Author Archives: Kate Sparkes

About Kate Sparkes

Kate Sparkes was born in Hamilton, Ontario, but now resides in Newfoundland, where she tries not to talk too much about the dragons she sees in the fog. She lives with five cats, two dogs, and just the right amount of humans. USA Today bestselling author of the Bound Trilogy (mature YA Fantasy), Into Elurien, and Vines and Vices. Writing dark, decadent, and deadly Urban Fantasy as Tanith Frost. www.katesparkes.com www.tanithfrost.com

March 7, 2013

Rest in Pieces (or How Computers Become Real)

By Kate Sparkes

It’s a sad day, my friends. My beloved netbook is no longer with us.

The end came suddenly, and she was in good spirits last time I used her. I don’t think she suffered. One minute she seemed fine, the next she was still fine, but not charging.

I took her to the best help I could find, and they presented me with a tough choice: spend the money to fix her, or get my data transferred over to a “like new” refurbished computer for less, and more quickly.

If I’d had the money, I’d have spent it to save her, even if it cost a lot more.

Seriously.

I know it’s stupid. One computer should be pretty much the same as any other. The new one’s the same brand (make, not model). But I get terribly attached to inanimate objects.

We’ve been through a lot together. I wrote a novel on that computer. And re-wrote it. Repeatedly. And drafted another one. Then there were the blog posts, the evenings spent going back and forth between Scrivener and Facebook… We had many days together in car dealerships waiting for repairs and oil changes, and she never complained about being bored. She was with me when I discovered the library in Gander, and though she wasn’t around for my first NaNoWriMo, she was with me through two wins (if you count camp) and one fail. I mean, loss. I mean… Attempt? Whatever.

She was the first computer that was ever MINE, and she made it possible for me to actually find time to write.

Also, she was black and shiny, and had wicked leaf and bird decals on the hood. Screen back? Again, whatever.

The new one will be fine. Sure, it’s a little different; it’s red, and the power button’s not the same. But it works, and that’s important… I guess.

I’m going to act like there’s no superstitious feeling connected to the fact that I’ve only had success with this story on that one computer, because that would be silly. Silly like sport-type guys not shaving or changing their socks (who marries these people, anyway?).

Does this post seem especially disjointed to anyone else? I CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT HER! *sob*

Tell me I’m not the only one who forms irrational attachments to inanimate objects, that I’m not the only one who feels like I owe them something after their years of service.* You all do this, right?

–

*I place the blame for this squarely on The Velveteen Rabbit. It was loved! It was REAL! I could have saved it instead of letting them use it for parts! So what if it had scarlet fever**?

**May not have actually had scarlet fever.

–

EDIT: As requested, my new (to me) computer:

Fancy.

9 Comments | tags: computers, Velveteen rabbit, velveteen rabbit syndrome | posted in about me, writing

March 6, 2013

*In Case You Hadn’t Noticed…

By Kate Sparkes

Oh, hi there!

By Kate Sparkes

Hello new people! I don’t know why more than 30 individuals who I’ve never met are voluntarily receiving e-mails when I post; you may soon be wondering this yourself, actually. But I’m very happy to have every one of you here! I hope you’ll have as much fun as I do here.

Now, everyone share, play nice with the other kids, and don’t make me turn this car around, because I’ll do it.

Good.

Everyone comfortable? Excellent. Blog party!

[insert party music of your choice]

10 Comments | tags: blog | posted in blogs

March 5, 2013

Back to the Drawing Board?

By Kate Sparkes

Not quite. But I’m doing something I said I was done with.

Revisions on Bound.

Not editing. Not perking up scenes that aren’t quite there yet. I mean actually ignoring everything that’s already there, going back to square one and figuring out the best way to tell this story, and THEN seeing whether anything can be salvaged from the original.

This is terrifying. I thought I was done with that. I thought I had my story, that it was just clean-up from this point on. After all, people have liked it, right? Some have even loved it. So it’s good enough.

The thing is, good enough isn’t good enough. I can do better. No matter how it hurts, I’m going to make this thing the best it can be. If that means “killing my darlings,” ripping out scenes that I’ve spent so much time and effort on but that don’t contribute to the best work I can do, then so be it. If it means that I don’t feel ready for this thing to see the light of day for another 6 months… well, that will hurt a lot, too. But I’m not doing this to get published (even though, hello, that’s a huge dream of mine). I’m doing it to tell a story, and what’s the point of putting it out there if it’s only good enough?

It can be tighter. It can be sharper. The stakes can be higher. Everything can mean more to my characters, and therefore to my readers.

I’ve complained before about my perfectionist tendencies, but I think that right now my old frenemy Perfectionism is doing me a favour. As long as she’s not making me feel terrible for not getting it “right” the first time (which she totally will, but I’m used to that), she might actually help me do something better. If she’s telling me that I can do more, that to not at least try would be settling for less than what I can achieve, I can accept that. I still want to punch her in her smug, stupid face, but for once, I don’t think she’s wrong.

Am I rambling yet? Because I just decided this, and I’m still a bit freaked out.

So here’s what I’m going to do, for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing: I know my story inside and out (and inside-out, for that matter). I know my characters better than I know most of my friends. I’m going to print out the full current manuscript and lock it away for a while, and I’m going to start over. I’m going to find a stronger starting point, I’m going to raise the stakes, I’m going to make things harder on everyone involved. I’m probably going to cut characters. I’m going to keep the story tighter, and I hope get down to the 90,000 word range. When all of that planning is done I’ll see what I can salvage from before, but this isn’t a conservation project. Much as it will hurt to lose the lovely dialogue I worked so hard on, the scenes I’ve set that mean so much to me, it’ll be worth the sacrifice if it makes a stronger story.

It’s all a learning experience, right?

–

EDIT: I wrote this last Thursday. I’ve thought about it, I’ve planned it out. A lot can change, but I’m actually surprised how much of the original structure really works, with some changes needed to accomplish the aforementioned tightening, sharpening, and general shitting on characters’ heads to make things more interesting. I’m re-doing the first few chapters.

Aren’s my biggest problem, as expected. Asshole.

Still doing a complete rewrite, but I’m really happy to say that the last version really just needs plastic surgery, not a transplant into some kind of android body… or whatever. Science Fiction’s not my thing, I don’t know how that works.

10 Comments | tags: decisions, editing, fear, novel, perfectionism, revision, writing | posted in Bound, Perfectionism, Revision, writing

March 4, 2013

What? He took my seat.

By Kate Sparkes

He knows he’s guilty. -_-

Leave a comment | posted in Funnies, Photos

March 1, 2013

White Rabbit!

By Kate Sparkes

I love superstitions. I have a strange relationship with them, though. I don’t actually believe that anything is going to bring me good luck, but at the same time I won’t roll up the rim on a Tim Horton’s cup if there’s still liquid in it (because then I totally won’t win), and if I see something amazing like a crow executing a perfect mid-air barrel-roll, I will definitely accept that as a sign of good things to come. I’m comfortable living with a lot of seemingly conflicted ideas in my head.

As today is the first of the month, my family has been in heated competition to be the first person to say “White Rabbit” to everyone else. My mom says that her mother used to wake them up this way on the first of every month. She was British, and apparently that’s where the tradition/superstition comes from. I’ve always just sort of taken it for granted that our rules were the right ones: You have to say it to someone before they say it to you, and your prize is… well, bragging rights was all I ever thought it was before, but apparently it’s good luck.

I looked it up this morning (sorry, nothing here you can’t find on Google). Apparently more people do this than I realized, and there are a ton of variations. Most common seems to be that it has to be the first thing out of your mouth on the first of the month, and this will somehow bring you good luck. There are lots of people besides my family who do it as a competition, but the former seems to be more common.

People say different things, too, and I’d bet that most of them are rabidly (rabbitly?) loyal to their own phrase. We say “White Rabbit” in my family, always have; the other most common seems to be “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit,” followed by “Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits”- possibly multiplying the luck, or just because you never see just one rabbit, I don’t know- or repeating “White Rabbit(s)” three times.

It’s fun, but I have way too many questions, especially where competition is concerned.

First of all, how does technology affect this? Does a Facebook status shout-out count, or does it have to be said to people individually to count as “winning?” How about a Facebook message or e-mail? What if the other person is asleep or not online? What if they call and say it to you before they see the written message, or even before they pick up a voice message from you? Could I schedule a blog post for midnight on the first and say it counts, even though most of my family won’t see it? I NEED ANSWERS, PEOPLE!*

My mom wants to know how time zones affect the competition. In times past this wasn’t an issue. Anyone you said it to was close enough to hear it in person, or far enough to require a long-distance phone call (and who’s going to do that at midnight?). Now, however, we’re in touch with people all over the world. I, being an hour and a half ahead of the rest of my family, think that time zones definitely count. Depending on what the other rules are, I can White Rabbit anyone I please at midnight, Newfoundland time (yeah, we have our own time zone. We’re cool like that). Not that I’m awake at midnight, ever, but still.

And finally, my creepiest concern with the competition. If we honestly believe that winning gives us good luck, where is it coming from? I would hope that it’s just like saying it to yourself, that the luck is somehow spontaneously generated or comes from out there somewhere (possibly sneezed out by a unicorn who is particularly fond of bunnies), but what if it’s not? What if we’ve been stealing each other’s luck all these months and years? WHAT THEN, MY FAMILY?! *dramatic sob*

Here’s what I’ve decided: It’s a superstition, it’s silly, but it’s fun. If I want to start saying it first thing on the first of every month, it’ll be a lot better than the “It’s not time to get up yet!” that I let out at 6:30 this morning when I heard the *thud thud thud* of little feet. As far as competition goes, I hereby declare that (for me) it’s for entertainment purposes only, $3.99 per minute, long distance charges may apply. And time zones are a perfectly cromulent way to gain an edge. HA!

Seriously, we need a rule book.

Does anyone else do this, or have other first-of-the-month or family superstitions?

–

*My cousin who texts his mom at midnight the morning of the first every month would say that of course it counts.

7 Comments | tags: rabbit rabbit rabbit, superstition, white rabbit | posted in Family, Superstitions

February 28, 2013

Book Review- Bossypants

By Kate Sparkes

I would leave my husband for Tina Fey. I want to grow old with her.

That is all.

(OK, that’s not all. There’s also the fact that this book is effing hilarious- the introduction alone had me giggling in the store before I bought it, and the parts about birth and breastfeeding made me cry from the funny-because-it’s-true. I want the audiobook version now, please and thank you.)

Please feel free to nominate this post for any “worst and least insightful book reviews ever” awards you know. I know of none, but it would be an honour just to be nominated. For anything.

2 Comments | tags: Bossypants, Tina Fey | posted in Recent Reads

February 27, 2013

Quote o’ the Day

By Kate Sparkes

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”

— William Durant

Leave a comment | posted in Notable Quotables

February 26, 2013

Notebooks

By Kate Sparkes

Confession: If I could choose a store to have a shopping spree in, a good stationery store just might top my wish list.

Further confession: Honestly, I would accept Staples/Business Depot.

I love notebooks. I try not to buy more than I will use, but they make me so happy. A nice pen is always a great mood-booster, too, but notebooks… *sigh*. A new notebook is just a tiny world of infinite possibility, isn’t it?

This is me trying to cut down:

(AND wearing awesome argyle socks. Does that count as successful multitasking?)

I have more… my journal is in the bedroom, and the quotations notebook has gone off on a magical adventure someplace else. There’s another book for notes on things my friends like, and the one I keep in my purse in case inspiration (or a grocery-list related emergency) strikes. All we need is these, though, if we’re talking about writing.

I do all of my actual writing on the computer. My hands can’t keep up with my brain when I’m writing longhand, and there’s also the fact that I’m just going to have to type it up later, anyway.

For everything else, there’s notebooks.

I can’t make notes and plans on a computer. Tried it, hated it, couldn’t make my brain process the results. Something about having a pen in my hand opens my imagination up in a different way. I’m not saying that my method will work for anyone else, but I always like insights into how other people work, so I’m throwing mine out there. Ready?

Let’s start with the little purple one- it should be beside my bed for middle-of-the-night inspiration, so I don’t have to much up my journal with that stuff. Right now it’s blank. Moving on.

The big ones: The one with the green stripes on the left is for expanding on ideas that have been jotted down elsewhere- short stories get their outlines in there, and the back section has concept, plot, and character notes for another novel that I won’t be getting to for a while. I like to try to focus on one thing at a time (though short stories do make a nice break when other work is getting frustrating), so this is a place for the other ideas to rest and incubate, kept safe until need them. I would definitely forget them otherwise, even the good ones.

Next over is… Oh, that’s my notes on Bound- plot notes, mostly, and random ideas that did or didn’t make it into the most recent draft. Brainstorming, notes I make while reading it over (AGAIN), notes I’ve had from my Beta readers, random doodles, and anything I just need to jot down while I’m working- wouldn’t want to forget that one horse’s name, or exactly how many mer-children there were running around that one night, would we?

The one with the orange stripes is very important, and needs to be replaced. It’s everything about my fictional world- geography, history, politics, laws and theories of the magic system, animals and plants that live there, geology, characters and their relationships, notes on names I might use some day, character arcs and plot planning, what’s going on elsewhere while my characters are living out their stories (but only if it might apply to future works. I’m not obsessive, guys, jeez). It’s useful, but it’s out-of-date. I started this book during the first draft of Bound, and so much has changed. Every main character has a different name from what he/she started with. Ditto for most towns, provinces, and one of the two principal countries involved. Rowan’s much more competent than she was in the beginning, Aren’s more eviler* at the beginning, especially if you factor in the prologue (which we’re not, of course…). It’s time for a do-over on this one.

The fancy blue one is for Torn what the zig-zaggy one was for Bound, which right now means plot notes, new characters, and notes from my read-through of what I got done during NaNoWriMo last November (which I don’t even count as a first draft, but it’s a fabulous outline/place to mess around and figure things out).

That’s it. That’s my system. For the actual writing I use my little acer netbook and Scrivener (which is a great writing program- anything that doesn’t organize in chapters and let me move scenes around drives me bonkers, now). Oh, but I use Yarny for short stories… I don’t know why, they’re just a whole different game.

As for this guy…

…I don’t know what that one’s for yet. It’s my new favourite notebook (and has unlined paper, wheeee!), which means that I refuse to mark it up with notes or drawings. We’ll have to wait and see; I just wanted to show it off. LOOK HOW ADORABLE THAT DRAGON IS!

*really? Spellcheck will accept “eviler” as a word? Huh.

11 Comments | tags: characters, fantasy, Notebooks, obsession, plotting, stories, worldbuilding | posted in about me, writing

February 25, 2013

Something Different

By Kate Sparkes

No Jack Attack this Monday. Instead, I’m going to share some pictures from a recent cold-but-lovely day. And I mean cold– a Canadian Botox kind of day. Face frozen.

But you all can just enjoy some pictures of Newfoundland in winter from the comfort of your own… Wherever you are. Yay!

Slob ice: (n) A floating mass of slushy or broken ice.