Updated: Nov 4, 2023
When I was touring around Seville, I did a paranormal tour for ideas. While several things tickled my imagination, including a little stray dog that followed us all around the city, I only had random notes to go by. I found myself enjoying the sights more than tuning into story ideas (as it should be!). Then, on one of our last nights there, we passed a window. We'd walked by this same window dozens of times while we were coming and going, but apparently the lights weren't on previously. This particular night, it stopped me in my tracks. Next to the tapas bar. Next to the Mexican restaurant. Next to the hair salon. Next to the souvenir shop. But what was it? A warehouse? A fix-it shop? It wasn't accessible from the courtyard, but with the lights on, everything in the window sparkled. The clicking of my camera is the sound of my imagination tuning in.
How to fit it into the story? I SO wanted to make this my cover, but it doesn't scream supernatural in any way shape or form. This picture looks more like a regency romance than a haunted house/ ghost/ demon novel. But I wanted to share it, so I'm sharing it here.
INSTEAD of the glittering chandeliers, I chose another picture. One that more accurately displays the genre you're getting with THE DEMON FROM THE CRYPT. Something dark and mysterious, and yet still representative of Seville. Something like...
You like? This photo is from the Baths of Maria Padilla at the Real Alcazar (the royal palace). Oh yeah. The book is available for preorder, just in case you want to encourage me to keep writing 😉
Oh, and I should mention, personal appearances are being scheduled. First one will be at the Gail Borden Library in October. Check my "Karla in the Wild" page for updates.
As I'm editing, I'm circling back on the research I did to make sure I'm presenting things as they are (or at least close enough that artistic license doesn't make it unbelievable). I'm also weighing what needs to be on the page versus what doesn't.
Today's example lies in one of my venues. There is a crypt. An underground vault. It is very singular, and a fascinating place that was used in Game of Thrones. The main vault has vaults on either side that are presently closed to the public. I confirmed that knowledge, although I didn't know why they were closed until I went back to double check my research. The main vault holds a cistern that captures rainwater that was once used as the water source inside the palace. The vaults on the sides are known as galleries because they were lined with paintings. Interesting! The sides are closed off to visitors largely because the paintings have been moved for restoration. In the environment they were kept, they were deteriorating rapidly. Can I incorporate that into the story? Should I?
No.
First, my character is unfamiliar with her surroundings as it is. The paintings aren't there, so she wouldn't know they were supposed to be. Secondly, she doesn't know the history behind the locale. The setting in my book is a meeting place, one she didn't know existed until she was told to go there. She can see the galleries--the passages alongside the main vault--but access is closed off. She doesn't know why and she doesn't know what's missing (the paintings) so this little bit of research, while interesting, has no place in the story. What DOES have a place in the story was the research I couldn't find. The cistern is the central focus inside the crypt. I was doing verification to find out how deep this cistern was, which at one time was rumored to be a bath for a king's mistress. Yeah, that story doesn't belong in my story, either, but that was something I learned. How deep was her bathtub? Swimming pool size? Or bathtub size? I couldn't find that information online, so I went to my local source for help. Someone who lives there, someone who knows (thank you, Stephanie!). A pivotal scene in my book takes place there, so I really kinda need to know that information, as does the reader. An additional bit of information Stephanie shared with me, she could see coins in the cistern (tossed in to make a wish? Or for luck?). Should I include that in the story? Hmmmm. Need to muddle that for a bit. My brain is racing to Three Coins in a Fountain, or other movies that include fountains with coins. Unless the story revolves around the coin(s), not sure they're worth mentioning.
Or are they?
That's the fun of researching. You learn interesting tidbits. What's interesting to the author, however, doesn't always move the story forward.
One of my critique partners wrote a couple of western books set on ranches. She added dead cows in all the books because there are dead cows on ranches. True fact. But as a reader, I don't need to see those dead cows unless they have a reason to be there. Her rationale is that it shows the rancher doing his job. Agreed. But to me, it's like saying the main character has to pee. I don't need to know that/need to see that unless it creates conflict or tension. There are plenty of other things a rancher does rather than notice dead livestock. Keep in mind I read about her cows in the development process, first drafts. Some of those dead cows did relate to the plot, so they DID have a reason to be there.
And then there's Anne Rice. When I read The Witching Hour, there were chapters and chapters filled with backstory/research. Long, tedious chapters which, when I'd finished the novel, I reflected on as interesting. 🤷 What can I say?
I have included unnecessary research in some of my stories, sure. In the early drafts. Only later, while reviewing what I've written, have I looked at it and realized the information is superfluous. It doesn't need to be there. Or maybe only a sentence instead of two paragraphs. Yes, the information adds authenticity, but if it doesn't move the story along, it turns into "blah blah blah."
Have you read a book that had fascinating research to share that had nothing to do with the story?
I've done numerous blogs on editing, and every book it seems I approach it "just a little bit" differently.
I'm pleased to tell you I've finished the next book! Well, almost. Aside from editing. The difference in this book lies in the fact I haven't been doing "interim" editing. Generally speaking, there comes a point where I get stuck and have to refresh my memory, so in the writing process, I very often will go back to the beginning and read what I have to get a running start. And sometimes, my characters take an unexpected turn and lead me another direction, which means going back to the beginning to adjust for their poor sense of direction. In any event, by the time I finish my first draft, it isn't unusual that I've read the book a couple of times already in various iterations. That wasn't the case with this one.
I had a fairly clear plot line, and I'm working with characters I know. Yes, I had the occasional "I didn't see that coming," but nothing that required a do-over. I didn't have to go back and readjust the course of the novel. That's good, right? Well, maybe.
As I got to the end, I decided I'd better go back to the beginning and read for continuity and "holes." One of my standard editing passes. Because I haven't been backtracking along the way, I found a lot of sloppiness! I took my time, filling in holes and fixing the careless errors, and got pretty close to the end before I found "THE HOLE" that would require backtracking and foreshadowing. It was the one part of the story that as soon as I'd written, I sat back and did a "Whoa! Didn't see that coming!" Yes, even as the one making this stuff up, my characters still surprise me. Despite having a general idea where I'm going and what's going to happen, every now and then the words come out unexpectedly. Even after I'd written it, I didn't stop to consider readers would want some sort of heads-up. That's the point of an editing pass. Seeing those kinds of issues. It's a reference back to book 1 (Horned Owl Hollow) but I'm willing to bet a lot of readers wouldn't remember. It was a small point, after all. It became a much bigger point in this book, and for those readers who didn't read book 1, they aren't going to have any idea what I'm talking about. Not to mention returning readers will want a reminder. So the "memos for next time" (the next editing pass) include dropping in hints about the "Whoa!" moment. Foreshadowing.
With that pass completed, it will be on to see how I did. Does the foreshadowing work? Or have I overdone it? Does the story flow? "Regular" editing will ensue, the proofreading end of things and "scrubbing" of unnecessary words.
I'm looking at a September release date. In the meantime, Horned Owl Hollow is out in audio (in case you want to refresh your memory while you're waiting).
