Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Journey to the Rift by Cathi Shaw @cathishaw @yaboundtourspr



Journey to the Rift
by Cathi Shaw
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 3rd 2016
Ink Smith Publishing


Summary for Goodreads:


A dangerous quest into a forbidden land wasn’t exactly what Brijit Carnesîr was planning after her graduation from the Academy. For years she has looked forward starting her life as a member of the Coimirceoirí and she is thrilled to discover that she has been chosen as the Academy Apprentice of her year. But despite the fact that she has been longing to go to Séreméla and work with the Elders, it soon becomes apparent that her fate isn’t as rosy as it appears to be. First, she is paired up with a grumpy male apprentice from Stone Mountain, Weylon Forborrow. Second, it doesn’t take her long to discover that the Elders are not taking her to Séreméla, as tradition dictates. Instead, Weylon and her are sent to The Rift, a dead land tainted with evil. Even before they join the Elder royalty at Tèarmann, an ancient fortress on the cusp of the Rift, Brijit discovers that the Elders are hiding too many things. She is given the task of helping the Princess in birthing the long awaited Queen of the Elders but nothing is as it seems. There is talk of an old and forgotten Prophecy, Weylon is attacked by a creature from the Rift and her grandmother is killed, after revealing a secret that rocks everything Brijit knows about her past. Soon Brijit questions everything she had been led to believe and, worse, she realizes that the future of Séreméla and all of Five Corners is in jeopardy, unless she can find a way to save it!   





Guest Post:

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

My writing process is fairly scattered compared to some writers. I’m not a person who generally creates an outline and then strictly follows it. In fact, a lot of my first drafts take place in my head. I’ve probably lost a lot of stories that way over the years but it is the only process that works well for me.

When I started writing Journey to the Rift, I had an idea of Brijit (the main character) and what her story would be. But only an idea. When I sat down to the computer and started writing, the story just spilled out onto the page. This is fairly typical for me. I write my first draft very quickly and when I’m in that drafting stage I’m consumed with my story. I am thinking about it all the time. I go to sleep planning out the story. I walk around my house miming my characters and acting out their parts. Any outsider would think I was crazy. And I will continue acting in this obsessive manner until I have figured out the beginning, middle and end of the story to my satisfaction.

Then I will sit down to the computer and start writing it out. And that’s when the surprises usually happen. Even though I think I have the entire story planned in my head, it never fails that when I actually sit down and start putting it down on paper, things happen that I didn’t anticipate. I remember when I was writing the first book in the Marked Ones series, I said, “Wait! That’s not supposed to happen!!” and I felt as if my characters had hijacked my story. I’ve learned to go with it. When I do, the story always comes out better.

Getting the first draft down is exciting and for some people that’s their favourite part but I find it tedious. I much prefer the editing stage. Once I get my skeleton draft down, then I spend most of my time rewriting and adding in details.





About the Author
Cathi Shaw lives in Summerland, BC with her husband and three children. She is often found wandering around her home, muttering in a seemingly incoherent manner, particularly when her characters have embarked on new adventure. In addition to writing fiction, she is the co-author of the textbook Writing Today and the true story, Surviving Logan.

Author Links:


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2 comments:

Ally Swanson said...

Excellent guest post! This book sounds like a very interesting read! Looking forward to checking out this book!

Cathi said...

Thanks so much, Ally! I hope you like the book as much as I loved writing it. :)