Author: Nicole Luttrell

I'm a speculative fiction writer. That means I write about dragons, ghosts and spaceships. Sometimes I write about the ghosts of dragons on spaceships.

Returning to a world

As you might be aware, I wrote a book that is a companion to my trilogy, Woven.

Falling From Grace eBook

I might have mentioned it, not sure.

I loved writing Grace, it was a ton of fun. But it was also really difficult! I’m writing another book about a world I’ve already got three years of history with. Three books of already set in stone world-building and an established canon.

There are pros and cons of writing a companion novel for a trilogy already in the world. This is something that I’m sure Suzanne Collins could tell you as well. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Cons

I already had a lot of information in place, and some of it I didn’t like anymore. Broken Patterns was my first published novel. I think it’s pretty good, but I’ve grown as a writer since I wrote it. I’ve learned a lot about world-building and character building. Looking back, if I was to rewrite Broken Patterns I would make some serious changes. But that’s not a choice I have anymore. It’s out there, for better or worse. I think it’s for the better because I would forever rewrite the same story given half a chance. When I now have to write again in that world designed by a younger writer, I found myself wanting to fix things. Things that were already set in stone, that I couldn’t ret-con. More’s the pity.

I had to take time researching my work while I was writing Grace. This meant writing with the first three books on my desk, checking facts and timelines. Yes, I do have a bible of important facts, but not everything I needed to know was in there. Some parts were just nuances. How was Victor mentally at this time? How was he reacting to Grace, to Lenore? I had to re-read the whole trilogy.

And while I was reading the trilogy, I realized some glaring mistakes in the timeline. Things that did not make sense at all. No, I’m not going to point them out, but they’re there. There were some parts that I realized I messed up and had to figure a way out of it. That put a ton of pressure on me while I was writing Grace.

Pros

There is no great loss without some small gain. Yes, the Woven trilogy had some problems. But while I was writing Grace, I got to fix some of those problems. And that was such a blessing! As much of a challenge as this was, it gave me a chance to change things that I wasn’t proud of. 

I’m not the only creator ever to do this. If you’re as big of a Star Trek fan as me, you might remember the tribble episode. There’s a scene where a whole mess of these little cuties are just falling out of a panel in the ceiling. If you look, you’ll see a stage hand’s hand tossing little tribbles out of the hole. 

Way off in the future, in Deep Space Nine, there’s an episode where Sisko and Dax end up on the original Enterprise on the day of the tribble infestation. At one point they have to toss tribbles out of the ceiling panel by hand. Thus explaining the mystery hand in the original series.

Problem solved. That wasn’t a stagehand, it was Dax.

While I did have to do a lot of research on my books, writing Grace took less time than other books. That’s because I didn’t have to do a lot of the world-building over again. I already knew what Montelair was like! I already knew most of these characters, their ins, and outs. That was a metric ton of work that I already had established.

The best thing about returning to the world of Woven, though, was this. I got to see my characters and their world from a different perspective. Grace is a far different character than Lenore. We’ll be exploring that more later. The Brotherhood are the good guys in this one. Grace is a common woman, not a well-born princess. She’s not a mage. She is an entirely different person, living an entirely different life.

And showing the world of Woven from an entirely different set of eyes.

0

Things we don’t talk about in Fantasy books, and how to do it right.

Cover art thanks to Pixabay. Thank you, Pixabay.

When I was a kid, I read just about every book that Beverly Cleary ever wrote. Especially the Ramona books. Ramona was my girl. I would love a story about Ramona as an adult. 

One story that stuck with me was Ramona and her little kindergarten class hearing a story about a man working a steam shovel for a whole day to beat a machine. And Ramona, being her own little no filter self, asks the question everyone wants to know.

How does he go to the bathroom if he’s in the steam shovel all day?

Hey, yeah, how did he go to the bathroom? How did Cleopatra go to the bathroom when she was rolled up in a rug and sent to Marc Anthony?

I cannot be the only weirdo who thinks of these things. But while we’re on the subject, how do women in some of these fantasy stories handle their periods? Gross? Maybe. But I’m kind of curious. I looked up how ancient women handled such delicate matters because I was super curious. And I’ll tell you I’ve never been happier to be a woman in the 21st century.

Now, I don’t think we need to know this in every book. I can kind of guess how most characters handle that sort of thing because there are only three or four options available for the modern woman. But we’re talking about fantasy books. I kind of want to know what Madam Pomfrey had for Hermione and Ginny when their monthlies started. I’m betting, enchanted diva cup that cleans itself. (And if your sensibilities are offended by me talking about this, I will remind you that Rowling wrote a scene where a pervy ghost was watching Harry take a bath. Sit with that for a while.)

What about the people in Mystborn? It’s an ancient society, are women using twisted up rags like olden times? Do women with magic have some cool metal bending way to deal with that? 

Okay, I don’t want to put every author on the spot. Not everyone has to talk about a girl’s period, or how the contents of a privy are handled. But maybe we should?

Hear me out.

First off, the period issue. Most people are just straight-up grossed out by periods. But it’s something that the vast majority of women deal with every month for most of our lives. But it’s like this huge secret? Because someone might know that I’m an average cis woman? Maybe this is me speaking from a place of privilege, or maybe we should be able to have a common bodily function without being afraid someone’s going to find out about it. Maybe we should make this a comfortable discussion so that girls can talk about it with trusted adults without losing their minds? Or hey, wild thought, maybe we shouldn’t make girls ashamed of something their bodies naturally do and have to do for our species to continue.

And as for other private matters, like going to the bathroom, our societies are greatly impacted by that. Indoor plumbing was a huge game-changer for cities. People weren’t getting sick and dying so much since we no longer let our waste run into the street and our drinking water. It’s gross, but it’s kind of a big deal. And knowing sort of where a society is in their plumbing evolution is an indication of where they are medically. Which can matter in a fantasy novel.

Now, this is something I thought of not at all while I was writing Woven. I have had several pregnancies and never thought to drop any truth bombs about how Lenore, Grace or Sultana handle their bleeding time. I probably will passingly mention it in future books, now that I’ve thought of it. 

When I do, it will be tasteful. Like in Tamora Pierce’s Becca Cooper series. She handled that well, with just a quick note about emptying chamber pots in gutters and having her character pick up something for her monthlies.

What she didn’t do, and what I (God willing) will not do is handle a delicate matter in a less than delicate way. 

I’m talking of course about the master of brute force writing, George R. Martin. While I have questions sometimes about bodily functions, I don’t need to know too many details. I didn’t need to know that a certain character pissed, shat and threw up on himself while trapped in an empty barrel. And I won’t share with you some other vulgar details that I never needed to know about other characters in that series.

Listen, we’re mostly adults here. At least, we’re capable of handling things like grown-ups, and not eleven-year old’s giggling about fart jokes. We don’t need to get red in the face because someone’s ‘aunt Flo’ is visiting.

 

0

Six upcoming books I can’t wait to read

My book, Falling From Grace, is coming out soon! Have I mentioned it nearly enough? I don’t think so. 

As it turns out, I’m not the only author with a book coming out. (Shocker.) And as I was going through my Amazon pre-order list, I realized that some pretty freaking fantastic fantasy and science fiction books will be launching this year. So I guess I’d better get that pile of to read’s down before they come out. 

All but one of these books is available for presale now. So if you needed something to look forward to while the COVID-19 reaper stalks us, here you are.

The Exile’s Gift

By Tamora Pierce- No release date yet

The only reason this book is so far down on this list is that it doesn’t have a release day yet. It’s the only one on the list that doesn’t. But I have been waiting for it since the moment I read the last page of the book that came before it, Tempest and Slaughter. (And I was waiting for quite a while for that one.)

This trilogy is about Numair, the husband of Daine from the Wild Mage series. It was discussed in Emperor Mage that Numair’s history was colorful, to say the least. And I can’t wait to find out all of it.

919TGUBLBnLEscape Pod

Anthology Edited by Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya- Release date October 20th

Okay, so not only is Mur Lafferty editing this anthology, Mary Robinette Kowal is included. Then there’s the fact that I love anthologies to start with, so this book is a big win for me. And I don’t even have my hands on it yet.

 

 

Savage Legion712G-u+b7xL

By Matt Wallace- Release date July 21

Or Matt F’ing Wallace if you listen to Ditch Diggers.

I’ll be totally honest with you, I have two reasons for wanting to read this; Wallace is a great podcaster and I’ve never read a book by a former wrestler that I didn’t love. (Full disclosure, the only other wrestler turned author I’ve ever read is Mic Foley. But I loved his book.)

At any rate, Savage Legion is the first of a new series. And I’m quite excited to read it.

The Stormlight Archive

By Brandon Sanderson- Release date November 17

I need to read this whole series before I get to this one. But everything of Sanderson’s that I’ve read so far has been awesome. So I’m sure I’ll get through all of it eventually. And maybe even in time for this one to come out.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor91S1lAiZGpL

By Hank Green- Release date July 7

My darling husband read An Absolutely Remarkable thing, went nuts about it, and insisted that I read it. I read it and started looking for information about the sequel. It was just announced. 

If you haven’t read book one, do yourself a favor and read it right now. It’s nothing like any other book I’ve ever read. It’s about a collection of big metal statues that just show up in the middle of the night with no explanation. Hilarity, panic and the worst/best of humanity ensues. 

I am counting the days until this book comes out. There are too many.

71GmLeqT7SLBallad of Songbirds and Snakes

By Suzanne Collins- Release date May 19

At least one person I’ve told about this release stopped our whole conversation to pre-order it right then. I don’t blame her, as that’s exactly what I did as soon as I heard it was coming out.

I, like almost everyone else on the planet, devoured Hunger Games. I watched every movie, learned how to whistle, and know every word of Hanging Tree by heart. (By the way, if you’re looking for a song to sing to time your handwashing, one verse of Hanging Tree is exactly 20 seconds long.)

The thought of a prequel series is beyond exciting. 

So, what do you think? What’s exciting on your pre-order list right now?

0

Things that irritate me as a fantasy fan

It takes a true fan to really dig into all the terrible details of a thing. And as we’re all true fans of fantasy here, it’s important to talk about the parts of our genre that are just not working for us. So that’s what we’re going to do today.

Most of my issues with fantasy stories relate to one thing. A dramatic lack of diversity. This will kill any genre. But in worlds with such dramatic possibility, it seems particularly heinous.

Everyone has the same jobs

Everyone seems to be a farmer, or a smith, or a warrior or a member of the nobility. Usually, they’re one of the first two but secretly one of the seconds. There are peddlers aplenty and of course the occasional healer.

But people had other jobs! interesting jobs, too. People made candles, taught school, built shoes, ran shops. Can we please talk about some of those people, even if they’re not the main character?

Everyone uses the same sorts of world templates

I’m not the first person to voice this complaint, but I’m going to go ahead and voice it anyway. Most fantasy worlds are based in a very middle ages England or Norse style world. I used a similar set up myself in Woven, with Montelair being based heavily in Russia. Now and again you’ll see something from Asia.

Why not Africa? Why not Native Americans? What about the Middle East like I also did in Woven? It was fascinating enough I’m considering a whole new series just to explore it more. 

Almost all dragons are western dragons

And maybe, just saying, we might see too many dragons in general. Not that I don’t freaking love dragons. But there are these things called drakes, and they are also pretty freaking cool. There are also basilisks and a hundred other mythological creatures that we never see. Brownies! Why aren’t there more books about brownies?

Few if any characters are gay

If someone knows otherwise, please let me know. If you know of any fantasy books besides mine that deal with homosexuality (especially if they’re written by own voice authors) please leave them in the comments below. I want to read them.

It’s rare to see any not straight character in any genre unless that’s what the whole book is about. I would love to see more stories about a person who happens to also be gay or bisexual.

Few if any characters are differently-abled

I have seen more dead characters than differently-abled ones in books.

Why? Do they not have stories to tell? Do they not have adventures or challenges to overcome? Why can’t we see people with more physical issues than the occasional pair of glasses?

So what do you think? What irritates you in the fantasy genre? Let us know in the comments below. 

3

My top four magic tools

Magical or enchanted items are a mainstay of the fantasy genre. A cloak of invisibility, an amulet that protects its owner, a painting that ages instead of a man. These tools make a character who might have no magical ability powerful. 

At least that’s how it might appear. Most of the tools, like Dumbo’s magic feather, are nothing more than placebos. Some, like Thor’s hammer, can’t just be picked up and used by anybody. But some any old person could use, like a gun or a sword. 

What follows are my four of my favorite magical tools. But I’d love to hear what you think! Leave your favorite magical tool in the comments below.

Sailor Moon’s Magic Pen

Growing up I was a big fan of Sailor Moon. Looking back on it now the show is, let’s just sailor moonsay hard to watch. Like really hard. Don’t judge me, please. 

Setting the cringy points aside, the sailor scouts had some of the coolest magic tools I had ever seen then and I still want them now. My favorite tool was Serina’s Moon Pen of transformation. She used it to transform her appearance and disguise herself. So long as she wanted to disguise herself as a blond woman.

Yes, the moon pen could be used to sneak into places and go unseen in a crowd. I would use it to just get ready before I leave the house. Moon Pen, transform me into a functioning adult!

The Golden Compass

golden compassShiny things are awesome, and I think a lot of people have this cat-like attraction to boxes. Music boxes and watch workings are two of my favorite aesthetics. So the golden compass as a physical thing was attractive to me right away. Then we get into what it does.

The Golden Compass is basically a set of tarot cards, just more compact. It’s a machine that answers questions based on a series of symbols that will likely have a different meaning to everyone who looks at them. And there’s a whole group of people ‘in charge’ who are way overthinking it. I want one.

Wonder Woman’s wrist braces

For those who don’t know, Wonder Woman’s wrist braces do some awesome things. She Wonder womancan deflect attacks with them, and that’s pretty awesome. But it’s the symbolism behind the bracelets that I love so much. 

The braces are worn by all Amazons to remind them never to submit to a man. I mean, how cool is that? It’s a reminder that they were once shackled by men and should never allow themselves to be again. 

The Mirror of Erised

mirror of erisedYeah, we all knew we weren’t going to get through even a short list without talking about Harry Potter. And when it comes to the Harry Potter universe, there’s a ton of magical tools. But my favorite by far is the Mirror of Erised. 

We all think we know what we want in life. But I believe, if we were faced with our true and deepest desire, we’d be surprised. Some of us would be happily surprised. Some would be horrified. Most would have no idea.

What do you think you’d see in it? 

0

New book release, California Dreamin’

Hey, guys. Just popping in here real quick to let you know about a book launching today from an awesome author, K.C Sprayberry. Check it out. 

 

Dear Steve, I can’t say this out loud. If I do, I might start crying, and I don’t want your last sight of me for the next thirteen months to be of tears. I also don’t want you to go, but I understand that you must. Keep your head down, darling. Love you always and forever, Tish.

***

We don’t speak for most of the ride. I can’t help myself. My birthday is coming up soon but I don’t feel happy to be turning eighteen. Instead, I’m ready to cry for the rest of my life, or the thirteen months my guy, Steve Mason, is in Vietnam.

Dear Steve, I miss you so much and promise that I will never give up on you. Love you always and forever, Tish.

Tish Brady embarks on a journey she hopes will give her perspective for her future. During a time of unrest, she connects with young men bound for Vietnam, war protestors, and others with no idea what their future holds during the turbulence of 1967.

The Summer of Love is just the beginning of Tish’s journey…

Click here to get it now.

 

0

Yet another post about Covid-19

How are you doing today? I mean really, how are you? Because let’s be real, everyone’s in not a great place right now. People are losing their jobs, worried about getting sick. I’m a little scared to even go to the grocery store, to be honest. And I see this whole thing getting worse before it gets better.

So I’ll ask again, how are you? What do you need to get through this month, this week, today?

We’re doing okay at my house. My day job is allowing me to work from home. I don’t share where I work, but I will say the field I’m in is super busy right now. So I’m working overtime. While also preparing for the launch of my next book.

But the last thing you’ll hear me do right now is complain. There are too many people out of work today who had no idea this was coming last week. I am beyond thankful that I’m not one of them.

This emergency is showing us all what we’re made of. There have been so many people working for good in the face of this that it’s truly inspiring. People have donated time, money and creative energy to help people stuck at home. Today I’m collecting some of the wonderful offers people I love online are providing to help out in these dark times. As I learn about new offers, I’ll update this list. And if you know of anyone helping out, please feel free to put links in the comments below.

The Broke Millennial has a collection of links for people in need to get food and support.

Smashwords authors, like myself, are putting our books on deep discount or for free. All of my books are free on Smashwords.

Juju in Pittsburgh is offering free tarot readings for small business owners impacted by Covid-19.

Doordash is offering free delivery if you order from local restaurants.

Sephora andUlta are waiving all their shipping costs.

Target is providing special times for people in higher-risk categories to shop. So is Giant Eagle if you live in Western PA.

Now is when we need to stick together. Not as a nation, not as a community, but as a whole human race. We need to reach out to each other (metaphorically) and make sure we’re doing okay. I know it’s scary right now, and it feels like there’s nothing we can do.

But there is so much we can do! Start with simple things like staying home as much you can. Wash your hands frequently and keep your hands off your face.

Do not, and I cannot emphasize this enough, buy and wear face masks if you are not sick. Health professionals can’t get them now and it’s an issue. (Though Kudos to Harbor Freight, who donated every single mask they had to hospitals.) 

Please do not hoard things. Buy what you need, leave some for others. Do not be the asshole reselling tp for a profit. 

Don’t fall for any scams. There are no cures for this, and no vaccine yet. Untitled design

Beyond all that, be an inspiration if you can. Put positive messages out on social media. Share a picture of yourself working from home with your pet or kids. If you’re a content creator, put out more content now if you can. 

If you can. Don’t ever forget that you need to take care of yourself first. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take a bubble bath, read a book, Facetime your friends. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others.

I do want to hear from you. Let me know how you’re doing in the comments, on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We’re going to get through this together or not at all.

I just want to leave you with this quote from Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon. 

Life shouldn’t feel normal just now. So if your life still feels entirely normal, ask yourself if you are doing the right things. Or if instead, you might be putting yourself and others at unnecessary risk.

2

Changing points of view in a series

I’ve been writing Woven books for over six years now. 

Wait, let me just let that sink in for a minute. That’s nuts. I started writing Paper Beats World because I wanted to support myself emotionally while I was writing the novel. So if you’ve been reading the blog from day one, then you’ve been on the journey with me right from the beginning. 

And I still don’t have any respect for stamp collectors. 

Falling From Grace is the latest book, and it’s far different from the others. It shows a point of view that is parallel to Broken Patterns, taking place at the same time. 

That was weird enough. I was writing about Victor and Lenore, my Tommy and Gina like they’re the bad guys. Because they kind of are. But it does get weirder.

In it, you’ll see Calvin Olendae in an entirely new light. From the view of people who love and respect him. From people that he cared for, people who’s lives he saved. 

You’ll also see Grace, who you might remember from Starting Chains as a rather selfish woman who was bitter that she’d lost Victor to Lenore. You’ll see her as a healer, a protector. You’ll see her as a hero. 

When I started writing this, I just wanted to tell Grace’s story. But as I wrote it, I realized I was writing about how a good man becomes a monster. 

Calvin was a killer. He was willing to murder innocent children, even kill his own brother. But he didn’t get that way by chance. He’s a man who’s watched his people be ground under the boot of oppression. He only wants to save his people. 

The weight of that self-imposed burden drives him to horrific acts. And Grace, who loves him, must watch him along that road.

There’s a great quote from the Joker that applies here. Alan Moore wrote it, that makes total sense.

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That’s how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.”

I don’t know if a bad day’s ever driven me to blow up people for kicks. But it’s sure driven me to some unhealthy food choices.

In all honesty, though, there is only so much a person can take. Or maybe there are just some people who will break instead of bending. Maybe Calvin was always just rotten from birth. 

If that’s the case, how did so many people love him?

This was an exciting book to write, wrestling from this. It made me realize that no one is ever just good or just bad. 

We’re all shades of grey, all along the spectrum. And sometimes that shade changes over time. 

0

It’s finally here!

For the last week, you’ve been seeing me count down to today on social media. And, big surprise, I’m announcing the launch of a new book today.

But this book, this book is different. Because it’s a story that just refused not to be told.

It started as the prolog of Starting Chains until it got scrapped. (A good reason as any to save the scenes you cut when you’re editing, by the way.) The scene, and indeed the character, stayed with me. I tried to write her into Starting Chains, and that worked well. She came alive on the page and stole the show. She certainly gave Lenore a run for her money.

But even after Starting Chains was done, this character stayed in the back of my head. She didn’t make it into Missing Stitches, but she hung around. So I thought I would write a short story about her, get her out of my head and give her a voice of her own. 

That short story turned into a novella. Then, a full-blown novel named for its sexy, fiery, fearless leading woman.

Grace

For those of you who read the Woven trilogy, Grace was the former lover of Victor, the main character of book two. She wasn’t seen at her best there, as she’s trying to navigate an ever-changing world and deal with the fact that she’s lost the man she loves to a princess.

There’s so much more to her story, though. She was at Calvin’s side as he overthrew the king of Montelair. She helped start a revolution in her country. 

Then, she watched a man she loved to fall into madness and become a monster.

Falling From Grace is a story of class upheaval, magic, and war. And I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Not to brag, but I think it’s the best book I’ve written yet. 

As soon as I have a launch date you’ll know. In the meantime, get ready to dive deeper than ever into the world of Woven.

0

I’m now on Patreon

Like almost every other creator online, I’ve joined Patreon. I’m pretty excited/nervous about the whole thing, to be honest. 

Patreon is a site where you pay content creators a certain amount of money every month to support their work and offer certain perks. And I rejected the idea of being on Patreon for a long, long time. I’m anxious about asking for money.

So if I was going to do something on Patreon, I didn’t want to just ask for money without providing something extra. 

I thought long and hard about what to offer on Patreon. Something that I hope you’ll all find value in and something that I can sustainably produce.

 Here’s what I came up with. 

If you’re supporting me at tier one, for just $2 a month you get a shout out on each blog post, and access to PBW posts early. I’ll also probably think of other little treats along the way. You’ll be helping to support this site, too. So, that’s pretty cool.

Tier two is $4 a month. For that, you get everything Tier one does. You also get exclusive short stories once a month, and pictures of my pets. You’ll be helping feed them, after all. You deserve to see the occasional picture of Oliver in a Steelers hat.

Here’s a link if you want to check it out. I’m excited to use this as a way to get more content for you guys.

And if you have any rewards you’d like to see me offer, let me know in the comments. 

3

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑