I’m very excited about tomorrow. I will be at HallowRead tomorrow in Ellicott City, which is very charming. I highly recommend day trips to Ellicott City in general.
I will be speaking on the “Coming of Age” panel at 1:15pm, if you are into that kind of thing. I will have tee shirts available for sale, and swag bags for reviewers.
Come by and say hi and, if ya like, buy a book!
Tickets are available for purchase here: http://hallowread.com/tickets/
Hope to see you there!
When Natasha and I spoke about her doing a guest blog entry on my blog I was very excited to have her voice speak through this conduit. She’s always been energetic and thoughtful about her approach to writing in the year I have known her. She has a video series on Youtube as well as your usual social media outlets. I suggest you follow her because she is bursting with ideas, and enthusiasm, which can be quite contagious.
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Why the Literary World Needs Fantasy
By Natasha Lane
It’s no secret that when it comes to writing being considered literature, fantasy gets a swift kick in the head. Often so far stretched from reality, many snobs out there don’t consider any fantasy novel worthy of being called literature. “Lord of the Rings” is one of the most renowned book series in the world, some would even say it set the foundation for epic fantasy adventure, yet there are still those who would never equate it to works like “Pride & Prejudice” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Continue reading
WHERE: Glenn Dale, MD – Marietta House
WHEN: October 7 @ 2:30pm
WHAT: Historic House Tour, Reading, Signing, Costume Contest (with prize!), Refreshments
October 7th – come join us for a supernatural afternoon of readings, refreshments, and tour the historic home. Are there ghosts? You tell us!
Marietta House Museum’s “Author’s & Playwright’s Corner” presents supernatural fiction with authors H.L. Brooks, and Dea Schofield. This event is a great opportunity to support independent women authors. Continue reading
What’s happening?
A reading and discussion with authors Dea Schofield and H.L. Brooks.
Where!?
At Scarborough Fair Bed and Breakfast in Baltimore!
WHEN?
Saturday, July 22nd
4pm-5:30pm
Please come by and pick up a copy of our new books. Or just listen to us and ask questions. Though buying our books means we can keep writing more!
If you’re a book blogger, vlogger, or bookstagrammer, send us a note that you’re going to come by so we can have a swag bag for you!
Hello mortals! If you’re in Maryland and like vampire and werewolf stories, you will definitely want to come to Scarborough Fair Bed & Breakfast on July 22nd to enjoy short readings and follow-up discussions with authors H.L. Brooks (that’s me!) and Dea Schofield. We will be reading some short excerpts from our latest books. There will also be some light refreshments and a door prize for one lucky winner. If you are a book blogger, vlogger, or bookstagrammer, send me a note if you can come by and we will hook you up with a swag bag.
TIME:
Saturday, July 22nd, 2017
4pm-5:30pm
PLACE:
Scarborough Fair Bed & Breakfast in Baltimore, MD
http://www.scarboroughfairbandb.com
In going through twitter and Instagram promoting my version of Little Red Riding Hood, I’ve come across many others. I thought I would do a few blog entries to provide links to them. If ever finish editing my book and have time to READ a book, I’ll have a handy list of Red Riding Hood adaptations. I’m not specifically recommending any of them, I’m just providing the list.
Let’s kick this post off with a link to National Geographic’s article about the varied origins of Little Red Riding Hood.
Just click on the covers to go to the websites.
My sweetie is working on a version of Rapunzel that is absolutely wonderful.
About five years ago I shot video of three short snippets of him reading excerpts from the story – which remains unfinished. He has plenty of words and skill, he just needs more hours in the day to work on them. He also edits my work and has a full time job that he often works ten to twelve hours at and requires writing all day. Which, as you can guess, is draining.
There have been some small edits since I recorded these, so perhaps this summer if I can find a day he isn’t bent over a computer slaving away at the words, I will record some new video.
Visit his website at WilliamCHardy.com
If you have suggestions and software you’re excited about, be sure to leave a message in the comments! I want to know all about it!
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I was talking with a friend about some of the writing process stuff I do. This was pertaining primarily to publishing novellas and novels. There are a lot of great tools out there for writers and some of the software is technically advanced and helpful.
You can go old school and send out query letters to agents and publishers – you will need a copy of Writer’s Market. Or, you can do what even some established authors are doing and switch to self-publishing. In recent years independent publishing has had quite the boom. That’s pretty good for people who are anxious to just get their stuff out there or who don’t want to wait for replies or who are just sick of rejections. But remember, publishing on your own has its own set of problems, too, as you will find in my friend’s blog HERE.
I am always curious about the processes of other people. In the e-book version of Water for Elephants there was an author Q&A that was wonderful. So, in case anybody is interested in what my process is for novels it is very simple.
1 – I make a notebook. In the case of Red August, I used a cheap composition notebook and decorated and made a pocket in the front. I divided it into three sections for notes on all three books in the series. This is helpful not only before writing the books, but during the editing process as well.
2 – I draw “props” that are in the story that might get complicated. Like August’s wooden box that is full of treasures. So when I revisit the item later, I can be sure to remember all that is in the box and what it looked like. I make family trees, so I can keep track of births, deaths and the years and ages people should be and the way they are related to each other.
3 – I write in Word. Here are some links to the proper formatting of manuscripts:
http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-are-the-guidelines-for-formating-a-manuscript
4 – I give myself deadlines.
There is usually plenty of research that goes into writing a novel. For me, there was a lot of time spent looking into original Red Riding Hood stories as well as werewolf lore and Celtic traditions. If the piece is set in a specific era that has an atmosphere I want to convey, there is usually research related to that as well.
H.L. Brooks 