Acknowledgement
G. Karl Kumfert
Thanks to G.Karl Kumfert for inviting me to participate in The Writing Process Blog Tour.
According to Karl’s website bio he is “an idealist technocrat with a passion for teens and storytelling”, but I know him also as a wickedly humorous, down-to-earth family man who works his magic for the California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch as our website guru and runs our social media group.
I encourage everyone to check out his website.
Four Questions About My Writing
1. What am I working on?
The Keepers of Éire
I published my first novel in a series, The Keepers of Éire, in November of 2013 through my company, Dragon Wing Publishing. It is a NA/Adult contemporary dragon fantasy set it Ireland, with mystery and romance woven throughout. I’d like to think that if Anne McCaffrey ever had her dragons from The Dragonriders of Pern series ‘go between’ back to Earth, they would be the forefathers of my dragons.
I am currently setting up a book tour in Ireland for July 2014. I plan to return to the scene(s) of the crime, so to speak—travel to the various murder and other prominent locations in the novel.
In addition, I am researching and writing the second book in the series. This story takes place predominately in Scotland.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
First, my stories are written for the New Adult and Adult market because as an avid reader, I felt there weren’t enough new fantasy stories that were written specifically for adults. Don’t take me the wrong way, I loved J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I just wanted to immerse myself in themes and characters that were already adult in nature. I hope I captured different facets of the human condition and wove their stories into a fantasy setting, I myself wish was real.
Second, I write stories of magic and dragons that take place in modern day.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I love all things dragon. I’ve been fascinated with dragons since I was quite young. I have several favorites authors, including Anne McCaffrey and J.R.R.Tolkien because they seamlessly interweave the world they have created with characters I want to be my friends. For romance: So it makes sense that I’d write with these authors in mind.
About five years ago I wanted to learn more about my own heritage. I discovered Irish, Scottish, and Spanish from my father’s side and a bit of Irish, Scottish, and German from my mother’s side. I chose Ireland for the setting of my first novel because the plethora of myths about faeries and heroes lent itself more to the possibilities of actual dragons and magic existing in modern times. I had always had a burning desire to see the places of my ancestors. What better way than to research and write of these places? When I finally visited and
St. Declan’s Well, Ardmore
traveled to many of the locations in The Keepers of Éire, I fell in love.
I so wanted to be a dragonrider. In writing The Keepers of Éire, my wish came true.
4. How does my writing process work?
First, I write the gist of my scenes in longhand because I have medical issues that prevent me from typing on the computer for any length of time. Then I transfer each scene to my MacBook Air via a voice recognition program, Dragon Dictate. I listen to my iPod when I write. I can block out everyone around me and let the rhythm of the music take me into my story.
When I write, I work for 3-4 hours and don’t check email. My writing time is used only for research, writing, and editing. I endeavor to write Monday through Friday; however, finding the best writing location is an obstacle for me. I must leave the house because of distractions and therefore must lug everything with me. I’m a blend between a pantser (someone who writes by the seat of their pants) and an outliner. Contrary to what my writer friends think, my outlines aren’t detailed, but they give me a guideline as to where the story is going next. Once in a while, my characters take over, and then I’ll let them tell their story until they run out of steam.
I outline, research, and put together what I call my “Bible” for each manuscript. The “Bible” binder contains all my research, along with my character profiles, scene locations, language, etc. Heavy. I’m looking into Scrivener for my second novel because it should do all the same things my “Bible” does, just on my computer.
I receive monthly feedback from my critique partners (the three friends you’ll meet below) and go from there. I learn from their constructive feedback, then draw the line at what I must keep for myself.
To find out more about me, check out my website, www.jordanbernal.com.
Next Week
Continuing on the blog hop are three friends of mine, let me introduce my SF/F critique partners.
Marlene Dotterer
Marlene Dotterer, author of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder (Readers’ Choice Award Nominee for 2014), The Time Travel Journals: Bridgebuilder, Moon Over Donamorgh, and Worlds Apart, writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. Marlene and I share a fascination with Ireland.
Lani Longshore
Lani Longshore, along with her writing partner, Ann Anastasio, invented a new literary genre—quilting science fiction. Their debut novel, Death by Chenille, can be found as an e-book on Smashwords.com. The second in the series, When Chenille is Not Enough, was published as both e-book and hard copy in 2013.
Ed Miracle
Ed Miracle says he “writes as a means to explore the social and emotional impacts of certain ideas–specifically those with the power to transform our lives.” Ed’s first novel, Freemaker, is near completion. He has several of his short stories and personal narratives published in various anthologies, including his award-winning non-fiction story, “Submarine Dreams”.
