My Crazy Corner

Gastien Tells His Story (How I Wrote My First Two Novels)

There are many ways that novelists prefer to write. Some have a favorite chair or room. Some refuse to use a computer. For others, the laptop works but not the PC. I prefer to write on my laptop now, but when I wrote Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream and Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny I only had a PC.

Additionally, some authors use storyboards. Before they write a single sentence they plot out each character. All of their characteristics, how they look, and major events are planned in detail.. They also do an outline of each chapter. When they sit down to write they just fill in the blanks, so to speak.

Others write down major events that they want and major things about characters but don’t get as detailed. They like to have a little planning but don’t want to get mired in details when they could be writing.

Some write from the gut. They simply sit down and start typing until the first draft is finished.

Me? I am going to tell you a secret I didn’t write my books at all.

In August of 2010 I did some past life regression and “met” Gastien during one of those. For weeks afterwards I would get “downloads” of information about him in my mind. He came in dreams while asleep; while working he haunted my thoughts. I could be doing almost anything and if he wanted to give me information it simply came. I did not write it down, but every detail echoed in my brain. Now I am not going to say if I was Gastien or if creative energy was just unleashed because it really doesn’t matter to anyone but me. But, I will say that Gastien himself wrote his story.

That’s right. I felt compelled to write about Gastien’s life (which I really didn’t know much of) and so in November of that year I committed to an hour a day after work, five days a week. The first day I simply sat at my desk, placed my hands on the keyboard and went inside my head. I asked Gastien to tell me his story. Almost immediately my hands started typing. Some days the words came so fast that I could not keep up. An hour seemed liked only seconds and I was frustrated that I had other obligations. This man really wanted to talk!

Because the story takes place in the nineteenth century I had to do a lot of research afterwards. I wanted to make sure that things he said happened COULD happen during that time. Also, because I heard it in the language I understand (he was French, I don’t even speak it) I needed to look up some French words and phrases to give it flavor. I also wanted to make sure I called things by their correct names for the era, regardless of the fact that 99.9 percent was going to be in English. For example, taxi’s did not exist. Cabriolets did. You get the picture. I would say even more time was spent on research than on writing. I wanted it as accurate as possible.

And what a wild era! That whole bohemian art era in Paris was one of the most decadent times in human history. Hard drugs were legal, prostitution was rampant…and who can overlook that beloved drink absinthe? If you look carefully at many Impressionist paintings and many of Picasso’s and other artists work from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century you will see a glass with green liquid in it Ah, yes. Absinthe was a favorite among the artists, along with hashish and opium. Obviously this is a story for adults.

But I digress; back to writing the story. To my surprise by the end of February I had over 1,000 pages. After editing I still had almost 1,000. The decision was made to make it two novels. There was a definite place toward that middle that could end one complete story, so I put the second half aside. The first half became Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream. It took four and ½ months to edit and format. In August of 2011 I had it live on Amazon for Kindle and B&N for NOOK. A month later the paperback was also available on Createspace.

Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny was released by me in December 2011 in the same places. Now I am halfway through the first draft of Book 3, Tristan Michel: Bloodline of Passion. There will be at least four and maybe five in this historical fiction/family saga series. These I am writing from the gut, but it is much different than the first two. Although it comes easily, it is not as if someone else owns my hands. Book 3 should be out by very late spring of this year.
Well, now you know. My name is on the cover as author, but Gastien Beauchamp simply told his story and used my fingers to type. Even so, I think his life was much darker than the story he gave me. Much harder. I think he told it how he wished it could have been while still staying true to the main facts. Perhaps it was necessary for healing. Perhaps he was just good at taking a life full of darkness and showing at least a little light. Or perhaps he did not exist at all. One I do know. He exists now, and he will exist forever, because the story has been printed. Perhaps some recognition was simply what he wanted and nothing more.

Gastien Beauchamp. Artist and lover. Oh, yeah, and author. He just used my name.
To read reviews, descriptions and a free sample of each book, please use the links below:

"Sometimes, the "impossible" is possible. But the cost can be extremely high."

Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream
Available in Paperback at https://www.createspace.com/3664944
Available on Amazon.com for Kindle http://tinyurl.com/3ecu8ku
Available on Barnes&Noble.com for NOOK http://tinyurl.com/3ue4a7h

Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny
Available in Paperback at https://www.createspace.com/3749863
Available on Amazon.com for Kindle http://tinyurl.com/bv9zosn
Available on Barnes&Noble.com for NOOK http://tinyurl.com/cx87deq

Please join Gastien’s fanpage on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Gastien.Beauchamp
My blog, Writer of Fiction, Painter of Life & Energy: http://caddyrowlandblog.blogspot.com
Author Email (I love to hear from readers) caddyauthor@yahoo.com
Twitter: @caddyorpims