CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

  As Carlie Simonsen, I originally wrote this piece for the Dark Side Down Under website, six months ago, and we’ve asked her to repeat it here. Carlie writes mostly speculative and paranormal fiction for Younger readers, and very rarely hint at romance. She also writes science fiction ( Dear Tiger , Rocky to the Rescue ), fantasy ( Assassin, Not ), contemporary ‘reality’ with a twist ( Long Hair , Tag Man One , The Dog’s Way ), science-fiction-fantasy blends ( Spit ), and contemporary reality with no twist ( Legacy of Dreams , All Alone ) . So, p eople ask me why I write for a younger audience, and what they need to do in order to write successfully for that age group. Over the years, I’ve come up with the following tips, or rules: The first rule is DON’T WRITE DOWN: No one likes being talked down to, or having it all explained as if they are too stupid to work it out for themselves. Just write the story. Write to entertain. Youngers are *young*; they’re not morons, ...

Not a lot of writing achieved this week (if you don’t count blog entries). I focused a bit more on my photography, and did a bit of needed sewing, as well as catch-up on what I didn’t get done when the internet slowed down. Overall, it was a productive week. Overview New words produced: 4,272 Old words revised: 0 Works completed: 0 Works revised: 0 Covers created: 0 (1-2 variations) Works published: 0 (2-3 release platforms) Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Publishing Tasks I spent the week catching up on things that I’ve been putting off or neglecting, and in trying to get ahead on the blog entries . They were as follows: Created 12 blog entries for this blog; Updated the Tales of Tzamesch , Madeleine Torr, Carlie Simonsen and Simpson Anthologies pages on this blog; Created 6 blog entries for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog; Updated the Our Authors , Anthologies , Fantasy Fiction , Paranormal Romance , Contemporary and Romantic Suspense...

It's late - internet got uncooperative, so here it is. I got a bit done the week before last. Overview New words produced: 8,612 Old words revised: 32,845 Works completed: 1 Works revised: 1 Covers created: 2 (1-2 variations) Works published: 2 (2-3 release platforms) Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Tier 2 Tasks: Other Projects —added 2,073 words. Tier 3 Tasks: ChapBook16A— Troll Mist Morning : Revised, edited, formatted, assigned cover and released. Extras Annual1— 365 Days of Zombies : Added 4,688 words Publishing Tasks Created 7 blog entries for this blog; Created 4 blog entries for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog; Created covers for Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat and Magick on the Forest’s Edge Formatted Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat on behalf of C.M. Simpson Publishing for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle; Formatted Magick on the Forest’s Edge for upload to Smashwords and Amazon-Kindle; Formatted Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat o...

Troll-Mist Morning is the story of a teen who goes the extra mile so his mum can feel safe. Early morning starts, and standing around in the mist in the middle of winter, however, are one thing; trolls are another. When magic returns to the world and the trolls come, too, how is Daniel going to get his mum to see sense? Troll-Mist Morning is the first book in the series exploring what happens When Worlds Collide . When Daniel’s mum wakes him at five-thirty in the morning, he knows it’s so she can go and take photographs. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times he points out that most photographers take their early morning shots in perfect safety, his mum just can’t feel safe—so Daniel goes with her, even when its early and cold and the mist hasn’t cleared. Especially when the mist hasn’t cleared. Muggers, Daniel can handle, but what on Earth is he going to do about trolls? Troll-Mist Morning is about family, and caring for even the crazy members. It’s about a young per...