are plenty of other awesome (or terrible, depending on how you look at it) things happening too. And a certain new character’s charm/lack of manners/apparent lack of intelligence is providing amusement.

The only other thing I watched this month was Zootopia, and I. LOVED. IT. It’s always great when you can appreciate a story on almost every level–the storytelling, the plot, the characters, the music, the humor, etc. This was one of those. The only downsides were a smattering of mild language, a naturalists club in which the animals run around in natural form (as in without clothing–it was kinda funny, but might be bothersome for some viewers), and you could interpret the movie’s message as one of tolerance/just-embrace-everything-because-it’s-okay. I choose to see the positive spin of the message, so all in all, I really enjoyed the movie. And I loved how Judy Hopps was voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin. I could totally picture Once Upon a Time’s Snow White saying some of her lines. Oh oh, and Nick Wilde was the BEST and totally reminded me of the fox version of Robin Hood. If you haven’t watched Zootopia yet, go see it.


Books

Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz // Book 3 in the Alex Rider series.

Even Alex admits in this book that he’s like a fourteen-year-old James Bond, and that’s a pretty accurate description of this series so far. (I haven’t watched James Bond, but hush.) MI6 keeps forcing Alex into dangerous missions, he gets a new set of gadgets with each book (like chewing gum that expands so you can use it to bust a lock, or a GameBoy that’s really a bomb), and he performs outlandish stunts at every turn. It’s like one of those summer flicks that you just watch for fun, not expecting much depth or realism. That being said, this book was a definite improvement over the first two, and seemed to break away a bit from the previous plot formulas.

Fresh strawberries and ice cream paired with the final chapters of a
beloved book. ALL THE HAPPY.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke // an amazing book of epic, 1,006-page proportions.

This took me three weeks to read, and I finished last night, reading the final chapters as fast as I could to see how it would all end. It’s obviously a very long book, but like one of the reviews printed at the beginning of it said, it doesn’t feel long. Somehow, almost every scene manages to be interesting and engaging. The character development is seriously top-notch, and I looked up halfway through the book to realize that I love a number of characters, but all of them are very flawed and not immediately likable. Norrell and Strange are both arrogant, but Norrell is fearful while Strange is reckless. I’d list some secondary characters too, but it’s best you discover them for yourselves.

The novel takes place in 1800’s England, during the Napoleonic Wars. Magic is long dead, reduced to the arguments of theoretical magicians who do nothing but study magical texts. And then Mr. Norrell comes along with ambitions of reviving true, practical English magic. Throw in some advisors who are about as useful as a broken foot, a new pupil in the form of Mr. Strange, and the story is well on its merry way.

Things take a much darker turn around part two as Faerie elements weave their way in. Let me tell you, the villain is someone you will desperately want to throttle. And magic, as the magicians discover, is far more dangerous than they ever knew.

That’s all I shall say on the plot front, folks. Can’t have any spoilers! I still don’t know how I feel about the ending, though . . . It was good. It was bittersweet. It was probably the best ending JS&MN could’ve had, and it fit the overall tone of the book. (I sound like I don’t like it, which is untrue. I’m just processing everything. When it takes you this long to recover from a book, you know it left an impact.)

Oh, before I move on: CHILDERMASS IS AWESOME. If you’ve read the book, you probably know why I like him.

Thanks to Sarah for speaking so highly of this book that I picked it up at a secondhand book faire, and to Deborah for flailing with me about it as I read it!

Writing & Blogging

It’s been a productive month, thanks to the 100-for-100 challenge held by Go Teen Writers. I’m in such a research-heavy portion of The Prophet’s Key that if it weren’t for the daily goal of putting in at least 100 words, I would probably have fallen into the quagmire of procrastination and slow progress commonly associated (at least for me!) with research. I set an alarm on my phone to go off at 8 pm every day as a reminder to write those words. Most days I hadn’t written anything yet when the alarm went off. Some nights found me in my PJ’s, spending five minutes pumping out a couple new paragraphs just to meet the goal before bed. But so far I haven’t missed a day (except for a couple of grace days–I’m allowed one per week.)

So. I wrote 12,085 words this month. Yay! On top of that, I researched British Columbia, Beaver planes, transatlantic flights, and Scotland. I’m by no means done with any of those topics, but I’ve acquired enough knowledge to actually be able to write this part of the first draft and feel like I have a slight inkling of what’s going on. Come editing time, I’ll be researching all over again to verify facts and flesh things out.

I was able to speak to a pilot friend of ours to get some tips on what could go wrong with a Beaver plane (yayyy for putting obstacles in front of your characters!). And I’m currently going back and forth with the lovely writer/blogger Emily about Scotland. She lives there, and was very willing to help me out with researching her beautiful country. (Thanks again, Em!)

I also made the decision to cut a character. Completely. It was a hard choice, especially since this guy has been around since the original draft from four years ago. But I’ve been struggling to juggle the larger-than-I’m-used-to cast, and it’s just going to get bigger as the story goes on. I realized that my pilot Rex Nelson, whom I have never introduced to you guys, was not truly necessary, so I’ll be assimilating the important parts of him into other people. Mr. Hawkins will get a pilot’s license and outdoorsman skills. An injury that happens to Mr. Hawkins will now actually happen to Aileen. A potential romantic thread I’d been planning for Rex will be given to a different side character from book 1. Rex’s epic character arc will be integrated into that of the aforementioned side character. Etc.

That last bit about the character arc . . . Well, I had finally made up my mind to cut Rex, and then in a flash I remembered what I had planned for him in future books. “Oh no. Now what?? I have all these solid reasons why it’s a good idea to get rid of Rex, but there’s THAT big, important thing that’s supposed to happen to him.” After a fevered brainstorming session, I got it sorted out by adjusting another character’s development, and voila. Problem solved.

A month or two ago, I also decided to cut out two of Josiah’s three siblings. I don’t think I’ve mentioned them much on here either, so this probably isn’t a big deal to you, but Tiffany and Zach are being taken out. His littlest sister Karilee is staying. I realized that Tiff and Zach served little to no purpose besides giving Josiah another sister and a brother for him to interact with. And I think I originally wanted to have a family of six to mimic my own family, but that’s not a good enough reason to keep extra fluff in a story. Especially when, again, a large cast is becoming a problem. So . . . bye, Tiff. Bye, Zach. I hope you two and Rex will recycle yourselves into some other story one day.

Mind you, all these changes are just in my head. I haven’t mapped everything out on paper at this point. And I’m even charging ahead with my current draft without stopping to write Rex, Tiff, and Zach out of the story. I’ll fix it in edits. This charge ahead approach is something the old me would definitely not have done.

In the midst of all that, I somehow neglected to do much on my writing course, The Creative Way. I listened to one audio session, but still haven’t done all the workbook questions for it. Oops. Thankfully this is something I can take at my own pace; there are no time constraints or deadlines. Still, I’d like to be more involved with it next month.

On the blogging side of things, the biggest thing is the Silmarillion Awards! Nominations are still open today and tomorrow (I told you wrong in my last post when I said that June 30th was the last day–ignore that), and soon afterwards the voting period will begin. So if you haven’t yet made the rounds to all ten blogs yet, better hustle before July 1st ends! The best fantasy characters and items need your support to make it to the next round. I myself am planning to make one last pass through all the posts, just in case I’ve forgotten anything.

And that was my June fruit salad.

It was all strawberries of summertime, raspberries of other people’s romance, apples of fun events, bananas of books, and orange slices of writing. (. . . don’t even ask because I don’t even know . . .) Art and magicians and characters getting the axe and anthropomorphic animals and fantasy awards, oh my! Anyway, ’twas a yummy mix, though I’m developing a hankering for a week of holiday-ish nothing so I can relax.

Tell me now, how was your month? And because I seem fixated on fruit today, what’s your favorite? Have you ever had to cut characters out of your story? Have you seen Zootopia? Read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell? Been on an amusement park ride that didn’t sit well with you? TELL ME ALL.

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Beautiful People – Skaes

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments

Since I introduced you to The Prophet’s Quest not too long ago (and now you finally know what the Dickens this girl is working on), and since I’ve been rewriting The Prophet’s Key (the second book in the series), and since I haven’t done a Beautiful People post in approximately five and three-quarter eons (my last one was in February), and since I appear to be overly fond of parentheses . . .

Let’s do another Beautiful People, shall we? Today I’m introducing Skaes, a young but not-so-young woman from The Prophet’s Key. She is a part of the Five Shifters, a group of individuals blessed with elemental-type powers. Born in Demetria but currently living secretly on Earth (because reasons), she has the ability to shift/control water. I’ve loved her since she appeared on the handwritten pages of the first draft, and coincidentally, her character will probably need the least amount of refining. Nevertheless, I need to get to know her better, because that penciled-in first version of her is sorely lacking in details.

Anyway. Some pertinent details before we begin:

Beautiful People is a monthly link-up hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. Each month, they come up with ten questions to help us get to know our characters better. For more info, follow the links!
Natalie Portman would make a good Skaes, I think. The
dress here is perfect for her Demetrian attire.

How often do they smile? Would they smile at a stranger?
Skaes is the sort of person who smiles often, at friends and strangers alike. She revels in the little joys of life. Nowadays, though, she smiles less frequently. Centuries of living alone in hiding, watching generations go by, will do that to a person.

What is the cruelest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?
Skaes is very tender-hearted, and most people can’t help but like her. So she hasn’t been directly told many cruel things. The cruelest jabs are those of silence, omittance, and cold shoulders. The only other female Shifter, Nisi (who controls light), is a dear friend of Skaes’s . . . but Nisi is often guarded and unaffectionate. There are times Skaes wants to reach out for companionship, but Nisi’s standoffishness hurts her.


What is the kindest thing they’ve ever been told? And what was their reaction?
The words Skaes holds most dear, the words that have stayed in her heart over her long life, are from King Jirus (the Jesus-figure in this series). When she and the other four were first called to the Garden to accept their shifting abilities and learn how to wield them, King Jirus’s words of wisdom and affirmation washed over her like sunlight. And they have never left. They’re what she clings to now in the years of waiting.


What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
As a little girl in Demetria, long before she became a Shifter, she lived in a village on the coast. The song of the sea was ever present, drawing her to the shore on a daily basis. She would stand in the shallows, deep enough that her fingertips brushed the water, and look out to the horizon. The vastness of the sea has always fascinated her. And when storms would fall upon the village, she was perhaps the only one unafraid of the power of water. Even though she can harness it now, she still has that childlike wonder and fascination with it.


What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?
I think she would find Bryan Davis’s Eye of the Oracle very comforting. She has much in common with Sapphira Adi, as far as long lifespans and the need for patience/contentment goes. Sapphira would be a good fictional companion for her.

How I imagine her on Earth.
Have they ever been seriously injured? How severely? How did they react?
Yes. She has seen many battles on Demetrian soil, and thusly has been injured numerous times. Whereas some of her fellow Shifters would stubbornly keep fighting with a broken leg or fatal wound, she is quicker to accept her weakness, adapt to it, and do what she can from the sidelines instead. (See? She’s fluid. Ha. Ha. Ha.) That doesn’t mean she cares any less, just that she will naturally bend with the circumstances and find a way around it, even if that means taking on lowly tasks like dishing out rations to the knights. She realizes that she doesn’t have to be on the battlefield to advance the cause.

Do they like and get along with their neighbours?
Because it’s vital that she lives a solitary life, she doesn’t have many neighbors at all. In fact, she lives on the coast of Scotland (I’m working out the exact details, to be honest), in a sparsely populated area. She has minimal contact with outsiders, and has had to move several times to avoid suspicion. (“What’s with that lady in the cottage? I could’ve sworn she looked just as young when I was a wee child, and now I’m getting up to sixty.”) All that said, if she could have contact with her neighbors, she would get along with them very well. She likes almost everybody, after all.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being easy and 10 being difficult) how easy are they to get along with?
Oh, probably a 2. She’s a kind, quiet soul. Like I said, she likes people and they like her.

If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go?
Well, she’d rather travel out of this world she’s been forced to live in so long. She would give anything to return to Alewar, to her homeland of Demetria.



Who was the last person they held hands with?
Probably some young, sweet-faced chap in her old Demetrian village. But that was ages ago. Having a prominent place in the military as one of the Shifters took up all of her time and attention, and then of course, she came to Earth and took up life as a hermit. So romance has not had a chance to blossom in her life. Besides, who could she be with? Anyone she falls in love with would be a mortal. (Speaking of which, I’m not exactly sure if she’s immortal, per se. But she does have a ridiculously long lifespan.) And the three male Shifters are out of the question. Two are like brothers to her, and one is an old man. (Technically speaking, they’re all old, but he was already getting on in years when he became a Shifter, and the role has kind of pickled him. He has spent most of his life looking elderly. Not that he minds much.) (But now I’m overusing parentheses again. Ahem.)

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I hope you enjoyed meeting Skaes! I may have to feature her fellow Shifters sometime. What do you think? And hey, would any of your own characters make a good friend for Skaes? Poor girl is lonely. But not for long . . . Just as soon as I iron out some details and hammer out, oh, another ten thousand words or so, she’ll find herself anything but lonely. But that’s a story I can’t tell you yet. *wink*
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