Birthing Twins

3/19/2015

You know, it's very difficult to write two books at once. One might even say...twice as hard.

I knew it would be hard, but man, it's a real killer. I have to keep all the detailed events and little character traits consistent within both parallel books, so I'm constantly looking at everything from twelve different angles to make sure I didn't miss anything. Not only that, but because all of the flashbacks happen before the current timeline in book(s) one, I have to make sure that every little thing that happens in flashback is consistent with what we see in the present.

It's tough. If I were to write all of the Elder Empire books at once, it would have been way easier to write the flashbacks first, and then simply move on to the main storylines. But even then, keeping Calder and Shera's storylines parallel, but intersecting just enough, and yet distinct enough so that they feel like two different stories...

I would say that I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I can chew a lot! Seriously, too much. It's disgusting.

Anyway, the books are absorbing most of my attention these days, but there's more than that going on. First, I just ordered the first physical copies of Of Sea and Shadow and Of Shadow and Sea! That's the last step before I upload them to Amazon for sale, so assuming that nothing goes wrong, they'll be available very soon!

And I'm still working on the House of Blades audiobook, as I announced last time. I have no idea how long that takes, having never put up an audiobook before, but we'll learn together.

Now, for both of you who have read this far in the blog, I have a question. I'm expecting Dawn / Darkness to be out this summer, but I'm still early enough in the process that I can include a few little Easter eggs.

If enough people agree on what to put in, I can hide some little inside jokes or references in the second book that only those of us savvy enough to follow the blog will catch.

So, back to that question: any suggestions? Any little lines, suggestions, or cameo references I can/should make in ODAD?

Let me know in the comments!

49 Comments

Daniel

3/19/2015 07:43:14 am

You should make a reference to reeses/ chocolate peanut butter mixture. that a character who loves food happens to discover the combination and is enthralled by its taste. And another character tells them they are going to be fat and gross if they don't stop eating it. Something along those lines?

Will Wight link

3/20/2015 01:09:53 am

I'm not sure how to subtly work that in. There's not a whole lot of food-based experimentation going on in these books.

That said, maybe Bliss could do it. I'll try, but I promise nothing.

Robert Herriage.

3/25/2015 08:58:28 am

So far kooky Bliss is my favorite character in all of your books. She's awesome.

I had no idea how you would follow Travelers Gate, but damn if you didn't. Not quite through Shadow yet, but Sea was superb

Michael link

3/19/2015 08:51:24 am

If you do not get any replies you like I say you include a henchman, deckhand, etc... And call him/her "Blog"

*mind blown*

:)

fleur

3/19/2015 06:57:23 pm

I look I like it.

3/20/2015 01:08:57 am

The problem is, everyone knows the word "Blog," and the average reader would immediately think, "Why is he naming the deckhand after an Internet phenomenon that doesn't exist in this world?"

Maybe Blahg or Blawg, but those sound like caveman names. If only there were an alternate name for this blog.

3/31/2015 12:12:11 am

Where did my replies go? I'm certain I responded to this, and now I don't see any of my responses.

The Internet imps strike again.

Michael

3/20/2015 10:50:04 am

Good point Will..except readers of your books are by no means "average"! Takes a keen mind and above average intellect to appreciate your work at the level it deserves.

I like the cavemen spelling you had below. Maybe a "simple" sailor who answers only "Blawg" to every question due to an unfortunate thunderlight accident?

Feel like I may have over used quotes in my post.

Katie

3/19/2015 09:17:26 am

We have some voracious readers in my raid group and we all love your books. I'd love to see our inside joke in the book which is "Simply amazing"

3/19/2015 09:31:35 am

For some background guy 1, who is normally pretty quiet states "Simply amazing" in response to someone bragging and it is taken as a compliment. Guy 2, who is normally pretty vocal repeats "Simply amazing" and everything goes to hell.

3/20/2015 01:06:47 am

Easy enough, Katie. It is done.

Jeremiah Halstead

3/19/2015 12:22:15 pm

I'd love to see some obscure reference to the furniture sounding meanacing, but I'm not easily distracte-SHINY!

April

3/19/2015 02:27:19 pm

Yes... we need a sofa.

3/20/2015 01:07:45 am

You know, I can actually do this. The concept kind of helps me out with a scene, actually.

Jim

3/22/2015 01:02:15 am

A growling sofa is exactly what I need in your books. The last one didn't last nearly long enough, lol. You could also throw in a moving doll, possibly. Dare I suggest an Otoku-ish cameo/reference even.

NickO

3/22/2015 01:28:17 am

You should put in characters that are twins that fight together. And their fighting styles could mirror your books (one is all in your face hacky-slashy and the other stealthy)

I thought of it from the title of your blog post. "Birthing Twins"

3/31/2015 12:19:40 am

I'm not sure that's a reference so much as an entirely new character, but fortunately, I already have what you're looking for!

The Heads of the Guild of Witnesses are a pair of twins who fight back-to-back.

Kevin

3/23/2015 09:18:51 am

Love the sofa idea. Feels like either Calder or Shera could pull it off too. Would Calder cracking a joke about standing somewhere for so long that he felt like the ground would turn into the deck of the Testament be too obvious a reference to incarnation? Oh, spoiler alert just in case any new fans happen to delve too deeply.

3/31/2015 12:20:06 am

I'm sold on the sofa thing. Awakening makes it too easy.

Nikk

3/24/2015 03:08:51 am

I would say make some sort of reference to 'reviews' and answering questions, like Shera receives 50 positive reviews as a consultant from clients so she can ask questions about.. the Emperor? Calder? The Consultants Guild? Someone important to the ODAD storyline? Maybe.. a traveler named Nomis?

3/31/2015 12:21:44 am

I could easily work in a character named Nomis. I always need a fresh influx of character names.

But the 'reviews' thing would be surprisingly hard to do. I'll try, but I promise nothing. To an uninformed reader, it would look like I was trying to work in a subtle reference to try and persuade THEM to leave an Amazon review, which would be weird.

brad

3/24/2015 04:46:15 am

Here's the challenge: Incorperate an easter egg including a references to Vallenhall and Pokemon. Example "I'm going to blast off again if my eldest brother doesn't help me with these final four horses in the barn"

3/31/2015 12:23:06 am

I'm not sure how that's a reference to Valinhall, but I can almost certainly include some kind of reference to the Team Rocket slogan.

Is that what you mean?

jayceblk

3/24/2015 06:19:29 am

How about a Firefly reference in which you use any of the following terms,
Big Damn Hero's.
I'll be in my bunk.
Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.

Wayne

3/25/2015 10:55:27 am

My favorite line is:

So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave.

I could see Calder saying that.

3/25/2015 11:04:39 am

There are so many good Firefly or Serenity quotes. A few others that might work are:

I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it.

Half of writing history is hiding the truth.

Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed. You can look it up later.

3/31/2015 12:18:36 am

There are a lot of Firefly lines that would work, but there are way too many people that would recognize the lines. Then it would throw them off, because I'm effectively stealing lines from better writers.

Joss Whedon 4eva.

I can, however, use the word "firefly" and the word "serenity" in the same scene to refer to the same phenomenon. I can do that right at this second, actually. I just wrote the perfect scene for it.

3/31/2015 12:24:40 am

You know, I've responded to this Firefly comment several times, and yet I can't see any of my responses. It feels like they were eaten by Internet imps.

Maybe everyone else can see them but me, and I look like a crazy person, but I'll summarize my position for you.

TL;DR - Too many people would recognize an actual Firefly line, but I can use the words "firefly" and "serenity" in the same scene, and you'll know.

Brian S

3/24/2015 08:33:52 am

could always make reference about getting someones name spelled wrong on something since I can't remember how many people misspoke your name when you first published Travelers gate Mr. Wright :)

3/31/2015 12:16:34 am

I'm always more surprised when people DON'T spell my name "Wright."

I was at PAX East this year, and a guy correctly hand-wrote my nametag as "Wight." I was impressed, and I told him so, to which he responded: "Yeah, it's like the undead revenant, right?"

3/31/2015 11:19:14 am

Yeah, that's how I always remember it too ;p

Jordan M

3/26/2015 03:19:56 am

I think you should make a reference to one of Simon's dolls... I think a few people would get a laugh out of that

Joshua

3/29/2015 03:39:06 pm

Not to be too obvious or anything, but since we've established that Valin is a dimension/parallel world traveler, maybe a legend of a strange traveler slaying a dragon and using its tooth for a soulbound weapon. It actually really fits, the emotions and experiences of the weapons didn't translate over to Valin's dimension so it broke in two pieces, the physical sword, and the emotions/experiences, the advisers... I just got goosebumps.

3/29/2015 11:45:17 pm

THIS WOULD BE AMAZING

Patti

3/30/2015 09:57:16 am

Oh, I do like this idea. Wish I'd thought of it!

3/30/2015 12:46:19 pm

And maybe something like, Azura was awakened by a really strong reader, and that's why there are so may advisers, they are the embodiment of all the emotions and feelings of the fang that the reader had awakened. There are so many, in correlation, thanks to the strength of the reader...say... the emperor (May his soul fly free)

3/31/2015 12:14:46 am

Not to confirm or deny anything, but it's almost as though the Valinhall swords and dolls act exactly like Awakened objects.

Weird...

Diego

10/12/2017 03:23:03 pm

Almost makes one wonder if the house of blades was a fragment from Asylum. >.>
There would be many inconsistencies with the powers though.

Unless.....wait what are the Nye really? Animated cloth? O.o I'm making this on the go.

Wait.....Chaka is described as looking like a training dummy..... awakening can do some funny stuff to objects.....

Benson seems weird, a steel skeleton hmmmm..... that's inconsistent...maybe it's from another territory? Valin did steal other stuff for Valinhall.

Either way it's fun think about that stuff.

3/30/2015 04:07:26 am

Will,
I agree that a Doll (creepy room full of Dolls?) would be a great Easter Egg/throwback to TG trilogy, but I think something more subtle may fit in more easily.
How about a quick reference to a character with no current effect on the story that could be re-visited? Examples: "Golden Frog was here" cut into the back of a door; Impromptu mid-battle weapon pick-up has "Golden Frog" embroidered on the handle; gravestone has "Here lies (insert name here), another casualty of the Golden Frog Revolution."

3/31/2015 12:13:03 am

I'm not sure what kind of a reference "Golden Frog" is, but I can actually make that happen.

3/31/2015 11:24:38 am

I'm pretty sure that the Golden Frog was just an example plug for something else, such as Otaku.

That actually would be kind of cool to see something like that.

3/30/2015 10:03:39 pm

I had this same thought after you posted about Valin, or i was going to say that one of the advisers was a soul-bound's vessel that Valin had stolen

Jordan M.

3/31/2015 01:30:58 am

Ahhh!! it is a tragedy that my favorite doll was murdered...She would have made a great charater for this series, but reading about Shera's shear it made me think of Azura's wonderful attitude haha

Zach W

4/9/2015 12:09:55 pm

Having read all, I think disposing with the cleverness and just outright having an appearance of Valin or an artifact from Traveler's Gate in a minor role/scene would expand the universe greatly without compromising either trilogy. so far we've only seen a Caribbean-like landscape in this series, and there's nothing like that mentioned in Traveler's Gate, but there were many areas of E--- not explored...but then maybe E---is the wrong place given that it's split into specific virtues. Anyhow, there are so many opportunities here to turn 2 universes into a venn diagram without compromising either...

4/14/2015 04:48:44 am

I'd like to, but there are some...interesting timing issues that it would create.

4/9/2015 12:18:20 pm

WAIT--the provenance of the Imperial Guard could easily be descendants or a splinter of Valinhall or Naraka, or probably many other territories. The idea of a gate opened to an 11th territory by accident when an incarnation was born, putting them in the middle of the Emperor's rise...

4/14/2015 04:49:14 am

You're a little off-base there, but I have enough fuel for a crossover of a similar style.

Harelequin

4/9/2015 10:04:52 pm

....some of these ideas....just let the author write.... ;(

I mean intimidating furniture was a great idea. or maybe a creature camio. but some of these readers have to accept that these are two very different worlds they are trying to connect......I just don't know how i feel about several of these suggestions.

4/14/2015 04:51:57 am

Lol, yeah, I get that it's a cool concept to link the two universes, especially since the Travelers have an easy, built-in way to do it. But these are two separate stories, and they will resolve separately.

I plugged in the Valin cameo for two simple reasons. One, it was fun. And funny. Two, I wanted to establish that the different "worlds" I'm writing follow similar interdimensional rules, and maybe even intersect under certain conditions.

It will not be a major plot point in this parallel trilogy, but it's certainly something I'm prepared to use in the future.

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

Birthing Twins

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