Jacqueline P Vincent

Fight Like a Girl by Aiki Flinthart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow, just what I needed when I needed it. Aiki’s book Fight like a Girl is brilliant and a must for all authors, filmmakers, directors to understand the way a female thinks and fights or defends herself in a conflict. It’s not all about females. My MG 5th century girl with pony survival adventure will have age appropriate, realistic skirmishes and attacks, thanks to Aiki’s book. Thank you.



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NaNoWriMo

This year’s writing challenge will see me write the draft to my latest work in progress. As I mentioned above; A middle grade girl with horse set in the fifth century AD. A time when the Romans chased the Barbarian hordes away from Rome lands and fell out with everyone else.

This particular horde, the Visigoths, who the Romans drove across northern Spain, came to settle in Galicia. My band of dispossessed Visigoths are a small group of farmers driven off their land. The Roman invaders then set about redistributing this fertile land to their favourites.

Gelvira, the main protagonist, is a skilled horsewoman, spoilt by her mama and naughty. The Chief of this band of homeless Visigoths gives Gelvira and her friends a job to keep them out of mischief. Find a new home.

Not sure how it will all end, I haven’t written it yet. This is where NaNo comes in, a place to challenge myself and complete a 50,000 draft in a month. Wish me luck. I may get distracted and disappear into the depths of research, which I might add, I love doing.

Book Cover Review

Amalie had a cover, not a great one, nor one that I was happy with, but she had a cover. This bugged me and I decided to create a stunning new cover. I thought, Yes, I could do this. I used all my current creative skills, a sexy art package, researched ideas and covers already within the genre’s ideals. Historic girl with horse adventure story, my story, apparently a niche category. I’m sure all girls love a girl with a horse a bit of adventure added in and touch of history story, I didn’t think my story was niche-worthy. The nearest category I could check for design was epic historical fantasy adventure, which is a niche but bigger than my niche. Are you following?

Anyhow, after researching and checking, I played, redid, created and fiddled for many hours with backgrounds, fonts, layers and produced a cover that I liked.

I thought, in my innocence, I’ll put it up for review in a group I belong to on Facebook which is full of talented authors, designers, and marketeers. Wow, what a response!

On the plus side, according to comments ‘it’s a good start’ didn’t they know how long it’s taken me to produce my offering? Another plus, many gave their time and knowledge on ways to improve my cover. But on the negative side people comment because they can and a few made idiotic remarks. The most hurtful, only two people I might add, ‘get a cover designer’ and ‘do your research’. Blunt and not helpful.

A cover designer is, at the moment, out of the question. First, there are so many that I don’t know where to start. Second, the ones I’ve looked at and those are many, I didn’t like their work. Third, the cost, not of the design that’s right, but of expensive mistakes.

The research side. I explained to the two nay-sayers that Amalie is well researched, fit for the period, and a lovely story.

I stopped the comments after eighty; the feedback overwhelmed me. I’ve accepted that areas of the cover need looking at and although I haven’t got a wonderful, eye-catching blockbuster book cover, I have extra information and avenues to follow, thanks to those lovely people who know far more than I do.