Shalaena Medford - Author

Scatterbrained author of grimdark, gaslamp, fantasy, cyberpunk, and whatever else tickles me; editor; book designer; weirdo. Sanity is optional.

[shalaena]

[shalaena]

I finally did the thing!

[shalaena]

I actually wrote another blog post! Maybe I will be able to keep it up this year. If you're interested in the random nonsense in my head, consider subscribing? LOL

[shalaena]

New Year New Me? Or SSDD?

I am obviously not the best at keeping my ducks in a row. In fact, half my ducks are lost. The only thing I’ve been able to reliably do is release my books on time. It’s only been 2 books, but who’s counting? (Me. I’m counting.) This year I want to try something new. I want to keep up with blogging, maybe once a month for updates on my work. I’m also contemplating starting a newsletter. But…

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[shalaena]

Looking for ARC readers for the second book in my grimdark gaslamp fantasy series! If you haven't read the first one, don't worry. Just select that you need a copy, and you'll be given a special combined edition for this ARC. Arc copies will go out on April 30th through BookFunnel.

ARC Sign Up for Captain (All That Glitters #2)

Hey there readers! Thank you for your interest in being an ARC reader for Captain, the second book in the All That Glitters series! I'm a l

[grim-and-ana]

Ĺ̵̲̌̀͊̓͠͠Ȅ̶̟̭̑͝V̷̧̯͓̪̩̺̘̗͙̟̓̍̈́͐̊͐̈͑I̷̧̖̱̪̫̼̻̳̗͆̀̆̌͂̍͐̚͘A̸̛̝̭͈͎͇̣͈̍̀̈̆̌́͠ͅT̴̢̧̬͙̩̘̺͚͔͔́H̴̬̹̃̃̈́A̸̪̓͋̒̚N̸̦̖̩͖̝͚̜̟͆̃̍̆̆̃͊̕͠͠

[shalaena]

Tsingsei

Calling readers and reviewers! Wanted is up on Booksprout in preparation for the release of book 2 in the series on June 1st 2023! Head on over to read the novel for free, if you're eager to read an LGBTQ+ gaslamp fantasy pirate adventure, and want to leave reviews for it!

[okwrites]

5 Ways to Improve Character:

Personal advice on how to improve writing characters and giving them depth!

Add a gesture or the lack of one. Have a character that doesn't move when others might. Have a character that fidgets. Have a character that always coils hair around their fingers. Have a character that always nibbles their nails when they're thinking or bites their lips. Give them a gesture - YOU make them, so can they.

Know where they're going. I firmly believe you start a character at the end. If you want a character to end up a confident leader, have them start out with no confidence and always following. If you want a character to end up in love, have them start without it. If you want a character to end up with friends, have them start without any. Always start designing a character by what you want for them in the end, and doing the opposite.

Give them speech patterns. We have speech patterns, distinctive ones. So can characters. Internal thoughts, out loud, in first person - your character has a way of thinking, and a way of putting those thoughts out there. Have a character that never says more words than they need to. Have a character that thinks and thinks until they blurt things out and it never comes out quite right and then they have to explain it. Have a character that almost always just asks questions. Subtle but distinctive patterns of speech and thought can create stronger characters.

Clothing matters. What do they wear? Why? What personal objects do they carry with them? What is in their pockets, precious? Not just that, but colors, how they wear things, what they choose not to wear. How do they tie up their hair? What kind of shoes do they like? Do they wear a jacket, a cloak, a sweater? Are they one of those people who wears shorts in the snow?

Know how they grew up. Your characters were raised to believe certain things, raised a certain way. How did their upbringing affect how they present themselves? Toxic masculinity? Feminism? Soft and sensitive? Communicative? One of those people that always asks for what they want, or one of the people who tries to lead others around to what they want indirectly? Even just giving them the barest bones of an upbringing can help you form a character. Loving family, friends, no family, no friends, moving a lot, always living in one place - every aspect of those adds to a character's insecurities. If you have a character that always lived in the same place who then goes on an adventure, they will miss home. If you have a character that has always moved around who now has to stay still, they'll face entirely new challenges in maintaining social relationships.

Just one or two minutes of thinking about these things can give your characters some major depth.

[shalaena]

[shalaena]

THE ATG WANTED EBOOK IS FREE FOR THE NEXT WEEK!

It's my birthday, as well as the 6 month bookiversary, on Wednesday, and so from the 27th to the 3rd, the ebook is free!

Available now at your favorite digital store!

Wanted by Shalaena Medford

[shalaena]

NEW GAME FOR WRITERS: 'Is this sexual?'

Find a line in your WIP that is questionably sexual out of context and let people guess.

[wuika]

The Sandman or Dream. It’s been a while since I wanted to dedicate an artwork to it. I liked the series of Netflix m as is without more. I mostly knew this character with the beautiful comic book covers made by Dave Mckean. My version is a bit inspired of a merry mix of different works. Have sweet dreams! 🦋🌕

[neil-gaiman]

this is probably the most counterintuitive and useless question ever, but would you say your masterclass is worth the price?

I hope so. If it gets you writing, it's worth the price -- if not, then it wasn't.

But you can get it through libraries too. It's one of four classes offered through Hoopla Digital in Libraries for free:

Hoopla Offers 'MasterClass' Content to Libraries

Four of MasterClass's popular streaming tutorials are now available to public library patrons via the hoopla app with more classes to be add

[shalaena]

My sad, sad attempt at one of those cool “What’s inside the book” graphics all the cool authors are using, but with the custom compass from my map.

Tsingsei “Song” Gould has always led a privileged life, never wanting for anything. When Song is told she must choose a suitor, she flees with a street urchin who claims to know the location of a legendary lost treasure. Armed with a map, a stolen skyship, and no real plan, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. Now, away from the comforts of her home, she must learn to exist in a dangerous world of magic and pirates.

Wanted is the republication of two novellas, now combined into one novel!

Content Warning: Contains graphic depictions of violence and situations which some may find triggering.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

“No writing is wasted. Did you know that sourdough from San Francisco is leavened partly by a bacteria called lactobacillus sanfrancisensis? It is native to the soil there, and does not do well elsewhere. But any kitchen can become an ecosystem. If you bake a lot, your kitchen will become a happy home to wild yeasts, and all your bread will taste better. Even a failed loaf is not wasted. Likewise, cheese makers wash the dairy floor with whey. Tomato gardeners compost with rotten tomatoes. No writing is wasted: the words you can’t put in your book can wash the floor, live in the soil, lurk around in the air. They will make the next words better.”

—

ERIN BOW (via garnetglitter)

Ooh. I like this metaphor.

(via drst)

evandale ♥

(via gaslightgallows)

[knightfisherr]

writing advice: every chapter should have something that makes you, a sicko, say yeesss… hahaha… yeeesss!!! and it doesn’t quite matter what you are a sicko about but it’ll be hard to get through the chapter if nothing makes you press your face into the window

[brsoule]

Happy Hallow's End