I was recently tagged by two wonderful ladies, Amy Christine Parker and Stefanie Jones. The rules are as follows:
-- Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
-- Go to line 7
-- Copy down the next 7 lines -- sentences or paragraphs -- and post them as written. No cheating.
And here we are...page 77, lines 7-13 of Legasea
Mae leaned across the table and lowered her voice like she was in some reality show about spies. Then again, she probably thought she was. “I think the Flannigans are drug dealers. And oh! Maybe they're part of a mob, and if anyone in the family tries to get away, they're punished.”
Ignoring her, I turned to Steven. “What do you think it means?”
Now, the final rule is:
--Tag 7 authors
I am choosing not to tag anyone. However, if you would like to do this meme on your blog, by all means, consider yourself tagged. Maybe you and I will both have a little luck.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
New Blog
Once upon a time…..
There were three young adult writers all at different points on the road to publication. They were dedicated to their craft and to writing novels, but sometimes they longed to write just for the sheer fun of it. They wanted to stretch themselves in new directions, to not take the process so seriously, to be inspired in new and different ways. They wanted a place to experiment, a place where roughish drafts were welcome and strange new ideas were cheered on. They dreamed of a place where other writers like themselves could send in their own stories and put them out there into the world for others to see. They wanted to feel empowered and empower others to tell stories boldly. And so they banded together and began a site that would hopefully do just that.
THIS IS THAT SITE!
Here’s how it works:
At the beginning of each month, one of the Fiction Femme Fatale will post a picture that speaks to them. Then all three of us will set about writing a thousand word story inspired by the picture. There are no rules or boundaries other than these:
It has to be rated PG
It has to be geared towards young adults or middle graders
On the first three Fridays of each month we will each post our stories for your reading pleasure. Krystalyn will post the first week, Stefanie will post the second, and Amy will post the third. Then the last week of the month, we will invite you to submit an original thousand word (or less) story of your own based on the same picture and we will pick one to post on this blog. If there happens to be a fifth week in any given month, we will hold some very exciting contests and giveaways.
Our hope is that this blog will be a source of growth and inspiration not just for us, but for other writers out there like us. We truly believe that in order to make our dreams come true we need to give ourselves the opportunity to get more work out there, to push ourselves in directions we wouldn’t normally have gone, and to rediscover what makes telling a story so much fun in the first place. We hope that you will join us on this journey and we look forward to seeing what we can all create together!
My first short story, Peace, went up today.
There were three young adult writers all at different points on the road to publication. They were dedicated to their craft and to writing novels, but sometimes they longed to write just for the sheer fun of it. They wanted to stretch themselves in new directions, to not take the process so seriously, to be inspired in new and different ways. They wanted a place to experiment, a place where roughish drafts were welcome and strange new ideas were cheered on. They dreamed of a place where other writers like themselves could send in their own stories and put them out there into the world for others to see. They wanted to feel empowered and empower others to tell stories boldly. And so they banded together and began a site that would hopefully do just that.
THIS IS THAT SITE!
Here’s how it works:
At the beginning of each month, one of the Fiction Femme Fatale will post a picture that speaks to them. Then all three of us will set about writing a thousand word story inspired by the picture. There are no rules or boundaries other than these:
It has to be rated PG
It has to be geared towards young adults or middle graders
On the first three Fridays of each month we will each post our stories for your reading pleasure. Krystalyn will post the first week, Stefanie will post the second, and Amy will post the third. Then the last week of the month, we will invite you to submit an original thousand word (or less) story of your own based on the same picture and we will pick one to post on this blog. If there happens to be a fifth week in any given month, we will hold some very exciting contests and giveaways.
Our hope is that this blog will be a source of growth and inspiration not just for us, but for other writers out there like us. We truly believe that in order to make our dreams come true we need to give ourselves the opportunity to get more work out there, to push ourselves in directions we wouldn’t normally have gone, and to rediscover what makes telling a story so much fun in the first place. We hope that you will join us on this journey and we look forward to seeing what we can all create together!
My first short story, Peace, went up today.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Fun with Birthday Cake!
This past weekend was Small Child's birthday, and if any of you know him, you know he is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. Not "fond of." Not "has a casual interest in." He is obsessed. And because of my newfound fascination with Pinterest (I blame my sister), I decided to make a cake for him. This isn't that outrageous to imagine, except for the fact that I don't get along well with the stove, or the microwave, or the kitchen in general. And in case you don't fully understand, let me reiterate with something my child has been saying a lot lately,
"This is a big deal!"
Surprisingly, the cake itself turned out fine. It wasn't until I got to the decorations that things went wrong. You see, the original post said to use melted chocolate for the cave and tree trunk. I figured I had chocolate chips at home. They would work.
So wrong.
On the first attempt, I used the microwave and burned the chips. On the second attempt, I added milk and came up with a fairly decent cave. Great! Now, on to the tree. On the third attempt, I added too much milk. And on the fourth attempt, I tried the oven instead of the microwave and once again burned the chips. At that point, I gave up and used icing for the tree.
Ah, the icing. Unfortunately, the icing tubes I bought were too big for the decorating tips I had. That's where the creativity and sticky tack came in. Use your imagination here as there is no photographic evidence. But as for the actual cake, here it is:
Despite a few setbacks, I think it turned out pretty decent. It only leans to the left a little, but hey, the Island of Sodor is full of mountains, and mountains are anything but level. Right?
"This is a big deal!"
Surprisingly, the cake itself turned out fine. It wasn't until I got to the decorations that things went wrong. You see, the original post said to use melted chocolate for the cave and tree trunk. I figured I had chocolate chips at home. They would work.
So wrong.
On the first attempt, I used the microwave and burned the chips. On the second attempt, I added milk and came up with a fairly decent cave. Great! Now, on to the tree. On the third attempt, I added too much milk. And on the fourth attempt, I tried the oven instead of the microwave and once again burned the chips. At that point, I gave up and used icing for the tree.
Ah, the icing. Unfortunately, the icing tubes I bought were too big for the decorating tips I had. That's where the creativity and sticky tack came in. Use your imagination here as there is no photographic evidence. But as for the actual cake, here it is:
Despite a few setbacks, I think it turned out pretty decent. It only leans to the left a little, but hey, the Island of Sodor is full of mountains, and mountains are anything but level. Right?
Monday, March 19, 2012
News!
My critique partner, Amy Christine Parker, had a big announcement today:
Parker Lands at RH Children’s for Debut YA
Amy Christine Parker closed a two-book deal with Suzy Capozzi at Random House Children’s Books for her debut effort, The Silo. Capozzi bought world rights, for six figures at auction, from Lucienne Diver at the Knight Agency. The YA book, which is scheduled for fall 2013, follows a teenage girl named Lyla who has been living in a religious cult after the disappearance of her sister. While her parents are hopelessly under the sway of the group’s leader, Pioneer, Lyla is drawn into a dangerous situation when she begins to question Pioneer’s prophecy about the impending apocalypse.
2013 is going to be a big year for my wonderful critique partners, as my other partner, Dianne Salerni, has Caged Graves coming out that year as well. Caged Graves sold to Clarion last summer.
Congratulations, ladies! You're both amazing!
Parker Lands at RH Children’s for Debut YA
Amy Christine Parker closed a two-book deal with Suzy Capozzi at Random House Children’s Books for her debut effort, The Silo. Capozzi bought world rights, for six figures at auction, from Lucienne Diver at the Knight Agency. The YA book, which is scheduled for fall 2013, follows a teenage girl named Lyla who has been living in a religious cult after the disappearance of her sister. While her parents are hopelessly under the sway of the group’s leader, Pioneer, Lyla is drawn into a dangerous situation when she begins to question Pioneer’s prophecy about the impending apocalypse.
2013 is going to be a big year for my wonderful critique partners, as my other partner, Dianne Salerni, has Caged Graves coming out that year as well. Caged Graves sold to Clarion last summer.
Congratulations, ladies! You're both amazing!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Going to the Fair
In continuing my blogs about the wonders of Florida fairs/festivals, I present to you the Osceola County Fair.
Now, I have not been to a fair in any other state since I was very, very short (photographic evidence of this will be presented if I can ever find the picture), but I am fairly certain most states have things like chainsaw carving.
And 4h tents.
But I wonder, do all states have animals like giraffes?
And what about Cotswold Sheep?
Or zebras?
In all, a good time was had, although I did end up making an unexpected return trip the next day because I left my wallet on a ride there. Thank you to the kind person who turned it in. I wish you lots of good karma.
What about you guys? What fun things do you like about the fair?
Now, I have not been to a fair in any other state since I was very, very short (photographic evidence of this will be presented if I can ever find the picture), but I am fairly certain most states have things like chainsaw carving.
And 4h tents.
But I wonder, do all states have animals like giraffes?
And what about Cotswold Sheep?
Or zebras?
In all, a good time was had, although I did end up making an unexpected return trip the next day because I left my wallet on a ride there. Thank you to the kind person who turned it in. I wish you lots of good karma.
What about you guys? What fun things do you like about the fair?
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Seasons?
These two things happened within one week of each other. I suppose in some places, there is a season in between the leaves falling and the trees budding, but here in Florida, there is not.* This is also where my next novel is set, in the scary hot summer in the middle of the Green Swamp.
*Not bragging. I miss the snow in Virginia like you wouldn't believe.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
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