Skip to content

Squirrel Talk

Nutty Chitter from a Caffeinated Critter

Menu
  • Books
    • Niniers Series
    • Cera Chronicles
    • Anthologies
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
Menu

The Not-So-Accidental Blog Tourist Hop

Posted on August 27, 2014March 31, 2016 by Loni Townsend

Hey look, I plastered my face to the top of this post!

A while back, Carrie Butler tagged me in this Not-So-Accidental Blog Tourist hop. I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate, because it’s a lot like the one I did for Chrys Fey, and I wasn’t sure who to tag.

But since I’m working on a new project, I figured I’d focus on that.

TNSABT

1. What am I currently working on?

The project is called The Seven. Seven authors collaborating on multiple collections to bring you creepy delights. My author photo for this is the one up top. The first story focuses on Aladdin’s Lamp.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’ve heard of anthologies, but we’re talking at least 10 books by the Seven. Not thick books, mind you. Don’t think we could do 3 a year if they were big.

3. Why do I write what I do?

For this project, the theme for each book is already set. Being a fantasy author, it’s been hard to switch gears to do supernatural/paranormal, based in the “real” world. I’ve had to think up new characters, which sucks for me. I write much more naturally in Cera’s or Derek’s voice, but neither one fit into the scope.

4. How does my writing process work?

First, I tear out my hair. Then I start with a scene, throw it away, and start again. Seven times. How appropriate, considering we’re called the Seven. I’m a pantser who leans heavily on the character I’m writing. That gets difficult when I don’t know the characters. But hopefully, you’ll like Jensen when you meet her.

I could only think of one person to tag who hasn’t yet participated and might. I met Sarah McCabe on the Mythic Scribes forum when I went hunting for other fantasy writers. She offered up her blog, and it’s been a delight to read. Hopefully she’ll be a no-so-accidental blog tourist. πŸ˜‰

Have you participated in this type of blog hop yet? If not, consider yourself tagged!

50 thoughts on “The Not-So-Accidental Blog Tourist Hop”

  1. Crystal Collier says:
    August 27, 2014 at 8:09 AM

    Nice. Tear it up and throw it away so you can write it better the next time… I wish I had time for that kind of process, seven times over. Alas, outlining saves me about 5 drafts and many, many headaches. Still, it’s been a slow transition. We resist, the accept, then embrace, eh?

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 27, 2014 at 8:34 AM

      I’m going to see if I can take Jami Gold’s course Lost Your Pants to see if I can get a better handle on writing faster.

      Reply
      1. Sarah Brentyn says:
        August 30, 2014 at 9:18 PM

        Ooh… Jami’s course sounds interesting.

        Reply
      2. Crystal Collier says:
        September 3, 2014 at 6:39 AM

        Ooh! I hadn’t heard of her course. Now I’m going to have to check it out. Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Southpaw says:
      August 27, 2014 at 8:37 AM

      Oh Crystal and your fancy outline. LOL

      Reply
      1. Crystal Collier says:
        September 3, 2014 at 6:40 AM

        LOL! It’s usually scrawled across receipts and random scraps of paper, so I’m not sure I would call it fancy. πŸ˜‰

        Reply
  2. Liz Blocker (@lizblocker) says:
    August 27, 2014 at 8:32 AM

    That’s such a great picture!!! πŸ™‚ Did you chop your hair off? I know, that could have happened about 8 months ago, but in the faceless world of blogland, that’s like a few days πŸ˜‰ It looks great, either way.

    Ok, I didn’t know about the Seven; it sounds like a really, really cool project with a good long life. Congrats; I can’t wait to read it!!

    This made me laugh: “How does my writing process work? First, I tear out my hair.” LOL. Sounds familiar…

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 27, 2014 at 8:37 AM

      Thank you! I did chop off my hair in June, but I haven’t changed my profile pic yet. The other one is just so darn friendly looking…

      Reply
  3. Southpaw says:
    August 27, 2014 at 8:37 AM

    I like your process. I just hope your hair grows fast!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 28, 2014 at 8:44 AM

      I’ve noticed it growing a lot faster now that I’ve cut it.

      Reply
  4. Christine Rains says:
    August 27, 2014 at 10:08 AM

    Love that picture! I love the sound of the anthology. Good luck!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 28, 2014 at 8:44 AM

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    August 27, 2014 at 10:09 AM

    That is quite the ambitious project! Don’t tear out your hair though.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 28, 2014 at 8:44 AM

      It mostly ends up ruffled and sticking out in odd directions. The roots of my hair prove to be quite strong.

      Reply
  6. Mary Pax says:
    August 27, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    Ouch on the hair. Cool on the creepy. I often start a chapter one more than once.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:23 AM

      Sometimes I can start things well, but then I don’t know where I’m going. Eh.

      Reply
  7. Elizabeth Seckman says:
    August 27, 2014 at 12:06 PM

    I think you look lovely plastered up there! Wow. That is a big project, but I have no doubt you will do it!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:24 AM

      Why thank you! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  8. Meradeth says:
    August 27, 2014 at 12:22 PM

    I feel your pain on the panster thing! I wish I could outline, but it’s just not for me. Oh well! Good luck with your project–it sounds like lots of fun!!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:24 AM

      I’ve tried to outline. Goodness knows, I’ve tried. It just never seems to work out.

      Reply
  9. tara tyler says:
    August 27, 2014 at 3:07 PM

    awesome photo!
    and i like the sound of Seven – what a lot of writing you all are doing! and getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing! your process sounds similar to mine, too – lots of hair and wadded up paper in the trash…

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:25 AM

      Yes, it is a lot of writing. Much more than I’m used to. I’m just hoping I stay on top of it.

      Reply
  10. Jeri says:
    August 27, 2014 at 4:54 PM

    I learned the hard way I’m not a pantser and continue to back-pedal my way out of a ill-plotted WIP full of bloat. Nope, I’ll be all about starting with a brief write-up of each chapter before I ever start my next long book. There’s still room to play, but I need the structure. And yes, I’ll add too that your short hair looks pretty great πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:26 AM

      Thanks on the hair!

      Plot? What’s a plot!

      Reply
  11. C. Lee McKenzie says:
    August 27, 2014 at 5:26 PM

    I’m in the whatever works category. Once I find it, I stick with it, but it’s never the same, so each book has it’s own process.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:27 AM

      I’m finding that to be the case with me too.

      Reply
  12. Philip Overby says:
    August 27, 2014 at 7:12 PM

    Sounds like you have a good process down. I know some people that cringe at the thought of throwing a scene completely out. I’m a serial scene destroyer myself.

    So have I been tagged now? I’ve never participated in a blog hop like this. Could be fun.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 28, 2014 at 9:40 AM

      Yes! You are now officially tagged!

      Reply
  13. Carrie Butler says:
    August 27, 2014 at 9:22 PM

    You’re a fantasy author going paranormal, and I’m a paranormal author going fantasy! Go us. πŸ˜€

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 28, 2014 at 9:40 AM

      We shall rule the world!

      Reply
  14. Aldrea Alien says:
    August 28, 2014 at 12:23 AM

    See, that’s exactly the reason I wind up not tagging anyone at all (well, that and I tend to be like the LAST person for anything … also, I hate being a bother). But, hey, I’m working on multiple projects…

    And supernatural/paranormal isn’t too bad once you adjust, at least it’s still under the spec fic umbrella. Now historical, straight historical … that’d be hard. For me, anyway. I loves magical events far too much to give them up entirely.

    Good luck in the endeavour!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:30 AM

      I tried historical once. Got 400 words down and I had soooo many questions. I don’t know that I could do much longer than that.

      I’m looking forward to your projects. They have pictures to go with them!

      Reply
  15. Pat Hatt says:
    August 28, 2014 at 8:23 AM

    Sounds like a great undertaking indeed, your poor hair must be in rough shape though with all the yanking lol

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:31 AM

      At least, sometimes, the white hairs come out when I pull. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. Leandra Wallace says:
    August 28, 2014 at 9:40 AM

    I’ve found here lately that I have to have an outline to start off with, or I feel lost. But then once I start writing, Miss Pants comes along and messes everything up. Usually in good ways! =)

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:32 AM

      In good ways is good!

      Reply
  17. L. Diane Wolfe says:
    August 28, 2014 at 1:06 PM

    10 books of paranormal stories – sounds good to me.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:33 AM

      Hopefully it’ll be as good as it sounds. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  18. M.J. Fifield says:
    August 28, 2014 at 1:58 PM

    Tearing your hair out…yep. That’s what I generally do at the start of a project. And in the middle. And the end.

    Maybe I should invest in a wig.

    Happy writing!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:34 AM

      Imagine all of the hair colors you could have. Keep those coworkers on their toes.

      Reply
  19. Cherie Reich says:
    August 29, 2014 at 8:41 AM

    The project sounds awesome! Good luck with it!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:34 AM

      Thank you!

      Reply
  20. Melissa Maygrove says:
    August 29, 2014 at 11:12 AM

    Oo. Now I’m intrigued.
    Can’t wait to get to the crit. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      August 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM

      Hopefully it’s not too terrible to read. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  21. Stephanie Faris says:
    August 29, 2014 at 12:34 PM

    I’m a pantser, too, so I can relate. Revisions are BRUTAL when you’re a pantser! Of course, outlining is probably just as much work. Some people enjoy outlining–I’d rather just jump in.

    Reply
  22. joylene says:
    August 29, 2014 at 12:44 PM

    Okay, when you all are ruling the earth, be kind to us old suspense writers. LOL.

    Reply
  23. Sarah Brentyn says:
    August 30, 2014 at 9:23 PM

    Love the author photo, love the story idea. I can’t wait to hear more about this. Will be lurking… πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  24. Milo James Fowler says:
    August 31, 2014 at 9:01 AM

    I can relate to the pantsing and the hair-pulling — one usually goes with the other. The Seven sounds intriguing, and I look forward to reading more about it.

    Reply
  25. Sarah McCabe says:
    August 31, 2014 at 11:07 AM

    Thanks for tagging me, Loni. I’ll put my post up tomorrow.

    Reply
  26. CD Gallant-King says:
    September 2, 2014 at 7:48 AM

    I was tagged by Philip Overby and wandered my way back around here. Great blog and good luck with The Seven!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to my blog. I post here on Wednesdays most of the time, but you can find me on social media any day of the week. My topics include my stories and writing, life at the Town's End, creating and tinkering with graphics, things I learn and think might be helpful to others, and the occasional amateur photo. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around.

Get Social!

Follow Me on FacebookFollow Me on TwitterFollow Me on FlickrFollow Me on InstagramFollow Me on PinterestFollow Me on RSSFollow Me on GoodreadsEmail Me!Follow Me on DeviantArt

Recent Posts

  • Keep On Marching On #IWSG
  • Got You Covered #IWSG
  • Welcome 2023! #IWSG
  • Progress Made #IWSG
  • No NaNo for Me #IWSG

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with me and Mailchimp to receive my blog posts via emails. Don't worry, I only post about once a month. Use the unsubscribe link in the email to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

Categories

Books and Anthologies

© 2023 Squirrel Talk | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme