The Swan Women of Skye


October 24, 2019


“All the best things were born and died in Skye, Scotland.”

A Kind of Death is finally out in the world as of Oct. 22nd! So I figured I’d do a /proper/ book spotlight today, as well as tell you more about my story in the anthology—The Swan Women of Skye.

Ready? Let’s do this.


You know what? Never once, in the multiple times I’ve been published (well, alright—maybe there was the once) have I written and released a story that wasn't on the darker or slightly heavier side, as far as topics go. But everything I’ve had published thus far has also been flash fiction, so I couldn’t truly sink my teeth into what I was writing about. However - there's now The Swan Women of Skye. TSWoS is a full short story and by far the longest thing I’ve had the pleasure of getting published, so I had room for some more depth in it.

And, in a nutshell, I chose to write about belief.

It’s our beliefs that shape us, and I wanted to write about a girl who starts out believing that she’s nothing…and then how she overcomes that (with a little help – perhaps of the magical variety?) to realize that she has more value than she knows.

I went back and completely reread The Swan Women of Skye today for the first time since I edited it for Uncommon Universes a few months ago. Gracious, I’d forgotten what an awesome time I had writing that story. My writing style is a bit quirky sometimes, and since The Swan Women of Skye was a story that I wrote completely for myself without any intention to publish it (funny how that happens), it definitely displays some of that. And I’ve realized in hindsight that that made the story stronger. Author Tosca Lee’s advice of writing as though no one will ever read it is 100% the best advice ever offered to any writer.

My sisters are always astounded when I’m able to answer the question “if you could travel to one place in the world, where would you go?” without even pausing to think about it. I would go to Skye, Scotland. So it was only natural that I set this story there! I had so much fun playing with the imagery of cobblestone walks and grassy cliff sides and salty ocean breezes as I wrote.

But while the setting was obvious, the main character—Lauren Dryletski—came to me more by surprise. Most characters that I get inspiration for either a) come in with a bang or b) I must drag the character out of the muck and clean them off to learn more about them. But Lauren wasn’t like that at all. She just snuck in very quietly and was simply and suddenly there. She’s definitely one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written; I’m rather fond of her.

I can’t remember exactly how long it took me to write The Swan Women of Skye, or why I even started. But I know the message I had in mind as I started, and it remains the same at the finish. What I want all readers to come away from The Swan Women of Skye with is a feeling of hope. That’s all I want. If I can bring that to even just one reader, then I’ve done my job.

And also, throughout all the edits, the story’s first line never changed.

“All the best things were born and died in Skye, Scotland.”

A Kind of Death Book Blurb:

A princess who makes dangerous bargains with the afterlife. A man desperate to save his wife, no matter the cost. An uber driver for the undead.

Death, whether real or metaphorical, comes for us all. Yet it is not always the end. And in the depths of grieving can be the promise of hope and redemption.

The tales and poems in this anthology explore the depths of love, loss, and transformation. Whether in a reimagined folktale or a modern urban fantasy, A Kind of Death features a fine balance of tragedy and comedy, but always with a hint of wonder and hope.

As this anthology concerns matters of loss (all handled tastefully and without graphic depiction), certain stories might prove challenging for sensitive readers. Recommend reading with a hot beverage and/or a packet of tissues.



A Kind of Death is available in paperback, hardback, and ebook.
Find it on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and UUP.

An Update (and the A Kind of Death anthology!)


October 20, 2019


It's been a hot minute, hasn't it, my friends? xD

"I come back to you now at the turn of the tide" with a post in two parts! An update, and then some exciting news (which I really should have shared WELL before now ... but better late than never, yes?).

Let the show begin.



The Update: 

If you follow me on Instagram (@savannahgraceauthor), you'll probably have seen most of this update already - but! The reason for my absence (and the fact that I will probably continue to be pretty absent, at least on my blog) is attributed to these few things:

1) College! I started college in September, and MY WORD. While it isn't as totally overwhelming as I'd worried it would be, there's still quite a heavy workload. I've had to push a lot of things to the side (even things I really love) in order to protect my sanity, ha!

2) Since college has stolen so much of my free time, I'm trying to spend what free time I have /away/ from the computer, and preferably with people, which is another reason why I haven't been around as much.

3) TONS of out-of-the-house activities going on. I can't even begin to list all the gazillion things I've done and have had to do over the last few months. This introvert has built up a grand armor that makes her look an awful lot like an extrovert. If I had a dime for every time this conversation -- Me: "I'm an introvert" Them: "...no, you're not." -- has happened, I'd be a rich woman xD.


So that's where I've disappeared to. And the fact that I disappeared is why you've yet to get this news ...




The A Kind of Death anthology: 


My first short story is being published in THREE DAYS!!




"The Swan Women of Skye", one of my favorite stories that I've written thus far, was selected to be published in Uncommon Universes' Press first anthology, A Kind of Death. I'm so excited, I could burst - and even more so because the anthology is going to be available in both paperback AND hardcover! (it's always been a huge goal of mine to have something published in hardcover)

And since I'm TERRIBLY late to tell you this news, I feel like I owe you a little bit of information about the story, yes?

Some Details:
- it's a fantasy story
- it's set in Skye, Scotland
- it's the longest story I will have ever had published (by a L O N G shot) 
- thematically, it's about letting go and finding your strength

The Blurb: 
A princess who makes dangerous bargains with the afterlife. A man desperate to save his wife, no matter the cost. An uber driver for the undead.

Death, whether real or metaphorical, comes for us all. Yet it is not always the end. And in the depths of grieving can be the promise of hope and redemption. 
 
The tales and poems in this anthology explore the depths of love, loss, and transformation. Whether in a reimagined folktale or a modern urban fantasy, A Kind of Death features a fine balance of tragedy and comedy, but always with a hint of wonder and hope.
  
As this anthology concerns matters of loss (all handled tastefully and without graphic depiction), certain stories might prove challenging for sensitive readers. Recommend reading with a hot beverage and/or a packet of tissues.



Aaaaall the rest of the info (including  purchase links and pre-order info) that I needn't recount here can be found on Uncommon Universes Press' website (specifically in this blog post) - and there's also a great giveaway going on for it over at this post, so make sure to check them both out! I'm beyond excited that I get to share The Swan Women of Skye with you all - it's a story that I really love, and I can't wait for it to be out in the world <333.



*deep breath* Alright! That's all I have for y'all today. I can't promise that I'll be any more active on my blog than I have been lately, but I do post life updates a little more often on my Facebook page, and writing-things on my Instagram now and again if you're wanting to know I'm still alive ;).

And with all that out of the way - how are all of you? I've missed the blogging community!


~ Savannah Grace 

so 
how are you all? 

Story Embers: How Writing Creative Nonfiction Benefits Novelists


September 24, 2019



Another of my articles went live on Story Embers! This time around, it's on a branch of writing that I recently delved into and absolutely love -- creative nonfiction.

Creative nonfiction is so incredibly useful (and also incredibly fun) and yet somehow, so few people have heard of it? So I thought I'd take the chance to show y'all what creative nonfiction is and why it's such an important tool for novelists to use.

 


I used to avoid nonfiction—in both reading and writing—until I discovered that creative nonfiction employs literary techniques usually associated with fiction. How could this be? And would trying it expand my skills?

Creative nonfiction seeks to capture readers’ attention by describing actual people, places, and events in narrative format. For example, if I invent a motorcyclist character who travels across the US, that’s fiction. But if I record the experiences of a real motorcyclist I’ve spoken with, that’s creative nonfiction.

I broke out my pens and gave this hybrid genre a shot. My conclusion? That it’s an underused training weapon. Because the goal is to communicate facts in a meaningful way, you’ll add nuances to your writing that you wouldn’t have otherwise.


Read the rest of the article on STORY EMBERS


~ Savannah Grace


have you ever written creative nonfiction?