Writing Science Fiction by Diane Burton #Giveaway

I write science fiction because I believe in the future. I grew up in the days of Sputnik and the Space Race. President John Kennedy said we were going to the moon in that decade, the 1960s, and, by golly, we did. Back in those days, every launch was televised. So exciting to watch that cloud of smoke as the rocket lifted—oh, so slowly—off the launchpad and into the sky.

We explored the moon several times. Then we backtracked, built the International Space Station, and practiced for missions beyond our moon. Once we do go farther into our solar system, I’m certain we’ll set up colonies. Because that’s what humans do—we send out explorers, followed by adventurers, then we colonize.

My new release, Rescuing Mara’s Father, A Science Fiction Adventure, goes in reverse. The story starts in a colony on the frontier of space, the Outer Rim, then takes the reader to a “civilized” planet, a planet in the throes of a rebellion against an evil ruler. Why? To rescue fifteen-year-old Mara’s father from the queen’s clutches.

While the characters—Mara, her best friend, eleven-year-old Jako, and his brother, sixteen-year-old Lukus—have no idea what they’re up against, Mara’s determination leads them on a quest.

I have no doubt that somewhere, out there, are planets colonized by humans. They found “Goldilocks” planets where everything is “just right” for humans to live and thrive. Will we ever meet those humans? Will we ever travel to those planets? Not in my lifetime. In my grandchildren’s? I hope so. I wrote Rescuing Mara’s Father for those grandchildren that they will believe in the future. Maybe one of them will be an astronaut and “go where no one has gone before.”

3 friends, a hidden starship, a quest

Her father is gone! Taken by the Queen of Compara’s agents. Mara has to rescue him before the Queen tortures and kills him.

Instead of the kind, loving father she’s always known, he’s become demanding, critical, with impossible expectations—not just as Father but also as the only teacher in their frontier outpost. Mara would rather scoop zircan poop than listen to another boring lecture about governments on Central Planets. Give her a starship engine to take apart or, better yet, fly, and she’s happy. Now, he’s gone.

Never mind, they’ve had a rocky road lately.

Never mind, Father promised she could go off planet to Tech Institute next month when she turns fifteen, where she’ll learn to fly starships.

Never mind, she ran away because she’s furious with him because he reneged on that promise. Father is her only parent. She has to save him.

Along with her best friend, eleven-year-old Jako, and his brother 15-year-old Lukus, Mara sets off to find her father. Her mentor, old spaceport mechanic, seems to know why the Queen captured Father. In fact, he seems to know her father well. But, does he tell her everything? Of course not. He dribbles out info like a mush-eating baby. Worse, he indicates he’ll be leaving them soon. And Lukus can’t wait to get off their planet. Mara’s afraid they will all leave, and she’ll be on her own. Despite her fears, Mara has to rescue her father.

Rescuing Mara’s Father, A Science Fiction Adventure, is appropriate for middle grade students (4^th grade & up). It's now available at most online vendors.

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

  

GIVEAWAY

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How RESCUING MARA'S FATHER, a science fiction adventure, Came About #sf #MG by Diane Burton

I love reading authors' accounts of how a story came about, what inspired them to write that story. Wish I could tell you how Rescuing Mara's Father came about. Like many of my stories, I'm sure my Muse whispered in my ear while I was in that twilight between sleep and awake. She does stuff like that.

I didn't intend to write a children's book. Until I shared it with my daughter (a middle-school teacher), I thought I was writing a Young Adult novel. She said, no, it's middle grade (ages 9 -12). Huh? Groan. I didn't know anything about MG stories. 

So off I went online to read samples of MG books. Holy smoke! She was right. The sound, the adventure, the characters. Middle Grade. I did more research, looking at other stories that my grandkids (ages 11 and 9) read. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Say what? The Hobbit? 

That's when it hit me. When I taught sixth grade, I read A Wrinkle in Time and The Hobbit to my students. (If my teaching days weren't so far behind me, I would've read Riordan's books to those kids.) I've read the Percy Jackson series, I loved the Harry Potter books. I did know MG stories.

As I reread Rescuing Mara's Father, in preparation to sending it off to my editor, I recognized the elements that made it a story that would appeal to that age group. The ages of the characters (16, 15, 11), friendships, camaraderie, high stakes, a life-death adventure. I'd instinctively written a Middle Grade story. 

At last, a book my older grandkids could read. They know I'm a writer. They've "approved" my covers. They also know they have to be older to read my books. Now, they won't have to wait so long.

Because Rescuing Mara's Father is still a work-in-progress, here's the tentative blurb:

My father is gone! Taken by the Queen of Compara’s agents. I have to rescue him before the Queen tortures and kills him.

Never mind, we’ve had a rocky road lately. Instead of the kind, loving father I’ve always known, he’s become demanding, critical, with impossible expectations—not just as Father but also as the only teacher in our frontier outpost. I’d rather scoop zircan poop than listen to another boring lecture about governments on Central Planets. Give me a starship engine to take apart or, better yet, fly, and I’m happy.

Never mind, Father promised I could go off planet to Tech Institute next month when I turn fifteen, where I’ll learn to fly starships.

Never mind, I ran away because I’m furious with him for reneging on that promise. Father is my only parent. I have to save him.

Every weekend, I share snippets from Rescuing Mara's Father with the Weekend Writing Warriors. Pop on over to my blog tomorrow to read the next snippet.

SMART Goals for 2019 by Diane Burton

On January 1^st, I posted about setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.

In the comments here and on my post for Insecure WritersSupport Group, several people mentioned breaking down big projects into smaller more manageable goals. Mind you, sometimes parts of our goals depend on someone else. For my main goals, I have to depend on the time beta readers, my editor, and cover designer can get back to me.

So, as promised in my post, I’ve written out my SMART goals for this year.

Goal #1: Publish Rescuing Mara’s Father by March 31, 2019.

·         Final review and edit manuscript by Jan. 10

·         Contact cover designer by Jan. 15

·         Submit to beta readers by Jan. 20

·         Revise returned ms by Jan 30

·         Send to editor by Feb 5

·         Set up pre-order by Feb 28

·         Revise edited ms by Mar 15

·         Format ms for e-book and print book by Mar 24

·         Upload final ms by Mar 25

·         Rescuing Mara’s Father available for purchase on Mar 31

Goal #2: Develop promo plan by Mar 1

·         Promote Rescuing Mara’s Father on a minimum of 10 blogs by April 30, 2019

·         Set up blog tour by Mar 30

·         Write 10 blog posts by Mar 10

·         ???

Goal #3: Publish The Spy by Aug 15

·         (same breakdown with smaller goals as above)

Goal #4: Develop promotion plan for The Spy by July 15

Goal #5: Publish the 4^th Alex O’Hara novel by Dec 15

As you can see, I’ve taken big goals and broken them down into smaller ones. Some items overlap, and I can do certain steps during “down” time (e.g., when the beta readers and the editor have the manuscript. As I see what promo I need to do for Rescuing Mara’s Father, I’ll use what works for the other works. Or, I’ll try other methods.

Am I being too ambitious? I’ve never published three full-length novels in one year. But, Rescuing Mara’s Father is completed and revised/edited. The Spy is half-written, and the 4^th Alex O’Hara mystery needs 50k words. I think I have a shot at this.

Then again, maybe I’m expecting too much of myself. I need balance in my life. I have a family, grandchildren who need babysitting and/or would like my presence at their sports’ games and dance recitals. Even though Hubs is really understanding, he needs some of my time. We have vacations planned, vacations where it’s understood I leave the laptop home, willingly. LOL I need to refill that creative well with reading, movies, and other experiences.

Last April, I joined Weight Watchers. I lost 28 pounds by August. Then, I got negligent and, even though I attend meetings each week, I've gained back 8 of those pounds. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the yo-yo effect. I lose two, gain back one, or gain three, lose one, etc. If I let it, those pounds will continue to creep back on. With the new year, I’m determined to get back on track. So, here's my personal goal: I will lose 20 more pounds by April 1^st. No fooling. 😊

I hope you have your goals for 2019 prepared. If my example helps, great. But I’m sure you’ve figured out a better way to kick off your career this year. Please share.

Good luck.