Poof!

So I had this post written discussing a new tv show I started watching, how the Bug is now teething, and other things, and somehow it just disappeared! One minute it was there and then the next it was replaced by an earlier post. The title was the same, but other than that it was totally different.

Weird.

Anywho, to sum the previous post up:

• I'm sorry I didn't post last week, but we did a soft launch of our new program so my team was up until 3am supporting that. I, however, couldn't hack it so I passed out at 1. 
• The 100 on the CW is amazing. 
• Teething sucks. 
• And my in laws are out of town so we have the whole house to ourselves! YAY! I can watch my TV shows on Netflix without having to worry about whatever my in laws are doing with the internet interfering (the internet at their house really sucks, but hopefully in 6 more months we'll be on our own again)

In addition to that I rediscovered my word press blog yesterday. I prefer blogger because I have more control over the layout without having to pay some exorbitant fee, but I finally found a free layout that's not too horrible. Also it seems like everyone and their mother likes to use wordpress. I'm trying to decide if I want to move over there, or stay here, or maybe keep them both but have one be for updates about the Bug and have this one be for writing.

Decisions, decisions.

The other tough decision on my plate right now is trying to figure out what to do with The Descendants. Currently the book opens with Vivian going to a party where her boyfriend proposes and then flips out on her when she turns him down. It occurred to me the other day that the boyfriend is a pointless character. He really serves no purpose in the books other than to show that Vivian is ambivalent about love and relationships. She wants to be in one, but she's afraid of it at the same time because she's afraid of loosing the person (After seeing how her dad reacted to her mom's death, who could really blame her). However, after the first book we don't see him again until book four and he only shows up in one or two scenes that do nothing to further the plot - though they lead to some great fan service (Though, can a book have a fan service scene if it hasn't been written yet and therefore has no fans yet? I have a lot of faith in this series I guess).

A part of me is tempted to change the opening to where her dad is getting remarried. Vivian is, understandably, not thrilled about the idea - especially since she's pretty positive that the woman has ulterior motives. Sure enough the woman does and her actions are what send Vivian on her journey.

I'm also tempted to make Audra be this woman's daughter instead of being Vivian's friend.

And I'm debating about making Audra a florist, but I worry it might be too obvious.

What are your thoughts, my dear readers and fellow WIPpeteers?

Today is WIPpet Wednesday, so here is your weekly snippet. Since today is January 21st, here are four paragraphs from The Descendants (1+21=22, 2+2=4). We last checked in with Vivian in this post. She's no longer stuck in the temple of doom, but her new surroundings are still dangerous - she just doesn't know it yet.

Afraid of what fresh nightmare might await her, she opened her eyes just a smidge - and immediately closed them against the bright glare of the sun. It hung high in the sky above, it’s rays beating down on her body and warming the fabric of her clothing and the stone underneath her.  

Squinting, she opened her eyes a second time and discovered that she wasn’t in another nightmare - instead she was in the middle of a field. Tall grass surrounded her on either side, broken up here and there by red flowers. She bent down and plucked one, running her thumb over the soft petals and the dark whorl of stamens at its center - poppies.  

While poppies weren’t her favorite flower by far, it was still comforting to see them. 

Beyond the poppies and the grass, foothills covered in greenery led up to two mountains that towered on the horizon. One was sharp and short, while the other was wide with a jagged top like a tooth. Smoke seemed to be drifting from the top of that one, but it faded as she stared at it, making her wonder if she had just imagined it.  

To check out more WIPpet Wednesday posts, go here.

A Whole New World...

Another week has gone by and there's still not much to report. The cats are still crazy. The baby is doing well, and I'm still sewing away. Right now I'm finishing up a shirt order, then I have some spats to make for someone who is going to AnimeExpo in July, after that I have some cowrie shell hair falls to make for another customer - which I'm really excited about because it's the first pair I've sold! 

I was able to do a little writing, but not nearly as much as I would like. Hopefully this week things will be a little better.

And on to the WIPpet!

Since today is the 18th of June, here are 10 paragraphs from The Descendants (6+18=24, 24-14=10) I know it's kinda long, but it was such a good scene that I just could not break it up! Anywho, this bit takes place the chapter after Vivian feels the stone at Audra's house buzzing. She eventually blacks out, and when she comes too, well... let's just say she's not in Kansas anymore.

First she needed to get out of here - wherever here was - before the rest of the roof collapsed on her. She continued to crawl forward, heading towards the door she had seen in one wall. Her hands bumped into rubble as she went, banging up her fingertips and tearing at her fingernails. Some items were smooth, like metal bowls and chalices, that burned her skin. There were other things too; oddly shaped things that felt a bit porous and rough. The image of the skeleton she had seen hanging in her high school biology class came to mind, but she refused to acknowledge them as such for fear of panicking again.  

Then her hand encountered something she did not expect at all. 

It had a rounded tip that was smooth and cool to the touch. At first she thought it might be the remains of a crushed marble ball - perhaps something that had dropped off of one of the statues overhead - however instead of being spherical, it was oblong in shape. She followed it back to where it connected with a vertical shaft, her fingers encountering heavy stitching and laces.
Vivian frowned. What was a boot, especially a combat boot, doing here? 

Whoever it belonged to yelped and stepped back. Another breeze pushed the smoke aside, and Vivian looked up to find someone dressed in what looked like a swat uniform standing over her. A gas mask hid the face, making it impossible to see who the person was - or if they were even human - but judging from how the bullet proof vest stuck out a little in the chest area, she was willing to bet whatever it was was female.  

“Who are you?” A garbled voice asked her. “And how the heck did you get here?” 

Vivian opened her mouth to answer, but the stone underneath her was vibrating again. She could almost feel it buzzing in her blood. Around them, multiple stones began to glow - breaking up the smoke filled darkness with dim pinpricks of light like the stars overhead.  

“Not again! It’s too soon! I haven’t found it yet!” The figure standing over her cursed, pulling off her mask to reveal a pretty girl with short black hair and grey eyes. She continued to spit out expletives, taking various names in vain, but her voice faded in and out - just like the girl was beginning to fade in and out. One moment she was solid, but the next she was as transparent as a ghost.  

She wasn’t the only one who was beginning to disappear, Vivian realized with a start. When she glanced down at her hands, she saw that she could see the floor carvings through her fingers and palms.  

And then there was darkness once more.

To see more WIPpet Wednesday posts, click here.

Of Cat Shenanigans and Strange Stones...

The cats are beginning to explore more and more. Connor, who is normally the scaredy cat, came out from under the bed first. He made it as far as the front room the first day, and then the next day he had supposedly made friends with my Mother in Law. On the third day she caught him playing with the other cats in the house and, somehow, he got into my Father in Law's armoire. Apparently when he went to open it to get a shirt out, all he saw was two big green eyes staring out at him. There was also an incident where he was sniffing around in the corner and somehow walked away wearing a bra on his back. Murphy, who was normally the brave one, still spends most of his time hiding under the bed. He has begun to explore, but he still hisses when he sees other cats, and runs away when he sees other people. He did rediscover the cat tree the other day though, and promptly claimed the top of it as his perch - much to my in law's cat's dismay.

The baby is getting stronger - strong enough that I can feel it's kicks from the outside if I press my hand against my belly when he's moving. Sometimes he even kicks strong enough to make my hand move a little. My husband was more than a little creeped out the first time he felt it (He says he's seen Aliens so he knows that something moving around inside of you is no good - dork). It also confused our friends poor dog - he was up on my lap this weekend when the baby started kicking, and immediately started looking around for the cause of it, never once realizing that the attack was coming from inside of me. The cats, however, are not impressed. On Sunday, when the baby started moving around again, Connor was sprawled out over my stomach and chest. Rather than jumping down, or being confused, he just snuggled against me a little more and began to purr.

I'm still doing a lot of sewing. I actually started keeping track of how much time I spend on an order since my Mother and my Father in Law both insist that I'm not charging enough and keep reminding me to pay myself. Well, if I pay myself $10.00 an hour, I'm actually right on track with my pricing. The only thing that may throw a kink in things is that I've had a lot of my fabric for ages, so I've forgotten how much I've paid for some of it.

I was able to get some writing done this week. I finished up one of the more risque stories that I'll be publishing under my pseudonym and sent it off to the betas. I also rewrote another risque story - I had been having problems with it for months, and had rewritten it at least four different times in an attempt to make it work. I quickly realized that I was over thinking it, and that keeping the story line simple was the best. Hopefully the betas agree. In addition to that I also switched around some chapters in The Undying Ones. Chapter 10 is now chapter 11, chapter 11 is chapter 12, and chapter 9 will be brand new. Hopefully this will fix the flow and the issues with writers block that I was having (so far it's definitely fixed the flow, but the writers block refuses to budge)

And now for WIPpet Wednesday!

WIPpet Wednesday is headed by KL Schwengel. To participate, just post a portion of your WIP that somehow relates to the date, and add your link to the linkee thing that's at the end of this blog.

Since today is the fourth of June, here are four paragraphs from The Descendants.

Underneath their feet the carved stone was still twinkling in the moonlight, and the gemstones that had been so dead and dull earlier in the evening appeared to be glowing now. And was she imagining things, or was the stone buzzing?
Vivian glanced at Matthew, “Do you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“The stone... it’s vibrating...”

To read more WIPpet Wednesday posts, go here

I May be a Little Grumpy With the Weather...

It is hot in Southern California this week. Not quite cook an egg on the sidewalk hot, but hot and windy, which is just as miserable. I've been turning on the AC as soon as I get home, and any time my husband mentions how we should be fine in our new place with just fans I glare at him and insist that we will be getting a window AC unit AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY THIS PREGNANT LADY IS GOING WITHOUT AC IF THE SUMMER IS GOING TO BE THIS BAD.

*ahem*

Now where were we?

Last week was completely and totally dead at work. Most of my coworkers were at an out of town conference, and those of us who were left behind didn't have much to do. I was tempted to bring in my crochet and work on that (I've done it in the past, when I first hired on with the company, and was nicknamed the girl who knits as a result!) but I've reached that point in the pregnancy where I can't crochet for very long or else my carpal tunnel begins to act up.

So I wrote instead.

I was able to get more done with the Descendants. Then I promptly changed my mind about something I had written previously, and went back and rewrote that part of the chapter. I also plugged away on my fanfics a little. I tried to work on The Undying Ones, but, unfortunately, that chapter is still being a pain. I severely underestimated how much that needed to be edited! And it's hard to focus on doing that when the other stories are flowing so well!

And now, for WIPpet Wednesday!

Since today is the 14th, I'll be sharing 14 lines from The Descendants. This takes place shortly after Josh chews out Vivian for turning down his proposal (which you can find here). Audra, a friend of Vivian's, has come in to check on her and suggests that maybe, once they get back from their trip, Vivian can work things out with her boyfriend. The fun part about this scene is that I was able to give a nod to a book I adore, and work in a little foreshadowing.

Vivian snorted. Josh? Forgive her? After all the embarrassment she had just caused him? “My odds of meeting a hot ginger with a Scottish accent are way better than us ever getting back together.”

“Okay.” Audra drawled out the word. “So we’re adding a lot of pub visits to the itinerary. Or we can find a circle of standing stones or something for you to fall through like that girl in that one book...”

She tried to glare at her friend, but found herself laughing despite her foul mood. 

“I never liked him much anyways.” The smaller girl added once their laughter had faded away. “I can have him kicked out if you want.”

“Thanks.”

To check out more Wednesday WIPpets, go here.

Casting Characters...

Time for a fun post I've been wanting to do for awhile. One that has nothing to do with sewing, or babies on the way, or crazy cats! Casting characters!

I don't know if this is the same for all authors, but when I write, or think about my stories, I can see scenes playing out in my head on my own personal movie screen. As a result, almost all of the characters in my stories have people 'casted' to play them.

Sometimes they resemble a friend or someone I know. Atiya, who recently popped up in Between Two Worlds, is very strongly based on an amazing Belly Dancer I know from Halloween Haunt and the Southern California Renaissance Faire. Harris, another character from Between Two Worlds, is based, at least in looks, on a gentleman who used to work Faire.

Sometimes they resemble an actor that I'm fond of. Vivian, from the Descendants, is definitely based (at least in looks) on Jennifer Lawrence (LOVE HER!) and her best friend Audra resembles Ellen Page. Maya (the adult version of her that is) is Amanda Seyfried.

And then, sometimes how I picture them changes over time. For example; Gwalchmei, who Vivian runs into in Book 2 of The Descendants, was originally Bedwyr, a complete and utter misogynist jerk, and had black hair and blue eyes. Back then, I totally pictured him as Joe Manganiello. Now, that Bedwyr has turned into Gwalchmei, is much kinder, and has red hair and blue eyes, I often picture him as a bearded, long haired Tom Hardy - though I have to admit, Michiel Huisman comes in as a close second (I blame this entirely on his portrayal of Daario in Game of Thrones)

Hello gorgeous...

There are exceptions though - I have not cast Mattie, from The Undying Ones. Since she wears a mask for a majority of her story, I don't know what her real features look like just yet. The same goes for Rordan and Talesin - who are so scarred it would require several hours of make up for anyone to look anything like the picture in my head I have of them! Domick from Between Two Worlds is another tough one. While there is a portrait of him in the People of Pern, it looks nothing like anyone I know, or any celebrity I may have heard of.

Who do you see playing your characters in your stories?

Your weekly dose of writing news:
Amanda Hocking talks about words she gets mixed up when writing (I confess I have this problem sometimes too.)
LJ Smith is taking back her series, The Vampire Diaries, through Fanfic

And now for WIPpet Wednesday!

Since today's date is May 7th, here are 12 lines (5+7=12) from the chapter of The Undying Ones I'm working on cleaning up. When last we checked in on chapter 10, the King had left his tower for the first time in ages and had joined his people in the Great Hall. Needless to say, they were all a bit surprised! However, the King seems to be in a bit of a foul mood, and some of his men think they know who can help:

Finally, as if the guards had reached a silent agreement, one of them stepped away from the dais. He sighed in relief when he found Mattie hiding in the shadows at the edge of theroom. “Go talk with him. He likes you. Maybe you can cheer him up.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“None of your business. Go do your friends and family a favor and speak to the King. Make him smile.” He shoved her away from the wall, into the middle of the room.

Mattie could feel everyone’s eyes on her and hear their conversations fade away to whispers as she approached the King’s throne.

To read more WIPpet Wednesday posts, go here.

A Very Important WIPpet...

So it's been about a month since I last updated this blog. I am really very sorry for staying away for so long, but I have a really good excuse...

You ready for it?

You sure?

It turns out I'm pregnant.

(I took three different tests to make sure it wasn't a fluke)

My husband and I are overjoyed but still very much in shock. We had been told we couldn't get pregnant until after my medical issues were fixed, but, apparently, God and Mother Nature had another plan.

So that's why I haven't been blogging lately; I haven't had any energy, the morning sickness has been oh so lovely, and there's been other annoying first trimester symptoms that like to pop up now and then. Like Pregnancy Brain for example; I asked my husband the same question three different times the other day, and I still don't remember what the answer was. I finally gave up because he kept giving me this amused look that was annoying the crap out of me.

But in the end it'll all be worth it :)

Anywho, today is one of those days were I feel a little more with it (for now) so I decided to take advantage of that and blog while I can!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep up with my writing goals for this round of ROW 80, but I have  been able to write here and there.

The Undying Ones is still stuck in a rut. I can see where I need to go, I just can't see how to get there, and I don't want to pull another one of those 'a few days later' tricks. It occurred to me that I could switch to Liam's viewpoint, but I think it may be too soon to do that. We just visited him last chapter, and I'm trying to keep him to every couple of chapters for right now.

I've made some progress on the serial, believe it or not. Just as I was ready to abandon it, an idea for the ending popped into my head so I ran with it. Now I just have to figure out how to fill in the rest of the story.

The Descendants is progressing quickly, but I know I'm going to be in trouble soon. I had an idea about how I wanted the first book to play out, but then I saw a movie about Pompeii is coming out and now I'm not so sure I want to go there any more. I'm tempted to send the characters to a different world instead since book two takes place in a world similar to ours that's also different (if that makes any sense... I'm afraid of saying more and giving too much away). It's funny how this story started off being about time travel and has now turned into world hopping. I think I've been reading too much The Dark Tower...

And now for WIPpet Wednesday!

WIPpet Wednesday is ran by KL Schwengel. To participate just post a part of the project that you are working on that some how correlates with the date, and then share the link to your blog on the linkie thingee over here.

Since today is 2/12 I'll be sharing 14 paragraphs from Chapter 2 of Descendants (2+12=14... I'm keeping it simple to give my poor brain a break!) Vivian sees her boyfriend shortly after entering the party, and immediately panics and takes refuge in a bathroom upstairs:

Before Vivian was aware of what she was doing, she had crossed the bathroom and hopped up on the toilet to peer out of the window. Yes, just like she had thought, it would be big enough for her to crawl through! She eased it open only to be faced with a new obstacle - a thin mesh screen separated her from her freedom.

Behind her the door handle rattled. 

“Somebody’s in here!” She called out, but however it was was persistent. The door knob continued to rattle until it finally swung open and bounced against the wall. “Look I said someone was in...” She turned, glaring at the person who wouldn’t take no for an answer only to freeze when she found Matthew staring at her. “Who invited you?”

He ignored her question. Instead he raised his eyebrows as he took in her precarious position on top of the toilet. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” She lied.

“Are you trying to escape?”

“No.” Beyond him she could see movement down at the end of the hall. She held her breath, praying it washing Josh or her best friend. “Get out and shut the door.”

“You are, aren’t you?” The short burst of laughter that escaped his lips was oddly bitter. “Why am I not surprised?”

Thankfully the ominous shadow turned out to be just another guest who had apparently been told to use the bathroom upstairs by Audra. Still, the last thing she needed was them interrupting. Vivian jumped down from the toilet and grabbed Matthew’s arm, pulling him inside the bathroom. As soon as he was clear of the door jamb, she swung the door shut and locked it once more. 

“Sorry!” She apologized to the disappointed party goer on the other side. “There’s another bathroom in the master suite!”

Once more she sagged against the door and rubbed at her eyes. So much for her plan to escape! She sighed feeling frustrated and trapped. But then, if she was honest with herself, it had been a horrible idea anyways; both Josh and Audra would have been pissed at her, and, seeing as her luck was running today, she probably would’ve ended up breaking a leg or an arm if she had attempted it. She opened her eyes to find Matthew staring at her, his long legs stretched out in front of him, and his arms crossed over his chest. 

“What?”

He shrugged. “I’m just amazed that you were so desperate to get out of here that you were actually going to climb out of a bathroom window.”

“I just needed a breath of fresh air.” She lied again. 

To see more ROW 80 updates, go here
To see more WIPpet Wednesday updates, go here

An Etsy Sale and My Round 4 ROW 80 Goals...

So I had a post written last night detailing all the fun stuff that's happened since last week - but all that was blown out of the window when I looked down at my phone and saw someone had bought something from my Etsy store!

My very first sale!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay! Now that that bit of excitement is over with - on to the writing!

I think I mentioned last week that the first part of the serial was finished and sent off to beta readers. They came back with good feedback, and edits have been made to the story based on their suggestions. Now I'm just waiting for Friday to roll around so I can buy some stock art and make a cover (Hey, Ma! Look, all those graphic arts classes were good for something after all!) Then I'll toss it all together, format it, and get it published.

And then probably spend the remainder of my life ignoring any reviews on said serial because I am a wimp like that.

Unfortunately, I haven't done any other writing this week, or posted my ROW 80 goals, due to illness. The cold from a couple of weeks came back, either that or I managed to catch some fresh new hell. Either way, the cold brought a friend this time; the cough of doom. My in-laws heard said cough of doom on Friday and promptly sent the husband and I home with a care package full of NyQuil and DayQuil.

Yuck.

However, as much as I might hate both NyQuil and DayQuil, they are doing wonders for the cough. Unfortunately, they are not helping my concentration at all, and I find myself being easily distracted and wanting to sleep most of the day away.

While I was out of it, a new Round of 80 Words began. My goals for this round is the same as usual with one or two additions:

• Write 1,000 words a day
• Keep plugging away at TUO
• Write the next part of the serial
• Take over the... wait... wrong to do list...

As per usual, Wednesday also means another WIPpet Wednesday post!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed Maya's introduction last week! This week I'm bringing you 9 more paragraphs from her prologue since today's date is 10/9/13. This bit follows shortly after the last bit - in fact I think there's only one or two sentences separating them.

“How about this sweetie - once your dad is done out here, we’ll go back to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower.” Her mother put down the guide book she had been flipping through and twisted in her seat to look at her daughter. “Won’t that be nice?”

“Can we go to Euro Disney?” Maya asked. Katie Perkins would be the jealous one if she brought back something from there!

“Um... I don’t think we can afford that...”

Her mother patted his arm, “I’m sure we’ll find a way, Jack. We are your favorite girls after all. You’ll do anything to make sure we’re happy, right?”

There was something in her mother’s tone that made Maya look at her sharply - a brittleness that seemed to sneak into her voice more and more often lately. Her mother was smiling, but it seemed flat, and her father stared at the road ahead with a clenched jaw.

It hadn't always been there - in fact, her parents had been quite loving to each other once upon a time - but ever since her mother had discovered a strange car in the driveway a few months ago, something had changed. Now they argued all the time over little things, though they always waited until Maya was asleep before they began fighting over the big stuff. Maya had lost count of the times that she had woken to accusations of affairs ringing through the house.  

“Iris...” He glanced back at Maya’s face in the rear view mirror. He looked away suddenly, sighing. “Fine. We’ll figure it out.”

Even though going to Euro-Disney was better than crawling around a muddy dig site, Maya felt her heart sink. Oh, she wanted to go to Euro-Disney desperately. She had wanted to go ever since she had first heard about it, and had begged her father to take her whenever they were in Europe. However, she didn't want to go if her parents were fighting and her father only agreed to make her mother happy. Still, she forced herself to smile just like her mother was, and pretended that she was excited at the prospect. 

“Awesome!” She said and looked back out the window at the countryside passing by.

To read more WIPpet Wednesday posts - head on over here.

To find out more about ROW80 - go thataway. 

Night of the Zombies...

Despite the fact that things are tough right now, we were able to blow off some steam this weekend.

First we stopped by and visited Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt. It was a busy night, so we weren't able to visit all the mazes or see any shows, but we had fun visiting with friends and watching people getting scared in the fog.

The next day we drove out to Glen Helen to take part in Run For Your Lives, which is a 5k obstacle course with zombies. I participated in it last year, but we didn't think we would be able to do it again this year until Run For Your Lives announced that they would be doing a night run. Our group promptly signed up to be zombies again, and we decided to go with a tourist theme. 

(The husband says this is going to be our Christmas card)

The night race was interesting. When you work during the day you'll get an occasional scare, however, at night time things were kicked up a notch. Runners didn't see us or realize that we were zombies until they were almost face to face with us, and people were screaming left and right. It made my retired monster heart very very happy.

However, the course wasn't very well lit, and as a result of that there were quite a few accidents and people running off course. Also, since we were at the front of the course this year and not towards the middle, there was a lot of down time in between waves of runners, and it was over way too soon.

Regardless of these problems it was still a lot of fun, and we can't wait to do it again. Thankfully next years race is a lot sooner and a lot closer to home.

Last week was also a remarkably good writing week despite everything that was going on. I finished the first part of the serial and sent it off to a couple of good friends to beta. One has already finished it, the other is in the process of reading it and doing an in depth edit. If any of you, dear readers and WIPpeteers, would like to beta it as well - just let me know in the comments. Please be advised that while it's no where near 50 Shades of Grey or Anything He Wants, it is explicit. Also, since it's the first part in a serial, it's only about 10,000 words long.

The other contemporary project is flowing along smoothly. I knocked out about about 3,000 words on it yesterday, and I'm bit more than halfway through, but not quite at the 2/3rds mark. I'm hoping that I can also get this finished quickly so I can return to The Undying Ones.

And now for the WIPpet Wednesday goodness!

WIPpet Wednesday is run by K.L. Schwengel. To join in on the madness, all you have to do is share a piece of what you are working on that some how correlates with the date. For example, since today is October 2, you could share 10 paragraphs from page 2, or you could share 2 sentences from chapter 10. You can also add the date together, 10+2=12, and share 12 words from your work in progress. Then, share a link to your blog over at this linky thingee, and stop by other blogs to see what they've shared.

In between working on my other projects, I did start working on another prologue for The Descendants. This will take place in book three, though there is a possibility that it may become a short story that ties into the series, but it is only set a year or so after the prologue that introduces Vivian. This prologue introduces another character, Maya, who becomes one of Vivian's best friends through the course of their adventures. Maya is actually a really great girl, who's very nice and very smart, but she's only 12 in this bit, so she's a little bratty.

Since today's date is the second, I'm going to be sharing 8 paragraphs from the prologue (10-2=8)

Maya Lensherr was not sure what was so special about France. She watched the countryside pass by the window of the rental car and wrinkled her nose, wishing, for the millionth time, that she was back home instead. Home where she could sit by the pool and read her books. Home where she could understand the shows on the TV or the people around her. Home where it was warm, and not raining.

“What do you think, kiddo?” Her dad asked from the driver seat, his reflection smiling at her from the rearview mirror.

“I’m bored.” She sighed, slumping down in her seat.

“Bored! France is not boring. There’s history here just waiting for us to find it!”

“C’mon, kiddo! What happened to my budding archaeologist?” Her father was an archaeologist specializing in ancient cultures and he had been thrilled when his daughter had announced one day that she wanted to follow in his footsteps. Granted, she had been seven at the time, and cared more about discovering a new dinosaur than an ancient civilization, but he had been excited nonetheless. He had done what he could to foster her interest in the subject by buying her books about Romans and Greeks and taking her to museums.

However, as time had passed, Maya’s interest in digging around in the ground for bones and pottery shards had faded. Now she would rather read, or play games on her nintendo gameboy. She was beginning to develop an interest in boys, and there were never any boys around her age at museums or digs for that matter either.

“There’s nothing here! Just trees and grass and...” When her father had mentioned taking the family on a trip to one of his dig sites, she had been expecting another trip to Pompeii or Egypt - not rainy old France. In Pompeii or Egypt you were surrounded by history, and there were exotic things every where to look at. In France there was only stuffy museums, and people who talked funny.

She wished her parents had sent her to the summer camp her friend Katie Perkins was going to instead. It was a fancy equestrian camp where the campers learned how to ride and care for horses, and at the end there was a big show. Maya loved horses and longed to ride one, but the closest she had ever come to one was petting the ponies at the state faire. Katie was so lucky. She going to come back with all sorts of ribbons and pictures, and nothing Maya could bring back from France would beat that.

To see more WIPpet Wednesday posts, go here.

Lost Inspiration, ROW 80, and WIPpet Wednesday...

Lately, when inspiration hits me, it always seems to hit me when I'm driving. And always on that portion of the road where I know a lot of cops or CHP officers seem to hang out, so I can't reach for my phone, turn on voice to text or whatever it's called, and let my iphone jot it down. Even though that would be perfectly acceptable to do since it's not texting and driving, I still worry that an officer will ping me for it. Generally I'm able to hold on to the idea, or the snippet until I can get to work and jot it down, but yesterday my brain failed me and the idea was lost as soon as I pulled in the parking lot.

Which is sad, because it was a gorgeous bit of imagery. It wasn't going to take place until much later in the Descendant's series, but still... I'm currently listening to Ben Howard's album Every Kingdom in the hopes I can get that scene to come back.

Where do you find that inspiration always visits you?

Anywho, on to the ROW80 progress report!

I was unable to write this weekend and on Monday due to illness. The cough from my cold made an unwelcome reappearance Friday night, and between that and helping my friend get ready for her reception, by the time Sunday evening rolled around I was completely sore and exhausted. I spent most of Monday curled up on the couch - which was nice because the boys came and curled up with me and I was able to catch up on my reading (I hadn't touched my Nook since early June).

I was able to get some writing done yesterday though. I plugged away on chapter seven of TUO some more, and whenever I hit a roadblock on that, I jumped over to one of the fanfics or the Descendants and worked on those. 

I also finally got my etsy store opened! You can check them out by either clicking on the links on the sidebar or at the top of the blog. Currently I only have two items available, but I plan to have more up by the end of the week. 

And now for WIPpet Wednesday (I really need to come up with a graphic for this...) Since today is the 31st, I'm going to share 35 paragraphs from Chapter 1 of the Descendants (1+3=4, 4+31=35). It seems like a lot, but most of it is dialogue. This scene takes place 13 to 14 years after the prologue that I shared here and here. Vivian is 23 and getting ready to go on a trip to Europe with her best friend. However, the day before she leaves she is stuck at her father's garage trying to teach her father's best friend's son, Matthew, how to keep the books while she's gone.

There were many things Vivian wanted to do before leaving for Europe. She had wanted to go and dip her toes in Lake Tahoe one last time and watch the sun set over it. She wanted to go down to Virginia city and eat a pulled pork sandwich from the barbecue there. Play a slot in one of the casinos on the Nevada side of the city. She also had some last minute packing to do, friends to say goodbye to, among other things.

Instead, she found herself sitting in front of a computer at her Dad’s garage and trying to explain, for the third time, how to use their book keeping program. To be fair, her student didn’t seem all that thrilled to be here either; Matthew chewed on the end of a pen while he leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. Earlier he had been more focused on looking at her ass or chest, or the work happening outside the office door in the garage proper, where her dad was working on an old chevy, than paying any attention to what she was trying to show him.

Vivian sighed. Perhaps he was more of a hands on learner. She kicked the bottom of his chair as she stood. “C’mon - it’s your turn.”

His hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist before his blue eyes even opened.

“Where are you going?” He asked as he yawned.

“To get myself a cup of coffee.”

“Oh, are we done?”

“Nope,” Vivian jerked her head at the desk and the paperwork sitting there. “You have to enter all that. Receipts first.”

Matthew released her and rubbed his hands over his face. “Right.” He scooted forward to peer at the computer screen - maybe he had been paying attention after all - and Vivian watched as the little scar in his right eyebrow deepened as he frowned. “We should’ve started on this earlier.”

“Yes, we should have, but somebody was never here.” He was very rarely here, now that she thought about it. Sometimes he’d stick around for a couple of weeks, but then there were other times when they only saw him maybe once or twice a month. If he had been anyone else, her dad would have fired him long ago, but since Matthew was his partner’s son, he tended to be more lenient.

Matthew grunted, bringing her back to the present. “I was needed elsewhere.”

“Doing what?” She asked, even though she knew it was pointless. Michael never told anyone anything about where he had been or where he had gone, though sometimes he did bring back souvenirs for his young cousin, Andrew.

“Things.”

“Right.” Vivian snorted.

“So, what are you planning on seeing over there?”

“Hm?” Vivian stared at his broad back in surprise for a moment. Was Matthew actually asking her a question? Specifically a question that did not involve the garage? Usually he just ignored her presence unless he needed to know where her dad was or when a part might be coming in.

“Sights. What sights are you going to be visiting?”

“Oh, um. The usual I guess. Stonehenge, Harrods, Westminster Abbey... We don’t really have an itinerary or anything set up. We’re just going to fly by the seat of our pants, y’know?”

“No wonder Adam’s so nervous.”

“What?” She had known that her dad was unhappy that his oldest child was leaving the nest - what parent wouldn’t be unhappy about that? - but to learn that he was nervous was a shock. She was 23 years old... didn’t he have any faith in her?

“You and that girl, running around Europe without any plans. My old man is betting that you’ll be calling home in a week because you’re either lost or out of money.”

“Because we’ve run out of money?” Vivian squawked. “He should talk - I’m the one that handles the books-”

“Not because of you,” He interrupted her tirade. “Because of that girl.”

“Her name is Audra, and she’s fully capable of taking care of herself as well-”

“Really? She...” He opened his mouth to say something else, but then closed it and shook his head instead. “Nevermind.”

“What?” Vivian asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Nothing.”

“No, no, you were going to say something else.”

He sighed. “I was just going to say, that she doesn’t have the greatest track record in my book. Every time you’ve gotten into trouble, it’s been because of her.” His expression suddenly softened, and he smiled a little. “In fact, the first time I met you, I thought you would be the troublemaker - not her.”

“Oh.” It was surprising how that smile changed his looks from grumpy ex-soldier to boy next door. It was also surprising how incredibly attractive he became when he smiled. She blushed, and then immediately frowned to herself. She did not want to think of him like that at all. Especially after what had happened at that Christmas party a few years ago.

“So” He cleared his throat. “Why are you guys going over there anyways? Why not Cancun or the Bahamas?”

“Because of things.” Vivian replied dryly, smiling to herself when he shot a glare in her direction. Now he knew what it felt like. “Sorry - I couldn’t resist.”

This trip was actually a graduation celebration that Audra, her best friend, had been planning for years. She had initially wanted her boyfriend to go, but then they had broken up and Audra had asked if Vivian might be interested in going. If she couldn’t go with the love of her life, she said, she might as well go with her best friend.

Vivian had turned down the offer at first, but then her boyfriend, Josh, had started bringing up the future whenever they were together. He thought he was being sly about it; if they went out, he would stop in front of jewelry stores and point out the different rings, trying to gauge her interest in them. During dinner or if they were watching TV he would casually ask what sort of house she might want to live in someday, how many kids she could imagine them having together, and so on and so forth. Vivian had never really thought about the future much, but it had suddenly occurred to her that she wasn’t ready to get married and have a house and a family without seeing what the world had to offer. So, when Audra had asked again, Vivian had lept at the chance.

Matthew glanced over his shoulder at her. “Look, just be careful over there, all right? It’s not like when you guys drove down to San Francisco for the weekend, and you got lost and had your wallets stolen. There’s going to be a continent and a whole ocean in between you guys and us, so we can’t come running to your rescue if something goes wrong.”

Be sure to check out here for more WIPpet Wednesday posts, and go here to find out more about ROW 80 and see more progress updates. 

WIPpet Wednesday and ROW 80 Update

This past week has been a good writing week, so far I've:

• Finished my chapter for Collaborating Chaos. 
• I was actually a few words short on the chapter. The minimum is 2500, and I think I came in at 2460. I probably could have added some to it here and there, but the others agreed that the chapter was fine the way it was, and it was added to the website on Sunday. You can read it here.
• I finished and posted the next chapter in one of my fanfics. 
• Sadly the other one may not be done until August unfortunately. 
• I worked on TUO
• A lot of Chapter 7 is already written. In the second draft (or that may be third... I've lost count) it was actually a much later chapter. All I'm doing is going through and editing out the parts that no longer fit in with this version of the story. I'm also adding some dialogue here and there (which is turning out to be far more cryptic than I was expecting). It feels a bit like cheating since there's very little writing actually going on. 
• I also worked on The Descendants
• Chapter 1 has been a bit of a plague in my side. One beta reader said it was fine. Another said I spent too much time going over accounting details and falling into the 'As you know, Bob' trap (More details on this type of info dump can be found here and here). She also suggested I start off in an action scene, like a party that's supposed to happen in the next chapter, but I was worried that doing that would result in another infodump. Plus not every story starts off in the middle, sometimes you have to build up to what's happening. I think I finally found a perfect balance. 

Getting the etsy store started is proving to be a little harder. I had to clean up one more picture, and then I thought I would be done. However, I read somewhere online that you should have more than one product available in your store when you launch, and they should be related to each other. Since the first product was going to be a Turkish or Belly Dance bodice, I think I'll also offer cowrie falls and belly dance belts. They're both pretty easy to make, and I already have a few floating around our home so I can take pictures of them for examples. Finding them to take said pictures however is proving to be another matter. In addition to that I've also come up with an idea for paper fans that I can sell as well! When I told my husband though, he suggested that I do it, but include them as a thank you gift for everyone who orders. I don't know how I feel about that. I may include fans in the orders, but not the fancy ones I want to make. We'll see. 

And now for the WIPpet!

KL Schwengel shared a post today that explains where WIPpet Wednesday all began. Basically the rules are that you mush share a piece of what you are currently working on (or a new project that you create for WIPpet Wednesday) that is somehow related to the date. So since today is 7/24/2013 you can share 24 words/lines/paragraphs from page seven or chapter seven. Or seven paragraphs from whatever chapter you want. Or you can add all the numbers in the date up, or add some of the numbers up and subtract others or... anything really. People get really creative with Math when it comes to WIPpet Wednesday posts!

Today I'm going to share 6 paragraphs from chapter 7 of TUO (2+4=6) Mattie is speaking with someone, but I'm going to be cruel and I won't say who:

“No! Of course not.” Mattie said quickly, lest she anger him again. “It’s just, we’re very close, sir. Very close. I don’t know why they wouldn’t tell me something like that.”

“Because I asked them not to. They’ve proven to be quite good at helping me keep my secrets.” He smiled. He stepped around her, still studying her, like one might do to an insect under a magnifying glass. “Don’t be too upset with them; they seem to have a fair share of their own secrets that they refuse to tell even me.”

She nodded, unsure of what to say next.

Apparently done with his inspection, he came to stand in front of her. “Do you have any secrets?”

She shook her head. “No, sir. Not that I can remember.”

“Mm.” He stepped close, and leaned down so his lips were next to her ear. “Can you keep one?” Goosebumps broke over her skin for the second time that evening and her heart seemed to pound even louder than before. However, this time it was not out of fear, but out because of a completely different emotion that was terrifying in and of itself.

Be sure to wander over here to check out more ROW 80 updates, and check out this link for more WIPpet Wednesday posts!

Of Collaborating Chaos and other things...

It's been a busy week filled with vacation plans, car problems, and other exciting things happening in the great wide yonder. Things like marriage equality in California, and an epic filibuster to stop an anti abortion bill from passing in the Texas State Senate.

ROW80 is on it's hiatus for right now. I believe it picks up again in another week or so. However, even though, ROW 80 may be on a break, I am not. I'm still plugging away at my various projects: The Undying ones is flowing along, I've updated my two fanfics, and I've started re-writing The Dancer.

It killed me to start rewriting it after I had made so much progress - but here were just some things in the original that were bugging me even though my beta's loved them. Namely the profession of the hero. I felt like a relationship between someone like that and the heroine was just too far out there, and probably would not attract many readers. I feel bad for saying that because I've been encouraging another writer friend that she should write what she wants, and not worry about if it's popular or not - however, what she's writing is way more popular than what I was trying to do, so she'll have a much easier time finding an audience. I am consoling myself with the idea that I can always go back to the original idea if this rewrite does't work out.

A friend has talked me into joining a writing group she came up with in a moment of brilliance. It's a round robin - one author writes one chapter, and then the next author picks up the next chapter where the other author left off, and so on and so forth. Currently we are still looking for more authors, and we also have a poll going on that will decide what we're going to write (sci-fi is  in the lead at the moment!) You can wander over here to Collaborating Chaos to check it out!

And now, it's time for what you've all been waiting for! WIPpet Wednesday! Since today is June 26th, I'll be sharing 26 more lines from the Prologue of The Descendants (the blog formatting actually makes it 27, but I swear it's 26 in the original document!) This bit picks up a few paragraphs after last week's WIPpet:

“Well,” Adam sighed, breaking the silence. “Since story time is over with, we should let this one go to sleep.  Goodnight Kiddo, I’ll see you in the morning.” He leaned over to give Vivian another kiss on the cheek, and then left the room quickly.

Vivian twisted so that she was curled up on her side, her hand still wrapped around the necklace her mother had given her. An idea occurred to her and she turned to the woman still sitting on her bed, “Bree, d’you think that maybe, if the girls were still around, they could bring my Mom back?”

“There are stories that they could do wonderful things; they say that they could bring the rain during a drought, and make crops grow, and, yes, even bring back life... but they’re just stories, baby girl.” The smile she gave Vivian was small and sad.

“I know, but Uncle Mike says that the girls are older than the Bible.”

“Okay...”

“And Mrs Flora says the Bible is real - so if it's real then maybe the girls are real.”

“Sometimes stories are just stories, kiddo.” Bree shook her head and tweaked the girl’s nose. “Goodnight, Vivian.”

“Goodnight.” She sighed and closed her eyes, but as soon as she heard Bree’s footsteps fade away down the hallway, she opened them and crawled out of bed to her window. Even though her room was on the second floor, she had discovered that if she pressed her face against the glass just so she could see the porch.

There she could see her dad sat on the porch swing, a spot her mother had always enjoyed, while Uncle Mike leaned against the railing nearby. Bree stepped into view and Vivian could see her lips move as she said or asked something. Her dad looked up, replied, and then buried his face in his hands, his shoulders slumping. Bree sat next to him and rubbed his back, as if to soothe him, like Vivian’s Mom had sometimes done to her when she wasn’t feeling well, and Uncle Mike laid a hand on his shoulder.

Vivian had suspected that he had left today because he had found another lead, but, apparently, it had not panned out.

None of them ever did.

She took a breath, trying to ignore the lump in her throat; she was so tired of crying.

She returned to her bed before the adults could see her watching and hugged her stuffed dragon to her again.

And as an added bonus, here's 6 sentences from the end of Chapter 6 of The Undying Ones:

“I said that you and I are the only ones here!” He walked towards her confidently, his head held high as if he believed he owned the castle and everything in it. “Now tell me what you are doing here before I have my men throw you back in the ruins where you belong!” Now that he was so close Mattie could see he had a scar poking up above the scarf he had tied around his neck and tucked into his shirt... there was only one Undying One she knew of that had a scar like that. One man who had had his throat slit and lived.

The King.

Be sure to check out more WIPpet Wednesday posts over here.

The Dancer and The Descendants...

Chapter five is done.

D-O-N-E! DONE!

I may have celebrated a little by dancing in my chair (which prompted my co-workers to look at me weirdly, but they should've realized that I'm strange by now...) and running down stairs to buy a candy bar and a soda.

Round 2 of ROW 80 ends tomorrow. It occurred to me again today that I have honestly been struggling with chapter five for most of this round. However, my only goals this round were to keep plugging away at TUO - which I did with some success. Even though Round three won't start for another week or so, my goals will probably remain the same as they did this round: try to write as much as possible every day and get TUO published.

First though, I need a little break from TUO, especially after struggling with chapter five so long. Even though I have started on chapter six already, I've been plugging away at The Dancer the past couple of days because I felt bad for neglecting it for so long. I didn't get very far though as the heroine in The Dancer is annoying me. She feels a little too young at times - if that makes any sense. She's supposed to be in her twenties, but sometimes she says or does or thinks things that are closer to what a teenager would say, do, or think than what a twenty something would. I don't know if this feeling is because I've forgotten what it's like to be that age and so she seems so much more immature as a result, or if I'm accidentally writing her that way, or if I've just lost sight of her character and history.

It turned out to be the later. The character comes from a troubled background, and while she mentions it in the first couple of chapters, it's kinda disappeared since then. I've been going back through that story with a fine tooth comb and tweaking her dialogue and thoughts when needed to get her back in to character. So far she's being cooperative. I have about three more chapters of that before I'm caught up where I left off, and then hopefully she'll stay in character without any more interventions.

There's been no progress on The Descendents though I may have commissioned an artist to draw portraits of two of my favorite characters from that series. I've tried drawing them myself, and they've come out all right, but an artist I'm a fan of on Deviant Art had openings for commissions and her prices were very reasonable (Like 'oh my God are my eyes deceiving me' type reasonable).

Speaking of that series... I am afraid of giving too much of TUO away, so I have decided to share a little bit of Descendents with you for WIPpet Wednesday instead of continuing to share from chapter 6. Since today's date is June 19th, I'm going to share with you 6 paragraphs and 19 lines from the prologue. This part takes place in the modern times when Vivian, the heroine, is still a young girl. Her mother has recently disappeared and is presumed dead. Her father, however, still believes that her mother is still alive somewhere and has been looking for her.

“In the beginning there was man.” Bree said, starting a story that she knew by heart as she tucked her young charge into bed. “Man did not understand the world, and became angry when the elements would destroy their creations, their crops, and their lives on a whim. So Man sought to teach the elements a lesson by binding them to the lives of four girls. There was one for fire, for air, for wind, and for earth. Man taught them how to cook, how to dig wells, how to build houses strong enough to withstand a winter storm, and how to plant the fields. However, the elements ended up teaching man a lesson as well; how to live in harmony with the world, and everyone was at peace.”

Vivian nodded as she pulled one of her stuffed toys closer and wrapped her hand around the necklace her mother had given her for protection. At ten she was a bit old for a bedtime story, but it was the best idea she could come up with to delay lights out for just a bit longer. Her father and Uncle Mike had ridden off on their Harley’s earlier that day, and she did not want to go to sleep until she knew that they were home safe. When Bree, her Uncle Mike’s sister, had refused to let her stay up late, Vivian had gone for the old standby of requesting a story. Thankfully no one had thought to warn her new nanny about that trick.

“Then one day, man became greedy.” Bree continued, “They decided to control the elements instead of working with them. The world fell into chaos...”

“Oh that’s a real great story to tell her right before bedtime.” A deep voice said, interrupting the story. Both Vivian and Bree looked up to find Vivian’s father, Adam, watching them from the doorway.

“Dad!” Vivian cried out, feeling a little better now that he was home safe.

“Hi sweetheart.” He came to the bed, bending down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. She hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing in the mix of leather and cigarette smoke with a happy sigh.

“When did you get home? We didn’t hear the Harleys.” Bree stood, making room for Adam on the bed, but he motioned for her to sit back down, and pulled up his daughter’s bean bag for himself. Vivian smothered a giggle at seeing her father trying to fit on it; he was so tall that he had to stretch out his legs in front of him or else they would reach up to this chin.

“We turned them off  and walked them in because this one was supposed to be asleep by now.” He gave Vivian a mock glare and waggled a finger at her. She giggled and slapped it away, and he ruffled her hair.

“Did you...”

“Not in front of the girl.” Adam cut Bree off and she flushed. “Continue with your story.”

“Well, that was pretty much it - the world fell into chaos and that’s why things are the way they are right now. There’s so much evil and darkness in the World because the elements aren't around to keep the balance.”

“But, when they are needed, the girls return, and order is restored.” Vivian finished for her.

Bree raised an eyebrow at her, “You’ve heard this one before?”

“Your brother used to tell it to her and once I caught Evie...” Adam started and then abruptly stopped, his jaw tightening at the memory of Vivian’s mother.

And that's all for writing today! You can read more WIPpet Wednesday posts over here, and see more ROW 80 check ins over that-a-way!