I'm Always Write

My Boyfriend's Ever so Dreamy

2009-11-20T00:30:59Z

I read a lot of novels and watch a good amount of television. The one thing I like most is when I can visualize a male character as a great boyfriend/husband. It’s not easy because he can’t be just hot…actually, I’d like it if he wasn’t described in generalizations like hot, or gorgeous or—God help me—perfect. So here’s a list of fictional guys who I think will make an awesome boyfriend/husband…in no particular order:

Peeta Mellark
From Suzanne Collins’s bestselling novels The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. I’ll admit that when I first starting reading Hunger Games, I was leaning more toward Gale, Katniss’s best friend, but the more I got to know Peeta, the more I started to fall. He’s selfless, smart, handsome and just an all around good guy. Sometimes that can be boring, but in the real world, it makes for a great boyfriend/husband, so he certainly makes the list of dream worthy guys.

Ron Weasley

Do I even need to explain where this character comes from? Well, for anyone living under a rock since the late nineties, he’s from the still bestselling J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. For me, I’m all for the underdog. Ron is self-conscious, has a heaping case of middle child syndrome (even though he’s next to the last child, he’s not the oldest, not one of the twins and not the baby so he gets a bit lost), has the uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and is just a typical boy. Still, he’s sweet, brave and loyal. But it was his sense of humor that made me fall for him. I love a funny guy so even though I’d probably want to thump him on the head most of the time, Ron definitely gets my vote for good catch…plus, I have a weird thing for redheads. What is that about?

Keenan: No real photo

From Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series. I know there are hordes of girls our there who think Seth is much better, but to me, Seth is a bit boring, a bit too understanding, a bit too perfect. Keenan has a dangerous side that makes me want to be the object of his desires. Maybe not the healthiest thing to want, but who cares. I mean, come on, he’s the Summer King! Who doesn’t love summer? All that warmth and frolicking and there’s something about a guy who’s so hot he can literally burn you-lol…I might be a bit sick, so pay me no mind.

Lenard Howard

From the Big Bang Theory…okay, I know I’ll get a lot of raised eyebrows on this but I really do like nerds. I love this show and I think Lenard is so cute (not in a rip your cloths off type of way, but a cuddly, stuffed animal way-lol). I like blue collar men, guys who can do things with their hands, BUT I also like thinkers, guys who can figure out how to do things with their hands because they’ve figured it out with their brains. I know, I know…this is why I’m still single-lol!

Ian McNab: No real photo

From J.D. Robb’s In Death Series. Now, McNab is described as skinny, about 5’ 8” with butt-length blond hair, lots of earrings in his ears, and a pretty face. He wears loud colors and he’s usually saying the wrong thing. Here’s another instance where not being the hot and powerful guy does something for more. He’s an electronics wiz so there’s the nerd factor, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of his clothes so there’s the confidence. He loves his girlfriend, Peabody, so it makes him all the more desirable. Plus, he’s funny, so me likey. In real life, I’d probably take one look at him and move on, because the way he’s physically described is pretty out there, but if I had to work with him and got to know him, I’d probably be in love eventually-lol.

Dean Winchester

From Supernatural. Do I even need to explain this? I mean, look at him! Dean is the funny one of the two brothers. He’s totally male…eating burgers, ogling women and kicking @ss, so what’s not to love!

Jim Halpert

From The Office. Again, it’s the funny man syndrome that has me loving him. He has that cute guy thing going where he’s not so handsome you feel intimidated, but cute enough that you can sit at Pam’s desk and stare dreamily at him. Plus, the pranks he pulls on Dwight are priceless…I need a man with a creative mind like that!

And last but not least...Roarke: No real photo, but I doubt anyone could capture the perfection that is him!

From J. D. Robb’s In Death Series. This man veto’s all that I said above. He’s not particularly funny, not a nerd even though he knows electronics inside and out, and he’s slick and polished to a fault. I don’t know where J. D. Robb pulled this character from but he is the stuff most dreams are made of. He’s tall, dark, and insanely handsome with piercing blue eyes and an Irish accent. He’s dangerous, richer than damn near anyone in the world and he’s devoted to his wife. Can it get any better than that? He doesn’t always do the right things, he has a temper and he can sometimes be a bit too perfect, but hell, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for any of that. He’s just a perfect specimen of a man.

So tell me, who are some of your favorite fictional guys?

Midweek Excerpt

2009-11-19T02:56:22Z

This comes from chapter four of LIGHT BRINGERS. A brief summary of the scene: Ryan is with his girlfriend, Amber and they are “making up” after a minor disagreement. Ryan is a powerful Telekinetic, but something weird has been happening with his gift lately.

~*~

They laughed into each other’s mouths as the kiss intensified. Ryan sent a thought to the lamp, flipping off the light. He focused on the bedroom window and it opened wider, sending a warm breeze into the frilly bedroom. Another tingle through his frontal lobe turned on the stereo, filling the room with soft music. He smiled at the romantic scene he had just created as he dropped down to give more attention to Amber’s breasts.

God, can’t he ever do stuff like a normal person?

Ryan’s head jerked up. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, baby.” She pulled his head back to her breasts.

He broke away and stared at her.

“What?”

Ryan leaned back further. “You think I’m a freak or something?”

Amber’s eyes shot wide. She sat up on her elbows and shook her head. Her strawberry-blonde hair swished over her shoulder like fine threads of silk. “I don’t—I wouldn’t...”

He got up from the bed unsure what he was feeling, but certainly no longer in the mood for sex.

“Ryan, what are you doing? Come back to bed. My parents will be home in like, three hours.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“In the dryer…you’re leaving?”

He’d forgotten that he was soaked to the bone when he got there. He wriggled his toes into those emasculating flip-flops, thanking all things holy that her parents weren’t home to see him marching through their house stark naked. He didn’t know what disturbed him more, the fact that Amber didn’t like one of the most basic things about him, or that he had heard her think it. A lot of people without gifts hated those who had them, jealous really, but he never thought Amber would be one of them. Granted, he should’ve been suspicious when she went out of her way to tell him how much she loved his Telekinesis.

Things In YA Fiction That Will Make Me Roll My Eyes

2009-11-18T00:22:16Z

A few days ago, I read a great post here about what will make you put down a book… more specifically a YA book. As I read a lot of YA, I wanted to do my own list. Steph Bowe (the blogger from the post above) is 15 years old, and her list is pretty awesome so you YA writers out there take heed!

I don’t really want to say what’ll make me put down a book as I try really hard to finish everything I pick up. So I’ll just say:

Things That Will Make Me Roll My Eyes in YA Fiction:

1. When the hot new guy comes to school and he’s dark and dangerous for no other reason than to be dark and dangerous. (This does make me pause, because I have a new guy in my latest WIP, Platinum Diaries. He’s cute, but not really hot and he’s also weird, so I hope his odd behavior will make him less of the clichéd new kid, plus his hair is red…so we shall see-lol)

2. When everybody in the book is beautiful. Come on…I know in my high school, not only were there a lot of unattractive people, but some of them were even popular, some of them were even funny and athletic and had lots of friends. Some of them were even overweight and had lots of friends, boys/girls who wanted to date them and ‘til this day still get recognized from high school (okay, I’m speaking of myself here. But my point is, I wasn’t slim with the perfect figure and I was still very popular in high school. The pretty people didn’t rule at my school and that’s the way it is sometimes.)

3. To piggyback on number two…When everyone is the same ethnicity. Now, it depends on where the book takes place, but most places in the US are melting pots. When all the characters are of one ethnicity it makes me wonder if the author just didn’t feel like investing the time and effort into creating characters of other races—not that there is too much effort to put into that—still, it makes me roll my eyes.

4. To piggyback onto number three-lol…When characters of other ethnicities are stereotypes. Now, I know some people are just stereotypes, after all, the stereotype had to come from somewhere. And I’ll be the first to tell you that I know some walking, talking stereotypes, but when you have carte blanche to create people anyway you want, why not let the tall, athletic black kid be a skateboarder instead of a baller, or the emo kid think that his parents are awesome instead of hating the very air they breathe, or the Asian kid suck at math instead of being a wiz at all academics. It’ll make for much more interesting characters.

5. When the characters are Passive. Now I know that some people are just passive and sometimes, in order to represent the way the world is, you’ll have to create a character that will lie down and make a doormat of themselves. I understand this, but it still makes me roll my eyes. A book I just finished, which I’m not going to name, constantly had the main character saying things like, I wanted to say _____, but I didn’t...I wanted to do____, but I didn't. I wanted to scream after the fifth time this character’s internal dialogue expressed what she wanted to say/do but she never had the balls to carry through.

6. When people fall in love too fast. This bugs the ba-jesus out of me in ALL fiction, not just YA. I’m a bit more lenient on YA because I know what it was like to be a teen (it hasn’t been that long) so I know when you have a crush and those feelings are so intense you can’t breath, but when it’s in a book, it just seems lazy to me. Give us reasons for these people to love each other and not just because he’s gorgeous and she smells good. I want to be able to fall in love right along with the characters.

7. When girls are too giggly. I was not a silly, giggly girl in real life, and I’m not a silly giggly woman—okay, some would argue the silly part—but I just can’t stand reading about girls who would just die if they don’t get asked to the dance, or if they don’t get a certain pair of shoes, or heaven forbid, if someone else wore the same shirt that they had on. I don’t scream when I find a nice pair of shoes, I don’t squeal when a cute boy is near (never did…I played it cool-lol) and I don’t talk a mile a minute about purses and nail polish and lip gloss even though I love all of those things. Silly, giggly girls just plain get on my nerves and when I read them in books (especially if it’s the MC) it makes me roll my eyes and seriously consider putting that book down. This isn’t usually a problem because if it even seems like the character is going to be silly when I read the back summary, then I put it back on the shelf!

My list could go on, but tell me, what are some of the things that push your buttons in YA fiction?

Midweek Excerpt

2009-11-11T23:02:40Z

This week's excerpt comes from my current work in progress: PLATINUM DIARIES. This is also my NaNo project (or one of them...see here).
To give you a bit of background...
Sayra Nieves has the ability to see the furture through her dreams. Her dreams have always been typical teen angst type dreams and they have ALWAYS come true. One night, she dreams of the violent murder of a man she does not know and the scene below is of her telling her best friends about it.

Hope you like it!

~*~

As usual, Ivan arrived first. He looked a question at me, but I only shook my head, knowing it would be easier to tell them both at the same time. I didn’t think I could repeat it anyway. He sat beside me on the steps and took my chin in his long fingers—ideal for stroking the keys of a computer. His thumb ran over the crusted scrap on my chin and the welt on my cheek.

“You fall off your bike?”

I nodded, unable to go into detail about how I’d been nearly mowed down by Chaz’s car. A few minutes later, Penelope zipped into her parking spot and hopped out with her usual bubbling energy. Her smile fell away the moment she saw me.

“Sayra, please tell me you aren’t still moping over that parking space.” Then her eyes narrowed. “No, this isn’t about the spot.” She stooped in front of me. “What happened?”

With both of them there, I simply opened my diary and handed it to her. She stood as did Ivan, curving his long torso over her back. As if sensing the seriousness of what he was about to read, Ivan didn’t make his usual joke about hoping I’d dreamed up a girlfriend for him. They both scrunched up their faces and I realized how sloppy my writing must’ve looked. Short, choppy, scribbles made by a frightened hand, but even if I’d decided to write it over again, my hands were no less shaky.

Penelope gasped and a second later, so did Ivan. She flipped the page and Ivan snatched it back, scowling as he read the last few lines, lagging behind Penelope. The headache ratcheted up the back of my head and stuck behind my eyes. I didn’t want to talk about the dream, but I knew I had to. I couldn’t just pretend it never happened, no matter how hard I prayed.

“Maybe,” Penelope began, holding the book in her palm like it might explode,” maybe…it was just a nightmare.”

I shook my head.

Ivan sat beside me again. “Haven’t you ever had a dream that was just a dream?”

Again, I shook my head.

“Maybe this is the first,” he said hopefully.

“Yeah,” Penelope added.

They were trying to make me feel better, and I loved them for it, but there was no denying it. I dreamed that man’s murder and it was going to happen. The diary was snatched out of Penelope’s hand before any of us knew what happened.

NaNo HIGHJACKED!

2009-11-10T01:00:12Z

This is not a post about losing my NaNo buzz. I don’t need a pep talk, even though I’ll never turn down encouragement. I was perfectly jazzed about my new WIP and was kicking away at full speed for the last week, cranking out twice the suggested amount needed to have 50k by the end of November.

But then something happened.

Another story highjacked my brain and I mean HIGHJACKED it. Friday morning, I woke up at 5am because my bladder demanded it (which pissed me off because my alarm goes off at 6am and so I was cheated out of sleep). As I lay in bed, cursing the bottle of water I drank too close to bed time and my bladder for not holding on for another measly hour, this scene popped into my head: A girl rigging a bomb while a guy stands guard. Then they are running, trying to out run the rising sun, trying to out run the mutated people climbing out of the burrow holes in the ground around them.

I tell you, it just kept growing and growing and I haven’t been able to think of anything else. I haven't even been able to write up another interview with the next character from LIGHT BRINGERS. (You can check out the other two Interviews here, and here).

I forced myself to go back to the NaNa WIP on Sunday and I still love that story, I’m just cheating on it for a little while. It’ll understand. I’ll bring it some flowers, maybe a diamond, take it out to dinner. We might need to go to counseling, but it’ll forgive me eventually.

This new story will be my NaNo story now. I don’t think NaNo cares, as long as I write daily and the words total 50k, that’s all that matters. I feel confident that I’ll meet that goal between the two stories. I’ve just never had anything like this happen to me before so I thought this could mean something and so I shouldn’t ignore it.

Tell me, ever have a story highjack your brain?

Midweek Excerpt

2009-11-04T23:01:16Z

This is from Chapter Two of LIGHT BRINGERS:

Kalie dressed in a powder-blue bikini, ready for a day on the water, then slipped on a pair of denim cut-offs. It was still pretty early so the house was quiet. She headed down the hall to Ryan’s old bedroom and listened at the door, hearing his low snoring from inside. She opened the door a crack.

He lay sprawled like a starfish with his neck bent at an awkward angle. At six-foot-four, he took up the entire bed. His big feet hung off the end, and Kalie had to resist the urge to tickle them. Ryan hated being tickled. She crept inside, because to wake him before he was ready would be like poking a hungry bear with a short stick. His cell phone sat on his head by his temple. He had apparently fallen asleep while talking to someone. God help him if it was Amber. Kalie snickered, hoping that he had indeed drifted off on the bimbo he called a girlfriend.

Hugging his pillow, Ryan farted so loudly that he woke himself up with a snort. Kalie jumped back, clamping her hand over her mouth and nose. His unfocused eyes blinked angrily at her as if she was responsible for waking him. He grumbled “Shicken wings,” and then flopped back to the bed, fast asleep.

“So gross.” She rushed out of the room, holding her breath.

Quietly, she headed down to the library or study or whatever they were currently calling the room with the family computer and hundreds of books. She rooted through several bags filled with newly purchased books, and just then decided to have everything read before the start of her first semester at Lawrence State University. Evolution of Endowments: Effects of the Solstice was not on the required list for her courses, but Kalie wanted to read it first. She stuck an ink pen between her teeth, grabbed a legal pad, tucked the thick book under her arm, and made her way into the back yard.

Entertain Me!

2009-11-03T01:17:41Z

I’ve been watching a lot of action-adventure movies lately and one thing I’ve noticed is the abundance of cheesy dialogue. Honestly, I’ve always noticed craptastic lines in movies, but what struck me this time was how it made me roll my eyes and almost stopped me from enjoying the movie all together. I’m really getting sick of cheesy movies. My friends think I’m overly critical of films, like I REALLY have to be entertained or else I’m pissed…well, DUH! These people are getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to entertain me, and damn it, I want to be entertained!

I don’t want cheesy lines delivered with all seriousness—just saw this on an episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or is it called Terminator? Who knows—“Come with me if you want to live.”

Of course I want to live, dillhole!

Or my all-time favorite, “Stay alive, I’m going to get help!”

Oh, wow, thanks for telling me to stay alive, because I was going to die without that bit of instruction.

But I must say, the funniest 3 minutes in The Office history was when Dwight set a fire and panic ensued because he blocked all the exits. As Oscar climbed into the ceiling he shouted to Angela, “Stay alive, I’m going to get help!”
Priceless. I think I laughed until my stomach hurt at that episode. See, when it’s used mockingly it works.

My peeves aren’t only for cheesy dialogue, but also crappy graphics. I don’t want to know that I’m watching a CGI. I want to think that Keanu Reeves is really kicking the @ss of a hundred Agent Smiths (that scene SO pissed me off).
If Supernatural, a freain' tv show, can pull off excellent graphics than surely a big budget move can do better.

And I’m not sure if any of you have seen the previews of New Moon yet, but I saw a trailer in the movies as well as recently on tv and both times I was like…um, am I the only one who sees that big cartoon wolf? People around me in the theater were ooh-ing and aww-ing—okay, it was giggly fangirls—but I was looking at the graphics thinking, I’m SO not going to see this movie. Is it so hard to make a believable wolf? (So um…I don’t want to be flamed by graphic artist, please. My bro-in-law is a graphic cartoonist…I love you guys, but really, can we do better?)

I remember seeing An American Werewolf in London and being scared out of my MIND! The transformation scene was, and still is, one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. Then, years later when they made An American Werewolf in Paris (when graphics/technology should have been and was much better) the wolves looked like cartoons and I was not at all scared.

I think about this when I’m writing. No matter how easy it is for my characters to say or do certain clichéd phrase/actions, I resist. There is nothing an author can do when their book has been optioned into a movie and then their wolves are turned into cartoons, but I guess what I’m saying is, as writers, let’s free the world of clichés. Be it novels, stage, film or the small screen. We owe it to the people reading, hearing, and seeing our work not to give them lazy dialogue. It’s not hard to do. I could tell you how to avoid clichés in your writing…but then I’d have to kill you.

An Interview with a Light Bringer

2009-10-31T03:09:28Z

This is the second in my four week series to interview my characters from Light Bringers...hope you enjoy!

Article by Rosepddle of the Telling Point Gazette.

After my interview with Venator Ryan Webb, I was contacted by a young woman claiming to be a Light Bringer. (For those of you who have no idea what a Light Bringer is, your questions will be answered below). Obviously, I was skeptical. Light Bringers have been a rare—if not extinct—breed for as long as I can remember. With the assurance of Ryan Webb that this was not a hoax, I agreed to meet this young lady, because after all, I’m more than a little curious to see if she really is a Light Bringer.

The day before I was set to meet this supposed Light Bringer, I received a call from Ryan laying down the rules. Now, I’m no stranger to rules when interviewing someone. People are always trying to tell reporters what we can and can not ask, but these rules were a little odd. I am not allowed to know her full name. I am not to take any photos, or even bring a photographer, nor am I to describe her too completely. Also, I am not allowed to ask any questions that will lead to her identity. I have to admit, the rules only made me more interested.

I arrive at the designated area, but I am unable to get there first, like usual, and watch my interviewee arrive. We are in a national park on a beautiful fall day. Several Venators, in full combat gear, have created a perimeter. I’m not sure if they’re here to protect her or keep me in line. Her name is Kalie and she is seventeen. I can not tell you what she looks like, other than to say that she is petite and cute as a pixie in jeans and a light-weight blue jacket.

We walk down a path where the reddish-orange leave flutter from the trees. The Venators keep their distance, with the exception of Ryan who walks a few paces behind us.

Rosepddle: It’s nice to meet you, Kalie. This seems like a lot of fuss for a simple conversation.

Kalie: [Jerks her thumb over her shoulder with a smile] He’s a bit overprotective.

Rosepddle: It’s obvious that your safety is important to Ryan. Have you two known each other long?

Kalie: All of my life. I was raised by his— [Kalie is interrupted with a warning from Ryan not to go any further about her childhood information. She opens her mouth, possibly to argue, but then understanding sets in and she presses her lips together.]

Rosepddle: Tell me, Kalie, why did you want to speak with me?

Kalie: Because the Gazette is a respectable paper and I wanted to…well, I don’t really know what I hope to achieve with this interview. I just don’t want to hide any longer. I want to be free to shout out in a room full of strangers that I am a Light Bringer and not have to fear for my life.

Rosepddle: Explain that. Tell us about Light Bringers and why it’s so dangerous for you?

Kalie: Well, I’m endowed with the ability to heal others. And the reason I fear for my life is because people can be irrational when faced with death. I don’t believe the majority of the population wants to hurt Light Bringers. It would be counterproductive. But, imagine if you were sick or dying and knew there was someone out there who could heal you, wouldn’t you do anything and everything to get that person to help you? The problem comes in when people don’t understand the limits of my gift, don’t understand or care that I can be seriously harmed if I’m not strong enough to cure them. Our history has shown that the fear of death, especially when a cure is within reach, can make people do things they wouldn’t normally do. It’s like the mob mentality.

Rosepddle: But it’s more than that, isn’t it? I’ve done some research and your gift can be deadly to people, correct?”

Kalie: Yes. If it’s not utilized correctly, or if it’s used malevolently, Light Bringers can kill.

Rosepddle: Can you show me? Explain to me how your gift works.
[Kalie glances back at Ryan and they communicate something silently. Then, she stretches her arms out in front of her, palms down. White Light rains from her palms and fingertips. The brown grass around our feet begins to grow, lush and vibrantly green. Instinctually, I step back and immediately see how my reaction upsets the young Light Bringer as she shuts down her rain of Light.]

Kalie: This can’t hurt you. There are two facets to my endowment. When I give Light—like what I just did—it heals wounds, regenerates tissue and replenishes living things. The other part of my gift is to cure. [Her hands glow white, no drizzling or pouring this time, just a blinding glove. She turns them, flexing her fingers.] Like this, I can touch you and extract disease, pain or any illness from you and take it into my body. I need water to get rid of any ailments I take from someone. Usually, I just rinse my hands, but any part of me in water will cause the sick energy to leave my body.
What makes the gift deadly is, in this state, I can simply absorb all of your energy, your life force and you will die. [Her hands stop glowing and she folds them demurely in front of her. She seems painfully aware that she has frightened me.] We are misunderstood, ma’am. I’ve been taught to use my gift to help others, but because of the dangers I face from people who want to harm me—before I supposedly harm them—or people who would hurt me or the ones I love to force me to help them, I am forced to hide and I don’t want to any longer.

Rosepddle: Do you have any ideas on how you can be yourself and be safe?

Kalie: We need to make it illegal to threaten, coerce or blackmail Light Bringers into using their gifts. Crimes against Light Bringers should have harsh punishments. I’m not against helping people. In fact, I really want to. But it needs to be controlled and protected. Just like there are laws to protect doctors as well as patients, there should be the same with Light Bringers, but stronger. And just as you need to make an appointment to see a doctor, you should have to make one for me. [She shrugs.] I haven’t really thought it all out…

Rosepddle: Oh I’d say you’ve thought it out plenty and I hope you get all of that and more.

Kalie: Thank you.

Rosepddle: It was fascinating meeting you, Kalie. I hope to get a chance to speak with you again.

She thanks me again, shakes my hand. I am briskly escorted to my vehicle and all but forced out of the park. From my rearview mirror I see Ryan and Kalie embrace. He no longer looks like a soldier, but a comforting friend. Something tells me that there is more to their relationship than what meets the eye.

Midweek Excerpt

2009-10-29T02:12:54Z

In an effort to keep Light Bringers fresh in my mind without over-editing, I’ve decided to post an excerpt every Wednesday. I’m not sure how well the Interview with a Venator went over, but it really helped me know my characters better. It was a good exercise and I still plan to post the remaining three on the next few Fridays.

The weekly excerpts will be roughly 300 words and hopefully give a glimpse of the characters and plot. This week’s scene is from chapter one. Ryan has been hurt at work and has come to his parent’s house so his best friend, Kalie, can heal him. Kalie lives with Ryan's parents because they took her in when she was five.

**~*~*~**

“I’m gonna be sick.” Ryan pushed away from the table.

Before he could rush to the sink Kalie yanked up his shirt and slapped her hand on his stomach. White Light covered her hand like a soft glove. She closed her eyes as a thin sheen of sweat broke out over her face. The need to vomit left Ryan almost instantly. He watched Kalie’s color fade from golden-brown to chalky and greenish.

She pulled her hand away and rushed to the sink. When she turned on the water Ryan thought she was going to be sick. Instead, she cupped her left hand under the flow, letting the water run over it for a minute. Her skin gradually regained its healthy luster until she looked as if none of it had happened. She shook away the excess water, shut off the faucet and turned to Ryan.

“Sit,” she said again, just as calmly as before. “You probably have a concussion.”

Kalie placed her right hand over his forehead and white Light poured from her palm and fingertips like steady rain. This was different than the glowing glove that covered her hand a minute ago. Ryan had to resist the urge to wipe his face as her Light drizzled down on him, but there wasn’t any wetness, just cool tingles.

The emotions pulsing through him felt like nothing he could ever muster on his own. He had the usual physical feelings—the itching and pulling of rapidly healing flesh that tickled his skin. But he also felt love, platonic and strong, at first and it made him smile. Then hot jabs of lust grabbed a hold of his gut, invigorating him, making him want to reach out and touch her. Lately, he felt that stirring more often when she healed him. Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

An Interview with a Venator

2009-10-24T16:04:34Z

I've decided to do a four week series of interviews with characters from my novel LIGHT BRINGERS. I'm still querying this novel and want to keep it fresh in my head but I don't want to over-edit it. So while I wait to hear back from a beta, I thought this would be fun. Hope you like it.

Article by, Rosepddle of the Telling Point Gazette

I arrive at the trendy café, Vintage, in downtown Telling Point, before Ryan Webb. It’s something that I like to do with interviews, get a chance to watch people make an entrance when they aren’t aware they are being studied.

I sip caramel macchiato and only wait five minutes for my interviewee. Having only seen a file photo of Ryan Webb, I am not prepared for the utter power that radiates from him. Arguably one of the most powerful Telekinetics in the nation, perhaps the world—I believe he could level the café with a mere flicker of thought—and at only nineteen. His entry doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by the females. It’s impossible not to glance in his direction, standing at six-foot-four, lean, blond and tanned with sparkling green eyes, he certainly garners attention.

He swaggers toward me with the confidence of a much older man. There’s a smile in his eyes until they land on the recorder I’ve placed on the table. Apprehension passes over his face and now he looks his age.

He greets me with the respect of a well-mannered, well-trained soldier. He sits and we exchange pleasantries until the waitress arrives. Ryan smiles up at her and asks for a grape soda. She is flummoxed by his order, in this oh-so-trendy café, but the dreamy way she looks at him makes me wonder if she’d bring him all the money in the register if he asked.

Rosepddle: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Mr. Webb.
Ryan Webb: You can call me Ryan. And my Chief ordered me to come.
R: Why’s that?
RW: [Shrugs] ‘Cause I had a few high profile, erm, incidents in the past few weeks and the PR department thought it would be good press for Caligatus Defense Unit and the Venators. Probably shouldn’t have told you that, though.
R: So let’s talk about your career. It’s very impressive that you’ve achieved the rank of sergeant at the age of nineteen.
RW: I’ll be twenty soon.
R: Explain to our readers just what a Venator does and how you became one at such a young age. What’s a typical day for you?
RW: Well, um, Venators are a special ops team of soldiers designed to police the endowed society. I’ve wanted to be one since I was seven, so I tested when I was seventeen and made it into the program. After two years on the job you can take the sergeants exam. [Shrugs again] I don’t think anyone expected me to pass, not even me. There really isn’t a typical day as a Venator. The job is a mix between the marines and police work. Like last month, we tracked down a serial rapist who had the ability to move through solid objects, making him impossible for standard police to catch since he could slip right through walls.
R: That’s a creepy endowment to have.
RW: [His eyes harden at my answer] My partner has that ability. It’s not the endowment that’s flawed, ma’am. It’s the person.
R: You’re right, I apologize. You were the youngest person ever to become a Venator, correct?
RW: Yes ma’am.
R: Did you find it difficult being so young?
RW: In some ways. Venator training is physically and mentally demanding, and being young gave me an advantage with energy and stamina. But then sometimes it’s hard for the older guys to take me seriously. Doing this interview isn’t going to make it any easier.
R: Sorry.
RW: Not your fault.
R: You’re a powerful Telekinetic, is that something that runs in your family? Do you find it helps a lot in your job?
RW: Everyone in my immediate family is a Telekinetic, just not as strong as I am. And yeah, I use my gift quite a bit in my duties as a Venator.
R: Could you demonstrate?
[Before I’ve finished my question, the items on our table are floating. He sits at ease, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I had just asked him, I wouldn’t have known he was responsible.]
R: Not to sound jaded, I really am impressed, but could you do something to demonstrate just how powerful you really are?
[Something nearly undetectable passes through his eyes as everything that isn’t nailed down in the café begins to rise. As squeals and yelps scatter around the establishment, my attention is drawn to the blaring horns and screams from outside. The parked cars lining the block have also risen several feet in the air.]
R: Wow, I stand impressed.
[His smile is quick and slightly embarrassed as everything lowers with quiet grace.]
R: Ryan, what would you like to see in your future?
RW: Well, I’d like to continue to move up the ladder. Maybe make it to Chief one day. And I’d like to make the world a safer place for those endowed people who have to hide their gifts. None of us should have to hide.
[He looks far away as he answers. When I questioned him further on that topic he shakes it off. But it’s obvious he has a deeper reason for wanting safety for all of the gifted society.]
R: Before I conclude this interview, once we add a photo of you to this article, my readers will string me up if I don’t ask if you’re single.
[He hesitates, blushing shyly and then he nods. Yes, he is single, but I doubt he’ll be that way for long.]
R: Thank you, Ryan. I enjoyed speaking with you.
RW: No problem. [He shakes my hand and is out of the café quickly, attracting the same attention as when he walked in.]

Things I Never Plan to Write About

2009-09-18T23:43:18Z

I was listening to an audio book the other day at work (I won’t say which) but as the story moved on, I could see a scene coming that I was dreading. Now, mind you, this was a fluffy kind of story so serves me right for being annoyed by the fluffy scene, but I could see that the story was about to come to a childbirth scene and I wanted to fast forward with the quickness.

I closed my eyes and prayed the author would not go into detail, but my prayers went unanswered. Then I thought to myself, Karen, why are you SO annoyed with childbirth scenes? Is it because you’ve never given birth?

Um…that’s a big fat no. I don’t want to read or see child-birthing scenes, not because I’m put off by it, or I’m squeamish—I work in a Perinatal Center for crying out loud—but it’s because it’s all clichéd to me. Unless someone dies during the birth, or the baby comes out as a green alien, I’m not interested in reading a childbirth scene.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve worked with pregnant women for quite a while, have witnessed my share of childbirths that I know that anyway to make childbirth entertaining enough for it to be part of a book, tv show or movie, then the writer is going to have to fall back on some clichés. The panicked father, the rushing to the hospital, the mother cursing the father for putting her through all of the pain, the mother cursing the staff and begging for drugs…ENOUGH!

Really, my main problem with the childbirth scene is that it rarely ever moves the plot along. It’s always used as a device to either inspire comedy with the screaming mother and the bumbling father, or it’s used to stir emotion as the parents stare down at the precious bundle of joy.

Don’t get me wrong, I love babies, will probably have one…one day, but if it’s not moving the plot, leave it out. And for as many childbirth scenes as I’ve read, I have yet to read one that really needed to be there. I’m starting to feel the same way about wedding scenes in books.

As much as I hate to say never, I don’t think I’ll ever incorporate either one of those types of scenes in any book I write. Will I have pregnant characters? Probably. Will I have characters who get married? Yup, I do believe I will at some point. But will I actually write the childbirth scene or the wedding? No.

So tell me, what things will you never write about?

To Re-query or not to Re-query That is the Question

2009-09-17T00:13:30Z

I was speaking to a writer friend the other day who is in Query Hell with me, and she was wondering if she should re-query a particular agent.

Now, giving the situation, I am firmly in favor of re-querying certain agents. Here are my criteria:

1) Have you made SIGNIFICANT changes to your manuscript since you first queried this agent?
2) Has it been more than a few months, (better if it was like a year or close to it) since you last queried this agent?

3) Or is it a NEW/ANOTHER agent at an agency you’ve already queried?

When I’m able to answer yes to one or all three of these, I re-query.

Example: I submitted Light Bringers (at 100k words) to KT Literary back in September 2008. I was rejected at query level. I got an AWESOME beta, cut it down to 78k and re-queried in March 2009. From that I got a request for a partial, then a request for a full. It was ultimately a pass, but I had obviously done something between tightening up my query letter and shaving off nearly 30k words that got her attention.

And just the other day, I re-queried an agent who rejected me 8 months ago with a—no reply means no—rejection, but I just got a request for a full from that. So I say RE-QUERY!!!

As for the third point, I only query a new/another agent at an agency I’ve queried before when:
A) The new/another agent reps what you write (that really goes without saying, but I’m saying it).
B) And most importantly, if the agency DOES NOT have a policy against querying more than one agent at the agency. I don’t mean querying more than one agent simultaneously—like my little snafu a while back—I mean if they do not say, “A no from one of us is a no from us all,” then I would re-query.

Here is another example of where this worked for me-lol. I’ve queried just about every agent at Writers House. It’s a big house like Curtis Brown (queried a few there too) so it’s not likely that my submission would be passed around and then declined as a group effort.

First I queried Jodi Reamer back in 2008—got rejected. Then I went through the massive rewrite and queried Maya Rock—got rejected there too. Then I queried Merrilee Heifetz—again with the rejections. So that makes three. I was almost ready to give up on Writers House, when I decided to query Robin Rue. I got a request for a partial then a request for a full. It was ultimately a pass, but like I said, I’m grateful for every agent who has laid eyes on my manuscript and has taken the time to give me feedback. If I had given up I would have never had my manuscript read by either one of those awesome agents. And FYI, I have a query out right now with Rebecca Sherman of Writers House as we speak! :-)

I’m determined if nothing else!

Disclaimer: I am in no way saying make a nuisance of yourself, or disregard the guidelines the agents have on their websites or any other site you get their information. I’m saying if those criteria above apply, then why not re-query. You never know what you may get out of it!

Anyone out there have a re-query story that you’d like to share?

Saturday Silliness

2009-09-12T15:40:06Z

I cannot get this song out of my head! I suppose that says a lot about me-LOL.

Random Musings

2009-09-12T02:26:24Z

Sometimes I feel like I’ve queried every agent there is to query, so when I find a new one, (well, new to me) I’m nearly giddy with excitement!

I’ve recently found 3 new-to-me agents, and have already been rejected by one of them (lol-he’s super fast!), but I prefer knowing sooner than later.

I’ve been trying not to over-think my novel. Sometimes I hear agents say characters who are 18 are too old for YA, (which two of the four main characters in my book are, and the other two are 19 and 20). I’m fully aware that my novel can skirt the line of teen and adult fiction, but when I think of the body of work I plan to write, then I’ll fall on the side of a YA writer.

So when I hear stuff like 18 is too old for YA, I think, well, the very definition of Young Adult is a Young Adult, so why can’t it include characters who are 18-20. Not to mention, I think if you still have the word TEEN after your age, then you are still a TEEN and can therefore be considered part of the Young Adult genre! My book is relatable to people from the ages 14 and over. Does it have to be set in high school? Not every teen wants to read about high school angst. I have plenty of angst in my book, and plenty of UST. And honestly, I’m ranting a little, but I’ve never been rejected for this reason, so maybe it’s just the blurb I read that’s got me going. Sorry. J

On to other topics…I’m very interested to see who the new Secret Agent is on Authoress’s blog this month. I’m hoping that it’s someone I haven’t queried yet, because the genre is what I write and you know how I like to find new agents! I have a fear that even long after I’ve gotten an agent and a deal, I’ll still be Googling agents, looking for their genre and there submission guidlines…I can’t stop myself!

Anywho, I’ve been working on my SNI, wrote 2300 words on Sunday! It’s a Paranormal YA called Platinum Diaries about a girl who has psychic dreams. I’m still working out the opening, but right now I’m just letting it spill out of me.

I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I know I’m late. I usually am, but man, that was an awesome book! It was very hard to get through the beginning. It’s hard for me to see/hear/read about people being harmed for no other reason than the pleasure of someone else. I’ve never been harmed like that personally, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling it deeply. And boy did I feel it. The book haunted me the more I delved into it, the layers were so true and heavy and at the same time beautiful. I’m happy I read it. The moment I read that Peter Jackson was bringing it to the screen, I wanted to read it. Now I’m reading The Hunger Games…see, I’m late with everything. J

I know this post is all over the place, but I’m a bit of a scatter brain lately. I haven’t been sleeping too well and it didn’t help that some IDIOT called and R.S.V.P’d for my mother’s birthday party at 12:16 am!!!! OMG I was heated! I think the man (who was only invited because he’s a friend of my stepdad’s) had been drinking.
The conversation went like this:

Drunk man: Um…is this Karen?

Me: “Yes,” I say with a snap because I realize it’s actually someone calling to rsvp and not a wrong number or--thank God--someone telling me that someone in my family is hurt.

DM: “I got an invite, wanted to RSVP…were you sleep?”

Me: “Of course I was sleep!”

DM: “Oh, sorry, I just got home. Should I call again?”

Me: “No, don’t EVER call again. Are you coming or not?”

DM: “Oh yeah, I’ll be there.”

Me: “Bloody fantastic.” Click.

Okay, WTF? Now some may think my responses to Drunk Man were rude, but I can’t be responsible for what flies out of my mouth when you wake me up! I swear, I have not had a normal RSVP for this party yet. It’s getting a little scary.

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-09-01T01:54:36Z

Well, I got a rejection from the lovely agent with The Secret Agent Contest. Man, she’s fast! I sent it off on August 25th and she got back to me this morning. It stings, but the pain is less sharp now. I think my skin is getting thicker as I hopefully get closer to the agent who will be mine!

It was a nice letter so I can’t really complain. She didn’t think the conflict came in soon enough. By chapter 5 which is like page 48 is when the first bit of an “attack” happens so I didn’t think that was too far for the conflict. I do build the world, set up the mystery a bit and then it’s “attack”. Maybe I need rethink the beginning, but at the same time, this is the first time I’ve gotten that bit of feedback, so maybe I should just leave it alone.

She also said she felt like Ryan (one of my mc’s) was whiny and self-indulgent-lol. I smiled when I read that because Ryan is a bit self-indulgent when it comes to the female mc because they have known each other all of their lives and he picks with her kind of like a brother, he's over protective of her, and he's secretly in love with her. He is a bit of an a-hole but that’s how I want him—a slight a-hole who has a big heart and would do anything to keep the people he cares about safe. I guess I can’t really do much if some people don’t like him. It’s impossible for everyone to like what you do and who you create. I like him and I made him to be a bit self-indulgent (not whiny) and a bit of an a-hole.

So, back to waiting and writing, and waiting some more ;-)

Edits, Rewrites and More

2009-08-27T00:52:07Z

Okay, so I’ve jumped the gun on starting my edit of the second installment in my Light Bringers trilogy. I was planning to wait until after I’ve finished reading my friends ms and all the books I just checked out of the library. I blame my premature ed-jaculation on my boring job and having far too much down time today. Since I couldn’t outright read my friends ms while at work, I opened Light Bringers 2 which is tentatively entitled, VENATORS.

I finished it on June 20^th and can’t believe I actually let it sit for more than 2 months without reading it! I usually have no self control. Now that I’ve gone back to it, I’m falling in love with it all over again. Unfortunately, the beginning is still giving me a fit…as beginnings always do, but I’m going to press on and see how I feel once I’ve gone through it once on the computer, then again in print.

This couldn’t come at a more perfect time, since I’m waiting for the agent to read my full. Granted, I’m not as neurotic as I was the last time I was in this situation. I really got myself worked up and took the rejection pretty hard—I didn’t go out binge drinking or anything—but I was super bummed.

Now, I just feel more excited than nervous, more go-with-the-flow than on edge biting my nails. I guess I’ve just resolved myself to saying, it will happen, so I’ll just have to wait and see who helps me on my journey.

So, I’m off to set my editing aside for the night, watch some tv for an hour and then read more of my friends ms!

It’s Hard Being Anal

2009-08-26T00:16:07Z

I’m doing a slow trickle with this new wave of queries. I’m finding new agents left and right to submit to…and here I thought I’d submitted to all there was out there when I sent out my last batch, but I’ve managed to find about 40 more. And I’m still looking.

The problem, it takes FOREVER!

It’s my own fault. I’ve compiled my list, color coded the agents based on whether they want only a query (pink) or a query with some type of sample or synopsis (light blue).

Well, before an agent/agency makes my list, I have to research them as thoroughly as possible. This isn’t news to any serious writer out there looking to get published.

However, when I get to the point where I’ve opened a new email draft, and I’ve addressed my query letter, I still Google them one last time. I look at their webpage, I read over any post on them on Absolute Write, and then if it’s still all good THEN I submit.

Being anal like this will probably pay off in the end—let’s hope—but man it’s slow! It took me 2 hours to send 4 emails tonight! Lol.

Now, I’m going to lose some brain cells sitting in front of the tv, and eating some orange sherbet. Yummers!

Oh, btw, I submitted my manuscript to the agent from the Secret Agent contest this morning…despite what I said, I did not wait for a shower and coffee. I woke up at 6:15, logged on and sent it! Godspeed…

Holy-crap-ola Batman!

2009-08-25T02:53:11Z

I won the Secret Agent contest on Miss Snark’s First Victim’s blog!

I really can’t believe it, not because I don’t have any confidence in my work, but because this business is SO subjective and you just never know what will work for an agent and what won’t. I think it was just good timing. I had tried to enter the contest a while back when Authoress did it as a lottery and, alas, my number wasn’t called. Then after that, it was either that my genre wasn’t being represented or I missed the submission because I got the email alert late and submissions were closed.

Now I have my fingers, toes and eyes crossed because not only is agent Emmanuelle Alspaugh looking for something with shape-shifters in it (which Light Bringers has) but she’s looking for a werewolf story and I currently have a werewolf WIP.

Okay, I’m jumping a head of myself.

Nevertheless, if things don’t pan out the way I want, she will still be the third agent to read my full and that can’t be a bad thing!

I’m going to submit to her tomorrow because I’m dog tired right now and fear I’ll address it to the wrong person, spell her name wrong, or something just as stupid. So, I’ll send it in the morning after I’ve had my morning shower, and a cup of coffee.

I’ll keep you all posted…wish me luck!

MIA

2009-08-01T02:37:29Z

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve updated. Life has been a bit busy, what with vacation (HOT azz Reno) and just being summer. I think I’ll be back in the swing of things next week. My birthday is Monday, and I plan to go to Boordy Vineyards tomorrow to have some wine, tour the vineyard and relax with friends. The band playing is a British invasion band so I’m thinking Beetles tributes are in my future. Hope they’ll be good, but I’d wager after my third glass of wine, they may be the best darn band in the world.

Some people think this sounds sad, but I’m making my own b-day cake—lol. I’m not really making my own cake. One of my best friends’ birthday is the same day, and she’ll be at the vineyard too, so I’m kinda making it for her. But the real reason I’m making my own cake is because I was watching this show called The Oprah Effect. They featured this cake company called We Take the Cake. Well they have this cake called a key lime cake. It looked so good that I’m going to try to make it! There isn’t a location near me, and I don’t have time to order one from them…besides, I fashion myself a pretty good baker. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

To round off my b-day weekend, some friends and I are heading to Annapolis on Sunday to have brunch at a restaurant called Buddies. They have the best buffet, and I don’t even like buffets! Then we’ll walk by the water and look at all the shops…that is, if it’s not an ungodly rain like it’s been for the past few days.

Now, I’m off to watch a few more episodes of Supernatural, do a fangirl squee over Jensen Ackles, and then head off to bed.

Back to the Drawing Board…

2009-07-14T01:44:24Z

Well, I’ve received a rejection from the last agent who had my full. She gave me some good feedback—some I’ll be taking and some I won’t. I sat on the feedback for a few days. I had to read over the email again with a brain that wasn’t clogged with disappointment and my ears weren’t ringing with sadness, (dramatic, aren’t I?).

I don’t want to be the type of writer who can’t take feedback because lord knows that would be the death of my career, but I also don’t want to be the type of writer who takes everything that someone says to me and runs with it.

Unless I’m truly delusional, I think I have a healthy balance. One of the things this agent said was that I could build the world a bit more. She felt like it was whole in my head but lacked a bit on the page. She was right. I didn’t have to think twice to answer the questions she posed to make my world more substantial. So obviously I had these world building facts fleshed out, but hadn’t put them to work in my story. I sprinkled them into my ms, and hopefully solved that issue.

This next thing she said was what I decided not to take. My story is told in the pov of more than one character. It’s not head-hopping, but as I’m sure you have all read a story that will give you say, the killer’s pov and then the cop, and then the protagonist, this is sort of what I do except I don’t have a killer or a cop-lol. The agent felt that I did myself a disservice by doing this and maybe I should consider telling the story wholly from one of either the female or male lead character. The majority of the book is told from the male lead’s pov, and I feel like I would lose something crucial to my story if I did this.

I realized, (when I was through being bummed) that this agent was probably not the one for me. I know it’s what we all tell ourselves when we are rejected, but if she doesn’t really care for something that is actually my style of writing, and something I’ll most likely do in all or most of the books I write, then she would probably have a problem with every one of my manuscripts. Granted, like she said, I might be doing myself a disservice and I guess only time will tell, but I have to be true to what I believe is right for my story, my style and my writing career.

And now I have compiled a new list of agents, revamped my query and when I get back from vacation, I’ll get back out there into the big bad world of querying!

Yes/No

2009-07-08T23:45:43Z

I tagged this from Jeaniene Frost’s blog. Feel free to tag it yourself. I swear it was hard not to explain some of these answers.

The Rules:

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments and asks you.

Kissed any one of your LiveJournal friends? — no
Been arrested? — no
Kissed someone you didn't like? — yes
Slept in until 5 PM? — no
Fallen asleep at work/school? — yes
Held a snake? — yes
Ran a red light? — yes
Been suspended from school? — no
Experienced love at first sight? — no
Totaled your car in an accident? — yes
Been fired from a job? — yes
Fired somebody? — no
Sung karaoke? — yes
Pointed a gun at someone? — yes
Did something you told yourself you wouldn't? — yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? — no
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? — yes
Kissed in the rain? — yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? — yes
Saw someone die? — no
Played Spin-the-Bottle? — no
Smoked a cigar? — yes
Sat on a rooftop? — yes
Smuggled something into another country? — no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? — no
Broken a bone? — no
Skipped school? — yes
Eaten a bug? — no
Sleepwalked? — no
Walked on a moonlit beach? — yes
Ridden a motorcycle? — yes
Dumped someone? — yes
Forgotten your anniversary? — no
Lied to avoid a ticket? — yes
Ridden in a helicopter? — no
Shaved your head? — no
Blacked out from drinking? — no
Played a prank on someone? — yes
Hit a home run? — no
Felt like killing someone? — yes
Cross-dressed? — yes
Been falling-down drunk? — no
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? — yes
Eaten snake? — no
Marched/Protested? — yes
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? — no
Puked on an amusement ride? — no
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? — yes
Knitted? — yes
Been on TV? — yes
Shot a gun? — yes
Skinny-dipped? — no
Given someone stitches? — no
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? — no
Ridden a surfboard? — no
Drunk straight from a liquor bottle? — yes
Had surgery? — yes
Streaked? — no
Been taken by ambulance to a hospital? — no
Tripped on mushrooms? — no
Passed out when NOT drinking? — no
Peed on a bush? — yes
Donated Blood? — yes
Grabbed electric fence? — yes
Eaten alligator meat? -- no
Eaten cheesecake? — yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? — yes
Peed your pants in public? — no
Snuck into a movie without paying? -- yes
Written graffiti? — yes
Still love someone you shouldn't? — no
Think about the future? — yes
Been in handcuffs? — no
Believe in love? — yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? — yes

Writing Prompts

2009-07-03T03:17:32Z

So, super agent Daphne Unfeasible (aka KT Literary) issued a holiday writing prompt on her fantastic blog yesterday. I’m not usually one who can do writing prompts because it kinda feels like an assignment/homework, and if you know me you know I HATED homework! So, I didn’t really think I’d do this, but one of the prompts stood out to me, and I thought of a brief scene. Of the three offered, I chose: I didn’t actually expect to go swimming….

Tell me what you think…hope I got all the typos :-o

My father was a total tyrant! Why he felt the need to make me re-mow the lawn and on the hottest day of the year was beyond me. Okay, so maybe I was grounded and maybe I took his car without permission, but this could be classified as child abuse. From inside the air-conditioned house, my mother peered out of the window, giving me the, I’m sorry face—not a sweat bead in sight.

I had long since snatched off my shirt, and draped it over my head, trying to stave off the sun from frying my brain. The lawn mower barely spit out any cut grass, but enough that I’d have to rake before I could even think about going inside.

Finished with the front, I shut off the motor to head around back. You’d think my dad would get a riding mower for the acres of land behind the house, but no, he had a young strapping son, so why bother with that expense.

“Hey, Eric.”

I turned and had to struggle to keep my mouth from flopping open as Marianne Weeks stood in front of me clad in a stars and strips bikini. Her copper hair shimmered in the scorching sun and she squinted pale green eyes at me. I swallowed and fought to keep my eyes north of her bikini top. It was a struggle.

“H-hey Marianne. What brings you by?”

She sucked on a firecracker popsicle that was rapidly melting. “Well…” she smiled sweetly with red tinted lips. “It’s so hot out, thought I’d come by and see if I could take a quick dip in your pool.”

Marianne and I used to swim together all the time, back when we were like six. Fast forward ten years, and Marianne hung with the popular kids and I, well…didn’t. She was still nice to me even if her friends weren’t.

Popsicle juice dripped down her hand, somehow making me thirstier. As if reading my mind, or perhaps reacting to the ravenous way I was staring at her, she offered the red, white and blue popsicle. I took it and slurped it off the stick in a single suck.

“Wow, thirsty?” She giggled.

“Sorry," I said, chewing the ice cold popsicle and trying to ignore the brain-freeze stabbing its way through my head. "I’ve just been cutting this grass forever.”

“So come take a dip with me.” She reached out and took my hand.

I glanced down at the lawnmower, at our linked hands, and then over my shoulder at the patio doors. My parents were nowhere in sight, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t pop up soon. But it was Marianne Weeks for crying out loud! If I didn’t take this opportunity my friends would forever curse my name.

Drumming up my courage, I decided to go for it. Hell, I was already grounded, may as well have a good reason for being incarcerated.

“Okay,” I said, already moving toward the glistening pool, “but we can’t be long cause we’re having people over for the 4^th.”

Now running, we dove into the pool, laughing and screaming. That first blast of cool water was like slicing into heaven. I hadn’t actually expected to go swimming today, but even if my father grounded me until the ice age returned, I would never regret splashing in the pool with Marianne.

My Entourage

2009-06-30T22:39:08Z

I love the show Entourage on HBO. So I put out a call on Twitter and Facebook for people who wanted follow me around with no real goals. I can be the cash cow and in return, I can have people who will keep me company and do things for me…great life right? Well, I got some takers, friends and family, but it got me thinking.

First, I don’t really have any money to be the cash for anyone’s cow, and second, do writers really have entourages—well, do medical billers, aspiring to be writers have entourages?

Then, that brought about another question…are there any rock stars of writing? I know there are writers out there who I idolize, but rock stars? Thinking about the life of Michael Jackson, watching all of the video footage of people—nay, grown men—crying and fainting, I wondered why writers don’t garner that type of reaction.

Now, am I saying that I want to be a rock star of writing? I don’t think so, because even with all the accolades, the screaming fans, the buckets of money and yes, even the Entourage, there is a price to pay when you are the rock star of anything.

A loss of privacy, living under a microscope, and even falling victim to selling out (whatever that may mean for you), are all things I don’t want…well, maybe I’ll take the buckets of money. So even though I love Entourage, and would love to live out that show, when you think about it, where would my entourage follow me...to my dining room table where I set up my laptop to write? Sounds like just the stuff HBO is looking for!

My Writing Flaws

2009-06-30T00:30:40Z

As I typed my way through the first chapter of my SNI, (got in close to 3000 words today!), I realized one of my writing flaws…compound words. For some reason my brain doesn’t want to connect them.

One of the main ones is…without…see, even when I typed it just now I initially typed with out.

For this particular novel, my main compound blunders were:

Stairway

Shotgun

Neighborhood

Headlights

Wildlife

Now, as my brain wouldn’t let me make those words compound words, I kept trying to make duffle bag one word! WTH? My brain is on some serious malfunction. At least I know…admitting you have a problem is the first step.

To Quote or Not to Quote...

2009-06-28T15:54:33Z

A while back I was speaking with a friend who writes, but not really with professional aspirations (which is still good. I don’t care what your goals are for writing if you love it!). She asked if I planned to add quotes to my book. At first I wasn’t sure what she meant. I thought she meant like a foreword or like some song lyrics at the beginning that may capture the meaning of my book.

She actually meant a quote at the beginning of each chapter—something that may foreshadow the plot, the heart of the character, or the main purpose of the chapter. I had to think about that for a moment. First, I don’t know that many quotes that would convey the meaning of all 25 chapters of my book. I don’t read a lot of poetry, nor do I write much (despite how fantastic my mother and my sister thinks my poems are), so I didn’t think I could even come up with 25 places to quote from. Granted, they don’t all need to come from poems, they could just be quotations from people that resonate with my story.

Then I started thinking about the books that I’ve read that have quotations introducing each chapter.

Tithe, by Holly Black and Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr are just two that I can pull right off the top of my head. Even though I remember that they both quoted people, stories and maybe even songs at the beginning of each chapter, I couldn’t tell you what any of the quotes were about. I never read one of them. Well, I think I at least read or tried to read one, but I found that it pulled me out of the story to stop and read a quotation that I may or may not get the relevance of at that moment. Most of the time I barely stop to read chapter titles (even though I prefer naming my chapters as opposed to simply numbering them). This in no way means that I think Black and Marr should not have used the quotes in the beginning of each of their chapters, it’s their book, they can do what they want, (like they care what I think-lol). And this doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the books. I did, very much, and that’s why I couldn’t waste time reading a quote because I was too busy enjoying the book!

So the short answer to this question is, No, I would not add quotations to my chapters. Now if one day I write something with a heavy lyrical pulse, maybe I would quote some songs since music resonates with me more than poetry. And I can certainly think of 25 songs that would speak to the feelings I want to convey in each of my chapter.