East for Green Eyes

ICARUS Release Today!

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to announce that today is the release day for ICARUS by J.S. Chancellor. To celebrate, the author and her publisher, Rhemelda, are hosting a "Twitterview" where anyone can hop into the action and ask questions. This event will rock the Twitter world for more than 10 hours as J. S. shares not only her love for this novel but also her passion for the writing craft. Anyone will be able to ask questions of J.S. Chancellor on Twitter using the hashtag #Icarus. Be sure to follow @Rhemalda and @Jschancellor on Twitter to be part of this awesome event.

About the Book:

ICARUS is a paranormal romance: a love triangle between vampires who need a substance called Icarus to process light. In this richly drawn world, Jessica Slate is kidnapped by vampires who claim that Trinity, her “bad boy” lover, is the Anti-Christ and they take away her source of Icarus. With the clock ticking, can she escape her kidnappers—or will she discover that she belongs with them and that they’re right about Trinity after all?

J.S. Chancellor is the popular author of the Guardians of Legend trilogy (Son of Ereubus, Blood of Adoria, and Eternal Requiem). ICARUS is the first book in The Kindred series. Matthew Robert Best called ICARUS, “… a refreshing take on an otherwise exhausted genre, leaving me more than a little pleasantly surprised …. Such a fun read, with much more substance than I’m accustomed to in paranormal fiction.”

About the Author:
J.S. Chancellor, whose personal motto is, “woe is the writer who mounts their merit on the masses,” started writing stories when she was still in grade school, and finished her first fantasy novella at the age of 14. She drafted chapter one of the Guardians of Legend trilogy when she was a freshman in high school, sitting on a stool in front of a piano bench, in her parents’ den. It wasn’t until she was 25 when a resident at the apartment complex where she worked lovingly made a casual remark about her procrastination that her passion for fantasy fiction took center stage. Since then she’s focused all of her efforts on writing, to include leaving her full time job in September 2009 and actively maintaining a blog dedicated to the art of crafting fiction. She currently resides in Georgia with her two beloved dogs.

Desperately Seeking Reading

2011-12-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Don't let the title of this post fool you. I read plenty, and not just the random stuff that I edit for work, but real fiction. This, of course, not only includes published books, but my own work (over and over and over and over and over and...) and the work of my critique partners. So, yeah, lots of fiction.

However, in terms of the non-work (i.e., non-editing and non-critiquing) reading, I have strayed from the YA genre as of late. I've been reading all kinds of books, but none of them seem to be the standard YA that I love and adore.

Not really sure what happened there. But, seriously, it's been a while. Welcome to my YA drought.

Okay, no, I know what happened. I was given books by several people that I either need to share with others who I will see over the holidays, or I've just had them on my shelf for so long that I'm starting to feel guilty that I haven't given them back. So, trying to clean off the shelves, so to speak.

Anyway, so in my personal pining, I just wanted to share with you what I *want* to read, especially over the holidays or as soon as we get back from the holidays.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Nope, haven't read a one of 'em yet. I know. I must be the last vestige of lameness around. It'll happen. My nephew owns book one at the least (*ahem* bought it for him last Christmas *ahem*), and possibly more, so we'll see if I can speed my way through at least the first one.

UPDATE: I just discovered that the entire trilogy is available through the Kindle Lending Library for free. Granted, you can't "borrow" more than one book per month, but, heck, how awesome is that?!?

Fallen, Torment, and Passion by Lauren Kate. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a cover, but I can't tell you how much I want to read these books. Over the summer, I almost picked up the first one from the library, until I remembered the five book reviews I had promised out in the next several months, and couldn't justify it. Really, all I want is to curl up with them on my Kindle. Want to hear something ridiculous? My local library only has #2 in ebook format. I have no idea why.

Paranormalcy, Supernaturally, and Endlessly by Kiersten White. Yup, really want to read these, too. And, yes, I know that Endlessly isn't out yet. I don't care! You know, a few months ago I hosted a give-away, and ended up sending out a copy of Paranormalcy to one of the winners. Oh, that hurt, when I SOO want to read it, too. *sigh*

Okay, enough for my whining about what I want to read. Now I just need to do it. I really think that come the new year I'll be able to read more along these lines. Here's hoping, anyway. :)

What do you want to read right now? What are you reading? Is there anything you've been dying to read but haven't been able to get your hands on it?

Jumping Off the Cliff

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

That's what my boss calls it, anyway.

The time has come, since I haven't made the announcement official yet in the blogosphere (though, if you're my friend on FB, this may not be news to you).

I'm pregnant, having a boy, due March 16th.

While I'm super excited (and not at all ready, so I'm glad I still have three months), I'm also trying to be practical. This involves wanting to finish reading work by my author friends before then, finish some heavy editing on my own work, and even possibly start querying before March. I think *fingers-crossed* if I can get my novel in good shape by March, querying can happen at, um, SOME point while the baby's super tiny. Then, if an agent actually picks me up, I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't be while the baby's still so little and I'm so exhausted that I can't open my computer.

Right? *whimper*

So in the next few months, I'll be slashing and burning a minimum of 5K (hopefully closer to 8K), critiquing, blogging, and fitting in as much as (if not more than) physically possible before I jump.

Any suggestions on how to juggle babies/small children and writing and jobs would be both helpful and gratefully accepted.

Temptations Involved in Self-Publishing

2011-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you saw my semi-ranting book review on Tuesday, you may remember that the book in question was self-published.

Now, don't go jumping to conclusions. I've read plenty of self-published books in my time, and several of them are quite good. Sure, perhaps they shouldn't be judged the same way as one would evaluate a traditionally-published book (although some indeed can, e.g., Michelle Davidson Argyle's Cinders), but they tend to be good...

...if the author puts in the proper amount of time, energy, and possibly money.

I think there's a strong temptation these days to hop too quickly into the self-publishing route. I know I've thought about it, and I'm sure I'm not alone. There can be several factors involved in not having a book accepted by an agent or an editor that have nothing to do with the quality of the work: it's not the right time; the market's already flooded with similar stories; there's no market for similar stories; the agent/editor was in a bad mood that day; it got lost in the slush pile; etc. But, we all know that sometimes it IS the quality of the work that's the problem.

For many of us, we go back to the drawing board, edit, slash, burn, revise, repeat.

Some, though, may go the self-publishing route.

Again, I'm not saying this is a bad option. It's hard to get a break in this industry, we all know. But with self-publishing comes heavy responsibility to make sure that your book can attempt to stand among the more traditionally-published books.

Taking that book that never sold and publishing it as-is on CreateSpace is not the way to go. And just because you're best friend/spouse/neighbor/mother/sibling/cat think it's the best story ever written doesn't mean the general public—a.k.a. those people who don't know you from the annoying neighbor who doesn't clean up after his/her dog—will agree.

So, what needs to happen in the route of self-publishing? Here are my top three recommendations.

First, good critique partners. I suggest people you don't know in the real world, i.e., people who won't be afraid to tell you the truth. All of my critique partners, I've met online through blogging, and with most of them I don't even discuss my personal life. It's all about the words. Keep the relationship professional and potentially brutal. It's the best way to get honest opinions. They should spot technical and factual errors, comment on awkward phrasing, and tell you when the pace slows, when they're bored, or when you've strayed too much from your original story. Take those opinions and edit, slash, burn, revise, repeat.

Second, after you've ripped and shredded—which you might think you did before querying, but, hell, do it again! what could it hurt—hire a professional editor. You may think you know grammar, but this professional, if properly doing his/her job, will make you question how you managed to pass elementary English. This editor should have strong opinions on the Oxford comma (either pro or con, doesn't matter, as long as it's a strong opinion—and here's mine) and a sharp eye. S/he should not only cover your manuscript in so much red ink that it makes your HS English teacher blush, but this person should also once again be reading for factual and technical errors in the content. An editor that only edits for commas and typos isn't worth the money, unless you specify (and, dear God, why would you?) that that's all you want. A good professional editor is worth his/her weight in gold nuggets, so be prepared to shell out accordingly. In the end, it's worth it.

Finally, don't let your 12 year old design your cover. You may firmly believe in his/her talent, as do your spouse and the 7th grade art teacher, but, again, the rest of the world is full of brutal cynics like me who will take one look at the cover and decide never to read the book. Paying for a professional artist who has experience in cover design is worth the money. Don't think you can cut costs on this just because your brother's best friend's ex-girlfriend's roommate had a minor in art in college ten years ago. Just pay the cost.

Do you have any experiences in self-publishing? What do you think of the self-publishing option these days? Have you ever considered it? Would you?

Review: Murder Most Trivial

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I won this on Goodreads. I don't normally read mysteries, but this one touted itself as a YA mystery. With fond memories of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, I though, why not? Upgrade the mystery (I'm pretty sure Nancy never investigated serial murderers), and it should be a pretty good read, right? Ideally...

The Blurb (from Goodreads): Murder, is that your final answer? High school senior Jason Greevey seems to think so. When winning contestants from a local restaurant's trivia contest begin turning up dead, runner-up Jason worries that he will be the next weakest link!

Now, I'm not one to look down on self-published novels. In fact, I've read my fair share (by Michelle Davidson Argyle, Allen Russell, Carol Riggs, among others). They generally have to be judged within their own category, and not in comparison with books edited by agents and publishers who rip books to pieces (for the betterment of the book, of course) for a living.

And, yes, I checked. This book was published by DPL Books in VA. I found their blog, and their listing on a self-publishing consortium. Honestly, I didn't even find a company website. Beyond those, it was mostly links for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I find this odd.

But I digress...

Unfortunately for L. K. Ellwood, all those other self-pub'ed books left this one in the dust. Overwrought with typos and factual errors, this book floundered on its way to finding the end-game--which I had difficulty believing. I found myself skimming way too often as I had to read random bits of backstory about minor characters who hardly play a role (e.g., I don't need to know that Mrs. Rice somehow managed to run all of the volunteer committees at church while raising 5 kids when she only appears in a phone call and the final scene of the book). What this story needed was a good editor, and I don't necessarily mean from the publishing house. The author needed a solid, tooth-and-nails critique partner or set of critique partners who weren't afraid to rip the story apart. It's really too bad that this author didn't have have one (or several) to point out that, for example, a morning newspaper goes to press well after the 11pm news, or that a person who has designated herself as an organ donor would not have anything taken from her if she died from an allergic reaction to drugs administered in the hospital.These are only a couple of several examples of factual errors, not to mention the list of typos and awkward turns of phrase that appeared on almost every page.

Oh, and did I mention the constant head-jumping? At one point, the POV changed so frequently between father and son that I no longer knew who the "he" was. Even mid paragraph the shift in POV would occur. Extremely disconcerting.

The bottom line: Don't bother unless you're sending a heavy list of edits to the author. And since the pub date is from 2002, I doubt she wants to see any.

By the way, I'm not only planning on complaining. Stop back on Saturday for some of my thoughts on the temptations involved in self-publishing.

Back from the Brink

2011-12-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, boy, folks, have I had a crazy few weeks. Grab a cuppa coffee/tea/wine/beverage of your choice and let me tell you all about it.

So I needed a mini break of blogging because I hadn't quite figured out how to manage my writing, my "new" job, family, life, and blogging all at the same time. I think I've figured it out now, so we're gonna try a trial of me blogging on Tuesdays and Saturdays for a while, and see how it works. Please bear with me as I reintegrate myself into the blogosphere.

This is your brain on editing.
Any questions?

Then there was the writing. In late October not only was I trying to manage some pretty intense revision on my novel (currently listed on my WIPs page as FIGHTING FATE, though I plan to change the title to IN FLAMES). I wanted to get a full round of revision finished before NaNoWriMo started, while also juggling my NaNo prep. That took a LOT out of me, and I edited until my brains turned into liquid goo. Seriously. It was messy.

My own personal NaNo shield

On November first, having finished that round of editing, I was happy to accept my NaNo fate. I greeted it with a warm, strong handshake. And on the fateful afternoon of November 1st, I had an extra meeting with my boss, wherein he asked me to work overtime in preparation for our display at an upcoming conference (I work for a small, specialty academic publisher). And in my inner ear, I heard my NaNo plans go *squish*. My boss and I negotiated trading the days in early November for days around Thanksgiving, so not all was lost, but it put some stress on my NaNo plans nonetheless.

As of November 12th, one-third of the way through the month, I had only written about 14K over the course of 4 authentic writing days. Ouch.

On the morning on November 13th, as I'm leaving my house to pick up a friend, I grab my phone to let her know I'm coming, and see that I have a missed text message from my boss--who, I might add, never sends me text messages. It said, more or less, that he was in the hospital, post-surgery after having had a heart attack. Everything okay. Call to talk about conference prep. SERIOUSLY. My boss is in the intensive care unit on a Sunday morning and wants to talk about conference prep. Now, granted, the conference started on the 17th. My boss isn't really all that Type-A, but we did still have a lot of work to do, and that essentially took the editorial side of our house from 3 to 2 employees doing the bulk of the work (we have a few work-study students, but regular employees, we are three). So now add more overtime work to my schedule over the next three days, making the first day of the conference (Nov 17th) day 5 for writing. Not a good sign.

See how the Jell-O powder gets all goopy with a little water?

Not to mention that on the 17th and the 18th I was about as worthless a writer as an uncooked box of Jell-O, from working 10hour days three days in a row, and the emotional turmoil of talking to my boss on the phone while he was doped on morphine and falling asleep. Yup, powdery Jell-O.

Somehow, though, I managed to pull a few days writing between 5-6K. Don't ask me how. Perhaps some superhuman feats of strength that even kryptonite couldn't squelch. Who knows? But I have to attribute at least a little of my success to Hart Johnson and her stupendous idea for hour-long sprint-writing sessions. I think those were ultimately my saving grace. Coordinated over Facebook, I would periodically join Hart, among others, on these sprints, and both the time and the community support helped a ton.

And, imagine, through all of that, I actually won!

Granted, according to my word verification, I only have 50,002 words, but I don't care! I'm 2 words over what they need (although, according to my Scrivener file, I have 50,019), and that's what matters.

Anyway, now it's December. A little over two weeks until the holiday break comes, which will entail lots of time with family, friends, and fruitcake. I'm already celebrating by eating too many sweets and listening to Christmas music while I cook and bake. And, dangit all, I am MAKING these cookies if it kills me. I just have to find some sweet rice flour first...

Be seeing you around the blogosphere!

Review: String Bridge

2011-11-18T02:00:00.046-05:00

If you don't know Jessica Bell from her blog, I suggest you check it out, or at least read my interview with her from a couple of weeks ago. She's a great person, a talented musician, and a fabulous writer. So when I got a notice saying I could sign up for her blog tour and get an ARC of her new book, String Bridge, I jumped at the opportunity.

The Blurb (from Goodreads): Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage--and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits.

Melody's struggle follows a difficult trajectory, one that the reader struggles through with her. At almost every step, I found myself feeling the same emotions felt by Melody, wanting her to do the things she wanted to do--even when they weren't the best choices for herself or her family. I identified with Melody throughout the entire novel, fighting and crying and yelling when she did.

I love the way that Bell develops her characters. Each of them felt like a real person that could have stepped out of my own life and settled into print. I especially loved the way Melody's daughter, Tessa, came to life, as I think it's sometimes difficult to capture the wonder and excitement of children. In this case, I never once doubted the authenticity of the little girl's voice.

Another aspect of the book that I loved was reading Melody's songs. It's wonderful that Bell is such a talented artist, in that she both writes beautiful prose and beautiful music. A soundtrack to the book is also available (from iTunes, Amazon.com, Amazon UK).

String Bridge is a wonderful, heart-wrenching read. Anyone who enjoys a strong, character-driven novel should not hesitate to pick this up.

Bottom line: Read this book!
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Also available from Barnes and Noble.

Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s.

She spent much of her childhood travelling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education.

In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website.

From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.

Review of Exiled

2011-11-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

I'm super excited today to tell you about RaShelle Workman's new novel, Exiled, as a part of the Dark C.A.R.MA Blog Tour.

The Blurb (from Goodreads): Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become a kelvieri, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family.

Now she wants revenge.

First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love.

Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters—alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.

Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human.

But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl—her.

What a fantastic read! For days, I didn't want to put it down (though life got in the way). I found myself mentally enveloped in Venus's world, thinking about it whenever I couldn't be reading. Her journey and struggle capture the imagination long after the story ends.

Workman develops a fascinating world of upheaval and betrayal that force Venus into exile on Earth. Workman's prose donates extra flare to the story, weaving together vivid images of setting and characters. And her exceptional storytelling seizes the reader and doesn't let go.

My only complaint about this book is that it's a part of a series, and I have to wait to find out what happens next. I'm not exactly known for my patience.

Recommendation: Read this. It would make a great holiday gift for anyone who loves a good fantasy novel.

RASHELLE WORKMAN lives in Utah with her husband, three children and three dogs. When she gets a quiet moment alone, she enjoys reading about faraway places. And, in case you were wondering, yes, she does believe there is other life out in the Universe.

#StringBridge Chart Rush!

2011-11-11T01:00:00.003-05:00

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA
Amazon UK

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

If you are
not familiar with String Bridge,
check out the book trailer:

Rave Reviews for String Bridge:

“Jessica Bell’s STRING BRIDGE strummed the fret of my veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page, yet with echoes still reverberating. A rhythmic debut with metrical tones of heavied dark, fleeting prisms of light, and finally, a burst of joy—just as with any good song, my hopeful heartbeat kept tempo with Bell’s narrative.”
~ Kathryn Magendie, author of Sweetie and Publishing Editor of Rose & Thorn Journal

“Poet and musician Jessica Bell's debut novel String Bridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout, seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world begins to unravel … String Bridge is a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor, and just a hint of magic.”
~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

“Jessica Bell is a brilliant writer of great skill and depth. She doesn't pull back from the difficult scenes, from conflict, pain, intensity. She puts it all out there, no holds barred, no holding back. She knows how to craft a scene, how to develop character, how to create suspense. This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel. I look forward to reading her next novel, and next and next.”
~ Karen Jones Gowen, author of Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds and House of Diamonds

Connect with Jessica:

String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell

Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/

Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell

Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com

Please TWEET and/or FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!

Interview with Jessica Bell

2011-11-04T01:00:00.002-04:00

It's my extreme pleasure to have Jessica Bell, author of the new novel String Bridge, to my blog today. First, a brief introduction:

Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s.

She spent much of her childhood traveling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education.

In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website.

From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.

So, without further ado, please welcome Jessica!

Rosie: First, congratulations on your novel coming out. I really enjoyed it.
Jessica: Thank you! I’m so glad.

Rosie: Can you tell us a little how this novel came to be? What was your inspiration in bringing this story to life?

Jessica: Even though music doesn’t define me as much as writing does, it is still a big part of my life. And the idea for the book came about when I was thinking about a time in my life when music was all I ever wanted to breathe. Even though my priorities had changed, I still wanted to write about the power music has over someone who is so passionate about it. But I think music could be replaced by any sort of passion in String Bridge, because basically the story is about needing something more than you need yourself.

Rosie: How long did it take you to write String Bridge? From inception to its current state?

Jessica: I spent about five years writing it because it went through about seven different revisions. Although it wasn’t the first thing I’d ever written. I was still learning along the way. And you know what? It still doesn’t feel finished to me. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas on how to improve it. That can be a bit annoying actually, because now it’s impossible. Ha!

Rosie: Like Melody, the novel’s MC, you yourself are an Australian ex-pat living in Greece. What brought you to Greece in the first place?

Jessica: My step father is Greek, so I’ve pretty much grown up with the best of both worlds (Australia and Greece). I’ve been coming here since I was two years old.

Rosie: Tessa, Melody’s daughter, is so well written. As you wrote this, you seemed to really understand and connect with the minds of young children. How much time do you spend with children under the age of five?

Jessica: I used to teach 6-7 year-old kids in an English school here in Athens, but overall my time spent with them was not more than 45 minutes at a time, a couple of nights per week, over the time frame of about a year.

I remember quite a lot about being that young, so I think my own experiences as a four-year-old, mixed in with a few instincts helped me to create Tessa. For those who don’t know, I don’t have kids, so I sometimes doubted whether Tessa was going to be a successful character. I’m so happy she is!

Rosie: Throughout the novel, Melody struggles to balance her love life, her parenting, her music, and her career. As a writer and a musician, you must also have similar struggles in your life. How do you find balance between all the different facets of your life?

Jessica: I don’t think I struggle too much in comparison to those that have families. Sometimes I complain that there isn’t time to do everything I want to do, but I think that’s because I want too much. So it’s not a matter of balance for me, it’s a matter of slowing down and giving myself some quiet time where I don’t have to do anything. I find I really need those moments to revive the stamina and keep up with my day job and my novels, poetry, and song writing, and of course, spending quality time with my partner.

Rosie: There are several songs written within the text of the novel. Do these songs appear on the album that you recorded to go with String Bridge? Are there other songs on the album? How long did it take you to write the songs to accompany this novel?

Jessica: Yes, the five songs that appear in the book are on the album, plus four extras that I wrote for it to become a full-length CD, rather than just an EP. It took me about a month to write them all. Mind you, I didn’t work on it every day and some songs took me days to perfect and others about ten minutes. It’s up and down like that with song writing.

(an interjection: You can access the soundtrack through iTunes, Amazon, or Amazon UK)

Rosie: Can you tell us a little about your experience working with Lucky Press? And how did you come to connect with them?

Jessica: This is a whole other blog post. Luckily, for those who are interested, I’ve already written one about it! Just go to: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-i-believe-small-presses-are.html

Rosie: I saw on Facebook a few weeks ago that you’re considering forming a band. How would you describe the music that you play?

Jessica: Visceral atmospheric grunge I think is the best way I can put it.

Rosie: What kind of upcoming projects do you have planned? Either musical or literary?

Jessica: My second novel, Bitter Like Orange Peel, is about a twenty-five year old Australian archaeology undergraduate named Kit, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. She feels misplaced and comes to the conclusion that meeting her father, Roger, will make some sense of her life, despite him being worth the rotting orange rind in her backyard. Well, at least that’s what she’s been conditioned to think of him by the three women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed professional archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania, who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and who named her daughter after intravenous. Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger, but in doing so, discovers he is not the only rotten fruit.

My third novel, Muted, is set in Arles, France, in a totalitarian society where it is illegal to wear clothes. In some streets, it's also illegal to sing without accompanying instruments. Concetta, a famous Italian a cappella singer from before “the change,” breaks these laws. As punishment, her vocal chords are brutally slashed and her eardrums surgically perforated. Unable to cope with living a life without song, she resolves to drown herself in the river, clothed in a dress stained with performance memories from her hometown, Milan. But Concetta's suicide attempt is cut short as someone grabs her by the throat and pulls her to the surface. Is it the busking harpist, who encouraged her to feel music through vibration, acting as saviour? Or a street warden on the prowl for another offender to detain? From this moment, the reader will discover how Concetta came to be in this position, and what will happen to her after the suicide attempt.

Muted will explore a variety of themes such as overcoming loss, coping with mental illness and disability, dealing with discrimination, loss of freedom, inhibited self-expression, motivation to succeed, escaping oppression, expression through art and music, self-sacrifice, channelling the thoughts of the deceased, and challenging moral views and values.

Hopefully I’ll create a soundtrack for this one too.

Rosie: And one random question: If you were a bumblebee, what kind of flower would you most like to hang out in and why?

Jessica: Um … I don’t like flowers much because I get really bad hay fever … Aaachooo!!! You know of any flowers with an air filter installed?

Thanks, Jessica!

If you're interested in Jessica's novel, be sure to stop by on Nov. 18 for my review of novel, String Bridge. Would you like a teaser? Check out her book trailer.

#NaNoWriMo KickOff and Update

2011-11-01T08:24:00.001-04:00

You know what today is :) The first of November is a celebrated holiday in my house. Er, well, it is for me.

Especially since the month of October ate me up. Work's a little insane, meaning I've had to bring projects home over the weekend and work on things in the evenings, too. I work for a small, academic publisher, and we're gearing up for a conference that starts in about 2 weeks. So now's the last push to get these projects finished and printed before the conference. Which means overtime. Which means more money, sure, but it also means less writing time.

My hope is to make it through to about the 15th or so, then attempt to reenter the blogging community. I think it's possible.

In the meantime, I'll be NaNo-ing again. Starting at about the time this blog post goes up. If you'd like to add me as your buddy on the NaNo site, my user ID is Rosie-C.

Good luck with NaNo this year, everyone. I'll see you soon :)

Review of MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle and Contest Winner!

2011-10-12T07:00:00.006-04:00

My first ARC came in the mail a few months ago, before my move and my new job and everything else that caused social upheaval in my life. "Giddy" doesn't have enough force behind it to describe how I felt when I tore open the package and found my very own copy of the novel in my hands.

And it only got better from there. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Blurb (from Goodreads): Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

Okay, let me try to explain my experience with this book. You know how, when little kids get a piece of candy that they love, they eat it and swallow it so quickly that an observer isn't even sure they tasted it? They didn't savor the gooey chocolate or the refined nugget core. But the love of it just inspired them to INHALE the candy.

*cough*

Yes, this was me with MONARCH. Not because I knew I would like it before it landed in my hands, but because with every page, I enjoyed it more. It grew to the point where I couldn't stop reading. It became compulsive. And like all good things, it was soon over. Maybe 48 hours later? Too soon, that's for sure.

And after having devoured the novel, I remembered, "Oh, right. I agreed to write a review."

So, in order to write something of more substance than "Dude, this novel ROCKED!", I decided to read it again. Not a hard decision, really, seeing as I enjoyed it so much the first time. And guess what happened.

Yup, I devoured it again.

So, clearly, this says something in its own right about MONARCH: it's a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that is unput-downable. All of the characters went straight to my heart as soon as I opened the cover, and all I wanted was for everyone to survive. Davidson Argyle weaves tension like an expert loomist, with almost every scene inspiring nail-biting reactions. "Real" time and flashback move seamlessly back and forth, creating a vivid full picture.

On top of it being a great story, I think I can learn things from Davidson Argyle's writing as well. If you read my interview with her from last week, you may remember my asking her about a group scene at the climax of the novel. I have rarely read a scene with so many characters that so flawlessly came together. I had a clear image in my mind of where everyone was and what they were doing during each moment of the tense scene, while the tension never abated. It's just one example of the skill Davidson Argyle brings to the craft.

So, would I recommend this book? What do you think?

YES! Holy cow! Read. This. Book.

Thank you so much for Michelle for letting me participate in her book tour, getting me my first ARC, and writing such a great book.

And one lucky person from last week will receive a copy of MONARCH. Random.org chose number 7, which led to:

S. P. BOWERS

Congratulations! Please email me soon at rlconnolly01 [at] gmail.com so we can get your copy to you.

Didn't win? Do you want to read it, too? There are several other ways you can read the book.

Direct from Rhemelda Publishers (they're having a sale right now on their recently published books).

Or from Amazon below:

Interview with Michelle Davidson Argyle and MONARCH Giveaway!

2011-10-05T07:00:00.005-04:00

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was when I signed up for my first ARC—a copy of Michelle Davidson Argyle's debut novel MONARCH. When it came in the mail, I was giddy with excitement. And, honestly, since then I've read the novel twice because I enjoyed it so much (come back next Wednesday for my full review). So, to be able to interview Michelle as well is a great, exciting honor for me.

Also, because this novel is so fabulously amazing, it HAS to be shared. Want to read it? Keep reading below for more information on how YOU could win a copy of MONARCH!

For those of you who don't know her, let's start with a brief introduction:

Photo and biography courtesy
of the author's website

Michelle graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in English/Creative Writing in 2002. Her short fiction has been published in the University of New Mexico's national literary journal, Scribendi, 2002, the Rose & Thorn Journal, 2010, Suspense Magazine, June 2011, and Stories for Sendai Anthology, 2011. She served as the editor-in-chief of Utah Valley University's literary magazine and has won awards for her short stories. She is also an editor/publisher of “The Literary Lab Presents…” series of anthologies.

Michelle is a mother, artist, and writer who lives in the Rocky Mountains with her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She writes contemporary, literary, and fantasy fiction. Cinders and Monarch are two of her published novels. The Breakaway will be released in 2012 by Rhemalda Publishing, and Bonded (which includes Cinders) will be released in 2013 by Rhemalda Publishing, as well.

Michelle likes peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. And cheese. Lots and lots of good cheese.

(Can I just say, me too! You can never have enough cheese!)

So a warm welcome to Michelle. *applause*

Rosie: First, congratulations on the release of MONARCH. It's a wonderful novel.

MDA: Thank you! And thank you for interviewing me today.

Rosie: So much of MONARCH is influenced by monarch butterflies, and there's even information at the beginning of the book on how the reader can learn more about them. Is this a personal interest that you've had for awhile, or something that developed while writing the novel?

MDA: I’ve always loved butterflies, but the idea to include them as the main theme in a novel came about when I was reading Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. She has a section in there all about the monarch butterflies, and it’s absolutely brilliant and beautiful and it touched me in a way that really stuck. I got the idea to include monarchs in a novel, and of course I decided to include spies into the mix because I like to shake things up like that.

Rosie: One of the main characters, Nick, has worked as an undercover CIA agent in Brazil. How much research did you put into living the CIA undercover life?

MDA: I did quite a bit of research on the CIA, but there’s only so much you can find out about the CIA online! They’re kind of secretive about some things. So I turned to some biographies from former CIA officers. I loved one in particular – Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran because it was personal and entertaining, but full of some really great information.

Rosie: MONARCH is an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and I couldn't put it down. This doesn't happen to me very often. Unless it's a secret you'd rather not reveal, how long did it take you to write MONARCH, and how many rounds of revisions did you go through to get it to its current (amazing) state?

MDA: From conception to publication, Monarch took me seven years to complete. Actual writing time, however, is probably more like a year. I began the book in November of 2008 for National Novel Writing Month and submitted it to Rhemalda Publishing in October of 2010. That’s two years, but a good portion of that was also spent writing and self-publishing my novella, Cinders. Monarch then went through edits with my publisher. I must say, however, that Monarch was a bit of a challenge for me. It was a complete disaster after I finished it in 2008. After a few revisions I chucked it all and rewrote the entire book from scratch. I’ve learned a lot from writing Monarch!

Rosie: One of the suggestions to writers seen around the internet these days is to write scenes that contain no more than 4 people. However, your climax scene not only has several important players, but it's also done so well that it doesn't feel crowded or confusing. Do you have any tips on writing group scenes?

MDA: As I always like to say, I don’t believe in rules like only including four people in a group scene (although I can understand that from a new writer’s perspective). Still, talk about limiting your storyline and storytelling skills. I tell the story how it needs to be told and the scene you are talking about in Monarch that meant including more than four people. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise because the entire point was to bring everyone together for that climax.

If I have any tips on group scenes I’d have to say plan everything out in every possible way you can imagine. For this group scene I drew out a picture of where everyone was, where they moved during the scene, and where they are at the end. I then had my husband help me figure out the fighting sequence (yes, I had to make it more complicated with fighting, hah!). I also told the scene from three different points of view over the course of several chapters, but that was what I had done for the entire book, so it worked.

These kinds of things in writing are completely dependent on the author’s skills, the point-of-view of the storytelling, the style of the novel, and other such factors. I don’t think there’s any magic formula for it except for practice and experience.

Rosie: What authors and/or books would you consider your strongest influences?

MDA: I adore The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I also like Dostoevsky, Virginia Woolf, and Flannery O’Conner. Those are the classics I love that have influenced me. As far as contemporary, I’d say Marilynn Robinson, Tom Clancy and John Grisham. I’m kind of eclectic, can you tell? I’ve slowly been opening my door to more fantasy and I hope to add some of those to my favorites list.

Rosie: This is your first novel with Rhemelda Publishing. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to work with them?

MDA: I found Rhemalda Publishing when one of their authors, J.S. Chancellor, contacted me about reviewing my novella, Cinders, soon after it was released in 2010. She adored the book and when I looked up more about her I found her publisher and decided they might be a good fit for Monarch. After some intense revisions I submitted the book in October of 2010 and voila! Here I am. If only it was as quick and easy as I make it sound. *laughs*

Rosie: What upcoming projects do you have in the pipeline?

MDA: My young adult/new adult novel, The Breakaway, will be coming out next year (2012) from Rhemalda — hopefully late spring. It’s the story of a girl kidnapped by a family of jewel thieves. In 2013 my novella collection, Bonded, will be released by Rhemalda Publishing. This collection contains my novella, Cinders and two other fairy-tale inspired stories – Thirds and Scales. After that, I’m not sure. I currently have an idea for a young adult historical (possibly considered paranormal) novel set in Scotland. I don’t stick in one genre, can you tell? I hope that this project will release late 2013 or early 2014.

Rosie: And a random question to keep you on your toes: If the all the world were set up like Pangaea and all you could road trip anywhere, where would you go and why?

MDA: If all the world were set up like Pangaea I’d have to choose to visit anywhere by the coast! I dearly love the ocean.

Thank you so much to Michelle for letting me interview her. Once again, I'm very excited about MONARCH, and I want everyone to read it. Of course, giving away a copy to everyone would be an incredible (or incredibly expensive) feat. But, I can at least offer one copy for a lucky reader to win.

Want to win a copy of MONARCH for your very own? Leave a comment below. Want to be eligible for more entries? Tweet, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn links will all give you one extra entry toward winning. Just be sure to leave me links in the comments section, and feel free to tag me in any posts.

Entries close at 8PM EST (US) time on Tuesday, October 11. The winner will be announced here on October 12.

Good luck :)

A Pseudo-Hiatus

2011-09-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hi folks.

This picture will never die
because it says so many things.

You may have noticed my absence last week. I almost wrote a post about the week that swallowed my soul (because, really, it did) and then spit me back out, but I didn't think you wanted to read all about my worries and woes. So I kept it to myself.

Unfortunately, I'm still in recovery. While I love blogging, and miss you all terribly, some things have to give. So I'm taking a pseudo-hiatus for a little while.

What does that mean? Well, it means I will be blogging irregularly—probably once a week—through the end of October. I have a few blog posts promised for various reasons, and those will happen. But I'm not sure I can handle more than that.

To Campaigners in my groups, I owe you an apology. I didn't realize how hectic things were right now, and I probably shouldn't have signed up. I will still come visit you (if I haven't already), but I can't be the active Campaigner that I had hoped to be.

So, the bottom line is that I'll be around, just not as much as I'd like. Here's hoping things settle down a little more by November, so I can NaNoWriMo again!

*hugs*

Review: Power Ballads

2011-09-16T07:00:00.060-04:00

Review of Power Ballads by Will Boast

From Goodreads:

Real musicians don’t sign autographs, date models, or fly in private jets. They spend their lives in practice rooms and basement clubs or toiling in the obscurity of coffee-shop gigs, casino jobs, and the European festival circuit. The ten linked stories in Power Ballads are devoted to this unheard virtuoso: the working musician. From the wings of sold-out arenas to hip-hop studios to polka bars, these stories are born out of a nocturnal world where music is often simply work, but also where it can, in rare moments, become a source of grace and transcendence, speaking about the things we never seem to say to each other. A skilled but snobby jazz drummer joins a costumed heavy metal band to pay his rent. A country singer tries to turn her brutal past into a successful career. A vengeful rock critic reenters the life of an emerging singer-songwriter, bent on wreaking havoc. The characters in Power Ballads—aging head-bangers, jobbers, techno DJs, groupies, and the occasional rock star (and those who have to live with them)—need music to survive, yet find themselves lost when the last note is played, the lights go up, and it’s time to return to regular life. By turns melancholy and hilarious, Power Ballads is not only a deeply felt look at the lives of musicians but also an exploration of the secret music that plays inside us all.

Boast's ability to wield these narratives is awe-inspiring. Beginning with a preteen tuba player who wants to polka, through rock stars and their loved ones, through choir masters and rapping teens, each story echos with musical truth. These stories take the music industry and make it universal, accessible.

Several of the stories have common characters, revolving around Tim, the drummer trying to make it in the Chicago music sphere, and his girlfriend Kate. They way these short stories are independent and yet interwoven provides almost a novel-like quality. This includes 6 of the 10 stories. A 7th is tangentially related, similar to the stories interwoven in Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. Admittedly, I had read the final story "Coda" in Narrative Magazine several months ago. While I enjoyed it then, I found it much richer and a more fulfilling read this time, prefaced by several other stories about the same characters, giving more depth to the emotions therein. The emotions that build over the course of the stories is also quite powerful. After "The Bridge", I had to stop reading. Fiction almost never makes me cry, but this story was one exception.

The other stories show other aspects of the music industry. Perhaps my favorite of these, "Sidemen", examines the life of a touring rock musician's wife and the difficulties with that lifestyle. The sorrow Boast captures in this story resonate with me, someone who has no connection with the music industry. Yet the feelings of loneliness are common and approachable.

I love all of the stories in this collection. Congratulations to Will Boast for winning the Iowa Short Fiction Award. From this selection of his work, it is clear he deserved it.

Recommendation: Read this now!

Watching Willow Watts Launch Party and Review

2011-09-14T07:00:00.020-04:00

Congratulations to Talli Roland. Today's the launch day of her new novel, Watching Willow Watts.

In celebration, she's hosting an "If I could be anyone, I'd be..." party.

So, here goes.

Photo Credit: Leah Tannen

If I could be anyone, I would be Audrey Hepburn. Not only was she beautiful and talented, she cared deeply for the people and the world around her. She was a beautiful person, both inside and out. When I was younger, I wanted to be just like her. I even had the long cigarette holder.

Why are we talking about this? Because of the fantastic book, Watching Willow Watts, in which the main character (inadvertently) becomes a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. (Gosh, wouldn't I love for someone to decide the spirit of Audrey had been bestowed upon me and everyone thought I was the next Audrey. *swoon*)

First, I want to say that I love Talli Roland's style of story-weaving. Her creativity never ceases to amaze or amuse me. The sense of humor in each scene always keeps me laughing. Several moments in this story move toward dark humor, and maybe I'm not laughing out loud then, but I'm still entertained and ready to read more.

The story progresses through several weeks as Willow Watts struggles with her own identity and her new life as Marilyn Monroe. One of many facets of this story that make it great is Willow's strength and perseverance through these tough times. We can all take a little something from Willow's strength, which she finds within herself throughout the story.

If you like a good, fun ChickLit tale, you should definitely read this (and anything else by Talli Roland).

Interview with Will Boast

2011-09-12T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've recently had the pleasure of reading Power Ballads, a collection of short stories by Will Boast. I'm very excited to welcome Will to talk to us today about his new collection—now available—and life in general. Stop by on Friday for my review of the collection. But first, a brief introduction.

Photo courtesy of willboast.com

Will Boast was born in England and grew up in Ireland and Wisconsin. His story collection, Power Ballads, won the 2011 Iowa Short Fiction Award. His fiction has appeared in Best New American Voices 2009, Narrative, Glimmer Train, The Southern Review, The American Scholar, and Five Points, among other publications. From 2008-2010, he was a Stegner Fellow in fiction at Stanford University, and, this fall, will be a Charles Pick Fellow at the University of East Anglia in the UK.

So, without further ado, I'd like to welcome Will Boast.

Rosie: Congratulations on winning the Iowa Short Fiction Award. Can you tell us about the process of your being considered and how you found out about the award?

WB: Thanks! The Iowa Short Fiction Award has been around for about twenty-five years and, along with the Flannery O'Connor Award, is considered one of the most prominent book contests for story collections. In my experience, readers of literary fiction love short stories, but the publishing world, mostly based in New York, perceives them as a tough sell to a larger audience. (Mention your story collection around an editor or agent and watch how fast their eyes glaze over....) My agent felt that trying to publish my stories wouldn't be a good first step for me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I got lucky, because the Iowa Award was the very first place I sent my manuscript! The nice thing about the Iowa Award is that it's read blind and is juried and judged by writers. So, their primary concern, really their only concern, is the manuscript itself and whether it's a good and satisfying read.

Rosie: Which authors would you say have most influenced your writing? In what ways?

WB: Tough question! A few years ago I discovered (along with all the rest of the American reading public!) Roberto Bolano's novels and stories. I haven't tried to emulate him--because mimicking such a distinctive writer is probably a bad idea--but I love the way he creates an alternate world for himself in which all of his fiction takes place. His world is populated with writers and poets (mostly failed, failing, and distinctly minor writers and poets), some real, many more invented. So maybe I borrowed that approach for Power Ballads, but reduced the size of the world to something more like Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

Rosie: Your short stories focus on different aspects of the life of musicians. What made you want to write about the music industry?

WB: I spent a couple years in Chicago playing music, going to see shows, working with musicians, and drinking with musicians. In college, I played a lot of music (too much, really), and when I moved to San Francisco, I became involved with the music scene here as well. The musicians I've met have all been dreamers, and their desires and obsessions almost always put them in compromised positions--financially, artistically, romantically--even the ones who have ended up having a lot of success. I knew that, for the most part, I didn't want to write about rock stars, because I find that story pretty boring. The musicians I most admired were the obscure and deeply uncool ones, and I wanted to write a sort of fan letter to them. That said, I don't really think of Power Ballads as ultimately being about music or musicians. Music is maybe just the way, the entry point, to address other things.

Rosie: Several of the stories in Power Ballads revolve around two characters, Tim and Kate. Have you ever consider expanding their story/stories into something longer? More of a novel format? In fact, 7 of the 10 stories directly or indirectly revolve around Tim and or Kate's lives. Why did you decide to include these stories in this collection, instead of focusing more or less on Tim and Kate?

WB: I think that Power Ballads is that longer thing! I'd been thinking about writing stories about journeyman musicians for a while and had a couple stories that more or less fit that bill kicking around. It was somewhat accidental that Tim found his way into as many stories as he did, and Kate came in even later. It seems like a story often has a life of its own, and you just end up following whatever thing seems the most vital or interesting or fun at the time. That said, both Tim and Kate appeared in "The Bridge," one of the oldest stories in the book. Something about Tim as a narrator continue to resonate for me, and several more stories revolving around his obsessions and short-sightedness ended up coming out in fairly quick succession.

Rosie: What other kinds of projects do you have lined up?

WB: I'm working on a novel and a memoir. I'm also trying to make a start in narrative journalism.

Rosie: Where else can we read your work?

WB: There's a list of publications and links to online stuff at willboast.com. Recently, I've had stories out in the American Scholar, the Literarian, Narrative, and ZZYZZVA.

Rosie: And a random question, just to keep you on your toes: If you could be any insect, which one would you be and why?

WB: Not being the most insect-friendly of people and despite the fact that getting stung is a bummer, I'd have to say a honeybee. No other insect goes to such obsessive extremes of behavior--forming a colony, building a hive, making honey, serving the queen. As a bee, you'd know your place in the world, and you'd get to feel useful.

Thanks so much, Will, for joining us today. If you're interested in Will Boast's book, again be sure to stop by on Friday for a review of Power Ballads or click on the link below.

First Campaigner Challenge

2011-09-08T09:51:00.001-04:00

I normally post MWF, but we're heading out of town tomorrow, so I thought it would be best to put this up now. I won't have any post tomorrow.

As I'm still struggling with my writing mojo, I'm not sure if I love this flash fic or not, but here goes nothing. It's exactly 200 words (yup, I'm a geek like that.)

As always, I'm open to any and all comments you may have. And thanks in advance for reading.

The door swung open, and Samantha stared into the darkened study room. She'd planned to meet her friends here at seven before grabbing dinner. Just the three of them. No crowds, no hoopla. Just dinner and quiet company.

But the room was black, empty.

Something felt wrong. Lewis was as punctual as a tightly wound watch, and Cheryl thought "late" meant arriving twenty minutes early. So where were they? Her imagination whirled. Had someone or something attacked them?

Was it still there waiting for her?

Inside, carpet fibers rustled. Samantha narrowed her eyes, searching in the darkness while refusing the cross the threshold. What made that noise? What was in there?

It felt wrong.

While her impulses told her to run, her feet wouldn't move. Curiosity plucked at her attention. Against her better judgment, she reached inside for the light switch. Blinding florescent lights flickered to life.

"Surprise!"

Swear words ran through Samantha's mind as hands gripped her arms and dragged her inside. She spotted Lewis and Cheryl at the center of the crowd. She had felt more comfortable thinking her friends were hurt.

Trapped. Now she was trapped. She glanced around, searching for an escape.

The door swung shut.

2011-09-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my first post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. And, if you're new, welcome to my blog.

This is something I've written about a lot lately because, well, it's apparently something that's been bothering me.

Recently, we moved. For the record, we did it all ourselves, with no packers or movers. Several weeks of packing, days of moving, a week of homelessness, a day of moving, and weeks of unpacking. To say the least, it was difficult to find the mojo to write during all of this.

Now I'm back to work, writing every day in the morning and working part-time in the afternoon. I started with major editing of my WIP. And I found that editing wasn't helping get my mojo back.

So, this is my concern. Once I actually regain my mojo, will editing and revision still kill my writing mojo? Does anyone else have this problem? I know that some people really enjoy the editing and revising. But if not, how do people manage their writing thrill and the revision process?

Struggle and Persistence

2011-09-05T07:00:00.022-04:00

I have a relatively new crit partner, and in addition to trading work and brainstorming with each other, we've also been trying to keep each other accountable on weekly goals. Last Sunday when I sent her my goals for the week, I was horrified to see that I had 15 rather serious goals to achieve. She challenged me to completely mark 5 off my list. I'm happy to say that I crossed off 10 (which included writing this blog post).

One of my goals was to write for at least an hour per day on my new project. This proved to be harder than it seems.

My permanent desk muses:
one of my cats and the PowerPuff Girls

Saturday in particular was a day of writer's block. I struggled, staring out my window, messing with my cat, hoping that the PowerPuff Girls would save my from my strife. I stared at the words I had already written and though, "Eh. Who cares?" It was a rough day.

Then I came across this blog post from one of the fellow Campaigners. It helped me remember that my first draft doesn't need to be perfect. No one else has to see it. As long as I keep at it and keep working, it will come together in the end. And then I can come back and cut out that superfluous scene where they're watching a movie, right? :)

As long as I remember to edit the life out of it before I start sending it out to my poor crit partners. *innocent whistling*

We all have those days when it's hard to get the words out. But on a first draft, it helps to turn off the perfectionist inside. Let's just hope I can keep it up.

What do you do when you run into writer's block? How hard do you try to polish the first draft? Do you edit while you write? Or revise everything later?

Review: Entwined

2011-09-02T09:32:00.000-04:00

This book has been getting a lot of hype lately, and so when a friend recommended it, I thought, "Sure, why not?" It's got a beautiful cover, which sometimes is enough to suck me in, and the promise of a cute, light fantasy always draws my attention.

Review of Entwined by Heather Dixon

From Goodreads: Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

This book carries lots of promises: fighting against her entrapment, struggling for freedom. And, yet, I had several problems.

First, I have no idea how old Azalea is. Maybe this isn't the most important complaint, but the expectations a reader has about a character's maturity changes greatly whether the character is 15 or 18. There's a lot of life experience that can be packed into those few years, and so not to give her a specified age--only to state that she's "of age", which isn't defined until well into the story--made me think her about 18 and therefore REALLY immature for her age. Come to find out through some general mental figuring, she probably turned 16 through the course of the story. However, as the oldest of 12, she'd probably still be more mature than she came off.

Second, until about 300 pages into the 470+ page tome, Azalea doesn't WANT anything. She's simply reacting, moving and swaying the current but not trying to GO anywhere. She struggles against her confinement, but she doesn't take any major steps to do much about it. Actually, no, I take that back. The poor girl is confined in mourning and all she wants to do is dance. But what's her goal? Where's she going? Does she want to teach dance at the local girls school? Does she want to do something other than have temporary bits of fun? Not that I can tell. 300 pages in, she finally has a goal, and she starts to work toward an end game, but in the first 60% of the book, her struggle is aimless and meandering. And therefore left me wondering why I was reading it.

Lastly, characterization was lacking. Azalea felt somewhat flat to me, even overshadowed by her next two sisters' personalities. Perhaps it was due to Azalea's lack of goal? I'm not sure. It didn't help that there were 12 sisters all between the ages of 16 and newborn (and, might I say, OW!), their mother, their father, the Prime Minister, Keeper, the love interest, and several other men throughout the story. Sisters melded into one another in my brain, as did the male suitors over time. I can't figure out why she needed 12 sisters, because it made several points in the plot confusing, unless it was to explain the mother's illness (this is not a spoiler; it's in the first chapter). I think, had more attention been focused on who Azalea was and what she wanted instead of trying to juggle dozens and dozens of characters, this would have been a richer read.

With all this complaining, I must say that Heather Dixon creates a beautiful world with well described imagery that sucks the reader in. While I wondered several times why things were happening and what I wanted to get from this read, some of the beautiful images captured my imagination. I also enjoyed the slow development of Azalea's romantic interest, though there were times early on when this got lost because he would disappear (through understandable circumstances within the story) for close to a hundred pages at a time. In fact, her romantic interest was probably my favorite character of all. Maybe he should have his own book :)

Recommendation: Light, summer read, but if you've got something else you'd rather read, stick to your instincts.

Have you read Entwined? What did you think?

Thanks and Welcome

2011-08-31T08:22:00.000-04:00

Image Credit

First, I want to say thanks to everyone who had great ideas and encouragement last week on how to get through my writing funk. I've been able to get my butt in the chair and work a few times since then. In addition to my editing on Fighting Fate, I've also gone back to an old, shelved project and dusted it off. The combination of writing something "new" and editing/revision something has been extremely good for me. I feel revitalized. I'm even excited to get to work in the morning, and not as interested in procrastinating.

The encouragement from all of you, old friends and new, has been amazing. I love the blogosphere! You're all great. Thank you again.

And a warm welcome to any more Campaign group cohorts. I'm very happy to meet you. Glad you could stop by :)

Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

2011-08-29T08:10:00.001-04:00

For those of you who don't know, Rachael Harrie is running the third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign (formerly know as the Crusade). The purpose of the Campaign is to provide a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. You can visit her Campaign information (also here) to find out more details and sign up.

Yup, I joined. I hope it was the right decision, since I want to be able to dedicate enough time to it. This will be my first time, so I hope I can make a good impression on all my new campaign-cohorts. After a month off from writing and working, I'm back to both, and having trouble juggling in the blogging as well. But I'm here to try. Feel free to nudge me :)

Welcome to all in my Campaign groups. I'll be by soon to introduce myself.

Getting Back in the Swing

2011-08-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

Boy, oh boy, does taking a month off put a dent in ones momentum. Getting it back has been quite a process, and, well, it's not back yet. This counts for writing, editing, and blogging.

So I'm working on weekly goals. One of my crit partners and I are trading weekly goals and trying to motivate the other to stick to them. I've gotten through some of them, although my reading goals are falling behind—which is bad, since they're ARCs and I have deadlines to meet.

This may be the most versatile picture
I've ever taken :)

I don't know how people with real 40hr/wk jobs juggle writing, editing, blogging, reading, family, friends, life, and sanity. I just don't. I'm struggling right now because my job upped my hours to 25 per week. That's nothing, right? And yet I can't seem to get in the hours they want while also getting the writing-job requirements fulfilled at the same time.

It's probably because I've just started. This is week two. Add to this my month hiatus from everything.

But... but... shiny new writing office should make everything better, right?

*sigh*

Any suggestions on how to get back in the writing groove? Other than just to do it? Because, really, I'm trying. It's just so SLOW!

What I'm Reading

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Right now I am enjoying the art of book-juggling. This isn't something I normally flourish at, but each thing I'm reading differs so much from the others that it's working.

Plus, I'm really behind on my GoodReads Reading Challenge, and I need to get a few books added to my total pretty soon.

So...

Power Ballads by Will Boast
Written by a college friend of mine (I'm boasting about Boast), Boast's collection of short stories is the winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award. I'll save my thoughts for later, but I'm enjoying this quite a lot.
Review and Interview with Boast coming week of September 12.

Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

What a fun, lighthearted read. I'm only about a quarter through it, but I'm having trouble tearing myself from it. Of course, I knew I would, after my experience reading The Hating Game, and I couldn't wait to start this. Again, saving my thoughts for later.

Review coming September 14.

Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Okay, this one I'm actually reading for the second time. My first read was too fast. It's like when I eat chocolate chip scones—I know I love them, but I eat them so fast I don't really taste them. Well, I read Monarch so fast the first time that I just got the impression of loving it, but not enough thoughts to actually write a review. So, reading it a second time. And you know what? I'm loving it just as much even though I already know what's going to happen.

Review and Interview with Argyle coming in early October.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

This was recommended to me by another blogger. So far, not bad. I can't say I'm loving it. I have my reservations. I'll think about writing a review of it when I've finished.

I have to say, though, I do love the cover.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Admittedly, I'm not reading this very fast. Those of you who have read it know it's another WWII story, and I have difficulty reading these. Even through the poetic language and the youthful perspective, the weight of the basic content drags on my psyche. So I read a little here and a little there, and eventually I'll finish it. I'm enjoying it, but it has to be interspersed with these other books of semi-lighter content.

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

Stieg Larsson and the Art of Meta Writing

2011-08-19T07:00:00.043-04:00

Over the past few months, I've made my way through Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, and on a basic level, I've enjoyed them. The occasional fast pace makes up for some of the details.

Admittedly, however, on first glance, the first few chapters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (#1), and then dozens of pages at a time throughout the rest of the books, feel as if they are riddled with information-dump.

While reading the first book, I didn't notice this per se, but my critiquing skills hadn't been honed to the point they were when I began The Girl who Played with Fire (#2). I just thought it took a while to get into the story (a sign of info-dump, yes). By the time I started reading #2, several months later, I had already read a few people's comments on Goodreads. One comment on #1 caught my eye.

"Got very bored after 100 pages. Sorry. Way too much narrative." (link)

I reflected and considered his point. Yes, there's a lot of narrative at the beginning, little dialogue, less action.

So, why on earth could something with so much extraneous information be so popular? They're great books. I mentioned this to a non-writing friend, and she said she simply hadn't noticed. Can it be that the populace has more patience for info-dumping than those of us who have had it drilled into our brains NOT to write like that?

Not likely. That's the populace that may eventually clothe and feed us (if we make it past a publisher's advance, of course). That's the populace we're supposed to be pleasing. It must be something else.

As I read The Girl who Played with Fire, and later The Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest, I focused on the extra narrative, considering its use and purpose. And here's what I came up with:

It's not info-dumping. It's meta-journalistic fiction.

Huh?

Let's start with defining our terms:

meta: adj. (of a creative work) referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential.

The Millennium series focuses on journalists in the throes of their journalistic lives, writing and covering the daily lives around them. Journalists don't always have the luxury of paring down their prose in the way that fiction writers do. Whatever information they've uncovered today, be it the fact that Mr. X worked for Texaco in 1987 or Ms. Y has a penchant for blue suede shoes, it could all be relevant tomorrow. Therefore, it's all worth publishing.

The difference, and why we don't notice it as much, is in the presentation: an average story covers 600 to 800 words, and if more information is uncovered, it comes out tomorrow, not as an addition to today's story. There's lots of information, but it's broken up into smaller chunks, and therefore the extra is more digestible.

Larsson takes this concept of journalistic provision of information and writes in this style. In some cases (e.g., the first 100 pages of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), maybe it's hard to get through. But the bottom line is that Larsson did something quite clever with the concept of journalism, morphing it into this meta-style of journalistic fiction. It's the reader's job to uncover which bits of extraneous information are important, as if the reader is him/herself an investigator.

In this case, if we can manage through the slow start of #1, I think these books are an excellent read. Taking into consideration what Larsson has done with this meta-style, perhaps we can gain a little more patience in enduring the exposition.

Have you read the Millennium series? What did you think? How did you feel about the narrative/exposition? Was the later action enough to make up for it?

Back to the Blogo-World

2011-08-17T07:00:00.009-04:00

Dearest Bloggy Buddies,
Thank you for your patience on my hiatus. It has been a stressful month of packing, moving, homelessness, moving, and unpacking again. But, at the end of the day, we're in our new house, and I have my own shiny new writing office!

Also, my cats are a lot happier now that we're not trying to live in a Motel 6.

You'll be seeing more of me, both here and around the blogosphere. It may take a couple of weeks, but I'll make the rounds. I have a new writing/working/blogging schedule that should work out pretty well.

Stop by on Friday as I get back into full swing.

Any news from the last month that I've missed? Fill me in!

Life 180

2011-07-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of Housecret.com

Ever feel like everything in your life got turned on its metaphorical ear?

Our mini-vacation plans just fell through, so we don't get to go to Colorado next week. We're compensating by taking a weekend trip, but it's not quite the same.

We're moving out of this apartment in less than a month. Then we're "homeless" for a week. Then we move again into our new apartment. Yuck.

I'm under doctor's orders not to take my normal migraine medication anymore. Today makes day three of a migraine (it's probably about a 3-4/10 on the pain scale this morning, which is the only reason I can look at my computer screen), which is why some of you haven't heard from me in a while, especially if you comments on Monday's post.

My job's keeping me hopping, with several upcoming deadlines and a dissatisfied client passed on to me.

My muse took an extended summer vacation, apparently—without giving me notice, I might add—and I haven't written in a few weeks except for editing.

So, if you couldn't guess, I'm rather stressed.

What's the point of all this?

I need to take a blogging break. I need to get my life back in check and organized. So I won't be posting again until the middle of August. I'm not sure what date, yet—it will all depend on how smoothly the move goes and if I can get some of these work projects under control.

You might see me around from time to time, but I won't be posting.

Thanks for understanding, folks.

Review: A Visit from the Goon Squad

2011-07-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan, got mixed reviews from some of my cohorts on GoodReads, so I was intrigued when GoodReads decided to start their Book Club Challenge (which, btw, I hadn't heard about before this book, but I hope they continue it with other selections). If you're interested, the Book Club Challenge runs through the end of July, so there's still time to sign up.

The Blurb (from GoodReads):

Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption.

Doesn't really tell you a whole lot, does it? And, I promise you, this blurb does not prepare you for the experience.

Author Jennifer Egan
Photo courtesy of SFGate.com

The basic concept of the book follows the two characters through time and around the world in their lives, yes. What the blurb doesn't tell you is that each story is told in a different point of view (at least two are 1st person, neither of which are from Bennie or Sasha's perspective, one in second person, and a myriad of 3rd person close narratives), only two of which directly highlight Bennie and Sasha (chapters 2 and 1, respectively). Other stories deal with these two "main" characters through tangential connects or sheer-chance encounters, though they all serve to tell the stories of these two characters in a non-traditional sense.

The question that people keep posing, though, is: Is it really a novel? Or is it a collection of short stories?

In my not-so-humble opinion, I'm going to go out on a limb and call it a novel. I really believe it is, though it stretches the boundaries of what the traditional definition entails. All the stories revolve around either Sasha or Bennie. The exceptions are, perhaps, chapters 4 and 5, in which I find no clear, direct connection, but only a tangential (in the mathematical sense of touching at one point, not in the conversational sense in which something is an off-shoot) way.

The way Egan weaves the individual stories, though, made me want to keep reading despite the initial disjunction between the stories. I had been forewarned about this apparent disunity by reading my friends' reviews on GoodReads, so I felt prepared, and I think this helped in my appreciation of the offering. If I had gone in to reading this without that knowledge, I might have been irritated by it as well.

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

In an interview, Egan compares the story concepts to a music album—an apt structural comparison given the subject nature behind the stories. Thirteen "tracks" that all come together to make a whole. In buying an album, we as listeners do not expect each song to have the same subject, or the same tempo, or even the same singer in the case of, say, the Beatles. Yet we feel the wholeness of the album. In this same way, Egan has compiled her stories, each individual in their own rights, which together construct a complete piece.

My only real complaint about the book is about how the stories stack together. I love the increased pace that runs throughout the book, which I believe culminates in chapter 12 "Great Rock and Roll Pauses". This chapter is powerful, not only in its plot and characters and emotional thread, but also in how it's presented: it's a visual narrative, created as a slide show diary entry from the POV of Sasha's daughter. This is, in fact, my favorite story of the book (with chapter 10, "Out of Body", as a close second). My complaint actually stems from the final story, which, after such a powerful chapter 12, seems to fall flat. I didn't feel the emotional resonance that had echoed through each of the previous stories, raising to concert levels in chapter 12. Perhaps my eardrums couldn't atune themselves to the acoustic guitar of chapter 13 after the amplified light show. Either way, it felt anti-climactic at best, and left an unsavory residue to associate with the book as a whole.

Bummer, because, otherwise, I really loved the book.

The bottom line: Read this book. Be prepared for a non-traditional novel experience. And let yourself be carried along for the ride. It's worth it.

What other non-traditionally structured novels have you read?

Happy Release Day for Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.

2011-07-08T08:03:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Medeia Sharif, author of Bestest. Ramadan. Ever., which releases today! I can't wait to get my hands on this and read it.

From Goodreads:

During Ramadan, we're not allowed to eat from sunrise to sunset, for a whole month. My family does this every year, even though I've been to a mosque exactly twice in my fifteen years. My exercise-obsessed mom—whose hotness skipped a generation, sadly—says I could stand to lose a few. But is torture really an acceptable method? I think not.

Things wouldn't be so bad if I had a boyfriend, but my oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially since Peter, a cute and crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa likes him, too.

To top it off, there's a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short skirts, commanding every boy's attention—including Peter's. How can I get him to notice me? And will I ever feel like a typical American girl?

Get your copy today.

Pronoun Usage and Same-Sex Characters

2011-07-06T08:03:00.001-04:00

Image courtesy of FreelanceWritingGigs.com
and Comedy Central.

I learned something today. (Cue cheesy end-of-episode South Park music.)

It's probably something obvious, and it's little, but something I hadn't noticed before.

Sometimes it's difficult to decide which pronouns to use. I'm specifically referring to a close 3rd POV narrator in a scene with another character of the same gender. When do you use "he" and "she" (or "it", depending on your genre of choice)?

In this latest draft of Fighting Fate, I followed my linguistics training, adhering to supposed rules of pragmatics to dictate when I used "he/him/his" or "she/her/her" instead of proper names.

An example:

Roger took several steps toward her. Marcus tried to followed, but Roger’s hyper-awareness picked up on it right away. He paused and glanced over his shoulder at Marcus. Even if for a second, it made Marcus stop.

Here's the breakdown. In the second sentence, I used "Marcus" because, according to pragmatics, "He" should refer to Roger as the subject of the previous sentence. After "but" I used "Roger" again, because "he" would refer to Marcus. In the third sentence, "He" is Roger, being the most recent available subject to refer to. Then we get "Marcus" again, BUT it's in a prepositional phrase, so the last sentence repeats "Marcus" because the most recent SUBJECT to refer to is "Roger".

I don't think this is wrong per se, but it's clunky. Do you feel the clunky? I felt the clunkiness even while writing it, though wasn't sure how to fix it.

I sent it off to a crit partner of mine, and this is how it came back (some suggestions hers, others I adapted based on what I'd learned from several of her line-edits). Because it's a little out of context, please note that the close 3rd POV narrator is attached to Marcus in this scene.

Roger took several steps toward her. He tried to followed. Roger paused and glanced over his shoulder, his hyper-awareness tipping him off. Even if for a second, it made Marcus stop.

Less clunky, no?

But is it clear?

So the dilemma continues. I've rewritten it again, because another crit buddy was confused (and I can't say I blame her). I've changed the second "he" back to "Marcus" because pragmatically the reader is going to assume "he" to be "Roger" otherwise. Right? Or not?

So what's most important? Ditching the clunky or maintaining it for the sake of clarity? How do you deal with a close 3rd POV narrator and multiple people of the same gender in one scene? How do you use pronouns? Any advice to the poor, recovering linguist that is moi?

Holidays, Moving Trauma, and July

2011-07-04T08:03:00.002-04:00

First, if you're a yankee, Happy 4th. If not, I hope your Monday's going well. May we all eat well and enjoy the day. I, poor patriot that I am, don't even know if the city's setting off fireworks tonight or if they did it last night. We have, however, hears all the fireworks they're setting off at the nearby lakes since Wednesday.

*bad segue*

Moving is stressing me out. In fact, anything with a brown cardboard box is stressing me out. It started on Thursday when my boss called me. Now, for the record, I work for a small, niche publisher at my university that puts out books related to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russia (former Soviet Block). I work in editorial, preparing manuscripts for print, occasionally dealing directly with the printer in lieu of my boss. So when he called and asked me help do the beginning-of-the-fiscal-year inventory, I can't say I was thrilled. And I sure wasn't ambivalent. But I agreed because the "team" is a little short-staffed right now (long story, but temporary), and my boss was kind enough to hire me through the summer when I'm leaving the university as a student.

Courtesy of Future Perfect Publishing.
Our stacks don't look that neat.

Friday, July 1. Seven hours of doing inventory. This did not include the back room full of boxes of books. This did not include going to the warehouse to calculate our holdings over there. Nope. This involved me standing on a step stool, reading off three digits from the book's ISBN, counting the number of books on the shelf, and reporting the number to my cohort with a clipboard, who then checked off the number on a spreadsheet. Oh, and at four, we moved on to some "donated" boxes of our books (another long story) that then involved finding each ISBN (not as clearly marked as they are on the shelf) and adding +1 to the total. *sigh* I didn't get home until 6:30.

Saturday was moving day for some good friends, so I went to help. I hadn't planned to originally, but I'm glad I did, because when I got there, it was the couple and one other person, trying to load the couple's life into a 10ft Uhaul. A couple more people joined the team over time, but we never had more than six active players. Three Uhaul trips and some "3D Tetris", as my friend coined it.

So we're in July. Soon comes August. My husband and I officially have 4 weeks until our lease ends and 5 weeks until our new lease begins. We have to box up our lives and figure out where to store it all for a week. Can we say, not fun? I'm thinking the easiest thing at this point is to rent a POD, but one-month's rental costs more than one-month's rent for my apartment (the old one, anyway), and I don't think that's reasonable. We're looking into other options, such as short-term storage, keeping various boxes in friends' garages, etc.

Seriously, boxes are stressing me out right now.

I'm trying to keep my head above water in terms of managing blogging, writing, working, and general family duties. I suppose this is nothing different, but I don't have a set schedule for myself, and I can't really create one when we'll be packing and scrounging up a place store everything.

Anyway, happy 4th again. We're grilling in the backyard.

What are you doing this fine Monday, July 4?
Do you have any create space ideas for me for a week's worth of homelessness?
Any ideas on what I can do to make the boxes less scary? :)

Blogging and Internet Privacy

2011-07-01T08:03:00.010-04:00

Image courtesy of SafetyWeb.com

In the age when facial recognition is incorporated into your driver's license picture and Facebook auto-tags you and your friends when you upload photos (though not always correctly), people worry about privacy on the net. The Man is spying on us all, looking for keywords in posts like terrorism and bomb and other threatening vocabulary

(Hello, Mr/Ms Fed Agent. Glad you came to read my blog!).

And yet we writers blog on a (semi-)regular basis. Not only that, but we put ourselves out there in a rather public sphere, some people even linking their blog of Facebook, Twitter, other co-authored blogs, some even going so far as to list their home address and phone number in case an agent would like to contact them. We create ourselves as public figures and hope we're not famous enough to attract real-life stalkers while also toning down the rants to avoid any government's spy radar from picking up our signals.

(Are you still with me, Mr/Ms Fed Agent? Or is this just chatter? Did you catch my use of the word "stalker"?)

What I find intriguing in all this are the people who have blogs, blogging profiles, and "aliases", but somehow those profiles are disconnected from the comments they leave on blogs. I personally like to respond to people's comments via email, because it may lead to a more personal discussion, or the person to whom I'm responding might not return to my blog to see my answer. And half the time, I hit reply, type a paragraph and click send before I realize that the response is going to "no-reply@blogger.com".

Image courtesy of Uproxx.com

I'm not sure what about it bothers me, but it seems paradoxical. Perhaps with "bloggers" who don't use blogger, i.e., people who use LiveJournal or WordPress, it makes sense, but still some of these people have Blogger profiles as they may use Google Reader or the Blogger Dashboard to read the latest and greatest. It's two clicks or so to connect an email address to an account. Why not do it?

I can only think of two reasons:

The person doesn't know how (in which case, I say, go find a ten year old to show you); or
S/he is worried about internet security and his/her email address being too accessible.

Yeah, you know, I kinda get it. I don't necessarily want my personal email available to anyone and everyone on the internet. So what did I do? In this booming technological age, I created another email address. Yes, folks, that makes three for me.

A Google email address used exclusively for all things literary. I use it for contests, comments, site registration at places like LinkedIn, Narrative.com, etc. If you know me from my blog, it's probably the only email address of mine you'll ever see (except for Carol).
My university email. You don't even need to be a tried and true hacker to figure out the address for this email account, but I'm not flaunting it around the net. I use it for work and some personal email. The end.
My Yahoo account. While I'm unsure how one blogger has found this and uses it to email me the periodic announcement from her blog (and she may not even know who she is), it's really my catch-all email address. I use it to register at places that are likely to generate spam.

So given the potential for the separation of the net and the personal, I can't figure out why people don't connect an email address to their comments. We're all already online, and therefore have significantly forfeit a portion of our right to internet privacy. We want people to connect to us, read our blogs, and participate in the conversation, but to do that with such a limited means of connecting, to me, seems like cherry picking.

Am I wrong? Are you one of the people who doesn't have your email connected to your account? Tell me why. I honestly don't get it and would like to know.

Are you concerned about yourself being so public and your right to internet privacy? What do you do to protect yourself?

The Migraine Saga

2011-06-29T06:00:00.004-04:00

My husband loves a good rain storm. He's from Arizona, from desert where trees have green bark and the skies come in multi-hued tones. But there's no weather except for the monsoon season, which lasts about a month in July and August. Otherwise, the weather forecaster on the local news has a pretty sweet gig.

For me, though, weather means instant disaster. Changes in pressure result in massive migraines. This has been me on and off for the past several days.

I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm just stating the facts.

Here's the problem: all I wanted to do on Monday was write, but I couldn't move. For half the day I didn't even want to open my eyes. I was so close to being done with my latest revision of Fighting Fate that the sweet flavor mingled on my tongue with the bitterness of personal defeat.

Yup, there's no good, rational reason for it, but I felt defeated. Defeated by my own head, the same location from which all the great ideas for my fiction stem (or "where all the great ideas of my fiction stem from"—you be the judge).

On the bright side, I was 98% pain-free on Tuesday. Admittedly, I write my posts early, and it's actually Tuesday night as I write this, so I have no idea how my Wednesday will shape up. If you leave comments and you don't hear back from me at all, the odds aren't in my favor.

I'm tried of taking my medication for the migraines and am now searching for alternatives. I'm getting a Reiki treatment, I'm looking into acupuncture. Really, I'll take anything that doesn't involve putting more chemicals in my body. I'm not anti-med, but the Triptans I take drug me out so that, even when the pain is gone, I'm not functional. I resemble a drooling zombie, except that I still have refreshingly pink flesh and don't want to eat brains. I just want to smack the crap out of MINE.

So, oh blogity friends, any advice? I'm so far investigating Reiki, acupuncture, and renewing my commitment to yoga and meditation. But, seriously, anyone know of any home remedies?

Review of Veiled in Shadows

2011-06-27T08:03:00.000-04:00

Veiled in Shadows by Allan Russell

From Goodreads: 1937, Ebi Gausel is riding high as a member of Germany's elite guard, Hitler's SS. An unexpected romance arrives in Ebi's life in the form of the fiery Katharina. Even with Europe teetering on the brink of war their happiness seems assured. But Ebi's certainty comes crashing down as Katharina disappears, leaving hints of a dark secret. In a war fought in the shadows... those who live may do so at the cost of their humanity. Two lovers united by passion ...and divided by hate. As they fight for survival... their most ruthless foe might be one another.

I'll admit, I don't read war fiction. I don't watch war movies. I don't even like talking about war. Spree, I couldn't even watch the Feed The Children commercials in the 80s without bawling. It's not just because I'm a pacifist, because the best war stories aren't about the war, anyway. I'm not sure what it is about these stories that evokes deep sobs from my gut, but it happens every time.

It can be quite embarrassing in a movie theater, btw.

So, why did I read a novel set in WWII Germany? Just feeling masochistic? No. Because I like supporting our online writing community, and I wanted to read Al's work. It had been a long, long time since I had decided to read or watch anything war-related. I've matured (no, really, I have!). I thought it might not be so bad on the emotional level.

*ahem*

I was wrong. Russell's characters evoked emotions from me on several levels, often requiring me to lay the book down and savor my own tears. I enjoyed the ride through the characters' journey of love and war, and seeing multiple sides and viewpoints along the way.

The story is told in first person, though through several people, which can get confusing over time. The most central character, Katherina (or Victoria), seems to be the only person who doesn't make a narrative appearance, keeping her "veiled in shadow". One character gives his side of the story in present tense--a writing choice I didn't understand and which kind of bugged me, but that's a minor point.

Overall I enjoyed the story. It goes through several unexpected twists and turns, especially at the end. If you like period or war fiction and you're looking for an emotional ride, you should read this book.

Blogfest... Interrupted

2011-06-26T08:03:00.001-04:00

Today I'm participating in Blogfest...Interrupted, hosted by Sasha Conte. Thanks, Sasha, for hosting.

On Saturday, June 26th, post a 500-1000 word scene of your characters being interrupted - doesn't matter what they're doing, doesn't matter what's interrupting them (end of the world, knock on the door, little voice in their head...), they just need to be interrupted.

So, here we go. This is an excerpt from my WIP, Fighting Fate. It's raw, not super well edited, and rather first-drafty. But, nonetheless, people are getting interrupted. All comments are welcome. Hope you enjoy it :)

Marcus arrived in his suite and glanced around. Of course he had maid service, but he still straightened a few pillows on the couches. He walked into his bedroom, making sure again that he had tidied it enough. He hadn’t felt this nervous going to Anabelle’s home. Why was he so restless now?

Finally the door to his suite opened and then shut again. He heard voices, “Is it okay now?” “Yes.” “No cameras?” “No cameras.”

Anabelle and Lily began to materialize, at first translucent, until the invisibility subsided.

“Marc?” Roger’s voice sounded from nowhere.

Of course. It was Marcus’s spell, so he had to be the one to remove it. It disappeared faster than Anabelle’s spell had, and from top to bottom as if a sheet had fallen off.

Once he became visible, Lily smacked his elbow. “You scared the frut out of me. How dare you sneak up on us all invisible like that.”

“What else should I have done?”

“I don’t know, but not that.”

Roger glared at her for a moment before turning to Marcus. “Something’s a-buzz. I kept getting calls on my headset, but couldn’t respond. I need to go check in and see what’s going on.”

“Fine,” Marcus said. “Go. We’ll be here.”

“Great,” Lily said. “Leave me behind as third wheel.”

Roger shut the door a little too hard behind him.

“You’re not third wheel,” Anabelle said.

As she spoke the words, however, her eyes told a different story. Marcus couldn’t believe how lucky he was that this beautiful commoner had had enough gumption and enough personal magic to find him, even if she hadn’t wanted to meet him. And here she stood in his suite again. Fate had played in his favor this time.

“Can I give you a brief tour?” he asked.

“I’d like that,” Anabelle said.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me a break.”

Anabelle slipped her hand through Marcus’s elbow and he led her around. He had three more rooms off of the main sitting room: his den, Roger’s office, and his bedroom. He showed her the rooms in that order, ending in the bedroom. He slipped the door shut behind him.

“It’s very big,” she said.

“I’ve heard that before.”

She shoved his chest playfully, and he grabbed her hands, pulling her close. He loved the feel of her body against pressed against his, her lips against his. Pressure hit him in two solid points against his chest where she had the stones tucked inside her bra. How had he gone so many years without her embrace? He couldn’t imagine—

A heavy knock beat against the door. “Marc! Get out here. Now.”

She pulled away. “Is that Roger?”

He would so lay into Roger later. What could be so important as to interrupt them? And so rudely?

The knock came again, louder this time. “Marc!”

Marcus felt his nostrils flare. “Coming.” He inhaled deep into his lungs before leading Anabelle out into the sitting room. “What?”

Roger and Natalie stood outside the door. Natalie said, “You are in some serious kruk right now.” Roger shoved something against his chest. Marcus took it and unrolled the newspaper—tabloid, really—until he saw the cover photo.

Any guesses as to what's in the photo?

Getting to Know Your Characters Blogfest

2011-06-24T08:03:00.032-04:00

Welcome to my entry for the Getting to Know Your Characters Blogfest, hosted by Elizabeth Mueller and Jeannie Campbell. Thanks to both of them for hosting and the great idea behind it.

Rules: Pretend you are your MC and answer all three of the following questions.

Preface: (by Rosie)

Anabelle fought me on this. She did not want to answer these questions, and she didn’t want to feel psychoanalyzed. She just wanted to get on with her life and pretend like everything was normal instead of talking about fears and accomplishments and regret. I hope I’ve persuaded her, and she’s not jerking me around here.

Name: Anabelle Michelle Lindsky

Age: 19

Question 1: What is your greatest fear?

Being alone and being abandoned. In my life, I only have two people, my mother Betsy and my best friend Lily. My father died when I was a baby, or maybe before I was born—my mother’s never been very clear on the matter, and I can’t ask her about it because it’s too hard for her to talk about. I see the pain she goes through every day after having the love of her life snatched away from her, and I know I can’t endure what she does. I try not to let people into my life, though that got turned on its ear and I’ve had no choice. All I can hope is that I withstand the coming events without losing my loved ones.

Question 2: What is your biggest accomplishment?

Ha! Okay. This is great. Lily and I got to start wearing bras in fourth grade, whether there was anything to hold in place or not. Nothing was more important than wearing one, at least among the girls. The boys made fun, of course, because that’s what boys do. And there was this guy, Lionel Davis. He told all the other boys that I had let him see my bra during recess. The next day a bunch of boys from our class cornered me on the way outside after lunch, asking to see my bra. I sucker punched one in the gut, and refused. Of course, if Lionel had gotten to see it, why couldn’t they? I ran away.

No, that’s not the accomplishment. Hold on!

The next day I was so angry. The boys kept teasing me, loud enough for the teacher to shush them. I wanted to die, I was so embarrassed. At lunch, I found a pack of Hostess cupcakes in my lunch, and felt the peck of inspiration, and then made the fateful mistake of whispering the idea to Lily. She found it so hilarious that when I hesitated, she dared me to do it. “What?” she asked, “Are you chicken?”

Lionel sat two tables away. I stood, a cupcake in each hand behind my back, and marched over. I told him to get up, that I had something to show him, which inspired lots of ooooohhs and aaaahs from both the girls’ and boys’ tables. The girls behind me could see what I had in my hands, but the boys couldn’t. Lionel stood, a huge grin on his face. In retrospect, he probably had a crush on me, but it wouldn’t last long. When he faced me, I shoved each of the cupcakes against his chest, smearing brown cake all over his white polo shirt. I mounded the cupcakes as best I could and stood back. “Looks like you need your own bra,” I said, “so quit trying to look at mine.”

I got suspended for three days. My mom wouldn’t talk to me for days without yelling. She had to take off work one day because she couldn’t afford a babysitter. I felt horrible for disappointing her, but something had to be done.

On the other hand, that was the first dare I’ve ever taken from Lily. I’ve never refused a dare since. I just try to make sure my dares don’t affect my mom the way the first did.

Question 3: What is your biggest regret?

This is hard one to answer because I have quite a few. I regret not using magic on Lionel Davis to make those brown cupcake mounds stick, because they fell off before the principal arrived. I regret going to prom with Sammy Gilespie because of his grabby fingers and post-prom expectations. I regret turning James Bunnell down when he asked me to prom because Lily had wanted him to ask her (but so had I, and then neither of us went with him).

But, I guess if I have to pick just one, my biggest regret would be not enjoying time with my mom as much as I should. I love my mom, of course, but when I was in high school I didn’t think it was cool to hang out with her. Now that I’m in college, I don’t see her much even though I live at home. I just wish I’d appreciated my time with her before my life turned upside down.

Don't forget to check out the other entries in the Blogfest. Go to Elizabeth Mueller's blog for a list of all the participants.

What about you? What are your characters' biggest fears, accomplishments, or regrets?

The Return

2011-06-22T08:03:00.046-04:00

I've managed to find my way back after my sabbatical and have lots of updates for you.

First, if you check out my BuNoWriMo counters to the right, you'll see that I've had great success in the writing department. If I can finish my latest draft of Fighting Fate and get 10K on Seer, I will have written 50K in June. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed, but I think it's possible.

If you'd like to see the first 250 words (well, more like 280) of Seer, it will be posted on Carol Rigg's blog sometime today. Go over, help critique, make comments, or just read and tell me how awesome (or horrible) it is :)

Now that I've had some time away, I feel rejuvenated in the blogging department. In addition to having several fun blog posting ideas in my brain (see below for a few examples), I've also reorganized my Google Reader to help me visit my peeps more often. I'm still working on catching up with all my new followers from A-to-Z, so bear with me. The blogging front, though, looks quite promising.

In the next couple of weeks, I have some exciting things planned.

On Friday, I'll be participating in the Getting to Know Your Characters Blogfest, hosted by Elizabeth Mueller and Jeannie Campbell.
On Sunday, Sasha Conte is hosting the Blogfest... Interrupted.
On Monday, stop by to read my review of Veiling in Shadows by fellow blogger Al Russell.
Coming sometime in the month of July I will post my review of A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I've joined the Goodreads bookclub for it, and can't wait to dig in.
I'm also planning (tentatively) a review of the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson. The popularity of these books drove me to read them, and as I've developed as a writer and read other comments about them on Goodreads, I have discovered lots of things I want to say about them.

I also have ideas for non-review posts, so stay tuned.

Finally, I returned from my trip to find this in my mailbox:

EEK! I'm so excited. My first ARC. I'm participating in Michelle Davidson Argyle's book tour to celebrate the release of Monarch in September. I can't wait to dig into this one, either.

Oh, and the reunion? It was great. We had fun seeing all kinds of family, and getting outside a bit. Here's a tidbit, straight from the land of corn :)

How have you been? Any fun things to share? What have you read lately, or what do you have lined up next?

PS--Today is my hubby's and my 9th wedding anniversary. I love you, J!

Still on Sabbatical, but Blogfest Alert

2011-06-13T16:42:00.000-04:00

Hi folks,
I'm not really here. Really. But I wanted to tell you about the cool blogfest that Tara is hosting on Saturday, June 18th.

It comes with prizes, so please go check out her post about it. It looks like fun.

No promises that I can participate (even though I signed up). Here's hoping I can get a post up on Friday.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. The reunion was busy but pretty fun. Now off to work. Catch you next week!

Sabbatical

2011-06-08T08:25:00.003-04:00

So much for being back to regular posting...

Ever notice how your mojo slows down? Even when you find the muses again, it feels like you're wading through chocolate pudding (both in the sense of slowing down and in the oh-man-I-just-want-to-eat-chocolate sense)?

How do you deal with these situations?

My plan right now is to recharge by unplugging for a while. That's right. I'm going somewhere untouched by the internet (though it does have satellite TV). Partially, it's a family reunion, but that will be over by the weekend.

My husband and I have decided to stay longer for a self-induced work retreat. He's polishing his dissertation at the moment, and went up to visit this part of the family a few weeks ago--with stellar success. So now, he wants to try and regain that momentum, and I need to get some with my writing and my freelance editing working.

All that being said, I will be on sabbatical from the blogosphere starting today until around the 22nd. Hopefully the time off will help me recharge my blogging batteries, get a jumpstart and/or finish the first part of my BuNo challenge, and get some significant hourly time in to make some summer moola.

See y'all in a couple of weeks.

What's the Score Blogfest Winners

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for everyone who came out to celebrate my blogiversary with me on Wednesday. I love blogfests, I love writing, and I love music, so what better way to celebrate? It was great fun learning about how people consider the music for the WIP, and what music people deem worthy of representing their work.

So much fun!

If you missed it, I put the Linky List at the bottom again, just in case :)

Now, as promised, there are PRIZES!

Based on the number of entries per person, I plugged the numbers into Random.org. Out of a total of 50 entries, Random.org picked numbers 2, 23, and 9, in that order. So...

The winner of a chapter or query critique is:

Charity Bradford!

The winner of the $20 Amazon Gift Card is:

Trisha from WORD+STUFF!

And the winner of the book of her choice from Amazon is:

Alexis Fittinger!

I will get in touch with you in the next few days to make arrangements for you to get your prizes.

Thanks again to everyone for celebrating with me! I'll be back to regular posting on Wednesday.

Sex/Gender in the Writing World

2011-06-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

By now, you've probably seen it--the article in Jezebel about V. S. Naipaul's comment, or the one in the NYT, which mention the man's comment that he can detect the gender of a writer before he finished the second paragraph. In response, if you still haven't seen this, there's also the quiz hosted by the Guardian so you can see if you're as "cool" as Mr. V. S.

I'm thinking one of those initials is a tad off.

Naipaul commented that this knowledge is based on how he (mis)understands women, because they aren't "Masters of their own house" and sentimental, and thus will never reach his personal greatness.

Anyone feel like boycotting yet? I have some ideas about what he can do with that personal greatness....

Of course I think he's wrong. In fact, I tried much too hard to look for these silly indicators when I took the Guardian's quiz, and only got 5 of 10 correct--which, if thrown into a probability meter, means that I have mastered the art of random guessing and no more. At least I've got that going for me.

Every writer has his/her own voice, which may lean toward the sentimental or the... what's the opposite of sentimental in this context? Analytical? Anyway, Each writer has her/his own leanings in how they want to narrate a story. Each voice is unique, with different levels of sentimentality v. the-opposite-of-sentimentality.

What do you think? Without foreknowledge, do you think you could tell the difference between men's and women's writing? Do you even care enough to try?

I wonder, however, how much our own experience and the societal limitations of our genders play into our writing. I only bring this up because I'm struggling with male-male dialogue. Frankly, and this shouldn't surprise you, I've never been involved in a conversation that only involved men. How could I? I'm not one. I pondered this on Facebook about two weeks ago. Male buddies I haven't heard from in years stumbled from the woodwork to add their 2+ cents (really, their words were worth more than measly pennies). Of course, they're all different, too, so the answers conflicted, sort of. And perhaps I came out a little more confused than when I began.

So, despite the sexism that prompted me to write this, do you think our genders and the social "restrictions" associated with them affect your work? How do you get around it? What do you do to make your characters' conversations authentic, even if your own gender isn't present for said chit-chat?

What's the Score Blogfest, and Some Thanks

2011-06-01T01:42:00.000-04:00

Happy June 1st. Today's my nephew's birthday, so I want to send a shout out to him.

Happy Birthday, Gabe!

Also, yesterday was my one-year blogiversary. It's hard to believe I've been blogging for a year, and I can see a huge difference in the way I blog then and now. Also in the way I write. I'm lucky to have stumbled into this bloggy world, to have made the friends I've made, and to have learned everything I've learned so far. You're all a part of that, and so I say

THANK YOU!

I could go in to thanking particular people, but that would take the entire next year, and the music just started playing, and they will soon usher me offstage. So, please know that you're all awesome and amazing, and I appreciate each of you for your individual creativity and spirit.

So, uh, Blogfest anyone?

In celebration of my blogiversary, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a blogfest. There are even prizes, and there's still time to play. Haven't signed up yet? Is it past midnight in your timezone? No worries. Send me an email at rlconnolly [at] gmail.com and I'll add your name to the Linky List.

What can you win? Check out the announcement. And stop by on Monday, June 6th, when I'll reveal the winners!

What's My Score?

I love my WIP. I've spent years with it, so I ought to. I think about it when I'm walking to and from classes and work, and the soundtrack makes it easier for me to concentrate (and aren't you glad I'm thinking about my WIP instead of oncoming traffic?).

Here are a few of the best songs from my soundtrack. While I have a huge one for the entire three-book series, I tried to stick to songs that apply to book 1, since that's what I'm slaving over right now.

"Had to Go" by the Heartless Bastards
A few lines in this song sound as if they had been written with my WIP in mind.

"Winter Blue" by Heather Nova
I had my iPod on shuffle and this came on. I just about stumbled with how well it seemed to fit, and then I added it to my playlist.

"Everything She Does Is Magic" by the Police
Cliche? Maybe. I don't care. :)

"Starlight" by Muse
This song sounds like my male MC talking to me.

"Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga
Minus the line about eyeliner, this works pretty well, too. (I didn't pick the official video to link here, though, because I just don't get it.)

"Fool's Gold" by Lhasa de Sela
It's not so much the words to this song (although they kind of work) but the mood. Not to mention that her voice is one of the most amazing I've heard in my lifetime.

"Weird Fishes" and "15 Steps" by Radiohead
Wish I could explain these. They just move me and make me think of my WIP.

"Conspiracy" by Paramore
Okay, maybe this one doesn't ONLY apply to the first of the three. It applies to the whole thing.

What about you? What's your score?

Don't forget to visit the other participants today!

Meme-Time

2011-05-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged in a meme by Wendy over at Fabulosity Nouveau. It seems there are a bunch of them floating around right now. This one looks fun, so, here we go :)

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

Huh. Good question. Does this mean re-experience or being able to change the moment? Am I thinking about this too much?

Pyramid of the Moon
Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Okay, as a straight re-experience, I would say the boat ride my husband and I took through the canals in Mexico City on our honeymoon. If I could change the moment, I would go back to the day before and wear more sunscreen at the Pyramids at Tenochtitlan so that I wouldn't look like a crazy lobster on that boat ride :)

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

Changing my major from creative writing to political science. Then again, that little change had lots of repercussions on my life, like living abroad, that I'm not sure I want to give up.

Willow Rosenburg / Alyson Hannigan
Courtesy of Buffy Wikia

What movie/tv character do you most resemble in personality?

Willow in early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer--passionate about her friends and loved ones, sensitive and easily heart-broken, and prone to serious geek-out moments.

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?

What a horrible question? If I have an answer for this, I'm not making it public on my blog *shifty*

Name one habit you want to change in yourself.

Laziness. I really think this is a habit. We get comfortable in routine. After my father died in 2008, I didn't do ANYTHING. I watched lots of TV. I sat on my butt. And it's been really hard to break those habits since then.

Describe yourself in one word.

Confused? :)

Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.

Spunky!

Why do you blog? Answer in one sentence.

I love being a part of an amazing, supportive community of writers and readers who want to encourage and help each other from the goodness of their souls.

PS--Thank you :)

Who am I tagging?

Reece Hanzon
Charity Bradford
Natasha Hanova

Whether to be Weathered by the Weather

2011-05-27T08:03:00.003-04:00

So, my planned post will be postponed for a few days while I recover from the chaos that happened in my town last night.

A total of *five* tornado sirens went off between 5PM and midnight on Wednesday night. Hurricane-strength wind and rain ripped through our inland community. Funnel clouds were spotted in several counties. One touched down and destroyed a trailer park south of town.

Here are some pictures of what happened at our house.

This tree probably topped out around 40 feet. Last night the roots snapped and the tree collapsed. We're super lucky that it felt the exact way it did, because it could have taken out any of four houses and several cars on the street. Honestly, it could have collapsed through my bedroom ceiling.

But it did block the entire street. Traffic had to be rerouted through several different streets in our neighborhood due to all the trees and limbs that came down. At 7:30, though, the crew had already arrived to survey the situation.

Some perspective on how big the stump is.

And here's the other tree that snapped in half and fell on our roof. Luckily it didn't hurt anything (I don't think), and it landed mainly on the roof of our porch. It could have been much worse.

So, I hope the weather has been nicer to you than it has been to us recently. Have any scary weather stories to share?

Scores, Strings, and A Crazy Little Thing Called Memberships

2011-05-25T08:03:00.005-04:00

First, remember to sign up for the What's the Score Blogfest for June 1st. List songs you'd like to be in the soundtrack to your WIP, and win prizes just for participating. Click above or on the right for more details.

_____________________

Jessica Bell is organizing the promotion for her upcoming release, STRING BRIDGE. Think you might be interested in getting an ARC and posting a review? Being involved in the Amazon Chart rush? Her Blog Tour? Hope over to Jessica's blog and sign up.

If you missed the trailer:

_____________________

For those of you new to my life and woes, there's something you need to know:

I'm a recovering linguist.

This means several things for my writing. First, when I write, I have to focus A LOT on the voice, because I'm still trying to purse the academicese from my writing. Keeping my prose clean of the dry, scientific, observational sentence structures is tough. Seriously.

Another remnant of my linguist days are my society memberships. I'm a member of LSA, SLS, and AATSEEL. I even freelance as an editor for the publisher of the journal associated with SLS. I'm in deep, folks... at least until I have to renew again in the winter. Then I can let those memberships laps.

But thinking about those has got me thinking about memberships in writerly organizations, and I don't know which are the best for a budding writer on a limited budget. For example, SCBWI is $85 for the first year. I'm sure it's worth it, but that figure about makes me want to faint. Membership in LSA was only $20! I could stay a linguist for four more years and still be able to buy lunch.

Okay, I'm done complaining. SCBWI offers lots of great services and perks to members. The question is: do I belong there?

Really, that's the problem. I don't know where I belong. I could join SCBWI, but my work straddles YA and adult. Would SCBWI be a good fit for me? What about RWA (at $110)? I don't really consider myself a romance author, though there are strong tones of romance. How about SFWA? Well, a quick look at their website indicates that I'm not eligible, anyway.

So, help me out. What societies are out there for a writer trying to make her way? If you're a member, do you feel you get your money's worth from the dues? How do you make the most of your memberships?

First Two Pages

2011-05-23T08:03:00.000-04:00

So, yeah, I mentioned last week that I felt I had lost my mojo. My posting this doesn't necessarily negate that. In fact, it took me quite a while to work through this.

Anyway, here's my question, folks: How's the hook? Do you feel hooked? I didn't like the opening to the last version of this, and this version will keep me from having to do severally massive rewrites (though there are always TONS of rewrites, no?). That aside, if you don't like it, that's okay, too. I'm still learning/teaching myself what works.

Any comments or critiques are more than welcome. Thanks for reading.

Fighting Fate, beginning of Chap 1 (465 words)

My Anabelle Lindsky

Anabelle watched in the mirror as her reflection disappeared. Before it dissolved completely, she squared her shoulders. A shudder ran over her spine. She swallowed her fear. She could no longer see herself, only the floral wallpaper behind her.

The moment of truth. She turned to the door and opened it as little as possible. In the hallway, she walked on the sides of her feet, trying to keep her dress shoes quiet. Another pair of shoes slapped the ground behind her.She flattened herself against the wall and held her breath until he turned a corner. She kept her eyes on that corner. How had she become such a coward? If she planned to do this, she needed to do it right. She pushed herself away from the wall and continued down the hall.

She slid past another guard at the entrance to the restricted areas. The Mansion’s walls glowed a brighter yellow than the halls she’d seen on the tour earlier. The cherry wood tables and chairs, which lined the walls in the public areas, were absent here. She worried she might get lost in the restricted area with no identifiable landmarks of furniture. She tried keeping a map in her head of the turns she took, but direction had never been her skill—no matter how much magic she injected into a mental map.

Instead of worrying about it, she focused on the magic she knew she could control. Invisibility. Seeking. She’d used it in middle school to avoid the mean girls. She’d used it in high school to avoid the teachers she didn’t like. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d used it to find the person she sought instead of avoid. She concentrated on her limited knowledge of her target—his physique, his personality, his likes and dislikes—and hoped she could get a trace on him.

She’d never used her seeking abilities on someone she hadn’t met before.

She continued wandering the halls until she sensed him behind a door. She backtracked around a corner and spotted a surveillance camera. In order to talk to him, she would have to become visible again, but she couldn’t do that in front of a camera. She’d never tried to disrupt electronic equipment, and she hoped she could manage. She reached up until she reached the wires behind the camera. She imagined the the last thirty seconds playing on a loop, a continual visual of nothing, and said a silent prayer to her guiding spirits for help.

Her throat constricted and she reached to tug at her collar. She’d never felt comfortable with things around her neck—turtleneck sweaters, tight necklaces, even her fingers to check her pulse. Despite the shaking in her chest, she listened for the door to open and prepared to drop her invisibility.

Where'd the Mojo Go?

2011-05-18T08:03:00.002-04:00

Mojo Jojo, from "The Powerpuff Girls"
Courtesy of Wiki Commons

My mojo's disappeared. My muses have left the building. And the more I hunt, the more avoidy it all gets.

Maybe Mojo Jojo stole it!

No, I can't blame him. This isn't a new development. This started during April. I thought, well, I'm concentrating on my blogging for A to Z, and I had to finish my classes and some freelance work. So I let myself take a break.

Bad idea.

Nine Muses dancing with Apollo, by Baldassare Peruzzi
Courtesy of Wiki Commons

I'm trying to find the mojo again. It's hard to get the ball rolling. I want to dance with the muses and find my way back into my work. And I think I'll be much happier when I can.

How do you get the muses to start dancing for you again? What do you do when the mojo eludes you?

Laughter is the Best Medicine Blogfest

2011-05-16T09:04:00.001-04:00

Jokes. I'm not the best joke teller.

But when I saw this on Leigh's blog, I had to join. I've been needing more reasons to laugh lately, and I hope being a part of this blogfest will give me a couple giggles.

Thanks to Leigh and Lydia for hosting today!

So, here's my attempt at telling a joke, which is neither writerly- nor work-related. It's kid-related. Maybe that's cheap. If you think so, sorry. But, then again, you don't have to read it :)

When I was a kid, I had a real problem with this joke:

What's black and white and read all over?

(It doesn't seem so hard to figure out when it's written down, does it?)

I never understood "read", but only "red". I knew the answer was a newspaper, but I had no idea how a newspaper could be red. I can't remember if anyone ever tried to explain it to me or not, either. If someone did, I was too stubborn, or else I promptly forgot again.

One day my parents were reading the paper over breakfast. My mother complained about a recent PETA incident, with people throwing red paint all over people (I was too young to understand what PETA was or why they would throw paint). But from this I realized the answer:

What's black and white and red all over?

A newspaper that pissed of PETA.

Let the collective groaning commence.

What to read more jokes that are (hopefully) much better than mine? Check out Leigh's entry for today, with the linky list at the bottom.

A happy, giggly Monday to you!

Changes, Constants, and the Big Announcement

2011-05-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Anyone know what happened to Blogger over the past few days? I suppose that’s what I get for delaying my announcement.

So, as some of your may know, I just finished my time in graduate school. Hurray! I’ve decided to move on to other things—like writing (plus a part-time gig)—to while away the hours. For a while it didn’t look possible, but my husband was offered a pretty nice new job with his shiny new PhD. We’ll be moving in August, though just across town. My life is full of changes right now, though they’re all for the better.

But I’ve got one consistent thing in my life… okay, yeah, I’ve got TONS of them, considering we’re not moving to South Dakota or Peru or something. But, when it comes to the relevance of this blog, I have something that’s strongly consistent.

The blog itself.

May 31st marks my one-year blogiversary!

And you know me. I HAVE to celebrate. What does that mean?

BLOGFEST :)

To celebrate, I’m hosting the What’s the Score Blogfest.

On June 1st, post any number of songs, artists, composers, posers, who/whatever that you might want to include in the soundtrack to your WIP. YOU’RE IN CHARGE! You make the soundtrack the way you want it.

Don’t have a WIP? Is your WIP’s soundtrack personal and not something you want to share? No problem! Take your favorite book, or the book your reading right now, or a book you remember well, and make a soundtrack for it.

Want to enter? The Linky List is at the bottom of the page.

Are you thinking, “Meh. Too much work?” Can I add a little incentive?

No celebration is complete without prizes, right?

Prizes:

Every person who participates is automatically entered to win either a $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD.
Every person who participates is automatically entered to win a BOOK OF HIS/HER CHOICE from Amazon.
Anyone who WANTS to have their name added to win either a CHAPTER CRITIQUE or a QUERY CRITIQUE, just let me know in a comment ON THIS POST.

Odds of winning?

Honestly, I have no idea, and I’m horrible at statistics, so I can’t really answer that.

HOWEVER, would you like a better chance to win?

+1 participating
+2 current follower (as of 5/13/11) / +1 new follower
+1 for Tweeting (max. 3; include @rosieanabelle in your Tweet)
+1 for Facebook post (please provide a link)
+3 for adding the graphic to your sidebar (please provide a link)
+5 for posting about it (please provide a link)

That’s a total maximum of 15 points. Talk about increasing your odds!

Well, I hope the announcement was worth the wait, especially with Blogger being funny. Hope to see you on June 1!

Whew!

2011-05-11T09:44:00.000-04:00

This past week has flown by, and unfortunately, I'm just now starting to get my life back together. My husband's parents and my mother stayed with us for several days, and we don't exactly have a large house. Add to that graduation festivities (for my hubs, not me), a new job offer, and then lots of Irish jigs that spontaneously came out of my feet, and, well, it all equals one tired Rosie.

So, with that in mind, the Big Announcement will occur on Friday. Monday is the Laughter is the Best Medicine Blogfest, hosted by Leigh T. Moore and Lydia Kang. Then Wednesday I will announce all those awesome awards.

In other news, I just saw that Lindsey Leavitt's new book, THE ROYAL TREATMENT, was released over the weekend. It's the sequel to PRINCESS FOR HIRE, which I had the honor to win from her blog last summer. It's a great, totally fun MG story.

The other thing I learned from Lindsey's blog this morning is that a bookfair has been set up by BN. ANYTHING you buy this week from BN, if you use the code #10486058 at ANY Barnes and Noble store or at bn.com, 10% of your purchase will go towards The United Way of Western Alabama for tornado relief. If we raise $2500, that percentage goes up to 15%.

Help spread the word, and go buy a book.

Catch you on Friday for the Big Announcement. :)

Mini-Hiatus and the Future

2011-05-04T09:15:00.000-04:00

Where did my writer go?

I've been a little MIA in the past week. I've had finals (my last one is this afternoon), and both my mom and my husband's parents are coming to town, starting this afternoon, so we've been involved in a cleaning and studying marathon over the past week or so. Unfortunately, this overlapped some with the end of the A-to-Z Challenge.

To all of the people who have posted recently and haven't heard from me on your own blogs, please know I'm coming to visit soon.

To all of my new followers from the A-to-Z Challenge, WELCOME, and thank you for seeing something you like here and clicking the Follow button. Again, if you haven't seen me lurking, I will.

Now, for my immediate future. First, I'm taking Friday off. My brain needs some time to recharge and think about blogging again.

On Monday (5/9), I'll be going through the plethora of awards I received just before and during the A-to-Z Challenge.

On Wednesday (5/11), I have an exciting announcement planned. Be sure to stop by.

And that's all I have planned at the moment. The blogging part of my brain I hereby switch off for a couple of days (though I'll happily respond to comments).

How are you feeling after the A-to-Z Challenge?

Happy Flunk Day

2011-05-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

Hi folks.

Facebook is a wonderful thing. I woke up this morning and found from the official Knox College page that it's Flunk Day.

What is Flunk Day, you ask? Well, I pulled this from the Knox College website:

"Flunk Day. A campus-wide surprise party marks the arrival of spring for Knox students. The party's date, and even the identities of its organizers, is kept secret until the early morning, when the entire campus is awakened by the shouts of students running through campus and the ringing of the Old Main bell. All classes are cancelled--and exam dates and paper deadlines postponed--for a day of music, games, food, and fun."

Courtesy of Knox.edu

Flunk Day was such a treat to look forward to when I was an undergrad *cough* years ago. I still look forward to it now. Granted, I don't get to play on the moonwalk thing (it's early and I can't think of the right words), or play in the senior-faculty softball game, or dance to the DJ at 8 AM, but I still make sure I can take off some time to enjoy myself.

So, today, after my Welsh oral exam and a little bit of work, I'm coming home, relaxing, and I'm going to give myself some extra time to write.

How can you celebrate Flunk Day today? What can you do that's just for you?

Zippy (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-30T08:03:00.019-04:00

Zippy.

I used to be a pantser. I wrote three novels as a pantser. I know it works for some people, but it didn't work for me. I didn't pay any regard to the tempo of the scenes, and make sure they continued with a decent pace while raising the tension each time.

Now I plot everything, each scene throughout the story. I focus on the tempo of every one. I want them all to be zippy, high paced (as much as possible, anyway). I want the reader to be unable to put the story down. I can't say I've succeeded, but I'm still trying.

How do you keep your stories feeling zippy? Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Yorkie (#atozchellenge)

2011-04-29T08:03:00.020-04:00

Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Dogs are man's best friend. Cute little creatures that love and cuddle us when we're down. And not just dogs. We could say the same about cats, iguanas, hamsters, Coi, ferrets, what have you. They're frequently in our lives wherever we turn.

So, my friends, I ask you: why don't we see more animals in fiction?

Really, I'm not just talking about the MC who has a Yorkie that cuddles with him/her while s/he watches television at night. I more mean, as the main characters themselves? What precludes animals from taking a major role beyond, say, MG fiction?

I don't have any answers, and, honestly, I'd like to know your thoughts. I have a weird idea for something with ants based on a recent ant invasion in my house (I can't blame them for trying to escape the rain!). But is something like that marketable?

So, what do you think? Why don't animals make more of a prominent appearance in YA and adult literature?

Xbox (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-28T08:03:00.054-04:00

Pong (courtesy of Wiki Commons)

Video games have come a long way since the days of Atari. Pong and Space Invaders are so basic for today's kids that they won't even play them.

Sure, maybe it's the graphics, or the fact that it's boring to move the joystick left and right and left and right trying to bounce a tiny ball. But to me, the real reason kids today like the more modern video games is because of the stories.

Super Mario Bros (from Wiki Commons)

Yup, I said it. Video games have stories, too. Sometimes they're no more complicated than Super Mario Bro's—save the princess!—and sometimes, they are. There are side missions to find the key you need to open the door to the next submission, all so you can save the overly busty girl from being killed by zombies before the zombie master blows up the island. There are the main villains, their lackies (sub-villains?), and all the minions your little heart desires to stomp or shoot or whatever method you choose to get them out of your way.

Admittedly, we don't have an Xbox. We have a Wii. But as I asked for suggestions from the population at large—and today is X, not W :) —I gotta use what I can, right?

Resident Evil 4 (from Wiki Commons)

Granted, the stories in today's video games aren't exactly complex. Little character development goes on. The stories don't vary much, in that they're usually a journey story with a goal of treasure or redemption or saving humanity at the end. But as video game technology advances, so do the stories. And while I love playing Super Mario Galaxy, the "story" is more a throwback tribute to the original Mario games while raising the skill level—jump on some mushrooms, save the princess from crazy Bowser. I much prefer watching my husband play (because it's too scary for me) Resident Evil. Yeah, there's a lot of zombie destruction, but the story's kind of interesting.

Mario Kart (from Wiki Commons)

Of course, my favorite video game is Mario Kart. No story there. Just win the race. But I've always been more a puzzle game person myself. It helps that I can play online against my friends and cousins all over the world. (If you ever want to play, just let me know :)

Have you ever considered the stories in video games? Do you play video games?

Wine (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-27T08:03:00.047-04:00

Wine and I have a tortured relationship. My favorite wine of all is nice, dry red, like a Rioja or sharp Cabernet. But then I discovered that I got migraines from red wine. So I switched to white wine. Come to find out, sweet white also gives me migraines. Then I tried to drink only dry white wine.

Well, guess what happened.

Now, Rosie gets no more wine. Surprised?

When Random.org selected "wine" for this post, I thought I'd be inspired. But then again, if my inspiration previously came from wine, and now I can't drink it anymore, it's not surprising that I can't think of a single way to connect wine to writing with some clever twist.

Where does your inspiration come from? Has there been a source of inspiration that you've lost? What do you do to find the inspiration again?

Visionary (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-26T08:03:00.000-04:00

When I first started writing again, I had a vision. No, literally, a vision. Well, okay, it wasn't one of those show-my-destiny-through-mental-images vision, but it was a message my brain wanted to tell me. A repeated scene in my head over and over. My psyche whispering to me in my dreams. Too bad my psyche really wanted to scare the pants off of me... and succeeded, to be sure.

But this vision turned into something. It's the climax in my first (hefty) manuscript, something that no one will ever see but me, one supportive friend, and my super-supportive sister-in-law. But that's not the point.

The point is that we're all visionaries in our own worlds. We create from nothing but the synapses in that gray matter under our skull and some personal experiences. We have visions.

Yeah, yeah, are you bored with my "we're the awesomest" speech yet?

I bring this up because sometimes the original vision isn't the best. My writing instructor once told us that revision and re-vision aren't the same thing, and I believe her. I've seen it in action. Sometimes moving scenes around and editing the syntax aren't enough to provide the best story within us. Sometimes you have to delete a third of a novel and rewrite it, re-visioning how it should play out. Sometimes you have to rethink a character's actions. If, upon further inspection, that character wouldn't do that huge action that creates the tension for the rest of the novel, then something needs to be re-visioned.

I'm currently rewriting the first, oh, third (the number above was either arbitrary or subconsciously apt) of my novel Fighting Fate. The original was poor. The tension lagged. People did some stuff, but, eh, people do stuff all the time. This time around, though, I'm rethinking everything, including the backstory, to get them where they need to go. And, if I do say so myself (*dusting off shoulders*), it's not too bad.

Ever had to re-vision your work? How far are you willing to go to rewrite your fiction/poetry? Are you willing to scrap everything but your basic characters and start over? How much re-visioning is too much?

Usual Suspects (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-25T07:00:00.009-04:00

PS (in this case, pre-script)--My Mondays and Wednesdays have me running around without good internet access all day until 9pm EST (US). I'll get back to you, but it might be late tonight.

Today's post is a little different from my other 25 for the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge, because I'm trying to do double duty. I know, I know. Shame on me. Maybe I'm cheating a little, but I don't think so. Maybe it's more like positive time management :)

Anyway, today is U for the A-to-Z Challenge.

It's also the Now Starring... Blogfest.

So, today, I give you my Usual Suspects.


Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Here's my ideal cast of Fighting Fate, my work in progress. These are only the major players for Book 1. Anyone else I'll have to save for another time.

Anabelle Lindsky, played by Emma Roberts.
Anabelle, 19, is a lively girl, impulsive and playful. Emma Roberts physically looks the most like how I picture Anabelle in my mind. I'm not positive I've ever seen Roberts on screen, so I can't say much about her acting. She just needs a pair of blue contacts.

Prince Marcus, played by Chace Crawford.

Marcus, 21, has little interest in what the royal family wants from him. He's rebellious, but in his own subtle way. Not only does Crawford look like my ideal Marcus, but his attitude and his acting making me think he'd do well.

Admittedly, it was a toss up between Crawford and Zac Efron, but Crawford won out.

Lily Yasukawa, played by Aya Ueto.

Lily is spunky and nuts, and drives Anabelle to do things she wouldn't do of her own accord. She puts up with not nonsense, and it's in your best interest not to lie to her. She has her ways of making you regret it.

Roger McKilthy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Roger is Marcus's bodyguard. Serious and stoic, and, well, hot. Yup. Roger's muscle and hotness, and I can't think of anyone better than Gyllenhaal to do that. Oh, yeah, he's a good actor, too :)

Betsy Lindsky, played by Charisma Carpenter.

Anabelle's mother is beautiful and spunky. Who better than Carpenter to play that role?

Then again, it's hard for me to think of Carpenter as her own age after habitually watching Buffy. To me, even at 41, she's a HS student! But in my WIP, she'd be playing her actual age.

Queen Renee, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

I think Helena Bonham Carter is so incredibly beautiful, even when she's playing an evil Death Eater. The woman has so much poise and charisma, she would be a perfect Queen.

Eric and Camilla, Archduke and Archduchess, played by Alan Tudyk and Gina Torres.

They have such great chemistry in Firefly and Serenity, and they both fit the bill physically for my mental image, so I'd love it if they could play my Duke and Duchess, too (just in less cowboy-meets-outer-space-type clothing).

Princess Natalie, played by Summer Glau.

Okay, I never watched the Terminator series. My devotion to Glau comes from all things Joss Whedon. Natalie's character is a little crazy, a lot blunt, and just enough off the mainstream that Glau seemed the perfect fit. Plus, Glau's dance experience could come in handy in Book 2. *wink*

Lady Zoe, played by Amanda Bynes.

Zoe is blonde, beautiful, and voluptuous. Of all the characters I've listed here, she's about the only one who hasn't changed.

Who would you cast for your novel?

Tune (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-23T08:03:00.034-04:00

Muse

Muse, "Starlight"

The Spice Girls, "Wannabe" (don't ask how that happened)

Paramore, "Conspiracy"

Heartless Bastards

Heartless Bastards, "Had to Go"

Brazilian Girls, "Jique"

Juanes, "A Dios le Pido"

Do you have a soundtrack for your fiction? What songs/artists are on your lists?

I'm taking suggestions today for the letter Z. Have any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Send (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-22T08:03:00.017-04:00

For me, the "Send" button on my email can be intimidating. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm not talking about just to send an email to my friend, or respond to a blog comment, but when I have added that oh so gentle Word or PDF attachment to that email and am sending it to someone for critique or just general comments. Honestly, I can feel the tip of my finger sweating as I reach for the mouse button.

Click.

And let the nail-biting begin.

Really, this is just the beginning, because I haven't started querying yet. How am I going to feel once I start sending the blurb for my baby out into the wilderness, waiting for some helpful woodland critter (agent?) to help it on its way to maturity and its reemergence into the world? I'm worried it will feel akin to an outright fever, with the shakes and sweat and nausea.

So, folks, I ask you: What's your way of handling the anticipation and waiting during the query process?

Also, today I'm taking suggestions for the letter Y. Have any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Rutilated (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.

"Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, Ti O₂... Rutile derives its name from the Latin rutilus, red, in reference to the deep red color observed in some specimens when viewed by transmitted light."

In the spirit of crystals, and red ones at that, I've decided today to tell you a little bit more about the magic in my novel Fighting Fate. If you read my entry for the Nature of Magic blogfest, or my entry for the Query Letter blogfest, you might have noticed that I need to spell out some details. So, here goes.

The source of magic in the story comes from two stones—one red, one blue—each given to one of the sons of the first king to find the true nature of personal magic. Each ancestor of the two brothers, Elmore and Aldred, was ensured some piece of that magic as long as the stones exist. This is "myth" to some, and the stones are kept hidden, under the protection of the ultimate head of each branch of the family, usually the king or queen. The stone chooses (sort of) the head of the family because it will increase that person's magic if it is touch his or her skin.

However, since it's a myth, many people in the story either don't know about it or don't believe it. They take their magic for granted. Because of the stones, only descendants of the two brothers have access to this magic. There's another kind of magic, when magicless people try to control the magic within the earth for their own purposes, but it's as violent as an unbroken horse, and leads to mystical, incurable injury in almost all cases.

So, when Prince Marcus discovers a commoner who has magic, he becomes suspicious. He feels compelled to discover her secret, be it either her tricks for taming the magic of the earth, or which branch of the family she comes from. When she insists it's neither, he only decides to pursue the issue harder.

Thanks for reading, folks.

What issues have you needed to sort out recently? How do you outline your thoughts? Do you freewrite on the computer or a journal? Do you talk out the issues with a friend or family member?

Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter X. Have any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Q is for Plume (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-20T07:00:00.030-04:00

No, I'm not confused. Well, not about my post, anyway. Yesterday I participated in the Query Letter Blogfest, hosted by Alicia, Erinn, Holly, Pam, Quita. So today I'm posting my letter P. I figured it would be okay to switch the days, since they were so close together. Moderators? Am I out of line? :)

And, by the way, I want to thank EVERYONE for their fantastic, supportive, and constructive comments yesterday. If I haven't been to visit you yet, I am coming. I promise.

Welcome to today's post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with today's letter. From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter P, I received ?? suggestions (my spreadsheet crashed, so I don't have the total number anymore). Random.org selected number 24: plume.

Plume

We are components of the digital age, cogs in the interweb wheel. We hop, we surf, we comment, we read, and mostly we type. I know, for me personally, I spend more time typing than I do writing by hand these days.

But who's to say that typing is better? No, I don't hear you telling me that necessarily. Sure, it's faster. It only takes a millisecond to hit a key instead of making your hand move a pen, involving all kinds of friction, to create, say, the letter S. Or even worse, to write a letter like T, when you have to pick up your pen or pencil and make TWO marks.

Oh, the horror!

It's slower. There's no question about it. But in this digital age, don't we need to take some time to slow ourselves down? Take the time to think through the plot and characterization surrounding the latest scene?

Maybe a piece of paper and a writing utensil aren't such bad ideas. Maybe I'll even follow in the ways of the Watery Tart and fill my bathtub and write.

In this crazy world, how do you slow yourself down? Do you ever write by hand? Or you a typing-only writer?

Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter W. Have any? Leave them in a comment. Thanks!

P is for Query (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-19T07:00:00.022-04:00

No, I'm not confused. Well, not about my post, anyway. Today I'm participating in the Query Letter Blogfest, hosted by Alicia, Erinn, Holly, Pam, Quita. Tomorrow I will post my letter P. I figured it would be okay to switch the days, since they were so close together. Moderators? Am I out of line? :)

So, today I'm posting my query blurb for Fighting Fate. I'm currently in the midst of substantial (painful) edits, which is why I've left the word count blank. It's wrought with problems, so hack away. PLEASE!

Dear ________,

When a dare causes Anabelle Lindsky to use her magic and sneak into the restricted area of the royal Mansion, she only wants to say she’d met Prince Marcus. After she gains his attention, however, Marcus decides to pursue this daredevil commoner with her sky blue eyes and unexplained magic abilities. The odd magnetism between them makes it impossible for either to resist the other.

Anabelle didn’t realize that her stunt would also attract the attention of the violent, impulsive Queen. The Queen’s knowledge of a prophecy about the two young adults forces her to keep Anabelle and Marcus apart, no matter how drastic the measures. After the Queen suggests a threat to Anabelle’s life, the couple run without any knowledge of the prophecy. Anabelle and Marcus must decide if their attraction is worth the risk of avoiding the Queen’s wrath, unaware that the stability of their lives and the nation depends on their decision.

Fighting Fate, a New Adult Romance/Urban Fantasy novel of about XX,000 words, is the first of a three-part series, though it can stand alone.

(Personalization goes here)

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Rosie Connolly

UPDATE

Here's a second draft. Hopefully I've addressed some of the issues. I'm not afraid of comments and know this is really rough, so don't hold back, folks. I can take it.

And thank you!

When a dare causes Anabelle Lindsky to use her magic and sneak into the restricted area of the royal Mansion, she only wants to meet Prince Marcus. For reasons he can’t explain, he saves her from being discovered by security. After she gains his attention, however, Marcus decides to pursue this daredevil commoner with her sky blue eyes and unexplained magic abilities. What neither of them could have anticipated was that their meeting and future relationship had been foretold as the first in a series of events leading to civil war and the destruction of the nation.

Anabelle didn’t realize that her stunt would also attract the attention of the violent, impulsive Queen. The Queen’s knowledge of the prophecy forces her to keep Anabelle and Marcus apart in order to maintain her control, no matter how drastic the measures. After the Queen suggests a threat to Anabelle’s life, the couple run without any knowledge of the prophecy. Anabelle and Marcus must decide if their attraction is worth the risk of avoiding the Queen’s wrath, unaware that the stability of their lives and the nation depends on their decision.

Ordinary (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-18T07:00:00.042-04:00

Welcome to today's post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with today's letter. From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter O, I received 32 suggestions. Random.org selected number 4: ordinary.

Ordinary

As writers, we want—no, we NEED—our work to be extraordinary. We need to avoid the slush pile and make some agent take notice. We need to catch the eye of a publisher. We need to make the public notice us and buy our book. It calls for lots of footwork, both physical and virtual, to accomplish these tasks.

So, how do we do that? Can we just write about the most extraordinary characters we can think of, put them in the craziest situations that come to mind, make the writing as flamboyant as possible, and hope that we get someone's attention?

Am I alone here in thinking "no"?

Sometimes the best writing is the simplest.

Sometimes the most compelling characters are the ones who seem the most ordinary.

Why is that? Why is it easier for me to relate to some lazy high school girl who makes the teachers think she's smart when all she does is watch TV and read for fun when she goes home, or hangs out with her friends? *cough* Because I've been (something) like that. This doesn't mean that I can't relate to a forty-something man, or a five-year old who's never left a room (who's read that?), or an eighty-year-old dementia patient. It's more like I can't relate as easily to the five-legged superhero who always wins and gets the girl/guy and has super flame-throwing vision and...

You get the idea.

The best hero is the anti-hero. Jane Doe, with all her faults and quirks and the little things that make her human.

What kinds of faults do you give your characters? If you write genre fiction and your characters aren't 100% ordinary, how do you make them feel ordinary to the reader?

Nectarine (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-16T07:00:00.051-04:00

Joan sat down with her friend Michelle on the bench and pulled a nectarine from her bag. She dug her nail deep into the fruit skin and tore a line halfway around it.

"I think we should go to Darin's party," Michelle said.

Joan bit into the nectarine. A little drop of juice slid onto her chip, and she wiped it off with the back of her sleeve "But his parents won't be home." More juice dripped onto the ground.

"All the better." Michelle rolled her eyes.

Joan thought about the party as she bit into the ripe fruit again. She chewed it, feeling the fiber crunching between her teeth while the sweet juice swept over her tongue. After swallowing, she said, "I don't know."

You see where this is going... or where it's not, for that matter. The question is: what's the most important part of this scene? Is it the food? Or is it the discussion of the part?

In real life, lots of things happen at one time. Right now I'm sitting in an empty room at school trying to write this, but I'm still distracted noticing the people walking outside, the noise from the fan, the large, loud meeting across the hallway, the car that just pulled into the parking lot. But if I were to fictionalize this time, I would need to focus the reader's attention on what's important, which is (possibly) none of those things.

Details are good, folks. Dot get me wrong. They just need to be the right details.

What do you do to focus the writing? Have you ever written a scene and wondered why you'd added certain details?

Mambo by Moonlight (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-15T07:00:00.025-04:00

Today I'm doing something a little different for the A-to-Z Challenge. In addition to this being my M post, I've also joined up for Wendy Tyler Ryan's Blogiversary Blogfest, arranged around the letter M.

The rules are simple: 50-500 word scene or flash fiction with a dark feel (whatever dark means to you - your interpretation - get creative or literal, it doesn't matter). But, - isn't there always a but? You must use all of the following 'M' words in your piece, but don't just pack 'em in there, it should make sense. You should treat it like any other piece of writing you do because there will be so many new friends reading. Thrill us with your skill and adept flair:

mist(y)

mambo

moon

musk(y)

mongrel

myth

And so, without further ado, I give you my short contribution.

Mambo by Moonlight

Dance, you mongrel! Dance beneath the stars. Dance like you need to, as if lust drives your arms, your feet, your hips.

I don’t care if you’re tired. Want to test me? I’ll show you how well I wield my whip.

Your mambo this evening is our hope made reality. You were handpicked from many for curve of your flank, the smooth character of your flesh. Our myths and legends tell us you will save our world, our lifestyle, if only this one night you would dance for us beneath the moon.

So would you just shut up and dance already! Look like you care. Pretend you want to use your musky body to lure us to you, bring us closer in lustful mambo seduction. Ignore any knowledge you have of what happens once the mambo ends.

Oh, the mist is clearing. The moon shines bright. Watch as the heavens open and our Redeemer comes forth. Oh, accept our sacrifice, great Redeemer! For we love and cherish your protection.

And don’t worry, mongrel. Our Redeemer’s teeth are sharp. It’ll only hurt for a moment.

Any comments are welcome. Thanks for reading!

I'm taking suggestions today for the letter T. Have any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Lymph (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-14T07:00:00.003-04:00

–noun

Anatomy, Physiology: a clear yellowish, slightly alkaline, coagulable fluid, containing white blood cells in a liquid resembling blood plasma, that is derived from the tissues of the body and conveyed to the bloodstream by the lymphatic vessels.
Archaic: the sap of a plant.
Archaic: a stream or spring of clear, pure water.

Origin:
1620–30; < Latin lympha water (earlier *limpa; see limpid); pseudo-Greek form, by association with nympha < Greek nýmphē nymph

Interesting, huh?

Words are constantly changing their meanings. Well, words aren't in charge of that—people are. A case in point: COOL. During WWI, cool meant a low temperature, but not quite cold. Now? Or how about SQUARE? The antithesis of COOL, or just a parallelogram?

What I'm about to say doesn't so much apply to literary fiction as it does to genre fiction. Consider yourself warned :)

Writers need to be careful about their word choices in works which are intended to be "timeless". I'm thinking about science fiction and fantasy, mainly. Characters shouldn't be speaking jive, wondering about that square cat who stole his bread/dough/moola. Their words need to withstand the test of time.

Okay, maybe not the test of "pure water" becomes "nasty puss", but keep the slang OUT. Make the words as timeless as possible. Your readers in three generations will thank you, too.

Do you use slang in your writing? How do you make your work timeless?

I'm taking suggestions today for the letter S. Have any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Kind (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-13T07:00:00.063-04:00

GAH! I'm such a geek :)
Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

Is your head spinning? Mine is.

English is full of homonyms (e.g., kind the noun and kind the adjective), homographs (lead the ore and lead the verb), and homophones (two, too, and to; your and you're).

What's a writer to do with all this nonsense?

When it comes to homonyms like kind and kind, usually the context will make it clear to our readers what we're talking about. Not so bad.

Homographs get a little trickier. In the above examples, I mention lead (as in "Alchemists claim turning lead into gold") and lead (as in "The duck leads her babies to the pond"). This is usually okay, too, until we throw past tense in the mix. Have you ever written something like "The duck lead her babies to the pond" when you MEANT "The duck LED her babies to the pond"?

You don't have to admit it. We all know we do this, at least in that first draft when we're too excited to self-edit.

But Homophones are the worst. They're sneakier than those gnomes that hide in your drier waiting to steal your socks and use them for their little gnomy purposes. Your writing along, and their you have this horrible mistake where you meant to write "you're", but "your" just jumped in they're.

Yes, I know what I did in that paragraph.
If you send a manuscript to an editor with those mistakes rampant across the page, s/he's not going to read it. Talk about fodder for the slush pile!

So what to do? Fret away? Lose sleep wondering over what words are wrong? Chew your nails down to tiny stubs? (Wait, with all the typing we do, does anybody have long nails to begin with?)

No, my friends. There is a solution. Learn to self-edit.

Now, if you're reading this, I've probably read your blog, too, and, frankly, I haven't read many blogs out there where I would consider the author in dire need of a self-editing intervention. BUT, if you are in need of some suggestions, here's a place to start:

Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell.

Want more suggestions? Check out this resource.

Still think there might be a problem? Save your nails, folks. You can always hire an editor. Some are cheaper than others, but if you can't edit your own work, make sure SOMEONE does before you send it in.

Or else the slush pile is waiting.

Do you self-edit? How did you learn your grammar tricks? Or are you just a grammar genius? (if you are, don't rub it in much :)

Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter R. Have any? Leave them below! Thanks :)

Juniper (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-12T07:00:00.003-04:00

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

And I ask you to describe juniper to me. Where do you start?

"Well, it's a tree, on which grow small, dark juniper berries..."

If you're anything like me, you start with the visual. As writers, we paint pictures in the mind. But sometimes, we forget that the mind's eye can do more than see.

How do juniper trees sound in the wind?

What do juniper trees smell like after an autumn rain? How do the berries smell just after being picked?

How does the bark of the tree feel under your hand? The needles? What feeling do you get when you squish a berry between your fingers?

What do juniper berries taste like? (I won't ask about the bark.)

The picture we're painting for our readers is not static, and it's not only visual. There's so much more to a setting and a character than just how it/he/she looks. Does your sixteen-year-old male MC have BO? Does that twenty-something secretary (that your MC is screwing behind his wife's back) wear strawberry LipSmackers? Does your MC's sixty-two year old boss wear so much perfume that your MC prefers to walk the eight flights of stairs to the ground floor than take the elevator with her? (I bring this up only because I know this woman.)

Not yet convinced? Well, I'd like to leave you with this small scene from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 1, episode 8: I Robot, You Jane (not my favorite episode title). Unfortunately—and unsurprisingly—I couldn't find this clip on YouTube, but if you start at about minute 42:00 and let it play for about 1 minute, you'll get what I'm saying.

Don't have time to watch? The bottom line: things are better when they're smelly :)

Want more ideas on how to work smells into your writing? Check out this great post by Charity.

How do you describe your settings? Your characters? Do you try to add more than the usual visual content?

Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter P? Have any? Leave them below! Thanks :)

Icicle (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-11T07:00:00.045-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of actions movies, so I have to give a little credit for this post to my awesome husband. This morning I said, "My I word is icicle. What on earth am I going to write about?" To which he replied, "How about stabbing someone with an icicle, like in Die Hard 2?" (Link goes to YouTube. Watch at your own risk.)

Okay, while I do have my roots in horror movies, I don't really want to talk about stabbing people with icicles. But let's talk about the context of the situation in which the icicle became necessary.

Death is imminent. A man hovers over the MC, his knife inching closer and closer to our beloved hero's throat, held off only by our hero's strength. MC notices icicles hanging nearby. And ingenuity and creativity do the rest, thus saving the day and killing the bad guy.

Like how I skimmed over the details? You could be reading this on your lunch break. I don't want to make you sick!

Connect this to Friday's post (just a little). We've got our MC in imminent danger, the game-changing situation, death at the doorstep and all that tension-building jazzy goodness. Our poor hero has been stripped of everything, and the only reason we know he won't die is because it's an action flick from 1990, and the hero can't die (or how else could they have made Die Hard 3?). But you still worry. Maybe all that talk about the next installment was fluff. Maybe they said those things to make you think the hero wouldn't die. But... but...

Tension.

Luckily, in terms of creating that tension, we're not writing 1990s screenplays (well, I'm not, anyway). We aren't tied to keeping our characters alive, and our readers know that. The MC's hand could slip, and that knife could... (well, I still don't want to make you sick) ...hurt him/her.

My point? (no pun intended) Make your characters sweat. Put them in impossible situations. Maybe they won't get out. Is that such a bad thing? No always.

What's the worst situation you've put your characters into? Have you given them the ability/abilities to get themselves out? Or do you just like to see them squirm?

Also, taking suggestions today for the letter O. Have some? Leave them below. Thanks!

Haberdasher (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-09T07:00:00.058-04:00

Research is important. We have to do it. We have to know what we're talking about. If we fake it, there's someone out there who DOES know and will call us out on it.

So, what's the best way to go about doing research?

First, and most importantly, WIKIPEDIA IS NOT ENOUGH! :) First, since Wikipedia's information is organized by volunteers around the world who input data into the site, add sources, etc., it is FALLIBLE. Don't believe me? Here's an example--one of many.

I'm not saying you can't start with Wikipedia, but double check your sources!

Sorry, I'm used to seeing undergraduate students site Wikipedia as their only source. It gets my ire up.

Now, we're all writers, so we're not afraid of books. Where else can we start? Eh hem. The library :)

When you've started, if you've still got unanswered questions, find an expert. Surely you've run across an author's name a few times, or see the same person cited regularly in your research. Contact that person. Chances are the person is either a journalist or an academic. I can't promise the person will talk to you, but the worst that can happen is the person doesn't respond to your inquiry. It's no worse than querying, right? We can handle it.

Do you do extensive research for your work? On what? Have you contacted experts, or stuck to books?

PS--Today I'm taking suggestions for L. Have some? Leave them below.

Gremlins (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-08T07:00:00.082-04:00

Cute creatures by day. Feed them after midnight, and you have destructive monsters on your hands. No, I'm not talking about my future children. Today we're talking about that fabulous 80s phenomenon: gremlins.

Brain child of Chris Columbus, working with Steven Spielberg, this film stole my heart as a kid. It was the perfect combination of cute/lovable and scary. It made want my very own plush Gizmo doll (though I never got one). In terms of marketing, it held its own in a time of ET action figures and the dwindling of Star Wars sales.

Okay, so enough waxing on with capitalist nostalgia. What's my point?

What's one reason why Gremlins became so successful? It's in the details of the character. In a sweeping generalization, I'm going to assume that we all remember Gizmo and the Dr. Hyde monsters they turn into when you feed them too late or expose them to bright light. But we don't remember the humans. Or at least I don't. (Granted I was pretty young.) Why? The humans were a means of bringing out fuzzy friends and their evil scaly twins to life, but the movie (and subsequent sequels) wasn't about the humans.

Let's examine Gizmo for a moment. Furry and adorable, it's hard not to instantly love this tiny creature. So, we've got empathy. Add in the danger of the already scaly midnight snackers, plus the fear that Gizmo might accidentally munch on something himself, get wet (again), or see too much light, and you've got continual rising tension and a character that everyone can identify with.

Thus, insta-blockbuster.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it helps to have the financial backing of Spielberg and Warner Bros, too....

Anyway, I'm not saying we should all run out and write about tiny, fluffy mammals, but there are a few things to learned regarding characters here.

First, details. Give your character quirks and fears, like Superman with his Kryptonite. Somehow let us know that (random character) Bill used to go by Will, but changed his name after finally moving out of his grandmother's abusive house, since she always called him Willy.

But most importantly, make the reader LIKE the character first. If the reader doesn't care, it's an instant FAIL.

Next, generate conflict. (Bill's grandmother gets sick and can no longer take care of herself, and Bill can't afford to put her in a nursing home). Put them in danger (spill some water and feed the little buggers after midnight).

Finally, give them the opportunity to fail. Nothing spells tension like the thought of your character losing everything. (Bill takes too many days off work to care for Granny, and ends up losing his job. His wife moves in with her mother because she can't stand Granny, either. The house gets repossessed. Does he take care of himself first or Granny?)

How do you make your characters likable? And how do you torture them afterward? :)

PS--Today I'm taking suggestions for K. Have some? Leave them below.

Frak (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-07T07:00:00.043-04:00

Creating terms for our fiction can be useful, especially with profanity, as it's not as necessary to define it. The meaning of expletives can be gleaned by the reader by context alone, without lengthy exposition. For example, in my own fiction, my characters have two main swear words: "sprick" as in "that sprickin' jerk" or just plain "Sprick!" and "frut", which is more of a noun and less a verb.

Other words may require greater explanation. In my own personal writing journey, I recently discovered this during the Nature of Magic Blogfest, hosted by Tessa Conte and Laura Diamond In this excerpt, my character "veiled" herself. In my mind, that was perfectly clear—she used magic to create a false image around her (in this case, the image of nothing at all), kind of like putting a jacket on a book. What I hadn't anticipated was that other people would read this as meaning "invisibility cloak". What does that mean? I didn't define my term well enough.

Back to the drawing board for me :)

Do you coin new terms in your fiction? What kinds of terms? Profanity, or basic penny words?

PS--Today I'm taking suggestions for J. Have some? Leave them below.

Eclectic (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-06T07:00:00.050-04:00

First, on a slightly unrelated to the A-to-Z Challenge, Carol Riggs is hosting and critiquing the first 250 words of one of my WsIP, UNDERGROUND, a YA Dystopian novel. Head over to her blog to check it out, and feel free to critique it further. That's what it's there for. Trust me--I can take it :)

____________________

[i'klektik] -- adjective: deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Is it okay to be eclectic as a writer? What I mean by this is: Are we limited to the genre in which we market our first work? Or can we branch out? Can a romance author pen a cozy mystery? Can an MG author for boys write YA for girls? Can a picture book author write an adventure series for adults?

And does that author HAVE to use a pen name to do it?

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need to focus on what we're good at. And, well, I'm not ready to walk away from my 16-23 year old girls and women quite yet (yup, that's my select audience). But, if I wanted to, how would the publishing world (assuming I could break into it) accept my wanting to try something different?

I'm not saying I'm going that route now. I'm just saying, shouldn't it be possible?

What do you think? Is an eclectic writer bad? Would you read a romance author's attempt at a thriller?

PS--Today I'm taking suggestions for I. Have some? Leave them below.

Doofus (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-05T07:00:00.072-04:00

Welcome to today's post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with today's letter. From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter D, I received 61 suggestions. Random.org selected number 44: doofus.

Doofus

Okay, yeah. This is what happens when I let my friends pick my words for me. There were several words that would have been difficult but interesting (e.g., dogfish, Djibouti, damask, diplodocus, duodenum, etc.), but I get the word that means "stupid person".

Ah, Random.org, how you taunt me!

Then again, when I think about it more, perhaps this is a good word. In fact, perhaps it's even a great word. How many of us have characters that are too clever, while the dim-witted one is around for comic relief alone? Are our main characters the ones who always figure out the secret, put the pieces of the puzzle together?

Well, one reason, I suppose, would be that we could end up with our characters sitting around, popping Bubble Yum**, and staring at the wall. That wouldn't be much fun to read, would it?

**Bubble Yum was an unselected suggestion for B.

But then there are a few great novels and short stories in which the main character isn't known or loved for his/her cleverness. The Sound and the Fury comes to mind. Why aren't there more, though? Is it because it's easier to write about what we know, and being clever writers ourselves, we don't think through that lens? Or because we need to progress our stories, and so our characters take the clues we hand them and link them together?

I don't exactly have any answers for you. It's really just something to think about.

As for my writing, I can't say I have a character I would consider a doofus, per se. I've got some pretty dense characters, but they're not stupid. Of course, now that I'm writing this, I feel the need to challenge myself and see what I can do with a doofus character in an MC role.

Do you have characters that fall into the "doofus" category? What's their purpose in your narrative?

Also, today I'm taking suggestions for the letter H. Have any? Leave some below. Thanks!

________________

On an COMPLETELY UNRELATED note, check out this trailer for India Drummond's new book Ordinary Angels, released yesterday. CONGRATULATIONS, India!!

Also, check out her blog here. India's also a part of the A-to-Z Challenge.

Clean (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-04T07:00:00.052-04:00

Welcome to my 3rd post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with today's letter. From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter C, I received 68 suggestions. Random.org selected number 8: clean.

PS--My Mondays and Wednesdays have me running around without good internet access all day until 9pm EST (US). I'll get back to you, but it might be late tonight.

Clean

So, I thought about taking the easy route with this, talking about cleaning up and polishing your work, making sure you've got a good editor, etc., etc., but we've heard that all before, haven't we? And, well, we need something to help us get over the Monday blues, right? Who wants to talk about cleaning up after yourself when you've spent a weekend Spring cleaning (or Fall cleaning, maybe, for our dear friends south of the Equator), or cleaning up after kids, or after dinner, or cleaning up the yard...

You get the idea.

Instead, I want to talk about you. Now, before I do, please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. I am in NO WAY implying that any of my readers (or myself) are unclean. But if you have one of those skin conditions that comes from not bathing, I'm not judging. I just don't need to know about it :)

Thus, exhibit A:

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

Poor Pig-Pen. All he wants is to have fun with his friends, but he always ends up dirty and smelly. Why is that?

Enthusiasm!

Pig-Pen loves everything he does. He gets deep down in the dirty while he's playing, and loves every minute of it. The boy's not afraid to get a little messy.

When it comes to writing, we need to get messy before we can dust off our hands and call the creation "done". That's one reason, in my opinion, events like NaNoWriMo are so successful. It's like an entire month of rolling around in the mud and never taking a shower. By the end, you stink, and BOY OH BOY do you want a good, long, hot shower or bath, but look at the prize that's waiting for you. The diamond of your enthusiasm awaits. Yeah, maybe you got muckier than you wanted, and you can't stand to look at that gem again for a while. I haven't looked at my 2010 NaNo yet, that's for sure, and I have no intention of doing so before June. BUT, I know it's decent... deep, deep, Deep, DEEP down. I just need to clean it up.

My bottom line is: Clean isn't always good, nor is it always what's best for us. Let the words flow, get the ides down. Later you can find your diamond in the rough. It's there, no matter what. Sometimes the mud just makes it a little easier to see.

How do you write? Do you polish as you go? Or do you spew words and tidy up after yourself later?

Have you tried challenges like NaNo? What others have you participated in?

Want to play along with my A-to-Z Challenge? Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter G. I'll take as many or as few as you'd like to contribute. :)

Balcony (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-02T07:00:00.066-04:00

Welcome to my 2nd post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with the letter B (as well as C, D, etc.). From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter B, I received 35 suggestions. Random.org selected number 2: balcony

Balcony

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

The balcony. The high ideal. What we all strive for.

But how often do we reach the perfection of our Juliet? What is perfection anyway?

Perfection is is possible to get near without help. But you can get close. You just need some help from you Montague posse. You know, the cousin that reads for you. The cousin that's a great editor. The friend who supports you unconditionally. The Friar that marries you to your work, but then gives your work a sleeping potion that causes you to kill yourself.

Wait, maybe that last one's a little off...

Anyway, the balcony stands above you. On it sits your novel, your poetry, etc. But you can't get there alone. As much as writing tends to be an lone tasks, in the end, it takes many people to make the work successful.

Who's in your posse? What do those people do to help you reach your ideal?

PS--I am also taking suggestions for the letter E. Got any? Leave them below. Thanks!

Acorn (#atozchallenge)

2011-04-01T07:00:00.089-04:00

Welcome to my 1st post on the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. My challenge, as I have chosen to accept it, is thus: I have asked on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for people to contribute random words beginning with the letter A (as well as B, C, etc.). From Random.org, I have selected one of these words, and will below challenge myself to connect said word to writing.

For the letter A, I received 46 suggestions. Random.org selected number 33: Acorn.

Acorn

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

I love squirrels.

I realize that I am in the minority of the population with this, as they rummage through planters, dig holes in the middle of your lawn, and potentially drive your pets (dogs, cats, iguanas, etc.) berserk with their romping and their erratic tail-flipping.

But just take a moment to consider the life of a squirrel. A squirrel's average life span is six years (source), and so they've got jam pack their lives with food and fun (and probably work on that whole continuation-of-the-species schtick, but that's beside the point).

Now, squirrels can't eat cellulose (i.e., the green in plant leaves), and need food full of protein, fat, and carbs (just like us, unless you're on Atkins) (source). Squirrels spend the summer months storing food so they can survive the winter, burying several sources of food--among them, the acorn.

Why's the acorn so great? As any seed, it's high in protein, but it's also high in fat to help keep those little rodents warm through the winter. It's packed with all the good stuff squirrels need for endurance through the cold, winter months. An acorn has all the vital goodness a squirrels needs in order to be successful in its main purpose--survival.

And this relates to writing... How?

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

Let's talk about the acorn as a story idea.

What's necessary in that little acorn to make a successful story? Well developed characters (the main building block, i.e., the protein) and a plot with continual rising tension (the slow-burning endurance, i.e., the fat).

This is getting a little foodie. Anyone else hungry?

This tiny little seed with a cute hat can sustain the squirrel for a long time. A good idea, rich with character and plotty goodness, can lead the writer to beautiful novel, short story, poem, or even song lyrics. The build blocks are there. It's up to the writer to use them.

Sure, writing takes so much more than the seed to be successful. It takes the endurance to get through the winter (drafting, editing, honing style, discovering voice) and the early spring (querying) to get to the beautiful summer. With that endurance, which can come with the writer's belief in the strength of that little acorn, and faith in one's self, we can all make it to summer.

What do you do with your acorns? Do you have an ideas file? A notebook in your back pocket? A hole in the tree in your backyard where you hide them?

PS--I am also taking suggestions for the letter D. Got any? Leave them below. Thanks!

A Preface to the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge and an Award

2011-03-31T07:00:00.032-04:00

Tomorrow begins the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm also a tad frightened by it. I means posting six times per week, and hopefully being able to respond to comments, while in the throes of exams and final projects, deep house cleaning and preparing for visitors for May's impending graduation (not mine, but my awesome husband's).

But, heck, here's hoping.

I've been planning my end of the event, wanting to have as many posts relate to writing as possible. But, because I want to make this interesting, I'm mixing it up a tad. Here's my plan.

I'm going to be asking for random words beginning with certain letters on my Twitter and Facebook accounts. I will compose a list of all the suggestions, and then choose based on a random number generator. Whichever word comes up, I will (somehow) relate to writing.

Stop by tomorrow when the fun shall commence!

PS--Today I'm taking suggestions for the letter C. Have any?

*insert poor segue here*

About a week ago, I received a beautiful comment from Deirdra at A Storybook World, notifying me of an award.

Thank you so much, Deirdra!