Tiffany Shearn's Blog

I miss reading books that capture the imagination and draw you into the story from beginning to end. Due to the nature of my current occupation overwhelming my mental capacity, it is easier to lose focus on the books I’m reading. Over the last two years, I’ve probably only read about half of what I used to go through annually on top of my writing. However, this is not only due to my work.

Several of the bigger authors I read seemed to have written their longer-running series into a corner. The main characters encountered challenges that could only be faced by taking on a curse or something similar, so the most recent books in the series revolved around some obscure deus ex machina necessary to escape the impossible circumstances in which they found themselves. While the stories might have been good enough and well-written, beloved side characters were left out, and the climax felt…rote.

One of my “comfort reads” authors is taking a couple of years off, and another main author is not revisiting the genres I read for another year or two. The result of all these shifts has left me with a lack of reading material to hold my interest. This is not to say I lack reading material at all, but the quantity of what I’m looking for is not as easy for me to find.

Help!

What I need now, are some recommendations! Here are some of my favorite genres:

YA or cozy romance (no – low spice)Urban fantasy (any spice, but story-focused)High fantasy (love creative worlds and magic systems)Murder mystery/crime (interesting main characters)Sci-fi (with a splash of the fantastical)

Throw me your recommendations, especially if they are newer or lesser-known authors!

Here is a short adventure in honor of live creative day.

Homecoming

Baxie grew up sheltered in a quiet neighborhood. She was adopted at a young age by a nice couple during a time of widespread illness. It had been challenging to connect with potential adoptees because they did not come in often. Some of those with her were shy and didn’t interact much with the people who came. She was one of the lucky ones, to be adopted.

Her new parents introduced her to her favorite person in the whole world when they arrived home. His name was Peter, and they had adopted him so many years before he was practically a grumpy grown-up. Initial attempts to invite Peter to play with her were met with derision and more than a little sniping at her, but she could tell he was lonely and kept poking. Eventually, he pounced back and ran around with her. They would snuggle up together for naps after their races.

People visit the family. While Peter loved meeting and talking to the guests, Baxie remained scared of them. She preferred her quiet family to herself. Those strangers could stay in their own homes as far as she was concerned. However, as she stared out their back window into the vast woodland surrounding their home, she wondered if something in nature might offer her more.

The Wild OutBack

Her parents and Peter roamed around in the back woods. She watched them from the doorway, listening to the tweeting of birds and the chittering of squirrels. Oh! How she wanted to go out and romp with the forest animals. It seemed safe enough for the rest of her family, but every time she started to paw outside quietly, a louder sound reverberated through the trees.

Winter turned to another spring, and the days grew warmer with the sun peeking out between the clouds and the rain. It was her third year with her new family, and Baxie knew she wanted to take a risk. She wanted to – finally – bask in the sun and chase bugs or birds in the fresh air.

Baxie stepped forward onto the back stoop. Her nose twitched at the scents assaulting her senses, and her ears flicked fore and back on alert for the slightest sound of danger. The world was quiet. A gentle burbling of water and a breeze rustling the leaves. She kept moving, slipping between two trees flanking the perimeter of the open area where the family cooked.

The tree smelled good, so Baxie stopped to take a nibble. It tasted different than the food she normally ate, and the branch was still connected, so it whapped her in the nose when she let it go. The feeling of it against her whiskers made her huff a breath before continuing.

Freedom!

Exiting on the other side, she froze in place. Massive trees rose above her. Water rushed to the left, and a small hill trailed to the right. A rush of wings above claimed her attention, and she crouched low as her eyes narrowed on the object of her desires. Her heart rushed, and she felt her jaw move, making a quiet clicking. The bird sang, oblivious.

Baxie crouched. She wiggled her back legs, positioning them perfectly to pounce in an instant. The bird sang, then fluttered its wings before grooming them with its beak.

So close, she thought, I just need a step to get up there.

The thought was no sooner in her head when the bird took off from its perch and flew toward the water. Without hesitation, on instinct, she bolted after it. Their chase lasted mere seconds. It disappeared between the leaves of another tree, so she halted her fast pursuit and took up a stalking position. In the distance, someone called her name, but she ignored whoever it was, intent on her prey.

Step.

Another.

Soft paws. Quiet paws. Slowly.

The bird took off again for another tree, and she threw herself forward after it. Her name was called louder this time, but she again ignored them. Behind the waterfall and across the field, her claws dug into the soil and she bolted forward like a supreme hunter. Excitement flared in her chest as she pulled up beneath the next tree. She stalked at the base, assessing her best path to the top.

“Baxie, you crazy cat,” Mom said as she approached.

No! No! No! You’ll scare it away!

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as she was plucked off the ground and into welcoming arms.

“You can’t chase birds, silly. You’ll run out of the yard and get lost.”

Baxie had no idea what the words meant, but she stared back at the bird as she was carried back inside, her eyes narrowing on her prey. I’ll get you next time, she promised.

If you have been following my social media, you have already seen the tidbits making up the bulk of this effort.

Backstory

When we bought our house together, it came with a pond in the backyard. It is lovely to look at and sounds peaceful when the pump runs the water through the rocky falls. The previous owner did an outstanding job caring for and maintaining the pond, even if it was only at the end to get it ready to sell.

They did so well getting this ready for listing pictures!

We quickly discovered that the pond is a beast to maintain. It is too shallow for a permanent koi pond, so it was chlorinated and kept clean. While it seemed easy enough, the thing leads…from everywhere. The pond armor paint needs to be refaced every year, or it leaks more. Where the pond armor is not submerged, it dries and cracks. If it’s not deep enough, the skimmer doesn’t work, and the skimmer doesn’t get all the tree debris, so it needs to be vacuumed and scooped frequently.

With everything on our plates over the last couple of years, pond maintenance fell to the bottom of our lists. Last year, we drained and cleaned it in early spring before the critters got to it. Not so much this year.

Frogs!

Not getting to it early this year meant the frogs used it as a breeding ground. I love frogs in all their forms, so I couldn’t just drain and clean, scooping up all the frog eggs to whither upon the ground. We decided it might be easier to let them do their froggy thing, but past years had taught us that the mosquitos also loved the pond, and the dunks did not keep them away.

The tadpoles would eat some of the mosquito larvae, but we needed something more or more aggressive to make a dent in the millions of future mosquitos squirming around in the water. It’s a little creepy to stare at the water and see it practically writhing with the little wormies.

After some option searching, we landed on guppies as our best option. Mosquito fish are invasive and not sold here. Goldfish would also eat the tadpoles.

Guppies!

Our first group of guppies did not last long. It was either too cold for them at night, or they gorged themselves into their next fish life. I like to think it was more the latter, and they had good lives as far as feeder fish usually get. The squirmers in the water certainly reduced. Just visually, it looked like about a 75% reduction. I called it a success, and we waited until further into the warmer season to get more.

Many from the second group survived, the frogs and salamanders grew up, and the mosquitos were managed. I enjoyed going out to the pond to watch my little fish swimming around. Eventually, I walked up to the pond to see a mass of little fish swimming away. My guppies had some little guppy fry.

And thus began my operation to save the guppies, because they will not survive the winter temperatures outside.

Aquarium Time

The animal lover in me decided I wanted to try to save the guppies, but my resources were very low. I had to get creative. My goal was to keep the entire endeavor under $50.

I found a second-hand tank with a filter and bought the smaller plants to grow in the tank and propagate organically. The substrate put me over my initial budget. I considered grabbing dirt/gravel from the yard, but that seemed a little too risky. I did pull some of the rocks from the pond to use in the tank, though, to bring in some of the algae and give the fish a taste of home.

As of now, the plants are growing and I’ve brought thirty of the baby fish into the tank. Since they are going to get bigger, the tank is probably at capacity now. I won’t be able to save all the guppies, as there are probably still another hundred out in the pond. I’ve offered them up as easy-to-care-for pets to friends and family, so maybe we will save a few more. The rest will return to the circle of life, likely as bird snacks.

For my new indoor friends, what do you think we should call their new home?

**Note: the movie referenced in this post is not suitable for children and I do not recommend anyone underage watching it. Have that conversation with your parents, my young friends!**

I’d never been a fan of horror/thriller movies. My favorite horror movie growing up was The Mummy with Brendan Fraiser. While my sister swears that is NOT a horror movie, I am grown-up enough to now admit it is more of a comedy-horror. It’s a fun movie regardless of the genre.

I digress into the topic of horror movies because I’m trying to kickstart my writing again, and I have been starting to watch more horror movies. I recently watched The Menu for the second time, and I decided – were it not for the blood – I could see myself back in high school writing a paper on the message conveyed by the movie.

The Menu: (Not) An Essay

This is not a true essay, as I will not be citing any sources or references, double-spacing the text, or filling out five thousand words.

My thesis for this essay is that the movie, The Menu, has the depth of interpretation to equal a Shakespearian Tragedy.

In my junior year, I had to read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which we read as a companion piece to our Shakespeare studies, that followed the exploits of two minor characters from Hamlet. That play, and all our Shakespearian studies centered around the interpretations and meaning behind the actual words written by the author. One of the most impressive aspects of Shakespeare’s writing is the layers of meaning embedded into the various plays and sonnets. The Menu, too, has several layers of meaning and interpretations.

At the surface, the literal plot and script are eye-rolly and defy believability. I have found this to be the mark of many horror movies, so it is not surprising. The characters walk willingly into a situation most sane individuals would find ridiculously sketchy and avoid. After which, their lives are endangered as they make progressively terrified and stupid decisions.

The nuance and brilliance of the script come from the way it can be interpreted in many, diverse ways. Is this a statement on class? As they are described in the movie, between those who give and those who take. If it is a statement on class differences, what statement is being made? Margot says, “But I die either way? It’s arbitrary.” So, what is the difference, and does the viewer’s interpretation of this vary depending upon their own experiences?

Even the over-the-top, individual courses have layers. What sacrifices are our dreams worth? Do we have the right dreams? Do we know ourselves well enough to know the right dreams? What if we follow the wrong dream, are we done?

As a horror movie, it often follows the darkest of the paths available, but I like to think most of us are the survivor in the story. We have the opportunity to explore these questions, find ourselves, and adjust course if necessary.

I’ll leave it there, giving you nearly five hundred words, and ask, “If you’ve seen The Menu, which course made you think deeper?”

Renaissance Faire

If you have never been to a Renaissance Faire, I strongly recommend finding one close enough to you to attend the next time it comes around. Dressing up is a blast – but not required – and you can always pick up a piece or two for a future costume each time you go from one of the amazing artisans vending.

To make a day of it, you should plan out at least a few shows to stop and watch. Between the shows, you can then shop, get a pickle or meal, or simply people-watch and see all the costumes, cast, and crew. There is a great deal of work going into the production of a faire, and I was impressed with the improvements made for participants of the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire this year.

For me, as a vendor, the faire was not great. Five weekends became more exhausting as time marched on. We also did not have a good location for selling books. Traffic was less, and we were a bit too close to the front. As a result of sales being lower this year from last, I have a fair amount of extra inventory taking up space in my storage area.

Selling Signed Copies!

Having an online platform to sell signed copies of my books has been an idea on the thought shelf for a while. Part of my hesitation has been not wanting to purchase and store inventory to facilitate efficient shipping. With that issue addressed – despite my best efforts – I am one step closer to executing online sales.

The remaining challenges are related to generating demand and the cost of the sales platform. Both of these aspects also take funding, which is more limited due to my journey into entrepreneurship. I’ll probably go with Square/WordPress for the platform. I would just need to upgrade my subscription and integrate the two. Generating demand is a bit (enormously) more complicated.

Demand requires either time or money. I could increase my advertising, or I can try to find the right place and level of social media presence and content. Both approaches will require research, as I’m not naturally good at either and will probably dabble in both.

I’m part of the MySpace/Facebook generation, and I didn’t have an account with either until I was about twenty-three. If you know of any good groups or places or have any ideas, send them my way. I could use all the help I can get on this front!

In the meantime, if you are interested in a signed copy of my books and you live in the U.S.A., keep an eye out for the notification for when my store goes live!

Stay frosty, my friends!

I’m a bit late in posting the announcement here, but Hidden Strength is out and available in ebook and paperback formats! This is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series of Elaria. The moment is a culmination of a four-year labor of love and puts the cap on an emotional journey. I love all of my characters and their unique personalities. I know many readers have enjoyed getting to know them through the series as well.

Initial feedback has been positive, and I hope the reviews start coming in soon. My sister said I should sell the final book with a pack of tissues. There are heartwrenching moments throughout, and everyone mentions different ones pulling at their heartstrings. It is interesting to see what events hit for different people.

Audiobooks

I’ve started looking into audiobooks. The format is frequently asked about when I go to events like the Renaissance Faire. I’m hoping to save up some of the money I make at the faire this year to pay for a good voice actor, but I’m not certain about the approach I want to take with the producer.

A couple of years ago, I asked if people preferred male or female voice actors for their audiobooks and the feedback was evenly split between the options. I’m leaning toward a faint British accent because that feels “old-school fantasy” to me. I think either gender could work since I tell the story through multiple points of view. While Annalla is the main character, Larron follows close behind for “screen” time, especially in the first book.

I would love to hear some of your favorite fantasy readers if you are a big consumer of audiobooks. Let me know in the comments, and keep an eye out for more audiobook information to come!

For those who signed up for my newsletter, this will be repetitive. With this final cover reveal of the series, I wanted to share a little more about the covers and their design inspiration. 

Once again, Miguel Lobo has brought a wonderful eye and talent to create the cover for one of my books. For each of the covers in the Hidden series, I wanted to represent a scene that felt like a turning point for the story or characters in my mind. 

With Hidden Memory, it was at the beginning when she was alone and afraid in a strange forest. As it is not a spicy book, I took some liberties and gave her some semblance of clothing in the image, but the scene for me is one of desperation and isolation. She is a combination of terrified and numb, determined and wounded. Annalla has become a blank slate needing to rediscover herself. 

For Hidden Sanctuary, I wanted the river scene. If you’ve read the book, you know what is coming soon after they arrive at the river. This is a moment of transformation and realization that she is much more than she or anyone thought. It also demonstrates some of her youth and inexperience, and how the interplay of those aspects can be a threat to her and those around her. 

Miguel came on for Hidden Promise, and I wanted that scene to be one of wonder and discovery. Not all discovery is welcome, though. Entering the sanctuary for the first time accompanied the weight of so many additional burdens and expectations. A mission had been accomplished, but everyone realized it was only a new beginning. 

Tiffany’s epic concept stick drawing.

Now, for Hidden Strength, we come to the end. Everyone and everything is rolling toward a final confrontation. Both sides struggle for the most advantageous actions and positions. It’s war, and families, hearts, and lives will be torn apart. The scene is one of bated breath on the precipice of the moment they cannot return from. For better or worse, their next steps are as inevitable as the result is unknown. 

Those are the feelings that went through my mind when I wrote the scenes and what they conveyed to me. I would love to hear what you feel from them, as art is as emotional as it is visual. 

The manuscript is with my beta readers!

Hidden Strength is the fourth and final book in the Hidden Series and will be released in early June. I’m excited to share this finale with you and hope you are too. My sister said I should recommend a box of tissues to be sold with this book. She became emotionally invested in the characters over their journey as much as I did. It is bittersweet to see this story coming to an end. 

Along with the manuscript sent to its next round of reviewers, I have also sent the sketch and description to my cover artist. Miguel Lobo, who did the cover for Hidden Promise, will be working again on this cover art. His initial insights and drafts have already turned out so beautifully, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the final product. 

Newsletter subscribers will get the first look at the cover. I’ll probably do a special newsletter so we don’t have to wait until the second quarter distribution in April. That is also the month I should send the book to my editor for the final, professional, editing. Formatting will happen in May, and then it is out! I should have just enough time to order paperback copies and have them arrive in time for the Renaissance Faire that starts in July this year. 

As a reminder, prices will be going up after the release of this final book. Hidden Strength is on a discount for digital preorders, so if you want the ebook, I recommend buying it during the preorder period. Then, all the paperback books will be going up a dollar on Amazon after the final book is released. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to June!

Happy weekend reading!

The last few weeks were filled with multiple vet appointments. Big Cat turned nineteen years old at the beginning of the month, and he has developed an eye ulcer. His right eye started to develop an odd spot on it. He wasn’t rubbing at it or squinting, but, as it got bigger, I sent in a picture to the vet.

She was worried it was hurting him, and we did some eye drops for a couple of weeks. The spots shrunk a bit, but the vet wanted me to take him to an ophthalmologist. We are now trying a couple of different eye drops, and I’ve been able to reduce his pain meds. The eye doctor doesn’t think it is hurting him. Unless he starts squinting, I’m lessening the pain meds to what I have found to be optimal for his arthritis.

Everyone who sees him still says he looks good for his age. Considering that a cat half his age would still be considered almost geriatric, that is not saying much. He promised me at least twenty years – we had a heartfelt cat-person conversation. I would be happy if he at least makes it through this next summer. Since he can’t run away as much now, I’ve been taking him outside in good weather, and he has loved lounging in the sun.

Big Cat has been my companion for nearly half my life. He moved out of my parents’ house with me. He cried and laughed with me through my relationships. He accepted my husband when we all moved in together, winning him over despite his reluctance to become a pet owner. I want to make sure he is as comfortable as possible for however long he has remaining.

Lots of cat love to all!

Schedules were more congested than usual this year, so we ended up packing a lot into the Christmas weekend. Every year, sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, our group of friends has what we call Thanksmas. It’s a formal holiday dinner for us and our families that we do potluck style. While it is usually more centralized between the two holidays, this year, it needed to be all the way out on the 23rd.

My husband and I hosted both Thanksmas and Christmas with my family on the 25th. For both events, we prepped and cooked a turkey, meaning two events were hosted and two turkeys were cooked in three days. We dry brine our turkeys, so they don’t take up as much space as a liquid brining. This was essential with all the stuff we had to pack into the refrigerator.

I think these were some of our best turkeys to date, coming out very moist and flavorful with the nice crispy skin. The gravy also turned out very tasty. Some of my other favorites were the stuffing, sweet potatoes, and – of course – my family’s traditional noodles.

With the two carcasses, we made a bunch of turkey stock. Some stock from the first turkey was used for the noodles on Christmas day, but we also ended up canning some of it. A couple of the cans did not seal in the pressure canner, so we put those in the refrigerator instead to use for soups over the next week. We’ll store the sealed ones for use later.

One of the coolest gifts I received for Christmas was from my sister. She is big into crafts (knitting, sewing, etc.) and started doing some basic quilting this year. She made some small quilted items, a handful of potholders, and a small table runner. They have some heat stuff in the middle, so we can use them all to hold hot items, and most of them have a summer theme with watermelons and other such images.

To friends and family reading this, thank you for all the gifts, food, and companionship this holiday season. And, to everyone, happy holidays and get ready for the new year!