S.E. Doster's Blog

Earlier this year, I quietly parted ways with P.S. Literary. It was a scary decision, but my agent was leaving, and I didn’t feel like my books were a good fit for anyone else at the agency. There was a stressful limbo period for a while, but I’m happy to announce I have officially re-signed … Continue reading Quick update!

I’ve neglected my blog for most of the year, so I’m way past due with the announcement that I finally have an agent! I had a few manuscripts that I queried off and on for YEARS, so I am honored and thrilled to announce I’m now represented by the wonderful Eric Smith at P.S. Literary. … Continue reading I got an agent! (A very late announcement)

Here are my custom Funkos that I made to show my love for Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy. Tamsyn Muir creates a beautifully haunting story of sci-fi necromancers and sneaky politics. Loved Gideon the Ninth so much, and I highly recommend this as an audio book. Gideon was just a fun character, so I had … Continue reading Custom Funkos From The Locked Tomb Trilogy By Tamsyn Muir

Since I’m not really blogging about my own writing right now, I’ve decided to start sharing some book Funkos I created. Funko is totally sleeping on the book community, especially the YA community. Last year was a rough year for many of us, and I used art and books to help survive the stay at … Continue reading My Custom Book Funkos from L.L. McKinney’s Nightmare-verse Series

#Pimp My Bio It’s Pitch Wars time! Third time’s the charm, right? My Manuscript is HEROES meets THE DRESDEN FILES FATE OF ALL WORLDS is an #ownvoices YA Contemporary Fantasy As a powerful meta-human who can regenerate and teleport, seventeen-year-old Kat Reese is a soldier tasked with preventing a supernatural war, but the job becomes … Continue reading #PimpMyBio Pitch Wars 2017

I’ve decided to try some new art projects and go outside my comfort zone. I’ve been experimenting with polymer clay to make some really cool creations. Art provides great meditation for me, and I like to work on a project each day before my writing sessions. Sketching or playing with clay is relaxing, allowing me … Continue reading Custom Kidrobot Fallout 4 Figure

Apologies for the lack of content. The site has been quiet over these past eight months as I dealt with a horrific loss. I’m finally back to the grind. I’m going to do my best to bring more consistent content and updates with both art and writing. I’ve spent the last few months reviewing some … Continue reading The Hiatus Is Over

RIP my dearest friend. There’s a special bond created with a pet, and a dog truly is a human’s best friend. Draco wasn’t just a dog. Or a pet. He was my oldest and dearest friend. My most loyal homie. He was cuddled beside me for every novel i’ve ever written.  For every good moment and bad.

Birthday selfie 2015

Getting Draco in 2004 was the best decision I’d ever made, but twelve years just doesn’t seem long enough. One of my friends explained it best the other day. This is one of life’s cruelest ways…to create and give the most loyal and perfect companion with too short a life to live.

If I’ve learned anything over these last 12 years, it’s that people can be cruel, selfish and just plain gross. A human bond whether by blood or by friendship is one that can be broken. A human can walk away at any time, but you know your furry companion will never abuse you, judge you, or leave you. An unconditional bond of love. And with that bond you always have the perfect companion, so even while the rest of the world is busy and moving, you are never alone.

Artists and writers can often find themselves in solitude. While the world sleeps, we create. Being an artist and writer often proves to be lonely, but an animal companion counters that feeling.

I’ve had other pets and met many other dogs throughout my life, but Draco was special in many ways.

When I was told his birthday was August 22nd, I knew he was meant to be my special little guy. My birthday is the 23rd, and we celebrated both days together every year.

His name was supposed Gryffindor, but he was a tiny lil black puffball with a solid white goatee. The tips of his paws were also white and a stripe down his belly. The white patches made me think of the Malfoys with their dark robes and white hair, so I switched his name. Draco is also latin for dragon, and he has his own constellation. So, a powerful name to counter the fact that Draco Malfoy was actually a cowardly jerk in HP.

I called him my Little Pumpkin because I got him shortly before Halloween of ’04 and stuffed him in a pumpkin costume like three sizes too big. Adorable. I hope I can find the pictures.

Okay, real talk here.

After reading over my first draft of the Alliance #3, I went back to book one to fact check a few things for consistency. I cringed when I read parts of Bloodlines. I won’t say it’s terrible, but it’s my first book and will never be my best. I’m still proud. And, hey, the reviews are strong so people are still enjoying the story despite the imperfections!

When I decided to get serious about writing the Alliance, I was straight out of high school with little understanding of sentence structure. Sad and surprising, I know. I had an imagination and could be descriptive, but I never really learned or retained all the rules of writing. I pretty much struggled throughout high school. I scraped by with low grades, and honestly, I copied off a friend’s paper when I got too behind. I cheated myself out of learning because I felt I couldn’t catch up. I absolutely didn’t learn well in classroom environments.

I slowly improved my writing with the help of some grammar savvy friends. Plus, I read a lot and just paid closer attention to the way other authors wrote. I did my research and got critiques were I could. I kept learning. I’m still learning. I think that’s an important thing to remember regardless of what you’re trying to achieve in life. Never stop learning.

Almost every author I’ve ever loved and followed has said that the first book you write will be crap, so I already knew I couldn’t expect Bloodlines to be perfect. Regardless, I was still shocked at weak description and poor structure.

I’ve learned so much since writing my first novel. My structure has improved and my descriptions are stronger. Drakon is much improved, and I think book three will surpass them all. Hell, the first draft of book three is stronger than the final draft of Bloodlines.

It’s amazing what you can achieve if you don’t give up.

If you read Bloodlines I hope you enjoyed and will give Drakon a chance. The Alliance sequels may surprise you. Click here to see what readers are saying about The Alliance: Bloodlines on Amazon.

Last week’s blog post listed the songs which helped me write The Alliance: Bloodlines. This week, I go into more depth with my playlist selection for Drakon. You’ll find lots of similarities here—it’s completely obvious rock music fuels my soul—and you’ll even notice some repeats from the previous list.

For Drakon, I kept some of the fast and heavy songs which I like to play while visualizing a fight scene or action sequence. “Down with the Sickness” and “Bodies” are two of my top contenders for fight scenes.

“End of the World” is a song I always imagined being a perfect theme song if the Alliance had a TV adaptation. I think the song packs an emotionally fitting punch for the series as a whole.

“Hero” is a song that I find really suiting for Bailey and Jameson. I imagine their inner voices singing this.

“Get Out Alive” and “Animal I Have Become” are for Jameson’s story. “40 Miles from the Sun” is also one for Jameson’s flashbacks—specifically the demon dimension of Drakon.

I can’t help but to think of classics when I write scenes for Star. Jess is a fan of metal and classic rock so I feel he would approve of most of the full playlist below.

If you’ve read the series, i’d would love to know which songs you’d pick for a theme song or specific characters.

 

The Drakon playlist:

 

“End of the World” by Cold

“Hurt” Johnny Cash’s NIN cover

“Break on Through (to the Other Side)” by The Doors

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses

“Come as You Are” by Nirvana

“45” by Shinedown

“Never Too Late” by Three Days Grace

“Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace

“Get Out Alive” by Three Days Grace

“40 Miles from the Sun” by Bush

“You Should’ve Killed Me When You Had a Chance” by A Day To Remember

“Hero” by Skillet

“Monster” by Skillet

“Awake and Alive” by Skillet

“Take Me” by Papa Roach

“Scars” by Papa Roach

“Change or Die” by Papa Roach

“So Far Away” by Staind

“Fade” by Staind

“Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed

“Stricken” by Disturbed

“Land of Confusion” by Disturbed

“Indestructible” by Disturbed

“Bodies” by Drowning Pool

“37 Stitches” by Drowning Pool

“Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenfold

“Numb” by Linkin Park

“What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park

“So Cold” by Breaking Benjamin

“I Will Not Bow” by Breaking Benjamin

“6th Avenue Heartache” By The Wallflowers