Circa24's Blog - Posts Tagged "circa24"
Who is your favorite character in Silent Consent?
I love them all, but Garry, Charlie, and Vera have a slight edge. Charlie, in particular, refused to bend to my will and took control of the story, driving it in directions that kept altering my universe. Initially, I wanted to write a short story, and Garry ensured that didn't happen. Each time I tried to wrap up his story, he'd nudge me and let me know he wanted people to learn more about him. And Vera's response to her bullies inspired me.
My fondness for the above does not diminish my affection for Jimmy and Carmin. It's fun to construct villains, but the adventure begins when they see themselves as heroes.
And no, I'm not hearing voices. Something happens when you're writing. The characters reach a point when their backstories coalesce into solid personalities. At that point, when they cease to be outlines, you're obliged to treat them as partners if you want their stories to ring true.
My fondness for the above does not diminish my affection for Jimmy and Carmin. It's fun to construct villains, but the adventure begins when they see themselves as heroes.
And no, I'm not hearing voices. Something happens when you're writing. The characters reach a point when their backstories coalesce into solid personalities. At that point, when they cease to be outlines, you're obliged to treat them as partners if you want their stories to ring true.
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock: A New Giveaway has made its way to GoodReads
📚 Get ready for a literary treat this November! Starting on November 2, we're kicking off an exciting Goodreads Giveaway featuring my debut collection of short stories, "Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist."
📆 Join us for a month-long journey and celebration of the power of hope, resilience, and optimism. The Giveaway concludes on December 1, World AIDS Day, also known as "The Day Without Art." I lost many friends to that pandemic, and for me, withholding the results of this Giveaway until after the remembrance is a way to commemorate its impact.
Don't miss your chance to win a copy of this collection and delve into its emotions and experiences. Join us, spread the word, and make November a month to remember.
📆 Join us for a month-long journey and celebration of the power of hope, resilience, and optimism. The Giveaway concludes on December 1, World AIDS Day, also known as "The Day Without Art." I lost many friends to that pandemic, and for me, withholding the results of this Giveaway until after the remembrance is a way to commemorate its impact.
Don't miss your chance to win a copy of this collection and delve into its emotions and experiences. Join us, spread the word, and make November a month to remember.
Who is your favorite villan in other author's books?
A good villain can spice up a story more than a sympathetic hero. Literature includes so many outstanding ones. In Robert Graves’s “I Claudius,” the semi-fictionalized portrayal of Livia stands above the others for her cunning and intrigue. For the banality of evil and the cold-blooded use of others, Iago (Othello by Shakespeare) and Commander Waterford (The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood) stand out. For self-righteousness, Conner Brooks’ rationalizations of his actions drive the story forward in “Ill Wind” by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason.
Of course, these top my list in my mindset at this moment. Catch me again in a month or when I’m in a different mood, and I’m likely to give you a different list.
Of course, these top my list in my mindset at this moment. Catch me again in a month or when I’m in a different mood, and I’m likely to give you a different list.
Thirteen days left in my Giveaway
Only 13 Days remaining in the GiveAway for "Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist."
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Nine days away from World AIDS Day and the end of the GiveAway for THWAO
The GiveAway for "Thomas Hard Was an Optimist" ends on December 1, 2023, in remembrance of World AIDS Day and the incredible loss of life during the then pandemic that has since become an ongoing endemic.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
To everyone who, like me, lost close friends to this devastating disease, I share your pain. I, too, lost many of those dearest to me.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
To everyone who, like me, lost close friends to this devastating disease, I share your pain. I, too, lost many of those dearest to me.
Thank you for supporting my Giveaway!
My book giveaway was surprisingly successful (given that even I couldn't find it without the link). Nearly 400 people entered the draw that ended on December 1, World AIDS Day.
George Carlin, speaking about the drug culture of the 60s, once observed that if you remember the 1960s, you weren't there. For many of us, the late 80s and early 90s became a blur, not from intoxicants but from grappling with the pain and sorrow of the relentless loss of so many people so fast. Instead of forging ahead along our professional paths, we found ourselves ensnared in a relentless cycle of attending funerals, navigating through the grieving process, and bearing witness to the abrupt and heartbreaking loss of friends, individuals with whom we had envisioned traversing the journey of life.
As in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that plagues our present, the death tolls during the initial years of the AIDS pandemic happened alongside the normal daily challenges of life The AIDS crisis intertwined pre-existing prejudices, discrimination, and widespread ignorance, amplifying the sorrow and deepening the grief endured by the survivors, the friends and families of our lost loved ones.
George Carlin, speaking about the drug culture of the 60s, once observed that if you remember the 1960s, you weren't there. For many of us, the late 80s and early 90s became a blur, not from intoxicants but from grappling with the pain and sorrow of the relentless loss of so many people so fast. Instead of forging ahead along our professional paths, we found ourselves ensnared in a relentless cycle of attending funerals, navigating through the grieving process, and bearing witness to the abrupt and heartbreaking loss of friends, individuals with whom we had envisioned traversing the journey of life.
As in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that plagues our present, the death tolls during the initial years of the AIDS pandemic happened alongside the normal daily challenges of life The AIDS crisis intertwined pre-existing prejudices, discrimination, and widespread ignorance, amplifying the sorrow and deepening the grief endured by the survivors, the friends and families of our lost loved ones.
The Endured By The Gods GIveaway is about half-way through its run.
I am thrilled with the positive reception of my latest writing venture, Endured By The Gods. There are 100 Kindle copies being given away, one hundred copies that someone has to win. The contest ends on Feb 6, so please, if you enjoyed Silent Consent, I hope you will take this chance to read the sequel with a free book!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
This story runs parallel to the events of Silent Consent, unfolding in the early days of the Energy Crimes Unit. Where the first book focuses on Central and Homeland 7, this one takes place in District 5 and a Centurion camp along the Western border and follows a young woman who suffers because of a familial demotion that relates her to the status of the Nameless. It delves deeper into the lives of the public No-names in the founder states and the strength it takes for her to survive.
While some founding members of Central’s Energy Crimes Unit appear, the spotlight focuses on the struggle of a new protagonist, Tissi, who must survive under the control of a Harrie-hating base commander with the aid of allies, not all of whom see the No-names as human.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
This story runs parallel to the events of Silent Consent, unfolding in the early days of the Energy Crimes Unit. Where the first book focuses on Central and Homeland 7, this one takes place in District 5 and a Centurion camp along the Western border and follows a young woman who suffers because of a familial demotion that relates her to the status of the Nameless. It delves deeper into the lives of the public No-names in the founder states and the strength it takes for her to survive.
While some founding members of Central’s Energy Crimes Unit appear, the spotlight focuses on the struggle of a new protagonist, Tissi, who must survive under the control of a Harrie-hating base commander with the aid of allies, not all of whom see the No-names as human.
My Newest Book Has Launched!
Today, I launched my newest book An Encounter With Cows, and I am celebrating with Giveaways of both these and another round of my Silent Consent series, all ending in mid-March, just in time for the typical spring break.
This stand-alone has nothing to do with my Silent Consent universe, and it has its own set of characters to love and hate.
Dr. Kayla Eastman receives word that her wife has died in a tragic accident while on a dino dig. Both worked for a bullying department chair, Nick Tenhune, at Cando University (fictional), who treats the faculty like dirt. Following the funeral, he requires Kayla, still in a state of shock and grief, to travel west to Falcon, ND, to retrieve University property and return immediately. Once there, she questions the circumstances around her wife’s death. Without tenure, Kayla must choose between continued employment and uncovering the truth about her wife’s demise and face the consequences of her decision.
I set the novel in one of my favorite places, rural North Dakota. I have spent many summers in Rollete and Towner Counties and have wanted to use them as a setting for some time. Many of the local landmarks are real, like the Giant Turtle statue in Dunseith, ND (made out of over 2000 tire rims) and the colossal sandhill crane statue in Steele. I've gone rock-hounding in the agate pits of Souris, MB, and scampered over the Badlands in the west on dino digs. Cando is the county seat of Towner, but sadly, there is no Cando U.
This stand-alone has nothing to do with my Silent Consent universe, and it has its own set of characters to love and hate.
Dr. Kayla Eastman receives word that her wife has died in a tragic accident while on a dino dig. Both worked for a bullying department chair, Nick Tenhune, at Cando University (fictional), who treats the faculty like dirt. Following the funeral, he requires Kayla, still in a state of shock and grief, to travel west to Falcon, ND, to retrieve University property and return immediately. Once there, she questions the circumstances around her wife’s death. Without tenure, Kayla must choose between continued employment and uncovering the truth about her wife’s demise and face the consequences of her decision.
I set the novel in one of my favorite places, rural North Dakota. I have spent many summers in Rollete and Towner Counties and have wanted to use them as a setting for some time. Many of the local landmarks are real, like the Giant Turtle statue in Dunseith, ND (made out of over 2000 tire rims) and the colossal sandhill crane statue in Steele. I've gone rock-hounding in the agate pits of Souris, MB, and scampered over the Badlands in the west on dino digs. Cando is the county seat of Towner, but sadly, there is no Cando U.
Celebrating the Release of my newest book: Four Giveaways!
To celebrate the release of my most recent book, An Encounter With Cows, I am offering giveaways of that book along with both books in my Silent Consent series, Silent Consent and Endured by The Gods. Once I posted those two, I thought, why not run one more for my book of short stories, Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist?
Silent Consent
Endured by the Gods
And here is my book of short stories:
Thomas Hardy was an Optimist
And Finally, introducing my newest offering:
An Encounter with Cows
Silent Consent
Endured by the Gods
And here is my book of short stories:
Thomas Hardy was an Optimist
And Finally, introducing my newest offering:
An Encounter with Cows
Just started a StoryOrigin Page, and am I Confused
Someone suggested I start a page on StoryOrigin. So far, it's even more confusing than starting a page on GoodReads. However, I'm starting with the basics and hoping to get better at it. (I'm technologically challenged, and think the last good invention was the wedge. After the wheel, society began going down hill.)
Here are my first links:
An Encounter with Cows:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
Silent Consent:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
Endured by the Gods:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
and Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From The Plague Years
Here are my first links:
An Encounter with Cows:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
Silent Consent:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
Endured by the Gods:
https://storyoriginapp.com/universalb...
and Thomas Hardy Was an Optimist: A Collection of Short Stories From The Plague Years
