Guest Blog: Larriane AKA Larion Wills: Readers, Do You Care?

I have worked with three different publishers now, all independents, and one thing they always stress in editing is pov. For the non-writers out there, those letters mean point of view. Here’s a dictionary definition of it for you: the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters. Confusing? For me it proved to be an elusive creature as far as pinning it down and understanding. Even though I have written several books in a single pov, I loved to switch povs, seeing hearing, thinking from the different characters. I loved to have multiply povs, sometimes as many as there were characters in the book. Publishers, at least those I’ve dealt with, didn’t. I had to corral my povs, put the little devils in order, and sacrifice letting the readers know everything everyone thought, saw, did, felt, etc. To further confuse the issue, different publishers have different rules. Some want each pov in a separate chapter. Some accept an aster bar between switches inside chapters. Some accept from paragraph to paragraph. Lately, the big boys, meaning those you see in all the book stores and on the racks in grocery stores, don’t seem to care at all. I don’t have time much anymore for pleasure reading, but in the last six books I have read, from the big publishers, I’ve found pov nightmares with switches inside paragraphs with very little to signal a switch, and not occasionally, but pages of it. My imaginary red pen quivered with the desire to mark, not only pov switches but misspelled words and glaring inconsistencies, yet obviously these books sell. I’d love to give examples, but I would probably end up in trouble, copyright and all that. I read and wonder, is this some new style, or are the big boys sliding in quality? Cutting corners on editing time? Are the smaller, independent publishers in their bid to be recognized, jumping ahead in writing quality?

The slang for switching from one pov to another is commonly called head-hopping. Does head-hopping drive you nuts, lose you, make you want to scream? Even if you don’t understand the definition, you know when you’re reading as if one character is telling you the story and suddenly it shifts off, coming from the other character. When that happens, do you prefer a clear signal of when the writer is switching from one character’s view point to another? In chapters? Paragraphs? Sections? Do you prefer a story written in only one pov or several? Or do you care at all about point of view and just keep reading?

BIO:
Born in Oklahoma, but raised in Arizona she feels a native to the state and has settled in the high desert country. In a quiet, rural area with a family who tolerates her writer’s single-mindedness, she presents us with unique science fiction and fantasy while under Larion produces western and contemporary romances, many laced with paranormal settings, all with strong characterizations and suspenseful plots, capable of dragging you into a story in a genre you thought you didn’t care for. At her website, http://www.larriane.com, Larriane AKA Larion Wills, you can keep abreast of releases under both pen names, keep up with new releases through various publishers, and she invites you to contact her at larriane@larriane.com

BLURB: The Bastards of Ran, science fiction sweet romance
From the atrocities of war a decision was made to save their race and their world. Protection of those of paramount value must be assured by any means. Ships orbiting their planet were built. Only when their planet would not support even war, the last and lowest, the military, were sent to the ships. From the age of seven when his training began, Jaylon knew only military. Guard duty in the Paramount lounge should have been an easy assignment though he was warned by his peers to never trust the Paramounts, especially the woman. Many played a game, flirt with military, and report them for punishment for breaches of protocol. His secret assignment, discover the trickster and the method behind the self-moving, sometimes attacking objects. From the first night, Tieanna caught his attention. She didn’t flirt. She tormented, using a formidable weapon, the truth. Hidden behind the lies, corruption, and betrayal of all but the chosen few, was the Paramounts’ fear, resurrection of the Bastards of Ran. Surely they and their powers were no more than legend. Who could believe in powers of the telepathic mind to healing with the touch of their hands? Jaylon did not. Still, if the belief of the Bastards, and their belief all were equal, revived then too would revolt and treason?