What a Rush

Despite the negativity in my last post about editing, I'm actually enjoying it. I know! It sounds almost contradictory! I whine on and on about how much I hate it, and then I write about how much I'm liking it. Go figure.
I'm currently at the climax in editing, so I'd like to get back to that, but I'm writing this so I don't get into a habit of posting not very often. :)
Yesterday, I learned a lot about horses. Yes, still a horse nut here, nothing's changed. I'm trying to complete Parelli level one which is kind of problematic since it's been three weeks since the last time I touched a horse!
I had this problem with my riding lessons. It was with my ankles. When my legs were pulled up to the hunter jumper position (go Google it, yeouch!) my ankles would throb and give out and I would unceremoniously thrown onto the horse's neck. This problem was caused by my riding instructors constantly screaming at me to point my toes inward, turns out, you shouldn't do this!
When you ride, you should be part of the horse, not this foreign thing clinging onto their backs. To be part of the horse, you need to sit the shape of the horse. Light legs, heavy butt, toes pointed out. When your toes are out, you're not pinching with your knees, when your toes are pointing in, your horse is getting pinched on all sides, no wonder they buck!
Why am I writing this? I thought it was cool. I had my younger sister try it out on me and I could tell how UNCOMFORTABLE it is for our poor horses when we clutch with our knees, point our toes inward and sit sky high. It hurt. My back ached. Glad my sis didn't have reins or she would've pulled my mouth off.
I'm also gloating because I was right and my old riding instructors wrong. It is highly uncomfortable and puts structural strain on you and your horse! When you ride with your toes pointing inwards or forwards.
Try it. Sit like you're on a horse, toes pointing out. Then point your toes forward, just like that, you are no longer the shape of your horse! Toes pointing inwards makes it even worse!
Poor horses. They have to endure so much of proper riding. Proper riding is not savvy riding. When you're savvy you don't pinch the poop out of your horse!
It was a rush to learn.
Sorry for my language. I feel strongly about this. :)
Yeah, that's about all I have to say, other than, last night I dreamt I put Gollum in a dress and his precious was my iPod and he broke it. It was odd.
Oh, quick update for those asking and saw my comment. I DID change Aster's age. I spoke with my older sister (Yes, the one with the boyfriend =D) and she said she thought Aster was too old. Apparently 23 is old. So I changed it to 20. I was going for 19 but my sister said that was too awkward between Aster and Allie. Though it would make a lot of you romance lovers happy to have a spot of romance in Twisted.
Sorry. The only love story I'm considering writing is the backstory of Amaarzar. (Oddly enough my main bad guy has a love story. Weird.) I'm not a fan of romance unless it's Twisted Tales; With a Kiss by Stephanie Fowers. I was urging the main characters to kiss by the end of it. ;)

This is Gollum's Rescue (remember my dream. Gollum in a little girl dress, disturbing!) by Studio C, a BYU comedy group. If you want to look them up, they're mostly clean. Here's another fave by them. Five Day Weather Forecast.

Back Again

I know! Long time no post! I was on vacation last week (Tuesday through Saturday) and I didn't want to post anything because I wanted Elsie's interview to be seen. Also I was using my dad's laptop and I've never actually used one before so I was kind of struggling to get anything done. The replies given during the vacation were the only ones I dared to give. Hopefully I'll become better at the whole laptop thing, because I cannot spend the rest of my life using a crappy Windows '98! One of these days my PC is just going to die, and then I will kill it because it took all my hard work with it to the grave. ;)
Yes, so I've also discovered that despite what I thought I was ready for...I wasn't. My book came from the editor on Saturday. I was kind of relieved because apparently while we were on vacation some bozos were going up and down my street stealing people's mail. A lot people lost checks and major bills and some of our neighbors went out with a petition to get a locking mailbox. I was terrified that my book had come and that they had stolen it. I would've pulled a Nazgul and hunted them down. I've waited for nearly 3 MONTHS to get it back. Some freaking bozo isn't going to steal it from me!
It's mine. My OWN. My precious. :)
But it came, so every thing's good again I mean like less than fifteen minutes after we came home. I want to stick an old banana peel into an envelop and put that into the mailbox and see what the mail-stealing-animals have to say about it.
So as I opened it my family gathered around me (no pressure!) and my dad recorded this apparent historic event. I'm sure I looked lovely, we'd just gotten back from vacation, I'd tossed all my cool clothes in the wash and was wearing my less-than-attractive clothes and my hair had that vacation look that I'm sure you all know, that shaming mop that you're too tired to fix until you get home...yeah.
I also couldn't get the package open! I had to borrow my brother's pocket knife (yes the same brother that told me to stop complaining. We have a love-hate relationship, but it's getting better. He took great joy at making me fly (literally) on the trampoline on vacation) to get past all the packing tape. And of course, to mark how absolutely cool I am, I opened it backwards.
I spent about an hour hole-punching it, I have this thing about binders, I don't feel organized unless my book is in one. And then I started to read my book and the editor's markings. She used a purple pen, so it felt a little less shaming than a red one, and at first I was like "Yeah! I totally agree with that!" "Dang! Why didn't I catch that sooner!"
But the further in I went, the more I felt stupid for not catching those mistakes sooner. The more I wasn't sure if my editor had liked my book, or hated it.
The more I wanted to quit.
The more I blamed that stupid little possessing demon for entering my mind and EVER making me think I could write a book.
Now, a whole two days later, I've found that deep reserve that pushes me forward. I agree with my editor on some parts, others, not so much. I even went through with a couple of her suggestion last night when I couldn't sleep. I wandered through my darkened basement (I live in the basement BTW, so darkness and spiders, no big deal. Most of the time) and discovered that when I'm afraid, I pull my arms up close, get tight, and want to go somewhere comfortable where I know I'm safe.
Good thing to note.
Yeah, so I'm going to be really busy for the next little bit, I'm marking up my own book as much as my editor did with things I want to change. Like a little bit of dialogue from the Secret Keeper. I read it and went he wouldn't say it like THAT! I feel so proud that I know him well enough to know how he'd say something. :)
Also, after a lot of thinking and prepping myself, I know that I've learned a lot since the last time I actually went through and wrote Twisted from start to finish. I've written a few books between then and now and I can see where I made those beginners' mistakes.
I found it funny, that my editor eventually got so sick of writing the Secret Keeper that she did what my brother made up and that I follow now. She wrote his title as the SK. I write it as TSK. Much easier to handle that way. I laughed when I saw it.

Here's a song I found years ago for all of you who feel that you're dreaming but nothing's happening. Remember, it's one thing to dream, quite another to actually get up and chase it!
Tayla D out! ;)

Interview with Elsie Park

Hi everyone! Long weekend right? I personally thought it was incredibly long, but that may have been because I couldn't fall asleep last night until about 2 and then I had a nightmare and played Lego Lord of the Rings until 5. Yeah, I'm a half-asleep ghoul right now, so bear with me. =D
Anyway, I'm hosting another wonderful author on my blog! Elsie Park, author of Shadows of Valor, it's been a delight to go through the interview process with her, I can't wait for all of you to read this interview. :)
      
 

Thank you so much, Tayla, for hosting this interview and allowing me to be a guest on your blog. I enjoyed answering the questions and look forward to any comments people have.

 

Tayla asks, what inspired you to start writing?

Elsie's answer: I’ve made up short stories since I could write coherently in grade-school, but as far as writing a full-length novel, the notion didn’t hit me until about 6 years ago after I’d had my first baby. I got antsy to do something more as a stay-at-home mom. Always a fan of good action-packed, fantasy, romance movies and novels, I had ideas in my head of what I thought would make good scenes (especially if I didn’t like the way one was played out in a book or movie - LOL), so acting on a whim, I jotted them down and later formulated a plot to tie them together.

 

2. What inspires you to keep writing, even on days when it's hard to write a single word?

It’s often difficult to find the time to write, as I am in a season of life which includes three small, high maintenance children. So I admit that even though I TRY to write everyday, I simply don’t. For me, writing will always come second to being a wife and mother. That being said, however, the things that keep me inspired to write (when the time allows) is the thought that I have a specific story to tell with a specific message and characters that I want to share with others, and that if I don’t write them out, they’ll NEVER get shared. I’m inspired to write with the hope that someone, somewhere, will like my story and characters as much as I do, find enjoyment taking the journey with them and connect with the issues in such a way that the reader takes a look at his/her own life, having the desire to improve as well in some small way. That’s what I try to do: Learn from my mistakes and try to live a little better today than I did yesterday (easier said than done, but still a good motto).

 

3. How did you come up with your storyline?

I’ve always loved a hero (and heroine) with a troubled past who struggles (like everyone else) to overcome his/her weaknesses. Drawing on my love of history, I found an era where a heavy tax was levied, causing people to turn to illegal acts. A thought came to me as I pieced together a viable story for my characters. People face choices of integrity everyday. Just because we don’t like a specific rule or law, doesn’t mean we should act illegally and hurt others to defy it (though I admit this is often a gray area especially in circumstances of oppressive governments and hierarchies). Though set in the middle-ages, my story-line relates to the modern reader. The age-old tale of good versus evil, good and bad choices, is something that can be written about over and over again with new plots and characters and never get old. It’s something the human race has dealt and struggled with since the beginning of time and isn’t likely to go away.

 

4. How do you get ideas for each chapter?

Although I wasn’t this way at the beginning, I am NOW the kind of writer who has to outline and plot out my story-line first. This helps me decide on when, where, how and what growth I want my characters to experience from beginning to end. It allows me to place trials, challenges and triumphs throughout my story in an organized fashion. I decide that in chapter 1, such and such will occur and so on throughout the entire book. Sometimes a chapter placement is just a simple as breaking up a portion of the manuscript that’s WAY TOO LONG. This isn’t to say, however, that once I have a scene for a particular chapter that it must stay there. After the first draft (or second or third or . . .) I often decide that some earlier scenes are best told later and vice versa. I don’t like short chapters, but I do incorporate plenty of scene breaks throughout a given chapter to break it up a bit.

5. When you have writer's block, what helps you push past it?

Setting the book aside for few days (or weeks) and coming back to it with fresh eyes and a sharper mind is great for alleviating writers block. Reading the book again from the beginning and then acting on the thoughts that come to mind when you get to the part in question. Also, don’t be afraid to ask other people their opinion on what they would do if they were your character(s) in the situation. My mom and dad were indispensable to giving me ideas when I heard their various ideas. This isn’t to say that you need to use the thoughts others give you, but it sure opens up new avenues in your own mind that hadn’t occurred to you previously.

6. Who's your favorite characters in your book and all time favorite in literature?

Ah gee, asking for a “favorite” in anything is difficult because there are invariably more than one that fall into that category. But if I have to pick one (besides my two main characters that is) then I’d have to say Sir Giles, a minor character in the book. He’s full of charm and easy-going wit, adding some light reprieve to the more serious issues in the story. He’s always snacking on something, something I personally love to do, but in his case, he never gains weight from all his eating (much like my husband and NOT like me at all – LOL – I simply LOOK at food and I gain weight). In literature, I’d have to say Frodo Baggins and Samwise from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. They are both sweet and humble, yet have as inner strength and integrity that defy all the other characters in the story.

7. If you could change one thing in your favorite book what would it be?

Hmm, another toughy, Tayla , but I’d have to say Sir Walter Scott’s IVANHOE. I would have had Ivanhoe end up with the Jewess Rebekah, regardless of the thoughts of propriety for the day. I loved the character Rebekah and wanted to see her be with the man who rescued her. I mean, IVANHOE is a work of fiction, so why not weave it in such a way as to have them together in the end. Can you tell I’m a fan of “happily-ever-afters?”

8. How have your jobs influenced your book?

This is something no one has ever asked, and yet, my job as a patrol officer has had the MOST influence over my hero, The Shadow. In law enforcement training, officers are taught not to trust anyone, to see everyone as a potential threat to safety, to always be on their guard, to be ready for an attack so they can act promptly to protect themselves and save the lives of others. I know why this view is important and necessary, but at the same time, I didn’t like the kind person I was forced to become as a police officer. After I left the force, I eased up on those cynical views, but only a little. To this day, I still retain strong feelings of distrust as I view situations with a leery eye. Some may say that’s what keeps me and my family from being victims of crimes, while others argue that I hold an unhealthy regard for the human race in general. Be that as it may, my thoughts put me somewhere in the middle, a place I feel comfortable with at the moment.

9. What is the most distracting thing to you while you're writing?

MY CHILDREN! Hands down! *laugh* Even as I’m typing out these answers, I have my precious 20-month-old on my lap trying to push the keys on my keyboard, draw on my computer desk with a pencil and poke me in the eye with the same pencil . . . okay, I just took it away from her . . . so now she’s dripping apple juice from her sippy cup onto my pajama pants *sigh*. I’m also typing all this with one hand *smile*. Why don’t I just do it after I put her down for a nap, you may ask? It’s not that easy, since her nap time often means only an hour or two to get other things done, like laundry, dishes, time with my other girls, groceries, cooking meals, you name it. All this being said, I wouldn’t trade my beautiful children for the world. I love them. I just have to find different ways to get my writing in.

10. Do you ever pretend to be your characters and playact as them?

I’ve heard of other authors doing this to get into character and have dialogue and ideas flow through their minds, but I admit that I’ve never done this. Maybe if I did, I wouldn’t get writer’s block *laugh*. I talk out loud sometimes to get the right punctuation and description for dialogue or for facial expressions, but that’s about it. I would LOVE to see my story some out as a movie, however, and view how actors would portray my characters. That would be AWESOME! Yeah, I’ll leave the playacting to people who can actually act, which isn’t me *laugh*

 

About the author

From a wildland firefighter to a security guard, police officer, and student of botany and zoology, ELSIE PARK has done it all. It was only a matter of time before she wrote her first novel. While on a hiatus to Italy, Park was inspired by the thick presence of ancient and medieval history. She felt it in its walls, and slowly, yet surely, a story was born.

 

Blog – www.elsiepark.blogspot.com

E-mail – elsie_rees@hotmail.com

Facebook – Elsie Park https://www.facebook.com/authorelsiepark

Twitter - @elsiepark1

 

SHADOWS OF VALOR, will be released September 7, 2013 through Jolly Fish Press. It can be ordered from any bookstore including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com and will be available in hard cover, paperback and on e-readers (including Kindle, Nook, and Kobo, as well as any tablet, smartphone, or computer).

 

CATEGORY: ADULT / ROMANCE / HISTORICAL

PAGES: 310

SIZE: 6” x 9”

DESTRIBUTION: INGRAM

- Hardcover ($28.99):

978-1-939967-06-0

- Trade Paperback ($16.99):

978-1-939967-07-7

- Ebook ($7.99):

978-1-939967-08-4

 

Barnes and Noble Pre-order: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-valor-elsie-park/1114940696?ean=9781939967077

 

 

And She Sinks a Little Lower

I know yesterday's post was not that happy. Today's will not be that happy either. I have this problem with emotionally riding the roller-coaster until I feel like my head's going to fall off.
So they say that teenaged girls are constantly fretting about their weight, fact or myth? At least for me, you don't need the Mythbusters to crack this one. I feel great about myself until I start looking around and thinking whoa! she's so thin! Why can't I be that thin!? I've struggled against the "YOU ARE FAT!" thoughts since I was like twelve and today, the thoughts are almost unbearable.
My sisters are even thinner than me, I feel like a fat ugly toad among swans when I'm around them. I know this ain't normal, but what girl hasn't looked down at herself and thought whoa! there is way too much of me there!
I read this book called Perfect, I don't remember who it was by, and it was about a girl who had bulimia, and it nearly made me cry. I felt the same way, like when I sit my thighs moosh out about three miles, and it feels like no matter what I do, I can't get rid of that stomach. Everyone claims I'm not fat, but I'm beginning to wonder if they're lying, I certainly don't feel skinny and I'd much rather be a stick than a log, if you get my meaning.
I know, this has nothing to do with my books, or violin, but I am IMPLODING! I need to get this out before I do something dramatic. I think it has something to do with the pair of pants I'm wearing, they're way too big for me, like I can pull them out an inch on either side. I'm thinking I should go change and see if that makes a difference and then perhaps I'll burn these pants, I'm feeling that kindly towards them.
Still, I'm not feeling all that happy towards myself today. I even caught myself thinking don't look in the mirror! Don't look in the mirror! I'm predicting it's going to be a REALLY long rest of the day.
And another downside, I'm going on vacation next week and that's also when my editor predicts that my book will arrive in the mail.
Another one, a lot of girls in my church are at girl's camp right now. I'm stuck in a mix between want to be there and glad I'm not. I didn't go because of my health issues that BTW have not gone away and have steadily gotten worse. So when I keel over, will the doctors FINALLY figure out what's wrong with me?
Okay, reason why I'm a little miffed about not going to girl's camp. They're going to ride horses. I'd like to do that, just sit on a horse for a couple of hours. I know some of you are probably thinking about the welfare of your sitters right now, but I consider that fun, because it's like what my characters would be doing.
I've been BEGGING to ride horses at girl's camp (okay, strongly hinting at times, not really begging) since my first year five years ago and because I'm sick with something no one can figure out, I can't go.
Yeah, I know, I'm really drudging up the dark sides of life right now and that's why I'm writing it down. You know a real lift off the shoulders to get it out. Now I'm going to go get a real lift off my hips and go change into a pair of pants I like.

And the AUTHOR explodes

So I'm sure you noticed how my last post was all happy light and cheerful.
This one will not be.
Just to warn you.
I know, I know, I have mood swings, but hey, I'm a girl and girls have a nasty tendency to be this way. Happy one moment, stark raving bonkers the next.
My editor is done, and although I claimed that I was prepared for what was coming next, I wasn't, and who ever is? I got the editing letter yesterday and I could feel my heart sinking with every line I read.
Look at all those things you did wrong, a snarky little voice whispered in my head, all those things. Do you ever think you could do this? What delusion made you think that YOU could write and published a book?
I agreed.
I figured that fire and brimstone would freeze over before I got a book published.
I tossed my binders into the trashcan and wished that writing had never been invented, that we all communicated with troll grunts and gestures.
I gave up.
Thankfully my parents who know a lot more than I did intervened. Granted I wasn't overly talkative last night, but my mom got me through it, so did popcorn and chocolate. I'm proud to say that last night I ate an entire bag of popcorn mostly by myself (my dad took a few handfuls, I feel less bad because of that :D) and considering I live in a house of popcorn vultures, that is an impressive feat!
I'm still pretty shaken, who LIKES to be told that their three years of hard work and sweat amounts to something that is still beginnerish and looks as though it's a first draft (5th!) but I'm not going to quit, I just need to find my thick skin.
I also learned that basic YA books only have about 50,000 to 70,000 words. My book has 107,000ish words. For those of you who didn't do the NANOWRIMO (try it this year, it's fun to make your brain explode as you try to cramp as much writing as possible in before the last of November fades away!) 70,000 words is only about 300 pages and Twisted packs out an impressive 474 pages worth of stuff. I felt heat rising in my chest as I realized this, I'd cut out at least half of my book if I chopped it back down to 300 pages. So many chapters, so many hints and clues just gone.
YA readers, I figured, were pansies. (Whoa! don't get offended! That was in the moment, we all think really offensive and rude things in the moment, if you don't, you are a much better person than me!)
And character ages 14-19, what? Are you kidding? Aster is 23! (Allie and Prince Maffio, two other main characters however fall under this category, Allie is 16, Maffio is 19) The Secret Keeper definitely goes over that age limit, he's no spring chicken!
Good thing I don't have like the Witch-king or something (Yeah LOTR reference, you knew it was coming) he's over 3000 years old! But his POV would be really interesting (the Halfling stares up at me with horror, his fear is delicious to me and my fellow Nazgul. I reach forward to snatch the ring from the Halfling's opposing fingers...)
YA genre, is apparently not for me. My target audience is everyone. Maybe I'll write some YA (this stands for Young Adult BTW) later on, but for now, I meant what I meant, and I said what I said, don't make me change it or you'll blow up my head.
Yeah, on top of being an author, I'm also a poet.
Hopefully I'll be able to handle it when I get the full manuscript back. I just feel so stupid seeing all the beginner story-teller mistakes I made. A little angry too, I've been writing since I was like 12 and I'm still considered a beginner? When will I STOP being a beginner!?
Yes, I am apparently a beginner-quality author, but I am a gold medal winner in whining. :)

Two songs relatively describing how I feel, top one with the wraith (okay, I KNOW it's the Grim Reaper, but if one wants to get technical, the Grim Reaper IS a wraith, so there) the music (if this is the right vid) is Endless Love from Myth. I have no idea what movie that is, I just like the music, (and the picture)

This one is really how I feel. I Give Up, by Elijah Bossenbroek.

The happiness EXPLODES

Guess what!?
MY EDITOR IS DONE!!!!
AHHH!
Yes I am happy. Very happy. I got the email this morning at 7:00 but I was like "meh, it's YouTube or something else that I don't care about" (Okay, I do care about YouTube, but not when I'm waiting for an email, you know?) but at 7:21 I got bored and looked at it and I saw the email I have been WAITING for.
Right now, I love my editor. ;) she made my day, and since it was 7 when she sent it, my whole day is looking really good. Thank you Danyelle. You are awesome.
I know I haven't sounded overly happy with her in past posts, but I think most of that was my own anxiousness and worries screaming out. I've felt like a horse trapped in a stall for weeks, just pacing and waiting for my owner to come out and play with me (yes, Amy Miller, that is for you ;D) Danyelle (my editor) is awesome. She's been so nice about everything, even my probably really annoying emails. A lot has been happening in her life for the past two months, so don't blame her or get angry at her for taking so long. I'm happy right now, so yeah.
I'm also kind of nervous.
What kind of mistakes did I make while writing? I'm currently reading Twisted to my dad (yes, he's a fan, my whole family is, thankfully, even my seven-year-old sister, more on her later) and I'm catching a LOT of mistakes that make me cringe. I wonder what my characters would say if they could read what I wrote from their POVs and whether or not they'd laugh about the mistakes. Aster probably would.
Here's a few of my mistakes.
1. I have a nasty habit of putting the same word in a paragraph twice! It's so annoying! For example, I put steep into a paragraph twice during an action scene, completely tossed off the drama of Aster running from Chikego (Chikego is a wraith, he's like...I don't know, like the ringwraiths in the Lego version of Lord of the Rings. Really stupid and kind of brainless. If you YouTube clips from the game, you'll see what I mean. They made the Nazgul look really dimwitted. =D)
2. I spell lose as loose.
3. I have the characters repeat like the same thing over only in different words.
Yeah, those are the ones I really noticed, but whatever right? It's all in the drafting process, and I can happily say, I am officially in editing. That's just a step off from publishing and then all of you can understand my craziness!
Or at least part of it.
On Friday I staying up until 3 watching The Fellowship of the Ring, I was mainly watching it for the Nazgul, just to watch the way that they move. That fascinates me for some reason. I was also sewing some improvements onto a shirt, so it was like watching the movie! and then ow! my finger! I missed some of the best parts because of my sewing. I noticed that the Nazgul's horses made a lot noise, and grunts, and because I'm into Parelli (he's a horse trainer, a REALLY good one) I couldn't help but notice the way that the Nazgul rode their horses and the bits that they used.
I'm such a nerd. I'm probably the only person alive who looked for that kind of thing.
The bits, um...they looked like a snaffle, a full cheek snaffle, that's good. They're a mild kind of bit meaning that the Nazgul were mostly in control of their horses, horse and rider respecting each other enough to listen. What I didn't appreciate was how the Witch-king (he's the wraith that leaps in front of Frodo on the trail as they're running for the ferry) was yanking on his horse's mouth to turn him. You don't need to do that, some simple leg cues is better for the horse, it's why the poor things mouth was hanging open as his rider sawed on his lips. That's probably why the horses made so much noise, ow! my stupid rider is yanking my face off! Stop it! Please!
I know. I'm a nerd, and I'm proud of that nerdiness. =D

Okay, THIS is what I'm talking about from Lord of the Rings, if you watch closely you'll see the Witch-king yanking hard on the horse's mouth to turn him in front of Frodo.  Provided this is the right clip.

Crossing My Fingers

Okay, yesterday I got an email from my editor saying that she was about 50 pages away from being done and it would either be today or Monday. I've got my fingers crossed for today. If I have to wait another three days, I think I'll self-combust.
Plus there's the added measure of suspense that I'm going on vacation in a week and my Mom cancelled the mail for that week, so I'd have to wait even longer to get my book back through the mail. I'm chewing my nails (actually I'm not. I cut my nails too short every single time I cut them so there's nothing to chew!) with anxiousness.
I've also realized that I'm exactly 17 and 11 months (well, exactly in two weeks) meaning in a month I'll be 18 and that's a scary thought! I don't know if I'm ready to be grown-up. Part of me wants to stay a little kid forever and the other part cringes and says "okay, let's grow up!"
Though my goal is to have my book published by my birthday. I don't know if it's going to happen, but if it doesn't I'll publish in October. Why October? Well that was my goal LAST year. To have my book published by October 15th 2012. Naturally you can assume it didn't happen. :) I'm glad it didn't, I got major help from an author friend in November so I'm super glad that I missed that goal because the suggestions she gave me really helped!
It's actually really exciting to think that in about two months my book will finally be published! I've been working on this for about three years, so you can imagine my excitement. I've just got to cross my fingers and hope that nothing else goes wrong. I'm still terrified that I'll get it out there and nobody will even LOOK at it. Then it's three years down the drain and I take up knitting. Just kidding, I can't even hold the needles right, sooo, I guess knitting wouldn't happen.
But everyone I know seems to want to read it. My violin teacher (I hope she reads it! I put both her horses into the second book. Gypsy and Cheyenne, just to make her happy. I'm not sure where Cheyenne is, but I think she's going to be Mullin's horse, so she'll get a lot of page time that way. Mullin is one of the wraiths, but don't worry! Unlike the Nazgul, my wraiths actually respect their horses. Well, most of them do anyway...) said she'd read it. And everyone except for a few readers who positively hated my main character and was really vocal about that fact...sorry, still a little bitter about that, it wasn't even constructive criticism. Aster isn't exactly what you'd call society's best, but seriously, did she have to go on and on about how much she didn't like him? Aster is practically me! He's so much like me if we met in real life we'd either be the best of friends or we'd drive each other CRAZY!
Sorry again...I'm not terribly fond of when people mock my characters. They all have little drops of me in them (some have a LOT of drops, others like Apasha the fat dude, only got like a little snippet) so when people mock my characters, it feels like they're mocking me and that hurts my feel goods. Yeah, and then I tend to get even by putting those people into my books. Like those girls I talked about last week getting their free rides to college...yeah, they're in it. And I even call them in Twisted what I've referred to them in real life. A giggling gang of gits.
Not so sure what happens to those girls, but I think the worst of them get a face to face meeting with Amaarzar. So ha!
Anyway. I'm just crossing my fingers hoping that I'll get my book back soon.
Also the weirdest thing just occurred to me. It's nearly been a year since I begged my parents for violin lessons. It's strange. A lot has happened since then, and my proudest achievement right now is that I can vibrato with my pinky!
Yeah, I know, big achievement, but hey, it ain't easy to vibrato!

Awesome music I found. Can't listen to it anywhere but YouTube because the album art is naughty and I'm sorry. I just don't respect that. Anyway, the music is awesome. =D