What to bring to the RT Booklovers' Convention (Writer version)

SO LIKE CINDERELLA back from the ball, I returned from the marathon of the RT Booklover's Con, back to life as a bookseller and a writer trying to perfect her next book. I've written 2 posts that I hope will help anyone attending in the future.

This post is about Some Things I Wish I'd Brought

Comfortable walking shoes or insoles: Because there is a LOT of walking. Carts were provided for transport, but I needed the exercise


Anti-static cling spray: For the dresses I never usually wear, with tights

A watch: While running around, it was a pain to keep digging out my phone and checking the time

Here are Some Things You Should Make Sure You Have

Water: Make sure, on the first day, you find a water source nearby, especially if you don't like tap water or paying 3 bucks for a little bottle.

Snack bars: For when your stomach starts grumbling during a panel and you get embarrassed

Your phone: Obviously. Mine broke while I was there. You'll want to live tweet and take pics

Swag, Swag, Swag!: Be inventive. I've seen earbuds, charm bracelets, bottle openers, blinged-out bookmarks, notepads, postcards, trading cards of book characters, pins, and pens. I made flower headbands for one event, in keeping with my dark faery theme.
     NOTE: Check that your swag is where it's supposed to be, especially if you paid for it to be in certain swag bags or in Promotional Alley. The staff are uber-reliable, but it'll help your peace of mind.

Cool stuff: Bring small talismans/totems/mascots with which to decorate your assigned space, whether it be for an event, a panel, or a signing.

Free books: To give away. My publisher did this at an event, and they vanished in half an hour. Bloggers, booksellers and librarians attend RT Booklover's Con, as do future fans. Book giveaways are great promo.

To be continued...

Thorn Jack's Symbolism

I adore symbolism, but it's mostly subconscious. When I notice certain themes, I try to make them more focused in future drafts. Here are some of the symbols I used in the Thorn Jack series:

BLOOD: It means life. It's what the Fatas, especially the darker, wilder ones, crave in rituals. When a Jack or a Jill (mortal soldiers kept alive by magical flowers) is created, they are bloodless and heartless. They only bleed when they fall in love. The Fatas also bleed and become vulnerable when they love.

FUR: Mostly in Briar Queen, which takes place in winter, fur on the Fatas represent their almost savage state beneath the elegance. And some of them, like Seth Lot, the Wolf king, can shapeshift into animals.

HAWTHORN: (Jack's last name) The May tree. The tree of rebirth. It's sometimes referred to as a fairy thorn.

HEART: In some cultures, the heart is the soul's resting place. Fatas and their Jack and Jill servants are heartless. In certain folk tales, witches or wizards would sometimes cut out their own hearts and hide them so no one would have power over them.

KEYS: Shaped as moths, butterflies, dragonflies, keys in Thorn Jack are talismans. Obviously, they symbolize doorways, which lead the characters to otherworldly places. They are also transformed people. Keys have always held an almost magical significance in folklore.

POETRY: Poetry represents the power of language. It's a chant, a mantra, speaking in tongues. There's an entire book about it by Robert Graves, called The White Goddess.

REVELS: The Fata revels are inspired by tales of fairy dances that lure the unwary. One night at a fairy dance or feast could turn into one hundred human years. The extravagant parties and masquerades are the Fatas' way of drawing the young to them.

SISTERS: In fairy tales, there's always the bad sister and the good sister, with the exception of 'Snow White and Rose Red', where the two love one another. The bond between sisters in stories can be powerful, and so it is with Finn and Lily.

THE SWING: A lot of important conversations take place on the swing set in Finn's back yard. Swings have always had a symbolic power, signifying being caught between the sky and earth. In the Chinese version of Cinderella, the part where the prince puts the shoe on Cinderella takes place on a swing.

TEETH: Teeth contain DNA. Teeth were the first step to certain organisms evolving into mammals. Although the Fatas can sometimes manifest as creatures of tooth and claw, human teeth, to them, are precious because each represents a mortal life.

THORNS, BRIARS & NETTLES: A standard feature in fairy tales. As well as representing the obvious--barriers and entanglements--they symbolize the Fatas' dangerous and twisty way of tricking mortals.

If you have questions about any other symbolism in Thorn Jack, post them here!

Ingrid Semour Author of Ignite the Shadows

Welcome, Ingrid Seymour, author of the excellent YA Science Fiction series Ignite the Shadows and Eclipse the Flame (Harpervoyager, available now) http://ingridseymour.com/blog/ to It's All About Story.

http://www.amazon.com/Ignite-Shadows-Ingrid-Seymour-ebook/product-reviews/B00OXHFR4K


1) Describe Ignite the Shadows in one paragraph.

While spying on the clandestine group IgNITe, hacker Marci Guerrero learns half the world's population is infected by sentient parasites. Now she wishes the shadows that hunt her meant she was crazy, because the truth is far worse . . . they mean she's one of the infected.

2) What inspired Ignite the Shadows?

This is kind of weird, but a friend of mine was struggling to get pregnant and going through IVF. Then it occurred to me: What if they impregnate her with a monster? And that's how it all started.

3) Was Ignite the Shadows your first work of fiction?

No. I had written three novels before Ignite the Shadows, but it is my first traditionally published work.

4) What song or music piece would you put on a soundtrack for Ignite the Shadows?

Oooh, definitely "Heavy in Your Arms" by Florence + The Machine.

5) Which character in Ignite the Shadows was easy to write? Which was the most difficult?

The hardest to write was Marci, the protagonist. She's a very strong, independent heroine,but also troubled, since shadows have haunted her mind since she was five. Moreover, she has a strong voice, and I had to strive to keep that consistent throughout the book. The easiest was Blare. She's at the end of the spectrum, no gray tones with her. Extreme characters are always easy to write.

6) What is your writing space like? Or can you write anywhere?

I can pretty much write anywhere as long as I have my music and headphones. Some of the places where I typically write are on the balcony outside my office at lunch time, while I wait for my kids at music lessons, while I wait for my kids at karate lessons, and --less often--at my desk at home. You gotta do what you gotta do when you have to fit writing around the life that pays the bills. :)

7) Any odd writing habits? Rituals?

Besides having my headphones and playing the same playlist over and over again, I really don't have any habits or rituals.

8) George R.R. Martin describes two kinds of outliners, the Gardener (let it grow) and the Architect (plan it). Which are you?

I am most definitely a Gardener! My best story ideas and twists come to me while actually writing. I cannot--for the life of me--be creative while doing an outline. All I see are boring bullet points. I love being a Gardener. It really works for me.

9) What are some of your favorite world myths or fairy/folk tales? Why?

I absolutely love Mayan mythology and its varied deities. The first book I ever wrote is actually about a Mayan boy growing up around 500 BC. The reason I love this so much is because I grew up in Honduras and it's part of my heritage.

10) What is your favorite fictional world, one you'd want to visit?

I would love to visit Eretz and see all the beautiful angels and wild chimaera. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is one of my favorite YA trilogies.

11) Who is your favorite fictional character?

Again, I will go with The Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I love Akiva. Make him real, please!

12) What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

Set a daily goal. I followed Stephen King's advice from his book On Writing. It was this that allowed me to finish my first book ever.

13) In Ignite the Shadows, are there any hidden acknowledgements to friends, places you've lived, favorite writers, etc;

There is only one. A mention to Pablo Neruda, an amazing Latin-American poet.

14) Can you tell us anything else about your writing experiences?

It has been a blast and I'm sure it will continue to be. I have a gazillion ideas for books and will write however many time allows. I love writing and I don't see myself stopping. Ever!

15) What do we have to look forward to after the sequel  to Ignite the Shadows, Eclipse the Flame?


There will be a book #3 which should come out in 2017. Also a novella in the same world which, I hope, will come out this year *fingers crossed*.

Thank you, Ingrid!

The Awesomeness of Manga

It's been a while since I've done an 'Awesomeness of . . .' post. Since I work in a bookstore, I thought I'd write about the blooming popularity of manga. So I consulted a few experts and read the recommended ones.

Manga can be as original and moving as graphic novels. The artwork is stunning and lovely. The characters are usually younger, so they fit in with YA--they aren't all schoolgirls with super powers or boys with weird little creatures that have super powers. Most follow the arc of the Hero's Journey, and others are stories of friendship or about finding love.

I've chosen 13 manga I loved to set you on your way:

ALICHINO (Kouyou Shurei) Fantasy. A beautifully illustrated and dark tale about a young man named Tsugiri who is sought by evil, fairy like creatures called alichino.

GODCHILD (Kaori Yuki) Victorian fantasy. A young earl named Cain and his faithful manservant Riff, like Sherlock and Watson, solve dark crimes in 19th century London.

THE TAROT CAFE (Sang-Sun Park) Contemporary Fantasy. Another gorgeously illustrated tale. This one is about an immortal witch named Pamela who reads fortunes for supernatural creatures and learns their stories.

LET DAI (Sooyeon Won) Contemporary Fantasy. A poignant look at love and friendship, good and evil, set in an urban environment.

DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS (Yoko Matsushita) Contemporary Fantasy. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are partners in the ministry of Hades, making sure the good souls get to where they're supposed to and policing the bad souls.

MODEL (Lee So-Young) Contemporary Fantasy. A young woman, an artist, named Jai is lured into a dangerous triangle between two elegant vampires.

AFTERSCHOOL NIGHTMARE (Setona Mizushiro) Contemporary Fantasy. A surrealistic gender bender about a boy named Mashiro who attends a very strange high school where people who fail tests disappear.

TOKYO BABYLON (CLAMP) Contemporary Fantasy. A young Japanese spiritualist named Subaru Sumeragi and his twin sister and their mentor, (a handsome vet with a dark side) save souls and exorcise ghosts.

ARCANA (So-Young Lee) Fantasy. A sumptuously illustrated fantasy about an orphan girl named Inez who is chosen to be her world's savior.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT (Matsuri Hino) Contemporary Fantasy. Set in a high school for vampires and non-vampiric students, this is the tale of  a love triangle.

ANGEL SANCTUARY (Kaori Yuki) Contemporary Fantasy. Rebellious teen Setsuna learns he is the reincarnation of a rebel angel--and that a worse angel is hunting him.

CANTARELLA (You Higuri) Historical Fantasy. Set during the Renaissance, with supernatural elements, this is a dark fantasy about Cesare Borgia and the young guardsman who befriends him.

SNOW DROP (Choi Kyung-Ah) Contemporary Romance. Son-Na and Hai-Gi's romance is sweet, funny, and seemingly doomed. They are helped/hindered by various interesting friends and enemies.

What I've Learned About Story: The Shadow

The shadow, otherwise known as the subconscious Big Bad within all of us, can be a valuable villain/antagonist, or it can represent internal conflict. In Jungian psychology, the shadow sometimes manifests in dreams as a person. This concept is beautifully illustrated in Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Shadow,' an eerie short story in which a scholar's shadow takes on a magnificent life of its own and is very charming, its sinister motives hidden until it's too late for the protagonist.

INTERNAL: The inner shadow becomes hostile when ignored or misunderstood. The shadow represents all the flaws, neuroses, bad habits, and dark thoughts characters sometimes refuse to acknowledge. Selfishness. Destructive pride. A tendency to procrastinate. Violence. All can be used to add tension when a protagonist has to make important choices. Having a hero make the wrong decision can sometimes cause far more delightful story havoc than having him or her make the smart one. Faults reveal characters to be human and vulnerable. Inner conflict means a hero isn't just fighting a physical enemy, but an emotional one as well.

EXTERNAL: The shadow in this case is embodied by a person, a monster, an organization, even a force of nature. The antagonist could have some connection to the hero, or be a reflection of the protagonist's dark side or weaknesses. Other versions of the shadow are the anima and the animus. The dark anima for the man is female, cold, poisonous, a femme fatale. For the woman, the destructive animus is a seductive embodiment of death or a demonic bridegroom. These inner forces in a main character can be used to create antagonists who reflect the hero, an opposite, someone the hero fears becoming.

The Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood is a dangerous fixture of Red's environment and a savage and sly counter to her naivete. Superheroes fight villains who often mirror their darker side, as in Batman--ever grim and sober--and the Joker. The brilliant Sherlock Holmes has his ominous and intelligent reflection, Professor Moriarty. The carefree, eternal Peter Pan has a mirror-opposite in Hook, a grown man who has turned to the dark side. Katniss, the rebellious Girl on Fire, has the evil and icy President Snow.

Being aware of the main character's flaws and faults can help a writer create a complex and conflicted hero. And an antagonist who feeds on those flaws is a fearsome obstacle indeed.

Valentine's Day Giveaway

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm giving away one signed copy of the Nettle King ARC, the conclusion to the Night and Nothing series.

I'm also giving away an exclusive handmade Fata journal (1 of 7), a faery necklace, and a heart pen.

All you have to do is answer a question on this blog, Follow me on Twitter, take a look at my Facebook author page, or tweet about the contest! There will be one winner!

This contest is open to US, Canada, and International residents.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fantastic Fantasy Finds: Godstalk by P.C. Hodgell

Godstalk
Dark of the Moon
Seeker's Mask
To Ride A Rathorn

by P.C. Hodgell

The hero of this dark fantasy series is Jame Talissen, a mysterious young woman from a race called the Kencyr, who arrives in the labyrinthine city of Tai-Tastigon with motivations unknown even to her. She wears gloves because she has claws. She has emerged from the haunted lands, a place devoured by a mysterious evil called Perimal Darkling. The city of Tai-Tastigon itself is a city of a thousand gods, and it is also haunted, and, here, Jame soon becomes involved with some very shady characters--the
Thieves' Guild--which leads to unsettling confrontations with a charismatic monster named Bane, who, it turns out, has connections to her family.

Jame eventually learns that she has a twin brother and that the Kencyr are a race of warrior magicians feared by many. In the sequels, Jame makes her way of the city and we see more of this incredible world of dark magic. There are horrors and tricky friendships and a nightmarish force that stalks her.

I love this series and can't recommend it enough at a time when kick-ass heroines are the vogue. Its heroine is compelling and likable, similar to one of the mythological Tricksters. The world is lush and dark and disturbing. The characters are fascinating.