I am absolutely thrilled to bring this post to you by prolific author, extraordinary teacher, and queen of wordsmithing, Jacqui Murray!
A boy blinded by fire. A woman raised by wolves. An avowed enemy offers help.
Summary
In this second of the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, the first trilogy in the Man vs. Nature saga, Lucy and her eclectic group escape the treacherous tribe that has been hunting them and find a safe haven in the famous Wonderwerk caves in South Africa. Though they don’t know it, they will be the oldest known occupation of caves by humans. They don’t have clothing, fire, or weapons, but the caves keep them warm and food is plentiful. But they can’t stay, not with the rest of the tribe enslaved by an enemy. To free them requires not only the prodigious skills of Lucy’s unique group–which includes a proto-wolf and a female raised by the pack–but others who have no reason to assist her and instinct tells Lucy she shouldn’t trust.
Set 1.8 million years ago in Africa, Lucy and her tribe struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions, this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way you never imagined.
A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Gears!
Book information:
Title and author: Laws of Nature
Series: Book 2 in the Dawn of Humanity series
Genre: Prehistoric fiction
Editor: The extraordinary Anneli Purchase
More Writing Hacks
By Jacqui Murray
Writing is hard. And satisfying. And an opportunity for the long-sought-after huzzah moment. The harder something is, the more gratifying and the greater sense of achievement it gives.
If you find writing unduly challenging, try some of these simple hacks I’ve tried. Some were time-wasters but others, they were exactly what I needed:
Have a text-to-speech program read your ms aloud to you. It gives you a different take on your story.
Hearing your story gives you a different take on it. You hear the pacing, the bad spelling, and get a sense of the dialogue. There are many free options for this. MS Word has one that’s as good as any others I’ve tried. Adobe has one and there are many free ones you can use online.
Avoid qualifiers like mostly, a little, kind of, slightly. Take a stand!
These mitigate the action in your story. Do a Find for these and delete them or use a stronger word.
Be specific rather than general. It’s not a car; it’s a cherry red Ford truck.
This is a common recommendation. Put readers in the special car that they can relate to, maybe even drove themselves.
Make sure you tell the story with all your senses–visual, smell, taste, touch, and auditory.
If you find your story is boring, even in the action parts, it may be because you aren’t telling it with all the senses. Live is lived with taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch. Stories have to communicate all of them.
Highlight all time-related references and plot them so you’re sure they work.
It’s easy to mix up your timeline in a story, refer to an event as though it’s happened when it’s still in the future. These are unforgiveable mistakes. Readers won’t stay with you if you include this in a story. Plot the events in a timeline to make sure everything happens in its own time.
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What are your favorite hacks?
Author bio:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, Winter 2022.
Social Media contacts:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jacquimurray
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net
Thank you so much for guest posting today, Jacqui! And, congratulations!
Friends, don’t forget to grab your copy of Laws of Nature today!
Available print or digital) at: Kindle US Kindle UK Kindle CA Kindle AU Kindle India
Hi, Thank you for sharing this. I downloaded, Laws of Nature and have started reading, so far, really enjoying it. I have never heard of prehistoric fiction, or this gem of an author, Jacqui Murray (forgive me, I am a novice in the literary world) but as an African and one who is deeply interested in anthropology, I find this genre appealing. Not having visited Wonderwerk Caves, but seen some similar in South Africa, (Oudtshoorn and Sterkfontein.) I feel the pulse of the setting. Now that I have started reading Jacqui’s works, I will be downloading more. My heartfelt thanks to you both.
This is wonderful! I’m so glad you’re enjoying Jacqui’s book. I can definitely see why this genre appeals to you since you enjoy anthropology. I’m sure you will enjoy her other books, too. 🙂
Laws of Nature is coming up soon on my reading list- can’t wait! Jacqui’s tips are great. I like to download my WIP to Kindle and read from there. It changes the feel of the story and for an added bonus, I can highlight problem areas.
Thank you, Jacquie. That’s a great idea about downloading your WIP to your Kindle! I think that would be really helpful.
It’s great to see Jacqui’s book tour over here, Kymber. You’re lovely to host her and her amazing new book. Great hacks too, though I’d hardly call them “hacks” Lol. Congrats to Jacqui, and thanks for hosting!
Thank you, Diana. It was an honor to host Jacqui! 🙂 She is amazing and I wish her all the best.
She is amazing! 🙂
Jacqui has an amazing writing style. As a big fan, thank you for giving such a wonderful review.
I totally agree, and I thank you for stopping by. 🙂
These tips are amazing. I try to wait and read again after I’ve written, but I think a voice reader is such an amazing idea! And the car tip and some of the generic feeling words including ‘just’! I have a bad habit of adding that one and most likely the others Jacqui mentioned! Thank you for the tips. They are always appreciated by us novice Wannabe storytellers. ❤️
Thank you, Audrey. Jacqui is wonderful with tips and tricks of writing! I’ve learned so much reading her blog, and I can’t wait to dig into her books, too.
Reading your words in different formats makes a big difference. Hearing them–a biggy. Some people print the entire book and then read it as though it’s a book. I don’t. That’s too much work and paper! But they swear by it. Thanks for visiting, Audrey.
Thank you so much for hosting me, Kymber! I am such a fan of your storytelling–this is an honor.
Thank you so much, Jacqui! You are so kind to say so. 🙂 I’m honored to have hosted you.
Woooo, it’s fab to see Jacqui on here! Some fab writing tips, too. I love it when an author slips in something specific, like the tip with the car, that I know about, maybe have used or owned myself. xx
I’m glad you like the tips! It’s easy to forget the basics in the excitement of a fast-moving story!
Thank you, Caz! 💕 Jacqui is a wonder with words! I love her tips and tricks.