This month's promos
A few notes on fiction writing followed by this month's promos
I recently saw some writing advice that admonished writers who didn’t create characters with a specific set of attributes. I won’t go into what those attributes are because they’re not relevant to my reaction, which I didn’t bother sharing with the article’s author.
One of the problems with columns about how to write is that there seems to be in place some general notion that there is one way to do things, and all else leads to failure.
Regarding certain core aspects of writing, that’s certainly true. I saw one such column that emphasized the importance of grammar, for example. It’s hard to argue with that.
Many writing advice columns urge you to read voraciously. I agree. I don’t know how you can write without reading a lot. I’m sad that I can’t read as much as I used to. My old eyes bark and I often nod off reading even the most scintillating novel.
When I was young, I was a reading nerd. I read the classics beginning in third grade or so, mostly because my parents had a small library of old books like the Brothers Karamazov, Great Expectations, and Gulliver’s Travels.
Prominent among their small collection was a fabulous, ancient edition of Dante’s Inferno with amazing illustrations by Gustave Doré. That book may have been what first captured my reading imagination. It was part of a larger collection called The Divine Comedy.
Much of what was written in those books, which were long poems by Dante Alighieri and translated by Henry Francis Cary, went over my head, but other parts managed to seep in. The books were not, and are not, beyond the reckoning of an eleven or twelve-year-old kid. Or someone even younger, like I was.
What child would not be influenced in some way by a writer who encounters the gate of hell and exclaims, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here,” a phrase that should probably appear as signage at every Chicago sports team stadium entrance?
What child, who is perhaps discovering that they can create worlds of their own through writing, as I was, would not be influenced by the metaphors of the old scribes?
Thus I beheld assemble the fair school Of that lord of the song pre-eminent, Who o’er the others like an eagle soars.
Dante’s metaphor was a simple one: like the eagle soars. But it’s that kind of writing that gives birth to the evolution of our own.
When a young child is exposed to such poetry, it becomes a part of him. At least, it did me.
So yes, reading is a critical prerequisite to writing.
However, I’m not sure you can teach character development aside from encouraging more reading. If you have trouble with character development, my advice would be very simple: read more.
I recently read a bit of advice that suggested that writers must be in firm control of their characters.
This is where I’d argue that it all depends on the writer.
My characters tend to control me, not the other way around. When the lead character of MagicLand solved a problem at a critical time, I said this nearly out loud: “Did she really do this?”
She astonished me.
I love being astonished by my characters. If they don’t take enough life of their own to be able to surprise me, I find myself unable to continue a story.
Discover your own process for character development. Listen to advice on how to do that with great caution. But do me one favor, please, for the love of all that is holy and all that isn’t: Don’t use AI.
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This Month’s Promos
Once a month, I pass along promos from fellow Indie authors. If you’d like to participate, send me a DM or email. Note that this is not an affiliate program. Nobody gets any extra cash by participating. It’s just a way to help get eyeballs. Note also that I don’t review any of these books. I’m merely passing along the information.
This month’s promos…
"Yesteryear's Ruin"
by Jane M. Bell
At the intersection of science and madness lies a man who will risk everything to undo his greatest regret.
Yesteryear's Ruin: A Time-Bending Historical Psychological Thriller
When brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Matthias Levi is recruited to Washington, D.C.'s Saint Elizabeths Hospital after World War II, his cutting-edge research promises to reshape the future of psychiatry. But when tragedy strikes, Levi becomes consumed by grief, spiraling into a dangerous obsession with the past.
Desperate to heal his broken heart, Levi pushes his experiments to terrifying new heights, using his patients as unwilling subjects in his quest to bend time and relive lost moments. But as Levi blurs the line between reality and illusion, he begins to lose control—of both his mind and his humanity. An anomaly in his experiment, plunges Levi further into a nightmarish world where memories aren't just revisited—but are rewritten.
With the hospital staff growing concerned and suspicious and his crumbling mental state, Levi must face the ultimate question: How far is he willing to go to fix his mistakes? And can he escape the horrifying consequences of manipulated time before it destroys everything he’s ever known?
In Yesteryear's Ruin, ambition, grief, and madness collide in a gripping historical thriller that will leave you questioning what’s real, what’s imagined, and the price of playing with time itself.
Fans of psychological suspense and historical intrigue won’t be able to put this heart-pounding debut down.
Now with an Added Bonus! A special sneak peek sample of Yesteryear's Echo: A Historic Psychological Thriller—Book 1 in the highly anticipated Case 47 Series by Jane M. Bell—is now available with this title! Go deeper into the gripping mystery intricate web of history, mystery, psychology, and suspense.
Don’t miss out on this thrilling preview—now included with Yesteryear's Ruin!
The Midnight Society - Alien Awakening
by Orion Blake
In a sleepy Montana town, five twenty-something friends—Tyler, Maya, Olivia, Alex, and Connor—have chased paranormal thrills since childhood as The Midnight Society. But one fateful night changes everything.
Under a canopy of strange lights, they stumble upon a mysterious alien craft. Abducted and experimented on by the tyrannical alien overlord Sultah, the friends find themselves imbued with extraordinary powers, revealing untapped potential and igniting a thrilling transformation.
As friendships are tested and loyalties waver under Sultah's ruthless manipulation, the stakes soar to galactic heights. United, they must confront not just a dark force threatening their town, but a sinister plot that could enslave the entire human race.
Will they rise as heroes, or will Sultah's cruel machinations divide and destroy them?
Join The Midnight Society and their faithful canine companion, Whisp, in "Alien Awakening," a breathtaking sci-fi adventure brimming with intrigue, betrayal and pulse-pounding action. Every twist will leave you craving more.
The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. Are you ready to join the resistance?
THE MIDNIGHT HOUR BECKONS!
Hometown Space Pirate
by C.G. Harris
Meet Ben, an ordinary resident of a small town whose life takes an extraordinary turn when his hidden talents catch the attention of the galactic grapevine. Suddenly, he finds himself catapulted to the top of an artificial intelligence's most wanted list, destined to become their cybernated slave. However, amidst the bleak prospects, a tantalizing offer emerges—everything Ben has ever dreamed of in exchange for his compliance.
Enter a headstrong spaceship with a mind of its own, offering assistance to Ben in his time of need. But can he trust this unconventional companion? As he grapples with doubts and uncertainties, Ben stumbles upon a startling revelation—a powerful alien has sought refuge on Earth, ensnared by the clutches of the A.I. beings. Driven by a sense of justice and compassion, Ben embarks on a daring mission to liberate this otherworldly visitor from their captors.
That’s it for now!
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