Cover reveal

My poetry collection, Muddy-Fingered Midnights, is getting ever closer to ready. Here's my cover design, which was all kinds of fun (and hair-pulling hard) to design. Let's just say my Photoshop skills have grown in leaps and bounds.

Coming in mid-March!

Have you tried to acquire any new skills lately? What was your experience?

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Ritual: it's what's for dinner

When I was a kid, one of the most interesting things about staying at friends' houses was discovering just how differently their families approached the evening meal.

My family always ate around 6 p.m. It was a sit-down affair that began with my dad's meandering grace, and usually included two or even three vegetable sides with a casserole or meat and a starch. Hot tea was served nine months of the year. One was expected to have a "no-thank-you-helping" of any newly introduced food that looked unappetizing (a ritual that got easier once I learned to swallow things whole, like you would an aspirin).

We were expected to eat with a napkin in our laps, pass food in a clockwise direction and ask to be excused from the table after eating a portion of everything served, especially the prescribed number of vegetables. Conversation around the table was usually stories about our day, something strange we witnessed, or something interesting read about or heard. Sometimes my parents would share funny stories about family misadventures or their own childhoods. If my parents needed to make a major decision, the dinner table was not the place they'd discuss it.

At my friends' homes, however, dinner was sometimes a quite different affair. Some families ate catch-as-catch-can. Got takeout. Ate on tray tables in front of the TV. Some moms served as short-order cook for all three of the kids. Some families served buffet style. Some plated up portions like at a restaurant. Some sang a grace before meals. Some had silent head-bowed personal prayer. Some dove for the food with no thanks given at all.

Those rituals shape every person and family in deep ways. Here are some details to ask about your character's family dinner rituals:

Who prepares the food?
A parent? The family as a group? An extended family member? A live-in staff person? Faceless people from room service or Burger King's drive through? A handful of restaurants the character frequently patronizes?

Where is the food consumed?
In an eat-in kitchen? A formal dining room? An informal dining room? Kneeling around a low table in a common room? On a breezy porch? On tables in front of the TV? In whatever room the person carries his plate to?

What food items are considered appropriate?
Is there ethnic sameness or diversity in the types of cuisine? Is a special, restrictive diet followed? Is the food ultra-healthy, middling or complete junk food? Are portions large or small?

Who partakes of the meal?
Is everyone in the household seated together? Are certain household members excluded, such as staff or children or all females? Are pets allowed near or even seated at the table?

What behavior is considered appropriate?
Must you wait for everyone to be seated? May you leave as soon as you're finished? How is food served to each person? Is there a pre- or post-meal ritual such as prayer or candle-lighting? Is eating with hands expected or forbidden? How are spills and slurps and burps handled?

How do those around the table interact?
Must silence be maintained? Do only the elders initiate conversation? Do multiple conversations go on at once? Are all persons seated expected to take a turn talking while everyone else listens? Does everyone self-entertain with books or gadgets or the TV?

Thinking about dinnertime rituals can help you better understand--and better illustrate--the values of your characters and their families.

Is your protagonist's family dinner ritual the same as your own or different? Why?

*this is a repost from 2011

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An exciting announcement

Photo: earl53 from morguefile.com

I've been hard at work putting together my first-ever poetry collection. It includes select pieces from my undergrad days up through the present, both previously published poems and a number of brand new pieces. It's an eclectic mix of lyrical, narrative, spiritual, humorous, experimental, and fiction-in-verse. I'm excited to share it with you all.

The collection is called Muddy-Fingered Midnights. The title comes from a line in my poem "A Writer's Parable," published in 2011 in the British journal Rubber Lemon (page 4).

To give you a little taste, I thought I'd share this short "ars poetica" piece (poem about the nature of poetry or the writing process) composed for the collection.


Affliction

In the decade between
dawn and alarm sound,
a new story swells
like a sprained ankle.
It pains you to wakefulness.
Dough-rising, volume-doubling,
pressing ever outward,
it stretches the sorry sock
that deigns to contain it.
Huge and purple it emerges,
in every sense an enormity.
The only medicine for it
is bloodletting, bard-style:
pen, paper, patient play.

© Laurel W. Garver, 2013

The collection will be available in mid-March. I'll be doing a cover reveal next week! Stay tuned.

National Poetry Month is coming up in April, and I'd love to visit some blogs to talk poetry. Let me know in the comments if you're willing to host a guest post, interview and/or giveaway.

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Faith in Fiction: The Decision

More or less faith on the page?

by Tyrean Martinson, author of Champion in the Darkness

As writers, our beliefs are an integral part of what we write. We can’t really help it, even when we try to downplay it. We’ve all seen that when we read books, right? A writer creates a world of imagination and their values and worldview shines through all of it. (To read more about my thoughts on Faith in Fiction: The Integral Part, visit my post at Ian’s Realm.)

A famous example of a worldview shining through a fiction world is The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. Tolkien wanted to be a “sub-creator” with his writing, with his faith under the surface of the story. It is true that many Tolkien fans claim that his writing isn’t about Christian faith at all, but I see it there under the surface of the story because the sacrificial love of the main character, Frodo, is the key to saving Middle Earth. When I read Lord of the Rings, I feel as if the whole story is an embodiment of John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

So, the decision we have to make is this: do we write like Tolkien as sub-creators of our stories, with our faith under the surface of events and characters’ decisions, or do we write with our faith out loud in the minds and words of our characters on the page?

There is a small middle ground, like in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, in which Aslan represents Jesus, but is never specifically called Jesus anywhere in the series. The Christian symbolism throughout the series is hard to miss, with the creation story in The Magician’s Nephew, the sacrifice of Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the baptismal cleansing of Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as well as many other instance of Christian symbolism. Despite all that, secular readers enjoy the Narnia series without necessarily ever finding out what Aslan’s “other” name is in the Pevensies’ world.

The last option, which I think is the hardest one to write, is to choose an all-out, open faith-based approach to writing fiction.

After years of writing fiction and poetry that never proclaimed my faith, I decided I wanted to write a story in which the characters had to have faith to win the day. In the land of Septily, the swords of power are only powerful in the hands of a Sword Master with faith. If that Sword Master loses his or her faith, the sword will go dull, crack, or break. Clara, my MC, is on her way to become a Sword Master, but her journey of faith doesn’t end when she receives her sword.

The danger in writing an openly faith-based book is that I may alienate some readers. I don’t want to do that. However, I wanted to try something new, something in which faith mattered to the characters and their story.

Tyrean Martinson lives and writes in the Northwest, encouraged by her loving husband and daughters, and reminded to exercise by her dogs and cat. Champion in the Darkness is the first book in the Champion Trilogy, and she has previously published short stories and poetry.

About the Book

Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness.

Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy, and is the first book in the Champion Trilogy.

Buy links:

Amazon / Kobo / Smashwords 

Add it on Goodreads

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Kissing blogfest

Just in time for today's "Indie Kissing" blogfest, Every Day Poets published my poem about my first kiss.

NORTH AND SOUTH

That splish-splash summer night you chose me
with a touch of your toe and slow smile....
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If you're so inclined, please rate it and like it. The editors include the highest rated pieces in an annual anthology. 

I never did see that sweet guy again. His name was Russell Mc-Something-I-can't-remember. We exchanged a few letters, which was the death of that relationship. At 14, I was only going to invest in a long-distance relationship with a guy who was eloquent (he wasn't. Not even a little). :-D

Was your first kiss a wonderful memory or a not-so-great one?


Visit others in the blogfest here:

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Interview...and chance to win

I've been interviewed by book blogger Brandi Kosiner at the popular review blog Blkosiner's Book Blog.  Learn a bit about me, inspirations for my debut novel, as well as what other projects are in the pipeline.

Brandi is also hosting an ebook giveaway of Never Gone. Swing on by to enter!

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The Joys of Working with an Editor

By Charity Bradford, author of The Magic Wakes

Working with my editor was perhaps the most exciting part of this publishing process. Amie provided a wonderful mix of honesty and ego stroking. My guess is every great editor possesses this talent.

Before I started working with an editor I had plenty of time to get anxious about it. I kept hearing about these gut wrenching, full of red marks, your writing sucks and you’ll have to start all over kind of letters from editors. Well, no one actually said that last part, but I’d read about a lot of tears over those first letters from editors. Therefore, I waited with a lot of trepidation for that first letter.

I envisioned getting a printed out copy of my book full of slashes, hand written notes, etc. I was prepared to cry a bit before getting to work. Thank goodness that isn’t what I got. Instead I got a nice three page letter of thoughts. This included what my editor really liked, possible problem areas and definite plot holes. The best part was she even made a few suggestions as to how we could fix those problems.

After that first letter I realized a very important thing about working with an editor. This was a conversation. She wasn’t out to crush me, but help me make my story the best that it could be. I didn’t like a certain suggestion Amie made, but that suggestion sparked an idea that fit my character and still fixed the problem. When I shared it with her she was excited about it and supported me 100%.

Together we worked through three rounds of revisions and edits. The first round was what they call a macro edit and covered the big-picture notes Amie sent me on plot, characterization, scene impact, POVs, and some other elements. I took that 3 page editor’s letter and got to work.

A lot of times we just call this revisions. I cut a few scenes that were not doing anything, wrote some new ones to fill in the gaps, dug a bit deeper into a character or two, and basically “finished” the story.

The next round was line edits. This is where my editor used “track changes” to cut words, suggest words, make comments, and made sure my manuscript fit the publisher’s formatting guidelines. This was perhaps my favorite part. Why? Because I love getting a peek inside my reader’s head. If Amie had a question I saw it. If she really loved something, I saw it. This is how I critique other’s work too.

I worked, tweaked, polished. Amie checked my changes and came back with a few other spots that needed a bit more work until we reached the point that we both felt we were “finished”.

The last stage is copy edits. My publisher is hands on and took over here. This stage deals with the individual details—spelling, punctuation, typos, and word use. Karen noticed a lot of repetition and cleaned the manuscript a little more. This was all taken care of and then the book was designed and formatted before being sent back to me for a final check. I’m grateful to be with a group of professionals who know what they’re doing. When Karen sent the formatted pdf for me to review for I was so excited! It looked great!

All in all, the whole process was a great experience. I felt I learned a lot about writing clean. Things that I hope to incorporate into the next novel to make it even better. There is no reason to be afraid of working with an editor. Yes, they are going to point out the weak areas in your writing. It might even hurt. However, if you go into it with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and improve, you are going to become a better writer and put out a better quality novel.

 Who doesn’t want that?

Charity Bradford has been a voracious reader ever since her 5th grade teacher introduced her to the world of books with Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys. She’s the mother of four kids that keep her on her toes, constantly reminding her that imagination still makes the world go round. She lives in Arkansas with her hubby and children, and firmly believes that a smile can solve most problems. The Magic Wakes is her first novel.

The Magic Wakes

Talia has a secret, one that will save her world and yet rip it apart. Only she can decide if the price is worth it.

Scientist Talia Zaryn has always had visions of an alien invasion and of her own death. She’s kept it a secret, hoping they are nothing more than childish nightmares. But when her face in the mirror matches that of her dreams, she fears the dreams are prophetic. Talia must prove that life exists beyond their planet, Sendek; perhaps then people will prepare to fight. Talia’s work at the Space Exploration Foundation leaves no time for personal relationships, but Major Landry Sutton isn’t looking for a friend. He’s looking for a traitor. His ability to sense emotions convinces him Talia is that traitor until a touch sizzles between them. In an instant their minds are connected and they can communicate telepathically. Just as the two begin to trust each other, the invading force arrives.

Talia and Landry must uncover the secrets of Sendek’s past if they hope to defeat these terrifying creatures. And Talia is the key—if only she can learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins.

 Book links: Trailer / 1st Chapter / Goodreads / Amazon

Where to find Charity: Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Website

What’s your biggest fear about working with an editor?

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