Book Previews
Written by Karlissa J
Did you know I posted previews of my first four books to my blog? It was a long time ago, so I thought I’d repost the links here!
Click on each of the books to read the first few pages!
Books on Bats
Written by Karlissa J
If you’re interested in learning more about the stars of my first book, Kingdom of Bats, here are a few books I’ve found to be worthwhile reads!
“The Secret Lives of Bats” by Merlin Tuttle (2015)
This biography/bat-book was written by Merlin Tuttle, a leader in bat photography (including for the National Geographic) and conservation. Inside are stories of charming bats – friendly and intelligent – for the animal lover. For those who like a little thrill, there are retellings of potentially dangerous and deadly troubles the author has found (or often enough, put) himself in, which vary between quite humorous and sobering. And there is lots about the people – from researchers to hunters, bat haters to bat fans, smugglers to monks – whom Tuttle has encountered in his life’s work.
“Bats of the World” by Gary L. Graham, Ph. D. (2002)
This fun little guide goes through some basics about bats , before diving into species accounts covering all 20 families of bats: everything from little brown bats (and Myotis in general) to smoky bats. It is nicely pocket-sized, so can be read on the go!
“Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Bats” by Kim Williams, Rob Mies, and Donald and Lillian Stokes (2002)
This field guide features all 45 species of Canadian and American bats. What I like most is that for each species there is a description for identifying them in flight – handy, since most people see bats flying far more often than roosting, and it can be hard to know what you’re looking at when it’s in motion.
“Bats” by Phil Richardson (2011)
I personally think this book is a must-have for those wanting to go deeper into the world of bats, as it goes more in-depth into bat biology than the other books I’ve mentioned, in addition to covering much of the world’s diversity of bats. My highlights include a visual listing of the 20 families, a map showing how many species live in different countries around the world, and the myriad of quality photos.
“Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species” by Marianne Taylor and (editor) Merlin Tuttle - published in 2019
Following a thorough introduction section - outlining bat biology and ecology - comes an extensive collection of species profiles. Not every bat species receives a profile - there are well over 1,000 species - but every species (as recognized at the time of this book) that doesn’t get a profile is still covered in a text section about genera of bats. A book for the devoted bat fan!
Looking Back: First Book
Back in 2013, I published my very first book, Kingdom of Bats. A lot can change - and has changed - in seven years. I got married, had kids, and my writing style has evolved.
I decided to revisit that first book: rereading it and seeing whether my perspective on the story has changed over these seven years.
And… I found Kingdom of Bats to be a good book! But for different reasons than I expected.
The themes of good versus evil, and how the past affects the present, were what stood out to me.
A variety of bat species are introduced, along with other animals, creating a colourful and diverse world.
And I found the climax exciting and well-paced… even if it was too early on in the book!
It’s evident that this was my first published work, with my writing and storytelling less polished and developed than future works. It’s interesting to see how far I’ve come since then, and how much better I feel about how I wrote my most recent books, The Quest and The Loss.
Thank you to those of you who’ve shown an interest in the art contest: it sounds like some artists are hard at work on their pieces! Remember, the contest is currently open for submissions, and will close at the end of January.
Pictures and the Words They Speak
It occurred to me that I'd made the chibi art project way too complicated.
Fighting over draft after draft, doing sketch after sketch. I at last remembered why I'd started this: for fun! So, instead of trying to wow you with my art skills, I returned to the simple pleasure of making a picture.
Fiddling around with BookBat
A playful sketch of BookBat enjoying a warm drink!
Rough draft of Chibi characters... Tsingy (far left) left me unsatisfied, and the designer in me cringed at the big white space beside him...
Shortly after coming to that decision, I made a discovery while sorting through old notes. I uncovered a few of the pictures I'd made for Kingdom of Bats - back in the days before I'd published my very first book! Most of these pictures never made it to the final draft, and by extension were never shown to the world. I myself forgot they existed.
One of my cover design ideas I sent to the publisher, of the vampire bat Patas looking down on the portal spiderweb to the Underworld
Another cover design idea I sent the publisher, this one of Bai'ic in armour
Sketches of the main characters in "Kingdom of Bats"
Seeing these images reminded me once more of where I've come, and the time, effort, and courage it took to get here.
I've been thinking about what started me on this authoring path. And though I've enjoyed writing since I was a child, I trace my decision to publish back to a day in my early adulthood.
I was in Switzerland, studying communications. Some of the weeks I struggled through. But the week on writing - ah, I came alive that week! Our teacher was a published author, and he led us in creative exercises, like "showing not telling" and writing a story about God watching people kiss (seriously). In nearly all exercises (except the kissing one) I blazed ahead confidently and excitedly.
At the end of the week, the teacher and I were together chatting. He told me something that would set me on my new path: a published author told me, "You're good enough to be doing what I'm doing."
Not many years later, I published Kingdom of Bats.
These pictures I re-discovered remind me of what I've learned. I hadn't been to design school yet, so didn't know the ins-and-outs of book cover designs (I forgive the publisher for not going with my designs). I actually did a lot more pictures than these, but didn't understand things like 'resolution,' so sketched them too small to be of any use. Eventually, I scrapped all but two images (the map and one good sketch).
The map that actually made it into the book!
Each book, I've learned something new, and I believe I've grown in skills. But it all started with that one encouragement from my teacher.
Who has inspired you to take the next step in your dreams?
The final Chibi picture!
Coming up: two short stories are ready for sharing! Keep an eye out for "Bridging Worlds" - the story between Kingdom of Bats and Dwelling in Darkness - and "Ramanga's Lightning," a playful prequel to Dwelling in Darkness. I'll begin posting the first story Monday.
Kingdom of Bats: Prologue Opening
A pair of round eyes, black like obsidian, peered up at the stars and sparkled for a moment with their light.
The young bat quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep. He snuggled under one of his mother’s wings, her furry body and elegant face pressing gently against his side as she kissed her young son.
Ignoring her affectionate nuzzling, he listened and waited. He could hear his mother humming a tune she had been humming to him since he was a newborn pup.
His ears perked slightly as her hum gave way to pleasant singing, the familiar melody replaced with well-known lyrics.
Tell me that you love me,
Tell me that it’s true.
Tell me, ‘cause my love,
You know I love you too.
And as the stars fade into day,
If you’re lost and can’t find your way,
Sing out, sing my name;
Let the sound guide you to your dwelling place.
Satisfied, the young bat opened his eyes again, pushing his mother’s wing away so he could look out at the deep blues of the sky and deep greens and reds and browns of the forest.
“Well,” his mother chuckled, smiling at her son, “good evening, Patas. I was afraid you might be thinking of sleeping all night.”
Patas shook his head fervently, grinning boyishly as he spread his little wings and dropped from the branch where he had been hanging. He flew in circles a couple times, relishing the feel of air rushing around his wings, his body seemingly weightless as he glided around outstretched tree limbs and hanging vines.
Péla watched her son’s antics and sighed. “Dear, it took weeks before you finally learned to fly. And now it seems like you never want to stop!”
Patas giggled as he flew in loops around his mother, doing his best to prove her point. His circles quickly became warped and wobbly, and he collapsed onto a nearby branch, panting as he gripped the branch tightly with his two thumb-claws, trying to steady himself.
“Mommy, why is the world spinning?”
Péla laughed as her son, disoriented, clumsily attempted to crawl along the branch. “You shouldn’t make yourself dizzy, Patas.”
Péla suddenly gasped in fright.
Hearing her, Patas turned to look in the direction she was facing. He soon caught sight of another creature, hiding within the dense shadows cast by outstretched tree limbs. He watched with curiosity and alarm as its two dark eyes stared back at him through the thick green leaves of canopy. Hesitantly, Patas began to sing one of the songs his mother had taught him for seeing through vegetation.
He stopped short as the form grew, spreading enormous wings to either side of its already massive body. Its leathery wings snapped against still air as it approached the fearful duo. Within moments, it landed near Patas, hanging from a branch not far above the little bat.
It smiled down on him in a friendly manner. “Hello.”
Patas’ eyes widened in wonder as he looked up at the giant. It was twice as big as his mother. Its lengthy ears and round black eyes focused on him. The bat’s jaws were long and well-formed, and it had a tall, leaf-like projection at the tip of its snout. Its body, a single, dusky grey, was quite muscular.
“Hello.” Patas responded in a small voice, shrinking back as the intimidating creature eyed him carefully.
“Have we been introduced, young bat?” the giant asked in a grating voice.
Patas nodded. “Yes. You are Cattae, the priest, the right-wing assistant to our god, Spectral.”
“Good child.” The grey bat nodded in approval. “Did your mother tell you I would be coming?”
Patas glanced in Péla’s direction. She was trembling on a nearby branch.
“Cattae,” she spoke up timidly, “I hadn’t told him yet. I didn’t expect you to come when he was so young…”
The large creature’s dark eyes turned to her. “Are you questioning my judgement, servant?”
Péla shook her head fervently. “No, no, of course not.” She looked at her small son again, who waited expectantly. She tried to keep her voice from shaking as she addressed him. “Patas, go with Cattae. D–do whatever he tells you, alright?”
Patas nodded as Cattae ushered him on with an outstretched wing. “You know where to go, little bat?”
Patas could only think of one place the priest would want to take him. As the little bat flew off, Cattae cast one last glance at Péla before spreading his own wings and following the young pup through the shady forest.
Péla watched as he left, her heart beating fearfully. She tried to swallow. “Spectral, please, let my son return to me. Let him live.”
BatWeek Kingdom of Bats
Last year during BatWeek (the week of Halloween), I posted three sets of fun facts about bats and the inspirations behind Kingdom of Bats on FaceBook and Twitter.
This year, I'd like to do the same thing for Dwelling in Darkness and the island of Madagascar. In what ways did the island and the creatures on it inspire my book? Find out over the course of next week, when I'll be posting #DwellinginDarkness Fun Facts over FaceBook and Twitter!
What Is Chibi?
I mentioned in the Summer 2017 blog post that I’m creating Chibi-style sketches for a few of my characters from Kingdom of Bats and Dwelling in Darkness.
You might be someone who immediately knows what I’m talking about; or you might be asking yourself, “What is Chibi?”
The Japanese word actually means something along the lines of “little;” apparently, it’s an endearing term when applied to a child, and a bit of an insult when applied to an adult (not too surprising).
But the Western world has taken the word ‘Chibi’ as a direct reference to Japanese-style artwork in which the characters are given enlarged heads and simplified bodies in order to make them look more child-like or cute. (Think Powerpuff Girls.)
It’s a style I’ve played around with a little in my personal art sessions, and I decided it’d be a fun venue for creating pictures of some of my favourite characters from my two animal-themed books.
When these pictures are done, I’ll start posting them to FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest. So be on the lookout for lemurs, a bat, and a swallow all coming soon!