OBJECTS OF POWER

In mythology, Objects of Power hold a lot of...well, POWER! 
-They can be used to spearhead a quest of discovery. 
-They can be used to bring about change.
-They can be used for magic.
-Or, as a weapon of annihilation, both temporary and permanent.

From gemstones to Excalibur to Aladdin's Lamp to Pandora's Box to the Soul Catcher in Soul Warrior, Objects of Power or Talismans have added pizzazz to the story being told. They serve as both decorative embellishment in the hands of the hero or heroine as well as a marker to drive the narrative forward. 

Objects of Power usually have their own backstories...just like a living, breathing character, which is what makes them so fascinating.

Some of the Objects of Power used in Soul Warrior:

-The Soul Catcher: a blood-orange gemstone from prehistoric times that has the power to absorb souls when opened.

-The Asi: a blade gifted to Karna by his sire, Lord Surya. It has the power to be summoned by its owner/ wielder.

-Kalika's ashes: Ashes/ bone dust of one of the ancient avatars of Goddess Kali that, when consumed, can give the consumer the powers of a million demons.

-Amrita: the elixir of healing.

-Silver shackles and key: these bind the shackled soul to the one holding the key.

-Black metallic goo: the Stone Demon's secret weapon whose powers are yet-to-be determined.

-Blood: the most common Object of Power as it holds your ancestry hostage as well as your descendents.

And last but not least,

-Baby: the Soul Warrior's computer which has been modified (with magic) to perform "unearthly" tasks.

And that's it (I think) for Soul Warrior's Objects of Power. (Let me know if I've missed any.) And, be sure to stay tuned for more daring and dashing and darling talismans in BOOK 2!

AMAZON LINK: GetBook.at/SoulWarrior

What are some of your favorite Objects of Power in mythology or in fiction?

WRITING in the AGE OF AMAZON

These days, the advice writers, writing blogs, Twitter, Facebook author groups, writer's conferences, author/agent/publishing panels, your neighbor's grandmother's niece's dog walker's writing guru gives is to WRITE FAST AND PUBLISH FASTER.

Get a book out every three months and beat Amazon's algorithm. Which is fine if you're a fast writer and confident of the quality of the product you're putting out. But what happens if you're not?
Does the slow writer need to pack up shop and move to Tahiti in hopes of securing a neverending muse? Does he need to compromise on his end product? Does anyone even care what the end product is anymore? Evidently, bad writing and bad editing has become so much the norm that its actually a shock to read a really good book these days. 

I've been plagued with these questions these last few weeks. I even got lost in the rat race for a bit, trying to churn out pages, make ulcer-inspiring deadlines, shmooze with agents and editors who all seem as confused by the changing book market as me...until I asked myself what I hoped to accomplish with my writing?

Did I simply want to become an author who beat Amazon's algorithm? Why do I write? What do I hope to accomplish at the end of a book?

I won't deny being a bestseller would be appealing. But do I want that at the cost of my end product...not to mention my sanity? I don't think so. What I want most is to find a few patient readers who'll love my book and the care I've taken to bring it to life. 

This is not writing advice. This is just me remembering what I love about writing is...to simply write.

EDICTS of EDITING

So, I've been editing a mammoth manuscript...again. I feel I've been editing this manuscript for a long, long time. And everytime I do, it somehow gets bigger instead of smaller. Maybe I should quit (editing) while I'm ahead, hm? Anyway, let me take you through my editing process. First you...

Once that's done...and this is ready...

And you think OMG this is sooooo pretty. How can I hack it up? Murder my own babies? Cut them up, shred them, delete them, eat them? Nahiiiiii!

But I must. Nahiiiii!

I HAVE TO...

So, I gather my courage (and the brain that's swollen from the fact that I wrote that whole freaking (pretty) manuscript ALONE) and just do it. 

Whew. Done. You'd think...

WTH? That's...that's...no different. In fact, its stupid. So you do it again...and again...

Until you (think) you've got it right. You finally chiseled the pages, chapters, paragraphs, lines, words and punctuation in perfect sexy shape.

You take a day or two to admire it...just stare at your words...your work and hold it and squeeze it and fall in love with it all over again...Before the publishing madness takes over your life. :)

Very much for reading!

FICTION WITH A CAPITAL F.

Authors, especially published ones, get asked a lot of strange questions. Anywhere from, How do you come up with a story? to Do you write by hand or type or shout out words from your rooftop till someone hears and records them all? All relatively normal queries from those fascinated by the writing process and more or less benign, in terms of annoyance ratio (to said author). But by far the weirdest question I have been asked, several times now, is whether my romance novels are based on my own life experiences and is my main character me? 

It is true that an author brings some of his/her self into his/her book/s, into the plot and in the characterizations of the characters, in so far as his/her understanding and knowledge of the world goes. But, to answer your question, Dear Non-Reader (clearly such persons are non-readers) NO! My "fictional" novels are not "memoirs." When I write a memoir or an autobiography, I will call it such and not "fiction." 

Think about it. So far, I have completed 3 manuscripts, of which 2 have been published already. In those 3 manuscripts are 3 male protagonists, 3 female protagonists and dozens of secondary characters interacting with each other and living in their fictional worlds, surviving their particular set of trials and tribulations to get from the beginning of the novel to the end. Agreed, all of which have come out of my head. But, all characters and situations, I hope to hell, as per my research and double-double-toil-and-trouble cauldron boiling skills are unique in their own ways and equally scintillating to read. 

Now to address your question again, while I do not lead a dull life (not by a long shot) I couldn't possibly base or even identify with,all those dozens of characters or even the 6 main ones. Or have the energy to get into the hair-raising escapades that some of them get into and still live to write it all down. Sorry, shout it from the rooftops!

Dear Non-Reader, get this, fictional novels are just what they claim to be. Fiction with a capital F.

(source of GIFs: random search on web)

OH! Lest I forget, have you partaken in the Bootie and the Beast Sweepstakes yet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway