Happy Holidays!

I haven't reported in lately, and I'm sorry for it. Writing is going well, albeit a little slowly due to Skyrim distractions. I've been positively delighted with the overall favorable feedback I've been receiving from Sulfur! Thank you so much for supporting me at this time!

You might have noticed that today the e-book "Farro" was pulled from the Barnes and Noble store. This is a temporary change, as I try out Amazon's new "Kindle Select" program. What's so great about the program? I'm not sure yet, but it allows me to give away my book for free for five days at a time. It also makes my book available to lend for Amazon Prime members (any of you out there?). So for 90 days Amazon will be my exclusive distributor of the e-book, Farro. Sulfur will still be available via Barnes and Noble!

What does this mean for you, though?

It means I will be giving Farro away for free through Amazon Kindle. I've already picked the days, too: December 24th through the 28th. Note: come Christmas time Farro will be available for free.

I look forward to seeing how this works out. If you don't already have a copy of Farro or you would like to get a copy for a friend, consider marking your calendar: Farro will be free Christmas Eve!

Happy Holidays!

p.s. Next chapter of Sulfur will be up tomorrow. I may or may not post a chapter to Scorpion King as well.

For the Fans!

So I've had a couple requests to think up real-life look-a-likes to my characters. (For example: so-and-so looks like Brad Pitt). I've had enough requests by now, in fact, that I've decided to take a break from writing/recovering from tailbone issue to put together a couple pictures for your pleasure.

These were in fact very difficult to come up with, as I'm rather particular about the way my characters look. It took me a while to find certain characters' doppelgangers (Shana and Ioulia to name a few), but I hope my results will not disappoint.

Please keep in mind that these pictures are purely a little extra "goody" for readers, and are no way completely, 100% accurate depictions of my characters.

KHENSA "SPARROWFINGERS"

(Ken-sa)

Age at beginning of Farro: 18

Comments: Khensa is generally marked (aside from her unpictured purple eyes) by large-ish lips and sharp/square features. The woman in this picture, though similar in appearance, is older than Khensa in appearance, who, though grimy, is still in the prime of her life. The hair, which Khensa wears long, is also obviously incorrect.

BOMANI AMON

(Bo-ma-ni A-mon)

Age at beginning of novel: 22

Comment: Astute readers might recognize this picture as belonging to rising actor Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo in "Game of Thrones" and Conan in the remake of "Conan"). Many readers, when asked what they imagined Bomani to look like, suggested Jason Momoa in his role as Khal Drogo. While this picture unfortunately shows "Bomani" smiling, it captures several other characteristic features: straight and strong features, heavy brow, dark eyes, general hugeness.

LATEEF LIZI

(La-tea-f Le-zi)

Age at Beginning of novel: Approx. 45-46

Comment: People who know me well won't be surprised to see Gary Oldman pop up on this picture anthology. Lateef in appearance is modeled a great deal off the wonderful Mr. Oldman. There is something in Gary Oldman's recent roles that have inspired a feeling of wearying age and downtrodden surrender. While Lateef is perhaps several shades darker physically, their general gray, world-weary appearances are similar.

GHARI

(Ga-ri)

Age at beginning of novel: Approx 55

Comment: Ghari is darker in hue, darker even than Bomani, but I couldn't for the life of me find a thin, butler-ish man to better fit the bill (unless I was looking for pictures of Jafar). Ghari is marked for being thin, stoic, and a possessor of excellent posture.

Shana

(Sha-na)

Age at Beginning of novel: 24

Comment: This picture obviously lacks the splotchy birthmark that mars Shana's otherwise sweet face. She's generally described as a soft-featured, petite woman. I chose this picture, however, for the general tension displayed on the model's face. Shana, though eager to please and prone to smiling, is generally as sullen looking as the rest of them.

Vanessa "Nessa" Bateman

Age at beginning of novel: 21

Comment: This is pretty much spot on how I picture Nessa when writing her -- the color of her skin, the eyes, the nose, the hair. It's pretty much perfect. I don't really have much to add other than an admission: Nessa is something of a favorite character of mine.

Fredrick "Bata" Bateman

Age in Farro: 26

Comment: Bata is a character I've always felt sorry for. He's never been a particularly evil character, but rather desperate and misunderstood. This actor (who I've forgotten the name of at the moment) is a perfect fit for how I imagine Bata looking. There's a puppy-dog arch to his brow, and a general look of pleading the actor emulates perfectly.

Gregory "Hamlif" Hamley

Age at beginning of novel: Approx. 49-52

Comment: Hamlif is best described by Khensa as looking something like a stuffed turkey. He tends to wear his collars too tight, which only pronounces his suety dewlap. He's an average-featured bloke, but can balloon up into a great red-faced monster if provoked. Unlike this picture, Hamlif is salt and peppered and a little more gray in the face.

Jarai Amon and "Mutt"

(Ja-rai)

Age at beginning of novel: 4

Comment: Just a boy and his dog. His hair is obviously longer in this picture than it is in the books, but there you have it!

Umayama Amon

(U-ma-ya-ma)

Age at beginning of novel: 27

Comment: I've blocked our her eyes for obvious reasons, but this beautiful model is generally who I picture Umayama looking like. I've always thought/described her as delicate featured, beautiful, and elegant woman. If he inherits her looks, Jarai might end up being quite the looker!

Mbiki

(Mm-bi-ki)

Age at beginning of novel: Approx. 41

Comment: Mbiki is not a particularly attractive man. Khensa inherits most of her physical traits from her mother, which is probably for the best. Mbiki is also rather more wrinkled and dark than this picture would have you believe. He's spent a good portion of the last couple years standing outside guarding the Junktown Gate.

Ioulia

(I-ou-lee-a)

Age at beginning of novel: 23

Comment: I looked and looked for a good real picture of Ioulia without any success. In my search I came across the cover from the fantasy novel "Gaslight Dogs" (all credit goes to the fantastic cover art of this novel). This art sums up the character I had imagined in Ioulia: short, tattooed, beautiful, spunky, and self-reliant.

Thorton

Age at beginning of novel: 34

Comment: This man. Spot on depiction of a character with which you'll soon become very much acquainted.

So there you have it. The major characters from Farro and Sulfur laid out for you enjoyment!

Hope you enjoyed all the comments and reflections.

Keep reading,

keep writing,

Arreana

Trade Paper of Farro Now Available!

Finally!

I have to say though, for all the waiting on the proofs, correcting

the proofs, and ordering yet another proof... It came out looking great. I'm a minimalist when it comes to design and art. If you weren't able to tell from my blog and cover, I like simple, clean lines, and I'm proud of the trade paper for possessing these qualities.

Here's a picture of my cat curled up with my book (for added cuteness):

So support the author and get your own hard copy today...

Either through Createspace

or through Amazon

Love,

Arreana

Farro Published

Farro is now available in the following formats:

Kindle Edition $1.99

Nook Edition $1.99

Soon (in the next week or so) Farro will also be available in trade paper for those of you that like to hold the book in your hand. I know I do. Many of you have probably already read Farro, if that be the case, please consider sharing Farro with a friend, leaving a review, or even buying a copy. Thank you for your support, to an indie-author like me it has meant the world!

I'm going to keep this brief. I have lots to do, including writing a Bonus Chapter to help celebrate the release! I'll also be diving right into the sequel next week. Lots to do before then.

Editing is done, Farro is published, I'm sleeping again. Oh happy day.

Love,

Arreana

Days Away!

That's right, I'm days away from Farro's release.

I'm going to keep this short because I'm currently in the middle of editing, but I was beginning to feel as though I were neglecting this blog.

I've started polishing. My checklist in the last three days has dropped from eight pages to four. The biggest task of all? Adverb removal. Jeez, that took me a whole day, but it was worth it. By identifying and revising weak verbs I think I gave the novel as a whole some real strength.

Another task I anticipate taking a long time: Description Day, as described in the last post.

Days away.

Then I can start working on Sulfur!

Thank goodness, I'm not editor.

Love,

Arreana

The Trouble with Farro

So last night I got a very thorough, negative criticism of Farro. I will not divulge the source of this criticism, but, as my first very detailed negative review, I wanted to give it the time I feel it deserves. There are points that I disagree with the reader, that I feel our personal tastes divided our opinions. Other points are shortcomings I feel Farro honestly needs to have acknowledged. What follows is a bulleted list of the issues the critic took with Farro.

• Khensa and Bomani were unlikeable, uncommunicative, and unrelateable
• The narration was unvaried and didn't express Khensa's feelings and emotions
• Descriptions in all scenes is lacking. Not enough of Khensa's senses were provoked/described in said scenes, making it hard for the reader to throw themselves into the story.
• Khensa never describes people by their physical characteristics, but always by their emotional expressions
• The dialogue, like Khensa, was under-developed and irrelevant, it frequently related information of import
• The plot had too many points and felt like a never-ending story

Lots to think about, don't you think? Like I've said, there are a few points were I politely disagree with my reader. To me, and some readers out there, I know Khensa and Bomani to be exceedingly likable. I also feel that Khensa is frequently expressing her pain and trauma through the narration. Other points were stylistic choices, Khensa's language for instance, is restricted in a way Lateef's (should he have been the main character) would not have been. I find myself "dumbing down" the language more often than I find myself intellectualizing it. Second, the dialogue is as realistic as I possess the ability to make it, this is the way I like dialogue. I don't like monologues, I don't like it when characters reveal big chunks of the plot in large speeches, or repeat themselves again and again as if preaching to a classroom of toddlers. These were stylistic choices that obviously put me at odds with the reader.

But does that mean I disregard the whole of the criticism? Hell no!

I feel, like the reader, that Farro suffers from a lack of description. While I'll probably never flat out describe my characters (I come from a lonely school that believes eyes shouldn't be "chocolate" and eyelashes, "smoky"), I feel deep down that I can do a better job describing my scenes. It's always been something of my weak point in Farro. I was always so eager to get to the story, the plot, the characters, that the setting - while fully formed - often took a back seat.

So this is what I'm going to do: this week I'm designating a day called "Description Day". This will pretty much be exactly what it sounds like. I'm going to go through each of my scenes/settings and I'm going to highlight their descriptions. I'm going to expand it, and look again at how Khensa reacts to them. I'll add a sentence and/or a reaction to improve the scene without falling into the "purple prose" trap. There's nothing I hate quite like "purple prose". Oh wait, monologuing, I hate that too.

I invite all the writers out there to do the same. Maybe dialogue is your story's shortcoming, maybe characterization, maybe style, but set a day aside and address it. Don't leave it simmering on the back burner until it's burnt and inedible, fix it now while you can.

Approach each criticism with graciousness. Know that the reader took the time to tell you what they thought, and maybe they even gave you suggestions for how your story can be improved. Don't give in to that knee-jerk reaction of scoffing at the review and disregarding it. Remember what is likely the case: the reader is right, the writer is wrong.

(Farro is on schedule for a early- to mid-May release)

Ninja Typos (a.k.a. Stealthy Typos)

What does this post serve? Not much. Consider this a public service announcement:

"Warning! Beware ninja typos!"

"Well," you ask, "what is a ninja typo?"

Let me demonstration. Say while writing you miss a letter or two, and Word autocorrects it to the nearest approximate word, and sometimes you just honestly type the wrong word (while thinking the correct one). Whatever their origination these sorts of typos are hardest for me to catch. Why? Because my brain sees "demonstra...", registers the meaning, and moves on to the next word before I've even had a chance to see that it's spelled "demonstration" instead of "demonstrate". There are smaller, sneakier words that also frequently bother me: me/my, express/expression (auto-correct loves this one), scrapping/scraping, dare/date (hilarious!).

The best/worst part? Most adults are bad at catching them. Most of these words are "sight words" for us now. Compare these words to less commonly used words like "inchoate, ethereal, ornaments." Our minds glaze over the sight-words, but they're no less susceptible to typos!

Never fear, I've thought up a solution: give your manuscript/essay/research paper to a elementary school student. Sounds wacky, right? But then these small "sneaker" typos are glaringly obvious to a child who isn't used to seeing sight words like "demonstration" and "demonstrate". Can't find a kid willing to read your novel? Then make a list of all these words, a check list of sorts, and ctrl+F all of them. Are you using them correctly in every instance. Unlikely! At least... unlikely for me!

Remember! Editing can be fun if you approach it with good humor. If you're willing to change the most disastrously bad/embarrassing typos and laugh at yourself. "Oh, Arreana!"

Oh, Arreana indeed!

"I date you!" -> "I dare you!"

Hilarious, no?

(Current length of Farro's Checklist [in typed pages]: 7)

Farro Cover!

Artist: Angela Taratuta

Please check out her wonderful art here or here.

She did an amazing job rendering Khensa, it looks exactly how I pictured her. Eerie, really! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

To celebrate this amazing cover I have written a bonus chapter. [While Khensa was off battling Bata in the desert, Bomani had his own set of problems!] I wrote it this morning to accompany the cover. A little rushed but filled with love and excitement!

Love,

Arreana

Cover in the Works!

So I've been working extra hours these last couple months. You may have heard about it. What a wonderful thing it's turned out to be. What wonderful timing, I think, for I would love to commission a cover. I had not anticipated being able to afford one. I had been submitting myself to the wretched realization that my cover must be one of my own creation. How dismal were these thoughts! I've put so much time and energy into writing and editing Farro, only to slap a sloppy cover on top!

But this month I was able to afford it, so I've commissioned an artist to help me. I have seen the preliminary sketches and have nearly wet my pants in excitement. It is like someone coming along and plucking free a character I'd thought would always be locked away inside my imagination. I had no idea a great cover could make you feel this way -- maybe no one does at first. I'm intensely gratified. I have never been more motivated to make Farro as perfect as can be. I never thought I'd see Khensa so perfectly portrayed. I'm beyond thrilled, I'm as giddy as a school girl, I'm rambling.

My artist is working on the design now, when it is finished I shall post it here for all to see, as well as reveal the name of that wonderful person who has lent me their talent and enthusiasm!

Please stay tuned! You won't be disappointed!

Readers, Balm for My Soul

"You already posted today, Arreana, what are you doing?"

Jeez, I'm a nervous wreck today. This monster of a book is sitting on my lap, and I keep wondering, will anyone want to read it? I'm not about to give up, but boy-oh-boy am I ever terrified. I'm glad for everyone's support, it's been immensely comforting today. I've been rereading reviews -- in particular the glowing, over-the-top good reviews. They're amazing! You're amazing.

Here are a couple reviews that have kept me going:

"Fantastic story. I haven't read anything like it, the originality is refreshing, especially the characters. Thanks for sharing." - LanternLight13

"I just wanted to say that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this story! It is by far my favorite story on fictionpress, and I'm waiting with bated breath for Sulfur to come out." - bluelibellule13

"Ohh, Arreana... I FREAKING LOVE FARRO. DO NOT EVER SCRAP IT. I MIGHT KILL YOU. Any chance we can get a date on when Sulfer will be posted? I promise to review every chapter! XD Good luck for publishing this; you can garuntee at least one copy will be sold." - Schnitzelover

"Anyway, I just wanted to say you're doing a fantastic job. You could honestly be ready for publishing with a few touch-ups and some polishing! Khensa is a fantastic character--and she honestly would be a great "role-model" to your target audience. She brave, witty, sarcastic and got a soul full of courage... and then she's got her weaknesses: inability to trust the RIGHT people (*cough-Bomani-cough*, her temper and her stubbornness! It makes her such a great character... and someone we readers keep coming back too--we just can't predict what she's going to do next! And Bomani. He makes my heart skip a beat. He's flawed and broken and much more a man than I think Khensa can realise. I hope she begins to see him for what he is rather than his title and what his princedom stands for. You've given him more layers in these up-coming chapters-- [spoiler removed]. He truly is a thrilling character to read!" - Bulletproof.cupid

"I absolutely love this story!
It's perfect and the characters and well developed.
I can't wait until you post up Sulfur!" - SummerStorm

There are so many others too, over 200, to be exact, but I only really have room for a sample of all the wonderful things everyone has said. All from complete strangers too! I'm very moved! I hope you will continue to support me as I venture into the world of publishing!

The State of Farro

Editing sucks.

So instead of supplying you, my readers, with some steady stream of witticism, I going to vent about editing Farro instead. Poor you, lucky me.

This wouldn't be nearly so bad if it was more than just me and my husband working on it. It wouldn't be half so hard, or boring, or daunting a task. I have written the story, edited it once, rewritten once, and now find myself editing it again. How I would have loved to have had another person take some of the work load. Say, an editor? I have read every chapter nearly half a dozen times, if not more. (I think I've editing the first chapter over a dozen times by now). This final read through is the worst though. I'm not catching errors as well as I would be if I were looking at it fresh. Worst of all, my husband, who has read it nearly as many times as I, is starting to miss them too. Case-and-point, a conversation between us yesterday concerning a chapter he'd just edited and I was now looking over:

"Kyle! There was tense confusion here!"

"What where?"

"Here, between typo A and typo B!"

"What? How could I have missed that?"

[frowns all around]

I love my husband acutely, he's a wonder with words. He's an unrivaled speller, a walking thesuarus, an opinionated sytlist, but he's not particularly good with punctuation. He's, frankly, rubbish. And his commas? Oh, his commas.

"Kyle! I found a comma splice in [chapter he had just edited], be careful about those!"

"What's a comma splice?"

"..." Awkward silence. "That's okay, I'll handle the commas."

[Ten minutes later]

"Kyle? Why are there a whole bunch of added commas in this bit?"

"Because I felt there needed to be commas."

"Too many commas!" [undo, undo, undo]

He errs on the side of more commas, and when I discovered that, about four chapters in, I told him to leave the punctuation to me. I may be only okay with it, but that's better than extra commas. I hate extra commas. I suffer from over-commating things. Must. Break. Habit.

Damn punctuation.

So I finished Farro's rewrite two weeks ago and how many chapters have I finished in that time? Five. Just five. I'm settling into panic mode just about now. I need to pick up the pace if I'm going to make my deadline, and I have to make my deadline.

To myself I say: "Pick up the pace, Arreana. Finish Farro, publish Farro, beginning writing Sulfur, move on to something new!"

To any readers out there I say: "Thanks for letting me whine! I feel 80% better!"

Long Time, No Life

Hi there,

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, and to anyone reading this, I apologize. I've been very caught up in the rewriting of Farro's last couple chapters. Additionally, I've begun studying for a test I have to take for my grad school applications. Additionally, additionally, I've been working extra hours at work while a new server is being installed. My anniversary is this month, both my little siblings' birthdays, and well, Farro is alway a pressing chore. It weighs down on me day in and day out, reminding me, "Arreana, look at me. Arreana, work on me."

And Thursday I worked on it all day, and I finished two chapters (approx. 10,000 words). Friday I took the day off thinking, "I did twice as much yesterday, so I deserve it." Today, Saturday, I'm frantically working to extinguish the guilt my day off has occasioned me. I'm plotting the last two chapters (Yes, I'm down to only the two), because so much has changed in the rewriting to render the original ending completely obsolete.

I've changed so much these last couple months; I've added scenes, extended scenes, cut scenes, softened characters, hardened characters, etc. I've even added a character. I'm gone through and refined my underlying themes and my characters' underlying phobias and traumas. I've coaxed from my main character, Khensa, affection and sorrow, and I've fought tooth and nail to bring out Bomani's anti-social awkwardness. It's been an adventure, but even after the rewrite my to-do list is three typed pages long. Most of my problems are formating issues -- things I need to correct so they're uniform throughout the entire novel -- others are more tedious: plot tweaks, repetitious word removal (ugh, my least favorite), fact checks, etc.

Now I'm just further stressing myself.

I'm going to try to end this post on a positive note. I'm going to address those things I feel confident about; the common problems authors face that I feel I can currently mark as 'done':

1. Pacing - my scene extensions have added depth where it was needed, my careful cuts have removed the fatty lag.
2. Dialogue - I've removed redundancies and shortened the length of most conversations. They flow well and connect better with the story.
3. Overarching plot - when I approached this rewrite I knew I had some huge plot-related issues to fix, those have been dealt with. I now feel that from beginning to end Farro adheres nicely to its story.
4. Characters - if there is one thing to take away from my readers' responses and my own personal feelings, it's my characters are exactly where I want them. They are likable and flawed and have overhanging histories and quirks that propel the plot. They ARE the plot. If I'm proud of anything, its my characters.

But enough horn-tooting. I have work to do!

Love,

Arreana

The Beginning of my End

When I put it that way it sounds very dramatic, but there you have it. For years I've been writing now, from my first hormonal-charged mess at the age twelve to my most recent (and still cloistered) novel 'The Scorpion King'. In all I've written a total of eleven completed novels, but I've never really shared any of them. Now here I am, with 'Farro' and ready to do the impossible -- the unthinkable: try out self-publishing.

Yeah, me and a million other people. Will I be a success? No, probably not. Will I make enough money to finally buy myself that Welsh Corgi Puppy my husband and I have been pining for? Maybe.

I wrote 'Farro' on an impulse. I sat down, and without any planning or plotting, I just... wrote it. In three weeks. It was a mess, but an entertaining mess. So I let it simmer on the back burner a bit as I tampered with the Scorpion King (a research-based monster) and tried picking it up again. It was worse than I'd thought. Think of cooking a really good stew in a really awful pot; you let it cook down for a couple hours, stirring it occasionally, but when you finally dish it up there's this thick layer of sludge burnt onto the bottom. That was 'Farro'. That was my challenge.

I'm rewriting, editing, and - quite frankly - taking all my verbal, self-flagellation too seriously in regards to this novel. For all my struggling I can say this much about myself: I'm not perfect but I'm dedicated. I truly love writing, even if I'll never make a living off it. I don't write for money or fame, nor do I write for the popular market. I write for the satisfaction of it, for the joy of creating a character I love to completely antagonize, and I also write for those people that have read my work and made me feel like a million bucks by saying, "Yeah, go for it."

So okay, here I go!

Begin reading Farro online!