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Tips and tools for writers from Kayelle Allen

Tarthian Empire Companion - create believable aliens

Tarthian Empire Companion – create believable aliens

About 18 months ago, I joined a local writer’s group. I was looking for a critique group, but figured any writer’s group would lead me to one. At the time, it was a weekly meeting and the emphasis of the group was strictly to do writing prompts. Members met at Starbucks, had coffee, and shared a new word they’d learned. The moderator then gave a topic and we spent 20 minutes writing. Afterward, we shared what we’d written and others in the group commented. About four months later, someone asked if we could meet on an additional, different day to critique already-written work. Several of us jumped at the chance. Within another three months, the original moderator left the group, and we began doing a critique at all meetings. In addition, or instead of, members can write to prompts and bring those. In any case, we all share critiques. The atmosphere is positive, friendly, and open.

Critique Groups Get Results

Mallow Mayhem by Lisa Haman

Mallow Mayhem by Lisa Haman

The group meets regularly, Tuesday for lunch at a different restaurant, and Saturday for coffee, and we do critiques of work we’re readying to publish. It’s produced some wonderful books, including Lisa Haman’s brilliant humorous noir, Mallow Mayhem. Imagine a world where marshmallow peeps rule. When a pink bunny goes missing, it’s up to yellow chick Philippa Marlowmellow to investigate. Lisa wrote this bookย with a nod to all the various kinds of peeps, without ever mentioning the candy or using its trademarked names. Click her cover to read a sample.

Last year, I published A Romance for Christmas, which the group critiqued, and also Human Perfect. This month, I released The Tarthian Empire Companion, a non-fiction book the group helped me polish.

Tarthian Empire Companion, an illustrated World-Building Bible and Guide to Writing a Science Fiction Series by Kayelle Allen. Illustrated by Jamin Allen and Kayelle Allen.

Tarthian Empire Companion, an illustrated World-Building Bible and Guide to Writing a Science Fiction Series by Kayelle Allen. Illustrated by Jamin Allen and Kayelle Allen.

For the writer of science fiction, and the writer who wants to create a science fiction series, this volume teaches you how to build believable worlds, track details of your story, organize your writing, and lay out your story bible. Novice or experienced, you will pick up tricks and tips here. The Companion reveals the worldbuilding magic thatย makes theย Tarthian Empire tick. Iย share 10k years of future history, offer peeks at scene and character creation, lay out a quick tour of the Empire, and dish up a surfeit of secrets for fans, all in one illustrated volume. The companion provides organizational tips, links to marketing sites, groups supportingย writers, science fiction groups, and more. Material from myย 90+ page website is included. Original art by Jamin Allen (and some by me).

It’s a good idea to have any book looked at by others before publishing it. When people put a checkmark next to a line because they like it, orย tell you they got lost on a line, it helps. Better to have friends who tell you the truth about a scene and guide you to make it better, than to have reviewers tell you how badly you write. Once that book is out there, it’s out there.

A Location Critique

Is Starbucks an ideal location? On the plus side, most people drink coffee, and the site offers tea and water, plus other flavored drinks. There are healthy and not-so-healthy snacks, all made on site. Best yet, no one drops by the table to interrupt or ask if you want anything else. You can work without a hassle. [pq]Starbucks offersย plugins for computers or phones, and wifi is free.[/pq] On the down side, it can be noisy when they grind beans, or the place is full. We’ve learned thatย when the grinder starts, it’s best just to wait a minute. We meet at different spots, and one swears the room temperature is set by corporate. We don’t really buy that story, but what can you do? Overall, we find Starbucks a good place to meet, and they are environmentally conscious.

Grab Some Coffee and a Critique

So grab yourself some coffee, pop up a note on Meetup or Facebook, and get ready to sit down and talk writing. It could be the best cup of coffee you drink (and two hours of time you spend) all week.

Where to find the Tarthian Empire Companion

Amazon http://bit.ly/companion-az
Smashwords http://bit.ly/companion-sm
Find this book on Goodreads:ย https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25134488-tarthian-empire-companion-an-illustrated-world-building-bible-and-guide
Coming soon to print

5 Exercises and 5 Excuses for Writers #writerslife #MFRWauthor

5 Exercises and 5 Excuses for Writers #writerslife #MFRWauthorYou might not be aware, but writing can be hazardous to your health. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome affects millions and is a serious threat to many writers. I had surgery (called a carpal tunnel release) on each hand, one after the other, many years ago. I’m completely recovered but it was a long haul. Here are some exercises that helped me recover.

These five exercises are ones my physical therapist taught me. After those, I’ll pass on five excuses for the author who likes less of a challenge. Any writer can do these hand exercises. They are pleasant, and simple. Performing warm up exercises for your hands can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other maladies.

I am not a doctor or a trained physical therapist, but I am a writer who has dealt with carpal tunnel and lived with the pain it causes. These are suggestions based on what I do myself and what my therapist gave me to do. As with any exercise program, check with a medical professional before beginning, or if you have concerns. I personally do all the exercises below and they work for me. I hope they’ll help you.

Exercises for Writers

Exercise 1

Spread your fingers as wide as possible, hold the stretch to a count of five. Make a tight fist and hold that to a count of five. Repeat. Do this at least twice per hand before beginning your day.

Exercise 2

With right hand open, place fingers in the palm of your left hand. Press with the right while resisting with the left. You might feel this all the way to your elbows. That’s okay. It means there’s a good stretch. Hold for a count of five. Reverse hands and repeat. Do this twice per hand. I credit my fast recovery from surgery with this kind of therapy.

Exercise 3

Holding your hand straight up, keep fingers together and bring your thumb across your palm. Try to touch the base of your little finger. Stretch for it. If this is difficult it likely means your hand is tight. Repeat five times. You can do both hands at once.

Exerci5 Exercises and 5 Excuses for Writers #writerslife #MFRWauthorse 4

Use a small stress ball. Here’s one available on Amazon that is safe, non-sticky, and is said to last a lifetime. This one claims to be safe around children, but use your own judment. ย http://amzn.to/2tEhEOi Place the ball on a firm surface and place the palm of your hand atop it. Keeping your fingers straight, roll the ball beneath your hand. Stress balls often come with their own suggested exercises.

Exercise 5

If you have twin sinks this is easy. If you don’t, try two deep bowls. Fill one with hot water. Make it cool enough to hold your hand in comfortably, but still be considered hot. Fill the other side with cold water. You can float a few ice cubes in it. Plunge your hands in the hot water and hold for 30 seconds. Then put them right into the cold water for 60 seconds. Repeat five times. This makes my hands feel wonderful! I hope you enjoy it too.

Excuses for Writers

We all have days where we just can’t seem to cope. Days when good enough is good enough. For those days, try these excuses. Because we’re writers, these are writing-related.

Excuse 1

You’ve worked hard on marketing and writing so take a break. Play Spider Solitaire, Mahjongg, a word search puzzle, or other game. Alternate option: read.

Excuse 2

The submission process is stressful, so write in a pre-formatted document. To create, open a blank document and save it as Chapter One. Double-check the formatting. Set a new format to indent automatically five spaces when starting a new paragraph, format it for double lines and name it Editing.

Excuse 3

You should be well hydrated before beginning any exercise. Fill your coffee cup, lift, sip, and put it back down. Repeat with the other hand. Do this until the cup is empty. Refill so you can repeat again later if needed.

Excuse 4

You should keep to your schedule as much as possible, so check your email and calendar for any upcoming events. Because these tasks fall under marketing, this is an acceptable writing activity.

Excuse 5

Writers should use good equipment, including things used for exercise. Double-check the exercise equipment you have on hand to be sure it’s high quality. You might try comparison shopping online. While you’re ordering new items, stock up on coffee, creamer, and sugar. This might be a good time to consider the meal plan for the week.


There you have it. Five exercises and five excuses. Which you use depends on you. Have you faced similar issues with pain when writing? How did you deal with it? Feel free to leave a comment.

Welcome to Book Hooks! This is a blog hop with Marketing for Romance Writers authors. Click links at the end to visit the other hops. Today’s post is on character mentions. How to find any mention of a character in any of your books. It’s easier than you think.

If you’re writing a series, it’s easy to casually slip in a mention about a character from one book into another book. But what if you also mentioned that he is left handed? Or that he was born in Chicago. Or some other detail? When you’re writing yet another book, how do you go back and find all those places? Here’s a snippet from my book the Tarthian Empire Companion, to show you how.

Find character mentions on your computer

Here’s a cool trick if you have several books and you want to find out which book mentions a character. Create a separate folder and into it copy each of your books. Don’t put your originals in there. MAKE COPIES. Take out any bit at the end of the book that mentions upcoming stories (such as sneak peeks) that might contain the character’s name. You want only the actual story in these documents. Keep this folder. You’ll be surprised how handy it is for searching details when you write a series.

Now that everything is together, look at your folder menu. You’ll see something like “Tools” at the top. Your computer might call it “Organize”. Click that, and open Folder Options. Click the Search tab. Under “What to search” there are two choices. Pick the one that says “Always search file names and contents.”

When you click in the search box and type a name, the program will show you which book has the character’s name.

NOTE: It warns that this might take several minutes, but since you’ll mainly use it for searching this folder, that’s fine. I use it routinely on all folders, and it’s a great way to find info I’ve lost or a document for which I can’t remember the title. I have a 2 TB hard drive and to me, it’s not that long — maybe a few seconds. Click OK to save the option. Don’t worry. If it does prove to be too long for everyday use for you, you can easily change it back.

Think about the name before you assume the person is mentioned. For example, if you have a guy named Van Smith, both those words have other meanings. Does one character drive a van? Does the other have a Smith and Wesson? Does someone who is a smith live in Van Nuys? Be sure you know how the word was used within the document if it has shades of meaning or uses. If you aren’t sure, open the document, use CTRL+F (or CMD+F for Mac) and type the name. Then you’ll know for sure. But rather than open each document for each character, it’s super quick to type it once and search all the books at the same time.

Because I have two different versions of the same book from two different publishers, I wanted to know what/who was used in each. When deleting or adding material, it’s easy to remove a mention. So I added a copy of each version and changed the document name to include the publisher’s initials. To quickly change the name, select the document and press F2. Once the name is highlighted, make any changes needed.

I used this method when writing the Tarthian Empire Companion. The book has a listing of all my characters and place names, a history, and much more. I intended it as a companion book for fans of my various series. It quickly became my own go-to for details. Had I spelled homeworld as home world or home-world? This book is my definitive answer (It’s homeworld, btw).

Where to find the Tarthian Empire Companion

Universal Buy Link https://books2read.com/guide-tec


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS

How to Upload to Instagram from your PC

How to Upload to Instagram from your PC #tips from LA Sartor @LesannSartor

Share Your Tips

Want another tip? Here's How to Watch an Instagram Feed Live on Your PC.

If you're an author with tips for social media, contact me. I'd be happy to share your ideas.

Do you have any tips for using Instagram? Please share in the comments. I'd love to know what you might like me to share on future posts.

 

This tip is one I doubt I'd ever have discovered on my own. How to upload to Instagram from my PC. What a timesaver. My thanks to author LA Sartor for this one!

Sometimes I'm on my pc and have things I want to share on Instagram. Sometimes I save images from my phone to the cloud and then want to download and use them. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to upload to Instagram from my PC?

Guess what? You can.

There might be other ways to upload to Instagram but this one, using Chrome, is one of the easiest, and for me the best.

Upload to Instagram

My friend, author LA Sartor, shared her tip with my writer marketing group, Marketing for Romance Writers. It was so helpful that I asked LA if I could share it on my blog as well. Happily for us, she agreed. So I'm also sharing her book, Prince Of Granola. Wait till you see how that title came about!

A picture is worth 1000 words, they say. In this case I agree.

Here's the infographic on how to upload to Instagram that made the rounds on MFRW.

Prince Of Granola by LA Sartor

Cacao. Long a symbol of wealth, love, and power โ€“ now the center of a powerful rivalry.

The fabled Costa Rican Plantation of White Treasure, source of the rarest form of the cacao bean, is up for sale. Though two fierce competitors have been invited to bid on it, only one can win.

For Drew Hopkins, purchasing the plantation is the perfect solution to escape a life she never wanted.

For Robert Prince, it's the perfect route to revenge.

Drew, the founder's daughter and now CEO of HH Chocolate, heads a company whose sales are waning. Robert, CEO of Prince Organics, a man driven by excellence, despises everything and everyone labeled Hopkins.

But it wasn't always that way.

Will their forced proximity at the lush and exotic plantation rekindle old flames or will it fan the fires of antagonism?

Free on Kindle Unlimited https://amzn.to/2RcSEum

LA Sartor

Author LA SartorLA Sartor is a bestselling, award-winning author. She began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at LA's insistence, wrote them down and LA illustrated them. As an adult, she writes suspense and action-adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays--she's had a contracted adaptation! She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date. LA loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey.
Website https://lesliesartor.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/LesannSartor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Leslie.Ann.Sartor
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lesann415/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesann415/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535151.L_A_Sartor
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/L-A-Sartor/e/B0091XR9VK

Please come check out my Instagram

Nik Nitsvetov as PietasPlease stop by and check out my Instagram. I follow cosplay and some seriously awesome cosplayers. My favorite is Nik Nitsvetov, who cosplays my character Pietas. That totally focused and intense blond on the right is Nik as Pietas, from my Bringer of Chaos series.

My interests in archaeology, geology, and astronomy are reflected in stories I share on Instagram. I also follow many of the national parks in the US and share their images. Right now, I need a reminder of the majesty and beauty of our amazing world. Don't you?

I rarely post anything about my books, but if you want to know more about me as a person, Instagram is a good place to start.

Other Worldly News from Spec Fic Writers @SpecFicWriters members include Paul Martz @PaulSkewMatrix Lynde Iozzo @LyndeIozzo + Review Adar  #Adar #TROP #SpecFic #SciFi

Available onlineโ€”The winter issue of "Other Worldly News" from Speculative Fiction Writers. Access is free and contains news about members of the group, speculative fiction writers and books, and opportunities for writers and readers. Our members who publish in many of the speculative fiction sub-genres including: science fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian, weird west, fairy tales and more.

This month's highlights:

Meet Our Member: Lynde Iozzo teaches at-risk youth in an alternative high school. A teacher 17 years but a writer since childhood, for her reading and writing were escapes from troubles at school and elsewhere. "In your head, you know there's a better world" where she could envision that improvement.

Four Steps to Revising My Opening with a Critiki Bar Hangover: Paul Martz introduces us to an overview of a productive critique session combined with cocktails.

Other Worldly News from Spec Fic Writers @SpecFicWriters members include Paul Martz @PaulSkewMatrix Lynde Iozzo @LyndeIozzo + Review Adar @realjosephmawle #Adar #TROP #SpecFic #SciFi

Well-Loved Bits, Books, Videosโ€”Kayelle Allen reviews the character Adar from the Amazon Original series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Flash Fiction, "A Diabolical Memory": A special holiday gift for spec fic enthusiasts (Fred Lanigan).

What is speculative fiction?

The speculative fiction genre combines settings beyond our current world, and can include futuristic or supernatural elements. "SpecFic" takes the imagination to new worlds. This newsletter is created by writers in a spec fic critique group based in Denver, CO, but with members in multiple states and Canada.

To read the issue, or to get it regularly, go here

Sign up for my newsletter and get free Sci-Fi stories and book recommendations. Members can join my Review Team to read all my books for free, plus receive other reader exclusives. Dive into my worlds and become an immortal. https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z2b1q6

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Good flash fiction takes time, skill, and patient editing. But it teaches you to write.

For several months, I was part of an author's group that practiced weekly writing skills. Some of our best work was created in "flash sessions" where we limited ourselves to 100 words. No more, no less. Good flash fiction takes time, skill, and patient editing. But it teaches you to write. I saved mine, and thought you might like a peek.

Peace

Jon took a breather. The other guy wasn't firing. Jon imagined him doing what he was doing. Sitting back, Jon listened for more gunfire. More sounds of war. What if neither of them fired again? What if they sat here, neither of them moving, and didn't fight? Was that what peace was all about? Not shooting at one another? Wasn't peace more than not having to fight for the right to exist, to simply be? Wasn't that what Jon was out here to do? Provide his people freedom from tyranny? Shooting began again. He scrambled to his knees and fired.

Waiting

Just a little more... don't stop. Don't stop! Need this so bad. Need this. Please don't stop. A little bit more. Come on. Come on. That's it. Let it go. So close. Almost there. Hungry for it. So hungry for it.
He blew out the breath he'd been holding and took another one, hands shaking.
Been waiting for this. Been wanting it, so, so damn bad. He licked his lips. I should've started so much earlier, taken more time, gotten all of it ready. Oh! Yes. Yes... Here it comes!
The last little bit of ketchup landed on his fries.

Helping

He spread his thighs wider and slid down a little. "There. Can you get it in now?"
"No. Not yet." He hooched over to the right, grunting a bit as he pushed harder. "Hold still."
"Hurry up, baby."
"I'm trying!" He shifted his shoulders, angled one foot against the ground for better leverage. "It's almost in the hole. Just a little..."
"Do it harder! I can't keep this up."
"Hold on, baby. Hold on." He wiped sweat from his brow. The heat rose. Fingertips slick with lubricant, he rubbed the opening. With a click, the car's axle slid into place.

Red

So much for avoiding embarrassing myself. She's wearing red. Again.
I needed her to wear one more red dress to haunt my memories. This one was sleeveless, baring perfectly formed arms, strong and feminine. Strapless too, revealing skin the color of mahogany cream.
A man doesn't stand a chance with her in that dress. Long, slinky, shiny, scarlet. Oh, God. It looks-- wet. Perfect. Slick and smooth.
Her mouth is the same red, her lips plump, like she's just been kissed. Like she ran her tongue across them. Like she wants me. Is she wet anywhere else?
Damn, damn, damn.

Senses

He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus in the dimness. Dawn's grey light filtered through curtains billowing at the open window. A soft shriek of autumn wind whistled outside, and a gust of wind tossed the curtains apart, letting in a chill that pebbled his skin. Tossing back the silken sheets, he padded across the cold wooden floor and reached up to shut the window.
The sound of the wind silenced, leaving an utter calm. "Ahh." Shivering, he hurried back to bed.
"You cold?" His lover reached out one powerful arm and dragged him closer, up against his radiant heat.

Replacing Her

"If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." The words to the old Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song kept running through this head as he walked up the sidewalk. Friends assured him he'd get over her loss by starting over. But though his feet carried him forward, his heart wanted to run back.
Nothing could substitute for her. She'd been his first. Had taught him so much. Sure, she'd had her flaws, but they'd been together so many years... How could ever just buy another motorcycle now that his baby had been totaled?

Taste

"Almost like blueberry." He licked. "With a little licorice."
"Is not! Stop that." His lover tried to sit up, but was pushed back against the bed.
"Lie still. It's my turn." Licking again, he trailed his tongue all the way up along the entire length. The tip was different. A nice, interesting mixture of the blueberry and licorice. He circled his tongue all the way around it, lapping the tip. Why didn't I ever try this before? It's really good. I could get used to this.
"You've had enough." He managed to sit up this time. "Give me the popsicle."

Revenge

"Guys! Check out this gun. It shoots around corners." Jase waited for the hysterical laughter to die down so he could continue. "Look, I'm not faking this. It really works."
Guffaws filled the barracks. His sergeant slapped him on the back. "Rookie, you got taken."
"Okay. Stand in front of it then." Jase flipped out the supports for the gun, set it down and turned its nose 90 degrees to the left, then sighted along the special scope.
Snickering, elbowing each other, whispering, his bullies clustered in front of the weapon.
Jase pulled the trigger. When it worked, nobody laughed.

One-sided Conversation

(imagine you can only hear one side of a conversation)

"Hey, Mom. It's me. I tried that recipe you sent me. It sucked."
"No, not the roast. Those cookies."
"No. Not Aunt Matilda's. The cookies with mashed potatoes."
"Yes you did so give me a cookie recipe with mashed potatoes in it! You said to use leftovers."
"Oh, now you remember. Well, it sucked. I threw mine out."
"Cause nobody'd eat 'em!"
"I didn't do anything wrong, Mom. Why do you jump to conclusions about my cooking?"
"Substituted one thing. I didn't have mashed potatoes. Not everybody's got cooked taters laying around."
"Three cans of Pringles."
"What's so damn funny?"

Jailhouse Singer

Stones were belting out another tune as I pulled in and parked. I sat there, motor running, singing along, mumbling parts I didn't know. Jailhouse singer, that's me. Behind a few bars and can't find the key, but I love to sing.
A car door across and down opened, and out popped the prettiest thing I'd ever saw. Big brown eyes, sweet mouth, not a day over twenty. Heart raced like a bucking stallion at the thought of that tight ass inside tighter jeans. That lusty gaze of his met mine. He smiled. Just like that, I fell in love.

Flashionation, the Art of Clarityness and Succinctation

This flash was an exercise with a group of author friends, and was done as a joke on one of the other regulars. He was the only one who didn't know we were going to make up crazy words and use them as often as possible. Here's the explanation, which did not go toward the word count.
"Today we're talking about clarityness and succinctation. This is what flashion is all about. The ability to shortspress yourself. Tell us in 100 words or less what could have taken multinormously more words to do. The topic is speed. Anything to do with being fast, quick, or a blend of the two -- fuick. Use 100 words or less."ย  Here's mine.

Flashification

The conceptation of flash sites is to further accenticate good grammarage. Using too many words is called overwriting, or as some call it, desimplification. Doublespeak, the government version of desimplification, is also known as govspeak, govbabble, and politalk. Plague-avoid this. It's deadlious.
Flashion is the heightest form of trusimplification, or the art of unmystifying meaning. Like the hero called Flash himself, be the quickifest version possible. Use your smoothliest expressifications. Hammer home meaningnails.
Trash frillinormous adverbs and unconnect from ginormous nounwords. Present the smoothliest cream of meaning possible -- a banana smoothie of wordage. Blendification of understanding is the goal.

Overwritten Hunk

(Like "Flashionation" for this flash we were supposed to over-write a description for a simple thing.)
The meatiness of it thrilled her from her tiny, itty bitty little feet to her abundantly flowing cascade of rich streaming hair. She flounced said locks, running a manicured hand through the generous quantity of golden curls that bounced around her shoulders. Her fingertips, painted white by the French manicure process, which was not truly paint but a type of pencil painstakingly etched underneath her long, oval shaped nails, tapped the edge of the meat delicately.
Too much pressure on such a tender hunk might cause everything to slip, spreading juices over the white tablecloth as she cut the steak.

I hope you enjoyed this! Feel free to leave a flash of your own.

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Welcome to Book Hooks!

Marketing for Romance Writers Book HooksBook Hooks is a weekly cooperative blog hop hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by.

Links below lead to other sites also taking part. You can "hop" from mine to theirs with one click.

Feel free to say hello or leave a note in the comments.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright ยฉ2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


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#Coloring for Adults: N-OC: Nameless Original Characters #1 by Jamin Allen @jaminallen1 #Artist

From the author/artist

I created Nameless Original Characters to help other creatives. Beginning artists love inspiration.

N-OC has 26 pages of inspiration with various characters for you to color and help you destress. These nameless characters challenge your creativity. Develop their backstory to suit your creative vision.

This adult coloring book's primary vision is to help artists practice character development. The line art serves as a resource for game masters and dungeon masters creating characters and settings.

Bring them home to your world and give them life.

Where to buy

Amazon https://amzn.to/3JXZpKf

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Jamin Allen

Jamin Allen is the founder of Nimajination Studios, and is known as "Volgraza" on the popular YouTube channel V^2Gamers, which features game play, advice, and update information for games such as SpaceEngineers, and other games on Steam.

Twitch http://twitch.tv/volgraza/profile
Twitter (art only) https://twitter.com/jaminallen1
Twitter https://twitter.com/vtwogamers
Creative Team https://kayelleallen.com/about-jamin/
V^2Gamers https://www.youtube.com/user/VtwoGamers/
DeviantArt http://nimajination-studios.deviantart.com/
Amazon Author page https://www.amazon.com/Jamin-Allen/e/B08RBD1SLN
Kayelle Allen Creative Team https://kayelleallen.com/about-jamin/

#CyberMonday Savings for Authors Nov 30th until #SmallBusinessSaturday Dec 5th #Authors  


#CyberMonday Savings for Authors Nov 30th until #SmallBusinessSaturday Dec 5th #Authors

Dee Carver (my web designer) clued me in about a unique Cyber sale this week. She and Coffee Time Romance are partnering to offer some serious discounts on promo, web services, and marketing. If you are at all interested in those things, there's a link below.

I am a Coffee House Author - which means I get a lot of freebie promotion from them. They do a lot so I don't have to.

Plus they are an awesome place to find new books and authors.

This is good starting Monday Nov 30 through Dec 5th.

https://personalizedmarketing.info/cybermonday-savings/

Use the code CTR-PMINC in the contact form at the bottom.

You can also use that promo code for Coffee Time Romance.

https://coffeetimeromance.com/advertising-services/

Oh, and if you tell Dee I sent you, she will give me a small bonus, which I would appreciate a lot. ๐Ÿ™‚

I've worked with Dee for four years now. She handles upkeep on 7 websites for me and we do a little marketing together. She literally holds the keys to my entire kingdom. That's how much I trust her. I highly recommend her services.

Go grab these deals before they are gone!

 


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Ready: Fight! Choreographing a fight scene #SciFi #MFRWhooks #PietasFans

Choreographing a fight scene is a challenge for any writer. Rewriting it in another story from a different character's point of view is a special kind of madness.

Ready: Fight!

Having written Origin of Pietas first, when I wrote Lights Out, a prequel introducing Six, I had to retell some of the story the way Six saw it. Note: Six was using the name Tornahdo then, a special ops moniker for the way he fought.

What did I do to ensure I got all the hits and bumps right? You can read about it in this post. In Lights Out, Tornahdo (as Six was known then) was one of eight special ops soldiers. They had all been in fights with immortals before this, but none of them had faced Pietas, the immortal king. Here's the scene from Lights Out, Tornahdo's POV.

Tornahdo has entered a closed section of a space station. It's been several minutes since all the air has been removed. Pietas is on the ground, but he's where cameras can't get a good look at him. While Tornahdo and the soldiers can hold their breaths a long time, no one is sure just how long the king can accomplish this feat. Immortals can manipulate human emotions, so to protect the ghosts, they've been fitted with a chip to suppress emotion.


Ready: Fight! Choreographing a fight scene #SciFi #MFRWhooks #PietasFansInside, as instructed, Tornahdo stayed near the back. Two of the eight ghosts closed in on the pod.

Pietas lay on the floor behind it. His body showed, not his face.

Tornahdo tingled with a fighter's high. The mix of anxiety and excitement kept his instincts on maximum alert.

Beside Pietas, a ghost stooped. The change in lighting angle showed the Ultra, limp on the floor. When turned, the body flopped. The ghost pressed two fingers against the throat.

With a jerk, Pietas yanked the man down while thrusting a hand up.

A pierce of mindless fear stabbed Tornahdo. He'd faced that snap of terror before. It meant two things. First, the Ultra was controlling their emotions. Second, the chip was worthless.

Pietas tripped the next ghost, jabbed an elbow into his neck.

Another spurt of fear and confusion.

All that training. Days of suffering, learning control. For nothing.

Pietas flashed into speed mode.

Tornahdo's world moved in slow motion.

A blur showed where the Ultra had been. Pietas halted, braced both hands on a pod and kicked a pair of ghosts behind him.

They flew backward. Slow.

Momentum carried the Ultra straight toward Tornahdo.

Stumbling out of the way, Tornahdo went down in a tumble, taking out the ghost beside him, who knocked down the last two.


From Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos

Pietas's point of view, same scene. No air means no sound.

Crowded as the space was between his life-pod and the wall, two ghosts crept into it. Six spots of light showed on the other side. Eight ghosts then. That would be a much better fight. One nudged him with a foot.

Suppressing a smile, Pietas continued to play dead.Ready: Fight! Choreographing a fight scene #SciFi #MFRWhooks #PietasFans

Ghost One bent down, turned him onto his back.

Pietas let his body flop.

The guy came in closer, checked for a pulse.

Pietas opened his eyes.

The ghost's alarm fed Pietas energy.

He yanked him down, hard, while jamming the heel of his hand up. The ghost's head snapped back, and Pietas felt his bones crack. He shoved him aside and went after Ghost Two.

Pietas gripped his leg and tripped him. He jammed an elbow down onto the man's neck. Bones broke. The ghost's stab of dying fear spiked the energy from the first, and Pietas mixed it with his gift of chaos. He flung the vortex of emotions outward, broadcasting confusion and terror.

He activated his ability called zip. The pseudo speed meant he could move at a regular pace, but humans perceived him as a blur. They could not focus on him long enough to get close. To him, everyone moved in slow motion.

He flipped onto his feet, braced both hands on his pod, and kicked Three and Four square in the chest.

He pushed off the pod, and the momentum carried him straight into the arms of Five and Six. They stumbled backward, tumbling Seven and Eight onto the floor.

Writing different points of view

As you can see, the two viewpoints tell the same story, but the emotions reveal levels of attachment that are quite different.

Tornahdo knows he's had.

Pietas has hope he can escape.

Each is facing a person who refuses to quit, no matter how hard the going gets. Which will prevail?

Read the full story in Lights Out: Bringer of Chaos, and follow through with Origin of Pietas and its sequel, Forged in Fire.

If you like Pietas, you're in luck. He's in most of the Antonello Brothers series set in the far future from the Bringer of Chaos series. When you're immortal, you come back over and over and over. But does that mean he wins the fight in this scene? What's the word for damned if you do and damned if you don't? Hmm, how about screwed...

Check the links below to find more authors in this blog hop.

Pick up the first story in the Bringer of Chaos series, Lights Out, free by joining a reader group!
https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups

Origin of Pietas

Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos #SpaceOpera #SciFi

Forged in Fire

Forged in Fire: Bringer of Chaos #SpaceOpera #SciFi

Lights Out

Lights Out: Bringer of Chaos #SpaceOpera #SciFi


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

New Logo: Art, Sci Fi, Space Opera, Romance, Suspense - Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks #SciFi #SpaceOpera

For years, my logo has shown four words: Art, Sci-fi, Romance, Suspense. This year, I've honed my skill with Space Opera, so I decided I needed a new logo to show it.

New Logo

Not as easy as I thought! When you update your logo, you need to put it everywhere that it was before. Which means social media, headshots, website, blog and more. I'm working on it, but itย will take some time to accomplish. The art itself was a bit time consuming, because fitting in another word, even an important one, meant juggling all the others. Take a look at the new logo and you'll see how it came out.

Meanwhile, I'm focusing on writing more space opera and will soon be releasing a short story in that genre in the Expanding Universe Vol 4, edited by Craig Martelle. Lights Out tells the story of how Six, from the Bringer of Chaos series, came to be known as Six. If you like the character, you're not alone. With his dry sense of humor and sideways view of the world, he represents how many of us function in a society where we are at odds with the status quo.

More Art

I'm also using more art on the site. Of the four book set I give to my reader group members as a signup bonus, three are illustrated. I recently updated several pages on my site to feature art. Check out these: About Jamin, About Nano-Core, and About Nik. Jamin and Nano-Core are both artists -- I call them my dream team. If I can dream it up, they can visualize it and put it into images I can share. Nik is the model I've used for several years to represent Pietas, my immortal king. I'm excited to have him as part of my dream team too. He will be portraying Pietas in a live stream photo shoot, direct from Russia via Instagram. That happens on September 1, 2018. Be sure to follow Nik so you can see it.

What do you think of the new logo? Is it easy to read? Do you like the colors? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you for being part of this blog hop!


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.