Hello, one and all. The Nine Heroes anthology has been
released and we here at the Heroic Fantasy Group couldn’t be happier how it
turned out! In celebration of this we came up with an idea that will help
readers get to know our authors a little better. So with this in mind we shall
be doing a series of blog posts known as ‘That is the moment when’. These blog
posts are about a certain experience each author has had in their lives that
helped influence the way they write and tell stories.
Today’s blogger is Cas Peace. Despite being a fantasy author
in her own right, Cas doesn’t have a short story in the anthology. She is also,
however, a freelance editor and was our copy-editor for Nine Heroes. Here she
talks about her writing and the moment she decided to offer editing services to
fellow writers.
Hi, everyone! Although I’m the author of the triple-trilogy
Artesans of Albia fantasy series, it might surprise you to know that I never
intended to become an author. Or an editor, come to that. The whole process has
come as a bit of a shock. It all began in the 1990s, through having to give up
my job of thirteen years when my husband was asked to work in Italy for a
while. This was a big thing for me, as I’d always worked to pay my way. Now, I
was to be a ‘kept woman’ with no income and no career, and it was a pretty
scary thought. Still, the warm skies, beautiful countryside, delicious food,
and fascinating history of Italy beckoned and I couldn’t refuse the chance to
explore.
We lived in Italy, just outside Rome, for three years.
During that time I learned to speak Italian (after a fashion!) and got to
accompany my husband on his frequent trips to either Milan, or to the south of
the country where his company were exploring for oil. We also traveled on our
own behalf, determined to see as much of this lovely place as possible.
Eventually, though, our time in Italy came to an end and we
returned to our little cottage in southern England. We acquired two dogs,
meaning I could not go back to work full time, and so I had time on my hands.
This is when I began exploring my interest in writing.
I have always loved reading, and fantasy was my genre of
choice. Among my early favorite authors were Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Goudge,
Peter S Beagle, C S Lewis, Lord Dunsany, Peter Morwood, Tolkien, Barbara
Hambly, and Joy Chant. Although when I was reading them I had no idea I would
be publishing my own books one day, I’m sure they have all influenced my own
writing.
I often used to scribble out little stories when I was a
kid, and English lessons were always my favorite at school. I won a few poetry
and essay competitions, and often contributed little articles to school
magazines. But that’s as far as it went until quite a few years later. It took
a doomed marriage to bring out my literary talents, as I used the process of
trying to write a children’s story as a way of escaping my boredom and mild
unhappiness. Like the marriage, that story came to nothing, but I still have
it. Maybe I’ll dust it off one day and try again!
Real success, however, came as a result of a very happy
second marriage, the one that led me to Italy and back. Having returned to
England but not to full time employment, I found that my brain needed something
to get its synapses into. At that moment there surfaced a little scene from a
1970s kids TV program that had been persistently knocking about in the recesses
of my mind all those years. I decided to try writing it out - and therefore
opened floodgates within me I never knew existed.
In a completely unexpected, and often quite scary way, an
entire fantasy novel came pouring out of my mind. I simply couldn’t stop writing,
and when I was forced to stop - for meals, sleep, and the like - the ideas kept
coming, clamoring to be written down before I forgot them. I found I grew
desperate if I didn’t have pen and paper beside me, and I even bought myself a
small recording device because these great ideas had the hugely annoying habit
of presenting themselves when I was in the middle of the woods walking the
dogs. Even now, some thirteen years later, different spots in those same woods
will evoke the ideas that came to me at that time.
Having acquired feedback that led me to believe my work was
worth the effort required to find a publisher, I found myself flung into the
world of agents, publishers, authors, and editors. It was a steep learning
curve for me, especially as the Internet was at an early stage and I had no
idea how to work a computer. I managed to allow myself to be scammed by a rogue
“agent” who lured me into parting with a substantial reading fee in return for
a full critique, but who then absconded with my - and other hopeful writers’ -
money. A valuable lesson learned!
Fortunately, my work also received much praise and
encouragement, and my persistence paid off when I eventually secured a
publisher. I had also formed an earlier connection with another writer who had
a website that showcased other writers’ books. He had accepted King’s Envoy, my
first novel, onto his website some time before, but now he decided to become an
indie publisher. I offered to help him read and select books to publish from
the submissions he received, and because so many of them needed work to make
them of a publishable standard, this offer evolved into my first editing job.
Those hopeful submissions opened my eyes as to the wealth of
writing talent out there. But it also showed me that the ability to write an
exciting, or captivating story doesn’t go hand in hand with the ability to
spell, or punctuate, or structure a sentence. I knew, from the experiences I’d
gathered and the many blogs, magazines, and web articles I’d read on the subject
that far too many good books were being passed over for publication purely
because of poor (or no) editing. I thought this was a huge waste, and a crying
shame.
When I looked into the fees some editors were charging,
however, I began to understand why many writers didn’t employ them. Like me
with my wasted “reading fee”, these writers could ill afford the large amounts
of money necessary to have their manuscripts professionally edited. When I then
came across a motivational piece in a writers’ magazine encouraging writers who
had a good general knowledge of the rules and mechanics of writing to become
editors, the proverbial lightbulb flashed in my mind. That was the moment I
realized I could help other writers, and that’s when I decided to offer my Cas
Peace Writers’ Services to a wider audience than the showcase website where I
started.
Since then, I have worked with many clients and am
building up a nice Testimonials section on my website. Some of my clients have
been writers who are friends, some came through Facebook, some through
recommendations from satisfied customers. Because I am still working on my own
books and writing, I cannot take too many clients per year. I keep my fees as
low as I reasonably can, and prefer to tailor my fees toward what a client is
happy to pay, rather than having a fixed pricing table. I edit for enjoyment
rather than to earn a living. I will work on almost any genre, although I’m not
keen on explicit erotica. And I refuse to handle anything racist or abusive. I
was thrilled to be asked to edit the Nine Heroes anthology, and can thoroughly
recommend all the stories within its cover. I encourage you to go and buy a
copy right now, and enjoy them for yourself!
Cas Peace
Nine Heroes is available in both kindle and Paperback:
Thank you for posting, Walter!
ReplyDeleteOops, sorry - meant to thank Shane as well! :-)
ReplyDeletexx