#suzanne lazear

[fluxbooks]

The Aether Chronicles Playlists: Fragile Destiny edition!

Author Suzanne Lazear: FRAGILE DESTINY has a lot of love and kissing. However, there’s also a heck of a lot of change going on in this book. Lots of coming to terms with the end of one chapter of one’s life and the beginning of a new one (even more so than in book 2). Characters have to grapple not only with rough choices but the consequences of their actions and I hope I captured some of that in this list.

Can you guess what songs go with which characters and scenes? I try very hard not to repeat songs on book playlists and there’s a lot of crossover (Fun’s Some Nights is Kevighn’s anthem for the entire series). However, I had to include Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. This is such a beautiful, romantic song and I think it goes perfectly with a particular scene that I’ve been waiting three books to write (and I know you’ve been waiting for it, too.)

[fluxbooks]

The Aether Chronicles Playlists: Charmed Vengeance edition!

[fluxbooks]

The Aether Chronicles Playlists: Innocent Darkness edition.

Author Suzanne Lazear: I love music and listen to music as I write.  This is a playlist of songs I either listened to while I wrote INNOCENT DARKNESS or act as a soundtrack to the story.  I'd love to hear your suggestions and where/to whom you think the songs correspond. 

[yaseriesinsiders]

Today’s secrets make for a very diverse week of featured books. Suzanne Lazear’s FRAGILE DESTINY- the third in her steampunk series- just hit the shelves! Today, she offers up a sampling of secrets about influences, how her own writing surprised her, and flying cars. Thanks for being here, Suzanne!

YA Series Insiders: If you were going to write a spin-off about one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Suzanne Lazear: I’d love to write a story about one of Jeff and Vix’s kids growing up on an airship with air pirates for parents. Could you imagine?

YASI: What song best fits X character?

SL: I always thought Kevighn’s theme song was “Some Nights” by Fun. Listen to it, it’s eerily accurate.

YASI: What is your favorite writing treat?

SL: I have a weakness for sour patch kids. I also love Reese’s pieces, but my child is allergic to peanuts so I never get to have them.

YASI: What book have you read that somehow changed your life and how?

SL: Several series have really influenced me. One of them would be the Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. One book that really influenced the Aether Chronicle Books was The Iron Dragon’s Daughter by Michael Swanwick.

YASI: What is your favorite quote from the book/series?

SL: My favorite quote is: “For your information I don’t have hysterics. However, I do have a parasol and I know how to use it.” – Noli Braddock, CHARMED VENGEANCE, Aether Chronicles Book 2 However, there’s another book quote I love, which I think needs to be on a t-shirt. It’s also from book 2, where V turns to James and says “It’s Shakespeare, you heathen.”

YASI: Did anything happen in your series that surprised you, that you didn't plan?

SL: Many, many things surprised me while writing this series. Charlotte wasn’t planned. Book two was supposed to take a much darker turn and it didn’t, which changed book three. But I love, love, love what came out of it. It made Noli stronger, created characters that wouldn’t have existed otherwise, and revealed character secrets I hadn’t known.

YASI: If you could pull one thing from your series world to have in real life, what would it be?

SL: I’d like Noli’s flying car, The Big Bad Pixymobile. It would make driving in traffic much more tolerable.

About the Book

Noli and her true love V fear the worst if the Staff of Eris—a potent Otherworld relic—falls into the wrong hands. Broken into pieces and hidden in the mortal realm long ago, the staff bestows vast powers on whoever possesses it. Ciarán, the dark king, is trying to rebuild the staff, intending to use it to install a new queen.

In a desperate effort to keep the Otherworld from falling into darkness, Noli and V plot the daring theft of a jewel Ciarán needs to complete the staff. But Ciarán is not so easily defeated. Through his devious machinations, he has set a plan in motion for a final showdown that will decide who rules the Otherworld once and for all.

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Indiebound|Goodreads

About the Author

Suzanne Lazear is the author of the YA fairytale steampunk series The Aether Chronicles. INNOCENT DARKNESS and CHARMED VENGEANCE are out now. The next installment, FRAGILE DESTINY, releases 8-8-14. Suzanne lives in Southern California with her daughter and the hubby where she’s currently attempting to make a raygun to match her ballgown. She’s also part of the Steampunk group blog Steamed Learn more about the Aether Chronicles at

Website|Facebook|Twitter

[nanowrimo]

Ask a Published Author: "How do you avoid over-description?"

Oh! Steampunk! That's my genre! Being the imaginative genre that it is, how do you get your vision across to the readers without overdoing descriptions, or improperly using description in the first place? — Dream3r

When it comes to descriptions, I try to describe things through the eyes of the character. To give you an example, in Innocent Darkness, my main character Noli likes to fix and invent things. If she saw an airship, she might wonder educatedly about how it worked, and would pay attention to the details that interest her. However, Steven, one of the other POV characters, probably wouldn’t care and might give it only a cursory description.

It's the same with clothes. Noli’s mother is a dressmaker, so she might spend a sentence or two on what someone was wearing. In contrast, Steven, as a teenage boy, might note that someone's dress was green, if he bothered to notice it at all. I find that using this as a guideline helps me to make sure I don’t over-describe in a way that is out of character, which can pull readers out of the story.

Also, less is often more—you don’t need to constantly remind the reader that this is a steampunk story, which is easy to do. Also, ask yourself, "Does the reader need to know this?" and, "Does the reader need to know this right now?"

Suzanne Lazear is the author of the steampunk fairytale series The Aether Chronicles. Innocent Darkness is out now. The sequel, Charmed Vengeance, will be released on August 8, by Flux.

Next week Jennifer Bosworth, author of the YA novel Struck, will take up the Head Counselor whistle and answer your questions! Ask her about first-week jitters, writing YA, and more here!

[nanowrimo]

Ask a Published Author: "How do you balance novel-writing with real life?"

How do you balance novel-writing and real life, and how difficult of a process can that be? — Dream3r

It can be very difficult to balance writing, a day-job, and loved ones. You have to make a lot of choices and prioritize. You might have to try several things before you figure out what works for you. I’ve found that, for me, it really comes down to time management and focus.

It’s knowing that I only have one hour to write today and I have a deadline, so I need to write as much as I can even if I don’t feel like it.

It’s putting down the computer for five minutes, even though I have a deadline, to pay attention to my family or friends when they need me.

It’s knowing what I’m willing to let go when I’m busy.

It’s knowing how to say no so you’re not stretched too thin.

It’s so easy as an author to feel like you have to do everything. I’m learning how to focus on the things I like to do instead of doing everything. I make a lot of lists and prioritize. But again, that’s what works for me.

Suzanne Lazear is the author of the steampunk fairytale series The Aether Chronicles. Innocent Darkness is out now. The sequel, Charmed Vengeance, will be released on August 8, by Flux.

Next week Jennifer Bosworth, author of the YA novel Struck, will take up the Head Counselor whistle and answer your questions! Ask her about first-week jitters, writing YA, and more here!

[nanowrimo]

Ask a Published Author: "How do you decide what to write?"

How do you decide what to write when your head is full of multiple plotlines? — Anonymous

I write the characters that shout the loudest. Just kidding. Well, sort of.

Sometimes, when I’m having a lot of trouble with a story I will start writing things down to see where it's actually going, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and sorting out the plotlines that work from the plotlines I want to work. Sometimes I may write—or just think through in my head—alternate plotlines or POVs to see what is most compelling and works best for the story.

Sometimes you do have to scrap things and start over. It’s hard work, but I’ve found that it’s worth it if it makes the story stronger.

Suzanne Lazear is the author of the steampunk fairytale series The Aether Chronicles. Innocent Darkness is out now. The sequel, Charmed Vengeance, will be released on August 8, by Flux.

Next week Jennifer Bosworth, author of the YA novel Struck, will take up the Head Counselor whistle and answer your questions! Ask her about first-week jitters, writing YA, and more here!

[nanowrimo]

Camp NaNoWriMo Presents "Ask a Published Author!"

Camp NaNoWriMo is getting some visitors. Don’t worry—we won’t have to tie up our food. In the coming weeks, we will have seven published authors acting as honorary Head Counselors: every Monday starting next week, a new published author (or two!) will answer your questions.  

Ask your questions in the comments, or through our Ask NaNoWriMo box. Any and all planning, writing, publishing, or process questions are welcome!

Here's our line-up:

First up? Suzanne Lazear, Wrimo and author of steampunk novels Innocent Darkness and its upcoming sequel Charmed Vengeance. 

Jennifer Bosworth, author of the YA novel Struck and writer of horror scripts directed by her husband, Ryan.

Julia Crouch, British Wrimo and author of thrillers Cuckoo and, most recently, Tarnished.

Sarah Duncan, UK author of romances including Kissing Mr. Wrong.

Ari Marmell, author of fantasy novels such as The Iron Kingdoms Chronicles’ In Thunder Forged as well as multiple roleplaying games.

James R. Strickland, Wrimo, and author of science-fiction and cyberpunk novels, including Looking Glass.

Susan Dennard, author of YA gothic mystery Something Strange and Deadly, and it's prequel and e-novella A Dawn Most Wicked.

Have any questions for our first author, Suzanne? Maybe you want to know how to maintain a mythology like Suzanne does with her steampunk faeries. Or maybe you're not sure if you're planning enough as Camp NaNoWriMo approaches. Now is the time to get those burning writing questions off your chest!