Blog Hop - What I'm working on

The lovely Nicole Evelina tagged me in her blog hop so here’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to.

1) What am I working on?

A MG fantasy about dragon changelings and my main character Sasha who wants nothing to do with her dragon form.

I’m also furious editing a YA sci fi thriller that I’m really excited about! Hopefully I’ll be pushing that out into the world soon.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Okay let’s talk about my MG WIP. And without spoiling too much since my WIP is fairly new, Sasha lives in a world where the dragons aligned into clans, but the clans don’t get along. In fact it’s traitorous to associate with dragon changelings outside of the clan they reside in. Sasha grew up outside the clans, which inherently puts her at risk. And she quickly learns there’s a secret all the changelings are hiding and it’s the very reason they don’t get along and have remained separated.

3) Why do I write what I do?
I absolutely love the question ‘What if?’ It’s how most of my ideas start and that lends itself very well to science fiction and fantasy. I also grew up on both genres, and am a huge sci fi/fantasy junkie. I love it and have a hard time saying no to it no matter the medium.

I’m also an aerospace engineer by day, so I love to take existing ideas and technology and stretching them just a little bit further. You might say I’ve been training to write science fiction and fantasy my whole life!

4) How does my writing process work?
After the initial idea, I start with an outline. Always. I need to know where I’m headed, even if I don’t 100% follow it. With the case of my current WIP, I’ve also spent a lot of time world building. Figuring out what each dragon clan was about and what makes them special. How they differ from the other clans. Usually though the world builds as I write so this vast initial world building is new for me. But I think it’s a necessary part of fantasy.

After that I write. I start at the beginning and I go and keep going until I reach the end. As I go my outline shapes and changes and sometimes I get snippets of scenes I’ll plug into my outline, but for the most part my writing process is very linear. Idea, outline, write start to finish. I think it’s my engineer side taking over. ;)

Thanks to Nicole for tagging me in her blog hop. See below for more information about her and for a link to her post about what she’s been up to.

Author bio:

Nicole Evelina is St. Louis-born historical fiction writer represented by Jen Karsbaek of Foreword Literary. She is the author of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, as well as a work of women’s fiction.  Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for the Historical Novel Society, and Sirens, a group supporting female fantasy authors, as well as a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild and Women Fiction Writers Association.

She is one of only six authors who recently completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.

Her website/blog is http://nicoleevelina.com and she can be found on Twitter as @nicoleevelina as well as on Pinterest and Facebook.

Thanksgiving Blog Hop - Giving Thanks

The holidays are coming. It's that time of year (and seriously where has this year gone?) where we sit down and think about the things we are really thankful for. Granted this is probably something we all should do more than once a year, but as part of the lovely and wonderful Brenda Drake's Blog Hop I'm going to share some of the things I'm thankful for.

My Writing:

I am so thankful for finding this huge part of my life that I never knew was missing. I've learned so much about myself and met so many wonderful people both in person and online because of my writing. Things I never would have discovered if I hadn't started reading and then following through on my ideas by putting them down on the page. I'm also hugely thankful that my family and friends have supported me every step of the way in my writing journey.

My Family and Friends:

My family and friends have not only supported me in my writing but in pretty much everything in my life. They are there when it really counts and always cheering me on. Every bump in the road or just when I need to vent, my family or friends (who have become an extended part of my family) are there to listen. They make me laugh and they make my life infinity more rich and full of love. And I know I don't talk about him much but I'm also thankful for my wonderful boyfriend. Not only does he put up with my crap, but is also extremely supportive of my crazy activities which includes my writing. He unselfishly gives me the necessary time and space I need to keep putting the words on the page and make them better.

My Job:

Another thing I don't talk about nearly enough. My job not only pays the bills and gives me spending money, but it also gives me the opportunity to work with some of the smartest people I've ever known. People that make me feel like I have a lot to learn and give me the drive to keep pushing and improving myself. Not to mention all the cool things I get to be involved in. I'm also thankful that my job provides me the opportunity to inspire young women to explore STEM fields and to help women succeed in the field of engineering. It's not easy being a female in a male dominated field, but I am extremely thankful for the things the women before me, fought for and established. I'm grateful that I can join them and help pave the way for future female engineers.

My Dog:

She's the best cuddle buddy in the world and she loves me unconditionally. Plus how can you not love this face?

There are many other things I am thankful for this year, including my health, but to list them would take forever because the list just goes on and on and on. I hope that in 2013 I have just as many, if not more, things to be thankful for. 

What are you thankful for?