Tag Archives: kate sparkes

February 18, 2015

WIPpet Wednesday – Full of It Edition

Hmm. Four blog post drafts in my folder, and not one happens to be a WIPpet Wednesday entry for today.

Past me is such a jerk.

For anyone not familiar with the rules, on WIPpet Wednesdays we post a snippet of a work in progress that relates in some way to today’s date. I’m going to be boring today and post 2 paragraphs from chapter 18 of Torn for 2/18.

I’m removing a character’s name to prevent big spoilers, but of course, anything comes with the risk of telling you something about the story. You’ve been warned.

From Rowan’s POV:

[My captor] cleared his throat, and I opened my eyes. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop now. They’ll go easier on you at the prison if you cooperate.”

I could have made a good guess at how full of excrement that statement was, but didn’t speak. My voice would have trembled.

I’ll give you a longer one some day. Promise.

OH, but speaking of Torn, and for anyone who missed it on Monday, I’m taking sign-ups if anyone would like to help with the cover reveal on February 23rd. E-mail me at kate.sparkes (at) live.ca if you’d like to help out on your blog. It’s gonna be fuuuuun…

Click here to see what the other WIPpeteers (including our host, KL Schwengel) are up to!

–

ROW80 Update

Torn is with beta readers this week, which leaves me a bit of a self-doubting, insecure mess. It’s nothing to worry about. This is normal for me, and I suspect for most writers, at this stage. There’s more pressure to produce on a deadline this time, which isn’t helping my nerves, but it’s in good hands.

If all goes well, I’ll be announcing the release date with the cover reveal.

And the blurb/cover copy.

*squeak*

And maaaaybe a sale on Bound for anyone who hasn’t grabbed it yet. Because Monday is my birthday, and I’m feeling generous, and I know you’re all going to want to get caught up before Torn comes out. 🙂

(Yes, I still get excited about my birthday after almost 34 years. I consider every spin around the sun a gift, and it’s a great chance to look back on a fantastic year–even if it was a bit of a roller coaster!)

So other than freaking out, what have I done since my last update? I’ve booked a formatter for the paperback version of Torn, corrected a few typos in the same of Bound (which had already been corrected in the e-book, but PDF files are so much harder to edit) and re-uploaded the file, ordered a proof… walked my big dog… cleaned out a kitchen cupboard… cleaned up a lot of messes courtesy of a tiny dog who doesn’t want to do his business outside…

Okay, most of that’s not writing-related, but I’m a little stuck here. I don’t have time to get back into revising book 3 before my betas finish with Torn.

Reading. I should go read. With tea. And cats.

YAY!

ROW80 is a blog hop, and a lot of authors have interesting stuff going on. To check it out, for more information, or to jump in at any time during the round, click here!

16 Comments | tags: cover reveal, fantasy, kate sparkes, sample, snippet, torn, WIPpet Wednesday, YA | posted in promotion, Torn, WIPpet Wednesday

February 4, 2015

Writing Stuff Wednesday: Insert Interesting Title Here

By Kate Sparkes

Yeah, sorry. I don’t have time for a clever title, or to dig deep into all of these cool new scenes to find something fantastic for WIPpet Wednesday.

But since you stopped by… 2 lines of dialogue for the 2 in the date. No context. Just two characters in a life or death situation. No big deal.

“Pathetic as it sounds, you’re the only family I have, and those two are my only friends. I can’t let you all wander off to your deaths without at least joining in, can I?”

“At least you won’t be lonely.”

If you want to see what the WIPpeteers are up to, here’s the link. I hope I’ll get around to everyone this week… I think I managed it last time. I couldn’t comment on everyone’s, though. THANKS, BLOGGER. I did read, though!

-_-

ROW80 UPDATE: TORN

Things are progressing well with this round of edits on Torn. I have one chapter left to completely re-write, one in which I only have to re-write the second half, and one that only needs partial re-writes.

Those climaxes, man. They get me every time.

I was hoping to get that done this week…

But this weather is killing me. I’ve got a migraine today, but am working through it (God help my characters!). The kids were home for another snow day yesterday, and their dad is away for training this week. The boys are old enough that they can play by themselves or go outside when the storms calm down, but I still can’t close myself off, stick my headphones on, and work while they’re around. I have to be listening, and available. They want me to do crazy things like play with them.

I try to remind myself that this is how I wrote the first draft of Bound, but it doesn’t help. That draft sucked. These scenes aren’t allowed to.

And then there’s Bruno, who I have decided is not, in fact, a Chihuahua, but a Mexican Bed Hound. I’m not getting much sleep with him curled up between my knees–between not being able to move and being worried that he’s going to suffocate under the blankets, I’m waking up exhausted.

But if I shut him out, he cries. And my husband gives me sad eyes.*

I need more coffee. And a plan.

In case anyone’s wondering what the months before my book release look like, here’s the goal, with dates removed–because things go awry. Snow days happen. Editors get sick, or have other clients put them off schedule, or hey, they have personal lives. Beta readers take longer than anticipated, though no fault of their own. I get sick, or get headaches, and until I’m making more money than my husband**, I’m responsible for this household: laundry, getting the kids to school, cooking, cleaning.

I need a housewife, is what I need.

But here’s the plan:

finish rewrites
compile notes
final clean-up pass (will take about a week, I hope, and will involve reading aloud, making the prose read ~~more gooder~~ better, adding in a few ideas I’ve had along the way, and really taking it from a solid story to a beautiful reading experience. In theory).
Send to second-round beta readers, hope they can get it back in a week.
write cover copy.
Set up pre-orders.
Figure out whether I can format the paperback through Scrivener (wasn’t an option in the PC version… we’ll see)
cover reveal. Pre-orders. Other fun stuff!
newsletters
fix whatever my lovely betas say I screwed up
send for proofreading/copy edits (2 weeks)
Prologue reveal (not to be disregarded, thanks)
formatting
final version to Amazon (10 days pre-release)
teaser photos
relax and/or freak out and/or get back to work on book 3
upload to other vendors
RELEASE DAY. Party on Facebook.

And then REALLY get back to work on book three, because I’ve had some ideas for big, scary revisions.

So… yep. That’s the plan. Please cross your fingers, toes, and anything else you can spare that I can get this all done soon!

For more about ROW80, click here. For more updates from other participants… um… I’ll add the link when I find it.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you’re all having a fantastic week (and staying warm, if applicable).

—-

*Not this week, but there’s still the crying.

**Okay, even then, it would still be my job, because I work from home.

35 Comments | tags: #ROW80, fantasy, indie, kate sparkes, torn, WIP | posted in Pets, publishing, Torn, writing

January 21, 2015

WIPpet Wednesday: Oh, Dangit Edition

By Kate Sparkes

Hellooooooooo! WIPpet Wednesday again, where we WIPpeteers share a snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to today’s date, and then we all get into our jammies and have sexy pillow fights.

Wait. No.

It’s just the sharing part, and also linking our posts. Sorry about that.

I think I can get around to everyone’s posts this week, which means I get to participate, hooray! If I can just find something from my current WIP (Torn) that’s not too spoilery…

Okay, here we go. I guess the fact that Aren’s in the book isn’t a spoiler. Here he’s speaking with someone who has challenged his ideas about the appropriate uses of magic. Not the first time he’s heard the arguments, but this guy is really getting under his skin…

4 paragraphs for 1/21 (1+2+1)

My upper lip curled. “You have no idea. I believe that you’re educated, that you know much about magic. But you’re sheltered here. What do you know about the world I have to survive in?” Every conversation I’d had with people who disapproved of my skills crowded in on me, fueling my anger. “You can’t possibly—” A wave of dizziness hit me, and I sat down on the bed. “What did you do?”

He didn’t respond, but watched me as he traced his finger over the rim of his wine cup.

I shuddered as a cold sweat broke out on my face. “You son of a–”

The world went black.

So there you go. For more WIPpet fun or to join in on your own blog, visit the linkie thing here. And thanks as always to our host KL Schwengel, who fears neither the reaper nor the rewrite.

You go, Schwengel.

—

ROW80 Update

Edits on Torn just keep rolling on. I’m getting through a few chapters a day right now, but I’m getting close to a big challenge. I’m not going to go into details, because a) spoilers, and b) I don’t really feel like pulling back the curtain and revealing the machinery that makes my books work. Let’s pretend it’s all inspiration and fairy dust, and the stories just fall from the sky complete and unchanging. It’s not like planning and building a castle! It’s like uncovering an artifact!

Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

I may or may not have the house to myself for a few days this week, which means WORK! YAY! I’m hoping I’ll be able to get through Difficult Thing #1 before the family gets back, leaving only (mostly) in-depth line edits and Difficult Thing #2 to get through in the next few weeks.

And I’m actually looking forward to the significant-yet-compact challenge of #2, so there you go.

So… it’s hard work, but it’s goin’ goooood.

Was that vague enough for everyone? Yes? Okay, then.

Oh, and I HAVE COVER ART. I can’t stop looking at it. SO pretty. I keep looking at it when I need motivation to keep editing. *sigh*

It’s only about a month until the cover reveal…

For more from ROW80 participants (A Round of Words in 80 Days to the uninitiated) or to learn more about the event (program?), click here.

So tell me: How’s your week going?

26 Comments | tags: fantasy, kate sparkes, snippet, torn | posted in Torn, WIPpet Wednesday

December 12, 2014

Want Bound for Free? Read On.

By Kate Sparkes

When I look at this blog’s stats, I see search engine terms that bring people here. Sometimes they’re amusing. Sometimes they’re confusing, like the person who tried eight different search terms trying to figure out how to put notes for chapter one of their book into a notebook.

Sorry I wasn’t more helpful with that.

Sometimes they’re people wondering when they next book in the Bound trilogy is out, which is super cool. Still aiming for late winter/early spring (Northern hemisphere), guys.

A lot of the time, they’re people looking for free copies of Bound. They’re looking for BOUND KATE SPARKES (or SPARKS) FREE, BOUND TRILOGY FREE, yadda yadda.

Now, I have no problem with that. I’m glad there’s interest. Ecstatic, actually. And a lot of authors do offer their books for free from time to time. I get the feeling that a lot of these people are looking for pirated/file-shared PDF files, though. That’s less of a good feeling.

I’m not talking to those people, though, and that’s a totally different topic.

No, this post is for the people who have heard good things about Bound but don’t have five dollars to spend on the e-book. I totally get that. I often wait for books to go on sale when they’re $4.99 or above, and almost never spend more than about $6 on an e-book, myself. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re cool. High fives, frugal buddies!

I’m going to tell you a secret. There are ways to get it for less.

If you want a bought-and-paid-for copy at a lower price (bless you), you could wait for a sale. It’s going to happen some time.

The best way to be alerted of that is to sign up for my newsletter here. I don’t spam, only send messages when something of interest is afoot, and share information on sales and events like cover reveals there before I do anywhere else.

Following on Twitter (@kate_sparkes) or Facebook are also options, but there’s a better chance you’ll miss announcements that way. Facebook reach is low. Tweets are fleeting. *sigh*

(The other cool thing about the newsletter is that that’s where I’m going to be making the first offer for advance review copies of Torn. Depending on how many I decide to pass out and how much interest there is, that might be the only place to get them. Seriously, sign up!)

Or… there’s another option.

Have you guys heard of the Books Machine?

It’s an interesting concept, and one I’m still figuring out. Authors list their books, and readers browse or search for specific books, then request review copies.

Free review copies.

What does that mean? Well, in this case, you send a message to the author through the site stating why you’d like to receive a copy of the book, and the author accepts or rejects the requests. I haven’t rejected a request yet, but if you send me one saying “I hate Fantasy and love is stupid,” I might just say no. The other reason a request might be rejected is if an author is giving out a set number of copies a month, and that’s already been exceeded.

But mostly, authors like reviews, and it’s worth it to us to share our work through the site. Because…

You have a job, too. You get the book free, direct from the author. In my case, I’ll send you a mobi file via e-mail or direct to your Kindle, since for some reason I can’t gift through Amazon.ca. In exchange, you agree to read it within a certain time frame and leave an honest review on Amazon*.

Not necessarily a glowing review. You’re not obligated to leave ALL TEH STARZ.

But you as a reader do agree to leave a review, and in a timely fashion.

After you do that, you let The Books Machine know what a keener you are, and the author rates your performance. Again, NOT based on how well-written the review is, or how many stars you gave. It’s based entirely on whether you fulfilled your side of the deal within the specified time frame. If you do that, you get a better reputation on the site, and will be more likely to have other authors accept your requests.

Cool, right? Seems like it to me, anyway. Not everyone is in a position to read quickly and review, but if you’re doing that anyway, this might be something to look into. It works a bit like Read4Review groups on Goodreads, but with one big group.

I’ve only had three requests through the program so far, so no comment or assessment on whether it’s worth it for authors to sign up (we’ll look at that another day). But it seems like an interesting deal for readers. I thought about requesting Unicorn Western through there, but realized I couldn’t guarantee I’d get through it in time.

Curses.

To recap:

WAYS TO GET MY BOOKS CHEAP OR FREE:

-Wait for a sale

-sign up for the newsletter to be informed of said sales (or if you want a chance to get the next book free and in advance of publication, and who doesn’t want that?)

-check out the Books Machine. Bound comes up in their search (click “Books” at the top), but there’s lots more there that’s worth checking out.

There you go. You’re welcome, search engines.

—

*Yes, you have to review on Amazon, but you’re also free to review elsewhere. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can read using the Kindle app on a computer, phone, or tablet. Or you might find an author willing to send an ePub file. *ahem*

3 Comments | tags: advance, Bound, bound trilogy, free, kate sparkes, review copies, sale, the books machine, torn | posted in books, Bound, promotion, Torn

December 9, 2014

Revision Time, Baby! cracks knuckles

By Kate Sparkes

Yessir, it’s time to get back to work on Book 3 of the Bound Trilogy.

Wait, you say. What about book two?

Well, that will be off to my editor soon. I hope. In any case, trying to do more to it right now would be a waste of time. It needs a new set of eyes on it. My time is better spent revising the next one, making big cuts and changes and adjustments and WHAT THE HECK HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO AGAIN.

It’s okay. This is always a scary time for me. For a lot of us, actually, so I thought it might be interesting for writer types to talk a bit about how we approach this. I don’t usually do “how I write” posts (because who cares, right?), but this is what’s happening right now, so here we go.

Let’s take a look at what I have here.

Um… It’s 126,000 words, for a start. And I need to add a few scenes, plus throw in some more description all over the place. It’s a fairly big book, is what I’m saying.* What else is it? Well, I think it’s a good story. It needs work. There are places where I didn’t quite have character motivations nailed down, where I missed out on crazy good opportunities for character or plot development, or where something just doesn’t quite fit yet.

But honestly, I think it’s my favourite story of the trilogy. I think Bound is a great story, and that Torn is better… but yeah, this might be my favourite. I pushed characters further and harder than ever before, and… well, no spoilers.

So how do I approach revising something like this? Like so:

1) Read through and take notes. Squee a little at the great moments, note what’s not working, and what can be cut. Make notes on lined paper. Good lined paper, because I’m spoiled. Mead Five-Star or bust.

2) Add these notes to the ones I made while I was drafting re: things to go back and change. I don’t revise while I’m drafting, for two reasons. One, it costs me momentum. Two, until the story is drafted, I can’t see how all of the pieces fit. I might go back and change something, and then need to change it again later. Big waste of time for me.

2) Make a plan. This consists of looking back over what I’ve read, making notes on character arcs, plot, subplots, character interactions and tensions, timelines, and anything else that I need to keep an eye on while revising. I make notes on what these things SHOULD look like so that I can easily see where they’re not working. This is still all on paper. I just brainstorm better that way.

3) Go through, scene by scene, and fix what’s broken. This pass is about the story and characters, not about making it pretty (though I can’t help fixing the writing sometimes). This is the stage I’m at now. I’ve re-written the opening, because as written in draft one it just picked up where Torn ends, and wasn’t particularly compelling. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s better. I will do this for every scene, using my notes. I will cut scenes and completely re-write if I have to. Scary, but worth it if it makes the story better.

4) Go through each POV character’s scenes individually to check for consistency of voice and characterization. Make sure they’re not acting in chapter 2 the way they should be in chapter 22. Now is also the time to make the writing shine a little brighter, add descriptions that I missed before, chase down character observations/feelings/etc. that really get us into their heads.

5) Send to beta readers. Pray they don’t think it sucks and needs to be completely re-written. Hasn’t happened yet, but it’s always a fear.

6) Fix based on their notes.

And after this, it’s all editing, not big revisions. Or at least that’s the hope. I might have to make big changes and re-write scenes post-editing, but hopefully won’t have to change the story.

Is it more work than some writers do? You bet. But every pass gets me deeper into the story and the characters and shows me things I missed before. For me, it’s totally worth the extra work because this is how I make my stories the best they can be. Others have their own methods, and that’s great. In fact, I want to hear about them.

So… yeah. We’ll see how it goes. I’m trying to get through revisions quickly for reasons we’ll talk about in another post. For now, I guess I’d better get back at it.

Pictured: Revision fuel

So tell me, writerfolk: What’s your revision process like? How do you know what works and what doesn’t? What’s the hardest part for you, and your favourite?

—

*For perspective, Bound was about 118K, making this one a little less than 10% longer. Not so bad, when you look at it that way.

6 Comments | tags: bound trilogy, kate sparkes, process, revision, writing | posted in Hows & Whys, Revision, writing

November 12, 2014

WIPpet Wednesday: That’s… Disgusting

By Kate Sparkes

Yes, kids, I’m back with a REAL WIP snippet this week. And I hope I’ll actually get to comment on everyone’s posts this week, rather than the reading-and-drive-by-likings that were all I had time for last week. Sorry about that. I did read them, though!

Fun as last week’s THE END was, I’m hard at work again. We’re back to Torn, making small-yet-essential changes and cleaning up fun things like over-used words before my wonderful editor gets his hands on this one.

It’s hard work, but interesting.

Actually, that’s a lie. It’s completely tedious, but it has to be done.

One of the things I’ve worked on in recent drafts is adding more depth to the world, specifically in terms of history and mythology. Not big things, but more glimpses of the larger world than we had room for in Bound. This exchange went into the book on my last pass through, and since I just worked on this scene again this week, we’ll take from this section for WIPpet Wednesday.

12 (short) paragraphs for the 12th, from Aren’s POV (plus one to grow on). He and Rowan have been discussing his travel plans. She tends to worry… (**Bound spoilers, if you haven’t read it and plan to**)

“Good.” She picked up an iron poker and nudged the logs in the fireplace. “Could you just stay that way? Aquila would be less conspicuous. As a human, you’re recognizable. Even people who have never met you can’t help seeing that you’re not like other people.”

It still made me smile when she called my eagle form by the name she gave it before she knew who I was. How things had changed since then. “It would make basic survival easier, too. But I can’t. Sorcerers who have animal forms and stay in them too long get strange in the head.”

“How?”

“They take on more animal characteristics, even when they return to their proper bodies. There are stories about Lyloch, a Sorcerer who lived in Luid during my grandmother’s time. He learned to change into a wolf-dog, and by all accounts he used his skill well in the queen’s service, spying for her, travelling through the winter and finding his way into enemies’ homes when compassionate servants let the sweet dog in. They say he would go weeks at a time before changing back. He became mean as a human, began to prefer the company of dogs, snarled at people who got in his way.”

“And what happened to him?”

“They caught him ripping a whore’s throat out with his teeth.”

“You mean—”

“In human form, yes.”

She paled. “Okay, so don’t try that. But I’m still glad you have the option. Will you promise me one more thing?”

“I might.”

“Don’t be afraid to accept help.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Rowan rolled her eyes. “Fine. Don’t be stubborn about it, then.”

For more WIPpet Wednesday fun (where we share a snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to the day’s date), click here to see everyone’s link-ups. Be sure to say hello to our host KL Schwengel, who does a bang-up job of it even when life is crazy.

ROW80 UPDATE

I’m making progress on my editing goals. They’re harder to measure than drafting was, and I have no impressive word counts to share. Still, I think I’ve finished making changes and planting seeds for things that will happen in book three, and I’m on to doing a search for words I tend to over-use to see where they can be left out or replaced.

“Was/were” is the last one I have to do, and I left it for the end because it’s a big one. I don’t think it’s as much of a problem word as some do, but it is a good way to search out passive voice and descriptions that could be a bit more dynamic (“His eyes were green” isn’t passive voice, but it’s also not all that interesting). That means it’s going to take a bit longer to get through this one, but it’s worth doing. Better writing on my part = better reading for my lovely, wonderful, stupendous readers.

I’m hoping to have these edits (and maybe the read-through) done by the end of this week. And then we’ll see about getting something started for NaNoWriMo…

For more ROW80 (a round of words in 80 days), click here.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me yammer. I’ll get something more interesting up soon, I promise!

22 Comments | tags: editing, fantasy, kate sparkes, snippet, torn | posted in Hows & Whys, Torn, WIPpet Wednesday

June 2, 2014

Cover Reveal: Bound

By Kate Sparkes

Friends. Darlings. Beloved peoples and kinda-creepy lurkers.

Today is the day.

You’ve all been so supportive and patient. I’m not going to make this all wordy. Here you go. Please feel free to share.

(Cover art by Ravven)

Welcome to Darmid, where magic is a sin, fairy tales are contraband, and the people live in fear of the Sorcerers on the other side of the mountains.

Rowan Greenwood has everything she’s supposed to want from life—a good family, a bright future, and a proposal from a handsome and wealthy magic hunter. She knows she should be content with what she has. If only she could banish the idea that there’s more to life than marriage and children, or let go of the fascination with magic she’s been forced to suppress since childhood.

When Rowan unknowingly saves the life of one of her people’s most feared enemies, that simple act of compassion rips her from her sheltered life and throws her into a world of magic that’s more beautiful, more seductive, and more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

Rowan might get everything she ever dreamed of—that is, if the one thing she’s always wanted doesn’t kill her first.

Available in e-book June 26, 2014 — like my Facebook author page to join the celebration!

(paperback availability TBA)

Chapter One available here

Add to Goodreads here

Links to fantastic bloggers who are participating in this reveal (thank you, all of you! More to come as posts go up):

El Space

Celine Jeanjean’s Blog

A Keyboard And An Open Mind

Giraffes on Trampolines

The Raven’s Quill

My Random Muse

Jessica Minyard