Author: Catherine Schaff-Stump

Catherine Schaff-Stump writes fiction for children and young adults. Her most recent book, The Vessel of Ra, is the first book in the Klaereon Scroll series. She is currently working on its sequel, as well as penning the middle grade adventures of Abigail Rath, monster hunter.

Mercedes Self Describes

“Sir,” I said. “I will lay the cards of my fortune on the table for you, in spite of the compliments of my honorable friend. I am a master spinner, a mediocre seamstress, and a passable cook, but only if your pleasures run to simpler things such as bread and cheese. My aunt Beatrice has mastered the art, and my mother was no small talent, but I despair that anyone will sing delights about the dishes that come from my kitchen, save the kindest and most polite of friends.”

Working on Something New

As National Novel Writing month approaches this year, my current project will be to lay some pipe for The Empty Horizon: A Retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. I will be retelling the Count’s story through the eyes of Mercedes and Haydee.

Since February, when I last wrote, I’ve been working on writing in drips and drops, but my career has very much stolen the spotlight. I spent a summer in Russia, a trip which affected me profoundly, and I felt myself changing and learning how to cope with my life in the US as a result of all I saw there.

It is time, however, for me to recommit to writing every day. I begin that process on Tuesday.

Hope you are well.

Catherine

Still here. Still writing. Have been unfortunately mostly sick this last month, so things have been off. I have a few more corrections to make on the rewrites of chapter 1 and the prologue that have come in. Am researching Hathersage before moving on with the story.

So, still out here!

Catherine

Prologue and Chapter One

Well, gang, the revisions of Substance of Shadows are in full swing. I’ve decided to treat both of my muses, and I alternate my spare time every other day between revising the book and sewing, and it’s keeping me pretty energized when I’m not working. I’m pleased.

There are a couple of changes you should be aware of. The Balthazar and Morsten characters have been folded into one character, Balthazar. He gets some really psychologically interesting dialogue with Erasmus in the prologue of the story, and he is the bridge of the Klarion family. We next encounter him at Esme and Errol’s birthday party, and it will become eventually apparent that he is the same character as the story unfolds.

Hathersage and the surrounding area are just full of magical types, as well as normal types. If you take a book series like Harry Potter, the magicians sort of exist in parallel space. Not so in this universe. What is known and isn’t known sort of depends on who you are. So there are magical families, families that aren’t magical who know a bit about magical folks, and people who live normal lives and are clueless. Everyone has to know a bit about the world at large, how to operate a digital camera, things like that.

If you’re interested in reading stuff, let me know. Be aware that you might care to wait until we have an entire reading experience for you, rather than one that will seem like a constant rewind and revisitation. Reading it at this stage won’t give you the entire enjoyable book experience. 🙂

At any rate, it’s coming along. My goal right now is to edit this draft into something submittable, and then grapple with revising Blood is Thicker than Water into something that is a little bit of a better read than it was before.

Sure. One book at a time. Okay.

Catherine