You want the fantasy author to talk worldbuilding?? Welp, you all are in for it now! I could probably write a short book on the nuts and bolts of my worldbuilding process… don’t worry. I won’t do that here. Instead I’d like to focus on the all the things that inspired the world of The Frozen Crown. I knew from page one, that I wanted The Frozen Crown to feel…
When writers talk about “world building” they mean more than just setting. Setting is where a story takes place. But a fictional world is setting, history, the special rules of that particular place, the people who inhabit that world, as well as the general tone or atmosphere that sort of floats over every page. The setting of the Harry Potter books is England, but in order to build her fictional…
I never planned on becoming a writer. What I actually wanted was an entry-level job in corporate finance. But when I graduated from the University of Kansas in December of 2008 with an MBA, the world looked very different than it had 18 months before when I started the program. Lehman Brothers had just collapsed. Countrywide imploded. General Motors needed a bailout to survive. And here I was with a…
I can’t believe it! My very first post as a 2021 Debutante Ball Author! Give me one second to freak out… Okay. That’s done. Now on to this week’s topic: the inspiration behind The Frozen Crown. This is one of the hardest questions for me to answer, because so much of what makes The Frozen Crown special has been swirling around in my head for years. But if I…
We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s interview and book giveaway with Carole Stivers. RETWEET OR SHARE for a chance to win a copy of THE MOTHER CODE. #DebBallGiveaway #giveaway #author We are so excited to host Carole Stivers. RT for a chance to win THE MOTHER CODE. #DebBallGiveawy #giveaway #authors #writing #writingcommmunity #readers https://t.co/3wn0pOYlTs pic.twitter.com/Fup2W86VGx — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) August 22, 2020 Interview with Carole Stivers, author of The Mother…
I really honestly don’t connect with the energy of jealousy when it relates to personal endeavors. I am invigorated by seeing others find their success and way in the world, and in no way think it diminishes the possibility for me. My favorite inspiration in the writing industry is Issa Rae. I have been following her since I was in my early days of graduate school for Fashion at University…
Recently, I read a post on someone who found out that not everyone has a running inner dialogue in their minds. I was as shocked as the original poster at this discovery. My mind has always been a chatterbox; I just assumed it was the same for everyone! My inner world is constantly questioning, observing, judging, apologizing, and taking stock. I’m like a ringmaster, struggling to bring peace to a…
This week, we’re talking about writing inspiration. I tried to answer this question in a delightful prose-oriented blog entry, but kept on getting foiled by having way too much to talk about—because as a former journalist, everything pretty much spurs me to pick up a pen! So here is a short list of things that have inspired me over the years. Make one for yourself — you might find it…
What inspires me to write? Well, it’s not global pandemic, danger, distraction, and fear. But even in these bizarre and unsettling times, I have been inspired, and pretty much on the daily. I’ve been delighted by my friend Lee’s wry, understated, and often hilarious blog posts. She’s been writing on her site for sixteen years now, so there’s plenty of material to explore. I’m awed by the expert storytelling over…
I grew up very introverted, completely over sensitized to the world on a daily basis and retreating inside my head to cope. From ‘Baby Yoda’ me, till I was around 17, my personality type could be very easily summed up by the words “bookworm”. Books were my escape, my safety blanket, and my deepest friends. Looking back, it was my own form of obsessive coping mechanism. I was a depressed…
