A Deliciously Dark Scene for Halloween!!!

Hi Guys!! First off, the conference was AMAZING!!! I'm a believer now. Conferences are musts. Period. 

But, I'm not posting about my conference experience today. 

Lets celebrate Halloween!!! WOOHOO!!!

And to usher in the night of fright, I'd like to post a deliciously dark scene from the manuscript I'm currently querying, Dark Waters. I'm posting this to read and have fun, and I'm hoping you'll find a deliciously dark scene from your book and post it too! But, just to be clear, I'm not posting this for critiques. By the way, the ancestors of my main character, Allura, were man-eaters. ;)

I absorbed the air pushed into my body and my nose rose with a jerk. Blood tainted oxygen shot through my nostrils and swirled across my pores.

Damn.

My nose led the way as I skipped behind him, far enough back to keep anyone from noticing he had a follower. I felt like whistling as I skipped, like a school-girl anticipating a lollipop.  Only, I didn’t wear pigtails and I wasn’t interested in licking to find out what was in the center of my brand of tootsie roll pop.

Mr. Tasty rounded the corner of the back of the school. I slowed my pace and scanned the surroundings. We were far from the student parking lot and there were no teachers around. We were alone.

Perfect.

I edged closer to the corner. Mr. Tasty’s scent stirred nearby. My heart pounded. A drop of acid fell onto my tongue. I savored the taste. My fists clenched and the muscles in my legs began to twitch. I gripped the wood slats my body pressed against. My nails dug into the forgiving surface.

I pushed my body from the building and leapt into the path of Mr. Tasty. He eyed me skeptically before pulling something from his pants pocket. Old green trash dumpsters boxed him in between the building and me.

“What do you want?” he asked, lighting a blunt.

I eyed the muscles in his forearm as they contracted and stretched with every flick of the lighter. My jaw twitched, anxious to sink my teeth in and tear. The edges of my mouth tightened.

“Smiles won’t get you anywhere with me. I don’t share.”

I took a step closer to him.

He shrugged and breathed out a puff of dense smoke.

I inhaled through my nose and absorbed the air into my pores, relishing the scent he exuded. The smoke smelled somewhat like his blood, tinges of earthy musk. Billows of red clouded my mind. Blankets of scarlet wrapped our surroundings like fabric. No more dumpsters. No more school. Just me and Mr. Tasty and the promise of a crimson satin embrace. The assurance that a perpetual emptiness would soon be filled. The knotting and twisting of my stomach would be calmed. The painfully loud pulsating in my temples would be satisfied.

A thud sounded. Then another, and another. My feet pounded the pavement but it felt more like I was floating to him. I didn’t know if his breath caught, or if Mr. Tasty screamed out as I lunged at him. I only heard the thudding in my chest and head.

He fell back to the cement and I toppled down with him. The blunt dropped from his mouth. His eyes were large circles of white. I sat on his stomach, straddling him. It seemed he didn’t know whether to push me off or stick his hand up my shirt. I knew, though. I knew what was next.

My right hand pressed over his mouth and my left hand grabbed his arm. That’s when he started to struggle. When he realized I wasn’t on top of him for his pleasure.

No. It was for mine.

I forced his forearm up and sunk my teeth into the flesh.

Oh sweet mother of…

A spasm ricocheted through my muscles as I tore at the fibers of his. I pulled my face from his arm. His leg. I wanted his leg too. As a repositioned my hold on him, a sound broke through my red wall of euphoria. An animal sound.

Immediately I clung to my prey. Mine. No animal would steal my target; I had tracked and hunted him. They hadn’t. A low growl vibrated from my curled lips. I swung my gaze to stare face-to-face at a large, hairy dog. It barked over and over. I raised my arm to smack it away when the red haze slowly lifted. It was barking. At me. Not to fight me for my meal, but to alert others.

I jumped back and crouched near Mr. Tasty’s feet.

Crap.

“Help!” he yelled as the dog yapped and snarled at me. “Help!”

I scurried on top of him again and shoved my right wrist into his mouth. The bracelet stifled his shouts. I couldn’t risk him remembering me. I forced my wrist harder into his mouth until he choked and gagged.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

The dumpster did little to block me as I jumped over the square bin and ran to a door behind the school. The dog followed me, barking, proclaiming to the world what I’d just done. 

Pitch Live! & Couponing

Kinda blurry view of the sunset over Puget Sound from my porch. 

If you're a blogger, or even a blog lover, you've heard about Pitch Live! I had planned to participate, even decided to record my pitch in the woods near my home, but a head cold took over. And seriously guys, it wasn't pretty.

But, just because I didn't enter, doesn't mean I'm not lurking like a professional stalker. See, in less than two weeks, I'll be pitching...live...to agents and editors. Pretty intense  Which means I need all the arsenal I can get. So, as I watch these pitches, I'm taking notes. What works for me and what doesn't. I've been participating in pitch training on the conference thread, and watching these Pitch Live! videos is bringing the tips I've been learning, to life. Perfect timing, if you ask me. ;)

Have you checked the videos out? If not, I definitely suggest it.

In other news, Netflix recently started streaming the show, Extreme Couponing. While I was down with the head cold, I watched every episode. And then guess what I did? I went rifling through my recycling bin for this week's circulars and cut coupons! Ha! Today I'm going to try it out. Certainly not extreme style, but more like dipping my big toe in the money-saving water. I'll report back as to whether I saved cents or dollars. :)

Other than that, my in-laws are flying in this weekend, which means lots of restaurant eating and movies. They'll only stay the weekend, and then next week I'll be back at the task of perfecting my pitch. So, what do you guys have going on this week?


  

Writer's Conferences

She's begging me to chill out.

In exactly 17 days I'll be attending my first ever writer's conference. GSRWA Emerald City Writer's Conference.  

Yes. I'm SUPER nervous. And INCREDIBLY excited.

Why am I nervous? Let me tell you a little about myself. A co-worker once said (he was an older gentleman so picture a grandpa saying this with a smile) that if there was nothing to worry about, I'd find it. Yup.

I really have no reason to be grinding my teeth at night. Yes, it's the Seattle chapter of Romance Writer's of America putting in on. But, I'm already a member of a RWA chapter and I gotta tell you, romance writers are the funnest. They don't take themselves too seriously. They joke about love, romance, men, wine, life, you name it.

I mean, all attendees have been signed up for a yahoo group thread and the emails I get on a daily basis are a hoot! These ladies obviously know how to have a good time. And honestly, if I'm gonna lose my conference virginity to anyone I'm glad it's with romance authors.

In exactly 18 days, I'll be standing on a stage in front of the conference attendees, finding out if Dark Waters won the YA division in the ECO contest. I'll also be pitching to agents and editors that day. For some reason though, I'm more nervous about the stage thing. Freaks me out. I'd rather them secretly hand me a win/didn't win card in passing.

So, I'll stop rambling now and ask you a BIG favor:
What advice do you have for me concerning conferences? If there was one thing you wish someone would have told you about them, what would it be? What did you not bring with you that you wished you had?

THANKS!!!!  

What Would You Do?

This post has nothing to do w cats, but I love this pic. 

I'm in the query trenches wading through mud and muck and self-doubt mixed with moments of hope and elation. You know how that goes.

But I had a thought today. And I'm curious how you will respond.

I've read plenty of blog stories of how authors found their agents, and one in particular stays with me. The author mentioned that after many form query rejections, an agent finally requested a full. Now, after this author sent the agent her manuscript, she did some digging. Much deeper than the initial who-do-I-query digging. And when the agent called and offered representation, the author asked lots of questions. In the end, the author decided this particular agent would not be a good fit for her. She turned the offer down.

*I really wish I knew whose story this is so I can link to her blog, but I read this some time ago.*

Of course the author eventually did sign with a great agent. But when she turned down the first offer, she had no agents on the back burner.

This got me to thinking. If you queried agents who seemed like they'd be a good fit (AAR, book sales, etc.) but then felt they may not be the one, would you turn down their offer of representation? Or would you figure the door is open, and hope it's the one to walk through?

I'm not asking because this is a personal issue of mine. I just thought it'd be interesting to read your views on it. :)

~Also, I was thinking of posting the darkest scene from my ms, Dark Waters, on my blog on Halloween. Do you know of any blog-a-thons doing this?~

A Polishing Pointer

Hi All! I wanted to share something. Something that has worked well for me in my latest round of polishing the ol' MS.

Earlier this year an agent requested the full of Dark Waters. This submission ended in a rejection, but a very nice rejection. He explained why he was passing on the project and gave advice to fix the issues he found. The main issue he had with my MS was the amount of inconsistencies. Yeah. Ouch.

He also agreed to let me re-query him when I had made the changes. So, after months of work, I'm done. Oh, I revised the tar out of it. But, when I was done, I did something I have never done before. And here's where I share the little something that's changed my writing in a major way.    

I downloaded the MS to my Kindle and read it like a novel. I know writers re-read their MS's on the computer, but I gotta say, it's way different on an e-reader. When I read my work on the computer, even as I would a regular novel, I'm still in edit mode. I'm in story-teller mode. But when I read it on the Kindle, no more story-teller. I am a reader. In the first chapter I had the scoffing, "Why is she asking that when it's already been answered?" reaction. And I've read that piece SO MANY times. But, this time, when I read it as a reader, I had a reader's reaction.

I read the MS in a matter of days. Two or three, I think. And this was great to clear up inconsistencies. When you write the novel, it takes months. And for me, to edit it takes months. So, sometimes I forget I already mentioned something. Reading it on an e-reader in two days kept every fact, hair color, and plot line fresh in the front of my mind.

Here's a picture I took of myself as I was reading my MS. I didn't take it to use in a blog, but to send to my CP. It works, though. I had my laptop nearby, open to the chapter I was reading, so I could make any tiny changes as needed. I had a notebook nearby to note the bigger changes necessary. I went back and fixed the bigger changes later so as to not pull me out of reader mode.

How about you? Have you read your MS on an e-reader? 

My Bookshelf

*If you're dropping by for the GUTGAA blog hop, the answers to my questions are down below. :)

As I avoided implementing the necessary tweaks my critique partner has suggested, I played on Blogger. And a post caught my eye. About bookshelves. I love bookshelves. She mentioned her own interest in the wooden story-holding slats and posted a picture of one. Of hers.

For me, eyeing the personal bookshelf of another is my way of taking stock of who they are. It's kinda like the way dogs do a meet and greet. No, sniffing the rottweiler's rear won't tell you how much that rottie likes to play ball, but you still get a good sense of who you're dealing with.

Same goes for bookshelves. Or even the lack thereof. And so, I decided to post pictures of my bookshelf. See, up until two months ago, my interests were hidden away in my bedroom. In every house I'd lived in, my books were hidden from prying eyes. But, two months ago when I moved into my current home, I took the plunge and arranged my bookshelves to be the first piece of furniture visitors see. They now live in my front room along with vine pants, and mermaid and fairy art.

If you stare at my choice of books long enough, you'll see that according to culture and society I contradict myself. And I'm pretty much okay with that. :)

I thought about straightening them up before I shot a picture, but I figured I'd show you how messy they are. Books pulled out, with no room to go back. Figurines. Painted rocks from my girls. And all of it lovely. :)

How about you? Will you post a picture of your bookshelf on your blog and let me know where I can fin it? I'd love to stop by and snoop. And if you're not ready for such a leap, tell me if you're drawn to the shelves of others?

    

MEET AND GREET

Hi! I'm participating in the GUTGAA blog hop, and this week is the meet and greet. I had planned on bowing out of this one, but after reading the answers of others, I had to play too!

Short bio: I've tried my hand at a few different jobs: preschool teacher, sales associate, secretary, and an optician. None fit. When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I decided to learn how to help women have the births they desired. To give the laboring woman the reigns over her own body, the power she deserves in a situation where many professionals would try to take that power away. I went through the training and became a doula. But then, as I attended births, I realized many of the women hadn't been trained properly in what their bodies were doing and so they lacked the information to grab the reigns confidently. So then I went back to training and became a childbirth educator.

I've moved a ton in the last few years and haven't been able to educate folks on birthing much, but I have attended births. :) In June I made my last move for a very long time, so I'm looking forward to helping to empower pregnant women soon. :) And while I haven't yet written a story about birth, each one of my main characters finds the power within herself to take the reigns of her life and decide the direction she chooses to run in.

And...I have a husband, two daughters (ages 7 & 11), and a white fluffy dog. We have made northwestern Washington our home and love it!

Now, on to the questions...

Where do you write? At the roll-top desk in the front room. The front room is my room, with book shelves, vine plants, and fairy/mermaid art.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down, and look left. What is the first thing you see? Two very full book shelves standing side-by-side and a futon-type reading chair.

Favorite time to write? Late morning, early afternoon and afternoon. That precious time when the house is quiet, everyone is gone, I've been coffee'd up, and I can slip into the skin of my main character.

Drink of choice while writing? Coffee. And then water because if I'm writing a ton, I drink lots of coffee which makes my fingers fly and my mind reach very much outside the box. But it also makes me super jittery, so at some point I must switch to the jitters flushing of H2O.

When writing do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? I need music, but which songs depends very much on what I'm writing. I use soundtracks like Braveheart, Twilight, New Moon, etc.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it? The girl who lived across the street from me when I was in high school.

My house was far out in the country. So much so that my bus ride to get to school in the morning was an hour long. Across the street from my house was a small abandoned home. It had no running water, no electricity, and no windows. It was old. One day, at the bus stop, I met a new girl. Her family had moved into that little house. Soon I made friends with her and learned that her hair was greasy because they only took showers when they could use the paid public showers at the local lake camp grounds. I went into her "home" once too. They'd covered the empty window holes with blankets that did little to keep the chill out.

I didn't know her for long. Soon after we'd met, her and her family were gone, and the shell of a house was left empty. And I don't remember her name. But, I very much remember her.

What's your most valuable writing tip? I have learned so much about writing from reading. Great novels are my text books. So that's my tip. Read tons. Read great books, and study their pace, character depth, and plot points. Then read books in the market and genre your're writing in so that you know what's expected of your book. And then after you've written and polished your manuscript, swap it with another writer's work for critique. It's easier to find the mistakes of others than your own, so after you notice issues within critique partner's manuscript, look for those same mistakes in your own work.

And that's it! It's been great sharing myself with you. Please leave a comment so I can make sure to stop by your blog and read all about you too! :)