Tattoo of Crimson by Sarah Chislon: Author Guest Post and Giveaway

Hello all, please join me in welcoming author Sarah Chislon to my blog today. Sarah is on virtual tour for her book Tattoo of Crimson and she’s stopping by today to discuss her Top Ten Writing Practices. Read on for details about her book and also for a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card. Details below.

Book details:

Tattoo of Crimson by Sarah Chislon
(Blood of the Fae, #1)
Publication date: January 17th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Mystery

Synopsis:

Society, suitors, and…serial murders?

As much as she desires to please her family, gently-bred herbalist Jessa Caldwell has no intention of making a suitable match—not when she’s seeking the truth about the taint of the fae that lies within her. If she’s to escape the madness brought on by fae-touch, she must devote her energies to seeking a cure.

But then mysterious tattoos begin to appear on the citizens of Avons. None recall receiving these harbingers of death, but all die at the hand of an untraceable killer days or weeks after being marked.

When the tattoo appears on her beloved mentor, Jessa seeks the Magistry with information on the case—yet they refuse to consider her findings, so she must risk both social censure and her own safety to hunt for the killer herself.

Her one possible ally represents her greatest fear—the encroaching Otherworld consuming her mind—and may well undo all her efforts to control her fae-touch. Yet if she forsakes the offered aid, the killer will go free.

Something sinister stalks the streets of her city, and she must decide…how far will she go to stop the killing?

Tattoo of Crimson, a gaslamp fantasy novel, is the first book in the Blood of the Fae series. If you like quick-minded heroines who solve cases with logic and intuition, beautiful yet deadly fae, and Otherworldly intrigues, then you’ll love this mystery set in a world of manners and mythical monsters.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63216952-tattoo-of-crimson

Purchase links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GOMlGz
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tattoo-of-crimson-sarah-chislon/1142912533?ean=9781958755037

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/tattoo-of-crimson/id6444664981
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/tattoo-of-crimson

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Top Ten Writing Practices
by Sarah Chislon

When I consider my writing practices, I find that I must start with mindset, which provides the foundation for developing the more technical skills needed to write fiction. Without further ado, here are ten tips for writers.

1. Know your strengths and utilize them in your writing. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of Clifton Strengths, I highly recommend checking out the resources offered by Becca Syme, which help interpret the Clifton strengths for the writing community. The central concept behind Clifton Strengths is that we go further faster using our strengths to approach any area of work, life, and creativity. So it’s worth learning your own unique combination of strengths and using them as a springboard for success.
2. Don’t compare your process to others. Certainly, learn and glean from those before you on the path—and be willing to experiment—but don’t expect to fit into the same exact box as another writer (see the first point about unique combinations of strengths).
3. Keep your creative well filled. Enjoy great books, long walks in nature, quiet and meditation, or the company of others—whatever keeps your mind and creativity stimulated.
4. Cultivate curiosity, an inquiring mind, and a sense of wonder. As Albert Einstein once said, “imagination is everything.”
5. Never stop learning craft. Read books on writing. Take courses. Read excellent books in your genre and outside of it.
6. Be willing to write a mediocre first draft. Like all these tips, your milage may vary, depending on your strengths, but I find it invaluable to let the words pour out in the first draft without worrying about perfection. Then I flesh things out and polish during edits.
7. Track your time. I’m in the middle of writing a series with preorders, and the fact that I’ve tracked my time writing prior books has given me the knowledge of how long it typically takes me to draft, edit, and produce a finished novel. That’s been immeasurably helpful in allowing me to set deadlines for preorders with more confidence.
8. Know your why. Why are you writing—in general and for a particular story? It will shape the decisions you make during the process.
9. Seek excellence. I want to know that I’ve crafted each story I release into the world with as much skill and excellence in craft as I currently possess. Of course, as writers, we’re learning and growing with each book, but take the time to develop your work well, whatever that looks like for you. 10. Enjoy the journey. It’s a gift to write and create, so if you find you’re approaching burnout/not enjoying the process, then take a step back and make time to reignite the spark that got you writing in the first place.

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Giveaway Details:
Tour-wide giveaway (INT)
$25 Amazon gift card
Ends Feb 2nd

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN Good luck!

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AUTHOR BIO:

Sarah Chislon lives in Virginia with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not writing, she’s homeschooling her children and running a web development business with her husband. As an avid reader and a lifelong story-weaver, she delights in creating fantastic worlds and exploring them alongside her characters.

To find out more about her, visit sarahchislon.com.

Special thanks to Xpresso Tours and thank you Sarah! Click here for the rest of the tour stops.