Re: Road Trip Wednesday #95: Deja Vu All Over Again

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:

What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?

Redemption and Transformation:

I think if I needed to pick the biggest theme or issue that tends to crop up in my work, it would be redemption, followed by transformation. Doesn't matter whether we are talking the big, cosmic, soul changing acceptance of divinity level stuff, or whether we are just talking about a character who has been a complete pain in the ass getting hit in the head with the error of their ways... It's something that is extremely important to me and that I tend to explore in my work whether I mean to or not.

In Moon Dance Sarena does not want to take her place as Kesyl's Guardian. Because she denied her powers her brother, Jayden, took the position and eventually that is going to have massive consequences. As she becomes more familiar with Kess, the Kindred as a whole and her role within their society the mistakes that she made threaten to take the good parts of her new life from her. It is her gradual willingness to go through the fire (metaphorically speaking -- although it is a fire that landed her with the job) that will eventually set things right.

In Untouchable Cassie goes through a huge set of changes after the car accident where she is injured. As we watch Jenna's desire to have more freedom and control of her own life, Cassie actually witnesses, in essence, who she was. As she is pulled into a way of life that she left behind, she must resist succumbing to it again as she struggles to show Jenna that there are other ways to get what she wants. Cassie's art is a symbol of her journey away from destructiveness and toward creativity; it is also how she connects with Alan. Jenna thinks that by getting wrapped up in Cassie's old life -- using her makeup and clothes from before the accident and looking more "cool" that she, too, can reinvent herself.

Repeated Things That Drive Me Crazy

When I write about this I know I'm in trouble. ;)

Food

I can't believe how many times I describe people having food in Moon Dance. Some of it is great and I will keep it. Some of it, though, is probably lazy "business" and has scenes that likely need a different setting. I love food. I'm good at describing food. But no one wants 300 pages of people eating. Yes, there is a lot more to my book then that. But it's something that I need to keep an eye on.

Beds: 

My characters spend way too much time here. I mean, seriously. They often aren't even doing anything else -- just lying together and cuddling. Cute? Maybe. Plot driving? There is probably somewhere else that the scene can happen. Or at least, that should be a consideration. 

* + * + * +*

See, the problem isn't food or beds themselves. Its that they don't necessarily get used right in the story. Food can be very powerful. Or it can be a diversion. Both of these are fine, but I need to stay focused on what I want it to do.

Same with beds. There is nothing wrong with them. In fact, a scene I really like in Moon Dance, where Kesyl makes Sarena breakfast, happens in one and it's far from being the wrong location or not having plot. ;) But yet again... You need to use them when they are best used.

* + * + * + *

Anyway, thanks for dropping by and listening to me talk about themes in my writing. What do you find cropping up over and over in your work? Do you like it or does it drive you crazy? 

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #94: When They Were Young...

This week's Road Trip Wednesday question is: Which adult character(s) do you think would make a good teen MC?

Well, I have two that come to mind. One from anime, and one from a book.

Iroh, from Avatar: The Last Airbender

In the midst of a vast and aggressive nation that has been at war nearly 100 years with the intent of dominating the entire world, one man seems to have endured and retained a certain level of civility, honour and decency. Yes, Iroh became a General for the fire nation. But by the time that we see him in Avatar, his fiery past has been tempered by wisdom, compassion, empathy and loss.

How many trials did he have to endure to become the man he is now? Has he always had some type of inner core that has lead him to do -- or at least attempt to do -- the right thing. Or did he earn that, as Zuko does? Did he love the woman who carried his son or was it some form of an arrangement? Did he want to be a General? What were his thoughts on the war at a young age -- do they match how he feels now? What was his relationship with his own father like and how might that have influenced how he felt about his own son, and later Zuko? What was his relationship with his brother, the current Fire Lord, like? How did he become a Grand Master of the White Lotus? Has he always been so fond of tea?

So many questions, so little time...

Lily Evans from Harry Potter

We all know what Hogwarts was like for Harry. But how about his mother? Lily is full of interesting questions. What was it like finding out she was a witch? Was she close to Petunia before this? Did she feel betrayed, or pity her sister, or taunt her sister? Did Lily's parents actually favor her because of her letter or is this something Petunia imagined?

What kind of friendship did she share with Severus? Did she ever have feelings for him? Did she realize he had feelings for her? Why was she eventually drawn to James Potter, despite he and his friends' tendency to make fun of Severus? How did James win her over? Did she retain her friendship with Severus or did it fall apart? Who's choice was this?

Anyway, those are my two choices. Who would you pick? Feel free to let me know or link me to your post for RTW. Thanks for reading. :)

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #94: Best Book (August) + Giveaway!

"What is the best book you read this month?" + Scroll down to win a copy of The Sky Is Everywhere

Summary: (from GoodReads)

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

My Thoughts:

Every once in a while a book comes along that is so moving, so wonderful and so special that it becomes associated with the word "favorite". For me, this doesn't happen very often. I am quite cautious of claiming that a book is among my "favorites", because I read many books and when I say something is a "favorite" I want it to mean something.

Sort of the same as I feel about saying "I love you", I suppose.

The Sky Is Everywhere is a book that gets the "favorite" label. I gave it an absolutely glowing review that you can read here. It's also the only book I've read so far that I've given The Kat's Meow Award for Amazing Storytelling. Okay, truthfully? I decided to create the award because, to me, The Sky Is Everywhere is such a step above anything else I have given five hearts to that I needed some way to clearly distinguish how much I love it. I'm sure that other books will eventually become recipients of The Kat's Meow... But the bar has been set very high.

All of the reasons that I gave for loving The Sky Is Everywhere in my review hold true, and they are great reasons for loving a book. But the reason this book is special to me, personally, is because it made me recall a powerful memory from within my own life. It made me examine and deal with a situation that I thought I had faced and conquered a very long time ago. A situation I thought I had fully mastered, but which in truth I had simply buried and hoped would never resurface.

To me, that is what the best books do: they live for you as you read them. (take a look at what I said about how powerful the characterization is in my review...) Then, in turn, they make you live for yourself -- live more honestly, more clearly and more fully -- once you have finished reading.

I was once, many years ago, in a situation very similar (in some ways) to what happens between Lennie and Joe and Toby. And, alas, my story ended unhappily. Yet by reading their story, by experiencing their happy ending, I have been freed from remembering the sorrow of that situation. I can finally look at it and see the beauty of what was there. See why it mattered so much in the first place.

By watching Joe forgive Lennie for her mistakes, I am finally able to forgive myself for the mistake that I made. Does it mean the person I hurt has or will ever forgive me? No. But it means that, in at least some small way, I can move forward.

By watching Lennie learn to live with, if not accept, the loss of Bailey, I am finally able to accept the loss of someone that I thought I loved deeply. (Thankfully no one died in my situation, but losing someone sucks regardless of what form it takes.) Someone I didn't even realize I still missed quite so much until I got deeply ensnared within the pages of this story. Until my past caught up with me.

When something we watch, or listen to, or read somehow touches our lives, I believe that is when it becomes the most profound, powerful and real. I cannot tell you that The Sky Is Everywhere will do this for you. My goal in saying all that I have isn't to try and convince you that it should be one of your favorite books.

But hopefully from reading this, I have given others a glimpse of why it is one of mine.

Once again, if you haven't read my review yet, click here to read my thoughts about The Sky Is Everywhere.

Have you, by chance, not read The Sky Is Everywhere yet? I'm here to fix that for you. :)

I am giving away two (2) copies of The Sky Is Everywhere. I believe that the highest praise I can give a book is to increase the number of people who have read it. This book is so amazing that I'm doing that twice over. ;)

Here is How to Enter / How to Get Bonus Entries:

• To enter the contest, please leave your e-mail in the comments for this post. This contest is open internationally; I will be sending the prizes out from my home in Ontario, Canada.
• +1 If you follow my blog / Are a follower of my blog
• +1 If you follow me on Twitter / Are a follower of my Twitter
• +1 If you friend me on GoodReads / Are friends with me on GoodReads
• +1 If you tweet about this giveaway
• +1 If you mention my giveaway on your blog
• +2 If you recommend a book that you would like to see reviewed
• +2 If you blog about your favorite book

In total, this means, you can earn up to ten entries. (One regardless of what you do, and nine bonus chances available if you do all the bonus activities.) I need to know which bonuses you have done, if you choose to do them, so please mention them or include links (depending on which you do). 

Entries must be in by September 15th, 2011.

To those who dropped by to read about my Best Book: August, thanks for reading. And for those who enter my giveaway, Good Luck! :) 

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #93: Beating Writer's Block

Is there anything more awful then a blank page?

For anyone who aspires to write, I think the answer could safely be no. It can be maddening to have visions of images and scenes and words stuck in my head and to be barred from pinning them down for others to see.

I feel that there are two reasons that I can get blocked.

#1: I Don't Know What I'm Talking About:

I write a lot of fantasy and paranormal stories. This means that some of the things that I come up with are, in large part, drawn from my imagination. This can be a blessing or a curse. It leaves me free to come up with awesome ideas, but it also gives me the responsibility of finding a way to make people understand and experience what I am talking about as they read. That can be easier said then done.

I have lots of ways that I combat this problem. I do detailed character sheets. I find images so that I can see my characters and their world as vividly as possible. You see, I need to believe that the world I am building (or altering, if I am setting a tale here on earth) is real before I can write it. I need to feel like I am there, believe what is happening. Quite a paradox for someone who writes about Gods and magic and the supernatural, huh?

There is also the more practical aspect of this, too. I need to know what I am talking about when I use things from the real world. For instance, I had to research Whistler, B.C. for Moon Dance, as well as The Nutcracker, what the model of the iPhone that was available at the time was capable of doing, how to fire a pistol, avalanche causes, conditions and rescue, cars (curse you and your obsession with cars, Kesyl!) and ballet. I find it hard to decide how well I need to know a topic. I am always nervous that what I am saying won't ring true. And this can get me stuck until I feel at least semi-confident from doing a bit of research.

#2: Nothing I Write Sounds Right:

This drives me mad. "Would he say this?", "Do I need him to drink some coffee between those sentences?", "How much thought / interior monologue is acceptable here?", "Should I end the chapter here or after the next scene?" ... If I let myself get bogged down in this stuff, I can go totally cold and complete absolutely nothing.

It's funny to talk about this, because what I have found is that I am able to overlook it in my rough draft. But now that Moon Dance is in revisions? Right. My brain is in overdrive trying to get every little detail perfect instead of relaxing and working on one set of problems at a time. (Right now I'm suppose to be working on editing some plot bunnies that didn't quite reach the briar patch.)

There are two weapons that tend to work for this. The first one is to bribe myself. I keep lists of things that I want -- games, books, gadgets, DVD sets, etc. -- and use them to keep me moving forward. The second is to pretend I am writing the scene I am editing again for the first time, tricking myself into thinking it's part of the rough draft or a totally separated short story.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Writer's block can really suck the life out of you. But if you can figure out who or what stole the key, it is totally possible to open the door and let the story come through. Good luck! :D

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #89: Best Book You Read In July

My Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3
Great! 

I had planned to avoid this book the way I would avoid an infectious disease. For some reason I was under the impression that dystopian fiction meant that the book required an unhappy ending. That's not something that I, personally, look for when I am sitting down to hear a story. (We have newspapers for that, thanks.)

But WalMart had nothing else that caught my interest the night I picked this up. I live in a small town, we don't have a real bookstore and I had just finished the first draft of Moon Dance so I was "hungry" for new words. I was going to get the Fallen books, but they did not have the first one (Fallen) despite having Torment and Passion, so that got scratched for now.

I took two days to even open this to the first page. "No! No! You're going to hate this." was going through my head. But I decided that I would read just one chapter. After all, I had paid for the darn thing.

One became two, two became three, you get the idea. I finished this book within 24 hours. I was that interested. And then I recommended my brother read it and he finished it in an afternoon, then went and picked up Catching Fire and Mockingjay the next day and finished those. (I'm not that far. I'm still weary of going further, truthfully. I can take the way I have this ending in my mind, but whether I'll be brave enough for the truth is yet to be seen.)

What I really liked about this book was the way that in a world that is so violent and so brutal that it is ultimately love -- or at least the illusion of love -- that ultimately saves (and I would assume dooms, eventually) the characters. I found myself wondering what I would do in Katniss' situation, torn between Peeta and Gale. I suppose that initially I wouldn't even be aware of their feelings or my own (she isn't). But as everything came to the front I think there would be a very difficult decision to be made. I certainly would not be as brave as her from a physical perspective. (Laughs).

What bothered me about this book is that we get two love interests and that we have one who is present and one who is in her thoughts. I feel very sorry for Peeta -- I think he is going to lose. Why? Because he is keeping up his end by being present, whereas Katniss is keeping up Gale's end by relying on their past together. And given her situation, the isolation she experiences for part of it where she is stuck waiting and watching for enemies several times, it only makes sense that she really gets to think about this now. And we see her struggling with it. She is worried about what Gale will think of what he sees on the cameras, she hopes that he will realize she is doing all she must in order to survive.

My money is on Gale because of the above-stated and because I have noticed that most books that feature a love triangle tend to follow an unwritten code that I call the "First Boy Rule". While we spend most of the book watching what happens between Katniss and Peeta, we are introduced to Gale before the Reaping happens and his closeness with Katniss is established right away. He is "First Boy". There is also the fact that he and Katniss have built up what they had on their own, naturally, through means that would be at least somewhat understandable to the reader. Despite Peeta's bread when he and Katniss were children, we are shown their relationship as fabricated and unnatural. It would go against the order of things for them to be together in the end because of this. (Although if they did have to, in my opinion, that would clinch how twisted this world is.)

Anyway, I cannot speak for Catching Fire or Mockingjay yet; but The Hunger Games, as a novel, captured and held my interest. I truly enjoyed reading it and am now actually considering reading some more dystopian YA. (Matched? Wither? Divergent? Delirium?) There are a lot of these that rub me the wrong way, but after reading The Hunger Games I'm starting to question if that might be a good thing and a healthy change of pace. I usually read paranormal or fantasy romance and found The Hunger Games to be a refreshing change. (Clearly I still care about romance -- it's my favorite thing to read and I spent a great deal of this post talking about it within the book -- but having new stages for it to be set on is welcome.)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

So, did anyone else have to pause before they picked up The Hunger Games? Should I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay? What other dystopians would you recommend (or recommend avoiding)?

Thanks for dropping by. :)

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #86: Images that Inspire

I'm an anime nut. There. I said it. So when I write I don't usually go to magazines or TV for my visual inspiration. I'm far more likely to visit some of the talented artists on DeviantArt.com instead. I have a few pieces of art to share. Some of it is mine; some is not. I have done my best to credit the artist(s) on the samples that are not my own. I have also linked back to their original page for the image so that if you like what you see, you can let them know.

My Art:

Here is one of Kesyl and "Ruby". This was drawn five years ago and I'm posting it to show just how far that his character has come from where I originally "found" him. He was originally going to be the hero of a book called "Chronicles of the Holly Knight", about a Prince whose Kingdom took over the lands of a neighboring Kingdom because Kesyl wanted to marry their King's daughter. Anyway, here you go:

That purple hair so had to go. This image

is kinda creepy now, too. Ruby is his Mom.

Here are a couple more modern shots of Sarena. The girl that Kesyl (or "Kess" as people tend to call him) ended up with by the time I started Moon Dance. Where did Sara come from? She was actually created to be the girlfriend of a Lich in a D&D story about ten years ago. She has retained much of her appearance and her spunky attitude but I think she's doing much better in the modern setting. Plus, going from a Lich King (I now wonder if my RP buddy as a Warcraft fan?) to dating the Prince of the Underworld has to be a major upgrade. (No pesky philactories. Ew.) 

"Well excuse you."

This was drawn about a month ago. It's actually from a story later in my "Kindred" series (working title.) In this image, Sara has just started her first day at Hycanth House and someone in a rush to get to class knocked her over. They're lucky her daggers didn't materialize. Or that Kesyl didn't see this. ;) I can't believe I drew this before I started writing Moon Dance. It does not really seem all that long ago.

"I've been waiting."

This is another drawing that was inspired from a scene I have jotted down for a later story. Here we see Sara lying on a bed in a suite in the Underworld, waiting for Kess to come and find her. They had a fight because Sara got into an arguement with Ruby, the Moon Goddess. (Kess' mother) Ruby told Kess that she wanted him to take the souls of Sarena's parents because Sara has offended her. (More then that -- she cut Ruby's face with a dagger and the Goddess has a scar.) 

Kess is torn between his love for Sarena or finally having a chance to please his birth mother. (Ruby did not want Kess and gave him to one of her priestesses to raise.) Sarena and Kess' friends are angry at him for even thinking there is a choice to be made here. Kess' father Lucian, the God of the Underworld, decides that Sara should live in his palace until Kess makes up his mind. Lucian wants Kess to know what life without Sarena is like. Luc feels that Kess might not be appreciating her enough.

This picture is her expression at seeing Kess walk through a door after several days being separated.

Other Artists:

I'm actually only going to put up one piece that has really inspired me that I found by another artist. This is the image that I have on the desktop for my new netbook (more on that later...). It always makes me want to write about these two. 

Kiss by Ladre

In a word: stunning. There is so much that I love about this image. The colors. The posing of the characters. The ripples in the water. And yes, this is where I got the idea for Kess' Soul Globe. (See the chain around his neck?) I simply couldn't do a post about inspring art without giving this magnificent image a moment in the light. (I'm so many lightyears from drawing / coloring like this. Oh well, can't have it all I guess. :p )

Anyway, thanks for coming by and taking a look at the images. Have a great day! (Note to self: reference the images you look at, genius! *sigh* Finding the credits for Kiss took me an hour.) 

Re: Road Trip Wednesday #84: The Roof Is On Fire

This weeks's question is certainly interesting. If my house was on fire and I could only grab five things, what would they be? Kinda tough. It depends on what rules we are playing with. Is every living creature out of the house? If not then the first thing I would be doing is getting my brother, my parents and my two little dogs. Stuff can be replaced -- people and pets can't.

But lets not cheat. The Mini Wheats and the family are safe. Now what?

1. My purse. I keep all of my identification in here. I also have all the money I currently own, in cash, because I absolutely detest and loathe banking. If I let my purse get destroyed I would have to get all of my information replaced and I wouldn't have any money to take care of myself in the meantime. Purse contents would likely include: Wallet, lipgloss, flash drive (hopefully up to date!) and a pack of gum. I tend to travel light.

2. My iPod. Pop it free from the charger and pull the charger out of the computer. No way would I lose my music. My iPod is something I take with me everywhere I go. Plus, I could use the music to calm myself down once I got out and I could find somewhere with wifi to tell people what is going on.

3. The bound copy of my only completed novel, Ring of Darkness. I wrote it over ten years ago, I do not have a digital copy of it at this point, but I do have it in a white glittery binder. I would be trying to lug it out from among my other books and would probably be writing a catalog of those outside to replace them once I got insurance money.

4. The photo album of my trips with my grandparents as a child. It is the only place where I have photos of my grandpa, who passed away in 1996 and I know I will never get to take another photo of him again so making sure I grabbed this would be absolutely vital.

5. "Jay", my black build-a-bear that wears that Video Game pajamas. My boyfriend made him to go with Kat, the pink and orange build a bear in Hello Kitty pajamas. (Okay, honestly? I'd cheat and grab them both since they'd be two feet apart.) The reason I am saying that I would pick "Jay" if I had to over "Kat" is because the real Jay (my boyfriend) recorded a message of him telling me that he loves me on it. We're long distance so it is nice having that at the push of a button.

Anyway, there's my list. I'm not sure whether I'd actually be able to carry all of that (although I suppose I'd stick the iPod in my purse and sling the purse over my arm.) but that was not something that was indicated in the description. Its funny how little trouble I actually had coming up with this list. There was a lot of crap that I had to cut through. It's also interesting, to me, that most of the things I would want to save are not actually my most financially valuable possessions.