Teaser Tuesday - 5/8/12

This Tuesday I'm re-reading Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves. The third book in this series, Taken By Storm comes out at the end of the month, and I wanted to refresh my memory by reading the first two (just like I did with Rachel Vincent's Unbound series this past week).

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

The rules for Teaser Tuesday are:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
• Then hit up Should Be Reading to add your link.

And here's the teaser:

I'd never be one of them the way Devon was one of them. I'd never Shift to another form, and I'd never have a wolf sharing my body and stalking through the corners of my mind. But I'd never be like other girls, either.

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 3 (and a writing update)

I'm a little sad for the end of this bloghop. It was nice revisiting old memories (and hearing all your kind words about them!). I'm sorry I've been such a slacker about visiting others and commenting. I'm hoping to spend some time catching up this week.

Thanks again to the bloghop hosts, Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo. You can see Day 1 and Day 2 at these links.

The Dust It Off Bloghop will be three days, May 3rd, 5th and 7th.

We've all had those manuscripts that we poured our heart into, fell in love with the characters and still think of them at random, but unfortunately had to shelf. Now it's time for a little spring cleaning. Take out those manuscripts and Dust It Off!

The first day, May 3rd: We want you to post a 1-2 sentence pitch (Great way to practice pitches) about the shelved WIP.

The second day, May 5th: Post your favorite excerpt (300-350 words)

The third day, May 7th: Post what you learned from this WIP. You become a stronger, more rounded writer which each manuscript and we want to know what this particular work taught you.

So what did I learn from Three Left? In short, everything. This was the first long project I ever wrote, the first time I put my mind to a big task and completed it. It took years (I don't remember how many), and I think it was the first time I ever showed a commitment like that. I learned about focus and about finishing what you start. I learned how to take a critique, and that most critics are not out to make you cry; they just want to help your story be better.

I also learned so much about the technical aspects of writing. Hell, I learned a lot about Microsoft Word (I'm pretty sure we'd just gotten the first version of Office when I was writing this). I learned about characters' voices and the importance of names and how to make accent marks using keyboard shortcuts. I learned about weaving a plot through the story and how to make bad things happen just to see what the consequences will be. I learned that the insert key lets you put facts back into the story, instead of just sticking them in whenever you think of them.

And I learned about what I couldn't do. When I started the very first paragraph of Three Left--even when I came up with the title--I expected that not all four of my MCs would make it to the end. Ultimately, I decided I couldn't kill off a main character, not one I'd spent so much time getting attached to. So I altered the meaning of the title to avoid that possibility. I'm not saying I'll never kill a main character, but I know it's something that's particularly difficult for me to carry out, even though I think about it at least once with every book I write.

Most importantly, I learned that I could write, and it might even be coherent. I had a lot of problems when I was a kid because my brain worked more quickly than my fingers did. Once I learned to type properly on the computer, that helped a lot. I could finally make sense of all the words constantly careening around my head (seriously, I wish you all could see it in here. It's like a Moon Bounce). I could edit things so other people would understand them too.

I'll probably never do anything with this book, but it's always going to hold a special place in my heart as my first. And the lessons I took from it are invaluable.

Also, quick writing update: When we last left our writer, she was sitting by the broken mess that was Defenders crying and cursing, vowing to only work on Bex until she finished it. Well... um... things have changed. Midway through telling my most awesome CP/friend K.S. Lewis that I was putting Defenders on hiatus, I had an epiphany (seriously, I think I was mid-sentence). What if it's not a five-book series like I'd planned? What if it's just one book? One dramatic, action-packed book, instead of five drawn-out, slow-building books? It was like the brightest, shiniest lightbulb went off. Of course it's only one book. I never had enough material for five. No wonder the first book seemed painfully slow and plotless.

So that was on Thursday. On Friday, I started editing/rewriting the 12 chapters I'd finished so far. I'm up to chapter 10 now, and I haven't hated myself or my writing in days. I actually have things about the future planned. It's amazing how one little (okay, kind of big) change can make all the difference.

So Defenders isn't on hiatus. But I am still working on Bex (and Angels) at the same time. I'd really like to finish the 1st draft of one of them before NaNoWriMo, but we'll see how that goes.

Anyone else have any exciting news to share (about writing or anything else)?

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 2

Yay, it's day two of the Dust It Off Bloghop, hosted by Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo.

The Dust It Off Bloghop will be three days, May 3rd, 5th and 7th.

We've all had those manuscripts that we poured our heart into, fell in love with the characters and still think of them at random, but unfortunately had to shelf. Now it's time for a little spring cleaning. Take out those manuscripts and Dust It Off!

The first day, May 3rd: We want you to post a 1-2 sentence pitch (Great way to practice pitches) about the shelved WIP.

The second day, May 5th: Post your favorite excerpt (300-350 words)

The third day, May 7th: Post what you learned from this WIP. You become a stronger, more rounded writer which each manuscript and we want to know what this particular work taught you.

So after I posted my pitch for Three Left, the novella I wrote when I was 12, I got a lot of questions about the powers that the kids had. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and answer that question with my excerpt:

“You’ve got a nice saxophone,” Amber commented, eying the gold colored buttons enviously. “Can I take a look?”

“Sure, but be careful,” Raissa warned. “It’s the best sax in the school.” Amber nodded and started to take the sax. But Raissa let go too soon, and it started to fall. Instinctively, Sal concentrated and stopped the instrument just before it hit the ground. For a moment it hovered, before Sal forced it into his hands.

Charlie, Amber, and Raissa stared at the youngest in shock. Realizing what had just happened, he lowered his gaze to the ground. “Here’s your saxophone, Raissa,” he whispered, his voice nearly drowned out by the background noises. “I’m gonna... ah... go, I guess.” He started to back away as she took her instrument.

“So, you’ve got a power, too,” she mused, stroking her chin comically for a second. Sal froze in his tracks. He regarded her with puzzlement. “I can do something like that,” she explained, looking away a little nervously. “I can turn back time.”

“No way,” Sal replied in disbelief, his jaw dropping.

“Way.”

“And I can talk to animals,” Charlie piped up, turning their attention away from each other and to him as he fingered the chain-linked necklace with a picture of a dog on it, the first animal he’d ever spoken to.

“And I can heal people by pressing a pad to their injury,” Amber chimed in, raising an eyebrow and patting her pocket self-consciously. She always kept her magic pad there, in case of an emergency.

“Kind of coincidental that we all met,” Sal offered, letting his voice trail off meaningfully.

“Something must be toying with us, something much greater and more powerful than we can imagine,” Amber suggested, getting into the swing of things. Raissa couldn’t help but snicker at the melodrama.

“I’m not going to be toyed with,” Charlie said defensively. “Let’s go find this thing and what it wants with us.” He pounded his fist into his hand and Raissa now giggled quietly at him.

“Yeah!” But when Sal joined in, she had no choice but to accept what was about to happen.

Flash Fiction Friday - 5/4/12

It's the finest meal she's ever tasted. If only she knew what's in it.

She supposes it doesn't matter. The prince has made her a meal. She wouldn't have turned it down even if it had proven to be seaweed and horse fat, but the fact that it turned out to be delicious is a nice benefit.

She tries not to appear nervous to him, though she is. In return, he tries not to appear powerful to her, though he most definitely is. Powerful enough to destroy her if she doesn't do what he says.

"I want you to like me, you know," he says after a minute.

"Why?"

He shrugs. "Won't it be easier for you if you do?"

"It does not need to be easy for me," she answers, "as long as you are satisfied."

He frowns. Surely she has not done something to displease him so quickly.

Then he sighs. "It feels like I'm forcing you to do this."

"You are," she says, then bites her tongue so hard she tastes blood.

His eyes dance with laughter. "You should speak your mind," he says when he notices her blush. "I want you to speak your mind."

She thinks he might be different because no one has ever said that to her before. She wants to test it. "You are forcing me," she says again, slower. "You and my father. And I will, because that's what he's asked of me, but I don't have to like it."

The prince looks sad, and she's struck by a sudden desire to fix it. "Can you be convinced otherwise?" he finally asks.

Her breath catches a little. "Perhaps," she says before she can stop herself.

She wonders if he may not be so bad to be wed to after all.

Dust It Off Bloghop - Day 1

Woo-hoo, it's time for the Dust It Off Bloghop, hosted by Cortney Pearson and Theresa Paolo.

The Dust It Off Bloghop will be three days, May 3rd, 5th and 7th.

We've all had those manuscripts that we poured our heart into, fell in love with the characters and still think of them at random, but unfortunately had to shelf. Now it's time for a little spring cleaning. Take out those manuscripts and Dust It Off!

The first day, May 3rd: We want you to post a 1-2 sentence pitch (Great way to practice pitches) about the shelved WIP.

The second day, May 5th: Post your favorite excerpt (300-350 words)

The third day, May 7th: Post what you learned from this WIP. You become a stronger, more rounded writer which each manuscript and we want to know what this particular work taught you.

It's with some trepidation that I'm going to use the very first novel(la) I ever wrote, Three Left. I was 12 when I finished it so... I apologize.

Charlie, Amber, Raissa, and Sal thought they were four ordinary kids, until they realized they were each gifted with a special power. When they meet a mysterious man named Alec, they are sent on a quest to use their powers to save lives... and learn more about themselves in the process.

Go check out many more great pitches here!

Teaser Tuesday - 5/1/12

Insurgent came out today! Yay! It's the sequel to Divergent, which was an amazing YA dystopian book. K.S. Lewis recommended it to me so highly that I bought it while we were still talking about it and read it in about two days. I started reading Insurgent this morning, even though I knew I shouldn't start before work. I can't wait to read more tonight.

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

The rules for Teaser Tuesday are:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
• Then hit up Should Be Reading to add your link.

Here's the teaser:

But I can't keep my eyes away from Marcus. I want to know more about what he said to Johanna. And sometimes, if you want the truth, you have to demand it.

April Wrap Up

Happy "It's Not A-Z" Day, everyone! No, in all seriousness, I had a great time doing A-Z, but I'm ready for a more relaxing May. I'll still be around, but I definitely need to devote some more time to my personal writing. Over half my total words for April were blog posts. I'd like that to be a little smaller of a percentage for this month.

Looking at my April goals:

• Continue writing 1000 words/day, half of them for Defenders. I did write over 21,000 words (1000 words/weekday), which was good, but I only wrote 6235 of them for Defenders. This probably would have been higher if I hadn't just stopped writing Defenders with a week left to the month.
• Send a mostly edited draft of CH to my beta readers and finish rough draft of query letter and synopsis. Again, I did a little over half of this. I sent my edited draft to my beta readers (and got a shiny reward and my first feedback from one of them. And I have a (very) rough draft of my query letter (which I wrote today), but not my synopsis.
• Get 75 followers on Twitter and 60 followers on my blog. Right now I have 83 followers on Twitter (*happy squeal*) and 54 followers on my blog.
• Submit at least two short stories to magazines and/or contests. Continue writing flash fiction every week. No. Well, I wrote the flash fiction.
• Complete A-Z Blogging Challenge. Yes.

And now I need some new goals for May:

• Write 23,000 words. Keeping on track with 1000 words/weekday. I think I'm going to take a temporary hiatus with Defenders and focus my attention on Bex's novel because, frankly, it's a lot more fun. It'd be nice to write something that doesn't make me feel like I'm clawing my way through quicksand for a change.
• Have a polished MS for CH, along with a complete query letter and synopsis. I will be (read: want to be) querying agents for CH in June, so I need to finish all the prep work by the end of the month. Perhaps I'll even come up with a title for the first book at some point.
• Get 100 followers on Twitter (at which point I might have a giveaway) and 65 followers on my blog.
• Submit at least one short story to a magazine or contest. Continue writing flash fiction every week. I'm lowering my expectations for this one. If push comes to shove, I'd rather fall short of this goal than my daily writing or my goals for CH.
• Enter at least two bloghops. Right now I'm planning to do the Dust It Off Bloghop and the First Loves Blogfest.

I've been more productive in four months of this year than in 20+ years before this, so I'm trying to stay optimistic about keeping it up.

Anybody got any goals they're trying to stick with? Good luck with all of them!