Category: The Crimson League
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What the pícaro?
(Hopefully this title grabbed your attention!) What is a pícaro, and what does it have to do with a blog dedicated to creative writing? I’m here to tell you! Picaresque literature, it turns out, was an important inspiration in The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope, releasing June 15! THE TRADITIONAL SPANISH PICARO I very…
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Character Spotlight: Zalski Forzythe, because everyone loves a good villain
Zalski Forzythe (ZAL-ski FOR-zithe, last syllable like scythe) is definitely my favorite villain–and one of my favorite characters overall–in my entire series. He’s one of those characters who absorbs all the focus in every scene he’s in. Every editing pass I made through The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope, I could feel the anticipation…
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A second editorial review for “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope”
I have a second editorial review that I was sent over for my June 15 YA Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery release, and I wanted to pass it along! I’m so excited about it! “Everyone reaches a crossroad in their life where they have to choose between doing what is right and doing what is…
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Kora’s first raid, part 2: Excerpt from “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope”
This week’s excerpt continues last week’s action-packed raid by the Crimson League on a group of sorcerer Zalski Forzythe’s elite guardsmen, hoping to discover his long-term goals and what he has them searching For. What will they discover? In the meantime, Menikas had helped Ranler hoist the other man to his seat for Lanokas to…
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Why is it so hard to “let go” of a WIP?
You never “finish” a work of art. There just comes a point when you stop working on it. There comes a point when your novel truly is ready for beta readers, and then truly ready for an editor. After that, there comes a moment when you DO need to send it to the proofreader, and…
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Editorial Review for “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope”
It’s release month, and I am so stoked to share this editorial review with y’all for my sword and sorcery action-adventure tale! It just makes my heart sing! “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope by Victoria Grefer is a riveting fantasy story with a firm footing in all that makes traditional fantasy great. This…
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Changes to the second edition of “The Crimson League,” Part 2: reflections on revision
Today, I wanted to highlight (spoiler-free) the more subtle changes to my second edition, both as I have been asked by readers to explain how this edition differs, and because it’s always useful for writers to reflect on or read about the revision process.
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Changes to the second edition of “The Crimson League,” Part 1: Goodbye, Hal!
Someone on Facebook recently told me she had enjoyed the first edition of The Crimson League (squee!) and asked what changes to expect in the upcoming second edition. (I took my entire trilogy out of circulation years ago to fix things up and make a more professional go of it.) The first major thing anyone…
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Sibling relationships in life and fiction
I am the middle child of three girls (the middle of 5 kids total, counting step-siblings who are real siblings to me). I have great relationships with all of them. They are ALWAYS there for me, and I hope they are able to say I am there for them. They support and help me. They…
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Character Spotlight: Laskenay, Lady of Sorrows
As a woman fighting in a civil war, Laskenay doesn’t try to be a man. She’s wise enough to know she’s not a traditional soldier, and any chance she has to succeed or survive lies in adopting other tactics.
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 