I've Been Tagged!

Emily R. King tagged me (like, two weeks ago) in this, and I've been really excited to do it. So here goes!

1. What is the working title of your book?
   Capitoline Hill
2. Where did the idea come from?
   When I got tired of reading crime novels a few years ago, I looked for a series in a new genre, and I stumbled upon Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, which focuses on all different supernatural species. From there, I found myself spinning off to other urban fantasy books, with a particular interest (at the time) in werewolves. Eventually I decided to try my hand at writing one.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
   Adult urban fantasy
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?
   Ironically, this is one of the few books I've written/started where I didn't come up with this. Upon some reflection, I can't think of one to play my MC, Quinn. Maybe Amber Tamblyn, though with her hair chin-length, straighter and lighter.
   
   
   Photo credit: Robin Wong, Wikipedia
5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
   When Quinn brings a stray, possibly man-killing werewolf home to the Mid-Atlantic Pack, she's forced to deal with not only his issues, but her own, as well the safety of the Pack she's sworn to protect.
6. Will your books be self-published or represented by an agency?
   Agency, I hope!
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
   Um... 6 months? Something like that.
8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
   Kelley Armstrong, I suppose (see above).
9. What else about your book would pique the reader's interests?
   Well, werewolves obviously. And... there's a bit of romance, a lot of action and fighting, some warm-fuzzy family moments, and twin brothers that made me giggle almost every time they were on the page.

I know this has been around a lot already, so I'm tagging the first five people who comment and haven't done it yet.

Lucky 7 Meme

Yay, I was hoping I'd get a chance to do this one, and McKenzie McCann tagged me! The rules are:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines as they're written-- no cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers
5. Let them know!

I'm going to use Rosetta because that part's already edited, and I'm pretty sure page 77 of Defenders is smack-dab in the middle of the absolute crapfest that is chapter 6 (it's not; I checked. But it was a slow part of chapter 8, so this is still better).

“We were razzing her a bit,” Nick said. “Jeez, it’s not a crime. It was just a joke.”

“It’s always just a joke!” Aly snapped, then looked away.

“You used to have a sense of humor,” Ben said. “You used to like it when we teased you.”

“Or at least you liked it when Luke teased you,” Nick said.

“Shut up!”

“Aly and Lu-uke, sitting in a tree,” Ben sang.

“Guys, knock it off,” I said. “It’s bothering her.”

Hm, I don't like that without context. It makes the boys sound mean.

And I'm tagging...

1. K.S. Lewis
2. Rebecca Belliston
3. JoLynne Lyon
4. Nick Wilford
5. Chantele Sedgwick
6. Erin Summerill

11 More Questions

So K.S. Lewis put 11 questions up on her blog with an open tag, and I'm bored/I want to answer them.

1. hat's your favorite fairy tale? Oh, man, that's tough. Does Peter Pan count? It has fairies! If not, probably Beauty and the Beast or Rapunzel.
2. Have you ever written a scene that suddenly introduces a new character not previously created, and that character becomes important? Hm, probably, though I can't cite a specific example. But I've definitely written a scene that introduced a character who was supposed to be a throwaway, only to find out she was actually pretty important (Brittany, from Rosetta).
3. Quick! You're trapped in a library with a zombie! You just threw Pride and Prejudice at its head. It doesn't appreciate classics. What do you do next? Curl up in the fetal position and cry. No, scream. Um, run like hell?
4. How bad was that joke? Psh, I thought it was funny.
5. Do you have a favorite genre? For the moment it's urban fantasy. Before that it was crime. It changes with my mood.
6. Would you stay in a supposed haunted house overnight if given the chance? No. Absolutely not. No way in hell.
7. Favorite color or pattern? Red, purple and plaid. Not necessarily altogether (although...).
8. What made you want to start blogging? If you don't have a blog, would you ever consider starting one? Hm, not to give K.S. all the credit, but actually... she did it first and I wanted one too. But I really got serious about it when I started following other writers and realized that there's a whole community for people like me (that's not in a mental health care facility) and that I wanted to be a part of that.
9. Seven-leagued boots or invisibility cloak? Invisibility, I think. I think that'd come in handy.
10. What's the oddest thing you've heard/seen while in an elevator? Or, if you've never been in an elevator (hey, anything's possible), the strangest thing you've heard/seen while waiting in a line? "I know you can be overwhelmed. And you can be underwhelmed. But can you ever just be whelmed?" "I think you can in Europe."
11. If you woke up inside your favorite movie, what is the first thing you'd want to do (besides find a way back home)? Take Marla Hooch's place playing 2nd base for the Rockford Peaches.

That was fun. Since I already tagged people, I'll leave it open for anyone to answer these same questions, or the ones I posted earlier.

11 Questions, An Award and a Guest Spot

First on the agenda, The Capillary tagged me in the 11 Questions meme that was going around, and I'm just now getting to answer them.

1. What's your pipe dream/dream career? Professional windsurfer. This would be a lot more achievable if I could actually surf.
2. What do you fear more? Dying or public speaking? Dying. Definitely. Especially if drowning or smothering or being buried alive is involved. I actually don't mind public speaking. I did extemporaneous in high school and debate in college, so it's not that bad to me.
3. If you could be one hero's side kick, who would it be? Beckett, from Castle. My level of hero-worship for her is bordering on the pathetic, especially when you consider that she's not real. But she does everything the boys can do, and in heels. She's awesome.
4. What character archetype do you find yourself drawn to most? The comic relief/sidekick. I don't know if that's the technical term for it, but I always love the sweet character who makes the MC laugh and so rarely gets the girl. Like Ron Weasley (though he does get the girl so he's not the strongest example).
5. If funds were not an issue, what cosmetic alteration would you get on a continuous basis? ie. fake nails, hair extensions, laser hair removal, liposuction, etc I don't know that I'd really get anything. I wish I could say this is because I'm comfortable with my body just the way it is, but it's actually that I'm too lazy to deal with the upkeep of anything. I guess maybe the Keratin treatment for my hair, if I had to choose.
6. Do you need a playlist or a song to inspire you? It depends. Mostly no. In fact, I have a lot of trouble writing to music usually, because I get distracted easily. But I have a short story based on a Taylor Swift song (don't judge) that I like to write while listening to the song. On a non-writing note, I do use music to pump me up when exercising (or driving... because that's an activity I need inspiring to do).
7. What is your go-to fandom? It changes. Harry Potter is a pretty safe fallback. Most recently, I was reading a lot of Criminal Minds fanfiction. Before that, I think it was The West Wing and Gilmore Girls.
8. Wine or beer? Wine... coolers.
9. Rum or Gin? Um, neither. Amaretto.
10. What are your 3 essential things you need when you're trying to be creative? Silence/white noise, my laptop, soda
11. Buffy or Bella? Buffy. Though this isn't really a fair fight because I'd choose a Teletubby over Bella.

And now I tag 11 people. I'm sorry if you've been tagged before.

1. K.S. Lewis
2. Hope Robertson
3. Erin Summerill
4. Nick Wilford
5. Veronica and Thomas
6. Shelley Sly
7. Sara - Cutest Landing
8. Roland D. Yeomans
9. J.A. Bennett
10. David Powers King
11. Becky - Once Upon a Time

Here are your 11 questions:

1. Favorite TV show?
2. Beach or ski resort?
3. What's your favorite part of the writing process?
4. Self-publishing or traditional?
5. If you could have any one food every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6. If you met an alien, what would you do?
7. Would you prefer watching a mediocre movie or a really, really bad one?
8. How do you relieve stress?
9. If you ever got the chance to participate in a really big tomato fight, would you take it?
10. Craziest thing you've ever done/would like to do?
11. What are your favorite boys' and girls' names?

Sara at Cutest Landing gave me an award for cool blogs who have less than 100 followers! Thanks, Sara! The rules for this are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. See above.
2. Nominate up to 5 others for the Liebster Award. See below.
3. Let said bloggers know via comment on their blog.
4. Post the award on your blog.
5. Consider signing up for the A - Z Challenge. It's a great way to find new and interesting blogs.

I think these people have fewer than 100 followers, but I can't tell if that's just through Google Friend Connect or real, so please let me know if I underestimated! I'm tagging:

1. K.S. Lewis
2. Rebecca Belliston
3. The Capillary
4. T.Z. Wallace
5. Ilima Todd

And last, but definitely not least, I'm going to be a guest blogger on Rebecca Belliston's website tomorrow. My topic is Plotting vs. Plodding. You should head over there every Tuesday and Thursday this month to see other great guest posts.