I have edits for Bewitched & Betrayed! Yea!

Well, I'm back from my long weekend in the mountains. Derek & I had a wonderful time -- and I didn't take my laptop out of its case the entire weekend! (Good for me!) The rest & relaxation was much needed. I was either reading, sleeping, or sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch watching for wildlife for Amy to take photos of. BTW -- Our good friends Wes & Amy went with us. They own NBS Gym where Derek and I fence. Wes is our coach; and ladies, he's also the initial inspiration for Phaelan. ; ) Amy's promised to email some of the pics she took this weekend, and when she does (and when Blogger is cooperating) I'll post them.

Derek saw a bobcat (of course, right after Amy had gone back in the cabin). Amy got some great pics of a deer, and there was a rabbit following her around all weekend wanting to get its picture taken. Tame little critter.

Yesterday afternoon when I got home, Anne's edits (my editor at Ace Books) were waiting for me in the email. She loved the book; but as usual, she has some great suggestions for making it even better. One of the main things we're focusing on is getting it down to size. It needs to be no more than 110K words, and at the moment, is a little over 120K. Trimming it down to size will be a piece of cake (aka easy). I know you all are saying: "Noooooo, don't cut it! We want to read it all!!" Well, think of it this way, what I cut, you guys get to read as snippets. : ) If it doesn't result in spoilers, I'll post it. How about that?

So I'm gonna be a VERY BUSY girl until October 1st. Don't forget the deadline for the "Find Talon" contest (scroll down to somewhere last week for details) is this Friday. I need JPEGs of who you think is the perfect Talon -- since I have actors who I visualize while writing for nearly every other character, but I don't have anyone for Talon. And there are prizes. I'll post the winner on Saturday.

Have yourselves a great Monday!
Lisa

Actors/models I visualize while I'm writing

FINALLY, Blogger decided to cooperate. Below are the long-promised photos of actors/models I visualize while I'm writing my books. I just included the main characters. You'll notice that Talon isn't there. Scroll down to yesterday's post for details on the "Find Talon" contest. I'm getting lots of great entries. BTW -- Feel free to enter as many times as you like.

I'm leaving this afternoon to go to the NC mountains for a much needed long weekend at our family cabin. I won't have any Internet access until I get back home late Sunday afternoon. I hope you all have a great rest of the week and weekend.

Lisa



A Chris McGrath print/cover for Midwinter. This is the closest to Tam that I've ever seen. And yes, you can buy this print. I have one. ; )


Felicia Day as Raine Benares.


Gerard Butler as Mychael Eiliesor.


A younger Josh Groban as Piaras Rivalin.


Johnny Depp as Phaelan Benares.



Anthony Hopkins as Justinius Valerian.



Jason Issacs as Carnades Silvanus.



Dennis Storhoi as Vegard.

Where's Talon? The man, the myth, the contest.

Blogger still isn't cooperating by posting photos. But in locating in my files the photos of the actors/models or whoever I visualize when writing, I realized that I don't have anyone for Talon. The kid would find it completely unacceptable and incomprehensible that everyone can't see how hot and utterly irresistable he is.

So, let's have a contest. With prizes. Find Talon for me. Email photos (in JPEG format please) to me at lisa @ lisashearin (dot) com. Let's run the contest through next Friday, September 4th. I'll announce the winner on Saturday, September 5th. I'll pick the one who looks the most like the Talon I see in my head.

And the prize will be your choice of a t-shirt with the cover of The Trouble With Demons or an 11 x 17 glossy print of the TTWD cover. Winner's choice.

Ladies and gentlemen, rev up your search engines!

Author with a headache

Sorry, everyone, I just can't do a blog today. I've got one of my 3-day sinus headaches, and it's excruciating to look at the computer screen. I hope to be back to posting tomorrow.

Lisa

Monday miscellaneous stuff

Well, this morning I had promised to post photos of actors who I visualize when writing. Blogger let me upload one photo, then it wouldn't do any more. Grrrrrr. I will try to do it sometime this week -- if Blogger is willing.

BTW -- For those of you who didn't see me running around cyberspace this weekend going "Wooooooooooot!!!", I finished the synopsis for Book 6. Oh joy! Oh rapture! Happy, happy writer! I took the rest of the weekend off and reconnected with friends, family, and humanity in general. It was wonderful.

On Thursday after work, Derek and I are leaving to go to his family's cabin in the NC mountains for the weekend. That means no Internet, no TV, three radio stations, spotty cell phone reception, and a rotary-dial phone in the cabin. In other words, much needed writer bliss. I shall take books, I shall sit on the front porch in a rocking chair, and I shall be seriously relaxed.

Tomorrow I'll either post actor photos or answer a reader question. This morning (thanks to the dogs) I've had way too little sleep, and can barely string together a coherent sentence. So you'll have to excuse me. Don't worry, the dogs are fine, and we love them dearly, but the girls were really obnoxious last night -- they both wanted to sleep with us and it got competitive. Andy, as always, was a perfect gentleman.

Yep, it's Monday. My goal is to stay awake for it.
Lisa

Saturday morning coffee on the back deck

I'm on the back deck having coffee, checking out the woods behind our house for deer, and having coffee. The citronella candle is doing a funky snap, crackle & pop thing this this morning. I couldn't be outside for five seconds without being covered in a swarm of mosquitoes without it, so I put up with the smell. Better the smell than itchy welts. I woke up this morning to the usual -- a 70-lb. greyhound wrapped around my head with his head on my face. Couldn't see a thing but a big black nose. Yep, Andy's a momma's boy. They're presently all in bed with Derek.

Well, Blogger is finally cooperating and will let me post photos again, so on Monday (if it's still working) I'll post the actors/models that I visualize for my main characters while I'm writing. And as of yesterday, we have approved back cover copy for Bewitched & Betrayed. At least me, Anne, and Kristin have approved it. I know, I know, you want to see it NOW. But the higher ups at Ace Books have to approve it before I can post it, but as soon as I have the green light, you all can get a juicy look at what B&B is about. And I'm thinking in the next month, I'll get my first look at the cover. And again, as soon as it's final and approved, I'll post it here for you all.

I'm determined (no, I WILL) finish the synopsis for Book 6 this weekend. I know that edits for B&B are coming any day now, and I want nothing on my plate when they hit. But if I finish the Book 6 synop before the edits arrive (which would be very cool) I'll probably go ahead and write my remaining three columns for this year for The Writer magazine, or start in on Chapter 1 of Con & Conjure (I just love that title. Thank you, Jo!

Okay, I'm going to log off for a while, drink coffee, and watch for deer and hummingbirds. It's my Saturday morning unwind and relax time before I go grocery shopping and then come home and start writing for the day. Relaxing, deep breathing, coffee drinking time is good.

Have a great weekend!
Lisa

How will you end Raine's adventures?

Today a question from Candace: I know you've talked about this a little in the past but as you are preparing books 5, 6 and 7, I have to ask. To write these synopses you must know how you are going to end Raine's story. Right? Or is it growing as you continue to write about her? Many series have the same character but every book is a different adventure and it wraps up at the end of each book. I think it's fascinating that you can just sit down and have a clue to where this particular story is going 3 books from now. Books you haven't even written yet. You must have a great muse! Have you always known how you'll end this adventure (or do you know)? Do you know how many more books you'll write about Raine and the Saghred?

Great questions, Candace! Do I know how I'm going to end Raine's story? Yes and no. Is it continuing to grow? Most definitely. I've finished writing the synop for Book 5 (Con & Conjure), and am wrestling like a mad woman to finish the synop for Book 6. I had considered pushing ahead and writing the synop for Book 7, but apparently I can't push that hard. Two books ahead is as far as I can think/plot without my brains running out my ears. I kinda sorta know what happens in Book 7, but not enough concrete info to write a synop. So I guess this means I work best in two-book chunks.

And the reason I'm trying to finish the Book 6 synop quickly is that I'm expecting to get Anne's suggestions for edits on Bewitched & Betrayed any day now, and I'm trying to clear the decks so I can work exclusively on those, especially since I'll have a deadline to get them done.

Writing a good synop is HARD. (Yes, I'm whining now because I'm danged near exhausted.) For those of you who read the synop for The Trouble With Demons that I posted (scroll down, it's in there somewhere), the way I write synops is really hard: Raine's voice, first person, snarky tone, basically telling the whole story in 12 pages or less by only hitting the big plot points and weaving them all together. I'm at the point now in the Book 6 synop where I'm going "I don't wanna push anymore." Yep, I'm comparing it to labor. But I know that if I push my brain for just a little longer, I'll be the proud mom of a bouncing (and snarky) Baby Synopsis (and hopefully another two-book contract). So it'll all be worth it. (Okay, author whining over).

Have a great Friday! (and my brain will keep pushing)
Lisa

Do you wanna date my avatar

Many of you have probably already seen this, but for those of you who haven't -- TREAT YOURSELVES! Felicia Day and the cast of The Guild are beyond priceless in this video.

Enjoy!

I'm the Featured Writer at Fantasy Debut

Come on over to Fantasy Debut today where I'm the Featured Writer for "Writer Wednesday." It's an all-day comment/Q&A and Tia Nevitt of Fantasy Debut is the hostess. The topic for the day is Dialogue, and I've provided Tia with two of my favorite dialogue sections from The Trouble With Demons.

Pop over during the day and join the fun!
Lisa

How do I edit my books?

Today, a question from Marie: How do you edit you work? Chapter by chapter? Edit in stages? Do one type first (say storyline, plot, etc., then grammar, sentence structure, etc). How many times did you go through MLTF? How do you know when you're done?! There's always the, "don't be come obsessesed" issue but then there are editors and agent saying to only send in your very very best work. At what point did you "cut the cord" with MLTF?

I cut the cord with MLTF when I knew it was as good as I could possibly make it. Of course, Kristin and Anne helped me make it much better. ; )

As to subsequent books, when I'm writing a first draft, I try not to go back and edit too much as I go. I'm a professional editor/proofreader in my day job, so curbing my impulses ain't easy. When I'm doing the final edit, I take it chapter by chapter, doing everything at one (content, grammar, spelling, fact checking/consistency).

I have a checklist (basically a piece of paper with all the chapter numbers on it). When I put a check mark next to a chapter number, I know that chapter is as polished as I can make it (or as polished as I have time to make it on a deadline), and I move on to the next chapter. When I'm finished, I rarely have time for a final read-through. I trust that the chapters are ready to go when they all have check marks. At that point I take all the separate Word docs (I use a separate Word doc for each chapter) and put them together, add page numbers, my name and title as a header, and send that puppy off to Anne & Kristin. Then that torturous time of waiting begins. ; )

Tomorrow I'll be the Featured Writer over at Fantasy Debut. Tia Nevitt has graciously invited me over for a day of chat/Q&A. Come and join me for live chat on Wednesday.

Lisa

Reunion between Justinius & Tarsilia??

My plan was to post photos of the actors who I visualize for my characters while I'm writing. However, Blogger has been having emotional issues yesterday and today, and won't post my photos. (grumble, grumble). So when Blogger decides to cooperate, I'll be posting photos. In the meantime, you all have been sending in some great questions (keep 'em coming).

This morning, I'll answer Simone's question. Do you have any plans for a reunion between Piaras's grandmother and Justinius?

The answer is yes, but not yet. As you all are aware, my plots tend to get rather complex. And there are a lot of them. I've been wanting to do a Justinius/Tarsilia subplot for some time now. However, it has yet to fit in one of the books. Heck, I can't even wedge it in with a crowbar. I even have scenes already written for it, scenes I wrote a couple of years ago. It still won't fit. I have the same thing going on with other characters. Remember Alix and Parry from Magic Lost, Trouble Found? I have plans for them as well, but they have yet to fit. Raine's world is just so large and full of great characters that it's impossible to include them all in each book, or sometimes, like in the case of Justinius & Tarsilia, to include them at all -- or at least right now.

So for those of you with favorite supporting characters that you want to see again, I hope to be playing in Raine's world for a long time and eventually be able to get to them all.

Tomorrow I'll either answer another one of your questions, or post the actor photos if Blogger is cooperating, And on Wednesday, I'll be the Featured Writer over at Fantasy Debut. Tia Nevitt has graciously invited me over for a day of chat/Q&A. Come and join me for live chat on Wednesday.

I know it's Monday, but try to make it a good one. ; )
Lisa

Winner of the "Name That Spy" contest

We have a winner of the Raine's Rangers "Name That Spy" contest. I needed names for a pair of twin goblin spies/thieves who will appear in Con & Conjure, and the members of Raine's Rangers gave me so many good entries. It was really difficult to pick a winner, but I picked one.

Our winner is Tairis Anders, and his winning names are: Nisral & Raslin Hesai.

Congratulations, Tairis! BTW -- I did a mix & match on two of his first name entries, but in all of his entries, the first and last names were anagrams of "Lisa Shearin." Very cool. Tairis, your name will go on the Acknowledgements page of Con & Conjure for naming my goblin thieves.

Okay folks, I have prizes in my office closet and I need some more contest ideas so I can share the wealth. Your ideas can be something you just come up with, or something another author did that you thought was cool. My brain is fried from writing book synopses, so I need your help. You want prizes. I want to give you prizes. But first I need contest ideas. Let's hear 'em.

I've gotten some great questions which I will start answering next week. Coming up on Monday, by request, I'll post photos of the actors who I visualize for my main characters while I'm writing. And on Wednesday, I'll be Tia Nevitt's guest over at Fantasy Debut as the Featured Writer for Writer Wednesday. It's an all-day chat/comment/Q&A, so be sure to join me over at Tia's place on Wednesday.

Have a great weekend! I'll be putting my nose to the grindstone on these synopses. I want to finish them in the next 2-3 weeks. Wish me luck on that one. ; ) But heck, with writing, anything can happen.

Lisa

Update on Book 6 and 7 synopses

Normally, I'd update you on my synopsis-writing progress by just saying that I'm working on them . . . however, I've discovered that I actually have kind of a quasi process for these things. So for those of you writing a synopsis, I thought I'd share.

First, as I have said before, I take (copy and paste) all of the elements (scenes, dialogue, etc.) from my Master Notes File that I think will go in the book, creating a new file (usually 20-30 pages worth). Then I go through the new file and move any copy or scene snippets up to the beginning of the file that I think are the "big moments" -- meaning things that I think I want to include in my final synopsis.

I've done all that for Book 6. Now I'm to the part that I haven't shared with you yet. The bullet points. I think for the Con & Conjure synopsis (aka Book 5), I ended up with about 16 bullets. These are one-line (and no more than two-line) summaries of my MAJOR plot points. For the most part, these are the points I will need to address in my synopsis. (I ended up not using about four of mine, but that's okay, it's just a guide to help focus my thinking.) I even printed mine out and carried them in my notepad notebook, so I could refer to them at any time, to let my brain stew on it and start to play connect-the-dots with the various plot points.

It's like figuring out a puzzle. You have the big plot points you know need to be in the synopsis, but you have to figure out how they fit together. With me, I know they fit, I just have to be able to see how. When I'm at this point, I start writing a rough draft of the synopsis. As I write, a lot of those connecting elements start revealing themselves. And it only does this for me through the writing. I've never been able to stare at those 12 bullet points and get the answers I need. I have to "write it out."

Just thought I'd share, hope it helps.

BTW -- I'll be announcing the winner of the Raine's Rangers contest tomorrow. And as to blog topics, I know I'm always asking for writing-related questions (and I still want those), but for those of you who are avid readers, do you have any questions? They can be book related (just as long as it doesn't involve a spoiler), or something else, or even something personal about me -- just as long as it isn't too personal. ; ) I like questions, so just email me and ask.

ADDED SINCE THIS MORNING: Here's a great blog post by Ilona Andrews (FABULOUS books!) on why it takes a year for you to see books from your fav authors. Ilona and I have the same publisher and editor, so what she says is how it is for me, too. Enjoy the enlightenment. ; )

Happy Friday!
Lisa

Interview with me at Nayu's Reading Corner

Today, pop over to Nayu's Reading Corner to check out an interview with me. Thank you for the invitation and interview, Yunaleska!

Lisa

Miscellaneous cool stuff

Working hard on the synopses for Books 6 and 7 -- at the same time. Didn't intend to do them both together, but when the words come, you ignore them at your peril. So today, some cool stuff.

The cover for Jim Butcher's next Dresden Files book was posted yesterday on Twitter. It's called Changes and will be out in April. As a rabid Dresden Files fan, I can't wait!

Laurell Hamilton has a great blog about writer's block and how she un-blocks.

Tomorrow, I'll post a link to an interview that I just did.

Your madly writing author,
Lisa

Keeping your focus

A question from Louise: How do you keep your mind focused on one project at a time? I find that my mind wanders to new ideas. Is that an omen that the current project is no good? Sometimes I just have too many ideas, not all in the same genre, but not enough time to dedicate to them. How do you make sure you don't lose your focus?

Great question, Louise! And to tell you the truth, a great problem to have. My mind is completely focused on Raine's stories. Note that I said that in the plural. Yes, I have future books running around in my head, some featuring Raine, some featuring one or more of my other characters. I handle it the same way you should probably handle your dilemma -- write them down. Open a new Word doc, or if you're working with pen & paper, get yourself a new folder, and write down the ideas, all of them. This will get those other pesky muses off of your back so you can focus on the project at hand.

And no, having a multitude of ideas doesn't necessarily mean that your present project is no good; it just means that your muse(s) is overactive. And this is a very good thing. I speak from experience of not being able to get a word out of her. Be grateful that yours is talkative. And in multiple genres, no less. That's a blessing. But if you find yourself getting bored with the project at hand, or it stops dead in the water as a result of one of your other ideas, there's nothing wrong with setting it aside temporarily to work on the other. Perhaps the project you were working on need some time to simmer before the rest of it is ready to come out.

Hope this helps!
Lisa

Keep those writing questions coming -- and unless it would result in a book spoiler, I'm willing to answer other types of questions as well.

Monday writing update

Here's a great review of The Trouble with Demons by Keri Honea over at Suite 101.

My agent Kristin was reviewing my finished synopsis of Book 5 and she loves it, just a tweak here and there and I'm done and can move on full-steam on the Book 6 synopsis. Book 5 is now named Con & Conjure thanks to Jo Stapley, the winner of my Name That Book contest. Thank you, Jo for the great title! The deadline for the contest I'm having over at Raine's Rangers is this Friday, so pop over and join (see the button to the right) if you want to enter.

Ideas for Book 6 are coming to me fast & furious now. I guess I just needed a little "literary love" by my agent (aka enthusiastic approval of Book 5 with only a few questions) to kick my muse back to work. After I've finished writing the synopsis for Book 6, I'll do a short/teaser synopsis for Book 7. Then we'll be ready to submit them to my publisher to get another book contract. Being without a book contract makes me a little antsy, so the quicker I write those last two synops, the quicker I hopefully get to sign my name on the dotted line. A contracted author is a happy author. : )

It'll be 101 degrees here in central North Carolina today with a heat index (aka what it actually feels like) of 107 degrees. Thankfully, I'll be working in a nice air conditioned office.

Have a good one!
Lisa

Name That Book contest winner!

We have a winner! You all sent in some great (and I do mean GREAT) entries. In fact, with the next book, we'll be doing this again, and I'll hold on to everyone's email who entered this time.

The winner is Jo Stapley with Con & Conjure. I think it describes perfectly what I have planned for Book 5, plus it has that playful humor I know my editor will be looking for.

Congratulations, Jo! Your name will appear on the Acknowledgements page of Con & Conjure.

Have a great weekend everyone! (And remember, keep those writing questions coming. I'll be answering the ones you've sent in next week.)

Lisa

BTW -- I'll have another contest coming up soon with some new prizes that I just got in the mail yesterday -- they're great!

Great review and contest deadlines

Happy Friday, everybody! Is it just me, or was this one heck of a long week?

Over on Books With Swords is a great and very insightful review of The Trouble With Demons. Thank you, Keri!

Don't forget that today is the deadline for entering the Name That Book contest. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow. For more details, go to my July 28 blog post.

And next Friday is the deadline to enter the contest I've announced over on my Yahoo Group fan club -- Raine's Rangers. If you're interested in joining in on the contest, click the purple button to the right and join Raine's Rangers.

As you can see to the right -- Webmaster Todd has changed the button to my CafePress store to say exactly what you can do over there -- "Buy Cool T-Shirts!" With their new baby, I hope Todd & Elyse are getting at least some sleep. ; )

If anyone has any writing questions about the TTWD plot synopsis that I posted yesterday -- just ask.

Have a great Friday!
Lisa

The Trouble With Demons -- Plot Synopsis

As promised, here is the complete plot synopsis for The Trouble With Demons. Scroll down to yesterday's post for all the details as to why I'm posting it -- basically, it's a teaching tool for those of you "pre-published authors" who will need to know what one looks like and how to write one. And as always, if you have any writing-related questions afterwards, please ask. That's what I'm here for.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read The Trouble With Demons yet, and want to find out what happens in your own good time -- stop reading now and avert your eyes.

Here goes. . .

My name is Raine Benares. I'm a seeker--and then some.

Two weeks ago, I found the Saghred--an ancient stone of cataclysmic power, a stealer of souls, eater of spellsingers, the bane of my existence. The soul-sucking rock attached itself to me like a psychic leech. My magical skill level used to be marginal. Now I don't think I have any limits.

So I came to the only place with people who could possibly help me.

The Isle of Mid is home to the most prestigious college for sorcery, as well as the Conclave, the governing body for all magic users in the seven kingdoms. My new powers put me at the top of every power-hungry mage's most wanted list. I want to get rid of the Saghred. They want to kidnap and use me, or keep me locked up for the rest of my life.

It didn't help my case any that last week I'd stepped hard on some faculty toes, assaulted the number two mage on the island (he started it), single-handedly stormed the elven embassy, then topped it off with a walk on black magic's wild side with a sexy goblin dark mage.

This week a gang of demons mugged an elven mage in broad daylight.

The demons want something and they think the mage has it. I'm a sucker for people in trouble and try to help. Turns out my help isn't enough. The demons kill the mage and their leader tells me, "We only do your will, my lady," in front of a crowd of gawking onlookers (now convenient witnesses) before he and his minions vanish. So guess who's left standing there with one dead body and all of the blame?

Those demons didn't get to Mid by boat like the rest of us. They came through a hellgate, a tear between their dimension and ours. A dark mage has sliced himself a hellgate somewhere on the island, and entirely too many accusing fingers are now pointing directly at yours truly. So before you can say exorcist, I've gone from being a magical must-have to public enemy number one.

I didn't open that hellgate--but I know who did.

Rudra Muralin is the most powerful and dangerous shaman to ever to wield the Saghred. He's also a thousand-year-old, psychotic goblin teenage spellsinger who wants his rock back. He doesn't have it, and he blames me. Like a bad rash, he won't go away, and now he's recruited some like-minded mage friends on Mid. Allies who are stupid enough to think he'll share his power with them, or arrogant enough to think they can take the Saghred's power for themselves.

Unless I get the Saghred for them, Rudra Muralin and his mages will open the hellgate wider, releasing larger and deadlier demons--demons who will eat most any human, elf, goblin, or dwarf they can get their claws into. Demons come in all shapes, sizes and destructive preferences; some possess bodies, others slurp souls, all leave death and desolation in their wake. A fully open and stable hellgate could release legions of demons, overrun Mid's defenses, and put the most magically gifted young people in the seven kingdoms at the mercy of the worst the lower hells can spit out. Muralin says if I get the Saghred for him, it will all go away--including him.

Right. And I'll bet he has a bridge in Laerin he wants to sell me.

Rudra Muralin is just one of my problems. The Conclave's mages and faculty have gone into witch hunt mode and my name's at the top of their list, but two other names are keeping mine company.

Tamnais Nathrach is a goblin dark mage, a semi-rehabilitated practitioner of black magic, and former chief shaman and magical enforcer for the late goblin queen. I'm a member of the most notorious criminal family in the seven kingdoms. A dark mage and a Benares make a convenient pair of scapegoats. Last week, we used some heavy-duty magic to stop Rudra Muralin from sacrificing six spellsingers to the Saghred. We'd done what needed to be done, and we hadn't been quiet when we did it.

Tam and I have known each other for years. Now thanks to the Saghred, we're psychically inseparable, which makes us about as intimate as two people can get and still keep their clothes on. Tam and I have become umi'atsu, which translates from the goblin language to "life twins," a bond conceived between two mages, binding them first through their magic, then hearing, sight, and finally their minds and souls. After that point, an umi'atsu bond can only be broken by death. The level of magical power Tam and I generated to save those spellsingers forged that bond.

Unfortunately umi'atsu bonds are notorious for attracting demons, which just tosses more fuel on the Raine-opened-the-hellgate fire.

I'm notorious enough for attracting trouble, and not just to myself.

Piaras Rivalin came to Mid to study spellsinging. Thanks to the Saghred and me, he and his voice have attracted the wrong kind of attention from the worst kind of people--people who recognize Piaras for the dangerous weapon he is, and each one of them is determined to possess that weapon for themselves. White magic, black magic, and every kind in between--rumors are flying around campus that when Piaras comes into his full spellsinging voice, he'll be able to do them all.

I knew he could do them now, and so do too many other people.

The Saghred responds to Piaras. Now it's seeking him out in his dreams and waking thoughts, terrorizing him and attempting to influence his actions. I know who's behind it--Sarad Nukpana, a sadistic psychopath and goblin grand shaman whose soul is imprisoned inside the Saghred.

Nukpana wants out, and Piaras is somehow a part of his plan. And when Piaras uses his voice against some demons and saves dozens of his classmates, all he gets are accusations that he's a budding dark mage who's been corrupted by me and the Saghred and should be locked up. Taltek Balmorlan, an inquisitor for elven intelligence, wants Piaras taken away for the agency's use.

Leading the mob of our accusers is Carnades Silvanus. He's on the Conclave's Seat of Twelve. Last week, Archmagus Justinius Valerian had nearly been assassinated. This week, Carnades went from second-in-command to sitting in the big chair until Justinius recovers, and he's determined to turn his temporary promotion into his permanent job. He wants absolute control of the Conclave--and the Saghred.

Carnades sees himself as the champion of the elven people, so it's no surprise that his main supporters are in the elven military. Some elves and goblins get along. Most don't. And the ones who carry the biggest prejudice chip on their shoulders are also the most powerful and influential. Whoever has control of Mid gets control of the Saghred--and will have their enemies at their mercy. When word gets out that Rudra Muralin could be hiding among goblin students, racial tensions on campus go from already strained to a powder keg waiting to explode.

Not if Mychael Eiliesor has anything to say about it.

Mychael is commander and paladin of the Conclave Guardians, and he's declared martial law on the island. The protection of the Conclave mages, the students, faculty and citizens of Mid are his responsibility. Those protective instincts--and more personal feelings--extend to me. Mychael had his hands full with managing me as the keeper of the Saghred; now he has to contend with demons running amok, mages scrambling for power, Carnades determined to replace him as paladin, and a soul-sucking rock that eats through every containment spell the best of his Guardians can wrap it in.

And to top it off, Mychael has a price on his head. There's an assassin on the island, and whoever hired him is getting their money's worth. Rache Kai is the best. Good thing is, I know how he operates. Bad thing is, I used to date him. I broke up with him, and let's just say it could have gone better. Mychael should be watching his own back, but instead he's watching mine.

Mychael has vowed to break my bond to the Saghred--and to Tam. My safety is one reason--his growing feelings for me is another. Tam's a dark mage; I'm the keeper of the Saghred. We're the last two people who need to get tangled up in an umi'atsu bond. Tam doesn't want our bond broken. Any attempt to break an umi'atsu bond risks destroying the powers of both partners--turning a pair of powerful mages into two mere mortals. Tam has enemies from his time in the goblin court. If he's magically defenseless, he'll be dead within a week. And with my popularity at an
all-time low, I'll be dead within the hour.

So rather than breaking the bond, Mychael says he'll attempt to slow its progression. He doesn't tell me the details of what he's going to do. I should have asked. Mychael establishes a bond of his own, essentially leaving behind a part of his magic and his essence to stand guard over my soul. The link that now connects me to Mychael is every bit as powerful as the one I have with Tam. Not only is it dangerous for Mychael to do, it's forbidden for a paladin since the link works both ways--my link with the Saghred exposes Mychael to the Saghred. It also connects Mychael to Tam. A link that close gives a whole new meaning to the word threesome. If people like Carnades found out, they'd strip Mychael of his office, arrest him and probably execute him. Mychael has just laid his career and his life on the line to protect me.

I'm in way over my head, and I'm about to drag the people I care about down with me. I need expert advice, and I need it now. When most girls need advice, they go to their dad.

The Seat of Twelve has forbidden me to go anywhere near the Saghred, and Mychael is duty-bound to enforce their edict. I don't have a problem with that since I don't have to be anywhere near the rock to talk to my dad. With virtually no containments spells to hold it, the boundary between me and the souls inside the Saghred is virtually non-existent. My father, Eamaliel Anguis, is an elven Guardian whose soul is trapped inside the stone. He'd been the Saghred's protector until about a year ago when the rock decided to turn its protector into its next meal.

Sarad Nukpana is imprisoned inside the Saghred because of me. He doesn't want me dead, just tormented for eternity. But he's willing to put all that aside for a chance to destroy Rudra Muralin--and to get out of the Saghred.

My father knows about severing bonds between magic users. He also knows what the demons wanted from that elven mage in the alley. What looks like a small, silver dagger is actually a key to open the Saghred. Rudra Muralin opened the hellgate and released the demons as a distraction to get the Saghred. What he got was competition. Muralin and his allies want to use the Saghred.

The demons and their queen want to open it.

Sarad Nukpana, my father and thousands of Saghred sacrifices aren't the only ones inside the stone. The demon queen used to have a demon king; that is until the Saghred made His Demonic Majesty its very first meal. My father isn't the only one who knows about the dagger. Sarad Nukpana wants me to find it before the demons do, and use it to set him free. If I don't, he'll use the Saghred to tighten his grip on Piaras's mind until Piaras no longer has a will of his own, or any mind left.

It's time for me to find that dagger and turn Sarad Nukpana's plan sour--and Rudra Muralin's. I'm a seeker, one of the best there is. I'm going into the tunnels under the island, find that hellgate, slam it in some demonic faces, and I don't care what it takes to do it. As to finding that dagger, finding shiny valuables is what a Benares does best. And double-crossing a goblin shaman who threatens someone I love is what I do best.

I track the dagger to a surprising place--Carnades Silvanus's townhouse. The house is trashed, the dagger's gone, and so is Carnades. From the looks of things he didn't go quietly. The remains of several demons tell me who did the trashing, stealing and kidnapping. Carnades's study is filled with display cases full of small, ornamental daggers. Only one is missing. I'm betting Carnades didn't even know what he had. He thinks the Saghred is a "filthy goblin rock," so I can't imagine him intentionally having a demonic key to unlock the thing lying around.

Though I've been wrong before.

The demons are taking that dagger to their queen. If that's where the dagger's going, that's where I'm going. But to find the hellgate, I need help. Specialized help. I need the most elusive quarry I've ever had to locate in my entire seeking career: a virgin on an island full of college students.

Fortunately, I find one quickly. Unfortunately, Piaras is less than enthused about his role in our expedition. Me, Piaras and a professor from the demonology department find the hellgate--and the last two people I expect to see chained with magic-draining manacles and laid out on slab of rock like demon snacks: Carnades Silvanus and Rudra Muralin.

The demons have been busy. The floor of the cavern is littered with eggs--and only half of them have hatched. Remains of bodies and shredded mage robes among the eggshells tells me that their first meal was Rudra Muralin's now-deceased allies. The unhatched eggs are glowing, cracks are appearing, and things are squirming inside. Not good. The professor has one demon trap; I have her spare. Not enough.

With Muralin chained and his allies eaten, the demon queen standing on the gate's threshold is the only thing keeping it open for the arrival of her legions. The recently hatched young demons have gone, and taken the dagger with them. The queen says they're doing what they do best--crawling through sewers and air ducts. Last week, Piaras's voice carried through an air duct into the Saghred's containment room and put the stone to sleep. Right now those tiny demons are infesting the citadel's sewers and air ducts on their way to the Saghred. If the demon with the dagger reaches the Saghred, the souls of the demon king, Sarad Nukpana and who knows what else will be free to take over the first bodies they find--and those first bodies will be Guardians.

The queen intends for Carnades to be the demon king's new body and Rudra Muralin his first meal. I don't know if the demon king's first-day-out-of-jail plans include coming home to his wife, dinner, and a new body, but I have to convince her otherwise. The quickest way to close that hellgate is to get her to step over the threshold or break her concentration. If I can do either one, that gate will close and the trap I have should do the rest--if I can get it close enough to catch her before she kills me. I know, that's a lot of "ifs"; but I have to play the hand I'm dealt, crappy though it is.

So I remind the demon queen that her king has been penned up in the Saghred for a couple thousand years, peppering my speech with words like "nubile co-eds," "virgins," and "seven kingdoms at his mercy." From the reaction I get, it's apparent that fidelity has never been high on the demon king's list of personal attributes, and it's even more obvious that I might have overdone it. The demon queen not only steps through the gate, she comes after me, slinging molten brimstone and promising me eternal torments. I'm diving for cover--and tossing a trap at her feet.

The professor's contraption actually works; the queen is inside, but the hellgate doesn't close. It's unstable but still passable. On the other side of the gate, newly arrived demons are struggling to get through, and all around

us, tiny claws are slashing their way out of eggs. We need to leave now, but I can't leave that hellgate open. Rudra Muralin opened it; he can close it. I give him a choice: he closes that hellgate or I leave him for demon food. Problem is, I have to unlock his magic-sapping manacles so he can do it. Question is, will he close the gate or kill me? My bet is that he'll try both, but he'll save his own skin first by closing that gate.

The instant Rudra Muralin closes the gate, he turns his power on me and Piaras. I just smile at him. The goblin's triumph turns to pained confusion as he crumples to the floor. Muralin's magical muscle is no match for a petite professor packing a big rock.

Have you ever heard the saying: "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy"? I have, and I wish I hadn't. If Carnades Silvanus isn't my worst enemy, he's at least in the top ten. I'd like nothing more than to leave him right where he is, but I can't. I may not be a particularly nice person, but I'm not a murderer. At least I only kill people who try to kill me first. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, we need Carnades's help. Piaras's purity led us to the hellgate, and we could get out the way we came in, but that'd put us on the other side of the city from the citadel, and we'd get there too late to save anyone from everything.

Carnades knows the way through the tunnels to the citadel. I don't.

So to keep the disembodied souls of the demon king, Sarad Nukpana and the worst that can ooze out of the Saghred from possessing the bodies of Guardians, thereby turning the most elite magical fighting force into the most elite and evil magical fighting force, I have to save Carnades. Irony sucks.

I unlock his manacles, and know I'm going to regret it.

Carnades immediately blames me and the Saghred for everything. I remind him that it's his dagger that's on its way to unlock the rock. Carnades suddenly gets real cooperative. Though it's probably the swarm of newly hatched (and hungry) demons snapping at our heels that does the trick.

The citadel is quiet. Way too quiet. Either nothing has happened yet, or everything already has. I have to hand it to Carnades. He's an uptight, self-righteous, narrow-minded jerk, but he knows how to get men moving. The Guardians are duty-sworn to obey him, so I let Carnades do his thing--until he tells me I can't go into the citadel.

Suddenly there's demonic chittering and screeching from inside followed by shouts and sounds of fighting. I shield myself and take off running, figuring that Carnades can't stop what he can't catch. And the Guardians' efforts to prevent me from getting down to those containment rooms are half-hearted at best. They like me more than they do Carnades. And besides, they've got demons to fight. Obeying Carnades's orders to arrest me is way down on their list.

In the containment rooms all hell is literally breaking loose--and Mychael is in the middle of it. When we get into the Saghred's room, a little blue demon is squatting on top of the stone, Carnades's dagger clenched between his needle teeth, surrounded by four dead or dying Guardians. In the next instant, the little bastard plunges the dagger into the Saghred up to the hilt. I backhand the demon, knock him off of the Saghred, and grab the dagger to pull it out.

Bad idea. I feel the souls flowing up the blade, breaking free of the Saghred--and worse, I can't pull the dagger out of the stone. Elongated shapes of dark shadow and silvery mist take to the air around us, circling, searching.

Oh hell.

A hand closes over mine. It's Piaras. One tug and the blade slides out, and the gash in the stone seals itself. Mychael pulls both of us close, extending his shields to add to our own. The shadows escape through the air duct.

A sliver of silvery mist remains, settling into a young, dead elven Guardian. Within moments the elf takes a shuddering breath and opens his eyes. He looks directly at me with a weak smile.

"Daughter," he whispers.

The voice belongs to the now-living elf. The soul looking out through his eyes is my father.

The hellgate is closed. The demons that are trapped on the island are being hunted down. But an unknown number of souls have escaped the Saghred--souls that must find bodies to possess in order to survive. My father took a newly dead Guardian as his new body. The young elf's soul had already moved on. My father knows who escaped before Piaras pulled the dagger out of the stone. Sarad Nukpana and others like him who will possess one body after another, keeping themselves corporeal until they can infest people with enough magical power and influence to be useful to them--making the souls of their victims prisoners inside their own bodies.

I didn't think it could get any worse than demons. I was wrong.

The students are afraid. Smart kids, they have every reason to be. Some of them have already contacted their parents. The students who have the most to fear are the goblins. The Saghred is a goblin artifact; Rudra Muralin, whether dead or alive, opened the hellgate; Sarad Nukpana is out there somewhere. So right now on the Isle of Mid, if you're a goblin, you're guilty. The parents of those goblin students are aristocrats, old blood, with old hatreds for elves and humans alike. Prejudice, centuries of racial hatred, fighting for power and control over your enemy. The Saghred has become a reason for the powerful and bloodthirsty, goblin and elves alike, to take those first steps toward something worse.

War.

Writing a book synopsis from scratch

A question from Ashley: You just finished your synopsis for Raine #5... we've all seen queries (the good and the bad), but I can't recall ever seeing a synop. Now I know they're much longer than a query, but I'm interested to know what tone and in what amount of detail synopses are written. Do you have a sample of, say, The Trouble with Demons? Or one of your earlier ones that could be seen by outside eyes? I'd just like to know what it is that you're slaving away at... and what to model such a synop after if ever the opportunity arises for me.

And a similar question from Marie: How do you do a synopsis of an entire book before writing it? What is your approach? How would you do it for a NON_ Raine (gasp) book? A brand new something? Since I'm a serious panster- I am in awe and in need of guidance ; )

Okay, ladies (and those of you out there who are curious) -- tomorrow I'll post the entire plot synopsis -- written from scratch -- for The Trouble with Demons. For those of you who haven't read the book yet, either skip tomorrow's blog or avert your eyes.

I've been thinking about posting a plot synopsis for some time, but didn't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book yet. Though see above for skip blog or avert eyes, because you guys need to know how to write one of these. Say you've written one book, and it's the first of a series, and you've caught an agent or publisher's attention -- they will want to know what else you have. When you get that question, you need to have a synopsis of that book ready to go.

I write my synops in first person, Raine's point of view, sharp tone with snark. It's like Raine is telling you the story. My editor Anne absolutely adored my synops for TTWD and B&B, and said she's never had so much fun reading a synopsis. So I must have done something right. ; )

The synopsis for TTWD took me about a month to write, because like I said it was from scratch. I thought it took too long to write, and was determined to write faster this time. I just finished the synop for Raine #5 and it still took me a month to write. I'm hoping that Book #6 will go quicker.

So come back tomorrow to see the full plot synopsis for The Trouble with Demons. And as you'll be able to see when you read it, I veered from the synopsis. I stuck to the main story, but the little details changed. That always happens; it's a fact of writing life and your editor won't think a thing about it. It's expected that when you get into the trenches with a book, the details will change.

And after I post it, I'll be open to questions (as always).

Lisa

Self-publishing ready or not

Today's writing question is from Tia: When I read unpublished or self-published novels, or even some small press novels, most of the time, the writing is serviceable but there's something about it that is just not quite ready. I often can't even put my finger on it. These aren't amateurish novels, but polished novels that I've easily finished without a struggle. Still, something about it seems off--maybe it needs some improvement in timing, or dialog that flows better, or ruthless eradication of adverbs. Did you struggle with this in your own writing and if you did, how did you identify what it was?

There's a lot of answers to this question, but the simple one is -- there ain't nothing like a good editor. Anything can be improved by a fresh pair of professionally talented and discerning eyes. I'm fortunate to have two editors: my editor at Ace Books, Anne Sowards, and my agent Kristin Nelson. Kristin used to teach college English and has an uncanny way of cutting through the crap to what works and what doesn't and why. Anne has this same gift. Plus, vision wise, the three of us are in complete agreement. It's a working relationship made in heaven.

Back when I wrote my two first novels (that now live in my office closet never to see the light of day), I considered what they called then a "vanity press." This was back in the days before Amazon and print-on-demand. Basically, you paid for a certain quantity of your book to be printed, and they were shipped to you to sit in your garage until you sold them (or gave them to family and friends). Nowadays, self-publishing is push-button easy. And some people push the button before they're ready. Back then, I thought my books were ready to be published. I was wrong. Way wrong. I'm really glad that it was so difficult (and expensive) to self-publish back when my clunkers were in circulation at the NY publishing houses. It forced me to wait to be published the regular way -- the way I wanted and dreamed to be published -- and while I waited, I wrote . . . and improved . . .and then improved some more, eventually giving me work that I'm not embarrassed to see in print.

Great question, Tia! Okay, I'm now out of writing questions from you all. I need more. Feed the author. Feed the author.

Lisa

Contests and synopsis update

As promised, I just announced a contest over on my Yahoo Group fan club, Raine's Rangers. If you want to enter, see that purple button to the right? Just click and join Raine's Rangers.

I'm getting some great entries for the Name That Book contest. Remember the deadline is this Friday, and I'll be annoucing the winner on Saturday.

I emailed my FINISHED plot synopsis for Book 5 to my agent for her feedback on Saturday morning. It turned out a little longer than I'd planned (14 paged double-spaced, I was going for half that), but I'm sure Kristin will have some great suggestions. And for those of you who are wondering, a plot synop can be that long, IF it's necessary to tell your story, not everything in your book, just the CORE story. As you all know, my plots tend to be a little on the complicated side, so as a result, my book has a big core.

Tomorrow, I'll answer a writing question from Tia.

Lisa

You have got to read this

You all have absolutely got to read this. I didn't know about it until I read my agent Kristin's blog last night. Many of you read her blog and may already know about it, but for those of you who haven't heard, read on. At the end of Kristin's blog post is a link to an article that appeared in The Boulder Weekly newspaper.

Sara Megibow -- Kristin's former assistant, since promoted to an acquiring agent in Kristin's agency -- is simply an amazing woman! : )

On Monday, I'll be announcing a contest over at my Yahoo Group (Raine's Rangers). And keep those potential book names coming for the Name That Book contest (I need a name for Raine's fifth adventure).

Have a great weekend!
Lisa