Tag author life

endings + beginnings

Bo Burnette 1 Comment

I’m not sure why I find the endings of stories so much more fascinating than the beginning.

It’s not the fact, or even the relief, of a story being complete. Not necessarily the satisfaction of tied-up subplots and well-rounded character arcs. Not the excitement of the climax (beginnings can be just as exciting).

But still, as I near the release of the final book of The Reinhold Chronicles, I find myself excited and a bit confused. I never anticipated how big these stories would grow when I first started forming them eight years ago (!). The Fiery Arrow was originally a standalone book. And although by the time I actually started writing it, I knew it would be the first of a trilogy, I had no clue what these adventures would really be like.

Now, looking back at it all, I’m slightly speechless. Continue reading “endings + beginnings” →

The Unofficial Guide to Producing Your Own Book Trailer

Bo Burnette 2 Comments

It’s 10:19 a.m., the sunny Thursday morning is starting to heat up, and I’m lying facedown in a dew-drenched field. Literally. My chin is resting in the grass, and dew is soaking the rest of my outfit. And I’m thinking one thing.

I didn’t sign up for this.

Because writing is supposed to be fun and cozy and safe, right? You write a charming book, polish it up a bit, and poof! send it off to the world of readers who—of course—obsess over it and buy it in droves.

Heh.

But you’re probably wondering why I’m lying in a field getting grass stains on my pants. Trust me. I can explain.

Continue reading “The Unofficial Guide to Producing Your Own Book Trailer” →

Meet Kenton and Elowyn

Bo Burnette 1 Comment

If you’ve been around this blog for the past month, you’ll know I’ve been introducing everyone to the main characters from my next book, The Fiery Arrow. This book is the first of a trilogy of medieval adventure novels.

And in case you haven’t been around this blog for the past month *gasp*, here’s the story synopsis.

A newborn medieval country. 

A bow-shooting princess with a prophesied destiny. 

A sword-wielding carpenter’s apprentice. 

Arliss, the sixteen-year-old princess of Reinhold, despises the class boundaries which plague her city on a hill. When her father the king forbids her friendship with the young peasant swordsman Philip, Arliss sets off on a quest to the heart of the land of Reinhold. Little does she know that she will discover an evil more threatening and ancient than she could imagine—and a prophecy that speaks of a fiery arrow.

So far, we’ve met:

  • Arliss, the adventurous archeress princess protagonist
  • Philip, the peasant swordsman carpenter’s apprentice
  • Ilayda, the impetuous semi-royal sidekick

This week, I’d like to introduce you to Arliss’s parents, the king and queen of Reinhold. King Kenton and Queen Elowyn.

Continue reading “Meet Kenton and Elowyn” →

If you wait until you’re ready…

Bo Burnette 4 Comments

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write: a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” ― Samuel Johnson

True words indeed. I’m feeling the hard, thick truth of them right now as I wobble in between books two and three of The Reinhold Chronicles. For the first time in about three years, I don’t have a story that I’m actively writing, editing, or planning from scratch. Book One―The Fiery Arrow―is finished and has suffered two rounds of my editing. Now it’s in the hands of a couple early beta readers, and after their scrutiny it’ll move on to my professional editor, the wonderful Linda Yezak. Book Two is finished, and I’m letting it sit and steep before making any edits. I need to gain a little more objectivity before I return to the story. And Book Three lingers in the shadows, thoroughly sketched and generally outlined―no longer a valley of dry bones but still something of a walking skeleton.

Continue reading “If you wait until you’re ready…” →