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Thursday, March 2, 2023

Author Advice from Krishtina Mayers & Alicia Norman #AuthorAdvice


Author Advice from Krishtina 

1. Study history obsessively. 
2. Study Mythologies obsessively. 
3. Don’t assume race, gender/sex, sexual identity/sexual orientation, or even political opinions will automatically make your character a “good” character in a story. Your characters need to stand on their own as people.
4. Exposition should be given sparingly. 
5. If you have to choose between “show” and “tell,” then show. Always show unless it’s just not feasible. 
6. Read every contract three times before signing.

Author Advice form Alicia

The best advice I can give on writing is to just write and sort the rest out later.

I tend to be a stream-of-consciousness writer, pouring out my thoughts on the page unfettered. This can be both a good and bad way to approach narrative fiction. Good because these are your pure unadulterated thoughts. Bad because, well–these are your pure and unadulterated thoughts.

There are times when mind purging can work brilliantly–I have written stuff, set it aside, and been surprised by how coherent it was when I picked the work back up.
  
Damn, I am good, I would think to myself in such moments, without an ounce of shame or humility. 

More often than not, however, I would come reasonably close to what I wanted to say but no cigar was earned. This, of course, was a humbling experience that made up for any fits of braggadocio I had previously indulged.

Still, I would advise doing this as you can get your ideas on the page quickly while preventing or removing writer’s block. This is due to the fact that you are simply purging, not writing. The true voice of your writing IMHO comes through via the revision and editing process, where you can look over the work, figure out what you meant to and/or are trying to say, and streamline…

And tweak…

And proofread…

And revise…

And proof some more…

Reread for clarity…

Set aside–reread again…

Revise, revise, revise.

Little by little you whittle down your prose until a shape emerges. The ebb and flow of this process is second nature to me, so much so, that an outline can prove daunting.  Despite this preference, I can write from an outline, which can be a fun challenge in and of itself.

In any case, all this can be distilled down to a simple yet wonderful principle. If you want to write–just write! Good, bad, or ugly–just write!  Your ideas will find life and voice once you eyeball the words you have written and really hone in on your imagery. By the time you have finished your work to polished satisfaction you will be able to sit back with a cup of your favorite coffee, re-read and say to yourself, “Damn, I am good!”





Honey Drop: Book 1 – Volume 1
Krishtina Mayers – Alicia Norman

Genre: erotic historical fantasy
Publisher: Luv Multimedia
Date of Publication: January 20, 2023
ASIN: B0BSS4D1R1 
Number of pages: 289
Word Count:  62,482
Cover Artist: Alicia R. Norman

Tagline:  The worlds of gods and men collide when Love and Death embrace.

Book Description:

Honey Drop chronicles the story of willful, beautiful, and headstrong Proserpyn Prina Katsaros, an island noblewoman with a lust for adventure and a taste for the macabre. 

Prina has been obsessed with dark topics and activities, like watching executions and visiting graveyards for as long as she can remember as she believes that to appreciate life, one must also respect death.

One day, a frightening, terrifying man appears, using magic to seduce and play with her senses and heart. Proserpyn is uncertain if he is a wizard, a demon, or something much more overwhelming than that. 

With the help of Abigail, her friend, and lover, Proserpyn will consult the Old Gods and try to find a solution to this lustful madness.

The brainchild collaboration of Krishtina Mayers and Alicia R. Norman, the illustrated novel promises a one-of-a-kind journey from tome to tome!




Excerpt:

It was ordinarily noisy in her favorite shopping district. Buzzing of voices, both loud and quiet. Haggling. Goods being moved around. Doors opening and closing. There was even an open marketplace, which was refreshing and fun.

Holding onto a basket, Proserpyn went to a stall selling tea boxes. Of course, she bought a box of something there. She went to a little bakery to get a package of cookies and tiny cakes. Right next door was a candy shop. Trying not to lick her lips, Proserpyn turned into that place, and she hungrily scanned the products on display. They were all so colorful!

Eventually, she settled on a tin box full of honey drops. They were candies with a hard but thin shell and a liquid center full of honey flavor.

Prina went on, browsing store after store. As she walked on the busy streets towards a dressmaker's shop, she thought she saw something–a blur of dark black and blue, mostly blue, in the bright summer light.

She blinked and tried to look around for the figure. So distracted she was by her puzzled hunt that she ended up in a thin alley, staring towards the end of it, where a brick wall faced her. It was likely part of another building.

Behind her, Prina heard the city's denizens moving about and conversing. In front, there were a few barrels, a random cat on top of one, staring down at a rat on the stone pathway.

Proserpyn shrugged and assumed she might've been seeing things. It might be too hot out. Then again, she was wearing a light summer gown, and her hat shielded her face from the sun. She wasn't dehydrated and blasting it all; she was accustomed to tropical summer weather.

"May I have a honey drop?"

That now familiar voice was behind her!

Proserpyn spun around.

There he was!

Still shrouded in black with blue reflections, his form was right in the center of her view, maybe a few feet away. His face was obscured by the veil he'd worn near the lake. If anyone passing by had noticed him, they must've been determined to ignore him. It was almost as if Proserpyn was the only one that could see him.

This time, she smelled a heady mixture of smoke and musk, but with a hint of leaves drying out in chilled air.

Holding her basket's handle close to her belly, Proserpyn pursed her lips and angrily stared at the man.

Half a minute awkwardly passed, but the man seemed incredibly patient. He didn't show any sign of discomfort–only repeated:

"May I have a honey drop?"

"Once more, you spy on me," Prina accused through clenched teeth.

The veiled head nodded. "This time, you were in public. I have no more guilt than any other gentleman that would notice a beauty."

Her hands squeezed the basket's handle quite firmly. "You're not a gentleman."

The covered shoulders shrugged–one of the arms reached out, the hand still hidden by an abundance of fabric. At first, Proserpyn had assumed he wanted her to place candy in his palm.

Instead, she saw something in the center of that palm, something that gleamed.

It was big, pink, orange, and every color between the two.

"I have a rare type of sapphire here," the man said in his burning voice. "I'll place it next to that focused little cat. If you'd like the sapphire, replace it with a honey drop."

She rolled her eyes. "I have gemstones. I don't have a king's treasury, but I do have gemstones. You, Sir, have nothing that I want."

The hand shape silently gulped up the gem. Then the arm lowered.

"Quite unfortunate. I crave the sweet."

"Buy a tin for yourself," Proserpyn told him. She wanted to walk by him to leave the alley, but she didn't like the idea of going anywhere near the strange man.

Unmoving, still sounding gentle and calm, the man said, "I could buy honey drops and many other delicious things to taste." The head moved back and forth, a negative gesture. "Sadly, that's no longer an option. I want your honey."

"Now you want honey?" Prina took a steadying breath. She didn't want to lose her temper. It wasn't safe to do so. "I don't want to know what you mean by that." She turned to her left and backed up against a building. "Please step aside. I must return home."

"My apologies," the man said as he moved backward. Without preamble, he turned around and seemed to disappear into the market crowd. She hadn't expected him to leave that way, but she was at least glad to be rid of him.

She counted to ten.

Well, that was enough time to make sure he was gone, right?

It certainly was time to go. Abigail would come for tea. She'd love to hear about all this nonsense with the shrouded man.

Maybe he was a wizard or something.


About  Krishtina Mayers:

Krishtina Mayers is a professional ghostwriter who hails from Bladenboro, NC. She lives in a 100 year-old house with her three dogs and Asatru Norse Pagan beau, Richard, where she pens deliciously dark and sexy works. Her goal is to fully focus on creative writing as she slowly renovates her vintage home.



About Alicia Norman:

By day, Alicia Norman is a copy specialist at a major marketing firm, by night, she is a screenwriter and animator. She lives with her two kids and three cats in the burbs of Dallas, GA, and aspires to share her own brand of historical erotic fiction with  BFF and co-writer Krishtina Mayers. 

Visit Patreon to support her on her mission: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83953924







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