Sasha A. Linderson's Blog

You only have to go so far in exploring this website to realize there are many things which inspire our creativity as writers, and music has always been a large part of that. So, it wasn’t long after starting the rewrites of  When the Rain Falls when Sarah suggested to Ashley the idea of creating a playlist centered around the Black Skies series. We began noting down the songs we love, songs which we felt reflected our characters and the events of the book....

It will come as no big surprise to you that Ashley and I have struggled to keep the blog up to date. The podcast, yes. The blog… put it this way. It’s hard to sit down and write something when you have very little time to begin with. And, when you know that time writing might be better spent doing something else, like writing your book for example. Drafting. Editing. So, I have come up with—Pause. What’s that? She’s waking up. *Scurries off. Nap rescues.*—Sorry. What was I...

Sometimes, you just need a bit of a break away, even from writing and blog entries, and you’ll be happy to note that while we’ve been a bit absent from the blog, we are both coming back refreshed and as keen about writing as ever! Where we last left off, I was about to embark on a trip to New Zealand to see my family. After covid-19 put restrictions on travel, I was so excited to be able to get out into the world again, and to take the first of hopefully many trips with Julia to s...

I have done very little editing over the past week. Truthfully, I have about thirty minutes (if I’m lucky) each morning which is solely devoted to writing related activities, and at the moment, editing the podcast is my goal. Last blog post, I mentioned we’re taking a trip to New Zealand in November. I am so excited for it. But, this does mean recording, editing and scheduling podcast episodes ahead of time so that we can take this much needed break. It’s goin...

I realized, as I have been adding comments to Darkness, Set Us Free that large chunks of it need to be completely rewritten.

Have you ever read books that have bled into your own style and been dissatisfied with the results? This is what I believed happened when writing Darkness, Set us Free. There seems to be a very odd narrative tone running through one of my character’s chapters. It feels like he is recounting the story to me. While it does make him feel like a good friend...

For the past month, Sarah and I have been editing our two YA dystopian novels, The Price of Pandemonium and Darkness, Set Us Free. We’ve both spoken at length on the podcast about the challenges associated with each one.

The Price of Pandemonium, the second book in the series, is nearing completion—I’m doing my final major set of revisions before we send it off to our editor. It is (relatively) error-free, and most of my changes are minor tweaks to paragraphs to enhance the characters’ ...

There have been a lot of changes happening. Twists and turns that have taken on a new direction. Some of them expected; events that were bound to occur with the passing of time. Others have surprised me.

Firstly, as you might note in the upcoming podcast episodes, we are making a few tweaks to the four-weekly rotation that has served us so well over the last few years. The fact is, it’s time to move forward. As the podcast grows, we aim to ensure that it gro...

This past weekend, I attended the New Zealand Society of Authors’ (NZSA) Writing Roadshow — a series of lectures, discussions, and workshops about all things writing.

I’ve attempted to attend a few different writing conferences over the past two years, but all were canceled because of different Covid-19 outbreaks. I booked to go to the NZSA one a couple months ago with high hopes that it would go ahead. I was not disappointed.

It was refreshing to be surrounded by authors, all of us at ...

The best I can do.

That’s the aim I have for everything, but especially for writing. My goal is not to be greater than J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King, or any other great writer. But to give it my all, whatever that might look like at any given moment of my writing career. Of course, I hope that one day my best is better than average, but I can only do what I can.

That’s where I feel I’ve gotten with The Price of Pandemonium recently. I have gone over and over and over the manu...

This month I have been trying to get back into the writing groove. I’ve been prioritising time in my busy schedule to ensure I at least make time to write twice a week. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but between keeping on top of our podcast, working full time, and my other commitments, it is a challenge to make the time for writing when there is so much other stuff to be done.

Consequently, this month I have been actively seeking ways to inspire myself to write more and get back...