March Games

March’s games were #AuthorConfession, #mythmadnessWIP, #TweepWriter and #WIPTruthorDare.

#AuthorConfession

1. I’m still Drew, at least half of the time, and I’m the writer of the House Valerius urban fantasy series. My MC for the main part of the series is Ash Valerian, member of the Ceteri and heir to the oldest House in their society.
2. I honestly don’t remember how I found #authorconfession. I’ve been doing it since late 2016 and I haven’t missed a month yet.
3. I think the main thing that’s different is that my Ceteri are genetic vampires, so there’s no biting & turning people, it’s all biological. Or mostly anyways.
4. If I knew how to do that, I’d probably be in a much better state of mind. The only thing I’ve found so far, is to try switching to a different project for a little while.
5. Well, that is the question…One of the things I’m hoping to discover in House in Exile is just how far Ash is willing to go.
6. These are the ones that I think suggest De Vries (well, they do to me anyways)
7. Either Batman without the angst or Wolverine without the claws. Although having said that, he does have Spider-man’s smart mouth.
8. Some of the character names are either references or in-jokes.
9. I have absolutely no idea. I think both Ash and myself would prefer if we don’t investigate that one…
10. De Vries doesn’t strike me as the catchphrase type. Maybe quoting a family motto, if you want to count that.
11. Not really. At least he’s never given any indication of it to me.
12. Just my winning personality. But I do have a commemorative coin that was given to my father when I was born.
13. The way his luck has been going lately, Ash would find that someone had already taken the gold, killed the leprechaun and framed him for all of it.
14. Oh, there are several… J.M. Sullivan and Jessica Julian, of course, plus Raimey Gallant, Lexi Lefevre, Dyrk Ashton, M.L. Spencer, H.A. Callum, D.M. Newlun, C.M. Turner, John Cordial, Laura M. Hughes, R.B. McConnell, Stefanie Simpson, Kiho Graham, Elizabeth Mays & Alex Micati.
15. Well, he’s not getting much of a break with his current run of bad luck but he does get reunited with Mitsuko so….
16. How would Ash catch a leprechaun? A glass of warm milk, some soda bread and a punji stake trap…
17. This will sound boring but I’d pay off the house, buy us a new place more in line with our current wants & needs.
18. Since I’m making the decision to more or less start over, I’m going to say the word count right now is zero.
19. I think some diplomacy or negotiating lessons would probably come in handy…
20. So, this seems at least partially accurate.
21. It hasn’t really come up in the series so far but I’d say Ash was ambivalent about poetry. He can appreciate it but he doesn’t read it regularly.
22. If it’s game night, the most likely game would be poker.
23. I can see Quinn losing patience with the game, especially if he’s losing or if he has to pay MacReady a load of rent….
24. Well, I suppose the Houses could be considered ‘cliques’ in some way.
25. 3 items Ash keeps in the fridge: Blood (for everyone), beer (for Quinn & MacReady), probably some kind of food…
26. Shadowcroft Manor was the place Ash called home. I suppose now that it’s been taken over he doesn’t have a home any more.
27. What would make Ash jealous? I’d say De Vries’ ability to persuade and manipulate people to his advantage. Not only is it usually to Ash’s detriment, it’s the sort of skill he needs to restore his name.
28. MacReady – Burnin’ Love, Quinn – Highwayman & Jodie – Pretty Vacant.
29. Since I’m back at the beginning with Houe in Exile 2.0, Ash is feeling pretty defeated by life.
30. #FF sparkly #AuthorConfession edition: Lexi Lefevre, R.B. McConnell, John Cordial, Paul Lavender, Kendra Temples, Dyrk Ashton, M.L. Spencer, L.M. Nelson, T.A. Uner, Mori Kaithor, C.M. Turner, D.M. Newlun, Jen & Cliff Hartman, Stefanie Simpson and, of course, J.M. Sullivan and Jessica Julian.
31. De Vries doesn’t collect anything as far as I know. Well, apart from maybe victims.

#MythMadnessWIP

1. Ash has to escape the Cabal and restore his name.
2. In the past year? Not a lot in terms of my own writing but I did some beta work, got my name in a couple of acknowledgements and did interviews with some authors about their new releases.
3. My main writing goal for this year is to complete the first draft of House in Exile.
4. De Vries is a malicious sociopath with a savior complex.
5. De Vries wants to destabilise the Cabal and take over.
6. To himself, he justifies it by the way he and the ones that have chosen to work with him have been treated by the Cabal.
7. This one suggests De Vries to me, and his attitude towards Ash.
8. Well, De Vries can be charming and persuasive. Plus, he does have a point about how he and others are treated by the other Ceteri.
9. This is the way De Vries sees himself & how he manipulates everyone around him.
10. De Vries’ closest ally is Carina Bulat. They’ve been lovers for years.
11. Ash in 10 words or less: He wants to do the right thing.
12. Ash wants to be considered a worthy successor to his father, probably more than he realizes.
13. De Vries doesn’t change Ash’s goal but he does add to it. After he sets Ash up in the eyes of the Cabal, Ash is determined to clear his name.
14. This was the first to come to mind… 
15. Well, he’s young and inexperienced (by Ceteri standards) so a lot of the series so far is him reacting and trying to get a grip on things.
16. A little bit older than Ash is supposed to be but….
17. Although they’re currently separated and Quinn is more or less acting as Ash’s mentor right now, his mentor for most of his life has been his father, Matthias.
18. The in 10 words or less: Our world, as of 2004, but with some small tweaking.
19. 3 works to explain the House Valerius world: The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Children of the Night by Dan Simmons & The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko.
20. I’d like to think it’s the genetic basis of the Ceteri that makes my series at least a little bit different.
21. Well, this represents one of the main locations anyways…
22. It’s a bit more cramped and doesn’t have the same kind of facilities that my characters were accustomed to at Shadowcroft but this was supposed to be an emergency hideaway, not a permanent home.
23. Again, not the only setting but one of the major ones…
24. Well, the world of the Ceteri Houses started when Valerius brought Sennaara back to Rome and they began to have children.
25. Himself in 10 words: General nuisance. Frequently paranoid. Sometimes misanthropic. Usually tired. Occasionally witty.
26. My go-to for inspiration? Well, music often helps.
27. Not a proper cover but I did put this together using WordSwag.
28. Sad to say this seems all too accurate…
29. Why would someone what to read my book? When I work that one out, I’ll let you know.
30. Some of my older notebooks.

#TweepWriter

1. Ish. It’s not a race against time as such but Ash knows that the longer De Vries goes unchecked, the harder it will be to take him down.
2. Hmm, the previous two books have taken place over a matter of days but House in Exile covers a greater period. I’m still experimenting with the best way to convey how long.
3. House Valerius covers about a week in December 2003. A House Divided covers the end of 2003 and into mid-January of 2004. I haven’t quite decided how long House in Exile will go on but I doubt it will move beyond 2004.
4. I’ll be conservative and say approx. 15 months.
5. My plan is to have a first draft complete by the end of the year.
6. I have been known to overuse slightly, I think. And I think.
7. In my opinion, it’s probably ‘In my opinion…’
8. Not usually, maybe if I’m on my laptop. More often I might just make a note for me to check it later. Although Britt did give me a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi for Christmas so…

9. It has to be the much-missed Sir Terry…

10. Not sure how good it would be but I could see “The Tyger” done as a rock song.
11. Usually, I’m more likely to write at night.
12. I wouldn’t say I have a designated spot but a good bit of my writing gets down at the far left side of our couch.
13. I do my best writing when I have as few distractions as possible. Or if I’m somewhere waiting for an appointment (or similar).
14. Not as well as I’d like. See my previous answer.
15. I think this is a fairly safe bet…
16. The hardest part about writing? Finding the time and then being able to get the words out when I do.
17. Well, I just made the decision to start over on House in Exile so I’m back at the beginning…
18. My MC is Ash Valerian, heir to House Valerius, oldest of the Ceteri Houses. Currently wanted by the Ceteri ruling Cabal for a host of crimes, many of which he’s been framed for.
19. I’m sure he won’t like me saying this but I think many of those who know him would describe Ash as a puppy.
20. I don’t think I could call any of Ash’s allies ‘sidekicks’. If anything, most them would say he’s the sidekick.
21. Based on what I had planned; it starts off in the UK, then a short stop in Canada, the roams around the US for a while before settling in New Mexico for a while. Although there is a trip back to the UK at some point.
22. House in Exile starts in the second half of January 2004 and covers at least the following 6 months of the year.
23. Well, one of the things was watching the first Underworld film. I also took some from my dissertation.
24. Book 1 does have mentions of the war in Iraq and the capture of Saddam Hussein.
25. I don’t really have anything to plug as such, but here are some short stories I wrote.
26. My current recommendation: Darkrise by M.L. Spencer.
27. I’ll go with this for the time being.
28. I must admit, this rarely fails to put a smile on my face…
29. I find sitting near water can be very relaxing. For me anyways.
30. Shout-outs to Lexi Lefevre, C Alexandra & Nicola Noble. 

#WIPTruthorDare

1. My favourite part of editing is probably fixing things, especially when you now know things you might not have when doing the first draft.
2. I don’t think so but, if I’m honest, he’s probably come close a time or two.
3. Ash’s favourite place was the library at Shadowcroft, but that’s gone now.
4. Petra would win best actress I think. She’s very good at playing different roles as needed.
5. Physically weakest is probably Elizabeth since she’s fully human and doesn’t have Ceteri strength. Weakest as in the least developed, hmm… possibly Lady Conrad or Lord Pavlovitch. I need to work on them a bit.
6. At least 5 that he’s sure of by his own hand and another that he ordered killed. It might be more but it’s been during gunfights and everything was pretty confused.
7. I’d say there’s maybe a dozen or so named side characters in House in Exile. That might expand later…
8. Hmm, I’d say Ash probably admires House Valerius’ Sergeant-at-arms Casey Preston more than anyone else. His grandmother Lilith who ruled both their House and the Cabal for a while is another possibility but since he never met her, I’m saying Casey.
9. Yes, Ash makes jokes. Usually inappropriate ones, either in subject or timing. It’s his defense mechanism.
10. Three completed so far, with another four (maybe more) in various stages. They’re all set before the main series.
11. Hmm. On Housein Exile, a little story which had nothing to do with the plot but I had some fun writing it. On A House Divided, I lost an entire chapter.
12. If Ash couldn’t see, he’d probably start practising reverse grip sword fighting, like this.
13. My suggested question: What’s the most unusual book in your library?
14. Off the top of my head, I’m going to say Dr Mbejane is the most mathematically inclined.
15. Probably when he’s been at Carina’s mercy.
16. My favourite place was Ash’s home, Shadowcroft. Basically my equivalent of Wayne Manor. But now that it’s been taken over, I’ll say House Takeda on Hashima Island.
17. Jodie likes green, it brings out her eyes.
18. Hardest part of editing? Re-reading my work. All I see are the faults.
19. Since I just made the decision to start over on House in Exile, technically I don’t have any scenes for it…
20. De Vries is completely oblivious to nature most of the time. The only time he would consider it in any way is if he was hoping for some kind of tactical advantage from either the weather or the terrain.
21. Ash doubts himself too much. Quinn doesn’t always think about what he’s going to say until after he’s said to. Jodie will blame herself for things that weren’t her fault.
22. I’m sure he has, at some point. Despite his best intentions, he’s not the most organized of people.
23. As it happens, no, Ash never had a dog. Most Ceteri tend not to have pets that require outdoor time due to the ‘no daylight’ issue. He did have a pet rat though.
24. De Vries has done more than a few unexpected things. the first of which was treating Ash’s injuries after he’d turned Carina loose on him.
25. I have absolutely no idea. A couple of chapters, maybe….
26. It’s either Halloween or Bonfire Night. They’re within a week of each other and they’re ones that generally happen after dark so…
27. De Vries tends to favour darker colors, particularly a deep burgundy red.
28. There aren’t really any science fiction elements in House in Exile. At least not that come to mind anyways.
29. Quinn is probably the most fun to write, with MacReady a close second.
30. Ash, Quinn and Casey have all been arrested, by the Cabal. Unfortunately for the others, Ash is the only one they want to take alive, after their previous escape.
31. None.

As Always, Thanks to the hosts:

#authorconfession – J.M. Sullivan & Jessica Julien

#MythMadnessWIP – Steven Springsteel

#TweepWriter – Nicola Noble

#WIPTruthorDare – Heather Hayden & Allie May