Guest Blogger Jennifer Murgia

My blog is being hosted by the lovely Jennifer Murgia. LEMNISCATE is the sequel to her debut ANGEL STAR. The tour, hosted by Mundie Moms Book Reviews, runs from December 9 - 18th. Take it away Jennifer.

3 Key Important Steps to Creating Your World

     Ahh . . . a good book, there’s nothing like losing yourself in it, right?

     To me, creating a world requires three important steps: believable characters, plausible issues, and “grab you-suck you in-keep you there” world building.

     (Okay, fine, I’d add a fourth - which would be writing in the hot bad boy of the story, but I was

only asked for three. Tee hee!)

     Let’s start with the first, shall we?

     Believable characters - They should be relatable, interesting, sometimes the type you wish you could smack over the head and beg to listen, because after all, you’re the reader, and you can totally see what’s coming, right? Uh huh, that’s where it gets interesting. Sometimes, the best characters are the ones who don’t listen; the ones who tell YOU what’s going to happen, and if you don’t like it, too bad. Just like real life: annoyingly believable.

     My personal favorite is the type I like to call the “human onion”. Little by little, you peel a layer back, and see what’s hiding underneath. I usually like my characters to have a secret by the time the last layer is pulled away, because more often than not, that secret is what makes the character three dimensional. It gives validity to their initial behavior throughout the story, and perhaps a taste of something yet to come.

     Plausible issues – nothing like a good hurdle to split your brain open! Allowing your characters depth is number one. Give them life. Let them feel, let them bleed, let them lash out and then think about what they’ve done. Pull today’s issues into the plot – bullying, love, jealousy.

     Today’s hottest books are Dystopian. Shelves are full of futuristic, one ruling government, coming of age, rebelling for all the right reasons type of stories. I can’t get enough of them, and I’m finding rather quickly, that this might be my favorite type of YA book at the moment. Are they plausible? Are they fantasy? Hmmm. Honestly, I’ve always wondered if the entertainment industry has something over us. Take a look at movies that depict end of the world, apocalyptic settings. What are they REALLY preparing us for? Since most of humanity relies on being entertained in one way or another, could this be a subliminal way to reach us? To help us plant that seed of “what if” in our heads?

     Lastly, the “grab you-suck you in-keep you there” world building! World building reminds me of a tea bag. You drop the tea bag into the water and slowly, the infusion begins. It builds, stretching and taking over until the entire mug is consumed. Every element must be included: sounds, smells, emotions, character quirks, movements, thoughts. I remember reading The Hunger Games and closing the book, feeling Panem was a REAL place. The arena was vivid and alive.

      Ultimately, let what you write teem with life. Give it breath and become it – chances are, while you’re writing, if you become immersed, your readers will too.

I want to thank Jennifer for stopping by my blog to give us some great advice. Now, if you haven't already, by all means go and check out her books and pick them up. Please visit Mundie Moms Book Reviews for more information on the tour.

You can visit the Lemniscate webpage or you can go to Amazon | Barnes and Noble to purchase these books.

Here are the blog tour dates and sites so you can go and check them out. 

12/9- Mundie Moms, tour kick off

12/10- Reader Girls, review & giveaway

12/11- Regina-Unsettled, guest post

12/12- Confessionofavi3tbabe, character interview

12/13- Clean Fiction, review & giveaway

12/14- ReaderBenj, guest post

12/15- A Blog About Nothing, excerpt

12/16- Pager Turners Blog, review

12/17- The Book Vortex, author interview
12/18- Mundie Moms, mini character & author interview

Meet the Author Jennifer Murgia. You can follow Jennifer on Twitter and Facebook, and visit her site here. 

Giveaway: 

During the duration of the tour, be sure to enter Jennifer Murgia's Be An Angel, Give A Book Contest. Purchase a copy of Angel Star or Lemniscate during the month of December and email your receipt to jennifermurgia8@gmail.com for your chance to be "an angel". Both books in the name of the winner randomly chosen will be donated to that winner's choice of library. ALL those who enter, will be entered to win a Goodie Basket of Lands Atlantic books. That winner will be announced on Jan. 2nd, 2012 on Jennifer's site.