It's in the Book

MNW versus MNE

2012-02-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

For the past two years March has been for March Novel Writing Challenge (MNW). In 2010, I took part in the challenge and wrote 65k on Standing Ground. It was the first time I'd made 50k in 15 days. However, in 2011 I only wrote 15k on a YA novel.

On the other hand, this year I joined an editing challenge. At first I thought the editing was to be done in February but then I figured out it was a prep challenge and the editing would be in March. There is even a web site to sign on to for novel editing month in March.

Now I am torn. Do I want to edit in March or do I want to write?

MNW isn't really an official event. My friend had a forum for it on Writing.Com for the 2010 one and in 2011 I had my NaNoWriMo plus group along with this blog for those that wanted to take part. But no official web site or anything like that. So, if I was to do it this year then I would have to do it in my group or on a blog again since I don't know who all wants to take part in it this year.

MNE has an official site. nanoedmo site There are forums and already people signed up, ready to go. The challenge I'm doing this month is planning to edit for this even though some have started editing already.

MNW is nice compared to NaNoWriMo because the goals are different. While someone can write 50k if they really want to, they don't have to do that much. There is no set goal minimum or max. The writer chooses their individual goals and can work on novels that they have already started. Last year I started a new novel but the year before I had 15k done of the novel before March.

MNE does have a goal to reach as well. For the editing challenge the goal is to achieve 50 hours of verified editing. The verification is done on the site and in their rules they explain what they qualify as editing.

Tough decision.

What about you?
Are you taking part in Editing Month?
Or are you more of a writing in March type?
Should I do both?

WorldBuilding Wednesday Magic Systems

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

When worldbuilding for fantasy novels, it is a good idea to figure out the magic system at least by the second draft, or so I would think. Like with many aspects of the fantasy world, there are many things to consider when adding a magic system. And the two novels I really need to worldbuild both have magic but the systems are very different, which is important because the stories are very different so I wouldn't want the magic to be the same.

The steampunk-inspired one (needs a title so I can stop calling it that) has a fey main character and the magic is elemental. The elements in the story are water, fire, earth, wood and metal. Wood is the main characters element, so he can't control the others like he can control wood. Limits are good to have because having a character who is all powerful with magic can make the character a little boring and unrealistic. His magic is part of his trade, because he is a wood fey he loves to travel and gets work on a wood airship because he can magically fix the ship which is much easier when flying than having someone fix the ship by hand. But give him metal and he can't do anything with it, can't even really use metal weapons.

(image link)

The epic fantasy series is very different. Sure, it has a non-human main character that does magic, only instead of a fey it's an elf. But there is more than one elf and not all elves are capable of doing magic, that they are aware of at least. The other elf will eventually be able to do minor magic because all of the elves have a certain level of magic abilities but most are minimal. Only one type has strong abilities and most of those don't exist anymore in the series as they were killed out of fear. The one main character does have those abilities but it's not easy for him, having to hide his abilities because of those that would act out of fear against him. And while he is technically very strong in his magic he is very careful about using it to the point of being self-conscious about what he can do. I'm still working on figuring out this magic system since it's not an elemental type.

Here is some thoughts on building magic systems that I found on a blog that has advice from Holly Black. These are six questions (posted here) to help with the developing of a magic system.

1. Who has it?

2. What does it do?

3. How do you make it happen?

4. How is user affected?

5. How is world affected?

6. How are magic users grouped & perceived?

These are questions I am considering when it comes to the magic systems that I am creating. So, what about you? Does your story have a magic system? What have you done to develop the magic system?

pick what I read next

2012-01-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

I am trying something a little different. I thought it would be fun to do a poll on my blog to let the blog viewers help me pick which book to read. So, I have a poll up on this blog and on http://dawnembers.blogspot.com for people to vote. I have 5 books available, and if people vote, which ever one that wins will be the one I read next.

But I need votes.

So, it is up to you, readers: Which book should I read?

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Ice Land by Betsy Tobin
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
XVI by Julia Karr
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Year Plans and January Goals

2012-01-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

First, some of the goals I made for 2011 and whether I succeeded or not. Then on to goals for 2012 and for January specifically.

2011 Goals/Reflection

Tattle Tell - Finish second draft. Edit. Send to beta readers by the end of February. Work on query.
-- Did finish the second draft. Have a couple attempts so far on the query but have work to do on it. Didn't send to readers yet but will after a round of editing.

Fantasy/Steampunk - Finish Worldbuilding and find a work in progress Title. Maybe start writing.
-- Still have a lot of world building to do but have a couple of scenes written, character profiles and outline done.

Angel/Demon - Finish first draft, edit and then send to beta reader.
-- nope.

Other potential books: Pick which ones and start writing them. This also means write one of them for NaNoWriMo 2011. Also make sure to write for MarNo with either a started novel or one of the new ones. List includes: TT book 2, Fantasy/Steampunk, I'm Sorry I Forgot You, XXY, Border Patrol dystopian, or Blood Prophesy book 1.
-- Did start the border patrol one in March and it's called Lighting the Wall. Also wrote Against the Grain and finished even though it wasn't on the list, and started OttoHahn in E Minor, also not listed.

Now for 2012 Goals.

I would like to finish at least two first drafts that I have already started out of Angel/Demon, Thomas/Kyle, OttoHahn in E Minor or Lighting the Wall.

Edit two novels, both mutant ones with already finished drafts. There is an editing challenge happening in February that I'm going to try.

Be ready to submit to an agent by the end of the year. I think that I'm close enough for this to be a realistic goal finally.

Reading goal = 50 books for 2012 at least and 10 of them being the first 10 in Wheel of Times series by Robert Jordan (though not 0, that one I will wait on for now).

Keep track of all fiction written, word count wise, and see how many words I write for the year in total.

January Goals

Blog at least 4 times
Read and write notes for mutant novel edits
Write 5k in Angel/Demon, Lighting the Wall, and OttoHahn in E Minor

What are your goals for January and/or 2012?
Hope everyone has a great year!

Progress Report

2012-01-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

I have worked on a number of different novels over the years and 2011 was no different. So many novels that sometimes it is hard to keep track. So, I figured before I posted my goals for the year and for the month, I thought it would be appropriate to post a status report of all the novels I have at least started in some shape or another.

Young Adult

Tattle Tell - Second draft made it to 50,795. Will edit this year.
Lighting the Wall - Started in March and made it to 15,196
Ottohahn in E Minor - NaNoWriMo that I wrote 25,000 words in so far.

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Standing Ground - First chapter fixed, so draft is still slightly over 90k.
the fantasy/mystery with steampunk elements - worldbuilding and have remnants of an outline and other notes
Gathered at Dawn - didn't write any in 2011, so still have the 50k from nanowrimo 2010

Romance/Erotica

Angel/Demon - not much progress but hope to finish this year, currently at 32,753 words.
Thomas/Kyle- would like to get done this year as I have 22,549 so far.
Against the Grain - NaNoWrimo book that made it to 100,000 words.

Books started but on the back burner:

Blood Prophesy series - chapters started for 2 of the books. (1 or 2 each)
Against All Evidence - 5 chapters started
Luigi - couple chapters/scenes done

I hope to finish a few of the ones I have started in 2012 and maybe start a couple. But that will be talked about more on my goal post, which will be the next blog post. ;-)

Success on 11-11-11

2011-11-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

I made it to 50,000 words last night, during the 11th hour on 11-11-11. Holy goodness that was a lot of ones. And I beat my record from last year where I wrote 50k in 13 days. Only this year, I have a bigger goal. I'm not going to stop at 50k as I have two novels going this year, so I'm going to keep writing until I make it to 100k at least.

How is NaNo going for you?

NaNoWriMo Approaches

2011-10-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

And I can't wait to start writing!

I'm almost done with the prep challenge even though the month isn't over yet. I keep doing things ahead of schedule and that's good because I also have other writing to do before November starts. And that writing will help me since I really want to start writing already and writing other things will keep me a little distracted until the very minute November starts, when I plan to start writing.

I have picked what I'm going to write at least. I picked the Young Adult novel. It was a bit unexpected considering it was one I had put on the "to do later" list with a few novels being set as ones to write first but I'm really looking forward to writing the story. I think even though I didn't win with young adult stories before, this time I'm going to make it.

Plus, I am going to do something different this year. I am going to work on two novels. One I prepared using the NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge and the other is just in my head. No preparation at all. With any luck and a lot of hard work, I should write 100,000 words this year or more, and if I get burned out from one, I can always work on the other, which is something I struggle with when I write 50k really fast; burn out. I even have titles to use for now on both of the novels, Yay!

The current plan is to write:
OttoHahn in E Minor (YA futuristic type novel)
Against the Grain (Adult Romance novel)

Are you ready for NaNoWriMo?
What are you writing?

IWSG post on Finishing and NaNoWriMo

2011-10-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time again, Insecure Writer's Support Group is up and ready to talk today. The topic I've chosen is the "can I ever finish anything" insecurity that I often have since I write so many novels at one time and have nothing ready to submit after 5+ years of writing. I chose this topic because even though I did basically the same topic, there is a special portion this month because NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and is one where I've both succeeded and failed in finishing novels.

Last time I focused on finishing in order to send out, but let's pull back the reigns a little bit. Writing anything above 50,000 words can be difficult to finish and I'm so easily distracted. When I first started writing the goal for NaNoWriMo of writing 50,000 words in one month seemed daunting and in less than 15 days down right impossible. Back in 2006 I had only written poetry and a few attempts at short stories, nothing much past 1,000 words. So, the task of finishing a full length novel was hard to figure out and it showed in my few thousand total the first year. I haven't finished that story either. But what I've learned from the failed years at NaNoWriMo is simply to keep writing.

Because my third year I not only wrote 50,000 words in 30 days but I also finished the novel a couple of weeks later. I had my first finished first draft ever back in 2008 and it was awesome. I haven't edited it yet but I still love the story. And it proved to me I could finish a draft.

Then I wrote 67,000 words in March of 2010, proving to myself that with the right characters and story, I could do even more words. That novel even is finished and waiting to be edits with the highest word count I've finished in one story to this date (90,000). Woot! Sure, in 2009 I wrote basically nothing but it's okay.

Last year I managed to write 50,000+ words in 13 days. Sure, I haven't finished the novel yet but it's one that I'm writing just for me. Being an epic fantasy novel, I've still got another 50k to go and I plan to but being stalled is okay with me.

And here we are again. NaNoWriMo 2011 starts in less than a month and I will admit, the doubt is still here. Yes, after 67k in one month and 50k in 13 days, I still doubt that I'll finish. That doubt surfaces every year. I wonder if I will make the 50k goal and I wonder if I will finish the story either during the month (which I have never done before) or at least some time after.

Do you have any insecurities with finishing and NaNoWriMo?

Check out the other IWSG members:

October Novels to Prep

2011-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have several novel ideas and I've picked a few to prep during October. Out of them I will prepare a few using the exercises from the October NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge from Writing.com. I have them posted over on my other writing blog, .

Books to prep but not write for NaNo:
Tattle Tell sequel
Standing Ground sequel

As much as I love the mutant series, I think it would be better to wait a little longer before I actually write either book 2. I still have to cement out the main plot in each one anyways. In december I'm going to edit book 1 from each, YA(ish) and adult, along with any other novels I have finished. Yay for editing month but for now, need to figure out what I'll write in November.

I have decided to prep .... oh wait, I haven't decided yet. Yikes! Prep starts on Saturday and I still don't know which one exactly I'm going to prepare for NaNoWriMo. And the consensus from friends is... there is no consensus. Some love the romance idea, others want the urban fantasy, and I added another to the list even though it wasn't on the blog post I made initially. Do I go with a type of character and genre I have written before, or do I go with an age group I write but haven't succeeded with nano before or do I try something completely different for nano and just hope I can make it this year.

I'm really tempted between the elemental fae, the urban fantasy, a futuristic YA and the musician. So many great choices but I hope to cut it down to two to prep during October. Have lots to think about in the next day and a half.

Pros and Cons of 2011 Ideas for NaNo

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the ideas I'm considering for NaNoWriMo this year and the pros/cons of each idea. I may pick the top three and prep all three during October to figure out which one I want to do by November 1.

Young Adult

The female teen one: Pros - female main character is something different than what I usually write. Know the basic plot with room to flourish. Could be done as one pov or two, depending how I feel sounds better. Cons - Less practice with a female main character. No success yet with a YA novel during a month writing challenge. Would need research to get the cultural aspects exactly right.
Religious school with teen who doesn't fit in: Pros - New character and an idea that I've had bouncing in my head for almost a year. Different setting than my usual books with potential for 50k words. Cons - Uncertain if it's the right book to do. Still a young adult book, which I don't have a success rate for yet.

Sequel to Tattle Tell: Pros - Characters I'm already familiar with from my second attempt at NaNo. Heightened stakes from book 1 so that there is plenty to write. One of my favorite series so far that I'm working on. Cons - Don't have plot completely figured out yet. It's a sequel and the first book hasn't been sent out yet. Failed when tried writing book 1 for NaNo.

Fantasy/Sci-fi/Dystopian/etc

Djinn type character trying to find his place: Dynamic characters with a cross of the features that were found in successful years. Most of plot is figured out with plenty of wiggle room. One viewpoint character. Cons - Plot isn't completely set. Uncertain whether this book is one for publishing or not. World still is questionable.

Urban Fantasy in Salt Lake City: An adult one with a female main character. A challenge from an urban fantasy tweet chat with fun prospects. Have lived in Utah and know some of the area plus will be visiting there soon. Cons - Haven't really written urban fantasy

Almost steampunk like story: Pros - Story I've had in my head for over a year. Started worldbuilding on this blog and in a word document. Looking forward to writing about fae characters. Fun character dynamics. Cons - Haven't finished the worldbuilding yet or even gotten close. Some questionable elements of the plot still.

Sequel to Standing Ground: Pros - The first book went very well for MarNo, since I wrote 67k. Noah is a great character that people love and the first book is almost ready to be sent out. Know how it begins exactly. Cons - Most of the plot isn't figured out yet. Again, a sequel when the first book hasn't been edited yet let alone sent out.

Romance/non-fantasy/other

Sent to middle of nowhere: Pros - Have had success with a romance before. This is an older idea in comparison to some of the others. Know enough about the country to have the setting down. Cons - Another age difference romance when I haven't finished Thomas/Kyle. Plot is a bit iffy and don't know if the story stands out enough.

What to Write for NaNoWriMo

2011-09-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

It is already almost time for National Novel Writing Month and I haven't picked out a novel yet. What do I write this year?

Quick recap of my NaNoWriMo attempts:

2006 - First year and I attempted a not so original story about the president's son and "special service" guy falling for each other. Wrote maybe a few thousand words.
2007 - Tried to write 20k words but only made it to about 15k on the teen mutant first book. It was in first person and took till 2009 for me to finish the very short first draft.
2008 - Changed directions and wrote the first draft of a romance/erotica novel based from a scene I developed from a dream I had. Made it to 50k during November and finished the last few thousand of the novel in December.
2009 - Didn't take part in NaNo though I wanted to but life interrupted.
2010 - Wrote 50k in 13 days of an epic fantasy novel. Still haven't finished the first draft.

2011 NaNoWriMo

What do I write this year? I have so many options that I'm not sure which one I am going to go with, but here are some potentials. I'm even going to categorize a little bit.

Young Adult

- Young female (middle eastern) is trying to find herself between the modern US world and the culture her family was raised upon. Her mom would like her to not forget their heritage but at times she thinks her mom old fashioned and holding her back. She finds herself transported to somewhere in the past, taking someone else's place. Modern has a different meaning and her new family is even more conservative. The mother is working on marrying her off. Yet in the world she finds friends to show her the way and begins to realize how much she took for granted certain aspects. And also learns to appreciate some of the old ways.

- Teen boy(gay) is kicked out of his school and the only place that will take him is a Christian school that is very small. At first he doesn't get along with anyone and struggles with himself along with worrying about going to court for his past issues. Teacher guy tries to help by making him join the band that performs for their church sessions on sundays and other days. He is given the electric guitar to play. Has no idea what's going on or how the group actually competes and that it's a big deal at first. It does give him something to focus on since he likes music even though it's all Christian music.

- Sequel to Tattle Tell
Ephram and Isaac are still friends and on a new adventure. New schools, keeping secrets and trying to make friends while figuring out themselves as they get older. They are now 15 and without parents to help, they have a lot to figure out. Plus they have a new goal: to help other mutants from discrimination and pain but it's not an easy goal.

Fantasy/Sci-fi/Dystopian/etc

- Djinn type MC that is hunted unless a master takes him in. There is a political campaign to get a djinn/magic-weilder on a board/counsel but any who are nominated are killed at once. The master who does take the MC is rich and has a goal, offering him the prize of freedom (controlled) if he achieves the impossible task of finding a wish granter that is considered a myth.

- Urban Fantasy - Salt Lake City
Demon slayer, female, hired by the church. Deals with religion, gender issues, and other stuff. Teams up with a RM (return missionary) male who has a personal demon(gay) but also has experience dealing with demons and not going crazy or isn't too scared. Has to find the right demons that are responsible for the troubles that were being caused against church members.

- The one that has steampunk elements but is just fantasy. It starts with two guys who meet and have a night stand. One is a wood faery from a ship, the other is a top militia man who is brought to the ship trying to catch a criminal who has been just out of his reach for months. The enemy has something against the militia/mage man. The faery joins him to help catch the guy and complications ensue.

- Sequel to Standing Ground
Noah has gotten some time from his last adventure and now has to make a decision. He can either join the group he has avoided for years or allow the government to try to control him and his abilities. The only way to avoid that decision is to leave and he is going to do it right, taking a group of renegades with him. And the adventure just starts there.

Romance/non-fantasy/other

- Rich young man is sent to farmlands to live in hotel, away from his father and his young third wife. He gets in a scuff and some other males in the 20's leave him up in the mountains where a rancher finds him. They fall in love, eventually.

Those are ones I am considering for now, but who knows what I will pick by November. I know I sure have no idea. Next post I will maybe do the pros and cons of each novel.

Characters Introduced by Noah and Lucas

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a character introduction post from The Character Cafe blog. I'm going to be bringing all those posts over here slowly since the Character Cafe is closing. Enjoy.

Since we are actually doing two posts for introductions I have two main characters for this post, and one of them is going to introduce others from his world since he has already guest posted before about just himself. Or at least, back when he was at the end of book 3, which is why I'm speaking first. Since I have only the first draft of book 1 in his series done, and because some of the characters involved are teens (posting on this blog as well in the next introduction), I'm going to have him post from where he was at in book 1 (Standing Ground). The old post can be found here: Noah's guest post. If this gets long, my apologies, for I have to let the second main character speak, Lucas, because I can't have him and Elijah in the same post yet even though they are the two main characters of a paranormal romance. So, with all that said, here is Noah and his introduction of important people from book 1.

Noah

Noah: Hello. *gives a quick wave* I am Noah, a genetic mutant from Dawn's books. We were once a guest, so I'm happy to be a more permanent member of the blog now. Last time I posted mostly about my mutation and some of the struggles I go through in this series but I think this time I'll talk about those that are involved with me. We're only talking the first section of troubles, right?

Dawn: Right.

Dominic

Noah: Okay. I had just finished a double major in physics and military science. The last part was because my father insisted and he did pay for the schooling but I really wanted to study physics to give myself a better understanding of energy. I can control it but don't like people knowing what I am capable of doing. I spent the last several years living in two locations: my parents' house and my best friend's apartment (Dominic) that they helped pay for. Dominic has been my best friend since we were in school. He's also a mutant though his power is a confusing type of prophetic dreaming that requires he be asleep more often than not. In fact, he'd say hello right now but he's sleeping.

Noah: Then there is my boyfriend Sebastian, though he hates to be called by his full first name. He prefers to be called Bastian. I met him at the beginning of when Dawn started writing the story. At first, he's a bit nervous and in less shape because he didn't work out too much and preferred to study or read. His major was philosophy but then he joins the military and things change. Some of the changes were better than others. He isn't a mutant though, and at first he didn't think I was either despite how I look. I should have told him as it probably would have turned out better than him finding out the way he did but it turns out he doesn't care that I am.

Bastian

Noah: Finally, there are a few that I'd like to mention but don't worry, there aren't any pictures of them yet. These are important if you consider the whole story and not just what gets placed in book 1, though readers meet them there. They are the first set of "rogue mutants" I ever meet, though they certainly aren't the last ones. Two of them were once friends, though after a falling out they had to leave the school so I hadn't seen them since we were teens. First is the somewhat leader, Ty. He is a bit of a jerk and he would often get me into trouble. Ty had to leave because they wanted to stop him from using his mutation too often because he was what could be called a copy cat as he could imitate almost any other mutation if given the opportunity. Along with him as the weather controller, Kelvin, who had trouble controlling his emotions and thus sometimes the weather. The new ones they bring are Michael and Camile. Camile seems to be a bit hard edged and she controls wind. On the other hand, Michael seems very nice compared to the others and he's kind of cute... I mean, he umm controls both fire and ice. Not sure how they all met up but when they get around to telling their side of things I may find out.

Noah: That's all I will mention for now since I'm taking up a lot of space and there is still the demon who is supposed to introduce himself this post. Sorry about rambling and I'm sure I'll be posting again soon.

Lucas

Lucas: Umm, hi. *puts hands in pocket and looks around* This is a bit different. I've done the chats before on that twitter thing and once in a regular chat room but this is my first blog. Guess it'll be nice to do something outside the whole demon crap I have to deal with nowadays. Being a demon sucks. Don't let anyone fool you with all that chat about fire and eternal heat with no snow because it's a lie! I'm stuck in Detroit where I spend my days freezing cold. Other than that, I guess things could be worse considering. Hard to believe that not having a belief in God would put me here but I'm doing my best to make due with the whole situation. Other than the whole, non-dead type thing, being a demon is rather boring. I don't shoot fire from my hands or anything cool like that. Right now, I'm living on another demons couch and we work without pay delivering messages around the area. Aside from the cold, there is a feeling of emptiness that I'm still trying to figure out. It's a dull aching type of emptiness and I definitely have no direction. For now, I'm lost but can only hope that until whatever rapture type disaster comes for my marked soul that I can make the best of this "life" as a demon. That's all I really have to say for now. *walks away*

First Insecure Writer's Support Group Post

2011-09-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a bit of a contradictory post. The main topic is the Insecure Writer's Support Group but I also want to mention something awesome first.

The awesome part: this blog has 200 followers and it took less than 2 years. I'm so excited. And now that I have more time to blog, I will maybe even get more followers. Thank you everyone that is following this blog. I really appreciate it. You all are awesome!

Now to the main topic.

Here is the information about the group, first, the Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) from Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog.
http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/insecure-writers-support-group.html

"Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer."

Now for the part about me. My insecurity for this post is the question, Will I finish anything to send out?

I am one who does many projects at once, and that makes it hard to finish anything. That time factor always seems to make me anxious because I have to do things that draw in an income since I'm an adult (surprised? lol) but at the same time, I love writing whenever I can. But I've spent 5 years working on writing so far and I haven't sent a single query out. I don't have a book ready yet. So, sometimes I am insecure about whether I will ever make it or not.

Anyone else feel like that? Make sure to check out some of the others but don't worry, you don't have to read every blog cause there are so many. ;-)

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Another Year Gone

2011-08-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't had this blog for long, but today I'm another year older so I figured that was due a post somewhere in my blogging world (or lack of blogging world as has been more of the case lately). Sometimes I like to sit back and reflect on what I have accomplish because it gives a nice break from all the other times I think about all the things that I want to but haven't yet.

In the past year, I have written a fair number of words. I wrote 50,000 words in 13 days for nanowrimo. Overall, I've written in at least five different novels. I finished my first rewrite of a novel, going from 23,000 words to 50,000 words. And I have made many blog posts, even with the last few months being as sparse as they have been. It's been a decent year of writing and I hope my next year will have even more.

And I've started reading again. That is something else I'm very happy for. While I may not be exactly where I wanted to be by the time I reached this age, I'm still doing things that I want to do and can keep going from here.

So, as I'm another year older, I'm not so much wiser but determined. It's going to be a very busy, creative year.

Followers

2011-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hi followers.

Hard to believe it but this blog is one person away from having 200 followers, which is so awesome. I'm so grateful to have you all even though I haven't been posting very often. I haven't seen as many blogfests but I've also been so busy with the two jobs but no worries, I am going to be back full force soon.

I have been reading at least. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells was an awesome book. And the two books I'm in the middle of right now are great. I am going to be doing a group of middle grade books since I'm doing middle grade posts for a month. That is something to look for in September.

Here, I will find something to post soon. There is always something to say. ;-)

August Goals

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so July didn't work out but I'm adjusting to the jobs now. But a new month is upon us and it's time once again for some goals.

Goals

Finish reading three books.
Post in blogs once a week.
Work on edit/rewrites.

Putting Hold on First Drafts

2011-07-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

As much as I love writing new novels, there comes a time when I need to get focused on a few novels in order to get my goals accomplished. Plus, I work so much my writing time is very limited, so I made the decision.

While I'm working two jobs, no more working on first drafts. I need to focus my limited time on the novels that are past the first draft stage. Plus I figured that the adult mutant series would be okay if it is sent out sooner instead of later. That's encouraging at least.

Novels I will work on:
Standing Ground
Tattle Tell
Hellenic Distractions

Do you work on more than one project?
How do you find balance with work, writing and other life things?

July Goals

2011-07-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

(Image Link)

I can't believe it's already July. This past month has sure been something. Spent almost a week near the beginning of the month in Washington DC for a wedding. Worked some, searched for more jobs and landed two new jobs. And I did make some progress in writing. So, lets start with the June recap, then I'll get to the July goals (JulNoWriMo!)

June Recap

Tattle Tell rewrite - Surprise! After several months of making this goal I actually finished the second draft. Yay me!

Finish 3 books - Not quite. Got about two done but got distracted from reading. July should be tough with reading too.

Rewrite/Edit Standing Ground - not quite. Did work on it a little at least.

Continue T/K and A/D - Did get some work done and T/K but don't worry. I'm working on both during July.

July Goals

July Novel Writing Month Challenge
Write 50,000 words total from three novels.
- Lighting the Wall
- Angel/Demon
- Thomas/Kyle

Finish reading 3 books.

Sleep occasionally and still survive the two jobs.

What are your goals for July?

MC blogfest

2011-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

About the Blogfest:
1. pretend to be one of your main characters (have them write the post)
2. have them answer 3 questions (the questions are listed on the announcement post)
The questions are:
- What is your greatest fear?
- What is your biggest accomplishment?
- What is your biggest regret?
3. Post it and then go check out other entries.

As for my entry, I will leave that up to the characters. Yep, plural. I am giving Noah and Elijah the rest of the blog post. Noah is often posting over on The Character Cafe, though both blog there. He is from the adult mutant series. Elijah is an angel main character from the angel/demon novel.

My Entry:

Noah: Hello blog readers. Nice to see you again Elijah.

Elijah: Yeah, Hi. So... what are we doing on this one? It's not the same place we posted our conversation last time, is it?

Noah: No, this is Dawn's personal writing blog. The one we did the little secret sharing topic was on some group blog. Don't worry. I think this time we can be a little less personal.

Elijah: Good. Last time we talked it was a little too soul bearing. Don't think I can do it again this soon. Tonight we have questions?

Noah: *hands over a piece of paper* Yes, these are the questions. We'll both give answers, taking turns asking the questions. Do you want to ask first this time?

Elijah: *stares at the paper* I guess I can. Questions 1: What is your greatest fear?

Noah: Of course, that had to be the first question. Okay. Fine. I've talked about this a few times but one of my worst fears is to be used as a weapon.

Elijah: What do you mean?

Noah: The mutation I have is more powerful than most. Well, I was expected to have more power but no one really knows because I pretend I can't do all the tests. It's better that not many people know what I can actually do. Since I control energy, I can even create it and that could be used as a weapon to harm others. I really don't want to hurt anyone.

Elijah: Could it be that you fear hurting people?

Noah: Probably. I mean, I know people say that they don't intend or want to hurt anyone emotionally and I know I have hurt people before without meaning to but this is different. I could unintentionally kill someone, I don't even have to know them. If they are in the wrong place and I go off with my powers then bad things happen. I can't stand the idea of it. It would haunt me forever if something like that happened. Alright, your turn. What is your biggest accomplishment?

Elijah: I'm not sure. Let me think for a moment. *stares up at the ceiling* I guess becoming an angel could be a big accomplishment, considering all the things I did leading up to the whole turn my life around bit. I didn't have many good years before dying either. But I guess, what I would call my biggest accomplishment is holding on to myself. Despite what some people think, I still am true to who I am and how I was made. That means a lot to me and I'm glad I can still be myself for the most part even in the afterlife. Okay, so now we do the last question. How about we both answer this one?

Noah: Sure. What is the question?

Elijah: What is your biggest regret?

Noah: Now, that is a hard one. There are so many potential regrets. Guess it's my turn to think for a minute. What about you?

Elijah: Well, depends. Do we want it to be from the afterlife or back when I was alive?

Noah: How about one from each? And I'll keep thinking of one for my answer.

Elijah: Okay. Umm... I guess the one from my earlier life would have to be the thing we talked about on that other blog post. I did some stupid things because I assumed I was screwed either way so might as well enjoy myself and I put too much trust into strangers just to get that little bit of physical enjoyment. As for afterlife, that is a bit harder. We aren't supposed to do many of the things that I would normally regret. In some ways I regret not taking more chances and at least enjoying this second chance I've been given because boredom is not a friend to me.

Noah: Yeah, with boredom I get jumpy and start messing with lights if I'm alone. I guess it's my turn. My biggest regret is trying to shield myself too much and not going out before. I used my friend as an excuse to stay at home and avoid people. As much as I care about Dominic, I shouldn't have used his mutation as an excuse to be hidden, avoiding contact with others.

Elijah: That works. Well, nice chatting with you for another post. Good luck with your story.

Noah: Yeah, same with you. Maybe Dawn will get to our novels soon.

Dawn: I saw that! And yes, I'll be getting to both of your novels in July. Thanks for writing the post for this blogfest.

:-D

It is in the Muse-ic Blogfest

2011-06-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

Oops. So, my entry is late. I completely forgot with everything going on that I signed up for this blogfest. I even did writing that night, just not to music. My bad.

Blogfest is hosted by Aleatoire over at blog link. Make sure to check out the link to see the other blogs that took part in the blogfest.

The basic idea of this blogfest is to write while listening to a single song, then post the scene along with what song it was that inspired it. Simple enough for people who don't forget.

I had a hard time picking a song and what to write, so this entry took me awhile. Finally, I picked Dirty Little Secret by All American Reject. The scene comes from the YA book I started writing in March. Though it's from Wyck's point of view, it might change when I put it in the actual story. I won't write the whole scene cause it would be way too long anyways. So, here is part of a scene for the book currently titled, Lighting the Wall.

My entry:

Following the rest of the class, Wyck slowly entered the book floor of the main building. The Governess called it the Library Wing, because of all the books, but it didn't compare much to the libraries that were mentioned in history and architecture books. Still, some books were better than none. While the other students in the Last Class grumbled about the book report assignment, Wyck looked at the walls of literature with excitement. It was his favorite assignment.

After a few minutes, he picked a wall of books that he hadn't visited much in the last year, slowly gazing over the books before his feet carried him closer. It took a few minutes of respected gazing before he let a hand move up to the middle shelf to graze the bindings of the slowly deteriorating books.

But he didn't pick a book right away off the shelf, like he used to do, because this time there was a different distraction. Curiosity snagged his attention and he gave in to the desire to check on the new boy, Sage. He wondered if Sage has ever seen a collection of books like what their village has. Or maybe he has seen bigger, maybe even a full building of books. Finally, Wyck looked over to Sage, who was by himself a few shelves down, standing in front of a stack of books. They were both alone since most of the books the others deemed as fun enough were located in a different room, so Wyck didn't feel bad staring as his attention went unnoticed.

At first, he thought Sage was feeling the books like he had but when his hands didn't move from the wall of books, he started to wonder. He looked a bit weird; his hands pressed to the wall, head leaning forward almost close enough for his shaggy hair to touch the edge of a shelf, and he wasn't moving.

Unable to think about any of the books near him, Wyck concentrated on Sage's hands. What could he be doing? The only thing behind the bookshelf was a dense wall, designed to keep those inside the building safe. Most of the buildings were strong, but the Main Building had a particularly tough exterior, and the wall behind where they stood was even thicker than usual because it was one of the few walls that touched a border. Course, not many remembered that and Wyck only knew because his father talked about the border constantly since he was the leader of the Border Patrol.

Then the though occurred to him. Could it be? It seemed impossible but as his eyes remained focus on the strange boy's hands, air rippled for a second, even causing the books that the hands rested on seemed to fluctuate for a brief second.

Wyck's eyes widened. Blinking, he couldn't believe what he had just seen. While not many would have seen anything different, and most wouldn't believe even if that had managed to catch the slight display, he knew what he saw. Sage manipulated the border. No one in the village had been able to do that since his father was a young boy. To have a new, young wall lighter would be a huge deal. It was even bigger than the new family's arrival. As soon as the Governess found out Sage's secret there would be all kinds of things that would change and Sage would have a permanent position in the village lighting the wall.

His excitement was short lived, however. The lessons from earlier classes and his own father came back to him about wall lighters. They never had time to do anything outside of work because the walls were flawed and required constant maintenance. In fact, the reason they died out in the first place was because they rarely lived past age 30 and never had time to find a mate, let alone procreate. If discovered, Sage would be used until he slowly perished from being overworked.

As Wyck continued to stare, his mind deep in thought, Sage looked up at him. His bright green eyes shown even harsher against the paleness that had taken over the tone of his face. He looked tired and yet wired at the same time. His gaze caught Wyck's and he immediately looked scared. His body slouched forward suddenly, causing his hands to grip the edge of the shelf.

Just then, the Governess walked out of the room where the other students must have been looking for books. She glanced down the hallway at them and started her usual slow, fake-smiling approach their way.

Wyck stepped closer to Sage and waiting until the Governess was close enough to hear him before acting. He stretched up, picking a book on plants off the shelf and offered it to Sage. "Here. I think you'll like this one."

"Thanks." Sage said, his voice quiet and a little raspy.

......

The song:

WorldBuilding Wednesday with Not Human Characters

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

(image link: shirt.woot.com)

Almost Human

While many genres have only humans in them, there are some that do not. In fact, the main characters in genres such as fantasy aren't always human even though they can have human like qualities. But one problem that surfaces when writing stories with any kind of non-human is finding the right term to call them. A few questions come to mind at once?

What do others call the characters? (humans and other non-humans)
What do the characters call themselves?
Do you, the author, make up a species?
Or, do you use species already known in fiction.

Examples of common used non-humans are: elves, mermaids, faeries, vampires, zombies, demons, angels, aliens, dwarves, trolls, gremlins, werewolves, etc.

In the epic fantasy novel I'm writing, the species names were easy. Two of the main characters are elves, from different locations and a slightly different kind, and then there is a dwarf. I don't have to worry too much about making up something because it's acceptable for different authors to use those species in novels. Sure, they still have to make them as their own and character development is important, but they can still be called elves.

The world I'm trying to build for a fantasy novel, the one that this blog series was originally set up for, is one I haven't figured out names for yet either. The one character is human but the other is a type of elemental fae. Right now I am comfortable with wood fae or wood faerie but we'll see as I develop the world for the story.

Demon/Angel was also easy because there are humans, demons and angels. Pretty straightforward.

However, I have had trouble in different sci-fi/fantasy type series. With both series, I have a question going on right now whether or not I should call the not quite human characters. The problem some have seen is the fact that with how it is now, the stories instantly remind readers of X-Men because the characters are called mutants.

So, I have been considering whether or not I should change the term from "mutant" to something else. I did come up with something I could use but I also decided that I wouldn't make any changes right now. When I'm submitting it seems like an issue or if I'm asked to find a different term than "mutant" I will be ready. For now, Noah, Ephram, Dominic, and all the others are going to be called mutants.

Do you have non-human characters?
Are they main characters?
Do you create species names for non-humans or use ones already created?

Why Do I Write YA?

2011-06-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Check out the other blogfest entries at IggiandGabi.com

This is a very good question and I'm interested to see the other entries in this blogfest. Young Adult has become quite the book section in bookstores. Things have changed a bit since I was reading YA books, which was like junior high but still. Thanks to great authors there have always been good books to read. While I didn't read much of the age range when I was in high school, I still appreciated and still do the authors and books that are and were available. But why did I start writing books that are for young adults? Probably not for the reasons people expect.

Honestly... I didn't plan to become a young adult writer. The last favorite genre I had before college was adult epic fantasy and my initial novel ideas were all adult, being a morph from historical fiction to epic fantasy and such. And the first year I made it to 50k for NaNoWriMo and came out with a finished 1st draft, it was a romance/erotica story. Doesn't sound very YA does it?

Yet, here I am with my first novel that is going to be ready for submission is YA (and borderline close to MG). It's a series and I have one other YA book started and several other ideas waiting to be written. The idea for Tattle Tell came to me in a dream, though the idea is for book 2, and I started writing book 1 in 2007. It has taken me a long time but I'm almost done with the rewrite, then comes the edit and beta readers. Why make it YA? The characters just happened to come to me as teenagers. I have an adult mutant series as well, with the main character being in his mid-20's.

The main reason I write YA is because those are the ideas that come to me. The other part of why I enjoy writing YA and have no problem with the change is because even my YA books have gay main characters and I know that glbt teens are wanting more books with characters they can relate to since I used to volunteer with glbt teens. I hope that I can provide more books and get them published so they have more to read.

So, these are the reasons why I write YA.

Do you write YA?
Why or why not?

June Goals

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

First: May results.
- Tattle Tell rewrite. Almost but not quite. The new chapter slowed me down too.
- First draft of Lighting the Wall... Fail. Didn't really work on it.
- Finish reading at least 5 books. Well, I finished 2 books according to Goodreads.
- Blog more here... Fail. Didn't blog much.

(image link)

1. Edit the YA(maybe) mutant book Tattle Tell.

2. Finish reading 3 books at least. (I have read 16 so far out of my goal of 35 books for the year.)

3. Rewrite/Edit adult mutant novel Standing Ground.

4. Continue writing the YA book Lighting the Wall.

5. Also continue writing Angel/Demon and maybe add to Thomas/Kyle novella.

What are your goals for June?

Project GetUp

2011-05-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am a snoozer and if allowed, I can be lazy when there is no consequence for not getting up before 11 am. It takes me a really long time to fall asleep. Hours at times. Like last night: tried to go to sleep at 11 am and was still awake at 2 am. Insomnia sucks but so does the medicine so I try to avoid it when I can. It's also easier to fall asleep once I've been asleep for awhile, which really doesn't help my problem.

But there is so much I can be doing during the day that would start earlier if I got out of bed. Problem is, when sleepy and just waking up, I have very little will power. Tis why I missed so many morning classes because it was easier to tell myself I didn't feel well or could afford to miss one more because minutes later I would be back asleep.

I could be finding a second job since I barely make enough for all my student loans right now. I could be writing in novels, working on sekrit nonfiction proposal, or any other writing task. I could be reading or writing blogs. I could be doing a number of things. And as much as I love dreaming (morning is a time when I can remember 2-4 dreams) I don't need any more novel ideas right now. So, I can afford to cut the dreams short by the annoying sound of the alarm clock.

So, I am going to challenge myself. Wake up every morning and be out of bed, not going back to sleep, by 9 am. This is for 6 days a week, with one day of extra sleep but only if I get up on the six other days. That means, I need 6 days in a row before I can have one day of sleeping later.

Reward? Still thinking about it but maybe once a month I'll get a donut or something. I try not to have food rewards often because I need to exercise and lose weight already. Let's see how the first month goes and judge from there.

I am calling this Project GetUp and will post updates periodically here.

Giveaway Ends Tonight

2011-05-02T03:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Just a quick reminder that the Epic 2 Blog 2 Year Giveaway ends soon. Today is the last day to enter.

To enter go here.

May Goals

2011-04-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

May is here and it's time once again for goals. Since I want to have two drafts done by June first, that means those novels are the focus for this month.

1. Finish rewrite, wait and then edit Tattle Tell. Send out to beta readers in June.

2. Finish first draft of Lighting the Wall.

3. Finish reading at least 5 books.

4. Blog more on here now the A to Z challenge is over.

What are your May goals?

Query Letter Blogfest

2011-04-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

Yay for another blogfest. I know we haven't had many lately and the A to Z challenge means it's a slow month on this blog but no worries. Today we get to do a blogfest and the topic this time is the Query Letter.

About the blogfest:
The blogfest is pretty simple. The idea is to have a query letter posted and to get feedback on ways to make it better. The exact two rules are: "post your query letter and visit at least 5 other bloggers and critique their queries."

Check out the blogfest over at Slice of the Blog Pie.

So, I was totally going to write a brand new query letter for this. Except work, A to Z blog challenge, sleep and writing got in the way so that I never got around to working on it until the night before the blogfest. That doesn't work very well for a query letter. I'm also curious for anyone who reads this part: Does the novel sound more like a middle grade one or YA?

Note: I don't have an agent list yet. So, it's a general query letter and there is no agent personalization to it for that reason. Those will come into play when I actually have novels ready to submit cause yeah, I don't have anything ready. Order of hook, novel details and such will vary a little as well.

My entry:

Dear Agent:

Not all genetic mutations are fun or even useful. For 14 year-old mutant, Ephram Gray, having a temperature that can't be detected only means he will never miss school due to a fever. Working for a government agency as a spy, telling on anyone who might be a mutant, is a whole different story.

Ephram should be worrying about finding friends and passing the next test at school. Instead he has to panic over each time the men in suits from the government agency will show up at his parents' house demanding he tell on other mutants. Being different isn't easy, keeping it a secret even harder and the worse part: one of his only friends might be a mutant. Stuck between his role as a tattle tale, the unspoken rules of friendship, and his own secrets, he must decide. Either lose a friend or disobey and face the consequences.

TATTLE TELL, a fantasy/sci-fi young adult tale, is complete at 53,000 words. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Dawn Embers

Progress Report

2011-04-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't done one of these in awhile. This is an update and a goal discussion.

Posted on my other blog about MarNo and how I only wrote 6 chapters instead of the full novel goal. But I was still happy with the progress. Haven't written much in it since then because of the A to Z blogging challenge, but also I've been working on my other YA novel, the rewrite.

The rewrite is going well. I finished chapter 21 this week, which means I have only 2-3 more chapters to go. Then I take a break before editing.

New novel is going well for having only 6 chapters done. I like the main characters and can't wait to keep writing. Even picked a work in progress title for the novel thanks to Susan Kane.

My goal is to finish the two YA drafts by June 1st. I'm going to try and get the one YA book to my beta readers by that day. Granted, I had wanted to do that back at like the beginning of March but oh well. I have a minor handwritten project due May 1st. But my focus is going to be the two YA books and the paranormal romance, along with world building on this blog for a different novel.

Worldbuilding Wednesday and Elements

2011-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

In my fantasy novel that I'm using for the world building days there are elemental faeries. Not the tiny kind but they are close to the same height as the humans. But there are five types of fae, based on the elements but not the commonly used ones.

The elements I usually work with (since I'm pagan) are water, earth, air, and fire (ether or spirit is sometimes considered the fifth element). But for this novel I decided to go with a slightly different set of elements. These have more of an Asian influence.

The natural elements are:
Fire
Water
Earth
Metal
Wood

(image link: here)

The elements are often seen in fen-shui and chinese medicine based upon their cycles and how they affect each other. The source for the cycles listed below is feng-shui.lovetoknow.com/Nature_Five_Elements.

Creative Cycle
Water creates Wood.
Wood births Fire.
Fire gives Earth.
Earth creates Metal.
Metal draws Water.

Controlling Cycle
Water destroys Fire.
Wood destroys Earth.
Fire destroys Metal.
Earth destroys Water.
Metal destroys Wood.

Weakening Cycle
Water weakens Metal.
Wood weakens Water.
Fire weakens Wood.
Earth weakens Fire.
Metal weakens Earth.

Wood - The most important as one of the main characters is a Wood Fae.
While the fae main character is a Wood, he doesn't always follow what is typical of his type. He is a traveller like any other wood because he has a deepened desire to see the world. If he stays too long in one place he gets antsy. He's not a fan of water. Like, he will put up with it, and he does shower so don't worry there, but he doesn't go swimming. He prefers to go by air ships instead of water ones. His mother is an Earth fae.

Wood fae wings are just that, wood but very thin but hard to break. There are certain ways to fold them too and although a bit uncomfortable, MC can tie his down at work on an air ship so that no one knows and is uncomfortable with his presence.

Aside from him, there is a pair of women who work together and one of them is a wood while the other is metal. They use their skills to combine the two elements, which can come in handy. Their wings are permanent.

Earth
As said above, the MC's mother is one but there is also his ex-boyfriend. This is a fun elements because there are many options like flowers, plants, dirt, etc that can be integrated in their appearance and wings in particular. They also get to have seasonal wings depending on the part of Earth that they have in the wings. Flower wings are a good example, though I'm guessing the ex has more masculine type wings but the mother might have flower petal ones.

Water
I don't have any particular water fae. There are some minor characters that the main character talks to when visiting his homeland, and the villain has at least one for his own uses, but no one really important in the novel is from this category. They have water wings, so they aren't permanent or even last very long and they can't fly either. But they love to swim and spend as much time in water as they can. They control the water and can do some neat things.

Metal
Aside from the female metal fae who does work with a wood one, there is one more important secondary character who is a metal fae. The wood MC meets him near the end of the book, when he has been captured by the villain and they end up working some together along with plotting. Metal is another type with a permanent wing set. It is made of thin metal and is still too heavy for flying. They don't fold up nicely like the wood ones though, so are harder to hide.

Fire
Don't have many of these. They tend to be the louder ones of the bunch but it works with their personalities. They aren't too fond of water usually for obvious reasons. Their wings are temporary, like the water ones, but are very flashy. No flying for fire fae either. They have to work on control some if living or working on anything flammable so that they don't burn things down.

This is part of the elemental research I have done, though I have more details as I need them for the story. Need to work a bit more on it.

2 Blog 2 Year Epic Giveaway

2011-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

The day has come: The epic giveaway to celebrate 2 years of blogging. This blog turned 1 on March 17th and my other blog (dawnembers.blogspot.com) will be 2 years old on May 1st. To celebrate I am hosting this giveaway and hope to get to 200 followers by May 1st. I have been blogging for almost 2 years and it's time to celebrate.

I am so grateful for every single follower and I hope many of you will take part in this giveaway. And for the first time ever, I am also doing some international prizes. Yep. People outside the US have chances to win prizes, which is part of what makes this an epic giveaway. And I have made two forms for people to use to sign up for the giveaway. One is for the US followers and the other is for everyone else. I wish I could share some of the prizes to everyone and not limit them to just US but I'm a little broke person living at my parent's house and working at a pizza place just recently, so can't do the massive international shipping such a giveaway would require. Maybe when I win the lottery (lol).

If I get 200+ followers on either of the blogs, then there will be more prizes given out. However, if a prize doesn't have 5 people signed up to win then less will be given. Yes, we need lots of people to enter the giveaway so I can offer many prizes. There are price limits on the books as I'm sure you could guess. But it'll still be cool cause I will buy a book for you if you win. Yay for books.

Enter by filling out one of the forms located below in this post. Please, only enter one so make sure you've got the right one before submitting. That means you only need to fill it out once, whether on DawnEmbers or here. With your help, this will be a fun, excellent and very epic giveaway.

The giveaway ends on May 2nd. Yep, I'm including the official 2 year blogiversary day. So, get your entry in by May 2nd. If you have any questions about the prizes or any part of the giveaway form, email me at DawnEmbers(at)ymail(dot)com.

For US followers:

Closed

For International followers:

Closed

Nature of Magic blogfest

2011-03-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a fun blogfest because it has to do with magic and I'm a big fan.

This fun blogfest is from the wonderful minds of Tessa *waves hi to Tessa* and Laura (nice to meet you). The blogs are in the picture but I'll link Tessa's too cause that's where I signed up since I didn't know Laura and her blog. Check out the other entries: Tessa's blog.

About the Blogfest:

"Write or share something you've already written that, to you, shows the nature of magic. It can be an excerpt from your WIP, something you've written especially, poetry, whatever strikes your fancy. It just needs to show the nature of magic as it exists for you or for those you write about. Unless you're writing poetry, try to keep the entries somewhere between 250-1000 words."

While I have a number of magical people in my variety of novels, I haven't written much yet with how their magic works. I'm almost ready to write about the boy in my dystopian type YA who can use magic to fix the border that protects the village. Really close but not quite there. So, I went with the mutants. It is almost like magic and the electricity one (Noah) is fun. Hope it works cause umm, that's all I'm posting for this. hehehe

My Entry:

Beads of sweat flushed out his system, drenching his clothes as Noah focused a ball of electricity between his fingers. He'd spent almost an hour on the one test and it took him more effort to fail than it would have taken to pass. The sweat itself, forced in an effort to show a true effort, took more energy than the electricity that coursed in his hand. He concentrated on the levels leaving his body. A few more minutes and the automatic system would give him the signal to quit and he'd be free for another month.

Flashes of red entered his peripheral vision. He made a final effort blasting an orb of electricity at the target, making sure to miss the mark by a decent enough margin. The red lights flashed again then shut down, the simulation finished with a groaning buzz.

He exited the chamber while faking to be out of breath, prepared to face his father.

"What the hell was that?"

"I did my best. I came so close that last time." He sucked in air, wiping a line of sweat from his brow. He avoided the unhappy gaze falling upon him from the furrowed face of his father. He knew how he would react, this was a repeat of the past few years.

A snapping sound broke the awkward silence that had followed his statement. Segments of a steel edged clip board clattered upon the cement in a pile of debris. It had been crushed by his father's large hands, the muscles in his arms still bulging as a vein started to appear along his neck.

Gripping the edge of a chair, Noah waited for the onslaught that would ensue.

"That was beyond pathetic." His father's voice seemed to shake with the words. "I don't get how you can be so worthless. You passed level nine almost ten years ago, but you can't even get past level ten. Your brother is up to level fifteen and he had not even half the promise you did."

"I don't know what to tell you. I am doing the best I can." Noah bit his lower lip, trying to sound sincere. He awaited for the usual assignment, but it did not come. Looking up at his father, he saw something he'd never noticed before: disappointment.

Tossing the pen to the floor, he shrugged. "I give up. It's not worth the struggle anymore. I should just come to terms with the fact that you'll always let me down."

Noah watched his father walk away, stunned. The color dropped from his face as he continued to stare long after the door had slammed shut. He took a few real breathes in, moving his hands from the chair back to the simulation panel. Feeling like a weight had been pushed upon his shoulders, he struggled to bear with the events of the day. At last, he stood straight up with a decision made. Fiddling with a few levers and buttons, he changed the test level from ten to thirty-seven and turned off the record segment. It was the last level he had passed when using the machine on his own. After a slight pause, he changed his mind and decided to go even harder, pushing it up to level forty.

Monday's Muse struggles

2011-03-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hello readers. Time for a slight break from blogfests. I am signed up for one more on this blog for March and none yet for April. I will be busy all of April on my other blog, doing the A to Z blogging challenge over at my Dawn Embers blog. Thought I would post another edition of Monday's Muse and give a slightly unfortunate update on my March Novel Writing challenge (lack of) progress.

Writing delays happen. There are a number of things that can stall a writer. Some are easier to fight through than others and for me, the problem has been pain and an infection. Because of those two things I haven't written in my YA novel for days even though I was trying to write the whole first draft this month alone. Life can get in the way too but luckily my new job doesn't take that much time away from writing so I should be doing more soon.

How does one recover from a setback? Glad I asked.

The thing not to do is completely give up. While it may be tempting, don't let a setback get to you so bad that you stop writing. Don't let the setback win!

One option is the simplest, sit down and start writing. Yeah, brilliant, I know. I can do this some of the time. When I've had a long break I will occasionally do the writing in a notebook instead of a computer to get going but it does help. Sometimes I just need to make myself start and then the words will eventually begin to flow as if I'd needed to write it instead of it being forced. This can be hard to do with major headaches though.

Another option is to rest. Sometimes a break is needed. This doesn't mean never go back to writing but sometimes our bodies/minds need a break, especially when dealing with illness. Forcing can only make things worse, so get the rest you need and then return to writing.

Then there is the re-evaluate. I am a big goal maker when it comes to my writing. I try to make a goal ever single month, in fact. But I don't always make those goals and part of the reason can be found within the struggles that cause delays. When I know I'm not going to make the goal, I keep going and soon make a new goal. Instead of giving up because I know I won't succeed per the original plan, I choose to evaluate and adjust a newer goal to work towards. It may take me longer but I'll get there one of these days and that's the main point.

Do you have setbacks?
How do you fight back against them?

Anniversary and Luck of Irish Blogfest

2011-03-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

First thing is first. Happy one year anniversary/birthday dear blog.

I first started this blog on wordpress to see if I'd like it over there but couldn't figure out how to even get a decent template up, so decided to stick with blogger. Even though I already had a blog using blogger (dawnembers.blogspot.com) I didn't like posting too much of my own writing on that one. I wanted to keep it about the subject of writing in general instead of always about my writing and with the addition of blogfests, I wanted a different place to post. Thus came It's in the Book. Hard to believe that I've only have the blog for a year considering this blog now has more followers than my first one, which is turning 2 in the beginning of May.

I will be holding a giveaway soon in celebration for this blogiversary and my official 2 year anniversary of blogging. I don't have things ready yet, but when I do I will post here and on the other blog. I hope to get 200 followers during the giveaway too, and there may be more prizes if I do. For now, have a piece of cake and enjoy the one year anniversary post.

Now for the blogfest.

Since today is the 17th of March, also known as St. Patrick's Day and over at cejourney it is the Luck o' the Irish SPD Blogfest. There are two hosts, but Colene's blog is the one where I heard about and signed up for this blogfest.

Blogfest Rules:
According to Colene's blog - "Write a 200ish word flash fiction entry about something to do with SPD(real, fantasy, whatever makes your pig squeal). OR, you could also write about a memory you have of a past SPD. In the end, we aren't being picky. Just make it goooood and make it about St. Patricks Day! (Leprechauns, luck, gold, green, clovers, beer, celebrations, etc. Funny, touching, horrifying, dark, fast-paced, romantic, etc.)"

Since the blogfest is supposed to be only 200 words long and the scene from Cinder Story (yep, Tessa, Jack is back) is going to be a lot longer than 200 words, I will post the first section now. Then I will write the rest and post it tomorrow for a Fiction Friday. It's still going to be longer than 200 words but this is only the first section. Enjoy!

My Entry:

Soon as the door was shut, Jack jiggled the handle to double check whether he had locked it or not. If his boss wanted to check his room for whatever reason, he had the key, but he hoped no one else would be able to get in during his first official two days off. With him, he had a small bag with some clothes for the next day and he wore a casual outfit. Green shirt and green socks were paired with black pants and shoes. He was happy to have his first time off being St. Patrick's day because his friends had already complained about his constant working and tonight was their annual green party. He could not only make it but not worry about how much he drank since he had tomorrow off too. But as he headed towards the front door, he only made it to the front room.

"But that's not fair." Alexa stood near the front door, purse in one hand and arms crossed over her chest as she pouted. She wore a glitter covered, dark green sleeveless shirt and a lighter green skirt. The high heeled shoes matched her shirt. "You let Ella and Bri go to parties. Why can't I go?"

Jack's boss, Alexa's stepfather shook his head. "I know the people they went out with. There won't even be alcohol there. You want to go to some beer party with a bunch of miscreants and I won't have it."

"Why can't he come with me?" Alexa pointed to Jack, which caused him to grimace.

He was so close to being out the door and off duty. A change of that would really suck but for once he didn't see his boss caving to the whims of the females in the house.

"No. Jack is not working tonight and even if he was, I am not letting you go to a hippie party."

Alexa looked ready to pretend to cry but she didn't do it this time. Instead she whined more. "But it's Saint Patrick's Day. I want to go have fun. Mom would let me go. Isn't there anywhere I can go?"

Then his boss looked up at him, his eyes almost had a look of pleading to them as he spoke. His voice wasn't as strong as it usually was when he made orders. "Jack. Do you have plans tonight?"

Jack fought a sigh before responding. "Yes sir. There is an annual party my friends host."

"Will there be drugs?"

It sounded like a trap but luckily the answer was an honest one. "No."

"I know it's your night off but would you, as a favor to me, take Alexa with you?" He said and continued before a yes was given. "Make sure she only has two drinks max, no shots, and don't let her hook up with some stranger. I'm counting on you to watch over her."

As usual, there wasn't really a way he could say no. So, Jack nodded even though he almost didn't want to go to the party now. He had no idea how Alexa would act around his friends nor did he want to find out. Without a choice, Jack lead her out the door as his mind tried to figure out how he would not only explain her presence but also how to make his job sound more that a personal assistant to the rich girl. It was going to be a long night.

World Building Wednesday

2011-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

I don't have much details done yet. Job and headaches plus blogfests stalled things, but then I had an idea for this post. Since it's the first after the announcement of the weekly idea, it might be a good idea to post the general areas that I plan to build for my fantasy world. Sound okay to you? Hope so cause I'm posting it anyways.

World Building Wednesday - Day 1

Areas to develop: (in no particular order

1. Elements / Faeries (fae, and other spellings to be decided which to use from)

2. Humans

3. Transportation/Travel

4. Land Masses/Countries/Worlds (aka Geography)
Cartography

5. Weather and Cosmology

6. Economics/Commerce

7. Language

8. Religion

9. Technology

10. Physics(science) and Magick

11. Government/Politics

12. Military/Police

13. Weaponry

14. Social Structure/Culture

15. Key Times in History

Potential for More....

What do you think?
Anything else I should add to the list?

Delusional Doom Blogfest Entry

2011-03-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for taking so long. I almost forgot about this blogfest and then it was on a day where I worked a split shift at work. But I'm getting it done along with commenting on posts still from my own blogfest. Today's is a blogfest influenced by the Ides of March.

Check the blog, Confessions of a Watery Tart for all the neat-o entries. ;-(

About the Blogfest:

"You can do ANY (or all) of the following:

Predict your own death

Predict someone ELSES death

Write your own obituary

Write someone ELSES obituary

Plot a murder of someone sorely asking for it, step by step

I don't care whether you do it by story, plot list, news article, PROPHECY (any seers in the group?). All I ask is that SAID DEATH be either very strange, unusual, bizarre...conspiratorial... or that the reporting be entertaining. "

This sounded fun but I'm really not big on death. So umm.. I'm just taking a flash fiction piece I wrote when I attempting horror for a friend. Someone is dead in it, so that counts right? *shrugs*

My Entry:

"Almost done." Budders the Clown set aside his ink needle before backing away to look at his handy work. He took a minute to wipe off the sweat from his forehead and then went over to his vanity stand. After a fresh application of white make-up he returned to his project.

"What do you think Celia?" He waited for her answer and then nodded in agreement. "You're right, as usual. The black hair with the purple and green dress will look gorgeous."

Budders went to get the dress and then began the process of setting up his new mannequin so that he could prepare her for the new wardrobe. There still were a couple of pressing matters that needed to happen before the dressing stage. He wasn't one to rush into things but this doll excited him more than most of the others. He hadn't felt this in a long time; the energy and desire.

"I really need to clean up around here. This place is such a mess and not suitable for the company of a refined woman." Budders muttered half to himself and half to his lovely blonde Celia.

He went to the work of spraying the important sealant over the ivory skin of his new model. Didn't want the skin to get damaged or have traces of dirt or any other material. With the coat on he could then affix the luscious black wig. The hair felt as soft as silk and had the sweet smell of island flowers.

"Perfect." Budders nodded as he finished with the dress.

Cleaning up took him a lot longer than he liked but it was a necessary hassle when it came to mannequin making. If the shop wasn't spotless and all evidence properly disposed he would have big problems.

Budders winked. "Can't have evidence just lying around."

Once the area was clean and everything stowed away, he broke out the champagne. With a full glass he toasted his new woman, or the new version of the woman he'd met in the grocery store. "Here's to you. My beautiful Savannah."

Broken Hearts Blogfest

2011-03-13T01:50:00.000-08:00

Yay! My blogfest is here! I am so excited if you can't tell. I managed to make the first day, (13th) one of the busiest days within the two week time frame of last week and this week. So, I probably won't be commenting on entries until Monday, but I promise that by Tuesday night I should have commented on anyone who remembers to post an entry.

About My Blogfest:
Pretty simple to interpret. I considered going horror, or break up but figured the broken heart would be more open to interpretation and different genres. It can be flash fiction, poetry, non-fiction, anything except 5,000 words cause umm, that's a little too long and I probably won't comment on it. Shorter tends to be better for me when it comes to reading on the computer. Anyways, the basic idea is to write about a heart breaking or one that is already broken. Show us the wretched emotions, the anger, depression, fear, whatever happens after the happy honeymooon lovey-dove V-day stuff is over and all that is left is a broken heart.

The "Rules":
1. Sign up on the linky thing located below.
2. Try to sign up before the 15th, if possible.
3. Post your entry on your blog along with a link to the blogfest.
4. Try to keep entries below 1,000 words if possible.
5. Read other people's entries and leave comments.
6. Eat ice cream and chocolate to feel better... okay, you don't have to do that if you don't want to. ;-)

Check out all the entries:

The Story:
I considered writing a backstory piece for Cinder Story about Jack and why he is putting work first but with the busy weekend and everything, I've decided to do something pre-written that I revised instead. This is backstory at the moment for the Angel/Demon paranormal romance and is before Elijah becomes an angel.

My Entry:

"Why are you sick?"

Elijah looked into the sad eyes of his little sister and sighed. Sitting in the hospital room chair close to his bed she looked tiny. The past few years had been hard on them all. His family had to endure so much and he knew it was his fault.

Pushing up against the crunching white sheets, he winced as he tried to sit up a little more. The IV strung across his bed barely moved during his attempt. He had to choose his words carefully. "I did some not good things."

"What things?"

She was too young for him to tell her the whole truth. He had to find a different way to answer. After a few minutes of silent thought, Elijah found something more to say. "Do you remember when I was gone for a long time a few years ago?"

After she nodded, he continued. "Well, during that time I did some bad things, ones that go against God."

"Ohhh. But can't you ask God to forgive you?"

"I ask for his forgiveness every day."

"Will he ever forgive you and make you not sick?"

The questions hurt almost more than the truth of the situation. He hated being the one to explain this to her but their parents were having a hard enough time handling things and they probably thought it was better if she didn't know. But he continued to try and explain, to give her some answers at least. "It doesn't work that way. He forgives me for my sins but I still have to face the consequences. I just have to hope that the afterlife will be better."

The sound of high pitched crying made them stop. Their parents were out in the hallway talking with one of the doctors. It seemed the doctor didn't want to tell Elijah himself the bad news but he already knew. He could feel it.

After the sound of crying died down, Tessa spoke. "Are you going to die?"

He wanted to say no, to protect her but he knew it wouldn't do her much good. He couldn't shield her forever from the painful truth. "I might, but everyone does at some time or another."

"I don't want you to die." She jumped from the chair and onto his hospital bed, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was the only one that would get close to him anymore. Most people knew he wasn't contagious but that didn't stop them from being afraid. It came with the disease; the distance.

"I don't want to die either. But I can't stop it from happening." He had to hold back the tears. "I'm so sorry to put you through all this."

She didn't respond to his apology. Instead she looked him in the eyes, "Will you come back and visit me when you are in Heaven?"

"You think they will let me in Heaven?"

"Don't be silly. Of course they will let you in and you will be the prettiest angel there." She kept her arms around him.

"Thanks. Then, yes, I will visit you whenever I can."

"I want you to be my guardian angel."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'll see what I can do about that when I get there."

Coming Soon: Epic Giveaway for Blogiversaries

2011-03-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

This blog turnes 1 on March 17th. Hard to believe I've only had it that long but it's true. And I have well over 100 followers, which is amazing. My first blog, dawnembers.blogspot.com, is going to be 2 on May 1st. I would love to have 200 followers by then for this blog and the other one to coincide my celebration of blogging for 2 years, or after the blogiversaries, either works.

So, I am holding a joint giveaway with... myself. But I need a little help. I'd love to make part of this giveaway international. And if people are willing to donate prizes, then I can give even more stuff away because I'm definitely not rich so resources are limited. Some of the prizes will be online gift cards for books because we all like books. There may also be special packages, depending. Mostly, I want this to be fun.

This massive giveaway has a couple of purposes. Blogiversary, of course, since this blog is going to be 1 and the other will be 2. And then there are the followers. I get excited with each new follower I gain and on both blogs I am close to 200 followers. Wouldn't it be cool, if by my 2nd anniversary of blogging I had 200 followers on each blog? I think so. Less than 40 per blog to make that goal and even if it isn't until after the giveaway, that will be okay too. Either way, I am in awe at how many wonderful people want to follow my blogs and read what I have to say. Even better than 200 followers by then will be if more than 20 people enter the giveaway. I haven't had a super successful giveaway yet and this epic one could be the One.

Right now I'm considering for prizes:

e-cards for book depository

special packages (pencils, journals, maybe something from specialty store in town, other)

maybe critiques, not sure from whom

candy? I don't know, might avoid the food this giveaway, not sure

The only specific books I'll give this time will be if someone donates and at least a couple prizes will be the gift cards so that people can purchase what they want. Choice is usually a good thing.

I am open for suggestions.

How long is too long for a blogfest? I am considering starting at one blogiversary and ending at the other but that's a long time. March 17th to May 1st is over a month long. But it does make sense for a double blog giveaway.

Any other ideas on how to make the prizes international? Right now we have the book depository idea because it has free shipping anywhere. I don't know much outside of the US, so if someone with experience knows of some other great options, I'd love to hear them.

Looking forward to the start of the giveaway in the future. All are invited.

World Building Wednesday

2011-03-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

(Image link: annastan.com)

That's right. Instead of WIP(work in progress) or WCOA (Word Count Obsessors Anonymous) Wednesdays, I am going to switch things up and start a new weekly posting options. The word count obsession is still present and will be posted on weekends along with work in progress posts when we don't have blogfests to get in the way.

Wednesday is now dedicated to World Building.

Honesty first: in most of my novels so far, even the epic YA/adult fantasy mutant series, I haven't done anything in the way of world building. I just wrote the drafts and hope it was good enough. Because I am really not much of a planner in the way of making notes before writing. That includes character, plot, and setting. Even though I have some idea of the fantasy world in the series, I don't have things figured out on paper like government, language, class, etc. So, why the heck have a weekly post dedicated to something I almost never do? The almost part.

I started world building for a fantasy novel last year and with the 6 other novels in progress it has gone very slow. I want to figure out this novel so that once I'm done with umm 2 different drafts that are in progress maybe I can start writing the first draft to it. (Yes, I may be a bit insane when it comes to how many novels I have going at one time.) And I need motivation. What better than a post once a week about the world I'm working on?

Makes sense right? I mean, people are seeing the first draft of the Cinder type story as it unfolds through blogfests so they might be interested to see a world created on the blog as well. Or I hope. And if they aren't interested then I guess I'll have a weekly post with no comments, but that's okay too. It's partly for me, the weekly world building thing, anyways.

So that is today's post. The announcement of a weekly post that will come umm, next week.
Check my other blog for my post on world building in general: On World Building

For now:
Do you do world building before writing the first draft?
Second then?
At all?

Title Suggestions Needed

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yep. I'm asking people to suggest titles. Chances are I may combine or randomly come up with a different title but it's always interesting to see what other people would suggest. So far I've called this book "dystopian ya" (yeah, just the genre, not an actual title) and then started calling it either "border patrol" or "the border" but I don't really like either of them. I also considered "monster speaker" or something of that nature except it feels like it gives too much away and I try to have titles not give away important parts in the end of the novel.

The border is important in the novel. It's kind of like a fence only a magical/science technology one that keeps the monsters from invading most of the time. And they are starting to weaken though most of the village doesn't know the extent of the problem. But it's sort of boring when it comes to titles. There are two main characters, both boys. One is from the village in the mountains and the other shows up in the village, one of the first (along with his "family") in a long time to ever make it into the village since the outside area from the border is too dangerous for travel.

For now, the village boy is named Wyck, after the wick of a candle. A name his mom chose and she died when he was young. The new boy, one I have more idea for at the moment, is called Sage. I'm not completely set on names yet but they are growing on me. Wyck keeps to himself usually, not even talking much with his father after losing his mom. Sage is new and different, so not many are willing to approach him.

The village is ran by a woman whose title I haven't figured out yet. She controls pretty much everything and whether she's really bad or just doing what she thinks is best for the village is hard to figure out. Aside from the regular village stuff, she often instructs the border patrol and picks which of the village boys will be put on it once they have reached a certain age. But she angers the leader of the patrol, Wyck's father, when she orders the underaged Sage to the patrol. There are three borders, technically. One in the middle of the village, one encircles the rest of the village (or what they think is the rest of the village) and the one after that. The Patrol works between the last two, searching for monsters and fixing the border whenever they can though the materials needed are running low.

It's about a time of struggle where a village is kept ignorant of the danger that is going to one day break through the border and a boy who possesses abilities none other have anymore that know one can understand.

I posted images linked to the novel on a Monday's Muse post.
http://itsinthebookde.blogspot.com/2011/01/mondays-muse-on-saturday.html

And I wrote the first line of the novel for a blogfest.
http://itsinthebookde.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-creation-blogfest.html

Have I rambled enough yet?
Confused?
Have a title idea?

I am open to suggestions.

Hot Kiss Blogfest (m/m)

2011-02-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

(image link: static.desktopnexus.com)

Kiddies go to bed. ;-) Just kidding. I won't post the dirty part, I promise. But this is supposed to be hot, and I hope I accomplish that much. Because it's a Hot Kiss blogfest. The host, Tara, originally planned to have it on valentine's day but after another kiss blogfest was announced for the same day she decided to move the date. Check out her blog for the other entires: http://t-fouts.blogspot.com.

About the blogfest:
"1. this blogfest tests your skills on writing a hot kiss scene without the sex. Of course, if it leads up to that, that's fine.
2. scenes can be up to an R rating
3. scenes are to be posted on February 27th, 2011 at 8pm PST.
4. It can be as long or as short as you want.
...
6. HAVE FUN. go nuts. Go wild. :-) and remember...keep it H-O-T!!"

This is a tough pick because I already posted a really great kiss scene from my romance/erotica novel, Hellenic Distractions, for the Kiss Already blogfest. I considered picking another scene from that novel since there are plenty of kisses and naughty stuff. Or there is the novella/novel that I'm working on right now that my fan really loves, which doesn't have a title (unlike me, I know). But I decided, just now, why not post the new scene I wrote. Okay, not all of the scene because it was for the Weekly Quickie contest on writing.com, which means it's an erotic scene. But the kiss went pretty well. Oh, and if you read this, I know I need to change one character's name but I'm too lazy right now. lol

I don't know where this could go but for now, here is the kiss.

(Image from: Josh @ weheartit)

My Entry:

Talking on the phone in a public art museum probably wasn't the most respectful option but not many were there so Lee answered when it rang.

"Yello?" Lee tried to at least not talk too loud but the one other guy in the little blue room with white and gray paintings gave him a glance of surprise. After several minutes of listening, Lee shook his head. "It's not that easy. I can't go up to a random stranger and ask if they want to sleep with me. I'm in Philly and unless I know for sure the guy is gay, I'm not risking getting beat up for a random fling. Besides, I'm not that lucky."

"You're lame too. Bye." He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. He couldn't help but glance at the one person who had probably overheard his conversation. The man looked to be a couple years younger, more like 24, with thin wire glasses that worked well with his short blond hair. He wore a sleek black jacket over pinstriped shirt and green pants.

"Sorry about that." Lee said, in reference to talking on the phone. He turned his attention back to the different paintings in the room until he heard the man mumble something. It almost sounded like the man said, "I'd do you."

When he glanced back over, the man immediately blushed as he immediately looked down at the floor. It was cute so Lee figured 'why not' and walked over to him. He offered a hand along with an introduction. "I'm Lee."

"Riley." He shifted his weight from left to the right before shaking the offered hand. His hand was a little clammy and he bit his lower lip after letting go.

"So, your place or my hotel room?"

The reaction that came next was amusing as Riley blushed, his mouth fell open and words struggled to come out. "I.. I didn't.. you..."

Lee smirked. This was more fun than he had expected it would be from the start of the conversation. After a moment of the most awkward silence he'd experienced before, he gave a different question. "How about this: do you know where I can get a good cheesesteak sandwich? I was told to try them since I'm in Philly."

"I do." Riley nodded, flashing his teeth as he smiled.

"Let's go." Lee led the way out of the museum with Riley close behind.

A couple hours later, Lee stood outside his hotel room, card key in hand and a nervous looking Riley standing next to him. After opening the door, Lee addressed him. "Thanks for dinner. Do you want to come in?"

All Riley had to do was nod before Lee gently tugged on the front of his jacket, pulling him into the room before shutting the door. He pressed his body against Riley until they were against the door as one hand slid from his chest up to the door while the other found its way into his soft blond hair. The scent of sweet peppers lingered, which was more pleasant than he would have expected. It reminded him of the moment in the restaurant when he'd watched Riley take a bite of a Philly cheesesteak, the cheese dripping down below his lower lip. He wanted to kiss him then but had managed to control himself.

Their foreheads pressed together as Lee looked deep into light hazel eyes, a delightful moment before he tilted his face to the left a nudge. He breathed in deep, then pressed his lips against Riley's.

Lee was gentle at first, reserved. Mouth closed, he focused on how their lips touched, experiencing the top lip, the bottom one and then both together. He trailed from one corner of Riley's mouth to the other and back again. Aching to push his tongue in, to experience the electric sensation of the moment a kiss deepened in erotic bliss, it wasn't easy holding back. He managed to wait until the sensation of tingled wetness from a tongue sliding against his lips begged to pull him in more, to deepen the kiss. His lips opened and achieved the wanted moment as Riley's tongue first slipped in and their tongues brushed together. Encouraged, Lee pulled harder, his tongue dominating as he hungered for more. Fingers dug into his back, dragging downward as a shiver shot up his spine...

My Apology: I have to stop here because if I go much further this blog is going to need a new, more adult rating and I really don't want that. So, I am going to do something I haven't before. I am apologizing. Sorry for building up such a scene and stopping before it's done. I might be able to show people who are interested the flash fiction version on writing.com that has what happens next, though the kiss isn't as good there because I was limited to 869 words for the whole story. If I expand it, this kiss definitely goes in. But for now, sorry for the harsh emptiness after the build-up of a hot kiss. The whole thing needs expanded, and despite not needing another potential umm novella, this may become one.

Pay It Forward blogfest

2011-02-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

(image link: lovestitches)

About the blogfest:
Go to this link in order to see the blog host and anyone else participating: Haley Jo's Blog

"You have until February 23rd to post a scene (either from scratch or something you already wrote) to your blog that deals with paying it forward. How your characters do so (good or bad) is up to you. I'm looking forward to some really interesting entries here. When the day of the blogfest arrives, everyone on the list will go around and read all the scenes and tell everyone how awesome they did! Sounds like fun, right? I think so."

I am always for taking part in writing friend's blogfests and this is one that may not have 50 entries but I'm more than happy to post something. And I get to show a different side to Jack, along with posting another small section. This line doesn't relate to the story but hopefully it shows there is more to him than his job.

My Entry:

Jack put the last piece of tape on the shiny green wrapping and set the box aside. One down only 150 more to go. He stared at the bins of toys before checking his watch. If no one came to help it was going to be a really long night. Thankfully, as he picked up a boxed doll, a door opened.

Ella stepped into the room carrying another load of colorful wrapping paper. She set it down before pulling on her long red sweater moving the hem a little further down her black jeans. "I can't believe you do this every year."

"Well, this is the first year at this scale." Jack shrugged. He had always donated time, money and toys for the charity Toys for Tots but this year he'd mentioned the charity to his boss' wife and she'd taken that as an invitation to overtake the event to show how charitable she can be to her friends. And the women all loved children, so naturally everyone she knew donated. "Do you think the others are going to show, or is it just me and you?"

Putting her hair into a ponytail, Ella sighed. "Just me and you. They are getting a mani-peti. Charity work isn't really something they do anyways."

"One is better than none." Jack smiled at her. "Let's get to work."

My Idiom blogfest entry

2011-02-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

(image link: businessenglishebook.com)

This is a fun blogfest but it requires a little explanation first. Idiom is a fun word to mean a type of phrase of saying. The exact definition is "a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual." Common ones are: raining cats and dogs, spill the beans, and the early bird catches the worm.

Sometimes we use these in stories without even knowing it but today, the goal of the blogfest is to write a scene based on an idiom or to use them in some other way that a reader might be able to find.

Web sites:
http://www.businessenglishebook.com/Business-English-Idioms.htm
http://www.idiomsite.com/
http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php

About the Blogfest:
"The idea is to take an idiom and make a short story (or scene from your next novel, whichever you prefer, but please indicate which you did in your entry) out of it. It doesn't matter how you do it. Make the idiom the first line. Make the overall theme of the story fit the idiom. Whatever, just get the idiom in there. Oh, genre doesn't matter, either. I like to read everything."

Go here and check out the host and other entries: procrastinationrehabilitation.blogspot.com

For this one, I am bringing back Jack. Yay! Cinder Story has returned with an entry full of idioms. I hope that I'm doing this right. It was hard picking a spot in the story since I'm sort of doing these scenes at random. This is before the Prince ones but after the almost kiss scene with Alexa. It's not quite finished (the overall scene) but I didn't want people to wait too long or to have to read a really long entry. So, there is more to come after this. I promise.

My Entry:

It was becoming a rare occasion, Mr. Mann being home during the weekend. Most of his time was spent either out of town or away working at the office that Jack had only seen once. When he was home, Daniel Mann was in his home office, working. Made it obvious why he needed an assistant to take care of his family, since he was too busy to do any of the house care on his own but that was something Jack had accepted when he had taken the job. Growing up, Jack's mom had always said not to judge a book by its cover but that was hard to do when seeing the results of ignoring three barely adult aged women in exchange for working to gain money.

This meeting was an unusual one. Ever since the surprise morning visit in his room at the house after a more than awkward night working for Mann's wife they hadn't had a meeting, let alone one in the actual office. The bedroom meeting had ended surprisingly well since the night before, Corinne, his boss' wife, kissed him. Thankfully it was a closed mouth peck on the lips but still, it had him worried. But the meeting had been about something else entirely. Heading up to the house office room this time, Jack wasn't worried.

"Come in," Daniel Mann looked up as Jack knocked on the open door.

"You needed to see me, sir." Jack stepped into the office, speaking the formality even though both knew why he was there.

"Close the door."

The instruction was enough to spark some nerves. Usually Mann was an open book and any comments or job requirements had been given with doors left open. Shutting the office door, Jack couldn't help but wonder if this was an evaluation or something else. Not knowing always made him worry.

"Sit." Mann pointed a pen to one of the chairs across from him as he remained seated at the desk. "Do you know why I asked you to come here today?"

It caught Jack off guard. The question felt like when a cop pulls someone over for speeding or something but like the one time he'd been pulled over, he wasn't sure what he could have done. His worry increased because it was almost obvious with one question that he was in trouble and he had no idea why. As he began to feel a prick of nerves, he responded. "No, sir."

"Well," he put the pen down, leaning both his elbows on the mahogany surface. It wasn't a good stance and the look on his face read tension. "This is a part of my job that isn't easy. It took longer than I expected but I knew this would happen."

A dark cloud seemed to overshadow the room. Was he going to get fired already? That couldn't be it but Jack couldn't think of anything else that could be the tough part of the job that had any reference to him. No matter what, he had to wait and let Mann speak while keeping his composure. There would be time to break down later if it really was as bad as he sensed. For now, he waited for the boss to speak.

Mann finally continued. "After many different outings with my wife and daughters, I've heard a number of rumors. Normally, I can tell what has been taken out of context, what isn't true and what really happened. Like the one with my wife."

"Rumor with your wife?" Jack was confused. No one saw the kiss so what could people be saying. Aside from running errands he'd only gone to a couple of events when his boss couldn't get out of work in time to go.

"Don't worry, I know that you aren't an escort like she has people believing." As Jack blushed, Mann kept speaking. "She likes to have attention and rumors put a spotlight on here. I think she even prefers it to me going to these charity events because then people are talking about her. As long as you don't steal her thunder then she loves it."

Before Jack could say anything else, a surprise came when Mann said, "And I know about the kiss. But don't worry. Corinne told me and I know how affectionate she can be after one too many drinks. Normally I would say it takes two to tango in something like that but she said it was her and not you, so I'm prone to believe her. She loves to have her cake and eat it too, or at least have others think that."

As his face burned from embarrassment, Jack found himself asking a question to avoid discussing the most awkward moment so far on the job; having Corrine kiss him. "Is that the only rumor?"

"No. That is one I know for sure is a rumor but it's not why I asked you in here today." Mann's voice returned to a serious tone. "This has to do with Alexa."

(To Be Continued...)

Just Kiss Already! blogfest

2011-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Time for the Just Kiss Already blogfest and I'm excited for this one because it can be any type of kiss but involves that moment with characters where the reader is frustrated. They want them to kiss but it hasn't happened yet. But in this blogfest, I promise it is going to happen.

Blog Host: Christina Lee @ write-brained.com and Stina Lindenblatt @Stina's Blog

About the Blogfest:
"On February 14th (Valentine's Day), post an excerpt from either your own work, or another's authors work you admire (give them credit, though), beginning at 7 am EST. *But* make sure the excerpt is no longer than 250 words (it's tiring to read long excerpts). And if there's an intro to the scene, please, keep that short too!"

I wanted to do Cinder for more blogfests but these kiss ones just don't work. I'm not ready to write when Jack and the prince character kiss. Maybe next year. So again, Tessa has to wait (and whoever else likes Jack and the cinderella novel I've been writing through blogfests). So, I decided to go with an excerpt that I cleaned up from my first draft of a romance/erotica novel called Hellenic Distractions. Some info you need to know. Alex is the main character. Tyson is his best friend. He loves Tyson but pretends he doesn't through most of the book because they dated when they were young and he got his heart broken. After 2/3rd of the novel, this scene comes and I hope once I've revised, it will be a "kiss already" type of moment. I tried to keep it close to the recommended word count but I didn't actually count. Oh well.

My Entry:

Alex shut the door, giving a devilish grin. “Okay. What seems to keep you from getting someone into bed?”

“I don’t know.” Tyson moved over, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Every time I get even close, I keep thinking and...”

“You are thinking too much.” Alex jumped to the conclusion. He pulled Tyson up, placing himself between Tyson and his bed. He brought his hand to run it through Tyson’s soft hair. “You need to think less with this.” Alex said as he rubbed his temple.

“Let me guess,” Tyson laughed. "I should think with what is in my pants?"

Alex smirked as he brought his hand down to rest on the edge of Tyson's pants. It was a little surprising that no attempt was made to move his hand. “No. You shouldn’t think too much with that either. There are two places that you should think from when it comes to passion.”

“Oh really?” Tyson seemed to be trying to figure out what Alex could possibly be suggesting but didn't seem to come up with the solution on his own. “And what might those two things be?”

Alex moved his hand up into Tyson’s shirt slightly above his stomach. “Right here is one; your soul.”

“My soul?” He laughed as he put his hand over Alex’s, over his shirt. “So, my soul is in my diaphragm.”

“Yep. The next one is a little north.” He moved his hand up farther, placing it over his heart. “This is the other one.”

Tyson’s hand followed up, pressing Alex’s hand against his chest. He didn’t respond, but instead closed his eyes for a minute.

Alex moved closer, pressing his body up to Tyson’s. Having his eyes shut was an advantage and so he brought his mouth next to his ear and started to whisper. “You have the possibility for so much passion if you let yourself.”

There was a pause as Tyson listened. Then he turned his head and caught Alex by surprise. Their lips brushed together lightly at first before both pressed further into each other.

Only a secondary thought passed through Alex’s mind, that they shouldn’t be doing this but he couldn’t stop. He wanted Tyson and now that was coming true.

YAmore blogfest

2011-02-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

(#Randomfest entry is located below this one.)

That's right. Two in one day. This is the YAmore, also known as Young Adult romance, blogfest. The host is the blog, Oasis for YA. While I tend to write adult, I'm all for having young adult stories that include minor romance plots (not as into full on romance novels but that's cause I don't even read full romance novels as an adult). Plus, it's always fun to show gay boys in love and I definitely won't let that opportunity pass me.

About the blogfest:

"Starting the Friday before Valentine's Day (that's February 11th), we invite you to post 250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP. Then check out the entries from some of the other participants. (Just be sure you have a fan and/or a cold glass of water on hand.) We know your Valentine will appreciate you getting yourself in a romantic state of mind..."

But keep it YA.

My entry was hard to pick because I only have a couple YA novels that I've worked on at all, but I have a number waiting to be written. I didn't know which to use, and any newer ones would mean picking character names, which is a struggle for me. Going with the dystopian novel that I'm going to write in March. Still working on character names and such. Sorry if it's too long. I'm not a flash fiction writer. I struggle with a 869 word contest let alone getting romance feelings through in 250 words. Will try to keep it as short as I can.

My Entry:

It's an awkward moment for Sage. Standing in the room with his only friend, Wyck, who looks ready to either cry or curse and unable to do anything about it. But he can't comfort him, not in front of Wyck's father. It would be too weird.

"You should stay and eat something," Wyck's father says. "I have to record the monster, where the breech happened and figure out what supplies we have to patch the hole in the bottom of the border."

Then he leaves and Sage takes a step forward but he doesn't make it over far enough. His mind races with comments made recently; how there were people who thought their friendship was something more. How Wyck's father even mentioned the idea but he doesn't care if they are because all he wants is his son to be happy and maybe talk to him. He hopes Wyck knows how lucky he is to have a father who cares that much about him.

Soon words startle to fumble in almost sentences from Wyck as he clenches the back of a wooden chair. "That woman. She, what did I ever do, why? I don't get, it's like she wants me to lose everyone I care about."

Sage wants to comfort him. He doesn't like the woman either but he can't say for sure she is even able to plan such an attack to happen. "She didn't. Your father is fine and I barely have a few scratches from tripping."

He doesn't respond but it's obvious he is holding back from crying now.

After many thoughts of how to make things better, Sage finds himself doing something he hadn't considered. Moving in front of Wyck, he places his arms around him with the intentions of just a hug. Then he presses his forehead against Wyck's and theirs lips touch for a moment. At once, he let's go and backs away saying as fast as he can, "I'm sorry."

Wyck doesn't look angry at least, but he does say, "don't," before getting interrupted.

"I know. I shouldn't have. It's people, they have said things and it made me wonder. I should probably go." Sage starts to leave until Wyck grabs his bicep, pulling him back.

"No," Wyck says, "I meant don't be sorry."

#Randomfest Entry

2011-02-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Howdy all. I really like this blogfest as it comes from the super mind of Loralie and her blog, http://blog.apathyshero.com/. She is awesome so check out her blog along with the others who are taking part of the blogfest. Too see the blogfest entries go to this post: http://blog.apathyshero.com/2011/01/randomfest-blogfest.html

(If looking for YAmore entry, that will be posted this afternoon. 2 blogfests on one day.)

I have two entries. Why two? Well, the first is one I found in a notebook from high school and in all honesty, I'm not sure if I wrote it or my friend Micah did. We were in Academic Decathlon together and we could have written it together, or I could have written it or maybe she did. It does read as nonfiction but I obviously had some fiction element attempt planned or she did. Something like that.

And the second entry is all mine but I know nothing about it. Even though I've started writing paragraphs for each idea I get so that I won't forget what the idea was, this is an exception. Somehow, on my idea stickies note, there were only three words written for that idea.

Entry 1: Random story started in notebook during senior year Academic Decathlon
Author: Me or maybe Micah Brandt
Title: The Gift of the Moon God
Prologue

For thousands of years the Indians, Pueblo of South America, live in part of Central and Eastern South America. Now they live principally in Paraguay. The word "guarani" means warlike and before the 16th century the tribes were fierce and bellicose. But after the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the jungles of Paraguay, the Guaranies converted into a peaceful town and industrious. Although Spanish is the official language of the Republic of Paraguay, the language Guarani speak with much frequency...

I had great vocabulary skills as a teen. Wish I still had them. Need to read more.

Entry 2: Random idea I know nothing about from 2010

Gods in training

Who is the character? What is the plot? Which Gods? I have no idea. Where did the idea even come from? No idea either because I don't even remember writing it.

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

I haven't done one of these posts in awhile. I haven't been working as much on my novels as I should either. There are 4 blogfests coming up this month, so there will be plenty of posts with writing, so no worries there. Just need to figure out how to stay unstuck in my WIP.

image link

After the 15 for 15 contest ended, won 3 days out of 15, which is better than any other attempt I've made. Then I've been entering friends erotica contest on Writing.Com, which is fun. I actually won first place one time so far. That is always nice. Novel wise, progress is slow.

I have been trying to get Tattle Tell done so I can edit and send to beta readers. I said I would send it out in March, but I haven't finished the second draft yet and will need to take a tiny break before editing. This ending is going to be tough for me and it took me a long time to get done the first time around. And the biggest problem hasn't come up yet. I don't know what type of punishment the government agency would do.

Slight problem since it's at the height of the conflict in the novel. Kind of important and needs solving asap. I am not there yet but it's coming up soon. He has only had one bad thing happen so far but he's about to fall down the mountain in the plot metaphor I'm going for, lol. Poor character. I need ways to torture him and it's not my biggest strong suit. So, I struggle a bit.

Hope to still get it done by March because I'm going to start writing a dystopian YA and I am so excited to start yet another one.

Need a good title for the new one too. Right now it's either "The Border" or "Border Patrol" and both kind of ummm suck. Will ponder after I finish Tattle Tell 2nd draft.

How is your WIP doing?
Starting any new novels soon?

Smitten Blogfest

2011-02-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Held from Feb. 1st - 14th. Thanks Sommerleigh! This is a great idea.

About the blogfest:
Sommerleigh at her blog, http://sommerleigh.com/?p=2123, is the wonderful host and had a very interesting idea. From the blog:
"I want you to tell a story about love lost, love found, love almost was, love never could have been, but I want it to be your story. I want you to share a tiny piece of your heart with the world. The length is up to you, the style of storytelling is up to you. Tell it in pictures if you like. Tell it in art. Tell it in prose or poetry or essay or a piece of 15 word micro-fiction. Whatever you like."

This is a new and special treat for everyone who reads this entry. It's not a fiction story. That's right: no Cinder, mutants, angels, demons or even gay male characters. This is going to be a true story told in the style of creative nonfiction. Mine is a tale of unrequited love.

Fate at the Movies

Dawn stood on the street corner as the sun started to go down. Looking at her watch, she sighed, crossing her arms over her large red t-shirt. Kyle was late as usual. The movie didn't start till 7:30 but they always planned to meet at 7 to get popcorn and a good seat at the small town's one-screen movie theater. She looked up in time to see a thin blonde wearing a mini skirt walk up with her arm looped with a tall boy. The girl looked happy with her makeup covered face shining as she laughed at something the boy said. Watching, Dawn tugged at her red shirt to pull it down past the waist of the dark blue jean shorts she had on. She wished her stomach could be flat like the girl's.

"I'm here." Kyle announced. His hands up in the air as he struck a pose.

This made Dawn smile. Boys at school always made fun of him, called Kyle gay but she didn't care. He was a really good friend. All summer they went to the movie every friday, the first day each movie was shown. She joked with him but she never minded waiting. "It's about time."

They joked around for another minute and then headed inside. The line was a whole three people long, which was long for the small town's movie theater but it was Friday night. After a ticket was bought, which cost a whole 3 dollars, they moved over to the next line: the concessions one. They managed an idle chat while they waited for the person in front of them to finish because there was only one boy working with the drinks and food.

The minute Dawn stepped forward to the glass case of candy, she froze.

Behind the counter, a short male stood looking at her, waiting for her order. He was a few inches taller than Dawn, which was really short. His hair was blondish with an odd curl for such a short length and his eyes were a perfect blue. A small name tag pinned to his chest displayed a name: Frank. After a moment of silence, he smiled at her, his eyes shining as he said, "Do you want anything?"

"Oh, umm," Dawn snapped back to reality. She felt a blush start to form in her cheeks. "A medium popcorn and coke."

She couldn't help but watch as he scooped the popcorn and prepared the cup for her soda. A strange feeling of deja vu crawled through her mind and down her spine. She knew she was staring but she didn't know what else to do.

Even during the movie, when she was safe in the dark room with the screen flickering humorous shows, all she could think about was him, his eyes and the feeling.

What happened?

Well, nothing. I met him again in high school where we became friends as we were in band, choir, speech, and drama together. Eventually he went to college and a year later I graduated and went to college. There was always a strange connection between us that I couldn't label. One point I tried to get a tarot reading online and the person ending up reading things about him instead of me. I got over the "crush" while in college and even pulled up the courage to tell him once that I had a crush on him in high school. He had no idea.

You've Come a Long Way Blogfest

2011-02-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Christine H at The Writer's Hole is hosting a fun blogfest & contest in celebration of the progress she has made in the 4 years she has been working on her novel. While I'm not one to work on a single novel at a time let alone for years, I certainly support those that are capable of doing such.

About the blogfest:

Anyone can enter the contest, but for those entering the blogfest the idea is to post something written awhile ago, first drafts and such. Then either post the rewrite or do the rewrite and then post. See how far your writing has come since that first version. Ideally, years of writing practice would make one better at it. So, post a section of a story and then show how much you have grown.

My entry is one that I have posted in a few different blogfests, both drafts. It's the only part of the YA novel I'm willing to share because it's also the first novel I will have ready to submit to agents. The first version was written during nanowrimo 2007. Have I improved since then? Maybe. You'll have to let me know.

Draft 1 (2007)

"Look what I can do."

Why do they always show off? If only they would keep their new found tricks a secret, at least from me. Watching Levi Jareks spin a coin across the top of his notebook without touching it brings a sinking feeling to my stomach.

I will have to tell. The men in suits will arrive at my parents house some afternoon expecting me to share any "unordinary activities" that I had seen since their last visit.

Telling never bothered me, until now. Before it had been someone that I either didn't know, or didn't like. But this time it is different. Levi is one of the few that I can call a friend. He was the first one to talk to me when we started school that very first year and is the only one of my classmates that has been to my house.

I spend the rest of the day unable to concentrate. I keep looking at Levi, noticing different things about him that I had never noticed before. It's amazing what I ignored in the past.

During Mathematics, the unfortunate first class of the day, he isn't fully awake. Participation is at a minimum and halfway through the class it seems he has found more interest in the back of his eyelids instead of the greenish sea floating with white math problems. Levi's blonde hair soon pools upon his wrist as his forehead finds the sandy-toned desktop.

At this point I feel a bit weird. I should try and ignore him. It will be easier to place distance, to make things easier for me when he is taken by them. But I can't seem to pull myself away. I guess I want to etch everything about Levi into my mind in case he doesn't return. Most do, but there is a small chance that he won't.

After lunch, Levi has more energy than three kids combined. He must have had a sugared item in his pre-packed blue-boxed meal. His hand shoots up before Mr. Mann can finish his questions on ancient cultures and history. This energy follows to Literature class and in that one he sits behind me. His foot keeps a steady hum of motion against the back of my seat as the teacher drones on about the creation of the new literary limitations.

The final episode of the day happens during Fine Art. The energy expelled for most of the afternoon has lulled to an even level. I try to work on my pointillism but can't concentrate. Every single dot I make with the marker comes dangerously close to the ones already on the page. If I keep working in this manner, my picture will end up a solid mass instead of the fluttery dot mess that the assignment requires. Levi sits across from me on the long table that serves as our desk in the studio.

Every couple of minutes he glances up at me and our eyes meet. My face feels on fire but I can't look away. He never says anything about my odd behavior but he smiles each time he looks up. A queasy feeling twirls in the pit of my stomach. All I can think about is how I know his secret and the fact that my knowing will hurt him.

Draft 2 (2010-11)

A shiny copper coin spun across the school lunch table, almost grazing Ephram's left knuckle. He glanced up from his book he was reading to see that the coin didn't stop spinning or even slow down. Some unnatural force had to cause the movements and that could only mean one thing. His stomach sank at the thought.

"Look what I can do."

Levi stands on the other side of the table, a group surrounding him while he holds his hand above the spinning coin. As he concentrates, the coin changes directions. The spin slows down to an almost impossible rotation speed before increasing again.

Only one thing could give Levi that ability and that one thing makes Ephram sink in dread. It meant mutation. Under any other circumstances, he would feel relief to find another one like him, but that's not the case. Only one thing happens when he sees someone else with a genetic mutation and that one thing was a report to the men in suits.

"What do you think, Eph-man?"

The use of Levi's nickname for him brings Ephram's attention back to the moment. He looks up at Levi as he tries to come up with a good response. "Uh, yeah. Neat." He did his best to hide the fear that had started to build within.

It was only a matter of time before the suits would be at Ephram's parents' house and he'd have no choice. He had to tell them whenever he saw any new mutant activity no matter the age, type of mutation or any possible association. His friendship with Levi wouldn't be enough to keep him from having to tell. All he could do is hope that he would come back; not all returned.

Sounds of bells echoing from the building save him. Grabbing his books, he is able to run inside and not have to say anything more to his friend.

Math is his unfortunate first class of the day and one of the many he shares with Levi. Even though it's a subject Ephram does well at, he is unable to focus today. His mind drifts in and out as he pays more attention to Levi than the teacher.

Half way through the class, Levi glances back. He smiles and makes a beak shape with his hand, moving it open and closed.

Ephram smiles but it is fake. The joke is an old one of theirs because Levi always said that the math teacher talks too much and while he once thought it was funny, all he can think about is the soon to be betrayal. It had never bothered him to tell on others to the men in suits. This time, however, is different. He feels aching sensations but knows no cure. As he continues to focus on Levi, another feeling is added to the mix: awkwardness. He's never focused on someone so long before and feels weird. It's almost like he'd never looked a Levi before. He sees him in a whole new light with no idea how to understand the feelings that mixed within.

"Turn in your assignments." The teacher quit writing on the board long enough to get the attention of most the class by her demand.

Announcing Broken Heart Blogfest

2011-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Okay... So, the first half of february is full of lovey dovey type blogfests. There is Smitten, which is a blogfest/contest that is held from Feb 1-14. Then YAmore blogfest on the 11th and that is about young adult romance. And on the 14th there are 2 (that's right, 2) kissing blogfests, Hot Kiss and Just Kiss Already. That is a lot of kissing and love for one month, even for Valentine's Day. So, I decided to host my own blogfest a month after V-Day. This should give people enough time to sign up and write something. After the lovefest of blogfests in February, we need something different so here is my attempt.

I officially announce the Broken Heart Blogfest.
March 13-15th

(Thanks for the image, Mia. You're Awesomesauce!)

Pretty simple to interpret. I considered going horror, or break up but figured the broken heart would be more open to interpretation and different genres. It can be flash fiction, poetry, non-fiction, anything except 5,000 words cause umm, that's a little too long and I probably won't comment on it. Shorter tends to be better for me when it comes to reading on the computer. Anyways, the basic idea is to write about a heart breaking or one that is already broken. Show us the wretched emotions, the anger, depression, fear, whatever happens after the happy honeymooon lovey-dove V-day stuff is over and all that is left is a broken heart.

The "Rules":

1. Sign up on the linky thing located below.
2. Try to sign up before the 15th, if possible.
3. Post your entry on your blog along with a link to the blogfest.
4. Try to keep entries below 1,000 words if possible.
5. Read other people's entries and leave comments.
6. Eat ice cream and chocolate to feel better... okay, you don't have to do that if you don't want to. ;-)

No Fear Blogfest

2011-01-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Lookie, another blogfest entry done on time. Yay me! This is going to be a fun one because the host is offering it as a competition with a prize for the one who wins. Check out www.dominicdemattos.blogspot.com for the other entries and later on to get a vote on who wins. Isn't the mouse cute?

(Page 99 blogfest entry is located below this one.)

No Fear Blogfest

Writes of Passage

About the blogfest:

"Post a passage in which your MC (or your favourite fictional character) shows their bravery. It might be in the face of physical danger, or peer pressure or personal sacrifice. It might be epic bravery or bravery that goes unnoticed by anyone but us, your devoted readers. "

This was tough to figure out because I'm not sure what counts as bravery in my writing. I'm sure there are plenty of times my characters are brave but either I wasn't sure or I couldn't show it since I have to limit certain novel's exposure on here. And sorry Tessa, I couldn't think of a bravery moment to write for Cinder Story, so you'll have to wait for another blogfest to read more about Jack. I went for the Angel/Demon novel instead going off my entry for the Bad Boy blogfest back in June 2010. Here's the link: bad boy blogfest entry. This time we're in the demon main character's point of view. Sorry if it's a little long. And it's definitely a first draft that does a whole lot of telling.

My Entry:

The coffee shop was busier than usual and Lucas was glad he shared the shift with Elijah because on his own it would have been a nightmare. Most of the customers were demons, which was fine for him but he wondered if his boyfriend noticed anything different about them. He was so innocent and good that Lucas imagined he had no clue exactly who they were serving. Not to mention when he confessed being a demon himself, Elijah had practically laughed at the idea and he certainly didn't believe him even though Lucas had been telling the truth.

One of the customers sitting at the front counter was an upper level demon, one who owned the dance club where Lucas had met Elijah. He was one they both liked because he had a hand in their meeting.

In fact, most seemed okay except for one customer. One demon went straight to a back table and sat there, as if he expected the workers to wait on him. That wasn't how things worked there and Lucas was content on letting him sit back until he figured out the ordering process but Elijah decided to go take his order.

"Make another pot of regular blend," Elijah asked him before taking a tray with an already filled cup of coffee over to the lazy customer.

"Okay." Lucas tried to focus on the task but as soon as it was done he found an excuse to clean the counter top near the donuts so he could keep an eye on the situation. Something just didn't feel right. A customer came up, so he had to focus on the order but the sound of a crash midway through the prep of a coffee cup made him snap his attention back.

He saw Elijah crouched on the floor, cleaning up a spill. It wasn't out of ordinary enough for Lucas to go help because he'd been told not to but he continued to wait for any reason to go. And that moment came.

As soon as the customer was gone with the hot cup of coffee, Lucas watched as Elijah set the mess on a nearby table after wiping down the floor. He paused for some off reason and the customer he had been serving stood up, moved over and grabbed his arm. That was all he could handle and without much thought, Lucas found himself across the room in a matter of seconds. Almost tripping, he soon stood next to Elijah, pushing the customer away.

The look on Elijah's face was hard to read. His eyes opened wide but his mouth is clamped shut in a frown.

Lucas stepped between the customer and Elijah, not caring that the demon pushed against the wall was glaring at him. He stood by his choice.

"That was a mistake," The demon said, oddly he was smiling. His eyes flickered with amusement but his voice darkened in tone. "Back off. This is none of your business."

It was apparent to Lucas that he was out of his league. Being a demon was one thing but almost everyone in the room had more abilities than a low messenger demon but he wasn't going to back down. "He is my business. You are the one who needs to leave, now."

Page 99 Blogfest

2011-01-28T06:07:00.000-08:00

So, I found out about this blogfest last minute but it sounded like a great idea. Who knew it would be so difficult just to find page 99. Turns out the copy I had of my novel, Standing Ground, was in a program called Pages, which my old Mac had and the new one doesn't. I had it online too in chapters on Writing.com so I spent the time copying each chapter over into a regular word document until I reached page 99 and it's the end of a chapter. How convenient.

(If looking for No Fear Blogfest, that post is coming after this one.)

A collaborative blogfest, here is a link to one of the blogs and the list of entrants to go check out: 99th page blogfest reminder. The rules are pretty simple. Post the 99th page of a novel draft. Readers should consider a few things when considering the entry:
"1. Would you turn to page 100?
2. Why or why not?
3. Based on what you read, how likely would you buy the book?"

Like my friend who I discovered the blogfest from (Loralie) I won't explain the gist of the novel. Just check out my page and we'll see. Though at least consider the fact that it's a first draft. It will look better after edits, I promise. ;-)

End of Chapter 17 in Standing Ground (Page 99)
First Draft

After a moment of thought, he struggled to come up with his next question. "I'm going to assume you won't tell me why you wanted to break in here." The stares back gave him the answer so he went a different direction. "Do you know anything about missing SS members? Do you think it's a coincidence or that something else is going on?"

"We have nothing to do with that." Ty gave an answer at last. He didn't sound pleased and spoke slow, as if weighing his words and making decisions with each one. "However, I don't think it is a coincidence."

Before Noah could ask another question, Ty kept speaking after he gave the others a wave to keep them from speaking. "This isn't some connected movement. We don't know the other groups that are called renegades, as SS is calling us. It's not an underground system that is working together to lash out. Different groups have different goals and methods. There is no organization and no leader."

Even though he wasn't quite sure he understood, Noah nodded. It did kind of make sense to him though he was surprised that Ty would even share that much information with him. He couldn't help but wonder about the different movements. They all couldn't be wrong, like K had suggested, could they? He didn't know and stuffed the intrigue away for now.

He spent the next half hour asking questions and received very little responses. None of the information he achieved was relevant to the situation but neither were most of his questions. He couldn't explain it but he didn't feel right trying to get to the bottom of their movement. They didn't seem to be of a real threat at this point and it was obvious they had nothing to do with the real problem that SS was worried about. After finishing with the questions he thanked them and stood up, ready to leave.

"Could you maybe do us a favor?" Michael asked, standing after Kelvin had moved off his lap.

Noah waited.

Michael seemed almost shy as he made the request. "Could you talk them into letting us share cells? I mean, we won't be able to escape and this would be easier to deal with if we had someone to talk to instead of the walls. It hurts being kept away from him..." He stopped speaking after referencing Kelvin.

"I'll try." Noah felt bad and made a conscious decision to help them a little. If they were going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future they should have contact with each other. Keeping them separate seemed a bit much at this point.

"Thanks." Michael gave him a cute smile.

Noah walked out and went to deal with the rooming issue. He soon was able to leave, relieved to be out of there after over 3 hours. It was much longer than he'd intended but he didn't regret any of it. He had a lot to think about for the next few days as he returned to studying Dominic's dreams. He was determined that they were overlooking something and he wanted to find out what.

WCOA going strong

2011-01-26T01:39:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's Wednesday again and another day to check up on my word count obsession.

Another good week in the way of not looking at word counts but a bad week in terms of novel writing. Nearing the end of the 15 for 15 contest, which has been fun. I write for 15 minutes or more based on an image prompt with no concern about the word counts. It has been a nice break though very time consuming since I take hours for the prompt to marinate and then have to write it within the 24 hour time frame.

What I haven't done lately due to the contest, internship and blogs, is work on my novels. I'm doing short stories for contests but my YA novel is still sitting at chapter 16 on draft 2. Have a long ways to go if it's going to be ready for readers by March.

I did move all of my word count bars to my new novel page. Now that I know how to make pages, I can have information on my current projects in their own page instead of on the sidebar of the blog.

Might have to focus on word counts this week because I really need to finish Tattle Tell if I'm going to reach my goal. Have at least 20k or more to write asap. Better get to work.

The Next Line Blogfest

2011-01-24T01:05:00.000-08:00

I remembered a blogfest! Okay, this one is a little different because it involves taking a story that has already been started and continuing it, and the readers get to take part too! So, first I'll explain a little about the blogfest by Christine. Make sure to check out her blog at christinedanek.blogspot.com to see the links to the other people who are taking part in the challenge.

Normally, I don't do the continue the story type of activities. While many people enjoying the group effort of telling a story, I'm a little too possessive of my characters to let others write them. These are called campfires on Writing.com and I've only enjoyed doing it once because we each had our own characters to use. But when I saw this blogfest, I decided to jump in and give it a try.

For the blogfest, each person signed up starts with the same introduction to a story created by Christine. And it's a cool one. Comments can either be about the writing or anyone who wants to add to my version of the story can go ahead and add a couple of sentences/paragraphs in the comment slot. But make sure to read other comments if adding so that it doesn't get too confusing if you go that route.

The first part written by Christine:

3:00 am. Those numbers glowed green, staring at me, letting me know I wasn't sleeping. I couldn't. If I did, who knows what injury I would wake up with. Every night a dream would consume me, and when I woke, something on my body was cut, bruised, or almost broken.

I started at the ceiling. The fan squeaked and wobbled, trying to produce air flow. It wasn't succeeding. I turned over, hugging my pillow. What's happening? Maybe I should see someone, but who? A doctor? Padded room for sure. Is there such a thing as a dream specialist?

A branch scratched the window. I turned over again. 5:00 am. Where did the last two hours go? Adrenaline pumped through my veins, accelerating my heart. My T-shirt was damp and clinging to my back. What happened? Did I dream, again?

Bang. Bang. Bang. I jumped up. Someone was at my door.

*~*~*~*~*

My Entry (story continued):

Who could be at the door this early in the morning? Maybe I'm imagining things. Between the dreams and lack of sleep I hadn't been able to function well. It was to the point where I felt almost afraid to try shaving because a razor to the neck on little sleep would not be a good plan. Struggling through the still dark rooms of my house, I almost ran into the front door before I find the handle and pulled it open.

On the other side, standing under the front light is Nathan. His brown hair is disheveled and he doesn't look like he shaved this morning but other than that he looks good. Plus, in one hand is a to go carrier of coffee and the other has a bag that I can only guess contains donuts. He looks happy to see me.

"Nate," was all I could think to say.

"Hey," He shifted his weight with his attention still on me. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah. Come in." I flipped on the switch to the living room before opening the door wider so that he could come in. Since he's been to my house before, he heads straight to the kitchen. Instead of following, I watched him as he made his way through the room, deep in thought. As nice as it was to see him, there could only be one topic he would have and I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about that night. But it was better than sleeping.

*~*~*~*~*

Your turn.

Tessa's Bday Bash (late)

2011-01-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah, this is very late. Sorry Tessa! and a Happy Belated Birthday.
Check out the festivities that occurred like two days ago on Tessa's Blog

Since there is already a birthday scene in the Cinder Story and I'm super late so don't have time to write fiction for this entry, I'm just going to post pictures I found online. I would love to know how to bake and design fancy cakes. I've tried a couple of times so far but need to figure out the fondant and the whole baking really good cakes. The hard part is that it's hard to practice and eat healthy since I won't know what to do with all those cakes. lol

So, these are cakes I wish I could make and have look as awesome as they did on weheartit.com:

1. chocolate with strawberries

2. Simple but delicious looking chocolate cake

3. Pretty cakes with multiple layers (look faeries!)

4. Fancy designs like cameras and other sculpted cakes.

5. Rainbow!!!

6. Super cool designs and multi-layers.

This is a super late post and a late birthday wish but I hope Tessa had a great birthday and even got to blow out some candles before eating a delicious cake.

Monday's Muse on Saturday

2011-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Since Monday is a blogfest and I haven't posted a Monday's Muse for a few weeks, I figured I'd throw one up on a different day. This way I can still have a Muse post and a blogfest entry but not worry about having them on the same day.

Today's Muse topic is a novel I haven't told many people about yet, okay I've told one for the most part about the actually story. It is a different type of story for me and I'm really looking forward to writing it. The novel is a...

Dystopian YA

Thanks to hours of research on weheartit.com I have managed to find a number of pictures that can serve as inspiration for a dystopian YA novel I plan to write in March. Did I intend to write dystopian or even another young adult novel? Not really. This is another novel that started with a dream in 2010. And I think the first draft with have 2 main characters because right now I can't pick between the two boys. The world is starting to develop, just hoping it can stay at one book but knowing me there may be a sequel lurking in the shadows already.

The story takes place in a remote village up in mountainous terrain. A long time has passed, when humans became a lower animal on the food chain. Monsters roam the lands, eating humans that are not in the safety of the few cities and villages that are left. The village is far from any other remaining one and no one leaves the village because it's not safe. Most of the houses are old and the only brick buildings are in the center of the city. There is a single school for everyone since it's a small population and a government/military/police type building.

Some of the houses have bright colors on them and the people try to wear different colors because that is a way to feel cheery even though they are secluded and the threat of monsters exists constantly. It is there way of trying to make the best of dismal times.

Then there are the monsters. I haven't figured out what they look like just yet, so that will be fun to figure out in time for March. There are going to be more than one type for sure and not all of them are going to break the border. Should be fun.

The main characters are two boys. (It's hard to get a good close up picture on the web site of boys that I think works for the novel.) One boy is from the village. He has always lived there with his family, though now it's just him and his dad. His mother died when he was nine. The other main character is a boy who shows up in the village with his family. There is the mom, dad and a young sister but they aren't his biological family. They had found him when he was a toddler. They are the first family to arrive to the village from the outside in a long time. The two main characters become friends even though the new one (Sage) is very different.

At one point, Sage is on patrol and accidentally falls through the last barrier (border). There he sees a section of abandoned houses that had once been a part of the village before the final border had collapsed. He also finds a diary left behind near the still mostly working border before he climbs back through. The journal is from a girl that survived the breakdown of the one border. She talks about the different types of monsters that exist and about talking to some of the monsters like they might understand what she says. Not all monsters eat humans, according to the diary.

For now I'm calling the novel "The Border" but I hope to come up with a better title at some point. But for now, I'll just sit around and wait for MarNo and then I'll get writing.

WCOA week 1

2011-01-19T03:22:00.000-08:00

Didn't do much word counting this week because the only writing I've really accomplished is for a contest on Writing.com that requires 15 minutes of writing per day based on image prompts. The word count on the items doesn't matter as long as about fifteen minutes or more are spent writing them. Even short poems are allowed. So far, no poetry from me but the last few entries have been longer and I placed second one round so far.

Thinking about MarNo already. (March novel writing month) Last year I wrote 67k even though my first goal I think was only 30k for the month. It's the most I've ever written in one month thus far. However, I"m thinking this year I don't want to worry about word count. While I've written over 50k three different months in the past, I have yet to actually start and finish a single novel in one month, even the YA (since the YA took 2 years from start to finish). So, instead of picking a word count goal, I'm going to try and write The Border (YA dystopian novel) in March.

10k weekends is a fun challenge started by Weronica, and I've sort of taken part in them, though not much yet. I also am doing 25k challenge this week with a friend. So, I haven't really started yet but once I get going it will be really hard not to check word count every paragraph. Hope I can handle it.

Word Count Obsessors Anonymous (WCOA)

2011-01-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's not so anonymous because names are involved but readers only know my pen name unless they are lucky enough to find me on facebook. So it's almost anonymous for me. What am I talking about, oh yeah, I need to explain first.

I was joking on twitter about how I obsess about word counts and I asked if there was a word count obsessors type of group available. Naturally, one of my friends suggested that I start one. Seemed like a fun idea for at least one post so here it is. I'll post a sign up for other authors that want to join me and there will be too options.

(Thanks to AVPergakis for making the image. Check her out on twitter under that name too!)

Option 1: Weekly posts for the terminal/serious cases of WCO (aka word count obsession). Post once a week, on wednesdays about word counts. The topic can be a rant about how hard it is not to count words or it can be a posting of word counts. Once a week, I mean, look at the word counts, with the goal of not looking at word counts every day or even every couple of paragraphs *guilty*.

Option 2: Once a month check ups. This is for the ones who are less concerned about word counts but still a little too obsessed than they should be. Or for the one who wants to only worry about word counts once a month (which is insane!). Post once a month on a wednesday about word counts.

Will we learn from this and avoid counting words? Absolutely not! We'll just have days we can go overboard and talk about word counts solely in a blog post cause we're cool like that. But maybe some of us *cough*ME*cough* might learn not to check word count every new paragraph.

Sign up here:

New Creation Blogfest

2011-01-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

I signed up for this and then yeah, kinda forgot. Thanks to Tessa's post, I remember and good thing it's a two sentence blogfest, lol. Here is the blog link, New Creation Blogfest link. The host is Summer Ross, who is always awesome about posting comments on people's blogfest entries so check out her blog even if you're not interested in the blogfest.

The idea of the blogfest is to post 1 sentence from the very end of a story written last year and then post a brand new sentence that is the first sentence of a new story for this year. Sounds fun. I took the last sentence from the novel I finished in April from the novel Standing Ground. The sentence is only two words long but I'm not going to cheat so I will just post the last sentence. And the new sentence is from the dystopian novel I think I might start writing this year when I find the time. It is called The Border for now. Enjoy!

Old:
"For now."

New:
The border was supposed to keep everyone out, monsters and humans alike, and it did... until yesterday.

No Kiss Blogfest Entry

2011-01-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is an annual blogfest that I took part in last year. My entry is up a little late this time as I went to bed before finishing the story and woke with a bad headache this morning. But here it is at long last.

(image link: http://www.free-extras.com/search/1/kisses.htm)

The wonderful Frankie is hosting this blogfest over at her blog. Here is the link to the sign up post, but don't forget to read her entry as well. Frankie Writes: Blogfest Linky

About the blogfest:
The basics of this are to post a scene, written by you or anyone but make sure the people get credit, or image or video link where the two in the scene are about to kiss but for some reason do not. It's an almost kiss that never becomes an actual and they are fun to do. My first entry into this annual event was Jan 2010 on my other blog since I didn't start this blog until March 2010. Here is the link to that entry (almost kiss on DE blog) that was from a story I'd tried to write one year for script frenzy but didn't get very far.

This year's story:
I'm using the Cinderella-type story, so some readers should be happy. And even shocking is the scene isn't an almost kiss between two males. I did go with a male-female pair even though the male is technically gay, he just hasn't told anyone yet, and certainly hasn't told his boss and the women he has to take orders from. The mom already kissed Jack, so who will try next? Read and find out, lol. Sorry about the length, it ended up being much longer than I expected.

The entry:

Everything about the party was in violation of his job and yet there Jack stood, near a wall that was in bad need of re-painting as people moved around him bombed from either alcohol, drugs or a mixture of the two. But he was there anyways, babysitting. That's what the job had become at this point, watching one of his boss' daughters to make sure they didn't get into trouble and to be at their service whenever they needed him. Despite the demeaning nature, he kept his focus on the prize, the job at the end of the tunnel and pushed through. Tonight was no exception. Alexa had dragged him to this unruly event because her guy of the month was there.

He tried to stay in the same room to ensure she didn't get involved with the drugs but it wasn't always to keep track of her considering the number of people that were trying to move around in a smallish amount of space. It didn't help his nerves in the slightest that she had removed the long jacket she'd used to fool her father in believing she was dressed in appropriate attire. As soon as they were leaving the vehicle he had to drive, off it came exposing a small v-shape of a glittery shirt with way too much cleavage showing and a mini skirt that fit close to her hips and barely covered her ass. He had to hold back a groan because just looking at her was evidence enough the night would be trouble. And it didn't take long for something to manifest.

One second, Alexa was standing in a group and after he glanced away for one second to look for a non-alcohol drink when he turned back she was gone. In some ways the luck went to him because she resurfaced a few minutes later, storming out of a bedroom yelling obscenities to the guy that barely tried to follow once he made it out of the room.

Jack straightened his stance as she approached him, watching everyone get out of her way. It was an interesting sight how fast people would move to stay out of her wrath and he made a mental note of it for later reflection. Before he could utter the words "Are you okay", she grabbed his jacket and started to pull him away.

"We're going." She said in a huff before pressing her red glossed lips tightly together in a look of angered concentration.

Since the front door was the other way, Jack struggled a minute to figure out where she was headed and after a few steps managed to stop her. "Hold on a second. First, tell me what happened."

Her arms immediately crossed over her chest and her lower lip stuck out in her usual pout that he'd seen far too often. Only this time it was sincere. Despite the nature of her makeup, a light black smear had started to appear under her eyes. She didn't speak, but stood there staring at the floor with an occasional look around at anyone but Jack.

Seeing her discomfort, Jack looked around for a moment before spotting one of the so called hosts to the party even though he looked more like he'd come off the streets of California or somewhere that didn't have winter. He did his best to ignore the man's attire and instead focused on the task at hand. "Is there a room we could use to get some privacy?"

The man chuckled as he responded. "There's the laundry room. It's the door by the bar in the kitchen, man."

Jack ignored the man's stupid grin and took Alexa by the hand, leading her through the small crowd in the kitchen to the suggested room. Luckily, no on was in there and at least they would be alone away from the loud noise of the party with the door blocking out most of the sounds coming from the rest of the house. Letting go, he positioned his back to the door and focused on Alexa. "What happened?"

"He thinks we are having sex in here." She said, ignoring the question.

"Do you really care what some guy who wears sandals during winter has to say?" Jack shook his head. "And it's always the ones who shouldn't wear them to begin with. His feet should be covered at all times."

It was enough to get a small laugh out of her so he tried again. "What happened that upset you?"

More in control of her composure, Alexa sighed and hoisted herself up on top of the drying, crossing her legs before giving any sort of response. The fact that Jack looked away when she did it also made her smile a little and once she was seated comfortably she explained. "It was his idea to be committed. We only need each other. That's what he said. But tonight I find out he slept with at least three other girls, including one of my friends, the slut. And when I got mad about it he tried to blame me and then when I was yelling at him he tried to get me to have sex with him even though there were other people in the room. As if I'm some kind of whore."

"He's not worth your time, obviously." Jack said the obvious first as he tried to figure out what else to say in the given situation. "You deserve someone who will respect you and it's not going to be a guy like him."

She seemed to skip over the nice comment and instead asked him a direct question. "Do you think I'm a whore? I mean, I know you don't like me so at least you'll give me an honest answer."

The question surprised Jack making it hard for him to respond right away. He knew she wanted him to say no but it was hard to give her the answer she really needed while looking at her because of the way she was dressed. Deep down, he knew she probably wasn't that way, or at least he hoped she wasn't. Not wanting to take too long in his response, he figured out something to say in time and shifted so that he was closer to the dryer she sat upon before speaking. "Honestly... No, I don't think you are an actual whore or slut. But sometimes, and I mean no offense by this. Sometimes the way you dress might give people the wrong impression."

"What do you mean, the way I dress?" She still snapped a little, giving him a slight glare with her response.

"First," he said addressing another issue that came with the initial question. "I don't hate you and this is coming from honesty, not any form of vengeance, but consider what you are wearing right now. Sure it umm, almost fits but really, it shows off way too much. Your stepfather would be livid if he knew you were out in public dressed like this. And aside from that, it doesn't do you any justice. You are beautiful, but this trying to hard doesn't let people see that."

Back to the pouting, Alexa grumbled. "You'd have me wear sweat pants and long sleeved shirts just like stepdad then."

Jack chuckled a little at the suggestion. He could see why the boss would suggest such but he wasn't quite that protective of the annoying girl he had to put up with. It was a little awkward but he gave her the real answer to what he thought she should wear. "No, not sweat pants per say, but... Okay, this may sound a bit weird coming from me and all. I remember about five days ago, you had on a pair of soft blue, faded jeans. It was at the house so you only had on striped socks that didn't even match anything you were wearing. The shirt you had on was some type of soft fabric but still like a t-shirt. You had maybe one fourth the amount of makeup on then as you do now and your hair was flat, all you'd done was brush it."

"But I can't go out in public like that." She was blushing, her lips no longer in the pout but instead a slight smile like she was afraid to show how she felt about what she was being told.

"Why not?" Jack moved in front of her, putting his hands on the dryer so that he could look at her face to face so she could see his honesty. "You don't need to show off everything to be beautiful."

Speechless, Alexa rested a jewelry embellished hand onto his shoulder pulling a little as her hand drifted to the back of his neck. With his position against the dryer, the slight pull brought their bodies even closer and his hands remained pressed down against the machine.

The door to the laundry room crashed open and Jack was able to pull away, though a slight blush found its way to his cheeks. The couple that had opened the door burst into giggles as they drunkingly apologized, "sorry. We thought this room was empty."

"That's okay." Jack offered his hand to Alexa, helping her down from the machine. "We were just leaving anyways. This party is lame." He winked to Alexa and they both headed towards the door knowing that everyone watched them as they left.

2011 Goals

2011-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

(image source: http://blog.kpaonline.com/2010/12/hr-resolutions-2011/)

Tattle Tell - Finish second draft. Edit. Send to beta readers by the end of February. Work on query.

Mutant Series - Plan out both series. Outline!

Fantasy/Steampunk - Finish Worldbuilding and find a work in progress Title. Maybe start writing.

Angel/Demon - Finish first draft, edit and then send to beta reader.

Thomas/Kyle Novella - Finish first draft. Connect all the scenes since it is written by scene and not in order.

Gathered at Dawn - Finish first draft that was started for nanowrimo 2010.

Other potential books: Pick which ones and start writing them. This also means write one of them for NaNoWriMo 2011. Also make sure to write for MarNo with either a started novel or one of the new ones. List includes: TT book 2, Fantasy/Steampunk, I'm Sorry I Forgot You, XXY, Border Patrol dystopian, or Blood Prophesy book 1.

The Fiction Project - http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/fiction
This sounds just like a fun idea. It is hand writing, which is hard on my hand and will hurt, but I'm really looking forward to it. The theme I've chosen is: Below the Surface. I'm thinking I'll use the world of a novel idea when they go underground to survive. But use different characters than the main ones for the two books I already have planned. Seems like it will fit the theme.
Due = May 1st (DE blog anniversary day)

Write Music - Write songs for myself and write songs connected to the novel, I'm Sorry I Forgot You. Learn to play guitar and remember some piano to help with the writing part.

Non-Writing - Learn guitar and practice 4-7 times a week. Work out more and eat healthier with a goal of losing 25 lbs. Get to see BF in person more. Maybe try to find a job. I'd like to move out of my parents house by the end of the year, but we'll see what happens.

Wow. Looking back it seems like I have a lot to write. Good thing I enjoy doing it or this year could easily become very tedious. Note: these goals are subject to change. I changed last year at about April when my list was shorter than this so I'd almost expect a thing or two to change. Especially since I am always coming up with new ideas and sometimes Shinies are hard to deny.

2010 in Review

2010-12-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

(image source: http://celestinechua.com/blog/)

The time has come once again to reflect on the goals I had for 2010 and soon I'll be setting official goals for 2011. Hard to believe the year is almost over already but I did accomplish a thing or two this year, so that's a plus.

Goals for 2010 (Posted in April)

Tattle Tell - Finish rewrite and perform at least one edit. Prepare to query by 2011.
First Drafts - Try to finish first drafts of Fallen (rename) and Against All Evidence.
November - Take part in National Novel Writing Month with either sequel to Tattle Tell, sequel to Standing Ground, or write first book in Blood Prophesy.
Write in novels every month/week.
Prepare queries and/or synopsis of different novels for practice and for real.

Results for 2010

Tattle Tell - Not quite. I'm on the last 5 chapters, which were the hardest to write and there is a section I still have to figure out because in the first draft I pretty much put "stuff happens here" for over half of a chapter. Will finish it in January.
First Drafts - Fallen is renamed but not finished yet. It's almost half way done. Against All Evidence is on the back burner.
November - Success except I used a different novel. I wrote 50k of an epic fantasy in 13 days but haven't finished the first draft.
Standing Ground - finished the first draft back in April. Sequel won't happen for a little while.
Write in novels - not quite. Did write often but the last few weeks have been little to no writing over all.
Queries - Did one practice query letter so far but haven't done any more.

Coming Soon: 2011 Official Goals

Holiday Wishes

2010-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

(image link: http://sammy-g-blog.blogspot.com/)

Hope everyone has a good holiday or two. And I look forward to what 2011 will bring in life and this blog.

Novels for 2011

2010-12-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

(image: dryicons.com/free-graphics)

Hard to believe it's almost here but I can see it coming. 2011, the big year. Or, I hope it's going to be a big year for me. 2010 went by so fast it's hard to imagine that I'm already planning what to write in the next year. Course, in 2009 I thought by the start of 2011 I'd have a job but I never imagined I'd do a publishing internship either, so never know how things will look a year from now. I'm looking forward to what may come this year and plan to make the effort needed.

While I don't really do new year's resolutions, I do like to make goals. I won't make them yet but I have figured out what I plan to work on and a couple that I may work on but haven't decided yet. Here are the three different categories of novel work I am considering for 2011.

Novels to Edit (and or rewrite):
Tattle Tell 2nd draft and beyond
Standing Ground
Hellenic Distractions

Novels to Finish:
Gathered at Dawn (nano epic fantasy series book 1)
Angel/Demon
Thomas/Kyle Novella

Novels to Start (maybe):
YA mutant book 2
Steampunk/Fantasy
Dystopian
YA contemp Intersex novel
Or other ideas

Are you ready for 2011?

Query Blogfest

2010-12-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

Okay. Despite searching for blogfests on a few different occasions, I almost missed this one. Jodi Henry at jodilhenry.blogspot.com is the hostess of this great sounding blog and is kind enough to have it last for a few days so everyone can enter on comment on other people's entries. The query should be less than 300 words for this blogfest. It's best to do a completed novel but I'm going to post one that I'm working on the draft right now because the YA novel is the first I'm going to send out after it does the beta reader and edits route. Why post a draft of a query when the novel isn't ready? Why not? Have to start somewhere and it takes a few tries to get the query down. I did have the query started already, which helps. Be glad I'm not posting the synopsis I wrote for novel writing class on this book because trust me, it's awful.

Posts will go up between Dec. 12th and 18th. My apologies for not making it the first couple of days as this task has been much harder than I expected.

The host has a few links for those that need help in the blog announcement post. Aside from that, I have a post from the workshop I went to with Kristin Nelson over at my other blog. Here is the link to that, which discusses the pitch paragraph of the query: http://dawnembers.blogspot.com/2010/09/query-tips-i-learned-from-kristin.html

Posting to a dream agent is an awesome idea, except for the fact that I don't have one picked out yet. Well, I sort of had one I put as number one until she got an awesome offer elsewhere in publishing and is no longer an agent. So, my query has an imaginary agent for now. And if it's awful, it's okay to let me know. I promise. :-) Okay, I've rambled enough. Time to actually post the query.

*-Are subject to change.

The Query

Dear Superstar Dream Agent:

Based upon the superstar presence you have on both your well-written blog and the educating, as well as amusing, posts on twitter I have been a fan. Based on the works you currently represent, I think you would enjoy my Young Adult novel, Tattle Tell.*

Life as a teenager hasn’t been easy for Ephram Gram. A time meant for having friends and going to school instead has the cloud of secrets and a home life often met with solitude. Hiding a genetic mutation, marked by a metal identification band clamped to one wrist is bad enough, but having to report to a government agency that monitors mutants just makes life difficult.

Over the years, reporting about random strangers that show signs of mutation was never a problem. When one of Ephram’s friends, one of the two that he ever had, must be told on and learning what happens afterwards, he begins to regret his role as a tattle to the government agency. Stuck with limited options, he must decide between avoiding outside contact whenever possible or to attempt to be normal and face the consequences that come with life as a tattletale.

Tattle Tell is a 53,000 work of a YA science fiction.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Dawn Embers

I Found Religion...

2010-12-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

...for my epic fantasy series, that is.

(Image source: www.post-gazette.com)

I'm not a world builder and even though I've had this novel idea as an epic fantasy one for over 5 years I had not put any form of religion into the story. Sounds odd right? No religion at all in an epic fantasy that contains humans, elves, dwarves, dragons and maybe even griffins. Yeah. I wasn't sure what to put exactly and it wasn't something I'd really given much thought as I don't often discuss religion in a novel unless it's very important to the plot.

Then I was about to think over my steampunk/fantasy idea, which is still the first to be in world building stage before a first draft is even started, when all of a sudden I had a great epiphany. It was about religion but didn't fit for the steampunk novel. It does work very nicely with the epic fantasy. I took notes so that I wouldn't forget.

I came up with a few things so far. Not enough to get pages of notes from but it's a start. Some segments of the populations are going to go with a one God system. Others are going to go with a 3 God and 3 Goddess system. Dwarves are going to be more agnostic though they'll agree with whoever they are talking to just to not bother anyone. One of the rare topics they do that with, lol. The multi-belief has 3 couples and there are 6 overall, which means the numbers 3 and 6 will be important. In fact, the "group" of good guys includes six people that can easily be divided in 3 sets of 2. Nice huh? And while 6 is good, I'm thinking 3 of them is going to be bad, which the villain can use to his advantage later. I'm excited about the new discovery and can't wait to add little bits of it into the overall story in book 1.

Yay!

WIP Wednesday

2010-12-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's more of a blogs in progress then novels at the moment. Novel writing is very minimal still even though I have the high goals up for December. Better get to work on them asap. Blogs on the other hand are very busy. So, this is a Blog work in progress report.

New blog: which is the one I posted about for Muse Monday. My first post will be next week and I'm really excited. I haven't quite figured out which characters to introduce because we have two days to do introductions. I'm splitting up the angel from the demon just because the stage I'm at in their novel is one where they don't know much about each other and certainly not those important facts. Sure, the angel should have figured it out but there are good reasons he didn't so now is determined that he is just a not saved human. While the demon is a new demon, so he had never met an angel before and knows nothing about that factor so he really doesn't think he almost slept with an angel the night the two met at the club. Complicated for sure. So, they don't chat together right now in these character conversations. I'll probably keep the YA mutants together because it would come out better for them to speak in the same post. Just need to figure out how to split the characters for the two days.

Guest posting: What started off as one post has already gone to another being asked for by a different friend blogger. Not that I mind. In fact, it's kind of exciting that other people want me to be guests on their blogs. My first guest post is found at Ashelynn's blog where she'd asked me to write something based upon my experience taking part in NaNoWriMo this year. Here is the guest post link. My next guest post isn't even written yet but I have one that I'm going to do based on a previous topic from my other blog. A friend remembered a post I did all the way from like February and wanted me to expand on it for her blog so I'm going to write a guest post about anti-heroes and anti-villains. Should be fun.

Own blogs: Yep, still posting here and my other blog. Not sure what all to post here since there aren't any blogfests until the one at the beginning of January but I'll figure something out. Have to work on this month's goals and start getting ready for 2011. On my writing topic blog, I have posts up soon about marketing and brand. Plan to interview the wonderful Kristie Cook who not only is a great author but is her own publisher so she has a lot to say about the marketing of oneself as an author. Can't wait for 2011. It's going to be an epic year for me and my novels. I can just feel it.

Monday's Muse is Character Blog

2010-12-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

That's right. I've joined a group blog, or well my novel characters have. It's for a blog that was started a little bit ago but back then I posted as a guest. Now there are going to be six of us posting. It's my first group blog that has actually invited me to be a part of the fun and I'm excited. The blog page is here: http://thecharactercafe.blogspot.com/. And my personal author page is this one: http://thecharactercafe.blogspot.com/p/dawn-embers.html.

Yay!

For those that don't want to click the link to figure out exactly how it works, basically each writer (there are six of us atm) will have blog posts written from the point of view of one of their characters. For example, my guest post in the original blog was from a mutant character, Noah. He wrote an introduction (me writing from his viewpoint) and then there was a chat where the other two had a character and we all chatted as ourselves and our characters. So, on the new blog I will be posting a blog post from my characters' point of view every other monday.

Check out the blog and follow us because trust me, it's going to be awesome in hilarious proportions.

WIP Wednesday December Goals

2010-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

(Image Source www.bszonnedorp.be)

December goal-making time.

1. Finish the second draft of Tattle Tell with around 25,000 words for the month needed.
2. Read a couple of books. (Finish Shiver asap)
3. Work on finishing nano 2010 novel, Gathered at Dawn.
4. Prep work for 2011 novels. (Currently have 6 to start and/or finish.)

Non-writing or reading goals.
1. exercise 30+ minutes a day
2. eat a little healthier (minus christmas day)
3. Get more followers on both blogs and prepare for book review blog to come out in January.

What are your goals for December?

10k In A Day Challenge

2010-11-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hello. Yes, I didn't forget about posting from yesterdays challenge. While the goal was to write 10,000 words in one day, I didn't get very far. I did finish the section I'd started back on the 13th but I didn't get close to the goal for the day. My total word count was just over 1200. Some is better than none so I'm at least happy to have the scene finished and my novel now has 51,500 words in it. Only 49k to go.

Here is the scene from what I wrote yesterday (no editing):

A knock on the door caused them all to twitch. The voice of the innkeeper through the door, "Is everything alright in there?"

Feyn almost spoke but caught himself just in time. He'd forgotten in that first second the innkeeper was expecting only female voices since the one male he knew was in the room had remained downstairs. He looked at Daemahn for what to do next and was given a signal to remain quiet.

Daemahn looked to the two humans, a slight moment of desperation followed as he tried to indicate one of them should say something but it couldn't expose the two elves. Luckily for them both, the smaller human gave in and responded.

"Everything is fine. Please give us our privacy as requested."

They waited a few moments in silence to ensure that he was gone. Daemahn rested his back against the door and listened during that time while the others in the room looked around in awkward moments barely holding any glances with the uncomfortable nature of the current situation. Once they were certain they could speak again, the conversation continued.

Gretchen spoke again, taking over the humans side of the conversation as Feyn almost expected. "Why should we trust you elves?"

It was a question that confused Feyn. He didn't understand where the new found animosity came from between the humans and the elves. While most of his travels had been uneventful even though he rarely received a very warm welcome, there were a few times when he'd been asked to leave or even chased from a location because of this insecurity that had developed. And he had no idea why it even existed. If his people had rarely ever left the forest then why would the humans have this idea that all elves were out to get them? And why did the village have a sense of danger for the elves as well? It was uncomfortable along with confusing that he hoped to one day figure out.

"Considering where we are and the situation," Daemahn spoke again, his voice still in that unnerving calm tone. "The real question is why should we trust you? You up and walked into our room, trespassed and are a threat to our safety. Why are you here and why should we believe you?"

Monday's Muse is Distracted

2010-11-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

It's Monday yet again and over the past week I've been very distracted by... well, laziness. I haven't written more than 500 words since November 14th. After hitting the 50k mark I snagged and became distracted by a variety of things. Which sometimes happens. Distraction is easy. Look a shiny! *points*

NaNoWriMo WIP Wednesday

2010-11-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hello wonderful readers! Since I made it to 50k a few days ago, it seems fitting to post an entry from the portion of the novel near that wonderful 50,000 word mark. This is a section that includes the 56 words that brought my word count total up and over 50k. Woot! Enjoy the mess that is a nanowrimo first draft.

Excerpt from the NaNoWriMo novel: Gathered at Dawn

Once he had washed off his face, Daemahrath left the water indicating that Feyn could use it to get the powder from his face too. He moved over to a small table and began to flip through a stack of papers adding to the ones already there with a few items that Jateau had managed to pilfer that night over dinner, which increased the amount gained from the earlier journey the short human had made through the village. When Feyn finished washing his own face, Daemahrath handed him a paper and indicated for him to sit down on one of the beds. Daemahn also sat down on the bed as he asked, "Can you look this one over and see if you can interpret what it says?"

"Sure." Feyn took the paper and sat on the bed next to but not too close to Daemahn. He spent a few moments looking at the signs and written script on the page he'd been given. It looked familiar but it wasn't easy for him to recall among the few languages he'd learned before leaving the woodlands on his quest. But there didn't take much longer of time passing for him to recognize a few key terms and one of them happened to be the groups planned destination. "It mentions the Fort here," he said pointing to the word. "But there isn't too much on this one. I think it's logistic information about the fort: the strengths and potential weaknesses. I think this one over here is an estimate of the forts population. It's a bit small though."

Daemahrath took a break from his own papers to look it over. "The Fort doesn't have a large population and even fewer of them will be capable of fighting. They are known for handling a much larger attack compared to their military because of their location and the build of the fort." After taking another couple of minutes to examine his own page he took the one out of Feyn's hand and tossed it on to the bed. He moved a little closer so that their arms were touching and the page that was in his hand then was displayed in front of them both. "Do you see what I'm seeing? Or am I reading this wrong?"

A little uncomfortable at the warmth that he felt when Daemahn settled up against him, Feyn had a slight distraction before he could focus on the paper and question being asked. The script was a little different than the one he'd just looked over and the numbers on the one in front of him were very different. These numbers were larger, much much larger and it wasn't until he got to the end that he realized why Daemahn had sounded concerned and asked for a second opinion. He took a deep breath before giving his opinion. "I don't know exactly what you see but I'm guessing that you are probably right. I think these are army numbers for the overlord and he is planning to have that number of them attack the fort."

"I was afraid of that." Daemahn said. He fell silent, still staring at the paper and not moving away from Feyn's side.

Retold: a blogfest entry

2010-11-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot about this blogfest in the mix of NaNoWriMo but thankfully seeing the host's post reminded me and there is plenty of time to get an entry in even though I'm also trying to write 10k in my nano novel today. And I slept too much when I should have finished it before going to bed. So, this won't be an overly long piece. But I am once again posting a blogfest entry from Cinder Story for those that miss hearing about Jack and the rest of my version of a Cinderella story.

Blogfest Details
The Blogfest, Retold is hosted by "Just Another Sarah" over at her blog, The Wit and Wisdom of Another Sarah. She is a fan of story retellings and wants people to post blogfest entries that retells a story from a different characters point of view. It can be a retelling from a fairytale, myth, history, own novels/stories or anything really and the character point of view doesn't matter either. Just has to tell what is being retold and link if possible.

I actually retold a scene in a different point of view in my nano novel to get a better insight into a dwarf character but I'm going to limit my nano posts (one should be up tomorrow anyways) and found a section of my Cinder Story to retell.

About the Entry
This is going to be a retelling of a scene I wrote for a different blogfest. The first version of the scene was posted on October 7th for a blogfest known as At First Sight. It was the first appearance of the Prince character. Since this is a retelling, I get to do the scene over again from Prince's point of view. While it wouldn't be in the actual book, it is always fun to see things from a different character. The fact that he has attraction to males too is a secret until the very end from the main character, Jack's point of view.
First Sight scene link

The Actual Entry

Staring down at the touch screen smart phone in his hand, Prince frowned noticing the time of the text message versus the actual time in the top right corner of the phone. He was already late and the predetermined coffee shop for the scheduled meeting was still a few blocks away.

"Remind me why we ended the basketball game early again?" The tall shaggy blonde in red and black gym clothes asked as he followed Prince and their other two friends.

"I'm late for a meeting and it's not going to make a very good first impression if I ditch it for a basketball game with some loser friends of mine."

The thinly veiled insult was ignored by his friend who continued his own jabs as they walked. "You really ended the game so you could go meet some guy? I thought you were trying to date that one chick."

Prince wished he'd chosen to go alone but couldn't take back the offer of coffee for the rest. Not that he regretted ending the game because there was no way he was going to lose since his team had been up twenty points when they quit early so he could try to make the meeting. "I am. This is a meeting with her father's personal assistant."

Conversations over the topic ended as they reached their destination. He was only twenty minutes late but that was enough to make him feel bad. While the other guys stepped into line, joking and checking out the coffee baristas that were working there that day, Prince returned his focus to his phone. In the text he'd been sent the assistant had listed his coordinates so he would be able to find him in the somewhat busy coffee shop. Despite the enticement of coffee, he looked around the room instead of at the order board in search of the person he was supposed to be meeting.

Based on the information in the text about table placement, paintings on walls and an odd sculpture near a wall, he looked over to the logical spot for his meeting. There was a table with a well dressed young male. He assumed that was who he was meeting and was pleasantly surprised. He'd assumed it would be an older man judging whether he was good enough for the tycoon's daughter but this guy was young, well-built and rather attractive. Not moving, Prince spent a couple of minutes looking the assistant over before making his approach without even ordering a coffee.

"Are you," Prince said as he made it close enough to the table to garner the dark haired males attention, "Jack?"

"Yes." The man looked at him seeming a bit confused at first. "Oh. Are you..."

Before the question was even asked, he interjected. "Prince. That's me." He smiled, trying not to make it obvious that he was checking out the assistant as he pulled out a chair to sit in at the table.

"So, you really think you're cool enough for a name like that?"

It was an odd question but amused Prince enough that he chuckled. While unorthodox the question was enough to ease the slight awkwardness of first meeting by bringing humor to the table. He smirked and then gave his response with a shrug. "Not really but it's what people call me."

100th blog post

2010-11-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

I started this blog back in March. Hard to believe I've had it less than a year and I'm close to having almost as many blog posts and followers as my first blog. I know that blogfests are a big part of both numbers, which is one of the few reasons I try my hardest to take part in them. But why start a second blog?

It really started when I decided to test on WordPress as a potential blogging source. Even though I didn't have problems with blogger I figured I'd give it a try and in doing so came up for the fun title "it's in the book" even though I know i"m not the only one to think of it since "itsinthebook.blogspot" was already taken. While I love having the "Dawn Embers" blog, which is just my pen name cause I haven't thought of anything better or clever to call it, I wanted to have a place for my personal writing. So, I separated the two. I didn't like WordPress as I couldn't even figure out how to get a background on there and that led to me having two blogs on blogger.

March 17th 2010 - First post made. It is a boring introduction post but the first none the less.
http://itsinthebookde.blogspot.com/2010/03/introduction.html

The next two posts jumped right into the topic of my writing as I posted about why I have two series involving genetic mutation and then discussed some of the novels I was or planned to work on. Maybe in a post in December I'll go back and compare the progress I've made on the novels discussed back then and the new ones I've started over the year. Later on, in the next month, I have a 2010 goal post so that should be interesting to reflect on in a future post as well.

Among those posts there also was a plethora of blogfest entries. Although my first blogfest entry was posted on my other blog, the majority has been here and most are well received. The ones that aren't well, it's hard to tell because they are ones with limited comments but that's okay. I still enjoy sharing my work and enjoy all forms of comments when they are left behind for me to view.

August 5th - Post 50, Change Blogfest
(It's post 50 if I'm counting correctly.)
Evidence of the impact blogfests have had on my personal writing blog is the fact that post number 50 was the Change blogfest. Hard to believe that 50 posts ago I was already using Cinder Story for blogfests (then again the nanowrimo prep added a lot of posts in one short month).
http://itsinthebookde.blogspot.com/2010/08/change-blogfest.html

Speaking of October. I had 28 blog posts in that month alone, which is even more than I had in my other blog but that's partly because I posted individual prep work here while the assignments were posted once a week on the other one.

The 100 Posts at quick glance:
During these 100 posts I've shown different excerpts from a few different novels and the occasional short story attempt. There have been a few character introductions that even included images found online. I made a confession or two. For a little while, I even had a slight schedule going where I posted "monday muse" topics on mondays and "work in progress" reports on wednesdays. October showed the method I've come to use every year in preparation for NaNoWriMo and now we're at December and the wonderful 100th post. It has been quite fun sharing my writing and knowing that others are reading, even for the times that no comments are received. I am glad I came up with this second blog and don't mind the work it takes to do more than one at a time. And considering I've had this blog less than a year (whereas the other blog I've had up for almost a year and a half now) it almost has as many followers and blog posts as the other one.

The future of the blog:
Don't worry. There won't be many changes yet for this blog. I may try to find a new template to use because I have had this one in particular for a rather long time. Maybe I'll get someone to teach me how to make some links work on the page so I can have a few pages instead of just the one blog page. Maybe if I ever get a book picked up by an agent or publisher, then the blog will have to make a few changes but for now, things will stay the same. I look forward to the year anniversary in March. And if I get 200 followers, another giveaway.

But for now... Back to the regularly scheduled programming.

Snack Bar

2010-11-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have a small trove of snack and quick fix food items that I've hoarded away in the computer room where I've been doing most of my NaNoWriMo writing. Thought it would make a good post to share some of the snacks with you all, so you can see what bad food I eat while writing this crazy epic fantasy novel.

No, most of the candy and stuff in that picture is not what I snack on but I liked the picture when I did a google search for snacks. But my food isn't really healthier by any means. So... here is a list of the top snacks I am using to fuel me through 100k in NaNoWriMo 2010.

1. Fruit Snacks

Gushers ("sour" kind is the best)
Fruit Roll Ups
Fruit by the Foot
Mario and My Little Pony gummies

2. Coffee and Creamers

regular coffee

caramel starbucks coffee

white chocolate caramel mocha creamer

gingerbread creamer

chocolate creamer

any other kind I buy

3. Ramen type stuff

top ramen
cup of noodles
yaki soba (haven't tried yet)

4. Microwaveable food

bean&cheese burritos with

cheese & ketchup (yes i'm weird)

easy mac

instant rice

Other stuff like that.

5. Soda

Pepsi
Coke
Pepsi Max
Coke Zero
Diet Pepsi
Diet Coke

Excerpt aka How Bad First Draft Is

2010-11-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

That's right. I'm going to share an excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel with anyone that reads this blog post. Yes, it's going to be pretty bad and unedited. But that's part of the fun. It's a first draft and if writing a bunch of words that suck is what it takes in order to get something that can be developed into an amazing piece of literature then why not write the bad words first. Because it's hard to tell based on a blank page which words are going to be great beforehand.

This is from a scene that will most likely not make it in the next draft but I wanted to write it anyways. It's from the first main character's point of view and takes place before he meets the other characters but after he has decided to leave home in his quest that he planned to do with his brother before he passed away. It's only 800 some odd words long, so it's one of the shortest scenes I've written so far in the novel. But for anyone who is interested, this is an example of what my nanowrimo first draft looks like.

The Excerpt

A twig snapped as fear tensed through the young elf's muscles as he clung to the branches of the tree he had climbed only a moment prior to the interruption of the silent throne of early night. Holding still, Feynethom listened for the distinctive shuffle of the patrol that will have walked by on the expected route. Darkness had settled throughout the forest as the moon provided enough of a glow through the dense woodlands to provide just enough light to make out shapes when the appeared a couple of feet from trio of trees he nestled within, hidden from those that might soon cross the path. Once they made it by, the coast would be clear and then he could make his move.

A cough indicated they had arrived, though they seemed to be taking their sweet time on the warm spring evening. The expected noise of leaves crunching until the sounds faded as the two guards were leaving didn't occur right away as expected.

Uncertain, Feynethom peeked down through the limbs making certain not to shake the branches. It was frustrating for him to see the patrol had paused for a break but soon they made their way along the designated route and he could breathe a sigh of relief. It was a surprising notion: the patrol that was set up to keep invaders from making it into the elven city deep within the woodlands, but it wasn't doing a very good job keeping him from leaving.

Hard as it was for him to stay still on the tree branch, his right foot had begun to cramp, he managed to wait another ten minutes to ensure the guard would be far enough away for when he did finally make a little noise. Climbing up the tree had been smooth but the getting back down always failed to be kept silent. The slight crash of leaved when his still slightly cramped foot hit the ground proved the point and he froze at once, holding onto the tree as if it could somehow save him if anyone heard. But silence followed and soon he was able to limp away, darting through the forest line at a quick but steady pace as the light of the moon gave him just enough sight to not trip, except for a couple of times. It would take a few hours for him to be clear from any of the patrols but so far things were going in his favor and he could only hope that he would make it to the forest edge by morning. Considering the closeness of one nights travel, he couldn't help but wonder why no one ever made it very far. It wasn't like there village was that far away, depending on speed of travel and baggage, but he'd never seen anyone make it past the initial border patrol, let alone the emergency ones that kept close eye on the very edges of the city just in case.

The topic was hard to find an answer to but it kept his mind away from his real concerns of what would happen upon morning when his mother and father would discover his bed empty and the short note stuck to the surface of the kitchen table. They were going to be angry with him but at this point he didn't care.

Things wouldn't have ended this way if his father had stood up for him during the hearing when he had requested to leave the city on his quest. Then he would have gotten permission, maybe, and been able to leave with a decent supply of food and the sun to guide him through the trees instead of sneaking out at night. But that's not what happened. Instead, the counsel had all laughed at his request while some down right mocked him before they banned him from taking on the quest for the ancient city, stating he would be wise to abandon his foolish dream and instead make due with his home in the woodlands. They didn't know about the promise he'd made; the one he intended to keep even at the risk of death.

He didn't care how long it took for he was going to prove the history books wrong. Magick couldn't be beat by sheer brute of weapons, it was impossible. He refused to believe that an entire race of elves, the strongest that ever existed in the realm, had been annihilated to the point of extinction and he was going to find them. First, stop would be the city no one had been able to find according to the history scrolls since the slaughter had finished with the land supposedly becoming cursed. Some had tried to find it and most had never returned. But that wouldn't stop him. He would make his brother proud that he had kept his promise and that thought alone kept his feet moving towards the unknown world outside the sheltered home of the woodlands.

Promise and Tristan's B-Day

2010-11-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks but it wasn't easy for me to accomplish with homework, procrastination and now nanowrimo. Sorry Kristie and thanks so much for extending the contest deadline cause it's an awesome contest.

First, Promise in the wild. I held up the book with the field that exists in front of my parents' house in the background. The picture is of the book Promise in the wild that is Wyoming. The direction is east so it's really really flat looking as the mountains are located to the west. Can you imagine the town was named after wheat? lol It is also way to nice outside for November here. Usually we have some snow and definitely cold weather. This year is a bit odd since it's supposed to be in the 70's this weekend.

Next is the birthday bash post which umm, took me way longer than it should have because I am a major procrastinator. That and I got the really awesome (or so I thought) idea to make it a comic since I have a MacBook Pro and it comes with Comic Life. But it was actually harder than I thought to come up with something for the characters to say after I managed to divide the picture I use for my own two main characters from my Angel/Demon novel. For that that haven't figured out from my post that showed the original picture I used for the angel and demon, the one wearing the coat is the demon. ;-) And yes, part of me can't believe I've sharing how much of a dork I can be. But here is the promised entry anyways. *hides after posting*

If looking for me after this post, I'm hiding under a blanket trying to write my epic fantasy novel.

Monday's Muse NaNoWriMo

2010-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

It wasn't easy but I've found some pictures to use as inspiration for NaNoWriMo. Of course, this is after commenting on a blog that I wish I had some. Oops.

The novel as described on my nanowrimo page:

A young elf leaves the safety of his forest village in search for a lost race of elves.
When he finds the lost city of elves, instead of finding the actual race of elves in the rotting city, he runs into a different type of elf. The new one is from a village of dreamers that left the woodlands in protest of the annihilation of the magic race of elves that had once ruled the lands. That encounter brings him into a battle agains a villain who is currently against the humans but may come after the elves in the future.

First are landscape, village, and other setting pictures. All found either on google or weheartit.

Then there is a battle near the end.

A couple of attempts at character, though they aren't very accurate. It's hard to find elf pictures that I like, then add the female dwarf and argh...

Lookie. I has a temp cover and a banner that someone made for me on the nanowrimo web site. Yay! It's not very epic/high fantasy speaking but it's way better than anything I could ever do. I like having an image for it at least.

Procrastination List

2010-10-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted all of my prep work but figured this is a good one to post for all to see.

The List

1. Internet in general
2. Twitter
3. Blogger - My Blogs & Others
4. Boyfriend
5. Sleep
6. Homework
7. Work (if I get a job)
8. Other Novels
9. NaNoWriMo web site and forums
10. TV & Movies
11. Family
12. Thanksgiving

Schedule

Some procrastination in morning/mid day as a form to wake up. Some allowed if it helps me write. The rest is for after daily goal has been exceeded. I write better at night, so may stay up late for most of the month if need be, most likely. Doing the writing in the office, away from the computer to avoid TV/Movies. Week before Thanksgiving week parents will be gone so can do whatever I want at home. May have to clean cupboards but can also write a lot. Try to get done early.

NaNo Prep - Monday's Letter to Me

2010-10-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

(Note: blogfest entries are located below.) This is my letter to myself about how awesome I am and that I'll win this year for NaNoWriMo.

Dear Me,

I am awesome; and shall not forget that! Don't listen to the naysayer's that suggest skipping nano and taking a break from writing because I know better. I am a writer and I shall prevail past those pesky 50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month and win for a second year. But more importantly, I will prevail in finally writing the elven epic fantasy novel for me. It is one of my first most epic ideas ever. It will be great to set my insecurities aside about the genre, my capabilities, and the task at writing such a non-standalone first novel to a series.

Just remember: while the internet can be useful for writing, and the music helps to get those words flowing, don't allow the web sites and twitter to distract from the task at hand. It's okay to sometimes check email and work on things that need to get done but don't get sucked into the Internet for hours on ends when you could be writing. It's a long month but not that long and there are 50,000+ words to accomplish to read the goal and a win. Maybe use the distraction demon as a reward for great amounts of writing that gets accomplished.

What will this years method be to succeed? I can't do the same as 2008 since I'm no longer living on my own in Utah, but I can change the in house office room in order to get away from the television set. There might be a couple write ins, either in Laramie or Casper, but remember to only go to a few because the method to write a lot is not to travel since it's hard to write and drive at the same time. Remember to take some practices from March since that was the most successful writing month thus far. Even challenge yourself to do better this month. Because now you know you're capable of writing more and that knowledge should give the confidence needed to fight through the month of writing. Granted, it's not an excuse for ignoring the real world but it's possible to write and still have a life off the computer and that we're going to prove this month. Pshaw to anyone who says you should be taking a break from writing. That's crazy and instead I can enjoy the fun insanity of nanowrimo and writing a typical but different version of an epic fantasy.

Now to talk about celebration because this year you are going to celebrate success. Didn't celebrate in 2010 much, and didn't celebrate aside from talking about it online after writing 67,000 words in March. So, think of some reward once you make it past 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo 2010. Get a nanowrimo winner t-shirt, donate to the cause and maybe get another special prize like a trip to Barnes and Noble. Yay. Oh, and get a cookie from the special cookie place in Cheyenne (the type with the special frosting).

Have fun and Write!
Sincerely,
Me

Merry Halloween Blogfest

2010-10-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah. So, I was going to write for this blogfest last night but got distracted. Also, I couldn't decide between writing Cinder with Halloween costumes or writing a horror-ish story. Fail on my part cause I'm not good at horror and I didn't write anything last night. The Cinder idea is a bit colorful in language, so I think I'm going to post something else (sorry Cinder fans).

Blogfest
The lovely Mia is hosting the blogfest, so go check out her blog of awesomeness at literary jam and toast. We're supposed to post something ghoulish since Halloween is coming up. I just posted the serial killer flash fiction I wrote on WDC a long time ago. Enjoy and sorry for taking so long to post.

Entry - Not So Funny

"Almost done." Budders the Clown set aside his ink needle before backing away to look at his handy work. He took a minute to wipe off the sweat from his forehead and then went over to his vanity stand. After a fresh application of white make-up he returned to his project.

"What do you think Celia?" He waited for her answer and then nodded in agreement. "You're right, as usual. The black hair with the purple and green dress will look gorgeous."

Budders went to get the dress and then began the process of setting up his new mannequin so that he could prepare her for the new wardrobe. There still were a couple of pressing matters that needed to happen before the dressing stage. He wasn't one to rush into things but this doll excited him more than most of the others. He hadn't felt this in a long time; the energy and desire.

"I really need to clean up around here. This place is such a mess and not suitable for the company of a refined woman." Budders muttered half to himself and half to his lovely blonde Celia.

He went to the work of spraying the important sealant over the ivory skin of his new model. Didn't want the skin to get damaged or have traces of dirt or any other material. With the coat on he could then affix the luscious black wig. The hair felt as soft as silk and had the sweet smell of island flowers.

"Perfect." Budders nodded as he finished with the dress.

Cleaning up took him a lot longer than he liked but it was a necessary hassle when it came to mannequin making. If the shop wasn't spotless and all evidence properly disposed he would have big problems.

Budders winked. "Can't have evidence just lying around."

Once the area was clean and everything stowed away, he broke out the champagne. With a full glass he toasted his new woman, or the new version of the woman he'd met in the grocery store. "Here's to you. My beautiful Savannah."

Never-Ending Blogfest, aka Cliffhanger

2010-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty cool blogfest, not only for the topic but also the prize. Sure, I don't enter blogfests with the purpose of trying to win something but it's hard not to mention how cool it was that the host has a prize C.A Marshall (whom people should follow her blog too). Check out the blogpost about the blogfest for more details at Brenda Drake's blog.

The Blogfest Details
Post a scene that is 500 words or less, which has a "rocking cliffhanger." Any genre is allowed. Just has to leave the reader hanging (wanting more). They have to be posted on the 25th, by 8am eastern.

My Story
Yep. For those that have had to suffer through the past couple of blogfests I've written scenes for can breathe a sigh of relief. I'm posting something from Cinder Story for this one.

Entry (491 words)

The freezing cold air existed in sweet relief, contrasting to the stiff, overheated existence of the stuffy elitist people in the somewhat crowded ballroom where Jack had spent the last two hours trying not to pull at his uncomfortable black tuxedo and bow tie. Feeling out of place had long ago become a normal existence for the evening and all he could do was hope the night would end soon because being out at an event with his boss' wife had received enough gossip to cause some discomfort.

"There you are." Mrs. Mann appeared on the balcony, small sections of her dress not clinging to her body fluttered in the light breeze. "Would hate for people to think my date had left me or found someone else." She laughed before putting her hand on his arm. "I need to showcase you a little more, and then we can leave. First to leave is tacky but last to leave is terribly undesired."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack nodded and then bit his lip. He forgot again. "I mean, Corinne." He allowed himself to be led back to the uncomfortable evening with a few drinks to blur the edge of discomfort of dealing with women he didn't know.

Things went smooth, with the gossip remaining based off mere assumptions, until the last moments of the night. Jack kept his hands to himself and did the expected acts of a gentlemen, receiving only the expected looks of intrigue as people tried to figure out his connection to Corrine. Leaving after a long goodnight to the hostess, Jack kept his professional approach up to the very end, even walking her to her bedroom.

"Such a sweet gentleman, you are," Corrine laughed, a warm blush still existing in her face from drinking champagne. "I thank you, sir, for escorting me tonight." All of a sudden, she grabbed Jack by the collar of his rented tux and pulled him in, planting her enhanced lips onto his for a brief second before letting him go. Then she went into the master bedroom, shutting the double doors behind her.

It took Jack a few seconds of constant blinking to recover. Unable to do anything about the incident, he stumbled down to his small room to crash onto his bed with the hope of nothing bad coming from the awkward night he'd been subjected to in the name of keeping his job.

The next morning arrived with the memory of the night combined with a dull ache that existed within his temples. A loud knocking didn't help the pain either. Stumbling out of bed, he made sure he was relieved to have fallen asleep in pants and a worn t-shirt, so he could answer the door in a timely fashion and not indecent. His boss stood at the door, already dressed in a business suit.

He entered the room, not waiting for Jack to offer, as he said, "We need to talk."

Monster Mash Blogfest

2010-10-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Don't worry. I didn't forget that I'd signed up for the blogfest, I just didn't write my entry beforehand because I was sick. So, my entry is being written and posted as soon as I can get it done. To check out other entries in today's festival of ghoulish fun, go to www.rohmorgon.com/blog.

Blogfest Details
Story should contain at least one, if not more, supernatural (monster) creature. I put in the monster part cause it's called a monster mash but technically the rules just call for supernatural creatures. Having more than one kind of creature is preferred cause it's a mash so that's more fun than having one kind.
999 words limit is also recommended and I second this rule because posts that are super long are ones I tend to skip over when reading.

Story
Since this blogfest involves supernatural creatures, it was either write a halloween costume segment for Cinder Story or to write something else with actual supernatural creatures. So, fans of Cinder, you'll have to wait for the next blogfest but I promise the cliffhanger one will feature Jack. Instead I'm going to write from a story that has a cult type setting. It's in first person, currently, with a male main character that I haven't actually figured out his real name yet. The story is one that people tend to either like or not like at all, but I love the idea still. The entry may get long because I wrote it here in blogger and didn't do a word count. (Also, I had to write half of it twice cause blogger didn't save like it usually does and when I tried to publish it said I wasn't signed in so I lost half of what I wrote and had to redo it.)

Entry

The world is full of dark, scary things. Monsters troll the night with ever haunting to cause fright and it is only those who find their light can fight the dark they find within. And yet, I find nothing but voices. Voices that squack, grown and never shut up.

"Boy!"

I shake from the trance I had staring out across the one glimpse of open space provided in this jungle of a private so-called zoo. "Yes?" I hate when he calls me boy, such a demeaning term, but I can't snap at him unless I want a beating. Ridiculous to be almost thirty and at the whim of some other man, no matter his kindness of keeping me alive. At least he could say it in that foreign language the others seem to speak, that way I wouldn't know for sure he was being a condescending putz.

"We don't have all day for this tour. Let's keep moving."

"Yes, Master." Stupid, self-centered, son of a...

"This way, boy." His distinguished stature never changed, not even amidst the muck filled lands that existed in the middle of his zoo. He walked with confident strides, probably from the knowledge that every creature, every bit of land belonged to him. Doesn't even look down walking across a pathway covered in poisonous creepy crawly things.

Not even sure what they are but they have similar annoying voices that insects and spiders have inside my head, but they move out of the way for him. For me it's a different story. They cover the walkway again so I can't even see the ground. Could you clear some space to let me through, please. I ask them, inside my head. With some snickering and mass voices talking at the same time, they give enough space for me to tiptoe across. I get a look from Master but he doesn't say anything again until we get to another long section of overgrown cages.

We pass the path I took my first night in this strange land, the night I met him. At the end of that path is the huge gorilla couple. They aren't quite King Kong size but definitely larger than normal. Most would consider them to be scary cause of that but seeing the one share his food with his mate made it hard to view them that way anymore.

"Do you know the difference between man and monster?" Master asks me, but doesn't give much than a couple of seconds before he speaks again. He never gives me time to answer questions but he doesn't care if I have an answer either. "Fear. The monster doesn't have anything to fear. Man thinks he is the ruler over all the lands but he is afraid, and that weakness is what will cause his downfall."

He talks about man as if he isn't one and that is creepy. I don't know what to say, so instead look into the cage we are standing near.

Seeing my distraction, he steps over to some machine, pressing a few buttons. From the depths of the mechanical odd monstrosity tossed a bloody steak that didn't even have the chance to hit the ground. With a flash of black, it was gone. The sign on the cage says "were-jaguar"but the animal moved too fast for me to tell exactly what it looked like.

"Seriously, boy," this time he snaps his fingers towards Master's side as he'd gotten ahead of me again. "Do I need to put a damn leash on you just so you'll keep up?"

I ignore the next few cages, not bothering to look for any animals as I catch up to him. Then he stops again, staring at me in that glare that makes me uncomfortable because he's trying to decide something about me and I never know what it is that he gets when he looks at me. So, I look at the cage were are standing near. The clearing is empty but I can sense something lurking in the shadows of the brush that exist on the edges of the cage. Then it jumps out against the wire of the cage, claws sinking in and teeth exposed in a deep growl. Well, the noise that hits my ear is a growl. What I hear in my head is more of a Boo! and then it giggles.

"There is one question you need to consider, if you are to survive here." Master is speaking to me again so I ignore the creature that is trying to garner a little attention. Then he gives the question he has been building up to this whole conversation. "Are you afraid?"

NaNo Prep - Object Described

2010-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here is more of a flash fiction showing Daemahrath and the Prince he fell in love with, eventually causing him to be forced to leave the city. But the object is in it, so it counts.

The grass shoots waved under a light breeze, bringing with it a calming sense of solitude. Daemahrath, rolled from his back onto his left side, facing the prince as they both rested in the empty field. A yawn escapes from the lazy rest of an empty afternoon soaking in the warm spring sun.

Kaselon pushed closer, until his body rested against Daemahrath's. Their lips brushed together in a brief kiss. "Have a good nap?" He joked when they were apart again.

"Did I nap?" He tried to pretend it didn't happen, not that it mattered. It had been a week since they'd managed to sneak off together and it felt almost a waste to spend part of that time asleep, but he couldn't help it. The last four days had been busy at the healer's hut to the point of getting no sleep most nights.

"I don't mind watching you sleep. You've been busy as of late." Kaselon sat up, moving over to a bag he'd brought with them on their hike. It contained a few snacks, an animal skin with water, and something else. "I have something I want to give you."

This was enough to get Daemahrath to push himself into an upright position. They'd made sure not to give any physical gifts in case they would get questioned about the objects by someone. So, he couldn't imagine what Kaselon would want to give him. He watched as a covered object, bigger than the size of Kaselon's hand, was pulled from the bag and placed on the ground. After a second of dramatic bravado, the edges of the high quality cloth were moved to expose the gift: a special dagger.

Before it could even be officially offered, Daemahrath tried to turn it down. "I can't accept that. The blade was made for royalty and you earned it from the last formal battle show. It belongs to you, not me."

"Daemah. The only reason I won is because you weren't allowed to compete and I'm pretty sure a few of them let me beat them on purpose. Besides, I have plenty of nice daggers and swords that are all specially crafted just for me. I want you to have this one." Kaselon took the blade in its sheath and formally handed it over.

He let his fingers drift over the dagger, admiring the details. The case and handle were onyx black with gold etchings laid in intricate patterns and script. A pull of the handle exposed a shining blade that also contained the gold intertwined over the surface of the metal near the handle and down the sides of the blade. The edge reflected light from the sun, showing off its sharpness from the slight angle it was held. He couldn't deny, it was magnificent and a tempting offer. Pushing the blade back into the sheath, he shook his head. "No, I can't."

"You have to because I am not taking it back." Kaselon put the cloth back in his bag, closing it. "I'm giving it to you and no more arguing cause I'll pull rank if I have to." With a flash of a smile, he planted another kiss on Daemahrath and settled back down on the grass.

Sighing, Daemahrath gave in and settled back to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

NaNo Prep - political background

2010-10-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Politics of Book 1

The Woodlands: There is one main ruler over the land with a counsel(senate) that helps make decisions. The decisions are enforced by guard (as police official types) that follow the rules given by their superiors. There is also a set of public displays that works for enforcement, because what other people think in the community is considered to be of value.

Mixed City: Two ruler system, queen and queen (lesbian couple) that rule the city though there is some question as to how effective a monarch type rule is on the city dwellers. The system is a bit fractured and the people in the city don't get along as much as outsiders think they do. Within the city, it is a struggle and groups constantly are at battle with no concern of the laws.

Human villages: (taken over by villain) Under the control of the antagonist, though from afar. He has some of his creatures there to guarantee control. The original leaders are mostly still in tact, with a few exceptions, but they all must answer to him. Laws are heavily enforced. (not taken over yet) Own rulers, depending on location and the size of the city. Villages tend to not have a single, ruling over all, type of leader. Law enforcement is a little more lax.

Human fort: One ruler with a counsel of knights (or similar types, the fighters). Down to earth ruler who is very close to everyone in the fort's walls, which holds a small village. Everyone takes their roles in the community seriously, with many helping each other.

Dwarven society: Communal type society with a help each other attitude and no main ruler. Laws aren't as important though there are a few codes that those who violate are scorned for a few days. Then they shrug things off and move on.

Starsatti: similar to woodlands. Some of them came from there so it's a reflection of the old ways but with a few changes made to keep things up with the times. Different views are believed. Before Daem left, things were stricter but it turns out after things left a change was eventually made. The prince becomes king and the rules get fixed that caused him to be banned in the first place.

NaNo Prep - minor character 2 story

2010-10-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Not much of a story this time, but a little bit of dialogue with some story to it.

Dwarf backstory

The constant drip drip of water echoing throughout the inner regions of the quartz filled caves beat a rhythm into the two dwarves as their breathing began to labor from the arduous hike.

"Remind me, why did we do this again?" The yellow haired male huffed as he grabbed a slab of rock to support himself, taking another break.

Crystal paused, looking back with a slight huff. Her long red hair was contained by some segments of string but it felt chaotic, so she spent a moment fixing it. "Cause it's fun. I'm tired of sitting around watching the others drink. I want adventure."

He quickly responded. "It's work and that's not fun."

"Maybe it takes a little work sometimes, but it'll be worth the effort to see the cave waterfall."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, pushing off from the rock as they continued onward. "I still don't get why you want to adventure so much, but as long as you keep it in the mountain."

Sighing, Crystal shook her head. "You'll see. Someday I'll be the greatest dwarf explorer that ever existed. I'll go to strange lands and meet all kinds of beings. Maybe I'll meet the elves or spend my days among the humans. Either way, I am going to do something besides rot in the ground."

NaNo Prep - minor character 2

2010-10-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dwarf Profile

The Basic Facts
Name: Krystal (needs a last name, or second part of name)
Pronunciation: k-ris-t-al
Age: old enough to leave for adventure, young enough to foolishly do it
City or Area of Birth: in the mountains where the dwarves live
Sex: female
Height: obviously short. 3'2" (maybe)
Weight: not much
Hair: red, no beard
Eyes: green
Clothes: green and brown. decent material for travel.
Marriage Status: single
Sexual Orientation: straight
Occupation: unknown at this time
Fighting Ability: decent. Short/small battle ax, dagger
Magikal Ability: none currently
Character Description: Krystal is one of the friendliest characters. She is used to partying, doing work only when it needs to be done, and was tired of the sitting around not going anywhere aspect of mountain life. She is an adventure seeker, ready to take on any battle that will make her life more interesting.

Familial Relations
Father: name unknown
Living/Deceased: living
Occupation of Father: Has skills to build but mostly makes furniture and drinks
Mother: name unknown
Living/Deceased: living
Parental Marriage Status: together
Occupation of Mother:
Sister(s): 1 younger
Age(s): kid-ish age, almost teen-ish
Living/Deceased: living
Marriage Status: too young
Brother(s): 2 brothers
Age(s): one slightly older, one much older
Living/Deceased: living
Marriage Status: one single and one is married
Aunt(s), Uncle(s), Cousin(s), etc: several, not discussed
Other Family Occupations: unknown

Relationships with Others
Current Lover/Spouse: none
Best Friend(s): Makes new ones on the trip. Old best friends were class mates and would play together often
Other Friends: ^
Past Love(s)/Spouse(s): Had one guy interested in her but she wanted to leave and explore the world
Worst Enemy: boredom
Allies: food and drink, lol
Ability to Make New Friends: easily makes friends, sometimes whether the person wants to talk to her or not
Other People of Note in Character's Life: none, though the thief may be in a later book
Reason Why They are Noteworthy: hint is in the wink

Background
Where Raised: in the mountain (inside it, really)
Family Background: umm, all dwarves

Psych Profile
Greatest Joy: new experiences
Greatest Trauma: don't know yet
Morals: decent morals. doesn't mind drinking at all, but prefers not to kill unless it's her life or theirs
Ambitions: adventure
Positive Personality Traits: friendly, seeks new things, strong willed
Negative Personality Traits: doesn't always take a hint well, not always aware of consequences, talks a lot
Mannerisms: ummm
Fears, Anxieties: not sure
Temperament: friendly, happy, talkative
Ambitions: to adventure, experience new things and meet new people
How Character Displays Emotions: visibly, she doesn't try to hide them
Leader/Follower: follower
Perception of Others: intriqued to learn about them, tries to start with clean slate for each one she meets
Perception of Self: happy for the most part though isn't sure of where she wants to be in life
Memories: fond
Dreams/Plans: adventure and find herself, not be stuck in a mountain all her life
How Character Handles Crisises: pretty well, depending on the type, but can panic for a moment or ten
Personality Type: ummm *points to previous details*
Most Meaningful Life Experience: no idea
Attitude Toward Others: friendly
Feelings Toward Family: loves them for the most part
Feelings Toward Friends: enjoys all friends, past and present
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Same Sex: no problems, intrigued by how they act
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Opposite Sex: intrigued as well, unsure too
Feelings Towards Enemies: not used to having any

NaNo Prep - Setting 2 Described

2010-10-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

A small amount of setting described. The goal is to write for 15 minutes on average, so I didn't try to make this really long. It's the lost elven city, and it's lost for a reason.

Thai-noren

Nestled deep within the sea of trees, far beyond any travelers sense of direction, lay the forgotten city. Bands of magic laced through the trees, sinking deep into the soil, combined with the lack of stars and variance of plant growth made it almost impossible to find as those seeking the city would easily get turned around and never truly reach the center where the city once radiated. Somehow, the trees will seem to blend and repeat themselves in patters that would tickle the travelers sense of deja vu without ever making it known that they were backtracking or changing directions from their original intent. Since there were no longer maps that held the secret details of the vast forest, it was impossible to find. Not that it was much of a prize for the rare individual that may stumble upon the once hallowed grounds.

Once a magnificent city of rock, wood and metal embellished architecture, now it is a long a rubble and decay. The tall building have long since crashed to the ground. Walls no longer support upper levels or ceilings and they no longer keep the outside from getting in.

Weeds coat the ground with small patches of grass mixing in across land that once had a purpose. Growth is limited, held down by the waning coat of magick left behind. Standing in the net of the cursed land leaves one in a bubble of silence. No animals have nested in the city, nor can any be heard even on the edge of the civilization marked land. It is an oasis of what once was and what will never be.

Outline #3

2010-10-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Main character #1 Feynethom - a male woodland elf, left the woodlands on a crazy quest
#2 Daemahrath - a different kind of male elf from Starsatti (or however I spell it), banished from his city where he was raised by a healer
#3 - a short male human that tends to acquire items (yes, the typical thief character) a friendly companion for the dwarf in their middle book
#4 - female dwarf, red hair but no beard. A strong spirit, has no problem with elves and is one of the first to travel out of the mountain recently
#5 & #6 - female humans. Strong and capable of handling things on their own. Some issues against elves but is expected.

1. Feynethom meets Thief (needs a name still) at small village inn.
characters: feyn, thief, random humans in dining area including hunters and cocky noisy guys
Feyn is on his quest to the lost city of Thai-noren, but isn't having much success. It's very difficult to find and not many go looking for it because it's considered evil ground, possibly under a spell. Feyn stops in a human village to break where he meets #3 in a village inn. He doesn't keep his mission to find an ancient city where magical elves once lived in hopes that they hadn't been annihilated as the history books claimed a secret. The people of the inn are a bit weary because he is an elf. There is one group of men that have a bunch of old maps. There is another human that sits along with Feyn, who is shorter than most. Someone accuses that man of theft. There is an eventual squabble and the two have to run. The short human, #3, joins him on his quest after acquiring an ancient map that might have the location of the ancient city. So, they head in that direction.

2. Daemahrath meets Dwarf (needs name still) at treetop tavern.
Characters: Daem, Dwarf, bartender, other humans
It's a special location, designed in a way that it is hoisted up by trees. The setting is described in the first setting exercise in how the tree is very large, and the bar is thus far above ground. Daem has his ears covered so no one knows that he's an elf. He just seems like an odd stranger in for a drink who has little interactions for first part of the scene with anyone except for the bartender. Dwarf is there, having left her home for an adventure but hadn't found one yet. A group of humans come in with one mistaking the dwarf for an elf but his pals correct him. The group spends some time talking with the dwarf, now amused by her presence. The one human says he met an elf who was trying to find the ancient elven city. There is some discussion of the ruler that is taking over different villages. This leads to an argument where they find out that Daem is an elf and hell breaks loose. Daem is able to escape after a short skirmish and takes a short cut off the tall bar location. The dwarf follows, getting away too.

Daem decides to find the lost city, to make sure the ones mentioned by the humans aren't taken by the cursed city. Dwarf insists on going with him, and befriends him even though he is a bit reluctant.

3. on the outskirts
Characters: Daem and Dwarf
Shorter scene. They are close to the lost city and Daem discusses a few things with the dwarf. After some argument part way into the trees, the dwarf stays behind with instructions on what to do given certain possible outcomes. Daem leaves, pursuing the actual city alone.

4. Finding Thai-noren
Characters: Feyn, Thief, Daem and Dwarf
Feyn and Thief find their way to the ancient city despite the fact that the rooms are very creepy with an air of foreboding. It is abanonded with no signs of life, which is a disappointment for Feyn. They try to search the grounds that are overgrown and decaying. There is a question as to if they should leave but Feyn is reluctant to give up hope yet. As their nerves start to get to them, Daem shows up. When he first sees him, Feyn almost has the idea that he might be an actual Thailean elf. But that gets shattered. Daem directs them away from the city, though the two are a little reluctant to leave at first. A danger occurs, shadow monster or something like that, which makes them more than happy to run.

5. Safe again
Characters: daem, feyn, dwarf, thief
The two find Dwarf, who was waiting for them per the orders of Daem. They move a little further away and then wait, in hopes that Daem will make it out of the city alive. He does eventually and the group as a whole makes it further before resting.
Daem had plans to go to a fort that was being threatened by the antagonist. Those plans were only slightly put off by the distraction of the ancient city. The fort is important because it is a human fort that has a long history of never losing a battle and if it were to fall to the enemy then hope may be lost. At least the rest of the human settlements not conquered would probably give up. The other three decide to join him for their own reasons. Some are looking for adventure and others just aren't ready to return home because they left for a silly quest.

6. On the road - camping
characters: daem, feyn, dwarf, thief
The character get to know each other a little more on the slow journey. Spend many nights sleeping on the ground. Feyn tries to get to know the other elf a little more but doesn't have much luck.

7. Travel and finding a bed
characters: daem, feyn, dwarf, thief, other humans
In order to get to the fort they must travel through a number of small to medium size towns full of humans, many of which are occupied by the enemy. Most are not friendly to elves and so, for them to go in they have to use disguises. They prefer to go around some of the occupied villages but the group gets tired of sleeping on the ground. So, in a village that is located near the woodlands, the group goes into a small-medium sized village where they decide to try staying at an inn for one night. The two elves disguise using women's clothing.

8. Evening at the Inn
characters: daem, feyn, dwarf, two humans that get introduced, others
Have dinner in the main hall, where they meet the two women characters who are there having left their farm villages. Some hints as to possible anti-evil-ruler get tossed into conversation. The two elves leave dinner early, tired of the disguises and not wanting to push their luck, so they head up to the one room the four managed to get in the inn. Feyn and Daem go over a few maps and discuss a couple of documents, at least one that the thief managed to procure during the visit in town.
Later that night, the two females go up to the room the group has, where only the elves are currently as the other two are still downstairs. They enter the room to discover the women they saw downstairs were in fact male elves and cause a slight camotion but that gets covered up when the other two soon return. After some coaxing, they listen to the group and don't report the elves.

9. Morning trouble
characters: daem, feyn, dwarf, thief, humans, enemy creatures, woodland elf patrol
The ext morning, the group prepares to leave with a goal of heading further through the route of villages that exist on the outskirts of the forest. One of the enemy guardsmen takes an interest in Feyn, who is dressed as a woman, and tries to take advantage of him. Daem saves Feyn right after the guard figures out he's not a female human, but the elves cover is blown. After running away and finding the rest of their group they have no choice but to run into the woodlands, which they were trying to avoid. Even though they are in the woodlands, the ones running after them don't stop as was expected, so the group stops and prepares to face them. But they don't have to as the enemy gets shot down by someone else. They are saved by woodland elves, who don't seem happy to see them.

10. Woodland elf city/village
characters: daem, feyn, (dwarf, thief, humans not as much) other elves, feyn's mom, leader's advisor
The elves that save them lead the group into the village, though it's questionable at first because humans are usually not allowed in. Even with Feyn, they almost don't get in because he wasn't supposed to leave the village when he did. But everyone except the actual elves are allowed in most of the village as the others are placed in a special set aside area with little huts created just in case. Feyn and Daem are allowed time at Feyn's old home for a little while before they are to meet with the King/Emperor type to explain their mission over dinner. Aside from meeting Feyn's mother, his promised one shows up and he talks with her while Daem ends up talking to his mom and one younger sister.

11. Dinner with leader
characters: Feyn, Daem, elf leader, the advisor, a couple elf guards
The dinner starts to go very well. He doesn't agree to send any elves to help but he does allow the whole group to live and carry on with their mission. Counsel advisor isn't happy about it when there seems like a point where the King might agree with them, so he stirs up trouble. Daem's secret gets revealed and he leaves the dinner early. Feyn has to go talk with him and there is a small attack, which is a shock since no one has ever gotten that close before.

12. Night in woodlands
characters: feyn, daem, feyn's father, (thief, humans, dwarf at the end)
Daem is taken to a different area than even the non-elves, as the advisor doesn't trust him. Feyn decides to go spend the night with him, even though that might look bad to anyone that found out. He figures as long as they aren't in the same bed ti won't matter. After some talk they go to sleep. Next morning starts with someone entering the hut, and Daem pulling a knife on the intruder. Turns out to be Feyn's father and things don't go well. Daem goes to get the rest while Feyn deals with his dad. The group eventually leaves for the fort.

13. The fort
The elves use the disguises to get into the fort. Once in the thief and dwarf check out the common areas of the village inside the fort while the others try to see the King/Leader. Once in front of the King/Leader, with very few else in the room, they remove the disguise and share the news they have about the impending attack. The King has them then share some of the news with the whole village.

14. Preparations
characters: fort people, feyn, daem, humans, dwarf, thief
At first, the warriors of the fort are uncertain about the news the members bring, especially with two elves in the group but the King/Leader of the fort doesn't have a problem with elves. They believe them after awhile and begin to prepare for battle with Daem put in charge. Near the time of the battle, as bit of the population is taken to a safe location. Daem teaches Feyn how to use a sword better in battle, in case he has to do such.

15. A secret
characters: feyn, daem, fort warriors, humans, thief, dwarf
Daem has another secret that he personally reveals to a group after the leader refuses to give in to the anatagonist's demands. But first, he offers to allow the fort to give in to the antagonist, to offer him as a gesture that could spare the fort but the fort would never do such a thing. So, he then shows them what he is actually able to do.

16. Battle
characters: feyn, daem (but not at end), humans, thief, dwarf, fort people
Battle at fort occurs against difficult odds. They seems to struggle at first but as the battle ensues they lose very few people and appear to be winning. Daem gets knocked off when saving Feyn and gets carried away by the enemy. The battle ends with the fort seeming victorious but they lost something/someone valuable.

Plans are made for what to do next.

The end of book 1.

NaNo Prep - Minor #1 Backstory

2010-10-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

This is a backstory for a nanowrimo character. It's supposed to be a minor character, but I have a group of important characters, with varying levels of their importance in the different books. So, this is the second main character elf and a section of story from before he was banned from his home city.

Sweet smells of cinnamon, hops and flowers filled the air in an odd, magical mixture. It was a tedious chore to grind each individual leaf, flower and stem from the variety of plants that were used for their healing abilities. It was mindless work, the type that allowed Daemahrath to remain deep in thought while he went through the motions. Lady Lilathel would be gone all day, attending to a few patients, and so he had the hut to himself.

Daemahrath paused, putting his tool down to give his hand a break. The table top was covered with the plants that needed worked on, and along the bar by the window hung more plants drying. He wanted to get all the work on the table done for Lilathel but didn't know if he could make it.

He didn't mind the work. He would do anything for Lilathel, since she'd raised him after he had been abandoned as a baby. Working for the city healer had its perks, as well as many drawbacks.

As descendants of the Woodland Elves, the elves of Thailea were still weary of anything close to magic. They were part of the group that had protested the slaughter of another Elven race and eventually left to form their own city. Thus came Thailea, located in the lush green mountains far away from any other type of civilization. Even though there were all from the same group, there was a huge difference between Daemahrath and the rest of the city.

They all had the same light features, blonde or light brown hair combined with either green or blue eyes. Daemahrath's hair was black and short as to not get in any of the pills or potions he had to make. He had eyes that were as gray as the clouds before a midnight storm. It was because of this difference that he spent his days alone. He had the same classes that all boys his age were required to take part in, but he had no friends. Everyone avoided him as much as they possibly could. He felt like an outsider.

Taking a break from the herb crushing, Daemahrath moved over to the cauldron to check the temperature of the dark brew. It had cooled down enough to bottle. Using a strainer, he poured liquid down through the hole of a glass bottle.

He had just gotten the cork on his fifth bottle when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He wiped his hands clean as a messenger came into the main room of the hut. "How may I help you?"

It was one of the royal family's servants. He had the nice, yet simple dress of a messenger but the look on his face was one of panic. "Lady Lilathal is needed at once. The prince is injured and losing blood fast. Where is she?"

"She's away with a different client." Daemahrath had to think fast. He wasn't supposed to do any healing because they didn't want anyone to know the amount of his abilities. But he didn't have much of a choice. Grabbing some herbs and wraps, he prepared a bag in a hurry. "Take me to the prince."

NaNo Prep - minor character sketch 1

2010-10-12T21:30:00.001-07:00

The Basic Facts
Name: Daemahrath
Pronunciation: Day - ma - ra - th
Age: Adult but a youngish one
City or Area of Birth: birth unknown, raised in Starsatti by the city healer
Sex: male
Height: tallish for an elf but still not overly tall
Weight: in shape
Hair: black
Eyes: gray
Clothes: well worn. He has been on his own, traveling for years after being banned from the city.
Marriage Status: single
Sexual Orientation: gay (though keeps it a secret for the most part)
Occupation: could work as a healer as he was trained for that
Fighting Ability: really good at fighting but prefers not to fight. During training he wasn't allowed to fight against the other students, even as practice.
Magikal Ability: well developed for keeping it a secret

Familial Relations
Father: unknown
Living/Deceased: probably deceased
Occupation of Father: n/a
Mother: unknown
Living/Deceased: probably deceased
Parental Marriage Status: n/a
Occupation of Mother: n/a
Sister(s): none known of
Age(s): n/a
Living/Deceased: n/a
Marriage Status: n/a
Brother(s): none know of
Age(s): n/a
Living/Deceased: n/a
Marriage Status: n/a
Aunt(s), Uncle(s), Cousin(s), etc: none know of
Other Family Occupations: n/a

Relationships with Others
Current Lover/Spouse: none
Best Friend(s): doesn't have any anymore will befriend others in the group
Other Friends: none for now
Past Love(s)/Spouse(s): Prince Kaselon
Worst Enemy: the king's advisor from his old city
Allies: none at the moment, but is rather charming so could get some in novel
Ability to Make New Friends: Didn't have many friends because he was considered different, but when people don't know exactly what he is and just go on his personality, he is charming and can make friends
Other People of Note in Character's Life: The woman who raised him was very kind and he holds her in high regard.
Reason Why They are Noteworthy: The only one to take him in, not call him a freak, and such.

Background
Where Raised: Starsatti
Family Background: no family

Psych Profile
Greatest Joy: it was his best friend and first love
Greatest Trauma: being marked and banned
Morals: has good morals for the most part, sometimes has to do things just to survive but prefers to help and not hurt
Ambitions: seeing others have happiness, to do something good with his abilities
Positive Personality Traits: loyal, kind, caring, nurturing/healing
Negative Personality Traits: loner, afraid to hurt anyone
Mannerisms:
Fears, Anxieties: hurting someone, losing another love
Temperament: mild and patient, used to being ignored and considered a freak
Ambitions: make a difference, to keep the death toll to a minimum
How Character Displays Emotions: tries to keep his emotions to himself but sometimes they appear on his face and in a few actions depending on the emotion
Leader/Follower: Leader, although a bit reluctant
Perception of Others: a bit weary of others when he first meets them. Looks for the good but is well aware of the bad that exists
Perception of Self: doesn't have the best view of himself, tries not to let what others have said get to him but that doesn't always work.
Memories: Has many memories from growing up, being different, learning to heal, meeting the prince, etc.
Dreams/Plans: plans to stop the antagonist if possible, to use his abilities to help others
How Character Handles Crisises: although quiet, he does better than most in a crisis.
Personality Type: natural leader but calm and quiet
Most Meaningful Life Experience: his relationship and the bad aftermath leading to his being banned
Attitude Toward Others: cautious but still considers that some people are good, even if others are not
Feelings Toward Family: doesn't know what it's like to have a family
Feelings Toward Friends: hasn't had many friends. greatful to have them but always cautious and afraid of losing them because he kind of expects it to happen
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Same Sex: weary, attracted to a few but not many
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Opposite Sex: has no problem with women and they like him as a friend
Feelings Towards Enemies: doesn't like to be around enemies and doesn't know how to deal with them

NaNo Prep - Plot Backstory

2010-10-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

The attack came, just as they had predicted. Even the magick they possessed wasn't enough against the horde that swarmed Thai-noren. Fires raged, taking down wood buildings two at a time as the last remaining Thai-lean elves fought against the hordes. Arrows started to run out, magick wore down the energy making escape impossible. After weeks of fighting, the last remaining mages gathered in the last remaining building located at the center of Thai-noren.

"What now?" A mage wheezed, gripping the branches of a wood chair in attempt to stand. The rest hadn't helped with his powers vastly depleted.

"It's the end." The cynic said, his tone somber as it always was when he spoke. "We die."

This news did not sit well even as everyone in the room nodded.

The first mage started to ask, "Did the ones..."

"Irrelevant." A leading voice spoke, one of three female mages left stood near the center of the room. "There is one thing left to do, as planned. What happens after that is out of our hands."

The last living set of thirteen mages gathered at the circle altar located dead center in the barricaded room. It wasn't going to be easy, with each mage being weakened from the ongoing fight. But it was necessary. The last show of bravado before annihilation. It would take all their magick and beyond, but it was better to die from the last use of power than at the hands of the ones they once protected.

"Let us begin," she said.

Their energies merged as weakened voices changed, the power mounting despite the vessels that once contained it drifting further away. It took a matter of minutes for the energy to build and with the last breaths of life, the mages lashed out, desecrating all that were in its path. Burying the once vibrant city into a cursed land, hidden by the residues of magick to protect those that would foolishly seek out the wreckage. Life would move on elsewhere and the city would drift into lore until it was at long last, forgotten.

Antagonist Story

2010-10-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hot air drifted above the steaming pools of water, keeping the area warm against the cool rocks surrounding the dragon's lair. Many dragons were relaxing in the water with a few of the younglings gathered under the large mother dragon, her purple scales glistening from the steam. But it wasn't the dragons that kept the elven ruler on the ledge, looking over the calming scene. He had seen them plenty of times before, making the dragons a normal sight. Instead, the ruler named Tarephain rested crouched near the edge, leaning over to get a better view of the lone elf that rested near a pool of water. Even at that distance, he could make out the dark black hair as the elf hovered above the water, staring at his own reflection. His name was Daemahrath, the sweet spoils of the last battle his servants had succeeded in bringing him. He was even more magnificent in person.

Please tell me you aren't watching him.

The voice radiating in his head startled Tarephain and he immediately pushed away from the ledge to face the stealthy black dragon that had snuck up behind him. His connection to Naru made the stealth a bit more difficult but the dragon always enjoyed finding ways to startle him and the recent change in the order of the castle had added a rift between them. "I wasn't doing anything." He lied even if it wasn't going to work.

If Naru could have physically scoffed, he would have. His head swung from side to side. Ever since that other elf arrived, you've been obsessed. He should be a servant, enslaved as a prize of war. Not someone with his own set of servants. And now here you stand, watching from afar like a love sick little girl.

Tarephain stood, putting more strength in his stance as he faced the dragon full on. "Don't insult me. I still have control over him. He is mine and I will not put up with any of those thoughts I see lurking."

Just be careful. I know you and this is not like you to moon over some guy. I don't care if he is the one. You have a world to rule and getting distracted could destroy your plans.

"I know." His voice raged with the annoyance he felt at the topic. "Now, if you don't mind. I'd like to be alone."

Fine. Stare at the boy some more, but when he destroys all your plans causing you to fail, don't come crying to me. Naru sauntered away.

Even as the words nagged the back of his mind, Tarephain returned to his perch.