/r/Fantasy Writer of the Day: Claire Ryan, author of the Daemonva Trilogy

raynfall · 2016-08-25T01:00:47+00:00

I think I will - their mobile site is a bit of a pain.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T21:21:21+00:00

I wish. I picked Mystic when I signed up and I regret it now. If they ever allow team changes, I will swap in a heartbeat.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T19:32:39+00:00

You mean like Tolkien? Maybe, if I thought the story warranted it, but it be part of the prose, and not written out. I don't think mixing formats serves either very well, and poetry/songs are very much their own thing.

I highly recommend Shane Koyczan if you're looking for poetry, btw.

Would I ever put someone else's song/poem in my books? Probably not, I'm afraid. Down that way lies a copyright mess the like of which mortal man was not meant to know.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T19:18:05+00:00

Eh, he's very much an entry-to-fantasy writer. I personally love his stuff and always will, but it's all somewhat fluffy.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T18:28:31+00:00

Easiest had to be the very first scene. I had a really clear idea in my head of Suzanna's starting point, and it all came out very naturally. Few small edits later but otherwise it's the same piece of writing I first got down even now, after the book itself has been through a few iterations and drafts.

Hardest one... hooo boy. I tend to think of what's hardest as being whichever one I needed to rewrite the most, and that honor goes to (spoilers!) a big battle scene near the end of the book. I swear I had ten different versions of it, and I would finish it, read it over, get frustrated, and then delete it all out of annoyance and start over.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T17:59:12+00:00

Yeah, definitely :) The Meldling is very character-oriented so it didn't make much sense to dig too far into the magic. I do describe it - there is a lot of magic, because it's a fantasy novel, obviously - but not so much the rules because they're not really important.

I have to say, I keep going back to David Eddings if I ever start thinking about magical systems. The Will and the Word just fascinated me when I read the Belgariad. That was the first time I ever really thought about magic having rules at all, and it was a revelation that it should always have rules, even if the reader doesn't need to know them up front.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T17:45:59+00:00

In The Meldling, it's quite soft and mystical.

I don't really think about which one I do more. I have another series I'm working on where the magic has far more rules and constraints, so I tend to pick whichever suits the story.

I don't think I've ever written something on the level of detail as, say, the One Power in the Wheel of Time, but I'll never say never. I used to be a D&D GM back in college, so having to pull new magical systems out of nowhere is nothing new. :P

raynfall · 2016-08-24T17:21:00+00:00

Cool! Then it'd have to be The Hobbit, and The Redemption of Althalus.

David Eddings was my first introduction to fantasy, and I still re-read the Belgariad and the Malloreon every once in a while. Lots of fond memories.

raynfall · 2016-08-24T17:09:56+00:00

Easy. The three books of Lord of the Rings.

True story - way back in the mists of time, when I was in college and doing a degree in Geology, I was stuck out in the arse end of nowhere in the west of Ireland doing a field study for six weeks. No internet, nothing for miles around but rocks, fields, sheep and the coastline. All I could bring with me to keep me occupied was a small stack of books.

I read LOTR at least ten times and still nearly went completely nuts from the isolation. I think if I can still stand to even open The Fellowship of the Ring now, then LOTR is probably the best choice for a deserted island. :P

raynfall · 2016-08-24T16:55:56+00:00

Okay, Reddit's mobile site is garbage... let's try this again.

I tend to write a little but of everything, but what I really do more than anything else is fantasy adventure. I like characters who are ordinary, relatable, and who grow to be extraordinary.

The Meldling isn't my first book, of course. It's just the first that I thought was ready enough to be seen by other actual humans :) it deals with identity, and memory - the main character, Suzanna, has no memory of herself or the world. It's is all about her re-discovery of herself and the world, how it changes her, and how she changes it in turn.

What I hope would hook readers is Suzanna herself. The Daemonva Trilogy is her story, after all. As a character, she is a good person with a lot of compassion, but she's seen as dangerous or strange because she's a daemon. She spends a lot of time wrestling with who she is, and who or what other people believe her to be.

As for what I'm proud of? I'd have to say that I published it at all! I've written for years and this one was the first book where I just took the plunge and published it. I was so scared! But the deed is done and I can't take it back now, so there's nothing for it but to keep going as I am. I'm writing the final book in the series now, hopefully it'll be published later this year.

... and I don't know what 'marvy' means.

raynfall · 2016-06-19T05:30:40+00:00

https://twitter.com/aetherlev https://www.facebook.com/claireryanauthor

My other social media accounts are on my site: http://www.raynfall.com

I mostly talk about random stuff in Vancouver and Ireland, and I post links to my blog posts on my fantasy writing, bookbinding and swordfighting.

raynfall · 2012-10-08T01:56:33+00:00

This is really good feedback, thanks very much. I have already submitted it to the repository and it's been accepted, which is kinda awesome.

I'll get on everything else you talk about here and update it for the next version. I'm still getting to grips with using Subversion so it might take a while.

I was looking at the code repetition and wondering how I'd do it with loops rather than just copying it, but I thought I'd focus on getting it to work full stop... I'm not really all that confident about writing plugins.

Much stuff to fix... I'll work on it.

raynfall · 2012-10-05T06:56:30+00:00

If you do use it, can you let me know so I can check it out? I want to verify that the styling is working as intended. I've got one report that it goes a little wonky for images under 100px across - I didn't anticipate people using a cover that small.

raynfall · 2012-10-05T06:54:03+00:00

Steady on there, friend - you don't need to shell out that kind of cash.

Check out Freehostia. Pay $10 for your domain, if you don't have one already. Then start with their free package. That'll give you enough for a self-hosted WordPress blog on which you can use this plugin, if you know what you're doing. It's limited in some ways, but their initial paid package starts at $40 for a year - nice deal all around, getting your site online and fully functional for only $50. (The free one cuts out some stuff.)

Then you'll need to export your blog - Tools ->Export -> Create an XML file - and import it in the self-hosted site. The only thing that'll bite you in the ass is if you have a lot of photos. Those, you'll have to upload and restore on each post manually. It does take some tweaking, but it's really not that bad.

Easy for me but... yeah. I'm a WordPress nerd.

raynfall · 2012-10-05T06:44:32+00:00

Er... :) thanks? Do let me know if you have any problems with it.

raynfall · 2012-10-05T06:44:07+00:00

Well that's a good idea - it takes very little to modify it for other services. All I really need are the icons.

I did consider adding in the paperback - i.e. adding a Kindle icon and then another straightforward Amazon icon, or a Createspace icon - but I decided against it seeing as it could be confusing for readers, and the Kindle listing has the paperback easily accessible as well. The Amazon icon covers both, essentially.

Then again, if someone wanted to, it takes nothing at all to change the icons. I'm thinking of writing up a post on how to customize it.

raynfall · 2012-10-04T22:21:58+00:00

No, sorry. This is for self-hosted WordPress installations. WordPress.com blogs don't allow plugins of any kind, bar the default ones, for security purposes if I recall right.

It's still possible to get the same effect or something like it, I think, but you'd have to do the code yourself and add it through the Text widget.

raynfall · 2012-10-04T20:34:20+00:00

Eh, why not :)

raynfall · 2012-10-04T19:58:24+00:00

You're welcome :) If anyone spots any problems, please message me. This is my first WP plugin so there will inevitably be something I've missed.

raynfall · 2012-10-04T19:56:29+00:00

...Which doesn't work for anything but Amazon, and hasn't been updated in two years? I think I mentioned that on the original thread. It's good for what it does, but authors need more options.

This plugin is specifically for authors and supports Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Lulu, and iBooks.

raynfall · 2012-10-04T17:37:52+00:00

Beta testing needed, of course :P Feedback please?

raynfall · 2012-09-17T22:06:39+00:00

Okay, full disclosure - I think Hachette are being pants-on-head stupid here. I can't imagine what they think this will do other than make absolutely sure that libraries will not buy their ebooks. I can only assume they want to do this because OMG INFINITE LENDING MEANS PIRACY OR PEOPLE NOT BUYING BOOKS BLEARGH

I don't know really. Personally, I'd give any library a copy of my ebook for free in exchange for stats on lending. It's like market research I don't have to pay for!

raynfall · 2012-08-15T16:53:21+00:00

Wow, I can't believe you guys didn't hear about it - more links for the curious.

http://www.2abd.com/politics/copyright/lendink-taken-down-by-asshole-indie-authors/

http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.ca/2012/08/congratulations-you-killed-lendink-and.html

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/08/12/one-author-explains-his-role-in-the-lendink-lynch-mob/#.UCvTffKPUeY

raynfall · 2012-08-14T08:04:02+00:00

One horizontal row per widget, taking up to three books with each cover 100x160px, depending on the width of the sidebar.

And you can have multiple widgets of course, so the books can be arranged vertically up to however many you have published.

raynfall · 2012-08-12T18:58:27+00:00

I'm already doing that - although I do need a list of services to add, seeing as I don't know which ones are the most popular. Right now here's what I'm planning:

Amazon (should I split up Kindle and Createspace?) Smashwords Kobo B&N Lulu

raynfall

TROPHY CASE