Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Writing Update – November 10, 2016

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I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing and what I’ve been reading.

Reminder Alert: Only one week left to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of Signs of Portents! Plenty of time left to spread the word and get people excited for the book!

Writing

NaNoWriMo is in full swing and I am chained to my folding table in the basement to crank out the second full length novel in the Greystone series. The Medusa Coin is a story I’ve been waiting to tell for way too long. To have the opportunity to maximize my productivity during this month long sprint is incredible.

I’m looking to complete the entire first draft for the NaNoWriMo challenge this year and have been plugging away diligently to make it happen. As of this writing I am 30 chapters in at a word count of 34,042. It definitely takes some getting used to being able to write almost full time compared to my normal schedule (the ever fading nap time). Very happy I’ve taken the challenge this year to test out how things will be once my two wonderful munchkins hit their school years though I do miss daylight (Not that there’s much of it to enjoy these days.)

You can read about my NaNoWriMo experience as well as some tips to prepare and survive the grueling month over at The Write Life starting next week.

currently writingTales from Portents

The line edit just came back from my brilliantly talented editor, Kristen Hamilton and I will be digging through her notes over the next two weeks before the proofreading phase begins. February is right around the corner so I plan to make this my full priority once I survive November. I’m looking forward to sharing this project with you. Very surprised at how well it came together considering its origins.

Kristen was nice enough to entertain some questions – okay, a lot of questions – about her process. I plan to share them over the next couple of weeks. A nice primer for how much she brings to the table as an editor and how to make the most of the collaboration.

Reading

Unfortunately, with more writing time the reading portion of my day has ground to a halt. I have been lucky enough to get more reading time with my three year old so if you’re looking for some scintillating reviews of Dora the Explorer or Pete the Cat I’d be glad to share them. Just not here. (As long as my daughter enjoys them, that’s all that matters, right?)

Thanks for reading.

Why Book Series Are So Appealing

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We live in a serial storytelling world. From the endless supply of sequels in Hollywood to the season length plotlines in our favorite television show to our favorite book series, we can’t escape them. And who wants to, right?

When I sat down to figure out the first project I would be releasing, Signs of Portents circled to the top. At the start of things the book was a one off. Tell the story and get the hell out of there. Move onto something else. Now it is a full blown book series. (Or will be after February’s release of Tales from Portents.)

And that’s a good thing.

Here are three reasons why book series are so appealing to readers and writers:

Creating stronger attachments.

Book series create stronger attachments. Think about it. You want to know what happens next in your favorite series. I recently read the Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King. The author could have left things alone after the initial installment of Mr. Mercedes but the character of Hodges stuck with him. Finders Keepers, while focusing on another narrative for two thirds of the book before pulling Hodges back into things did eventually create the through-line necessary for the “trilogy” to play out.

By the time I finished the second in the series I had pre-ordered a copy of the third. I had to know what happened to everyone involved in the story. How Bill Hodges would win the day. I felt compelled to follow Brady Hartsfield’s madness.

Covering all that in one book is possible but then it is done. Over. Finished. Not always a detriment and there are quite a few people out there that would argue that is all that is necessary. Put together a solid novel and let it out there. Beginning, middle and end. But sometimes more can be just as satisfying.

Seeing characters through more. The journey.

I’ve always been more of a television person than a film viewer. I prefer the journey of a character over more than one situation. It is more preferable for me to witness the fallout, the slow growth than the shift within the confines of a two hour movie. The same applies for people in love with book series.

What did they do next? Where do they go from here?

These are questions that I find myself fascinated with when putting together a story. Maybe it’s a weakness of mine. Maybe I have trouble closing out a single work because I’m afraid to end something so definitively. The journey, however, has always been the fun of it for me.

Characters, much like reality, go through more than one life changing situation. Each one shapes us as people, and as readers. That is where the effectiveness of a book series lies. How is each circumstance handled differently and why? How the protagonist evolves, sometimes against our better wishes, is something we have to see. Those expectations, that thrill at seeing the next chapter of a character’s existence is thrilling for readers.

It’s all about comfort.

For both readers and writers of a book series. Comfort in sitting down with old friends. Comfort in knowing certain tropes of the narrative. John McClane is going to be covered in blood and saying Yippee-ki-yay-something or other… Loren is always going to piss someone off with his attitude and his need to snap his gum at the absolute worst time. Soriya is always going to need to fight. Always.

We love that about series. The absolutes. It’s like wearing a warm blanket.

For writing especially. Book series offer the writer a break from designing every element and building world after world. Portents exists now. It is laid out. The Central Precinct exists. It has rules to it. Six floors. Loren’s office is on the second. Rules.

Even the cover has rules to it now. A style to it that should stay in keeping for the whole series. Because of that there is an ease in entering the world instead of trepidation at every turn. Should there always be something new to add to the world, helping it evolve over the course of the series? Absolutely. Should there be old standby’s, callbacks and nods to previous books in the series for the reader’s benefit? Definitely.

What do you prefer?

Do you prefer to follow a specific series or are you more in the vein of a one-and-done reader? What is it about either one that appeals to you? What do you look for in a series?

Drop me a line on social media or directly. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

NaNoWriMo

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It is the end of October. Fall is in full swing. Snow is right around the corner or seventy degree weather if you live in Buffalo. (INSANE) And tomorrow kicks off one of the biggest writing events of the year. NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month starts at 12:01 tomorrow morning.

About NaNoWriMo

The event was first held way back in the dark ages of the twentieth century. 1999. No one felt like partying by November because the Prince song had been played to death all fudging year. Instead, a challenge was issued to the writing community. 30 days of writing. A 50,000 word count as the target. Go.

Since that time the event has grown so much that in 2015 there were over 431,000 participants on six continents. Not too shabby.

The NaNoWriMo organization has expanded as well. A non-profit since 2005 they now host a Youth Writers Program, helping students become writers as well as helping educators push their students in the field. Camp NaNoWriMo offers a community of writers to work with during their sessions in April and July of every year. Being able to bounce ideas and pitch story to better develop their own skills goes a long way to building up the confidence to put together a fully formed manuscript.

What does this mean for me?

I’ve always had mixed feelings on the program. I believe writing should be every month, every day, every hour you’re able. (Praise to you, o glorious nap time.) I understand it’s purpose. Now more than ever. Dedicating a single month to crafting a singular project, focusing on it completely, makes sense. It forces writers to push through everything holding us back. Anxieties. Doubts. Fear. Busy schedules. Every fault we find in ourselves. Every excuse not to express ourselves and share what we discover during the journey.

So I’m in.

Follow along.

Starting tomorrow morning I am in full drafting mode. From Chapter One to The End when November 30th creeps up on me out of nowhere. (It will too. Damn calendars.) 50,000 words is the NaNoWriMo challenge. Unfortunately, that won’t cover the novel I have planned. I’m looking more at 85,000 to 90,000 by the looks of my outlines.

I always was an overachiever.

What am I working on? What do you have to look forward to down the line, after a massive amount of editing?

The next full length Greystone novel. I call it The Medusa Coin. Here’s a sneak peek:

Death has come to Portents.

Three months after the Night of the Lights the city has changed. Detective Greg Loren struggles to find his place in the city, while Soriya finds her confidence shattered in an instant.

Something is wrong with the Greystone.

But there isn’t time to worry about it. A new menace stalks the streets, slaughtering innocents mercilessly. Who is controlling it? Who has found access to the mysterious Medusa Coin?

And what does it mean for the city?

Faced with an insurmountable challenge will Loren and Soriya be able to overcome this new threat or will they fall with the rest of Portents?

This one has been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time. I can’t wait to see it finally come together.

The Write Life Connection

The fine folks at The Write Life have asked me to blog about my NaNoWriMo experience over on their site. I hope to share some tips on how to prepare for the challenge, how to get great results with your daily word count and how to reward yourself along the way.

Donate today.

NaNoWriMo.org accepts donations to help run the annual challenge and promote writing worldwide. Find out more on their site.

Join in the fun.

It might be tomorrow but you can still join in the challenge. Have that dream novel waiting in the back of your mind? There is no better time to write it than NOW.

I’ll be sharing my progress as I go along. I hope you’ll do the same.

Thanks for reading. Go write something!

Writing Update – October 27, 2016

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I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing and what I’ve been reading.

Writing

I start writing a new novel on Tuesday, November 1st. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo for the first time and am both excited and terrified at the undertaking. I think the challenge will be good for me in terms of productivity and craft. Or it could completely blow up in my face.

You can follow my journey in many places. Social media (with obligatory complaints about exhaustion and too much coffee). Here for the bi-weekly updates you crave. And starting in a couple weeks you can find me at The Write Life for my NaNoWriMo experience from start to finish. I want to thank the fine people over The Write Life for the opportunity.

For more on NaNoWriMo and on the project I will be working on for the month of November check out the blog on Monday. (Tease, tease, tease.)

Reading

Jim Butcher’s Death Masks (The Dresden Files Book Five) – Another fifth book in a series. I just realized that. Weird. Another great installment in the Dresden Files series. Every book gets bigger in scope. And every time I read one I wonder how Butcher is going to pull everything together. There are so many different threads being explored in this book, and all by Harry Dresden, Chicago’s # 1 curmudgeon wizard. How they interweave, connect and disconnect to the overall plot is where the true magic is and Butcher shows a true mastery of the craft with this novel.

I always feel that pull to write in the first person and then Butcher shows me how much better he is at it than I probably ever will be. Something to strive for in the future, for sure. Dresden is sarcastic yet 100% informative in his telling of the story. The perfect blend to keep the reader connected and entertained to the narrative.

I can’t wait to read the next one. Check it out.

Thanks for reading.

The Need For Collaboration

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I almost feel like this is more of a reminder to myself than something to share here on the blog. Collaboration has never been one of my strong suits. It is something I’ve always WANTED. Just not something that has ever come together easily.

Even at a young age I cringed at group projects. To put your faith in someone else to do as good a job as you would if you had full control of the entire thing? Not so easy for me. It wasn’t a choice back then. It is now.

Collaboration is necessary.

It really is. I love to write. That is my thing, my talent, my contribution to the world (or at least to the hard drive of my computer until something gets finished). Writing is where my focus is and where it should be.

Unfortunately, writing is only a piece of the process to putting my work out into the world. There are dozens of other areas necessary to turn a written piece into a published work ready to be shot out into the world.

Can you do it all on your own? Sure. Yeah. You could spend your time on each individual component of the process. Should you? That’s your call as well.

Time is fleeting.

I work during naps and at night with some extra hours on the weekends thrown in so I can actually hit the deadlines I create for myself. When I sit down with a goal in mind, I have to justify the time involved. If I have marketing to do for Signs of Portents I have to weigh the time necessary to do it well versus getting a chapter written for my next project. If it turns out that my time is better put toward writing, then I need to think of a different way to market. Do I use a service like Leadpages or Cart of Books? Or do I ask a friend for an assist?

This website took a long time to build and organize. I put it off until I had certain things in place, including the final version of Signs of Portents. But I also knew I couldn’t do it alone. I had friends that helped guide me in order to leave me time to continue editing my next project. I never did get a chance to give them a shout out so a big round of applause to Paul Sardella and Kelsey Dewey for their help in building  and critiquing the site. And also to Sara Frandina for her pointers along the way.

Building a team.

There are a massive amount of moving parts involved in putting out a book. From editing to cover design to formatting. All need to be addressed and tweaked and double checked. Then checked again by someone with eyes that aren’t completely fried from staring at the screen all day. (Or shaking out of their skull from too many cups of coffee.)

There was a time I thought I could do it all on my own. Get a template. Learn PhotoShop. Design a cover. Write a book description. Edit (even without a strong grasp on that essential tool called GRAMMAR).

That was fear. Fear of putting my work into the world. Fear that someone else added to the mix wouldn’t bring the enthusiasm and the drive necessary to make the book succeed.

Idiot.

If anything every time I’ve shared with someone, received feedback from someone or had a promotional piece created by someone it has rejuvenated my desire to create. They push me to be better and stronger and faster. Relying on someone else, forsaking a small portion of control, enhances the final product and I will be eternally grateful to all those surrounding me in this endeavor.

Write. Write. And then write some more.

“You should be writing.” My wife tells me this all the time. It is what I tell myself when I come to an impasse on making a decision about my time. My goal should be writing. Graphic design is never going to be my passion or my strong suit. Should I learn something about it? Definitely. Should I spend ten hours learning how to crop an image on PhotoShop that will never be used? Probably not.

Take advantage of people a whole lot smarter than you for things that aren’t in your wheelhouse. Collaboration is the key. Without my editor and formatter, Kristen Hamilton at Kristen Corrects, and my cover designer Kit Foster at Kit Foster Design my book would not have left the basement. Without services like Fiverr and Canva I would still be spending days on PhotoShop instead of working on my third book this year.

Know your limitations. Know your goals. Then build the team you need to succeed.

Then get back to writing. I need a new book to read.

Thanks for reading.

Signs of Portents – Author Commentary Part 5

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I saved one of my favorite subjects from Signs of Portents for last. The villain of the story.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Villain Building.

Villain building is always a tough nut to crack. On some level there is a purity to just being evil. To being the killer. But there has to be a reason for it. Some layered discontent, some mental instability, something there to connect to the reader.

Villainous motivations.

Nathaniel Evans was a one note player in the drama. During the first draft he was the killer but there was nothing to his story other than the destruction of the city. As I went along, as pieces fell into place and the “signs” portion of the title made more sense to me on every level, I realized the why of it all.

Why Evans was the right choice for the villain in this novel. Why he was after what he was after. And even why each victim came into focus, giving me a little tease for what was coming in future books. (Did you wonder about that too? How a man dead for over one hundred years could stumble on the exact people he needed at the right time? Think about that.)

The tools at his disposal.

The question of the specific victims aside, their role in Evans rebuilding throughout the novel was something I went back and forth on. Did he take both of Decker’s hands or only one? What about Abigail Fortune’s eyes? Early drafts had it as both but as I went back and tweaked little details I realized how much more creepy the man could be with one mangled hand and one pristine.

The same was true for the eyes. Two crimson was on the nose. (Even my three year old daughter knows people with red eyes are evil. And if they have sharp teeth? Totally evil.) Having both eyes blue didn’t work either. Too mundane. But one of each?

villain building

The cover alone sold me on that idea.

Origin stories

The true history of Portents wasn’t fleshed out in the first draft and became confusing to the reader. It was a slow evolution through the editing process. But once it came it clicked into place nicely to help in my villain building. The William Rath story. The flashbacks to the Town Square. All of that came after the initial draft to help flesh out Evans. Each element was carefully placed. My fear for a long time was in over-complicating the plot. It is a fear I carry into every project because it takes away clarity and momentum in the climb to the climax.

And yes, the William Rath “story” wiping out the truth about Evans may have been a play on Jebediah Springfield from The Simpsons. It did occur to me when I went into revision mode. Who hasn’t been influenced by The Simpsons at this point?

Questions?

I think I’ve come to the end of my commentary on Signs of Portents. I love doing this kind of thing and can’t wait to share some of the craziness behind Tales from Portents in a few months. Until then, if you have any questions on Signs that I didn’t cover or that you were interested in learning more about feel free to contact me directly here. There is also the Facebook and Twitter pages that I stalk frequently as well. Goodreads also has a really cool Ask the Author feature that would be a great place to keep the conversation going.

Thanks for reading.

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