Flash Fiction Friday - 6/1/12

"I know immature is your middle name, but what's mine?"

Lucky's smile was roguish, and that made it dangerous. I took a step back and pretended to mull it over, all the while checking for escape routes.

Three. One out the backdoor, one out the front, and one out the window.

"Trouble," I told him, trying to match his grin with one of my own. By the way his lips stretched farther, I decided I'd failed.

Or he just liked his nickname.

"Besides," I continued, not giving him time to respond, "how am I immature?"

"Please." Lucky snorted. "You've been playing games with me since we met. A mature woman would just give me a straight yes or no answer, so I can move on with my life either way."

My jaw dropped. "I already told you no! You don't want a straight yes or no answer! You want to keep playing the game!" "I'm hurt by that."

"You're epitomized by that."

"Ooh, a four-syllable word. Think you're better than me now?"

I couldn't even sputter out an answer to that, and he laughed. "Moira Bentley, at a loss for words? I'm shocked."

"You're an ass!"

He laughed again. "And you're easy to wind up. Maybe you'd be better at this if you could keep your cool. Or is it just me that riles you up?"

I wondered if he'd go away if I ignored him. Sometimes guys did, but Lucky seemed just persistent enough to take it as a further challenge. So instead I gave him an order he couldn't refuse, "Leave me alone, Lucky."

Defiance crept into his eyes, but the compulsion was already in place, too strong for him to resist. "That was low," he said, face clenching as he struggled against his body's desires.

I shrugged, trying not to reflect how much it cost me to put him in this position. "Maybe now you'll remember that I always have the upper hand."

Hurt flickered across his face. "Yeah," he said, disappointment evident in his voice and posture and everything. "I won't make the mistake of forgetting again, your Majesty."

I hated the way he called me that.

I kept my face neutral as I cocked an eyebrow at him, and his shoulders slumped in resignation. "For how long?" he asked, looking at his shoes.

"Three days." Enough for a slap on the wrist and a reminder that we weren't equals, no matter what he thought.

"Yes, ma'am."

I let him stay just long enough to make sure my backup guard was in place, and when he was gone, I slumped into a chair and put my head in my hands. "Can I get you anything, your Majesty?" the guard asked, respectful and polite, exactly the way he was supposed to be.

"No. Thank you."

"Of course."

And he resumed his post. No banter or side comments, no flirting, no jokes.

A professional.

Just what I wanted.

May Wrap Up

Hear that explosion sound? That's my goal for the month of May.

I had a very, very unproductive month, at least when it came to writing. I wish I could say I had more important things to do, but the truth is I got discouraged early on by some things in my personal life, then K.S. Lewis was visiting (you just knew I was going to find a way to blame you for this ;-) ), and work was particularly crazy for a week or so. And I just sort of... stopped.

And, guys, I came up with yet another new plot for Defenders. I had this big revelation at the beginning of the month, and about the only thing I did right in May was edit the first 13 chapters to line up with it. And last night I decided to (possibly) change it all.

I should explain. I've always felt that Defenders was a romance, even though it doesn't appear so at first. So when I revised it the first time, I brought the romantic aspects out earlier. Which led to... a love triangle. I hate love triangles. I mean, it's not a make-or-break thing when I'm reading a book, but it's usually something I groan about. Because I never agree with the main character's choice. NEVER. I like to root for the underdog, and it's always so obvious which guy the MC is going to choose that I find myself rooting for the other guy (who's always popular, cute and sweet, but she goes for the bad boy with the troubled past). And sometimes it's done well, and I don't mind as much. But sometimes it's done badly, and I find myself resenting the book because of it.

So, long story made not much shorter, I have a mental block against writing a love triangle, especially when it will be obvious fairly early which guy she's going to wind up with. So I thought, "Well, what if she's just with the one guy?" But the result was that the book lost a lot of its key tension (not the romantic tension, but the plot was tied in with Guy #2). So then I started tweaking the plot to make it fit. And now... there's a new plot.

I haven't decided whether I'm definitely going to go in this direction yet, but it doesn't seem like, "Because it will be a pain," is a good reason not to do it. Needless to say, this is part of the reason I didn't write so much this month.

So if there's anyone still reading this, let's do the monthly breakdown anyway. My May goals were:

• Write 23,000 words, keeping on track with 1000 words/weekday. Um. No. I wrote 8700. That's like 23,000, but... not.
• Have a polished MS for CH, along with a complete query letter and synopsis. Um. No. I have a partial query letter and feedback from three of my beta readers (and I'm waiting on feedback from two or three more). I have no synopsis. In fact, my Writer-brain cries when I even type the word "synopsis."
• Get 100 followers on Twitter (at which point I might have a giveaway) and 65 followers on my blog. YES! I have 108 followers on Twitter and 67 on my blog. And in light of that ('cause y'all are awesome), I'm going to have a giveaway next week. Stay tuned for more details.
• Submit at least one short story to a magazine or contest. Continue writing flash fiction every week. Um. No. I submitted... nothing. And I wrote maybe two flash fictions.
• Enter at least two bloghops. I actually entered three: the Dust It Off Bloghop, the First Loves Blogfest, and the Flash Fiction Blogfest. So, yay.

But it's okay. Everyone has a bad month sometimes. The important thing is to keep moving forward and not get discouraged. I can do that. So here are June's goals:

• Write 10,5000 words. I'm halving my writing goal this month because I really want to focus on editing CH and prepping it for querying, and I'm starting to realize I can't do that and write 1000 words/day. I have to choose.
• Have a polished MS for CH, along with a complete query letter and synopsis. For real this time. I've pushed back my goal to start submitting it to agents until later in the summer, but I really want to have something to show by the end of the month.
• Get 125 followers on Twitter and 75 followers on my blog.
• Enter at least two bloghops. Right now, I'm planning on doing the First Fight, First Kiss Blogfest and the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Bloghop.

And if you made it all the way to the end of this post, you're awesome. Here, have a cookie:

OK, seriously? How much do you want a chocolate chip cookie right now?

Teaser Tuesday - 5/29/12

This week I'm reading Matched by Ally Condie, recommended by Rebecca Belliston. I put out a request for a more light-hearted YA after finishing a particularly rough book last week, and Rebecca was kind enough to oblige. I'm only 29 pages into it, but it seems to be just what I needed.

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

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 the teaser:

I climb into bed and push away thoughts of the red tablet. For the first time in my life, I'm allowed to dream of Xander.

Flash Fiction Blogfest

Cherie Reich is hosting a flash fiction blogfest that ends today. The rules are:

Here are the rules:
1. Entries must begin with the two words: Lightning flashed.
2. Entries must be 300 words or less and be in prose.
3. Entries must be posted on your blog between May 21 - 23.
4. You must sign up in the linky to have your entry be counted.

And here's my entry. This was... cathartic:

Lightning flashed. Thunder crashed. Rain poured.

I heard none of it.

My brain buzzed. Dead, dead, dead.

No.

He couldn't be dead. I had to get there in time.

I had to save him.

"Chase!" I knew he wouldn't be able to hear me, not over the thunder and the rain and the dead, dead, dead, but I willed him to realize I was coming. Willed him to have hope.

Willed him to live.

Then I heard the scream.

"No!" I took the turn too fast, sliding on wet grass and landing hard on my knee, but I only felt numb. "Chase!"

I hit the clearing at a dead run, and I didn't stop to think about the fact that I was small and weak. I just saw the ungodly figure rise up with Chase—my Chase—defenseless below it.

I jumped on its back.

It roared and bucked, but I clung to it as it rose to its full, 14-foot height.

I didn't look down.

The hilt of my knife pressed into my hip, and I fumbled for it. In a swift, confident motion, I ran it up into the spot where the jaw meets the ear. Blood soaked me, pungent and inhuman, but I forced the blade farther, slicing across, severing the head.

It fell, but I rolled away and was crawling to Chase before the ground settled. "Chase." Tears burned my nose. Every part of him looked broken or bleeding. I didn't know where I could touch.

Dead, dead, dead.

Then he coughed. "Lex?"

I laughed, watery and almost hysterical. "Yeah."

Another cough, a little stronger. "Remember when I said I wanted to go camping?"

"Yeah?"

He opened one eye, and the knot of tears in my throat broke as he said, "I'm sorry about that."

Teaser Tuesday - 5/22/12

Taken by Storm came out today! So for this week's Teaser Tuesday, you get a little taste of it. I've only read seven chapters, but I'm already hooked. WARNING: THIS IS THE THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES. THE SUMMARY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 1 AND 2.

Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own.

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 the teaser:

Almost of their own volition, my shoulders pushed themselves backward. My chin went out, and as a sense of detached calm flooded my body, I told Devon exactly what he wanted to hear.

Teaser Tuesday - 5/15/12

This week I'm re-reading Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Trial by Fire, in preparation for the release of the third book in the series, Taken by Storm, which comes out at the end of the month. Just a warning, the blurb for this book spoils the end of the first book (Raised by Wolves), so read at your own risk (the teaser won't spoil anything from either book).

There can only be one alpha.

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack - or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you're a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he's a Were, and Bryn's protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn't part of Bryn's pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha's Were. With threats - old and new - looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she's going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

The rules of Teaser Tuesday:

• 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:

We belonged at home, not out in the open where a threat could waltz up to us at lunchtime and calmly issue ultimatums we weren't at liberty to respond to.

It was a miracle that none of the Weres had lost their grip and Shifted.

First Loves Blogfest... and an update

I know it's only just barely still May 14, but today is Alex J. Cavanaugh's First Loves Blogfest. I've been slacking on reading blogs for the past week, but I'm looking forward to checking out everyone else's first loves. Here are mine:

• First movie: A League of Their Own.
  
  
  
  Still is, actually. I played softball until high school, and my mom and I used to watch this movie every year at the start of the season. I still can't turn it off when I catch it on TV. I own two copies of it (the regular and the anniversary edition with the special features). It solidified Tom Hanks' status as my favorite actor of all-time.
• First song/band: Ah, this one is a bit more embarrassing. I've always been surrounded by music, and I have a diverse and eclectic taste, but I have to admit that my first music love was Dream Street.
  
  
  
  I was in middle school when I first heard about this band where the singers were all my age or a few years older. This was before the Disney Channel kids really came out in full force, back when there were just a handful of "kid" singers. I thought this was the coolest thing. I listened to the CD so much I think my parents still know all the words, and I actually cried when they broke up. The biggest regret I had as a kid was that I never got to see them in concert.
• First book: I'm assuming a book series counts, so probably The Babysitters Club.
  
  
  
  Even when I was little I loved to read, but this is the first time I can remember being consumed by a book. I devoured these. And they were like a gateway drug to the world of book series. To this day, I prefer a series to a standalone (both in reading and writing) because I love growing attached to characters and watching them develop over time. Who among those of us who read the BSC books doesn't remember when Stacey was "too cool" for the others and how heart-breaking it was to watch her walk away from them? And how exhilarating it was when she came back? Or when Kristy met a boy who actually made her want to act a little bit like a girl? Fond memories. Hmm, I think I still have one or two of them stashed away somewhere...
• First person: Is it a cop out if I say I've never been in love? I mean, I've had crushes (lots of crushes), but not love. Unless you count one of the Dream Street boys (Matt... it was all about Matt for me). Then I'm totally there. ;-) Or, you know, my parents, since love doesn't have to be romantic. Sure, let's go with that.

And now for a quick update. Sorry I've been so lame about reading blogs and keeping up with Twitter. It was a crazy week, and it doesn't seem like it's going to get less crazy until after Memorial Day. It's mostly good stuff, but just a lot of it. Which means, in part, that I haven't written in four days, and I've taken up playing computer games again (not good for someone with my level of addiction). I'm still mulling ideas around for Defenders, and I think the ending is starting to take shape (which would be a lot better if I'd finished chapter 11). I'm also, to a lesser extent, plotting Bex.

As for reading, I finished Insurgent a week or so ago, and it was awesome. And as is my MO after reading an awesome book, I couldn't just jump into another, so I'm rereading some books that have sequels being released this month. First was Rachel Vincent's Blood Bound. Now I'm doing Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves series.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there. We had a great one. My brother and I started it by making my mom breakfast. No kidding, watching my brother cook bacon is one of the highlights of my year. He only does it for special occasions, and it's usually accompanied by screaming and dancing to avoid spatter. And we set the smoke detectors off. Every year. Afterwards, we all just hung out in the backyard for the rest of the day. Simple and low-key, but full of togetherness and love. I hope everyone's day was as peaceful and warm.

Also, I completely forgot about Flash Fiction Friday last week. But I have a good excuse. I was watching my little brother graduate from college (ah! I'm so old!). I'm so proud of him.

And that's pretty much it for me. Like I said, I'll be in and out for the next few weeks. Hopefully at some point I'll get some time to catch up before I completely drown. And if someone could just kind of shove me if I'm missing something important, that'd be great too. Hope everyone's doing well!