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You are here: Home / Authors In Our Midst / Dorothy A. Winsor – Tales of Rinland!

Dorothy A. Winsor – Tales of Rinland!

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This post is in: 

Our featured writer today is Dorothy A Winsor.  Let’s give her a warm welcome!

(click on the image below to go to Dorothy’s Amazon page, where you can find all of her books.)

If you would like your talent featured in the Artists in Our Midst series or Authors in Our Midst series, send me an email message.  Don’t be shy!  I have no more Authors posts in the queue; please get in touch if you would like to be featured in either series.

Fly, little books! Fly!

by Dorothy A. Winsor

Dorothy A. Winsor – 

In March, I saw the publication of the third and last book in my series, Tales of Rinland. They include The Wind Reader (2018), The Wysman (2020), and The Trickster (2021). The last two of these books came out during the pandemic, which was a bad time for a book to start its life out in the cold, cruel world. It was hard on my small press publisher (Inspired Quill), which relies on in-person events to sell many of its books. I can weather a year or two of reduced royalties, but a small press, like small businesses in general, is always on the edge.

I feel especially bad for IQ because they’re what the UK calls a social enterprise. That means they donate a portion of their income to socially good goals, in their case increasing diversity in publishing. But they also try to serve other goals. Some jackals may remember that they made Down Days, a book about depression, free during the early part of the pandemic.

Anyway the books are off my desk, and I kind of miss them. I feel a little like I did when I sent my kid off to college. So when WaterGirl suggested BJ writers talk about their work, I started thinking about them and the best memories I have of each.

The Wind Reader

My favorite chapters in this were the first two, which, oddly enough, were the last I wrote. They show the death of the central character’s father, and his grief over it, and then they immediately strand the kid in a city far from home and leave him to figure out what to do now. I like them because they were hard to write. In earlier drafts, I dodged writing them and had him thinking about these events in retrospect.

So I’m proud of myself for finally working through the painful emotions in them. Writing them made me a better writer. It also made me cry.

The Wysman

I should explain that these books are a series, not sequels. The central character in the first book has two friends, who become the central characters in books of their own. The plot of each book is separate but the world is the same, and I got to explore characters who had faded into the background before.

My favorite aspect of this book is that its central character is handicapped. He was born with a club foot and uses a crutch. Yet, he’s the hero of the book, the one who solves the puzzle and saves the woman and child who are in danger. I didn’t realize how rare a handicapped central character was until I finished writing and looked around for comparable books to use in pitching it to my publisher.

Diversity of representation is big concern in YA literature at the moment. As it should be. And it’s the particular goal of Inspired Quill. At the moment, they’re donating to LGBTQ charities.

The Trickster

My favorite part of this book is Tuc, the dog. I suppose that’s not a surprise to the dog lovers on Balloon Juice.

The book’s main character had Tuc all the way back in The Wind Reader too, but in that book, she was a minor character, so I didn’t have to do much with Tuc. In this book though, she’s on stage a lot, and I had to keep reminding myself that Tuc was around. I took to writing DOG at the top of the page and found myself writing stuff like “Tuc scratched his ear.” It bored me, which meant it would probably bore the reader too.

Finally, I had to either kill Tuc or do something interesting with him. Since I am not a monster, killing him was out of the question. I don’t want to say what I did with him because for most of the book, the reader doesn’t know what’s going on with Tuc. But it makes me happy.

So they’re out of the nest now. Fly, little books! Fly! Have good book lives.

I’ll be around to respond to comments or questions.

Have a good day, everyone.

 

Reader Interactions

66Comments

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Why aren’t we arranging words?

    The Wordle thread is down one level  :-)

    These are all wonderful books. I want to go back and binge-read them straight through.

    Do you have a new writing project in mind that you’re willing to talk about? Or do you prefer to let things settle between books?

  6. 6.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m waiting for a contract for a new book about a glassmaker. Inspired Quill says they want it but they’re running behind. It should come out some time next year.

    I got the idea for it when I heard a news report about a factory in Latin America where the women workers complained to the owner about their working conditions. He threw the key on the floor and told them to try running it themselves. So they did. Then of course he wanted it back. I was intrigued by the idea of a feminine world in a factory.

    So I needed something that would be done in a factory like setting even in a pre-industrial setting where most work was done at home. And glassmaking came to mind because you’d need equipment.

    Also the island where it happens is volcanic and they believe that a dragon sleeps in there. Also there’s a charming, possibly untrustworthy boy.

    There’s usually a couple of months between when I finish one book and start a new one. I need a break, and the book I just finished took up all my brain space, so I don’t have an idea ready to go anyway.

  8. 8.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I see that Inspired Quill sells “for Kindle” versions of your books, and you can set dollars as your currency, so I’ll try getting them there instead of from Amazon.

  13. 13.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    which relies on in-person events to sell many of its books.

    Did social media and Zoom partially make up for the loss of in-person events?

    I like them because they were hard to write. In earlier drafts, I dodged writing them and had him thinking about these events in retrospect.

    I often wonder whether authors think about emotional scenes as just part of the craft of writing and anticipating how a reader will react (“this will make ’em cry) vs how the author feels about creating and letting go of favorite characters.

    You may have written about this in other threads, but what do you think about this apparent increase in book banning, and how it affects the YA market?

  14. 14.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Brachiator: Social media helps of course, and they post all over the place–twitter, fb, instagram, etc. They’ve been running a D&D game on You Tube that gets a lot of viewers. I don’t know if that sells books though. There’s just such a flood of writers and publishers selling on social media that it’s hard to break through.

    I don’t think the YA market is in much danger from book banning because its readers (12 and up) are old enough to be buying their own books. There could be some impact on books that get assigned in schools, but most of them aren’t. They’re books that young adults choose for themselves. And censorious adults are likely to inspire teens to choose books that horrify those adults.

    If they get their books from the library, I guess there could be an impact

  15. 15.

    CarolPW

    All three are wonderful, and The Trickster was my favorite. The story took some completely unexpected and clever turns. Very nice, thank you!

  16. 16.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Brachiator: I often wonder whether authors think about emotional scenes as just part of the craft of writing and anticipating how a reader will react (“this will make ’em cry) vs how the author feels about creating and letting go of favorite characters.

    This undoubtedly varies from writer to writer. For me, the characters eventually start to feel real, so I don’t think much about the reader while I write. I’m also aware the I tend to treat my characters too gently, so often, I have to edit my first draft to make things worse for them. Because I’m so wrapped up in my characters, I have trouble hurting them.

  18. 18.

    sab

    Somehow I managed to acquire your books in both paper and electronic versions. Do you mind if I park the paperbacks in our neighborhood Little Library?

  19. 19.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @sab: I think that’s a great idea. Someone who reads one of those books might look for one of my others–either the other two in this series, or the other YA book (Deep as a Tomb–young prince Beran) or my only middle-grade book (10 and up–Finders Keepers). Besides, even if they don’t, I want my books to have readers. I don’t want the characters to stay shut up between the covers.

  20. 20.

    H.E.Wolf

    Thank you for writing them – I look forward to reading them! And the folks at Inspired Quill sound like mensches.

  22. 22.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    They’re books that young adults choose for themselves. And censorious adults are likely to inspire teens to choose books that horrify those adults.

    I always hope that censorship efforts inspire rebellion among young readers, and that rebellion inspires free thinking.

  23. 23.

    FelonyGovt

    I loved the first two books and I somehow missed the third book coming out! I’m going to get the Kindle version from Inspired Quill rather than Amazon.

    And the forthcoming book with the glassmaking factory run by women sounds really intriguing.

  26. 26.

    pat

    I like to purchase books from our locally owned (used and new) bookstore downtown.  No B&N in the mall for me.

    I will talk to them about ordering these books from IQ.  I think I need some fantasy fiction and I like the way you talk about them.  I can barely compose a comment on BJ….

  28. 28.

    Sure Lurkalot

    How did you get into the YA genre? I often wonder how fiction writers get into their groove(s).

  29. 29.

    sab

    @pat: They are YA , which is “young adult” which apparently means the plots aren’t sexually steamy.  They are complicated, with interesting characters, many but not all of whom are actual young adults or adolescents. I love this genre.

  30. 30.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Sure Lurkalot: OK, this is embarrassing.

    The first fiction I wrote was Lord of the Rings fanfic. I was so struck by Peter Jackson’s movies that I had to do it. When you write fanfic, you try to fill in gaps in the canonical story. I wrote young Legolas stories, trying to show how he developed into the person who went on the quest. When I started writing my own stuff, I stuck with young people.

    I find them interesting. They’re doing so many things for the first time and doing that with no experience. They’re breaking from their birth families and forming ties of their own. They’re shaping the person they’re going to be for years to come. I find that gives me space for stories.

  32. 32.

    Almost Retired

    Excellent!  I have a book-loving nephew in the target age market with a birthday coming up next week, so guess what he’s getting?  I probably should order them from Amazon, because Jeff is going to need the extra money to get his super yacht out of Rotterdam harbor, but I’ll do IQ instead just this once!

  38. 38.

    sab

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: My college roommate, who I first met in school when we were fifteen. She just died this year of early onset Alzheimers. Heartbreaking because she was amazing and kind and a damn good teacher of art and English.

    Her first job out of college, before she got teaching, was bookstores. Ohio has a lot of Mennonite and Amish housewives. They don’t want sex. They want people of various ages and genders dealing with life problems.

    She turned me on to YA. Not just for kids.

  39. 39.

    Wolvesvalley

    I have loved all four of your books that I have read so far (The Wind Reader, The Wysman, The Trickster, and — while waiting for The Wysman — Deep as a Tomb). Each of them was extremely engaging, and in a different way each time. I felt more fear for the main characters in The Trickster than in the previous ones. The twist in Jarka’s fate at the end of The Wysman is perfect, and so is what you did with Tuc at the end of The Trickster.

    There seemed to be a hint of further adventures at the end of The Trickster, so I hope you don’t feel you have exhausted the possibilities of Rinland. Not that I want you to keep your nose to the same grindstone! I am looking forward to reading the glassblower book when it becomes available.

  40. 40.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Wolvesvalley: The glassmaker book is set in the Dolyan Islands, which is where characters from The Trickster were headed. It’s just different characters.

    My editor actually protested. She said she had three ideas for stories I could write continuing The Trickster. We’ll see!

  42. 42.

    Tehanu

    I too have bought and read all 3 of the Wysman books and enjoyed them very much. Your worldbuilding is excellent and the characters aren’t either all bad or all good. I’ll look for the other books asap!

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    Thanks for putting this together for us, Dorothy.

    You surely know this but I’ll say it any… there are often comments on the Artist and Authors posts long after you might assume a thread is dead, so whenever you head out, please check back this evening and in the morning if you can.  If folks know that you will be checking back, they feel free to make their comments and ask any questions, knowing that you will see them.

    If you are an author or an artist (we define artist very loosely) please think about sharing your talent with us.  Send me an email message if you’re interested!  We have one more artist in the queue, and one author but we’re waiting on his until closer to when his book comes out in May.

  48. 48.

    stinger

    So glad to see these books featured on BJ! I loved all three, and gave copies as gifts as well.

    I was kind of gritting my teeth in anxiety about Tuc, but the twist was nothing I was imagining and worked very, very well. It reminded me of another, very famous, children’s book that I won’t name lest I give away the plot of The Trickster for those who haven’t read it yet. Read it, and then we can talk!  ;-)

    Most people are aware of how the pandemic has impacted non-chain restaurants and other small vendors, but maybe don’t think of the effect on small publishers. I’d hoped that since we were all at home, we were all reading more. But I hadn’t thought about the marketing aspect.

  49. 49.

    CarolPW

    @stinger: If I remember correctly when she told us about the release of The Trickster that the answer to “does the dog die in the end” was no. Still plenty of suspense because death is not the only very bad thing that can happen to a dog.
    I used to read two or three books a week (usually fantasy and sci-fi). After Trump was elected I read at least that many books a week except they were all murder mysteries. After a year of that I stopped reading entirely and found out I was not the only one in my family who had stopped. It wasn’t just the pandemic that affected the industry.
    The first books I managed to read again were one of Dorothy’s and one of TaMara’s. I bought them in support of their publication, and I wasn’t actually planning to read either of them. Except I felt so guilty about it after a week or so I actually did read them. And then I read each of their next books, and then I just kept reading. Dorothy and TaMara are a major reason I am not completely barking mad now.​​​

  55. 55.

    J r in wv

    So. I’m at the ER with Wife who is having neurological symptoms. She’s doing better, but still not up to speed. The ER docs were going to get a neurologist. The CT scan didn’t show them anything helpful.

  60. 60.

    J r in wv

    Thanks all!

    She’s doing better, will be admitted for testing after a minor stroke, they think. Chief neurologist thinks she will be ok… This is a great teaching hospital, they have pulled her thru before!

  64. 64.

    Miss Bianca

    So late to this thread, but Dorothy, if you’re here – what’s the best way to order this series as a whole? Direct from your publisher? (hard copies, not e-copies). Thank you!

  65. 65.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Miss Bianca: I don’t think IQ bundles the series, so you’d have to order each of the three books, whether you do it from IQ directly or from Amazon.

    If you order from Amazon, each book is $14.99. You pay sales tax in some states. If you have Prime, you have free delivery (but you knew that). Otherwise, you pay something but I don’t know how much.

    If you order directly from IQ, they don’t charge sales tax. You do pay delivery which as far as I can tell is about 3 pounds ($4) for the first book and then 1 pound for each additional book. (about $1.35).

    So it’s a little complicated. You should do whatever works well for you.

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