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Fire On Fire - Inspiring Locations!

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Fire On Fire is an expansive historical fantasy romance novel full of elaborate landscapes and fascinating architecture, most of which are real! Below are many of the locations that inspired the scenes of the story (it was so incredible to finally see them in person this past July): Chapter One - The Blue Men The North Sea - The North Sea is an unpredictable wonder that commands respect. We had the incredible opportunity to go fishing out of Crail Harbour when we visited, and even caught the first and largest mackerels of the season respectively (the season that had just started a day or two earlier). The fishermen at the dock were quite pleased with us.  If you wish to experience the North Sea yourself, I highly recommend the Scottish Countryman . However, be forewarned that this isn't really the joyriding sort of fishing locale. Most offshore areas support working harbors, so there will be a lot of lobster traps (or crails) to dodge out there, and the tides in Scotland are extr...

Behind the Scene - The Blue Men!

To celebrate the first chapter of Fire On Fire,  THE BLUE MEN, being published to my website ( click here if you would like to have a gander), I thought I would share a "behind the scene!" So, Fire On Fire originally began with Chapter Two, but after getting about a fourth of the way through writing it, I realized that the handsome traveler walking into the tavern cliche wasn't me. I love wide, loud, cinematic scenes, and I determined that my goal with this story was to provide a ride, not a research assignment. I wanted to grab the reader and throw them right into the action. Being a sailor is a huge part of Aiden's character, so a battle scene with sea monsters was the perfect opening to the story, to teach about the world, his powers, the character relationships and roles, and the kinds of creatures and conflicts that would inevitably come about going forward.  This is also where I had to state my first line, the hook to pull you through the entirety of the story...

How Do I Write A Book?

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How do I write a book? This is the most important question to anyone who has tons of ideas in their head but just doesn't know where to begin when getting them down on paper.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong way to write a book. Everyone has a different process, but here is what has worked for me: Step One: Note Taking I mull it over. I wade in it.   I think up my MCs, my setting, and some loose plot points. Then, I spend a few days taking notes of my thoughts (dreams, shower musings, voice-to-text ideas while driving in the car - whatever inspiration, whenever it strikes). I usually make a playlist of the aura and themes I'm going for, make a Pinterest board to spark my creativity, etc. Then, once I have a good amount of notes, I move on to Step Two. Step Two: Plotting There are what we call "plotters," and then there are what we call "pantsers" (those who just open a new Word document and roll with it). Now, pantsing a novel is all ...