writing – Tiffany Shearn

What Should I Read Next?

I miss reading books that capture the imagination and draw you into the story from beginning to end. Due to the nature of my current occupation overwhelming my mental capacity, it is easier to lose focus on the books I’m reading. Over the last two years, I’ve probably only read about half of what I used to go through annually on top of my writing. However, this is not only due to my work.

Several of the bigger authors I read seemed to have written their longer-running series into a corner. The main characters encountered challenges that could only be faced by taking on a curse or something similar, so the most recent books in the series revolved around some obscure deus ex machina necessary to escape the impossible circumstances in which they found themselves. While the stories might have been good enough and well-written, beloved side characters were left out, and the climax felt…rote.

One of my “comfort reads” authors is taking a couple of years off, and another main author is not revisiting the genres I read for another year or two. The result of all these shifts has left me with a lack of reading material to hold my interest. This is not to say I lack reading material at all, but the quantity of what I’m looking for is not as easy for me to find.

Help!

What I need now, are some recommendations! Here are some of my favorite genres:

YA or cozy romance (no – low spice)
Urban fantasy (any spice, but story-focused)
High fantasy (love creative worlds and magic systems)
Murder mystery/crime (interesting main characters)
Sci-fi (with a splash of the fantastical)

Throw me your recommendations, especially if they are newer or lesser-known authors!

Baxie’s Adventure

Here is a short adventure in honor of live creative day.

Homecoming

Baxie grew up sheltered in a quiet neighborhood. She was adopted at a young age by a nice couple during a time of widespread illness. It had been challenging to connect with potential adoptees because they did not come in often. Some of those with her were shy and didn’t interact much with the people who came. She was one of the lucky ones, to be adopted.

Her new parents introduced her to her favorite person in the whole world when they arrived home. His name was Peter, and they had adopted him so many years before he was practically a grumpy grown-up. Initial attempts to invite Peter to play with her were met with derision and more than a little sniping at her, but she could tell he was lonely and kept poking. Eventually, he pounced back and ran around with her. They would snuggle up together for naps after their races.

People visit the family. While Peter loved meeting and talking to the guests, Baxie remained scared of them. She preferred her quiet family to herself. Those strangers could stay in their own homes as far as she was concerned. However, as she stared out their back window into the vast woodland surrounding their home, she wondered if something in nature might offer her more.

The Wild OutBack

Her parents and Peter roamed around in the back woods. She watched them from the doorway, listening to the tweeting of birds and the chittering of squirrels. Oh! How she wanted to go out and romp with the forest animals. It seemed safe enough for the rest of her family, but every time she started to paw outside quietly, a louder sound reverberated through the trees.

Winter turned to another spring, and the days grew warmer with the sun peeking out between the clouds and the rain. It was her third year with her new family, and Baxie knew she wanted to take a risk. She wanted to – finally – bask in the sun and chase bugs or birds in the fresh air.

Baxie stepped forward onto the back stoop. Her nose twitched at the scents assaulting her senses, and her ears flicked fore and back on alert for the slightest sound of danger. The world was quiet. A gentle burbling of water and a breeze rustling the leaves. She kept moving, slipping between two trees flanking the perimeter of the open area where the family cooked.

The tree smelled good, so Baxie stopped to take a nibble. It tasted different than the food she normally ate, and the branch was still connected, so it whapped her in the nose when she let it go. The feeling of it against her whiskers made her huff a breath before continuing.

Freedom!

Exiting on the other side, she froze in place. Massive trees rose above her. Water rushed to the left, and a small hill trailed to the right. A rush of wings above claimed her attention, and she crouched low as her eyes narrowed on the object of her desires. Her heart rushed, and she felt her jaw move, making a quiet clicking. The bird sang, oblivious.

Baxie crouched. She wiggled her back legs, positioning them perfectly to pounce in an instant. The bird sang, then fluttered its wings before grooming them with its beak.

So close, she thought, I just need a step to get up there.

The thought was no sooner in her head when the bird took off from its perch and flew toward the water. Without hesitation, on instinct, she bolted after it. Their chase lasted mere seconds. It disappeared between the leaves of another tree, so she halted her fast pursuit and took up a stalking position. In the distance, someone called her name, but she ignored whoever it was, intent on her prey.

Step.

Another.

Soft paws. Quiet paws. Slowly.

The bird took off again for another tree, and she threw herself forward after it. Her name was called louder this time, but she again ignored them. Behind the waterfall and across the field, her claws dug into the soil and she bolted forward like a supreme hunter. Excitement flared in her chest as she pulled up beneath the next tree. She stalked at the base, assessing her best path to the top.

“Baxie, you crazy cat,” Mom said as she approached.

No! No! No! You’ll scare it away!

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as she was plucked off the ground and into welcoming arms.

“You can’t chase birds, silly. You’ll run out of the yard and get lost.”

Baxie had no idea what the words meant, but she stared back at the bird as she was carried back inside, her eyes narrowing on her prey. I’ll get you next time, she promised.

Mind on My Store

Renaissance Faire

If you have never been to a Renaissance Faire, I strongly recommend finding one close enough to you to attend the next time it comes around. Dressing up is a blast – but not required – and you can always pick up a piece or two for a future costume each time you go from one of the amazing artisans vending.

To make a day of it, you should plan out at least a few shows to stop and watch. Between the shows, you can then shop, get a pickle or meal, or simply people-watch and see all the costumes, cast, and crew. There is a great deal of work going into the production of a faire, and I was impressed with the improvements made for participants of the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire this year.

For me, as a vendor, the faire was not great. Five weekends became more exhausting as time marched on. We also did not have a good location for selling books. Traffic was less, and we were a bit too close to the front. As a result of sales being lower this year from last, I have a fair amount of extra inventory taking up space in my storage area.

Selling Signed Copies!

Having an online platform to sell signed copies of my books has been an idea on the thought shelf for a while. Part of my hesitation has been not wanting to purchase and store inventory to facilitate efficient shipping. With that issue addressed – despite my best efforts – I am one step closer to executing online sales.

The remaining challenges are related to generating demand and the cost of the sales platform. Both of these aspects also take funding, which is more limited due to my journey into entrepreneurship. I’ll probably go with Square/WordPress for the platform. I would just need to upgrade my subscription and integrate the two. Generating demand is a bit (enormously) more complicated.

Demand requires either time or money. I could increase my advertising, or I can try to find the right place and level of social media presence and content. Both approaches will require research, as I’m not naturally good at either and will probably dabble in both.

I’m part of the MySpace/Facebook generation, and I didn’t have an account with either until I was about twenty-three. If you know of any good groups or places or have any ideas, send them my way. I could use all the help I can get on this front!

In the meantime, if you are interested in a signed copy of my books and you live in the U.S.A., keep an eye out for the notification for when my store goes live!

Stay frosty, my friends!

Hidden Strength Release

I’m a bit late in posting the announcement here, but Hidden Strength is out and available in ebook and paperback formats! This is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series of Elaria. The moment is a culmination of a four-year labor of love and puts the cap on an emotional journey. I love all of my characters and their unique personalities. I know many readers have enjoyed getting to know them through the series as well.

Initial feedback has been positive, and I hope the reviews start coming in soon. My sister said I should sell the final book with a pack of tissues. There are heartwrenching moments throughout, and everyone mentions different ones pulling at their heartstrings. It is interesting to see what events hit for different people.

Audiobooks

I’ve started looking into audiobooks. The format is frequently asked about when I go to events like the Renaissance Faire. I’m hoping to save up some of the money I make at the faire this year to pay for a good voice actor, but I’m not certain about the approach I want to take with the producer.

A couple of years ago, I asked if people preferred male or female voice actors for their audiobooks and the feedback was evenly split between the options. I’m leaning toward a faint British accent because that feels “old-school fantasy” to me. I think either gender could work since I tell the story through multiple points of view. While Annalla is the main character, Larron follows close behind for “screen” time, especially in the first book.

I would love to hear some of your favorite fantasy readers if you are a big consumer of audiobooks. Let me know in the comments, and keep an eye out for more audiobook information to come!

Hidden Strength Cover Reveal

For those who signed up for my newsletter, this will be repetitive. With this final cover reveal of the series, I wanted to share a little more about the covers and their design inspiration.

Once again, Miguel Lobo has brought a wonderful eye and talent to create the cover for one of my books. For each of the covers in the Hidden series, I wanted to represent a scene that felt like a turning point for the story or characters in my mind.

With Hidden Memory, it was at the beginning when she was alone and afraid in a strange forest. As it is not a spicy book, I took some liberties and gave her some semblance of clothing in the image, but the scene for me is one of desperation and isolation. She is a combination of terrified and numb, determined and wounded. Annalla has become a blank slate needing to rediscover herself.

For Hidden Sanctuary, I wanted the river scene. If you’ve read the book, you know what is coming soon after they arrive at the river. This is a moment of transformation and realization that she is much more than she or anyone thought. It also demonstrates some of her youth and inexperience, and how the interplay of those aspects can be a threat to her and those around her.

Miguel came on for Hidden Promise, and I wanted that scene to be one of wonder and discovery. Not all discovery is welcome, though. Entering the sanctuary for the first time accompanied the weight of so many additional burdens and expectations. A mission had been accomplished, but everyone realized it was only a new beginning.

Now, for Hidden Strength, we come to the end. Everyone and everything is rolling toward a final confrontation. Both sides struggle for the most advantageous actions and positions. It’s war, and families, hearts, and lives will be torn apart. The scene is one of bated breath on the precipice of the moment they cannot return from. For better or worse, their next steps are as inevitable as the result is unknown.

Those are the feelings that went through my mind when I wrote the scenes and what they conveyed to me. I would love to hear what you feel from them, as art is as emotional as it is visual.