Writing Wild with Verna McKinnon

Hello Familiar Friends!   Tree of Bones, A Familiar's Tale, Book 2, is available for pre-order from my publisher, Sky Warrior Books at Amazon!! Happy dance.   I want to thank all my friends and fans for their patience in the release of my second opus in my trilogy. This is the wonderful cover art.   This is the wonderful link to pre-order my novel! http://amzn.to/2gLskIg   More to come. Hugs and chocolate for all!   Verna McKinnon

Greetings familiar friends and readers! Just a quick update about Fires of Rapiveshta , the 3rd and final novel in my Familiar's  Tale series. It is done. Complete at 104,000 words and submitted to my overworked publisher at Sky Warrior Books. I finished in early June, but my brain was so spongy after months of intense writing, which was made easier by a friend who is a darn good editor with a practical eye. I am looking forward to the release of Tree of Bones , the 2nd novel in the series. I have seen the preliminary cover art and am excited. Currently, I am recovering and organizing my next writing projects. I have several in mind. Until then, read more fantasy! Cheers, Verna McKinnon

I have reached the 50,000 word mark in Fires of Rapiveshta . Am on a roll and need to keep the momentum cranked up. I am about halfway through novel. So I will not be posting for at least 2 weeks. Think of me as I feverishly type the fates of my characters in final book of the Familiar's Tale trilogy. I will also be off social media for 2 weeks. Can I survive? I will be living on coffee and chocolate. And mashed potatoes. Sorry, but I am hungry and it's lunch time. I love this stage of writing. It is a mad rush as it all flows. I try to imagine I look like this:     But I am more like this:    More to come. Stay tuned. Until then, read more fantasy! Cheers, Verna McKinnon

  As I write about heroines and their importance, it is worthwhile to point out someone new and exciting. The character of Julian Crane in the series, The Man In The High Castle , is definitely worth noting. I have watched the 2 seasons on Amazon, and am thrilled it has been renewed for a third season. The series (based on the science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick) is set in 1962 in an alternative timeline where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy, won World War II. Life in this America is not pleasant or safe, no matter where you live. The west coast is controlled by Japan, the east coast Nazi Germany, and there is a neutral zone in the middle. Juliana Crane is a heroine of great substance, though not in the usual tough girl format. Wonderfully played by Alexa Davalos, she is a soft spoken woman who loves her family. She is trying to survive in a world where life is cruel and can be snuffed out on a whim. When her sister goes m...

Hello Familiar Friends: As the holidays explode and Christmas cookies and truffles destroy my healthy eating plan, I am still working on my tales. I have been writing a chapter a day of late. A good friend (Chris W you know who you are) acts as my unofficial editor as I burn up my keyboard. Thank you, Chris.    I do not use a strict outline when I write. I have a basic rundown of what I want to happen and to whom, and rough chapter outlines as guides. But when I am writing, that's when everything clicks together and I take the story onward to its conclusion.  I know exactly what needs to happen to my characters for the whole series of "A Familiar's Tale," as I do for the newest series I am working on for Sky Warrior Books. The new series is about a Dwarven female heroine named Rose Greenleaf, ( Bardess of Rhulon ) and it should be out next year sometime. Am excited. Kudos to to my favorite editor, Carol Hightshoe, for editing my novels. She is the best. But I...

  DANA SCULLY, X-FILES HEROINE Hello Familiar Friends! Of course I am not done with honoring the heroines of science fiction and fantasy. There are so many worthy of mention.  Speculative fiction is chock full of amazing female characters in TV, film, and books.  So I am continuing my tributes after a long hiatus. This week we pay tribute to one of my favorites-Dana Scully of the X-Files. Dana Scully is one of the best heroines in sci-fi TV & film history. From the beginning in 1993 with her baggy 90's suits on her tiny 5'2" frame, to her style evolution with sleeker suits and better haircuts, Scully is one of our favorite heroines. Let's face it, a real busy career woman on the FBI with a load of college degrees never fussed about fashion or spending an hour on her hair in the morning. She did not have time to shop for hours. She had a busy important life. I am glad they did not try to glamorize Scully too much. Her confidence and...

Hello Familiar Friends, I have not blogged in a long time. I feel bad, because I need to blog more, but then I get involved in the work of writing or editing, plus day to day life. Time slips. To reboot let me say I am upgrading my website again (thanks to help from my wonderful friend, Sally Hoss) and look forward to a fresh start for new year. This year have completed my edits for new new novels with Sky Warrior Books. Tree of Bones and Bardess of Rhulon . Watch for them. I am waiting for my next novel to come out, so I will post updates as I get them. I am currently writing two books right now, so I am a bit crazy (more than usual). I have been eating way to much chocolate and drinking way too much coffee, but  it fuels my writing and holds back the cranky moods. I am learning to promote on social media. Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/VernaBard2015)   Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/verna.mckinnon Will be adding another top 10 list of my fa...