The Soundtracks of our Life

Or in this case the soundtrack of a series...  I've never been one to "hear" songs for characters in story.   Until recently...

The new series I am working on is basically a paranormal retelling of the Arthurian legend.  My main character (Morgan) is the lots of greats - grand daughter of Morgan Le Fey and Merlin.   That being said...the story has a slight twist in so much as the other main character who may or may not end up as Morgan's soulmate, is the devil, or.. a devil, anyway.

Now...that all being said...I've started hearing a soundtrack for this story.

It all got started out of Bon Jovi's "One Wild Night" - which is the song that gave me the inspiration for the concept.  That song now represents Morgan's acceptance of her powers/history and her place in the prophecy (ie storyline.)

Lyrical sample:
It's a hot night, the natives are restless 
We're sweating by the light of the moon 
There's a voodoo mojo brewing at the go-go 
That could knock a witch off her broom 

Then as I was driving into work yesterday, I heard Rush's Losing It...which I realized is the Devil's theme song.

Some are born to move the world
To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things we'd like to be
Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee...

Now I've always been a fan of music....several of my favorite quotes from songs are put together in a collage that I post over my desk at work...it helps inspire me.   But this is the first time that songs have started attaching themselves to characters and moments in a story.  It's a bit strange.


This is the story of my life/And I write it everyday
I know it isn't black and white/And it's anything but grey
I know that no I'm not alright, but I feel ok cos 
Anything can, everything can happen/That's the story of my life
~Story of My Life, Bon Jovi

Finding your voice

So I came across an interesting article last week…and I’m going to digress from writing a bit and talk about fandom in its broadest forms. 

The article:  Don't listen to the naysayers...

The article in itself isn’t that surprising.  Mom tells girl who had a particularly rough time at school (a la most of us geeks/nerds/bookwyrms) to ignore the mean girls and chart your own course.   In and of itself, not that unusual, I suspect most of us have had the same conversation or a similar one either with Moms, Dads, Husbands or Wives.  

But what did strike me as interesting what the flood of comments that followed the article.  Almost universally supportive, positive and relatable.  There were over 200 comments most of which in the vein of “Been there, great article, great reminder.”

As a geek/former con-runner/author and participant in the NERDIQUETTE 101 movement, I think this advice to be ourselves is one that we still don’t hear enough.    Too often we are afraid of being made fun of or labeled (see the FAKE geek girl controversy) to speak out about our chosen interests.   And while movement’s like NERDIQUETTE 101 and conventions taking responsibility for their environment are a great start, I can’t help but wonder is there more we should be doing as fans?

Maybe it’s starting a conversation with the shy guy in line in front of you for the autograph of a favorite actor.  Or maybe it’s asking the girl in the corner reading to tell you about the book (if she seems willing and not just wanting to read for a few!)  Maybe if we start by asking questions of others, we can start to bring all of fandom a little closer.

As I learned two weekends ago at Mysticon, fandom has a depth and breadth to it that is amazing.  We can always stand to learn a little more about either our fandom or someone else’s.

As an example, I stood in line for over an hour at Mysticon (great con, btw), waiting for Peter Davison’s (one of the Doctors of Doctor Who) autograph.  Now, I’ll show my lack of geek cred here… I’m not a Dr. Who fan.  I’ve seen an entire two episodes of the Matt Smith Doctor and that’s it, but a dear friend of mine is a HUGE fan of the entire series, so I stood in line for her since she couldn’t be there.

Now while in line, I struck up a conversation with a young man from Maryland.  We got to talking about how Doctor Who fandom has a very wide breadth of fans ranging from older fans of the first two or three doctors to new fans in their teens that came into the fandom at the last two doctors.  What struck us both as interesting was that all Dr. Who fans seemed to identify themselves as Dr. Who fans. While there might be some teasing about which Dr. is “better,” the fans all accepted each other and congregated around each other because they were Dr. Who fans. 

I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve seen that strong/obvious amount of inclusion in some other fandoms.  Now I’m sure it’s there.   Certainly there is a good amount of inclusion amongst the Rebel Legion, the 501^st and Mandolorian Mercs within the Star Wars costume groups…but at the same time, I can say I’ve seen sniping attacks between Star Wars the movies fans and Star Wars the Expanded Universe Fans or between ST:TOS and ST:TNG fans. 

But what I witnessed this past weekend was Dr. Who fans.  That’s it.  Just Dr. Who fans.

So while I do think we need to try to be more inclusive of others within fandom, at the same time, I think if we are “flag waving” fans of a genre, then it’s time we take pride in that.   We need to believe in ourselves enough to speak about our love of anime or Star Trek or Labyrinth and even if we do get a giggle from someone in the audience, it’s okay.  It’s okay to be a fan of something.  And ya know, maybe our passion about something will convince someone else to go read a book, rent a movie or watch a TV show that they otherwise wouldn’t have.  After all, it’s the love of “whatever” that brought us into this crazy world of fen to begin with.

You can fight/Without ever winning
But never ever win/Without a fight

~Resist, Rush 

Waiting/Duotrope/Mysticon

I hate waiting.  It is easily the hardest part about being a writer for me.  Did I mention I hate waiting? I sent my most recent short story submission off in January.  And since I hate waiting (I mentioned that, right?) and I’m in revision mode on the novel, I want to work on a short story.  But I don’t have any ideas…so that leads me to Duotrope.

I wavered back and forth on whether or not to subscribe to Duotrope.  It’s not a huge expense but it is an expense and for someone who doesn’t make her living as a writer, I have to be careful about what I pay for when it connects to the writing side of the business.

But after discussing with Steve Long, another short story author (he’s also a game designer and friend), and my husband, I decided to go ahead and subscribe.  While the submission tracker aspect is really cool, it is the aggregate sourcing of open submissions that I really like. 

One of my own struggles as an author is that I don’t seem to have this unending pile of stories in my head waiting to come out.  (I think I’ve mentioned this before.)  So having an anthology with a theme or a shared world is a good way for me to get my brain moving in the direction of writing.

So after joining Duotrope, I found 3 anthologies that I might be able to submit something to:  An Urban Fantasy Anthology, A Pirate Anthology and a Devil/Incubi anthology.  Plus there is a company that is reprinting time-travel stories.  I may send them my first story from Rum&Runestones since it is time-travel.  J

Of course all have short deadlines but I tend to write better under pressure.  I play around with a couple ideas and see what bites during Mysticon the most.

Speaking of Mysticon, both James Fulbright and I will be there and paneling.  Here is my schedule, stop by and see me!

Fri 5:00 PM Genre Mashups

No longer does a writer have to stick to their particular genre, like science fiction, fantasy or horror‐‐now they can mix steampunk with paranormal romance, science fantasy, mystery with any other genre, and so forth. Does this make it harder for the author or easier?  Does it take them to go beyond what they knew before?

Stuart Jaffe (M), Jason Cordova, Betty Cross, Glenda Finkelstein, Tera Fulbright, Misty Massey

Fri 10:00 PM Writing On The Edge of Your Seat

Panelists discuss how to structure a mystery and keep the reader's interest without frustrating them or giving ttoo much away

Tony Ruggiero (M), H. David Blalock, John L French, Tera Fulbright

Sat 9:00 AM Signing Table Sharon Stogner, Tera Fulbright (I’ll have copies of the anthologies for those who don’t have one for sale!)

Sun 1:00 PM "Hook, Line and Sinker" How to Begin and End A Story

Join our panelists as they discuss how to create a captivating beginning that lures readers in and an ending that satisfies.

Peter Prellwitz (M), Betty Cross, Glenda Finkelstein, Andrew Fox, Tera Fulbright, Zachary Steele

On an unrelated side note, I still find it incredibly cool that after running cons for a number of years and scheduling guests for panels…I’m actually sitting on panels with folks like Misty Massey and Tony Ruggiero.

Some need to pray to the sun at high noon
Some need to howl at the midwinter moon
Reborn and baptized in a moment of grace
We just need a break --
From the headlong race

~Rush, “Between Sun and Moon”

Stories of Vanished Times

Greetings in the New Year!

Only 22 days in but it’s been a bit busy already.  

I submitted a short story to Belladonna’s Black Apples anthology which had an early January deadline.   This was a bit of a challenge insomuch as they were looking for a Gothic twist on Princess stories.   I took an interesting celtic story of Fair, Brown and Trembling with a ghostly twist and combined it with the recently watched with my daughter - Cinderella.  The hard part was making it “dark.”  I tend to write happy stories or at least stories that are more light hearted in nature.  This one wasn’t.  I’m hoping I captured what they were looking for. (Grrr…that sentence ends with a preposition but I’m not sure how to rewrite it.)  Anyway, I’ll know in another 4-8 weeks if I made the cut! 

I have begun editing the first chapter of my novel.  I found a potential editor/copyeditor for the piece but I need to actually place the body somewhere before I send it off to her!  J

February starts con season for both James and I.  We will be guests at Mysticon in Roanoke the weekend of February 22^nd so please stop by and say hello.   

Driving down the razor's edge between the past and the future
Turn up the music and smile
Get carried away on the songs and stories of vanished times

~Rush “Workin’ them Angels”

The Next Big Thing...

Good evening all!

Last week Misty Massey tagged me on her blog, as part of a chain of authors (or creative people) recommendations called THE NEXT BIG THING. Today it's my turn to reciprocate and to pass on the torch. I'm going to answer questions about my new project Ella Hawke & the Missing Courier Bag. Then I'm going to tag four wonderful authors who will tell you about their Next Big Thing on Wednesday January 2^nd (or thereabouts).

What is the working title of your next book?

Ella Hawke & the Missing Courier Bag

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I do a little bit of costuming and Steampunk has taken over Pirating for me as a favorite genre.   The first character idea I came up with for Steampunk was that of a Steampunk Courier.

What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery w/ a bit of Steampunk flavor

If you found yourself in an elevator with a movie director you admire and had the chance to pitch your book to them, what would you say?

It's the Three Musketeers meets Sherlock Holmes only Sherlock is female and Nicola Tesla plays Watson.

Every writer dreams of their book being turned in a movie or a TV show like Game of Thrones. If this happened to your work, which actors would you choose to play your characters?

Jonah Knight (named after the filker, Jonah Knight), is a young detective - I so see him as Nick Jonas.

Ella Hawke, the main character, would be Anne Hathaway.

Nicola Tesla is the hardest. I'd love to see Jonathan Young who played Nicola Tesla on Sanctuary cast in the role but the Nicola in my head has also got a bit of Nate Ford/Timothy Hutton in him.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Oh goodness, my inspiration list is miles long:  Weis & Hickman, McCaffrey, Bradbury, Zahn, Stackpole & Allston, the crew at Magical Words, my husband and family, the gaming group...

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Oy...that's a loaded question.  3 years or so.  I started when my daughter was still a baby and finally finished just before she turned 5.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

That's a tough one.  It’s a traditional mystery so it’s in the same styles as those written by Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.  But it’s got a bit of Steampunk flavor…sort of Warehouse 13ish.

Where do you plan to submit your book, or will you self publish it?

to be determined.  It still needs a lot of work including editing before I even begin to talk to a publisher/agent.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are airships and Tesla guns and a chase scene in the middle of London.

 And here are four authors I'd like to introduce, and who you can follow, when they answer the Next Big Thing questions...

Cindy Hutchins was raised in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina in the town of Morganton. She grew up surrounded by the oral tradition of the South and the supernatural.

www.sketchyminds.com/

Janine K. Spendlove is a KC-130 pilot in the United States Marine Corps. Her bestselling first novel, War of the Seasons, Book One: The Human, was published in June 2011 and her next novel, War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood, was released in June 2012.

WarOfTheSeasons.Com

Like her main character, Cathy Wiley has achieved her childhood goal of writing mysteries. She's happiest when plotting stories in her head or on the computer, or when she's delving into research, be it hands-on or in books.

http://www.cathywiley.com

Cheralyn Lambeth is a costumer, puppeteer, actress, writer, ghostbuster and a published author.  Her first book, Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas has achieved great success and she is currently working on her second book,Ghosts of Greater Charlotte.

https://www.facebook.com/cheralyn.lambeth

Enjoy!

A quick update

Wow!  I really need to find a better way to blog more often...but...I did do much better at the writing regularly...so much so that I finished the First Draft!  

All praise to Nanowrimo!   Now it's time for editing, filling in blanks and making sure the story makes sense.  Then it's off to the first reader and any other friends willing to read it!

On a positive note, I've been asked to participate in a Blog Meme called the Next Big Thing.  I'll answer 10 questions next week, and then suggest 4-5 other authors who will do same thing.

Misty Massey tagged me!  

I do wish that work didn't block blogs, I'd be much more likely to post something during lunch if they didn't!  But maybe I'll try writing the blog post in word and coming home and copy/paste?

Anyway, I'm also working on another Short Story for an Anthology called Black Apples by Belladonna.  The deadline is Jan 15th so I'm under a bit of a time crunch but I've got this idea that calling me so I'm trying to get it down.

I'll be back...

Holding on to ambitions

So I finally knocked out the revised short story and have sent it to my dear husband, aka Beta Reader 1, for review before it goes back out to the editor!   Nothing like starting a new job, even if it is temporary to throw you off your routine.

But the good news is I’m back. 

I am, of course, Nanowrimo-ing this year.  I hope to get my currently at 45000 word novel finished…I’m aiming for about 60,-70,000 given that it’s a cozy mystery with a historical fiction twist.  Thankfully, I don’t have to aim for the 100,000+ fantasy novel length. 

https://store.lettersandlight.org/merchandise/your-nano-novel-2-gb-usb-bracelet - Oh and I want this.

(And yes, I realize that working on my current novel breaks the rules of the Nano, but it works for me and I don’t ever plan to claim I “won” Nano!)  I love the energy and drive that comes out of Nanowrimo.  Seeing everyone else’s creative ideas and posts seem to help drive my own.  

I so wish there was a good on-line writing group around here. Schedule is such that the local one which has a really good reputation, I just can’t make the meetings.  But an online group…that I could do. 

Anyway, I’m so much of a pantser when it comes to writing that finishing out the novel should be a bit interesting.  I’m adding a POV to help fill out some things that happen outside of the main POV.  And I’m working on the red herrings that are needed to help distract our reader from the real culprit.  So I’m actually trying to plot out what I’m writing before I write. 

I’m also going to try to get back into blogging a bit more regularly.   (I realize I promised that last blog post…but that was before the whole real life jobs changing mess.)  I’m trying something new.  I’m writing the goals down, publishing them…ie on the blog.  And tracking them.  Either here or facebook. 

I would put it on my calendar and block the time but things change so much that I can’t guarantee I’d get the same hour each day.  So I’m just going to aim for the goals and track them as I get them.

Anyway, so my first goal is to work on the novel for at least 1 hour per day.  Either lunch at work or 1 hour at home.  It means giving up reading some but I really want to finish the novel be the end of the year so…sacrifices must be made.

And related to that goal is writing one blog post per week.  Both to update on the Nanowrimo/Novel status but also to talk about some aspect of writing that I’ve been working on that week.   This is probably the harder goal.  Not so much the updating part but to make the blog post about something other than me and my writing. 

So…luck to all those nano-ing with me!

How many times/Do we swallow our ambitions
Long to give up the same old way/Find another road to take

Keep holding on so long/'Cause there's a chance
That we might not be so wrong/We could be down and gone
But we hold on

~We Hold On - Rush