tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63387594122145710002024-03-05T13:40:15.164-05:00Dorian WritesDorianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17581142994154291395noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-18291480172736691362016-06-03T19:03:00.001-04:002016-06-03T19:10:08.515-04:00Maevyn: Chapter 1I had such a good time sharing my last story with you, that I decided to do it again.<br />
<br />
Here is the first chapter to a novel I wrote a couple of years ago that I'm in the midst of revising.<br />
This is still REALLY rough, so be gentle.<br />
Hopefully, as time goes by, it will be more revised and less messy.<br />
<br />
Consider this week's chapter the BEFORE.<br />
After revising, I'll post the AFTER.<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 21.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">CHAPTER 1</span></span></h1>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e7d0a22a-187a-7a4a-6e95-85afdd57c3f9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortune Teller. Tarot Reader. Medium. Psychic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn eyed the dubious titles written on the window of her grandmother’s shop. How could the woman who birthed her father, the geneticist, possibly be mixed up in crap like this? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This is it,” her grandmother said, turning a key in the lock of the shop that also served as her home. “It’s not much…”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But it’s home,” Maevyn finished the sentiment for her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes,” her grandmother said, eyeing her. “Hey, maybe you’re psychic, too.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Or maybe I’ve heard that phrase a million times before…” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by my dad.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother pushed open the door, and lead them inside. It was dark. Stuffy. The wet heat of the outdoors followed them in. A drop of sweat slithered down Maevyn’s forehead and stung her eye. She’d never experienced so much humidity. It was so thick she felt like she was swimming through it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’ll have the place cooled down in no time,” her grandmother said, flicking the knob on an old window unit air conditioner. The machine buzzed for a moment then came to life in a rumbling hum. Brief, white puffs of condensed air poured from the vent, and Maevyn stood next to the machine thankful for a respite from the heat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Is it always this hot?” she asked her grandmother.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Only in the summer,” she replied. “Kansas City’s humid in the summer and dry and cold in the winter. The only bearable months of the year are in the autumn and the spring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So then why do you live here, Gram?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn’s grandmother, Sibyl, paused for a moment as if she was deeply considering the question. “It’s the only place I’ve ever lived. Plus, your grandpa is buried just down the street. I couldn’t leave him. He’d never forgive me.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good to know.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn stood next to the air conditioner a few minutes more trying to soak up as much of the cold as she could before she dared to venture into further, muggier parts of the house.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Your room is upstairs next to mine. Down here in the parlor is where I run my business,” she said, parting a glass beaded curtain. “It’s the only room I’ll ask you to stay out of. I need to keep the aura clean in there. Back behind there is the kitchen, and this is the living room, of course.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do all psychics have glass bead curtains? Is that a prerequisite or something for talking to ghosts?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Maevyn nodded her head in understanding.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother picked up her bag. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn hated to leave the air conditioner, but reluctantly followed her grandmother up the stairs and into a room that held little more than a bed and a desk. Fortunately, it had a window unit in it as well.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Just make sure you shut it off when you leave the room,” her grandmother said, after showing her how to work it. “We don’t need to be wasting electricity. Gets awful expensive to run these things.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maeve nodded and looked around the room. It had its own bathroom at least and a nice-sized closet, though she didn’t have many clothes to go in it, yet. Boxes of her clothes were being shipped to her grandmother’s house and should be there in a few weeks. There was a lot of paperwork that had to be done, a lot of plans that had to be changed. The boxes were already on their way to Hawaii before the order for the move was canceled. Unfortunately, she’d have to wait until they got to Hawaii and were shipped back to her new home with her grandmother in Kansas City before she’d see them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A wave of grief washed over her. She didn’t want to think about all she’d lost. She’d spent the last year trying to heal. It hadn’t been easy. The accident had left her damaged, and had taken away the people she loved most in the world. Her grandmother and grandfather on her mom’s side had tried to help, taking her in to live with them in their home in San Francisco, but it had been too hard for all of them. Initially, they thought it made the most sense to keep her with them, in the city she’d grown up in. But, their own deteriorating health and the loss of their only daughter quickly took its toll on Maevyn’s grandparents. They knew it was the best thing for everyone when her father’s mother, Sibyl, offered for Maevyn to come live here in Kansas City. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">She didn’t want to move to Kansas City, even to be with her grandmother, but she couldn’t stay in San Francisco by herself. She still had a year of high school to get through. Thoughts of the life she was supposed to live in Hawaii crumbled like a castle made of sand. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Maevyn sighed. Life wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard and hurt his much.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m going to make up some dinner. Why don’t you get started unpacking.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn nodded. It wouldn’t take long to do that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Give me a call if you need anything,” her grandmother said gently as she paused in the doorway.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn nodded again and turned to open her bag. Her grandmother saw that as her cue, and left. Maevyn felt safe here in her grandmother’s house. She hadn’t ever been in it before, but it felt comfortable, worn-in somehow, like a favorite pair of jeans. Her grandmother had come to visit them in San Francisco every year for Christmas, eager to get out of all the snow, she said. Other than vacations to the mountains, Maevyn hadn’t really lived with snow before. She could use some now. It was sweltering. She turned the AC to high.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She took off her t-shirt and jeans, and lay down on the homey quilt on her bed in only her underwear, basking in the cool breeze pumping out of the air conditioner. She’d never lived anywhere without central air conditioning before, either. There seemed to be a lot of firsts she’d need to get used to. She smoothed her hands over her round belly and felt it growl beneath her touch. She was hungry. She was always hungry. Food was comforting, and though she knew it was just a way to push away the pain of losing her family, she was all right with that. She was less all right with the weight she’d gained, changing her once rail-thin body into one that was much softer, voluptuous, and plump. Once the room was cooled down to a more bearable temperature, she set the AC to low, and put on some fresh clothes. No more jeans, though. She wouldn’t be wearing jeans until the humidity went down.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It only took a few minutes to get her bag unpacked. She really didn’t have much. A few days’ worth of clothes, her makeup, toiletries, whatever would fit in her carryon bag. Gram said she’d take her shopping soon. School was coming up, and she’d need more clothes than what she currently had.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">School. The thought of it made her stomach curl up in knots. She really didn’t want to think about it, so she decided not to. She had become really good at not dealing with things. She knew that she’d have to deal with school eventually, but for now, she didn’t need to think about it. She had more pressing matters to worry about, like where was her hair clip? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She dug around in her make up bag and found a rubber band. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess this will do.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She pulled back her long, wavy black hair, twisted it a few times, and rolled it into a loose bun on the back of her head before tying the rubber band around it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m going to regret this. Stupid rubber band. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn was thankful to not have to share a bathroom with her grandmother. She loved her and all, but there are some parts of getting older that she did not want to have to deal with like undergarments for the elderly and her grandmother’s false teeth being left on the sink overnight. She washed her face and neck, dried herself off, and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Delightful smells were wafting their way towards her as she sat down at the table. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hope you don’t mind take out,” Gran said. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I don’t mind anything that smell like this! What is it, barbecue?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Kansas City barbecue. Ain’t nothing like it, that’s for sure. I have a friend who owns a smokehouse pit, and asked him to bring some around for us. We’ve got ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, cheesy corn and baked beans for the sides. No veggies tonight, hope you don’t mind.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’ve been trying to get out of eating veggies every day for the past 17 years. You’ll get no complaints here.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s what I thought.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn gladly dug in with both hands, not minding that barbecue sauce was getting all over her fingers and face while she sucked the meat off a half rack of ribs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How do you know this friend, who works at the barbecue restaurant, and what do I need to do to move in?” she asked her grandmother.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good, isn’t it? Nobody smokes meat like Buster O’Rourke. He’s been a customer of mine a few times, and ever since I met him, I’ve been a customer of his, too.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A customer, eh? What kind of psychic service did he need?” Maevyn asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother’s eyes narrowed. “You know I don’t talk about that,” she said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I know you didn’t talk about that when you visited us in San Fran, but now that I’m living with you, I think it’s okay for me to know, don’t you?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother sat back in her chair and wiped her hands with a wet nap. She sighed. “He came in to see if I could communicate with his dad who had passed away some time ago.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talking to the dead?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Maevyn shivered just a bit. “And did you?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That, missy, is none of your business. What I do with my clients is private, and deeply personal to them. I shouldn’t have said anything.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m sorry, Gram. I didn’t mean to pry. I just...it’s so weird that you do this psychic stuff. It’s not at all like what Dad did, and I guess I’m curious.” Maevyn looked down at her plate and the pile of rib bones that had piled up there. She hadn’t talked about her father since the accident. Neither had Gram. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I know it might seem that your father and I had very different interests. But, his career as a scientist and mine as a psychic have more in common than you might think.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This caught Maevyn’s attention. “Really?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, really. Now finish your dinner.” Maevyn could tell that the matter was closed for now. But her curiosity was piqued. What could a biochemical engineer possibly have in common with a small town psychic? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Can I ask you one more question?” Maevyn asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother put down her fork, wiped her mouth, and stared at her granddaughter for a moment. “Alright. One question. Shoot.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Did you talk to your friend’s dad? The dad who died?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn’s grandmother shut her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose, like she was suffering the onslaught of an oncoming headache. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was able to give my friend some peace. That’s what I do. Now eat.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn obeyed, finishing the meal without any more questions about her grandmother’s business. She helped clean up and then said, “It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to take a shower and head off to bed, if that’s all right.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That sounds like a good idea. Towels should be in the bathroom already. Let me know if there is anything you need.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Thanks. Goodnight,” she said, kissing her grandmother on the cheek before leaving. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">An hour later, refreshed from her shower, and basking in the coolness of the air conditioner, she laid in the dark and fell into a blissful sleep, until the dreams started.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was in the car. They were all in the car. Maevyn was driving, and they were headed home from the movie theater. It was the day her family died, again. The dreams had plagued her nearly every day since the accident. She wanted to stop the car. She knew danger was coming, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t communicate. No one was listening to her. Her mom and sister were talking in the back, and her father was commenting on their conversation. Maevyn tried to get their attention, yelling, screaming, as she drove the car along, but no one was paying her any attention. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A black sedan was in front of her. Every time she changed lanes or made a turn, it did so first. It was like the driver knew what she was going to do before she did it. Finally, the sedan pulled into a different lane as the cars came to a stoplight. Maevyn looked over at the car, trying to see inside, but the windows were tinted and all she could see was the reflection of her own car. A window of the black sedan rolled down. Maevyn looked to see who was driving. A blinding light shone out of the window, and she though it seemed impossible, she knew a semi truck was barreling towards her, coming through the window of the black sedan. They were all going to die.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn woke up, shaking. She hated that dream. It was worse than her memories of the actual event. She didn’t remember what happened to her the moment the car had been hit. The police report said that she hit her head on the driver’s side door, but that the airbag had saved her head from being crushed. She was lucky she survived at all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lucky. Lucky to have survived. And lucky to have a grandmother to take her in when she had nowhere else to go.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She continued to shiver, and realized it wasn’t just the dream. She was freezing. The air conditioner was still set on low, but it had cooled the room down to arctic temperatures. She jumped out of bed and turned it off. She’d have to remember to turn it off before going to sleep from now on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maeve, time to get up!” a voice called from the hallway.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn rolled over and pushed the remaining blankets off her leg. She’d pulled out a couple extra quilts last night when her room was freezing, and then it warmed up and she was sweltering again. Was the temperature ever going to be right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She shuffled down the stairs to the familiar smell of bacon frying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You know that stuff’s bad for you, don’t you?” she asked her grandmother, tending to the bacon frying in a skillet on the stove.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Of course it is. Everything that tastes like heaven is bad for you. It’s the bad that makes it taste so good.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn smiled, and sat down at the small table in the corner. A stack of pancakes was already sitting on the table, steam rising from them as a large pat of butter melted into yellow goo. Her grandmother set down a plate of bacon, and sat across from her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Gram, this smells delicious, but I can’t eat like this every day,” she said, worrying about hurting her grandmother’s feelings. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Of course we’re not going to eat like this every day, child. Heavens! I don’t need the cholesterol, or the weight gain. Just this morning. Tomorrow it’s back to shredded wheat and oatmeal. Until then, let’s enjoy.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn helped herself to several pancakes and slices of bacon. “You know, Mom wouldn’t let us eat bacon. She said the nitrates would kill us. Dad loved bacon though, and if she was ever gone, he’d sneak it into the house and cook it up. It didn’t matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, we’d have bacon with everything.” Maevyn smiled at the memory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Your father could be sneaky, that was for sure.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Mom would always smell it when she got home. She’d give him this look and he’d kiss her and beg her forgiveness, and she’d always give in.” She stopped talking, lost in her thoughts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother cleared her throat. “I’m going to take you shopping this morning. Get you some clothes so you’ll be ready for school. It starts soon. A couple of weeks, I think.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn groaned. “School? Do I have to go?” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, yes, I think you do or else the truancy courts will likely have a problem with you hanging out around here every day. It’s not really a choice.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn thought for a moment, chewing on another piece of bacon. “Couldn’t I just stay here and homeschool? I could do it myself. I’d keep up with my studies. You wouldn’t have to do anything, teach me anything. I could teach myself like I did last year.” She didn’t mention how difficult it had been to keep up with her advanced courses on her own, while taking care of her grandparents. Sibyl didn’t need to know about that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I don’t know, Maeve. I thought you’d want to be around other kids your age. Maybe make some friends. I think it would be good for you to be around people, instead of isolating yourself. It’s not healthy for a girl your age to be alone all the time.” Maevyn wondered what part of her life was healthy in any way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m not sure I’m ready,” Maeve answered, her eyes fixated on a stream of maple syrup dripping off her pancakes. “Maybe I’ll never be ready.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maybe not, but we’ll never know if we don’t try, right.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn sighed. “I guess not.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, that’s a winning endorsement if I’ve ever heard one. Let’s stop by the high school after we finish up your shopping. There’s a shopping center just down the street from the high school. I bet kids walk there all the time after school.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Really? You think kids hang around a shopping center?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, maybe they do. It’s not a mall. It’s an outdoor neighborhood with shops. It’s kind of ritzy, and outdoorsy all in one. You’ll understand when you see it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Okay. I guess I’d better get dressed then. I don’t want to miss a moment of shopping in this ritzy outdoorsy metropolis of consumerism,” she said with a smile and left to change clothes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Smartass,” her grandmother said as she left.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thirty minutes later, Maevyn understood what her grandmother had meant by a neighborhood of shops. It was an outdoor shopping center, with boulevards, sidewalks, alfresco cafes, and apartments on top of all the shops. It even had its own grocery store. It was like a complete neighborhood.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn quickly found an artsy boutique with mannequins donning the kinds of clothes she liked. Bright, airy cottons that had an ethereal air about them, but most importantly, wouldn’t be too hot in the sweltering Missouri humidity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Is it always so hot here?” she complained on the way back to her grandmother’s car.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No. Not in the winter,” her grandmother answered.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Now who’s the smartass?” she asked. Her grandmother smiled.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her grandmother had been right about the high school too, it was just down the street from the shopping center. Maevyn’s palms began to sweat as they pulled into the parking lot and parked in the visitor spot. Cars were in the parking lot, so evidently someone was there. The student lot was empty though.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I was wrong,” her grandmother said as she pulled the key out of the ignition. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Wrong about what?” Maevyn asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“School doesn’t start in a couple of weeks. It starts Monday.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Monday? That’s just three days away! How did you find that out?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The sign out front. I thought school didn’t start until after Labor Day. When did the school year begin starting in August?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A long time ago, Gram,” Maevyn answered, pushing her purse onto her shoulder and looking at the front door. “Park Hill High School, Home of the Trojans. Awesome.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Let’s go, little miss enthusiastic.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn rolled her eyes and followed behind her grandmother inside the building. They found the office, and talked to a secretary for a few minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Mr. Sheffield, the school counselor is here today if you would like to see him,” the secretary mentioned, taking the clipboard of paperwork back from Sibyl. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn immediately became defensive. “Why do you think I need to see the counselor? There’s nothing wrong with me,” she said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, no, of course not. I meant, for your schedule. We have all of our upperclassmen meet with a counselor to talk about their schedule. A lot of our students are interested in AP classes and getting in as many college credits as possible before graduating. You’ll need to meet with a counselor to set that up. I just thought you might be interested.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh, well, yeah. I am interested. I guess I’ll meet with Mr. Counselor then,” Maevyn said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Mr. Sheffield,” the secretary corrected. “I’ll buzz down to his room. Go ahead and have a seat. He’ll be here in just a moment.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few minutes later, a man in shorts, t-shirt, and Birkenstock sandals walked into the office. A long, graying ponytail hung down the back of his balding head. “Maevyn Hartmann?” he said, looking at her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s me,” Maevyn said, standing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And you’re her grandmother, I understand?” he said, turning his gaze to Sibyl. She nodded.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As they walked down the hall to the counselors’ offices, Maevyn got the distinct feeling that Mr. Sheffield was into her grandmother. She wasn’t sure if it was something in the way that he looked at her, or if it was the language he was using. If she had to describe her hunch, she’d have to say that she felt he was giving off some sort of vibe. An “I like you” vibe. Weird. It was just a weird feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She liked Mr. Sheffield. He was funny, and he talked to her like an adult, not like a kid. She liked him even more for that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So, Maevyn, I took a look at your transcripts from your old school, and I see that you’ve already taken quite a few AP classes already.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, sir.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“As a sophomore.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, sir.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And you passed them. Brilliantly.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Umm, yes, sir.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Richard. Please, call me Richard.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ok. Yes, Richard, I’ve taken AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP English so far. If there were more hours in the day, I would have taken AP Physics, too, but what can you do?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s quite the academic resume. Impressive.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I was blessed with good genes. I can’t really take credit.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, I’ll take credit then,” her grandmother interjected. “Her father was my son. And he was brilliant as well.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Was?” Mr. Sheffield asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maevyn looked down. Her grandmother looked at her a moment before answering. “My son, and his family were killed in a car accident. Recently. Maevyn was the only one to survive. I thought you knew.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m so sorry,” he said, verbally backpedaling. “I didn’t realize. Please, whatever I can do to help, I’d be happy to do. I can offer my counselor services, if you’d like.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What I’d really like,” Maeve answered, “is to spend as little time here as possible. I asked my grandmother if I could homeschool, but she wants me to be around people. But the thought of being around a lot of people, all day long...well, the thought of it makes me want to throw up. Isn’t there something I can do, some sort of homeschooling hybrid where I come to school for some classes, and then stay at home for the rest?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maeve, how would we work that out? I’ve only got the one car, how would you get around?” Sibyl asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> “Actually, maybe that is an option,” Mr. Sheffield answered. “You can do some of your studies online, but it looks like you’re short a few elective credits. You can come to school for those. We work on a block rotation, A block and B blocks, and they rotate every other day. Classes are an hour and a half long, and only four classes a day. You can pick four classes that you want to complete here at school over the semester, and four that you want to do at home. Since you’ve already taken so many AP classes, you may want to take advantage of some classes we offer for college credit. They take place at Park College. It’s downtown in Parkville, which isn’t far from where you live, if I’m not mistaken. You might even be able to walk there.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Maevyn sat forward in her chair. “That doesn’t sound bad. What do you think, Gram?”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">“I guess we could probably make that work. You’d have to ride the bus on the days you need to be at school. I’d need to have my car at home for house calls when I work.”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">“House calls? I haven’t heard of that in a long time. What kind of work are you in?” Mr. Sheffield asked.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">“Prostitution,” Maevyn answered for her. “She’s a hooker.”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">“Maevyn Anne Hartmann! That’s not funny,” her grandmother said, glowering at her. Maevyn unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh. “I’m a psychic and medium, Mr. Sheffield. I have a shop downtown. You’re welcome to stop by some time for a reading, if you’re so inclined.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Sheffield cleared his throat. “That sounds…nice. I just may take you up on that offer.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sibyl smiled. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Now, I’ll just need you to pick which classes you want to take, and I’ll get your schedule all set up for Monday.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thirty minutes later, Maevyn held a printout of her classes, and shook Mr. Sheffield’s hand as they said their goodbyes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“He seemed nice,” Maevyn noted. “He might even come see you at the shop.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, he did seem nice. And no, he won’t.”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How do you know? He said he might.”</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because I know. You did read the sign on my front window, didn’t you? I am a psychic after all.”</span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Questions for the reader: (Please answer any or all of these
and leave your answer in the comment and help me make my
story even stronger!)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;"><i>Where did it confusing?</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;"><i>Where did it get boring?</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;"><i>What was exciting?</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;"><i>What questions do you have that you expect to be answered in upcoming chapters?</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;"><i>Other changes, questions, comments?</i></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-60522415406973732412016-03-25T23:02:00.001-04:002016-03-25T23:02:12.953-04:00Brain Itch<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkldaH9_B6i5AqIGeA71s36beDxn7Gv1acy0HQfbYI2Gi3gSNHLhMDc9iRrMGRdlPOFK65J381M9VeAdWRiUj5XVYNyYjBhW0S1xpznx9hSaQpZmLTUQJOo1vQB43opSvqkerQC8R5QUtg/s1600/brain-998996_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkldaH9_B6i5AqIGeA71s36beDxn7Gv1acy0HQfbYI2Gi3gSNHLhMDc9iRrMGRdlPOFK65J381M9VeAdWRiUj5XVYNyYjBhW0S1xpznx9hSaQpZmLTUQJOo1vQB43opSvqkerQC8R5QUtg/s320/brain-998996_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm SO itchy!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ack! My poor brain. It has too many stories inside it that are all knocking on the doors to get out.<br />
<br />
Alas, there is only one way for them to truly get out.<br />Butt in chair.<br />
Fingers on keyboard.<br />
Write them down and let them out.<br />
<br />
So, I'm trying to work as much as I can and as fast as I can.<br />I'm slow, though.<br />
And lazy. Let's be honest. I'm lazy, too.<br />So, I've had to settle for just writing down the synopsis of these story ideas that are itching my brain.<br />
<br />
Here are a few:<br />
<br />
<b>Sleeping Beauty Tale Retold: </b>In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming is not what he seems. In fact, it's he that puts the princess in a death-like sleep as he serves the dragon witch. This story is set in ancient Russia as begins its transformation to an Orthodox nation.<br />
<br />
<b>When the Starts Are No More: </b>A group of young astronauts are sent to get diagnostics on a nearby wormhole that leads to a massive black hole. In order to save the planet the worm hole is destroyed, but the crew finds themselves returning to a very different planet Earth. For one thing, there are no stars in the night sky...it's as if they've completely disappeared.<br />
<br />
<b>The Memory Keeper:</b> Set in a futuristic society, a young memory archivist stumbles upon murder and a conspiracy as she dissolves the memories of an official who recently died. Her journey to unravel the mystery leads her to learning that the blissful city of peace she lives in and loves is not nearly as peaceful or blissful as she has been lead to believe.<br />
<br />
<b>Mirror Mirror on the Wall</b>: Twin girls are given the freedom to have their own separate bedrooms after years of being together. One of the twins finds an old-fashioned mirror to decorate her room. Before long, she is spending most of her time in front of the mirror talking to someone inside. Is she going crazy, or does the image inside of the mirror want to be more than just a reflection?<br />
<br />
<br />
So, these are some ideas. They make my brain itch. A lot.<br />
It's itching right now.<br />
So, I'd better go and do some writing.<br />
That seems to calm the itch...for a little while at least.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-20243466187234867772015-08-04T10:00:00.000-04:002015-08-08T19:59:36.917-04:00Writers NEED TO LISTEN!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1p5ZFzfeEevjq9bUlapG497eTu4XW5V78ZpEMqhDpj538bQ0i1BipPvcSDofs7Mgcx2l9JIGXMwTpvjBMR6x4fN6-uE7orr0jNwgXMKVHVwNTcoaRfrM2-aqczi_8SULOTxb7HukynuC/s1600/earphones-477446_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1p5ZFzfeEevjq9bUlapG497eTu4XW5V78ZpEMqhDpj538bQ0i1BipPvcSDofs7Mgcx2l9JIGXMwTpvjBMR6x4fN6-uE7orr0jNwgXMKVHVwNTcoaRfrM2-aqczi_8SULOTxb7HukynuC/s320/earphones-477446_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a>to these podcasts!<br />
<br />
<br />
Seriously, if you're a wannabe writer, a hobby-writer, a trying to make it big someday and support my family on my writing writer, then you NEED to be listening to these podcasts.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
BECAUSE THEY'RE FREAKING AWESOME!!<br />
<br />
Seriously.<br />
<br />
I feel like I have gotten so much more of an education through podcasts than I have in my four years of university.<br />
<br />
Honest.<br />
<br />
Here are some podcasts that you'll catch me listening to...<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><a href="http://rockingselfpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Rocking Self Publishing</a></b></h3>
<div>
This interview-format podcast is produced by Simon Whistler is fantastic. He interviews a new author each week, finding out what has helped them become successful in self publishing. I find the shows to be informative, inspiring, and I just love to hear an Englishman talk with his yummy English accent, too. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/" target="_blank">Writing Excuses</a></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Writing Excuses podcast is like being in a college creative writing class, but instead of just one teacher, you get four! This round-table panel discussion between four different writers (Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells) has taught me a TON about writing and traditional publishing. If you're not into self-publishing, there is a lot of great advice regarding the traditional route. Regardless of the publishing method you choose, this podcast has so much helpful info on how to be a better writer. Definitely check it out!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b><a href="http://www.48days.com/" target="_blank">48 Days</a></b></h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
48 days is not a writing podcast.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What???</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nope. It's more of a "find your calling and live your best life" type of podcast. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That said...I LOVE it. I never miss a week. I haven't missed a week for the past 3 years. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dan Miller is the host of 48 Days, and author of the book <i>48 Days to the Work You Love</i> which is a fantastic book. I read it. I used it. I got a fabulous position by using his strategy in the book. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even though this is not really a writing podcast, it is highly inspirational, motivational, and educational. Hmmm...how many more "al" words can I use??</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those are three for you right now. I currently have 17 podcasts that I listen to on a consistent basis, but I wanted to give you a few of my top ones. I don't want to overwhelm you. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So go.</div>
<div>
Listen.</div>
<div>
Learn.</div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-88102568373180817132015-07-31T20:03:00.001-04:002015-07-31T20:03:39.835-04:00Five Enchanted Roses is Finally Here!!Is it even possible to tell you how excited I was to get my copy of <i>Five Enchanted Roses</i> in the mail? No, probably not.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I was pretty darned excited!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc_z5eTyhAWWQ8adKKXm0tawCMzf_dcD5JO2oIdwN0eScNfH57r8GRjstKn4GuodJEQ3o1nr0xnX6iQee4SnNBsKQbiUtvq-ewugJDWJ16i6edsNqjbJZV_DoYEbh8vgjrh2ovNCNbAeQ/s1600/MYbooksepia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc_z5eTyhAWWQ8adKKXm0tawCMzf_dcD5JO2oIdwN0eScNfH57r8GRjstKn4GuodJEQ3o1nr0xnX6iQee4SnNBsKQbiUtvq-ewugJDWJ16i6edsNqjbJZV_DoYEbh8vgjrh2ovNCNbAeQ/s400/MYbooksepia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
I just sat there for 5 minutes straight, just holding a real-live-honest-to-goodness paperback book in my hands. With MY name on it!! It was a good feeling.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I want that feeling to continue. </div>
<div>
Soon!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Monday evening, several of the authors of the anthology were part of a launch party hosted by Anne Elisabeth Stengl on Facebook. It was so much fun!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I thought I'd include some of the questions/answers from the launch party here on my blog, as well as any other stuff that's bouncing around in my brain and needs to be let out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
What inspired you to set <i>Rosara and the Jungle King</i> in the Amazon?</h3>
When I sat down to brainstorm my take on <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, I wanted my beast to be something different from the mish-mash beast as seen on the Disney movie. I wanted it to be some sort of actual beast, whether real or imagined. I also knew that I wanted to have my story set in an exotic location. I had done the "once upon a time in a faraway kingdom" kind of story, and since I was writing specifically for a contest, I wanted my setting to be more memorable than that.<br />
<br />
So, I thought of settings that I was familiar with. The first one that came to mind was Japan. Since I lived in a small, rural town in southern Japan for three years, I had a lot of schema to draw on to set the tale there. And I did write a Beauty and the Beast story set in Japan. It became <i>Ai of the Mountain.</i> I also thought of another setting I was familiar with, not because I had actually been there, but because I had learned so much about it, and had kinda fallen in love with it.<br />
<br />
In college, one of my very favorite (if not so useful) classes was Anthropology. I loved this class! I loved learning all about unique people groups that I'd previously never known about up until that point. One of the people groups I learned about was the Yanomami people of the Brazilian Amazon. They captured my imagination, and I wrote a couple of short stories for creative writing classes set in a Yanomami tribe.<br />
<br />
Almost simultaneously with the decision to use this Amazonian tribe as my inspiration, came the realization of who my beast would be -- a jaguar. Thus, Tupa, the jaguar was born!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Did you create the magic system for your story, or is truly part of the Amazon tribes' belief system?</h3>
<br />
Most of the magic in the story has to do with the Karawara spirits. In my research for more information about the Yanomami, and similar tribes of the Amazon, I came across this phrase:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian" target="_blank">Some, like the Awa, take no stimulants or drugs but go into a trance through the power of rhythmic dancing and clapping to journey to the iwa, or abode of the spirits, where they meet the souls of the ancestors and the spirits of the forest, the karawara. </a></blockquote>
<br />
Even though, the Awa are a different tribe, I knew that I wasn't recreating the Yanomami people exactly. I was creating my own tribe inspired by them and other nearby tribes. I loved this idea of the iwa - the abode of the spirits, and the spirits of the forest, the karawara. I couldn't really find much more information about what the iwa was, or what the karawara could or could not do, so I made up what I wanted to happen. Call it poetic license if you must - I simply call it writing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
What advice do you have for someone submitting their story for <a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/#!writing-contest/c22i6" target="_blank">the next contest</a>?</h3>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/ac46bd_75dff376188e4a22af1238184833ab1e.jpg_srz_p_856_300_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.wixstatic.com/media/ac46bd_75dff376188e4a22af1238184833ab1e.jpg_srz_p_856_300_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz" height="112" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's my two cents...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. I feel like setting was really important. Consider these setting of the stories in <i>Five Enchanted Roses</i>...a pirate ship at sea, a haunted abbey, the Amazon jungle. Not your typical castles set far away and long, long ago. That's not to say that you can't have your fairy tale retelling take place in a castle or a familiar location, but then something else has to be truly unique. Turn the story on its head. Make the heroine the villain, for instance. Make something ordinary into something magical, or take something everyone assumes is good - into something truly evil. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, I guess I'm saying to make it unique, not just uniquely yours.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2. Write the story that you want to read. I love stories that are magical. But I also like stories that take me through strong emotions, whether that's disgust, anger, rage or wonder, awe, and enchantment. Don't be afraid to be brutal if necessary. <i>Rosara</i> has some very brutal scenes in it that make me squirm to read them. But, so did <i>The Hunger Games</i> and <i>The Maze Runner</i>. It's okay to be be a sadist to your main character. Just don't do it in real life.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, tip number two is to write the type of story that you like to read, but it's also to make sure that there's a lot of tension. The stakes should be very high for your protagonist - like life and death sort of high.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3. Write. Write. Write. Then re-write. Re-write. Re-write. Then ask for some help.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Get your first draft out. Fast. Don't worry about stuff that doesn't make sense. </div>
<div>
Misspelled words? Fuggatabout it! Just write!</div>
<div>
Not sure what you're doing or where your story is going? Congratulations! You're a writer!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just get the first draft done. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then put it away.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Like for a week. Maybe two or three. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then go back and revise and/or rewrite it. Look for plot holes. Look for inconsistencies. And for the love of all that is holy, make sure your story delivers on answering the readers' questions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What do I mean by this?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I mean, if you add details to your story - they have to be there for a reason. An important reason. </div>
<div>
If the room suddenly goes dark because the lights go out, you need to let the reader know why. Was it because of the presence of a ghost? Did the power go out in the whole neighborhood? Was an electrical line cut by a serial killer on the loose? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you write that the lights went out, and then your protagonist just lights some candles but never says, "Hmmm...that's odd. I wonder what's going on..." then you've created a question in your readers' minds that doesn't get answered, and that's not good. So, make sure you give your readers a payoff by delivering on unanswered questions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That doesn't mean that EVERY thing needs to be answered. If you're going to create a sequel, then you'll want to leave some hooks that lead the reader to say, "I wonder what happens in the next book!" </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Okay, so let's say you've written your story.</div>
<div>
You've re-written it. </div>
<div>
You've edited, polished and revised it to near perfection - or at least as perfect as you feel you can get without some outside feedback. Guess what it's time for! Outside feedback!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In other words - BETA READERS.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These are trustworthy people that you can ask to read your story and give you their honest, gut-wrenching critique of your story.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They should not be: your parents, your siblings, close friends (who are not writers - unless you REALLY trust them). Why? Because they love you too much and won't want to hurt your feelings.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You need to find some people who don't love you so much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They can still be friends, but some distance helps. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have found that the best beta readers are people who are - READERS. So, if someone reads one or two books a year, it probably wouldn't help to ask them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They should also be interested in reading stories in your genre. If they read biographies and rarely read fiction, they're not going to be as helpful to you as someone who reads a lot of fiction. It's not rocket science, but sometimes in our desperation to find someone - <i>anyone!</i> - to read our stories, it's easy to give it to everyone. Don't. That's a mistake. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also find it very helpful to give my beta readers a list of questions to answer for their critique. These questions usually center around: When did you loose interest? What pulled you out of the story (or made you say, "That wouldn't really happen?")? What was unrealistic? What part was compelling? What unanswered questions did you have at the end of the story? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If I ask questions like this, the readers don't feel so bad being <strike>harsh</strike> real in their answers. After all, they're just answering my questions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And finally, keep in mind that less than half of the people who say they will help you out, will actually do it. LESS THAN HALF. I'm not joking. I know they don't intend to make promises they won't keep, but just know that it happens. Therefore, ask twice as many people to read your story than you really need. Want five people to give their feedback? Then ask 10 if they'll read it for you. You'll be lucky if you get four. That's just how it works.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, that's my 2 cents. I hope it's helpful. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Above all though, don't be afraid to try! </div>
<div>
And keep writing!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-42326996358904065192015-07-10T02:12:00.002-04:002015-07-10T02:12:41.110-04:00Ring Around the Rose: Question the LastWell, it's finally here.<br />
The last week of playing "Ring Around the Rose" with my fellow authors of <i>Five Enchanted Roses.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
It's been so much fun to see what they write, and to answer these questions as well.<br />
<br />
This week's final question is another two-parter. Feel free to answer it along with me in the comments!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Part I: What are your thoughts on the themes in <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>?</h3>
Ok. A deep question to end with.<br />
I can do deep.<br />
<br />
Maybe.<br />
<br />
Besides the obvious theme of Stockholm Syndrome and its effects on unsuspecting, book-loving girls, I think the theme that I resonate with the most is that each of us has a beast within us.<br />
<br />
I think every person is capable of being 'beastly,' and it's only because of grace and the love of others that we don't succumb to the darker side within us. <br />
<br />
That sounded deep didn't it?<br />
I tried.<br />
<br />
<br />
When I was creating my story for the retelling of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, I sat down and thought of essential characteristics of the story. I came up with the following...<br />
<br />
1. a damsel, who may-or-may-not be 'in distress'<br />
<br />
2. a beast, who is ugly without but can be beautiful within<br />
<br />
3. magic<br />
<br />
That was pretty much it. Yeah, there's the magic mirror and the rose and all that, but I just wanted the bare essentials. And when I got down to the bare essentials that I listed above, I began to see <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> all around me.<br />
<br />
That leads me to...<br />
<h3>
Part II: What is your favorite version of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>?</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now that I saw <i>Beauty and the Beast </i> with new eyes, I saw these characteristics played out in many books and movies that I wouldn't necessarily have thought of as a <i>B&tB</i> retelling. But I say they are.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/6144WfX7I9L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/6144WfX7I9L.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>One of my all-time favorite books is now what I would consider a <i>B&tB</i> retelling:</div>
<div>
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div>
<i><b>Wuthering Heights</b></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cathy is the damsel.</div>
<div>
Heathcliff is the beast. </div>
<div>
And there's a certain element of magic, or at least the paranormal.</div>
<div>
Sadly, this retelling doesn't have a happily-ever-after for the two main characters, however, a happy-ever-after does come about for their children, so that's something.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81lCnhTXpRL._SL1372_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81lCnhTXpRL._SL1372_.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
<div>
Another favorite <i>B&tB</i> retelling is the movie, <i><b>Shrek</b></i>.</div>
<div>
I love how the movie turns the story on its head. Who is the beast? Is it Shrek or is it Fiona?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I realized that this too was a <i>B&tB</i> retelling, it opened my mind to the possibility of other characters in the story being "beastly" as well. Hmmm....what an interesting spin! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I won't say much more, because I don't want to give away too many spoilers about my story, <i><b>Rosara and the Jungle King</b>, </i>but Shrek really inspired my story. Now you'll just have to read it and see if you can figure out how!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div>
And then, my favorite out-and-out retelling of the <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> story is a more recent novel, <i><b>Cruel Beauty</b></i>. (Look at the cover! Isn't it gorgeous!! Oh wait, the whole idea of <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>is to NOT judge a book by its cover. My bad.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you haven't read it, you should. Get thee to a bookstore, posthaste! Or a library. Or Amazon. Just get thee somewhere! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, what are your favorite themes and versions of the <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> story? Do tell!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then go check out these other ladies' amazing blogs. </div>
<div>
You'll be impressed. (They are much deeper thinkers than I.)<br />
<br />
<b><i>See what <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, and <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Janelle </a>wrote!</i></b><br />
<b><i>And don't forget to check out <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blog tomorrow to see her response.</i></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-61231677705895950952015-07-03T00:45:00.000-04:002015-07-03T00:45:24.084-04:00Ring Around the Rose - Question the FifthThis week's question is actually two questions. So, we'll have question 5.0 and then 5.1, shortly.<br />
<br />
Now for question 5.0<br />
<br />
What was the first story you ever wrote?<br />
<br />
Oh, man.<br />
I<br />
truly<br />
have<br />
no<br />
idea.<br />
<br />
I really, really can't remember.<br />
<br />
I know that when I was in 3rd grade I created a family newspaper that all of about two editions, so that would probably include my very first story.<br />
<br />
I think the first story that I can really remember well wasn't until I was a sophomore in high school. It was the first story that was long enough to be an actual story.<br />
It was the first story that I remember being complimented on as well.<br />
By the cute, blonde hottie in my writing class that I (and every other girl in my class) had a crush on.<br />
<br />
It was about a deranged lunatic who escaped from a psychiatric hospital by killing his doctor and was going on a wild rampage before dying alone and afraid in the woods.<br />
<br />
You know, a feel-good-fun-for-the-whole-family-happily-ever-after sort of story.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I have no idea why I wrote it.<br />
I was a bit of a dark, twisted soul as a teenager, I guess.<br />
Or I was just really hormonal and didn't know how to deal with it.<br />
Either way, it was a weird story.<br />
<br />
But, I finished it. Other people liked it.<br />
And I realized how much I loved writing.<br />
<br />
So, now for question 5.1<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
What is your favorite Pixar movie?</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/RatatouillePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/RatatouillePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a>So, like everybody on the planet, I love to see that little desk lamp hop across the screen and shine its light right in my eyes. I know I am about to be truly entertained.<br />
<br />
I love the movie, Ratatouille. My daughters love it as well. I love how Remy the rat has an imaginary friend in Chef Gusteau. He says a lot of poignant things like "What do I know? I am only a figment of your imagination." <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>But, Ratatouille is not my favorite Pixar film.</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
I LOVE Finding Nemo as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Finding_Nemo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Finding_Nemo.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
Honestly, Dorie?<br />
How do you not love Dorie?<br />
I love this movie so much. But now that I have my own kids, it sometimes makes me cry when Nemo gets <strike>kidnapped</strike> fishnapped. And then again when he finds his dad. And then again when we think he's dead. It's an emotional rollercoaster for me to watch Finding Nemo.<br />
<br />
<b><i>But, Finding Nemo is not my favorite Pixar film.</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
Nope.<br />
My very favorite Pixar movie is....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Brave_Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Brave_Poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
BRAVE!<br />
<br />
I love, love, LOVE this movie!<br />
<br />
I love the setting.<br />
I love all the red hair.<br />
I love the three naked babies.<br />
The kilts.<br />
The accents.<br />
The fiery tempers.<br />
<br />
But most of all, I love Merida.<br />
I love her spirit.<br />
I love that she's not satisfied with the fate that she has.<br />
Instead, she does whatever she can to be in charge of her own fate.<br />
<br />
I SIMPLY LOVE THAT!!<br />
<br />
I think that theme of the movie really really resonates with me. I don't want to accept the fate that I felt I was heading towards. I want to change my fate, own it, and make my dreams come true.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, without turning my mother (or anyone else for that matter) into a bear.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>Don't forget to check out <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blog tomorrow to see her response.</i></b><br />
<b><i>Also check back to see what <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, and <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Janelle </a>wrote, too!</i></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-85141091877363710932015-06-25T23:44:00.002-04:002015-06-25T23:44:58.950-04:00Ring Around the Rose: Question the Fourth<h3>
What Other Author Do You Write Most Like?</h3>
<br />
That's this week's question in our Ring Around the Rose blog hop extravaganza.<br />
<br />
My honest answer is that I have no flipping idea.<br />
I've never really thought about it before.<br />
Hmmmm...now I'm getting all self-analytically about my writing.<br />
<br />
The thing is, I write very differently for each piece. My voice doesn't always stay the same. My non-fiction voice tends to be very laid back, not take itself too seriously, and be more like a conversation (a conversation where I do all the talking, I know) where I like to open up and have fun creating new vocabulary words like "self-analytically."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Yn0BP58d51cPS6ru_-hX2n9d_w5gIzFaTbH_xbbHV4EZZF8M6w-cLi7ESgDhu087IrE4R0Of0zynztDaVv1Mhyi1MMuhXvR6KUy6gZtEgRrKWRZzMitoOtTkx1sSJz7Rj4dxqUTTSbN-/s1600/512a4Jd783L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Yn0BP58d51cPS6ru_-hX2n9d_w5gIzFaTbH_xbbHV4EZZF8M6w-cLi7ESgDhu087IrE4R0Of0zynztDaVv1Mhyi1MMuhXvR6KUy6gZtEgRrKWRZzMitoOtTkx1sSJz7Rj4dxqUTTSbN-/s200/512a4Jd783L.jpg" width="119" /></a>Maybe kind of like Dave Barry.<br />
<br />
I might be reaching.<br />
<br />
A lot.<br />
<br />
He's a very successful comedic writer whereas I'm...not so much.<br />
<br />
But, it's a start.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwjOLA_4nKNN87qmbGDFODJuXEypV1jDgVciFVA3jlN2jvVonOKMX9YetQ9fA3xYnnln32kgt5mZLmhvuzyjD9ye7DJH_vTPS3TyxwP3O8bMLOSB42a830CRjdRp51alY6GFhYlathee4/s1600/91vUqnlmWaL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwjOLA_4nKNN87qmbGDFODJuXEypV1jDgVciFVA3jlN2jvVonOKMX9YetQ9fA3xYnnln32kgt5mZLmhvuzyjD9ye7DJH_vTPS3TyxwP3O8bMLOSB42a830CRjdRp51alY6GFhYlathee4/s200/91vUqnlmWaL.jpg" width="120" /></a>My fiction writing tends to be more formal. I try my best to use commas correctly, though I am certain that I am failing miserably.<br />
<br />
I think if I were to compare my fiction writing voice to another author's it would have to be Lois Lowry, author of <i>The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger</i> and a whole host of other books. Though the subject matter of her books is serious, she gives it a light touch and makes it accessible to both younger and older readers. I try to do that. Hopefully, I am.<br />
<br />
Hmmm....now I really want to know YOUR opinion.<br />
If you happen to have read any of my fiction and/or non-fiction and you had to answer this sentence, what would your answer be?...<br />
<br />
<i>Dorian Tsukioka's book _________________ is reminiscent of such authors as __________________ and _______________________ . </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Or how about this one...<br />
<i>If you love books by ________________ and __________________, then Dorian Tsukioka's book is what you're looking for.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I'd love your help in making my marketing more direct! Who knew that you'd be working in the marketing and advertising field today (unless of course that is your actual job, in which case -- you did)?!<br />
<br />
<br />
But now for the really fun question for this week's blog hop...<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Which Author Do You Want to Write Like?</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Joss_Whedon_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Joss_Whedon_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg" width="155" /></a>This one is easy for me.<br />
<br />
Without a doubt, I would love to write like Joss Whedon.<br />
<br />
If you don't know who that is, I weep for you.<br />
<br />
The truth is, I've never, ever <b><i>read</i></b> anything by Joss Whedon, but I know his voice well. It's funny, poignant, pithy, fast-paced and just simply amazing. That's how I aspire to write.<br />
<br />
Someday.<br />
<br />
Until then, I'm happy to make up words.<br />
So are you feeling self-analytically now, too?<br />
<br />
Don't forget to check out <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blog tomorrow to see her response.<br />
Also check back to see what <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, and <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Janelle </a>wrote, too!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-33513742730411341772015-06-18T16:43:00.001-04:002015-06-25T23:43:12.752-04:00Ring Around the Rose: Question the ThirdThis week's question is a doozy!<br />
<br />
<h3>
How would you talk a hungry dragon out of eating you if you were face-to-face without any sort of weapon?</h3>
<br />
I'm going to just come out and say that I'd likely become a fricasseed dragon delicacy.<br />
<br />
However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't try. Especially if it was a talking dragon. If it's a dragon out of Harry Potter, then I'm screwed.<br />
<br />
But maybe, just maybe, a talking dragon that can be reasoned with would result in me escaping a charbroiled fate. Maybe.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F6WDY8VQL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F6WDY8VQL.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a>If you've never read the book, <i>My Lucky Day </i> by Keiko Kasza, you're missing out. It may just save you from a hungry dragon.<br />
<br />
I'd totally use what I learned from this little picture book to save my butt.<br />
<br />
In the story a little pig finds himself at the house of a hungry fox. Just as the fox is about to eat him, the little pig gives up and suggests that the fox give him a bath first because he is an awfully dirty pig.<br />
<br />
The fox commences to build a fire and give the little pig a bath.<br />
<br />
Just as the fox is about to eat the pig again, the pig tells the fox he's all skin and bones. He suggests that the fox fatten him up a little bit first. So, the fox makes spaghetti, meatballs and chocolate chip cookies from scratch. After a big meal, the pig says he's ready for the fox to eat him.<br />
<br />
But, just as the fox is about to have the little pig as a snack, the pig mentions that his meat is all tough and suggests that the fox give him a massage.<br />
<br />
Well, as you can guess, the little pig uses all these opportunities to tire out the fox and get away. The book has a surprise twist at the end. If you have kids, I'd suggest getting it for them and checking it out for yourself. I love using this story to help teach kids how stories go and twisted endings. They love it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'd try to use what I've learned from the book to talk my way out of becoming a dragon's dinner.<br />
<br />
Though I might as well sprinkle some parsley on myself now, because I doubt I'd be able to trick a dragon. I'd be a gonner.<br />
<br />
But hopefully, I'd end up face-to-face with a friendly dragon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Maybe Puff. I'll keep my fingers crossed in case that ever happens.<br />
<br />
Don't forget to check out <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blog tomorrow to see her response. Also check back to see what <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, and <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Janelle </a>wrote, too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-80325711813434526742015-06-16T23:23:00.002-04:002015-06-16T23:24:31.114-04:00Writing FasterIf there's one thing a writer always wants to do - it's to write faster.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Because the faster a writer writes, the more stories can be published, and the more cha-ching ends up in the pocket.<br />
<br />
But also because writing is hard.<br />
It really is.<br />
Creating anything takes effort.<br />
It's so much easier to consume than to create.<br />
It's easy to read a book - writing one is hard.<br />
It's easy to sit and watch a movie - but writing a screenplay is not.<br />
Consumption is easy.<br />
Creation is very difficult.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok6uK6erbhGsixytXyJaNowj5aEfKXd62M0fb0bNNW6ikuOAquZ9noGVagd3RaU2BjDTMg_Cow2nafEdleNgMiZuOaPZgAaHNiQiTNJvG-OFkgHQItBD7u50zxzP0BI_Ff2GtC4GCK7e-/s1600/consumption+vs+creation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok6uK6erbhGsixytXyJaNowj5aEfKXd62M0fb0bNNW6ikuOAquZ9noGVagd3RaU2BjDTMg_Cow2nafEdleNgMiZuOaPZgAaHNiQiTNJvG-OFkgHQItBD7u50zxzP0BI_Ff2GtC4GCK7e-/s400/consumption+vs+creation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So, even though I love writing, it is still difficult.<br />
Every.<br />
Single.<br />
Time.<br />
<br />
So, if I can figure out a way to write faster and get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time, I am all for it.<br />
<br />
You may have heard of plotters vs. pantsers.<br />
If not, I'll quickly explain.<br />
A plotter is a writer who likes to do some sort of outlining before commencing with writing a story. The depth and breadth of the outline may vary, but at the very least, a plotter will have something down on paper to serve as a framework for the rest of their story.<br />
<br />
A pantser is someone who writes "by the seat of their pants." They tend not to outline, but to let the story flow and take them wherever they want to go.<br />
<br />
I used to be a pantser.<br />
Then, I used to start out as a pantser who became a plotter when I got stuck and had to come up for some sort of synopsis for the rest of the story.<br />
<br />
Now, I am a complete and absolute plotter.<br />
And I love it.<br />
I write so much faster this way.<br />
<br />
It takes time to plot, that's true.<br />
But, once I have created an outline for the story, I am able to write it out so much more quickly than I could when I left the story up to just happen on its own.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are pantsers who can write quickly.<br />
I am just not one of them.<br />
<br />
Over the last couple of days I tried something new to see if it would help me to write even more quickly.<br />
I was well into the first chapter when I decided to stop writing all exposition, and write only dialogue. No "he said" or "she said"'s even. Just dialogue.<br />
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I have to tell you, this experiment was AWESOME.<br />
I loved it!<br />
In one afternoon I was able to write out all the dialogue I could foresee happening, and I was able to crank out several thousand words without a hitch. That's big news for me. I'm sometimes lucky to get several thousand words in a week.<br />
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I'll admit that I am very much a plot-driven author. Characterization is very difficult for me. In fact, it's not usually until I'm halfway through a story that I have a good sense of who the characters are. But, I always know what I want to have happen to the characters, and I have a good sense of how I want them to speak.<br />
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So, relying on just dialogue really helped me to flesh out my characters this afternoon and get to know them even more quickly as I wrote out their words.<br />
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Again, this was AWESOME.<br />
<br />
I tried to imagine the story as a movie in my head, and in a movie there is nothing but dialogue. Screenplays are 95% dialogue because that's all there is. There are very few movies with voiceovers to get inside the character's heads (and those that have it probably shouldn't). Instead, it's what the character says and how they say it that helps the audience know who they are, what they want, what their problems are, and the type of people they become.<br />
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So, if you're looking to write a little faster, even if you're not a plotter like me, may I suggest this:<br />
Sit back and imagine your story in your head just as if you're watching a movie.<br />
Don't describe anything.<br />
Don't worry about the setting.<br />
Or the mood.<br />
Or laying out the scene.<br />
Just pay attention to what your characters say. Write that down. Only that.<br />
<br />
Then, when you're done with a chapter, or even the whole story, go back and fill in. See if it helps you to get to know your characters faster, outline the plot of your story quicker, and ultimately - write a whole heck of a lot faster, too! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-30487506701653657472015-06-11T23:27:00.003-04:002015-06-11T23:28:48.698-04:00Ring Around the Rose: Question the SecondIf you haven't read the answer to last week's question about which fantasy world I would choose to live in, you can scroll down or <a href="http://dorianwrites.blogspot.com/2015/06/ring-around-rose-question-first.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to read that thrilling bit of blogging.<br />
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This week's question is closely linked to last week's. Get ready to dust off the best advice you learned from <i>How to Win Friends and Influence People, </i>because this week we're going to be shaking hands and kissing babies...<br />
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Question the Second: If you could meet your favorite literary character, who would it be?</h3>
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I'm going to let you know right up front that I'm going to cheat on this one. </div>
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You're just going to have to be okay with that.<br />
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First of all, I'm going to pick two characters.<br />
No, no backtalk from you that I can only pick one.<br />
I gave you fair warning.<br />
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And second, one of them isn't an actual literary character.<br />
I know, I know.<br />
Get your panties out of a wad. It'll be okay.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the most inflammatory of the bunch: my <b><i>non-literary</i></b>, favorite literary character.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.amcnetworks.com/ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/103112-kirk-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.amcnetworks.com/ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/103112-kirk-2.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at those "Come hither" eyes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was going to say Captain Kirk.<br />
Of the 60's.<br />
Not movie Kirk - he's too Hollywood.<br />
But Kirk of the ugly yellow shirt. That Kirk. <br />
I totally had a crush on him. Well, re-run versions of him. He was way before my time. Way. Wayyyyyyyyyy before.<br />
<br />
So, no, I didn't go with Kirk.<br />
Either he'd love me and leave me as he seemed to do on...Every. Single. Episode. (Did you say it just like Kirk? If so, good for you.)<br />
Or else, I'd end up on his crew doomed to be one of the redshirts that wouldn't live past the first 10 minutes of the show.<br />
So, no Kirk for me. Meeting him is too dangerous.<br />
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Instead, I went with another <b><i>non-literary</i></b> favorite literary character: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fontmeme.com/images/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-TV-Series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://fontmeme.com/images/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-TV-Series.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She could totally kick your butt. And look great, too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love Buffy. Do you love Buffy? You should.<br />
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I have stipulations, though.<br />
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I'd have to be part of the Scooby Gang if I met her.<br />
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Similarly to meeting Captain Kirk in his world, I would most likely be in grave peril if I met Buffy in hers and wasn't one of her peeps (the Scooby Gang - with whom I'd love to spend time with as well).<br />
<br />
Xander, Willow, Giles, Buffy and Me. Sitting down to a nice cup of tea right before something dreadful happens and we're called on to save the world.<br />
<br />
Again.<br />
<br />
So, Buffy and pals are my first choice.<br />
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My actual <b><i>LITERARY</i></b> favorite literary character that I would love to meet is Evie from the Paranormalcy series. (Paranormalcy, Supernaturally, Endlessly)<br />
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I LOVED these books, and I loved the main protagonist, Evie.<br />
Guess who she reminds me a lot of....<br />
BUFFY!<br />
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She's witty, spunky, funny, kicks some bad-guy ass, and has a huge preoccupation with the color pink.<br />
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What's not to love?<br />
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If you like YA (and this is pretty much squeaky-clean YA, by the way), you should totally check these books out. They've been out for a while now, but they're still a fun read.<br />
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I think Buffy would agree.<br />
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Don't forget to check out <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/2015/06/ring-around-rose-fantasy-worlds.html" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blog tomorrow to see her favorite literary character that she'd like to meet.<br />
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Also, see what <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, and <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/ring-around-the-rose-characters/#comments-title" target="_blank">Jenelle </a>said, too!<br />
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So...who would you like to meet?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-3213468937930509992015-06-08T00:04:00.000-04:002015-06-08T00:05:16.150-04:00Ring Around The Rose - Question the FirstFor the next few weeks, the authors of the stories found in <i>Five Enchanted Roses</i> will be participating in a blog hop of sorts. Each week we will be answering a different question.<br />
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I invite you to join in the fun by reading the other authors' blogs to find their answers, and also make sure to share your own answer in the comments as well.<br />
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You can check out the other authors' blogs by going to <a href="http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaycee</a>, <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Savannah</a>, <a href="http://jenelleschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Jenelle</a>, and <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden's </a>blogs! Kaycee will start us out on Monday, and Hayden finishes the question on Friday. </div>
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<b><i>I answer out of turn because I'm just special like that. </i></b></div>
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(Actually, I had a complete brain fart, and will make a special effort to have my answers out on time for the next four consecutive Thursdays.)</div>
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So all this fanfare brings us to.....</div>
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Question the First: What Fantasy Land Would You Want to Live In?</h3>
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And because I'm a teacher, and I'm never satisfied with a simple one sentence answer, I'll throw in the kicker</div>
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AND WHY?</h3>
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I'll admit, I've known about this question for a few weeks now, and I've really be struggling to come up with just one fantasy world to commit to. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/AURYN_72.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/AURYN_72.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a>I love all these amazing worlds:</div>
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The Lord of the Rings</div>
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Harry Potter</div>
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The Last Unicorn</div>
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The Neverending Story</div>
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All of these had awesome settings, and I'd probably be content living in any of them. </div>
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Then again, I even had a hard time committing to a FANTASY world.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Leonard_Nimoy_William_Shatner_Star_Trek_1968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Leonard_Nimoy_William_Shatner_Star_Trek_1968.JPG" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
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What about Sci-Fi? I love Sci-Fi. And Sci-Fi loves me:</div>
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Star Wars</div>
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Star Trek (the original and the Next Generation)</div>
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Ender's Game</div>
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Under the Never Sky</div>
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These worlds might be awesome to live in, too. </div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PDWkAraCL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PDWkAraCL._AA160_.jpg" /></a>Much better than living in the world of:</div>
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The Hunger Games</div>
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The Giver</div>
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Divergent</div>
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The Stand</div>
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Matched</div>
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I definitely don't want to wake up one of these days in those worlds. </div>
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I've finally narrowed it down to two picks. </div>
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This was difficult. </div>
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I've been visiting one of my favorite universes since elementary school - long, long before David Tennant made the Doctor a hottie. </div>
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<i><b>I wouldn't mind being his traveling companion, though. </b></i></div>
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But in the end, I had to go with a world full of silliness and comedy. </div>
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There's not a lot of magic in it to make it fantasy.</div>
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But there is a six-fingered man, a giant, an albino, a miracle worker, a pirate, and a beautiful princess...<br />
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If I could live anywhere, I'd have to choose the land of the Princess Bride. </div>
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Evidently, there's a shortage of perfect bosom's in that world. </div>
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I might as well help out. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-55970911691264091282015-06-02T10:00:00.000-04:002015-06-02T10:00:00.469-04:00Five Enchanted Roses Author Spotlight: Savannah JezowskiSo other than me, this is the last of the Five Enchanted Roses authors that I had the privilege of interviewing for my blog. I'm so pleased to introduce to you Savannah Jezowski, author of <i>Wither</i>. Savannah is located in Michigan, and is currently working in banking.<br />
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Let's get to know her better...<br />
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Tell me about your Five Enchanted Roses story.</h3>
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<i>Wither is based closely on the original fairy tale. However, I took great liberties with the setting and characters to make it my own telling. For example, Beauty isn't the Merchant's youngest, most beautiful daughter. There isn't an Enchantress in my story either; although, I suppose there is a character who is responsible for the Beast's circumstances. There are also other differences which I can't share yet. You will have to wait until the release! In this telling, I also chose to tell the story as much from the Beast's perspective as Beauty's. Once I got into it, his story really captured my heart. I love Bet, too, but Corwin is my favorite character. </i><br />
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What was your inspiration for your story? </h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqokL0u1DOz0JiR8v8-iKl_bsnOewmG2Uy0Pb5_MKbLQexhRzS3W14W4zJQcHhk9JFGM0a6zhGjgKx6Rvt2ErBjauWU0litWdOhkoNWzWDS4Yt3Y6cci6NdVeGufnFXCMLzymiHL0MVrsG/s1600/wither.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqokL0u1DOz0JiR8v8-iKl_bsnOewmG2Uy0Pb5_MKbLQexhRzS3W14W4zJQcHhk9JFGM0a6zhGjgKx6Rvt2ErBjauWU0litWdOhkoNWzWDS4Yt3Y6cci6NdVeGufnFXCMLzymiHL0MVrsG/s400/wither.jpg" width="400" /></a><i>The story world was inspired by After, a story I wrote for the Five Glass Slippers competition the year before. I realized I had stumbled across an amazing story world that had many stories to tell. While Wither is technically a part of a series, it is a solid stand alone story. My Marmie also inspired a particular aspect of the story...but I can't tell you what aspect exactly. </i><br />
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How long have you been writing?</h3>
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<i>I began writing when I was in elementary school. I wrote infamously long, meandering fantasy and science fiction novels that I will never attempt to publish. I began writing seriously in college when I had two short stories published in a student publication.</i><br />
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<h3>
Have you written any other stories/novels?</h3>
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<i>I have several short stories published and am currently working on two novellas that will published as Ebooks later this year. Yes, After is one of them! It is technically the prequel to Wither and will be Book One in The Neverway Chronicles. The other story I will be publishing is another Beauty and the Beast novella called When Ravens Fall. It will be available in the autumn, with After following a couple of months later.</i><br />
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Can we find any of your other works for purchase online? </h3>
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<i>Not yet...but very soon!</i><br />
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What is your process when you begin writing a story?</h3>
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<i>I usually start with a plot idea and then sit down with a notepad and brainstorm in circles for days and days. It is not uncommon to fill up an entire journal in the brainstorming stage. My husband makes an amazing sounding board. He has been actively involved in all of my recent stories. After I have the ideas fleshed out, I try to work out an outline. I am not much of an outline person. The end result is never like my outline, but I am trying to teach myself to plan ahead better so that I do not have as much rewriting to do.</i><br />
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<h3>
What other writers/books inspire you?</h3>
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<i>J.R.R Tolkien, Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott were my favorite authors when I was growing up. I also enjoy Charles Dickens, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander...and Louis L'Amour. I will admit I have a fondness for westerns. Marmie read L'Amour to us when we were kids, and I've never outgrown it. </i><br />
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<h3>
What advice would you give to other new writers?</h3>
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<i>Keep writing. The story you wrote today may not be right for this publisher or magazine . . . but something you write tomorrow could be! Don't be afraid or ashamed of rejections. Keep your chin up and keep writing. </i><br />
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<h3>
What's next for you? Anything else you're working on for the future?</h3>
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<i>I am planning to write several stories in The Neverway Chronicles and perhaps a sequel for When Ravens Fall. I also have a dystopian story I have been kicking around for a few years, but it is on the back burner for right now. I hope to get back to it one of these days, but I have hundreds of story ideas tucked away in my journals. Who knows which ones I will end up actually writing.</i><br />
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Where can we find you online?</h3>
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<i>My blog is <a href="http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com/">http://savannahjaysworkshop.blogspot.com</a></i><br />
<i>I also have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savannahjezowskiauthor?ref=hl." target="_blank">Facebook Author Page</a> and you can also find me on <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/savannahjay1/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13434787.Savannah_Jezowski?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-45961897299080576702015-06-01T18:34:00.000-04:002015-06-01T18:35:44.760-04:00Get Your Pencils and Laptops Ready...It's Writing Contest Time!<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<i><b><a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/">Rooglewood Press</a> is delighted to
introduce their third fairy tale novella contest—</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 24.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Five Magic Spindles<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2oj7R2gGsxKo58erQgtnnCjgRDnsOVzWOtCAVerCcq9tIC2aTWKnidYy5cN0xjNAYnDWP9QEbV0O-SE8qfq4tkZo1kui24fRfUzSFfrIyYrLUpiC1dTm8n3YxUM94B1uZiICcE_H1I54/s1600/Five+Magic+Spindles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2oj7R2gGsxKo58erQgtnnCjgRDnsOVzWOtCAVerCcq9tIC2aTWKnidYy5cN0xjNAYnDWP9QEbV0O-SE8qfq4tkZo1kui24fRfUzSFfrIyYrLUpiC1dTm8n3YxUM94B1uZiICcE_H1I54/s400/Five+Magic+Spindles.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a collection of “Sleeping
Beauty” stories</span></i><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<i><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i>The challenge is to write
a retelling of the beloved fairy tale in any genre or setting you like. Make
certain your story is recognizably “Sleeping Beauty,” but have fun with it as
well. Make it yours! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Rooglewood Press will be
selecting five winners to be published in the <i>Five Magic Spindles</i> collection, which will be packaged up with the
phenomenal cover you see here. Maybe <i>your </i>name will be one of the five listed? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All the contest rules and
information (how to enter, story details, deadline etc.) may be found on the
Rooglewood Press website. Just click <a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/#!writing-contest/c22i6"><b>HERE</b></a> and you will go right to the
page. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Rooglewood Press’s first
collection,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Glass-Slippers-Collection-Cinderella-ebook/dp/B00KWMZ9WA/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1428080960&sr=8-1&keywords=Five+Glass+Slippers">
<i>Five Glass Slippers</i></a> is available for purchase, and our second
collection, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Enchanted-Roses-Collection-Stories-ebook/dp/B00Y49A0B2/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1432653932&sr=8-1&keywords=Five+Enchanted+Roses"><i>Five
Enchanted Roses</i></a> is scheduled to launch on July 27, and is currently
available for pre-order<i>. </i>Be certain to get a copy of each and see what
previous winners did with their wonderful retellings.</blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-39068747831551521032015-05-10T12:38:00.000-04:002015-05-23T00:02:48.659-04:00Five Enchanted Roses Author Spotlight: Kaycee BrowningThis week I'd like to introduce you to another fantastic writer, and winner of the Five Enchanted Roses constest, Kaycee Browning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ44E1Pzmlxnj3NitosIRpIWAE23YXqnJaBsED5Qd-9w5YIlcmd7CUvIXY-qDJfxz560ovwr9yQ-ayraEPAIe-ZupE0MwIq8WvZn3ePtew21NsW7oOh5MRrfGqztaTsess0oz1mzxaXy4/s1600/DSC_0023-Edit+(1)+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ44E1Pzmlxnj3NitosIRpIWAE23YXqnJaBsED5Qd-9w5YIlcmd7CUvIXY-qDJfxz560ovwr9yQ-ayraEPAIe-ZupE0MwIq8WvZn3ePtew21NsW7oOh5MRrfGqztaTsess0oz1mzxaXy4/s1600/DSC_0023-Edit+(1)+(1).jpg" width="212" /></a>Kaycee is the youngest winner, finishing up her senior year. (What amazing talent! I wish I could have written so well at such a young age.) She is another writer from North Carolina, and I'm so happy to have you meet her today.<br />
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Welcome, Kaycee! Tell us about yourself...<br />
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<b><i>I'm currently a high school senior. In August, I am going to attend college to major in Creative Writing and hopefully minor in business and cinematography/film studies. I'm very excited!</i></b><br />
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How long have you been writing?</h3>
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<i><b>I've been inventing stories for as long as I can remember, but I never tried writing them down until I was twelve years old. I wrote a few short stories, and then I wrote my first novel at age thirteen. I've been writing consistently ever since!</b></i><br />
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What is your process when you begin writing a story?</h3>
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<i><b>I outline the story. It's not a very detailed outline, it is simply a line with the four big plot points (Inciting Incident, Embracing Destiny, Black Moment, and Climax) and any little scenes or plot twists I've envisioned placed roughly where they will go in the story. I know some writers like to outline everything, but I prefer to simply make a vague plan and leave plenty of room for creativity during the actual writing.</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qWPl_jNR-PYkStUcT8TI68LjRPaukYRoZAnfpWko2DCWyGSabOWGy30x3N-HTUigfpLrtahXOMTgZ4OkW5nZmqp1WCYVQAUoJqeHG8e8iPpMDPzhjgs1WEWhN25yAX1OiPyjYFHrh_aV/s250/Ember+Flame.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qWPl_jNR-PYkStUcT8TI68LjRPaukYRoZAnfpWko2DCWyGSabOWGy30x3N-HTUigfpLrtahXOMTgZ4OkW5nZmqp1WCYVQAUoJqeHG8e8iPpMDPzhjgs1WEWhN25yAX1OiPyjYFHrh_aV/s250/Ember+Flame.png" width="133" /></a>Have you written any other stories/novels?</h3>
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<i><b>I have indeed! Ember Flame is the first book in my Leverage Trilogy. I'm currently editing the sequel, Hail Frost.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Ember Flame is available in both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ember-Flame-Kaycee-Browning/dp/1478101512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431275630&sr=8-1&keywords=Ember+Flame+kaycee" target="_blank">paperback</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ember-Flame-Kaycee-Browning/dp/1478101512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431275630&sr=8-1&keywords=Ember+Flame+kaycee" target="_blank">Kindle</a> through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ember-Flame-Kaycee-Browning/dp/1478101512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431275630&sr=8-1&keywords=Ember+Flame+kaycee" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. </b></i></div>
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Tell me about your Five Enchanted Roses story.</h3>
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<b><i>Esprit de la Rose is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set during the Golden Age of Piracy (18th century). It has pirate ships, beautiful mermaids, supernatural elements, an adventurous heroine, and a charming rogue of a captain. It's been quite a lot of fun to write and I hope it is just as fun to read!</i></b><br />
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<br />What was your inspiration for your story? Anything in particular?</h3>
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<b><i>I'm a fantasy writer, but my very first novel was actually a historical fiction adventure about pirates titled Shadow's Fire. As I was trying to decide what sort of short story to write for the Five Enchanted Roses contest, I stumbled across Shadow's Fire and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. I decided I wanted to delve into the world of pirates again, and Esprit sprung from there.</i></b></div>
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What other writers/books inspire you?</h3>
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<b><i>Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was my first introduction to fantasy (and hey! it's a fairy tale retelling!), and in my opinion, it is everything fantasy novels ought to be- fun, intriguing, and poignant. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien shaped my character profoundly. As for current inspiration, I have recently become enthralled with nearly anything by Brandon Sanderson, the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.</i></b></div>
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What advice would you give to other new writers?</h3>
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<i><b>Be honest. Good writing requires, almost forces, you to be raw and truthful. It's a little scary because it feels like you're baring your soul to the world. It feels like it will do nothing but hurt. And sometimes it does hurt, but the reward is so worth it. Readers can sense honesty. They know when you are being heartfelt and when you are being withdrawn. Readers love honesty. So be honest. It's worth it.</b></i></div>
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What's next for you? Anything else you're working on for the future?</h3>
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<b><i>Yep! Like I said above, I'm currently editing Hail Frost, the second book in the Leverage Trilogy. After I publish it, I am going to write/edit/publish the third book. And whither then? I cannot say...mostly because I have so many story ideas I'm not sure which one I will pick to explore! ;)</i></b></div>
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Where can we find you online?</h3>
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<b><i>My blog: http://thepinkcave.blogspot.com</i></b></div>
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<b><i>My Twitter: https://twitter.com/KayceeBrowning3</i></b></div>
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<b><i>My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6435974.Kaycee_Browning</i></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-39287101173510768472015-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:002015-04-29T00:00:02.939-04:00Things I Should Have Learned By Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K7AJDrWIF2evSdwO0CYJpMr0D51U9R77x0YxnEZwIko2vQcIXlAB0RiJ0RrgLg_69h2SWAtywXFPtbCUkTi1hIQeEzR6mAXXzEBySFkS1Am9wXutSjVutzdZb8rZC8Yla-nutyFM_kjn/s1600/home-office-336378_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1K7AJDrWIF2evSdwO0CYJpMr0D51U9R77x0YxnEZwIko2vQcIXlAB0RiJ0RrgLg_69h2SWAtywXFPtbCUkTi1hIQeEzR6mAXXzEBySFkS1Am9wXutSjVutzdZb8rZC8Yla-nutyFM_kjn/s1600/home-office-336378_1280.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
On this journey to become a (someday full-time) writer, I've learned a few things.<br />
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And I've worked really hard to be a learner. Lemme tell ya!<br />
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I've pretty much given up TV all together (though things will be changing when Heroes comes back).<br />
I no longer listen to NPR or music while driving or doing mindless chores and only listen to podcasts on writing.<br />
I force myself to read a non-fiction book after every fiction book, so I can keep on learning.<br />
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I'm feeling pretty dedicated here.<br />
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<b>But, I'm learning that there is a BIG difference between KNOWING better and DOING better. </b><br />
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So, here's some things that I've learned that I should do, but have yet to actually do to become a better-selling writer.<br />
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<h3>
#1: Write Consistently</h3>
I struggle with this so much.<br />
And the guilt, the GUILT! that I feel for not writing consistently nags at me.<br />
To whom do I owe this feeling of guilt? I have no idea. It's not like I have an editor tapping impatient fingers on the table while I type away on my laptop.<br />
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I have tried SO MANY times to make a schedule for writing on a regular basis. Alas, I am the Queen of INconsistency it seems. I know this will make me a better writer, and a better <i>selling</i> writer (after all, the more books I have out there, the more books there are for readers to purchse), but it's still something I struggle with fitting into my very busy schedule of day job, kids, dinner, sports, and bedtime. But, I need to commit to writing on a regular basis if I'm going to reach my goals.<br />
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<h3>
#2: Diversify</h3>
Self-published authors know that though Amazon is the biggest game in town, it's not the only game in town. In fact, being published on multiple platforms like <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, <a href="https://www.apple.com/ibooks/" target="_blank">Apple iBooks</a>, <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, and other online book retailers that host self-published authors will only help increase sales.<br />
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Why haven't I done it yet? The time factor again. Seriously, I have issues with time management. If I have any spare time, I always feel like I should be spending it writing.<br />
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(Hence, the reason why this blog is often neglected for long periods of time. Because, let's face it, if I'm blogging here and chatting with you, I'm not working on my next book. And I really need to spend some time working on my next book.)<br />
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<h3>
#3: Connect With Readers</h3>
I try, I really do try. I promise. I'm just not very good at small talk. I know having a strong online presence, especially utilizing social media, is a helpful step in building relationships with readers. But, I suck at it.<br />
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I use Facebook mainly to keep up with friends and family, and haven't yet made an author page there. (Part of me is scared that if I do, no one will join! Boo-hoo, poor little me on my author page all alone.)<br />
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And with Twitter, I feel like I'm poking around in the dark. I'm never sure if what I'm sending out is being seen, or has relevance for anyone else.<br />
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And let's not get started on my mailing list. My poor, dusty, neglected mailing list. On one hand, I don't want to bother people with emails when I don't have anything much to say, but on the other hand, I don't want to send out an email when my next book comes out and have people go, "Who is this lady? Did I really sign up for this?" Finding balance seems like the key here.<br />
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Okay, so now I have some things to strive for. I've learned these important lessons. Now it's time to implement them.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-29475166399157529482015-04-25T20:22:00.001-04:002015-04-29T20:08:33.763-04:00Five Enchanted Roses Author Spotlight: Jenelle Schmidt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjleUqKxe-JedGpr3HDvklMy5gwqU8T5iPX92RDQZLMjnQuy6DeaV8zZtMh6Y9hJzx6jTquj5sGv5N3ylQ5sUR89oZcW54I_kPDEkz1N__QHuBliiyN7WOd2M-C-DeCQVPBfbLeO3v50C/s1600/JenelleSchmidt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjleUqKxe-JedGpr3HDvklMy5gwqU8T5iPX92RDQZLMjnQuy6DeaV8zZtMh6Y9hJzx6jTquj5sGv5N3ylQ5sUR89oZcW54I_kPDEkz1N__QHuBliiyN7WOd2M-C-DeCQVPBfbLeO3v50C/s1600/JenelleSchmidt.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
Today I am highlighting Jenelle Schmidt, winner of the Five Enchanted Roses contest, and author of <i>Stone Curse. </i><br />
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Give me the basics...Where are you located and what do you do?</h3>
I'm from Raleigh, North Carolina, and am a stay-at-home-mom.<br />
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Tell me about your Five Enchanted Roses story.</h3>
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The story opens inside Thorndale Castle, which has been the recipient of a rather nasty curse. In one evening, most of the nobility of the country who were attending a ball at the castle were turned to stone, the princess was abducted, and a visiting prince was turned into a beast who cannot leave the castle grounds without losing his mind. And nobody knows who cast the curse or why.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd82tfddZkAC34kC36QCDqLn7nPpzfdE7Vpp4_xQPmm2YxEgXD7x5L1vxgJ6df6jeLmAlv5M6tiiURsrHmIZO3Pz08mTPOhTifaOlVzzTYC74vRuxoNq86Xp83E4IAnErbO7XXbIcqObo/s1600/StoneCurseButton-1-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd82tfddZkAC34kC36QCDqLn7nPpzfdE7Vpp4_xQPmm2YxEgXD7x5L1vxgJ6df6jeLmAlv5M6tiiURsrHmIZO3Pz08mTPOhTifaOlVzzTYC74vRuxoNq86Xp83E4IAnErbO7XXbIcqObo/s1600/StoneCurseButton-1-300x300.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>What was your inspiration for your story? Anything in particular?</h3>
I kind of started out by thinking of all the things I didn't like about the original or classic retellings of Beauty and the Beast. I didn't like the father's role in the original story, or the fact that the prince in the Disney version was cursed at the age of 11 because he wouldn't let some creepy old lady into his house after dark (I think his parents would have probably agreed that this was the best course of action... not that they are present in the story). So I set out to create a version of the story where the prince is not really the true "Beast" of the story. It's a bit of a twist on the "don't judge a book by its cover" theme.<br />
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<h3>
How long have you been writing?</h3>
I've been writing my whole life. I was coming up with stories before I could even hold a pen, and I began writing stories the moment I learned to write. I was going through some things my mom had saved of mine from my own homeschooled days, and happened across a story I had written when I was six years old. It had chapters and everything!<br />
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Have you written any other stories/novels?</h3>
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Yes. I have written five novels, two of which have been published. We are hoping to have the third book in the series available later this year. I've also written a novella adaptation of Cinderella, which I also hope to release later this year.<br />
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Can we find any of your other works for purchase online? </h3>
Yes, you can! King's Warrior and Second Son are both available through Amazon in e-book and paperback form.<br />
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What's next for you?</h3>
The next thing I'm working on is the second book in my new series - which I'll be talking about later on in the year on my blog. I also have a sci-fi/mystery project in the works that I hope to begin writing as soon as my current work-in-progress is finished. And I have a whole new world (to borrow from Disney) with no story yet, just waiting for some characters to come fill it with life.<br />
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<h3>
What is your process when you begin writing a story?</h3>
First I have an idea. Usually the idea is focused around a character and/or a set of circumstances that might converge upon that character. Next I do a lot of world-building. My husband helps with this part immensely. I write fantasy and sci-fi, so the world-building is an extremely essential step. Then I might sit back and let the story and the characters simmer for a while. I'll discuss ideas with my husband some more, create some more characters, and begin putting together an outline. Once I have the outline kind of figured out - at least for the first few chapters - I will start writing the story. My outlines tend to be very flexible, and they change as I write.<br />
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<h3>
What other writers/books inspire you?</h3>
That is a very long list. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald definitely top the list, as the fathers of modern fantasy. Stephen R. Lawhead is a constant source of inspiration, as well as Timothy Zahn. There are many others, but those are the main ones.<br />
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<h3>
What advice would you give to other new writers?</h3>
My first piece of advice is to read. Read everything you can get your hands on. Read books you love, read books you don't love, become an expert on the genre you want to write. Read books outside that genre. Read!<br />
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My second piece of advice is to write. Write on napkins and fill up notebooks and the hard drive of your computer. Write what you know. Write what you don't know. Write what you'd like to know. Some of it will work, some of it won't, but don't let that stop you.<br />
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And finally, finish a writing project. You don't have to finish EVERY writing project. Some things will be abandoned. But there is nothing like that feeling of accomplishment when you finish that first manuscript to spur you on to keep writing and keep finishing stories. Accept that there will ALWAYS be something you will wish you could change about your story, it will never be perfect... but it can be considered "done."<br />
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Where can we find you online?</h3>
http://jenelleschmidt.com<br />
https://www.facebook.com/JenelleLeanneSchmidt<br />
https://twitter.com/JenelleLSchmidt<br />
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3636.Jenelle_Schmidt<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Jenelle-Leanne-Schmidt/e/B008J4H9ZS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1428354176&sr=8-1Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-45867448596800138972015-04-07T01:04:00.002-04:002015-04-07T01:06:02.308-04:00Five Enchanted Roses Author Spotlight: Hayden WandI'm so excited to bring you my first interview with other authors of the Five Enchanted Roses contest. These ladies are hard at work revising their own stories for the anthology, so I really appreciate that they took the time to answer my questions. I think you'll love getting to know them, too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj609ChXCe-KNHUOPrBkxZz1uru-NuW-_xdusFv3toq9PSyIr5h6iMbYpOT3j0HfLYI5_RY8zCb2S8Ae0e1bDF34XRd-q6b1NFyxbJ8x6CrmJhRDfUYwsRP8PbrRWah2-yKZJhRfzKbba9H/s1600/WulverButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj609ChXCe-KNHUOPrBkxZz1uru-NuW-_xdusFv3toq9PSyIr5h6iMbYpOT3j0HfLYI5_RY8zCb2S8Ae0e1bDF34XRd-q6b1NFyxbJ8x6CrmJhRDfUYwsRP8PbrRWah2-yKZJhRfzKbba9H/s1600/WulverButton.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>My first guest is Hayden Wand, author of <b><i>The Wulver's Rose</i></b>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8037264.Hayden_Wand" target="_blank">her bio from GoodReads</a>: Hayden Wand is a Christian and a homeschool graduate whose love of both Jane Austen and adventure stories inspired her to write her first novel, Hidden Pearls. When she's not writing, reading or bribing her siblings to read the classics, you can find her baking, crafting, practicing her archery skills, or watching her favorite shows on the BBC. She lives in South Caroline with her parents and four energetic younger siblings. </span><br />
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<b>What do you do for a living? </b></h3>
For the past three years since I’ve graduated high school, I’ve been living at home and helping my family/writing. However, this fall I’m heading off to college, which is going to be a whole new experience. I’m planning on majoring in History, which is one of my passions- and the reason most of my stories take place in a historical context!<br />
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<b>How long have you been writing?</b></h3>
I wrote my first story when I was eight or so, and I literally haven’t stopped since. However, I really wasn’t able to devote the time to it until after I finished high school. I guess you can say that I’ve been a “serious” writer for about four years.<br />
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<b>Tell me about your <i>Five Enchanted Roses</i> story. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqQpAZ8XLjgbfEk5UczcGjGEvhIJhvQTN88Bi2xy_zCrWvLHLNG_jFblRpTBKFt74hrrcKAipvfNM0fEKq3B97ojG90PZszDtB8MKgeW7GnT1Y0aeGy-2Lkr68MFNsM38_Oh8Qxq3Cx7D/s1600/Wand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqQpAZ8XLjgbfEk5UczcGjGEvhIJhvQTN88Bi2xy_zCrWvLHLNG_jFblRpTBKFt74hrrcKAipvfNM0fEKq3B97ojG90PZszDtB8MKgeW7GnT1Y0aeGy-2Lkr68MFNsM38_Oh8Qxq3Cx7D/s1600/Wand.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author, Hayden Wand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Wulver’s Rose is a retelling that takes place in 1700s Scotland and involves the mythical Scottish creature known as the wulver. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the roses and dreams are two very important elements in my version of the story ;)<br />
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What was your inspiration for your story? Anything in particular?</h3>
I've always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast, but one thing I've always wondered about in the original story was why the beast was so upset that the merchant took his rose. I mean, honestly, what was the big deal? The story idea really sparked with that, and the rest is history.<br />
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Have you written any other stories/novels?</h3>
Yes! In fact, I self-published my first novel, Hidden Pearls, this past month.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGvjlh6sQM3GWoHWxUvosPUnFzLtJthGJGmNx19A3A5hnaDN1j7cuf0iUb56wYNydTscWaAoZeURiryU3s8ZY630-53MUxuOnP7Z5hyphenhyphenvpgM1X3Ru9ZW1ko48qcKP3urnRyT2SVAzW9TJ8/s1600/Hidden+Pearls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGvjlh6sQM3GWoHWxUvosPUnFzLtJthGJGmNx19A3A5hnaDN1j7cuf0iUb56wYNydTscWaAoZeURiryU3s8ZY630-53MUxuOnP7Z5hyphenhyphenvpgM1X3Ru9ZW1ko48qcKP3urnRyT2SVAzW9TJ8/s1600/Hidden+Pearls.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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Can we find any of your other works for purchase online? </h3>
You can find <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Pearls-Hayden-Wand/dp/1492262439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428382986&sr=8-1&keywords=hidden+pearls" target="_blank">Hidden Pearls</a> through Createspace, and the Kindle version is also available on Amazon.<br />
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<b>What is your process when you begin writing a story?</b></h3>
First, when I get an idea, I let it roll around in my mind until I get a clear picture of what kind of story I have on my hands. During that time, I usually jot down little ideas for the plot and name my characters, and once I think I've got a handle on the storyline, I make a vague outline and then start to write. I normally edit a bit as I go, so my first draft is usually more of a combined first/second draft.<br />
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<b>What other writers/books inspire you?</b></h3>
If I had to pick just one author, it would have to be L.M. Montgomery. There are so many of her books that I love, such as the Anne of Green Gables series, The Blue Castle, and Chronicles of Avonlea. I find that she’s able to write both completely hilarious scenes as well as heartbreaking ones, and it’s my goal to be able to do the same. I've also been influenced by C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
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What advice would you give to other new writers?</h3>
There’s so many good pieces of advice that I've heard through the years- keep writing no matter what, have perseverance, etc. if I could give some advice that’s really helped me, it would be this: read the classics. Having a high standard when it comes to literature will help give you a high standard when it comes to writing.<br />
Also, good stories are all around you. Inspiration is everywhere, if you know where to look for it.<br />
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What's next for you? Anything else you're working on for the future?</h3>
Oh, goodness, yes. I have a journal that I jokingly refer to as my “book of secrets” that is full of story ideas that will probably keep me occupied for the next thirty years. Currently, I’m working on two historical novels and one sci-fi. One of them is another fairy-tale retelling, and I’m very excited about it. :)<br />
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Where can we find you online?</h3>
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My blog: <a href="http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/">http://everystory-storygirl.blogspot.com/</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8037264.Hayden_Wand">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8037264.Hayden_Wand</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Hayden_Wand">https://twitter.com/Hayden_Wand</a><br />
I've also recently put up a website: <a href="http://haydenwand.weebly.com/">http://haydenwand.weebly.com/</a><br />
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<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-20391267985385784252015-03-26T00:20:00.000-04:002015-03-26T00:20:45.356-04:00Coming Up For AirOh hello there, poor, neglected blog.<br />
So nice to see you again.<br />
Did you miss me?<br />
Of course you did.<br />
I missed you, too.<br />
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I've been rather busy lately, dear blog.<br />
You'll have to excuse my extended absence.<br />
You see...I have <strike>a little bit</strike> copious amounts of tunnel vision.<br />
It seems that once I get sucked into a project, it's difficult for me to focus on anything else.<br />
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So, dear blog, please forgive me for my neglectful ways.<br />
I've been working so hard on revising my story for the Five Enchanted Roses anthology.<br />
Well, by "working" I mean a whole lot of thinking...days and days of thinking, musing, pondering...and then a very intense burst of focused writing and revising.<br />
<br />
That's how I roll, blog.<br />
Think about it. Think about it. Think about it.<br />
Then...<br />
BAM!<br />
Do it!<br />
Then, it's done.<br />
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I'm very excited, my little blog.<br />
I just turned in the first revision of my story, <i>Rosara and the Jungle King. </i>I promised myself ice cream when I finally got it finished. It's 11:00 at night...sadly, ice cream may have to wait until tomorrow.<br />
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Here's a beautiful blog button for my story:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrG01J5VtiyInM-z2plZEDqISWvdMXEAKsUu9kzWPL7s54RJbUObkr9qGbqqHxlORBRNnMA22gGVBd0P5bQV9Hf3DePErAeV_oJMZCEwMxfEYbgfikFDRo-gYKc4EBLS3EFFCx711puOS/s1600/RosaraButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrG01J5VtiyInM-z2plZEDqISWvdMXEAKsUu9kzWPL7s54RJbUObkr9qGbqqHxlORBRNnMA22gGVBd0P5bQV9Hf3DePErAeV_oJMZCEwMxfEYbgfikFDRo-gYKc4EBLS3EFFCx711puOS/s1600/RosaraButton.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Isn't it pretty? I love it!<br />
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Oooh, now do I get to say that I'm an "award winning, published author?"<br />
Yes, I think I do.<br />
And I think I will introduce myself that way from now on as well.<br />
I can just picture myself now at a dinner party or social gatherings..."Hi there. So nice to meet you. I'm Dorian, an award winning, published author. Have you tried the canapé? So delish!"<br />
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Ahh, and now that I've turned in my first set of revisions, I get to go back to my current manuscripts. I have two stories I'm working on at the moment. I think I'd better pick one and get 'er done and then move on to the second. Hmmm...which one to pick?<br />
The one that is likely to be the shortest, or the one that might have more "oomph" as far as sales and readership goes?<br />
It's a tough decision.<br />
I think I'll sleep on it.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-25993876873657434032015-02-11T10:05:00.000-05:002015-02-11T10:06:46.288-05:00Distractionsi'll admit it. I have a severe case of adult onset ADD. It's somewhat debilitating when I'm trying to stay focused on a project and get stuff done.<br />
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My current fairy tale story is suffering a bit because my attention got drawn by something else in my head.<br />
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Sometimes it feels like the stories in my head are all yelling at me, vying for my attention until I get them out of my brain and onto the page. And unfortunately, the strongest willed story usually wins.<br />
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So that's what I'm facing right now. I'm still writing, still trying to achieve my dream of being a full time writer. I'm allowing myself to enjoy the ride along the way as I take this journey, and let the stories become real gal on their own time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-23260064919769899692015-02-01T22:41:00.001-05:002015-02-01T22:58:12.415-05:00Wowza! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!I am floored.<br />
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Floored!</div>
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Lemme tell you why...</div>
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At the end of 2013, I entered a writing contest. For the contest, I wrote a 20,000 word story that was a retake on Cinderella. If you've read my books, you would know this story as <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Beauty-Fairy-Retelling-Book-ebook/dp/B00PGL5LKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422848409&sr=8-1&keywords=cursed+beauty" target="_blank">Cursed Beauty</a>.</i> I didn't win the contest, but that was okay. I won back a renewed interest in writing, that lead to the writing of a young adult science fiction novel last year and several more novellas also centered around fairy tale retellings. </div>
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In 2014, the second contest came around, this time writing a story based on Beauty and the Beast. I wrote two stories - one for the contest, and the other became <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ai-Mountain-Fairy-Retelling-Book-ebook/dp/B00REA7LOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422848439&sr=8-1&keywords=ai+of+the+mountain" target="_blank">Ai of the Mountain</a>, </i>and is published on Amazon.com right next to <i>Cursed Beauty.</i></div>
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Today, the five chosen stories for the <i>Five Enchanted Roses </i>contest were revealed. </div>
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And I nearly peed my pants this morning when I saw that MY story, <i>Rosara and the Jungle King</i>, was one of the stories chosen for the contest!</div>
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I was so amazed. </div>
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I really, really, really had no faith that I'd win. </div>
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Ever.</div>
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Wow.</div>
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All I can say is <i>Wow!</i> </div>
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Thank you to Anne Elisabeth Stengle and the staff members of Rooglewood Press that chose my story out of all the other, amazing stories they had the opportunity to read. I have no doubt that there were so many incredible stories that told the tale in fresh, new ways. </div>
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I'm certainly glad I didn't have to make the decision to choose them. That would be tough.</div>
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Here's a preview of the cover of the book:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOu46Yxz5iAASuyEtSuMCl23iJbt0ttN6lBCNPT6BSCaqSLW5f5bTCOme67F3tAUaFQQRc0753sDDWGiW_XbNLoPk15-mvswepbhjuriqLJT7k6Qlt2CF5E2S2DeyasxKKc8Scbdad0BG/s1600/FiveEnchantedRosesFinalCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOu46Yxz5iAASuyEtSuMCl23iJbt0ttN6lBCNPT6BSCaqSLW5f5bTCOme67F3tAUaFQQRc0753sDDWGiW_XbNLoPk15-mvswepbhjuriqLJT7k6Qlt2CF5E2S2DeyasxKKc8Scbdad0BG/s1600/FiveEnchantedRosesFinalCover.jpg" height="640" width="414" /></a></div>
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Isn't it SO STINKIN' PRETTY???</div>
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And that's MY NAME on the cover! Seriously. I can't believe this.</div>
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I think I've had to change my underwear three times already, because I keep peeing my pants with excitement. </div>
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Here's the blurb about my story...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ROSARA AND THE JUNGLE KING</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By Dorian Tsukioka</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maor has determined to take her as his third wife, by force if necessary. But Rosara would rather risk her life alone in the jungle than submit to any man's brutality. When a beautiful jaguar tells her that it knows where to find one of the karawara, she resolves to seek out this jungle spirit and request its aid. The jaguar warns Roasara, however, that gifts from the karawara are never without a price. . .</span><br />
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The book is due to release this summer, 2015! Make sure to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24662406-five-enchanted-roses?from_search=true" target="_blank">go to the book's Goodread's page</a> and mark it as "to read!"</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-11717715973950255432015-01-17T00:05:00.001-05:002015-01-17T00:06:06.959-05:00Hold Onto Your Pants - It's a Cover Reveal AND a Giveaway!!!I'm so super excited to get to reveal a cover for a fantastic author (that you should be reading, if you haven't, then GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE!). <br />
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Anne Elisabeth Stengl is one of my favorite writers, and more importantly, one who has inspired me to be a writer as well. I'm so honored to be able to share the cover of her upcoming book, <i>Draven's Light</i>. Isn't it pretty?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnfL6VRMBI6VgERc-dXeGLNeD9k2munPujng2Piwi0-4G09D8_HeBL1rO8OFWCSUrEMbKSoi5brUbzB9c0d5bnN-5haahQ8Tkm4rRuj_jxZyuuMdpvKUryOvI7Hv_-nlODjFTNvgi_lc/s1600/Draven'sLightCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnfL6VRMBI6VgERc-dXeGLNeD9k2munPujng2Piwi0-4G09D8_HeBL1rO8OFWCSUrEMbKSoi5brUbzB9c0d5bnN-5haahQ8Tkm4rRuj_jxZyuuMdpvKUryOvI7Hv_-nlODjFTNvgi_lc/s1600/Draven'sLightCover.jpg" height="640" width="414" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>In the Darkness of the Pit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The Light Shines Brightest</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><b>Coming May 25, 2015</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">WANT A FREE COPY???</span></b></span></div>
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I know I totally do! Anne Elisabeth is raffling off three ARC's (Advance Reader Copies) of her upcoming book. <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGNkNTI0NzYyMGZiNjAwZjNmMTRhNTUxOTQ2MTQyOjQy/?" target="_blank">Click on the link</a> for your chance to win a copy of <i>Draven's Light</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGNkNTI0NzYyMGZiNjAwZjNmMTRhNTUxOTQ2MTQyOjQy/?" target="_blank">Click me, baby, for your chance to win!</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-2M1AcH3nhX1TR20_FFiIkikQyPyQqg-OQf3kYhNhquJVDBfLtLt8ByLm8C1Bb0fQlfNbwlzX3dCB1rZhkzBFKfG0VXmbTyIY5LYrlj6pEYIaA72jARGQnG9fej73oi0LI5fWAtLI0s/s1600/Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-2M1AcH3nhX1TR20_FFiIkikQyPyQqg-OQf3kYhNhquJVDBfLtLt8ByLm8C1Bb0fQlfNbwlzX3dCB1rZhkzBFKfG0VXmbTyIY5LYrlj6pEYIaA72jARGQnG9fej73oi0LI5fWAtLI0s/s1600/Author+Photo.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><i>Here's a little more info about the illustrious Anne Elisabeth Stengl...</i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ANNE ELISABETH STENGL makes her home in North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Tales of Goldstone Wood. Her novel <i>Starflower </i>was awarded the 2013 Clive Staples Award, and her novels <i>Heartless, Veiled Rose, </i>and <i>Dragonwitch</i> have each been honored with a Christy Award.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To learn more about Anne Elisabeth Stengl and her books visit: <span style="color: #0433ff; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/">www.AnneElisabethStengl.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Check out this </span>excerpt<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> from the book!</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">Excerpt from</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0px;">DRAVEN’S LIGHT</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px;">By Anne Elisabeth Stengl</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(coming May 25, 2015)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He heard the drums in his dreams, distant but drawing ever nearer. He had heard them before and wondered if the time of his manhood had come. But with the approach of dawn, the drums always faded away and he woke to the world still a child. Still a boy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But this night, the distant drums were louder, stronger. Somehow he knew they were not concocted of his sleeping fancy. No, even as he slept he knew these were real drums, and he recognized the beat: The beat of death. The beat of blood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The beat of a man’s heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He woke with a start, his leg throbbing where it had just been kicked. It was not the sort of awakening he had longed for these last two years and more. He glared from his bed up into the face of his sister, who stood above him, balancing her weight on a stout forked branch tucked under her left shoulder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Ita,” the boy growled, “what are you doing here? Go back to the women’s hut!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">His sister made a face at him, but he saw, even by the moonlight streaming through cracks in the thatch above, that her eyes were very round and solemn. Only then did he notice that the drumbeats of his dream were indeed still booming deep in the woods beyond the village fires. He sat up then, his heart thudding its own thunderous pace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“A prisoner,” Ita said, shifting her branch so that she might turn toward the door. “The drums speak of a prisoner. They’re bringing him even now.” She flashed a smile down at him, though it was so tense with anxiety it could hardly be counted a smile at all. “Gaho, your name!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The boy was up and out of his bed in a moment, reaching for a tunic and belt. His sister hobbled back along the wall but did not leave, though he wished she would. He wished she would allow him these few moments before the drums arrived in the village. The drums that beat of one man’s death . . . and one man’s birth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">His name was Gaho. But by the coming of dawn, if the drums’ promise was true, he would be born again in blood and bear a new name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hands shaking with what he desperately hoped wasn’t fear, he tightened his belt and searched the room for his sickle blade. He saw the bone handle, white in the moonlight, protruding from beneath his bed pile, and swiftly took it up. The bronze gleamed dully, like the carnivorous tooth of an ancient beast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A shudder ran through his sister’s body. Gaho, sensing her distress, turned to her. She grasped her supporting branch hard, and the smile was gone from her face. “Gaho,” she said, “will you do it?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I will,” said Gaho, his voice strong with mounting excitement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But Ita reached out to him suddenly, catching his weapon hand just above the wrist. “I will lose you,” she said. “My brother . . . I will lose you!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“You will not. You will lose only Gaho,” said the boy, shaking her off, gently, for she was not strong. Without another word, he ducked through the door of his small hut—one he had built for himself but a year before in anticipation of his coming manhood—and stood in the darkness of Rannul Village, eyes instinctively turning to the few campfires burning. The drums were very near now, and he could see the shadows of waking villagers moving about the fires, building up the flames in preparation for what must surely follow. He felt eyes he could not see turning to his hut, turning to him. He felt the question each pair of eyes asked in silent curiosity: <i>Will it be tonight?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Tonight or no night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Grasping the hilt of his weapon with both hands, Gaho strode to the dusty village center, which was beaten down into hard, packed earth from years of meetings and matches of strength held in this same spot. Tall pillars of aged wood ringed this circle, and women hastened to these, bearing torches which they fit into hollowed-out slots in each pillar. Soon the village center was bright as noonday, but with harsh red light appropriate for coming events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gaho stood in the center of that light, his heart ramming in his throat though his face was a stoic mask. All the waking village was gathered now, men, women, and children, standing just beyond the circle, watching him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The drums came up from the river, pounding in time to the tramp of warriors’ feet. Then the warriors themselves were illuminated by the ringing torches, their faces anointed in blood, their heads helmed with bone and bronze, their shoulders covered in hides of bear, wolf, and boar. Ten men carried tight skin drums, beating them with their fists. They entered the center first, standing each beneath one of the ringing pillars. Other warriors followed them, filling in the gaps between.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Then the chieftain, mighty Gaher, appeared. He carried his heavy crescent ax in one hand, and Gaho saw that blood stained its edge—indeed, blood spattered the blade from tip to hilt and covered the whole of the chieftain’s fist. Gaher strode into the circle, and the boy saw more blood in his beard. But he also saw the bright, wolfish smile and knew for certain that his sister had been correct. The night of naming had come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“My son,” said the chief, saluting Gaho with upraised weapon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“My father,” said Gaho, raising his sickle blade in return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> “Are you ready this night to die and live again?” asked the chief. His voice carried through the shadows, and every one of the tribe heard it, and any and all listening beasts of forests and fields surrounding. “Are you ready this night for the spilling of blood that must flow before life may begin?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gaho drew a deep breath, putting all the strength of his spirit into his answer. “I am ready, Father.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gaher’s smile grew, the torchlight flashing red upon his sharpened canines. He turned then and motioned to the darkness beyond the torchlight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The sacrifice was brought forward.</span></div>
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Dorianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17581142994154291395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-79496014379903026162014-12-30T10:00:00.000-05:002014-12-30T10:00:01.448-05:00Goals for 2015If you're like me, (and why wouldn't you be - I'm fabulous!) you can't help but make resolutions, promises, or at least goals, for the upcoming new year.<br />
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I've heard some negativity from friends and family about this.<br />
Why make resolutions - I never keep them. That sort of thing.<br />
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Blech. That's stinkin' thinkin'. That's what I think, anyway.<br />
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I LOVE goals.<br />
The new year is a great time to make some new goals.<br />
Fresh year.<br />
Fresh start.<br />
Fresh attitude.<br />
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We can totally DO THIS!<br />
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I have my annual health/weight goals, like most people do. And I will even be so bold as to make SMART goals for myself.<br />
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I also have goals for my writing career, and they shall be SMART as well.<br />
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Here they are:<br />
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S (specific): I will e-publish a new novella (between 20,000 - 40,000 words), approximately every month, totaling 8 more published novellas in 2015. I will also bind the first 4 novellas into a book bundle, and include a bonus story as well. I'll continue this model with the final 4 novellas in a book bundle.<br />
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I will write the second novel of The Mind Renders Series. After the second novel has been written, revised, and edited, I will publish the first two books, and begin writing the third novel.<br />
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M (Measurable) 10 novellas (plus 2); 2 novels<br />
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A (Achievable) A 25,000 word novella can be written in 2 weeks if I write 1786 words per day. If I have an extensive outline, I can write over 2000 words in an hour.<br />
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An 80,000 word novel can be written in 40 days if I commit to writing 2000 words per day.<br />
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R (Relevant) The highest indicator of an indie publisher's success is by being a prolific writer with a large backlist of books. The more books a writer has available, the more chance of success she has.<br />
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T (Timely) I have 12 months to write 8 more novellas, and the second novel in the Mind Renderers Series.<br />
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January: Write novella #3. Revise. Publish.<br />
February: Write novella #4. Revise. Publish.<br />
March: Write novella #5. Revise. Publish box set including the first 5 stories.<br />
April: Begin writing Mind Renders Book 2.<br />
May: Writing Mind Renderers Book 2.<br />
June: Revising/Editing/Publishing Mind Renderers Book 1 & 2. Publish.<br />
July: Write novella #6. Publish.<br />
August: Write novella #7. Publish.<br />
September: Write novella #8. Publish.<br />
October: Write novella #9. Publish.<br />
November: Write novella #10. Publish box set including second set of 5 stories.<br />
December: Begin writing Mind Renderers Book 3. Aim to publish in March 2016.<br />
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That's a lot of writing! Around 240,000 words next year. I have to believe I can do it, though. I want so much to be successful at being a writing. I would love, love, LOVE, to be writing full-time, using my writing money to pay off bills and to take care of my family. I know that writing a lot, and publishing a lot is the beginning to making that happen.<br />
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So, here's to my goals and yours!<br />
We CAN do this!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-46263229099321447502014-12-23T02:02:00.001-05:002014-12-23T17:10:24.292-05:00Write. Publish. Repeat. Well...trying to, anyway.I'm trying hard to jump start my indie writing career. Of all the advice I've heard, the advice that has stuck with me the most is for new indie writers to continue to write, write, write, as much as possible, and self-publish as much good writing as they can.<br />
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That's what I'm trying to do.<br />
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It's hard.<br />
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Just so you know.<br />
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But, I love it. I love the writing. The revising. The sending off of the manuscript to beta readers and editors for their critiques. I even love spending hours perusing the internet for reviewers and sending hundreds of emails out to potential readers for their reviews.<br />
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I love it all.<br />
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Except the wait.<br />
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The wait sucks.<br />
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There's nothing about publishing - traditional or self-publishing - that moves terribly fast.<br />
I can move fast, as the author and publisher, but I can't force other people to move fast. Not my reviewers, or beta readers, or people who find and buy my book. They don't move as fast as I would like. :) Imagine that.<br />
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But, that's okay, because it's giving me time to write some more.<br />
Today, I put final (hopefully!) revision touches on two novellas. One is being entered into a writing contest. The other is about to be published on Amazon, and other self-publishing platforms like Smashwords (once I've figured out just how to do that).<br />
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By tomorrow, if all goes well, <i>Ai of the Mountain</i> will be my newest ebook for sell on Amazon.com. I'm super excited to have the 2nd story in my Fairy Retelling series coming out! I have ideas for the next two books in the series as well, but let me tell you about this one first.<br />
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<i>Ai of the Mountain</i> is a fairy retelling of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, set in the southern mountains of feudal Japan.<br />
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Ai, a peasant girl, is torn between her sense of duty and honor, and her longing for a future of freedom. Placed into impossible circumstances by the lord of her region, the daimyo, Lord Nakaguchi, Ai must choose between her family's safety and her own heart.<br />
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Ai's nightly dreams of Kaito, a handsome samurai warrior she has fallen in love with, and her friendship with an ancient, talking koi, further complicate her situation. Can Ai leave the mountain to escape Lord Nakaguchi's nefarious plan for her life, even if it means leaving her family and the man she loves?<br />
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Uggh, I hate summaries. They're so hard. There's so much more to the book than what is written here. Sigh. I guess you'll just have to read it to find out who is truly the beast in this story.<br />
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The next few stories I have in mind are also fairy tale retellings. The next is going to be a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but set in ancient Egypt.<br />
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After that, I'm thinking of doing a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, where the bears are shape-shifters. I'm not sure where to place the setting of that story yet...I'm leaning towards Scotland.<br />
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And then, I have in mind the bare bones for a retelling of Snow White, but making it a ghost story. What happens if Snow White truly does die after biting the poisoned apple? Again, not sure where to put the setting of the story...maybe an African tribe, or something more traditionally spooky, like the mountains of Transylvania. Oooh, maybe Snow White's prince is actually a vampire? Hmmm...who knows at this point.<br />
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So many stories are swirling around inside my head, but until I start writing down the outline, and actually putting words on paper, they're very vague and formless. I'm going to try to actually outline my entire next book with a very detailed outline, so I really know what I'm writing before I write it. I think this will really help with my writing speed.<br />
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You'll see in my next post all about my writing goals for 2015. They're pretty lofty. I have a lot of writing that I want to do, so I need to make sure that I make the most of my time, and write as quickly as possible.<br />
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So, here I go...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-25925337348474212282014-12-01T22:44:00.000-05:002014-12-01T22:45:01.002-05:00Author Highlight - Quinn Loftis<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm super excited to introduce you to <a href="http://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/" target="_blank">Quinn Loftis</a>, author of YA paranormal & fantasy. </span></h4>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is no secret that I am a podcast junkie, and I met Quinn through a podcast interview she did with Jonny Andrews on the <i><a href="http://www.audiencehacker.com/038-quinn-loftis/" target="_blank">Audience Hacker</a></i> podcast. Although the podcast interview was uploaded months and months ago, I only heard it a few weeks ago for the first time. I've listened to this single podcast episode nearly 10 tens times since then! Every time I listen to it, I learn something new about being a self-published author.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Quinn invited listeners to contact her on her website, and that's just what I did. I was so stoked when she wrote back and answered some questions I had for her. She even agreed to do an interview with me, so that I could introduce you to her as well. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me tell you a little bit more about her story...</span></i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Wolves-Grey-Book-ebook/dp/B005983WCQ/ref=la_B005HJPD9C_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417490276&sr=1-1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Prince-of-Wolves-Cover-Large-300x300.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although Quinn enjoyed writing, it wasn't what she studied in school. She was a nurse by trade, and happened to "fall in" to writing. She had the idea for a novel, and pumped it out really quickly (this became her first novel, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Wolves-Grey-Book-ebook/dp/B005983WCQ/ref=la_B005HJPD9C_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417490276&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Prince of Wolves</a></i>), but she sat on the novel for a year before she got enough gumption to publish it in 2011. Her exact words in the podcast interview were, "I was terrified!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The book slowly took off, but Quinn used her natural curiosity and ingenuity to Google her way to success, finding answers to her questions, reviewers, and using GoodReads.com to her advantage. Today, Quinn is a full-time writer, having been able to quit her day job merely six months after the publication of her first novel, and after publishing the next two books in the series. She has at least 13 self-published books available, with more on the way, trying to publish a new book every 90 days!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Quinn was gracious enough to answer some of my questions, and I've included them for you here. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<i><b>Q: When you’re writing, do you have a certain novel length you shoot for, or do you write “until the story is told” whether that’s 100 pages or 500 pages?</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A: Typically my books are between 75,000 and 100,000 words but I write until the story is done. Sometimes it's longer and sometimes it just isn't. I refuse to write filler just for the sake of length.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Q: Can you take us back to what your writing life used to be like when you were just starting out, and you were still in the midst of your day job? How did you structure your time, so you were able to write, revise, and market your book?</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A: I wrote at night when I was working full time. I remember during the day while at work I was so antsy to get home and write. I had ideas running through my head all day long and it drove me crazy not to be able to get it down right then. Sometimes I miss that eagerness. Now that I can write pretty much whenever I want I don't always feel that hunger. I love to write, don't get me wrong, but it's easy for it to become a job and not a love. I have to be careful not to get stuck in that rut. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Q: Now that you’re a full-time author, what does a typical day look like?</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />A: I get up usually around 8 (it's a little different right now since we have a 3 month old and I'm pregnant) I'm up late at night sick a lot and up in the middle of the night to feed Jonivan so I try to sleep in a bit. I'm at the office by <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_187118647" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9:30</span></span> or <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_187118648" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">10:00 a.m.</span></span> Answer emails, FB, Twitter, etc. Then I read back about three chapters where I left off in my latest manuscript and go from there. I try to write about 3,000 words a day, sometimes it's less sometimes it's more. I finish up around <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_187118649" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">3:30</span></span> and then head to the gym for an hour work out. Working out really helps prevent writers block because it creates all the 'feel' good chemicals that help with creativity. So I try to really make that a priority as a part of my job. Then I head home. In the evenings I try to make time to work on things like book trailers, and continue to catch up on social media. I also make a priority to read. One of my favorite quotes of writing advice is by Stephen King. If you want to be a great writer I'm convinced you must do two things. Read a lot and write a lot. There are no short cuts. I totally agree with that. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Q: Are you a planner/outliner, or a “pantser”/discovery writer? Have you ever tried writing the opposite way?</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />A: I'm a little of both. I usually start the story and then outline as I go. I don't think I could outline a book before I've developed the characters. The characters come first for me because that's who people need to connect with in order to give a crap about the story. </b></span></div>
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<i>Q: What strategies do you use for finding readers to review your books?</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />A: I use to reach out to bloggers, but Praise God I've built a big enough fan base that usually now people find me, which I am so very thankful for.</b></span></div>
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<i>Q: What advice can you give to new authors, just starting out in the self-publishing world?</i></b></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i><br /></i>A: Do your research. Don't rely on other authors to explain everything, i'm not saying you can't ask advice, but it goes a long way to an established author when they see you are driven enough to first have sought out the information by googling, or searching on KDP (amazon platform) or iBooks etc. When I started I figured it out all on my own. I didn't know anyone in the self publishing world and I wasn't comfortable asking for help so google became my best friend. Driven people are successful people. If you truly want to be a self published author then you will learn and do what it takes to be successful at it. There truly is NO substitute for hard work.</span></b><br />
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<i><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Q: If you could hop into a time-traveling DeLorean, an H.G. Wells time machine, or (my favorite) a TARDIS, and talk to your ‘just getting started in this biz’ self, what would you tell yourself (without causing a rip in the fabric of space and time, of course)? Specifically, what would you tell yourself to watch out for, stop doing, stop worrying about, or do more of?</b></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A: Stop focusing on the negative reviews and just keep moving forward. learn from your mistakes and do everything you can to make your next book even better. Enjoy the journey, don't be in such a hurry that you miss out on the here and now. </b></span></div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: garamond, 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338759412214571000.post-62763341916831378482014-11-27T17:40:00.001-05:002014-11-27T17:40:09.358-05:00Five Days of FREE!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Roll-Art-Sugar-Cookie-ebook/dp/B00Q2FT7HE/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417120348&sr=1-3&keywords=dorian+tsukioka" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="”_blank”"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipdDe4bOlozEJ6okgKGnXj0ScZMSWpvahs176n7S5rkpHp9hUfsPOupGvCCJ4ssnQ0EqeWg4qp39KT4PhViSYjOozm10_bvnVnATrVMZr3a0A1eU0s3gzE2A55WZ_v83e1nI-Jtig8c23p/s1600/How+I+Roll.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get it FREE Nov. 28 - Dec. 2!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm super excited to finally have this project over and done with.<br />
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I uploaded it to Amazon in the wee hours of the morning, and was able to sign it up for 5 days of FREE! And who doesn't like that?!<br />
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So, from Black Friday, Thursday November 28 - December 2, you can get your copy of<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Roll-Art-Sugar-Cookie-ebook/dp/B00Q2FT7HE/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417120348&sr=1-3&keywords=dorian+tsukioka" target="_blank"> How I Roll: The Art of the Sugar Cookie </a></i></b>without paying a dime. Get it fast, though, because on December 3rd it reverts back to its regular price of $2.99.<br />
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When I first thought about writing and publishing my books on Amazon, I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about. I had heard to write what you know. I happen to know a lot about baking sugar cookies, so that's what I did.<br />
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I spent many mornings writing this book at Panera's. I learned a great deal about how to organize and write a nonfiction book. It actually seemed easier to me than writing fiction. I'm sure that's not true for everybody, but it did seem so for me. I think that's probably because I outlined this book completely before I started writing, as opposed to how I usually wander around in my head while I write fiction.<br />
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I was listening to a podcast the other day, and an author named Rachel Aaron was being interviewed. The title of her new book is 2,000 to 10,000 How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love. I was super interested in hearing what she had to say. I have so little time to be both conscious, and writing, I want to make sure I use every moment wisely. Just because I'm a fairly quick typist, doesn't mean I'm a fast writer. I spend way too much time staring into space and trying to figure out what is going to happen next.<br />
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So, I'm committing myself to trying out Rachel Aaron's method on my next project. I have in mind my next fiction novella, and I'm going to go ahead and get it all outlined and thought out before I ever start writing the first word. Hopefully, this will help me to write even faster, and get more books written, much more quickly.<br />
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Are you writing? Which do you prefer, to be an outliner, or a pantser?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04876199210602625643noreply@blogger.com0