The Warriors Short Story Competition

Hi all!

If you're not a fan of the Warriors, or Warriors Cats, series, you may not have any idea of what I'm going to talk about today. Warriors is a book series written by Erin Hunter, a penname for multiple authors. The Warriors series focuses on groups of cats, called Clans, that live around a forest and later on a lake. There are hundreds of characters from the series and the authors have written 60+ books. If you haven't seen my other blog posts on Warriors, you can check them out here and here.

The latest Warriors book to be published

So, when it was announced that Warriors would be holding their first ever short story collection, I could feel the younger version of me getting excited. Despite all of the fanfiction that has been written on the series, the website has never held a competition for all the authors out there. This competition has been split to under 13s and over 13s. 500 words have to be written, following on from the prompt that they have provided.

Although I wish they would have given us a higher word count and more freedom to write what we wanted, I still think it's an interesting prompt. We are introduced to a few cats from ThunderClan and also given a few hints as to what we can write about. I have decided that I will continue to write from Brightpaw's perspective, and pick the story up from when they leave camp. I'm not sure about what characters to include yet, as the word count is so low that you can't introduce that many. But I do have an idea of where I want the story to go.

Some tips for if you do want to enter:

Don’t include too many characters - you’ll run out of words more quickly.

Don’t focus too much on description - you don’t have enough words.

You don’t need to follow the prompt to the letter - if you want Brightpaw to head to RiverClan or twolegplace, go with that instead! Don’t feel pressured to make her interact with her siblings or Swiftpaw.

StarClan does not need to appear - you can just write an ordinary day if you want to.

Want to switch POV? - Don’t be afraid to do this if you don’t want to write about Brightpaw or ThunderClan.

Foreshadow if you want to - You can foreshadow any future event you want.

If this competition is successful, I hope they do more. Perhaps they could give us the freedom to write about any events from the books, or even for people to use their own characters. I'm hoping that they will expand on this in the future, as it could lead to some amazing stories from fans. I would also love to write more about my original character, Russetheart, as it's been years since I've revisited her story.

The competition entry page

I still read every Warriors book that comes out now, and I can't wait to start writing my entry. The deadline is the 10th December, so I'm hoping to finish NaNoWriMo and then start working on my entry. Perhaps after the winners have been announced I'll share what I wrote about in a separate blog post!

If you're a fan of the series and want to enter, I'd advise you do it. After all, you haven't got anything to lose! If you want to check it out, you can here: Competition Page.

And the entry page is here, with the prompt and rules: Prompt and Rules.

Good luck to anyone who enters!

That's it for this week, see you next week!

The Machines in Years

Hi all,

With Years coming out in April I thought I would discuss the world of the book. This book is set thousands of years in the future, where humans have almost completely destroyed the Earth with climate change. The humans that are left have built machines that can keep the Earth alive for a period of time. These are named after various Earth goddesses in different cultures. There are children who have been genetically altered to be born with the Gaia Gene, which keeps them alive and unable to age if they are put into one of the Machines. Many or few Gaia children can be born in each machine cycle, so the government keeps tabs on every one that is born. The government uses Gaia children to extend the Earth's lifespan instead of changing their polluting ways. Companies and people can continue to live comfortably, without having to change their lifestyle to save the Earth. No interruptions of comfort to them, and they don't have to take responsibility for their own actions. Now, onto the Machines themselves:

Sif Machine.

The first machine to be built, and revolutionary for its time. It was built at a time where the Earth was near collapse, and society saw this machine as their saviour. However, when a Gaia child was placed in this machine, they would die immediately and only heal the Earth for a few days at a time. They were getting through Gaia children faster than they could be born, so they started building another machine.

Pachamama Machine.

This machine was built alongside Sif's, but once scientists started seeing how Sif was getting through Gaia children, they modified Pachamama. The last Gaia child to be born that cycle was put into the machine. And, to everyone's relief, powered the machine for 386 days. The Gaia child died towards the end of the machine cycle, but their sacrifice gave scientists more time to genetically alter children for the machine. With technology starting to advance once more, the next machine was commissioned.

Terra Machine.

Terra was built using parts from Pachamama. The government took a risk in taking one machine offline to be used for another. This one was twice the size of Pachamama and Sif, and was more technologically advanced. The first time a Gaia child went inside however, they immediately died without giving life to the Earth. This happened a few more times before the scientists sorted the glitch out. The next Gaia child to go inside after it was fixed replenished the Earth for eighteen years. And, when the doors opened, they stepped out alive and barely aged a day. This is when the government came up with the idea of putting the same person in the machine over and over, which reduces the amount of lives ruined by the machine. By now the public had started referring to Gaia children as 'sacrifices' and harassed them whenever they left the machine. With the Gaia child out of the machine, the Earth would slowly start to die once more. People hated the fact that their lives would be inconvenienced every time a Gaia child was given a few days respite.

Privthi Machine.

The last machine to be built before Gaia. This machine was the one that changed everyone's lives. It could hold a Gaia child for fifty years before needing repairs. Fifty years of the Earth being replenished with lush green forests, clean water and little to no natural disasters. Each fifty year cycle was bliss for those who didn't have to go in it. The Gaia child however, never came out the same way they went in. Hallucinations and paranoia became rife, and they never felt like they could rest. So, the government decided to extend their stay in the outside world from a few days to a year with each cycle. Still, it did not improve their mental state much. This machine was burned by vandals in between a fifty-year cycle. Luckily, the Gaia machine was half-built.

Gaia Machine.

The machine that is currently in use in Years. It has been made using parts from Sif and what could be recovered from Prithvi. Gaia has been in use for four centuries. However, it has started to fail. Despite a Gaia child giving years of their life to the Earth, it's no longer enough. Natural disasters occur during each cycle and the ozone is developing holes. The Earth is dying once more, no matter how many Gaia children give their lives to it. So, it's successor is being made, and everyone hopes that it will save them indefinitely without any changes on their part.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

My Favourite Horror Tropes

Hi all!

As it's Halloween today I thought I'd write a horror related blog post! I read and watch a lot of horror, so I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourite horror media tropes.

Ancient Tombs/Pyramids

I love horror that is set in a cramped space such as a tomb. In most cases the villain are undead or angry gods. I love seeing characters try to escape while trapped in such a small area and get picked off one by one. My favourite film with this trope is The Pyramid.

Events After an Apocalypse.

Seeing the world get destroyed by deadly viruses or nuclear weapons never gets old in my eyes. You get to see the characters adjust to their new world and the threats around them. I especially like the virus trope, as other characters see their loved ones deteriorate and develop symptoms.

Creatures That Can't Move.

The way that I've seen this done best is the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who. The monster can't move while it's being watched, but then it's up to the characters to continually keep their eyes on it. At some point, they eventually look away.

I don’t think Rocky would be much help in a horror film…

Cat Scares.

In films, you think there's going to be a massive jump scare but instead it's just a cat. If you've read my other blog posts you'll know why I like this one!

Long Limbs.

I don't know why disproportionally long arms freak me out so much. It always send a shiver down my spine. It's why I used a wendigo in Mute, as they can be known to grow larger the older they are.

Research Labs.

A group of people are working away on an experimental government project in a lab and it escapes! It then hunts everyone down one by one until it either escapes or is killed in a dramatic fashion. The experiment usually has only one weakness, which the characters take ages to figure out. I love this one as you never know exactly when the monster is going to pop up.

Aliens.

An alien creature is accidentally brought onto a ship and wreaks havoc while killing everyone. The Alien franchise is great for this, especially in the second film when there was hundreds of Xenomorphs!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

PS; looking for some last minute horror books? Check out the ones in these bundles!

October Tricks and Treats

Halloween Frights

The Pros and Cons of Authors Using Patreon

Hi all,

On Twitter I asked people to vote on what I should blog about next. So, I'm going to be writing about the pros and cons of authors using Patreon!

If you don't know what Patreon is, it's a subscription based platform. The creator posts content specifically for Patreon that can't be found anywhere else. People then subscribe by picking a membership level to see that content and become Patrons. I've heard of a few authors using it before, and have even checked out their Patreon accounts. A lot of them post:

Writing excerpts.

Chapters from a novel.

Polls.

Character profiles.

Book Trivia.

Merchandise.

So, without further ado, let's talk about the pros and cons!

Pros.

It's another way to connect with readers.

Those that subscribe to your Patreon have done it because they want more content from you. They want to see behind the scenes stuff, or help you decide which book to write next. You can see which content of yours does well, and then you know that's what your readers want to see.

Another revenue stream.

A Patron signs up for a monthly subscription, so even if you're only charging £1 a month, that's £12 per person every year! This won't help you pay for cover designs or editing costs, but you can use this money for marketing or advertising.

You get feedback.

If you post a chapter of a story you're working on, you can get feedback from your Patrons. They can tell you what they like, and what parts they want to see more of.

You can post entire books.

Say you want to post a self-edited chapter of a book you're working on once a week. Your Patrons will love that, as they get exclusive content until you decide to publish that book. Even after you've had a cover designed and got it professionally edited, your Patrons may want a physical copy too!

Cons.

It's another thing to manage.

On top of writing, editing, publishing and marketing this will be another thing that you will need to keep up with. Even if you have other social media, you can't neglect one to benefit the others. If Patrons are paying monthly, they will want new content on a regular basis.

Revenue is small.

The money you get from Patreon won't pay your rent or bills. It's just a small revenue stream that you can put into something small. Yes, you can charge Patrons more, but then they can always cancel their subscription. Patreon also get a small cut of whatever you earn as well.

You have to post regularly.

You can't just post once a month and be done until the next month. Your Patrons want regular content, and if you don't give it to them they will leave,

You may feel like you're talking to yourself sometimes.

Readers might not reply to your writing, or polls. So, some of the posts you make on there may feel like you're just screaming into the void. There will be posts that get no feedback as well.

It's not a crowdfunding platform.

You will not be able to crowdfund in order to publish a book. The fee that your Patron pays monthly is all you will get. Don't try to squeeze them for more.

I have considered creating a Patreon, though I'm not sure whether I'll do it or not. I'm not sure if at this stage of my author career if I have enough time to actually put into it.

That's it for this week, next week I have a special announcement to make, so keep an eye out! See you next week!

PS; looking for some new ebooks to download? Check out the ones in these bundles:

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

Why I Went to the Zoo to see the Big Cats

Hi all!

If you’ve been following my social media, then you’ve probably seen that I went to a zoo earlier this week. I was mostly interested in the big cats, though my boyfriend and I did see other animals as well.

At one point, we came across two housecats that were just wandering around the zoo. (My boyfriend was more excited to see them than any of the other animals…). I did remind him that we see a cat every day as we have Mishka, but he said that these cats were different. Thanks to Mishka and Rocky, I think I’ve almost maxed out my research on cats!

I wanted to see the big cats the most as I wanted to see the way they acted and moved, to make sure I had it right for all of the books that contain big cats. I’ve watched a lot of videos and studied pictures of them, but I wanted to know whether seeing them in person would be any different.

The cheetahs were sunbathing and rolling around, just chilling out. It reminded me of Mafdet, and how playful she is with Bastet and Sekhmet in Curse of Anubis. The way they swished their tails also reminded me of her!

We briefly saw a lion as well, who was also sunbathing before he got up to patrol the other side of his enclosure. I wasn’t aware of how often lions flick their ears to keep flies away, so I’m going to make sure that I add that into Curse of Anubis. I imagine Sekhmet to have a proud strut than a tired lumber that the lion had. I didn’t see any lionesses, just the one male lion. As Sekhmet and Mother Earth are both lionesses, I’m going to do some more research into them.

The tigers were out of sight so we didn’t see them unfortunately. I’m planning on writing a tiger into a LitRPG book I want to write, but that it is in the very earlier stages right now!

Once we’d seen almost all of the animals in the zoo, I couldn’t help myself at the giftshop. I got two little stuffed animals that look exactly like Sekhmet (maned lioness) and Mafdet!

I think I’ve managed to get a few pointers from the big cats on how to write them better. Although, it was quite sad to see them in enclosures than out in the wild. In the future I will just stick to videos and pictures, and try to gauge their mannerisms that way.

Currently, I have the following big cats in my books:

Panther - Celestial Plague series.

Lion - Years.

Lion, Cheetah, Leopard - Curse of Anubis.

Panther - Street Rats.

Tiger, Snow Leopard - unnamed LitRPG.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! For my blog post next week, I’m letting you decide! You can head over to my Twitter to vote on what I should blog about next.

PS; looking for some new books to read? Check out the ones in these bundles!

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

How I Name My Characters

Hi all!

This week I'm going to blog about character names, and the different ways I come up with them. Some have more mundane origins than others, but I thought this would be fun to talk about!

Baby Name Websites.

The vast majority of character names, usually side characters, I will look on baby name websites for. This is usually for side or background characters. Such as Naomi from Elemental Dragons and Eularia from Street Rats. Although this can be quite boring, I will trawl through hundreds of names until I come across the name that I immediately associate the character with. Some I find completely by accident, thinking the character wouldn't suit that name, but then they do.

Letter-Based Names.

Sometimes I'll think that I want a name to begin with a specific letter, such as 'S' and I'll Google those names. From there I'll search through websites until I find a name that suits the character. This tends to be more for main characters and side characters. Examples include: Raya from Celestial Plague and Melia from Elemental Dragons. I've done this for my series books as I think it can get confusing to have loads of characters with names beginning with the same letter. It keeps a variety in my books and also helps readers identify the characters more quickly.

Sound-Based Names.

When I was writing Curse of Anubis, I wanted Darrus to have 'Russ' in his name. So I Googled names that contained the letters 'Russ' and searched through what came up until one fit. This is a less common way that I look for names, and so far I've only used it for Curse of Anubis. I'm not sure if I'll use this method too often in the future, though.

Names with a Special Meaning.

This one I've used more frequently as of late for main characters. I wanted a name meaning 'pure' so I searched that and found Tahira, for Curse of Anubis. Or Genesis in Damaged Goods, which means 'origin' or 'the beginning'. This one I use if I want the character's name to be a homage to their personality or their trials through the book.

Anadromes.

These ones I've only used for Parasitic Aliens so far, which are: Anne, Nola and Alli. The aliens in the books are called: Enna, Alon and Illa respectively. I did this because the characters in the books are the first ones to come into contact with these aliens, so they are named after them. I'm not sure if I will ever use this method again though, as there aren't many anadrome names out there, and I struggled to find ones to fit the characters.

Names I Come Across in Media.

Names like Hazel and Marco in Elemental Dragons I heard while watching films, and fell in love with them. A lot of the characters in Elemental Dragons were named this way, and the rest were Googled. I used this method a lot when I was younger, as I was more influenced by the films and books I liked at the time. I hardly ever do this now.

Characters Named After People I Know.

I have never done this, as I just don't think it's fair to people that I know. Only Normie, Rocky and Mishka have characters named after them, but I don't think they care too much as they're cats! I'd hate to name a characters after someone only for them not to like that character, or get offended that their name was used.

Names by Culture or Time Period.

In Damaged Goods, the first book is set in ancient Greece. So, I had to look up names that would suit that time period. Pyrrah, the main character, is the name I liked most for her. It means 'red' or 'flame-coloured'. In the future I want to write a series about Norse mythology, so I will be looking up names from the Viking Age to name the characters.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

PS; looking for some new books for your bookshelf? Check out the ones in these bundles:

September Urban Fantasy Sale

Terrifying Adventures - Horror Giveaway

The Rebel Group of Original Elementals

Hi all!

As promised, here is some more information about the rebel group in Original Elementals!

The group is lead by Francesca, who is also the founder. She started the group in response to rumours about the scientific facility in their hometown doing unethical experiments on dragons. In the Elemental Dragons universe there are several species of dragons that each support the ecosystem of the areas. For example: Fairy Dragons are omnivores, they will eat pests such as mice and flies. They can also be considered pests themselves however, as they will eat crops as well. Francesca turned out to be right, but she hadn't realised the extent of the experiments.

All nine of the main characters are members of the group, and although there were others, they have since left or gotten bored and moved on. A lot of the others joined at the prodding of their parents or just something to do after school. Some of them don't want to be there at all, but don't want to be at home either. This is before dragon companions and elemental powers were commonplace, so there wasn't as much adventure as in the Elemental Dragons series.

At first all the group did was peaceful protest outside of the facility. They held up signs and refused to move from specific spots. Each time the police would come and break them up, but wouldn't charge them due to the fact that all the protestors are teenagers. Benjamin, wanting a bit more excitement, decided to break into one of the vans that goes in and out of the facility. This sparked an idea in Francesca, who wanted to break into the facility and get solid proof of the experiments that they're doing.

The adults in the town aren't bothered about the protesting teenagers. They prefer them sat outside the facility in silence than rioting in the streets. The group isn't taken seriously, but that also means they can get away with a lot more. Francesca uses this to her advantage, testing the water into how much trouble they can get into with the lowest repercussions. Once they get hold of dragon eggs however, that's when their little group turns out to be more than a minor inconvenience...

I still haven't named the group, purely because I can't decide on a name I like. Closer to November I will run a poll to see which name you like best.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

PS; this is your last chance to pick up these FREE books before they’re gone!

Dragon’s Lair

The Story of the Guardians

Hi all!

This week I'm going to tell you about the guardians - the ones in Mute whose job it is to prevent the wendigo from eating people. They also stop people from turning into wendigos by killing them. I thought I would tell you about their story, and how they became guardians.

In the Mute universe, cats are the guardians of the underworld. Their job is to guide new spirits into the underworld and prevent old ones from escaping. There are billions of spirits, so there are also billions of guardians. Some are assigned to keep watch further in the underworld, while others watch the gates. Despite the sheer amount of guardians, Solaris and Lunaris are the most well-known. This is because they made a grave mistake, allowing a certain spirit to escape. A spirit that would become the first wendigo.

Solaris is a ginger tom cat with green eyes. His sister, Lunaris, is a grey molly with blue eyes. Lunaris is the older of the twins, daring and more confident than her brother. Their first job when they were made guardians was to guard one of the gates. They both did their watch dutifully for a few years, until they got bored.

What Lunaris looks like

Solaris created a ball out of moss and grass, which he then started to play with. Lunaris joined in, with the two of them batting the ball between each other. However Lunaris got too excited and hit it too hard, meaning it rolls away from the gate. Without thinking, the two of them rush after it, eager to continue their game. While they were distracted, a vengeful spirit managed to escape. It attacked a Native American tribe and influenced a living man to kill someone and cannibalise their corpse. That spirit then took over their body and transformed them into a wendigo. Using their own flesh, they fed it to the corpse and created another wendigo.

By the time the twins realise what has happened, there are several wendigos. The two of them are scolded by the other guardians, and are punished with the task of getting rid of the wendigos for good. However, they are given powers to help them. Their claws will grow to three inches long when needed, and are made of the same wood that grows on the wendigo. The guardians also craft a dagger, which can be used by a human to subdue the wendigos. The two of them are then cast out, not allowed to return until all of the wendigos have been returned to the underworld. This brings us to Mute, centuries later, where the twins are still trying to correct their mistake.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week!

PS; looking for some free books to add to your bookshelf? Check out the ones in this bundle, all Sci-Fi and Fantasy!

Spring Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway

Writing in a New Genre - Post-Apocalyptic

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about a new genre I recently discovered - Post-Apocalyptic. A lot of books have fallen under this umbrella but have been marketed as Sci-Fi or Dystopian. The Celestial Plague series that I'm writing is an example of one who will be genre hopping.

First of all, what is Post-Apocalyptic?

It's a genre detailing the aftermath of an apocalypse. I do love writing about world ending viruses and incidents, so I'm very much in love with the genre.

Celestial Plague.

When I started writing the trilogy I had in mind that it would be a YA Sci-Fi. Now that I've discovered more genres and written more books, I've realised that this doesn't quite fit anymore. Instead it will be a YA Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy. I think this label will fit the books much better and also help when I release them. Making a story about four girls with powers live through an apocalypse never quite sat right being in the Sci-Fi genre.

Curse of Anubis.

Again, this was going to a be a YA Sci-Fi Horror, but I think it would better fit as a YA Post-Apocalyptic Horror. The main character, Tahira, has to learn to survive in a world where a zombie virus has broken out. I think this suits Post-Apocalyptic better.

There will be no significant changes to either of the series as I edit them. My writing style will not change, and the characters will be the same. I am only using this as an opportunity to expand my writing into even more genres, and get my books out there more. I'm sure I'll be able to come up with new book ideas in a variety of worlds and experiences!

So with a new one under my belt, what genres am I planning on writing? Currently, my books will be one, or a mixture of:

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Dystopian

Horror

Young Adult

New Adult

Post-Apocalyptic

A lot of heavy genres it seems…

That's it for this week! I've started Camp NaNoWriMo this week, I'm hoping to get 50K words written for Curse of Anubis #3: Middle before the end of the month.

See you next week!

PS; with Cinder and Fire out in less than two weeks are you eager to read about dragons to fill the time? Check out the books in this bundle:

Dragon Eggs For Easter!

How I Chose the Colour Schemes for my Books

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about something a bit different, colour schemes. Each of my books have a set colour scheme and I usually have the colour scheme in mind before I've finished the book in some cases! I thought I would explain how I narrow down the colour choices for the covers.

Elemental Dragons.

Each book in this series has a different colour scheme:

Blood and Water - blue and red

Venom and Earth - green and purple

Glass and Ice - white and pale blue

Cinder and Fire - orange and grey

I chose the colours based off the book's titles. When people think of water they usually think of the colour blue, and blood is red. The only one I struggled with was Venom and Earth. I knew half would be green, but I did struggle for a while on the other colour. In the end I went with purple, as in a lot of cartoons and films I used to watch the poisonous bottles would be purple or filled with a purple liquid. So I went with purple.

Mute.

Because Mute is a horror book, the colours will be dark. There will be definitely be an element of dark green on the cover. This is because whenever I think of a 'mute symbol' I usually picture it in green.

Years.

This book will have an orange colour scheme due to the abundance of solar flares in the book. I haven't thought about the cover much apart from the colour scheme, but I still have time to mull it over!

Celestial Plague.

I wrote these books years ago, so I have a good idea of what the covers will look like. Instead of a full colour on the cover, I'm going to have it in the background instead:

Nirvana - mint green

Heaven - multicoloured

Purgatory - purple

When I wrote the books, the only colour scheme I was sure of was Heaven's. One of the main characters has the power to change the colour of hair and fabric, but can't control it. That's why this book will have a multicoloured element to it.

Curse of Anubis.

These books will have colour schemes based off sand and the sun. The books contain Egyptian gods and feature heavily in a realm that is a desert, so I thought the colour schemes were fitting.

Halfway - orange

Limbo - red

Middle - yellow

Dual - gold

Like Years, I haven't thought much about the covers apart from the colour schemes. Middle and Dual haven't been written yet, but I already know what colour schemes they'll have!

That's all of the books that I have planned for now, but I'm already deciding what project to move onto once Curse of Anubis is finished. It will be a mix of Original Elementals and standalones that I've been wanting to write for a while. Their colour schemes will come to me before the books are written, I'm sure!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

PS; looking for new books to read this Spring? Check out the ones in these bundles:

Spreading Magic in March…

March Madness Fantasy Book Fair