Longtails is a new series of novels launching with Book One: The Storms of Spring this April. From Writer Jaysen Headley (A Love Story for Witches, A Home for Wizards) Longtails tells the story of a band of mice adventurers seaking to save their world from the perils within.
Hello again fellow adventurers. Today, I thought we’d take a break from the Lore and Character reveals to sit around the fireplace and chat about the process of the book so far. Writing Process is something that I’ve often strayed away from when doing updates for a future release. I suppose it feels a bit more personal and I always worry that it will be boring. But for today, I’ll discuss a few topics that have been of interest to me in the writing of this book and you can let me know in the comments if it was worth the time! That way I know whether or not to include this type of thing in future updates!
Alright, brief prologue complete, let’s jump in.
Where is the Book at Right Now?
After writing a full draft of the book, I am now 75% of the way through my full edit, which, when complete, will be considered my second draft. This full edit is important for a lot of reasons. By going through the book myself first, I’m able to iron out scenes, dialogue and characters as a means of giving my editor’s the most complete version of my vision to work with. In the past, with A Home for Wizards, time was so tight that I was not able to go through the book with a fine comb, and my edit’r’s suffered because of it as they were forced to do triple and quadruple the amount of work.
It’s also important this time around, because for the first draft I wrote Longtails: The Storms of Spring completely free of any sort of Outline. Typically, I fully outline the story before sitting down to write, but in this case, that didn’t happen. I’ll get to that more in a moment. This meant that several key details changed as I wrote and needed to be fixed before handing off to the editors, for clarity.
A great example of this is the actual name of the mouse military force in the book. Now simply called the Longtails, the group was first called the Lygoden Corps, and then just T.A.I.L.S. As the story evolved and the Lore developed, this finally evolved into the current form and title of the series: Longtails.
As a side note, I have this weird superstition that if I come up with the title for a project early on or even first, that project is doomed to fail and never see the light of day. So far, this has always been true. But then again, maybe it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. In any case, I feel a lot better knowing that “Longtails” was a late edition to the book.
Another fun thing on the rewrite is that, as I mentioned last week, Del, our hero, is obsessed with comic books. The rewrite really allows me to add in more references for the nerds out there that I hope will find a lot of commonality with this little mouse. Just yesterday I realized, while editing, that a flock of birds attacking probably looked a heck of a lot like Parademons attacking the Justice League to little Del.
Writing Without An Outline
I am a big believer in outlines, so it begs the question: why did I decide to forego one this time around? In many ways, Longtails was spawned from my love of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or Mouseguard. In these games, the exciting part is always seeing what characters do based on their personalities and belief systems. As I wrote the adventure of the Longtails, I wanted to be free to let the story veer off in different directions simply based on taking each character’s beliefs and asking, in each situation presented to them, what would they actually do in these scenario. After all, it is the randomness of the players in an RPG that makes the game exciting. This provided a wonderful array of twists and turns as characters made decisions and pulled the story in directions I never even considered when I sat down to write Chapter One. In one case, midway through the book, I recall having to stop writing to spend a day contemplating “What would she do?” in order to figure out the next step in the story. It was scary at times to not have a road map to the next plot point, but I truly think the story benefited from this decision. Would I go into every book in this way from here on out? Probably not. Outlines are incredibly important, but every so often it’s important to stray off the path.
Making Reading a Part of my Writing
For a long time, and certainly during the writing of my last two books, I avoided reading whenever I was in the middle of a project. This was mainly because I was worried that I might copy another author’s style which I never wanted to do. This time around, I faced this fear head on, by devouring all sorts of literature while working on Longtails. This was also an amazing change as it really helped to develop my vocabulary as well as helped me to see ways that different authors challenged their characters and their readers. This enabled me to challenge myself to be better and I think it really shows in the story as well as in my writing. I can honestly say that Longtails showcases some of the work I am most proud of in my writing career so far! Want to see what I’m reading and share what you’re reading with me so I can read that too? Click the link and add me on Goodreads! Let’s be friends!
Friend me on Goodreads!
What Comes Next?
In the next week, I hope to wrap up my second draft of Longtails. Once this is done, the book will be sent off to my editors for several months of notes, grammar fixes and suggested changes. These then get sent back to me so that I can tinker with the book once more in order to get it into its final form so that you can read it come next April! Editing is ALWAYS a painstaking, meticulous process, but it’s also very fun to see the book take its true shape. I usually only ever really start to believe in a book’s success as we edit it. This time around, I actually feel really good about the not edited version, so I can only imagine how happy I will be with the final product!
I hope you all have enjoyed this little look into process and where the book is at this point in time. If you found this interesting, perhaps I will do another one once we are in full edit mode in order to show what that process looks like! Next week we’ll get back to characters and reveal our second member of the Longtails! I’ve also been in close contact with the artist of these sketches, Dexter Allagahrei, and just recently saw a sketch of one of the villains of the story which looks amazing! I can’t wait to share the final version with all of you!
Until next week, keep your paws clean and your tails long my friends!
Hello again everyone! It’s Sunday once more, which means it’s time for a new Longtails update! Many of you may have already seen our first teaser poster, released at New York Comic Con, but this week I thought we’d get to know the character featured on it, as he is the main focus of our tale. As the week’s continue, we’ll have more of these character reveals as well, so make sure to check back every Sunday! So what’s so great about Del Hatherhorne? Well…apparently nothing!
Who is Del Hatherhorne?
Del is not a hero. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the same. Del has spent his entire life trying to stay out of trouble. He prefers reading and spending his days out of harms way. When an attack on a Longtails squad happens right outside his house, he can’t help but intervene and at least warn them of the coming danger. This one act of bravery starts Del down a path to learning of a secret locked deep inside him, as well as joining the Longtails in their quest to better lives across the Mouselands. It just goes to show that if one is going to commit to a life of not taking action, they shouldn’t let ANYTHING deter them from it.
Stats
Name: Del Hatherhorne
Age: 7 Seasons
Fur Color: Brown
Likes:
Reading comic books, RPG core books and any sort of literature left behind by humans part of a sub-culture known as ‘NERD.’
Playing video games, particularly the puzzly kind.
Staying indoors and not being bothered by other mice.
Dislikes:
Being bothered by other mice.
Going outside.
Being forced to put down a book at the best part.
Inspiration
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take a lot of Del’s personality from my own. Del’s the kind of character who doesn’t get along easily with other mice. It’s not that he’s mean or rude, but just not as understood. His head is usually in the clouds, and while he wants to do the right thing, he doesn’t always want to put in the effort to get there. Del has gone through several changes since I first conceived of him, but two things have remained the same, his name and that adorable scarf.
More to Come
That’s our character profile for the day, but many more are on the way, as well as more Lore, maps of the world and even recipes from the world of mice. Let me know, as we go along, what else you’d like to see from these updates! In the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek at our next character reveal!
Hello fellow adventurers! I’m hoping to post some sort of fun update about the book every week from here on out. This might be anything from maps of the world or various towns, to character reveals and bios, or even, as we get closer to release, short stories from the world of Longtails!
That being said, let’s start with some basics. Namely, who are the Longtails anyway?
History of the Longtails
The mice did not always live in the prosperous and, more importantly, safe city of Verden, found at the heart of the Mouselands. Long long ago, they lived far to the North, in a war ravaged land, dangerously close to running out of food and livable land. The singular ruler of the mice, Queen Ganafeila, had chosen five mice to journey South in order to find a new home for their people. Most mice were trained for battle in this time, because war was all they had known for many generations. But it was strongly believed, and has since been disproved, that the strongest warriors were those with the longest tails. Thus, the five warriors with the longest tails, were chosen for the mission and the band of mice was called the Longtails.
These five mice traveled South for nearly four seasons before finding the derelict human city of Verden. They claimed the city and slowly moved the rest of the mice Southwards. Queen Ganafeila, old as she was, did not survive the journey. Rather than establish a new ruler, the five members of the Longtails created a new governing body known as The Council of Five. Though the members have changed over the years, The Council of Five still rules over Verden as well as the Longtails.
Nowadays, the Longtails are a large organization, made up of many smaller bands, usually consisting of four or five mice, who venture out on assigned missions to better the lives of the mice living in all the Mouselands. We’ll dive further into what makes up a band and what sorts of missions they take on in a future update!
The Longails Crest
The Longtails sigil or crest has changed slightly over the years, with newer versions being sketched by new members of the council or higher up band members. Below is a concept sketch for one of the more recent designs.
The Longtails Code
When inducted into the Longtails, mice are made to memorize the Longtails Code, but in truth, most young mice with a sense for adventure learn it as part of their first words and sing it obnoxiously at the dinner table as mother mice try to force them to eat their peas and sunflower seeds.
The Code is as follows:
When adventure calls, and danger is nearThe Longtails rise, have no fear.Swords, shields and magics aboundwill help them do any task to be found.Ears up, dear mice, for night will fall,yet still you’ll hear their mighty call.For Longtails keep the darkness at bay,and morning will rise again this day.So when you hear the Longtails call,be bold and true and brave.Answer the call. Whiskers and all.The longest tails forever wave.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this update! Next week we’ll get to know our main character a little bit! If you haven’t already, head on over to Facebook and like the Longtails Facebook Page. Link below. Something you’d like to see in the updates? Character bios? Maps? Short stories? Or behind the scenes author stuff? Let me know in the comments. Longtails is out April 24! Let’s spread the word and answer the call!
Longtails: The Storms of Spring Official Announcement
Nearly two years after the release of my last book, A Home for Wizards, I am extremely pleased to officially be announcing my next book, which will kick off a brand new series, Longtails: The Storms of Spring. Below is the first teaser poster. Jump down further to learn more about the series!
What is Longtails?
Longtails is a new series which tells the story of mice living in a dangerous world in the far future, long after humanity has gone extinct. As they try to survive, they’ll encounter all sorts of different animal clans. Some who have learned to harness the power of technology from the old world and others who have learned to control magic and the elements. Based on high fantasy and my love of tabletop role-playing games, Longtails is, at its heart, an adventure story, and this coming April, I hope you will join their journey and Answer the Call to be one of the prestigious mouse soldiers, protectors and journeymen known as The Longtails.
What Comes Next?
Aas I put the finishing touches on this book, I can’t help but think that April will be here before we know it! That being said, over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be using this page AND our new Longtails Facebook page to share character profiles, character concept art (Done by the fabulous Dexter Allagahrei) and short stories set in the Longtails universe. This will also be a way for me to share updates on the book and make sure you guys get it into your paws as soon as possible. So what are you waiting for? Go like the page and I’ll see you all next time as we start to dive into the characters that make up the Longtails!
kianamaiart
prguitarman
areudirty
izzy806
vaporwave
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner