C.L.’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2012)

C.L.’s comments from the Ask C.L. Parker ANYTHING group.

Autumn wrote: "C.L.,

Did you have any reservations about ending Nexus the way that you did? It took me a while to digest, but thought it was quite brave..."

Hi Autumn!

I had no reservations whatsoever about how Nexus ended. I have always maintained that I write what I see, and that was what I saw.

I've heard from others that they thought it was brave, but I've yet to hear any negative feedback on it. I think the ending was a healthy balance that ripped emotions out of us - I say us because it did the same to me - and then slammed them back in. I have yet to go back and read over that part since I wrote it. I really dreaded edits because I knew I'd have to go there, but miraculously ... not a single edit was needed.

Now, if you're talking about the unique "take" on a story we've all been taught since the day we were born ... I still stand by what I saw. It is fiction after all ;)

Thanks for your question!

FLYAS!
~clp~

Jeannette wrote: "That's what I wanted to know...Where did the idea for the Guardian of Light and all that cool stuff come from??? Are you a religious person???"

Jeannette, I was born and raised a holy-rolling Pentecostal servant of God. While growing up, we were in church ever Sunday morning, every Sunday evening, Wednesday evenings, revivals, church socials, and we even went to church camp every summer. So, do I know the Bible? Damn straight, I know it. Do I preach the gospel? Nope.

I believe God gave me the ability to think for a reason. Part of that is the gift of imagination and interpretation. After all, don't most all religions do that? It's their interpretation of the written word that they're teaching, right? I'm not saying they're wrong, at all ... let's make sure that point is made perfectly clear ... but they can't all be right either. Or can they?

All I'm saying is ... what if? What if they all got it wrong? Most religions believe there is a presence of evil on Earth, so why can't there be a presence of good? What if there were people or beings placed here to thwart the attempts of someone or something else from being able to muck up our lives even worse than we do for ourselves? Am I saying that I believe that to be true? Not necessarily; it's a story, silly. But what if?

I think we should all decide for ourselves. Because I know that the relationship between me and my God is just that; OUR relationship. And I'm not cool with someone else telling me I'm going to go to Hell because I question what someone else has told me I have to believe or else suffer my soul to an eternity of damnation.

As for the Guardians of the Light ... I think their story challenges readers to look back at their own life and see the different paths they might have taken if they'd made decisions other than what they made. We're talking decisions that, on the face, might be insignificant.

Here's an example: Let's say you're trying to decide, oh I don't know, whether to call a friend now or in another hour or so. If you wait, something tragic might have happened in the meantime and you'll never get the chance again. On the other side of that, if you call them now, they could be driving. That could lead to them fumbling through their purse to find their cell phone, taking their eyes away from the road, and thereby causing an accident which leads to their death. They'd still be alive if you hadn't called them just then, but everything happens for a reason. That doesn't mean you won't be haunted by the guilt of an action you never could have known would have that result.

What if the reason you decided to call them that instant was because someone else told you something that prompted your rush - evil is afoot. Enter the Guardian of the Light, who steps in to keep that from happening in the first place. You get my drift?

Mindy wrote: "Where did the idea for the supernova saga come from?"

Hi Mindy! Thanks for the question! I'm going to answer it in the post below since it's similar ... with an added inquiry.

Charlie wrote: "Do you have any good tips or tricks to getting an agent? I'll be publishing my first work of fiction via E-book format in the next few weeks, and I'm wanting to also go the route of traditional pub..."

Hi Charlie! Thank you ever so much for the question. Congratulations on your first book!!! That's exciting!!

Regarding tips or tricks on getting an agent ... I don't know that I can help you with that because I don't have an agent myself. When you're self-pubbing or going through a small press publisher, an agent may not be cost effective. I would never say you don't need one, but it's for you to decide if it's worth the cut they get for the services rendered - do you need the services?

If you feel you do, then you're going to need to sell yourself to an agent so they will agree to sell you in return. Keep in mind that you ARE your writing. That means you need a really good query letter and synopsis of your book. A query letter is a resume of sorts, an application to convince the agent you're targeting that you're worth their time and effort.

In my opinion, writing the book is the easy part. The query letter and synopsis, on the other hand, not so much. For the synopsis, you're trying to put all the fantastic details about your book and its characters in 5-7 pages. Now, imagine condensing that down to one page - your query letter - while also talking about yourself.

The best advice I can give you on writing a powerful query letter and synopsis is to do a lot of research. Know what your target audience is looking for, and that can be different with each agent. There are tons of books out there written by the experts to guide you in this endeavor, and there are also a lot of online resources you can use as well. Write the synopsis first, and then whittle it down, keeping the key points and sellers and trimming the fat. Then, trim it some more until you have it where it needs to be.

I hope this helps!

Sandy wrote: "How did you come up with the name of the series and book titles."

Hi Sandy! Thanks for the question!

I actually knew the name of the series and the first book before I wrote the first word. LOL! I know, kind of backwards, but everything happens for a reason ;)

As for how I came up with them ... I hate to give a non-answer, but the truth of the matter is that Supernova was just there.

With Cataclysm, it was sort of all hell breaking loose for our beloved characters, Dominic in particular. And the result of what happened there was the "catalyst" of the series.

The title of Nexus was suggested by a co-worker of mine, and it was perfect! Nexus is a connection or link among a group or series. Since this was Tori's story, the daughter of Kerrigan and Dominic and the reason they were destined to be together, the title made sense.

Obviously, I love the titles of all three. They had to be meaningful, powerful. I think they are ;)

Bobbie wrote: "Okay, so I guess I'm like everyone else who's been luck enough to read the books in the Supernova Saga. What made you decide 3 and done? I could have read about these characters forever!"

Hi Bobbie! Thank you so much for your question and the very kind words!

The decision on how many books to write in the Supernova Saga wasn't really mine to make. I wrote what I saw, and that was that.

Supernova was Kerrigan's book and is primarily about her finding her gift. Although we learned a lot about Dominic in Supernova, Cataclysm was the book that really tested his strength and endurance. Nexus ... well, Nexus is Tori's book, the whole reason Kerrigan and Dominic met to begin with. She was their destiny, and Nexus tests the fate of everyone involved. While I'll agree Nexus kind of leaves things open ended, at this time, I don't foresee it will go any further.

Got a question about my writing process? Ask away ...

This is where you can post questions about the entire saga.

Questions about the final book in the saga? Ask away ...

Questions about Cataclysm? Ask away ...

Questions about the first book in the saga? Ask away!