science fiction - Steven R. Southard (Poseidon's Scribe)

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The Story behind “The Cometeers”

As I mentioned in my News page, Gypsy Shadow Publishing has accepted my story, “The Cometeers” which will be published as part of the What Man Hath Wrought series. The intended launch date is in early September.

Here’s the marvelous cover, designed by Charlotte Holley. Yes, that’s a planet-destroying comet headed right toward the Earth. But if you look closer, you’ll see an silvery man-made projectile on an intercept course. Just possibly, its occupants might save the entire world.

Inquiries have been streaming in from every corner of the planet (and from some of the comets), asking what this story is about. Far be it from me to deny my fans information about my latest tale.

Here’s the book blurb: A huge comet speeds toward a devastating collision with the Earth, but no one will launch space shuttles filled with nuclear weapons. It’s 1897. Instead they’ll fire projectiles from the Jules Verne cannon and try to deflect the comet with a gunpowder explosion. Commander Hanno Knighthead isn’t sure he can motivate his argumentative, multinational crew of geniuses to work together. It turns out one of them is a saboteur. Then things get worse. Only a truly extraordinary leader could get this group to cooperate, thwart the saboteur, and jury-rig a way to divert the comet. Lucky thing Hanno brought his chewing gum.

If you recall the 1998 movie “Armageddon,” then you can think of my story as Steampunk Armageddon.

I don’t recall the exact inspiration for this story. As stated in this post, and this one, I use the “seed and twist” method of coming up with story ideas. In this case the seed is the standard save-Earth-from-destruction idea, and the twist is to set the action in Victorian times.

My problem became one of technology. They just didn’t have sufficient know-how in the Nineteenth Century to divert or destroy a comet. It’s an open question whether we really have the technology today.

Therefore, I assumed the world of Jules Verne’s novel From the Earth to the Moon. In that world, men had already achieved space travel in 1867. With funds from many nations, the Baltimore Gun Club had built a 900 foot long cannon outside Tampa, Florida, and launched a projectile containing three men.

My story is set thirty years later and no one has used the cannon since, due to the enormous expense. With a giant comet on the way, however, something must be done, so every country contributes what it can.

You can’t simply launch projectiles full of gunpowder at the comet and expect to hit it. The target is too small, the distance too great, and the calculations too imprecise. You must send men up also, in separate projectiles, to travel with your gunpowder bombs to make the necessary course corrections along the way.

That plan should work.

Unless something goes wrong.

“The Cometeers” will launch in September. For further updates, keep visiting this blog and reading the posts by—

Poseidon’s Scribe

August 10, 2014Poseidon's ScribePermalink

FAQs About My Latest Book

Ever since I’ve been dropping hint after hint about my upcoming book (Rallying Cry and Last Vessel of Atlantis), questions have been pouring in. Flooding in. Give me a break, I’m drowning here! More questions came in than I could answer individually.

So I paid for some time on a supercomputer that compiled all the questions, sorted them, combined similar ones, performed complex statistical analyses, and spit out a list of the most frequently asked questions.

Below are those FAQs, complete with answers.

1. What is the book about? In “Rallying Cry,” an aimless youth meets two old geezers who spin bizarre war stories. They tell of a secret World War I regiment in France with ship-sized helicopters and mechanized walking tanks. Just as an inspiring shout can move soldiers to action, perhaps all Kane really needs to turn his life around is a rallying cry. In “Last Vessel of Atlantis,” a ship captain and his crew of explorers return to find Atlantis gone. While facing violent savages, braving fierce storms, and solving internal disputes, they must somehow ensure their advanced Atlantean civilization is not lost forever.

2. Why two stories in one book? I was in a generous mood.

3. Why are these two particular stories combined? They seem so different. Actually, they’re both perfect fits for the What Man Hath Wrought series, which contains stories of alternate history involving people grappling with new technology. The tales are quite different, though, but that means any reader would be bound to like one of them, at least. That makes the book a pretty good purchase, I’d say.

4. What inspired you to write these stories? I’ve written about that before…here and here.

5. That’s a great cover. Who designed it? It is a wonderful cover. Charlotte Holley of Gypsy Shadow Publishing designed it. The bearded soldier gazes at something while a huge steampunk airship glides overhead and a big explosion goes off in the background.

6. Where can I buy the book? Right now you can get it at Smashwords and Amazon. Soon it will be available elsewhere, too.

7. You wrote an Atlantis story before, didn’t you? What a memory you have! My Atlantis-based story, “The Vessel” was published several years ago in an Atlantis anthology. “Last Vessel of Atlantis” is that same story, with a title change and a few other alterations. Definitely worth enjoying again.

8. When will you have a print version rather than an e-book? When the What Man Hath Wrought series is complete, I’m thinking about having a print version of the series. It won’t be for a little while yet, since I have more stories I’d like to add to WMHW.

9. What’s the next story in your What Hath Man Wrought series? But that would spoil the surprise!

Thanks for submitting your questions. I’d invite more, but the deluge nearly crashed the supercomputer last time and almost tripped a wide sector of our national electrical power grid. Let’s avoid tempting that fate, shall we? I suggest you read the book, post a review, and before long there will be another book by—

Poseidon’s Scribe

March 8, 2014Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Thanks to Your Efforts…

My story “A Tale More True” was rated 4th among all Science Fiction short stories in the Critters Workshop Annual Predators and Editors Readers Poll for 2013. I earned a badge signifying a Top Ten finisher.

My thanks to all of you who voted for my story. With your help, next year’s readers poll will be even better for—

Poseidon’s Scribe

January 24, 2014Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Dear Ray Bradbury

I just had to write to thank you, thank you, for the great times, the pleasures of reading your work. There’s no sense letting a little thing like your death in 2012 prevent me from expressing my gratitude, is there?

Sorry, I haven’t read all your books and stories. I’ve read less of your canon than I have of Jules Verne’s, Isaac Asimov’s, or Robert Heinlein’s. But, oh, the few of your books I digested left lifelong mental imprints: Something Wicked This Way Comes, Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, The Illustrated Man, Now and Forever, and The Martian Chronicles. In high school, I read your short story, “The Flying Machine,” and my recollections of it inspired my story, “The Sea-Wagon of Yantai,” written decades later.

At one point, you declared you wrote fantasy, not science fiction. In my view you blended the two. You made science sound like fantasy.

Moreover, your flowing style of writing contrasted with that of the hard-science fiction writers. Their stories conveyed a love of machines, of science. Yours proclaimed a love of word imagery, of the magic of English, of poetic prose.

The authors of hard science fiction told me tales of technical detail. You sang me stories of marvel and wonder.

I guess I’m trying to say that I write more like those other guys, but wish I could write like you.

On occasion, you related a particular memory from when you were about twelve. At a carnival, one of the performers known as Mr. Electrico touched an electrical sword to your nose which made your hair stand out. You claimed he told you, “Live forever!”

In a very real sense, Mr. Bradbury, you will. Thanks again.

Poseidon’s Scribe

December 22, 2013Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Dear Arthur C. Clarke

Though you’ve been dead these past eight years, you live on in your stories. That’s true for me and for millions of others.

Throughout my life I’ve read many of your works, including more of your short stories than I can remember, and the following novels: Childhood’s End, The Deep Range, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, 2061: Odyssey Three, Rendezvous with Rama, Rama Revealed, The Songs of Distant Earth, and The Hammer of God.

I recall purchasing your book 2001: A Space Odyssey (or maybe my dad bought it) just two weeks before the movie was due in the theaters of my childhood town for the first time. I was about ten years old, and determined to finish the book before seeing the movie. Finish it I did, and I enjoyed the book much more than the film.

At that time, the year 2001 seemed a long way off, and fantastic things would happen by then. To a boy growing up starry-eyed in the Sixties, the future appeared extraordinary. Your books helped me see it that way. More than most authors, you conveyed the pure wonder of a scientific future.

That’s what comes through for me in your tales, the positive vision of science as a way to solve man’s problems, and to explore. You even believed science could solve political problems. In The Songs of Distant Earth, you depict human societies living under a utopian “Jefferson Mark 3 Constitution,” suggesting a political evolution toward better government. In Rama Revealed, you show an alien race with enormous military power but a staunch unwillingness to enter into conflict. The reason becomes clear when one of the aliens says their politicians can declare war, but anyone voting for war is put to death. Strong disincentive, indeed!

Another thing I learned from reading your work is that aliens might not be bent on invading. When many other authors wrote of aliens attacking Earth, you wrote about creatures who either helped mankind (Childhood’s End), led mankind on series of strange advancing paths (the Odyssey books), or completely ignored us (the Rama series).

It’s possible that your novel The Deep Range influenced me, in some subtle way, to serve in the submarine force. That story took the Old West struggles between cattle ranchers and crop farmers and set it under the sea, where whale herding competed with plankton farming. Science fiction stories with an oceanic setting are rare gems, for me.

A reviewer of my stories would be hard-pressed to find your influence on my writing. However, your fiction has been described as technical and the style as somewhat dry at times. As a trained engineer, I strive to include sufficient technical detail so that people can understand how my gadgets work. My fellow critique group members say the details sometimes get in the way of the story-telling.

Like you, I’m enamored of the science. I love it, and can’t help including a sense of awe and wonder in my tales. There will be those who grasp that, and those who skip those paragraphs and feel unfulfilled by the rest of the story.

That said, thank you so much, Sir Arthur, for passing the wonder to me. In 2010: Odyssey Two, Heywood Floyd asks, “What’s going to happen?” Dave Bowman answers, “Something wonderful.” That says it all, or so it seems to—

Poseidon’s Scribe

December 1, 2013Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Dear Dr. Asimov

You may have some difficulty reading this, since you’ve been dead for over 21 years, but I hope somehow this tribute finds its way to you nonetheless. I just wanted to say thanks, however belatedly, for your books and the way they influenced me.

I started reading science fiction in the early 1970s, and by then you were a giant in the field. I read dozens of your short stories, and some of your novels including Foundation, Fantastic Voyage, The Gods Themselves, The End of Eternity, The Naked Sun, and others. Later I read some of your nonfiction books and essays and some of your non-SF fiction, including The Union Club Mysteries and Azazel.

In fact, I read more stories written by you than by any other author. (Of course, there are more stories written by you than any other SF author!)

In the late 1980s or very early 1990s I had the opportunity to attend one of your speeches—a great thrill for me since I was then thinking of becoming a writer. You had traveled (by train, of course, since you never flew) to my area to speak in a lecture hall.

Alone on stage, you began speaking in your thick Brooklyn accent. “I’ve done a number of these things already, so to save time, I’ll ask the questions you would ask, and then answer them. First question: Dr. Asimov, how did you come to write so many books? Well, I type ninety words a minute and before I knew it, I’d written five hundred books. If someone wants a 5000 word short story, I type 5000 words and stop; with any luck, I’m at the end of a sentence.”

You gave advice to budding writers like me that day also. “My first draft is my final draft. I don’t believe in rubbing words together until they sparkle in the sunlight. As my good friend, the late Bob Heinlein said, ‘They didn’t want it good; they wanted it Wednesday.’”

It was a great hour-long lecture, and you kept the audience laughing the whole time. But that was just one hour. Your impact on my life goes much deeper.

Your SF stories are based on sound science, and your characters confront bedeviling problems that spring from unalterable facts. The science is a central part of each story. I’ve strived for that in my stories as well.

Moreover, your tales are celebrations of science. I don’t recall any stories where science leads humanity irrevocably astray. Even your dystopian works end with hope for the future. That’s true of my writing, too.

Others have spoken of your clear, uncluttered style of writing, and you’ve acknowledged that yourself. My critique group tells me my style is similar at times.

Looking back over the list of my published short stories, I think I can see your influence in each one, to some extent. Alas, I don’t type ninety words a minute, and I labor over several drafts, so I will never equal the quantity of your output. But it’s my dream to write a story someday that approaches the quality of your fiction.

Here’s to you, Dr. Isaac Asimov! Thank you.

Steven R. Southard

aka

Poseidon’s Scribe

October 20, 2013Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Author Interview — Kelly A. Harmon

I’m pleased to welcome author Kelly A. Harmon to the world of Poseidon’s Scribe. Kelly writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy, and science fiction.

A former newspaper reporter, Kelly says she “used to write truthful, honest stories about authors and thespians, senators and statesmen, movie stars and murderers. Now she writes lies, which is infinitely more satisfying, but lacks the convenience of doorstep delivery, especially on rainy days.”

Among her many enjoyable stories are “The Dragon’s Clause” and “Blood Soup.”

“The Dragon’s Clause:” For hundreds of years, the city-state of San Marino has paid tribute to the dragon living beneath their mountain city. But humans are forgetful, and no one alive has ever seen the dragon. Though a contract exists, the people feel they are just throwing their money away. Find out what happens when the city residents renege on their contract with the dragon.

“Blood Soup:” Danger awaits the Kingdom of Borgund if a woman fails to take the throne. When the pregnant Queen finally gives birth, the king faces a terrible choice. Will he choose wisely or doom the kingdom to ruin?

I read and loved both these stories, and posted reviews here and here. And now for the interview:

Poseidon’s Scribe: When and why did you begin writing fiction?

Kelly A. Harmon: I’ve been writing all my life. Seriously. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing a story.

As for the why of it: because I can’t not. I’ve taken little vacations from writing, but, like some crazy illness, I can’t get away from it. There’s actually a Latin phrase for this: Cacoethes Scribendi. The phrase comes from the Juvenal’s Satires, wherein he states, “Tenet insanabile multos scribendi cacoethes.” “The incurable desire for writing affects many.” My first Web site was called Cacoethes Scribendi.

P.S.: What are the easiest, and the most difficult, aspects of writing for you?

K.H.: It’s all easy…and it’s all hard. Some days are just easier than others. Writing is easier when I know where the story is going: words just seem to flow. The difficulties come when I want to write about something, but don’t have a clear picture in my mind. When that happens, I put the story away and work on something else until I have time to think about it.

P.S.: What inspired you to write “Blood Soup” and “The Dragon’s Clause?”

K.H.: “Blood Soup” is the product of the 3-day novel contest. I wanted to see if I could write a story in three days. The rules allowed you to plot the novel before you started, so I had a little cribsheet—a postcard actually—with a series of scenes I wanted to write. I got all the way to the last day, when you’re supposed to mail it off to the judges…and a thunderstorm rolled through the area and blacked out my power for over an hour. I was devastated! But it came back on before the deadline and I was able to submit. I submitted a finished novel, but it didn’t win one of the big-three prizes. However, “Blood Soup” did go on to win first place in the Fantasy Gazetteers contest and was published later than year by an unaffiliated publisher.

“The Dragon’s Clause” is one of my favorite short stories! I wrote it on spec for an anthology, and was tickled pink when it was accepted. It was clearly a case of, “I want to be published there…what can I write?”

P.S.: What is the audience you’re trying to reach in your stories?

K.H.: Honestly, I write for myself. I strive to write well, and I’m always looking to improve, but I’d write whether or not there was an audience. (See: Cacoethes Scribendi). However, I hope my novels appeal to anyone who enjoys escape. I’d like to entertain more than anything.

P.S.: What are your favorite genres to write in?

K.H.: Six months ago I would have said epic fantasy unequivocally. However, I’m starting to write some contemporary urban fantasy, and it’s a lot of fun. Look for a book or maybe two by the end of the year.

P.S.: In your opinion, why does the fantasy genre seem to have such staying power?

K.H.: I think there are a lot of reasons people like fantasy: most of the tropes are familiar—old English settings, for example, though a lot of really good fantasy breaks out of that mold—and people are comfortable with it. It’s easily relatable with a lot of magic and excitement tossed in. It’s definitely escapist.

P.S.: Every Friday, your blog features prompts for fiction writers; do you find you need a prompt to get going with a story?

K.H.: I find that I don’t need a prompt to write, but I sometimes like to use one. I have enough story ideas to write for a lifetime, but a prompt is very useful in sidetracking my brain to think in a different way. I might use a prompt or two to see where it might lead me in my current work in progress or to start a short story. I find prompts especially useful for creating short story plots.

P.S.: What is your current writing project?

K.H.: I’m busy, busy, busy! I’m in the process of getting all my previously published short stories back into print and electronic—including a collection or two which will contain some stories not yet published. I’m finalizing edits on a novel—which I’ve received an offer on. If I decide to sign the contract, you’ll see it in early 2015. I’m also working on the third book of a sexy urban fantasy. The first in the series is on the desk of an editor right now, and I’m working on edits of the 2nd.

P.S.: What advice can you offer to aspiring writers?

K.H.: Write every day. Don’t wait for inspiration. Listen to criticism, but be true to your voice.

Thank you very much, Kelly! The entire staff at Poseidon’s Scribe wishes you every success. My readers can find out more about Kelly A. Harmon at her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Her author site at Amazon.com is here.

Poseidon’s Scribe

September 29, 2013Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Turkey City Lexicon

In any specific human endeavor involving more than one person, the people involved soon find themselves repeating the same phrases over and over. It’s inevitable they should seek some shorthand way to avoid that. So they develop jargon, specialized terminology suited to their activity.

Some time ago, in science fiction writing workshops, the participants worked out a vocabulary of writing terms called the Turkey City Lexicon (TCL). There is no authoritative source for the TCL, nor is it copyrighted. It’s available on many websites; just search for “turkey city lexicon.”

I won’t reiterate the list here. My purpose is just to introduce it to you and comment on its usefulness to me. I encourage you to search for and read through the list, then come back to finish reading my blog entry. Several of the items are humorous to read through.

A few TCL terms are more applicable to science fiction (The Jar of Tang, Abbess Phone Home, Reinventing the Wheel, and Space Western), but the vast majority of the terms are applicable across all fiction genres. TCL might be useful to you even if you don’t write SF.

A number of the terms are disconcerting for me to read through since I’ve committed these errors before. These include Burly Detective Syndrome, You Can’t Fire Me–I Quit, Fuzz, and Bogus Alternatives.

But that gets right to the value of this list. Most of the terms describe deficiencies common to beginning level writing. Worse, they describe failings even experienced writers can succumb to, like a bad habit. Even just reading through the list periodically can refresh your resolve to avoid the bad habits.

I’ve found it vital to subject my writing to the crucible of my critique group just so they can identify faults I don’t see. Once you’ve been accused of any of the items in the TCL, chances are you’ll hear that accusatory voice again in your head while editing all subsequent stories. Thus will your writing improve.

My critique group has found three TCL terms to be the most useful—Infodump, As You Know Bob, and Telling Not Showing. I’m not sure why those three dominate, but they do, at least for us.

Do any of the TCL items ring embarrassingly true for you as you think over your own writing? Are there other fiction writing failings that should be recognized by the TCL but aren’t yet? If so, leave a comment for me and let me know. On a mission to improve own writing and that of others, I’m—

Poseidon’s Scribe

December 23, 2012Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Tom Swift and His Psycho-Subliminal Writer Inspiratron

When I was a young lad growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the mid-1960s, my Aunt Betty gave me a precious gift, a copy of Tom Swift and His Flying Lab by Victor Appleton II, ©1954. It was the first book in “the New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures” series which eventually included 33 novels.

The series involves the adventures and inventions of an 18 year old engineer and scientist. Each book features a new invention and typical titles are Tom Swift and His Ultrasonic Cycloplane, or … and His Electronic Retroscope, or … and His Subocean Geotron. The series is a continuation of the previous Tom Swift (Senior) series that ran from 1910 to 1941.

Aside from the blond main character with the crew cut, there was Tom’s sidekick Bud Barclay, Tom’s sister (and Bud’s girlfriend) Sandy, Tom’s girlfriend Phyllis Newton, Tom’s father Tom Sr., his mother Mary Nestor Swift, and the executive chef for Swift Enterprises, Charles “Chow” Winkler. I remember these characters as if I knew them as real people.

Story lines typically involved some trouble somewhere, like a kidnapping, a stolen invention, or some other evil being done in some exotic locale. Often one of the dastardly countries of Brungaria or Kranjovia was behind it all. Tom, fresh from some previous adventure, has just invented (or proceeds to invent) some gadget used to save the day.

We are not discussing superb literature here, admittedly. The characters were stereotypical and lacked depth. None of them changed or learned anything as a result of the conflicts they dealt with, either within any book or across the series. Tom himself had no character flaws whatsoever, other than paying insufficient attention to his very tolerant girlfriend. The writing style was amateurish. In an earlier post I already mentioned the occurrence of “Tom Swifties.” Any notion of realism was abandoned in these novels, from the basic premise of an 18 year old being the sole inventor of all the gadgets, to the implausibility of the inventions themselves, to the fact that one young man could be the hero in so many dangerous escapades.

I loved that series, and still do. I begged my parents for the next book I hadn’t read until I could afford to buy them myself. I thought about how cool it would be to have such machines and vehicles myself, or to be able to invent them. I compiled a personal library of about 2/3 of the series. Decades later, I found my mother had disposed of them, thinking I no longer wanted the set. That saddened me, but my brother scoured garage sales and helped me rebuild the collection. Thanks to him, I now have 18 volumes from that series, and 20 novels from the earlier Tom Swift series.

It appears I’m not Tom Swift’s only admirer. There’s at least one website dedicated to the series, and an active discussion group.

None of Tom’s inventions mentioned were actually built. Indeed, most are impossible. But one of his gadgets, a mechanism never actually named or referred to, worked really well. That’s Tom’s Psycho-Subliminal Writer Inspiratron. The Tom Swift Jr. series, so loathed by librarians and English teachers, motivated my interest in engineering and in storytelling. It prompted me to read other things, better books, including the works of Jules Verne. Tom kindled an interest in adventure and traveling to distant places, and is a big part of why I joined the submarine service.

Please comment and let me know if Tom Swift also inspired you, or let me know what other books of your youth did. For now I’d like to say thanks for everything, Tom, especially your amazing Inspiratron. Sincerely,

Poseidon’s Scribe

July 15, 2012Poseidon's ScribePermalink

Writing for Young Adults

Want to write stories for Young Adults? Hard to blame you. It’s a large market, and some authors have become successful in aiming for it. If you, like J. K. Rowling, happen to write a YA story that also appeals to adults, then your story’s market is that much bigger.

Perhaps your purpose in writing YA stories is more complex than a direct desire for money or fame. One web commenter has suggested writer Robert Heinlein wrote YA (then called ‘juvenile’) novels to shape a young audience, to prepare readers for later buying his brand of adult novels. If true…wow! That’s thinking ahead!

Whatever your reason for wanting to write for it, the YA market is an interesting one. It took until about 1900, several hundred years after the first printed books, for the following confluence of events to make a YA market possible: (1) the price of books dropped to be within a teen’s budget, (2) teen buying power rose so they could afford books, and (3) teens weren’t working so long and had available time to read. Once the market emerged, authors began aiming for it.

What are YA stories like, and how do they differ from other genres? Young adults, as an audience, are leaving the comfortable world of childhood and ready to experience adulthood. They’re curious about it, anxious to try things. Fiction gives them a safe opportunity to “try” things in a vicarious way. They’ve grown beyond simple, moralistic tales. They crave stories with identifiable, strong but vulnerable characters–complex characters who aren’t all good or all bad. A good, solid plot-line is more important to them now than it was in the children’s books they no longer read.

In short, YA stories are very similar to those written for adults. I thought I’d read once where Robert Heinlein had said writing for juveniles (the old term for YA) was just like writing for adults except you take out all the sex and swearing. I can’t find that quote now, but it would need amending anyway. Notice Heinlein had no problem with violence in YA stories, and that remains true. As for sex, it’s probably best to leave out graphic descriptions, but don’t pretend the act doesn’t exist. As for swearing, it’s my guess that mild swearing is acceptable in YA literature these days.

How do you write for the YA market? I think it’s important to think back to your own teen years and pull what you recall from those experiences. Remember when the world was new to you, when all your emotions were intense ones, when you longed to be accepted and wondered if there were others like you, wondered if you’d find even one special person for you? Pick a protagonist who is aged a few years older than your target audience, either in the late teens or early twenties. Don’t talk down to your readers; they’re old enough to look up words they don’t understand. Don’t set out to write a moralistic story of instruction; teens are quick to spot a lecture and, frankly, they get enough of those from their parents. They’re not about to shell out good money and spend their time reading a sermon from you.

My own reading as an early teenager focused on the Tom Swift, Jr. series published between 1954 and 1971. After that I primarily read Jules Verne and other science fiction authors, mostly those writing hard science fiction. Now as a writer, I think all my stories should be acceptable for the YA audience, though I haven’t consciously aimed for it. My tales have very little swearing. There is a sex scene (of sorts) in my horror story, “Blood in the River,” but nothing too graphic. However, none of my published stories feature a teen protagonist.

Good luck with the YA story you’re writing. If this blog post has helped in any way, or if you take issue with what I’ve stated, please leave a comment for–

Poseidon’s Scribe

June 24, 2012Poseidon's ScribePermalink