Inkabout L. Darby Gibbs

Science Fiction & Fantasy author

interview

A Stab at a Self-interview: Question 12 ~ collaboration

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Mirror Image ~ writing. Modified from a 

Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash

Would you consider collaborating with another writer?

I would have to know them very well and feel that we had similar writing styles and a united focus on the plot and characters. Of course, after saying that, I must admit I have been talking to two people about collaborating.

My husband and I have a couple of ideas we would like to turn into a series of books. Though we have never worked on a creative endeavor of this sort together before, lately I have been finding him very easy to brainstorm with. He has often over the years offered ideas that I have found intriguing and inspiring. Usually I write notes down about what he came up with and look forward to when I can work them into my writing schedule. Some have turned into short stories, but at this time none are published.

After I finish editing Standing Stone 3 and drafting Students of Jump 5, I hope to begin working on a novel he and I recently brainstormed together. And we have a second planned out as well. At this point, I will probably be the one writing while he contributes to the process in brainstorm sessions. But we may migrate into actually writing a novel in tandem or in pieces together in the future.

Another individual I am in discussion about collaborating is my daughter. We both are very busy, creative types so we are trying to figure out how we can make this work. Recently, we chatted via Skype so we could brainstorm the organization of an idea we have in mind. We have already determined which parts will be mine to write and which are hers. The unusual structure of the piece makes it possible for us to write separately, share and adjust what we’ve written. Also the idea we have is more non-fiction than fiction, most definitely not science fiction or fantasy. A contemporary work based on personal experience ~ fictionalized true to life, perhaps is a good description. LOL, without actually describing it.

As for writing with an author I am not related to, that has not come up yet. I’m not against the idea; I just have not had any reason to consider it.

#collaboration
#writing
#interview

A Stab at a Self-interview: Question 10 ~ Newsletter news

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Buttons

What have you been doing that’s writing related but not actually writing one of your books?

I’m glad you asked because I have taken the plunge and am busy putting together a newsletter subscriber system.

I’m a newbie at this particular process, so I am learning as I go. My plans include having a subscribe button on my blog, nothing overly demanding, just an option for my readers who visit my blog and read my books. Of course, anybody who accidentally drops by and would like to subscribe will be welcomed as well.

What’s going to be in the newsletter?

  • Upcoming books in my series
    • Standing Stone (fantasy magic)
    • Students of Jump (time-travel scifi) 
  • Upcoming sales for my books
  • Publication of those new books
  • New series plans and publications
  • A tidbit about me and my activities in my non-writing life

I also intend to add the option to subscribe in my books, and if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, I will figure out how to add the option to my Facebook page. I hope I can type with crossed fingers.

You can assume I’ll also be writing these newsletters soon. Just not today. And I will not be sending them out more often than once a month as I pretty much give family, work and novel writing priority in my life. Lately, my dogs have been nabbing most of my free time (but we’ll save discussion of that for another interview day, or maybe a newsletter ;)) Blogging and newsletters will run second on the must-do-soon list. But they will occur, just not more often than monthly.

And that is what I am doing writing-related but not actually writing.

#writing
#newsletter

A Stab at a Self-interview: Question 8 ~ losing a draft to electronic failure

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Have you ever lost a manuscript or partial draft to electronic failure?

Happily, I can say no. But there is more to my answer than that. I can say no because I have several different automated backups that I use because I have had computers throw up their hands and go black screen on me. And I do panic for a couple minutes. But then I remember I have two external drives (manual system), one Dropbox (automated), one network drive (automated) and emailed copies.

When my daughter was in her senior year in high school, we went downtown and I took pictures of her. They came out amazing and I worked on them all evening. The next day my computer went black. My automated backup system was for all my writing, not for pictures or other work. I had a manual backup system with a external hard drive I used for those since they changed less frequently. I put off backing those lovely pictures up for the next day. Heartbreak.

My daughter and I went out to recreate those pictures. We ended up with other nice ones, but not the ones my memory was certain were the best I’d ever taken.

The Geek Squad came to my rescue and retrieved all the pictures and other documents. Since then I’ve bought a hard drive reader and when the same computer went black again, I retrieved my recent documents myself.

However, even though I had not lost any work in progress, I had feared that I lost my folder on future novel ideas. It was in a section of my drive I did not bother to back up more than once a year. Thankfully, the Geek Squad retrieved it along with my daughters pictures (which were a great as I remembered them), which in retrospect makes me quite happy as I am currently writing book three of the fantasy series that was inspired by two-pages of notes I kept in that infrequently saved folder and it would have been gone had my luck not held out.

One doesn’t have to lose everything to learn a lesson: save everything!

#backup
#wip
#interview

A Stab at a Self-interview: Question 6 ~ Standing Stone favorite character

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Who is one of your favorite characters from the Standing Stone series?

The Mabra – cryptic old woman

When I starting thinking about my answer to this question, I knew immediately who I would name and had a pretty good idea why I was choosing him. But the more I thought about it, I realized there was a secondary character that was a strong favorite of mine, so I have chosen The Mabra.


Mabra Camlis – The Mabra is a character in book 2, The Shifter Shard. She is an enigma, oddly all knowing and thought to be functionally mad. Or as Master Clepp describes her, “The woman’s a bit odd, but it doesn’t interfere with the
running of the orphanage.” 
She is so slow moving and old that she covers only inches with each step causing her guests to have to wait quite some time for her to join them even though she is very much in sight. She compensates for this slowness by yelling at the top of her lungs so that she and anyone there to visit her can carry on a conversation without having to wait for her to be seated. 
“You will come to know that much of me is old, but my lungs
continue to feign youth, so I use them for all they are worth! It reduces the
boredom of both my guests and myself in the interim of our coming together.” 
She has excellent hearing and a mysterious history. Jahl, one of the three main characters, hopes she can supply necessary information he needs to put things right, but though she’s willing to give advice, Jahl perceives it as cryptic and possibly proof of her madness. 
 She sighed, ignoring his rising annoyance. “Even I, the
eternal container of all hope, can no longer deny that some things never
return.”
I enjoyed working with her character because her limitations were a natural outcome of her age while not interfering with her doing her job. And her desire and faith that she would be reunited with her lost love was as believable as it was impossible.

 

A Stab at a Self-interview: Question 3 ~ a new series

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Do you have another series planned?

My husband and I have a time travel series planned. We will not be writing on it until the Standing Stone series is complete and the fifth book in the Students of Jump series is out.

It will be written for the New Adult market. Though I don’t want to get into the plotting aspects of the piece, we are thinking at this time it will involve four college students who find themselves pulled back in time after they rent a house together. At this time the location of their shift back in time will incorporate the Victorian or Elizabethan periods. Our research will determine the final decision.

In the mean time, Standing Stone book 3 is in process and Standing Stone book 2 will be ready for publication quite soon.