Happy Friday & writing goodness!
Happy Friday, peeps! So I had one of those “aha” moments last evening as I was staring blankly at my whiteboard, trying to figure out why the hero in Shoot to Thrill seemed kinda one-dimensional to me. Background? It’s told in first person from the heroine’s point of view, so we never get to see inside Jonah’s head, just get to know him by his actions.
So as I’m looking at the whiteboard that’s chock full of Arin’s details, I realized I really, really needed to get to know Jonah. You might think this is basic math, but again, we’re in her POV, not his, so those things that would flow naturally when writing in multiple POVs gets stretched out a bit here. I mean, I know the basics and a lot of background info on the guy, but i didn’t know what the worst thing that had ever happened to him was. Nor did I know what gave him nightmares. See what I mean?
This is where I’m kind of a freak about my process… To me plot and character are interwoven so tightly that I can’t just plot the book out, because I don’t yet know how the character, as he or she develops, will change that plot. Case in point, I found out something absolutely horrible about both my hero and heroine yesterday. I made them tell me the worst thing they had ever done. And you know what? It was a common theme for both of them–they were ashamed they’d used their power and/or influence to hurt someone, even if the person in question deserved it. And then that led me to the theme that has been dancing in the back of my head since I started writing this book… vengeance.
Right now I have two more chapters to write–finish up a fight scene, and then the finale. But until yesterday, and my white board moment, I just couldn’t go there, because both of my characters had to give up something BIG in order for those last two chapters to drag the reader (and me) right along with them.
And this is why authors are nuts. LOL!! Have a GREAT weekend!!
Absolutely gorgeous outside…
And I’m stuck inside analyzing survey results!
Working from home today since I ponied up my office for some folks in transition. Let the cats out in the backyard and opened the windows.
SO wish I could be out there with them, but guess I’ll have to settle for making sure Max isn’t up a tree again!!
I dreamed a story last night!
Well, at least part of one. Haven’t done that in years. And better yet, it’s actually something viable to follow up on later! Super jazzed!
Oh Wednesday, how I love thee…
Seriously–it’s not Monday, and we’re on the downhill slide to Friday! I’ve got a fun mentoring session planned for my AFSO21 peeps this morning at 0800, and last night I wrote my requisite 1,000 words, so all in all, I’m purty darned happy. How is YOUR Wednesday treating you???
TABT–Primal Bonds by Jennifer Ashley
Primal Bonds by Jennifer Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is my first paranormal Jennifer Ashley title (I LOVE her historicals) and I was very impressed. So much so that the first and subsequent stories are now in my shopping cart!
First, the characters: Sean and Andrea were combustible together, and the twists and turns they wound their way through made their eventual HEA so very satisfying. The secondary characters were fabulous, and I can’t wait to see their stories unfold.
Second, the worldbuilding: Exceedingly well-done worldbuilding that wasn’t so convoluted I felt I needed a separate notebook to keep things straight (which makes me NUTS). The second-class citizen theme is innovatively done and kept me riveted.
This one is a definite recommend!
Misc Ramblings–Summerland & Brotherhood free to borrow on Amazon…
Good news!! If you’re an Amazon Prime member and have a Kindle, The Summerland and The Brotherhood are up now available to check out for FREE!
Swing on by when you get a moment!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Summerland-ebook/dp/B004P8JJGO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
http://www.amazon.com/The-Brotherhood-ebook/dp/B004T349J2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
On the writing front, spending this last day of my long weekend working on the LAST chapter of Shoot to Thrill!!!
Six Sentence Sunday — unnamed WiP
Here’s a little bit of something I’ve been working on. It’ll be the next one up in my writing queue, once Shoot to Thrill is done. Hope you enjoy!
She looked out over what had once been a thriving city, unable to believe the destruction below. It unfolded before her eyes, a war-ravaged landscape no longer peopled by the beautiful, the affluent. Now Los Angeleslay in ruins, the dregs of society living off the remnants of civilization, one scanty meal to the next.
Peri Johnson stood on what had been the mountain overlooking the Hollywood sign, not quite believing this was the teeming city she’d left only five years before. The sun reflecting off her aviator’s Ray Bans and the trim, expensive cut of her blue flight suit seemed to mock the devastation and poverty laid out before her. Shaking her head slowly, she tried to take it all in, absorb the impact, but her eyes kept straying, almost as if ordered, to the crooked “D” seventy-five feet below.
Don’t forget to check out the other authors participating in SSS at http://www.sixsunday.com/
Cupid’s Choice Blog Hop
Hopefully you got here via the blog hop bar at the top of the site, but if not, here’s the link that brings you into our web…bwah ha ha!! http://justromance.me/
Here’s a story idea I’ve been playing with for awhile. Hope you enjoy it!! And don’t forget to continue the hop all the way to the end to enter for some awesome prizes!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose Carpenter prided herself on being a pretty normal woman. Well, expect for the whole demon-servitude thing. How in the hell (ha ha, pun intended) she’d landed herself in this gig still boggled the mind.
And now she had six more months of her sentence to work through. Some days, like today she didn’t know if she’d make it.
Yeah, this assignment seriously sucked.
The man she’d been assigned to monitor, hottie though he was, was boring. Utterly, completely boring.
Right now he was in his basement, running on the treadmill, watching ESPN. Stereotype, much?
And while seeing sweat roll down his so-fine chest was a bennie, her sentence had included deadening her libido, which really sucked.
She sighed and straightened out her invisible legs.
Martin McAllister would run his ever-loving heart out for the next forty-five minutes, and in that time, nothing incriminating or promisory would pass his lips.
Figured, she had to get the one “good” vice cop in the city as an assignment. An angel to her devil. It just wasn’t fair. All she’d done was promise a tiny bit of her soul to help her get a promotion. Unfortunately, Satan had heard and sent his regards. She’d had the job of her dreams for one whole day, then the “terms” of their agreement had come due.
One day of anchoring the news instead of being Barbie the Weather Girl. One day where all hell had broken loose. Where an earthquake had struck and almost swallowed the station whole. She’d had a few minutes of gravy, and was now officially “missing”.
Yeah, her situation officially sucked.
Six more months of watching Mr. Perfect save the day and make the city safe, and then she’d be among the living again.
She didn’t usually feel this sorry for herself, but today was her thirtieth birthday and she had less than squat to show for those years.
Six more months, and her only hope for an early release was if Mr. Perfect fell from his lofty perch.
Considering the fact she now kinda liked him, okay, liked him a lot, that was highly unlikely. She’d rather serve out the rest of her sentence than stick it to someone else, which meant she’d grown as a person, right?
Yeah, Martin was safe from her.
As if she’d spoken the words aloud, his gaze shifted to where she sat on the weight bench.
His eyes widened for one shocked moment before he blurted “Who the fuck are you?” and catapulted off the end of the treadmill.
Samhain’s SAMMIE Awards…vote if you’ve got a moment!
Curtains up! Light the Lights! The SAMMIES are coming, all right!
Soooo, totally not asking folks to do blind voting for my book, but if you read Behind Blue Eyes and enjoyed it (or any of Samhain’s books), then please take a moment to cast your vote! It’s super easy through survey monkey, so no e-mail addies to enter or any of that jazz.
Only four categories, so easy sneezy!
Reader’s Choice Best Cover Art eBooks 2011
Reader’s Choice Best Cover Art Print Books 2011
Reader’s Choice Best eBook 2011
Reader’s Choice Best Print Book 2012
Please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BQG585R to cast your vote. Voters are permitted three choices per category. Voting begins today and runs through March, 19, 2012.
The survey allows each participant to vote once. The blue links for each book/cover are hot and will take you to Samhain Publishing site so you can look at the cover or read the blurb for each book listed. Cast your choice for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category. Then scroll to the NEXT button at the bottom of the page, this will take you to the next category. Repeat until you get to the last category. When you have voted for your choices, be sure to click on the DONE button at the bottom of the last page so your vote will count. Remember, each reader gets to vote once for the poll.
Thursday 13–my Netflix Queue
Slowly getting back to this blogging gig, a few posts a week at a time, and thought I’d add in our Netflix queue. When it comes to streaming, I’m a fool for Bones, Eureka and Warehouse 13, but we usually reserve the “hard” copy DVDs for movies. Now that football season is over, I expect we’ll be watching a few!
With no further ado…
- The Adjustment Bureau
- The Pentagon Wars (we use a clip of this in my day job and it’s hilarious)
- Moneyball
- Cowboys & Aliens
- Conspiracy
- Inception
- The Debt
- The Lincoln Lawyer
- The Help
- Michael Clayton
- Children of Men
- Lucky Number Slevin
- The Book of Eli
So what’s on your viewing wish list?