Worldbuilding – Foundation Process or Procrastination?

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven – one entirely appropriate for science fiction and fantasy authors – is “spending time on worldbuilding vs. actual drafting – what’s your balance?” Come on over to find out more. 

Strategy Games and Martial Arts in SFF Worldbuilding

When I was in Denver for the RWA National Conference, my friend and writing buddy, Darynda Jones, and I took a lunch break at Ship Tavern in the Brown Palace Hotel. While there, I spotted this guy and snapped a pic. It seemed like a good omen, because I finished THE ORCHID THRONE during our mini-writing retreat there, and now (finally!) am going back to THE ARROWS OF THE HEART. This image is highly relevant to the story, for those of you who’ve studied the cover. 

Once I finish this blog post, I’m diving back into THE ARROWS OF THE HEART. It gave my own heart a little stab to see I haven’t opened the document since March 20, 2018. That’s over four months ago. A third of a year! Where has it gone??? I have no idea. 

Anyway, our topic this week at the SFF Seven is: If you had to invent a sport or game for your novels (or ever have), what would it be? Come on over to find out mine. 

What Got Left Out? Classic Misses in SFF Worldbuilding

Jeffe on the Iron Throne

I love this photo of me on the Iron Throne, the much-sought seat in George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and the ensuing books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. It’s a testament to GRRM’s meticulous worldbuilding (yes, I’m making it one word in this post because it should be) that people have gone to such lengths to reconstruct pieces of his imaginary world. 

That’s our topic at the SFF Seven this week – Children and the Elderly: what elements tend to get left out of worldbuilding? Come on over to play the game!

World-Building, Win-A-Book and Workshop!

Map FinalI’m over at the fabulous and brilliant Suzanne Johnson’s blog today, talking about World-Building. You can win a copy of The Mark of the Tala there or at Here Be Magic, for Win-A-Book Wednesday.

Also, I’m teaching an online workshop starting next Monday on Walking the Consent Line – how to deal with issues of dubious and questionable consent in erotic literature.

Thank you all for the release day love yesterday – you made it a great day!

In Which I Geek Out Over Faerie Worldbuilding

Rogus_Pawn_final hand cropToday I’m over at the Paranormal Unbound blog, geeking out with sister scientist A.J. Larrieu over the world in my Covenant of Thorns series. She interviewed me and asked me some really great, insightful questions about my version of Faerie. She got me thinking about my early ideas for this series and how I got to the world I did. Very fun stuff!