Earthchild--"DVD Extras"

I wish I could remember as much about the origins of Earthchild as I could about its predecessor. I know I started thinking about a sequel to the original book when it was first published, and, having decided not to kill off Jeff this time around, I wanted to focus on his character. The White Fur People drew me to write more about them, as well, and it seemed like a good combination. So that was the germ of the romance between Jeff Anderson and Noisy Girl.

Noisy Girl really came together for me after I had started writing, and caught Aimee Mann performing on David Letterman. I'd been a fan ever since "Voices Carry," but when I saw her that night suddenly she was Noisy Girl to me in many ways. Noisy Girl's singing had already found its way into the story by then, but this solidified it, and brought her character much more strongly to life, much as had happened to me on the first book when I started identifying Fairfax with Fox Mulder in my head.

I had originally planned to write I think two more stories in this series, but when the first publisher of these two books folded, those plans were put on a back burner. I recently went through all my old hard drives and was unable to find the original proposal for the third and fourth books, though, and I can't remember what the fourth one was about... Ah, the joys of getting old. Maybe there'll be a third book, though. Only time will tell.

Starchild--"DVD Extras"

Just out of curiosity, I dug a really, really old manuscript out of my closet yesterday--the original version of Starchild. Why so old? Well, I put the first incarnation of this story to paper when I was in eighth grade. We won't discuss how long ago that was...

Of course the story was different back then, but what I found most interesting was how much was the same. The characters' names didn't change, although in the original version I referred to Fairfax by his first name. That changed in the later incarnations when Harrison Fairfax became, in my head, a sort of spin-off, personality/appearance-wise, of Fox Mulder. So Fairfax and Cavendish started referring to each other by their last names, a la Mulder and Scully. In the original story (which is, by the way, only 135 pages, typed on one of those things we used to have before computers, you know, um, what were they called? Typewriters, that was it...), Kate dies near the beginning. And I killed off Jeff, too, which might be part of why he ended up with his own book this time around. There was still a romance between the leads--I remember being quite embarrassed by it all at the time.

One idea from the book that I seriously considered keeping during the later rewrite was the concept of the aliens. My teenage self produced an alien race that appeared human, but whose body temperature was a few degrees lower than ours. They also could see on the infrared spectrum, so when they encountered humans, they interpreted the higher body temperature as a sign of greater power, and so saw the human settlers as a threat. I liked this idea, but I'd had the idea of a not-quite-human race that communicated via sign language rattling around in my head for quite a while, as well, and in the end that one won because it was more intriguing to me at the time. And another plot element that remained, oddly enough, was Fairfax's leg injury serving as a catalyst to bridge the gap between the human and alien races.

So there you have it--the short version of the journey of Starchild from a teenage effort to a real-life novel. It still makes me smile to think that something I wrote that long ago grew into a publishable work. Maybe I'll pull out some of those old folders and see what other gems I can find...

Another Useful Promo Link

20The Author MBA Blog has lots of free and immediately usable tips for promotion for writers. They also offer classes on promo and branding. Check them out! You might find just the thing you need to jumpstart your promotional efforts, and thus your sales.

What I'm Working On

Just a couple of days ago, I handed in my first round edits for Where There's a Will, There's a Way, which will be arriving from Samhain Publishing later in the year. It's a contemporary romance set in Scotland, never before published. So yes! Brand new stuff from me...

After that, I have another project in mind, but I'm not sure when I'm going to get it underway, so I'll keep that one under my hat for the moment. As soon as there's more news, you'll be the first to know.

Another Nice Earthchild Review

"I love being able to discover a new-to-me author. It's one of the greatest perks to reviewing, but more often than not, my new author discoveries aren't really all I wish they were.

Then again, sometimes I get a book like Katriena Knights' Earthchild which manages to do pretty much everything right and leave me with a smile on my face and hope for one of my favorite romance subgenres."--Shannon C. for The Good, The Bad, the Unread

And Yet Another Useful Link...

The Write to Done blog offers twice-weekly tips on writing productivity. How to take a fresh approach to your writing, how to stave off writer's block, advice from guest bloggers...many topics are covered here in nice, bite-sized pieces. While much of the advice is geared toward bloggers, it's just as relevant to the fiction writer. Stop by and see what might get you jumpstarted.

Nice Earthchild Review

Earthchild has received a nice review from Coffeetime Romance.

Rating: 4 cups

"Miss Knights has a clever way of leading a reader along without them realizing they have read the entire book. The use of only a complex form of sign language for the White Fur People is expertly written and gives the book an extra twist not often found."--Hollie

Thanks to Hollie and Coffeetime Romance for the great review!

Also, this week, Earthchild got an 87 rating from Mrs. Giggles. It's nice to know folks are enjoying the book. :-)

The Writer's Database

Here's an interesting link--the Writer's Database. It's a website that provides tools to help out with the business side of writing--submissions, markets, writing schedules, etc. I haven't taken an extensive look at it yet, but it looks like it's probably got a lot of helpful stuff. Check it out and let me know how it works for you.

Earthchild Has Arrived!

Earthchild arrives today in e-book format at Samhain Publishing. A sequel to Starchild, it tells the story of Noisy Girl, a human raised by the White Fur People of Denahault. In her search to learn about her origins and her true people, she encounters Jeff Anderson, erstwhile second-in-command of the Starchild. When their feelings begin to deepen, can they find a compromise that will satisfy both a man of the stars and a woman who's never left her adopted planet?

Read an excerpt here.

Just to Prove you can put Bacon in Anything...

Candied bacon ice cream. I don't think I'll be trying it soon, but my best friend swears bacon makes everything better. Even ice cream, apparently. And according to the Foo Fighters' 2008 catering rider, bacon is "God's currency." Hm. Maybe I should try it, after all...

If you like LOLCats...

Check out LOL Manuscripts. Hysterical!! I'd include a sample graphic, but you really have to read the commentaires.