Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 Recap

Photo by Gretchen E.K. Engel

Two weeks ago I attended Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 from the comfort of my own home. While I plan to be in St. Louis next year, I'm glad with the craziness that's 2020, Virtualcon happened. It was a much-needed event that was the perfect virtual version of an in-person conference. I'm an extrovert and was concerned there wouldn't be enough face-to-face audio/video interaction, but I found ways.

Normally, I'm Realm Makers' Friendly Neighborhood Volunteer Coordinator. This year that role looked a bit different. All new skill sets meant different volunteers and different duties. My main role was as tech support and as a Discord moderator. I did tech support, helped coordinate prayer on Discord, and helped with appointments.

I spent the weeks leading up to Realm Makers learning how to break Discord in every possible way, sometimes on purpose but mostly figuring out that my laptop didn't have a webcam and how to load Discord on different computers including my daughter's laptop since she was attending as a teen. Her first Realm Makers!

Making an at Home Event Special

To make Realm Makers an event, I bought special food including the ingredients for nonalcoholic strawberry daiquiris. We ended up drinking them later, but they were a hit. I bought special crackers and cheese. Most importantly, I knew I'd be busy and wanted an immersive experience, so I enlisted my husband and son on cooking duties.
Good thing. I was very busy Thursday and my son's shrimp tacos were amazing! Thursday night my husband brought home a takeout feast--great timing. We had some technical difficulties and had to pivot from Crowdcast to Zoom. I was supposed to moderate C.J. Redwine's Harry Potter Trivia and we had to make adjustments to switch it. All went well. Whew!

My home office is cluttered because it was designed as an open office space with four work stations, so my daughter's desk is behind mine and windows make it tricky with lighting. Because I had to moderate panels on camera, I moved downstairs and set up in our living room, the only "camera friendly" part of our house. Since we were going to be on different sessions at the same time, I let my daughter use her laptop in her room, a temporary arrangement that she appreciated.

We live out west, so I had to get up early to prepare for the day and sessions started at 8 a.m. my time. I decided to sleep in our guest room to keep from interrupting my husband's sleep. It was so nice because it was like staying in a hotel room. I had no idea being in my own home could feel so much like a vacation.

Friday and Saturday my husband and son fixed dinner. One of the meals was lasagna roll-ups, a family favorite that takes a bit of time to prepare.

Socializing Happened
Two things made Realm Makers for me, nightly gaming and video chatting. We gamed on Discord using video chat. All of the hilarity and inside jokes that make tabletop gaming one of my favorite parts of Realm Makers happened at Virtualcon. Those game conversations drifted into late night visiting where we joked around but also deepened friendships. Saturday, I attended the Havok after party where the anthology finalists and winners were announced. I loved hearing the authors discuss the story behind their winning stories. The party continued on and I loved hanging out with the Havok Hive who include longtime friends and new friends. We had a great time and as usual turned into some memorable moments. The evenings hijinks included a prank that involved a sock puppets and a hazmat mask.

Quality Content

From N. D. Wilson's mindblowing keynote to C.J. Redwine's closing one, it was a conference full of fantastic content. As conference staff, I don't usually get to attend much in the way of sessions, but with the Crowdcast and Discord format, I was able to attend some sessions. I learned a lot from C.J. Redwine's marketing session and can't wait to attend the other sessions over the next few weeks.

I moderated the Why Write Short Fiction Panel. It was so good. The conversation flowed, and I rediscovered my love for short stories and the impact they have on us. We had a great discussion on a story that hit two panelists very differently. It was a story that made one panelist uncomfortable because it was convicting but resonated with me on a deep, emotional level.

To sum it up, Realm Makers Virtualcon 2020 was the perfect event for this year! And for 2021, I hope you'll Meet Me in St. Louis!

To Query or Not to Query (Vanessa)

           One of the biggest decisions a writer has to make is whether or not they want to publish their work. And though it seems like an easy yes or no question, it gets a little more complicated than that. If they decide yes, the writer must then decide if they want to self-publish, be published by an independent press or be published be a traditional press. Do they want a small publishing house or a large one? Should they get an agent? Should they submit their work unsolicited? The questions continue to stack on one another until they have no idea what to do any more.

Before my debut novel, Heartmender, was published, to query or not to query really was a huge question. I had begun writing as a way to work through a difficult time in my life, but then it blossomed into something more. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my stories and the questions listed above bombarded me. Wading through the waters of publication became very overwhelming very quickly. Some agents wanted one thing other agents wanted another and then when I thought I had it all figured out; I received an inbox full of rejections. I finally got to a point where I just said, “Forget it!” and stopped querying and researching all together.

But during that time, I never felt the need to stop writing. There were stories I needed to share and I had to keep writing to get them out. So, when I finished a very rough first draft of Heartmender, I continued working on my series. The excitement of continuing my story, just for me, was exhilarating. Even if my stories were never published, I loved writing about my characters and the adventures they would encounter. With each new chapter typed, my writing skills continued to progress and expand, as well. I wrote and wrote until, finally, all three books were drafted and my first trilogy was complete.

              Overtime, I felt God encouraging me to query again when I stumbled upon a Facebook post about a Twitter Pitch party. After researching (I do love to research! 😊 ), I found that pitch parties were a new way to have agents and publishing houses look at your work. It was different from anything I had read online about publishing and querying, but I thought, “why not?”.  Through a series of twists and turns (and more prompting from God), I eventually signed my contract with Monster Ivy Publishing and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.

              I wanted to share that anecdote with you to not only tell you a little about myself, but to also encourage those other writers out there. If your heart is set on publication, don’t fret! There are so many different types of publishing and ways to get published these days, don’t be afraid to try different avenues because they might be the best thing for you. Don’t be afraid of rejection. Stories are subjective; there’s something out there for everyone. And if you love to write, don’t stop because you haven’t received a contract. Continue to write and produce amazing stories. You never know which one will be the one!

Keep writing!

Vanessa 😊

Merry Christmas from Lands Uncharted!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas from all of us here at Lands Uncharted!! We so appreciate that you're part of our community, and we hope you can spend the holidays surrounded by loved ones!

Stay tuned for an update next week when we'll share all the details about our upcoming changes for 2020! In the meantime, make sure to enter our giveaway!! We can't wait to bless four of you with a book-themed gift box from one of our contributors! :)

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Top 3 Home Libraries (Julie)

What is your ideal home library like? Are you the Professor Henry Higgins type where there's at least two stories of books?

Or are you the Belle kind of library where the whole room is choke full of books?

Perhaps you are more of a simpler type of a few bookcases with just your favorite books?

I don't know about you, but I'm still dreaming of my home library.  So here's my top 3 dream home libraries!

Number 3 goes to the Henry Higgins type. It definitely has to have the spiral staircase because you never know when you want to slide down!






Number 2 goes to the cozy library nook. It's hard to beat a comfy window seat while you read a favorite book surrounded by more of your favorite books!

And my Number 1 spot goes to the most amazing home library ever!!! The library with a secret passage! I mean, what could be better? When you're supposed to be in bed but you sneak through the secret passageway to the library for a midnight read? Right? Or maybe I've just watched too many old mystery movies...

No matter what you personal preference, you just can't beat having a lovely home library. It's like having another world inside your own home!

Top 3 Books on Crafting Stories (KaLyn)

One aspect of being a writer is reading a lot of non-fiction. While I love to learn, I don't like to spend time reading boring books. So engaging or short and easy to read non-fiction books are like gifts.

With that in mind, here are my top three-ish books on the craft of writing.

1) Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

This book transformed my approach to plotting. I use it in the initial planning phase and during the editing process to ensure stories are hitting the plot points at the right time. It's sort, sweet, and easy to follow - even if you skim read it.

Be sure to check out Jami Gold's handy excel spreadsheet based on the approach outlined in this book.

2) The Emotional Thesaurus Series by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
If you struggle with telling or conveying the right balance of emotions, check out these books. They are the quintessential emotional reference guides for writers. I can't say enough wonderful things about them. They are always close by when I'm writing.

Oh, and don't skip over the beginning chapters in these books! They're packed with helpful tips.

3) Anything by K.M. Weiland

Every book of K.M. Weiland's on the craft of writing, that I've read so far, has been easy to read and helpful. Her books on Outlining and Character Arcs provide a lot of detail and insight without a lot of extra padding. 

What are your favorite books on writing?

Top 3 Favorite Things about All That We See or Seem (Jill)

 I recently finished reading Kristina Mahr's book All That We See or Seem. Because it kept me reading breathlessly until the end, I decided to share my Top 3 with you.

Every night, seventeen-year-old Reeve Lennox finds herself under a noose.

 
By day she is a lady of Acarsaid’s royal house, daydreaming of adventure and love. But every night in sleep she wanders through a nightmarish city, an invisible witness to the screeches of monsters and the screams of their victims. Her only consolation is Bran, a battle-torn young man with a selfless heart and eyes that reflect the stars. 

 
Yet while Reeve falls deeper into her dreams, in truth she is engaged to Arden, a mercurial nobleman who has long been cured of his belief in love and breathes fire and flattery like other people breathe air.

 
Torn between two lives, Reeve struggles to remember what’s real. Until night and day collide, with a revelation that threatens all of Acarsaid.

What are my top 3 favorite things about All That We See or Seem?

  

3. The contrast between the dream world and her real world. The dream world is a nightmare, and I can't imagine having this particular nightmare every night. The horrific quality of her dream world is a perfect foil for the privileged life she lives while awake.

2. Kristina Mahr's gift with lyrical prose. There are some truly beautiful passages in this book, but the story doesn't get buried under it. The lyricism only builds up the story line, the characters, and the relationships. Which leads me to my top #1...

1. The relationship between Bran and Reeve. *swoony sigh* By the end of the book, I was one hundred percent #teamBran and although I sort of like Arden, I'd be just as glad if he jumped in a lake. Although this book is a fantasy, it has the heart of a romance. :-)

If you want a book that keeps you reading past your bedtime, which might have happened to me (cough, cough), pick up All That We See or Seem. It's fantastic.

Here's a little about the author.

Kristina Mahr devotes her days to numbers and her nights to words. She works full-time as an accountant in the suburbs of Chicago, where she lives with her two dogs and two cats, but her true passion is writing. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and waking up at the crack of dawn every weekend to watch the Premier League.

You can connect with Kristina on the following social media links:

Website: www.kristinamahr.com
Facebook: @AuthorKristinaMahr
Twitter: @Kristina_Mahr
Instagram: Kristina.Mahr

Here are the links to get your own copy! 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/That-Seem-Dreamworld-Duology-Book-ebook/dp/B07BJH8L7J/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-that-we-see-or-seem-kristina-mahr/1128233212

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/all-that-we-see-or-seem-2

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1360731363

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39341536-all-that-we-see-or-seem

Switching Genres (Jill)

A long time ago, I was talking with a friend who knew I was writing a book. "You should write children's books. That's what we need more of--good Christian children's books."  While I agree with her (then and now), I have no desire to write in that genre. Maybe someday, but not in the immediate future.

Some authors are prolific enough and adept enough to  write in different genres. Harlen Coben, Carl Hiaasen, Roald Dahl, E.B. White, and A.A. Milne are just a few. (Here's an article that lists several more.) And by the way, Harlen Coben's YA Mickey Bolitar series is very good. So is Carl Hiaasen's children's chapter books. (But be warned: his adult books are not family friendly.)

While there's plenty of articles to be found on the pros and cons of switching genres, I'm very much in favor of it. Here are a few reasons why.

1) It beats boredom. Although I'm not bored with my current WIP,  I'm writing the last book of the series which means the next title will be something new. Lately,  I've been eyeing my notes and ideas thinking, This would be a great sci-fi plot.
 
2) It stretches your writing muscles. You may not make publication (traditionally) with your new sparkly manuscript, but you will learn new techniques and tricks you haven't used before. The more you write in this new genre, the better you'll get. And it will make you a better writer all the way around, no matter what genre you choose.

3) It may help you cultivate a larger audience. Although there might not be a lot of crossover readers, some will love your cozy Buddhist westerns, with others breathlessly waiting for your dragon satire comedies (Only examples. Trust me, I'm not doing either of these.)

4) Along with a larger audience is the potential for greater earnings. The one caveat? The author can't churn out garbage. Study the genre, learn the expectations, and hone the craft. If it's a good story, the readers will come, and the money will follow.

Switching genres can be done. I've done it, as well. Three finished and two unfinished Christian romance novels lay in my filing cabinet. I learned to write with those stories. But after I had children, I felt the urge to create YA fantasy worlds. I don't know if I'll ever go back to the romance genre completely, although I've been adding quite a bit of happily-ever-after to my stories lately. After all, everyone needs a happy ending, right?

If the muse is leading you to try a new genre, go for it. God puts the story ideas in our hearts. Who knows where the next one could lead you?

Top 3 Sci-fi Books with Movies in 2018 (KaLyn)

Many of my books are still in boxes from moving over New Year's, so Maze Runner is not pictured here.

Books and movies are two of my favorite forms of entertainment. Although a movie, by nature, can't provide the same level of depth as a book, they do provide a visual treat - carving beloved characters from between the pages.

Here are three sci-fi books with movies coming out this year.

1) Maze Runner: The Death Cure by James Dashner (Movie released January 26th)
The Death Cure is the final book in the series. However, the story has continued with two prequels (the most recent released in 2016).  As for the movies, this year's is reported to be the last Maze Runner film. They've been well-done and entertaining. However, I can't compare them to the books because the books are still on my to-be-read pile. One day... one day...

Here's the book blurb from Amazon:

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

2) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Movie releasing March 9th)
A Wrinkle in Time is an award-winning, classic tale of good vs evil combining science fiction and fantasy, physics and Shakespear. Fun fact #1: This book is the origin of the opening line, "It was a dark and stormy night." Fun fact #2: Author Madeleine L'Engle came up with the idea for "A Wrinkle in Time" after reading about particle physics and quantum mechanics (you can read more in the interview transcript on Scholastic's website here). The interesting thing about quantum mechanics is that the underlying math is based on probability theory. Naturally providing for lots of writing possibilities with spooky science.

Here's the book blurb from Amazon:

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

3) Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (Moving releasing December 14th)
Mortal Engines delivers a dystopian steampunk adventure where cities are mobile and little is known or understood about our present existence and technology. Interestingly, the book's opening line brings to mind A Wrinkle in Time: "It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea."

Here's the book blurb from Amazon:

London is hunting again. Emerging from its hiding place in the hills, the great Traction City is chasing a terrified little town across the wastelands. Soon, London will feed.

In the attack, Tom Natsworthy is flung from the speeding city with a murderous scar-faced girl. They must run for their lives through the wreckage -- and face a terrifying new weapon that threatens the future of the world.

Out of the three, I am most looking forward to A Wrinkle in Time. Which one are you most excited about?