Not-So-Calm November Eve: Assassin Photoshoot and an Explanation

At 4:13 PM on the sixth of November, a teenage maniac dressed in a black turtleneck, black breeches, high black boots, black gloves, and a black beret, was seen in the back garden of the Lewis home. It alternately tramped through the weeds, carried around handfuls of broken glass and asparagus berries, and ripped morning glory tendrils off the barn walls. The siblings who sighted it did not seem concerned. Regardless, we will keep you updated on the doings of this strange creature. A lookalike was spotted wearing a white hoodie and striped sweatpants, but upon investigation it claimed to be a writer, and anyway it was eating chocolate and could not be bothered.

This stemmed from my absolute and total frustration with my writing, my graphic art, and my laundry. In a fury of jilted creativity, I yanked my pirate boots and leather gloves out of my closet, pulled a black turtleneck and breeches out of my dresser drawers, and donned a black beret from my mom's closet.

I had noticed several days ago that the back garden would make an absolutely idyllic photoshoot location, either for something wistful and nostalgic or for a desolate, dystopian-style set. Given my mood, dystopian it was.

And slightly evil. Yes, those are asparagus berries, and they are not as poisonous as they look, though "mild gastrointestinal distress" is a threatening sort of phrase.

This is the smile you hope to never see me use.

And the Head Tilt of Impending Doom. Similar to but not to be confused with the Nostril Flare of Total Rejection (kudos to anyone who gets that reference.)

Several of these shots couldn't decide whether they were artsy or just badly aimed, as I had no one behind the camera and a grocery bag encasing it to protect it from the rain that stopped three minutes after I got outside.

Suggested music for this image: 528491 from the Inception score.

 I like the hyper-focus on this one, almost like that moment of adrenaline-induced alertness just before someone jumps out at you. Namely me.

Obligatory shots of the props, just because they were turning out so nicely and because I was tired of seeing my over-dramatic face.

Ahh, you were expecting an explanation of some sort? Why, may I ask? Oh, right, the title. Well, anyway. This is my excuse for not posting for several weeks and not having the rest of the contest winners up by now.

This, my friends, is the entire second draft of Wings of Hope, the first book in the Wings Trilogy. This being the first time it has existed in its entirety in hard copy. I was giddy the entire day. I had rushed to finish it the night before, on the prompting of my mother who offered me a trip to St. Louis as incentive for finishing it on time. The very next day, we arrived at the print shop. And THIS came out of that printer.

272 pages. 142,000 words. My first novel. Ever.

Yes. I am far too excited and took far too many pictures. Sue me.

 Those of you on Facebook have likely already heard about this, but not in connection with my inactivity or my negligence in the short story postings. This is my reason. Well, that, and this little gem of annoyingness right here:

That's right - my first ever attempt at NaNoWriMo. But I couldn't just do NaNoWriMo, oh no. I had to bend the system. So that's me attempting to write 15,000 words instead of 50,000 words in a month. I only need 500 words a day. Ha ha, law-abiding NaNoers. (Never mind that I'm behind anyway. My plot was eating itself like a literary version of Ouroboros.) This is my attempt at a Five Glass Slippers story, a contest for retellings of the fairy tale Cinderella, which closes on December 31st. Yes, I know I'm insane. I had a dream with a concept I couldn't resist.

So. This is how this is going to work:

1. I scream and everyone else fangirls and nothing gets done.
2. I realize that nothing is getting done.
3. I buckle down on NaNo, taking a break from the novel while my mom marks it up.
4. During December, I edit both the novel and the short story, fixing any glaring errors and shining it up a little.
5. I print out additional copies of Wings of Hope.
6. Wings of Hope goes to the draft readers probably near Christmas, and the short story goes to the judges.
7. I scream and everyone else fangirls and nothing gets done.

The posting on this blog will likely pick up again during or after December. Apologies to all those waiting for the additional results of the contest.

If you are one of my trusted draft readers, you probably know who you are and have poked me incessantly for months. If you don't know who you are, don't despair. You will find yourself shortly. (Actually, a few copies will also go to some die-hard fans and other friends who have been waiting, so until the list is finalized and all my emails sent, don't assume you're not getting one. Unless you don't know me. Then that would be creepy.)

(Like an assassin. Heh heh.)

(Oh yeah. All these images [except the ones of my story] are under Creative Commons. Which basically means you can use them for whatever you like without asking or crediting me, though I would love to see what you come up with. If you want unedited and/or larger versions of any of these [excluding, once again, the pictures of my story] comment and I'll see what I can do.)

E

Music for Monday: Lost At Sea

May I apologize right off for not posting the other runners-up? Thank you. The critique part of my brain is all worn out. *wipes forehead*

Before I get to the music, let me also say that my Intelligence post has now been backlinked twice. o__O That is waaay more than I ever expected. Check it out today on Sarah Ellen's blog My Double Living!

Now, a few of you may know I have never seen the sea. The closest I've been to it is Lake Michigan. I vividly remember it, whether because of the sheer vastness of the water, the stretch of nothing but water that went on longer than my ten-year-old brain could imagine, or because of the half-ton of sand in my shorts. (Mom thought that because it was too cold to swim, we wouldn't get in the water. Silly mom.)

I've always been fascinated, not necessarily with the ocean, but with the draw of the ocean. Rereading The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater has brought it to the front of my mind once again. There's something about carnivorous water horses that does that to me. (I ought to review that when I'm done with it, because it's seriously one of my favorite books ever.)

And then yesterday, I was trying my hand at a fiddle trill in a Celtic song and I rediscovered this:

Now I'm bound for the heart of the ocean
I'm riding the sea in my soul
In the dark and the deep
She will rock me to sleep
Down below... where the black waters roll

When I heard this again, I realized I had unconsciously used it as a base for my elven lullabye. Not the words, but the chord changes and the longing tone. It almost made me wish I'd included the ocean in the lyrics.

The concept of the sea as a harsh mistress, as something alive and seductive, is enchanting to me. It's something I've teased around in my head, hoping to write about someday, but never really understood. There's also a wealth of theories and mythology to dig through for inspiration, anywhere from the more common mermaids and sea monsters to exotic selkies and sirens to barely-fictional worlds like Atlantis and Lemuria. Tolkien touched on it in his books, giving the elves a hunger for the sea that makes me ache to write something as good.

"The Sea! Alas! I have not yet beheld it. But deep in the hearts of all my kindred lies the sea-longing, which it is perilous to stir. Alas! for the gulls. No peace shall I have again under beech or under elm."

If I ever get brave enough to write about the ocean, this is the music I'll use.

Two Steps from Hell - Ocean

Bypassing TSFH's more popular Ocean Princess, I came upon this gem a few months ago and absolutely love it. The introductory water-like ripples of strings, the clear female vocal, and the build to the climax place you right in an otherworldly, underwater setting.

Gargantuan Music - Ocean Sky

The ambient beginning and ringing background noises in this new discovery morph into pounding drums and strings about halfway through, led by rhythmic, metallic chimes that invite thought of pirate treasure and rolling storm waves.

Hans Zimmer - Mermaids
I don't usually go in for the heavily trademark movie scores, because I have a hard time writing to them when the main character's theme or a variation thereof appears every ten seconds. This song, however, is an exception, and only reinforces my conviction that Hans Zimmer is a genius. I've used it writing multiple mysterious and/or magical scenes and it never gets old. The floating, mournful vocals have an amazing melody I can't help humming along to, and the chanting around 3:15 never fails to get my heart pounding. I rarely use the second half, as it's more action-oriented, but it's good for the occasional listen.

Thomas Bergersen - Aura

This is one song that always crops up when I've gone out beyond where I can touch when I'm swimming, especially in anything other than a swimming pool. I'm fine until I start imagining what might be under me. Can I just say I wished more epic songs had chimes in them?

Two Steps from Hell - Behold Atlantis

To deviate from my normal choices, this is more of a sound experiment than an actual song, reminding me of numerous wandering pieces by Moby (whose music I hear all the time, since dad is his biggest fan.) With the weird blubbing and popping noises and the rising and falling strings, it definitely sets an unusual scene.

James Newton Howard - Prologue

Lady in the Water is one of those films that stuck with me. It's so unusual with such ethereal music - it's a movie that really makes you think. James Newton Howard is incredible as usual. The piano-chimes duo is subtle, understated, but ever-present through the entire soundtrack.

Two Steps from Hell - Water Reflections

Just one more TSFH piece! This one is another new discovery and incorporates such unusual instruments and melodies that I had to share. Is that guitar or something electronic? And the choir! *sighs*

So that's my music load for the day. What about you? Have you written anything about the magic of the ocean? What songs would you recommend?

Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach: A Review

            The first time I met Kat, she was wearing more rings and ear cuffs than I could count, a headband that barely kept back a mass of curly reddish hair, and a black shirt with red letters that read ‘vampires don’t sparkle.’

            “Are you Kat?” I asked, eyeing the stacks of Finding Angel she was plunking down on a long table in the conference bookstore.

            “Yes!” she exclaimed, dropped her last stack, came round the end of the table, and enfolded me in a hug.

            Needless to say, we hit it off.

            To be fair, we had actually hit it off a few months before on Facebook when she asked for character Pinterest boards and I showed her my treasure trove. Our newfound friendship was sorely tested, however, when she began keeping a running count of days until the conference on my Facebook wall when I really didn’t want to be reminded. Becky Minor kept the peace by assuring me she would have smelling salts handy at the conference, which assuaged my fears. (Well, not really, but it at least made me realize I wasn’t the only nervous one.)

            Finding Angel was one of the few books written by conference attendees that I managed to finish before the actual conference rolled around. (I had a half-read copy of Merlin’s Blade in my dorm room the whole time. Sorry, Mr. Treskillard.) When I saw Kat’s disappointed status recently, saying she’d had a dream that Finding Angel got another review, I decided to surprise her. (Are you surprised? Well are ya?)

Overall: 3.5 stars

Finding Angel is the story of a girl separated from her magical heritage. She lives a normal life, until pieces of her past begin to catch up with her. A beetle, a charm bracelet, a boy with silver eyes…they all lead her back to Toch Island, the place of her birth, and her strange powers, which may help Angel solve the mysterious disappearances around the island – or reveal her to the evil man who desperately wants to find her.

This was a light, fun read with unique settings, new twists on the old fantasy elements, and a sojourn into a world where worldviews have consequences.

Concept: 4 stars

On the surface, this is your ordinary science-justified magic story. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find such delightful creatures as fractal chameleons, modern-day unicorns, and elves with their own rock bands. During my mentoring session with Kat (though it felt more like a chance for us to sit down alone and fangirl about – well, everything) I reflected that when you meet creative people, you rarely fit them with their work on the first try. Perhaps it’s the preponderance of introverted authors, but usually it takes a little while for you to see their creativity shining through. Not so with Kat. When she started talking, I immediately saw through to the mind that created Toch Island – a flamboyant, colorful, I-don’t-care-what-you-think kind of mind.

Plot: 3 stars

Unfortunately, this book suffered from a case of SMS, or Sagging Middle Syndrome. The first third was good. The last third was great. The middle – not so much. For all that it was neatly paced, with things speeding up toward the climax (as they should), I felt Angel spent a little too much time socializing, training, and playing with animals. Of course, this may be due to my allergic reaction anything approaching relaxation or warm fuzzy feelings. Give me TRAGEDEHHH!

That said, I loved the way the clues to the mystery were sprinkled through the story. It was one of those “aw, shoulda seen that coming,” moments.

Characters: 2.5 stars

My favorite books are usually the ones where I can tell you what the characters would do months later. Few live up to that hope – Incarceron, and Outlander, and The Restorer. The trouble with Finding Angel was that I wanted to love the characters – they were unpredictable, they were human, and they drove the story well. However, I had trouble telling their personalities apart, especially the main characters. This is something I suffer from myself. Besides a few overarching characteristics, my FMC often plays hard-to-get and I end up having to make her behave the way she needs to for the sake of the plot. (Odd thing, actually wishing the characters would take the scene and run with it.) But oh well; that’s what development and rewrites are for.

Technical: 3.5 stars

Technical details are not something I pay a great deal of attention to unless there is a profusion of mistakes. I have a rather different method of dealing with them than most. Some people claim to throw the books, or yell, or write the author nasty letters. I sigh. If it’s really bad, it earns a closed-eyed sigh. Woe to the book that elicits such a response! Since I don’t recall any sighing for the duration of this book, I think it was clean of any glaring errors. (This, folks, is why you don’t write a book review months after reading the book.)

Execution: 3 stars

While not the most vivid writing I’ve ever read, the style of Finding Angel is clean, uncluttered work full of unique elements. In future works, greater attention could be paid to expanding the scenes and adding more action – not necessarily swashbuckling action, as I don’t think that would fit – but more action by the characters instead of so much summary. Still, it was a bold, admirable endeavor. Also, the author is delightful. Can I add extra points for the fractal chameleons? Thank you.