It’s cover reveal day for Blood Vendetta by author SF Benson! Check out The BlackGuard Society: Blood Vendetta, Urban Fantasy by SF Benson coming April 29, 2019 from Avanturine Press. Cover art by Deranged Doctor Design. Few have seen The BlackGuard Society, yet they’re all around. When rogue paranormals threaten mankind, the BGS alone is … More Cover Reveal Blood Vendetta
It’s release day for Toil & Trouble by Melissa Wright Circe is a witch. Everyone says so. Her powers have yet to manifest, but even if they did, an ancient curse prohibits her from using them. She’s also an orphan, and the coven who raised her reminds her of both every day. Lest she fall … More Toil and Trouble Release
Naming Characters & Worldbuilding One of my favorite things about creating characters is naming them. Sometimes the names just seem to magically come to me. When my alter ego was planning an adult paranormal romance set in New Orleans, the name Twilight Vanpeer struck in the shower. Most times, it’s not that easy. Usually, I … More Worldbuilding & Research with SF Benson
While writing All Things Dark & Magickal: Bitter Fruit I had to ask myself the question: how far should my language go? Let me explain. Arabella Cuthbert lives in 19th century England. Each chapter begins with a quote from the time period. I chose a feminist author of the era, Mary Wollstonecraft, for the quotations. … More Language & Worldbuilding: SF Benson
So I suppose this isn’t so much a “how to improve your craft” post as it is a “how to improve your productivity/find more time to write” post. We’re all busy people. Most of us are adults with family, school, and work obligations outside of writing. For some of you, writing might be your full … More Writing Hacks: Finding more time to write when you have a day job
Today’s topic will be helpful for anyone who has wondered how to develop story ideas from classic stories. For me, I’d always wanted to rework the classic fairy tales. Did you know that they weren’t meant to be the iconic cute stories we currently read? With this in mind, your first step is to get … More Parsing Ideas For Fantasy Stories
I love stories that showcase the antagonist’s point of view. It gives readers an opportunity to know where they are coming from. Granted, some antagonists are truly twisted people and getting a glimpse into their minds can be disturbing. But, say, in the case of a lot of thrillers or horror stories, this “chill down … More Writing Hacks: Creating Three-Dimensional Villains
The Importance of Accuracy in Worldbuilding The idea for today’s post came while binge-watching the CW’s Arrow. Hey, don’t fault me. I’m a huge fan of DC Comics and Marvel. While playing catch up on the series, I noticed frequent mention of Bratva (in a nutshell, think Russian mafia). Personally, I’d never heard of it … More Writing Advice: SF Benson
The Indie Audiobook Process I’ve loved audiobooks since before it was cool. Before iPhones, before mp3 players. I spent years trying to convert friends to no avail. And now, finally, finally, readers are overcoming their prejudice. They’ve realized they can download straight to their phones, fit in reading while they’re driving, working out, mindlessly playing … More Publishing Audiobooks
Worldbuilding and Research When I was considering what to write for this post, I first thought I’d write about my research process while writing my latest fairy tale retelling. But then, the question popped up—why did I need research for this story? All Things Dark & Magickal: Bitter Fruit requires worldbuilding. Lots of worldbuilding—hence, the … More Writing Advice: SF Benson
We Write Fantasy 