Fairy tale submission to Dante's Heart

Well, that's another short story done and submitted. This time the subject was a culmination of many tales of coming of age.

The story centers around a young girl and a wolf that she comes across. With this as the premise, it was sort of ambitious for me to try to draw it away from the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, but I don't think I did a terrible job of keeping it distinct. It helped that my wolf was not only wolf, but also man, for a portion of the story, faintly reminiscent of the Angela Carter's take on Little Red, A Company of Wolves.

Other influences that became apparent as the story created itself were that of Alice being changed for her experiences in Wonderland, and of course of Sarah inside of Jareth's Labyrinth.

However, as I am a romantic, I had my characters leave with a happily ever after and of continued being together-ness. Okay everyone, on the count of romantic -- "Awww."

So, within 6 to 8 weeks, I should be able to find out if I have a place in Dante's Heart's autumn publication.

Fairy tales and short stories

I think that retellings of old fairy tales are one of the new ways of getting them seen anew by those who haven't experienced them yet.

I've lately been reading Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland, by Lady Francesca Wilde, and finding them a really great source of inspiration for my current WIP and future stories that I plan to set in the same world as Unity. Francesca Wilde, consequently, was the mother of Oscar Wilde, who I can't believe I actually haven't written about in here before now.

I've never been one for writing short stories. Short stories, to me, have always ended up as a story idea that I didn't like enough to continue with, or alternately, a prologue for a longer story. This week, I was astonished and excited to write my very first short story, within the mystical fantasy genre that I have been indulging in now for quite some time.

Obvious for me to say, this story came with quite some inspiration from Lady Francesca's work. It only came in at almost exactly 1,000 words, and after some consideration, I have decided to submit it as a short piece for a fantasy magazine that I have been eying off for a little while now, and just wishing that I had something that was self contained, which I could share with them. As I look through my tags, I realise that I have mentioned this particular ezine before now, and had high plans to send them something already. This is something I obviously haven't done, considering I forgot it until this very moment. *bites lip*

The magazine's name is Les Bonnes Fees, and their website is http://www.les-bonnes-fees.com/. They have a current issue to peruse that's really worth a look over.

As with most things I post in here, I mostly wanted a convenient place to link this for myself. ;) So if I actually get accepted here, I might actually begin my branching from the romantic fantasy niche to include a more traditional fantasy readership. Could be fun, at the very least!


Nikki Watson.

What does my Dark Tarot card mean to me?

I seem to be posting a fair bit in this half of the month. Must be a sign that I have more time available to me. Or maybe, since I just started university last Monday, it's a sign that I'm starting to better manage my time.

We can hope. :D

On one of the the chat loops to promote our books, a very good question was asked. "What does your card mean to you?" And it got me thinking.

I was very lucky when I finally submitted my story into the Dark Tarot series. The Temperance card was still available to submit FOR! Unity was already on my computer and written, and I knew the sorts of themes that it explored, yet there were a few cards that I thought it could fit well under.

For me, what cinched it was the wonderful cover art. I mean, look at
it. Those colors, and patterns, my name there in the middle of it. *grins* Isn't it beautiful?

In Unity, I explore the idea of two girls falling accidentally into
the world of Faerie, a fantasy world above or behind this world. As
fairies and elves are commonly attributed to have wings at their back,
what better for me to find than a cover with that very same
illustration? Add to that the fact that the Temperance card itself
means balance -something that my girls Celeste and Darcy find through
the passage of their travels- and I was sold! I hope you all are too. ;)

I'd like to thank the creative team at Tease for creating something so
perfect. I know I'm not the only author here to think so.

Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available Now!
http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html.


Nikki Watson.

More on my take of Fellowship of the Ring ;)

I realised a little while ago that someone replied to my last post on Fellowship of the Ring, and I realised, I had more of this written, but hadn't shared it on here yet.

So, here are the chapters four to seven, just for something a little bit different and more fun. ;)

*~*

Chapter four
Frodo: You're seriously still coming with me on this quest?
Sam: The Elves told me to. 'Don't you leave him, Sam' and I don't mean to.
Frodo: I thought Gandalf said that to you...?
Sam: Do you see Gandalf anywhere around here?
Frodo: Well, that's a point.
Pippin: *wakes up*
Farmer Maggot: *hoists scythe over fields*
Frodo: Eep!
Pippin: Huh?
Frodo: You know, Farmer Maggot! Eep!
Pippin: What are you talking about? He's great, and he gives me and Merry mushrooms whenever we want!
Hobbits: Mmm Angel mushrooms!
Pippin: So, onwards! Farmer Maggot! It's me! Pippin! And here's Frodo Baggins, and...
Farmer Maggot: Baggins, eh? Oh, do come inside. I have mushrooms. You'll be wanting to get to Buckland soon. There's been people looking for you.
Frodo: Umm... yeah, I don't really wanna talk about it.

Chapter five
Hobbits: *arrive at Buckland*
Frodo: *still procrastinates about talking about it*
Merry: Stop shuffling, Frodo. Let me tell you your own story.
Frodo: You want to what now?
Merry: Well, once upon a time, there was a Ring, and it was bad. And then your Uncle Bilbo found it, and that was bad. But he was older and so harder to spy on, so I only really found out about everything once he gave it to you. And it was still bad.
Frodo: ... How do you know all of this?
Merry: Pippin knows too.
Frodo: I thought I had been so good at keeping the secret.
Merry: Oh, and Sam knows. It was Sam who told us everything.
Sam: ....
Frodo: ... Sam?
Sam: ... *blush* I only had your best interests in heart, Mr. Frodo.
Pippin: And now, since you're going, you realise we have to come with you.
Merry: And you can trust that we'll stick to you like glue.
Frodo: You're all coming with me?
Fredegar: I'm not!
Frodo: You're not?
Fredegar: Well I'm not going into the Old Forest! It's scary. You'll see that I'm right! Don't worry though, I'll stay behind and tell Gandalf where you went, when he finally comes. If he finally comes...

Chapter six
Old Forest: We.... don't............like....................you......... here.................
Merry: Okay, I respect your right to say that, but I don't think you really needed 10 pages to do it, do you? Carry on everyone!
Pippin: Yeah, I really don't like it here after all. Fredegar was right. :(
Merry: I'm sleepy.
Pippin: Yeah, me too.
Sam: *looks sleepy*
Frodo: Don't be sleepy! We have to get.... I'm sleepy...
Hobbits: *falls asleep*
Sam: Well, I guess if everyone else is going to let the horses go free, I'll have to be the one what goes after them.
Frodo: *splash!*
Sam: Frodo!
Frodo: The tree tried to drown me!!
Sam: Now Frodo, are you sure you weren't dreaming?
Frodo: No, I... well, maybe... Hey, where are Merry and Pippin?
Sam: The tree! The tree swallowed them!
Frodo: Doesn't seem so strange that the tree tried to drown me now, does it?
Sam: Let's burn them out!
Frodo: You know, burning things just doesn't work in these situations...
Merry: Stop, stop the burning! He'll kill me!!
Frodo: See. Told you.
Tom: *sings*
Frodo: Eh?
Tom: *SINGS*
Frodo: Help!!
Tom: Oh! What are you doing here? Rather silly to get caught in tree roots, don't you think? Here, let me help you out. Now, follow me, but I'm going to run faster than you can follow. Come on, follow, it's getting derry dol dark!

Chapter seven
Goldberry: Hello, I'm Goldberry the River-daughter. Tom will be back soon, and then you can sleep safely here.
Tom: Oh now, look at that weather. Don't think we'll be seeing much of the sun today.
Frodo: Yay weather, now we don't have to go anywhere further just yet. In fact, I'm sick of all this traveling. My feet hurt already.
Tom: Then let me tell you a story! It's about the age of trees, and of men, and of the kingdoms, and wars they fought, and in the beginning, only the Elf-sires were awake....
Frodo: I think he's falling asleep...
Tom: Not asleep. I am older than you, and was here before Big or Little People arrived. I was here before the kings and those kingdoms. Before the Elves and before the Dark Lord...
Goldberry: Alright, that's enough of that. How about some food, hmm?
Tom: Yes! Food! And then we can talk about you. Like your Shire, and the flight from it, and the Riders, and oh, hey, that reminds me, let me have a look at your Ring.
Frodo: Sure, here you go.
Tom: Thanks!
Frodo: ... Hang on...
Tom: Haha, look at me juggle and look at me wear it and lo, I have not disappeared, and oh dear, where has it gone?
Frodo: Where has it gone!
Tom: Fooled you. Here it is. :D
Frodo: Is that still my ring...? *puts it on*
Merry: Hey Frodo... Hey, where did you go?
Frodo: He he he.
Tom: Now now, not everyone is as cool as me. I can still see you and I say take it off.
Frodo: Okay.
Tom: Good. Now, where were we? Ah yes, completely belittling the power of the Ring...


Nikki Watson.

Line Edits -- Check!

I have just handed in my line edits for Unity and I'm feeling just fine!

It's getting close now. Just look on the right hand side of this actual blog for the cover image of Unity, due out in e-book later this month, and only a little longer for those people who absolutely love the print books (like me!)

And here's a synopsis for anyone who's missed it previously posted:

Obstinate Darcy and artistic Celeste lives cross, starting them both on a path into the world of Faerie, which draws them in and comes alive for them. Their lives become those of true ladies, of balls and gorgeous men in dark cathedrals, as the world of abusive stepfathers and fits of depression are left behind them. As they change for their experiences, they realise that they a balance must be found between their Faerie travels, which they visit in their dreams, and the Real Life of their waking world.

Reader/Writers

I still would like to maintain, that after the last three years that I've been finding ePublishers around the place who want to publish my writing, the best part about the ePub industry are the people you come to meet and get to know. It's hardly a controversial statement to make that ePubs open and close, will give you grief and tears of happiness, but the friends you make, people who you can trust to read your work and give you an honest opinion, and the people who's work you can read in return, are the most valuable part of the ePublishing industry, and indeed, the most valuable part of any writer's art.

Having just finished a previous project (a project set after Unity, titled Awakening) which took me the better part of half a year to write to its completion, I have recently started on a new project, the next in that series. I like to think that the series I am creating has something of a Charles De Lint slant. I've spoken about him before. Just check the tags for previous posts I've made about the fantasy author. All of the stories I am writing right now are a part of the same universe, but the characters who are main shift and change and accommodate include new characters that bring new life and interest to a series that I think would be much less if it depended on previous novels.

But these are my novels. Of course I think they are something special.

After coming out the other end of a horrible stint of writer's block, with the help of one of my reader/writer friends, I only want to thank all of the people who are patient with me, who love to read my writing, who love that I read theirs. I think that all of you know who you are. I dearly appreciate you.

Thank you.

Danae's story

I am one those people who believe that every person has a novel in them. As a writer, I write novels all the time. Not all of them are especially good, and those are the ones that I hope good editors will help me pick up, or inform me that I need to do massive rewrites before I will even look at them.

For me, this concept that I am looking forward towards has the feel of that one great novel that every person will, or has the capacity to write in their lifetime.

In reference to the novel I spoke about in my last post -we will give it here the working title of Danae's story- I have sat down to discover a split narrative in the beginning that was never present in any of the previous incarnations of the writing of the story. This has presented some problems, as well as some obvious excitement.

One - The split narrative encompasses the story of the main character's parents. This is great, as both of her parents come from minor races within Danae's world, and in following their stories up to, and just following Danae's birth, this will give me a chance to look at a part of the world that would not have been immediately visible through the eyes of the character, Mikael, in the scene I depicted last time.

Two - Always before, Mikael started the story just before coming across the four year old girl child, Danae, whom he is to take a guardianship of. This potentially causes me some issues with reconciling the original timeline to what I have now, but I have faith that it will be something through which I can persevere.

I've also been doing some reading on politics for my Liberal Arts course this week, and that can only help me with the political situation of the main cities of Danae's story.


Nikki Watson.

On the beginnings of a doctorate...

I'm looking at doing a novel for my PhD. I know. I must first get past my degree, then into a year of honors, and after that, if my work is seen as good enough, only then will I be accepted into a PhD. But I've always believed in looking ahead, something like five years ahead in his instance. It's good to keep perspective.

And so I have a novel in mind. It's a novel which has been bouncing around in my head, on and off, since I was about 16. Of course, at 16, my writing was terrible. But there was a lot of thought that went into that terrible writing, so that now, at 24, I think I'm starting to build enough world understanding, and writing experience, and together, combined, I might actually be able to make something truly magnificent out of this story.

Or maybe I'm fooling myself, but it might be an interesting discovery to document in the world of blogging either way.

On Wednesday this week, I sat down to my computer, ignored my internet connection for a couple of hours, and set about just writing one scene of, what I hope might end up, my proposed doctorate. It went well.

The scene that I wrote encompassed a lot of backstory that was drawn from a bit of context that I know about the world from having written in it for the last eight years. Making the realisation that the "plot" starts about half way through the original "story" means that I need to contextualise things slightly different. For example, the cities that this story unfolds within. There are three of them: the first city, which has just come out from under the thumb of a dictatorship; the second city, which was destroyed in a magical war several generations before my narrative starts up, and the third city, one built with water, and trade in mind in the foremost.

I think that the main moment I expressed, when getting this one scene down this week, was a feeling of understanding the wider scope of what does and does not, what has and has not, made cities in various agricultural areas work over the span of our history. I am currently enrolled in a Liberal Arts course, and that's got everything you're ever going to need to get into second year at university. It has your history, your literature, sociology, politics, etc, and then, of course, it goes into how all of these disciplines interconnect with each other. Now my novel is an alternative history, fantasy novel, but I think that some of the same rules do apply. A city that is built with a coast of water on most sides should prosper. But if it is far away from the two first cities, and is the last to come into its own, then that gives explanation as to why it is only the third, and presumedly least important, of the three cities.

The scene that I got written was more than 2,000 words, which is good for me, as I too often have a tendency to write shorter scenes than I would like. It's something I'm working on. But perhaps, if this rule to only write one scene in a sitting, for this novel, takes hold, then I'll find a lot more writing being put into each scene.

Anyway, I like the idea of keeping track of my progress, so that means you all will get to too.

Happy weekend!


Nikki Watson.

Fellowship of the Rings, a beginning. ;)

Right, so I said I was reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time, right? Starting with Fellowship. Well, here is what I think so far...

Chapter One.
Hobbits: Yay, Gandalf is awesome!!
Bilbo: Gandalf, my old friend.
Gandalf: Bilbo, give me the ring.
Bilbo: Don't wanna. :(
Gandalf: Bilbo...
Bilbo: Don't wanna! >:(
Gandalf: Bilbo!
Bilbo: Okay. Oh, I feel better now. Right, I'm heading off now.

Chapter Two.
Hobbits: Ooh, don't know if we trust that strange Gandolf character since Bilbo went and disappeared. Bilbo always was real crazy.
Sam: But I hear that there are Elves nearby, and they are so cool.
Hobbits: Yes Sam.
Gandalf: *reappears*
Frodo: Gandalf, my old friend!
Gandalf: Have you got the ring?
Frodo: Yes...
Gandalf: You must destroy it.
Frodo: *throws in the fire*
Gandalf: That won't work.
Frodo: *gives it to Gandalf*
Gandalf: Frodo!
Frodo: Fine, I'll carry it.
Sam: Yay, we'll get to see Elves!!

Chapter Three.
Gandalf: Hurry, go from here, I'll really, really be back to see you before you go.
Frodo: Really?
Gandalf: Yes really. *goes*
Frodo: Where's Gandalf?
Sam: Elves!! Let's go, quickly, Elves!!
Frodo: No seriously, where's Gandalf?
Sam: But Eeeelves!!
Frodo: Okay, guess we'll see Gandalf on the way...
Sam: Eep, a Black Rider!
Pippin: Was that really a Black Rider?
Frodo: Of course he was. Didn't you see that sniffing thing he did??
Pippin: Ooh! Eep, another Black Rider.
Gildor: Hello! I am an Elf. You should travel with us, because Gandalf is not here and with us, you will be safe.
Sam: (Yay, *squee*, Elves!!)


Nikki Watson. ;)

The Lord of the Rings

I've just started reading the Fellowship of the Ring recently, for as a fantasy writer myself, it seems quite bad to have never read the series in its entirety. This isn't the first time that I have started at this project, but it is the first time that I have gotten so far into it without getting distracted by other things.



I'm really enjoying it so far. No doubt it'll be another of those things that I end up putting impressions of as I go along. :D


Nikki Watson.

Unity - a novel for Tease Publishing's imprint?

I just spent a bit of today lurking around The Romance Room, watching as the ladies there handed it over to the authors of Tease Publishing. And I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed by the standard of work that seems to be there.

And the diversity.

So, I sent them my submission for their Dark Tarot imprint yesterday afternoon. I suppose now, I have to think of a kind of synopsis to give them if it's accepted.

When obstinate Darcy and artistic Celeste lives first crossed, they couldn't have known that would start them on the path into the fantasy worlds they both had an interest in. In their sleep, the world of Faerie draws them in, and comes alive for them. They are drawn into the lives true ladies, of balls and gorgeous men in dark cathedrals and the world of abusive stepfathers and fits of depression are left behind them. As they change for the experiences of their dreams, they realise that they a balance must be found between their Faerie travels, which they visit in their dreams, and the Real Life of their waking world.

Like all my favorite authors and poets at the moment, I have tried to tell a tale that mixes real life with fantasy elements to create the novel Unity.

I finally chuffed myself up and made all the last edits I wanted in there, finished writing the cover letter, then pushed the send button. Then I heard back from the editor in chief at Tease this morning. She told me they are looking over submissions this week and I should hear back from them next week.

Holding my breath until then sounds like a plan, yes? :D

First Post.

So here I am at blogger. This site comes highly recommended to me by my friend, Katrina Strauss. I figure I might give it a try, considering as how I have a blogger account from my gmail address.

Hi, all! I'm Nikki Watson and you can find my work over at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com I currently have one book out with them, called "Changeling: Of Elves and Men" and have just contracted my second book with NCP, called "Ascent: Of Elves and Men".

As you can tell from the titles, I'm a bit of a fan of the fantasy elements. I'm not quite sure when that started. I could probably blame it on the multitudes of beautiful artwork I am a fan of.


John William Waterhouse perhaps.

No, truthfully, I just like fantasy. Let's face it, you can get away with more within the constraints of a fantasy world. The lines of good and evil are blurred. That gives the writer a lot to play with.

So, this is my blog at blogger. I hope that I'll end up using it productively, instead of as a procrastinating tactic when I'm at a loss at what to write in my current novel. I guess we'll see.

Until next time, my sweets.