Dwarves are getting all desperate because of all the ladies that have come but have not accepted to go out in a date with any of my minions. I told the little guys that daily baths and heady colognes were not guaranty of success but I don't think that made them feel better. Thinking this is their last chance in a while, they have cluttered the main entrance of the cave. They plan to dazzle my lovely guest with gifts of precious stones and gold. Somewhere they heard diamonds are girls' best friends. As if diamonds would also make them look like this Thorin Oakenshield. Ha! Ha-ha... ahem. Anyway, meanwhile the Cassanova dwarves' plans are in doubt, I'm determined to spare my kind guest any trouble. She's entering the cave like a Rock Star, through the backstage door. (Yes, there IS a backstage door to the dragon cave. Mythic creatures cannot be too careful in modern times.) So ladies and gentlemen, here she comes -behind the smoke curtain- the one and only
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The 13th Floor series stalled several times
as I started to write it. The protagonist in the first book isn't a chatty guy.
Marc would glower and grunt, but I couldn't get him to talk. I tried all the
techniques of finding your character's voice, but none of them worked. I wrote
out some history, a day in his normal life, and a few mundane conversations.
Marc refused to play along.
What sort of writer was I that couldn't get
my own character to speak? I doubted my ability to get a grasp on any story at
all. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't get me anywhere, but for several weeks,
wallow I did. What if I couldn't write a male protagonist? What if I fell into a
rut and I couldn't climb out? I almost gave up on the series.
Yet where the popular techniques of finding
your character's voice didn't work for me, I discovered a different route. I
went to the secondary characters, and through them, the story blossomed. My
villain loves the sound of his own voice and believed the tale was all about
him. Marc's lady friend, Mae, was much kinder. She helped me see what lurked
beneath Marc's tough, silent exterior. With her help, Marc's voice became
clear, and the story poured out of me.
Each novella in the series held its own
challenge. The two biggest ones came with books four and five.
In 1304 – THE HARBINGER, I take the reader
out of our world and to Olympus. While it's fun to write about a legendary
place where the gods make their home, I still needed the story to link to the
others. At first, I couldn't see a way to do it. I was going to ruin my series
halfway through because the Greek Gods demanded a challenge. And really, you
don't say no to someone who can wield a lightning bolt or turn you into a
poodle.
The story itself appeared separate from the
rest of the series. I agonized over how I would connect it. Bring a character
or two from the other stories up to Olympus? No. That wouldn't make sense. Did
I want to bring a fight with the gods down to Earth? No, that wouldn't bode
well for anyone. Besides, there was enough going on already in the city of
Carmine.
Hm, oh! What if the gods already knew that?
What if my protagonist's presence on the 13th floor was planned long before the
events of the series took place? A connection! Instead of trying to move
characters or places around, I found an answer that was there all along. (And
no, I can't tell you. You'll have to read the series to find out what it is!)
With the fifth book, I wrote a hollow first
draft. I couldn't get a grip on why it didn't feel right. Harriet is my
favorite character in the series. I heard her voice clearly, and I knew her
story. Yet why did it feel wrong? Was the series going to fail before I even
made it to the end? What a pathetic writer I was to not even be able to write
about a character I adored.
This time, it was my critique partner that
shone the light on the problem. It wasn't only Harriet's story. It was
Harriet's and Kiral's tale. It wouldn't be complete without his point of view.
She was right. I rewrote the novella from two points of view, and it came
together. I hope you're lucky to have critique partners as wise as mine.
I'm certain that I'll struggle and wrestle
with my doubts with every story I write. Yet with each trial, I will prevail,
because I'm determined to be a writer. There will always be a way to overcome
problems even if you can't see them yourself. Be patient, flexible, and listen
to your peers. Always persevere.
Title: The 13th Floor Complete
Collection
Author: Christine Rains
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: October 13th, 2013
Blurb:
Six supernatural tenants
Living in a haunted apartment building
On a floor that doesn't exist.
Six novellas telling their tales.
A retired demon acquires a price on his
head.
A werewolf is hunted by her pack.
A modern day dragonslayer misses his
target.
A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the
man she loves.
A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he
can't find.
A banshee falls in love with someone who's
death she has seen in a vision.
And a sweet ghost must battle a primal
monster to save them all.
All the stories take place at the same time
intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.
Author Bio:
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom.
She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great
Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with
her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered
Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor
series is her first self-published series. She has eight novellas and
twenty-one short stories published.
Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads
Ooops! Dwarves and diamonds are here, but just to wish talented Christine the best of luck and great success with her series!
(What do you think, girls? Diamonds make Tassin, Sessin, Milin or Pancholin look more like Thorin?)
