Month: May 2020

10 out of 10

Fallton Havenstonne

I completed my 10th short story over the weekend, and it felt great when I typed THE END. With each story, the tension builds, and I hope that by the conclusion of the book, the reader is left surprised by the ending.

I’m now in the process of editing the short stories. Given that they take place in the same world, I’m paying attention to the details, making sure that they’re consistent and that they interconnect.

Writing 10 short stories back to back was a challenge. With a novel, I can just continue the storyline and keep moving forward with the same characters, but with 10 different stories, I’m creating a new storyline and a new set of characters each time. Most of the stories in the collection take place in the same town, with some of the characters appearing in other stories.

It’s been a goal of mine to create a short story collection, since I’ve been a fan of reading short stories for years. I remember reading Isaac Asimov’s Robot Visions years ago, and being hooked by each story, which delved into the laws of robotics–putting the laws to the test.

I’m also a fan of Shirley Jackson, who is well known for her short story The Lottery, amongst other stories. Her short stories take you to a different state of mind where things are out of kilter. Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson are other writers whose short stories I enjoy. It’s amazing how short stories can take you to a different place and time–the impression they can leave on you.

In other news, if you haven’t pre-ordered Kitewell yet, you can do so at Amazon. I’m excited to release it on Saturday, May 30th, 2020. Although it is a YA story, all readers can enjoy the story.

I plan on releasing the paperback version around the same time as the ebook. I’m very happy with how everything turned out with the book. In the Afterword of Kitewell, I describe my struggles writing the book, and how I eventually came to complete it.

8 out of 10

Fallton Havenstonne

As I work on my 10 short story collection, I recently finished the 8th story. The stories are interconnected, so I’ve been keeping track of details to keep them consistent and tied together. The overall storyline is linear, and although most of the stories involve a new set of characters, the background scenario has an influence on each story.

It’s been quite a challenge to plot and finish each story, since it is kind of like writing mini-episodes for a series. But I do like how each story gives you a facet of what’s going on and how the larger picture is affecting the characters. The story becomes more apocalyptic toward the end, but it is hopeful as well.

Coming Soon – Kitewell

Fallton Havenstonne
Kitewell will be released on May 30th. It’s available now for preorder on Amazon.

My newest novel, Kitewell, is about magic, courage, and hope. It takes place in a town called Kitewell where two girls meet their mysterious neighbor, Mrs. Kantor, who tells them a ghost story about the town’s dark past.

Mrs. Kantor also tells them about an evil wizard, Malik, who wants to take over Kitewell and the world. The girls must use the magic they’ve learned to defeat Malik, but will face many trials along the way.

The story is a fun adventure filled with magic and mystery. There are twists and turns along the way with a lot at stake.

At the end of the novel, I’ve included an Afterword about my journey in writing the novel.

Writing Short Stories

Fallton Havenstonne

I’m working on a collection of short stories right now. I’ve completed 3 of them so far, and my goal is to finish 10. They’ve been a lot of fun to write. The approach to writing short stories is a lot different than novels.

With writing novels, I’m eager to expand the world, to create layers of intrigue and suspense. It’s exciting to build the sequence of events, to add twists and turns in the narrative. There’s so much to explore in a novel, so many things that could happen.

With short stories, the approach is more like exploring an idea through a limited number of scenes. The twists and turns arrive much quicker, but one must be careful not to let them happen too fast or else it’ll spoil the surprise.

Instead of including a plethora of details as I would in a novel, I’m capturing the essence of the scenes, of the characters. When everything comes together, it feels as if it needn’t be long at all.