NaNoWriMo 2020 is officially underway! I haven’t had a fantastic start as I was busy yesterday and unable to write much, but I had a positive first day so I’m 2653 words in. I’m very pleased with the opening chapter which was a lot of fun to write (a demon hunter makes for some fun scenes!)
A little more information about the project:
The novel is called the Ballad of Benedict, which is another story in The Light and Shadow Chronicles. A Chronicle of Chaos featured two protagonists (Chaos and Anathema) and told the story from both points of view. This novel is the same – featuring both Benedict Thialdor (A Children of Light diplomat) and Favian (An orphaned demon hunter).
Benedict’s story is already 45,000 words in but I’ve been on a break from it for a while to work on The Sins of Silas. So my NaNoWriMo project is to write Favian’s side of the story. The Sins of Silas has been getting me down lately, so being able to create something new, and just write to my heart’s content has been like bliss to me.
Whether or not I’ll hit the 50,000 words mark (probably not), I’m having a great time and it’s very good for my soul.
For the past year, I have been slogging away at The Sins of Silas, taking feedback from my completely amazing beta readers and occasionally just wanting to burn the damn thing. I think it has potential, but it is causing me so many issues! Since I began writing it, I have completed courses, and read plenty of books on writing craft. So my style has matured and I learned many things that I just wasn’t doing before. So this book needs a HUGE amount of editing and rewriting. After hacking away at the thing for a year, I am still only on Chapter 13… of 34…
Though I love the story and the characters (especially Silas – he’s a lot of fun to write) I am suffering some major burnout on the book now. It’s time I put it aside and focused on something else, just for a short time, to clear my head, and my nerves.
Which brings me nicely to…
For the month of November, I shall be casting aside The Sins of Silas, and continuing with another work-in-progress, The Ballad of Benedict. This novel has two point of view characters and one of them is halfway completed. The other, I haven’t even begun yet. That storyline shall be my NaNoWriMo project.
For those of you who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Writers pledge to write a 50,000 book in just one month.
Terrifying. Insurmountable, some might say.
They’re probably right.
But I managed a 25,000 word camp NaNo project a few years ago (which became my novella Genesis of Light) and I have a lot more free time now between teaching my online students. So I’m just going for it.
A Little About My NaNoWriMo Project
I shall be writing the secondary plot arc of a character named Favian – a demon hunter with a peculiar weapon, and an even more peculiar mentor…
Book: The Ballad of Benedict – a novel in the Light and Shadow Chronicles. Temporary Blurb: In the forests of Thos, Benedict Thialdor – an ambassador with the Children of Light – must uncover myths of old to reclaim a legendary weapon believed to hold the key to defeating Hell’s most dangerous demons.
For the other writers out there, are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Support from other authors is the way we all get through this!
Here are some helpful resources for NaNoWriMo and getting that novel finished!
Award-winning psychological thriller The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is priced just $0.99 for four days (from 17th July to 21st July).
Winner of the Kindle Book Review Best Sci-Fi Novel of 2016
How can you fight to the death, when you’ve given up on life?
As violence and terrorist attacks become more prevalent, the world descends into chaos. Outraged by the lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.
In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.
Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war rages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines.
Fighting for his life and a chance for redemption, can Raven survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him – and find the forgiveness he seeks?
★★★★★ In my humble opinion The Phoenix Project is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. – Stewart Bint, Author
★★★★★ A not-so-gentle reminder to check our own morals, our beliefs and our system of justice. To repeatedly ask ourselves, am I okay with what I see in the mirror? – Lisa Veldkamp, Author
★★★★★ The Phoenix Project is a compelling read, beautifully written in a way that totally captivates your imagination. Dark and sometimes uncomfortable, this book gives a disturbing insight into a postmodern world of anomie and repressive state force. – Amazon Reviewer
GIVEAWAY: (7 winners) Each will win a copy of one of her Sir Chocolate Story and Cookbooks. For your chance to win, please leave a comment below!
Welcome to part 7 of the fondant cat parade
The fondant cat parade tells the story in limericks of Dinah the Kitten, daughter of Daddy Grey and Mommy Cat, who likes to sleep and escape to Wonderland in her dreams. While in Wonderland, Dinah meets a variety of brightly coloured and fun fantasy kittens. The fondant cat parade illustrates some of the wonderful fondant art that appears in all the Sir Chocolate books.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat in 2 tablespoons of sugar at a time until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, vinegar and cornflour. Line a Swiss roll tin with wax paper. Spoon the mixture into the tin and place in the centre of the oven. Turn the oven down to 150 degrees Celsius or 302 degrees Fahrenheit so the meringue cooks slowly and becomes chewy. Leave for 40 minutes and then turn off the oven and slightly open the door of the oven until the meringue is completely cool.
Loosen the meringue from the wax paper and spread with the cream and blackberry filling. Use the wax paper to roll the meringue. It will crack a bit. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
BOOK BLURB:
Join Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet on a fun adventure to discover why the milkshake rain is pale and white.
Contains five recipes that children can make under adult supervision
AUTHOR BIO:
Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with seven published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.
I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.
I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.
I have participated in a number of anthologies:
Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle;
Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley under Robbie Cheadle;
Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre under Robbie Cheadle; and
Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth under Roberta Eaton Cheadle.
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to schedule your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
My latest book to be released, Origin of Shadow, is a dark exploration into madness, destiny, honour and brutality. Follow Vincent Wilder’s descent into the murky recesses of ultimate power in this new novella from The Light and Shadow Chronicles.
Not sure if it’s your thing? Get Chapters 1 & 2 of Origin of Shadow for FREE here and take a look. If you love it, great! If you don’t, no harm done.
As part of the research and planning for Origin of Shadow, I had to get into the head of main character and anti-hero Vincent Wilder. It was fun to give him quirks, neuroses and talents. As an inside peek, here is the first ever mind map I doodled when I was getting to know the man himself:
As part of the lead up to the release of Origin of Shadow, I will be putting together a video interview, in which I will answer fan questions about the book, the series, myself as an author, or even what my favourite flavour of ice cream is. The beauty is, the questions come from YOU. So, please comment on this page, or send me an email to dmcain84@gmail.com with your questions. Thank you!
I’m
so excited to share with you the cover for my upcoming release, Origin of Shadow! This novella is part
of my epic, immersive fantasy series The Light and
Shadow Chronicles. The series is centered upon a centuries-long
war between two armies and each book focuses upon a character within the
timeline. This novella gives the origin story of one of the armies – The Brotherhood
of Shadow. The complementary novella entitled Genesis of Light is already available in ebook, paperback and audiobook.
The official release date for the book is
23rd Novmber. In the meantime, if you haven’t read the others in the
series yet you can get them here (though reading these first isn’t required to
understand Origin of Shadow):
“Vincent
Wilder.” The voice broke into his thoughts, everywhere and nowhere at once,
deafening, yet somehow a whisper. “Are you ready to learn the truth?”
As heir
to a notorious crime syndicate, sixteen-year-old Vincent Wilder is determined
to live up to his father’s intimidating legacy, and expand his violent empire.
The Wilders have terrorised the city of Pabell for decades and Vincent knows
the business inside and out (and has dirtied his own hands more times than he dares
to count.)
But no
matter how ready he thinks he is, nothing could have prepared him for life at
the helm. His father was a man of many things, but secrets wasn’t one of them,
or so Vincent had thought. The deeper Vincent gets into his leadership role,
the more terrifying and inexplicable skeletons he uncovers.
With the
threat of a revolution, a mysterious and intrusive voice in his head, and a
long-lost history he had known nothing about, is he really up to the challenge?
You’ve read the Children of Light’s origin story, now experience the same events from a different perspective with this prequel novella from The Light and Shadow Chronicles.
Origin of Shadow EXCERPT
The ticking of the
timepiece was far louder than it should have been. Every innocuous click of the
hands reverberated around the room. Sixteen-year-old Vincent Wilder stood
perfectly still, making sure his chin was raised and his expression stony. He
tried to hide the fact that his fingers twitched nervously behind his back. This
meeting needs to go off without a hitch. There’s so much resting on it. He
made an effort to narrow his eyes and puff out his chest, hoping his young
frame was imposing.
A single drop of sweat
trickled down his forehead, running a sticky trail across his skin. He wanted
to reach up and wipe it away, but didn’t dare draw attention to the fact he was
perspiring. If they saw it, would they take it as a sign of weakness? So
he did nothing and let the salty drop work its way down his forehead, running
into his dark eyes. He blinked to clear the drop, but his vision blurred and
his eyes itched. He could hold off no longer and was forced to swipe at his
eyes with a hurried hand.
His eyesight cleared and he
took the opportunity to glance down at the table and the people sat around it.
A couple in their early forties sat on one side, close together, huddling for
comfort. Their eyes were strong and defiant, the woman’s in particular. Her
hands were flat on the tabletop, and she leaned forwards, speaking with
determination.
The ashen-faced man beside
her was silent. Despite the stony expression on his face, Vincent could see the
man’s hands trembling.
Across from them sat Franco
Wilder, Vincent’s father. Once, he had a thick shock of dark hair, long and
wild, draped across his shoulders. That was how Vincent always pictured his
father, but the figure that sat before him had changed drastically in the past
few years. As soon as Franco’s hair had started thinning, he had shaved the
lot, and the bald head made the most terrifying man Vincent had ever met even
more intimidating.
Franco’s posture was rigid
and unmoving, a coiled snake waiting to lunge. The dark eyes that had chastised
Vincent since childhood were now zeroed in on the couple before him. His
father’s fingers were locked together tightly, but Vincent knew that it would
only take a split second for Franco to wrench the knife from his concealed
thigh pouch. Vincent’s muscles too were primed, ready to propel him into a
fight. Never relax around Franco Wilder. He’d learned that very young.
Cain has released one stand-alone novel: The Phoenix Project, a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future. The Phoenix
Project was the winner of the 2016 Kindle Book Review Sci-Fi novel Award.
Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK with her partner and two young children,
and spends her time reading, writing, reviewing and indulging in geek culture
(Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Final Fantasy).
Not much time for sitting down with a book? Why not let somebody else read to you while you drive, cook dinner, or walk the dog? I am delighted to announce that my epic fantasy novella, Genesis of Light, is now available as an audiobook. It can be purchased via Audible, Amazon and iTunes.
Warring countries, fantastical creatures, beings of
terrible power and journeys of epic scale. The legendary Book of Alcherys tells wild and unimaginable stories.
But they are not mere fairy tales. They are true, every word.
Callista Nienna is strong and independent, but nothing
could have prepared her for civilisation being brought to a violent end. Now,
she is forced to stay alive in a desolate wilderness with only her closest
friend for support.
She has two choices: give up and die with the wilting
world around her or seize her destiny and make it to the only sanctuary
left unscathed. At the end of her journey, something awaits Callista, something
both terrifying and unbelievable.
The beginning of a fantasy epic. Learn where it all began in this prequel novella from The Light and Shadow Chronicles.
In a world ravaged by war, the paths of two warriors are about to cross with world-shattering consequences.
Chaos is a soldier of The Children of the Light, and fights in the name of destiny, honor and glory. Arrogant and headstrong, he believes he is the strongest warrior in the land, until a fateful coincidence puts him at the mercy of the demon Anathema.
The two strike up an intense rivalry, but their obsession to destroy one another only leads them closer together. When the forces of light and dark collide, where will their loyalties lie?
It
doesn’t matter who you think you are… falling in love with the wrong kind can
have dire consequences.
They say
love conquers all, but in the paranormal worlds of these 12 USA Today and
International Bestselling Authors, falling in love means playing with fire….
Someone’s about to get burned.
Dig into
hours of forbidden love, lust, and heat as these heroes and heroines long for
their beloveds, break taboos, and fight for the one they should never have
chosen. This boxed set is bursting at the seams with romance grounded in all
things magical—from dragons and sexy shapeshifters to angels, warlocks, and
uninhibited masters. There is something to strike everyone’s fancy.
Click the BUY NOW button to dive straight into the Playing with Fire boxed set, with thousands of sizzling pages of sexy, forbidden love and the trials these paramours must overcome to fulfill their deepest desires.
