What I'm working on

My latest project: Awakening (Book #1 of The Geis)
by Christy Dorrity

I'm participating in a blog hop that was begun by my friend Mikey over at http://writtenbymikey.blogspot.com, and I was invited by my friend Stephanie over at http://stephaniefowers.wordpress.com. It's fun to read their answers to the questions. This should give you an idea of what I've been up to. Feel free to join in and let me know in the comments what you have been working on. 

1. What are you working on right now?

I just finished edits on AWAKENING (Book #1 in The Geis). It's my debut novel, and it's taken me a long time to get to this point, so I am really excited! It comes out in print and ebook on Amazon on September 24th. 

2. How does it differ from other works in its genre? 

AWAKENING is based in Celtic mythology, which is something I haven't seen a lot of. Like a lot of other young adult fantasy protagonists, McKayla finds out that she has abilities that she was unaware of before. But McKayla's powers are not the focus of the book. Her family teaches her to be true to herself, and that everyone has "gifts" that can be used for good or evil. There is quite a bit of Irish dancing in the book. Think Strictly Ballroom for Irish dancers. I think that those who already love Irish dance will be excited to read about it, and those who have seen Riverdance and think it is cool will enjoy it as well. Oh, and there's banshees. :) 

3. Why do you write what you do? 

I write what I'm passionate about. I love to read young adult books, and most of what I read is fantastic in some way, whether it's a fairy retelling, a paranormal thriller, or magical realism. I can't imagine writing a story without some kind of fantastic going on. Fantasy is a great way to escape the real world. I've been a dancer all of my life and when I was 22 I began Irish dancing. I'm fascinated with the rhythm, the music, the culture, the history, and the mythology. What could be more natural than a series of books about Irish dancing and Celtic mythology? 

4. How does your writing process work? 

I brainstorm with the help of my husband, and we do a lot of 'what if'-ing. Then I hang what I have of my plot on the 7 point story-structure as taught to me by Dan and Rob Wells. After that, I flesh out my structure with the "Save the Cat" method . Then comes a detailed outline. After that, I flesh out each scene as I write it, one at a time. Then come round after round of edits. I go through a content editor, and a copy editor. For this book I also consulted an editor in Ireland so that I could make sure that I had the mythology and Irish culture right. Because I am an Indie, writing the book is only half of the fun. Then comes creating the cover with my husband. He's pretty dang talented. I send the book to beta readers, and advanced readers, then we format the book for print and ebook. I'm not going to even go into the marketing. You get the picture. 

 It's a super fun process and I enjoy every step. What fun! What are you working on?