Theresa Halvorsen's Blog

Have you read River City Widows? It's about a widow whose stepdaughter brings a oujia board home from college. She just wants to give her son a perfect birthday week, but things get...spooky.

Check out the trailer to learn more!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_due...

A Toast to Dark Tales is the virtual launch of three books at once! Lost Aboard about the spirits aboard Star of India, River City Widows, about a widow whose step daughter brings a ouija board and Tiny Dreadfuls tales of horror and darkness from the mind of S.Faxon.

The book launch is April 21st at 6pm (PDT). If you're interested in attending, please let me know and I'll send you the zoom invite! Or you can check it out here. https://www.facebook.com/events/44928...

I’m so in awe of all of you who have read Warehouse Dreams and loved it so much...And are begging for a sequel. And in the spirit of transparency, I’d never planned on Warehouse Dreams being a series. But there is more of a story there; more I could tell about Kendle, Stephen, Becca, Leo and Casi.

So I started work on W.D. 2, and it was much harder than I anticipated. I used to be able to write several thousand words in an evening, and now was barely clearing 500. I wasn’t daydreaming about Kendle and her life at the Borough; I wasn’t enjoying writing it. But I pushed on.

I had a lot going on personally with some family stuff, a work promotion, and of course the pandemic. So I chalked my issues up to not being in the right headspace. I managed to get 50K words down and a rough plot. Then I took a break and went back to finalizing River City Widows. A few weeks later, I went back to the W.D. 2 and finished another draft. It was terrible, but I could see the bones in it. FIgured I just needed to keep building it up.

Then I had an epiphany--I’d done a lot of work on the villain for this story--understanding her motivations and digging into her past. And then I realized, the story would be better from her perspective. So I trashed 70k words, 2 drafts, and started again.

And it’s so much better. The words are flowing better, I’m feeling better, I have ideas pinging a million times a minute.

So, that means I’m aiming for the sequel to come out in November if all goes well.

I know you’re all super excited for this sequel and I’m loving the direction this series is going!

So if you’ve been following me around, you’ve noticed (or perhaps not) that I start most things with a hummingbird. Warehouse Dreams has a humminbird on the cover and hummingbirds are a symbol throughout.

So why a hummingbird?

Legend states that hummingbirds are some of the only birds that appear to hibernate (it’s actually a mini-hibernation called a torpor). But many groups, including Native Americans feel this ability makes hummingbirds a symbol of rebirth and hope. In Warehouse Dreams, the Wilds and the characters within it desperately need hope.

For me personally, whenever I was feeling lost, a hummingbird would appear. Over time I’d taken it as a message that everything will be all right. Nearly every time I’ve been ruminating over a decision or concerned about the future, I’ve seen a hummingbird. In fact, I’ve seen them in nearly every place I’ve ever visited (except Hawaii).

So I will continue to use the hummingbird as a symbol because though we’re through 2020, 2021 is being... difficult. And I think we all need a little hope. A reminder that things will get better.

Seek out the hummingbirds. They are there, and so is hope.

Finding time for writing
So as I try to juggle all my projects with my day job, I have to think about time management. I’ve read many books on the subject and have kind of cobbled together tips that seem to work for me. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about time wastes so I can try to find a good hour or two a day to work on writing, despite my crazy life. Self awareness is the key. :)

1) Set a routine. This to me is probably the biggest way to succeed. My weekday routine allows me to spend about 15 min in the morning on beta reads/edits and then 1-2 hours most evenings on writing, despite working 10 hour days and my hour commute each way.
2) Set a routine on the weekends. This is harder, but try to set goals/lists of things you want to get done on the weekend. If you know you have plans, set obtainable goals. I like to set a loose schedule of my day generally consisting of meetings/writing in the AM and admin duties (like this newsletter) and writing in the PM. Then I try to be done so I have a free evening with my friends and family.
3) Eliminate duplicative works. This means that if you like to write things down just to retype them into another document, consider just typing them into the document to begin with.
4) Organize, organize, organize your virtual life. How much time do you spend looking for a document or an email? Find a home for those things, name documents and pictures in ways that make sense and utilize that search bar to find things.
5) Organize, organize, organize your home, car and office. You can find lots of time wasters in simply walking up and down stairs, digging through drawers, finding the paper for your printer, grabbing the toilet bowl cleaner etc. Think about how much time you spend looking for things in your house and consider putting that time into your writing.
6) Find time wastes and eliminate them. Everyone knows this, but eliminate as many errands and chores as you can. Get your groceries delivered, or have a family member pick them up. Ask the post office to pick up your packages. Amazon can be your best friend--I love buying deodorant in the morning and getting it delivered in the afternoon. I don’t have to worry about remembering it and running to Target to pick it up. Seriously--this has saved me so much time.
7) Set time for social media. Social media can be a huge time suck, so schedule it into your routine and try not to check it in-between that time. I’ll be honest, I struggle with that one.
8) Talk to your family about your goals. I’m lucky in that my kids are older and can help out more. But I had to have a conversation with my family about chores and expectations. They have stepped up, especially my husband, in the last year to help out with dinners and other chores so I can focus on my writing career.
9) Put your notes, goals, ideas in a single place. A project management app, or a bullet journal can be your best friend

Unfortunately in our busy lives, it’s not enough to want to write or to cross your fingers and hope you find the time. If you’re serious about setting time aside for writing, think about your routines, think about things you can eliminate and you’ll find some time.

So in writing classes, they always say if you have unlikeable character to add a dog. This allows the reader to see a softer side of the character and as they care for the dog and subtly tells the reader the character isn’t all bad, because at least a dog loves them.

For those of you who have been on zoom meetings with me, you know that my cats regularly make an appearance...on the back of my chair, on my lap, walking on the keyboard etc. And you can often hear my dogs in the background as they trumpet my family’s arrival or departure or tell us about a strange leaf in the street.

Warehouse Dreams has Mr. Sparklebutt in it, as a way to humanize Kendle a bit and create tension between her and Daniel.

Rivercity Widows has Fluffy. Fluffy, which is actually named after my son’s cat, is a true character in the novel. Fluffy appears dramatically one night, creating a tension filled scene and is a helper throughout the book. His antics are not only amusing, but advance the plot.

What are your thoughts about pets in books? Are they a cute distraction from the plot or are you more likely to read a book with a pet in it?

I hope everyone had a restful holiday break. I know it was bittersweet for so many people, and thank you to those who sacrificed seeing their family to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On the writing front, Sarah Faxon and I have sent Lost Aboard to our beta readers and we can’t wait to tell you all about the ghosts aboard Star of India. We also started planning our next two books in the Lost Souls series, focusing on the ghost stories around San Diego. Our Facebook page, No Bad Books Press, is a great place to stay up to date on what we’re working on. https://www.facebook.com/No-Bad-Books...

I’ve also been hard at work on the sequel to Warehouse Dreams. I reached the point I got ‘stuck’ on during last draft and have basically thrown away everything I wrote after that point. But I did a lot of plotting with note cards both real and in Scrivener and have a solid plan for this book and book three. I’m very excited to finish these next two books and continue Kendle, Stephen and the other character’s stories.

And I should get back to it. In the meantime, please wear a mask. Southern California is in very bad shape and we’re all so very tired. Wishing you all a wonderful new year and a COVID approved high-five or hug.

As it nears Christmas and I reflect upon the last year and everything accomplished, I wanted to highlight 5 wonderful things that happened.

1. Semi-Sages of the Pages, the Podcast where we don’t know where we’re going but we’re on an adventure, launched in February. I don’t know where I would be without the three other writers, S. Faxon, Morrighan Puhr and M.S. Ewing. This last year has been a lot of fun and please join the fun at www.semisagesofthepages.com

2. Warehouse Dreams was published on July 29th by S&H Publishing! My sci-fi romance about the faculty at a run down school for telepaths and pscyhokientics has received rave reviews and I can’t tell you how much I love all the wonderful comments about these characters and this world.

3. Finished Rivercity Widows and sent to S&H Publishing for publication in 2021. Rivercity Widows is about a widow in East Sacramento whose stepdaughter returns from college with a ouija board. I can’t wait to introduce you all to these characters

4. Partnership with S. Faxon for Lost Aboard: Tales of the Souls Lost on Star of India. In this creative non-fiction piece, S. Faxon and I explore the ghosts aboard Star of India, their histories and what drew them to this ship as their continued resting place. Lost Aboard will be out in early 2021.

5. Tremendous personal growth in my marketing ability for my works. I can’t thank Tamara Merrill and Jerome Strayve enough for their guidance and knowledge. I wouldn’t be where I am without the two of you. If you get a moment, check out their books--wonderful writers!

It’s been a very challenging year in my other professional life, but I’m so pleased this year was so good for my writing career. I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings!

Stay safe and healthy and wear a mask!

One of the more unique and commented on component of Warehouse Dreams is how the main character, Kendle, views the other telepaths around her. In this world, telepaths have developed shielding that protects their thoughts from other telepaths and provides some protection from the innedendation of thoughts. When Kendle uses her Gifts, her abilities, she sees the shielding in colors and patterns and movement. I’ve had so many readers comment on this, so I wanted to take a moment to talk about it.

From Kendle’s viewpoint, each character has a specific color and tone to their shields. Stephen’s a fairly even tempered personality, so his shields are turquoise like the ocean. But when he’s upset or tired, his shields turn stormy and he has ‘reds and oranges of anxiety’ swimming beneath the surface.

Casi’s another example of a character going through a rough patch. Her shields are charcoal with ‘lava-like’ rivers running through it. Leon has purple shields with tentacles when he uses parts of his Gifts. Indira who is physically very beautiful, with a charismatic personality, has golden shields with jewels winking throughout and those jewels disappear when she’s annoyed. Daniel’s honey shields darken to amber when he’s feeling strong negative emotions and Miriam’s darken from magenta to gray throughout the entire novel, indicative of a problem with her well-being.

As a writer, this was my version of explaining and showing all the body language we all do: raising an eyebrow, wringing hands, tightening lips etc, but from the view of a telepath who can read emotions.

I enjoy reading stories that are unique and I hope Warehouse Dreams fit that bill for you. If you’ve read it, let me know what you thought about how Kendle sees other characters’ shields and the movement and the patterns of all the characters.

I hope everyone is staying healthy. Please wear your mask and practice social distancing until we’re through and we WILL get through this!

It’s officially the Christmas season and my family and I spent a weekend putting up the Christmas trees (yes plural) and decorating the house. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re going to be stuck inside more than unusual this season, but we spent time pulling out decorations we don’t always put up and the banisters for the stairs are decorated as well.

The Semi-Sages of the Pages recorded a new episode and it’s a unique one for us. We talk about our journeys with querying, the psychological impact querying has had on all us. We discuss how challenging it is, and how painful those rejections can be. We talk about the toll querying has taken on all of us, especially as 2020 continues to challenge us personally and professionally. I truly believe it’s one of our best episodes, so please take a minute to check it out. http://www.semisagesofthepages.com/

Did anyone participate in Nanowrimo this year? Not being a word count author, it’s not something I generally participate in, though I did start Warehouse Dreams due to a nano challenge. Whether you won or lost, pat yourself on the back for continuing your writing dream!

Stay healthy, give a COVID approved hug to your friends and family and wear a mask!