The Brutal Time by Christina Bauer - Book Tour + Giveaway
The Brutal Time
Christina Bauer
(Angelbound Origins #6)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: October 29th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
“I love the Angelbound Origins world and just can’t seem to get enough of it!” – The Avid ReaderAs the Great Scala, Myla Lewis is the only being who can move Purgatory’s souls to Heaven or Hell. It’s a big job. Too bad Myla goes through assistants faster than a hot knife through brownies. Not that it bothers her much; Myla’s always been a solo fighter.Then comes the problem of the fading angels. Millions of Heavenly residents are dying. According to a prophecy, the only way Myla can save them is by traveling back in time, meeting King Arthur, and creating her own knights of the round table. The catch? Doing so might end the after-realms in a bloody demonpocalypse.Yipes.Myla and her main squeeze, Lincoln, aren’t afraid of taking a few chances (in between kisses). But with so much at risk, the stakes may be too high, even for them. And the biggest challenge of all? Finding those knights.Because Myla Lewis doesn’t play well with others. At all.“These books don’t just capture your attention, they straight up demand it. Christina Bauer has created a fascinating and unique world that you do not want to miss out on.” – Bookhalolic Brittany
Guest Post
How I Write - My 9-Step Process
By Christina Bauer, Author
I'm about to launch my 25th book, THE BRUTAL TIME, so I thought it might be cool to share how I come up with stories and write. I keep a tough schedule (five novels each year) so process for me is a big deal.
Without further ado, here goes:
Step One. I write a series treatment.
By this, I mean the overall direction for a series. Across up to seven books, what happens to the heroine? Does she get married, become a queen, what? In college I learned to write for film, so I feel comfortable following a screenwriting model for story development. A treatment (to me anyway) is a two-page summary of what the series will be about. The end product will deviate from this plan, but meh. A nice overview of treatments can be found here.
By this, I mean the overall direction for a series. Across up to seven books, what happens to the heroine? Does she get married, become a queen, what? In college I learned to write for film, so I feel comfortable following a screenwriting model for story development. A treatment (to me anyway) is a two-page summary of what the series will be about. The end product will deviate from this plan, but meh. A nice overview of treatments can be found here.
Step Two. I outline my book.
Here I use a film writing system called SAVE THE CAT. You outline your story into three acts. If this is the first book in the series, then I outline at least four sequels at a high level. If I'm doing a series, I cannot over-emphasize how important this is. Otherwise, writing sequels is a total bitch. It's a lot easier to leave bread crumbs if you know where you want to get to, if that makes sense.
Here I use a film writing system called SAVE THE CAT. You outline your story into three acts. If this is the first book in the series, then I outline at least four sequels at a high level. If I'm doing a series, I cannot over-emphasize how important this is. Otherwise, writing sequels is a total bitch. It's a lot easier to leave bread crumbs if you know where you want to get to, if that makes sense.
An overview of SAVE THE CAT, Blake Snyder and beat sheets can be found here, along with examples and downloads.
Step Three. I align my outline to other stuff.
Here I rework my SAVE THE CAT stuff by adding three sections. First, I make sure to decide my character arc. Namely, where does the heroine start off emotionally ... and where does she end up? Second and third, I compare the outline to both a fairy tale and a movie that tie into that overall character arc.
Here I rework my SAVE THE CAT stuff by adding three sections. First, I make sure to decide my character arc. Namely, where does the heroine start off emotionally ... and where does she end up? Second and third, I compare the outline to both a fairy tale and a movie that tie into that overall character arc.
For instance, in THE BRUTAL TIME, the main character (Myla) must learn how to build her own team for a particular purpose. This is about Myla being her own leader separate from her family and Angelbound love, Lincoln. The fairy tale it aligns to is King Arthur and the knights of the round table. The movie it follows is the first Die Hard, which will make sense when you read the book. I downloaded summaries of both stories and then compared them back to the outline while asking the question, How can I make this better?
Step Four. I create Pinterest Boards.
I read a ton of books, but for me, what I put into my head comes out on the page. If I'm reading the same stuff as everyone else, then I'm writing like them, too. My readers appreciate creativity and fresh world building, so reading alone just won't do. That's why I create Pinterest inspiration boards for each key character and setting. As of writing this, I have hundreds of boards and thousands of pins.
I read a ton of books, but for me, what I put into my head comes out on the page. If I'm reading the same stuff as everyone else, then I'm writing like them, too. My readers appreciate creativity and fresh world building, so reading alone just won't do. That's why I create Pinterest inspiration boards for each key character and setting. As of writing this, I have hundreds of boards and thousands of pins.
KEY TASK: When I create a character board, I try to chose images of at least one historical figure that reminds me of my fictional life story and voice.
Step Five. I paste my outline into Scrivener
This is a writing tool where each chapter becomes a file folder on the left-hand side of the screen. It makes it easier to move around content as I play with stuff. For me, the outline is never perfect. I'm always playing with it. Once the structure is pretty solid, then I move onto yet another way of looking at story structure...
This is a writing tool where each chapter becomes a file folder on the left-hand side of the screen. It makes it easier to move around content as I play with stuff. For me, the outline is never perfect. I'm always playing with it. Once the structure is pretty solid, then I move onto yet another way of looking at story structure...
Step Six. I load my chapter list into Excel
In my work, I often have complex and overlapping story lines. To make sure I'm focusing on what's important, I map my chapters into Excel and cross-reference that against key themes. Now when I talk about themes, I mean romance, action, the big bad, and that kind of thing. To check my work, I create a spreadsheet with colored blocks and then insert the blocks when they appear in a chapter. It gives me a visual representation of the story, as in: crap, I've got ten chapters without any action! This is when I (once again!) move stuff around a lot. As in, a lot, a lot.
In my work, I often have complex and overlapping story lines. To make sure I'm focusing on what's important, I map my chapters into Excel and cross-reference that against key themes. Now when I talk about themes, I mean romance, action, the big bad, and that kind of thing. To check my work, I create a spreadsheet with colored blocks and then insert the blocks when they appear in a chapter. It gives me a visual representation of the story, as in: crap, I've got ten chapters without any action! This is when I (once again!) move stuff around a lot. As in, a lot, a lot.
And now, with all that behind me, I get to the actual writing of the book!
Step Seven. I write chapter one
Please note that I do not start to write in earnest until all the stuff above is complete. Early on in my career, I used to have writer's block ... or I'd write ten chapters and toss nine of them. Now that rarely happens, but it's because I've found that all my prep work is key. Everyone's process is different, but there you go.
Please note that I do not start to write in earnest until all the stuff above is complete. Early on in my career, I used to have writer's block ... or I'd write ten chapters and toss nine of them. Now that rarely happens, but it's because I've found that all my prep work is key. Everyone's process is different, but there you go.
Step Eight. I perfect each chapter, read for flow, and a ton of other stuff
Once the structure of a story is set, each chapter is its own mini structure (in my writing anyway.) I have a whole system for how I write chapters, find voice, set flow, and so on.
Once the structure of a story is set, each chapter is its own mini structure (in my writing anyway.) I have a whole system for how I write chapters, find voice, set flow, and so on.
Step Nine. It all goes into a series bible
Each series has a bible (fancy name for a long word doc) where I keep a list of characters and descriptions.
Each series has a bible (fancy name for a long word doc) where I keep a list of characters and descriptions.
So that's it: My writing process in nine steps. Hope you find it interesting and thanks for having me stop by!
Author Bio:Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
2 Comments
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.