I’m excited to host “Spotlight” Author on my blog. Please join me to welcome #RRBC member Karl Morgan. We will learn more about his writing, his life and his book Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen.

Sometimes I wish I was an Outliner and not a Pantser

In my darkest thoughts, I see an author who outlines their story even before they start to write. How smug to know where your story is going before you get there. You snicker under your breath when you encounter a pantser like me who is desperately searching for the next idea to keep their story alive. You have to leave the room before you burst into hysterics of laughter as you see the poor, sad pantser shake their head while deleting days or weeks of work. Later, the outliners will gather for a coffee or beer to share their superiority and disdain for the lowly pantser.

I said that was my darkest thoughts, right? Of course, the outliner is nothing like that. We are all on the same road and heading toward the same destination: Popular Authorville. We all live for our characters, stories, and love of words. Each of us is a storyteller first and foremost. I also know that an outline is only a plan. Having spent many, many years in the corporate world, I recognize that plans always require tweaks if not complete overhauls.

In a way, that makes me an outliner too, but just barely. When my fingers first hit the keyboard, I have an idea I believe will make a perfect crescendo finish. Reality sets in after a few pages and that conclusion begins to morph. For example, in my book 2125: Home of the Brave, I expected the bombing of the cannibal stronghold would be the end. Blow up the evil dudes and the hero wins. Yay! I got to that point and said, “Meh. Too easy.” Trust me. It really was not easy. In fact, it was horrifying. Someday, I will tell you about Galloping Goblins. Anyway, I decided my hero, Jack Kennedy (no, not the one you think), needed a more dastardly finale. In the final ending, Jack was slowly being sliced to pieces by the leader of the cannibals. Yada, yada, yada, he survives and wins.

Ultimately, I am thrilled to be a pantser, although I prefer to call it a stream-of-consciousness writer. First, because that is the way my brain works. I also believe my story improves as I go along. New ideas pop in my head, I switch gears, and am off to the races again. Of course, there is a downside. With the story I am writing now, I got totally off-track. That is easy to do when you are dealing with supernatural beings, time travel, and alternate universes. I had to take out my trusty machete and whack off a bunch of text that did not fit where I wanted to go. Currently, I am on a hiatus from that tale while my mind rests and figures out the next steps.

It does not matter what writing style you like. If you like it, that is what counts. We each need to remember something truly amazing about us. We are writers! That is an incredible gift and a rare talent indeed. We are on the same journey, and as members of the Rave Reviews Book Club, we take that trip together. Whether you use a computer, dictation software, tablet, Smith-Corona typewriter, or even a legal pad, you write. We are artists and masters of the written word. Embrace and celebrate that! We will all leave a legacy in print that will survive long after we are gone (except me of course, I plan to live forever…). Today, I celebrate you.

CARL PRESCOTT AND THE DEMON QUEEN

Carl Prescott may have saved the world from the Beast, but the duties of the Invisible Hand never end. The story begins when a medieval castle is discovered hidden beneath the Thorndike Institution. While the professors search for clues, our hero is summoned to Hell to meet the demon Sylvia. She once ruled a satanic kingdom in Eastern Europe from that castle, and will do so again.

There is much more to this beautiful woman than evil intentions. To stop her plan, Carl must first understand why she is so focused on him. To learn the truth, he must face God, Satan, and Death. In this nonstop action-packed adventure, he must stand at the Crossroads of Existence and cross the Rope Bridge to meet his destiny.

If he succeeds, life can return to normal. If not, the galaxy and every soul therein will be devoured by a voracious black hole, which even God will be powerless to stop.

Author Bio:

Karl Morgan has a lifelong fascination with stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres, whether it was the Tom Swift novels by Victor Appleton he read as a young boy, or television like Lost in Space and Star Trek, and especially films like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. All of those tales put the protagonist in terrible situations where the odds are against them and, yet, somehow they prevail. The reader/viewer is always left with a sense that something greater than ourselves is watching over us.

In his new Carl Prescott young adult fantasy series, the journey continues as our hero faces terrible danger and odds to help his friends and family. At the end, he will learn new things that will change his perspective on life.

Karl lives in the San Diego area with his best, four-legged friend, his toy poodle Chachis.

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