Halloween Scarefest Blog Hop . . .

I was supposed to post some information on this but my day was so busy I just posted the excerpt and kept telling myself to go back and fix it. So here is the revised post.

Jordan McColum is hosting a scarefest with the theme of fear. I have some pretty scary scenes so I thought I'd go for it.

This is a scene from my story Intercession. I'll warn you this was a NANO project and is really rough. I apologize.

The scene opens where Dacias a vampire is chasing a human on Halloween night.

The man looked back and with a grin he turned down Garret Street, a small side alley lined with bars and whore houses. It would be easy for him to slip away in any of the darkened doorways.
Not if I can help it.
Dacias pushed himself forward increasing his speed, grabbed the man by the shoulders and spun him around.
“Whaddaya want with me?” the man asked. His once smooth ponytail now hung in greasy strands around his shoulders. He panted and looked at Dacias, one of his yellow contacts had shifted to the right and he blinked to settle it again. A fake vampire fang now hung by a string of adhesive from his incisor. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Right,” Dacias said. “I’m sure that girl would disagree with you.”
“Girl? What girl?”
“the blonde woman dressed in the fairy costume, I’m sure she remembers every terror filled second with you.”
“T…the fairy, oh her. She was like that when I found her.”
“When you found her? Then why’d you run?” he grabbed at the man’s had that held the straight edge. “What’s this for then?”
“I. . . uh found it next to her, and . . . I wondered what it was.” He startled as the tooth fell hitting his shirt before falling to the ground.
“You know what I really hate?” Dacias said as he took his finger and bent the blade of the straight edge down against the man’s hand. “I hate someone who impersonates a vampire. You guys have it all wrong. We’re nothing like the old legends make us out to be. You push a stake through my chest and you’re just going to piss me off, even more when you think that vampires drain a body. Just how big do you think my stomach is?” He paused watching the man’s face. He’d seen better vampire costumes. He wondered why his friend Elias invited so many humans to his annual Halloween party anyway. “You know what I hate even more? I hate someone who blatantly lies to me.”
“I . . .I” the man stuttered. Dacias smiled, smelling the adrenalin rush through his blood. The aroma similar to hot sugar, it made him think of his mothers cinnamon rolls.
“A . . . are you scared yet?” he mocked letting his fangs slide from his gums. The man’s pupils constricted into tiny pinpoints. “Yeah you thought we really didn’t exist did you. Thought it was cool to mock my race. Even better to let a woman bleed to death as you sit at home in agony with a belly full of blood.” He pulled the man’s head sideways and opened his mouth. He suppressed his calming pheromones, the ones that normally let his victims fall into a peaceful stupor as he fed and not remember a thing afterward.
“This is going to hurt.” He said and plunged his fangs into the man’s flesh.

inkPagent

There's a new kid in town. A website called inkPagent. It deals with all things writing and publishing. To cellebrate their grand opening they are having a party. If you post an article there or mention them you get points toward three Amazon gift cards. The site is pretty amazing. Go take a gander. inkPagent

re-vise, re-write, re-vision . . . who am I kidding?

I am working on a few projects. Drafting and editing and plotting. While I love the plotting and drafting the one that needs editing is the one that is demanding my attention. You see I have a new crit partner, and she's awesome. I can't believe I am so lucky!!!! The deal is, I send her a new chapter every Monday and she sends me hers. We crit them and then send them back by Sat evening. This is really a good thing, it is forcing me to revise Latent and send her chapters that are as perfect as possible. SO seeing that Latent is my NANO project from two years ago one ting has happened since then. I have fine tuned the plot and made it better. So what happens when you do this you revise every chapter. Now don't get me wrong, I said re-vise not re-write. While I am weaking things I am not rewriting most of the chapters. Most of them need things changed but not a complete re-drafting. This is a good thing. I have let this book sit in the back of my head and simmer so-to-speak, and by doing that it has gotten better much like seasonings in a stew. So while alot of my writer friends are gearing up for NANO, my advice to them is once the 50,000 words are drafted, stick it in a dark drawer for a long time and let it age. I promise you the story will get better as it sits. Happy NANO Everyone!

If I am a plotter, then

why am I working on a book without a clear structure?

Have you ever heard of discovery writing? It's that place where you just sit down and write w/o any clear idea of where you're going. Well that is where I am on the MS that is demanding my attention.

Now don't get me wrong, I am still a "structure gal", it's just that at the begining of the story when I don't know where exactly I am going, siting down and just starting to write is a good way to get an idea of who my characters are and what they think and are going to do.

It's kinda like freewriting, giving me a way to explore what the beginings of the story is. A chance to have a little fun with out the structure looming over my head telling me that that isnt the way the story is supposed to go.

Sometimes I use this stuff I write at the begining in the story. Sometimes I throw it all into a "cut" folder for another time or refrence. Sometimes it becomes a later chapter or stays the first chapter. Whatever feels right.

Regardless of how or if I use it those first few chapters often express the theme of what I am trying to write and create the basis of everything else that goes on in the MS. It's how this panster turned structure gal stays sane.

This is my 400 post. Amazing isn't it? That I've been talking to you guys for that long.

To celebrate I will be giving away a custom made hand sewn 50 page mini journal. But you have to do one thing. Comment on the post.

SO . . . What style of writer are you? Or if you're not a writer, say hi.

Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson

California teen, Sadie James, thinks her life couldn’t get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she’s rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won’t even tell her his name.

Each time the boy appears, Sadie’s unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her. But as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one?

As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn’t as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all.

You can get the book here: DEEP BLUE SECRET

Christie's website



This was a really interesting story. Full of interesting ideas and worlds. I actually read it in a day. The authors ideas are origional and that is what kept me reading.

However there were a few drawbacks, and I don't want any reader to dive into the story un-awares. the author created a world that we don'e get to see even though one of the POV characters lived there. A major problem with Sadie was presented and while Rayne solves it we again are left in the dark as to what the solution is. The book really needed a few more rounds of critique and editing.

The one thing that would have made me put the book down if the story hadn't been so interesting was Sadies emotions. She was up and down happy and sad, in love and in denial depressed and normal. It really reminded me of Bella and Edward in the Twilight Series. I wondered if the series is a favorite read of the author.

Now don't get me wrong. The book is worth the read. Yes there are problems in it. BUT there are problems in many books. I promised myself that I would be honest to you my readers, so you don't think I am up in the night.

I recieved this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review. How I recieve a book never influences my expressed opinion.


Here is her really good book trailer

Deep Blue Secret