The dragons are laughing at me. But they haven’t won yet.

Cryptic title, right?

It’s been a very slow day/night, and I can’t seem to get anything out on either Dreamstealer or Pirates of Time. Not only is this worrying (because heck I have a word count to meet), but it makes me wonder if perhaps I started Dreamstealer off on the wrong foot. Is it time to rehash the introduction, give my characters more space on their pages? Perhaps. After the long conversations I’ve had with my characters, they’re all asking me for more than they have and they’re worried about each other’s safety in the world I’ve dropped them into. I suppose that’s a good thing; if my characters are worried then I’ve got a good world for them to work with. But even so, there’s some polishing to do and I’m glad they pointed it out to me.

I found myself reading this article http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/angels-demons-and-the-writer/ just a few moments ago and it made me think about just how much our own personal ‘demons’ do influence us, as writers. Especially when we’re writing genre fiction. I guess it’s something that we all deal with on some level, and it’s up to us to tame those demons and pull another card from our sleeve, hoping that this time it works.

I’m going to try and get back to my novels, and keep you updated.

Don’t stop reading!

AdmiralCarter.

Dreamstealer and Camp NaNo 2015: An Update. Also libraries are cool.

Hello all!

I will preface this post with the fact that it’s currently 0200 hours here in Aus. It’s damn cold, and I can’t sleep.

So as you can judge by the title, I’ve been keeping myself very busy with work on my newest WIP, Dreamstealer. It’s shaping up to be a surprising novel, not just because I’m writing in an unfamiliar style (first person limited) but also because it somehow feels more full than my other pieces have. I am behind on my 50k word count, but I’m making solid progress towards catching up within the next week or so (7205 words and counting). I’ve always enjoyed reading fantasy work, so perhaps that has something to do with it? Who knows. My characters are amicable and easy to work with, in contrast to Jeremiah who’s sulking something wicked because I haven’t worked on Pirates of Time in just over two weeks. I’ll get to you, buddy. No need to get your sails in a twist.

In other news, I recently made a research trip to my local library and came back with five books which ought to help me with both WIPs. Most are fiction, except for one non-fiction book about the kings and queens of the middle ages in Europe. The fiction books are mostly to help with pacing, but also to get a better idea of how steampunk worlds are built. As much effort as I’ve put in, Google’s abilities to help me have unfortunately come to an end. It’s a very tall stack of books and my D&D dice are sitting on top, waiting for my next game in a week. Things are getting busy. I plan to go back to the library and put some other books on hold from the other libraries in my district; all the good ones seem to be ages away from me. The minute I came home with the book stack my father asked me how I’d get time to read them all in between the 100 or so other books on my shelf which have yet to be opened. I justified these ones as ‘research’.

Anywho, that’s it from me for now. I’ll be giving more frequent updates as the month goes on.

And yes, I’m still reading Dune.

Never stop reading/writing!

AdmiralCarter

Fairy Tale Book Tag: True Love, Princesses, and Midnight Magic

Fairy Tale Book Tag: True Love, Princesses, and Midnight Magic.

I absolutely ADORE fairy tales. Here’s my list in response to the questions. You should go check them out! This is the first tag I’ve filled out.

 

1. Is there a book you lie about because you feel ashamed for liking it?

Hmm, this one’s hard for me. Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, hush series. I love it SO MUCH, but it feels awkward because, well, I’m 21 now and 21 year olds can’t read YA fiction, right? Right?!

2.  Which book do you love that has a hideous cover?

John Irving’s The World According to Garp. Mostly because there’s a toad on the front, and I can’t stand toads. I originally thought it was a Wind in the Willows-esque novel whose main character was a toad. Boy was I wrong.

3. What was the last book you bought based on cover alone?

Ok this one’s easy. Kevin J Anderson’s The Edge of the World, which I’ve already written a post about. Easily one of my favourite books, and much better than the last time I bought something for its cover. Thanks for that, overly-gruesome murder mystery.

4. Who is your favourite book couple? 

Another hard one. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything with a couple as its focus (so I can’t be too talkative here), but I’m gonna go with Julian Carax and his lover from Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind. Their relationship is so supportive and flexible, and although it crumbles a little near the end its still one of the most sincere and heartfelt ones I’ve seen yet.

 

 

 

5. If you like to branch out into new genres, what was the latest book you’ve tried?

Easy. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which I’m reading right now. Classic literature of this era (18th-19th centuries), especially romance-related ones, have never really been my cup of tea. I find that they’re often stuffy and moralistic, and lack a cohesive plot. Nevertheless, I’m driving on with it and hoping it gets a little more bearable.

6. What was the last book that made you stay up all night? 

I tend to keep very late hours (perpetual night-owl), so staying up all night isn’t a huge deal for me. I would have to say the last one that really engaged me that much was either RS. Ingermanson’s Transgression, or Neal Stephenson’s REAMDE. Beyond that? Pirates of Time of course, my beloved WIP. If it’s gripping enough to keep me awake it has to be good, as far as I’m concerned. Or just hugely annoying to write, because of research.

 

7. What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?

Well. This is difficult. Recently, the worst I’ve read is E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey. I know I’ve already written a post about it, and talked about the psychological elements in it, but really? There’s no excuse for poor writing. There just isn’t. It makes it worse when it isn’t marketed and/or discussed properly in the media. It’s primarily a book about a very emotionally unstable man and a naive woman who tries to be some kind of hero, and it’s also about blatant abuse. BDSM is a whole different kettle of fish to 50 Shades, and for those of you who think otherwise I’m so, so sorry. But it’s just not right. A close second on that list is James Flint’s Habitus. Total lack of continuity, and the concept is nuts. Characters are 2D, seriously just go read my blog post on it, or if you like just read the book.

(Not even going to put pictures).

 

So those are my answers. How about you? Are there any books that came to mind when you saw this list? And do you have any favourite book tags? Tell me in the comments, I love hearing from you!

 

As always, never stop reading and stay tuned for more!

AdmiralCarter

The Scott Cullen series: Book One, Ghost in the Machine. By Ed James.

Hello readers!

So I’ve been meaning to do this book review for at least two or three months now, but every time I sit down to do it I can never quite put the words down the way I want to. I figured I’d just go ahead this time and see what came out, so forgive me if perhaps I am a little coarse.

Ghost in the Machine by Ed James is an… interesting… book. I can tell you now it’s not one I would have read ordinarily, but the title was what drew me in (cue embarrassed sci-fi reader face here). That said, it was a good enough book to read but it wasn’t one that really struck any chords with me, besides a few tritones and dissonants for any musicians out there. It’s a crime/murder mystery novel focusing on Scott Cullen, a police officer who is set to case investigating a string of murders that takes him all across Scotland. He himself is eventually dragged into the murderer’s plans, but escapes by a hair and the murderer is eventually prosecuted. Scott gets a happy ending and everything ends well.

So, why didn’t this one really drag my interest? First of all, I don’t usually read crime novels. I’ve always found them to be far too predictable and lacking in mystery. They’re often not well-written, and rely heavily on tropey ideas of repetitive plot sequences. Someone dies, cops are called, investigation commences, bit of a chase (if you’re lucky), murderer is caught, judge and jury send that person to jail, lead cop gets a promotion, happy endings for everyone. It’s always tied up into a nice, neat little package, and for me it’s a sign of lazy writing and a lack of interest in the plot from the author. Unfortunately, Ghost in the Machine very much followed that formula and it was a bit depressing. In my time as a reader I’ve only ever read one other book from this genre and I hated it. Not because it was boring and tropey, but because it was gross and very graphic (think entrails on the floor and graphic, detailed descriptions of people’s ears getting cut off and shipped to unsuspecting victims), with little attention paid to the character development of anyone who wasn’t the antagonist.

As an author myself, I don’t know what to be sadder for. James’ lack of interest in his work, or the way the book suffered from tropes, repetition and predictability. Either way, the book did have the potential to be something more, but it wasn’t developed to the point where I could have a good impression of it. The best thing about it was that the characters were at least full-bodied and not 2D on the page; rather they strutted about the book as did their thing like any good character should.

What to take away from it? Don’t fall into the trope trap! It’s a very easy thing for an author to do, especially when you’re not feeling so great about your own work. Make your work shine. I’ve often found that the easiest way to do that is to not worry about the mistakes in the first draft; it’s often full of what authors call a ‘word spew’. The second draft can be used to help fix the major plot holes and anything else, and the final draft is for cleaning up the stray adverbs and grammar. Of course you don’t have to do it that way, but it’s a good approach to take. Another thing I’ve found useful is to let the draft sit for a few months, and go back to it with a clear mind. That way you can see everything without the emotional attachment, and edit accordingly.

As far as recommendations are concerned, unless you’re looking for an easy read I would say avoid Ghost in the Machine.  There’s really not much more to say on the topic.

As always, stay tuned for my next review!

Never stop reading;

AdmiralCarter.

Women as Writers 4: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Book One of the Hunger Games Trilogy

So I know this entry is hardly something you all expected. Yes, I’m still working on Tai-Pan and Faust, but this one was a special request by a close friend of mine who is a particularly big fan of the Hunger Games trilogy. I just hope I do justice to the book.

It’s an interesting experience, reading the book after watching the movie. I’ve only done it in this order a few times (with different books of course), and I’ve always found that it’s much harder for my imagination to picture the characters and settings without being influenced by the movie makers’ interpretations of the characters. Not that this is a bad thing; there’s less to worry about as a reader but I always like to challenge myself anyway and forge my own path. The other thing that usually comes up somewhere along the line is plot holes. And now that I’ve read the book, I can see what everyone was talking about when they say there are three HUUUUGE plot holes in the movie. Stuff that makes up a large part of how Katniss and Peeta act after coming out of the arena is simply left out of the movie, and changes the whole dynamic of the story. It’s a bit of a shame that the sections were omitted; don’t get me wrong there was already a fair bit of gore in the movie but that wasn’t so relevant to the plot as the omissions were. I won’t say what they were in case there are other people who haven’t yet read the books, but for those of you who know what I’m talking about I’m sure this makes more than enough sense.

Now, onto the book itself. Overall I thought the writing style was nicely clipped to match the fast-paced action that the book features so much of. In times of less activity, the writing, too, slowed down and it seemed almost as if as the reader you were given more time to sit down and watch the arena evolve. The smaller things were pointed out, and more time was taken on everything. This technique not only adds dynamism to the work but it also drags the reader into the storyline, providing the critical element of reader involvement.

The characters! This is exactly what I like to see in a work: characters who are fully fleshed out, and sit well in their roles alongside the others, even if they are only minor characters. As readers we travel alongside Katniss, and so our perceptions are somewhat filtered by her own views. However we are given lease to form our own opinions, because Katniss is such a sceptical and observant character and in acting this way encourages readers to do the same. The clipped writing style works well in presenting a plain and truthful account of how the characters act, and exposes their flaws clearly. It’s common knowledge amongst the world of authors and books in general that protagonists (or heroes) always need to have weaknesses. Otherwise the readers can’t take them seriously, and things are too easy. For Katniss, her weaknesses are her family, and her confused feelings for Peeta as well as wanting to keep her life. Later she gains more physical weaknesses. For Peeta, it’s his feelings for Katniss and his self-doubt. Even the Capitol has weaknesses, although not a character per se its weaknesses are still just as evident.

This is where we get to the dark and gritty side of the story. The theme. Even on the blurb it tells you that The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian version of the not-so-distant future, but that is no preparation for what you’ll find between the covers. Panem is a world that reeks of consumerism and modern politics (whatever that can be classified as), and the longer you read, the more disgusted you become with the Capitol and the way Panem functions. This theme cuts quite close to home, and its well worth noting that in the book it is mentioned that the Capitol is centred in the Appalacian ranges in America. This is of very little surprise, but what IS surprising is the way that there has been a clear segregation of the continent to create, effectively, twelve third- and second-class countries with only the Capitol to guide them. Is it just me, or is this far too familiar a concept?  

Collins’ descriptive bent does the book no disservices. It adds the colour and life that the plot needs in the face of the grim setting and circumstances. I didn’t read it aloud, but when read mentally the words just roll off the tongue, if you’ll forgive the overused cliché. Everything about the writing style works: it’s not flat, not sparse (except where necessary), and reminds me very much of a good chocolate cake. Every layer is cooked to perfection, the taste is sublime, and the glossy sheen of icing only makes you drool more. She also has a delicate way of pulling at the heartstrings of the reader, just when its most needed. This subtlety is not something that I commonly find, especially amongst other young adult fiction pieces. It’s to be admired and learnt from, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.

Overall The Hunger Games is a book that really pulls its reader into Katniss and Peeta’s world, and doesn’t let go until the final page. Saying that, the knowledge that there are two more books to read really means that it doesn’t let you go until the third book is over. The characters are real and relatable (or a pain in the rear, depending on who it is); the setting is perfectly primed to make readers think about the world that they themselves live in – a trademark of a well-written dystopian novel -; and although there is a lot of grit and gore, it’s necessary and it helps the characters to grow. Which is what it should do. Unfortunately, the parallels between Katniss and Peeta’s world and our own cut a little too close to home for me (especially in terms of the way the Tributes are forced to play political power games amongst themselves and with the Capitol and the people of Panem), but that may not be the case for others. Either way, it’s a weighty topic that has certainly been brought to the fore. And I would venture that it ought to be explored more, and really considered by readers.

I would definitely recommend The Hunger Games to everyone who hasn’t read it; not just because it’s now a blockbuster movie but because it is genuinely a good book with a lot of weighty things to say. And as an author-to-be, I’d definitely recommend that other authors might do well to take a leaf out of Collins’ book and see what they can learn.

That’s it from me for now, and stay tuned for my next review which will definitely be James Clavell’s Tai-Pan. As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Hunger Games and I’m even open to spoilers! Don’t be afraid to comment below, I love a good chat and I’m always looking for new recommendations for the bookshelf!

Don’t stop reading!

AdmiralCarter.