Fan Art Is Good For The Soul

I haven't had a lot of fan art so far, but I do love what I have had... so much so that I keep a Pinterest board of it. I've been word-slinging non-stop since the end of May, and while that's not a complaint (boredom is my worst enemy), I do sometimes have to remind myself that absence can be what makes the heart grow fonder.

So I took a few days off for the 4th of July weekend, partly because I was road-tripping and partly because it was time to separate from GIVEN TO THE SEA for a breather before diving back in for the grand finale. A little bit of space can mean all the difference in delivering a satisfying ending, rather than rushing for the finish line because it's in sight.

But a few days away from the keyboard can also serve to remind you how much easier it is to not write. There's no that's-not-quite-the-right-word-but-I'm-going-forward-anyway syndrome, no idly tearing off your fingernails while waiting for the subplot to tie itself off in your mind, no wondering why that supporting character won't stop trying to steal the page.

So while I was enjoying my freedom, I was also a little sluggish on social-media, taking some true Mindy Time. I picked up my phone and hopped on Twitter at one point to see what was up, and a follower drew my attention to an amazing piece of art by Charlie Bowater that had been inspired by NOT A DROP TO DRINK.

Seeing someone else take put this much care into representing Lynn was pretty awesome, and I have to say I think the art is just breathtaking. Fan art is a good reminder for writers that while writing is a solitary endeavor, the end product is anything but.

The Beauty Of Pantsing It: The Character You Didn't Expect

I've got a lot on my plate right now, but I mean that in strictly the metaphorical sense because I definitely just clean plated my breakfast. Farm eggs, man. Can't beat 'em.

The first draft of my fantasy series, GIVEN TO THE SEA, is due somewhat soon, and I also need to do an edit on my 2016 release THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, which is a rape-revenge vigilante justice contemporary. It's possible that one day I will write something where the description doesn't make people cringe a little, but don't hold your breath - that's what I keep telling my mom, anyway.

So with all this work staring me down, the coffee pot on overtime and the cats tossed outside so they can't sit on my face, I've actually been getting a lot done. The fact that it's been raining non-stop in Ohio for the past two weeks has been a big help, as my outdoor soul isn't contending with much guilt from nice breezes and warm sunshine.

All that being said, it's still work, and cranking out the words is never easy. There's always the author's biggest enemy - procrastination - staring you in the face (well hello blog post, I should write you, yes?). But what stalled me the other day was something else, something that I only have myself to blame for.

I'm a pantser, complete and total. Whenever I turn in a synopsis to agent or editor it comes with a heavy warning that some people I earmarked as survivors may actually die, and I might decide to kill those who got a reprieve in the initial concept. I also might wander down paths I didn't know existed, which is where my subplots always come from. It's a lovely thing when an organic subplot pops up, and that happened to me yesterday, in the form of a character I didn't know existed.

He had a few things to say. He's quietly masculine and made of honor, and while I only meant to give him a line or two of comfort to a stricken female, he showed up again a few chapters later and kept talking. I was like dude, what are you doing - I didn't even give you a name, so shut it. And suddenly I had to give him a name, because he kept talking to my female character and the pronouns were getting old, and once I'd given him a name I gave him a wife and a kid, and suddenly he had a subplot and possibly his creator had a little crush on him.

This is why I love being a pantser - a subplot I never intended, but neatly ties together my overall arc came about organically, nicely tied up in a cool dude with armor and a conscience.

I'll take it.

A Lobotomy Lesson & How I Met My Historical Boyfriend

I researched for an entire year before writing a word of A MADNESS SO DISCREET. There was so much I needed to learn - how insane asylums were run in the late 19th century, how criminal profiling operated at the same time (both the accuracy and the inaccuracies), not to mention the dress, food, transportation, and speech patterns of the time. It was kind of exhausting.

Luckily for me, a lot of the research was also wildly interesting - that is, if you're a sick twist like me. I already made a video about different kinds of treatment that I learned about while writing MADNESS. Today I'm focusing on one in particular, and how researching it brought me to the realization that my historical boyfriend is someone I wasn't expecting.