'Twas the Night Before PitchWars

It's that time again! The first Wednesday of the month is the posting day for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Check out Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog to learn more!

Before I get into it, let me spoil it by saying I did not get picked by a mentor for PitchWars. I didn't really expect to, but I'm not necessarily sorry I entered. I always get that feeling that my work isn't good enough, so why the hell did I let four people read it? That could be an entire IWSG post in itself, but I decided to have a little bit more fun with this one.

Knowing the PitchWars picks were being announced at midnight, I of course decided to stay up and find out. But as the night slowly (I mean, very slowly) crept toward that time, it got harder and harder to deal with the wait. So here was how I spent my night, trying to kill time and ignore all the anxiety and insecurity that was waiting to take over. Enjoy!

8:00: Watch the making of Frozen special on ABC. Why? What do you mean WHY? Haven’t you been here before?? Learn a lot of fascinating stuff and laugh hysterically at least once. Killed an entire hour! Only looked at PitchWars Twitter feed during commercial breaks, I swear.

9:00: Do my daily routine of exercises—crunches, lunges, squats, lifting weights, etc.  

Go back on laptop to find 33 new tweets on the PW feed. Eat some watermelon. Stalk the feed relentlessly.

9:30: Wash ALL the dishes! Except one. It needs to soak.

Look at the feed again. One mentor I submitted to is tweeting but I’m already certain she hasn’t picked me because she’s been tweeting hints for the past few days. It’s definitely not me.

Claw my way to the very back of the fridge & find a Yoplait chocolate whips yogurt. EPIC SUCCESS. See that it’s expired. EPIC FAILURE. Google if it’s safe to eat expired yogurt. Upon research and smell/taste test, decide to eat anyway. Still good.

Missed 13 new tweets during yogurt expedition. See fellow potential mentees are tweeting about how their MC met the love interest with #lovestory. Decide not to touch that one with a ten foot pole.

Step over very fat cat sprawled on the floor to use the bathroom. Forget where I left my glasses. Oh they're in front of the TV. Riiiiiiiiight. Cat is now sprawled across my notebook.

Remember I put a Gatorade in the freezer and should probably get it out so I can have a drink and not a popsicle.

10:00: Still two hours to go. Try not to have a panic attack, especially because I KNOW I'm not going to be picked. Still singing “Let it Go” to myself.

Try to ignore extreme thoughts of self-doubt. Well, no one I sent my book to actually read it, so NO ONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD IS GOING TO READ IT. Who the hell is going to buy gay fiction written by a straight girl anyway? What the hell was I thinking?!

Self-doubt: 1. Sarah: 0.

Reread blog post from Monday for a good laugh and because I’m pretty sure Jordan doesn’t even know what anxiety is. No, wait! Yes he does, but he thinks it’s a good thing. He feeds on it—gets a rush from it. Try to channel his attitude—it doesn’t work.

Thinking there’s no way my manuscript is good enough to get picked and what the hell was I thinking by entering in the first place?!

You know, I really should have just started watching Frozen at 9:00. This would have killed so much time.

Open up new flat iron I bought earlier in the day since my old one died a horrible death. Wonder when the hell did flat irons get so skinny? New one is 1 ½ inches wide, the biggest one I could find and about ½ the size of my old one. I have a LOT of hair, people. Aint nobody got time for that. It’s quite spiffy, though. And pink! And comes with a stand!

10:20: Floss and brush teeth. Brush teeth while checking Twitter feed.

This happens: I see fiancé putting on socks. “You’re putting on socks?” “Yup.” “Aren’t you going to bed soon?” “……….Oh yeah.” He takes socks off.

Do ridiculous nighttime face washing routine. Come back. It’s only 10:34. Heavy sigh.

10:48: Fiancé goes to bed. I isolate myself with my laptop on our tiny corner table that is more junk pile than table at this point.

11:00 Tune in to Whiskey, Wine, & Writing, very thankful that they’re doing this show since it will kill a whole hour and be lots of fun.

12:00 Brenda Drake’s website crashes because of all of the views. Is anyone surprised? Blog finally goes up! I go through the list. Did I get picked? Nope. Did my beta reader get picked?? Nope. Ehhhh….oh wait, someone I talk to on Twitter got picked as an alternate! Yay? It’s the only joy I can hold onto, so let me have it, dammit!!!

12:26 Ok, seriously, time for bed. 

LOVE UNDERCOVER Cover Reveal

Title: Love Undercover

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction (Sweet, Multicultural)

Publisher: Black Opal Books

Release Date: September 13, 2014

  

The last thing she expects is to fall in love with a prison guard…

Hotshot Secret Service Agent, Sarita Cerez is thrown into a medium security prison—for work. Her job is to protect the daughter of the president of South Korea. She never envisioned making friends with illegal immigrants or falling head over heels for one of the guards. Now the clandestine activity, which is integral to protecting her charge, may destroy her only chance at love.

He's never fraternized with the inmates—until he met her…

Matthew Carter always plays by the rules, which includes maintaining a strictly professional relationship with the inmates in his charge. But when Sarita saunters onto the unit, all bets are off. Her status as a deportee with a permanent ticket to Columbia means they can never be together, but try as he might, this doesn’t stop him from risking his career for her.

He's a man who values honesty above all else, and she lies for a living. Can two people from such different worlds find any common ground?

As inappropriate as the situation had turned out to be, Sarita was his. At least until she returned to Columbia in what? A few days? A week? No matter when, she would go. “No wife or girlfriend to hang out with.”

Her chest deflated with her released breath. He wished he could have taken her air into himself. I’m screwed. “What about you? Are you married or have a boyfriend waiting to break you out of here at the first opportunity?”

Her eyes blazed into his. “Single as single can be.”

The admission sparked something deep within him. He had to touch her. Nothing else mattered except having his fingers glide over her flawless mocha skin. The all-encompassing urge pushed him to stand.

With a controlled effort he strode to the area across from the television and leaned against the wall.

On every unit, one spot existed where neither the cameras nor inmates could see.

Management knew about it, but the cost of adding a third camera would be too expensive for the facility to contemplate so they left it. At least that’s the story Matt had been told.

He’d never used the spot, but as he waited for her to join him, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

He motioned her to him with a crook of his index finger. “Come here.”

Nana Prah is a multi-published author of contemporary, multicultural romance. Her books are sweet with a touch of spice. When she’s not writing she’s reading, indulging in chocolate, and enjoying life with friends and family.

Blog : www.nanaprah.blogspot.com

Twitter: @NanaPrah

Facebook: Nana Prah, Author

Goodreads: Nana Prah

Google + :  Nana Prah   

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Jordan Takes Over, with Special Guest: ME!

Ok, ok, I take full blame for this one. When Heather M. Gardner asked for volunteers to pass on the Meet My Character Blog Tour to, I sort of jumped on board without even thinking. I soon realized the day I needed to post was also the first Monday of the month, which is of course the day I always let Jordan write a guest post. Uh oh. He wasn’t too happy. But in my defense, it is only my love and obsession for him that made me want to answer these character questions in the first place.

So I got to thinking—wouldn’t it be fun to have the blog tour AND Jordan’s post on the same day?! He didn’t share my enthusiasm, of course, but he’s going along with it. So we’re both going to be answering the questions! To minimize confusion, I’ll be typing in black and Jordan will be in blue.

Whoa, wait, what? Why do I have to be blue? I don’t want to be blue!

Ok, fine! I’ll be blue. There, happy?

Why can’t I be gray? Gray is my color. You know this.

Because my blog background is gray. You know this.

You think I pay attention to that shit? I just write my posts. I don’t worry about the details.

Can we start now?

I COULD BE RED.

No no no! You type in black, I’ll type in blue. There! Let’s get started now, ok?

So cranky…

First, business! I was nominated for the Meet My Character Blog tour by the awesome—

You call everyone awesome…

Shut up! Anyway…the AWESOME (deal with it) Heather M. Gardner!

~

Heather M. Gardner's love of books began on the hand-woven rugs of her small town library where her mother worked. There she had a never-ending supply of stories to read at her fingertips.

As a teen, her favorite genres to curl up with were romance and mysteries. When she started to create her own stories, they were the perfect fit.

Heather resides in New York with her best friend, who is also her husband, plus her talented and handsome son. She is currently owned by four stray cats.

Heather's a full-time mom, works part-time from home, a chocolate enthusiast, coffee junkie, cat addict, book hoarder and fluent in sarcasm.

Facebook Author Page: Heather Writes Romance

Blog: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Twitter: @hmgardner

Goodreads: Heather M. Gardner

~

And now, for the questions! I apologize for any bickering or rambling that is about to happen. If you read the whole thing, you get a cupcake!

She's lying. There are no cupcakes. And if there were, I would have eaten them all. So there are no cupcakes.

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
  Full name?
If you must…
Ok! My main character is named…drumroll please…
From who? Me? I don’t think so.
*sigh* Jordan Mason Palmer! Although his middle name doesn’t come up in the book…
That’s because it’s STUPID.
Anyhoo, he’s a fictional character. 
That’s what she thinks.

2) When and where is the story set?
It takes place in modern day New York City. 
In the bedroom, mostly…
That’s not true!
Ok, on couches. And the kitchen.
I was trying to create juxtaposition between the busy city that the characters live in and their need to be isolated. So yes, it mostly takes place within the characters’ apartments. 

3) What should we know about him/her?

Where do I begin…?

Maybe I should handle this. Jordan is fifteen, pretty much lives alone because his mom is always working or…err…

She fucks her boss! 

Right, so for various reasons, she’s never home. But he’s ok with this. What’s unique about Jordan is that he’s always looking for something interesting—some way he can manipulate a person or play some kind of game where he is in complete control. He’s always looking for the next thrill. So for example, when the book starts, he’s trying to fail his math class just to see how long it takes the teacher to confront him. He’s kind of a borderline sociopath, honestly. 
     You left out the most important part!

     What?

     I like boys! 

Oh, I thought everyone knew that already. He’s a great singer, too! He likes walks in Central Park and people watching. And any kind of dessert, especially chocolate. 

     Are you telling people about me or trying to find me a date? 

      I'm not--

     Only cute boys need apply, thank you. 

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

My life doesn’t get messed up. I mess up other people’s lives.

What about when one of your friends punched you in the face? 

  That only messed up my complexion. 

Right, so, conflict! So when his teacher figures out his little game he calls Jordan’s mom, who, in her cluelessness (or maybe not…) hires a private tutor to keep him in line. What Jordan doesn’t expect is to get a huge crush on his new tutor, Tom. When he figures out that Tom is gay, he just has to find a way to get something to happen between them. But Tom is 28, so even when he admits to being attracted to Jordan, he refuses to do anything about it. 

Yeah, see, that’s where he fucked up. I don’t take refusal well. 

Since Jordan’s mind is constantly plotting, he comes up with a whole scheme that allows them to be physical but with specific boundaries. They start by just kissing and very gradually take it further. And it becomes a trade, really, where a kiss is worth something. Like, since Tom cooks—he makes Jordan dinner and then they make out for a while. 

You make it sound ridiculous when it was really GENIUS… 

The point is that the structure is always in place. Jordan gets whatever he wants and they get to be physical, but it’s still safe. 

You forgot to tell them that Tom is a pervert.

He’s an ephebophile. 

No one knows what that is! 

He’s exclusively attracted to a certain age group—like around 14-16. For obvious legal reasons, he’s repressed those desires but his guilt over feeling them has led him to become a recluse (besides doing his job). He agrees to Jordan’s game because it allows him to give in to those desires but with the strict boundaries in place, so it feels safe. Jordan controls every second of their relationship, which is what they both want, because Tom is afraid of losing control. AGH. Ok, I’m done. No wonder I had such a hard time summarizing this in a query…

Huh, what? Sorry, I fell asleep. 

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

Food and handjobs, mostly. 

     *glares* I’d say if you boil it down, his main goal is to be in constant control of the situation. Being able to manipulate someone who is nearly twice his age is a huge rush. But his more immediate goals are constantly changing as what he wants changes. The more he learns about Tom, the more he feels he can manipulate him and get what he wants. 

I wasn’t lying about the food…

I know you weren’t. 

He makes me pasta from scratch! And desserts! So many desserts…

The food is supposed to represent a hunger. First, a literal one for food because his mother has never been present in his life so he’s never had a home cooked meal or a cookie fresh out of the oven. Second, a sexual hunger, because he’s pretty much known that he’s gay since he was 8 years old but hasn’t been able to do anything with another guy until he meets Tom. And third is a hunger for life—something to be passionate about. He sees other people with their passions and he can’t fathom being able to care about something on that level, but that changes when he and his friend Eric start to explore their love of music. 

Whoa. That was deep. 

Thank you.

You didn’t tell them about the cupcakes! 

……..

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

     Phew, ok, this is an easy one. The title for this novel is Uneven Lines, and the only place to read about it at this point is here on my blog. 
     Because it’s ALL she ever talks about. 

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

     Probably never, at this rate…
     Oh, come on, I can be very persuasive. Just point me at the agents!

     Writing the query from the character's point of view is a big no-no.

     Who said I was going to write it? I was thinking something like bribery. Or seduction...

Well, there you have it! I'm sure I lost everyone somewhere along the way...Now to pass the tour along to three more people! And wooooooooo I finally have all three! Is anyone still looking at this post? Crickets? 


Crystal R. Martin

Crystal R. Martin is an as yet unpublished author. She enjoys living a creative life and hopes you will give her stories a read.

Crystal Martin on Google+
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The Write Life

Crystal Collier

❀Unleashing the dream world, one book at a time ❀

  Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Website

S.E. Dee

Born in 1987, Hackney, London, Shay suffered a major mishap at the age of two when she came across a pencil and sheet of paper. Twenty odd years later, you could say the result from that encounter was having her right hand replaced with a Bic Pen - blue if she can help it. (Hence her Blue Bic Blog and matching @bluebicblog)

As a stay at home mum raising a crazier reincarnation of herself, Shay often delves into the world of Young Adult/Adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but when escapism is compulsory, she’s not afraid to pen the wEiRd either…

Who Wants In?

Can't talk for long, I'm deep in the editing trenches, getting attacked on all sides by passive voice and a weak subplot!

So the high of entering Pitch Wars has mostly died down, since I'm about 99.99999999999999% sure that I'm not going to get picked by a mentor. We won't know for sure until the 3rd, but since I haven't gotten a request for a synopsis or more pages, I'm doubtful. But apparently there's a chance you can still get picked if one of the mentors feels strongly enough just reading the first chapter. *sigh* So I have no idea. I mean, I think my first chapter is good, but will anyone else?

Anyway, I'm still trying to edit as much as I can with this outlook in mind: if I did somehow get picked, what parts of my manuscript would I not want the mentor to see? *cough* sex scene *cough* So that's how I'm approaching it, as well as going through trying to fine tune the language--which mostly consists of trying to cut down on all of my uses of the word "was." This is the kind of thing I'm dealing with here:

Someone hand me my machete. It's a jungle of WAS!

Anyhoo, what I really need right now are some victims volunteers for the Meet My Character blog tour! It's super awesome. All you have to do is answer seven questions about your WIP's main character. Sounds fun, right? I'm obsessed with my characters so I was all over it. Check out Heather M. Gardner's post to see an example. And these are the seven questions you'd have to answer:

1) What is the name of your character?  Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

2) When and where is the story set?

3) What should we know about him/her?

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

Easy and fun, right? All I need are three volunteers to pass this along to, so let me know in the comments if you'd like to do it and I'll send you an email with the details. My post is this upcoming Monday, so you would do yours a week later (not that I'm strict about it--hell, do it whenever you want!). 

Oh, and since this post falls on the day that Jordan usually takes over, I'm going to be doing a joint post with him. I figured he wouldn't mind since I'd be answering all the questions about him, anyway. This could be a complete disaster, so make sure to come back and check it out! :)

And volunteer! I'll make you cupcakes! Ok, maybe not, since I can't email a cupcake, but you know...

Hope Series Cover Reveal

**Before I get to the cover reveal...I'm going to attempt to poke a few people with a stick. Who wants to take place in an awesome blog hop that will ask you questions about your WIP's main character? Huh? Come on, you know you want to. I know you're just as obsessed with your characters as I am...I need three people to pass this along to, so if you'd like to join in, let me know in the comments and I'll contact you. I'll be here all week to bother you people so you might as well get it over with :)...All right, enough of this nonsense!**

Hope Series by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs

Book #1

Title: Hope For Her

Author: Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Series: Hope Series, Book #1

Publication Date: October 1st

Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #1)

What do you hope for?

No one ever expected much from him.

Joshua Elijah Griffin, IV is on his last chance. A stint in rehab and a transfer to a new school has scared him into putting his life on track. He’s determined to live up to his family’s expectations, but on the first day of class, Josh meets a girl. He knows his father won’t approve, but in Carrington, he sees a kindred spirit. He's willing to give up everything to be with her.

No one ever thought much of her.

Carrington Olivia Butler is ready to shine. Always in the background, she goes away to college to break out of her shell. Carrington wants to feel special. Josh's attention is exactly what she craves, but their intense and sometimes volatile relationship is more than she bargained for.

As their relationship progresses, Josh’s demons return, and Carrington’s feelings fade, but they aren’t ready to give up hope. They give their love one last shot to survive, but hope, may not be enough.

**This book contains adult subject matter. Not intended for young readers.**

Hope For Her on Goodreads

Pre-Order Hope For Her:

Amazon-

Hope For Him ( Hope Series, Book #2 ): What do you hope for, now?

- Available December 2014

Hope For Us ( Hope Series #3 ): What do you hope for, still?

- Available February 2015

 

About The Author

Sydney Aaliyah Michelle is a New Adult Contemporary Romance writer, a voracious reader and movie fanatic. Sydney has been blogging at sydneyaaliyah.com for three years, where she interviews people about their tattoos, discusses her favorite movie quotes, reviews books (New Adult & only the ones she loves) and journals about her writing and editing process. Hails from Texas. After surviving 5 1/2 years living in China, she had the courage to finally pursue her passion and become a writer. Sydney’s self-published debut New Adult Novel Another New Life released June 2014. An active tweeter, she is also a JuNoWriMo (2x) and NaNoWriMo (2x) winner who notes the sci-fi action flick “The Matrix” as the best representation of her life in the past. She is blessed to be awake now and doing what she loves.

Website / Twitter / Facebook/ Goodreads / Pinterest

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hope For Her

by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Giveaway ends October 01, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Day 3 of the Freaky Name Coincidences

Last one, I swear...until something like this happens again...My brain doesn't seem to want to work today, so I'll try to make this short, and then go make a second cup of coffee.

What's in a Middle Name?

I've always given my characters middle names. It's one of those fun little facts that probably won't even show up in any book, but makes the character feel like a real person. So when I started writing Uneven Lines, I wanted to come up with middle names for my characters.

I actually came up with the middle name for the second most important character, Tom, first. Apart from also liking sexually ambiguous names, I also like names that can be shortened in different ways (I had a character named Drew in the fantasy book I used to work on, his first name actually being Andrew). I like to have the character's whole name--first, middle, and last--flow nicely together. I pulled "James" out of thin air for this character and I liked it. Not with Tom, obviously--too short--but with Thomas. Thomas James Callahan. I liked it. So I moved on.

It took me forever to come up with Jordan's middle name (you'd think he would just tell me, but nooooooo). I didn't want to settle for anything that didn't feel perfect. At some point I knew I wanted it to start with an M (it just felt right). I went through lists of boys' M names over and over and over again, trying to find the right one. Eventually I stumbled upon "Mason." I liked it--it seemed different, unique. I came up with an entire back story for why that would be his middle name--it was actually his grandfather's first name and would have been his first name if his mom didn't throw a fit (she was only 15 when he was born). She hates her family, so she hates her son's middle name. Will any of this be in the book? Of course not, but it's fun to come up with these little details. So now my main character had a full name: Jordan Mason Palmer.

You'd think that would be the end of it, but no, of course not. For a brief moment, I thought about their middle names at the same time. Wait a second, I thought...why does that sound so familiar?

I pulled up the IMDb app on my phone, and then literally facepalmed. Of course! James Mason. The actor! And what role do I know him best in...? Humbert Humbert in the film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, one of my favorite novels of all time. And one giant source of inspiration for this particular novel I'm working on. My heart skipped a beat when I work-shopped the original short story and one of my classmates described it as a "gay, backwards Lolita." Plot-wise, of course--not meaning it was anywhere near as good as Lolita. At all. But anyway...

It happened again! Something weird about my character's names. As with the other freaky occurrences, I left the names the way they were. No one was ever going to know my character's middle names, anyway, and if they did, maybe they would notice and think I did it on purpose.

Yeah, right! I find the universe is usually more in control of things than I am.

Day 2 of the Freaky Name Coincidences

Back for more, huh? Did you see my new profile picture?! I love it, and you know how much I hate pictures of myself, so that's saying a lot! My old picture was over three years old so I figured it was a time for a change. I still have the same glasses, though...

So here is the next post in my Week of Freaky Name Coincidences. This one is originally from January, 2012. Also, I should point out that I absolutely love sexually ambiguous names. I have no idea why. I'll probably give them to any children I have, but for now I'll settle for my characters...

What's in a Sexually Ambiguous Name? 

Let me preface this by saying that the “What’s in a Name” blog was not supposed to be a two-parter. But as usual, things are beyond my control. Believe me, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

I had a new character to name. Since she was only going to appear in one chapter (and in a quick cameo near the end of the book), she wasn’t all that important on the grand scale of things. But in the chapter itself, she was very important. I call her the “Last Straight Temptation of Jordan Palmer,” since he almost has sex with her before deciding that he’d rather lose his virginity to a guy.

Within this chapter, she’s a very striking character. Almost like the female counterpart to Jordan, an adversary even. She shows up suddenly, challenges his attitudes, his beliefs, and serves as a temporary temptation. Basically, she doesn’t put up with his bullshit, which he finds incredibly sexy, and her desire for him may or may not be completely based on getting revenge on another girl, so he finds that intriguing. So at least for this scene, this girl was important, and to give her some dignity, I had to name her.

Since I started writing my novel in early 2011, I have it stuck in my head that this is when it takes place, so I figured this 15-year-old girl was born in 1995. So I cruised the internet to my favorite name site, behindthename.com, and found the list of popular names in 1995. I scrolled past the typical names—Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Brittany, and my own name, which was #5—in search of a name that spoke to me.

My eyes stopped on #29: Madison. I liked it instantly. And not just because it was different than all of those stereotypical girl names, but because, like Jordan, the name could be either a boy’s or a girl’s. It seemed kind of perfect, to put both characters on the same level and watch them butt heads.

That would have been the end of it—the decision had already been made—but curiosity got the better of me. To the left of the list of girls’ names were the top 100 boys’ names for that year as well. I’m not sure what made me look at it at all. Some force of nature, it seemed, because then I just happened to see #29 on the boys’ side. It was Jordan. Those two names had been standing side by side the entire time, and I hadn’t even noticed. Madison was even more perfect than I had thought.

I can’t really explain why these things keep happening to me. I just kind of go with it. I’m sure someday I’ll be writing Part Three…

Like on Friday! Come back to check out the strange coincidence with my main characters’ middle names…

#PitchWars Mentee Bio!

A quick little interruption to this week's themed posts, because I just found out this was a thing! I just finished my Pitch Wars submission this afternoon, so I figured I would put up a bio that my potential mentors can see. Check out the list of other mentee bios here!  I pretty much just slapped this thing together in about twenty minutes. Here goes!

About Me

I just turned 27 a little over a week ago. I live in a tiny studio apartment above a movie theater with my cat and my fiancé, who is a stand-up comedian. I can be extremely obsessive about things. I’m a straight chick who writes a lot of m/m fiction. I love cupcakes, Broadway musicals, and generally being a hermit.

My Writing History

I started out writing and drawing a picture book series about mice when I was 8. Yes, mice. There was the king mouse, fairy godmother mouse, astronaut mouse…you get it. When I was a teenager, I used to write all fantasy, all the time. I was all about vampires and pretty much worshiped Anne Rice. I also wore way too much eyeliner. In college, I took two semesters of fiction writing courses where we wrote short stories. The thing is, I’m not really that good at writing short stories. All of my ideas are always too big. The classes left me jaded and with no good writing to show for it. I switched to poetry for most of my college career after that, until…In my last semester I took one more fiction course, because I thought, why the hell not? For that class, I wrote a short story that would eventually become my novel, Uneven Lines. Creating this story turned me onto writing gay fiction, and I haven’t looked back. Most of my other novel ideas fall into this genre, but really, almost all of my creativity is spent working on this particular novel. If I could find a common thread in all of the novels I’ve worked on, I’d say I like to write about teenagers who find themselves in very adult situations.

My Muse

When I started writing my novel, I fell head over heels in love with the narrator, Jordan. Yes, he’s 15. And gay. It’s not like that. He decided to live inside my brain and has been hanging out there ever since (over 3 years now!).  He yells at me inspires me to be passionate about my writing, and I’ve never cared more for a piece of my writing than I do for this book. He’s a snarky little bastard (literally) who I let write a guest post here on my blog once a month. He gives a muse’s perspective and usually tells people what to do. Check out his posts here.

Reasons Why You Would Want to Read My Book!

I feel like being vague with this, so here’s a jumbled list:

Lots of moral ambiguity. Masturbation with lemon bars. Flirting while solving a geometric proof. Erection causing cupcakes. Sexy scenes that you don’t want find sexy but you do. The more than occasional but not overused f-bomb. Vague references to cannibalism that most people won’t even notice. Chapter 17 will make you want to punch me in the face. Eric is probably the coolest person ever.  Ephebophilia. Teenage pregnancy. Making out on the kitchen floor while baking chocolate chip cookies. And of course, my darling Jordan.

  

Well, that's it. Thanks for checking out my bio! 

The Week of Freaky Name Coincidences!

So this week’s posts are a slight copout. Just a slight one, I swear! I was thinking recently about some older posts on my blog that didn’t get a lot of page views since they were written when I had about five blog followers. Should I repost some of the good ones? I’m still not entirely sure, but there were two posts in particular that had a common theme, and I’ve had a third one in the back of my mind that I've never written, so I thought, why not revisit them first?

So this week is dedicated to the freaky name coincidences that have happened to me when working on my novels. I’ve learned that when it comes to naming characters, sometimes you have no choice in the matter. Sometimes weird things happen.

This first post was from September 2011 (yikes!). I’ve tweaked it a bit because I felt some of the statements about my characters were no longer true (and it was waaaaaay too long). But anyway, here it is:

What’s in a Last Name?

Finding a name for a character can sometimes be excruciating. I can spend hours looking over baby name websites or trying to find different meanings and etymology, just trying to find that one perfect gem of a name that will sum up the entire character. Every once in a while, though, I don’t have to do research or make a list of names to choose from. Sometimes a character’s name simply pops into my head without me even having to think about it at all. I find this usually happens when I’ve created a story that I’m very passionate about, one that I won’t be able to let go. I think it’s because these characters are special to me, almost as if they’re real, so of course they already have names.

But in the case of two characters, something even stranger happened when I tried to give them last names.  

When I was fourteen, I started a fantasy novel called Bleeding Life, which I would go on to write three times and eventually be forced to shelve for various reasons. I feel it will always be in the back of mind until I actually finish it. When I was creating the characters, eventually I had decided upon every single detail about them, including middle and last names. But something didn’t sit right with me about my narrator, Amber’s last name—Johnson. It was too boring, too generic. I decided to change it.

Back in those days, I decided on last names by flipping blindly through a phone book. If I liked the name I found, I went with it. So, the logical next move was to go back and pick a new last name for Amber. I grabbed the phone book and closed my eyes, thumbed through the pages and opened the book in my lap. I ran my finger down the page and stopped, opening my eyes. My finger was pointing directly at “Johnson.” After a few seconds of shock, I slammed the phone book shut and put it away. There was obviously no fighting this. I had given Amber a specific identity, and to change it now would mean changing who she was as a character. And she had other plans in mind.

For my current obsession WIP, Uneven Lines, I had another strange occurrence when trying to figure out a last name for my narrator, Jordan (you know him, right? He hangs out around here…). When I first started developing the novel, I had it floating in the back of my head that his last name would be Palmer. I wasn’t quite committed to it, but it was the only name that had stuck even a little bit. I figured I could keep searching, maybe find something better.

But one day my boyfriend was driving me home, and I was sort of idly looking at street signs on the left side of the road when we came across a street named Jordan Dr. “Oh, haha,” I mused to myself. “I want to live there!” As we drove on, I was already forgetting about it when we came across the next street sign: Palmer St. I did a sort of double take as we zoomed past. It was like a moment of clarity. You see? the universe was saying. You were right all along! Don’t go around changing what’s already perfect!

Were both of these instances a coincidence? I don’t like to think so. The circumstances were just too strange, that I Just happened to be looking at street signs that day, that my finger just happened to land on that particular spot in the phone book. So yes, on some level I believe that these characters haven taken control of their own existences. If I try to change them, the universe will find some way to show me that I’m wrong. And ultimately, it’s all about trusting my first instincts, even if it’s only for a name. 

Anything strange like this ever happen to you? Be sure to come back on Wednesday for the next freaky name coincidence! 

FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVIL EX-GIRLFRIENDS Cover Reveal!

**Ok, usually, the ONE thing I can't do is...zombies! They freak me out. But this book sounds AWESOME. It just might convert me. Congrats, Rachel!**

It's cover reveal day for FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVIL EX-GIRLFRIENDS!

I'm so excited to share it with all of you! It's creepy and dark and just right for the book.

So without further ado, here it is!

Erwin is in hell--- Locked in his high school with his ex-girlfriend, her new pain-in-the-ass boyfriend, and a handful of others while zombies claw at the doors trying to fight their way in.

The bright light in the dark is Sylvia, whose strength helps hold Erwin together

when everything is falling apart.

When they realize the school is no longer safe,

Erwin is determined to keep the group together and get them all to safety.

But he can’t save everyone.

Release day is September 17th.

Don't forget to add it to your Goodreads list!

Query Letter Panic Attack Mode

I'll make this quick since I've been awake since about 3 AM and already my phone's screen froze and had me cursing and stomping around in the dark because what else can you do at 3 AM besides play games on your phone? It's all fixed now, but I'm already frustrated, tired, and not feeling very optimistic about today. But anyway...

So last night I decided to finally stop procrastinating and checked out what Pitch Wars is all about, and well...I'm totally going to do it! But after making that decision, I immediately went into panic mode. Choosing mentors was fun...I still need to narrow down my list, but this is really the easy part, I think. The hard part is that I have to write a query letter! And I'm kinda stressing out.

The good news is that I have until just before midnight on August 18th to get it done. The better news is that my first chapter (which I also need to submit) is already edited, although I'll probably give it a few rereads before submitting. But just the thought of writing my query letter is making me nervous. I've never actually written one. I have a blurb for my manuscript, but it's not perfect. It's a start, but I still have a lot of work to do.

So that's my goal for the day--to work on this query! And possibly the sex scene, too, since I got a few ideas while I couldn't sleep and couldn't use my phone...but I feel like I say I'm going to work on that everyday, so we'll see how it goes.

If somebody has query tips, or would just like to bring me a paper bag to breathe into, well that would be fantastic.

Over-thinking It

First of all--holy crap! I didn't know a day of blogging could make you exhausted, but then last Wednesday happened. My IWSG post had the most views and comments that I've ever had (as of today, 61 comments! 61!), and since I spent the whole day also visiting dozens and dozens of other blogs, I had to sleep in the next day and on Friday I was kind of burnt out so I didn't even write a blog post. I also really appreciate everyone's thoughts and advice on my setting/research insecurities. The general consensus pretty much went along with what I felt in my gut in the first place--keep doing research but ultimately, be true to the story. The details I was worried about shouldn't be enough to have anyone calling me out on it.

So it seems that I over-think things. A lot. I suppose that's better than NOT thinking about things, since at least I'm paying attention to the details in my own story, but if you do it too much, it can weigh you down to the point where you're not getting anything done.

My problem right now is that I'm over-thinking my entire editing process. I've tried several different techniques (the editing hat!) to try to organize myself, and it just doesn't seem to work. I don't feel like I'm getting anything done. And yes, part of that is just making myself sit down and actually do the work, but when I actually do sit down, I don't even know where to start.

I spend more time thinking about editing than actually doing it. And I don't mean brainstorming, productive type of thinking. Trying to figure out what to do usually just leads to frustration and eventually giving up. But NOT working on it makes me even more frustrated. And if I go too long without doing any writing, it usually leads to depression, which makes it harder to start writing again. So it's a vicious cycle.

Maybe my underlying problem is being indecisive. I really just need to sit down and pick something to work on. Anything. Rewriting particular sentences I didn't like. Working on the subplot. Searching for words I overused and cutting them. Rearranging scenes in a chapter. I just need to pick something and not actually think about it. Usually I get too caught up in it, for example--if I choose to do the search and cut thing, I'll think to myself, well, what if I end up cutting this scene later? Aren't I wasting my time right now? Or I'll think, I can't work on this part until I figure out this other part, but that other part is really hard so I don't want to work on it right now.

I think I get so caught up in thinking about editing that it gets frustrating to the point where I don't want to work on it at all. I really just need to stop thinking about it, and just do it. So that's what I'm going to try today. We'll see how it goes.

How Accurate Do You Need to Be?

Hey, everyone! Guess what day it is! It's the Insecure Writer's Support Group posting day! Ok, I'll stop with the exclamation points. No, wait, one more...today I have the honor of being a co-host!! Oops, that was two. Anyway, as always, the IWSG is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and my fellow co-hosts this month are Joylene Nowell Butler, Lily Eva, and Rhonda Albom. Don't forget to check out the IWSG website, too!

So what am I insecure about this month? Still working on the third draft of my book and not getting as much done as quickly as I'd like. Despite my efforts, I keep gaining weight every week, but I'm really determined to eat better and exercise more, since my will power usually tends to fizzle out by Wednesday. And (this isn't necessarily an insecurity, but it is driving me nuts...) my birthday is this Saturday and my present from my fiance has been sitting on my dresser since LAST Saturday. *sigh* I really don't like to ruin surprises, but come on, it's not fair! And it's heavy, too, so I know there's more than one thing in there...

Anyway, this is what has really been bugging me lately: SETTING. It's something that continuously perplexes me, to the point where I feel I'll never get it right. Ok, so my novel takes place in New York City, a place I've visited many many times--but I've never lived there. And my MC has always lived there, grew up there, and I worry that this won't be believable because I haven't. For the majority of my novel, there isn't much to worry about. The characters are usually very isolated and the two main settings are their apartments. So within the confines of those scenes, I really don't have to worry about setting. I also like the juxtaposition of them having to be so isolated in such a busy and populated city. But those moments when they do go out into the world--I worry that I haven't gotten it right.

I also did some research that worried me about the accuracy of my book. So when I first started writing it, I knew my MC was a freshman and that he was failing his math class. When I was a freshman, I took Geometry. Back in middle school, some people were able to move on to Pre-algebra in 7th grade, where others took another year of a more basic math class. So while some freshmen took Geometry when they got to 9th grade, others were taking their first year of Algebra. Anyway, since I took Geometry, and I figured my MC is a smart and clever guy, he probably would, too. So that's how I wrote the story.

But the more research I do on the NY school system, the more I feel that this wouldn't be possible. From what I've found, it seems that all students take Algebra in their freshman year, then Geometry as a sophomore (doing internet research is tricky, so if by some miracle someone reading this went to school in NY, I beg you, enlighten me!). If this is true, it throws a giant wrench in my plot. I really can't change his math class to Algebra at this point--Geometry just works better as far as how I've worked in themes and symbolism. There's also a scene where my characters are solving a geometric proof that I seriously CANNOT cut. I can't. It's too good, and too important. I also can't make my MC older, since his age is important to the plot. So what should I do?

I'm wondering if it actually matters. What is more important, being true to the story, or being accurate with the structure of the school system? Is anyone really going to notice if I get it wrong? It's not like it's on every page of the book. Is this a detail that should matter at all? I'm not sure. I may just be over-thinking this. My gut is telling me to leave it be, and if someone calls me out on it, I can explain how I thought being true to the story was more important than getting one tiny detail right.

Phew! Ok, now that I've vented, I've got a lot of blogs to visit. *cracks knuckles* Off I go!

Jordan Takes Over: Write Everything Down

**The first Monday of every month, I let my muse take over the blog. I apologize in advance.**

Here's the thing, everyone. I actually had a really good idea for a post today. I really did. But, you know, I'm very busy, so I kinda forgot what it was supposed to be about. You can't blame me, really. I mean, technically I'm not real, so I don't have arms to write things down. And I totally told Sarah my idea but did she write it down? Of course not! So who's to blame here? Not me.

But it turns out this little mistake (not mine!) gave me a great idea for a bit of advice for you people. I'm sure you've heard it before, but it really can't be stressed enough: WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. No, seriously. EVERYTHING. If you expect your muse to remember every tiny little thought you have...well, I mean, maybe you have a muse who cares more than I do, but what do you want from us? We have to inspire you AND be some kind of bookkeeper? I don't think so.

And do you really think you're going to remember every single idea you have? How many times have you been hit by inspiration and you think to yourself, "oh, I'll remember that." Does that ever happen? Maybe if you came up with something major, sure. And I think the abstract ideas are easier to remember than something more concrete, say, a sentence. If you're writing an actual sentence in your head, do you actually expect to remember it hours, maybe days later--word for word? How about when you're drifting off to sleep and you come up with something, then say to yourself "I'll remember it in the morning!" Are you quite sure about that?

So here's my advice. First of all, always have something to write things down on. A notebook, a scrap of paper, your phone (this works great for those middle of the night ideas, since you don't even have to get up and turn on a light if your phone is right by your bed). Anything, really. Heck, if you've only got a pen, write it on your arm. If you think it's a good idea then why would you ever chance it slipping away?

Second! Always interrupt what you're doing for an idea. No, I don't care what it is or how important (I mean, unless you're at work and you think you'll get fired or something). If your muse has been gracious enough to inspire you, you'd better be damn sure you take notice or they might just start ignoring you. So yes, even if you're in the middle of a conversation, stop. If you're falling asleep, or you wake up in the middle of the night, or if a dream gives you an idea...get up and write it down. If you're drunk and get an idea, write it down--really slow so that you can actually read it once you're sober. If you're doing, you know...THINGS...with your boyfriend or your girlfriend...or your boyfriend AND your girlfriend (I'm just kidding, I've never had a threesome...not with a girl, anyway...) Where was I? Oh, right. So no matter what you're doing, if an idea hits you, STOP.

Ok, so now that I have a whole month to remember that good idea again, hopefully it will come back to me. That doesn't mean that I'm going to write it down...do as I say, not as I do, people.

JP

Hey, I Read Your Book! Moonless & Broken Branch Falls

Ok, I'm cheating a little. My original plan was to have this mini book review segment on the last Monday of every month. But then for several reasons (procrastination...) I thought it would be better suited for the last Friday of every month. Except today isn't the last Friday, it's the first. But I didn't really want to put this off for another month, so here it is! The first segment of Hey, I Read Your Book!

Ugh, this is going to be just horrible, I know it. I'm terrible at reviews. Especially when I like a book. I find it's easier to have lots to say when you're constantly coming across things you don't like about a book. But I'm going to try anyway. So I guess until I get into a groove with this thing, the reviews will be short and sweet. I'm calling them mini-reviews because I'm not going to really go into too much summary or reveal any spoilers, just tell you what I liked about the book (and why you should read it, too!).  My goal is to have two books to review each month, so hopefully I can keep up!

First up!

Moonless by Crystal Collier

Let me just say--I loved this book. I've always had a soft spot for paranormal romance, but have sort of lost touch with it in the past years due to the temporary abandonment of my own book series, as well as the overkill in the genre. But Moonless was unlike all the other books I've read in the genre. It should also be considered historical fiction, which was a refreshing element. This book frustrated the hell out of me--but in a good way. I was hooked from the very beginning and it never lost my attention. I was right there with Alexia, dying to know the truth about who she is and what is happening. You get little tidbits of the truth, which not only had me flying through the pages, but had me gasping at some moments and saying "Aha, I knew it!" at others. At times it was romantic and swoon-worthy, other times suspenseful and downright scary. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Next up is...

Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler

This was a fun read. Gabe was a quirky character and it was fun to get inside his head. When the story begins, he's just like any other awkward teenager (even though he's a goblin), but as the story progresses, it takes a different turn and Gabe and his friends go on a quest to save their town from being torn apart. I just loved the descriptions of all of the beasts Gabe lives with and the ones he encounters during his quest. The idea of the different species wanting to coexist sends a great message, especially to the younger readers of this book. Gabe and his friends not only fight to save their town, but for the right to be friends with (and date) whoever they choose, regardless of the laws that keep species apart. Something is revealed near the end of the book that will leave your jaw hanging. Overall, this was a quick, fun read with great characters and a great message.

Woo, so there it is! My first attempt. I'll probably post these reviews on Goodreads, as well. Be sure to check out these books and give them a read. You won't be disappointed.

Side note! I forgot to tell you guys, but if you read last Friday's post, you know I was trying to figure out what my 1000th movie should be. The general consensus was that I should watch a classic, so after doing some searching, I watched Gone with the Wind last Saturday for my (drum roll please) 1000th movie! Once I remember that I had never seen it, I knew it had to be the one. It was looooooooong, of course, but I loved it! So now I can get back to watching more movies, and maybe someday make it to 2000.