A B N A Vets Forum Introductions, please

Hey, Gayna,

I agree that books in a trilogy are a continuation of the same story. . . . at least that's the case with my fantasy trilogy.  The second book pretty much picks up where the first one left off.

Or, maybe I'm just longwinded!

Poolside entertainment sounds so much better than trashy novel. :-)

I did try to structure the first book of my trilogy so that it felt like an ending, like the important question raised at the beginning was answered (sort of). But at the same time, it's, well, it's the first act.

I'm calling my stuff a saga, because the stories go on, with intertwining characters and plots, but, I hope, stand by themselves -- but I have no idea how many there'll be.  It's two completed and one begun at this point, with another sort of begun. 

 

I don't think of any of them as "sequels" to anything else, though.

Well, I wrote 'sequels', didn't I? :)

In fact, I wasn't trying to stir conversation and have a dig at people here, but just drop a random bit of trivia, because I vividly remember discussing the narrative structure of the Matrix movies and why I don't like sequels from another forum.
Trilogies or other multi-part series that have been concepted as such obviously don't fall into that category.

That being said, I'm still waiting for the next installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire saga. :)

Hmmm, saga. . .   I like that, Leah.  Mine too, is a continuing story, as you so aptly put it, with a few things resolved for the reader, but more to come in the next "chapter."  The story has an ensemble of characters, but revolves around a central figure.

What I have found so interesting about the entire process is how the story takes on a life of its own.  I'll start a new chapter with my own ideas about what is going to happen, and WHAM! characters and events that I didnt originally envision appear.  The subconcious at work, or something else?

 

Why yes, as a matter of fact, I HAVE tried to read Lord of the Rings in one volume. Hardest doggone book I ever read--holding it AND reading it! It is a fine piece of intricate wordsmithing, but definitely not quick reading. I finally broke the spine (relax, it was a paperback!), divided it into sections, and bound them all with plastic combs. Much easier, and my carpel tunnel from holding the silly thing has healed.

 

I am Sharon Gerlach on the ABNA forum--my real name. My novel The Wyckham House is my entry in the contest. If I don't make it through, I'll be peddling it to agents to be published under my pen name (long story short, there are immediate relatives I don't want knowing I"ve published). Wyckham is about a mysterious mansion deep in the Pennsylvania woods around which a series of strange disappearances and deaths occur. The house appears in the succeeding novels, known by other names, but always referred to by all as "the devil's mansion".

 

Wyckham is the first in a planned series of books. While I hesitate to call the succeeding ones "sequels", because I'm trying to write them as stand-alone as possible, they are all intertwined and to understand some of the references in the later books, one would have to have read the preceeding ones. The second book in the series, Gothic, and a stand-alone short story about the devil's mansion, The Stone Garden, are here on the Cafe if one should have the overwhelming urge to see what my writing style is like (how's that for a subliminal message? LOL). I have three books planned so far--one completed, one about a third of the way finished, and one with several chapters completed. After that, who knows?

Greetings and salutations fellow ABNA'ers!

My name is Josh but I go by the pen name P.J. Lowry. I submitted a novel titled "The Manifest" for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. It's a suspense novel about a Private Investigator who is hired to find a person that was declared dead in a major airline disaster but was spotted alive by a witness six years later. I also submitted cover art for my project, and I offer you all a chance to click on the following link have a gander:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f91/Peter_24601/Coverpage.jpg

I have been reading the ABNA boards since the beginning, but don't post due to the fact that I believe credit cards are evil and refuse to own any. I appreciate being pointed in this site's direction because I really like it here and have already posted a few pieces. I have been keeping myself busy by writing a lot of new stuff, so I've been posting some of that stuff here. I've also been working on a new novel, which I started a short time ago and am halfway through already.

I reside in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario in the great white north also known as Canada. Like many of you, I am waiting for January 15th and offer best wishes to you all. I look forward to reading and mingling with my fellow ABNA'ers here and wish you all a great new year!

Sincerely,

P.J. Lowry

Welcome, Josh. (May I call you Josh?)

 

I skimmed your story God Hates Us All, and added it to my reading list, so I can review it soon.  It's just the beginning of something longer right now, correct?  Longer short story, or novel?

 

I'm already intrigued by it; it appeals to my background in philosophy of religion.  Can't wait to see more.

Josh would be fine. :)

 

As for God, it will definitely be a multi-part story. The time line to this story is only going to be a day, possibly even less. Helen and Devon are going to take the day off and spend it together in the city, talking and taking in all things cultural. As an atheist myself, I've been in my fair share of philosophical debates to draw on when typing future dialogue for this series. I like how it started and will write at least ten more parts, possibly more depending on how well it goes.

 

I look forward to your review, and will do some reviews of my own when I can.

 

Later,

 

 

 

 

So it deletes anything you type in Safari? Let's try FireFox...

EDIT: Success! I'll type up another intro post shortly.

Hi all. I'm Alex Wilson and I entered a coming of age story to ABNA: "Pinocchio is Punching You." It was among those accidentally listed on Amazon last wek, but I'm among those who aren't reading too much into that (it's as likely a test entry as it is a semifinalist).

I write fiction and comics, genre and nongenre. I've sold shorter work to the likes of Asimov's Science Fiction, The Florida Review, Weird Tales, and elsewhere. I run the audiobook project Telltale Weekly and the writer wiki Guidevines.

Thassit, and nicetameetcha.

Alex.

Happy New Year Everyone

 

Gayna

Hi, I’m Josie. My ABNA novel is titled ‘Leif the Runtling’ and is set in 10th Century Iceland, following the childhood of Leif Eiriksson who sailed from Greenland to America. It’s the first in a series but not a trilogy as such because each of the books has a different narrator and point of view, a bit like the Chronicles of Narnia. I wouldn’t call it fantasy, instead I class it as historical fiction but I do like to read fantasy. I entered Leif at youwriteon.com which is a peer review site and every month the top five rated books win a professional review from an agent or publisher – Leif won a review in August last year – and my other two uploads on that site won reviews as well. So I know the book is good, but not sure whether it’s good enough to get far in ABNA.

 

I joined this group last week but haven’t looked at it for a while, hence missing all these intros, but I’ve read through them today and noticed a few ABNA friends as well as new people. I did see ‘Pinocchio is punching you’ on the list, Alex and was intrigued from the title – this was one of the ones I saved to read later (and then lost, alas). The only one I printed out was Betty’s.

 

Anyway, happy new year to all and I hope to hear more from you as the 15th Jan draws near (2 weeks to go!!)

I'm Shannon Yarbrough in the ABNA Amazon threads.  My ABNA submission is called 32 and Counting and is the story of an obsessive compulsive coffee barista who enjoys taking photos as a hobby.  Between trying to find a date, and taking the perfect picture for a local photography contest, complications ensue! 

It was a story I couldn't get out of my head this time last year.  I started writing it in May and finished it in August.  When the ABNA contest was announced October 1st, I quickly did a 2nd and 3rd edit and submitted it.

I have to admit, since then, I've written a piece which I think is much better.  I started a novel called For The Most Part back on August 26th and just finished it New Years Eve.  I've posted the first two chapters of it here on writerscafe if you are interested in reading it.

Despite the ongoing debate of self publishing, I'll happily admit that I self-published a book back in 2003.  Had I known then quite a bit of what I know now about the publishing world, I probably wouldn't have done it.  But the checks cleared and I made back every cent I put into it, and learned quite a bit about the publishing world in general (both sides).

I have several short stories published with Alyson Publications (gay and lesbian interest).  Have two more book projects half way done which I plan on diving back into this year.  I also dabble in poetry and have a chapbook published.  Just took up painting 3 years ago also.  It's a new passion of mine that is fun to fall into when the characters aren't talking!

I look forward to the friendships I will find here, and good luck to all as the semi-finalists deadline approaches!

Alex, are you in Florida?  I'm in North Central and FREEZING right now!  It not supposed to get to the teens here!

 

Hi, everyone, I'm Gayle and I entered a fluffy, non-thinking, totally mindless but highly entertaining romance novel called "Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy?"   I'm working on the second one called "Who Wants to Marry a Doctor?"  Y'all sense a theme here?  *grin*  I have enough of an ego to tell myself that if I don't make it to the next round, it's because the reviewers were looking for something much more poignant than my "poolside entertainment." 

 

I LOVE reading and was inspired to write after reading a HORRIBLE book full of unconvincing characters and a plot with more holes than a moth-ridden dress.  "I can do better than this!" I thought to myself, and then I did.  IMHO, of course. 

 

I'm happy to be here and want to wish my fellow entrants lots of LUCK!

 

 

I'm Kathleen L. Maher from the ABNA forum, the one with the stellar wit and celestial charm. Okay, the one vying for the most posts on absolutely nothing.

My entry is entitled The Face of Redemption, and is an inspirational romantic historical fiction.  We'll see what others think it is if it makes the next milestone in th econtest.  Historic chick lit, anyone? 

Great to see new faces and names here.  Write on!

Shlafe - no, I'm in North Carolina. The Florida Review--like most lit mags named after states--has some traction outside its originating region, and TFR in particular has a good rep. And it's one of the few that publishes stories in comic format.

But in the last few days it's gone from relatively warm in NC (I'm from Ohio originally) to the kind of obscene cold you're talking about, so I hear ya.

Alex.

I don't know how you did it, Missus, but I'd prefer you to stay out of my computer in the future and leave my files alone!

*shakesfist*