Get Healthy Bloghop

Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, Stephen Tremp, L. Diane Wolfe, and Michael Di Gesu for hosting this bloghop. The rules are simple:

Share with everyone something you have done that affected your health in a positive way. You can share an awesome low cal low fat tasty recipe. Post simple tips to lose weight. Or a testimony on what has helped like joining Weight Watchers. Recommend a routine like P90X or Insanity. Or stretches one can do while sitting in their office chair working or writing. We’re sure people have countless great tips and ideas they would love to share.

I sort of have a love-hate relationship with healthy living (as I imagine many people do). I whine about it constantly, but I'm also incredibly dedicated to it (in moderation). And one of the best pieces of advice I got came from a friend last year: create a standing desk.

We weren't meant to be sedentary creatures. Sitting for long periods of time dramatically increases your risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and a whole host of other health issues. It's bad for your circulation and for the muscles in your legs. And let's face it: most of us don't sit properly, causing problems for our backs and necks.

I made my standing desk out of boxes and books, with a cushioned bathmat on the floor so my feet don't hurt as much. It's a little rough around the edges (and I got laughed at by my colleagues for the first couple months), but it gets the job done. And honestly, I feel better after standing for 7 hours than I did after sitting. My back doesn't hurt as much anymore, and now that my leg and foot muscles are stronger, I don't feel as exhausted at the end of the day. That's not to say I'm not still sore sometimes, and I am physically tired, but it's actually kind of nice because it makes me feel like I've done more with my day than push paper from one side of the desk to the other. I focus better, which I can't really explain but somehow seems to work.

I'm not saying everyone should go out and stand for 7 hours a day. For one thing, you should really build up to it. Until a few weeks ago, I was taking an hour-long sit break in the morning and in the afternoon, and that's after many months of doing this. Also, standing for this long really isn't for everyone. But here's my challenge to you: find an hour a day when you normally sit (be that when you're writing or paying the bills or watching TV) and stand while you do that task instead. Do it every day, or as many times a week as you can. It might be uncomfortable at first, but I think once you start to see the benefits, you'll find you kind of enjoy it.

Secondary Characters Bloghop

I'm really excited about this bloghop, hosted by Rachel Schieffelbein, Theresa Paolo, Kelley Lynn, Jessica Salyer, Jenny Morris, and Suzi Retzlaff. I love secondary characters (who doesn't?), often more than the main characters. I tried to just pick a handful to list here, but it was awfully hard to parse it down (though it's easier since I'm refraining from including TV). So in no particular order...

1. Fred Weasley/Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks/Minerva McGonagall/Seamus Finnegan/Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter, JK Rowling) - OK, so maybe this one should be titled "Everyone in Harry Potter but Harry." I was going to say Ron/Hermione, but they're really more main characters than secondary, so I went with this gaggle instead. Let's be honest. The secondary characters in Harry Potter were way better than Harry. They were so well-developed and complex on their own, and they had a million possibilities. I can't even explain why I was so in love with Seamus, but I just thought he was awesome. I think it was because he burned his eyebrows off. McGonagall was stern, but she had an obvious soft spot for Harry that endeared me to her. Remus and Tonks complemented each other perfectly. Fred was hysterical (so was George, but he didn't invite a girl to the Yule Ball by yelling across the Common Room to her). And Luna was... Luna had the confidence I always wished I had. She was so weird, but she pulled it off because she knew who she was and no one could tell her differently.
2. Dill Harris (To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee) - There are a lot of reasons to love Dill. He was goofy and weird. He loved adventures. He was brave. But the strongest memory I have from reading To Kill a Mockingbird is right after Atticus loses the trial, when Dill is so upset by the verdict that he goes outside and throws up. He was, what, 7 or 8 years old? And even he knew that the real crime had been perpetrated in the courtroom.
3. Jeremy Danvers (Women of the Otherworld, Kelley Armstrong) - I'm not 100% sure he counts as a secondary character because Otherworld has more of an ensemble cast, but he doesn't narrate any of the main books and he only appears as the male lead in one (and a couple short stories), so I'm counting him. Jeremy's pretty much the perfect person. He's smart, he's confident, he's unfailingly selfless, plus he's got that sexy alpha werewolf thing going on. In the last book of the series, I caught myself speed-reading through parts of the book just to get back to the scenes he was in.
4. Kyle Brooks/Ben (Mercy Thompson, Patricia Briggs) - With the exception of Harry Potter, I was trying to pick only one from each series, but I just couldn't choose between Kyle and Ben, though I love them for very different reasons. Kyle is the comic relief. He's tough in his own way, but he's better with a quick word than a physical cut down. Ben's the opposite. Plus he has that whole horrible past thing that makes characters so sympathetic. He's also fiercely loyal, but you have to dig a bit to find that part of him.
5. Tod Hudson (Soul Screamers, Rachel Vincent) - Um, best comic relief ever? He's completely irreverent and he doesn't care who knows it, which makes pretty much every line out of his mouth golden. But he knows how to bring the serious when he needs to, and his insight is occasionally incredibly surprising.
6. Cinna (Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins) - I wasn't going to do a Hunger Games one, but how could I not include Cinna? The sole voice of optimism in a flood of doom and gloom. He made Katniss feel better about everything that was happening and, in doing so, made us feel better too.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's favorites too!

Overcoming Adversity

Hey, guys, I'm on vacation until February 7, but I wanted to make sure I got this post in, since it's for such a good cause.  If you haven't heard of Nick Wilford's Overcoming Adversity bloghop, you should go check it out!

I decided flash fiction was the way to go for this one, since I'm considerably better at writing about others than myself.  So this is a super short story from my Capitoline Hill world.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

No, I thought emphatically, but I only nodded to my brother.  Not that he couldn't tell.  He was my twin and my partner; he could basically read my mind.

"Don't worry so loud," he said with a laugh.  "We'll be fine."

He stretched his arms out, then cracked his back.  "I'm not worried," I muttered.

"'Course not."

I didn't dignify that with an answer.  Ben glanced over at me when the expected retort didn't come, and he raised his eyebrow.  "Damn, you really are worried."

"I--"

"Look, it's totally normal, man.  It's your first mission.  It happens to all of us."

I sighed and tried not to get frustrated with him.  "Ben, you've been a Guardian for all of two months.  You've barely had more than one mission."

He glared at me, but there wasn't any heat behind it.  "I hear things."

"Yeah."

We were both quiet for awhile, though I could feel his eyes on me.  "Cut it out."

"Then stop being a pansy.  You knew what the job was when you signed up for it."

Ah, there was the rub.  Of course I'd known what the job was.  Every Pack werewolf knew what the job of a Guardian was.  Every Pack werewolf grew up hearing about the mighty Guardians and how important their job was and how special they were for doing it and how grateful we should all be that they protected us.

With that kind of build-up, who wouldn't want to be a Guardian?

But now, faced with the task of tracking down a rogue werewolf who might be going insane, I was starting to have my doubts.  Sure, I'd passed my tests.  Sure, I knew I was tough.  I could fight.  But hunting someone?  Maybe killing them?  Could I... could I kill someone, even to protect the Pack?

"Think about it this way," Ben suggested softly.  "If he's sick, you're doing him a favor.  I wouldn't want to live with Moon Sickness, would you?"

"No..."

"I'd want someone to put me out of my misery before I hurt anyone, especially someone I cared about.  And Jon Harton was Pack for a long time.  He knows us.  He'd never want to hurt us or risk exposing us.  You know that."

He was right.  He really was, and the part of my mind that was willing to be logical understood that.  Just like it understood that, even if this wasn't what a rogue wolf would have wanted, we couldn't take the risk that he would do something we couldn't undo.  But there was another part of my mind that was screaming like a 12-year-old girl who'd seen a spider, complete with jumping on the table and stomping my feet.

"If you can't do it, you need to tell Geoffrey now, so he can replace you," Ben continued, his voice suddenly hard.  "You can't go out there if you're not sure.  I have to be able to count on you to have my back."

"I know," I said.  I took a breath and sorted out my thoughts.  "I can handle it."

Ben studied my face, checking for weaknesses.  Whatever expression I was showing must have passed muster because he nodded, a grin breaking out.  "Then let's go do this, bro."

He held out his open palm and I slapped it.  "Let's go," I agreed, and I swallowed my doubts and followed him off to do my job.

Teaser Tuesday - 1/8/13

Photo credit: JamesPatterson.com

Before I got into urban fantasy, I was really, really into legal thrillers and murder mysteries. Still am, to an extent, but I haven't read as many of them recently. So I was pleasantly surprised to find I was actually two books behind on James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. I finished 10th Anniversary this morning, and now I'm working on 11th Hour.

WARNING: Blurb contains spoilers for previous books in the series.

YOUR BEST FRIEND

Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn't slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department's evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer—even her closest friends.

OR A VICIOUS KILLER?

Lindsay is called next to the most bizarre crime scene she's ever seen: two bodiless heads elaborately displayed in the garden of a world-famous actor. Another head is unearthed in the garden, and Lindsay realizes that the ground could hide hundreds of victims.

YOU WON'T KNOW UNTIL THE 11TH HOUR

A reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases and Lindsay's personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to—especially not Joe. 11TH HOUR is the most shocking, most emotional, and most thrilling Women's Murder Club novel ever.

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:

Something had happened at that house. And if there really was a reason for everything, then she'd walked four miles this morning so that she would be the first reporter on the scene.

Also, you should check out this awesome bloghop hosted by Nick Wilford. He's compiling an anthology of stories about overcoming adversity to raise money to send his stepson to college. Check out the details here, and don't forget to post on February 4-5.

I'm Thankful for My Readers

*sigh*

It's been a really long couple of weeks, guys.

I knew I was missing this bloghop as it was happening, but between the no power, the traveling, and now the no internet at home thing, I couldn't seem to buckle down enough to write anything. So I'm going with the better late than never philosophy, especially since this I have some amazing people who deserve to be thanked. So... it's not creative, but since I missed the judging part anyway, I'm going with the laundry list-style thank yous here.

First and foremost, K.S. Lewis. She's been my CP, cheerleader, Writer's Block Anonymous sponsor, therapist, and many, many more things in the ten years we've known each other. She's awesome, and she never tells me to shut up or stop whining, and she listens to me complain all day about my MC and all her idiosyncrasies, and I'm pretty sure she's read Capitoline Hill about four or five times all the way through. I seriously couldn't ask for a better CP.

Next, my newest beta reader, Vikki. With impeccable timing, she emailed me a few weeks before I finished the latest round of edits on CH, just about the time I was starting to wonder where I could find a set of fresh eyes to read it through for me. And then she read it in about three days and sent back emails full of capital letters and exclamation points. She's listened to all of my most recent ideas and offered wonderful advice that I've completely ignored when my pinball-machine mind bounces to a new story, and I always feel really good about my writing after I'm done talking to her.

Tedra: I met Tedra through one of Falling for Fiction's Beta Mixers. She read through CH with a fine-tooth comb, sending me back four separate documents full of comments. She even caught the continuity errors that no one else noticed (really big ones too; I felt pretty blind for not seeing them). I really appreciate all the time she put in to helping me make it the best book it can be.

And last but not least, my family. They've all (with the exception of my brother, who's waiting me to send him the latest version) read CH and offered their comments, critiques, and opinions, and I appreciate each one so much (even when I argue with them!).

And thanks to everyone who's read/reading my blog, and who's supporting me as I look for agents, and who will hopefully get a chance to read this book! Thank you guys so much for everything!

Letting Go Bloghop

Today's the release day for Kyra Lennon's new novella, If I Let You Go. It's free on Amazon for today only, so quick, go get a copy!

The rules:
"Was there a time when you had to let go of someone or something? How did it make you feel? How did you handle it? Or if that's too personal - which I completely understand - how about writing a piece of flash fiction? The only rules are - obviously - it has to be related to letting go, and please keep it to a maximum of 500 words."

I'm very, very bad at letting things go. Not grudges (believe it or not, I'm actually quite good at letting go of those), not people, but things. Possessions. Stuffed animals from my childhood or school assignments from the 1990s or old computers and computer bits. Stupid stuff that the intellectual part of me knows I'll never use again or never want to use again.

I want to be clear. I'm not a hoarder... but just barely. Sometimes it feels like the only thing that keeps me from being one is a severe lack of free space and claustrophobia (irrational fears win out over irrational attachments any day). I can get rid of things that are obviously garbage, like hastily scribbled notes of no consequence and things that are broken beyond repair (though my definition of "beyond repair" might be looser than some). But if there's even a chance there might be practical value or, heaven forbid, sentimental value, I have a hard time parting with it.

To some extent, I blame Disney for this. You can say what you will about whether they give little girls unrealistic expectations for their future or give people a false sense of what "true love" is, but I think the real problem with Disney movies are that they personify everything. Suddenly, my stupid childhood toys have sentience. How can you just throw something out that has sentience?! Damn you, Disney, for giving me empathy for things that have no feelings for me to share.

I also don't like change. I think the might have something to do with it too.

We all have our issues, I suppose. If this is the worst of mine, I'm probably doing okay... though I should probably keep an eye on it if I ever move into a bigger place.

Congrats on the new book release, Kyra!

Cover Reveal, Genre Blogfest, and Some News

First thing's first. Check out the gorgeous cover for Kyra Lennon's new novella, If I Let You Go. Seriously, how much do you love the look on her face? Gives me chills.

Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

Kyra Lennon was born on the South coast of England, and to this day, still lives by the sea. Fiction writing has always been her passion, but she also has numerous articles on a variety of topics published on prolific websites.

Kyra’s debut novel, Game On, was released in July 2012 and the second book in the series, Blindsided, is due for release in November 2012.

If I Let You Go is scheduled for release on October 22, 2012. Check out Kyra online here: Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Shh, I know I'm, like, two days late for this, but I really wanted to do it anyway. Don't tell anyone.

Favorite genre of...

• Movie: Romantic Comedy. Yup, I'm a sucker for the chick flicks. I also like those weird, cerebral dramas, like Inception.
• Music: Country. I swear, I'm a Northerner. I'm just a Northerner who likes country music. But I'll really listen to almost anything (except death metal).
• Books: Right now, Urban Fantasy. I go through waves. Before this, it was legal and cop mysteries, but I've been on the fantasy kick (both adult and YA) for a few years now.
• Guilty Pleasure: This is actually pretty hard because I don't really feel guilty about what I watch/listen to/read. I guess the closest would be my love for boy bands. Yes, I admit it, I've been listening to One Direction lately. And you know what? I like them. So there.

And last but definitely, definitely not least, my news. I've started querying agents for Capitoline Hill! I made myself a resolution that I'd celebrate the Jewish New Year by sending my book to at least a few agents, and I did it! Only five so far, but I'm plugging away at the list I've made. This is by far the furthest I've ever gotten towards getting a book published, and I'm really, really excited about it.

Happy Wednesday!

Hangers!

And now here's the second part of the Hookers & Hangers Blogfest. Turns out I'm significantly better at Hangers than Hookers, because it was a lot harder to choose, and that was even after leaving out a few that included spoilers. Thanks to everyone at Falling for Fiction for hosting this (and generally being awesome)! (For my Hookers, click here.)

Capitoline Hill

1. I nodded, feeling his dark expression in my gut. “Yes sir.”
2. “The only way we can truly know,” Donovan said, very seriously, “when the other person is dead.”
3. Which leaves us with two choices: kill them or let them join us.”

Other Books

1. She watched all these people laughing and having fun and wondered, just for a minute, what was wrong with her that she didn’t enjoy this too. - Defenders
2. You’re under arrest for murder. - Defenders
3. That’s how they know what I am. - Angels
4. I turned my back on him and stormed off. - Angels
5. "Well," I said when everyone was seated as comfortably as they were going to get, "what do we do now?" - Angels

I really enjoyed reading everyone's Hookers, and I'm looking forward to the Hangers too!

Also, if you're interested in something that sounds really cool, check out DL Hammons' WRiTE CLUB. Click on the picture for more details.

Hookers!

It's time for the first part of the Hookers & Hangers Blogfest, hosted by the awesome ladies at Falling for Fiction. Because I couldn't decide, I'm going to give you three from Capitoline Hill, then a few from my other WIPs. Enjoy!

Capitoline Hill

1. The first thing I wanted to say when Geoffrey ushered us into his office was, “It was Lucy’s fault.”
2. He was a human again, he was pretty sure.
3. We woke in a naked pile of human bodies.

Other Books

1. It was official: Shawn sucked at physical training. - Defenders
2. When Laurie regained consciousness, she was outside the burning house again, flat on her back and staring at the black sky with the swirling grey plumes of smoke dancing patterns before her eyes. - Defenders
3. Can I tell you a secret? - Angels
4. My blood ran cold, and Calli whirled on Levi, slashing her sword so fast I barely saw it and stopping just inches from his throat. - Angels
5. The gun vibrated in her left hand as it recharged, and Bex Addison idly wondered why the magical gun couldn’t reload as quickly as the Beretta in her right. - Bex Addison
6. Once upon a time, there were three little kids and a big, bad wolf. Capitoline Hill, book 2

That was fun, and I think the Hangers part might be even better. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Blog Hop

So last month for the Oh My Hero! Blog Hop I posted about Adrian and Grey, the two heroes from one of my WIPs. Today, Jaycee DeLorenzo and Victoria Smith are hosting the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Blog Hop, and I have an opportunity to introduce you to the book's main character, Bex Addison. She's being interviewed by Cady Brownell, a 27-year-old MagLET agent undercover with Bex, Adrian, Grey and the others.

Bex Addison

Cady Brownell: Hi, Bex, it's good to see you.
Bex Addison: Good to see you too.

CB: Let's jump right into it. How would you describe Adrian and Grey?
BA: Adrian's... either an idiot or the best partner I could ever ask for, depending on what he's doing at the moment. *laughs* Normally an idiot.
CB: But you love him anyway.
BA: I do. In that way you love really annoying little brothers. Grey's... definitely more complex. More cautious. He actually thinks before he acts. And he's passionate, maybe even obsessive, about fighting magic cartels.
CB: And hot.
BA: You--you think? I haven't really noticed. I mean, we're both professionals, and there's not a lot of time to think about things like that when you're undercover--
CB: And hot.
BA: Um... sure. If you say so.

CB: So what gets a guy a second date with you, Bex?
BA: Well... just getting a first date usually helps. I don't like to date.
CB: Haha, well, assuming they get that far then.
BA: Oh, I dunno. He has to be able to hold a conversation. And it's not just that he has to be able to hold up his end--though that's important--but he also has to listen to my end. *pause* Among other things.

CB: What's the one thing you believe can tell a lot about a person?
BA: How they treat people who aren't as powerful as they are. Like how a leader treats his followers, or how a rich man treats his staff. The mark of a truly good person is that they treat everyone with respect.

CB: And last question. Boxers or briefs on your guy?
BA: *with a wink* Neither.

CB: Thanks for talking to me, Bex!
BA: Thanks for having me!

When I think of Bex, I think of Pat Benatar songs, and I went back and forth on a couple of them before I finally decided this best represents her.

Thanks for hosting, Jaycee and Victoria! I'm looking forward to checking everyone else's out!

First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest - Day 2

Danielle of Entertaining Interests and Jackie of Bouquet of Books are hosting this awesome blogfest. The rules are:

• Share your 1st FIGHT and 1st KISS scenes in your MS’s or WIP’s. Crack open your current project or dive back into an old one. We want to feel what your characters feel. From the sting of their first fist-to-the-face to the tingling taste of their first kiss.
• If you’re not a writer, please share with us your real life firsts. We want to read and experience them all!
• Post 1 will be on Tuesday, June 12 - Share with us your 1st FIGHT scene on your blog. It can be physical or verbal, fists or magic. Whichever you want to share.
• Post 2 will be on Thursday, June 14 - Share with us your 1st KISS scene on your blog. It can be a peck on the cheek or a full fledge kissing session. Whatever you would like to tell us.

So, it's first kiss time. I have to be hones;, I've only written two and a half chapters of this book so far, so there aren't any kisses in it yet. But this is how I imagine the first kiss to go. I apologize for how rough it is.

A bit of context: Bex and Grey are two members of an undercover team sent to infiltrate the Wilkes cartel. Grey is the cartel leader, and Bex is his arm candy. As they get closer to the cartel, Sebastian Wilkes (the oldest of three sons) invites them to a party for his daughter's confirmation, which is where they are now.

"Come here," Grey murmured a few hours later, pulling Bex away from Sebastian's mistress mid-conversation.

"What?" she snapped. "I was just talking to her about—"

"Yeah, I know. This is more important." He dragged her to an alcove in the hallway between the parlor and the dining area.

Bex kept quiet, waiting for Grey to say something. But he didn't need to. She heard Sebastian's voice, far angrier than she'd thought him capable. "—less than fifteen minutes! How could we not have known about a fucking raid?"

"You'll watch your tone with me, boy."

Bex's breath caught in her throat, and she looked up at Grey, whose blue eyes were shining with the same exhilaration she was feeling.

Morton Wilkes. Cartel Patriarch.

"I thought he never left Montana," Bex whispered, her voice barely a breath so as not to attract their attention.

"I guess sometimes he does."

"Well, damn."

He was still looking at her with those eyes, and she started to realize just how close they were standing. Her stomach flipped, and she frowned. Now was not the time for this. Morton Wilkes was in this house. In the next room. And she was a professional.

Still, even a professional could acknowledge that Grey smelled good. And that he cleaned up really, really nicely.

They both jumped when something crashed in the parlor, and Sebastian pounded out of the dining area. "Shit," Grey muttered. "Shit shit shit."

They had only a second before he passed right by their hiding place, which would become startlingly less discrete when he did. "I saw this on an episode of Castle once," she muttered, sparing a half-second to wink at Grey before she shoved him back against the wall and kissed him.

Oh, wow.

Grey's hands slid down to her waist, creating a little trail of shocks along her sides. She gasped through her nose, opening her mouth to him, deepening the kiss, curling one hand in his hair and fisting his suit jacket with the other. He pressed closer, shifting so his leg was between hers and her body was flush against him. She moaned.

"Garrett?"

Hearing Benson Wilkes' voice made Grey jerk away and knock his head against the wall. Bex jumped back too.

"Benson," Grey said, rubbing his chin and definitely not meeting her eyes. "Lovely party."

Benson grinned lecherously, and Bex had to work to slip her "silly bimbo" persona back into place lest she slug him. "It is indeed," Benson said.

First Fight/First Kiss Blogfest

Danielle of Entertaining Interests and Jackie of Bouquet of Books are hosting this awesome blogfest. The rules are:

• Share your 1st FIGHT and 1st KISS scenes in your MS’s or WIP’s. Crack open your current project or dive back into an old one. We want to feel what your characters feel. From the sting of their first fist-to-the-face to the tingling taste of their first kiss.
• If you’re not a writer, please share with us your real life firsts. We want to read and experience them all!
• Post 1 will be on Tuesday, June 12 - Share with us your 1st FIGHT scene on your blog. It can be physical or verbal, fists or magic. Whichever you want to share.
• Post 2 will be on Thursday, June 14 - Share with us your 1st KISS scene on your blog. It can be a peck on the cheek or a full fledge kissing session. Whatever you would like to tell us.

I wasn't sure if this had to be the first fight between the couple, but, well, I haven't written a scene like that yet, so I'm just going with the first fight scene in the book. Which also happens to be the first any scene. It's kind of long, so, um, sorry about that.

The magical gun vibrated in her left hand as it recharged, and Bex Addison idly wondered why it couldn’t reload as quickly as the Beretta in her right. Still, she held them pointed in opposite directions, hoping to stall her attackers until the gun had time to recharge.

A Magical Explosive Triggered Attack—or META—was so much more satisfying than an ordinary bullet.

A bang against the warehouse door focused her attention, and she shifted both guns to point at it. Another bang, this time accompanied by a dent, then another and another, until the door blew open, bits of metal and magic and debris crashing into the boxes that were acting as Bex’s cover. She shot the Beretta three times without looking, hoping Adrian wasn’t stupid enough to be running through that door. Dueling screams told her she’d hit a mark at least twice.

Not that it was stopping them. She counted quickly. The two she’d taken down now, plus the four she’d hit before they’d cornered her in the warehouse. Adrian had taken out three when she’d last seen him. He probably had a few more kills under his belt, but even without, there shouldn’t be more than a half dozen left.

Fucking Burn-Outs.

In the decade or so since scientists had figured out how to bottle and sell magic, it had become the hottest drug on the market. Every cartel in the country had figured out a new way to package it—smoke it, swallow it, sniff it, shoot it. The only problems were its highly addictive properties and its equally high volatile nature. There was no telling what magic could do to you.

Magic addicts were called Burn-Outs. Empty husks of men whose only concern was getting their next fix. They traveled in gangs, but they’d kill each other for even just a small dose.

And it was Bex’s job to catch them.

“B!”

Bex jumped, her head jerking up to see Adrian waving through a hole in the ceiling. “How’re the pickings, sweetheart?” he called, his lazy drawl making him sound like he should have been at a country club in Georgia rather than a boarded-up warehouse in Caldor County.

“Slim,” she called back. “Can’t be more than five or six left, I’d say.”

“Just three or four, prolly,” he argued, then she heard the thundering BOOM of his .357. “Make that two or three.”

She laughed. “Well, come on down here. I think they’re trying to figure out how to get through the doorway without getting their heads blown off.”

A moment later, he touched down next to her, not a hair on his pretty blonde head out of place. Bex was jealous. She’d never been able to master levitation. “You got ol’ Eloise fired up?” he asked.

Bex glared at him. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to call it that.” She put her hand on the magical gun. Nearly there.

“You agreed. I think Eloise is perfect name for such a lovely lady.”

“It’s my gun. I decide what to call it.”

“Her. Guns are always women.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

She raised an eyebrow in challenge, but Adrian answered promptly, “They’re beautiful to look at, deadly when necessary, and can have great power in a compact body.” He added a visual once-over to Bex’s 5’4” frame to emphasize his point.

“Aw, you old sweet-talker,” she deadpanned, and his careless grin widened.

“The ladies love a charmer.”

“How would you know?” she asked. “You’ve been married for 147 years.”

Adrian gave an obscenely loud sigh. “Six months, B. You were at the wedding.”

Bex hefted Eloise—the gun—into her hands and nodded at him. “In this job,” she said, “six months is the same thing as 147 years.”

Then she fired at the door to the warehouse.

The META would have deafened them both if not for the magically enhanced earplugs they wore, the ones that only blocked sounds over a certain decibel level. It would have blinded them if not for their goggles. And it would have eliminated them if not for the fact that they were behind it, not in front of it.

There were no Burn-Outs left on the other side.

“Hoo-ey!” Adrian crowed, pushing his goggles to the top of his head. “That baby is something else!”

In Bex’s hand, the gun purred softly, and Bex powered it down before it started to recharge. There was no way to shut the gun if there was magic stored in it. And there were very few ways to safely discharge the magic.

Also, there's a little over a day left to enter my 100 Twitter Followers Giveaway. You can win a free book! Check out the post to enter.

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."

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!

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.

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!

Oh, My Hero! Blog Hop

Also, today's Jaycee DeLorenzo's and Victoria Smith's Oh, My Hero! Bloghop. The rules are here.

I'm doing two heroes because I couldn't decide. They're from my newest project, the untitled Bex Addison book (I'm really bad at coming up with titles). Basically, it's set ten years after scientists figure out how to bottle and sell magic. Once they discover how volatile it is, they ban it, which immediately makes it the hottest drug on the market. Bex is part of the Magical Law Enforcement Team, tasked with tracking down cartels and dangerous Burn-Outs and eliminating the threat.

My heroes today are her partner on the force, Adrian McCoy.

And the leader of her undercover operation, Greyson Westfield.

Tobi Summers: Hello, gentlemen. How are you today?
Adrian McCoy: Not too shabby. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and a little less magic is on the street thanks to us.
Greyson Westfield: Sure, what he said.

TS: Let's start with an easy one. How would you describe Bex?
AM: Hah! That's an easy one? I guess I'd say she's tough.
GW: Definitely tough. But she's multifaceted. Sometimes she can be... sweet.
AM: She'd kick your ass for suggesting that.
GW: Oh, absolutely. But she has her moments. She's the kind of woman who'll nurse you back to health after you take a bullet. Then she'll kill you for scaring her.

TS: I'm telling her you said that. So, next question: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Both [in unison]: No.
AM: I think there's lust at first sight, and maybe even a connection. But love, real love, takes time to grow. I met my wife almost 20 years before we got married. We had a spark, but it took both of us maturing and growing--both separately and together--before we really fell in love.
GW: How can you love someone before you ever even have a conversation?

TS: Good points, both of you. Now then, what's your favorite pastime? Besides work, that is.
GW: There's life outside of work?
AM: I was just thinking that. Alright, my favorite pastime is... being married.
GW: *fake gag* You're such a sap.
TS: Aw, cut him a break, Grey. It's only been six months. Plenty of time left for him to become disillusioned.
AM: Ha ha. You're both regular laugh riots.
TS: Grey?
GW: Well, I play football with the boys every once in awhile.
AM: Hey! You've never invited me to play football with you.
GW: Chill, man. I haven't played since we got back.
AM: Oh.
TS: Anything else?
GW: *shrug* Sometimes I draw too.

TS: What your favorite movie?
AM: True Grit. The original one, with John Wayne.
GW: Surprise, surprise.
AM: Hey, I know quality. What's yours?
GW: I don't watch movies.
AM: That's such bull. I've watched movies with you!
GW: Alright, alright. I like The Usual Suspects.
AM: Don't lie; you have a thing for French cinema.
GW: I told you that in confidence!

TS: Alright, last question. What is the first thing you notice about a woman that you find attractive?
AM: Eyes. Haha, Grey's got pretty eyes. *pinches GW's cheek*
GW: *swats hand* You're such a weirdo. I notice... I don't know. A woman has to be special to catch my attention. She's got to have... she has to have the It factor. I like a good rack or a nice ass as much as the next guy, but it's more than that. Deeper.
TS: *tearing up* I'm going to tell Bex you said that too.
AM: And this is why it's so obvious that you like French cinema.

So Much to Blog About, So Little Time

I'm going to put today's flash fiction in its own post because I have a lot to talk about (because I'm a lazy blogger who didn't want to take the time to write any posts this week). So, first, an update on Rosetta. Well, to start, it's not called Rosetta anymore. It's now the untitled first book of the Capitoline Hill Chronicles. Which means I'm going to have to go back and change all my blogpost labels to match. x_x

Why the name change? Well, "rosetta" is a word with a lot of meaning and some symbolism... none of which related in any way to the book I wrote. Capitoline Hill is one of the seven hills of Rome (and if someone who knows Italian could tell me how to correctly pronounce that), and the myth is that Romulus built a fortress on it that would serve as a sanctuary for the Romans if the city was ever attacked. This seems much more like something that werewolves would name their compound.

Also, I'm done with my second draft! I'm not sure exactly what happened last Friday, but once I finally committed to working on it, I edited ~260 pages from Friday to Wednesday. I didn't do any of the nitty-gritty edits so there's still a lot left to do, but I think the book's actually in the order I want now, and I hopefully fixed most--if not all--of my continuity issues. I'm getting to the point where I'm almost ready to possibly be proud of certain part of it. I actually made myself cry a little while I was working on it... and it wasn't because the chapter sucked!

Next bit of awesome news: I'm being featured on a blog today! I was one of the winners for this month's Knights of Microfiction (along with Stephanie at Word by Word), so Kathy at Imagine Today interviewed me and featured me on her blog. Go check out my thoughts on life (writing), liberty (television), and the pursuit of happiness (Vanilla Coke).

Also, yesterday kicked off the triannual YA Scavenger Hunt. There are 60 authors giving away cool prizes, so you should definitely head over and check it out. I did the YELLOW team puzzle yesterday, and I think I'm going to work on RED next. They're fun, and a great opportunity to check out some YA authors with whom you might not be familiar.

Also also, you should go check out Kindles for Kids if you haven't already. It's for a great cause, and you can submit a short story or enter a contest to win some awesome prizes.

Who's excited about the Blogging from A-Z Challenge? This is my first year entering, so I'm pretty psyched, even if I've only come up with, like, seven of my topics.

I... think that's it. For now. Stay tuned for my Flash Fiction Friday update later (you know, after I write it).

Knights of Microfiction and Teaser Tuesday - 3/27/12

It's the last Monday Tuesday of the month, which means it's time for a Knights of Microfiction prompt. This month's was:

In 250 words or less:
Use at least one of the following adjectives: delicate, repulsive, hostile
And at least one of the following nouns: New York City, My 16th Birthday (yes, this would be referring to you), and Kilts
For the words you don't use (unless you use them all), you can just use them as inspiration.

I'm not normally a dystopian writer, but apparently when I think of NYC, I think of the apocalypse. So here's what I came up with:

They said that by the time the survivors came to, New York City had crumbled. The greatest city in the world, and now it was nothing more than piles of rubble and smoldering remains, its population all but wiped out.

There were perhaps three hundred people left in the city, maybe a couple million in the world. There was no way to know for sure since all lines of communication were down. Ari wished she knew whether her family in Ohio was okay.

She’d made friends quickly. Allies, she supposed, since they weren’t likely to be meeting for drinks or chatting about boys any time soon. But they found food and water and shelter together, and they shared everything they had.

Puppet had survived, but she wasn’t sure how long a Goldendoodle puppy would last in this strange new world. He ate their scraps and whined pitifully when she had nothing else to give him. She knew the others were wondering if they’d be better off without him.

They were living a delicate balance now, surviving while trying to maintain their humanity. Something would give soon; she just knew it would. All she could do was try to stay out of the crosshairs when it happened.

Also, it's Teaser Tuesday. I'm still reading the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, but I'm on book 5 instead of book 2 (yeah, it's been that kind of week). So here are the rules and an excerpt from Silver Borne.

• 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.

"I woke up lying in the dark and hurting all over, but especially on the back of my head. My ankles were also sore when I tried to move them." --Mercy Thompson

I'm taking this week off from writing so I can focus on editing Rosetta (which will soon not be called that anymore as I finally came up with a new name). I'm hoping to have the rewrite done by March 31 so I can start giving it to the wonderful people who've offered to read it for me, and maybe even stay on track to start querying agents in June (for the record, if I do, it'll be the first time I've ever created a schedule like this and actually stuck to it). So if you start seeing a barrage of either ecstatic or very angry comments on Twitter, don't be alarmed.