Manuscript Maniac Newsletter #4
October 5th, 2024
A New Month, A New Set Of Goals
Hello writers and readers! I’m writing this newsletter late at night and far advanced compared to my usual. I have SO many updates for you - and the least of which is that I’m going to be far less active online due to upheaval of my usual daily routines. So, let’s get into that.
BTS Books
I want to start off by offering some fun news to you all: I’m going to be self publishing six novels in 2025 rather than my original five. Those books include a wide variety of epic fantasy reads. But what is this additional book? Well, I’m glad you wondered because I’m going to reveal to you, my newsletter audience (far in advance) some details regarding it. The first being the title! The first book I’m going to publish in 2025, in January, is Of Cold, Silver Storms. It’s the first book in a trilogy called “The Raincycle” and has strong political leans. This has been one of my more covert projects of 2024 and has been my closest to publication for a while. It features a blind MMC, rebellions, plagues, and a unique fantasy setting that I adore. Stay tuned for more info regarding this manuscript in future newsletters, including advanced release date news, special offers, and some other fun *secret* things that I can’t talk about yet.
Fear not, however, as I still intend to query next year as well! Currently, I am amid editing seven different manuscripts and drafting several others. However, with the changes in my life as of late, I am usually working on one first draft at a time among 1-4 editing projects. My priorities right now include finishing BonesingerWIP draft four to get it back to betas after finding several errors in plot and line level when trying to send it out the first time, editing BirdWIP (my second 2025 release), editing DartWIP to prepare for querying alongside BonesingerWIP, and editing Of Cold Silver storms in preparation for hiring an editor.
I’m doing a dozen other things, but some of the most notable are as follows:
I’m writing one flash fiction piece a week, in hopes to do magazine submissions in early 2025
I’m researching and considering 2025 mentorship programs to better my writing
I’m planning the Of Cold, Silver Storms virtual and IRL release parties - alongside potential venues for book signings
I’m gathering blurbs alongside a separate street team for book promo in 2025
Many more!
As you can see, I’ll have a lot to talk about soon - so stay tuned!
Reading Recap
This past month was a slower reading month than my usual, but I barely read any audiobooks and ebooks (which boosted my reading last month to insane levels). Plus, I’ve been preparing for the things I’ll speak about in the segments below. I don’t think this month will be better, actually (it might be worse) so hopefully I’ll be able to get some reading in.
Midnight Son by Marie Sinadjan
This was my one and only ebook of this month, and it was a novella. Still, I think Sinadjan’s take on Norse mythology and the way she portrays magic in her stories in phenomenal. Definitely entertaining!
Celestial Academy: Essence by Olivia Pharos
Definitely a bit more spicy than my other reads this month, even without actual sex scenes on the page. It was still good and the narrator portrayed the man character’s sass and unique voice perfectly.
This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal C. Mohtar
I finally read the trending book from Twitter (although I heard about it on Booktube long before the viral tweet from Bigolas Dickolas). It was definitely a bit weird, but every bit enjoyable as well.
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
So Let Them Burn was one of my most anticipated releases (and reads) for this year. I’m so excited to have read it. The worldbuilding, the characters — ugh! It’s hard to believe this was a debut, it was so good.
Rhythm Of War by Brandon Sanderson
I also FINALLY finished my readthrough of Rhythm Of War by Brandon Sanderson! My goodness, this book took me over a year to read all the way through. Not for lack of entertainment, but for the amount of memorization and comprehension it takes to read a Sanderon novel. So good!
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
I think this book ruined me for October and the end of September. It was SO good and so much darker than expected. I was so enthralled that afterward I craved reading but couldn’t seem to find anything that compared. Can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy!
Up Next: Reads
Next I hope to read the following books throughout the month of October:
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sara J. Maass
Red Tigress by Amelie Wen Zhao
Crimson Reign by Amelie Wen Zhao
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Fall Of Ruin And Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
And more!
My Goodreads Account for full, spoiler-free reviews:
My StoryGraph Account for full, spoiler-free reviews:
Author Shout-Out
This month’s author shout out definitely goes to my friend, Percy Anthony or /writesbyanthony on Twitter! They’ve been an absolute cheerleader for my work on my different works and WIPs this year. They’ve kept me motivated when I’ve felt low and they’re kind enough to make art of my characters across several different stories. If I could shout them out every time, I might just do so. Genuinely an incredible human being.
Announcements & News
More news, more announcements! I’m going to be releasing my first book in January, 2025 as you all know — but I will say the date for release is now… January 20th! And I’m working on my website, which should launch a few weeks before it releases alongside an Etsy shop to boot. On top of this, I’m going to be querying in March 2025 with two indie releases under my belt!
Author Interview: Ian Nathaniel Cohen
Yet another interview, yet another day! This month’s interview belongs to the incredible Ian Nathaniel Cohen — and I hope you all enjoy reading through it!
End Of IBOOK-BASED QUESTIONS: THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLACK FLAG
Me: Can you tell the readers what this book is about?
Ian: The Brotherhood of the Black Flag is set in 1721, when the newly-United Kingdom of Great Britain is beset by piracy, Jacobite uprisings, and an economic crisis. In the midst of this turmoil, newly out-of-work fencing instructor Michael McNamara, a disgraced former naval officer, heads to Jamaica in search of a new life. There he finds intrigue and adventure as he joins the crew of Captain Stephen Reynard, a dashing ex-pirate turned pirate hunter. McNamara’s travels with Reynard pit him against treacherous seas, an international conspiracy, and a ruthless buccaneer horde bent on mass death and destruction.
Me: How did you come up with the idea for The Brotherhood?
Ian: In addition to being part of the Princess Bride generation, which led to six years of fencing classes and a few months learning stage combat and fight choreography, I grew up on classic Hollywood swashbucklers. The movies not only got me interested the literature they were adapted from, but also the historical settings in which they took place. Eventually, I started coming up with my own ideas for swashbuckling adventures, kicking around different possible stories in different settings, until certain pieces just clicked into place.
Me: What was the most intriguing thing you had to research for this novel?
Ian: Probably the political climate of the day – everything from the state of piracy to likely enemies of whatever king I decided to use for the story, even the state of the economy and various social trends, all of which came into play one way or another. History cooperated with me so beautifully, and it was a lot of fun exploring less-familiar aspects of a semi-familiar age of history.
Me: Did The Brotherhood come to you naturally or did you have to let the idea simmer?
Ian: Oh, it simmered for years before I started typing a single word. Certain elements and action scenes were there from the get-go, and I mostly had my bad guy in place, but the idea of a pirate hunt came much later. Even when I started writing, there were certain plot points and character arcs that weren’t fully realized until later on – especially when it came to McNamara and what would be driving him. That last one was the hardest part to figure out, until I had a “eureka” moment – what if McNamara didn’t know what he wanted? That gave me a lot of momentum, but I still had to figure out how he’d gotten to that point in life and what had come before, which took some time to come up with.
Me: What makes The Brotherhood different from your current WIP?
Ian: Besides having improved as a writer since Black Flag, I think there are three key differences between The Brotherhood of the Black Flag and my current WIP, The Sherwood Gambit, a medieval heist thriller starring Robin Hood. The first is that for most of Black Flag, I had to keep things close to the vest. Readers – and McNamara – weren’t allowed to know what most of the cast was really up to, so the focus stayed entirely on McNamara until later in the book. With The Sherwood Gambit, however, all cards are pretty much on the table right from the get-go, so I can get into more characters’ heads and flesh them out all throughout the narrative.
The second is that the characters in Black Flag were all originals. Yeah, they drew from various archetypes and references to swashbuckling fiction across all mediums, but they were all created from scratch, except for the cameos by historical personages. With The Sherwood Gambit, almost all the characters came from Robin Hood lore, and my story is a pretty traditional take on the legends. I built up their characters and put some interesting details in their characterizations and backstories, but I can’t claim any of the characters as my own creations, except for a few supporting ones.
Lastly, when I went looking for ideas for a swashbuckling adventure story, I picked pirates simply because it’s what I had a complete idea for a story about. Robin Hood lore, on the other hand, has been a lifelong passion of mine – my dad introduced me to Errol Flynn’s The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) when I was about eight or nine, and when I was ten or eleven, my mom took me on a Robin Hood “pilgrimage” to see the Robin Hood museum in Sherwood Forest, as well as the Nottingham library, which hosts the largest collection of Robin Hood books in the world. So as much as I enjoyed writing The Brotherhood of the Black Flag, The Sherwood Gambit is a bit more of a passion project.
Me: What audience would you say The Brotherhood is for?
Ian: My target audience was adults, although there’s nothing in it certain younger readers can’t handle. It’s got the same level of violence, sexual content, and language as your average PG-13 summer blockbuster, so if you’re old enough for that, you can handle the stuff in Black Flag. However, I think adults will be the ones to resonate the most with McNamara. He got his dream job, did that job for years, and then he couldn’t do it anymore. So when the novel begins, he’s basically going “well…now what?” We’ve all been there - jobs, friendships, and relationships that didn’t pan out for one reason or another, or ended suddenly. Sometimes, that can leave some people feeling adrift, wanting to make a change but not knowing what kind of change to make.
That being said, younger readers – middle grade and young adult readers – might benefit from the warnings about the dangers of blind loyalty, and putting your own interests above the right – or smart – thing to do.
Me: What made you choose to open the story with pretext? How did you handle writing it?
Ian: In addition to wanting to thank all the people who helped with the novel right away – and there were a lot of people to thank – I also thought it would give me come credibility, especially for a literary debut. Listing and thanking some of my influences was a…for lack of a better term…passive-aggressive way to establish that I knew my stuff when it came to swashbuckling fiction. Thanking my editor and my beta readers before diving into the story also sent the signal to readers that this wasn’t something I just dashed out in a few weeks. This was something that had been vetted by multiple people, including a professional editor. I didn’t want to come out and just say that, so I tried to keep it as subtle as possible.
Also, I thought it would only be fair to readers to provide some content warnings, especially readers who think pirate stories are kids’ stuff. Yeah, Black Flag is mild by many people’s standards, but a heads up to more sensitive readers and parents is a considerate – and frankly, harmless – thing to do. (Still, I couldn’t resist taking a shot at parents who try to restrict what someone else’s kids read.)
Me: How did you learn to define chemistry in your characters like seen in the cast of the Brotherhood?
Ian: It was all about making sure the relationships between the characters make sense. That meant understanding the relationships between the characters, and deciding what made each connection unique. McNamara bonds with Catalina because she’s a naturally empathetic person who knows what it’s like to be a stranger in a strange land. He bonds with some of Reynard’s crew who were former navy, so there’s the comrades in arms angle there. One of them, Arthur Jones, is the same age as McNamara, but with a much different past and a very clear idea of what he wants in his future, inspiring some of McNamara’s own choices.
Me: How would you describe your dialogue style in the Brotherhood?
Ian: I try to keep it snappy, natural sounding, without sounding too inappropriate for the setting – Bernard Cornwell’s novels have been the best teacher I’ve ever had on how to do that. Also, I’d like to think being a movie buff has given me a good ear for dialogue, particularly for what does and doesn’t sound natural, especially in a historical setting.
Me: What would be your advice to writers pursuing indie publication?
Ian: When it comes to indie publishing, patience really is a virtue – it is the virtue. As an indie author, you get to set your schedule, rather than it being imposed upon you, so take advantage of that and take the time you need to get it right. Revise and edit as many times as it takes, and come up with a detailed a plan for getting the word out about your book.
SUBJECT: STAKES THROUGH THE HEART
Me: How do you "up the ante" in your novels?
Ian: Since I write adventure fiction, innocent lives in danger is usually a good way – the greater the scheme and the more lives in peril, the higher the stakes. However, making it personal makes for good drama, and will be more likely to hook your reader. It might seem overused, but it works.
Me: What do you believe is the most masterfully written or screen-played example stakes in recent fiction (not your own)?
Ian: There’s so many examples that come to mind, but one of the first was Lillie Lainoff’s debut novel One For All, a gender-swapped re-telling of The Three Musketeers. The overarching conspiracy that drives the plot is exciting and thrilling, but it’s the personal stakes surrounding the main character, Tania de Batz, that really hooked me. Not only is she struggling against being held back by social norms and a debilitating chronic illness, but also conflicting loyalties that threaten the bonds she’s made with her new comrades in arms. So there are some deeply personal stakes as well as a larger threat.
Me: How would you define the term: stakes?
Ian: At the most basic level, I think of stakes as an outcome a character wants. It doesn’t matter what those stakes are – saving the world, finding a lost artifact, starting a relationship, snagging that last slice of pizza. A writer’s job is to make the readers care about whether the character succeeds or fails in achieving whatever it is they’re trying to do.
Me: Does pantsing or outlining help, in some way, with stakes? Which is more beneficial?
Ian: They’re both beneficial in different ways. Outlining gives you a basic structure to work with, and makes sure your foundation is solid. So if the stakes are part of that foundation, you should be good to go. However, sometimes in the writing process, you may realize that something needs to changed somehow, and being willing to improvise will keep you from getting locked into something that isn’t working the way it needs to.
Me: Can stakes be overemphasized?
Ian: Anything can be overemphasized and overdone in writing. If you harp over and over again about what the stakes are and why they matter, you’re going to sound repetitive and have some pretty annoyed readers.
Me: How do you know that the stakes are too limited in your manuscript?
Ian: For me personally, that’s where beta readers come into play. When I review and revise my writing, my brain automatically fills in the holes in character arcs, plot, and stakes, because I know what’s supposed to be there. Having a second pair of eyes (or multiple pairs of eyes) look over my work makes sure all that got onto the page. They can also provide feedback on the stakes and whether they were interesting enough to be invested in.
Me: How do you establish stakes early on in a novel?
Ian: In the case of The Brotherhood of the Black Flag, the climax involves, among other things, preventing a pirate raid on Bristol. So early on, I gave McNamara some personal connections to Bristol and spent a whole chapter on him visit some old friends prior to his voyage to Kingston. So when the readers learn that Bristol is in danger, it’s not some random city on a map. They know some of the people and places that will be in the line of fire, which gives them a bit more sense of investment.
Me: What makes the stakes unique across different manuscripts?
Ian: Different manuscripts may have similar stakes – For example, there’s no shortage of books, movies, and comics that have New York City be threatened by one menace or another. However, the characters are different, with different motivations for trying to stop said menaces. One character might be trying to save New York to protect people they love from getting hurt. Another might have failed to protect someone previously, and they’re determined not to fail again. Those are the kinds of details that will make stories with similar stakes stand out from each other.
Me: Do you use any resources to study and improve your writing of stakes?
Ian: Social media’s given me some interesting insights about the kinds of stakes people might and might not care about. For example, both The Brotherhood of the Black Flag and The Sherwood Gambit revolve around plots against a king. However, the specific kings in question aren’t the kinds of people most folks would shed a tear for, should something happen to them. Heck, I’m under the impression most people aren’t fans of monarchies and monarchs in general. But instead of this being a constraint, I work with it by shifting the focus to the collateral damage. Instead of protecting a king, the heroes are trying to protect all the innocent people the bad guys are going to kill to get to the king.
Me: Do you have any advice for writers trying to up the stakes in their novel?
Ian: Like I said before, the most important question to answer when it comes to stakes is “why should the reader care?” However big or small the stakes might seem, if you get your readers to care about them, then you’re good to go.
MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS
Me: What are your future projects, if any?
Ian: Once The Sherwood Gambit is done, I plan to branch out to other genres. I have some mysteries set in the 1930s/1940s – a novel and two (so far) short stories, and I’m collaborating on a fantasy series with a longtime friend and fellow writer. I’ve also got a retelling of the King Arthur legends from the POV of Sir Gawaine, who in the original legends was Arthur’s top knight until the French introduced Launcelot. If I’m lucky enough to afford an artist at some point, I also have a couple of graphic novel projects I’d love to do.
And there’s always the one about the high school student who gets involved in an underground pun-dueling fight club…
Me: Where are you most active on social media?
Ian: Twitter for now, although I don’t know for how much longer, given what a train wreck that’s been. Unfortunately, no other platform’s taken off enough except Bluesky, and the momentum on building that up has been kinda slow. I used to have a Facebook Author page, although Facebook’s made it impossible for those to get any traction, so I’ve basically abandoned it.
Me: What is one book you would recommend to our newsletter audience? (please provide genre, age group, premise, etc.)
Ian: Just one? Oy. There are a lot to choose from, but I’m going to go with C.B. Lee’s A Clash of Steel, a Treasure Island “remix” set in 19th century China revolving around the exploits of China’s pirate queen, Zheng Yi-sao, the most successful pirate captain in history. It was such a delight to read, with such compelling characters and such beautiful writing, I read through it in a single day. It’s definitely a book that could use more attention. This historical thriller is ideal for young adult and adult readers alike, especially fans of swashbuckling adventure fiction – as long as you’re not an anti-LGBTQA bigot, anyway.
My current WIP and likely next novel, The Sherwood Gambit, is a very different story of Robin Hood than the one I originally planned to write. The original concept focused on Robin Hood’s rivalry with Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a ruthless outlaw hunter who could give Robin the ultimate challenge – an enemy capable of outthinking him as well as outfighting him, and ruthless enough to do whatever it took to destroy Robin Hood once and for all. Unfortunately, after 100 pages, I realized this idea wasn’t working. Not only was the story too dark and gritty, but Robin didn’t really have anything to do in the story except not die, and I wasn’t giving readers a reason to care if he did or not. He was a dour character who wasn’t fun to write and likely wouldn’t be fun to read. So I shelved this mess of a story for years and went on to make my literary debut with a thriller about pirates.
Somehow, I came across an article about the Staffordshire Hoard, a massive treasure-trove of Anglo-Saxon gold, silver, and jewels. This triggered an idea for a story about a heist thriller set hundreds of years ago, either involving the Staffordshire Hoard itself or something similar. As I was kicking around potential historical settings for such a caper, an idea suddenly popped into my head - why not work the heist into the now-dormant Robin Hood book? If nothing else, it would make Robin a more active protagonist, and it was a chance to write him as the adventurous daredevil we all know and love, rather than an embittered chronic scowler. It also added stakes to the story, which would work in some lesser-known aspects of a semi-familiar piece of English history. Best of all, I wouldn’t have to sacrifice the clash of titans between Robin and Gisbourne I’d originally conceived of. On the contrary, working in the heist made their feud even stronger. It was a ton of work revising those hundred pages I had into a brand-new story with brand-new stakes and a completely different tone, but honestly, it was worth it in the end.
So to my fellow writers who might be facing the prospect of a rewrite, because what you’ve got isn’t working for whatever reason…I get it. It’s a daunting task, no question. However, in the end, it may be just what your book needs. Just don’t think of the time spent on your original version as lost or wasted. Instead, think of it as a dry run, a chance to work out any issues with your story. Also, even if you do decide to rewrite the whole thing, don’t be too quick to toss away what you already have – there might be some scenes you can salvage. A few of my scenes from the original draft were worked into the current one, so I’m glad I didn’t start from scratch.
That’s the end of the interview with Ian Nathaniel Cohen. If you want to see more of Cohen’s work - check out the button below and purchase his novel, Brotherhood Of The Black Flag!
Special (re)Sources
This segment is for every newsletter and contains a playlist of resources, a Spotify podcast, and various other links for your perusal!
Playlist: “Writing” by Mariana Vieira
Podcast: “The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed” on Spotify
Craft Book: “The Emotional Thesaurus” by Becca Pugsli
Article: Publisher’s Marketplace
Random Resource: Libby
Random Writes: College, Work & Other Updates
Oh wow, this next month (October) is going to be a crazy one! The month begins with me getting my wisdom teeth extracted, but on top of that I’m restarting college and recently got a job. I’m currently taking classes for an English and Creative Writing double major, but am working on undergraduate credits. I was in college for psychology but stepped down because of my issues with testing. I’ve never been a good exam-taker. I’m excited to begin with a class on science fiction and general fiction, however, and have to pick up my school textbooks soon after writing this.
In other news, I did get a job (so yes - I’ll be working full time and doing college full time, while working on four different editing projects and another first draft in order to self publish and query in 2025!) and it’s one I really wanted. I’m excited to meet new people and be good at what I’m doing. I even met a prior coworker I’d been friends with at another job and am excited to move forward with working, now with a clear mind!
Conclusion
That’s all for this newsletter! The next newsletter will be at the end of September, the last Saturday of the month. I look forward to speaking to you all again!
FAQ
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