Faerie Games Teaser

Faerie Games

Melissa Danforth didn’t ask to win a trip to Ireland, she wanted a summer off school to work her butt off and recharge her bank account. Her first day on the island, and a curse attaches to a Ren Faire escapee claiming to be a faerie.

Finn of the Ivy was the most renowned womanizer in the Otherworld, and just getting to be respected for it. That is, until the High Queen banished to the human world for a crime he didn't commit.

Bottom line, they're stranded in a one-room walk-up together and want things back to normal. Normal means getting Finn home using a “key” to the Otherworld. Obstacles include: the only person who knows its location is in Ireland, Melissa's too broke to fly there, and an ancient enemy of the fae is on their tail.

With the race for the key in full swing, if Finn and Melissa’s newfound foes don’t finish them off, the pair might kill each other before they realize they don’t want things back to normal anymore.

Inspiration Instability

The only news I have to offer, regarding my life, is that classes have been heating up lately. That is the same old song and dance with school, so I suppose I don't have anything particularly exciting to report other than an influx cute guys coming to my attention. This, in itself, is a miracle! In all honesty, my corner of Florida is not the place to go for choice men, and odds are, if you see one, he is a tourist. I'm still trying to figure out how I should deliver an exerpt of Faerie Games (the back-of-book blurb from last week) to the blog, but I should have it up by the end of the week so whoever wants to can tell me their thoughts. But all that aside, on to the juicy stuff!

I thought I would talk about something that's been plaguing me lately regarding the tricky figure all artists come to love and hate: the muse. I know that's a generic term for inspiration, what makes our imaginations tick, but it is apt. Many authors go so far as to personify this, at times, mythical figure. I think, for novelty's sake, I'm going to do just that. Since I have a soft spot for Celtic Mythology (particularly in the Irish sector), I'm naming mine Brigid, after the Irish Goddess of fire, the forge, healing, and inspiration. She's quite the multi-faceted lady after all!

Going along with the multi-faceted nature of that figure, my mind is always revolving around a few particular projects I keep wanting to work on at various times. College has made my Brigid very fickle, because she keeps switching my focus between these multiple projects. On one hand, there is the Irish Faerie trilogy whose final installment I desperately need to iron out. On another hand, there is a thrilling idea for an open ended urban fantasy series I want to play with. And on a third hand, the looming month of November and NaNoWriMo is bringing up a historical fantasy I'm giddy to get to finally finish.

On one hand, I am happy that Brigid is churning out so many fun ideas. She used to go through outrageously long dry spells while I was between projects. However, I have trouble focusing as it is when I have the drive to write, but when it is being split into so many directions how in the world am I going to find time to finish anything?

Rest assured, the girl always comes through for me in the end, so I'm not worried on that front. However, I'm wondering how other aspiring/established authors manage this overflow of ideas. How do they focus and sort their attention? How do they keep the motivation to stick with one project without wandering away to the next shiny idea? I hear this is a frequent occurrence among writers, has it happened to any of you?

And on a completely different note, what is your attitude toward your muse? I would love to meet them if they've developed a monster personality of their own.

Tumbling Tuesdays and New Novembers

Yep, my title probably doesn't sound like I'm trying anymore. I was trying to be more cute, however this time around because I've been tumbling over a very eventful weekend involving a trip to an amusement park, Busch Gardens, a trip to my second ever Rocky Horror Picture Show (first time I watched all the way through, definitely a fun time despite and probably because of the craziness), and finally the slew of last minute homework I had to complete upon arriving back home from this weekend. Believe you me, taking 18 credits of ASL translation and observation, writing fiction and nonstop poetry, and an Asian language is not as fun as it sounds when it builds up like that.

So finally Tuesday is the breather day of all this and I am ever so excited to remember that November is coming up! And if you don't know what that means for writers everywhere (and all those agents hiding in fear of their slush piles), it's NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Click the link if you're interested in the finer points, but basically you write a book in a month! I 'competed' last year and finished half of a sequel I was procrastinating for the longest time. This year, I'm planning on participating again and shell out the rough draft of either a project about a medieval British serf and his brush with Welsh faeries or the bizarre family of a Scottish Unseelie noble (this is the point where I slip into some Celtic mythology jargon and ramble on for another ten paragraphs).

On a side note, after my last post, I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback about the spur of the moment book jacket blurb, whether you commented or not. I'll put up a post, a link, or something having to do with the first chapter of that project in the near future, probably as soon as next week. I just have to figure out how I'm going to go about it first.

So, on the NaNo side of things, I'm still debating over which project I should do...any thoughts to those extremely vague premises for any faerie fantasy writers out there? For everyone else, what are your ideas for NaNo, if you're participating, eh? Tell me! I'm excited to know what's going on with you! :D

Sneaky Suggestions...

Well, still no word from that publisher. Apparently they have cons all through the beginning of October, but I'm still hoping! For now, however, I find it odd that I have a blog about writing and miscellaneous, but no actual writing of mine on here other than posts. Hence, I was wondering if anyone would actually read it if I posted the first chapter of one of my projects on here for free for all critique and/or your hopeful enjoyment.

The general back cover of this book would probably read something like this: Melissa goes about her busy life in comfortable frustration until she wins a trip to Ireland out of the blue and accidentally un-banishes a bonafide faerie. Finn, that very fae, has found himself taken away from his decadent Otherworld and stranded with a woman too prude for his liking. Unfortunately, getting Finn back home will take more money than Melissa has saved up. Their efforts at even finding the elusive way into the Otherworld, however, not only tangles them up in an emerging supernatural conspiracy, but tangles up their rocky relationship even worse.

How's it sound, eh splendid little band of people who actually read this blog? :)

I'm sure a poll would be much easier, however I have no idea how to use many of the features on this site. Leaving a yay or nay in the comments would be much appreciated!

Enduring Endings

Well, for once I'm doing a post solely committed to plotting and craft. Or, that is the intention as I write this.

Lately I've been thinking over the first book I ever finished in seventh grade. It was supposed to be a trilogy with these hard hitting endings that would leave you wanting more through the use of...wait for it... (you have to pause for effect on this one)

Cliffhangers.

Normally I see these at the end of chapters and only occasionally at the end of books (and even then they're subtle like the promise between Eragon and Roran at the end of Christopher Palioni's Eldest). When I think of an ending, I think it can be ambiguous and even leave you with a lot of loose ends, like in a series. However, my philosophy on the subject is that an ending, regardless, should leave you feeling like something was accomplished.

In every series I've read, the ending of the book didn't necessarily tie up in a neat bow, but the meaty big plot of the story DID tie up. The same goes for every episode in a series I've seen unless it's those ominous 'two-part' stories. Even then those are technically one episode. When I personally read or write a book, I want to be filled, regardless of if it has sequels or not. The only way of bringing that feeling, in my opinion, is to give some kind of closure and not leave it off for the reader to be cursing the author until their next book comes out. I, at the very least, am eager enough because of all the loose ends.

What's your take on the whole subject? Do you like endings that leave you hanging in the thick of things or can you not stand them at all? What kind of endings do you usually give your projects in this case?