I’ve Kept My Promise About Patreon

June 16, 2016 / Shauna Granger / Leave a comment

If you remember, I posted that I was giving Patreon another go and I promised I was going to be better about posting there and making it worth your while to become a patron of mine.

Well, I think I’ve done a fairly good job about it.

There are some exclusive fiction posts that only patrons can read and I’ve started adding some flash fiction for everyone. Yes, that means these posts are available to anyone to read, without pledging any money.

The flash fiction I’m working on right now is a novella set in the Ash and Ruin universe, which, believe me, was difficult to get into the mood for after the week we’ve had. But I’m pushing through! Fiction is where we find escape and help to deal with the real world around us. So I keep writing.

Supernatural, prophet, Chuck

Anyway.

I hope you’ll check it out, check out the reward levels I have set up for patrons. If you become just a $1 a month patron, you will be included in the acknowledgements of my upcoming book, the seventh Matilda Kavanagh Novel! If you sign up for a higher amount, you’ll get some awesome, tangible rewards!

Check it out here.

My Alter Ego Has a New Release!

May 31, 2016 / Shauna Granger / 2 Comments

The release days for Leila Bryce Sin are always a little quieter, but I think her books are a little louder.

The projects we’re currently working on are the Brimstone War Novels. Fun, dangerous books set in the hot desert of Las Vegas with demons and angles and all manner of supernatural creatures fighting and loving until one side wins.

And today the second book in the series released!

If you like your Urban Fantasy with a little more heat, a little more skin, a little more steam, you might want to check this series out. I think it’s a great place to start your summer.

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YSO: The Best Writing Advice I’ve Ever Been Given

May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 / Shauna Granger / Leave a comment

In college I took Creative Writing: Poetry. It was a junior level class, but I took it as a freshman, because obviously I was a fantastic writer who knew everything and would ace upper level classes.

Our first assignment was to write a poem. Any poem. Any form. Any subject. No direction or limitations whatsoever.

So I wrote my poem. It was amazing and poetic. The best poetry that ever poeted.

When the prof returned my poem it had a huge “YSO” written across it in red ink. No grade, no comments. Just YSO. Lots of poems in the classroom had this strange notation on them.

The professor, an old Irish poet, grinned back at us and asked how many people had YSO written on their paper. Most of the hands went up.

“Years ago,” he said, “I assigned this same assignment to another class, just like this one. And one of my students couldn’t think of anything to write about. Eventually, he went to his window in the middle of the night to try to think of something, anything to write. And then he saw it. A full moon, bright in the night sky, and he was inspired. So, he set down to write his poem about the full moon, bright in the night sky.”

We all waited as he paused, taking in our faces.

“And the first line of the poem read: ‘Yon sailing orb!'”

And we all burst out laughing.

Dr. Ledbetter looked at us and said, “Sometimes the moon is just the damn moon.”

So when we ever wrote something so over the top, so difficult to understand, so ridiculous that it made him laugh or shake his head (when that WASN’T the reaction you wanted), he would write YSO on our work.

Because sometimes the moon is just the damn moon.

Stages of (me) being a writer and knowing all the things.

April 14, 2016 / Shauna Granger / 7 Comments

Stages of (me) being a writer and knowing all the things.

Finally finish your first book: I know how to write a book!

Finish books 2 and 3: Yep. I got this! I know the process and all the secrets! How I write a book is how you write a book! Ask me and I’ll tell you because I know how to do it.

Reach 2/3 mark on book 4: Oh crap. My process isn’t working. I have to change how I do this. There was a secret I didn’t know before now.

Complete a series: Okay. Now I know all the secrets. Not only can I write a book, but I can finish a story. I know all.

Start writing 17th novel: I know nothing.

I know, seems strange, that on my 17th novel I’ve come to a point where I admit that I don’t know how to write a book. I mean, obviously I’ve done it a few times now, but things are just never the same.

Most of my books have taken me between 60 and 90 days to write the first draft. There are some of those books between 1 and 16 that I wrote in under 30 days. But those are the ones where I am on fire and everything is clicking and I’m cranking out 4-6k words a day.

Words a day. Now that’s a phrase that freaks people out. We often hear the phrase “Real writers write every day.” I get this phrase, I really do. I applied it to my process for the bulk of my career, but I don’t take it quite as literally as many others do. For me, writing every day means 5-6 days a week that I’m drafting the first draft. That does not mean writing 8 hours a day. It means writing until I’ve reached a goal or I’ve come to a natural stopping point for the day. Sometimes that’s just 1 hour. Sometimes it’s 5. Depends on the book, the scene, and the day. And I do allow for 1 or 2 days off, like any “regular” job, you wouldn’t be there 7 days a week.

But this book, the 17th, has been so different for me.

I feel like Sisyphus and that rock is getting harder and harder to push uphill.

When I was first starting out, writing books 1-3 and the first 2/3rds of book 4, I never outlined. Then I hit a wall and had no idea where to go. So I loosely outlined the end of the fourth book and learned that I could, and maybe even should, outline a story before writing it. As a young writer, I couldn’t outline because I lost the urgency to tell the story, feeling like I’d already done it. So it took time and practice, but now I need an outline to help me get from A to Z.

So every day that I plan to write, I review my outline and get my daily goal, be it 1k words, 2k or 5k. Some days are hard and I may only get 500 words, but I get something.

But this book. This book. I want to write this book. I like my characters and their heartbreaking story. It’s a new world with new faces and a new story. I want to get to the end of it. But I started writing this book at the beginning of January and I’m only halfway through. I don’t even have a complete outline because it has been such a difficult story to figure out.

I take a week off from writing at a time. Some weeks I only write 2 or 3 days. And I’m not even getting huge word goals when I do write.

This book is taking so much out of me.

But just like with my 4th book, I’ve learned to adapt to it. I have other projects going on at the same time that need attention, so I’m not just sitting around. But I’m telling myself not to feel guilty. I am working on it. I am always thinking about it. I even had a plot knot unravel itself the other day that will help me expand the outline when I come to the end of it.

So what’s the point? The point is, none of us hold all the secrets. Processes will work for you until they don’t. You just gotta be able to roll with that and figure out how to carve a new key to unlock the next secret. Even if you’ve written off the idea of something, like outlining vs. pantsing or writing every day vs. taking days off, try it if you’re stuck. It might be the thing that gets you unstuck.

I am giving Patreon another shot – For realsies this time.

February 24, 2016 / Shauna Granger / Leave a comment

Some of you may or may not remember I attempted to dip my toe in the Patreon pool last year. But it was like joining Twitter for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing or how to make it work for me, so I failed miserably at it and let it die.

Now I’ve replanted the seeds, fed it water, put it in indirect sunlight and am going to nurture it until it grows. Which is to say, I will pay attention to it and actually put up posts and make it a real thing worth supporting.

So, if you’d like some exclusive fiction from me, please consider becoming one of my patrons. If you pledge at the $3 dollar level (or higher, which is awesome), you’ll have access to read patron-only-posts. I’ll be posting various things including short fiction, serialized short stories, you’ll get to see cover reveals first, maybe even first chapters of soon-to-be-published books. Starting this Friday, I’ll post the first segment in a mildly NSFW short story set in the Taryn Malloy/Brimstone War universe from my alter ego, Leila Bryce Sin. It’s a fun, sexy, summer read set in Vegas.

Please be aware this is going to be raw material. It won’t have the polish and shine of going through the editing process that my books do. But maybe that’s not a bad thing? Maybe it’ll be interesting to see something different? For it to feel more personal? Kinda like things are here on the blog. We’ll see.

Not everything I post will be NSWF, mild or otherwise. I’m going to use this space to workout some ideas, feel out new characters, revisit old ones and old universes. So you might be treated to flash fiction or short stories from my previously closed series, like The Elemental Series or the Ash and Ruin Trilogy. Or even side stories from The Matilda Kavanagh Novels.

If you pledge at $10 or higher, I might treat you to extra little things. This is definitely going to be a learning experience for me and I hope you’ll bear with me and stick it out to see how it goes.

Be sure to read through all the levels to see what kind of investment you’d like to make, what kind of rewards you’d like to get. I think I’ve made it fair and worth your while. At least, I hope I have.

But it doesn’t matter if all you pledge is $1, your name will be included in the acknowledgements of every upcoming book I publish, so long as you remain a patron when they come out. Because every dollar counts.

So yeah. Hopefully I don’t disappoint. Hopefully you like it. Hopefully I’m good at this.

Check it out here and sign up to become a patron!

Mourning the Loss of an Artist Unapologetically

January 15, 2016 / Shauna Granger / Leave a comment

My post this week on the Spellbound Scribes’ blog. I had to go back and add a bit about Alan Rickman and it’s really not enough. But I know how much that man meant to me so I’ll leave it as it is. I’ll probably watch Dogma, or Galaxy Quest, or even Robin Hood quite soon. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sit through Snape’s death scene without completely losing it. It is difficult enough to watch it just because he was my favorite character, but now? Oof. I can’t even think about it without getting choked up.

Spellbound Scribes

Sunday night we lost a great artist. The ripples that went around the world as people found out about David Bowie’s death built into a current that pulled so many of us down. It’s always a little strange when a celebrity dies, someone who you probably don’t even know, but their death touches you as much as losing a friend. Sunday I lost an idol I never got to meet.

I saw so many people openly express their grief, myself included, while others seemed to apologize for their feelings. Embarrassed for being sad over the death of someone they didn’t even know. I get it, it’s kinda of like heading off the teasing before anyone can say something to you like, “You’re a little too upset over this.”

But you know what? No, we aren’t.

I wrote about my experience of hearing the news and while I took the time…

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It’s only forever, not that long at all.

January 11, 2016January 11, 2016 / Shauna Granger / 2 Comments

“Today is a sad day.” That’s what my husband said to me when I woke up this morning. He’d been up for about an hour and had already heard the news. He knew it would be hard for me to hear so he wanted to tell me before I saw it on social media or some bubbly newscaster pretending to be sad as they read the prompter.

When my husband said, “David Bowie died last night,” I just stood there, my mouth hanging open like and idiot and stared at him. After a few moments all I could say was, “No.”

david-bowie-labyrinth-165429

No. Not David. Not Ziggy. Not Jareth.

Can’t be.

He couldn’t have died.

I was just wearing my new “I move the stars for no one” shirt, so happy and proud to show my love for the man, the legend.

Celebrity deaths are just as sad as any death, but some celebrities are more important to a “regular” person than others. David Bowie is – was important to me.

I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love David Bowie. I was just three years old when The Labyrinth was released (I tweeted earlier that it had come out the year of my birth, a mistake, probably due to the fact that I can’t remember it not being my favorite movie). I still have my Sir Didymus doll. Jareth the Goblin King formed my love of David Bowie and all misunderstood villains. I even carved his likeness in a pumpkin for Halloween last year because I am that big of a fangirl for this man. To this day, a good villain, a heart-broken misfit, the one who is just trying, will get me.

There is so much I want to say about this amazing man but I don’t think I have the words. He inspired me as a writer and he always will. I’ll be sad the next time I watch The Labyrinth (which will probably be later today). I am sad as I sit here listening to his music, grateful he managed to give us one last gift in his new record. But I am happy that I was alive when he was. I am happy that he’s been an influence for me.

We love you David, Ziggy, Jareth. We miss you already.

It’s only forever… Not that long at all.

david-bowie-success-anxiety

Back from the holidays

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 / Shauna Granger / 3 Comments

I am typing! This is amazing. I know, if you follow me, the idea that I’m typing shouldn’t be a big surprise or cause for celebration, but today it is.

On New Years Day I took a tumble.

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Okay, it wasn’t a tumble. It was an OMFGIAMFALLINGHOLYCRAP fall. It was a fall that I was lucky to stand up from. It was a fall that I was lucky not to have a broken arm or cracked skull from. But it wasn’t a fall that left me unscathed.

My hubs works from home just like me, and he had an intake interview with a couple of potential new clients who wanted to meet on New Years Day. When you work for yourself, holidays are not the same as they are for many other people, kinda like working retail. So of course we said, “yes! Come on over!” And we started cleaning the house and grounds, putting the holiday back in the boxes and making the place presentable for new people.

One of the things that had to be done was retying one of our sun sails over our outdoor space. We’d taken it down when there were 60mph wind gusts the other week. So I climbed up on our pick-nick table to reach for the rope and tie the thing off. Now, the key to surviving anything like this is to watch where you’re stepping.

I did not.

I ran out of table.

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Unfortunately, I already had hold of the rope in my right hand when my foot stepped onto the nothingness. When you stumble you instinctively grip whatever you’re holding. Sadly, I hadn’t started to anchor the rope, so it was a just loose and happy to let me fall and slide my hand down the braided fibers.

I fell off the table, my leg going between the table and bench, to bounce off and land flat on my back on the cement pavers our table is centered on. It was fast and slow all at once. I don’t remember hitting the bench (though the massive bruises and swelling prove I did), but I remember having a moment to think, “You’re going to land on your back in a second,” when I hit the bench. I managed to pull my arms in and tuck my chin before I hit the ground. If I’d flung out my hands to break my fall I’d’ve broken something. If I hadn’t tucked my chin, I’d’ve cracked my head on the cement.

My husband rushed to me as I lay there telling him I was okay, just needed a second. The funny thing was, I had no idea there was something wrong with my hand. I lay there, giving my mind a moment to think about my body and listen for cues that something was wrong, but nothing screamed back with pain.

So I sat up and laughed for a second.

Then I saw my hand. My right hand. My dominate hand.

I said, “Hey, look at my thumb. It looks weird.” I said that because it didn’t hurt. Yet. The rope had burned my palm and ripped off some skin, making it look like a puncture wound. But my thumb. Oh holy gods, my thumb. Between the knuckle and my palm I’d ripped off so much skin that I could see the vein that runs through your thumb just below the last layer of skin. If I’d taken that layer, I’d’ve been in the ER.

Because I looked at my palm and thumb, the shock wore off and the pain set in. My hand was on fire. It truly was a full burn from the rope. My hand shook and I finally cried, panicked and freaked out over what my hand looked like. And I started babbling about not being able to write today or finishing the beautiful scarf I was knitting for myself. These are the crazy, panicked things you say when you hurt yourself.

So, here I am, Monday morning, able to type and it is awesome. I promised myself, whether my outline was done or not, I was starting the New Project today, so the idea that I wouldn’t be able to added to my panic and tears. But it’s cloudy and rain is on the way and I can move my fingers and I can hit the space bar with my thumb without causing searing pain. Who knows, I might be knitting by the end of the week.

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So happy new year my loves! I survived and will have new words!

P.S.

I have one slot left for January for a new Critique project. If you’d like to steal that spot, please email me at shaunagranger82@gmail.com – you can always sign up for a Feb or March slot, but hurry, I only take a couple each month. Check out my critique page to learn more about what I do.

Release Day For Mattie!

December 1, 2015 / Shauna Granger / 1 Comment

Today is the day! The day that I release the 6th book in the Matilda Kavanagh Novels!

Never have I had such a long-running series. The closest I came was The Elemental Series with 5 books, but that is where that story ended and Mattie is just plugging along. You might hate me at the end of this one, I have to admit, but don’t worry! The series is not yet over. I have at least one more installment planned for Mattie and the gang.

And, who knows, there might be even more stories to come after the seventh installment. Who can say? I know, I should be able to say, but we’ll see how the characters are after the next book.

In the meantime, happy reading! I hope you enjoy this early holiday gift!

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Books make awesome holiday gifts!

November 24, 2015 / Shauna Granger / Leave a comment

The holidays are coming and shopping for gifts and the stresses of “what they hell do I get these people?” that comes with it.

So I am offering a holiday special! You can ordered signed copies of my books at the lowest price I can offer!

Individual titles are $8 + $2 shipping!

The complete Ash and Ruin Trilogy is $22.50 + $5 shipping!

The complete Elemental Series (extremely limited stock) $37.50 + $8 shipping!

Unfortunately I can only offer individual titles for The Matilda Kavanagh Novels at this time.

So, what you’ll get with your order is the option to have the book(s) signed and personalized for you or your gift recipient, you just tell me who to make it out to. And there’s always a chance you’ll find additional swag hidden inside, you never know!

And! If you’d like me to gift wrap the books for you, I will! There will me an additional $2 charge to cover the cost of paper (per order, not per book, so if you’re ordering 1 book for you and 3 for a friend but want each order gift wrapped it’ll be $2 for the 1 book and $2 for the 3).

Now, due to time constraints I do have to put a deadline for ordering on The Elemental Series books and The Matilda Kavanagh Novels. I do not have a lot of these books in stock and if I need to order them myself, I need time to get them and get them back in the mail for you. So you only have until 12/8/15 to order from those series. If you want any or all of the Ash and Ruin Trilogy you can order as late as 12/15/15, but remember, the longer you wait to order, the higher the risk you run that the mailman might not come in time!

So all you have to do is email me at shaunagranger82 @ gmail dot com with the subject line “Signed Book Order” and in the email tell me which book or books you’d like and who you’d like them made out to and I will send you a PayPal invoice. Once that’s paid your order will be processed. It’s that simple!