Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Winter Blues (This post took 2 months to write.)

Good afternoon all.

I know that I put warnings on all my social media that I’m not active often, but I do feel bad when I return to something after so long. It’s been a rough year, as always, although I did finish something that means a lot to me early last year.

My books are in paperback.

Now, that’s ignoring the slight issue with that one chapter that had duplicated itself so it was in the book twice (fixed now) and the fact that Amazon’s print on demand service has gone absolutely to crap and the books start peeling on the front if you use them at all (I’m still mad) but it’s is a huge achievement and I try to take it as such.

My mother is working on a novel she started 17 years ago, about the same time I started my books, and the other day we were online and her list of complaints made me chuckle so much. ‘I have the main bit but how do I do this, that, etc’ and I just said, ‘Mama, welcome to writing. No, I don’t like world building either.’

Sounds strange for a write, don’t like world building? Well, there is a reason most of my writing is fanfiction. Shhh. But the point is, I can play with something already established, and I don’t have to think of everything. I can be cathartic without being frustrating.

I started a new world, a new story, completely from scratch, about 5 years ago now. I was bored in one of my college classes and started outlining. Since I left that class I’ve barely made any progress. It’s a world I have to create from scratch and I have no idea how. I have three or four of the characters somewhat fleshed out in my mind, but they need so many details.

More recently I had a new idea for a historical fiction novel revolving around a well known real person, and the best bit? It involve road trip research. I like this, and maybe when I get a bit of it going I’ll share some things about it. I’m not sure I’ll be staying on WordPress either, I’ve recently come across SubStack and might be switching over there. I’m starting one for a different venture so I’ll see how it goes and then maybe move this blog over.

Anyway, the point through this was a happy new year, now very belated, and to make some small complaints about how writing never goes the way you plan it to, I guess.

Stay safe

-Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Her Majesty The Queen

I am not English, and I didn’t grow up in the United Kingdom. I moved here (to Scotland) in 2010, after a total of four visits between the ages of 5 and 19. After leaving between 2016-2019, I returned (to England) and have been here ever since. I weathered the pandemic with the British People, I found comfort with the togetherness that was shown, if only for a few months. People have been drifting apart again since things started going back to normal and it makes me sad.

I grew up with stories about the Queen because my mother has always loved England, and at 69 years old, Elizabeth II is, was, even for my mother the only ruler the United Kingdom. We are both in shock, and both devastated, because while we aren’t tied directly to the United Kingdom as such, it’s always been a place we’ve both loved, and we both always admired the Queen for the things she’s done, the life she’s lived.

She didn’t choose her life, but she rose to the occasion of being a ruler in a world changing faster than anyone could have predicted. She saw WWII and how the world came out battered and torn and took decades to heal, though some wounds never will. She raised four children, was head of state for dozens of Commonwealth countries, visited places no monarch ever had, and worked every day to keep relations with other nations strong and steady. She acted with grace and kindness, and as the commonwealth grew smaller, she sent each country forward into independence with kindness.

I have seen people celebrating her death, making fun of her, making fun of the monarchy, and I am deeply saddened by this. Now isn’t the time.

Now is the time to separate the institution from the strong, caring woman with the sharp sense of humor and even sharper eyes, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, sister, daughter, niece, granddaughter. Now is the time to celebrate what an extraordinary live she lived, from working as a nurse during WWII while heir to the throne, to wrangling generations of misbehaving children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren on the Royal Balcony. To celebrate the woman who loved nothing more than horses, dogs, and her husband of 73 years, who she joins a mere seventeen months after his own passing.

It will be a great change for all of us, for it to sink in that we, the world, no longer have Queen Elizabeth II as the most steadfast, steady, ever present point. Through twelve US Presidents and fifteen prime minsters, and countless world leaders, she has been with us every day, at her desk with her red box and papers each morning, adapting as the world changed around her, adopting video conferencing at the age of 94, when there was barely color television on her ascension to the throne.

I have expected, yet dreaded this day, as I think many many people have. I have felt it coming closer and closer, tried to prepare myself, but in the end it happened in the blink of an eye. On Tuesday she met with the newest Prime Minister and was smiling with joy at Balmoral Castle, her favorite residence and the place where she felt most at ease. Thursday morning there were concerns, Thursday afternoon those closest to her were summoned, and we waited with bated breath to see…and then.

There is much more to come in the days ahead, and I am sure more grief will be felt and more tears shed, as we say goodbye to a legend of our time. Think what you will about the monarchy, but this isn’t about that. This is about one of the strongest women the world has ever seen, and how much we are going to miss her. How strange it will be to think of Buckingham Palace and thing ‘The King’, to hear the anthem and hear ‘The King’. So many of us have never had anyone else, and as many people have said, only the very youngest of us may see another Queen in their lifetimes. It is the end of an era.

So, for the last time…

God Save the Queen, Her Majesty Elizabeth II

And Long Live King Charles III…

God Save the King

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Paperbacks are out!

Whoops, I forgot to post. That’s fairly typical. So a short update (and hopefully not too messy looking but I’m doing this from my tablet so I’m not sure…I still hate how WordPress works these days…).

Soooooooo…..yes, paperbacks are available!

Links

Alexander’s Lost General US

Alexander’s Lost General UK

The Lost General Saga: Hephaistion US

The Lost General Saga: Hephaistion UK

The Lost General Saga: Alexander US

The Lost General Saga: Alexander UK

They are available on several Amazon marketplaces across Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Check your local Amazon or contact me if Amazon does not have them in your country!

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Shepherd – Book Recommendations

A few months ago I was contacted with a request to write a book recommendations list.

This was both interesting and exciting and I have to say I’m still squealing over it a little bit. This is the first thing I have done that was from an outside source, ie. someone contacted me, not the other way around. Something about it makes me feel like a real live author!

I know it sounds odd, but I also know there are a lot of people out there who are the same as me, who look at their accomplishments and don’t really see it as much special, and that’s probably the hardest part about doing what we do, is thinking it isn’t really much but when people see it from the outside it really is a huge achievement. I just wish I felt prouder of what I’ve done and what I’ve written.

A quick update for those of you who are waiting on paperbacks as well, I’m afraid winter got to me. I’m almost done(!) with the smaller (186 pages) book and then it’s back to the bigger (400+ pages) for the readthrough and checks before I’ll submit it for being put out there as a hard copy.

At that time, I will also be publishing something new that goes with the series. But, we’re not really here to talk about that.

We’re here to talk about this really cool list I wrote! And this really cool website that when I started going through I recognized authors I look up to and now I’m a part of that and whaaattt?? It’s so cool!?

I wanted to do this fancy thing that embedded a preview of the page, but apparently you need plugins for that so have a screenshot and a link instead. Be sure to check out more than just my list too, because there are a lot of lists and so many authors have contributed and so many topics!

The best historical fiction books you can’t put down

Stay safe!

Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Crash Course in Paperback?

So I did originally publish Alexander’s Lost General as a print on demand paperback, back in the day when CreateSpace was a separate entity. I used a site called bookow to convert it into the right format, and it was fine.

Yeah. No. I want every copy out there so I can burn it and hide it from anyone ever seeing it again. *sigh*

So, with that not really being an option (nor is hiding) I’ve been working on getting my revised version, and my other stories, set up to become paperbacks, and this time! I’m doing it myself.

It’s been an interesting process, but now that Amazon (and mind you I don’t particularly like Amazon on principal but there are things it makes so much easier) has integrated everything and has instructions for a computer system and program (Mac/Pages) that I actually use, it’s only taken me a few hours.

That being said the amount of tiny fiddling is absolutely frustrating. BUT! Proofs are ready to be ordered, AND!

Here is the big surprise.

At the same time I’m releasing Alexander’s Lost General and Hephaistion as paperbacks, I’m also going to publish Alexander’s short story on both kindle and as paperback.

Now, I’ve been waffling over this for about 6 months because technically there are four parts, the book, and then Hephaistion, Ptolemy, and Alexander. And Ptolemy isn’t finished. And it’s supposed to be 3rd in the sequence, so…I suppose…in my head, I’m releasing them out of order.

I’m still waiting for the proofs, they seem to have been delayed at customs. Apparently they’re printed in Spain and then they’ve got to get into England, which after the mess the government has made, is nearly impossible. Currently it’s the 17th, they were ordered on the 5th. *deep sigh*

Well, I suppose we’ll see, if they ever turn up then I’ll proceed as planned. If they don’t, my task Friday or Monday is to yell at Amazon because the ‘here we’re sorry it’s late, request a refund’ button doesn’t actually work.

I suppose that’s all for now. More updates…eventually.

Stay safe

Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner · 1 Comment

A brief moment

Hello! Just a quick note to let you know what’s happening.

In June I moved, but it wasn’t straightforward, it took 6 weeks, and now I’ve been in my new place for a month, I’m just starting to get settled, however I’m also working out of the house 2-3 days a week, from home 1-2 days a week, and trying to get my own business back up and running as well, so there hasn’t been a lot of time for writing.

I’m hoping to get my own business issues sorted out by the end of September, and then that can just run on the side and won’t need a lot of time put into it to maintain. Then I want to get back to working on my books and stories.

I would like to finish my other two side stories and complete the Lost General Saga by the end of this year, and I know a couple people have asked about real books vs kindle and I did make headway with it, but then was having formatting issues I wasn’t happy with, and haven’t had the block of time I’ll need to figure it out, so I’m hoping that can be my project for October. And once I have it figured out, it should be easy to get anything I want set up as a paperback on amazon so! Fingers crossed.

Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

Now out!

I’m going to start again with: What have they done to wordpress?????

So, that aside, I have finally finished the arduous task of going through and cleaning up my first novel, Alexander’s Lost General. During that time I also wrote companion novels! One out of the three has been published and I hope (fingers crossed) to have the other two published by the end of the year (one of the remaining two is actually finished, but it’s 4th in the sequence).

These are both on Kindle, as they were self published, with no plans at the moment for paperbacks…we’ll see. Maybe in a few months, or when they’re all published.

Quite frankly I pushed to get these done this summer because I’m having to move and start new work, so I wanted it out of the back of my mind, but I really shouldn’t just let it drop, I should post about them and share them and do all those social media things that I should do. I really should…we’ll see if I do.

Happy reading, whatever you may be reading, because no matter what happens, books are good for the soul.

Much love to all

Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

The Powder Mage Trilogy – Review

Warning: This review/ramble will contain spoilers for all three books.

Where do I even start talking about these books?

(Now, I don’t normally do book reviews, or talk at length about things I’ve read, so if I stumble a bit, please forgive me. I’m refining as I go, and usually writing these over the course of a few days.)

Several years ago, I won’t admit how many, I spotted the cover for the first book in a Barns & Noble somewhere, and I was in a shopping phase so I would browse a store, take a picture of a book, and keep it for later. I’ve tried to add most of those to lists but there is still an entire photos folder on my phone just of books.

The cover caught my eye, as they usually do. I am not a ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ kind of person, I am all about the cover. I liked the look, I liked the uniforms, and I liked the quote. I was intrigued. Fast forward to sometime early last year when they came up on my kindle, I suspect on sale or special offer. Somehow I ended up with all three of them in my kindle, and then I went up to Scotland for a few days and went camping, so no internet, limited phone service, brought my tablet specifically for reading. (I don’t own an actual kindle, never have.)

I read all three books, some 1700+ pages, in under two weeks. I haven’t been so sucked into a set of books in years. That’s not entirely true, I read the first of Brent Weeks’ Shadows trilogy in a day, but that was because I was stuck sitting around with literally nothing to do, couldn’t go anywhere, no access to phone or anything. And I loved those too, but the speed was out of necessity. I do need to read them again because I missed a lot reading that fast.

Anyway. I started Promise of Blood on May 24th, and I finished Autumn Republic on June 2nd. So, 9 days in total. My second read through at the end of the year took about a month all told. Though, that was largely because I would read for 4 hours one day and then not read again for a week. I read one of them in two days, again.

(As a note I have the sequel trilogy, Gods of Blood and Powder, I just haven’t had a long enough span of time to sit down and start, because I know how I’ll get sucked in. They’re sitting on my dresser waiting for my attention.)

What I think I first found so interesting was, of course, the idea of a connection between gunpowder and magic. As a Sagittarius with pyromaniacs tendencies (I once took apart a handful of sparklers, put the resulting powder in a jar and threw in a match ((To be fair that is actually my most interesting moment, and my only story)) and ran. It was awesome) I absolutely love the idea of being able to have an awareness of gunpowder and do things like change the direction of a blast, not to mention just setting it off with your mind. Then of course the story dragged me in.

I don’t often see books where there is truly more than one main character. Usually you have strong supporting characters, but Taniel and Tamas really are both the main character in these books. There is of course the Inspector as well, but for me he is the strong secondary.

The image of the world is fascinating, being built up slowly around all the action. Promise of Blood just dives right in and you find out more about the land and the Nine as you go along. I have to admit, I didn’t like Tamas at first, but by the end of Autumn Republic…there might have been a tear or two.

I love how all the characters interacted, I loved that events jumped ahead by days or weeks but you didn’t feel like you missed anything. In my own writing I’ve always had an issue with time flow and feeling like large jumps are disconcerting and hard to follow, and I’m still trying to learn how to avoid that. I also enjoyed how the events jumped all over the map, but I suspect, having looked at the map, and the more detailed map of the Nine in Sins of Empire, I probably have all the directions and things backwards in my head.

One thing I look for in a book is if it feels -real-. I’m not sure how to go into more detail than that because like art, reality is an abstract concept to each person based on their perception (go away Plato) so that’s the only word I have. But I suppose I mean, I feel like I could step into the world and happily live there. I find that more with history than with fantasy books but there have been several that have caught my attention like that and these books are one of them.

My only disappointment has been that some of the companion stories don’t appear to be available online anymore. I have ready every one I can get my hands on but I know I’m missing at least two, and I hope that someday they resurface somewhere. For now I’m just going to continue enjoying what I’ve got.

To everyone reading, I would like to say thank you for sticking with me to the end of this post and if you haven’t read these books, go look for some more reviews. If I didn’t convince you, someone else just might, and I think they’re very worth being convinced.

Until Next Time

Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

The Last Smile in Sunder City – Review

Wow. Let me just say, wow.

I have been excited for this book for months, ever since I found out about it. A few years ago I fell into the humans/magic/fantasy mixup with things like Brent Weeks and Brian McClellan and haven’t looked back since, finally settling into a genre that my adult self likes. The Last Smile in Sunder City makes a perfect new edition to that genre that seems to sometimes be a little bit of everything.

Luke Arnold has a unique way with words, and many reviews I skimmed prior to release (attempting to avoid spoilers at all costs) used words like refreshing, and new. And it’s true. In a story about a world that has just ended, told in the voice of a man who blames himself for everything, instead of finding myself despondent, I felt like I was taking a breath of fresh air. The fast paced, yet in depth storytelling meant I was never bored, and hardly put the book down to make dinner.

I admit I was perhaps a bit more excited about this than I might normally be, having discovered Luke Arnold in a whirlwind watching of all four seasons of Black Sails in one week, and coming out the other side to find my worldview somewhat changed, but regardless of that, this book is one of the more entertaining and exciting that I have read in a long time. It joins the elite ranks of books I have pre-ordered or bought and read the entirety on release day, which previously were only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Inferno (Dan Brown).

I look forward to the continuation of the story, and can guarantee each further instalment will also be read in a single day.

Most of this review is what I’ve posted on goodreads, but here is a bit more undignified squealing:

OMG THAT WAS AMAZING! I admit, I have trouble with first person, I tend to hate first person. So it make sense that when I wrote a book it was in first person. Yes, I know, logic right? Well this…this was beautifully done. It’s hard to capture first person well, and hard to keep it engaging throughout the story.

I remember a post Luke made here on WordPress a few months ago while he was editing, about the emotional toll it takes to get inside your character’s head and to write their life. It is hard, terribly hard, and it’s even harder when you write in first person. As I read the voice of Fetch Phillips, I could easily see how hard it would be to write his voice, to feel his guilt. Those emotion’s run through you when you write and can leave you feeling raw and wrung out.

I have never met Luke, though I admit I would love to. I’ve found throughout my life that it’s easier to tell from someone’s writing if you want to be friends with them, than it is to simply sit down and talk to someone. For me writing is my better way of communicating, and I can read people better through what they write than what they say 9 times out of 10. You can read a book and then say ‘Oh…yes, I would love to sit down and just have a conversation with this person. I don’t know about what, I just want to see where it goes.’ That’s my biggest problem with people, I never know what to say.

I do hope his book tour brings him to the UK at some point, because I would like to thank him for being the inspiration that has gotten me off my backside and back to my own writing. I’ve always looked for that one thing that will make you keep going with something, and I don’t know why it was this, but it has been, and I feel more inspired than I have in years to finish my own work, to find and agent and a publisher, and to be all right with the fact that it takes time. That my search might take me another year, or another five. Somehow now it’s ok, because I realise it really is worth the effort.

– Caitlin

Posted on by Caitlin Sumner

The Terror of Your Writing

Last night I went to an alumni event for my old University, something I’ve been wanting to get to at least once for the last several years. I encountered a couple of friends, from one of the societies I was part of, and one of them mentioned he’d recently remembered he bought my book when I first published it and then never read it.

Generally my response would be to bother him about not reading it, but after the editing process I’ve been going through my response was ‘Oh, thank god, don’t read it for at least six months, I’ll be done editing by then.’

Looking back I feel like I rushed to get my book out in the world, to have it up on kindle and available to buy. Well, no one has really bought it, so I don’t feel so bad, but in the time since the original publication, my writing has changed and evolved so much that I look at it now and I think so much of it is written almost childishly. I have expanded the story into a second novel and two short stories, and I am currently editing them all for continuity with one another, and also just for…better words.

I enjoy people telling me they’ve liked a story I’ve written, something I get a good amount on my fanfiction writing, but when it comes to writing that I created, that aren’t just me playing with someone else’s characters, I’m always so terrified. It’s so much easier to play with something someone else has already built, it’s easier to have confidence in your writing. I’ve found when it’s my own creation, I always second guess myself at every decision, dialogue, you name it.

I have one project I started outlining over a year ago, with no expectations of coming close to even half a story for another five years at least. I don’t work on it every day, of course, I revisit it once a month or so, work on it for a week, then let it sit. I’m proud of it so far, but I’ve written four chapters I think, and the plan expands across 3-5 books. Shorter, yes, 80-100k each, not 250k per book, but still, it is a big story and I only know the basics. I still haven’t shared it with anyone at all.

One day, I want to be proud of my work and be able to re-read it and not be constantly picking it apart. I don’t think this is actually possible, I think the idea of being able to do that is an absolute myth, since we are our own worth critics, but still. I can dream, can I not?