Happy freaking Tuesday, everyone! I know you've all missed the blog and my epic ramblings here, but it's been for a great reason! Grab your coffee or tea and let's get going. Lots of news today.
As you may know, NaNoWriMo has been conquered this year. My final word count was 75k, and I hit 57k on day 14.
BUT THERE'S MORE!
The books I created during NaNo are in my Pen Pals and Serial Killers series.
First up, is The House (this was one of my NaNo novels). It clocks in right around 50k even and will be released AFTER my second NaNo novel. This is a collection of short stories that ties in with the next book in this list. I have a placeholder cover, but it's not the final. Shared it and the blurb on Facebook here, if you'd like to take a peek.
My second was Intensification. It's about a detective chasing a serial killer who's obsessed with reality TV stars. It's currently sitting at 20k.
Better than that, though, I've managed to fix the issue that was causing me to delay writing Provocation, and it's well on its way to being completed, sitting at 17k as of this moment. It's about a female psychiatrist that kills abusive men.
Utterances, my contemporary fantasy novel standalone, will release at the beginning of December. Pre-order price is $0.99, but it'll be $2.99 after launch. You can grab it here. More information about the book can be found on this post.
Finally, I've been working on another book for a few months that I plan to release right around Christmas. It's a book on wellness. You may be aware that I've been on my own journey over the last year, and this book is the culmination of things I've learned and steps I've taken to feel better in general. It has a routine guide, tons of information, and a little section with a few recipes (and a place to keep your own that you try and end up liking). YAY! Title: How to be a TOTAL LOSER and feel better than you ever have. Yeah. Because that's how I roll. LOL
I have a slew of covers to share, but I'll hold off until we're closer to the release dates. I'm still trying to decide on a cover for my wellness book.
Like I said, I've been super busy! How exciting is this?
What have you been working on? Which of the above are you excited about?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today's post is informational. If you already know what writing sprints are and how to do them, then feel free to scroll on down to the bottom for the 411 part. For those of you that aren't familiar with sprints, let's get going!
With NaNoWriMo only a month and a half away, authors are gearing up to write furiously for the thirty days of November by plotting their novels and planning how to write 50k words.
Writing sprints are a solution! What's a writing sprint? Well, let's go into that.
A writing sprint is when you write as many words as you can in a set amount of time. Usually, they're set up like so and are done on some form of social media so everyone can comment their word count:
You find a group of authors willing to sprint.
Someone volunteers to be timekeeper.
You set an amount of time (usually 15-30 minutes).
Whoever the timekeeper is tells everyone to GO and starts the timer.
Everyone writes like crazy people.
Timekeeper posts STOP and requests word counts from participants (and posts their own).
There's a five to ten minute resting period, and it happens again.
Whoever has the most words gets a huge thumbs up (there are no prizes usually).
It repeats for one to two hours (usually--I've seen folks do three or four).
That's it. So easy, right? I've seen people log upwards of 6k words during these sprints, so I know they work. Your word count isn't really the target. This is to get you writing, to get words on the page. Progress is progress.
So, to make it a little easier to sprint, I created a group over on FB. It's kinda quiet, but I'm hoping that will change--I have big plans for that group!
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Holy crow, what a nutty few weeks it's been. Today's post is just a little what-not about what's been going on and why the blog has been so everloving silent. Ready? Grab your coffee (or tea), and let's get going!
So, after my London trip, I know you've noticed things have been rather quiet around here. It's hard to get back into the groove after being bombarded on all sides by people, but that wasn't the only issue. My husband was overly stressed, and he had to travel to another state to be with his father in his last few days.
Let me tell you what, trying to concentrate on anything when you wish you were with someone you love while they're going through a hard time isn't easy. I'd just come "down" from the overseas trip, and I thought I was ready to get back on the pony, when all this started.
Sad to say, my father-in-law took his last breath on September 11. I jumped right on a plane, and just returned home Saturday. Now, I sit here, wondering if I'm going to be able to get back on my schedule. I believe I'll be tweaking it today and starting fresh tomorrow. Some things worked, and others, not so much. But you never know until you try! I did well for a month or two, but a couple of things just weren't given enough time (like my blog), and I found myself scrambling to get it done in the short time I'd allotted. If you have suggestions for new topics, drop them in here.
That all changes this week. If you've been following me a while, you'll know I have two events at the end of October. I'll TRY to post during that week I'm on the road, but I'm making no promises. Keep up with my Facebook page, because I intend to have live video happening when I do my keynote speech. Yeah, it won't be me manning my device, but I promise it'll be live--October 20 at around 9am EST. WHEEEEEEEEE!!
On another note, Utterances is about 20-25k from being complete. That story is draining as hell. Very emotional. I'm gonna try like hell to have it out before Christmas. Send me good vibes! LOL!
One upside to all of this is that my road trip is with another author, Tia Bach, so we'll probably spend a good amount of time writing in the evenings. Maybe even plot new novels together. How exciting would that be? *grin*
As for events, these are my last for a lonnnnnng time. I'm only doing Roanoke Author Invasion next year, so if you wanna see me, you'll have to either come to OIBF or GLBB this year, or RAI next year. After that, I'm giving it a rest for a while and getting back to what I do best: WRITING.
November is NaNo month, and I'm planning to get back on my serial killer novel then. Anyone else going to write all the words that month?
Drop your NaNo name in the comments, and I'll give you a friend request/follow before then. Or, you can friend me here.
Well, I've chatted your ears off long enough. Time to get to revamping my schedule! That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Friday, everyone! Whew! Day three of NaNo and I'm sitting at 12.5k words (and I'm not done writing for today).
What's that you ask? How?
Easy.
I've been doing writing sprints.
What the heck is a writing sprint? Great question!
Writing sprints are set amounts of time where a writer produces words as quickly as they can. Once the timer buzzes, they stop and do a word count, then pick up again when the next sprint starts.
Person with the most words gets a round of applause (or sometimes, a prize, depending on the sprinting group--however, this comes with an issue: cheating to win--when there are no prizes, no one has a need to falsify their stats, and nothing needs to be verified).
Sprints (typically) last anywhere from 15-60 minutes. They can be done on any social media site, though the preferred space is usually a designated thread on Facebook.
Brought to my attention by fellow author Ali Winters (thank you, woman!), there's a sprinting page on the NaNoWriMo site that will accommodate individuals as well as groups. Click here to be taken to that page. If you look below, you'll see the two options at the top and a "Dare Me" button near the bottom. I'm the curious sort, so I clicked mine. Below are the results. It changes every time you press it, too. Fun stuff.
I didn't play around with the group sprint button yet, but I have half a mind to get some of my writing buddies together and do just that.
Now, here's how to get the most out of your sprints:
Know where your story is going. I like to plan a point about 10k words in that I know I want to get to, and build the prose up to there, but some folks go 2k. Whatever floats your boat, ya know?
Write furiously for that half hour. Turn everything else off and be with your words.
Give yourself plenty of time between sprints to refresh, go pee, or get coffee.
If you can, take your eyes off the page and look elsewhere (or just close them) while you type. This will prevent you from noting and backspacing out misspellings, bad punctuation, or other flubbubs we writers make.
Don't burn out. Take long lunch breaks or whatever other break you need when you need it.
Try not to write a lot during your lulls (the periods between sprints). Use that time to plan what you'll write when you come back to sprinting or to just veg.
Keep something to drink handy. Though you may not need it, it's better to have it and not use it. *grin*
Here's how my sprints are set up:
In the morning, I set a block of 1-3 hours aside (lately it's been 10AM, 11AM, and NOON).
The first 30 minutes of those hours are used for sprinting, and the second 30 are used for tweaking, fixing my crazy misspellings I got from not looking at the screen, and marking things I want to take a closer look at later (during edits).
Then I break for a long time (like 2-3 hours--NOON-2 or 3PM).
More time is set aside for later. Again, 1-3 hours (it's been 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM, but this week is a special one, so that will likely be cut by Monday.)
I'll show you next week's projected schedule so you have a better idea (life things have to happen on different days, but I'm not going to worry about it). I also don't write on weekends. Those are for my family. I refuse to succumb to writer burnout.
M-F
9AM - Sprint for 30 minutes
10AM - Sprint for 30 minutes
11AM - Sprint for 30 minutes
NOON-2PM - BREAK TIME (real break--no looking at my WIP)
3PM - Sprint for 30 minutes
4PM - Sprint for 30 minutes
Thing about it is, it works. I'm averaging 1k words every 30 minutes. If I sprint for 30 minutes, 5 hours a day, I've written 5k words. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but when you see that counter go down on your NaNo dashboard under "words per day to finish on time," you'll feel like a flipping ROCK STAR.
Any tips to add to the above?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Wow. Just wow. I started NaNoWriMo yesterday, and I'm pumped. I missed NaNo the last 2 years, but I won in 2012 and 2013. Not only did I win, I did so while taking days off to spend with my family and getting down time. I'll show you.
I've marked the days I had no progress with a red bar over the top.
These were my stats for The Bird in 2012:
As you can see, I took Thanksgiving week off.
These were my stats for I, Zombie in 2013:
Your eyes aren't fooling you. I wrote that book in just 10 days.
HOW DID I DO IT?
Well, I stuck to the following seven rules:
Know where your story is going. Something not a lot of folks realize is you can plan ahead, and even create an outline, before November 1. Even if you haven't sat down and thought about it yet, there's no time like the present. Even rough plot points you want to hit over the course of the novel will help more than I can say.
Don't shoot for the word count NaNo says you need per day. Double it. If you can, triple it.
Set aside time to write each day. UNinterrupted. No social media. No email. No work. You'll be surprised what you can do in fifteen or thirty minutes when you're focused. Schedule around things you have going on in your life. Stick to the schedule like glue.
Have a NaNo survival kit ready. Even if you haven't put anything together, take a day and do it now. It'll save your forehead later on. I no longer use Evernote. I now use MS Word 365 with the sync across devices feature. I have my MS on my phone AND my iPad, and it updates to my computer automagically. Here's a link to my kit: Jo's NaNo Survival Kit
Do NOT panic. If you fall behind, you CAN still catch up. If you need that break, take it, but be disciplined enough to come back when you're done.
Make sure friends and family know what you're doing so they can respect your time. 50k words in 30 days isn't a joke.
Stay on task. Tack these on the wall behind your computer. I know that may sound hokey, but looking up the tiny details will bog you down as you write. Take some time and make them now. I swear it helps. Don't edit. That can come later. To go along with that: Don't read the whole story until December 1. Make notes of changes and put them into action later.
I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything, but it's early, and I'm eager to write today. *grin*
Several groups have write-ins, so check the forum for your local chapter. You can also scour Facebook to find people doing writing sprints. Those are AWESOME.
This year, I'm not shooting for one novel; I'm working on several novella-length titles for the current F5 project. Using the NaNo dashboard to keep up with my progress. No, I won't validate once I'm done. I'm just in it for the fun of writing.
Here are my current stats:
Abysmal. LOL! But I'll get there.
How are you all doing? If you wanna be my writing buddy, add me here.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Well, we're in the throes of NaNoWriMo, and I figured you could all use a little pep-talk today. If you're keeping up with the daily word count of 1,667, you should be at 18,337 words by the end of the day.
But what if you're not?
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's going to be okay. What you don't hit today, you can make up for tomorrow. Just don't let it go untended for too long (like, say... December 1), because it'll become impossible to catch up.
Let's look at it this way:
1,667 words per day to hit 50k
BUT
If you're a writer who typically hits 3-4k in a day, you'll only have to do 2,381 every weekday in November.
OR
You can write every other day, and set a goal of 3,334 words to hit that 50k.
AND
If you miss three days, your daily word count goal only goes up to 1,852.
So don't stress if you miss a day or two. It's not going to be the end of the world.
But what about that second part: Thinking About Writing?
When you're not writing, you should be creating your novel in your head, ironing out the kinks, and doing research. Basically, if you're not banging on the keys, you should be spending time with your characters and plot. Get to know them. If you figure out what makes your characters tick, you'll have an easier time creating words that help your readers connect.
Even though I'm not participating in NaNo this year, I'm still writing (as we all are). I still have a deadline I have to meet. So, I'm using the quiet time around the web (because it's rather dead out there this time of year) to do just that.
Yesterday, I took a much needed break to have coffee with other authors, and I ended up working out some of the issues I was having in my MS by talking out my thoughts. It was a 3k word day after that.
Why is thinking about writing important? Because it helps you solidify where your story is going and how your characters are going to get there. This makes anything easier to write.
What's been your biggest NaNoWriMo challenge this year?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Monday, everyone! Today, the lovely Maria Pease allowed me to take over her blog and post a little bit about reading and why it matters. Here's a snippet, you can check out the full post at the link below:
I’d like to start off by thanking Maria for letting me take over her blog for a day! *waves and smiles* You’re awesome, lady! Today, I’d like to talk with you all about reading and what you might not know you can get out of a work of fiction. Usually, I’d say grab those pens and notebooks and let’s get going, but today, I’d like for you to grab a book from your TBR and be prepared to dive in at the end of this post. Let’s go!
Have you ever lost yourself in a book? Become so enraptured and entangled with the characters on the page...
As you all know, my right elbow has been deemed unfit for work for a little while. I was hoping to get to write more this month, but fate seems to have other ideas. If I don't let it get better, it'll get worse. Hey, we're talking about my career; I'm going to err on the side of caution. So very little writing for me.
My NaNo word count = 0
Hopefully, I'll be back to normal soon.
In the meantime, go check out Maria's blog and give her some love with a comment!
Thanks!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Well, I'm out of commission for a couple of days because of an elbow injury. Doc said take it easy on the computer for now so I'll be able to delve in and give my 30 days of crazy writing in November for NaNoWriMo.
Fingers crossed it'll be 100% working by then. Just one week to go.
This year, I plan to write through every day, even if I finish my NaNo novel. Markaza and M both need to be finished, too.
So, we shall see.
Anyway, I invite you to check out some of my archived posts during my couple of days out!
Here are some of the most popular ones according to my stat meter:
Dialogue Exercises - A short series with fifteen dialogue exercises to flex your muscles. Three on each link. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
lOOk at YoUr xXx series - How to maintain a cohesive online presence. bLog wEbSitE fAceBoOk tWitTeR bUsiNeSS CaRd - This one also has a link to a handy PDF you can download and keep.
Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I'm gonna talk about my NaNoWriMo 2012 fantasy novel, The Bird, and share some of the wonderful reviews written about it. If you missed Monday's post, my interview with author N.L. Greene, please go check it out here. Now sit back, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and join me!
Note: This book is appropriate for those 13+ for the use of a foul word or two. Newly available on Smashwords, Nook, and iBooks.
Synopsis: Stormy Terrabonne's life is about to be changed
forever by a bright red cardinal. She soon finds herself being whisked
away from all she's ever known to save an entire race of people known as
Trobodytes. When she's presented to the Queen, Stormy learns how she's
expected to help: By killing an evil wizard named Bordash Bladeslinger
and stopping him from cutting down the sacred trees that bind Trogon to
Earth.
Now, there are only two trees left. One of the
trees presents a double dose of jeopardy: It's also tied to the renewed
life of Stormy's mother. While Stormy learns more about the gifts she
gained by becoming a Trobodyte, someone manages to poison that all
important tree. It's a race against time as she faces a legion of
fairy tale creatures she never knew existed, learns to harness the power
within herself to battle Bordash Bladeslinger, and tries to find a way
to heal the dying tree before it collapses and takes her mother with it.
What folks are saying on Amazon: 5 Stars - "Be prepared to be dropped into a whole other world.
Stormy is
visiting her dying mother in Missouri where she meets an interesting
little Cardinal. The Cardinal seems to want her to follow him into the
woods. Once deep into the forest, the Cardinal turns in the handsome
Trobodyte Prince. He takes her into the Earth and shows her the world of
the Trobodytes. Stormy learns she is the one person who could save the
Trobodytes from the wizard Bordash. In return for her assistance, her
mother gets a second chance at life (becoming 13 again) and Stormy gets
the body of an 18 year old..." ~ Dev
5 Stars - "I'm normally not a fan of fantasy novels. Blame it on my ADD, but I have
a hard time keeping all of the characters and world building straight.
The Bird is a fantasy novel, but I never felt overwhelmed by information
dumps or elaborate back-stories that were hard to follow. It was a
great read and I thought it was creative the way Jo worked in themes
about feminism and nature into the narrative.
The Bird has
parallel plots going on. The first plot centers on a woman named Stormy
and her quest to bring down a wizard in an alternate world. At the same
time, Stormy's mother is given a second chance at life and is reborn as a
thirteen year old. I liked the way Jo tied the two worlds together..." ~ Heather's Book Chatter
To see the full review and more, click the word Amazon.
Since this book has been out a year, I reduced the price! Woot!
I do hope you all take a moment to enjoy the loveliness that is The Bird. It twisted in a way that surprised even me.
What are you reading?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you an excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel, I, Zombie. Kindly keep in mind this is a very rough draft so you will find errors. Enjoy!
1 – A is for Atrophy
Bang, bang, bang!
Sounds of the axe hitting the front door echoed through the deserted shack, sending curls of fear through the forms huddled inside. Unintelligible moans erupted from their mouths as they pressed together.
Trixie sent out a thought: Calm. Don’t let them hear us; maybe they’ll go away.
When the groans died down, they could hear the humans outside walking the perimeter of the structure, looking for a weak point.
Shuffling of the beings increased and a small hand found its way into Trixie’s. She knelt down near the child and put her scabby forehead to his. He seemed to understand this meant: We’ll be okay; and she felt the tension leaving his body. They stayed that way for a few minutes until a human shouted out, “Here! I found a way in!”
Instantly she was upright, willing her brethren to move from their corner, closer to the window she intended to smash to make an exit. It was the only route they had. As one, they shuffled toward it.
“I can’t get this door open!” It came from one of the female hunters.
She sounded like she was in the basement.
Off the kitchen, a doorknob was being jiggled.
Guttural moans erupted from the group again.
Trixie could just make out the fat heads of huge nails protruding from the jamb. Those humans would have to have a crowbar to get that entrance open. She sent out another thought: They can’t open it. Be quiet. At once, the low droning stopped.
Her group continued to move slowly.
She hoped they could make it to her truck. Dragging her useless right leg, she did the best she could to lead the ones behind her to the large window.
When they got to the house, they’d done what they could to fortify it against the humans giving chase. It was sheer luck the earlier inhabitants had already reinforced most of the windows, entrances, and exits. With speed she didn’t know her group possessed, they moved to secure the house against the certain death on their heels like the hounds of hell.
She wished she could speak; but the rot invading her skin eroded her vocal chords. While she had a strange connection with those who were like her, allowing access to their minds, she couldn’t communicate with humans.
This was supposed to be a rescue mission. It was an easy in and out trip. Reports had come in about three members of a family hiding in a nearby barn. Her team was sent to bring them in safely.
But, here they were, about to get their heads squished.
***
I hope you enjoyed that little peek into my book.
What are you working on? How's your NaNo going?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm talking about NaNoWriMo and what I do to survive a month of writing when I need to crank out 50k plus words and make Thanksgiving dinner. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!
If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, what planet do you live on? Seriously, if you're an author and you haven't heard of NaNo, you need some edumacation. Click here to find out more!
Now, about that survival kit...
I have:
fingernail clippers (you never know when you're gonna have a hangnail)
a fingernail file (same reason)
pre-written blog posts for the month (self-explanatory)
dinners planned out (some frozen already) for the whole month (and groceries bought to fill the menu)
Hootsuite (my helping hand for all social media)
an iPad (so I can keep up with other commitments when I'm not writing)
a warning sign on the door (so people won't be knocking while I'm trying to write)
a blanket (for those freezing cold days)
an outline of my novel (hey, I want to jump right in with both feet)
a cover designed for my novel (why not get that out of the way now? Winner below!)
a plan to take every weekend and three weekdays off during the month which leaves me 18 writing days
my super awesome writing schedule which outlines how much time I have to dink around with other things that includes solid time slots each day to write no less than 3k words in order to meet my goal of 50k (I had 6k word days last year)
my family on high alert
a ton of amazing writing buddies
What I need now is an emergency button! When I'm stuck or overwhelmed, I need something I can push that will call for help. Haha!
Here's the winning cover design for I, Zombie (image only, text may change):
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, I'm busting out the cover considerations for I, Zombie, my NaNoWriMo 2013 novel. I'm gonna start by giving you the synopsis, then the three cover choices, and then a poll so you can choose your favorite. I did this when I wrote The Bird for NaNo 2012 and we had a lot of fun. Just something light for this dreary, rainy Tuesday in Georgia. Enjoy!
Title: I, Zombie Author: Jo Michaels Genre: Horror Length: TBD but at least 50k words! Synopsis: It's the end of the world as we know it.
Trixie Collins is a normal teen making her way through high school. One night at a party, a boy comes on to her and won't take no for an answer. As she jerks her arm away, his fingernails cut into her skin.
When she finds her dog's mutilated body and realizes she's to blame, she starts to think maybe the zombie apocalypse they've been screaming about on the news isn't a hoax after all. Worse, she begins to think maybe she's one of the infected.
Now it's a fight for life as she joins together with her brethren to stop the humans intent on destroying them. Are zombies all bad, or is it just a huge misunderstanding?
Now for the cover choices! In order. Note: click on them to see them larger!
Now for the poll!
Thanks for playing along, everyone! I'll announce the winning design next week.
If you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year, add me as a buddy by clicking here.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Time for my NaNoWriMo check-in!
As of today, I'm sitting at 40,193 words. HOLY MOLY! It's been a great time. Sadly, my story must begin to end. There must be a final battle and resolution of some kind. It probably won't happen until next week. I have family coming in for the holidays and won't be doing much writing while I'm busy being thankful for those I love.
While I'd LOVE to give you all an excerpt, I'm not sure I can do anything without giving away some of the great surprises that await you in The Bird. But wait! I do have the first of three covers to put out here. Remember, this isn't a sure thing and I always ALWAYS do three versions before I choose a favorite.
Without further ado:
As you can see, this one is all about strong typography.
The next one will be more focused on imagery.
The last will be completely different from the first two.
Good morning, people of the blogosphere! Today, something a bit different! Enjoy it.
Remember to enter the rafflecopter drawing below! Cover reveal for The Bird to come soon! I'll have options for you all to help me choose from. EXCITING TIMES!
As the sun began its journey into the sky, Stormy watched it with intensity. Somehow it seemed brighter, like it knew that day would be different. She sighed and lifted her coffee to her lips, blowing the steam away to cool it. A tentative sip later, she relaxed into the chair as the warm liquid made its way down her throat.
Her thoughts turned to the reason she was there and a great wave of sadness settled over her. Mom only had about two months of life left and Stormy wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand it when the family matriarch died. They’d been through so much together and butted heads so many times it was ridiculous. But the love was there, and that’s what mattered. Stormy’s eyes misted up at the memories playing through her head.
A cardinal perched in a bush nearby and cocked his head to the side as if to say, “Hello. What are you doing sitting on my porch?”
She laughed softly and spoke to it. “Hi yourself. I bet you’re happy. It looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day. Why are you up so early? Oh, right, the early bird gets the worm, huh?” Another chuckle escaped her lips and she wondered if she was losing it. After all, who talks to animals?
It hopped out of the bush and onto the railing nearby; again, cocking its head at her.
“Well, aren’t you a brave little thing?”
In answer, the bird chirped.
Shaking her head, she smirked at the bird and spoke to it again. “You want to know what I’m doing here and who I am, huh?”
It chirped a few more times.
Stormy mumbled, “Well, might as well talk to it. It’s not like I can look any crazier than I already am.” She considered the bird for a moment before beginning. “Okay, you want to know why? I’ll tell you. Listen up, because I’m only telling you once. I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago telling me my mother only had a few months of life left and I needed to come see her. So I got on a plane and flew out here to spend some time in her company. As always, she hasn’t held back her opinions of me, and I’m beginning to regret flying all the way to Missouri. Not to mention my long walk this morning just to procure a cup of freaking coffee because she doesn’t drink it therefore has no pot.”
The cardinal pranced around on the railing and hopped from foot-to-foot before chirping at her again.
“Oh, you want more?”
Another chirp and a fanning of the tail feathers.
“Okay then. I’m sleeping on the most uncomfortable bed known to man, my cell phone died right after I arrived, and I have no laptop because it was consumed by the blue screen of death. I’m stuck out here with my thoughts and I’m talking to a bird; which, by all accounts, makes me nuttier than a Mr. Goodbar. I miss my dogs, my kids, and my life back home in New Jersey – did you recognize the accent? Now I’m facing losing someone I love dearly, but who doesn’t seem to notice I love her. I guess I figured flying out here would be enough. I feel like my whole forty-five years have meant nothing. But you don’t want to hear this.”
Stormy noticed a movement out the side of her eye and whipped her head around to find a spider descending from the eaves with its legs wagging as if in terror it would fall. A horrible thought occurred to her as the cardinal stared at the insect as well.
“Please don’t eat it,” she asked.
When the cardinal shivered, extended its wings, opened its beak, and mimicked throwing up, she laughed out loud.
“Well, aren’t you a clever bird?”
After fluffing its feathers, the bird cocked its head and gave a short chirp before hopping along the railing toward the steps.
Stormy said, “Leaving now? Okay, it was nice talking to you!”
It hopped back, bowed with wings extended, chirped again, then turned and walked deliberately back toward the steps.
“What?”
The bird hung its head and sighed. Then, it repeated its movements.
“You want me to follow you. Is that it?”
It danced around a moment then flew around her head before landing back on the porch railing and hopping back over toward the steps again.
Stormy eased out of her chair and began to walk toward the steps.
At her movement, the bird flew to the lowest branch of a nearby tree and turned to chirp at her.
Again, she followed.
This pattern continued until they were a good way from the house in a dense thicket of trees.
When they reached a small clearing teeming with dandelions, the bird landed on the ground and began to shake.
In a flash of light, Stormy suddenly found herself face-to-face with a handsome young man with short black hair, hazel green eyes, and skin that glowed like a god’s. He bowed to her and said, “Thank you for coming. We’ve been waiting for you to return for a long time now.”
She couldn’t move or speak. Her feet seemed to have been cemented in place and her mouth felt like it was full of glue.
He smiled, revealing perfect teeth, and asked, “Are you surprised? Really? Have you ever seen a true cardinal behave that way?”
Stormy shook her head.
“I need you to accompany me right now. We have no time left to lose. My mother asked that I bring you to her so she can explain what’s going on and how we are in great need of your help. Will you come with me?” He extended a hand.
Without thinking, she placed her hand in his and nodded.
“Eventually, you’re going to need to speak.” He grinned. “I’m Michael.”
“Hello.” She managed to squeak out the word but even to her it sounded lame. “I’m sorry. Hello, Michael, it’s nice to meet you.”
His grip on her hand tightened for a moment with a reassuring squeeze. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I imagine I gave you quite a fright when I changed.”
“No. You just surprised me is all. I’m difficult to scare.”
Michael’s face showed appreciation and he nodded.
“Where are we going?”
“To my home. You’ll see. It’s not far now.”
Stormy allowed herself to be dragged through the trees toward the pond. When they arrived, she took note of the now dying tree growing near the water, remembering how she used to play on its branches when she was a kid. To her surprise, he headed straight for it.
Once they got close, he released her hand and said, “Stay right here for a moment.”
She did as she was told and watched him walk over to the tree and wave his hand in front of the trunk, near the water. A gasp escaped her lips when the water rose to reveal an elegant set of stairs with a gold banister that led down into the ground.
Michael returned and offered his hand. “Shall we?” he asked.
Her head moved up and down of its own accord and she placed her hand in his, hoping he didn’t mind the perspiration. Despite her display of bravado, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything she was seeing and her palms had begun to sweat.
When he didn’t seem to notice, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. With her heart hammering in her chest, she accompanied him down the golden stairs. As they descended, she could hear the water above rushing back into place. She was trapped.
As her feet moved forward, her eyes adjusted to the new light. It was a bit dimmer than above and had a more golden tone to it. She glanced down at her arms and noticed she looked more bronzed than she did before. Thinking it must do wonders for the skin, she wondered how often you’d have to be exposed to it to look like Michael. She felt the heat rise into her face.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Holy crap! Tomorrow will be my 200th blog post! I also have 191 likes on my Facebook page. That's pretty close to 200, right? Today, I'm doing my check in for NaNoWriMo and tomorrow, well, I'm going to do a prize package for all you great followers/readers of my blog and books. What will I include? Come back tomorrow and find out. I know, I know, I'm evil. But ain't it grand? *evil laugh*
NaNo check in:
As of today, Monday 11/12/2012, at 8:30am, I've written 27,915 words. I don't write on weekends so I've managed this in six days. I'm astounded at the words flying from my fingertips. But maybe it's not so much that I write fast, maybe it's that I'm inspired.
I'm going to tell you all about the novel I'm working on. The working title is The Bird. Inspiration for this story came from a good friend of mine and previous guest, Sandi Tuttle. She's a blogger over at An Average Woman in a Superwoman World and a couple of her posts brought this book to mind.
Yes, I did ask her if I could base an entire novel off two of her posts and she said, "Go for it!"
Names have been changed and my weird imagination was let loose to further two things she spoke about: An old tree and a cardinal.
In my tale, the tree gets a shot of youth at the same time my MC's mother does. Without the tree, everything is destroyed: Mom, Trogon, and nature here on Earth.
But here's where an interesting twist comes in! I LOVE fairy tales. I've devoured them my whole life. I've read fairy tales from every country. I cannot get enough of them. My daughter has recently been exposed to this love of mine and, even though many princes, dwarfs, and things die, she has really embraced the general theme. I'm working that vast knowledge of fairy tale lore into my story. It's my first fantasy novel and I'm falling in love with writing it.
I'm a pantser. I started my novel with a vague idea of where it was going to go between my definite beginning and epic ending, a seriously bad dude as the villain, and a ton of possibility. Where it's taken me, I can't even begin to tell you. I love to write this way because the story comes to life. My characters are doing things I never planned for them to do. They've taken on lives of their own and are leading me through adventure, heartbreak, and magical kingdoms galore! But I'm not forcing their hands. I'm letting them lead me.
By being a pantser, I allow my imagination to run wild with every scenario you can imagine. I accidentally killed off a character I adored. Why? It was her time to go, I guess. I didn't ask, I just wrote it as it unfolded.
My MC is named Stormy Terrebonne. She's facing some wicked challenges (and wicked witches). A parallel tale is about her mother, Valletta. We get to see this woman go back in time and get a chance to start again. How fun is that? Stormy gets to be nearly immortal, her mother gets a new shot at life, and they both get to experience love like it was the first time.
I may give you all an excerpt sometime this week. Come on back and have a looksee. You may be surprised at what NaNoWriMo can do for a writer with a vague idea and a little motivation.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
It's that time of year again. NaNoWriMo is about to go into full swing. I'm girding myself and preparing like a person ready to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Why would I participate in something like this? I average 3k words a day, 5 days a week, anyway (I never write on the weekends). Why not? By my reckoning, I should have 66k words by the end of November just by doing what I do.
But demanding 3k words and flowing 3k words are two very different things. Goodbye blog post comments and Facebook updates for the month. Toodles to Tweeps! I'm going to be a very busy lady! All you'll get are my buffered posts.
I am pre-writing my blog posts for the month so I can have that time to write. Good stuff coming at you either way! And when I'm done for the day, perhaps you'll see me poke in here or there.
On to my survival kit! If you're doing NaNo, you should consider a survival kit. Mine includes:
Coffee (lots of coffee).
Pre-made dinners that I can throw into the oven out of the freezer (my kids will get sick of roast, I'm sure).
Sugar (to sweeten the coffee, duh!).
My Laptop.
My iPad with Evernote installed (in case I have to go somewhere).
A pen and notepad (for fact check notes).
MS Word and all the goodies I've prepared open and on the screen.
Pre-written blog posts for the month.
A strict schedule by which I will stick.
An out of town response on my e-mail (KIDDING).
Quick stuff to eat for lunch like sandwiches.
Nail clippers and a nail file nearby (ever try to type with long nails or a burr?).
Glasses (because I'm getting old).
Dance Central (for those moments when I don't know what else to do/write).
Hmmmmm... Have I forgotten anything? I don't think so... I'm sure I'll figure it out quickly if I did.
