Category: The Blog

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Country Bonfire

I burned my boob at a bonfire tonight.

We had a long day planned with an hour and a half drive north to Granny’s for an early birthday, and then a bonfire at my Dad’s tonight.  We slept in, which was wonderful, and finally got everything loaded in the van around 11 am.  I ran into Wal-Mart to pick up stuff for smores while That Man ran over to Uncle J’s and Aunt BB’s apartment (conveniently located across the street from Wal-Mart) to walk their dogs.  Middle Monster went in with me because I was supposed to get her a reward of paper (long story).  Of course I forgot the paper, and she didn’t remind me until I already had our cart unloaded, and because she was nagging me about her paper, I forgot to get the ice for the cooler.

So I ran all the stuff out to the car, went back in for ice and paper.  (Trip #2 to Wal-Mart)

We finally got out on the freeway headed north when I said, “hey, did anyone get the bag of coffee on the table?”  Of course not.  So we decided to make a quick trip to Target so I could get a bag of Caribou.  I mean, we planned a nice dessert for Granny, which just wouldn’t be the same without coffee.  In pulling off the freeway, we were almost in a horrible car accident (it would have been at least a ten-car pileup), so we missed our exit and had to hit the next one.

FINALLY, we have coffee and we’re back on the freeway, now out of city traffic.  About that time, Littlest Monster, who was in the very back of the van, said, “Mom, I don’t feel very well.”

Uh oh.  I passed back the Target bag (sans coffee) and made the monsters switch positions.  We made it another few minutes down the road and Middle Monster yells, “MOM, SHE’S THROWING UP!”

So not even 5 miles north of Springfield, we pulled off the road and I dragged Littlest out of her booster seat.  About half of her breakfast hit the bag, while the rest went all down her shirt, seatbelt, and seat.  Of course I didn’t pack a spare set of clothes!  At least I did have napkins, but no wet wipes.  I cleaned her up as good as I could and stripped her shirt off.  She wore her jean jacket and we headed back down the road.  (She was fine the rest of the day — just carsick from riding in the back of the van.)

Of course she got cold, so we had to turn on the heater, which only served to heat up the puke smell.

After another 20-30 minutes of smelling puke, we pulled off the highway in Bolivar for trip #3 to Wal-Mart where I bought her a shirt, Febreeze, wipes, and trash bags.

Four hours after leaving the house, we finally pulled into Granny’s house for dessert and coffee.  We visited until almost 5 pm, when Uncle J called, wondering how to get to my Dad’s for the bonfire.  We loaded up the kids and rushed over so J & BB could follow us down the gravel roads to my Dad’s, where he had three horses saddled.  The monsters rode about an hour, and then we started the bonfire.

It only took diesel fuel and three cups of gasoline to get the wood lit (we had 4-6 inches of rain Thursday).  Breezy as the sun set, the blazing fire was more than welcome….until something HOT hit my throat and rolled down my neck to lodge in my BRA.  I was doing the jig, fishing around in my shirt, flashing everyone, and couldn’t get the burning thing out, so I raced inside the house and ripped my shirt off.  I have blisters down my neck and all over my boob where a piece of burning rock danced a jig down into my bra.

Other than the puke in the car, 3 trips to Wal-Mart, a trip to Target, and the burns on my boob, it was a wonderful day in the country!

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Shadowlight Giveaway

Everybody should already know that I love Lynn Viehl and how much I enjoyed Shadowlight in particular.  The science aspect in this new spin of the Darkyn series was particularly interesting, and I can’t wait to see how Rowan’s book unfolds.

Since today is the “official” release of Shadowlight (although it’s been shipping for at least a few days), I thought I’d do a giveaway!  Simply comment on this post about your favorite Lynn Viehl book.  If you haven’t read her yet–WHY NOT?!?–simply throw your name in the hat.  I’ll accept comments through midnight CST Thursday, Oct. 8th and announce the winner Friday morning.

This giveaway is open to anyone on the planet, even if you’ve won something from me before.  I’ll ship anywhere on the planet, too, although if you’d rather have an electronic version, I’ll supply an e-certificate to the online bookstore of your choice.

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Sex and Vampires

My friend Jenna Reynolds (aka Anna Black) and my beloved sister Molly Burkhart (aka G.B. Kensington) have coordinating posts about the allure of sexy vampires to celebrate the release of their short stories in The Sweetest Kiss erotica anthology.  Later this month, I’ll be giving away one signed copy for Halloween, so stay tuned for details!

Also, don’t forget about the $1.99 or less sale going on at Drollerie Press.

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Shadowlight by Lynn Viehl

I’ve been hooked on Lynn Viehl’s books ever since I read an ARC of If Angels Burn years ago, so I’m thrilled to read her new twist on the Darkyn universe.  Shadowlight kicks off a new “Takyn” series, but does have cross-over characters from the Darkyn books I know and love. 

There are a lot of new characters introduced, out of necessity to set up the new world.  Hang in there, don’t be discouraged by the large cast, and trust Lynn’s magic.  The “monster” created in this book is terrifically horrible and all the little hints and pieces definitely come together in one wild ride at the end. 

Since Evermore involved poetry, I wrote a sonnet for PBW back in 2007 — unfortunately, it was lost when I moved my blog.  So I thought I’d write a new one!

In shadowlight’s grim, unflinching hold,
Secret shadows are seared by truth’s clear light.
Crimes and horrors, hidden darkness untold,
Bared to Jessa’s weary soul without invite.
She hides alone, untouched and unloved;
Until GenHance tracks her through her special gift.
To save her from torture, Mattias steals his beloved–
Tho she knows him not, and her distrust comes swift.
In shadowlight, Jessa sees his frozen past:
A blizzard storm and centuries of barren ice.
He tells her so many horror tales she’s left aghast–
While their physical connection attempts to entice.
If GenHance gains her shadowlight sight,
Their engineered soldiers will the world ablight.

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Free Read Take Me: Part Two

Continuing after Conn’s letter:  (first draft only, subject to revision)

“If we already have a real ghost,” Rae grumbled as she stapled another swag of fake spider web beneath the porch eave, “then why does Miss Belle want so many fake decorations?  Maybe she’s only worked up because this is the Bed and Breakfast’s first Halloween.”

“Afraid not, darlin’,” Conn replied from the front yard now turned cemetery.  “Miss Belle has always loved Halloween.  In fact, I think if forced to pick between Halloween and Christmas, she’d choose dressing up like a witch any day.  Speaking of which: don’t be freaked out when she refers to her ‘Book of the Dead.’”  He raised his voice so that his grandmother would hear through the open window.  “That’s merely her cookbook.”

Sure enough, Miss Belle stomped over to the front door and glared at them both.  Rae never thought she’d wish the old lady would wear more pink, her trademark color, but even retina-searing Pepto Bismol would be an improvement over Miss Belle’s costume.  She wore an orange-and-purple-striped broomstick skirt down to her ankles, a goblin-green satin poet’s shirt, and bright red sparkling shoes straight out of The Wizard of Oz.  At least her Spandex tights matched her horrendous green shirt.  Even her old-fashioned straw hat had been replaced by a traditional black witch’s hat–with a huge orange bow in the front.

“Don’t spoil Rae’s first Halloween with us,” Miss Belle demanded.  “If you give away all my secrets, she won’t enjoy the party nearly as much.  Now you two hurry up–you don’t even have your costumes on yet!”

Rae concentrated on hanging a huge hairy tarantula on her fake web.  She knew that Conn was going to wear his warrior garb he typically wore for Renaissance Faire demonstrations.  He’d planned a mock fight with his best friend and math professor extraordinaire for tonight’s festivities.  So far, he didn’t have any idea what her costume was–and she planned to keep it that way as long as possible.

She scrubbed her damp palms on her jeans and jumped down off the ladder.  Her stomach already felt tight and trembly with nerves.  Am I going to have the courage to pull this off?

Conn gave the incredibly realistic tombstone another shove so it leaned as if it’d been a part of the yard for decades.  “I’ll be back in about an hour with Mason–he’s meeting me at the cottage.”  He looked up at Rae and she gave him a hopefully excited—instead of nervous—smile.  “You still won’t tell me what your costume is?”

“Nope,” she replied tartly, imitating his grandmother’s no-nonsense manner.  “You’ll see soon enough.”

He reached through the porch railing and gripped her calves.  “Why the secrets, darlin’?”

He had incredible hands.  His powerful fingers dug into her muscles, firm and strong, just shy of actually hurting.  He might be an English professor by day, but in his bed he was all domination.  The slight squeeze of his fingers made her swallow and sent a warm wave of desire sweeping through her.  The butterflies disappeared and she made the low, ragged sound in her throat that he loved to hear.  “I want to surprise you.”

His eyes blazed like sapphires, but he released her.  “How will I recognize you?”

Miss Belle smacked him on the top of the head with her witch hat.  “If you can’t recognize your one true love despite a simple costume, then you don’t deserve her.  Now get–I’ve got to get my cauldron started!”

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Civil War Anthology: Defiance

Remember that little Civil War short story I was working on a few months ago?  I’m thrilled to announce that it’ll be included in a US Civil War anthology from Drollerie Press, including stories by Laura Anne Gilman and Angela Korra’ti!  Watch for it to be released end of October.  Isn’t the cover lovely?

Defiance

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Drollerie Press Blog Tour

This month, our theme is music, and I’m honored to host Nora Fleischer.  Mark your calendars for the next Drollerie Press chat on September 27th at 4 PM Eastern.  We always have a ton of fun and usually end up talking about zombies, Muppets, Sting, and everything in between!

(My post will be posted sometime today at Sarah Avery’s livejournal here.)

~ * ~

Over Her HeadI love setting stories in the early twentieth century, partly because I like the popular novelists of the era (dig up The Wall Street Girl, if you can, for a fun read), but mostly because they’re the first generation to be recognizably modern.  They have cars, bicycles, and telephones.  For the first time, young women get educated and work in jobs that use their education.  (They called them New Women.)  And, for the first time, people are able to record music. 

Recording music must have been a great thing for musicians– can you imagine knowing that your art would disappear as soon as it was completed?– but it might have been even better for the average music lover.  Imagine living in a period when hearing good, professional-quality music was a rare treat, not something you could get for free just for snapping on the radio!  When if you wanted to hear music, you’d better learn to play an instrument.

Garrett Hathaway, the hero of my novella, Over Her Head, set in 1905, is a huge opera fan, and he treasures his Victrola.  What sort of thing might an opera lover in the early 1900s be able to listen to?  Here’s a recording from the Library of Congress’s American Memory site:  http://memory.loc.gov/mbrs/berl/131113.mp3.  The sound quality makes me very happy to have an iPod!  But here’s the challenge for me as a novelist– people like Garrett were very proud and excited about all the opportunities that modernity brought to them.  I hope, by showing the way Garrett enjoys listening to music, I’m able to convey that excitement to today’s reader.”

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Story Building 7: The Block

Are you sick of plotting yet?  I certainly am.  I’ve almost come to the place where I’m going to start writing, even if I don’t have all the details figured out.  I feel stuck, mired in the mud, and I need progress.  Again, we come back to “do what works for you.”  If the process becomes painful, boring, or tedious, why are you still doing it?  However, I know from past experience that if I rush too much, I’ll have more revisions to make in order to tighten the story up.  The more thinking and planning I do now, the better the first draft will be.  I don’t want to spend a year revising this story — in fact, I’d really be happy if I could submit it by the end of the year.  (That’s my unofficial goal.)

Loosely, this stage ties to the spreadsheets I showed in the last post — but they’re not quite exactly the way I was taught by the Witch.  Originally, I learned to take a story and break it into 10 chunks, called blocks since they’re the building blocks of the story.  Act 1 contains 3 blocks, Act 2 contains 5, and Act 3 contains 2.  The hero’s journey lies very nicely on top of the blocks:

  • Block 1 = Ordinary World
  • Block 3 = Accepting the Call – ending with Crossing the First Threshold into Act 2.
  • Block 4 (first block of Act II) – Confrontation, Tests, Allies
  • Block 6 = Approach Innermost Cave
  • Block 7 = Dark Moment
  • Block 8-9 = Climax, turning point into Act 3.
  • Block 9 = Climax 2
  • Block 10 = Resolution

This helps you define the structure and pacing of the story and for the most part, this really resonates with me.  Where I ran into problems (creating those spreadsheets) was with the Maya thriller, where I had three major story lines all converging in the last half/third of the book.  I needed a bit more space to keep track of what was happening — so I technically added more “blocks” to the Acts.  It was more of a spacing/usability decision than a structure decision — I couldn’t fit all the details I needed into 2 tiny columns (blocks) for Act 3!

The point I’m trying to make is that structure is well and good — but it should be fluid and flexible too.  If the story you’re writing feels like it needs 3 blocks for Act 3 instead of 2, who cares.  The important part is that you recognize Act 3 should be roughly the last 1/4 of the story and should move very, very quickly.  Act 2 should be the meatiest and encompasses roughly 50% of your story.  Exactly how many blocks that means is up to you.  So feel free to modify this process for yourself, and for each book.

With Victor’s story, I don’t need nearly as much space to write out the rough details of the Block.  I only have 2 POVs.  I have the main story line of Victor and Shiloh’s romance, wound into the premise of the story, that it takes place on a reality show.  I have a subplot about an industry spy.  And that’s it!  The real meat of the story is the relationship and the conflicts that arise because of the show — which feeds directly into the romance, because Shiloh crafted this show down to the littlest detail, for him.

One fun thing that can help you think about structure and story at the same time is to NAME the blocks something meaningful to you and the story.  I had the idea this morning that I should base the blocks on the idea of episode titles for the show.  Not all of them are show titles, but this will definitely give you an idea of what kind of story this is going to be.

Block One – The Pitch

Block Two – Try Outs

Block Three – Premiere

Block Four – Serving Your Master

Block Five – Loving Your Master

Block Six – Do You Know Your Master’s Hand?

Block Seven – At Your Master’s Pleasure…or Displeasure

Block Eight – Miss Belle’s Thanksgiving

Block Nine – Coming Out Ball

Block Ten – V’s Gift