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Jul. 1st, 2009

Shelburne's Bridge of Flowers Goes Terabithia

I just got back from a wonderful visit with my mom, and my sister [info]rubyrice and her family .  While I was there we visited Shelburne Falls Massachusetts's famous bridge of flowers. Frankly, it was much more impressive than I thought it would be--amazing actually (the photo below doesn't do it justice).  http://www.shelburnefalls.com/attractions/bridge.html

And it was the perfect backdrop for the head-shot type photos that I've wanted to have taken, but have dreaded. 




At any rate, my sister managed to take a few tourist shots of me standing in the wisteria vines. Then, when we got back to her house,  she  retreated to her studio,  turned her artistic magic loose and transformed  them into what I'm calling --Shelburne's Bridge of Flowers Goes Terabithia.




It was hard, but Ruby managed to resist the urge to turn my hair into a bird's nest and settled for adding a few feathers instead.





 If you'd like to learn more about  the work Ruby does as a visionary artist,  then add her to your friend list. [info]rubyrice She just joined lj yesterday and will soon be starting up her blog.















Jun. 29th, 2009

Driving and Thinking

 Headed south to The Berkshires to spend a few days with my mom and sister. I'm bringing a recorder so I can avoid the urge to scratch notes while I drive. Hopefully, I can get a few more scene ideas hammered out and start writing SAH at the end of the week.
 
(Yeah, I know there are no leaves on the trees in that photo. Sorry, but it was the best photo of the Berkshires I could find this morning)


Jun. 25th, 2009

Shiver ARC, Secret Rooms, Peep Holes and A Makeover

Okay, so that's an odd combination, but that's how my mind works sometimes (yeah, most of the time).

I discovered that in order to get going on my WIP,  I had to write a description of most of the rooms in Avery House and how they related to the characters, hauntings and the time period, and each other. I've never done this before, but I'll tell you this-- the phrases "secret room" and "peep hole" can sure make a plot go from creepy to frightening really fast. 

As for makeovers.  After work today, I'm taking my Gypsy dog--who's supposed to look like a Golden Retriever but right now looks like a demented Shar Pei--to the doggie salon for a hair and nail job. Three freaking hours of dog spa treatment.  What am I going to do? Go shopping or out to eat? Heck no--I just got an ARC of SHIVER. I'm going to sit in the car, drink an iced latte and read. Life is grand!

Jun. 23rd, 2009

Breast Cancer Research: Donate and Recieve a Signed Copy of James Maxey's Latest Novel DRAGONSEED

THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN GET BEHIND. TAKE A MINUTE AND READ JAMES' PERSONAL STORY AND ABOUT HEALING AND DRAGONSEED. (his goal is a modest $300 dollars and he's hoping for donations to average $6.00)

FROM JAMES MAXEY:

"Followers of my blogs, and the readers who read the acknowledgement pages of my books, will know that I lost my partner Laura Herrmann to breast cancer in May 2006. I've been interested in cancer research since then and have privately made contributions to cancer related charities, but I've never put out any sort of appeal on my blogs to solicit for this cause, until now.

Last week, I received several cases of my latest book Dragonseed. One of the ongoing themes of Dragonseed is the idea of healing, both from physical and spiritual wounds. Within the book there's a miraculous object called a dragonseed: Eat the seed, and all your injuries will be healed. Even your oldest scars will vanish.
 

I have some science fiction hoodoo underlying the dragonseed. The technology to create a pill that will both diagnose and cure any illness is pretty far out in our future, if it exists at all. But, the part of this that isn't science fiction or hoodoo is that I believe that technology has the power to work miracles. We have MRI and PET scans that can look into a human body and see it working in minute detail. We have developed surgical tools and techniques that can remove diseased tissues from a human body without doing undo damage to healthy tissues. My father had a heart attack recently, and the doctors had to place stents in his arteries. The incision to perform the operation was small enough to cover with a band-aid. And, right now, there are researchers who are taking apart cancer cells molecule by molecule to understand the genetic engines that drive them to a degree unimaginable only a few decades ago.
 

We live in an age of miracles because we live in an age of knowledge. Modern computers are finally powerful enough to process all the complex data contained within a human cell. The only barriers remaining between our present understanding a cure for any disease you can name are time and money . . . "
 

You can contribute to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation by clicking here. This will take you to my personal fundraising page; just click the button that says "support James." Then, to get your signed copy of Dragonseed, just email me your mailing address to nobodynovelwriter@yahoo.com. I've set aside 50 copies for this cause; if I give them all away by the end of July, I'm pretty sure I can get my hands on another 50. 


YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THIS ON JAMES' BLOG  http://dragonprophet.blogspot.com/



Jun. 22nd, 2009

700 Hundred Years Worth of Ghosts and How I Spent My Sunday

 

 

Yesterday, I decided to lump the last of my secondary characters into one mass character profile—“the ghosts” that haunt Avery House and the surrounding grounds.

 

This was one of the best decisions I could have made because it forced me to focus on the 700 year historic timeline of the location instead of on individual ghosts--which would have been overly time consuming and not necessarily any more helpful. 

 

I’m so thrilled with the results. I know historically why the ghost (some individuals and others as massed entities) are haunting, how their individual hauntings are manifested and generally what brings on an occurrence. Okay, it looks like I’m giving away that the ghosts in SAH are real—but, real or not, their stories are known to the living characters, so I need to know those tales as well.

 
Have you ever mistaken something for a ghost? As an adult or child--even for a second?

Jun. 19th, 2009

Wanted: One Goblin Hobby


So I have this goblin in my WIP. He's minion to a human treasure hunter and glamours himself to appear human--at least at this point I think he's a goblin, but at any rate he's not human. 

What I need is a hobby for him, something simple and portable. Any thoughts? Creating cat-bone scrimshaw, embroidering hankies, tattooing himself?

 

Jun. 18th, 2009

Vermont, Dragons and Horrendous Beasts




  My WIP is set in Vermont-- specifically in the northwest corner. I've created a backstory which includes a myth and  pseudo-history, but I've been lacking a pinpoint location. I needed a place where Samuel de Champlain might have seen a fortress with walls decorated with dragons and horrendous beasts. This morning, I thought of it. It was so freaking obvious. I’ve been there several times.  I’ve written another story in the exact location.  I don't need to research at all. Yay! I’m totally thrilled.
 
I really like the idea of readers being able to explore real history and see the truth that surrounds my created myth. And I bet a few of you can guess the location—there aren’t too many place in northern Vermont where dragons decorate stone.

I’m a happy writer. Now off to my day job.

*yeah, that's a photo of Hermitage Castle--or maybe it's not.

Jun. 14th, 2009

Creating Characters--profile sheets and new discoveries


I spent the day filling out character profile sheets. Actually, I only got three done, but that’s because I kept getting plot and scene ideas that I wanted to jot down. And because my list of profile questions is ever expanding. 

 

My favorite question is:  what is the character’s psychological maneuver—I got this question from [info]bluestocking1

 

Here are a couple of surprising things I learned about Ella, the main character in my WIP :

1.      Though her family isn’t religious she says prayers to a nonspecific higher power while looking out the window, morning and night. It makes her feel like someone is with her even when she is alone (I really didn’t see Ella having any religious feeling, but I was wrong). One of her main fears is abandonment.

 

2.      She can’t sense when she’s being used because she is too eager to not be alone. She tends to stick to her friends-- almost suffocating them in order to get attention (I had a good idea Ella was like this, but not the extent).

 

3.      She wishes her little brother wasn’t ever born. (I never saw that one coming)

 

4.      She’s trying so hard to find new friends at Avery House that she goes  against her gut  feeling (this was a particular important discovery)

 

5.      Oh--and while looking for pictures of her hairstyle I found Ella (that's who is at the top of this post).

 For those of you who are as obsessed with character as I am, under the cut is the character profile sheet I use. It is a bit repetitive as I sometimes add to questions and forget cut similar ones I already had.

What are your favorite character questions?

Read more... )


 

 

Read more... )

 

 

 

 

 

 


Jun. 13th, 2009

Story Love and the Age-old Debate: Clothes or No Clothes?

I officially love my WIP. The characters are coming together—and they aren’t trying to mirror the characters in my last story. The plot has turning points and some cool scenes that I can’t wait to write. Tension and motive have arrived . . . and today my husband and I got in the age-old debate of clothes or no clothes.

One of my main characters lives on a plane of existence between the living and the dead. He can move between planes. He has a body, but also can be noncorporeal, like a ghost. He was enchanted in the 14th century. 

So my question is: what does he wear?

I see him in his 14th garb most of the time, but what happens if he steals modern clothes and puts them on so he can blend in and maybe have his way with girls? Does he have to take off his “ghostly garb” and  put on the “real” modern clothes or does he just wear layers? 

It isn’t exactly the same, but I get annoyed when characters destroy all their clothes or disrobe when they shape-shift and then miraculously appear fully clothed when they change back—it makes no sense to me. And it makes me obsess on my character’s wardrobe changes.

What do you think? 
 


Jun. 10th, 2009

Couldn't Resist This One


Your result for Which fantasy writer are you? ...

David Eddings (b. 1931)

-21 High-Brow, 25 Violent, -1 Experimental and 25 Cynical!

David Eddings (b. 1931)

Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Violent, Traditional and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.

David Eddings is the best-selling author of several series of fantasy novels, the most famous being The Belgariad (1982-84) and The Malloreon (1988-92). These books have become almost epitomic of the kind of fantasy that is fast-paced, full of humorous dialogue and written to entertain. And entertain they do. Few other writers have Eddings' ability to create characters that not only makes the reader feel as if he or she knows them, but are also very likeable. Perhaps this is due to Eddings unusual path to writing fantasy: He had tried writing in other genres with moderate success when he discovered that fantasy, a genre he had hitherto not been interested in, sometimes sells very well, and therefore started turning an old sketch of a map into a series of books. Without an interest in experimenting with form or pushing the boundaries of the genre, Eddings created the penultimate light entertainment instead, trusting his readers to keep reading because of charming characters and exotic, though not particularly original, environments.

After the success of The Belgariad and The Malloreon, Eddings turned to writing fantasy which was, supposedly, aimed at a more adult audience. The tendency towards violence as entertainment that had been present through-out his early works grew more prominent in the series of The Elenium (1989-91)and The Tamuli (1992-94). It was also around this time that David Eddings wife, Leigh Eddings, was credited as the co-author of his books, though they admitted that she had been contributing from the very beginning.

Though Eddings isn't the most high cultured of fantasy writers, few would dispute that when it comes to charm, he has no rivals.

You are also a lot like J R R Tolkien.

If you want something more gentle, try Robert Jordan.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Tove Jansson.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received -21 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.

 Violent vs. Peaceful

You received 25 points, making you more Violent than Peaceful. Please note that violent in this context does not mean that you, personally, are prone to violence. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you are, and you do, then you are violent as defined here. At their best, violent people are the heroes who don't hesitate to stop the villain threatening innocents by means of a good kick. At their worst, they are the villains themselves.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received -1 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received 25 points, making you more Cynical than Romantic. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, cynical people are able to see through lies and spot crucial flaws in plans and schemes. At their worst, they are overly negative, bringing everybody else down.

Author picture by the talented artist "Molosovsky". Visit http://www.flickr.com/people/25360041@N06/ for more!


Take Which fantasy writer are you?
at HelloQuizzy
 

Jun. 8th, 2009

Small Beer Press--great writing book on sale for a buck. And free ROF.


Small Beer Press is having a dollar sale until Wednesday--and one of the sale books is a favorite of mine--STORYTELLER by Kate Wilhelm . It is a wonderful, inspiring and helpful book about the writing process and Wilhelm's experiences as a teacher.  I highly recommend it. There are other great books as well. Check it out.

http://www.lcrw.net/special.htm

Also [info]douglascohen  (aka the slushmaster) has  free copies of the up and coming Realms of Fantasy.  Hurry,  they won't last long.


Jun. 5th, 2009

MOTIVATION AND GREAT PRIZES.


SEE [info]annemariewrites FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION.



The 1st Annual
Complete Your Draft Contest!!


 Contest is brought to you by Les Trois Graces in association with Tuesday Night Chatters.

Rules*:

  1. Contest is open to any writer at any stage (first-timer, agented-but-not-yet-published, or published authors; also hobbyists, etc.) to encourage the completion of a first draft or writing project.
     
  2. Contest is open internationally.
     
  3. Contest officially begins June 1, 2009 and will end at 23:59 (your local time as time-stamped by your e-mail provider) June 30, 2009.
     
  4. Contest requires a .txt document be sent to LTGcontests [at] gmail [dot] com for word count confirmation. Once counted, the document will be deleted. This will be done twice. Once when you sign up and again on June 30th.
     
  5. To be included, please leave a comment on this post (let me know where you heard about it too). Everyone signed up on this post is in! Send your .txt document to the address above no more than 24 hours after commenting (or viewing this entry).
     
  6. Those who sign up as novelists must write at least 25k new words, which is half of what NaNoWriMo requires in a month. Those that sign up as poets must write at least 1k new words. Please feel free to contact me, as this is open to discussion based on your project!



* By signing up, you agree to these rules. Rules may be subject to change at any time, but notice will be given 24 hours in advance. No monetary compensation is required for joining the contest.

Prizes**:
 

  1. Prizes will be awarded no later than July 14, 2009 (Bastille Day!).
     
  2. Prizes include†:

     
  3. All winners will be entered into a random drawing for above prizes.
     
  4. Contest winners will be announced no later than July 4, 2009.


 



 


Jun. 2nd, 2009

A New Story Begins: daydreaming and a snippet



I'm spending June planning my new story--doing character profiles, an outline, working on motives and all that stuff . . . and forcing myself to move past research and toward solidifying my antagonist.  I'm also allowing myself to write hit or miss scenes as they come to mind.

My story involves a Vermont mansion. The fun part is that since I was a child  I've loved, explored and lived in some pretty amazing old houses. And being an antique dealer and florist has allowed me get into some derelict and fabulous homes others might never have the chance to freely explore.

Here are a few places I've spent time that are going into the mix as I create my story's location.

Above is a post card of the Williams Inn in Williamstown Massachucettes--I used to sneak through the back gardens when I was a kid and find excuses to go inside when I could.

Here's a photo of the main house at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. I get to explore it when I do weddings there.




In honor of starting a new story and teaser Tuesday here are the first paragraphs of my new WIP.

The Specter of Avery Hill

#

The boy lived on the top of the cliff, as he had for seven hundred years.

On nights when the fog fingered up from the lake, he followed it through the tangled grapevines and damp cedars, past the abandoned greenhouse and the cold frames, their glass tops smashed and tumbled in, to the overgrown gardens, the terraces and into the house on Avery Hill.

There, in the mansion, the dampness and darkness was held at bay. Voices echoed. Books lined walls. Though he had no need for food nor drink, the scent of oven-warm bread and roasting meat brought memories, as did the roughness of the tapestries under his fingers and the grey-stone fireplace, its flames jaundicing the room with their light, like on the night it all began—the night the battle was won and his mortal life was forfeited.

#

 

Chapter 1






Jun. 1st, 2009

Mulling Over GRACELING

 

 

I finished GRACELING by Kristin Cashore a few days ago and have been mulling over what I think of it. There is no question that the writing is beautiful and smooth, but I have some other reservations about the novel.

 

I guessed what was going to happen way ahead of time—and was correct every time. Perhaps this is because I’m not the intended audience and because I read a lot of fantasy. I also guessed that this story was preparing the reader for a sequel long before I knew there was one. Though I loved her descriptions and the world, my writer brain was annoyed by the number of country names and similar sounding king names that were piled on the reader at the beginning of the story. The repetition about eye color and graceling gifts made me think that Cashore needed to have a bit more respect for her reader’s intelligence and her own ability to get across the world she’d created.

 

I loved a majority of the secondary characters. They were skillfully created, well rounded and unique—and fun. I like Po. But the main character, Katsa, was not a girl I could relate to—which has nothing to do with the story or the writing and everything to do with my taste. I didn’t detest being in her head, but I became bored with her. I think my real issue was that I never doubted that she would survive and come out on top. The story had a feeling of inevitability to me and didn’t offer surprises.

 

The reason I picked up the book was that several people recommended it to me as an excellent example of romantic tension.   I do think this book was successful in this area. And, where as some of my lj friends had a problem with Po and Katsa’s romance blossoming as they beat each other to a pulp, I didn’t feel that way. I felt that Katsa’s character was such that she wouldn’t experience fighting with Po the same way a normal person would, so I thought the fighting/ romance felt true to her character.

 

I can’t say I won’t read the sequel and it is likely I’d read another novel by Cashore which was not in this series—but it is also likely that I won’t rush to buy the next book in this series. Love of books is always subjective and GRACELING didn’t speak to my heart.

 

So do you know any kids that read GRACELING? What did they think of it?

May. 28th, 2009

The Best Gothic Novel EVER!



So I'm brewing my next novel and my main character is obsessed with gothic novels--which means I get to stuff my brain with all things gothic--yay! 

My question to you is, what was or is your favorite gothic novel(s)? I don't care if the books were classics or junky. I want the truth.

I'll confess that I read all the Dark Shadow novels when I was in junior high school--and they weren't easy to find.  And I do recall the first gothic novel I read. It was called SONS OF THE WOLF and I got it out of the school library. I have no idea who wrote it, but I remember thinking it was the best book ever.

May. 25th, 2009

Hush, Hush. The Fallen Angels Cometh


I'm a few days late, but I want give a huge shout out to [info]bec_fitzpatrick . Not only has the release date of HUSH, HUSH been pushed up to Oct 13 of this year, but her amazing cover was unveiled this week.

I had the great fortune of being around at the birth of HUSH, HUSH and am so excited to see it about to get into the hands of readers. Becca is one fantastic, creative and hard working writer--Prepare yourself to be awed.

*Beyond her ability as a master storyteller, Becca's road to publication--especially her story of querying and revision--is one that gives me hope and strength as the months roll by and my fulls still linger out there in agent land.

May. 22nd, 2009

The Perfect Weekend =

I have to work tomorrow, but I have Sunday and Monday off.
And I'm ready . . .

 
 

Happy Memorial Day to all!
 


 

May. 20th, 2009

Birth of a Story


Today, the new story idea I've been mulling over began talking in a voice too loud to ignore.

Meet the big mouth: Sven the rescue greyhound.



Sven has been telling me about Ella, Great Aunt Margie and  the boy. He's been showing me around the mansion and made me promise not tell about how he pissed on the Oriental carpet after Ella called him Darcy (which he found totally embarrassing). He showed me the Mustang Cobra in the garage, the kitchen  and the walled herb garden where he likes to sun bathe . . . it's fun learning a story and setting from a dog's prospective.

At this point, I do know what the main magical element is and logic behind it (sort of)--and  I have temporary title as well--POA. Now for the hard part--to unearth the antagonist and work on motivation.

May. 17th, 2009

Yay! I'm a runner-up


I'm a runner-up in [info]merry_fates  story contest. I get to bask in glory and come up with a devious prompt for the sisters.  The other lucky runner-ups were  [info]annemariewrites [info]ravelda [info]prophet1  chelle and tanita! Congratulations to all of you.

[info]serafina_zane  took home a well deserved  first place with her great story.  If you have a moment, go over to her blog and check it out.

http://community.livejournal.com/merry_fates/73104.html#cutid1

May. 12th, 2009

Araid: My Short Story For the Merry Sisters of Fate Contest.

 

 I’ve always avoided posting entire stories on the internet for the simple reason that they are then considered published and are a hard sell later.  However—or maybe because of that self-imposed rule-- it felt delightfully decadent  to write a quick story just for the fun of it and not worry whether it was marketable or super polished, and then share it without the pressure of submitting and rejection .  

The prompt was, Princess Tuvstarr by John Bauer


Here’s my short story: 

Normally, a pretty girl-child like me would fetch a good bridal price, except Father’d already bartered my innocence for a Viking’s lodestone. So when a sorceress wearing a golden heart pendant came to town, Father decided his best bet was to trade me for that pendant.
 

The trouble was--I was a worthless girl: a pig-keep, a pot-scrub, not a seerer or a miracle worker or an herbalist that a sorceress might desire. But Father devised a scheme designed to trick the sorceress into thinking I had value.
 

Read more... )



 

Check out [info]merry_fates  for links to the other wonderful entries.

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