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Blocked

1/1/2015

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Writer’s block is like being constipated. You know what you need to do, but it just won’t come out. Nearly a third of the way through the final book of my fantasy trilogy and my writing bowels were bound up like a kid who eats nothing but Wonder Bread and American cheese.

I tried editing what I’d already written. Nothing stirred. I tried reading the dictionary for inspiration. Not helpful. I tried reading other people’s novels. It just made me jealous. If there was an over-the-counter cure for writer’s block, I wasn’t finding it. It was time to consult a doctor.

I said to myself, Nora Roberts writes a new book every thirty seconds. What’s she feeding her muse? Turns out, when you are that successful, you can pay for a room full of staffers to serve you prunes twenty-four seven. Wasn’t going to happen at my income bracket.

So then I wondered, what would Steven King do? Take a job as a winter caretaker for a haunted hotel? Those creepy twins would definitely make me poop my pants, but I decided switching careers in order to isolate myself wasn’t practical for me right then.

The writing doctors weren’t helping. I decided it was time to get to the heart of the matter. What was causing my blockage?

At first, my blockage was caused by exhaustion. It takes mental energy to write, and time to daydream. I went back to work teaching full time after 11 years. I love working with kindergartners, but those little vampires will suck the energy right out of you. At a certain point I just set my writing aside, with plans to come back to it when I had the energy to focus my eyes on my computer screen.

After the second book in the series was published and school was out, my plan was to sleep. Sleep until my eyes popped open and I had the energy to push on through until the creativity was advancing again.

Unfortunately, in June, my youngest was diagnosed with cancer. For several months, being alone with my thoughts did not lead to writing, it lead to worry and fear about my child.

But no matter what life throws at us, we are who we are. I am a writer, and trying to give it up wouldn’t work. If I didn’t let my creativity out, I might eventually explode. So, once I had settled in to cancer mom life, I pulled up my rough draft and tried to peck away at it.

I eked out a sentence here, did a little editing there. I sometimes managed a whole scene, or even a rough chapter. And finally, during a two week break from treatments, I was writing again. Like a batch of grainy bran muffins, my characters entered in and started to move their stories along. I outlined several chapters, added to previous scenes, wrote a few new ones.

I still have many potentially constipating challenges ahead of me, but I know that even if I become blocked again, it will eventually pass.

I’m still working on that third book – but in the meantime, read the first two!

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Click to purchase!
Picture
Click to purchase!
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Meet my character blog hop

9/7/2014

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PictureClick cover to purchase.
September is hoppin’ here on my blog. I’ve been invited to join some blog hops & so I thought I’d get in on the fun. This week, author Elizabeth Fountain has invited me to participate in the ‘Meet my characters’ Blog hop. I’ll be answering some character related questions about my latest novel, Abomination…

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Princess Willow has a gift for debate. She is a fan of satin, lace, and getting her own way. She is the strong-willed daughter of Watcher and Benaiah, the King and Queen of Forest End, which is a fictional land from my fantasy series.

2) When and where is the story set?

The story is set in a medieval style fantasy world called Anthelion, where everyone is blessed with one special gift. Most gifts are mundane; for instance, one might be a talented cook or seamstress. Some people, however, have powerful, supernatural abilities. These are the people about whom legends are told.

3) What should we know about your character?

Willow may be a bit of a brat, but she is also clever and as the child of prophecy, she has the ability to change the world.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

In the beginning of the book, Willow is kidnapped by an enemy kingdom. She finds herself in a strange land in the company of a young man who is nearly impervious to her gifts of persuasion.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

Six year old Willow would very much like to fulfill her role in the prophecy already so she can get back home to her riding lessons.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

This book is called Abomination. Here are some reviews that will tell you a bit more…
http://authoreverleigh.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://myaddictionisreading.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html http://www.lilacreviews.com/book-reviews/review-abomination/ 
http://pratr.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/abomination-by-audra-middleton/ 
http://texasbooknook13.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-abomination-by-audra.html
http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/09/abomination-by-audra-middleton.html

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

This book is now available on Amazon and iBookstore as an ebook or paperback.

And next week (Sept. 16) you’re invited to check out the following author's “Meet My Characters” responses…

Kenneth Schultz - "I like to make things and writing allows me to create whole worlds, the people in these worlds, and challenges to confront my people. Writing also lets me explore issues facing mankind, like the impact on civilization of the exhaustion of fossil fuels. Sci Fi is my favorite genre and fits well with my background in engineering, science, and economics. I presently make my home on Washington's picturesque Olympic Peninsula."
LINKS: www.kennethdschultz.com
                  www.facebook.com/KennethDSchultz

Stay tuned Sept. 28 for my part in Linda Ulleseit's Back to School Blog Hop!




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Abomination Excerpt

7/1/2014

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The sequel to my fantasy novel, Watcher, is now available, so I thought
I would show off a sneak peek of Abomination here today!
             
          Hope stirred in Willow’s belly like bees in a clover patch. “Oh, Ethan! I know how I’m to get back home!”


         She dug in the pocket of her dress, squealing in delight when her fingers touched the rough little seed pods she stuffed inside before she left the keep at Fern Hollow. There was too much grass where she stood, so she scurried this way and that, looking for a patch of proper soil, finally tumbling down a dip in the bluff to a patch of earth where the grass thinned out as the soil met the white sand of the beach.

             Ethan dropped his small collection of sticks and followed
her, perplexed to see the girl who whined so much about the stains on her frock plopping herself down in the dirt, yanking at the grass, scratching at the soil with a crooked little stick so brittle it snapped with each scrape. Once the stick was broken to the nub, she began pulling little seeds from her pocket and scattering them in the freshly tilled soil.


            She looked up at him, blowing a stray curl from her face.
“Well, are you going to stand there or are you going to help me?”


          Ethan clenched his jaw. “I think you’ve gone batty. It will be dark soon.
The cold is piercing already. Get out of the dirt and help me find some wood for
a fire!”


            “Now who’s daft? Don’t you see? I’m the child of prophecy.
From the Flower and the Raven a child will spring; to Luminar seeds of change
she’ll bring. I’ll plant these seeds, and then I can go home,” Willow explained,
patting bits of earth over her seeds.


         “Why would Luminar need to change anything?” Ethan asked,
haughtily.


             Willow stood up, rubbing the dirt off her hands and brushing
off her dress. “Maybe staring at everything white, gray, and green all day every
day has made you all testy.” She looked up at him with sparkling brown eyes and
grabbed his elbow. “These are marigold seeds, Ethan! They’re lovely flowers,
bright, cheery shades of yellow and orange, some with little bits of red in
them!”


          He sighed. “It’s autumn, Willow. We may have a mild climate, but it is
still not the season for gardening. Besides, my father and I rarely come to the
shore anymore. Who’s going to tend to your little flower garden?”


         Willow scowled and crossed her arms, hope wilting. “God will. Just like
he does these white ones.”


         Ethan rolled his eyes and went back up the knoll to retrieve his
firewood. “Fine then, Willow. You’ve planted your seeds. It will be a spring of
change for Luminar. Now will you lend a hand before we’ve no light at
all?”


Buy Link to Abomination:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LCL8B52
 Be sure to read book one if you haven’t already:
http://amzn.to/1tFSPsT
Enter to win a paperback copy of Abomination on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/96768-abomination


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    Author

    Audra Middleton is a somewhat neurotic and terminally sarcastic author and mother of three from Washington State.

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