What I wanted out of this story
Will O’ the Wisp is the newest release from C. S. Boyack. It involves a mildly handicapped girl facing a mysterious threat. The wisp has been killing off Patty Hall’s family for generations, and she’s next on the list. It is suitable for young adult readers.
I’ve blogged many times about how I set challenges for myself with each novel. These won’t be evident to the reader, but they help me grow as an author. At various times the challenge is as simple as writing a buddy story, or using fairy tale structure.
In Will O’ the Wisp, I wanted to add another tool to my writer’s toolbox. This is my first story written in first person point of view. It involved a little hair pulling at first, because “meanwhile, back at the ranch” isn’t possible. If Patty Hall can’t see it, read it, or hear it, it cannot be inserted into the story. It’s a wonderful challenge, and one every author should attempt at least once.
I also wanted to use some of my suspense techniques. I have a living document where these tips have been languishing long enough. It was time to take them out and play with them.
There were challenges in writing this tale, to be sure. Not the least of which is a 54 year old man writing from the perspective of a 15 year old girl. Never one to run from a challenge, I referred to my raising of a fifteen year old girl. According to my advance readers, I pulled it off just fine. We authors worry about everything, and the reader is the ultimate judge here.
This doesn’t mean all my other tools were off limits. I still managed to shoehorn in a couple of fairy tale elements. As an example, the color purple appears three times in the story at defining moments in Patty’s journey.
I also relied upon a technique I call plants and payoffs. The story is filled with seemingly small elements that wind up playing more important roles later on. This is a fun technique to use. This is how 70s pop culture icon Euell Gibbons and the words of Abraham Lincoln got into my story.
Sometimes I am satisfied with my personal goals, sometimes they fall a bit short. This is all personal growth information, and doesn’t reflect in the story itself. The stories are solid, and readers should enjoy them. In the case of Will O’ the Wisp, all my goals were exceeded. I am very happy with this story.
Will O’ the Wisp is suitable for a young adult crowd. All my advanced readers are adults, and they seem to have enjoyed it too. I never set out with a goal like that in mind, and don’t shy away from adult themes. Several of my stories are better suited for adults. The Cock of the South can be brutal and bloody at times. Arson gets hot in more ways than one. Will O’ the Wisp didn’t need any of that, and it would detract from the story. I wouldn’t be afraid to share it with my oldest granddaughter.
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Patty Hall is perfectly prepared for the wrong problem. She is enamored with the space race, and knows the history of NASA by heart. She is faced with an ancient threat that has been targeting the Hall family for generations. Hampered by an overprotective mother, if Patty can’t figure it all out in time, she may be the next member in the Hall family cemetery plot.
It’s not hard enough to be a fifteen year old girl, and a social outcast. As she watches her friends mature and grow, she has to face the idea of never turning sixteen. Please consider joining Patty on her incredible adventure.
You can pick up a copy on Amazon using your Kindle or a free reading app. Download it here:
North American version: http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B00UPH6BNS
International version: http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B00UQNDT2C
Follow Craig at the following locations:
Follow my blog: http://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com
Check out all my novels here: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ILXBXUY
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/Virgilante
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9841203.C_S_Boyack
Author Bio:
I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.
I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.
I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Talk back, I’m listening and please reblog or share with your friends. Follow this blog for other great things in the future.
Normally, each day I work on a different book. I have four in various stages of being finished but for some reason I seem to stay on the rewrite of one of my old books being transformed from tell to show that I feel most people will enjoy more. It is one of my lesser known books that I have renamed “Dangerous Rescue” I am nearing the end and will next have it edited before re-publishing. Speaking of editing, right now my popular Chronicles of the Marauder- Marauder Rising is having a face lift, re-editing that I think will make it even more popular. The nice thing about being an indie author you can go back and make the book more to your liking without anyone telling you that you can’t. My book “Lightning Rages” is still being edited. It has been started editing but is a long way from being done. My book “IronHeart” about a you man forced to grow up suddenly when his parents are killed in a car crash where he finds his parents were less than model citizens and involved with some unsavory characters and professions. He finds a half brother and sister that he didn’t know existed. “Unlucky Penny” another book I am writing also is a story about a female police officer that kills a unarmed black woman. My western is down to the last two chapters then it will be going into the list to be edited by my editing team. I never realized editing takes so long but when it is done word for word and line by line it takes time. Well enough junk today about my writing, talk back, I’m listening.
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