Guest Post and Giveaway with Dannika Dark

United By Books is pleased to let Dannika Dark take over the blog to day .......

THE WRITING PROCESS

Two people get into a fight. Seems like an easy scene to write, doesn’t it? When I wrote “Sterling”, there was a critical fight scene at the end of the book. I did have several scenes before that which also involved training room sparring. That scene made me go back and re-evaluate how I wrote every action scene in my book. It’s not a movie, so I couldn’t rely on what I was seeing in my head. Somehow, I needed to get into the scene and ask myself some basic questions:

Is that physically possible to do?

Can she extend her leg in that manner and reach hisabdomen while in that position?

All of a sudden, I found myself in a situation where I either needed to re-enact the scenes, or go out on the streets and have a rumble with some thugs.

I decided not to go with the latter.

It also put me in an interesting situation (given I am a lover, not a fighter) and have no formal training in martial arts, kickboxing, nor have I ever been to Fight Club. I do have an insatiable love of action movies. A writer has to be very careful about every scene they write. Your fight scene may only be one paragraph, but if you have no experience, then you could write yourself into a hot mess. So, to get around this, I decided it was necessary for me to re-enact the fight scenes in my living room. On one occasion, I lost track of time, the sun went down, and my blinds were left open. I’m sure my neighbors got an eyeful.

This has become an important process in my writing. To make sure that every detail is properly researched and considered. I wish that I had a list of some of the topics that I’ve had to Google and spend hours reading up on. This might be an example of some of my search keywords:

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What does the interior of an Aston Martin look like? What does the key look like?

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What is the difference between energy and electricity?

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Italian Wars

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Apple harvest season (which was excluded from the book due to an improbability)

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Medieval swords

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What do people put in an omelet? (Oh, don’t judge me for this one)

You are responsible for making sure, to the best of your ability, that readers are not thrown out of a scene because you didn’t do your research. The last thing I wanted was for someone who knew about cars to look at a one sentence scene and say, “That is NOT what a key to an Aston Martin looks like!”

So it’s become very important for me to not make assumptions when it comes to writing about any small detail that I’m not familiar with. Could things be missed? Of course, but writing has taught me a valuable lesson in not relying solely on my imagination. That will only get you so far.

It’s also made me want to take some Judo lessons.

 STERLING

Zoë Merrick lived an ordinary life until late one night, she was brutally attacked and left for dead.

A man named Adam spotted her running down the road covered in blood, and took her under his wing. Zoë didn't just survive that night - she underwent a physical transformation and acquired strange new abilities. Severed from her old life, her frustration grows as she tries to comprehend what's happening to her.

Serendipity leads her to Justus. He's handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. Zoë learns the truth about what she is and where she truly belongs. This world is dangerous for a young Mage and the only way she'll understand her power is by putting her trust in this man, and accepting the protection he offers.

When her immortal freedom is threatened by the one man who has a right to claim her, Zoë learns the price of freedom...and the value of loyalty.

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TWIST

Months after moving to the mysterious city of Cognito, Silver is developing her gifts as a Mage and learning how to live under new laws. She is forced to give up her old life and live in secret among the humans. There is finally hope of leading an ordinary life . . . until Logan Cross walks into it.

Their chance meeting leads her close to discovering the identity of the nameless Mage who once stole her light and discovered the unique power she possesses. That knowledge poses an unimaginable threat to Silver, fueling her search to find out who he is, before he finds her first.

Lives are at stake. Truths are revealed. And an unexpected passion ignites.

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Impulse (Mageri Series: Book 3) Due this Fall

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