Road Trip Wednesday # 18: If I Could Be Any Character...

Road Trip Wednesday # 18: If I Could Be Any Character...

Posted by Raven M on 3:04 PM in

I love reading books in first person, mainly because it feels like you are actually the person inside the book. Sometimes you don't want to be that character, because they might go through some things that scare you half to death. Other times, their life is full of adventure and love and beauty.

That is one of the reasons why I would not mind being Grace from Shiver. She is dating one of the sweetest werewolves I have ever read about. Sam is artistic and romantic and vulnerable and oh my goodness he has yellow eyes. *swoons*

I love Sam.

Okay, Sam isn't the only reason why I would want to be Grace. The fact that she may or may not be a werewolf herself is kind of awesome. Though she is still human, she has these super amazing wolf senses and that is just really really cool.

Also, I always thought of myself as Jane Eyre for some reason. We are so much alike in so many ways. Plus, I have this crush on Mr. Rochester none of my friends understand. But seriously. He's so dark and Byronic and he really, he puts Edward Cullen to shame. Bella kept saying Edward was cryptic but Mr. Rochester... *sighs dreamily*

And then I really wanted to be Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series, but I am terrified of everything. So I probably would not be down with killing Strigoi. But it would be worth it for Adrian and Dimitri .... *drools*

Alright, alright. I lied in the beginning. Sam has everything to do with why I want to be Grace. Mr. Rochester has everything to do with why I want to be Jane. Basically, it's all about the love interest.

Don't get me wrong. I love a strong female lead as the main character, but at the end of the day, I will most likely be swooning over the plot and the love interest.

Remember people. It's all about the love interest.

Oh and before I forget....


Alexandra Bracken, author of Brightly Woven, a book I have been eying for a while now, is having a huge contest. Clicky.

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Teaser Tuesday on a Non-Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday on a Non-Tuesday

Posted by Raven M on 7:03 PM in

I won't have any time to post my teaser tomorrow, so I guess I'll just post it now. This is from Mirror, Mirror the novel I have been avoiding for months. A couple of days ago the characters sat beside me while I was watching TV and whispered answers to so many of the questions I had.

I hope to rework some of the plot and change the title. My goal is to be done with this novel before my birthday which is in June. Keep your fingers crossed.

This is unedited, by the way, but I hope you guys enjoy it. I look forward to reading everyone's teasers.

***

That was the last time I seen Ellis cry, but it wasn't the last time I seen him. He came over all the time. We didn't talk a lot, but that was mainly because there was nothing to say. On my part, I remained silent because I didn't know enough about his and Sarah's history to say anything, that he could relate to. He, I supposed, remained silent because so much time had passed and the bond that he and Sarah had shared, was growing weak, thin.

Like an old lady's bones, it was ready to break.

Whenever he came over, we'd sit on the couch and watch TV. He would hold my hand and let the pictures flitting across the screen be our only connection.

One day, though, he decided to speak.

"How come you didn't call me on that first night. When you came home? I would have liked to know that you were back." We were watching a made-for-TV movie whose plot I couldn't make out. I was too busy thinking about his hand in mind, wishing it was someone else's.

I shrugged. "I went through a lot. I just wanted to be alone."

"Alone," he repeated.

I didn't say anything. This was all so new to me, making up things as I went. The truth, I only would admit to myself. I didn't know anything about being alone. Only when I lived with my aunt Margaret, did I feel like I was just a lonely soul roaming the earth with no essential purpose. But when I joined a family, a real family, I felt like I belonged. As time passed, I found out I didn't. So, I didn't know about being alone but I did know about being lost.

Paul had told me that there was something about me that seemed so different, so dark. I seen that same thing in Ellis as he stared at me, his eyes analyzing, calculating. What, I did not know.

"Where were you?" he asked.

I sighed. "Look, I don't want to talk about this." I glued my eyes to the TV screen. It had worked on Brenda, I prayed it would work on him.

"I'm sorry, I just don't understand some things."

"You don't need to," I said. "All that matters is that you're here, and I'm here. Right?"

I tried my best not to choke on the words. Low had wrote them. It was nice to know that some part of him would come in handy one day.

"I guess you're right."

"I am right. Now, let's just watch this movie. It's getting good."

Ellis didn't say anything more.

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Music Monday

Music Monday

Posted by Raven M on 4:30 PM in

I haven't done Music Monday in a long time but in honor of picking up my novel Mirror, Mirror (which is going to soon be renamed) again, I have a song from the playlist that I simply adore.

If you don't know this song or the band, Keane, I suggest that you start listening to their music now. Some of my favorite scenes were written while listening to them.

Enjoy the song and pay close attention to the lyrics because they are truly are beautiful.

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Because I have nothing else to do...

Because I have nothing else to do...

Posted by Raven M on 8:02 AM in

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I hope I get better soon too, because I can't really seem to focus on anything. My attention span is short and every time I think about writing, nothing comes out.

Having a concussion sucks.

But I was over at Kristin's blog and she did a survey that had really good questions that I going to attempt to answer. If you want to do this survey as well, post your answers on your blog, and I'll try to take a look at them.

Here we go:

1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?

The last novel that I wrote was Mirror, Mirror. I gave up on revising it for a while because I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. There is so much to do and I really don't have the patience to do it.

The first novel that I wrote, is one that I still have. It was called The Chronicles of Pyra: Rise of the Phoenix but that is a ridiculously long title so it was later shortened to Pyra. I wrote it when I was nine and it was based off this cartoon I used to watch religiously. Sometimes I read over it to get a good laugh. Other times I read over it when I need to remember that I have come so far with my writing and I can't give up.


2) Write poetry?

I LOVE poetry. Before I fell in love with story writing, I wrote poetry everyday. So, yeah, I definitely write poetry.


3) Angsty poetry?

Definitely. Writing was a way for me to deal with my problems when I was younger. So a lot of poems were written when I was angry or sad or whatever.


4) Favorite genre of writing?

I love stories with a good romance woven in. I really don't care if it's paranormal or contemporary, as long as I have a complicated romance, I'm good.


5) Most annoying character you've ever created?

I'm going to have to say Stacy Coleman from Fighting the Fire. I mean, she just doesn't stop talking and she's easily manipulated and I don't know why I made her so dumb, but it's a contrast to the main character's personality, and it works, I guess.


6) Best plot you've ever created?

With me I love the story I'm working on and then I hate it. And then after awhile I love it again. Honestly the best plot I have ever created would have to be the one for Fighting the Fire, although Mirror, Mirror was amazing, in my opinion, Fighting the Fire took a lot more work because I am building another world, which I haven't done in a long long time. The characters are more complex, they have flaws, and there is a lot of mystery, action, and romance. Therefore, it's possibly the best plot I have ever created.


7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?

Um, I'm not sure about this one yet. When I finish Fighting the Fire, I'll come back to answer this question.


8) How often do you get writer's block?

Almost always. Especially around the time I actually want to write. It's annoying, really. I mean, when I have no time to write, I want to write, and I actually can write because the words are flowing in my head. But by the time I get a chance to write them down, they're gone. Writer's block sucks.


9) Write fan fiction?

I won't lie to you. I do have a couple pieces of fan fiction. My first novel technically is fan fiction even though it is different from what I based it off of.

And I do have a Vampire Academy fan fiction somewhere on my computer. Did I finish it? No. Why? Well because there are too many voices in my head already, and if I let in any more, I think my brain would explode.


10) Do you type or write by hand?

I type because writing is over-rated. Really, I have tried writing in a notebook, but I can't do it. My brain is way faster than my hand, and it's really uncomfortable to write with a pen or pencil.


11) Do you save everything you write?

Yep. Every single word. I save. I am a firm believer of recycling.


12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?

It depends how good the idea is. I have plenty plot ideas saved on my computer and some of them have been there since the beginning of time. Do I plan to write them? Yes, but they have to wait in line.


13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?

I'm going to say Mirror, Mirror because when I go back to read some of my favorite scenes, I really can't believe that I wrote it because they are just that beautiful. I don't mean to come off as conceited, but there are times when I think that I am not a good writer and really that WIP blows me away. It just needs a good polishing for it to be even more beautiful than it already is.


14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?

I would like to say Mirror, Mirror is but I do have a few Shadow fans.


15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?

Um, yeah. I mean, I can't live without romance in my novels. There has to be some kind of love triangle going on for me to love the story. And angst? Duh. I am a teenager, you know. I live for angst. Though I don't think I am that angsty, my characters are teens and so they are filled with the stuff.


16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?

I usually don't focus on setting a lot, but I love places that are ugly to some and beautiful to others. Mirror, Mirror takes place in a town that is so small and so empty that you could hear the wind rustling through the trees. Fighting the Fire takes place in a city filled with clubs and a lot of industrial buildings, and it also takes place in a world ruled by folklore and war and magic and beauty and danger.

The setting depends on the characters and what they want. I usually don't form the setting until I know the characters a little bit more.


17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?

One. Technically. But Shattered is still being planned. Currently I am writing Fighting the Fire, taking notes, making sure the story makes sense and all that other good stuff.


18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?

In 2nd grade I won a state contest where I had to write an essay about what the Statue of Liberty meant to me.

19) What are your five favorite words?

Incandescent. Elysium. Shiver. Gravid. Devoid.


20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?

Ooh this is a hard one. I usually try not to make any of my characters like me but I would have to say Kendall Ryan from Mirror, Mirror was most like me because we both care about what other people think.

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?

All over. TV. Music. Movies. School. The News. Books. Life.


22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?

Sometimes. If I can remember the dream, when I wake up.


23) Do you favor happy endings?

Yeah, if it fits with the plot. I don't want to make it easy for my characters, because if you want people to relate to your characters, you have to make it real. And let's face it, not everyone gets a happy ending. They get a fair ending. And those are the type of endings I favor.


24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

Yes.


25) Does music help you write?

I need music to write. Music is one of my many muses.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.

"After awhile, I stopped caring," he said.

"I try not to care, but..." I shrugged. "I hate for people to leave me."

Duncan didn't say anything for a while and I thought he thought I was just some weird, clingy girl but then his hand curled around mine, and the world stopped spinning. "I won't ever leave you."

For a fraction of a second, everything felt right.

And then the truth of his words hit me.

I should have stayed in class. I should have left him out here to smoke and smoke and smoke, because in the end, he would die of lung cancer, and not because I let myself love him.

~ Eden, Fighting the Fire

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Two Big Giveaways in One Blog Post

Two Big Giveaways in One Blog Post

Posted by Raven M on 4:47 PM in

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

AND

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

If you want to win this book as badly as I do, go enter Steph Bowe's contest now!

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Teaser Tuesday + Some Bad News

Teaser Tuesday + Some Bad News

Posted by Raven M on 6:07 AM in

Yesterday some boy thought it would be really funny to throw snowballs and launched one at my head. Instead it wasn't snow. It was a chunk of ice and to make a long story short, I have a concussion and I can't go to school.

I'm really not supposed to be on the computer, but I have nothing else to do. My friends are going to be calling me throughout the day to make me feel better, but Teaser Tuesday is something I look forward to every week, so I'll try to read everyone's today, if my brain allows it.

But without father ado, here's a teaser from Fighting the Fire.

"I was just thinking," Duncan started, stuffing his hands in his pocket. I don't know how long we had been walking, but the sun was starting to sink behind the clouds, spraying the sidewalks gold.

"You do that a lot now lately," I said, jokingly. "Careful, you might hurt your brain." He usually laughed at my jokes, but when his blue eyes slammed against mine, there wasn't humor in them.

"About you and me. Everything that has happened. What you are and what I am ..." He looked off into the distance. "becoming."

"And?"

"It's worth it," he replied.

My breath caught.

Duncan rendered me speechless. He took pride in that, and smiled. In that smile I found peace, as I always had, but I could still see the sword dangling over his head.

The longer I stayed with him, the more it lowered until it was pressing into his angelic curls. I did not mean for our friendship to turn into this.

His eyebrows knitted together. "What's wrong?"

The sun was quickly slipping into the horizon, and pretty soon night would bring all the things I tried to protect him from.

He pulled me to a stop, when I didn't answer him. "Eden."

I looked at him. "Sometimes I wish I can go back."

He chuckled, uneasily. But regarded me with a worried gaze. "You don't usually say serious things like that. What's..."

"Wrong?" I finished for him. "A lot of things. You, me. What you are and what I am. There is no looking around that, Duncan."

"If you're afraid of Paul then...." he started, taking my hands into his.

"I'm not scared of your brother. He could go to Hell, for all I care."

"Then what is it, Eden?" His voice rose an octave, and a rosy color painted his cheeks. He looked angry, frustrated even. That was rare for him. "I am trying to be there for you, but every time you let me in, you end up pushing me back out again."

I pulled away from him. "Maybe it's better that way."

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In Which I Talk About My WIP

In Which I Talk About My WIP

Posted by Raven M on 1:06 PM in

In celebration of reaching 20K in my WIP, Fighting the Fire, I'm going to tell you a little bit about the novel.

I am seriously in love with it, and the characters seem to love me, because they don't seem to want to stop talking. There have been many times when I was watching TV or reading a book or whatever, and then all of a sudden, I hear this voice and wham! I'm writing again.

Can you believe I only started this novel three days ago?

Because really I can't believe that. I mean, I'm not a fast writer. It takes me weeks to finish a first chapter and I believe I finished the first chapter of Fighting the Fire in 30 minutes. Yeah, I timed myself. There is about 5, 000 words in my first chapter, so either this story really WANTS to be told or somebody spiked my tea when I wasn't looking.

I am going to go with the former. This story wants to be told. I want to tell this story.

It's a story about a girl named Eden Dalca who isn't a damsel - in - distress. The first chapter opens up with her in a club looking for a man who could possibly tell her who is after her and her family.

Fighting the Fire wasn't just something I thought up over night. No, I have been sitting on this idea for months and I really didn't have the guts to write it, until now.

Before I even started writing, I took down A LOT of notes on characters, on setting, on plot. Because this novel is Urban Fantasy, I need to make sure that my world building is strong.

This happens to be the second Urban Fantasy novel I have attempted to write. My previous one, Shadow, didn't get as far as this and now I see what people mean when they say that if at first you don't succeed, try again.

I am so glad I tried again, because now I have a kick-ass main character and a story that I hope is different from all the others out there.

This story is hard to explain because so much goes on. There is a lot of action, a lot of adventure. A parallel universe where magical creatures exist. Dragons who aren't the conventional kind. Most of you think that Dragons are giant lizards, but they're not. They're humans who can wield the elements - earth, wind, fire, and water.

There is a love triangle, that is forbidden both ways. Duncan Rivers is a Hunter, a human whose destiny is kill magical creatures, and Constantin is not only older than Eden (there's a four year age difference) but she is a Princess and she has to marry someone royal to bring peace back to the Other world.

One thing I will tell you about Eden is that she is tainted. She has Dragon blood but her mother was a witch so she takes after her mother in many ways. Her father Nicolai was a Romanian King and her mother was the daughter of a Chinese warlock.

I don't want to give too much away, but there is a war going on. One that has to do with the three Immortal charms that King Nicolai hid in the Mortal world.

The reason why they are called the Immortal charms is because they have Souls in them. Souls that came from the Fates, three Immortal witches.

That is all I'm going to say for now. But I am really excited about this novel and if you want to learn more the story or see what the characters look like check out my website.

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday

Posted by Raven M on 5:50 AM in

Today's teaser is from my new WIP, Ashes, Ashes. I am really not sure about that title, but it fits for now, I guess. But it's an Urban Fantasy and I already 10,000 words in, so it is pretty exciting.

I really want to know what you guys think of the beginning. It's pretty rough, so sorry for any error you run across. Enjoy!

***

In life you could do things the easy way or the hard way. I preferred the hard way, but that was only because I liked to get my hands dirty.

I had walked into that bar looking for trouble, and, as always, it found me.

Or I should say, he found me.

The man I was looking for was sitting on a stool talking to the bartender. A bottle of beer was on the counter in front of him, and a wide smile was on his face. His silver teeth glittered in the dim light that filled the room. I scrunched up my nose. People with metal in their mouth usually had stinky breath. If I were going to be talking to him, I probably would need to offer him a tic-tac or something.

I reached in my purse to look for some, but then a shadow fell over me, blocking out the light.

It was the bartender. He was rather nice-looking for an old guy. Salt and pepper hair, dark eyes, and a warm smile. For a moment, I thought he was George Clooney. But even he wouldn't work at a place like this. He wouldn't come here either, unless he had some business to take care of.

And believe me, I had business to take care of. Why else would I go to a bar on a school night?

"Good evening, miss," the bartender said. "Can I get you anything?"

Idiot. He didn't even ask to see my ID. I was wearing make-up and a dress with a plunging neckline that would have my mother praying for days, but I didn't look old enough to drink.

This must have been my lucky night.

"Well, I..." I started, batting my eyelashes. Laying it on thick.

"You see the fine fellow down there." I followed his gaze. Metal Mouth. Yeah, I saw him. He was the one I came here to see. "He wants to buy you a drink."

"That is very sweet of him. Tell him I said thanks."

"Maybe you can tell him yourself." He flicked his wrist and Metal Mouth got up from his stool and moved towards me, that wide grin still pasted on his lips.

Unlike the bartender, he wasn't nice-looking. People who came here usually weren't. His dark hair was slicked back with too much grease and he had really thick eyebrows. I would have told him that he looked like Oscar the Grouch but I had to keep up my act.

His own eyes swept over me, a look of approval washing over his face.

"Thank you for the drink," I said, smiling.

"It was my pleasure, pretty lady." His voice wasn't that pleasant either. It sounded rough and raspy like he smoked a pack of cigarettes every day. And just like I predicted, his breath reeked. I couldn't pin down the scent, but I really wished he wasn't sitting so close.

I kept smiling, even though my cheeks were starting to hurt. Pretty lady. Wow, if only he knew. I wasn't making any effort to talk, but old Metal Mouth looked like the social type. He turned to the bartender. "How about that drink, Tom?" He looked at me again. His eyes lingering on my chest, before he met my gaze. "What would you like?"

"A water for now."

He smiled, approvingly. "Classy and pretty. What a dangerous combination."

"Stick around and you'll see just how dangerous I can be." He thought I was flirting with him. But I was serious underneath the smile. I was dangerous. In the dress I didn't look the part, but as my father used to say, looks can be deceiving.

Apparently, no one ever taught old Metal Mouth that.

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Steph Bowe's Birthday Giveaway

Steph Bowe's Birthday Giveaway

Posted by Raven M on 8:04 PM in

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPH!!!

Today is Steph Bowe's birthday and to celebrate, she is giving away three books. Yes, I said it. THREE books. From the looks of it all of them are amazing and they could be yours if you enter the contest now.

The deadline is February 14th so get those entries in and cross your fingers.

Good luck!

Linkage:Win the Demon's Lexicon, Liar, and Paper Towns

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Teaser Tuesdays On a Non-Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays On a Non-Tuesday

Posted by Raven M on 7:45 PM in

Today's (or actually tomorrow's) teaser is from my YA Contemporary novel Playing the Field.

Greg did better than fine. He owned the field. The other team had nothing on him. My throat was burning and raw, from all the screaming I was doing. I waved my foam thumb in the air, and Marnie rolled her eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"You're such a guy sometimes. I don't even understand half of what's going on."

"We're winning, that's all you need to know."

She rolled her eyes again, and I felt like telling her that if she kept doing that, her eyes would get stuck or something. But I just smiled at her, and focused my attention back on the game.

It was the other team's ball. They were on fourth down, and I knew right away that it wouldn't be their ball for long. It sailed into the air, and they scattered, looking like giant black and orange bees.

I searched around for Greg. He was running up the field, his arms thrown over his head. I had never seen him move that fast. I couldn't stop cheering. The ball grazed his fingertips, and then something happened.

I was sure there was going to be a lot of cheers coming from behind me, but it was silent. It took me a moment to figure out what was going on.

The ball landed on the field, and rolled out of Greg's reach. His fingers reached out for it, but that was all I could see of him. The rest of his body was trapped underneath three guys on the opposing team.

The referee blew his whistle and instead of cheers, there was a lot of booing.

"Fuck," I yelled. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"Do you think he's okay?" Marnie asked.

"I don't know. Look at him." After the three guys got their big asses off of Greg, I could see him lying on the field, still as the wind at this very moment.

"Greg!" I shouted. "Get up! Come on!"

The referee was talking. People in the bleachers were talking, some were yelling. But I couldn't hear them. I got up and ran down the bleachers, towards the field. When I reached him, I took his helmet off and smoothed his hair out.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey, babe. You okay?" I don't know why I asked that. It was such a stupid question, but he shook his head yes.

"Liar."

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