What I know - Part I

Five Reasons Writers should have Kids (Just for fun - I love children!)

1. Story Ideas - "Mommy, mommy, mommy! I found the passageway to the Six Future Worlds! The first one is Aiden World and you know you're there when you hear a crash. The second one is Foxyland. Want to come with me?" I promise the only sci-fi/fantasy I've read to him have been Disney fairy-tales.

2. Role-playing - Kids will gladly play any part you want them to when you need to act out a scene and they're very believable! (Okay, maybe not. But it IS great fun!)

3. Getting Places - For some reason. children have a way of seeing things that adults just can't. When they travel into space, explore the darkest cave or traverse the heart of an Amazon jungle, they can show you all the coolest places to hang out.

4. Names - Can't think of a cool name for your newest MC? Don't sweat it. Just go ask your kids! They can come up with the silliest things you can imagine most of the time, but occasionally, they'll drop you a gem.

5. Plot Holes - No, they're not going to fill them in for you. Kids have no idea what they are. nor do they have a concept of the suspension of disbelieve because they just naturally believe. But when you're having trouble with one, taking a time-out and focusing on them sure is a nice distraction and can bring all kinds of inspiration.

Ten-Word Tuesday: The Emotion Series

Happiness is like a contagious disease, one that's worth spreading.

Whoops - Not so Cool

This little blogfest is brought to you by the letter L and the number... Oh, sorry. My mind is so clouded by this cold that I jumped to the wrong show. Laurel is hosting this one. Again, I have to apologize. I said I would do this, so I am, but it's going up unedited. I'm a tad embarrassed, or at least I will be when I can think clearly. Enjoy it for its imperfections! (Or at least try! lol!)

PS - It's not a funny one... like at all.

PPS - I don't know how to indent. My husband usually does that for me, but I slept in this morning and didn't catch him before he left for work, so sorry for the formatting issues.

PPPS - Oh wait... There isn't a PPPS. Never mind.

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Nakine’s hands shook as she watched the dead body float down the Assuage. She kept herself perfectly upright as she stared at it. She hadn’t had a choice of course. She tried to console herself, to justify it, but it never brought the comfort she was hoping it would. She wanted to scream, to turn and thrust the daggers she wielded into the two men who stood thirty paces back. Gramble and Dreiyn.

She felt so cold.

She knew she couldn’t turn around until her emotions were in check, so she waited, watching the body of the woman she had slaughtered drift across the peaks of the water. Her name was Tabba, and it had been an accident. Nakine knew that, but wasn’t about to tell anyone else. When she confronted the woman, Tabba had rushed forward, thinking she could escape, but a raven had swooped into the room at the same moment and startled her. She had tripped over the rug lying between them and had fallen on Nakine’s daggers.

Upcoming Blogfest with a Twist

You have probably guessed that I'm a big fan of all the blogfests going around. Are you ready for another one because I think this one might be the most fun yet! The Whoops! Blogfest is being hosted by Laurel and she's hosting a contest to go right along with it. Get the most people to sign up and you'll win a 10-page critique from her. Those are always so helpful!

Who hasn't written a scene where their characters make a mistake, gaffe, embarrass themselves senseless? I have to admit that when I first thought about it, I told myself I didn't have a humorous scene like that, but then I realized it didn't have to be humorous. No character is perfect - at least they shouldn't be - and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I have a lot of scenes I could use! So come join in the fun if you're up for it!

Monday, February 22nd!

Awed!

I'm not sure how to write this post because I'm honestly amazed. I don't want to be self-deprecating, but I honestly never thought I'd have twenty people interested in my blog, let alone 106! I'm just very humbled and very grateful! Especially considering the neglect I put this little blog through.

Take today for example. I have a list of several topics I'd like to blog about, but I never seem to get to them, so I ramble and you still check it out and comment. Thank you! You guys are awesome. I'm also amazed at how well Ten-word Tuesdays has gone off. I'm so glad you like it! I've really enjoyed stripping my thoughts down to ten words. It's been a lot of fun.

So, with life being what it is, I'm just going to leave you with some hints about what's to come. There will be a fabulous contest to celebrate because, wow, do I need to celebrate! Also, I may not know a lot about writing yet, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve and I'm going to share them with you. Soon. I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I'm going to leave you with some lovely flowers. Just imagine how wonderful they smell. Decorate your house with them. Enjoy them to the fullest until I can get a real contest up and running. :)




Aren't they pretty? They bloom outside my front door. There are some advantages to living in a warm place!

Ten-Word Tuesday: The Emotion Series

Fear's a beast that, when tamed, becomes a helpful ally.


(Honestly, did you see that coming?)

And as long as I'm breaking the rules, I want to give Shelli a shout-out. She's hosting a fabulous marketing contest this week, so head on over to her blog and check it out!

Query Contest

Want to win a chance to have an actual agent critique your query? Check out Elana's contest! There are other cool prizes as well, including the chance to win her ebook "From the Query to the Call". Believe me. it's a very useful book! Plus, Elana's just awesome, so go support her! :D

To check it out, click here.

Love At First Sight Blogfest

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! This scene features Nakine meeting her first love, Dreiyn, and the lust she has for her old love - money. Hope you enjoy the combo! This post is brought to you by the brilliant Courtney Reese. Happy Sunday!

She slipped from shadow to shadow, scrutinizing him as he moved between vendors, thinking she had found a prosperous one, but curious at his age and appearance. His clothes shimmered in the sunlight, as did his golden tresses of hair. He was possibly the tallest man she had ever seen, which only made him stand out more -- in a beautiful and fascinating way. At his side was strapped a large satin sack, which she assumed held coins.

A sack that large would feed my family until the next Feasting Day, if not longer. Her breath caught in her throat. Enough coins to feed my family for as long as they live. If I could just reach in and steal a handful, my younger brothers will not have to endure what I did.

Her thoughts reeled as she ducked behind trees and dodged between merchant stalls until she was standing right behind the man. With a shaky hand, she reached out.She pulled it back indignantly. Concentrate she scolded. Her mind raced as she assessed the situation. The man was inspecting a piece of cloth, haggling over its cost. Now, she thought. Her heart pounded as she smoothly untied the knot of string holding the bag's secrets and wrapped her fingers around its contents.

Meandering

I tend to have a hard time reigning in my mind and "Oh the Places We Go" to quote a favorite Dr. Seuss book. Where have I been traveling lately you ask? Well, even if you didn't ask, you know I'm going to tell you. I'm like that. I'm not one to hold onto information. My characters on the other hand... They really like that. Can I bird walk any more this morning? Don't ask. I'm sure I could. Back to my slew of epiphanies this week.

1. I am going to write some children's books and I couldn't be more excited! There was a time I thought I would never write a novel and then when I started, I never thought I would write anything other than high fantasy. Well, when inspiration strikes, it should not go ignored. Not that it would let me if I tried...
   
2. My antagonist is my MC. Don't get me wrong. I have a couple of main characters in Power's Touch, but the bad guy is the main guy. Wow! I think it's kind of cool. I wonder how well that will go over with the rest of the world?
   
3. I can write a query. I can do it! (This is much of a pep talk as it is an assertion!) The one I was working on yesterday is going to get scrapped I think, but for what it is (my first one), I think it turned out well! Not well enough to send on... It has some very distinct issues. I'll be starting from scratch, but still...

I'm just going to leave you with it. It's too long to be a query I think. Plus I use two many characters. Perhaps I can build on it and make it into a synopsis. We'll see. First, I need to read up on those... But if you've ever wondered what my fantasy novel is about, here you go.

Few look for signs of change and fewer still accept what they discover, so it is no surprise that the leaders of Vismour refuse to investigate what they see as an irrelevant mystery. This fits into the plans of the thieves' guild, whose anonymous leader is using his emotion-driven magic to overthrow the reigning religion. Part of the plan includes kidnapping and training children to expand the guild's already far-reaching grasp.

Nakine is one of them, but following is not her thing. She has her own ideas of how the guild should be run and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty to make it happen. The ends justify the means, right?

Eloy doesn't think so. As high priest, he recognizes the dark hands spreading poison across the city like fire across dry fields, but the comfort found in peaceful times blocks the view of the bloody force and there is no way for him to stop the touch of Power himself. Good help is so hard to find.

Happy Thursday, everyone! I'm off to work! (And play because it is kind of fun when I'm not panicking about it.)

Ten-Word Tuesday: The Emotion Series

Anger is like quicksand. It pulls you in and devours.

Prolific

First off, I just have to say again how lovely and awesome you all are. If I could switch the name "followers" to "friends" on the side bar, I definitely would because that's how I see you. Thank you for the well wishes and taking the time to ask how I was feeling over the weekend.

Second, I think I've found an award that might beat out the happy award as my favorite. Christine Fonseca just gave me the Prolific blogger award and I am so honored. The original award can be found here. So why do I like it so much? Simple. It has an origin. Is it just me or do things mean more when you know how they began? Maybe it's just the history lover in me, but I loved being able to read how this one came to be. So fun!





So here are the rules:

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to the original post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other winners.

As usual, there are so many bloggers out there who make this community vibrant and beautiful. These are just a few of my favorites. (Heck, I can't even keep up with my favorites.)

Suzette and Bethany
Windy
Shannon Messenger
Shannon O'Donald
Kelly Lyman
Robyn Campbell
Mercedes M. Yardley

(Now I remember why I never pass these things on. It's way too difficult to choose! Oh, that and the fact that most of these people have probably already received it.)

I would also like to thank Mary for awarding me with Over the Top, which I answered here.

Also, check out Shannon's cool contest.

Jenni James is also hosting a very fun contest! I can't wait to read Jenni's book, which comes out on Jun 1st! (Earlier if you pre-order!)

Celebrate

Come celebrate with Beth by participating in her contest! http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/

That is all. For now. ;)

Sick Day!

Can I take one of those? I think my kids would riot. Ah well. Movie day then. My parenting skills at their best.

I am going to claim sick day from the blogging community, however. My mental capacity is nil and any comments I make might not make any sense at all. Not sure this post will make any sense at all! But just because I'm curious, I'm going to leave you with a couple questions. Feel free to post your answer in the comments or, if you've written a blog post about them already, leave me a link. I can't wait to see what everyone says!

1. How would you describe your voice?
2. What genre/sub genre do you write and why?


Hopefully, I'll be up thinking again in no time!

Ten Word Tuesday: Life Series (Finale)

When life's dropping anvils, don't stand near Wile E Coyote.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

What naturally comes after kissing fests? Fights, of course! That's right. Honeymoon's over and it's time for some action. Mireyah Wolfe at Crimson Ink is hosting a fight scene blogfest today. I feel bad that this is such short notice. I would have loved to let you all know about it before today. Hopefully, you'll be able to participate anyway because these things are so fun!

This scene is from the perspective of a 13yo girl, well, it's a fight scene. It doesn't need much of an introduction. :)

Then, with startling abruptness and despite her closed eyes, a picture of Besona’s town center appeared before her. The building was ablaze in shades of red, yellow and orange and a near-black haze of smoke billowed into the sky. Splinters from market stalls lay across the grassy square, some shattered beyond repair. However, it was the sight of the townsfolk that made her heart leap from her chest. Terror streaked across their faces as they fled from the massive force of monsters and black-cloaked men spread out behind them.

I can’t really be seeing this she thought. It’s just a dream.

She pushed against her lids, but they refused to budge. She wrestled with her muscles futilely for several moments until, at last, the images dissolved and then refocused from a fresh vantage point. It was one she recognized instantly -- her bedroom window.

A rush of panic swept over her as a surge of Grarmen and cloaked strangers dashed down her street meeting the town’s regiment of soldiers at their freshly constructed barricade. Bile rose in her throat. It had been years since her provincial fishing village had been raided and the garrison had grown since, but it seemed tiny next to the oncoming foes.