Katica Locke: Hello, everybody. Today on the show we have Schaff, one of the stars of Magebound, the ‘paw behind the scenes’, if you will. Welcome, Schaff.
Schaff:(leaps into the seat of the chair and sits with his tail curled around his paws) Hello, Katica. Comfy chair.
KL: Thanks. So, would that be an accurate description of your role in this book?
S: Sure. I pull a lot of strings, more than might need to be plucked, on occasion, and not everything turns out like I intended, but you know what they say — you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make two self-absorbed, bull-headed men have one stupid conversation.
KL:(laughs) Speaking of Lark and Lord Sactaren, do you have any ‘feelings’ about their future together?
S: Of course. But why should I make your job easier? Figure it out yourself.
KL: Any feelings about your own future? Because you could be written out of the story in a heartbeat.
S:(snickers) Seriously? Is that a bag of my fan mail sitting beside you? Because I have a feeling those would turn into hate mail real quick.
KL:(mutters) Pest. (papers rustling) All right, let’s see what what questions the fans have for you. From JennyRed in Fairbanks, Alaska. ‘Dear Schaff, what do you like most about living in Lord Sactaren’s castle?’
S: Great health plan, including vision, dental, and a free gym membership.
KL: C’mon, seriously.
S: Do you really think my fans expect a serious answer? Besides, I am serious. Do you think I look this good at my age because of diet and exercise? Naeven takes good care of me.
KL: All right, fine. Next question, from Mach I. Ran in Eugene, Oregon. ‘Dear Schaff, what does it feel like to be a shape-shifter? Does it hurt?’
S: Sorry, that’s two questions. You forfeit your turn. (snickers and shifts to bipedal form) Tell me, Katica, did that look like it hurt?
KL: It didn’t seem to. It looked like it was easy.
S: I wouldn’t call it easy — it takes effort and practice — but the only thing I feel while doing it is a tingling in my skin and a tightness in my bones…or maybe the other way around. I don’t pay that much attention. (lounges in the chair) So, what else have you got?
KL: Let’s see…Andrea from Germany writes, ‘Dear Schaff, What would you wish for your birthday – a scratching post, maybe?’
S:(tail twitching) Do I look like a house cat? I keep my claws sharp on the legs of witless assistants and Naeven’s good furniture. For my birthday I want an 84 inch trans-plasma, 3-D TV with galactic surround sound, but good luck getting it through customs.
KL: Okay, Andrea also asks, ‘What is your favorite food?’
S: Oh, that’s a toughie. Either chicken liver, young rabbit, or those squishy caterpillars that are infesting Daron.
KL: Caterpillars? (gags)
S: Oh, but they’re so tasty, all chewy and gooey and squirmy. (grins maliciously)
KL:(digs into the mail bag) Here’s one from Cantina Revels in Lachymere on Ashael.
S: Ooh, a local girl. Read on.
KL: She writes, ‘Dear Schaff, do you have a girlfriend?’
S: Sorry, sweetie, I like guys. Next question.
KL: Okay, do you have a boyfriend?
S: I don’t do relationships. Nobody is going to tie this carefree bachelor down. Do you have another letter, or are we done?
KL: I think we have time for one more. I Heart Schaff from Melbourne, Austrailia writes, “Dear Schaff, what role do you play in Spellwrought?’
S: The most important one, obviously. (flashes a sly grin)
KL: And that’s all the time we have. Thank you, Schaff, for joining us today and remember folks, Magebound is now available through Amazon, Smashwords, and now Barnes & Noble. Be sure to join us on Thursday when I interview the sexy and enigmatic mage himself, Lord Naeven Sactaren. Until then, this is Katica Locke signing off.
Katica Locke: Hello, everyone. Today we have a very special guest: Lark Arren, the star of Magebound. Welcome, Lark. Thanks for joining us. Please, have a seat.
Lark Arren: Thank you, M’Lady. It’s a pleasure to be invited here.
KL: Please, call me Katica. I’m no more a Lady than you are!
LA:(nervous laugh) All right, M’L– Katica.
KL: Good, now that that’s settled, let’s talk about Magebound. What’s it like having an entire book filled with your thoughts, your feelings, your life?
LA: Well, it was a bit intrusive, to be honest. I never expected it to have so much about me. I didn’t think I was that interesting. But now…I feel a bit more comfortable with it. Parts are still very embarrassing, of course (blushing).
KA: I can imagine. Do you have a favorite part of the book?
LA: Hmm…saving Calae’s daughter, definitely. I liked running the shop and helping people, but that was the moment that I realized I could really make a difference, I could make things better.
KL: And that’s important to you?
LA: Of course. Before Lord Sactaren bought me, I was nothing. No one cared if I lived or died. Most of the time, I didn’t even care. And then everything changed. People’s lives were better because of me. That’s a great feeling.
KL: One more question and then we’ll dip into the mail bag and see what sort of questions your fans have for you. Lord Sactaren — what’s he really like?
LA: Boy, you do ask the tough ones, don’t you, M’Lady- I mean, Katica. He’s…I don’t know. There are moments when he seems like the kindest, gentlest man I’ve ever met, but most of the time, he scares me to death, mostly because I never know what he wants or what he’ll do. I don’t think he does it on purpose. It’s like he’s constantly at war with himself, like he’s two totally different people. I just wish I knew which one was real.
KL: Maybe I’ll ask him when he comes on the show next week. (laughs)
LA:(pales) Will you really?
KL: No, don’t worry. Let’s check the mail bag, shall we? (paper rustles) Ah, here’s one from Lark’s Biggest Fan in Dayton, Ohio. ‘Dear Lark, what would you do if you could do anything you wanted?’
LA: Anything? I’d want to see my parents and sister again. If that wasn’t possible, I’d want to help people, do something big, something no one else could do, like stop a wildfire or bring rain to drought-stricken land.
KL: Okay, next question is from Raynebow in Miami, Florida. ‘Dear Lark, what is your favorite color?’
LA:(looks down at his shirt) Um…blue, I guess. I’ve never really been given a choice in the color of the clothes I wear. But yeah, I do like blue.
KL: Me, too. Okay, last question. This one of from Jace Lagara in Siva Delta on Nethmalon. ‘Dear Lark, what can you tell us about the upcoming sequel, Spellwrought?’ Now remember, Lark, no spoilers. (laughs)
LA:(chuckles). Right. Well, Sactaren and I get to know each other better and I make a surprising discovery about myself. I meet a few more of the villagers, make some new friends – and some new enemies – and Lord Besteth puts a curse on me. How was that?
KL:(smiles) Perfect. Thank you so much for visiting with us, Lark.
LA: You’re welcome, M’L- Katica. I enjoyed it.
KL: That was Lark Arren, star of the newly re-released Magebound, a story of tragedy, triumph, magic, and seduction, available at Smashwords and Amazon. Be sure to join us on Monday when I interview Schaff, the snarky machiran who calls the castle of Traxen Mage his home. Until then, this is Katica Locke signing off.
*If you would like to have your questions read and answered by your favorite characters, it’s not too late! Schaff and Naeven are waiting. Post a comment containing question, who to ask, and a name and location (can be made up).
Now that Magebound is practically published (I’m waiting on Amazon and Smashwords to do their part; I will probably be able to post links tomorrow) I want to do character interviews as part of my promo, like I did with Breach. I also want to include questions from fans, so if there’s anything you’ve ever wanted to ask Lark, Naeven, or Schaff, now is your chance. Silly or serious, leave your question in a comment and be to sure to say who the question is directed at.
If I don’t get any, I’ll just have to make some up, but I guarantee they won’t be as good as yours. ^_^
Well, I survived my first week of work. ^_^ It was crazy, but I was glad to see my co-workers, and of course the kids! My schedule this year is very flexible, which is great since my mother’s first cataract surgery is tomorrow (Monday) and I can leave early to be with her.
Now, about Magebound — I’ve been writing like crazy this past week. I think I wrote more in the last five days than I did all summer. I finished the bonus story, finished the three new articles, and am nearly finished with the character bios. Then it’s just a matter of proofreading one last time and putting the finishing touches on the formatting.
I did rework the cover because the one I had wasn’t the right size or DPI for CreateSpace. The new one is simple, kind of classic-looking, but maybe not what you’d think a fantasy novel should look like. I like it, though. You can check it out here: Magebound Cover
I still can’t give a release date, but it could be as soon as this week for the e-book version. The print version is going to take longer, maybe a month or more, due to the time-consuming page layout and formatting involved. But I figured most people have been wanting the e-book anyway.
I’ll keep you updated and hopefully we can have a release party soon! ^_^
Man, I can’t believe it’s the end of August already. I start work next week, but after the summer I’ve had, I think I’m ready to go back. I had hoped and planned to get all kinds of writing done this summer, and to republish Magebound, but of course, none of that happened.
I spent a full month house-sitting while my friend was in Europe, watching her three dogs and very pregnant cat. (The cat was a stray and came to them that way.) About ten days into my stay, the cat gave birth to five healthy kittens, which was the absolute best part of my summer.
All of my cats over the years have been spayed as soon as they reached six months, so I have never been around newborn kittens. It was amazing! The mom is poly-dactyl with a kinky tail, and we have no idea who the father was, but one of the kittens has his mom’s feet, and the other four have her tail. One was red, one was tortoiseshell, and three were pale orange/buff. I fell in love with the little tortie, but we already have a cat, so I didn’t ask to keep her.
When I wasn’t on kitten-watch, I was helping my parents clean up one of our rentals that had gone empty. The people who moved out had been there for six years with cats and small children, so all the floor coverings had to be torn out, everything had to be washed and painted, and we got a great deal on laminate flooring, so I got to help lay three rooms of laminate hardwood, and let me tell you, it’s nowhere near as easy as they make it look in commercials. Most days, I was so tired and sore afterward, all I could do was shower, eat something, and go to bed.
And as long as the rental was empty, my parents decided to have ductless heating/cooling systems installed in two of the units. By doing two at once, we got a discount, but they’re still $4200 each. The company is letting us make payments, but they needed a $4000 down-payment, which my parents borrowed from me. The money is supposed be for our property taxes due in November, but hopefully they can pay it back in time.
Also this summer, we found out that my mother has cataracts in both of her eyes, which is affecting her vision and causing her to misjudge steps, trip, and fall. She’s almost 60, so that has been very scary. She has appointments to get the cataracts removed on Sept. 8 for the worst one, and Sept. 29 for the second, but they have a $1000 deductible per person per year, which she had to borrow from her sister, so that’s been pretty stressful
On a brighter note, I finally got to watch the last three seasons of Doctor Who. I liked Matt Smith, but I think David Tennant is still my favorite. I can’t wait to see how Peter Capaldi does, but since we don’t have cable or anything, I’ll have to wait until it come out on DVD, so no spoilers, please. ^_^
Needless to say, I got very little writing done this summer. But maybe it was a break that I needed. I’ve been reviewing Magebound as I work on getting it formatted, and I really feel refreshed and ready to get on with the project. I don’t know when it will be ready, and I’m sick of making promises that I can’t keep, so I’ll let you know as soon as it’s done.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to update Moonlight again, but probably not until Magebound has been republished. I want to devote all my attention to one project for a while and see if I can’t get this finished quickly.
That’s all for now. I hope you are all doing well. Until next time! ^_^
Blah, is it Monday again already? I’m ready for summer vacation, lol.
I’ve been working on Moonlight and have made some real progress on the plot. I need to think up a few more relationship/bonding things for them to do, things that aren’t sexual, because sex is the easy answer, but these guys aren’t rabbits and as much as I might wish it, they aren’t going to be humping each other every time they get a free minute.
I’ve been working on several outlines for future stories: the short story I want to include with the new edition of Magebound, the next dragon story about Syd and Andrew, and a really weird Moonlight short story/spinoff/fanfic dealing with alternate timelines and dimensions. I don’t know if I’ll ever get it written (I already have more outlines than I’ll ever have time to write) but if I do, I may include it with the published version of Moonlight, assuming that I ever finish this damn thing, lol.
And speaking of Magebound, I’ve spent some time this weekend re-reading the rest of the books in the series, and I have to say, I had forgotten how much I love these characters and their world. I did find a few things that I need to change, one a pretty major change, but I should be able to deal with it when the time comes.
That’s about it. See you next week for the next chapter of Moonlight!
Author’s Note: Happy Monday everyone! Here’s the newest chapter of Moonlight. Sorry it’s a bit shorter than the last few and ends on a cliffhanger. Yes, I’m evil.
I was also busy finishing up Dragon Lover, and the other day I finally decided to take the plunge and start formatting Magebound for publishing next year (since next year is almost here!). I was a little afraid that when I started reading it, I’d discover that I hated it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I still like it. Yay!
What a wonderful summer! Truthfully, the best summer vacation of my life so far, and I have you guys to thank for it, because I wouldn’t have been able to afford my trip without your support. You are the best fans that a writer could have! I’ll tell you all about my adventure and about my writing plans now that I’m getting back to work.
My Summer Vacation
We left home on July 5th, my mother, my aunt, my cousin, and I. It took us six days to drive from Oregon to Michigan, and three days to drive back. On the way there, we stopped at several national parks, zig-zagging north and south several times. We visited Craters of the Moon first. The stark, alien landscape of the volcanic fields was beautiful. The next day, we crossed the Rockies, and were caught in a thunderstorm that dumped torrential rain and marble-sized hailstones on us. A couple of times, visibility was so poor, everyone on the road pulled over to wait it out. That afternoon, we made it to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone.
The mountains were amazing. We have several large peaks out here in Oregon, but not so many so close together. Yellowstone was beyond description. Even though it rained and thundered the whole time we were in the park, and it had gotten dark before we got to the exit, it was fantastic, and a very close second on my list of favorite stops. The geysers were amazing, the colored mud, the river, the waterfalls, the vents — it was all spectacular. And we had a bison cross the road right in front of our car!
The next day, we went to the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse, and Mount Rushmore. Those were very cool, but I prefer natural wonders over man-made ones. Still, I’m so glad we went. After that, we made an unplanned side-trip to see Devil’s Tower, which is a natural rock formation and is featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I love that movie, and it was so awesome to stand there in the Tower’s shadow!
The next day, we drove through the Badlands, which was my favorite of our sight-seeing trips. We saw bighorn sheep ewes and lambs climbing up and down steep, weather-worn spires of dirt and stone. Never saw any rams, but that’s okay. The landscape is absolutely amazing, the colors and the shapes caused by erosion, the gullies, the cliffs, red and gold and blue and white! It was like a fanciful painting, like one of my fantasy worlds, but it was real. And from one lookout point, using binoculars, we could see three separate herds of bison in the distance, each with probably a hundred animals in it.
After that, it was just straight driving on to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We stayed with my second cousins for four days. The reunion was amazing. There were so many people that I’d heard about, but had never met before. At times, there were a few too many people for me (I don’t like crowds of strangers), but there were enough people that I did know that I was okay. We walked on the beach of Lake Superior every day, picking up agates and other stones, and I was able to avoid the mosquitoes (which are as big as small birds) until the very last night, when someone left a window open and they got in and ate my feet, which were sticking out from under the blankets. Let me tell you, three days in a car on the ride home with itchy feet is no fun 😦
All in all, it was most exhilarating, awesome, fantastic adventure of my life (so far, I hope). When we got I home, I started house-sitting two days later and spent most of the rest of my vacation there. One of the dogs that I watch was diagnosed with diabetes just a few months ago, so I’ve gotten pretty good at giving her the insulin shots. Now I’m home and getting ready to start work next week. Strangely, I’m actually looking forward to it. ^_^
Back to Work
This summer, I did very little writing. I decided just to take a break and worked on nothing. it was just a few days ago that I suddenly said, ‘Man, I feel like working on Moonlight‘. So I’ve been busy trying to fix that mess. Before doing any re-writing, I sat down decided exactly what I wanted to happen, how I wanted Izeri to act, and what from the original draft could be salvaged. I’m picking out pieces that work and weaving new material around them, so hopefully it’ll be okay. I don’t know when I’ll start posting these revised chapters, but when I do, I’m going to delete the bad chapters that are posted on FictionPress and post the new ones, rather than just replacing the content of existing chapters. I’m going to leave the bad chapters up on LiveJournal, however.
I also dealt with the termination contracts from PD Publishing, so within about 30 days, Magebound will no longer be available to purchase. So if you want a copy, better get it now. I’m sad, but I’m also looking ahead toward what I’m going to do with those books now. I had very good experiences with both of my publishers, and they did sell more copies of my books than I have with Broken Wings on my own, but everything takes so long (which is standard across the industry and not a criticism of my publishers). Part of me wants to self-publish and just get it done. (Of course, I’m sure I’ll take just as long since I’ll have to do everything myself, but at least it will be in my hands, instead of me waiting for something to happen.)
Maybe I’ll try self-publishing Breach, and if that does well, I’ll do the Magebound series, too. I need to look into print-on-demand services, too, since Breach was never available in print. I hear that Createspace does a good job.
I’m also still planning two winter themed stories to go with Long Winter’s End. I’d like to have that done by January/February.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do about Moonlight Mondays, WIP Wednesdays, or Free Fiction Fridays. If I’m going to complete all these projects that I have, I won’t be able to start all of them back up, not right away, anyway. If/when I find the time, I think WIP Wednesday will be reinstated first, although maybe on an every-other-week basis. I’ll decide more when I see how much progress I make on all of these projects.
Anyway, I am back and I’ll try to respond to any comments or questions you might have, so let me know if you’ve got something to say. ^_^
Not Your Average Faerie Tales 