A Close Encounter With... Jaleta Clegg

Continuing the Encounters With guest blogs, today we are joined by Jaleta Clegg!  Welcome Jaleta!

 I've asked my Encounters guests to tell me something they've learned during the process of working on their current work in progress.  This is Jaleta's take.

Lessons Learned from Writing Poisoned Pawn

1. Never edit when you're tired and frustrated. You'll cut so much out, the scene you just edited resembles the chopped liver monster from The Muppet Show.

I was dealing with a lot of Real Life while editing this book. I'm embarrassed that a couple of scenes got past me and the final editorial pass. I chopped them to pieces and tried to re-assemble them, and the poor things came out like Frankenstein's monster. But deadlines are harsh masters.

2. Don't be married to any scene or character. Do what's best for the story. Some scenes just have to go.

A couple of my favorites got chopped from this book. A good friend pointed out that the first half wandered around and wasn't that interesting. I cut many fun scenes in the interest of getting to the meat faster. (Hmm, another zombie reference? I must be craving steak again.)

3. Don't be afraid of emotion. Stark, raw emotion can be very frightening, especially when it's yours and you just put it on paper for the world to see.

I shy away from showing emotion. The main character, Dace, has a lot of horrible things happen to her. I'm writing the story in first person. I can't put distance between the reader and the raw emotion without losing the impact of the scene. But it's really hard. Walking-in-public-in-my-underwear hard.

4. Believe in yourself, above all. Everyone has a doubt monster living in their head that whispers, "You're no good." Learn to shove that doubt monster into a corner and throw a towel over its head.

POISONED PAWN

Dace and Jasyn have everything they ever wanted - their own trading ship and freedom.

Except regulations require a second pilot and the only one available on Viya Station is a little too perfect for Dace's comfort. But his credentials check out and everything seems fine. Until Dace disappears and Jasyn learns the truth.

Available Here: Journal-Store   

Author Bio:

Jaleta Clegg loves creating worlds and spinning stories about everything. Her stories range from science fiction adventure to silly horror to everything in between. She enjoys piecing quilts, crocheting weird things, and cooking. She'd enjoy gardening except she has a black thumb and can kill zucchini. Nothing more tender stands a chance. You can find more at www.jaletac.com

 Where to chat with Jaleta: 

Blog/website  Facebook  Twitter

Thanks for joining me, Jaleta!  We look forward to seeing your work soon!

Imogene

SFR Presents... Imogene Nix

This is my first SFRB (Science Fiction Romance Brigade) Presents post, so bear with me.

The Science Fiction Romance Brigade is hosting a blog-hop in which all participants post a snippet from a SFR novel or manuscript. Whether you are curious about science fiction romance or an avid fan, this is your chance to get a taste of what is available or soon to come. And it's absolutely free!

The snippet today is from one of my current pieces, called Hesparia's Tears. 

Concept:

Hesparia is a planet almost totally devoid of children and women, the result of genetic experimentation gone wrong.  Now, the prince of the planet, Galan travels to earth seeking women willing to migrate to his planet to help repopulate it.

Jessa is an ordinary girl... well, one with a difficult background.  When she meets Galan she is instantly attracted, both to the man and to the concept of a fresh start.

Set mainly at and around the Parkes Observatory, it has a very australian flavour!

Snippet:

“I am Galan, and these here are my men. Where will I find the ones called Jessa and Seth?” He watched as another door, this to the side, opened for him. With a nod, several of his people entered quickly and he waited for the confirmation that they were within. In barely a tackard, they came back to the door, motioning him forward. Several steps brought him to the threshold where a big man stood watching him with an angry look on his face.

“I’m Seth.” One of the two beyond the large man sat at a table, he arms behind him. Next to him sat a woman. Her fine features capturing his attention. Her hair as red as the Farbian Pearls that were cultivated on his aunt’s farm and her skin fine and pale in the harsh lighting.

“You are Seth, and this is Jessa?” Galan indicated them and the one called Seth nodded madly. Jessa, the woman, sat still, watching him. He moved forward and the big man stepped into his path.

“They are prisoners. You will only talk to them from here.” He listened to the words feeling confusion. Prisoners? Had they broken some law?

“Forgive me.  They have broken a law or regulation?” If they were dangerous prisoners, then he would need to cease negotiating with them. The guidelines of his mission were quite clear about who he could negotiate with. But something deep within him, told him there was an inconsistency with this situation.

“They were not supposed to contact you. Especially her.” The angry man pointed to the beautiful woman, who sat straight and still in the chair. Strain lines appeared at the side on her perfectly formed mouth. For the first time in many stords, something within him came to life when he glanced upon her face.

***Please note this snippet is not yet edited!***

****Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! Don't forget to go here and take a look at the other amazing entries in the SFR Brigade Presents. And thanks for stopping by!

We Have A Winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Blog Hop.  We now officially have a winner for my copy of Starfire!

Using Random Org, every entry went into the mix...

....and

....the winner is....

BOOK ATTICT!

So I will be emailing you shortly with your PDF copy of Starfire.

Thanks to everyone for participating.  I will update this post as soon as the SFRB have drawn their winner.