I write romance. I like to think it’s romance with heart and enough steam to compete with a hot mug of tea and keep those pages turning. So, I’m going to talk about what influenced me to march down this path. First, I was heavily influenced by all the fantastic romance authors of my day, Johanna Lindsey(greatly missed), Jude Deveraux, and Julie Garwood to name a few.
We’re talking, sexy, Fabianesque, badass, cinnamon roll heroes whether wearing tartan, business suits, or armor and engaging in all the exciting tropes of today, and maybe a few forgotten ones of yesterday–and the strong women who cleverly persuaded them to change their ways.
Remember the movie Romancing the Stone–the opening scene when Joan Wilder bawls like a baby and can’t find anything in the apartment to blow her nose after she finishes her novel? I wanted to experience that… and crying after writing an emotional scene or ending is real folks. Awesome!
In my youth, my favorite place to get lost in a good romance novel was climbing my way around to a remote ledge along the Pacific Ocean at places like Salt Point or Timber Cove. My parents were scuba divers and they’d be out all day freezing in their wetsuits while I cozied up in a rocky alcove with a bottle of pop and a bag of sunflower seeds, the ocean spread out before me and the surf crashing below my dangling feet. Often, whole families of seals would be lounging near my spot, and a grey whale would spout so close I could see the barnacles on its back. If I wanted to cry at the end, no one could hear me. It was heaven.
Salt Point State Park, California
But my stories must also be steeped in fantasy and paranormal lore. This brings me to the other side of my romance coin–the influence that came from my obsession with muscle-bound barbarians in the delightful, violent, and sexy eighties movies… thank you Schwarzy for blazing the trail.
Conan The Barbarian, Conan The Destroyer, and Red Sonja taught me that fantasy can take you anywhere you want to go in a plot. Yes, they might have come with lots of cheese, but it’s all in the perspective. Great actors like Max Von Sydow and James Earl Jones elevated the cheesy pizza grade movie to a steak dinner in my book. Enjoy all three movie trailers in this YouTube video.
Do you remember the other lesser enduring flicks like the one starring another of my favorite eighties hunks, Mark Singer, in The Beastmaster? I’m providing it below. Watch if you dare. 😉 I’d even consider my all time favorite fantasy flick, Willow, to be in the barbarian realm, and all the Highlander movies. Seems like where we had magic, we had to have barbarian hordes. This is the stuff of fantasy world building for me.
People think I’m crazy when I tell them I love being my age. But hey, it means that I got to spend decades steeped in all of the above while watching and being part of the exciting romantasy genre taking over the fiction landscape of today. Barbarians still have a role to play in romance and many of them have moved into space. I’m not surprised. It’s harder to imagine fierce horse cultures and warrior races clashing over territory across the vast steppes of the Earth we have today. So, why not fly off to unknown planets? That’s what I’m doing in a novel I have in the works, Caged Diamond.
Stay tuned for the story of MMA fighter Justina “Diamond” Jewel Blake who’s forced to fight for a planetary syndicate and the barbarian warrior she’s pitted against. You can follow me here and subscribe to my newsletter for updates.
I’ll leave you with a sci fi romance reading recommendation. A romance writer who brings to mind my old faves is Zoey Draven. Her Horde Kings of Dakkar series is a romping lot of fun and full of suspense. Here’s the first in the series.
I had a rare week to myself in my small home set on a rural two acres. It’s a quiet spot normally, very little traffic, quiet neighbors, and the music of nature surrounding us. Inside, the place is occupied by one person besides me and two canine kids. Not a big family as families go. But my three are active and keep my home lively. I didn’t realize how much until the human went on an ebike excursion with a friend.
So, after cleaning the house to my satisfaction (also a rare treat), I rolled up my sleeves and got busy writing. I was certain that it would be the most productive week of my writer’s life… Until I kept pausing to listen to the silence. It called to me–needed me to break it up–to liven up my surroundings… like I was used to.
Recently, I interviewed an author who talked about her writing space being in the corner of her game room, the hub of her family. Her advice to other writers was to learn how to tune things out. Coincidentally, as I prepared for the interview I came across a Medium blog that provided famous writers’ advice on daily writing routines. Completely different writers from different eras and backgrounds all had similar advice when it came to sticking to a daily routine. Tune out distractions.
My favorite was from E. B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, my most adored book as a child.
This was the edition in my extensive childhood library, too. Isn’t that the best title you’ve ever seen on a cover?
I never listen to music when I’m working. I haven’t that kind of attentiveness, and I wouldn’t like it at all. On the other hand, I’m able to work fairly well among ordinary distractions. My house has a living room that is at the core of everything that goes on: it is a passageway to the cellar, to the kitchen, to the closet where the phone lives. There’s a lot of traffic. But it’s a bright, cheerful room, and I often use it as a room to write in, despite the carnival that is going on all around me.
In consequence, the members of my household never pay the slightest attention to my being a writing man — they make all the noise and fuss they want to. If I get sick of it, I have places I can go. A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.
E. B. White
Can silence be a distraction? I learned this week that it can. Did I learn how to tune it out? Eventually. I got lots of writing done. But I’ll be glad when my hubby gets home. Next to him in the living room is where I’ll be writing for a good long while.
How is your writing going in November? I hope you have all sorts of great things to be grateful for this month, and if a new novel is one of them, awesome!
All the experts say the best way to improve your writing is to write every day. In my naivete, I initially thought that meant working on my novel every day. Yet somehow, without any intentions one way or the other, my writing took an organic journey down all sorts of wordsmithing avenues. I do so much writing that Grammarly tells me every week I’m more productive than 99% of its users. Sure, that’s a ploy to get me to upgrade, but still! 99%??
So, I thought about that. Obviously, it’s tracking my keystrokes and correcting my grammar, which includes everything I’m doing on my two keyboards. This month that meant: 1) writing a 2000-word short story for a contest; 2) completing a 20,000-word short story for an anthology submission; 3) starting a new novel and reaching 25,000 words (a solid 10 chapters) that I am quite thrilled with because its the best start to a novel I’ve ever had; 4) writing four Q&A interviews, two that posted in November and two for December since I wanted to get a head start before another busy month; 5) assembling and publishing my newsletter; and 6) assembling, breaking down, and reassembling my third novel in my series… otherwise known as the neverending story. Number 7 is email correspondence, and chatting on various platforms with my writing buddies. Hmmm.I don’t know Grammarly, that sounds like the same schedule all my writing buddies engage in. Who are you tracking, anyway? Oh, and number 8 is writing this blog, which Grammarly isn’t tracking because it won’t work in WordPress for some reason.
It’s not exactly Ray Bradbury’s formula for honing writing skills. But maybe it’s touching the outer limits (okay, so he wrote other sci-fi short stories for TV, but I had to use this pun). Here’s Mr. Bradbury’s advice.
The problem with novels is that you can spend a whole year writing one and it might not turn out well because you haven’t learned to write yet. But the best hygiene for beginning writers or intermediate writers is to write a hell of a lot of short stories. If you can write one short story a week — it doesn’t matter what the quality is to start — but at least you’re practicing and at the end of the year you have 52 short stories and I defy you to write 52 bad ones. It can’t be done.
I’ll give you a programme to follow every night. Very simple programme. For the next thousand nights, before you go to bed every night, read one short story. That will take you ten minutes, fifteen minutes…for the next 1,000 nights.
Ray Bradbury
All I know is that I took every one of the five days allotted to me to write my 2000-word story for the contest this month, but I like the idea of getting 52 out in a year so that you have a few good nuggets to proffer to the world, if we can take Mr. Bradbury at his word.
What do you think about about this goal?
On the other side of that coin is reading. The closest I’ve come to reading lots of short stories is participating in short story contests. With Writing Battle contests, you not only write a story but act as a peer judge for ten other stories. While you wait for the final judging you can share your story and read others in an open forum for more feedback exchanges. That can add up to a lot of short stories!
These contests I admit have been a fantastic learning processes. I like the principle of committing to writing a story every week and reading a story every night. But in practice… Hmmm.
Let me know your favorite techniques for staying productive with daily writing.
For more on famous authors and their daily writing routines, here is a great article from Medium.com, which is where the quote from Mr. Bradbury was borrowed.
I was just chatting with my writing buddy in Scotland about pushing on despite the relentless Imposter Syndrome and this popped up in my inbox. I love synchronicity. Enjoy a little boost to quell that inner editor. And remember writing is all about the joy.
I enjoy the blogs from Writers Write immensely. When the one below popped up today, I totally related. Do you find yourself swooning over morally grey antagonists, those nasty villains with a vulnerable side and a broody brow? Do you secretly hope they will win in the end?
Writing the antagonist is probably more fun than writing the hero. Hmmm. I think that’s a confession that will prompt more soul-searching. Well, at least I can accept that it’s all part of the learning process as I continue this writing journey. And whew! I’m thankful for these blogs assuring me that I’m not the first writer to struggle with dreaming up steamy scenes with the antagonists more often than the heroes.
These blogs gave me more clarity. Heroes and antagonists are not all black and white. They are the perfect blend of both with one topping the other only after they take all those twists and turns in their destiny, and it’s what they do with that heady mixture of imperfection that makes the story.
This means my heroes can be a bit of both good and bad, so I don’t have to struggle with choosing which one to fall in love with. Wait… I still need a villain. Sigh… I’ll keep working on it. That’s the joy of being a writer.
After reading this blog, I searched for more. Enjoy these great insights into loving your antagonist.
A particular favorite group of mythologies to delve into for me encompasses the culturally rich islands of the North Sea, where Celtic lore blends with Scandinavian and legends abound about the mer folk and the selkie.
My guest today has written a dark fantasy tale that pulls you into this mystical, watery environment and weaves it in with the lore of the Vikings and the magical aspects of shapeshifting.
This story literally transports you to an entirely other world – one full of magic, possibilities, and lots of jaw dropping moments.
Divia is a fantastic and gritty storyteller with a keen eye for heart wrenching build up. She did an extraordinary job at taking a deep dive into what someone is willing to do for the ones they love – even if it’s at the expense of their own identity.
It’s safe to say I cried and that’s when you know it was done right.
This is a must read for anyone who loves dark fantasy with thematic influence of Norse Mythology and Celtic origins. And I myself am a massive fan of the era!!
C. D. McKenna
I picked this review because it encompasses all of the captivating aspects of this story. Let’s meet the author.
J.k Divia is a Dark Fantasy and Thriller writer from the US. She has spent most of her life traveling. She is a Spoonie and has learned the importance of rest while pursuing her writing dreams. As a child she was often found playing in the woods or reading about world mythology, folklore and ghost stories which have influenced her writing. She has always loved creative writing and once she decided to take it beyond flash fiction writing contests, she found a writing coach and editor to help her achieve her goal of writing a page turning novel. A Sea of Blood and Tears is her debut novel.
Some of her favorite books include Jane Eyre, Little Women, Dracula, The Hobbit, Outlander, Girl on the Train
When not writing, you can find her spending time with her family, chasing after her kids and searching for faeries and dragons in the woods with them.
I’ve been looking forward so much to diving with you into the world of the selkie and all the themes and elements of your novel. Thank you for joining me, Jaymee!
I imagine this project was as immersive for you as a writer as your story is for your readers. My first question is what was it like finishing your epic novel and getting it out into the world?
JKD. It was really an amazing and emotional adventure. This story actually started as a collection of backstories for what will now be the second book. There was definitely a challenge in figuring out how much to put in and where to stop with this particular story knowing that it was ultimately not the original story I intended to tell. There is also the anxiety part of publishing that I think all authors go through you know. The uncertainty of how your story will be received once it’s out in the world.
I love to learn how indie authors build their team. Do you have an editor or readers who helped you finalize your manuscript?Was self-publishing part of your plan, or the best means to share your story? Have you explored traditional publishing?
JKD. I looked for and found an amazing writing coach who helped me immensely on my author journey. From doing my development edit to helping me with crafting, working with a writing coach was a great experience. I also had won an indie author giveaway on Instagram and it included a beta read and publishing help, again these were immensely helpful given that I had no experience in trying to publish a book.
Indie ended up being the best option for me though I did query. I am terrible at querying and didn’t have the patience for it, sending my queries off before the book was even finished. In the end I wanted my story to be my story, for better or worse, and for this story Indie was the best path.
DLL. Awesome! Thanks for sharing, including a key reason to go Indie… Control… over content and time.
I was happy to read at the end of your amazing story that the second novel, Be Careful Where you Wander, is set for mid 2024. Can you give us a glimpse into what we can expect from Naia’s tale?
JKD. Be Careful Where you Wander is actually the main story I had intended to write funny enough. It takes place many years after the events in A Sea of Blood and Tears. It follows Naia’s journey in deciding her place in the uncertain world we last left her in and the aftermath of being chosen to become a Hamingja.
Ionna, Bjorn and Einar also return for this story. There is sure to be more blood and tears in this story before we get to the end.
There is a teaser for book two at the end of A Sea of Blood and Tears and I hope it won’t disappoint!
For our readers who might be unfamiliar with the selkie, can you tell us about the mythology? And what inspired you to bring Vikings into your story?Same question for the shapeshifters.
JKD. I first fell in love with Selkies as a kid watching the movie The Secret of Roan Innish. In celtic mythology, selkies are seal people. Men and women who live as seals but have the ability to shed their seal skin and turn into humans. If you capture their seal skin, or coat, then they could not return to the sea and were trapped.
It’s funny, I’m not really sure where the idea came from to add selkies to my story. The story is based on a short story I wrote called Becoming Hamingja, which is a play on the Norse Hamingja (which is luck). As I began to write the backstories of the key players and catalysts for the events in Be Careful Where You Wander, it all just sort of came together.
Mikladalur, Faroe Islands, Kalsoy – July, 2021: Kópakonann – selkies, mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. Kingdom of denmark. Europe – PhotographerNowaczyk
DLL. As you know, I wrote a short story about a selkie and a lighthouse keeper set in a dystopian world where the fated lovers come up with an extraordinary solution to survival. It’s available in Song of the Siren, an anthology by Dragon Soul Press. I acquired this stunning image from Shutterstock (described above) for inspiration while I was writing it.
You mention in your bio that you love fantasy and mythology. Are there other genres, or sub genres of fantasy you plan to explore?
JKD. was that kid that would check out all the world mythology and folklore books available at the library. It was always an interest of mine.
I also love a good mystery and Thriller. I am actually working on a mystery/thriller called We Need to Talk About Grandma that I hope to release in the next two years.
DLL. Great title! All sorts of scary things are going through my mind!
Have you traveled to any of the North Sea islands? What is your favorite travel destination?
JKD. I think Ireland, Scotland and Norway have been my favorite places to travel so far. My trip to Norway is what inspired my short story, Becoming Hamingja. I hope to visit the Orkney Islands and Isle of Skye one day, as well as travel back to Norway.
DLL. All places on my bucket list. I was all geared up before Covid to do a craft knitting cruise around all those fabulous locations… Someday…
Who or what was your biggest influence? Do you have a top three list of favorite authors or books you’d like to share?
JKD. I always say that A Sea of Blood and Tears is The Secret of Roan Innish meets Eaters of the Dead.
Jane Eyre will always be one of my first literary loves, along with The Hobbit. I also thought the first Outlander book was amazing.
DLL. All fantastic reads. I’m including a link above to Michael Chricton’s amazing Eaters of the Dead. Great shelf comparison for your story!
Where is your favorite place to write? Do you have a daily writing schedule? And do you like to set goals or deadlines?
JKD. As a mom of two young kids, I write where and when I can lol. I know that is an excuse and there are plenty of parents who are able to set a schedule. I’m just not very good with schedules to begin with.
I try to set deadlines and goals but I’m not great at sticking to them. I actually set a deadline to publish A Sea of Blood and Tears and stuck to it which I think ended up hurting my story in the long run. The great thing about Indie is you can control your timeline and I’m definitely going to use that to my advantage going forward.
DLL. I am taking this to heart, Jaymee. I’ve been pressuring myself to finish my third book in my series, and I know deep in my gut, which I’ve been ignoring, that it will only hurt the story. I want it to be the best wrap up to the series it can be. If it takes another year to achieve that status, I should allow myself that because like you say, having no deadline is a benefit and a luxury for self-published authors. I need to quiet that publisher voice! Thanks!
What are your favorite tips or techniques to stay organized and productive, or to get in the mindset to write?
JKD. I am so unorganized. I write a lot of scenes in notebooks when developing my stories and then try to organize and link together later. The read aloud function in word has probably been my best writing friend.
DLL. I tell people about read aloud all the time. The new and improved voices are amazing and it’s so helpful for punctuation, word usage, tone, and on and on. Can’t live without it. Google has improved on the computer voice with it’s Audio book program. I’ve been testing running my novels there and hoping to publish Ursus Borealis as an audio book soon!
I’m always inspired when my guests stick with their passion to create despite life’s challenges, including health issues. You mention you’re a Spoonie. Would you like to talk about what that means?
JKD. I first heard of spoon theory from a friend after I had just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and RA. She also has fibromyalgia and had been diagnosed many years prior to me. She sent me an article that was written by Christine Miserandino using the analogy of having a limited amount of spoons to describe living with a chronic or invisible illness. I highly recommend that everyone read the article if they are or know someone who is dealing with an illness. Being recently diagnosed, it helped me a lot.
DLL. Thank you for dropping by, Jaymee! This has been an awesome journey into your writer’s life!
You can follow J. K. Divia on Instagram and Goodreads.Feel free to leave any questions or comments!
The latin above is better known as “time flies.” That’s an overused idiom, but it gets truer every year. I used to hear all the time from old people (that’s me now) that it goes faster the older you get. I hear the same revelation from every age group these days.
Of course, we know time doesn’t speed up, but it definitely feels like it. And an entire year has flown by since I started interviewing creatives. That’s a crazy fact.
Despite the speediness, so much can happen in a single year when you spend your time creating and producing works. In this blog you will have that point driven home by four of my first guests as they share their updates on the exciting things that have happened for them in the last year.
I was thrilled to check back in with sword and sorcery fantasy author Douglas W. T. Smith and see how life is going in New South Wales. Same for fantasy/horror author E. B. Hunter and his crazy busy year in Alberta, Canada. High Fantasy/Horror author Lucky E. Noma has branched out into all sorts of creative endeavors from his home in Nigeria, and he and I have spent loads of time over the last year sharing our writing adventures and brainstorming ideas.
We will also peek into the world of lifestyle adventure photography with Joey MacLennan. Last year Joey told us about his photographic journey in the Pacific Northwest and his recent engagement. It was hard to pin him down between mountaintops then, and even harder now, but I managed it!
Read on for a few words from these bold and creative people on the happy surprises life has sprung over the last year. And feel free to share your own highlights with us in the comments.
DLL. Thank you, Douglas, for dropping by with some exciting updates. I know what a whirlwind year you’ve had. Tell us what’s going on.
DWTS. Wow, a year has passed, Darci. If your readers haven’t read the last post, or are unsure of who I am. I am Douglas W. T. Smith and a self-published author.
My first novella, Shadow of the Wicked, ranked in the Amazon Top 5 List in Dark Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery eBooks in 2021. In 2022, I released the Audiobook which was a finalist for the WriteHive Indie Ink Award 2022.
Since the release, things have been slow. My debut novel To Wield the Stars, originally to be published by Of Metal and Magic Publishing, has suffered many pushbacks, but alas, the book is getting ready for publication. In its final stage of editing (I’ve said it before, but this is serious now).
To Wield the Stars, published by OMAM Publishing in the CORE Series with authors Richie Billing, JM Williams, and EA Robins, has been scheduled to release late 2023.
Since the last time we spoke, I had only one child but now I have two ––and that makes writing hard. To be honest, since having my daughter in September 2022, my writing has been quiet. I suffered from serious writing burn out. Instead, I focused a lot of my time with the family. As the children are getting older, I have slowly gained some time for my hobbies.
One that I am especially proud to release on the 10th of September… I am starting a podcast, Epic Tales & Enchanted Tomes which follows our Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with me as their Dungeon Master.
Also, when not engrossed in the realms of fantasy, I have found a new passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It has given me consistent and structured exercise while managing two children under the age of 3.
Now that the children are settling into a nice sleeping/school routine, and To Wield the Stars is due for publication, I am wielding my literary magic, writing a new book in the same world as Shadow of the Wicked.
DLL. What a beautiful family. I’m really happy to hear your novel is set for publication, and what a great group of writers to be involved with! Glad your writing is picking back up and you’re finding awesome outlets to balance a writer’s life. Good luck on the release, your new novel, and your podcast!
Thanks for having me back after a year! There have been a lot of great things I have had the chance to do, and I appreciate the opportunity to reflect.
Last we talked, I had 3 short stories published by Dragon Soul Press, but my published works list has grown since (with more on the way soon if I’m lucky).
Here is the full list of what I was fortunate enough to have picked up!
Dragon Soul Press:
Graveyard Shift (A down on his luck cashier makes an unwitting deal with a supernatural being)
Everglades (A mother does all she can to save her son after a home intrusion sends him to the ER) and
As you Wish… (A man is possessed by a djinn and granted wishes that he didn’t make)
Kjell of Vittra: Rising Smoke (Kjell faces his first monster, squaring off against the dragon that took his sister)
Pink Lights (The last earthling must come to terms with the loss of his planet as he learns to love again aboard the F.S. Okanis)
I have a story published with Starlite Press:
Luck featured in Starlite Pulp Review #2 (A man blacks out after an encounter with a stranger. He wakes to find he’s been made a pawn in a game between two Irish deities)
I have been fortunate enough to find some success on the website Vocal Media as well, with Graveyard Shift and As You Wish… being awarded Top Story status on the site. If you want to read these stories, visit me on Vocal Media.
Eric has so many stories on Vocal Media I couldn’t fit them on one screen.
Along with my interview last year with you, I have been asked to be on several other author websites and blogs. I was featured on Willow Croft’s Spooky Six blog with Horror Tree (such an honor) and was even asked to be a panelist for WriteHive 2023!
I’ve continued working on my urban fantasy novel Into the Grey, and have sent it out for what I am hoping is a final Beta read before querying literary agents. With having some time between edits, I’ve started on a new project about an alternate reality 1874 Wyoming. This book follows a man who is looking for revenge against the reformed confederate army (the Green Coats) for slaughtering his family. He works with a rogue demon (not bound to a summoner) to take down this force for evil.
DLL. What an amazing list, Eric! Your stories on Vocal Media are awesome! I enjoy following you there and it’s a great place to share stories. And congratulations on being a panelest for WriteHive! I’m excited to say I’m one of your beta readers for Into the Grey and enjoying it like crazy, and after getting the scoop on your alternate Civil War horror project, I am hooked! I can’t wait to see where you’re at next August. All the best to you!
DLL. Just like last year, I had to pin you down to chat before you went aloft on that next mountaintop. You and my niece have many interests, and I love seeing how you fit so much into your lives. This has been a big year. What are the latest highlights, Joey?
JM. When we chatted last year, I was preparing with my fiancé for our wedding. As you know, we’re now married and we managed to travel to Kauai for our honeymoon. We got out for some of the best hikes on the island and snorkeled above some incredible reefs.
Instead of grabbing me between climbs this summer, you’re catching us before our big move back to our home state of California, like this week! But I think I can fit in a few highlights before hitting the road.
I did shoot a few rolls of film for the trip and look forward to getting the photos developed. I will definitely send some favorites over when I get those back. For now please enjoy some photos I took on my iPhone while on the trip. I’ve been really enjoying the freedom of the small phone and editing on the Lightroom app.
Other than that, I’ve become obsessed with rock climbing and have been climbing all over Washington. The move back to California is extremely exciting, as there are some of the most beautiful and classic crags in the world at our disposal. I think a climbing photobook is in the future!
Thanks for having me back for an update, Aunt Darci. Who knows, maybe next year we’ll have more big news.
DLL. Thank you so much for joining me in the middle of a hectic week, Joey, and supporting my Spotlight Interviews. Wow! A rock climbing photobook is an exciting prospect. I’ve seen some of those stunning images!
To see them for yourself, follow Joey on Instagram and visit his gorgeous website. Of course, as the Auntie, I have to include a photo of one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to. The location, because I know you will ask, is Siskiyou County, California.
DLL. So glad you could join me again, Lucky! I will start off by saying it has been an absolute blast chatting with you over the last year and sharing stories, ideas, and artwork. I’ve learned so much. It’s proof how valuable having a writing community can be. What are your highlights since last August?
LN. As you know Darci, it’s been a busy year writing, laboring over copious amounts of editing, and producing videos for my YouTube channel. I have really enjoyed experimenting with digital art for my stories. And I’ve also enjoyed our brainstorming sessions and covering so many crazy topics.
We even got to collaborate on an anthology project and promote it together on Instagram — inspired by your story Hellbound Hiatus. I’m two up on you. You need to catch up!
DLL.😂 I’ve got another story in my head that needs to get out, but it’s hard to keep up with you, Lucky. As a teaser, here is my digital concept with the help of Photoleap.
by D. L. Lewellynby D. L. Lewellynby D. L. Lewellyn
You’re working on some major epic high fantasy tales. I’ve enjoyed reading them and your short stories. The launch of your novella,African Horror Story, did so well on Amazon ranking at the top of African fiction. That was an exciting day. Thirty: XXXis an equally dark and compelling story. The cover is stunning.
LN. Thank you. That was an exciting day. It was great getting these published in the midst of working hard on my bigger pieces.
DLL. You also made a super clever video to go with Hellbound Hiatus. It will be fabulous when we can put these stories together with video and narration and publish them on YouTube, which is our big goal, in addition to an eBook. Your contributions are Takeshima, Dance of the Gods, and what I decided to call Hell of a Deception, but that’s only a working title and maybe my favorite of the three stories–if I had to choose.
Ah. So many plans. But like the theme of this post, time flies and it is precious. We’ll just have to keep producing a little each day despite life’s big interruptions.I’ll say it again, it’s been a lot of fun hashing out ideas! And if that’s all we get to do, I’ll be happy with that.
Here’s a little more on our digital concepts for Hellbound Hiatus.
by Lucky Nomaby D. L. Lewellyn and Lucky Nomaby Lucky Noma
I really appreciate you showing me the ropes on the amazing AI applications out there. And your digital art is really gorgeous. Your videos are each eerier than the next and stunning as well.
I did a little tech punk portrait of you that I thought I would wedge between your wonderful pieces. What do you think?
by Lucky Nomaby D. L. Lewellynby Lucky Noma
LN. That was a fun day shooting our digital creations back and forth and I loved my superhero portraits! Thanks for having me back, Darci.
DLL. Thanks so much for stopping by, Lucky!
For more amazing interviews, see my Gallery of Guests 2022 and 2023.
Thank you for visiting with us today. Feel free to leave comments and questions below and sign up for my newsletter to stay posted on news and future interviews.
Me and my Pod People packed up to petsit for two weeks.
I had the idea I would get to play with two amazing, adorable three-year-old brother bulldogs while I enjoyed a writing retreat, away from my own home and all the responsibilities. Somewhere quiet without interruptions.
The first part came true. I had so much fun with Mack and Elway. See? I pooped them out.
My Pod People? They still got a little air time over the keyboard but mostly they clamored around in my head. Still, my charges were so good, they let me sit for a couple interviews, and create a new story for a group project. I hadn’t thought about pet sitting as a retirement perk. But coming up with new things to do is what it’s all about, right?
This was my biggest writing hiatus since I started three years ago! But look at them. It was worth it. First day back home, and I miss them.
My Pod People and I have been working super hard on a finish for The Starlight Chronicles series. And it’s getting hot in my office with no air conditioning. Our window units don’t reach that far. How are all of you faring in this hot weather? Yikes!
So, I was stoked when my bestie asked me to stay with her a couple nights at her timeshare at South Lake. But my energetic and fun-loving friend doesn’t just stop with an invite to stay in a charming little condo… Nope, she also provided a list of excursions for us to indulge in.
Which meant I packed up my pod people and left my laptop behind… Well, not quite. But I only wrote for about twenty minutes on Book Three when I had some downtime 😁 Oh, and I made a promo video for another writing buddy who will be sharing it on their YouTube channel because I thought it would be fun to film it at Tahoe since there’s a great scene in Ursus Borealis at Harrah’s… and a chase scene on the highway to Truckee… But that’s it for writing, I swear. Oh wait. I also bent my friend’s ear on my latest plots. She’s wonderful about that too, including injecting me with a needed dose of her vibrant enthusiasm. She likes my books and is great for bouncing ideas off of.
I only live 45 minutes from this world-class destination and visit once or twice a year, but I’ve never gone up to a ski lodge. Mostly because I don’t ski. Who knew Heavenly could be as fun in the summer! And it was blessedly much cooler than my valley this past week.
Here is a bit of trivia: The amount of water in Lake Tahoe (39 trillion gallons) is enough to supply each person in the US with 50 gallons of water per day for five years.
View from the Heavenly Gondola. I highly recommend this experience. It includes a final leg on the ski lift to the top at 10,000 feet! I live in a high dessert valley at 5,000 feet, but still! It’s great getting high on that pine scented air that only smells that sweet so far up. And there was plenty of snow left over in July.
I’ve never gazed on Tahoe like this. Isn’t it amazing?
view of the Carson Valley, Nevada-side
From the top of Heavenly, you can ski down the Nevada side or the California side.
The other highlight of our outing was a Magic Fusion show at The Loft in Heavenly Village. (The Village is also good for fantastic restaurants and shops.)
The Loft is a small venue, purposefully intimate, so the audience can be up close and personal with the performer. Our evening included an amazing performance by Matt Marcy.
For your entertainment, here is Mr. Marcy on Penn and Teller.
We finished the trip with pizza at the Base Camp Pizza Co. with live music.
Empress Linen with Indigo Gin, Elderflower liqueuer, lemonade, and cucumber
Okay, so back to my hot valley and writing… after a little knitting and pot luck at my local air conditioned hangout with my knitting buddies!
I’m a romance writer. Passion is an emotion I get to play around with… a lot. Sigh…
Okay, that statement pretty much says it all, and I should just end my article here. Wait… sorry… I got caught up in the moment. I do that a lot when I’m writing.
What I really wanted to talk about was how I found my own personal passion that 1) blossomed in my 50s, 2) is sticking with me, unlike so many other creative outlets I’ve explored, and 3) has been a joy fanning into a brighter flame through learning and community… And through my example, prove to you that you can do the same.
You get one shot at life and there’s no age limit in pursuing your passion – if anything, you now have the wisdom and experience to navigate your passions with a clear head. Besides; it’s better late than never!
My focus today is the part where I started this journey in my 50s. Because I want to convey to you that it’s never too late to pursue a new passion, to rewrite your life, even. It can happen. Sometimes it happens with purpose, sometimes by those lovely twists of fate. The twist of fate that caused me to take another turn in life was not so lovely, but the fact that the pandemic brought an activity that prompted me to try my hand at my first novel is a positive thing I will gladly take away from all that horror.
The summer it hit, I decided to get back into my reading. My wonderful niece turned me onto Cassandra Clare, and I devoured the Infernal Devices series starting with Clockwork Angel. After that, I went on to consume Stephanie Meyers’ TwilightSeries. I couldn’t get enough of the fantastic first person narrative of Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood. I’m getting ready to start them again on my Audible. I went on to discover independent authors like Stephanie Hudson and devoured all twelve books in the Afterlife saga, followed by Transfusion. Next, was another fantastic discovery; Grace Draven and Radiance. Highly recommend this author! More authors got swept into my Audible or Kindle like Laura Thalassa (The Four Horsemen novels, The Bargainer series, and other great series), Jeanienne Frost (Night Huntress novels), and Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark novels). For the romcom paranormal shifter delights, I turned to Carrie Pulkinen. And the list goes on. I read 180 books that summer.
All devoured, digested, and churned into a new passion.
Which means I got the crazy idea one day (in 2020) that I would try my hand at writing a novel. I sat down to write… and haven’t stopped. My first novel turned into a 250,000 word series. I’m still finishing the last book, and have rewritten the first two several times in the process of learning. I went for the self-publishing option and learned how to make my own book covers and promos, all one step at a time. I got involved with a writing community and found other resources. Three years later, I’ve learned so many new things, my head is spinning, and I made the momentous decision to retire from my day job a year early.
I ‘m also 50,000 words in on three other stand alone novels and have written a host of short stories (many based on characters in my novels yet to be complete), one having won a contest. But wow! Contests and anthology submissions are tough. Still I’ve learned so much through the process, that it’s worth the beating. I blogged about the benefits of slogging through rejection yesterday. I did managed to get a short story accepted to an anthology this year, and that was a thrill.
Am I convincing you yet to go for it? I hope so. All I can tell you for sure… following a passion at any stage of life is the best way to live. Strong and barely controllable emotions fuel the mind and body, spark that drive to get up and start a new day, and to live that day in excited anticipation of the next development while meeting yet another milestone in your new passion.
Here is one great example to illustrate that developing a passion later in life is not a new thing. [Click on header for the full article on other examples]
Author of the autobiographical “Little House on the Prairie” series, Laura Ingalls Wilder became a teacher at the tender age of 15, but spent most of her adult life tending a farm and family. She wouldn’t really take up writing until her 40s, and faced several rounds of rejections for her first attempts at chronicling her childhood on the frontier. She finally broke through with “Little House in the Big Woods” in 1932, when she was well into her 60s. She continued to write “Little House” books for the next decade.
Just think – you could spend the next few years indulging your passions, or you could tell yourself it’s not worth it. Those next few years will pass regardless, only by then, you may regret not giving your passions a go.
By D. L. Lewellyn 