Foxy Roxy’s Dilemma

I”m back on Storytime!

It’s been a rough couple months  recovering physically for me.   Apparently it takes longer to heal when you get older.  I know the x-rays showed no broken bones, but I almost feel like they lied.  I still have pains in the injured areas, and complications  from the injuries.  Ibuprofen is my friend.  I quit taking the pain meds and muscle relaxers pretty quickly as they rendered me into a big pile of mush that just oozed onto the sofa.

I can make it about 15 minutes on the treadmill, then my hip catches and my lower back  pain begins.  the same goes for the elliptical, or the cycle.  Trying to strengthen the joints, while avoiding additional injury has been a real challenge for me.  Now, I’m not whining – you know I hate whine.  Just stating that I’ve had a few setbacks and am slower at recovering than I ever anticipated.

So, enough about me and my aches and pains.  I’m going to give you a little teaser for my new story over on Storytime.  It’s not as smouldering as some of my previous ones.

Here’s a sample from Oral Dilemma, Part 1.

It was the story of my life. The same thing that always got me in trouble – my mouth.  I stood just off  the stage, shaking inside, so nervous I wasn’t sure I could go through with this. 

“Hey, knock ‘em dead Roxy.”  His hand brushing my shoulder as he eased past me.  Devon Miller, the man I’d crushed on since 6^th grade.  Oh hell, who am I kidding? I’ve had a crush on him since that first day of kindergarten when he shared his fruit chews.  He was instantly my best friend.

We sat at the same table in class.  He rode my bus and we shared a seat because he lived four houses down and we got off at the same stop. We raced our bikes, played in the tree house, skipped stones at the pond and made mud pies.  Then in fourth grade my parents divorced.  I spent half my time with my dad and his flavor of the month. Back home mom worked long shifts at the hospital leaving my sister and me at Devon’s house. We made forts, hunted monsters, played video games and slept on the couch together.  Not that anything happened, we were just kids.

  By the 6^th grade, I’d gained a good amount of weight and was chubby.  That’s when Devon broke my heart the first time.  We were sitting at the edge of the pond skipping rocks when he told me he asked Casey Reynolds to the school dance.  Then he asked if anyone had asked me.  I’m not sure if I was more upset that he asked Casey, or that nobody asked ‘the chubby girl’. 

Anyway, it was the first in a long string of disappointments.  I’ve been a plus sized girl in a size 0 world ever since.  By my junior year I was in a size 16, my double D’s the only thing that got me dates. the rest of me is rather plain Jane nothing special.  My dark hair never gets noticed. My facial features are average.  I wasn’t blessed with thick long lashes, or pretty eyes, or even full luscious lips.  My lips are small, unnoticeable, and completely forgettable.  Although I’ve been called a big mouth for other reasons.  My ‘big mouth’ was always getting me into trouble by saying the wrong things.  I made a smart alec comment to Chad Ramsey, this gorgeous hunk of a soccer player and he challenged me to “put my money where my mouth was”.  He dared me, so it kind of forced my hand.  

Just then who should walk in but Devon with Phoebe Yates draped on his arm.  Phoebe was all of 98 pounds soaking wet. She’d make Taylor Swift look fat standing next to her.   Why I even cared I don’t know but I did.  It pissed me off, big time.  I slammed a glass of Jack and Coke, and told Chad  “I’ll accept your challenge.”

I grabbed Chad’s hand and dragged him to the unoccupied room, his bedroom. Once inside I kissed him hard, walking him backwards to the bed.  I followed him down when his knees hit the edge of the bed.  He scooted up to where his head was on the pillow as I climbed on top of him and straddled him. 

  “You’re really gonna let me?” Chad asked, his eyes huge, a hopeful grin on his face.

I slowly peeled my shirt off over my head and tossed it.  His eyes grew even larger.  I reached behind me to unclasp my bra hearing  the hitch in his breath.  I held the bra in place for a few seconds making him wait.  I nodded slowly, teasing him.  I knew he had a thing for breasts.  He was always flirting with me, I doubt that he even knew what color my eyes were as nothing registered above my tits. Slowly, very slowly I lowered my bra then tossed it on the floor.  I leaned forward teasing him with them, my nipples just barely out of reach of his lips.

If you want to read more go  to Storytime Trysts.

Check it out and let me know what you think of it.

Meanwhile I continue to work back towards what is normal, or at least what is normal for me.  Hopefully,  things will smooth out here pretty soon and I can gain some momentum once again.

Write on my friends, write on.

Inspiring Minds Want to Know

I Won The Most #Inspiring Blog #Award!

I was honored today to learn authorAllison Bruning  chose to award me!  How cool is that?

Allison is the author of Calico and Reflections.

This is a new blog award, pretty cool huh?  Ironic that I am getting these now, as I’ve not been keeping up with the blog recently.    This is encouragement to get back to it.  I will admit, I’ve missed it, and the blogging seems to help me clear my head to be able to focus on my fiction writing. Has anyone out there missed me,  missed my specific brand of sarcasm and wit?  Anyone?  Beuller?

This isn’t my typical post, but then again lately – what’s typical?  Life gets busy sometimes, you know?  I’ve been prepping for a speaking engagement, which was April 27th.  It went quite well.  Last year around this time, and this same seminar – I wrenched my knee and tore the meniscus in my left knee and the interior ligament.  I was more careful this time.

I don’t think the presentation was nearly as dynamic as melting a mannequin with a blow torch but then again, there were no fire hazards.  No props, no fire, just a video clip from ‘The Incredibles’, and PowerPoint pictures of a medieval knight ( Sir Rustalot stayed home this time), a modern knight – a marine; and Ironman! I know, you’re scratching your head wondering how in the world all of that was relevant to the other  but I managed.  You know me – tie together vampires and butterflies, or did you miss that post?

Then I’ve been tackling a home DIY project – might even post some pics of my finished work.  The oldest daughter is getting ready to graduate high school and before planning a party I realized – OMG, I’ve got  to paint the bathroom.  Then upon looking around  -and the hall, oh and the bedroom needs fresh paint.  But, for now I am sticking just with the bathroom and the hallway.

Now, onto the award:  the rules are pretty simple.

1.  Display the award on my Blog.  (check)
2.  Link back to the person who nominated me. (check – link above to Allison)
3.  State seven things about myself. ( oh come on, you guys don’t really need to know this stuff – it’s boring)
4.  Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award  and link to them.  (fifteen????  scratches head bewildered.  Well

I ‘ll see what I can manage)
5.  Notify these bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

Seven Things About Ellie

1) I often provide comedic relief in public gatherings, and not booked as the live act on stage.  ( I know shocking – you would have never guessed would you?)

2) Ha- here’s one that half the population probably doesn’t know – my eyes are brown.   Wait for it, wait for it – yeah.

3) During Desert Storm, I was a target specialist providing geodetic coordinates for smart bombs for the armed forces of the U.S.  Now, doesn’t it build your confidence to know that I was in charge of guided missiles and Bomb Damage Assessment to report to Washington?

4) When I was 17 I was selected as a Miss Missouri contestant.  I could have taken all those skinny B’s but I was nominated Miss Congeniality instead, so I let them live.

5) One of the many stupid things I did in my youth – I chased tornadoes.  Yes, you read that right – we chased tornadoes with a storm crew out of Oklahoma city for a semester in meteorology.  We took refuge inside a culvert that ran under a driveway, three of us squeezed in there, nearly drowning by the rapid flow of water, gasping and sputtering, and promising that I would never, never , NEVER, do anything so stupid again – ever.   ( That was the last time I rode in the van out in the field.)

6) I don’t really have any phobias, not really super afraid of anything.  I mean, I  have a healthy respect for snakes and insects but not phobic about them.  Two things that absolutely freak me out though, are parasites and octopus.  *cringes*  They are gross to even think about them.

7) I am the youngest daughter of a youngest daughter of a youngest daughter of a youngest daughter. Yeah – figure that one out.

See what I mean?  I’m not a very exciting person.  I mean it’s not like I  bungee jumped – oh wait, I did do that.  Well it’s not like I was in a tornado – oh wait did that one too.   Hmm, well I guess I can’t do too many more of these or I’ll be giving away all my secrets. Can’t have that!  After all, some of the magic of womanhood is the mystery.

I Give This Award To

I know it says to pick 15 people. I’m trying here – give me a break.

1) Cody Martin

2) Vicki Locey

3) Tina Brown

4) Krystol Diggs

5) Elizabeth Delana Rosa

6) Samantha Kay

7) Penelope Price

8) Cassidy Frazee

9) Abyrne Mostyn

10) Cathy Brockman

Little Mary Sunshine

What fun!! It’s great when you win awards!   I’ve won a blog award!!  Cool beans! 

My friend Abyrne Mostyn ( http://abyrnemostyn.com/)   presented me with the Sunshine Award last week, which is presented to those who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.

Wow!  I am honored that he feels I positively and creatively inspire others.  Haven’t been feeling very inspiring lately, maybe this will kick my derriere in gear. 

Thank you so much Abyrne!   BTW – if  you want a good short read in erotica, Abyrne’s book Swingers is excellent! 

 

As a recipient, I’ve been asked to share some information about myself.  You guys sure you want to know this stuff?  Well, here goes anyways:

Favorite Color:  Red

Favorite Animal:  raccoons and dragons

Favorite Number:  12

Favorite non-alcoholic Drink:  Coffee

Facebook or twitter?  Facebook -  I’m still a novice at twitter.

Passion:  Absolutely.  Life without passion is boring and dull.  In everything have passion.  Passion for  cooking good food, passion for living , passion in pursuing dreams, passion for writing, passion in my relationship. . . . ABSOLUTELY PASSION!

Giving or Getting a present:  Giving.  I just adore surprising my friends and loved ones with gifts.  Sometimes it’s just little things and often not anything extravagant, but it’s a way to express that I care.  Of course, not opposed to getting either but I get great joy in giving.

Favorite Day:  I don’t know, I’ll let you know when it happens. (Alright technically, this isn’t true but I figured I’d throw  out the cliché’ days of wedding and children’s births. I’ve had accomplishments, and good days over the course of my *clears throat* years.  But My favorite day hasn’t happened yet, I have a specific goal in mind.)

Favorite Flowers: Lilacs – A lot of happy childhood memories associated with lilacs.  My mother always had a lilac bush and they are  a sign that spring has arrived.

 

I’d like to take my turn and pass this award on to a couple of aspiring writers who you all wanna be watching out for as I know they are well into some great writing!!

David Alvin – http://heroesdontkill.blogspot.com/

Cody Martin – Resonant Blue - http://codylmartin.blogspot.jp/

Vicki Locey - Thoughts from a yodeling Goat Herder

Tainted Love

 

I’m  not really sure when the love/hate relationship began.  It seems like it’s been there forever, but surely when I was two it wasn’t present.  I am aware that by kindergarten it was firmly in place.  Somewhere between birth and the tender age of five I fell into the love/hate thing.  Always aware, always conscious that I  . . .was the fat girl.

I look back on pictures of myself in kindergarten, and know that my brothers tormented me calling me fatty fatty four by four.  Seriously,  I was a pretty average sized kid – but solid.  I’ve never been skinny, or  a waif.  By fourth grade I had pudged out to butterball proportions.  Indeed I became the labels that I was taunted with.

You know, it affects you hearing those names.   That old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”.   That’s a big fat hairy lie!  Words hurt far more than being beaten with a cane.  Words last a lifetime, being beaten with a belt or cane, or switch only lasts a short while.  Bruises heel but the word scars cut deep.  It was enough to perpetuate a lifelong struggle with weight.

Regardless of other issues of dysfunctional family life, or abuse, over eating became a self medicating action.   Think I”m lying?  Watch a kid that’s upset inhale a ton of sugar then buzz around until they literally crash.  Talk about setting up your system for problems.  I developed a sweet tooth at a very early age,  Sugar is one of the most addictive substances on earth.

Anyway, the love/hate thing: it’s a total mental game that I play with myself.  I try to avoid the scale because based on where the needle lands, I will either be ecstatic if it drops down even a fraction,or crushed if it goes up a fraction. How many of you know that is a poor indicator?  Do you know the average woman’s body can fluctuate as much as 6 pounds within 1 day?  That is a roller coaster set up for disaster.  I weigh myself once a week.

I think many women, especially American women battle with the love/hate relationship with their body.

I have decided that it’s time to settle things with myself.  There was a time when I felt good in my own skin.  I felt confident, I felt strong, healthy, alive and energetic.  Age of course has bearing on all those things, but my goal is that feeling I had;  a feeling of confidence, of knowing that I was capable.

If you’ve ever watched any episode of Biggest Loser, you know the contestants  biggest battle is in their mind.  We play these horrible mind games on our self.  We tell our self we can’t .  We tell our self we aren’t worthy.  We tell ourselves we aren’t good enough.  We tell ourselves – we aren’t pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, tall enough, and a whole slew of other things of why we can’t have the good things in life.  Talk about a self-defeating attitude.

I refuse to engage in the self-defeating mind games any longer.  Instead of why I can’t, I ask myself why and how I can.  I preach myself encouragement.  Yeah, you may have noticed a few rounds of encouragement on my blog here, thanks for joining me for the lecture.

I’m not making any land-speed record for weight loss, but i am making progress.  Slowly but surely.  I fear it’s slower than a turtle but there is progress never the less. the biggest progress is on the inside.  Stopping the self-defeating track that has played for so many years.

I Know I spend a lot of time discussing weight loss also, there’s a reason for that.  This is the  biggest issue, my biggest battle that I face.  It’s like I can tackle pretty much anything life throws at me.  Reworking three years of work that someone destroyed – yeah, I didn’t give up.  Handling multiple roles in life – not that I really have a choice there.   Being responsible and teaching my children to be responsible adults – well I don’t really consider that an option either.  But this weight thing – it has kicked my butt for years.

NO  MORE!  It’s going down!  This last outpost for the love/hate relation is going to be destroyed.

Why is it such an issue in my life?  As I figure out the answers to that question, the walls come down brick by brick.  Sometimes we have to understand how the wall was built-in order to destroy it. I’m laying siege to the last bastions of  ‘fat chick’.  She’s not bullying me anymore.  She’s not ruling over my body anymore.  Like the metamorphosis of a butterfly – I kind of look at this soft exterior I currently have as a sort of cocoon, a chrysalis that houses the  emerging beauty of renewed life.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,  – why do I get so metaphorical?  Because the manifestation of the reality of who I am is only an internal vision right now.  Despite the lack of youth, despite the fact that I’m not going to have anymore children, despite my battle scars of stretch marks from the children I have, this chick is going to rock this joint!  I’m going to be the bet ME I can be.  Never going to look like Taylor Swift – I think she’s too skinny anyway.  Despite what my husband desires – I”m never going to look like Valerie Bertinelli because  – well, I just don’t look like Valerie Bertinelli.  I am a one of a kind original, made in the USA, unique and valuable being.

OH, and I’ve figured out a thing or two over my time on this rock.  Like, the inner voices lie! I don’t know who planted that track there but I’m ripping it out one paving stone at a time.  No more love/hate relations with my body.  I’m going to own it!  That’s right , you heard me inner fat chick – you’re going down!

What things do you struggle with?  Do you have a bad self-image? A love/hate relation with some part of your body? Or your whole body?  don’t be shy, speak up.  Together we are stronger, and speaking up shuts up the self-defeating talk.

Write on my friends, write on!

 

 

Giveaway and Cover Art Reveal for Maiden Behind The Mask

My special guest today is Tara Chevrestt.  Tara has had an interesting journey with her cover art woes.  For us it’s amusing but I can also see if I were in her shoes – I’d be so very frustrated. Enough from me I’ll let Tara fill you in on the full story.

 

You know you’ve done something right in the cover art department when you see not one, but two just like it show up on your Facebook or Amazon feed. Only different titles and author names.

*sigh*

When Maiden Behind the Mask was first published, it had a home with a publisher. Now, the image I wanted and put on the art form was declared too expensive. If you’re an author, you’ve been there. With much grumbling and sighing, I searched for stock art images that looked like a Spanish woman in 1800′s Los Angeles (then a part of Mexico) dressed as Zorro.

That saying “looking for a needle in a haystack…”

Yea.

I found a blonde, I found an Asian with way-too-modern bangs, I found lace masks, beaded masks, feathered, masks, women half naked wearing weird masks, pointy-nosed masks, but no women Zorros.

We got as close as we could.

Three weeks later the publisher crashed and people told me I should get new art anyway. The art wasn’t working for them. (If they only knew how very hard it was making that cover…)

I had cover two for a while. It’s a great cover, but it began to irritate me. It would be perfect if my heroine was running around in a lace mask a dress with a pearl belt. Again, it was the closest we could find that was in the budget. The artist did a superb job.

 

Regardless, being the type of person who is just plain irritated by discrepancies in covers—they must match the story!—I made a third cover. It wasn’t a lady Zorro, but a Spanish senorita looking coyly over a fan. Because when Catalina Rodriguez isn’t saving damsels in distress, she’s a lovely senorita…with a lot of mischief up her sleeves…

Oh, I made such a good choice. Everyone loved it…and then I saw it twice more…the exact image with no changes made to it at all. Three identical book covers!

URGH!

But the good news is…that image the publisher said was too expensive? The image I originally wanted…is now my cover.

Who says dreams don’t come true? Perhaps this weird twist of fate was just a nudge toward getting what I originally wanted.

Behold…the new Maiden Behind the Mask artfully created by Christie A. C. Gucker!

 

When Catalina Rodriguez is attacked by a would-be rapist and rescued by the dashing Ricardo Garcia, she not only becomes more aware of the handsome man, but also vows that she’ll never be a damsel in distress again. Using the timeless method of blackmail, she convinces her uncle to teach her to fight and becomes a masked crusader in the night, saving other damsels from robbers and rough handling.

However, scandalous rumors and dwindling funds force Ricardo and Catalina to marry. Not immune to each other’s charms, their marriage starts fiery, but when one of Catalina’s nightly escapades results in dire consequences, she is forced to spurn her husband’s amorous advances…or reveal a secret that could turn him away from her forever.

Ricardo’s not a man to be cuckolded or left in the dark. Is his wife having an affair with El Capitan, the masked savior? If so…they will both pay.

 

Buy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

 

Thank you, everyone, for taking this cover art journey with me! DO leave me a comment *with your email address* and tell me which one you like best and why. One lucky commenter from each blog will be given a coupon code to download the book FREE on Smashwords! And yes, you can comment on more than one blog to increase your chances. I’ll be having my trusty canine sidekick choose names from her dog bowl Sunday night, the 31st.

***

Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.

Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She shares a website with her naughty pen name: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html and they have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877

 

Paranoid Delusions

I do not own this photo, it was a free wallpaper.

Ever have one of those major setbacks? Like a mid-season sports injury that ends the year for  you when this was going to be the year scouts were going to notice you and you’d get offered a scholarship to an ivy league school. Well no, I guess it  wasn’t quite that bad but it sure made things difficult for a good while.

One person is taken from your life unexpectedly, without  reason without warning.  Another betrays a trust, it can be nearly devastating.  Physical injuries from my car crash were easier to overcome than these things.  It took a good while for some of those injuries to heal, in fact I still have a huge knot on my knee, sore shoulder, some issues with my neck, and the two fingers that were jammed are ultra sensitive.  None of that compares to the loss of  a loved one or betrayal.

The grief of dealing with death is a part of life. It’s difficult, it hurts but the finality of it forces us to move forward even if it’s at a snail’s pace. The grieving process is not a fun journey at all but dealing with betrayal from someone close really knocked me for a loop.

I’ve been dealing with computer issues for a couple of weeks now, one of which was being locked out of my accounts, and having my personal accounts such as this one hacked into by a trusted person.  This same person destroyed – whether it was accidental as they claim or whether it was deliberate intent – it’s really irrelevant at this point.  Three years worth of work was destroyed.  Thanks to some great friends that have done some beta reading for me, I’ve been able to recover most of that.  Once before I had lost ten chapters, it was my own doing so I was just frustrated.  I rewrote it and I believe it ended up better than the first time.

I see some of my friends achieving their goals and am left sitting on the side of the road, unable to complete my race. Well this time around any ways.  I’m not going to just sit here and feel sorry for myself.  I’ve been in a bit of shock over this, and  had to take some time to regroup and refocus.

I will not quit will not relent.  If I have to rewrite everything from scratch I will.  It will be better, more thought out, less chaotic.  I still have my notes, my cards, partial files I can piece things together. If nothing I’ve learned some valuable lessons.  the biggest one being that I can not surrender my dreams ever again.  Nor will I allow a saboteur to steal them from me.

OK, supposedly it was an accident.  Well , sleep with one eye open because other accidents have been known to happen as well.  A trust betrayed will never be misplaced again. Opportunity abounds but closes for those who prove themselves untrustworthy. Never underestimate a woman, and especially a woman with a dream.

Write on my friends, write on. I certainly will be!

Dream Big Blog Hop – Part 2

Yesterday, I posted my answers to the Dream Big Blog Hop.  Today, I am posting my  partner-in-crime’s answers.

I was invited to take part in the Dream Big Blog Hop.  I was originally scheduled to post on the 20th, but due to a car collision I was rather sedated and unable to attend to my blog, much less anything else for a short time.  Thankfully, I’ve been given a reprieve to go ahead and post this. 

Cody Martin was kind enough to invite me to participate in his Dream Big Blog Hop. Here are the questions and answers.

Writing is largely solitary, and sometimes a lonely endeavor. Sure, you talk to friends, experts for research, discuss what works and what doesn’t with your editor, and bounce ideas off of fellow writers. But in the end it’s one person pounding the keyboard or twirling the pencil. But what if it didn’t have to be completely alone? Who would YOU work with if you could work with anyone on your favorite project?

In this post, that’s what I’m asking. Choose a person for each category and tell why you want to work with them. If you want, feel free to post their picture, a piece of their work, or a link to something about them. The only rule is that the person must still be alive.

Writers dream. Now it’s time to dream BIG.

 

You have the opportunity to hire anybody as your cover artist. If you write children’s books or books that are heavily illustrated, who would you get for the interior artwork?

I really don’t know about artists to be honest, I mean I have always adored the work of Quentin Blake since given Dahl books as a child.I Think the Artisan series could justify a piece of his gorgeous sketch work.  As for Love Notes, I don’t know. I think Oleg Volk or Munger of Larue Tactical could do an amazing job with the weapons photography. I think so much would depend on the book really. I am also very fond of the artwork in Gail Simone’s reimagining of Batgirl post cure so it would really depend on the art style I and the publisher wanted. Although, I would be hugely tempted to contact my old friend Mark Holmes, who taught me what little I know about painting. The man can paint and draw amazingly well and make a painting look like a photo.

Obviously  we have different taste in art.  I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement though, as long as I get my way.

 

Who would you co-write your next novel with? What genre? Why?

In many ways I have my dream writing partner working on Love Notes.  I mean, we work amazingly well together and Ellie Mack is amazing to write with, and for.   But gosh ,really I have to say other than Ellie, or Cecile Hardy who graciously covers on Storytime Trysts on occasion, I would have to go for Pratchett.  Because, well who wouldn’t want to spend time with an author who has so shaped their lives and their reading and writing style. Though I adore his work, I don’t think I am good enough to write satirical fantasy with him.  But hell, I would have a bloody good go.

Aww,  OK.  After saying such sweet things about me, maybe I’ll let him have a say in the cover art. (I have to agree, I’ve only read a few of Pratchett’s books but he would be amazing to work with.)

 

Your publisher wants to do an audiobook version of your novel and they’re not sparing any expense. Who do you think can narrate your masterpiece?

Oh God, I would love to send it to Fry but his voice is soothing and I would just drift off.

 

They’re really going all out! Your novel is getting a full soundtrack. Who should compose it? If your novel uses a lot of songs, list your compilation here.  

Um, I think it would be a mix of what I wrote it too really; Mitch Benn, the long blondes, Pulp, Voltaire, Avenue Q.   I would just go wild in the country or rather my record collection.

 

Congratulations! Your novel is being turned into a major motion picture. As the creator of the original work, you get to pick the director.

If I am being greedy, Tarantino or possibly Moffat.

Hmmm, again obvious difference of opinion here.  We’ll have to work on that.

 

The director has some ideas on who to cast, but you get to cast one character. What role/character is it and who portrays them?

Sir Oliver in Love Notes portrayed by Alphonso Joseph D’Abruzzo,  just this amazing, breathtaking comic but dark actor who could easily pull off the loved and lost motif I want, plus I could bag an autograph and a martini with him.

Dear Diary I would cast Laura; I’m not quite sure but I would want someone slighty larger than life, someone who makes Siam look small and waifish and who could carry the weight of being sexy and competent, caring and funny.   I have a friend I modeled her on, but I am not naming names, someone who can fill out combats as well as she can a strappy dress.

 

You’ve been hired to write a novel based on a preexisting character or franchise from another medium. Which character or franchise is it?

I think I would go for something in the warhammer 40K franchise.  There is now good no evil only war, a very dark setting for moral soul-searching, to what extent do actions and the ends justify the means, social soul-searching in scifi literature. Plus ,I am a huge fan of the games and books and would love to see my books being read and becoming part of the game world –  this world where everything is slanted and everything has a bias - everything you read could be propaganda.

 

It’s the anniversary of your favorite literary character’s debut. You’ve been hired (yay, work!) to write an anniversary novel. Who is the literary character?

Arsene Lupin – from a series by Maurice Leblanc.  He was the first counterpoint to the detective.  French, a criminal with real style, a gentleman thief.  The french raffles if you will.  He paid homage to another of my favourites the esteemed Sherlock Holmes and I would say, is the first real subversive literary anti-hero.  My love affair began reading a short story where when confronted with a notorious murderer on a train he robs him.  Leaves him bound and gagged for the constables with a note.  He was a subversive criminal but he had a line  and the frankness and charm of the character I found enthralling.  Mugging a notorious murderer and leaving the police a note of thanks and a bank account for the reward to be wired to,  all the while escorting and protecting the wife of a Prison governor that had imprisoned him.  The sheer joy of crime with elegance, with verve and beauty,  it is just a wow moment for a young boy.

Since I used his answer yesterday – as I was totally blank on this one, I shall field this one for you today.
Ramoth from Dragonriders of Pern.   I began Anne McAffrey’s Pern series when I was maybe 14.  I developed a love of her stories, an admiration for her world building before I understood what world building was.   Ramoth is the golden dragon. Ramoth was hatched from Nemorth’s last clutch, the last queen egg on Pern. She mauled two female candidates before Impressing F’lar’s choice, Ruathan-bred Lessa.

The dragons in the Pern world are western dragons, modeled after European legend and myths.  I think it would be intriguing to write things from Ramoth’s perspective.  Ramoth is  a hinge pin in the series.  To tell things from her species, from her perspective would be a challenge, but a delightfully interesting one.  Ruth of course would have to be mentioned, as he is the only white dragon and has some interesting powers of his own.

The Dreaming continues  with Abyrne Mostyn.  Don’t miss it.

Thank you Cody Martin, for including me in this!

(A little bonus blog from my co- conspirator.)

Write on my friends, write on!  When you dream, dream big!

Illogical Thinking

Ever seen a strange phenomenon and heard someone exclaim “There’s got to be a logical explanation.” ?

There are things in this world and out of them, that confound scientific explanations.  There are glowing gaseous balls that hover over the ground in rural fields.  City slickers would freak out over this but  it’s got to do with the methane gasses emitted by the cows that were in that field earlier in the day.

There are lights in the night sky that we don’t know what they are.  Automatically our brains go “Ooh, what if that was a UFO?”
OK, well not everyone’s,  the more practical minded amongst us say “There’s a logical explanation for that.”

Carolyn Keene drew on these “mystical events” like the glowing gas balls to  confound her readers.  It added to the sense of mystery.  Creative people think of “magical” answers.  Logical analyticals think of the sensible scientific explanation.

So, being the perpetual pot stirrer that I am, I did a little scientific experiment at the last  “gathering”.   There was a recent “unexplained ” phenomenon on the news.  I wasn’t the one that brought the subject up but I was the one that perpetuated it.    At first there were sensible, logical explanations thrown out.  Government training maneuvers, top-secret aircraft, weather balloons.  (Really?  Why does everyone always say weather balloon?  Have you ever seen one?    NO, just no.)

I threw out an idea, it was off the wall ridiculous but it got things moving.  It’s amazing , when prompted how bizarre some of the explanations people can come up with.  One particular one by a very logical, rational, engineer type that  rarely  accepts anything  other than scientific proof came up with a rare species of owl that is illuminated by a chemical in its blood akin to a firefly, said chemical allowing him to hunt his prey by his own light.    Not too bad for a stoic engineer.  I could write a story around that! An owl with a glow-in-the-dark butt because lightning bugs are like chocolate to him – it could happen!

Sometimes the illogical is the logical route.  For any creative, we understand the truth in this.  The logical thinking produces the same old stuff that already exists.  But illogical thinking sparks new inventive ideas like the one I got today for a whole new story.  A mad scientist of sorts who has rather unconventional means of experimentation.  But that would be telling, so you’ll have to wait until it’s written so I can show you.

So how’s your Monday?  Who says Mondays are bad, huh?  They are new beginnings, fresh every week, a world of opportunity crammed into a 24 hour period.  What new horizons are in your Mondays?

Write on my friends, and CARPE DIEM!

Catchup and Mayo

The first day back to work after an illness is always hectic.  There’s a stack of work to catch up on.  Prioritizing is mandatory, taking the more urgent items first.  Projects with the closest deadlines are at the top, and goes down the list in descending order.  A paying job is no different than a writing career.

Oh, I’ve earned a bit here and there for short articles, humor pieces and personal experience pieces, but it’s not the same priority as the work for which I am being paid.   The company is paying me to do work for them and therefore that pulls priority over my agenda for building an author platform, (see Michael Hyatt’s book Platform) or my self established writing routine to get my work out there.

• Dealing with perfectionism, I feel that I must get everything completed accurately or I am a failure.
• Being an overachiever I feel I must get everything completed to perfection or I am a failure.
• Being a little OCD, combined with the aobve two is enough to drive any rational person insane, and yes; feel that I must complete everything to my own rigorous standards of excellence or I am a failure.

You may have picked up on the fact that the previous two weeks have left me feeling like a failure.  It’s true, even though I tried to catch up on the time that I lost being sick, I didn’t get everything completed.  Then I tried to catch up last week and was affected by the medications therefore not completing everything I wanted.

Me, the person that tells everyone:  “Writer’s write, it’s what they do.  Pretenders and wannabes talk about it but don’t write.”  I wrote less than 3000 words in the entire last two weeks.  Well, not counting  a couple blog posts here and not counting blog posts over at Storytime Trysts where I’ve been promoted to managing editor (Squeal!)  And not counting the hand written notes I made, and not counting . . . are you beginning to see a problem here?  Seriously I would never hold anyone else to such ridiculous standards.

I’ve excused others for minimal infractions of why they didn’t get their work in on time.  Yet, when I have pneamonia I lay down the law and slap failure on myself when I hae trouble following my schedule on the best of days.  It’s tight – I’m essentially juggling  a part time job with a full time career not to mention the parenting and wife part.  Unlike some famous authors that take a month on holiday in Barbados to write their next novel, I can’t.  No, I live in the here and now nitty gritty world dealing with teens that can’t seem to bend over to pick up a dirty sock much less the jeans shirt or candy wrappers that litter the floors oftheir bedrooms.  A husband that is old school in his thinking that a woman is responsible for the household – as in he doesn’t have to pick up his dirty underwear or socks,  or ever pitch in to cook an occasional meal, or heaven forbid any of them should ever help with clean up after they’ve inhaled the meal I worked for half an hour to prepare.

I know,  it’s part of life.  It’s part of my routine that I didn’t account for when planning me schedule.  It’s that big black void of time consumption that I wonder where did my time go?  One of the best exercises I’ve done recently is to sit and write daily for a week what I did, and for how long.  It hurt just barely less than the crunches.

It looked something like this:     Monday thru Friday:  6 am get up, make coffee, fix lunches, tidy   6:45 get kids on bus, hubs off to work.  7ish (depends on how long the previous takes shower, eat breakfast, start laundry   8:00 begin mlo work, go through emails, respond, answer customer   questions.  8:30 or 9 – depends on how long it takes to go through emails – go to YMCA and work out;  return home change over laundry, sort fold put away. 1030: finish MLO work or start on blogs,  work on books   1:00  laundry/ housecleaning/ research time  2:45 KIDS get home -   yeah then everything gets thrown  off the schedule .

Trust me that is greatly simplified, but there are those places where I had scheduled “writing time”  when actually I was scrubbing the bathroom, loading the dishwasher, cleaning the counter tops, and folding laundry.  Until I achieve a salary that I can hire a maid, it’s part of my routine.  I sat on the sofa with a big harumph – penciling in this big huge blob of time – SULKING – while I sat there depressed at my failings, drowning my sorrows in sugar free peach tea and rice cakes .  Trust me, less than satisfying when I wanted Black Jack cherry Ice cream topped with a big thick dousing of fudge sauce.  I watched mindless tv – Top Gear; How they Make That; Pawn Stars – sighing occasionally at my failure.

Once upon a time in a career far away I received a performance award for my organizationa skillls and teaching the new hires a “better way” to do their job efficiently.  I wondered where that skill  went.  After resolving that the rice cakes just weren’t cutting it and I wasn’t going to give in to the desires for decadent rich desserts; I forced myself to reengage and face my problems.  What was the solution?

You know, we can stare at our problems till we are blue in the face but until we  decide to look for a solution, nothing will ever change.  Entrepeneurs look for solutions. Witty inventions are made by looking for a solution.  Surely a solution could be found for my dilemma.

It was at that point that I switched from catch up  to mayo.

I may cut myself some slack for getting ill and not being able to manage things for a bit.  It’s ok, things will get caught up eventually.

I may slack off occasionally for some much needed rest.  In my original schedule I only scheduled 5 hours a night for sleep.  I need more than that.  I can be a grouchy bear without my sleep and it’s not productive.

I may in fact alow myself to be human.  Shocking I know.

I may be able to deal with everything much better now that I’m not doped up on prescriptions.

What about you?  Are you using catchup or mayo?

Write on my friends, write on!

 

Hazy Daze of Winter

There I was, minding my own business and I got waylaid by illness.  Yes, I know I’ve told you all about it.  Went over the practical applications to prevent in the future.  What I didn’t discuss is the drug induced haze I’ve been in ever since.  Prescription meds  mind you but they have the same effect.

A  friend recently was having some issues with his pain medications.  The doctors had him on morphine and it wasn’t working for him.  He ended up having a very rough reaction and went through a month of anguish trying to get back to an even keel.  In a similar fashion, though not to the extreme I have been having issues with my prescribed medications to help me get over the pneumonia.

One makes me hyper like I’m an 8-year-old  that consumed twelve redbulls.  Another messes with my hormones and I’ve been on this emotional rollercoaster that I can’t seem to get off of.  It’s like the horror ride in a Scooby Doo cartoon, only for real! One pill makes me feel hyperactive and another makes me feel like I’m in a hazy nightmare, and the third  jerks my emotions around.  *One pill makes you happy and one pill makes you sad, . . . go ask Alice*

I was watching The Help and I”m crying because Mae Mobley is such a neglected child. I mean, sobs!  This is fiction people!  Then, later I was crying with Rutledge when Tanner had opened his car door for him to feel the effects of the tear gas on Top Gear!  that was when I realized it was the medicines affecting my hormones that  are messing with my emotions.  Be glad you’re not living with me right now.

I’ve written words and when I go back over them I think – what on earth was I thinking?  I have two more days of one medication, and today is last day of another.  Hopefully, I will get back to normal soon.  Well, or at least normal for me.

Write on my friends, write on!