Month: June 2020

New Ideas

Fallton Havenstonne

After the release of THE INVAS10N, I decided to take a short break. I think it’s nice to take a break after completing/releasing a book/project, as it helps to regain your energy before starting a new project. Also, I read a lot more when I’m not writing, so it’s also great to be inspired by other authors.

Even as I relax, ideas continue to crop up in my mind daily. I can’t help but feel eager to get back into another story and write again. I often write my ideas down so I won’t forget them–to return to them later on another project. When the same idea keeps floating around in my head, it begins to evolve and take on a life of its own.

Another great thing about taking a break is that you give yourself the time to reflect on ideas you haven’t considered. I often say to myself that I want to write something new, to explore something I haven’t written before. We’ll see what I come up with.

THE INVAS10N: THE RED PLANT CHRONICLES

Fallton Havenstonne

My new sci-fi book, THE INVAS10N: THE RED PLANT CHRONICLES, is available on Amazon. It’s a story told in 10 tales that describes an alien invasion.

When four astronauts land on a faraway planet teeming with forests and jungles, they are astonished to find it uninhabited. But soon, they will discover the truth to this mystery, one that will threaten all life on Earth.

Get ready for 10 tales that explore an alien invasion that will ravage the planet. As governments try to stop the invasion, they will discover that their technology and weapons are useless against them. With the aliens regenerating after each attack, the only thing to do is run!

Will humanity find a way to stop the alien species? Or will they face the fact that all is lost?

Book Review: The Horse and His Boy

Fallton Havenstonne

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis, is the third book of the Chronicles of Narnia series. The story takes place in the world of Narnia and is about a boy named Shasta, who runs away with a horse named Bree (since Shasta was about to be sold). He meets a girl named Aravis, and her talking horse, Hwin, and they set off to Tashbaan, where Shasta bears a striking resemblance to the prince there (Prince Corin).

Shasta leaves Tashbaan before he is caught, and Aravis overhears the plan of a prince named Rabadash, who wants to invade Narnia and take Queen Susan to be his wife. From here on, Aravis and Shasta ride on horseback to Narnia to warn the Kingdom of the coming invasion.

Whereas the first two books of the series were full of mystery and wonder, (establishing the world of Narnia), this story is more like an adventure in the world of Narnia. Like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is an epic battle at the end between the armies of Rabadash and Narnia.

The story has humorous parts to it, especially at the end with what befalls Rabadash. I did like the twist at the end with Shasta, and enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. The first half of the book focused primarily on exposition, establishing what was going on and who the characters were, as well as Rabadash’s plot to invade Narnia. The second half was more action packed, and it was great to see Aslan (the lion) make an appearance as well.

Editing Short Stories vs. Novels

Fallton Havenstonne

I’m almost finished with editing the 10 short stories. I’m finding that editing a collection of short stories is a lot different compared to editing a novel. With a novel, you’re focusing on the progression of the events from one chapter to the next. You’re making sure that the narrative ties together by the conclusion of the story. With a short story, you’re focusing on the cohesiveness of the plot itself. You’re checking to see if you’ve conveyed what you needed to in a short amount of time/space.

With each short story, I felt like I was exploring a new scenario. A good analogy would be like visiting different rooms/galleries of a museum.

Because the short stories are linear, I had to plan the sequence of events as I would with a novel. The interesting thing about this collection is that it feels like a series of vignettes while something larger is happening. It’s definitely a neat experience.