Keeping the Magic Straight (Or, Worksheets and Lists to Infinity and Beyond!)

Anyone who knows me knows I love to make lists and spreadsheets. Part of it is necessity – a way to stay organized. Part of it is because I like to see everything all together in some semblance of order, and I have been known to tinker and revise my lists and spreadsheets so they are logical and yes, look nice. :-) I'm like Santa - making the list and checking it twice, though the reality is more like 100 times! lol I make lists for everything - shopping lists, guest lists, menus, items to pack for trips - you name it, I guarantee I've made a list for it.

When it comes to my writing, I have TONS of spreadsheets. I have one huge one which catalogs all of my books, series, worlds, etc. Then I have smaller ones that are book or series specific. For instance, I am currently working on the second book in my Vikings/Norseman's series (hopefully some word on the first book soon), and in my Excel workbook, there are several worksheets – one is for the characters that are part of the series, with their names, who they are, how they are related or interact during the books. Another contains lists of items the Vikings use in their daily lives, during battles and invasions, and for special occasions. There's a spreadsheet for all the fictional town names I made up for the series, along with one for the real places which were important to the Viking society. Yet another sheet contains a list of items I still need to research, with another for all the items I did research and the facts related to them. And of course, the listing of the gods that were so important to the Vikings' daily lives.

I also have a spreadsheet for every book I've ever written that is simply a word count tally - from my working days, I worked on a lot of spreadsheets, with formulas and "If" logic and the like, and a lot of that comes into play with the word count. It's a good way for me to keep track of my daily/weekly/monthly word count, and helps to stay on track, though I keep notes as to why I didn't hit the target word count goal for the day so I don't feel guilty if I have a few days with minimal new words.

By far, the biggest spreadsheet I have for a series is the one I have for the Bayou Magiste Chronicles. Not only do I catalog all the characters, I also list various magical items that are used by the characters - yep, the magical sex toys and various aphrodisiac potions have a list of their own, of course!  But the longest worksheet in the file is the one where I list all the spells that are used either directly by the characters, or mentioned. This one was a little tricky. Since the Marchands' roots are set in France, I had to spend a lot of time translating words, then conjugating the verb forms. I didn't want to use the actual French words as they are used today, I needed to change it up to fit the story and make them a little more special. In my younger days, I took several years of French classes, and while I did well, I remember nearly nothing now. So a lot of it was re-learning words – I can't tell you how many times the light bulb of memory went off when I found certain words that fit perfectly for the spell or item I was working on. 

 

One big benefit I've gotten from my lists is they also serve as important checkpoints, especially when I am starting a new book. There are more Bayou Magiste Chronicles planned as soon as I finish this Viking book, and I've already begun going through my list of characters. I'd paired off a few people when I started Claimed by the Zyndevine, but already, I'm making changes to those pairings based on the ending of that book. There were some unexpected deaths that paved the way for characters to become heroes and heroines who I hadn't originally planned to be anything other than supporting characters. The Founders of the Bayou Magiste Society have been established and if all goes well, there will be at least one book for each of the main founding families, if not more. Because I guarantee there are many more characters I've yet to meet who most likely will start popping up when I least expect them to. It's a matter of which ones are the loudest in my head.

 

Sneak Peek - Claimed by the Zyndevine

We're getting close – Claimed by the Zyndevine will be here in a couple of weeks! Book 4 in the Bayou Magiste Chronicles goes back in time to tell how the Magiste first settled here in America – in 1255, well before Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World. Here's a little sneak peek to show how it all started:

Near Toulouse, France 1255

Henri adjusted his cloak, striding quickly toward the stables, thumb turning the ring on his left hand in a nervous motion.  The stone, set in nearly pure gold mined from the caves near Limoges, warmed.  He took a deep breath, teeth grinding in anger.  He had little time to reach his destination, and waited impatiently as the groom finished saddling his horse.  If he made it in time, he'd need the animal to help with the task that lay ahead.

Word had come that a family near Toulouse had been targeted by the Inquisitioners.  Each passing second seemed somehow a waste, spurring his impatience, the message arriving only minutes before.  In his mad rush to reach the stables, he'd avoided his parents, knowing they would disapprove of his actions.  While Edouard and Marie Marchand preferred dealing with the minions of the Church using dark arts, Henri feared such measures only served to increase the rabid urges of men who held power and hungered for more.  While he appreciated the use of sinister magic to bring his enemies to their knees, the brutality of the Inquisitioners far exceeded anything he'd witnessed from the Magiste.

Today's victims were a minor noble family of Magiste.  They'd lived peacefully for centuries on their land, alongside their neighbors.  What had changed to turn the evil eye of the Inquisition toward them?  The question lingered and he finally accepted the reins of his horse from the stable boy.   Thunder rumbled overhead.  Henri mounted.  Closing his eyes, he clenched his fist, the ring near scalding.

"Portalus."

Beneath him, the horse pranced as the compression of the traveling spell took effect, sending Henri and the animal through distance and time.  When the pressure eased, Henri found himself in the middle of a lush forest, damp with a recent rain.  To his right, shouts sounded, and he wheeled the horse around.  Beyond the tree line, fire illuminated the night.  Henri's heart sank to see flames erupting from the windows of a large farmhouse.  Even from this distance, he could hear the screams of those trapped inside.  Merde! Too late!

Smoke quickly wafted toward the forests, the acrid stench burning his eyes.  A flurry of movement in the brush nearby drew his attention.  He dismounted and fastened the horse's reins to a tree.  He held his hands above the animal's back.

"Cachevois."

His ring warmed and the horse vanished from view, concealed by the spell.  No Mortals would find his mount.  Henri stood motionless for a few moments.  While the shouts of the Inquisitioners echoed around him. He ignored them, concentrating on the immediate area. 

The tingling awareness of someone else possessing magic grew stronger to his right.  He turned, his ring warming further and leading him closer to the source of power.  Another rustle of foliage, this time accompanied by a choked sob.  The flash of movement almost eluded him, but he headed in the same direction.  His ring grew hotter and hotter, nearly scorching his skin.  There, up ahead.  A woman ran, her long fiery hair catching on low-lying branches.  He picked up his own pace, desperate to reach her before the Inquisitioners.  He just about came even with her when she stumbled and fell, more sobs and gasping breaths reaching his ears, even over the din of chaos at the edge of the forest. 

Aware of two of the Inquisitioners closing in, Henri hurried to the fallen woman as she struggled to rise.  He held out a hand.

"Come with me!"

She froze, a shriek escaping before she scrambled away from him.  Damn, she thought he was one of them.

"If you want to live, come with me now!"

As Chantal is soon to find out, being rescued by Henri poses a danger all its own. When he introduces the innocent young Enchantress to Magically Kinky! sex, will she be able to resist his alluring domination?

Welcome to 2015

So this post is a long time coming. Part of the reason I'm such a bad blogger is because I never know what to write about. I do have some new book reviews coming, and have plans to host more authors as well, but with the holidays kicking everyone's butts, time has flown by and here we are almost halfway through January. In any case, I thought I'd do a New Year's type post, with a look ahead as to what's coming, as far as me and my books are concerned.

I've already posted about Warrior's Possession being released sometime this summer. Additionally, I'm hard at work on the next Magiste book, and this one takes us back to 13^th century France. I've had to do quite a bit of research, since my main characters will be traveling to the New World, and that journey is way ahead of Columbus'. Most of the research has been along the lines of ships of the time, and the various Papal Inquisitions that took place during this time. The Spanish Inquisition that most are familiar with is still a couple hundred years away, but there were several others that came before. The Spanish Inquisition was by far the most far-reaching and long-lasting of them all, but the one started by Pope Innocent III was focused on the Cathars. The next pope continued the Inquisition, supported by King Louis IX, and it is during his reign that this book takes place. I'm having fun with the Marchand ancestors – they are quite the dark Enchanters, though the hero in this book, Henri Marchand, has some very conflicting feelings about that. He has his heroic side, such as rescuing the heroine, Chantal, but he also has his dark side, so it makes for lots of juicy emotional torment for him.

My Viking tale is also completed, and for now is being reviewed by a couple of agents. It's another tale that I call true to the time, and there are scenes that can certainly make some folks uncomfortable, but hey, what's a Gianna Simone book without a little questionable content, right? One agent in particular had requested revisions so I could resubmit and I did complete those and found she was absolutely right and it made the book so much better. I'm hoping one way or another to have some news about how Norseman's Revenge is faring sometime in the spring.

On the personal side, I spent much of the fall traveling to various colleges with my daughter. She has applied to the top four on her list, and has already been accepted to her number one choice, the University of Scranton. Some days, I am dreading her leaving, and others I'm ready to take her out there right now! I suppose that's typical of being the mother of a teenage girl, though I somehow managed to escape karma with her – she's a really good, hardworking kid (I was a rotten teenager, rebellious and always in trouble). My son, on the other hand, while also a super kid, is going to more of a handful, I can tell already, but for now he's only 10 and still loves his mommy. He's become quite the hockey player this year – and his team just had a special event sponsored by the NJ Devils (I know, we're NY Rangers fans, but the Devils sponsor a lot of NJ youth hockey events). They actually got to play on the ice at The Rock after the first period and he and all his teammates were thrilled beyond belief.

In other news, I am actively seeking a part time job – we need the money, though being unemployed does give us an edge when applying for college financial aid. But I need hours that will allow me to be home for the kids after school and still give me enough time to write, while bringing in some extra cash. The local bookstore didn't want me, but since I've been out of retail for almost 30 years, I'm not surprised. 

So that's the recap – stay tuned for more info on my books, some reviews and more. 

Happy 2015 – here's hoping it's happy, healthy and prosperous for everyone.