Coming Soon to a School Near You ...

It's 2017 and time to set goals and declare resolutions. To be very honest, I am not the most focused person. In fact, my husband calls me "squirrel!" as I'll be in the middle of doing something, see something that distracts me, and I go off pursuing it like a dog chasing a squirrel before my original task is complete. Not a good trait to have when you need focus, but despite my tendency to get off track I still like to set goals and work towards them. And this year my goal in 2017 (besides finishing the third installment to my Kibblestan series) is to do some Author Visits at schools! I have already done a few and am having a total blast with the kids and hopefully they are having a blast with me! I have updated my website with the presentations I offer, so please check out the Author Visits tab on my website and give me a shout. If you live locally, I can come visit. If you don't, we can Skype! And have a very Happy 2017!

Writing, Publishing and Fur Babies ... Oh my!

Here is a link to my second Author Interview of all time! Mercedes Fox is an author whose website has a section dedicated to author interviews, and I am happy to say that she interviewed me! Please take a look as I answer questions regarding my thoughts on the writing and publishing process, discuss my fur babies and talk about Kibblestan. She even features a picture of Speckles, my inspiration for Philecia's character. Hopefully Speckles won't let the fame get to her head. :) Enjoy!  https://mercedesfoxbooks.com/meet-author-andrea-rand/

And the Reviews are In!

I haven't blogged in awhile, as I have been busy doing things to prepare for the release of my second book, The Chronicles of Kibblestan: Canines. My cover artist (the extremely talented Tim Jessell) sent me the first sketches of another intriguing cover and I am beyond excited. As an author, there's something about seeing your cover for the first time that makes you realize that this writing thing is for real, and that all those words you spent a year or more painstakingly crafting to make the magic of story come to life is about to become a reality. It's pretty cool.

Another thing I've been doing is updating my website.  I've posted the reviews I've received from my trusted beta readers who are telling me what they think about Canines. I even have one young fan who is making Kibblestan trading cards. Is there ever a bigger compliment than that? :)

If you go here on my website, you'll see the preliminary jacket flap copy of Canines (that's industry-speak for the summary on the back of a book that's meant to intrigue you just enough to buy it -- a challenge for authors, as you have to find that sweet spot of giving enough information to hook the potential buyer, without giving away too much information. Not sure that I've mastered the art of jacket flap copy, but I give it my best shot).

I also, sadly, had to update my About Me page, for I suffered the loss of a beloved pet since writing my original bio, but gained two new pets that I think are adorable, despite what many people say.

But that can be the subject of another blog post.

I'll leave you with a picture of my constant companion in my office. She is the inspiration for my character Philecia's personality, and someone who insists on cuddling up with me as I type out my stories while annoying me with her incessant licking, which I believe is due to her high anxiety.

Enjoy your Labor Day!

How a Writer's Decision to Give a Character Backstory Altered a Little Slice of WWII History: Part 2

If you missed Part One of this blog post, Click Here



So how did giving Quint backstory alter a slice of World War II history? According to an article from  Aintitcool.com, an uncredited writer working on the Jaws script decided Quint needed motivation for hating sharks so much. He came up with the premise that Quint had been a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.

But what’s that? you might say--as did Steven Spielberg. The story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is one of tragedy, valor and incredible survival—and one of the biggest disasters in U.S. Naval history. She was a cruiser with a top secret mission—to deliver the components of the atomic bomb that would end World War II. But after she delivered her cargo to Tinian Island and made it to Guam, she was ordered to go to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. The captain asked for an escort but was denied, and tragically, as the Indianapolis crossed the Pacific waters, she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. It only took twelve minutes for the ship to sink, and those who survived the sinking were left to persevere in the water, fighting against thirst, hunger, exposure . . . and sharks. 

The true horror of the Indianapolis was that when the ship went down, no one was looking for her. Nobody missed her return. It is estimated that around 900 men survived the sinking. The men suffered at sea for not one day or two days, but for four nights and five days. By the time a passing plane found them by chance, the number of survivors had dwindled to a little over 300. 

For any shark fans out there (and I admit I love a good shark attack story, as morbid as that may be) the firsthand accounts from the survivors of the Indianapolis are both fascinating and terrifying. Men with fresh burns, covered in oil and floating with their buddies, watched the dorsal fins come and go, felt the sharks bump up against them and wondered who might be picked off next. The men huddled in groups, fending off the sharks and trying to resist the temptation to drink the salt water, which led to insanity and certain death. You read their stories and feel humbled by the tales of bravery and sacrifice, and I am incredibly grateful to these men who suffered so much as a result of defending our great country. 

Fast forward thirty years and actor Robert Shaw delivers Quint’s Indianapolis speech with perfection (redeeming himself from the previous day of shooting, where he thought he should drink to get into character and let's just say it didn’t work out so well).

Some say that this scene became Steven Spielberg’s favorite scene.

It was a powerful scene.

And it was this scene that an eleven-year-old boy watched in his living room years later, when he turned to his dad and asked, "Is that true?"

And so began a series of events that altered a slice of World War II history . . . 

Stay tuned . . .

How A Writer's Decision to Give a Character Backstory Altered a Little Slice of WWII History: Part 1

One of my all-time favorite movies is Jaws. It’s one of those movies I could watch over and over again, even though by today’s standards, old Bruce the mechanical shark is looking pretty fake. Plus, I already know what’s going to happen, so how is it I can watch it again and again?

Besides the camera angles that allow you to see what a shark might see as he’s contemplating lunch, and the crowded beach scenes filled with groovy-looking extras sporting style that would make Marcia Brady proud, Jaws is a great movie because of the authenticity of its characters.

There’s a saying in the writing world that there’s only a handful of plots in existence, (probably less if you’re watching Lifetime Television J), so when you write a story you’ve got to put your own twist on a common plot to make it unique. A way to do this is through characters--rich characters, memorable characters, characters that people can identify with.

But how does a writer develop authentic characters? One key ingredient to authentic characters is to know their backstory. Even if it never makes it into the final book (or script) a writer should at least have an idea of the previous events in a character’s life that have made them who they are. Why do they act the way they do? What are their motivations?

An uncredited writer of the movie Jaws decided that the character Quint, the salty shark hunter, needed a backstory. He needed to find some motivation for why Quint had such animosity for sharks. What no one realized at the time, is that this writer’s idea would set forth a series of events several years later that would impact a little slice of World War II history.

Stay tuned …

Join Me for a Fun Day at the Sachse Author Con!

Tomorrow should be a fun day. I'm going to the 2nd Annual Author Con at the Sachse Public Library. If anyone is in the DFW area and is looking for something to do, you should stop by! Plenty of local authors ready to sign their books in all different genres. This will be my first event of this kind for me to attend by myself. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some patriotic-themed items to decorate my table with, including a little mouse wearing an Uncle Sam hat in honor of what seems to be one of the most beloved characters in my book - Matilda. Here is a link for more information: http://www.cityofsachse.com/index.aspx?nid=484 I hope to see you there! :)

Here is a list of authors that are going to be there. I hope you can come on out!