Castle Walls Editing

Category: Scene It First

  • Scene It First with Nikki Davenport

    Scene It First with Nikki Davenport

    On November 15, 2023, romance author Nikki Davenport joined me for a fascinating episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, we celebrated the release of Nikki’s debut romance, International Incident, and then Nikki shared a wealth of information about writing romance and delved into all the excitement that comes with your debut year.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor, developmental editor, or proofreader of more than 300 books.

    About Nikki Davenport

    Nikki Davenport is the author of the Crown and Heart series and has been crafting stories about falling in love for as long as she can remember. She holds a BA in history and a master’s in social work. Paddling with a dragon boat racing team of fellow breast cancer survivors and working in the
    education field keep Nikki busy. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two snarky teens, and a pair of spoiled feline overlords. She belongs to a fabulous book club and is almost always listening to an audiobook or podcast.

    To learn more about Nikki, visit www.nikkidavenport.com.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First with Carol Fisher Saller

    Scene It First with Carol Fisher Saller

    On January 24, 2024, writer and editor Carol Fisher Saller joined me for a lively, information-packed episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, Carol shared her insights into both traditional and indie publishing, as well as her experiences as the author of fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor, developmental editor, or proofreader of more than 300 books.

    About Carol Fisher Saller

    Carol is a one-time children’s book editor and a long-time manuscript editor with an insider’s knowledge of book publishing from both the writer’s and the editor’s side of the desk. Her books include Eddie’s War, The Bridge Dancers, Maddie’s Ghost, and The Subversive Copy Editor.

    Website: www.carolsaller.com

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First with L. Marie Wood (Ep. 8)

    Scene It First with L. Marie Wood (Ep. 8)

    On August 23, 2023, award-winning psychological horror author L. Marie Wood joined me for the eighth episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, we talked about the similarities of horror and romance, psychological horror, Black women in horror, and the first scene of her novella Telecommuting. See more about Lisa below.

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor, developmental editor, or proofreader of more than 300 books.

    About L. Marie Wood

    Lisa has written six novels, 150 short stories, seven feature-length screenplays, and several short screenplays.

    Lisa’s novel The Promise Keeper won the Golden Stake Award for Literature at the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival. Lisa won Best Horror Screenplay at the NOVA International Film Festival, Best Afrofuturism/Horror/Sci-Fi Screenplay at Urban Media Makers Film Festival, and Best Short Screenplay Indo-Global International Film Festival.

    Lisa’s first novel and first short story collection were on the long list for the coveted Bram Stoker award. Her short story “The Ever After” was part of the Bram Stoker Finalist anthology Sycorax’s Daughters, and Lisa was recognized in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 15 (2004) and as one of the 100+ Black Women in Horror Fiction (2018).

    Website: Lmariewood.com

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First with Delancey Stewart, Marika Ray, Melanie Summers and Kelly Collins (Ep. 7)

    Scene It First with Delancey Stewart, Marika Ray, Melanie Summers and Kelly Collins (Ep. 7)

    On July 19, 2023, acclaimed romance authors Delancey Stewart, Marika Ray, Melanie Summers, and Kelly Collins joined me for the seventh episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, we enjoyed a lively roundtable discussion of writing romance and of how these friends and writing partners each approach their craft. See more about each author below.

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor, developmental editor, or proofreader of more than 300 books.

    About Delancey Stewart

    USA Today bestselling author Delancey Stewart pens steamy, small-town rom-coms that run the gamut of settings and setups, but they always deliver humor, heart, and heat. It’s a guarantee.

    www.delanceystewart.com

    About Marika Ray

    Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author who writes steamy rom-coms to brighten your day. All her books come with a money-back guarantee you’ll laugh at least once with every story.

    www.marikaray.com

    About Melanie Summers

    Having sold more than a quarter of a million books around the globe, Melanie Summers has received a Silver Medal and two Bronze Medals at the Readers’ Favorite Awards in the Chick Lit Category.

    www.melaniesummersbooks.com

    About Kelly Collins

    The internationally bestselling author of over 30 novels, Kelly Collins incorporates real-life events to craft stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.

    www.authorkellycollins.com

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First Interview with Mary SanGiovanni (Ep. 6)

    Scene It First Interview with Mary SanGiovanni (Ep. 6)

    On July 12, 2023, the queen of cosmic horror, Mary SanGiovanni, joined me for the sixth episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, Mary talked about her fiction, author collaborations, cosmic horror, and her recent novel in the Alien universe: Alien: Enemy of My Enemy. (You’ll also want to watch for a quick cameo from a certain horror legend.)

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Mary SanGiovanni

    Mary SanGiovanni is an award-winning American horror and thriller writer of over a dozen novels, including the Hollower trilogy, Thrall, Chaos, the Kathy Ryan series, and others, as well as numerous novellas, short stories, comics, and nonfiction. Her work has been translated internationally, and she has a master’s degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University, Pittsburgh, and is currently a member of the Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Penn Writers.

    Mary was a cohost on the popular podcast The Horror Show with Brian Keene and her own podcast-turned-blog on cosmic horror, Cosmic Shenanigans, and she is currently a cohost of The Ghost Writers Podcast. She has the distinction of being one of the first women to speak about writing at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, and she offers talks and workshops on writing around the country. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mary currently resides in Pennsylvania.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First Interview with Deborah Halverson (Ep. 5)

    Scene It First Interview with Deborah Halverson (Ep. 5)

    On May 24, 2023, YA author Deborah Halverson joined me for the fifth episode of the Scene It First series, sponsored by Fictionary. In this series, I speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, Deborah talks about her book Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and shares helpful insights on writing YA fiction. Later in the episode we look at the first scene from her novel Big Mouth and take questions from the audience.

     

     

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Deborah Halverson

    An editor at Harcourt Children’s Books for 10 years, Deborah is the author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, Writing New Adult Fiction, the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth, the picture book Letters to Santa, and three books in the Remix series for struggling readers.

    Armed with a master’s degree in American literature and a fascination with pop culture, she sculpts stories from extreme events and places—tattoo parlors, fast-food joints, and, perhaps most extreme of all, high schools.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First Interview with Marshall J. Moore (Ep. 4)

    Scene It First Interview with Marshall J. Moore (Ep. 4)

    On April 26, 2023, I was thrilled to welcome fantasy author Marshall J. Moore to the fourth episode of Fictionary‘s Scene It First series, in which we speak with bestselling, award-winning authors to talk about first scenes, share secrets of writing craft, and celebrate the stories that thrill and inspire us all.

    In this episode, Marshall talks about an encounter with Jackie Chan and his approach to writing fantasy, including his strategy for world-building and his incorporation of setting elements. Later in the episode we look at the first scene from his novel The Pale City and take questions from the audience.

     

     

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Marshall J. Moore

    Marshall J. Moore is a writer and martial artist who was born and raised on Kwajalein, a tiny Pacific island. He has trained a professional mercenary in unarmed combat, sold a thousand dollars’ worth of teapots to Jackie Chan, and was once tracked down by a bounty hunter for owing $300 in overdue fees to the Los Angeles Public Library. An active member of SFWA, Marshall has been published by the Escape Artists podcast network, Air and Nothingness Press, Mysterion, and many others. His short story “Red Lanterns” won second place in the 2022 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Megan, and their two cats.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First Interview with Rio Youers (Ep. 3)

    Scene It First Interview with Rio Youers (Ep. 3)

    The third episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series welcomed bestselling author Rio Youers on March 22, 2023.

    In this episode, Rio talked about his graphic adaptations (Sleeping Beauties, Refrigerator Full of Heads) and novels such as The Forgotten Girl, Halcyon, Lola on Fire, and No Second Chances.

    Just before the seven-minute mark, Rio shares his experience writing Westlake Soul, and it absolutely gave me chills. You won’t want to miss it.

     

     

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Rio Youers

    Rio Youers is the British Fantasy and Sunburst Award–nominated author of Westlake Soul and Lola on Fire. His 2017 thriller, The Forgotten Girl, was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. He is the writer of Refrigerator Full of Heads, a new six-issue series from DC Comics, and Sleeping Beauties, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King and Owen King. Rio’s new novel, No Second Chances, is available now from William Morrow.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First with Delancey Stewart (Ep. 2)

    Scene It First with Delancey Stewart (Ep. 2)

    The second episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series welcomed bestselling romance author Delancey Stewart on February 22, 2023.

    In this episode, Delancey talked about all things romance, writing strategies, and her favorite tropes.

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register.

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).

  • Scene It First with Jonathan Janz (Ep. 1)

    Scene It First with Jonathan Janz (Ep. 1)

    The first episode of the Fictionary Scene It First interview series kicked off with my interview of horror author Jonathan Janz on January 25, 2023.

    Janz is one of my favorite authors, so it was a true pleasure to speak with him about his celebrated career, his upcoming works, and his insights on scene construction.  

    Upcoming interviews can be joined live by registered members of the Fictionary community, and it’s always free to register. 

    In addition to hosting the Scene It First series, James Gallagher is the owner of Castle Walls Editing, a Fictionary-Certified StoryCoach Editor, and the copy editor of more than 250 books.

    About Fictionary

    Fictionary is a story-editing software that allows writers and editors to glean insights and perform developmental edits on their works using Fictionary’s 38 story elements for character, plot, and setting.

    The software also provides attractive visual reports, including the story arc (showing location of the inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, and climax), as well as reports illustrating such items as the story map, character list, and word count per scene.

    More information can be found at Fictionary.co.

    The Fictionary community can be found here (free to register).