Category: Writing (Page 15 of 72)

Get To Know Tammy Lowe Author of THE SLEEPING GIANT

November 19, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Let’s give a big hello to Tammy Lowe as she celebrates the upcoming release of her YA historical romance THE SLEEPING GIANT (a title that I especially like because of a certain mountain in a certain book I wrote!). Make sure to check out the giveaway at the end. Welcome, Tammy!

What inspired you to write THE SLEEPING GIANT?

Oooh, I’m so glad you asked that!

Without giving away spoilers…I spent years researching a legendary artifact; trying to trace the history of it as far back as I could. This “item” seems to be as old as mankind and if the legends are true, the first century Roman Empire might have been a possible time when it could have resurfaced.

What else happened in the first century Roman Empire?

In 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted with the force of over a thousand nuclear bombs. Many people in the nearby city of Pompeii didn’t even try to flee the volcanic eruption because they didn’t understand what was happening. They thought the gods were angry.

Within twenty-four hours, not a trace of Pompeii remained. The city—and its inhabitants—were buried beneath layers of volcanic ash and pumice. Over the centuries it simply became a forgotten legend.

But…in the 1700’s, men working on a new palace for the King of Naples rediscovered Pompeii hidden twenty feet below them.

The amazing part is that as the volcanic ash hardened over time, the bodies trapped within decomposed, leaving behind what was basically…a mold. When these molds were filled with plaster, the results were life-like statues of the people who died that day; their final moments preserved forever.

Photo by Tammy Lowe

So, I realized I wanted to set this time-travel adventure in Ancient Rome, playing off the terrifying volcanic eruption in the final scenes. I was pumped and inspired!

But then it dawned on me…oh my gosh…am I crazy enough to attempt to write a novel set in Ancient Rome? The research alone would take forever.

Apparently, yes.

I am crazy enough.

After three more years of research, a second trip to both Rome and Pompeii—this time armed with historians and archaeologists to answer all my questions, I fell head-over-heels in love with that ancient world.

I hope you will too.

This is your second novel. How was the writing process different the second time around?

My first book, The Acadian Secret, is middle grade/tween. Because the main character, Elisabeth, is twelve years old, it’s a lot of youthful fun and adventure when she time-travels to the seventeenth century Scottish Highlands.

The Sleeping Giant picks up five years later. Elisabeth is now seventeen. I found it took some getting used to writing for an older reader. I had to step out of my comfort zone more often. I’d opened a whole new world of emotions and events for Elisabeth to explore— things like falling in love for the first time, being sold into slavery, betrayal, etc. That was the biggest difference this time around.

Of course, I think all the writing lessons learned along the way helped make a bigger, stronger story. The entire process is a never-ending learning experience, even as I continue on with The Age of Aquarius, the next book in the series.

What’s one thing you can tell us about the book (no major spoilers please!) that isn’t in the jacket copy?

Although this is a series, I can and should tell you that this book stands alone.

You needn’t have read the first book to get (hopefully) swept away in this one.

THE SLEEPING GIANT has a time travel element. If you could travel back in time, where would you go?

I’d actually really like to go forward in time. I mean, as long as I’m not stepping into a Hunger Games or Divergent type scenario. (No, not even for you, Tobias Eaton.)

I think I could handle travelling to distant planets on the Starship Enterprise.

*Taps imaginary communicator* “Enterprise—one to beam aboard.”

Yes, I’m totally practicing. *grin*

What actors would play the main characters in a movie version of your book?

What an entertaining question!

Okay…if I’m going to start casting actors, just give me a minute to channel my inner Estelle Leonard. (I’ve been watching re-runs of Friends lately! Haha)

I honestly thought this was going to be a hard question to answer, but instead I’ve had way too much fun. Look what you’ve started Katie!

ELISABETH: A few weeks ago I watched The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with Lily James. A younger version of Lily is the closest to Elisabeth I’ve found. Sweet, smart, and would totally be out of her element if she suddenly found herself in Ancient Rome.

AQUARIUS: I think Aquarius would be such a fun role to play. It would take someone who could pull off a good, old-fashioned, swashbuckling hero. Maybe a younger Hugh Dancy from Ella Enchanted?

CATO: Aquarius’ best friend. I can totally see someone like Channing Tatum in that role.

MRS. WATERS: Back at home in the 21^st century, an intriguing old woman named Sissi Waters is Elisabeth’s employer/mentor. Since she’s the epitome of class and elegance, even in her eighties, Julie Andrews of course comes to mind.

BALINUS: Ben Kingsley could pull off Balinus. He’s this darling, old philosopher who accompanies Elisabeth, Aquarius, and Cato.

RUFUS: The slave-dealer can be a younger Ciaran Hinds. I have a special place in my heart for Ciaran Hinds because he’ll always be Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre to me. And, even though Rufus is a villain, I have a special place in my heart for him too. So…perfect casting.

AURELIUS: If this is my imaginary movie, then I’m going to stick the one and only Bill Murray in here somewhere. He can be Balinus’ eccentric old friend, Aurelius.

What’s your favorite snack or beverage to have while writing?

Can I say champagne and Parisian macarons?

The truth isn’t as glamourous.

I live on water, don’t like coffee (did someone just gasp?) and try not to snack between meals. When I get into that writing zone, the world around me fades away and then I’ll look up and realize it’s something like four or five hours later.

But…

Somedays, when the planets are aligned, I do end up with my favourite snack and a fancier glass of water.

Like this day.

THIS is my perfect snack while writing…

Thanks so much for having me on your blog again, Katie. I had a lot of fun.

About the Author:

An adventurer at heart, Tammy Lowe has explored ruins in Rome, Pompeii, and Istanbul (Constantinople) with historians and archaeologists.

She’s slept in the tower of a 15th century castle in Scotland, climbed down the cramped tunnels of Egyptian pyramids, scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge, sailed on a tiny raft down the Yulong River in rural China, dined at a Bedouin camp in the Arabian Desert, and escaped from head-hunters in the South Pacific.

I suppose one could say her own childhood wish of time traveling adventures came true…in a roundabout way.

www.tammylowe.com

About THE SLEEPING GIANT:

A Historical Romance Adventure

Lured into time-traveling to Ancient Rome, weeks before a volcanic eruption will bury the city of Pompeii, a shy teenager finds herself falling for the adventurous runaway slave she is supposed to rescue.

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Kobo http://bit.ly/2POUmPR

Tucked in a box, in the back of her closet, seventeen-year-old Elisabeth London hid the secrets of a summer five years ago. The items inside are a reminder to never time travel again. After almost being burnt at the stake in 17th century Scotland, the shy teenager believes life is perfect the way it is now; calm and stable.

When a tormented man from Elisabeth’s past begs her to travel back in time to save his life, she reluctantly agrees. Elisabeth assumes Scotland is the destination and is horrified when she arrives in Ancient Rome instead.

The good news is she finds the man; now a cheeky, fun-loving, seventeen-year-old boy named Aquarius. The bad news is he’s an indentured slave, sentenced to death in the arena, and has no idea who she is yet.

Elisabeth helps Aquarius escape and becomes an outlaw herself. Armed with nothing but her wits and his rock sling, the new friends are on the run from Rufus Leptis, a relentless slave-dealer whose job is to hunt them down.

Elisabeth soon realizes she’s here to save Aquarius, not from Rufus or the arena, but from the doomed city of Pompeii. She’s trying to be brave, but the thought of remaining in his swashbuckling world a minute longer than necessary is inconceivable.

At least, it used to be.

Before that darn, happy-go-lucky slave stole her heart.

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Use of the Hat as a Literary Symbol in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

November 12, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

My whole family, from the one-year-old right on up to my husband, is obsessed with the musical film THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. As a biopic it’s terribly inaccurate, glossing over the more questionable aspects of P.T. Barnum’s life and flat-out making up a bunch of stuff, but I don’t think the creators intended it as a biography, so I’m not interested in evaluating it as such.

As a piece of entertainment, it’s a fantastic movie. The music, the choreography, the cinematography, the performances…all of it was excellent. It’s a little thin on characterization in my opinion, but I find musicals always tend to have to sacrifice some aspect of storytelling in order to make the movie a reasonable length. And the musical numbers themselves do a lot in terms of carrying characterization and plot, which isn’t always the case with musicals.

One thing I can’t stop thinking about (as we obsessively rewatch the music clips) is the use of P.T. Barnum’s hat as a literary symbol (bear with me as I give you flashbacks to high school English and discussions of Othello’s handkerchief). As a writer, I’m always interested in examining literary devices in any form and then seeing how I can use them to take my own writing to a deeper level.

But back to the hat. This might range into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, go watch it already and come back and read this!

via GIPHY

I’m not sure I’ve seen a more thorough use of an object as a symbol as in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, so much so that very few scenes go by without P.T. Barnum’s hat making an appearance. But here’s the thing, it took me many viewings to really notice how pervasive it is, and that tells me that it was done with great care (or maybe I was being really dense and everyone else felt like the hat symbolism was hitting them over the head!).

The movie opens with a grown P.T. Barnum in the height of his circus career where we get a taste of the performances with the song “The Greatest Show”–hat front and center. Then it flashes back to a young P.T. Barnum staring at his reflection in a storefront, appearing as if he’s wearing the fancy outfit and top hat that are inside the store. The next musical sequence “A Million Dreams” plays out as P.T. Barnum grows up (inheriting the hat his father leaves behind when he dies) in a life of poverty, going off to work on the great railway, and finally returning as a grown man (hat on head) to claim his love’s hand.

via GIPHY

Fast forward a bit to when a reviewer calls Barnum’s act humbug and a circus (in yet another musical sequence called “Come Alive”), Barnum latches on to the terms by beginning to call his show a circus and fashioning a sleeve for his hat that says “Barnum’s Humbug.”

Running GIF from Hughjackman GIFs

The times when the hat is conspicuously absent from Barnum’s head are mostly when he is touring with opera singer Jenny Lind, which the movie presents as a time in Barnum’s life when he got away from who he truly was. With one of the movie’s main themes being be true to yourself, the hatlessness is true to form. When Barnum realizes his mistakes during the song “From Now On,” he declares, “What’s waited for tomorrow starts tonight,” pops his hat on, and runs for the train to reunite with his family.

Hats Off GIF from Hatsoff GIFs

The final song sequence of the film really solidifies the hat symbolism, so much so that my one-year-old always does the sign (we’ve done baby sign language with all our kiddos) for “hat” when it comes on. The hat passes from various characters in the circus act that have important roles in the movie, including a turn with one of the elephants, and lands back with Barnum. He then goes backstage to give it to his young business partner to take over the act, claiming he’s going to go “watch his girls grow up.” I’ve included that whole final song here, “The Greatest Show reprise,” because it really is worth another (and another and another…) watch!

I’m interested in seeing how I can incorporate more symbols into my fiction writing in an organic way, so it was fun exploring them in this film. Have you seen THE GREATEST SHOWMAN? Did you pick up on all the hat symbolism? Did I use too many GIFs in this post (is that even possible?)?

Science, Math, and Nature as Inspiration for Themes in Writing and Beyond

October 25, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Long-time readers of the Observation Desk might remember that I’m a fan of science. Some of my old posts include “We Are All Stardust”, “Big New for the Big Bang,” and “Seems the World Will End in a Bang, Not a Whimper.” I find science and nature (and even sometimes math!) to be a great source of inspiration, not only for writing but for my life.

There are so many wonderful, beautiful, crazy aspects of our universe. An exploding star, called a supernova, sends particles shooting across the universe. These happen all the time in our universe and have been happening for billions of years. All the elements that make up earth, including our own bodies, were once ejected particles from a supernova.

Then you have the Fibbonacci Sequence, which starts at 0,1 and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two (0,1,1,2,3,5,8, etc…) and put in order in boxes make a spiral. Many things in nature follow this pattern, from flower petal and seed arrangements to how spiral galaxies are formed.

To take a look at a math example, did you know that a computer cannot truly generate a random number? Because computers function via algorithms, or sets of rules programmed in to the computer, it’s not possible for a computer to do random.

And whether or not I totally understand all these concepts that fascinate me (spoiler alert: I don’t, but I keep trying anyway!), they never fail to inspire me. They push me to examine the patterns in my writing. On a micro level, I look at the the words, language, and sentence structure patterns I fall back on, so I can push myself beyond my own cliches.

On a macro level, it pushes me to recognize emerging themes in my writing. What themes did I go in with and maybe didn’t follow through on properly? What themes didn’t I notice, ones that maybe stemmed from my subconscious, that can make my story better if I tease them out more and reinforce them? Where are there more opportunities to refine any symbols I’ve used or places where I can introduce more?

Taking a patterned analysis to my writing allows me to make sure every detail (word, sentence, symbol, description, etc…) counts to work toward a greater whole through theme and plot.

To take all this a step further, trying to understand the science and math that governs nature can help me examine my own life for themes and patterns. It pushes me to a greater level of introspection and hopefully to a better place as human being. And that will only contribute to me being a better, more deliberate writer.

When I work at honing that merging of the creative and analytical thinking, stuff moves in ways I could never have imagined before. The world, my stories, my life…everything reaches a whole new level of understanding in my mind. And that feels like a pretty incredible phenomenon.

What Is This Life Even?

October 10, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve got all these thoughtful blog posts simmering in my brain, ideas sketched out in my notebook. What I haven’t got is time to write them. Which is actually a good thing. I haven’t had the time because I’ve been lucky to have a bunch of writing events this fall, I’ve got three wonderful kiddos that keep me busy and laughing and loving, and some days the weather has been too beautiful not to get outside. Plus, I’ve been devoting as much of my writing time as I can to drafting ELIXIR SAVED, and that’s actually been going well (fingers crossed I can writeTHE END by the end of the year).

And while my personal life is in a good place, the larger country and world is more often than not a trash fire, so on days when I do sit down to write, it’s easy to get distracted by that. And then I feel guilty that I have the privilege to be able to call all the politics and stuff a distraction. Yet I also know that my work of writing books for kids is an important and political act (as is all art), so when I’m working, I’m not actually ignoring those things but contributing (hopefully) to the growth of the very people who will be running the country and the world one day.

I try to remember to pause and be in the moment and appreciate where I’m at. I have this writing life that is gaining a little bit of steam and maybe (maybe!?) one day will be a full-time career. And, of course, I have this beautiful family that is a joy and a pain and a million other things all at once.

I guess what I’m saying is life is complicated in a wonderfully messy way. I love my blog, but lately life has been moving too fast to stop and give it the attention it deserves. But that’s okay…it’ll be here when I have the time for it.

PIRATE ISLAND Event Pictures and News

September 26, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s been a whirlwind this past week with two book events (plus all the usual shenanigans that go on around here with the kiddos and such)! The PIRATE ISLAND One City, One Story event at the library was so much fun. I always enjoy talking about Charles Island, the real island that inspired Pirate Island, and the legends of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure that may be buried there.

Since I’ve talked about this topic at the library once before I hit some of the old favorite facts and legends but also mixed in some new ones. Then we had cookies, a writing prompt, and pictures…lots of pictures. A photographer from the Connecticut Post stopped by and took a bunch of pictures and put a nice little write up about the event in the newspaper with a slideshow. The librarian also set up the green screen and the kids hammed it up. Here are a couple of shots from her.

Then on Saturday I was at the Milford Barnes & Noble signing books and helping raise funds for the Friends of the Milford Public Library. You can shop online at BN.com/bookfairs through Friday, September 28 with bookfair code 12394516 to help out the Friends! If you’re local, the are probably still some signed copies of PIRATE ISLAND at the bookstore as well.

I’ve got one more event coming up on Saturday, October 13 at the Norwalk Public Library for their Indie Author Day. They don’t have a lot of details listed on their website yet, but I can tell you that it’s an all day event with a ton of authors of all age groups and genres. I’ll be reading in the Children’s Room in the morning and selling copies of PIRATE ISLAND and ELIXIR BOUND (with the new cover!) all day. And hopefully catching up with a few of my author friends that I think are going.

I’ve been slowly but steadily pecking away at the second Elixir book, ELIXIR SAVED. I’ve finally passed that muddy middle and have tipped over into the second half with THE END in sight! I’m hoping to have a good draft done by the end of the year to send out to beta readers for feedback. This in anticipation of releasing it some time next year!!!

My reading goals have been going well this year. I actually bumped up my number goal recently, and I feel like I’ve been doing well mixing in lots of books from underrepresented communities and indie authors as well. So what have you all been up to? Reading, writing, and otherwise?