Good News, Everybody!

If you thought the title in Professor Farnsworth's voice, I tip my hat to you.

So, some good news comes this way! I know I haven't been blogging much lately, and that's partly due to the summer and me being crazy busy, but also due to me buckling down and writing like a madman. I should be back to myself again, so never fear!

Which kinda brings me to my bundles of good news.

--> I FINISHED CRASH. WOOOOHOOOO. I'm a fast writer. Normally it takes me 3 months tops to finish a 100K book. Crash took 7 months, and ended up at 136K words. I have a lot of editing to do on that one so I'm far from through with it, but still, exciting!

--> Which brings me to my next bit of news. I get to start on my new project!! It's a YA steampunk with DRAGONS. I can't say more than that, though. You'll have to wait for any further details. ;)

--> ALSO, I'm up on Goodreads. If you would like to follow my reviews and keep more tabs on what I'm reading, you can friend me there. I will friend back. I will still be posting reviews on my blog, but I will be posting half-reviews on Goodreads that I won't be putting here. What are half-reviews? They're the books I got half way through but couldn't finish for one reason or another. I don't consider them full reviews, and it's really just what I didn't like about the book.

If you're following me on Twitter, you will still get updates for when I post both full reviews and my halfie reviews. So if you don't want to deal with following me a million different places, it's best to just follow me on twitter.

I think that's it! Hopefully my blog posts will get back to their regular frequency and I can go back to normal now.

Happy 4th of July to my American readers, and for everyone else, happy Monday. ;)

Peace,

-Katie

Spam of Cute!

So I saw my beta today, and we had a huge breakthrough with Crash. It's a huge cause of celebration, you don't know how long I've been waiting for this. This means that probably half the book is going to get axed, but I don't care because I've been trying to crack this book since November and I finally got it.

I'm breaking out wine and chocolates. That's how awesome this is.

Along with seeing my beta, I also got the chance to see her ducklings! They're a week old today. The yellow one she's called Golden, the small brown one is known as Special (he's the runt) and the third we've named Mysterion. (No, we aren't South Park fans, why do you ask?)

Spam of cute! Cute!

























Peace,

-Katie

WIP Wednesday: Crash

So, if you've been following me on Twitter, you know I've been bitching and whining about my current WIP, Crash, the sequel to Shell. I'm currently 78K in, God only knows what the final wordcount is going to look like, but I'm finally almost-sorta-close-to done. There are lots of problems with it, but I'm hoping to be able to sit down and fix them during revisions.

One of the problems I've been struggling with (though it's a minor one) is the case of my character Vetis. During Shell, it became a running joke between me and my beta that Vetis was gay, mostly because of how he acts towards another one of the guy characters. And as that draft came to a close, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Vetis was in love with this boy. It never once came up as more than hints, but it was obvious to me.

But as I keep writing him, it becomes really apparent to me that Vetis is really in love with this boy, and I don't know what to do about it. On the one hand, I don't want to boil down his motivations to just being in love. On the other hand, I'm not sure if avoiding this characteristic is good for his character. Back again, it's not essential to the plot, and I'm not sure if it would justify his character to bring this piece of him to light. And back again, he's really, flaming gay.

At the moment, it's not an issue, but I know it might be when I get to the third book.

Either way, here's an excerpt. It's Vetis and another main character discussing Seth. (AKA, Jamie, AKA, Rhamiel, AKA, the boy Vetis is madly in love with.)

“Is he okay?” she asked.

“He’s fine,” Vetis said, grabbing his jacket from the couch and shrugging it on. “Just a little sick.”

Dahlia scuttled forwards. She shot a glance at her coworker before she hissed, “Is it him?”

Vetis stilled for half a beat, his eyes growing distant. Dahlia was hopeful. From the moment Seth stepped into the café a change came over Vetis. Vetis, the silent one, the shadow, who came to her gigs to quell his boredom, had completely transformed. He’d approached Seth, something he had never done before as long as Dahlia had known him.

“No,” he said at last. “It’s not him.”

Dahlia’s shoulders slumped. “Who is he?” she whispered. She wanted to go on, to say, you never act like this. But she didn’t dare push it. Not on these rare moments when he spoke to her.

“A friend,” Vetis said, meeting her stare with his own. “A very old friend.”

Shell + Crash: Setlist

Hello everyone! Thanks to the wonderful support I received on my dorky post about contemporary YA, I've decided to keep with my contemp idea and really try to see where it goes. I've decided on a tentative title: HOW TOBY RIDEWOOD ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE BROKE THE WORLD. Catchy, eh? It's a nice change from my one word titles I've had going on for a while.

Anyway, I promised you guys a setlist from Shell (currently on sub) and Crash (current WIP). I do use a lot of music when I write. I plug in my iPod when I sit down to write and zone out so I don't have to pay attention to anything else going on. Music inspires me a lot too, but I've never really given it much thought. I mean, I love music, but I'm not a music-person. I grew up with band geeks who could hear a song once and then play it on whatever instrument tickled their fancy, so I've never considered myself musically knowledgeable.

But I figured I'd do a blog post about some of the songs that inspire me. Who knows, maybe when (if) these books ever make it to print I could do up a CD and give it away in a contest.

Either way, that's a long ways from now, so let's start, shall we?

SHELL

All the songs are linked to the music videos on youtube so you can have a taste of what I'm talking about.

Missing by Evanescence. This song always, ALWAYS, reminds me of Jamie Winchester, one of my MCs. Jamie is a sweet, kind boy who is a little depressed and is the typical "sacrifice." Something about Amy Lee's haunting voice makes me think of Jamie and his problems, and the chorus, oh the chorus, always reminds me of a major plot point which I'm not going to talk about for fear of spoilers. This song actually helped inspire a specific scene near the end of the book. Three guesses what happens.

The End by Classic Crime. This song always makes me think of the other MC from Shell, Adam Fenn. The slow tempo and the singer's voice just always reminds me of Adam, and the lyrics fit him PERFECTLY. It gives me shivers thinking about it sometimes. Mostly, this song makes me think of what Adam would say to himself. He doesn't have much of a self-esteem, despite his cocky and carefree attitude most of the time.

Univited by Alanis Morisette. This song 100% inspired Leila Litt. I was listening to this song and an image popped into my head of a girl of Indian or Middle Eastern decent wearing a veil and riding a camel. So many sexy images came out of this song, which later ended up being transferred into sexual tension between Leila and Adam.

Down by Jason Walker ft Molly Reed. This song is Vetis, my sort of maybe anti-hero. OMG, Jason's voice is so much what I imagine Vetis's voice sounds like. Really, this reminds me of Vetis's life as an angel, him rebelling and casting into Hell. I think this song really illustrates his longing for his return to Heaven.

(If my beta readers are reading, I'm sure you're wondering where Avery's song is. She's another major character, but Avery wasn't inspired by a song, and I could never really find one that really fit her character. She was actually inspired by Harry Potter, but that's a story for another day.)

All You Did Was Save My Life by Our Lady Peace. This song to me, really illustrates Adam's relationship with Jamie, (and Arthur's relationship with Seth). Because Jamie does save Adam's life. Over. And over. And over. And over....


CRASH

All Around Me by Flyleaf. This song birthed Dahlia Slade. I was listening to the song and all of a sudden I was struck with an image of a punk girl wearing ripped fishnets, long brown hair singing on stage in front of a crowd of people. Even though Dahlia's character has changed since then, I think this song still encompasses her passion, and how she puts her heart into everything she does.

When I'm Gone by Three Doors Down. This song is Arthur Fenn, and I have no idea why. The lyrics don't really fit him, (besides the chorus, and even then that's a stretch) but the guitar here and the singer's voice just create the perfect atmosphere. Arthur is hard and soft, a lover and a fighter, and I think this song captures that dual aspect of him.

Crashed by Chris Daughtry. This is Seth Beckett, and really the whole book itself. I listened to this song once and couldn't get it out of my head. All I could see was Seth, fighting his way through the troubles of his life. The line "Then I crashed into you, like a runaway train, you will consume me, but I can't walk away." That IS Crash, and Seth too. Plus, the line about bursting into flames kept bringing up an image of Seth, quite literally, on fire, so I ended up adding that scene into the book because I couldn't get it out of my head.

Cold as it Gets by Patty Griffin.(Couldn't find a youtube video for it. Look this song up, it is amazing.) This song is another one of Vetis's. His character really fits the slow songs best. The haunting sound of the singer's voice makes me think of the struggles he's gone through. Plus I can't shake the image of him in old west times in a cowboy hat and riding a horse looking for Rhamiel. So much love.

Made of Steel by Our Lady Peace. This is Jynx's song. It started off as a joke, because Jynx is essentially a robot, but it grew on me. And really, he does want to be the hero in the end.

It's Not Over by Daughtry. This song is totally another one for Seth. It ain't over until it's over, and I think it demonstrates Seth's stubbornness and his unrelenting will.

Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin. This one is kind of general, and that kind of speaks about the relationship with the characters, especially between Jynx and Seth and Arthur and Seth. It just sounds dark and bleak, and I think it shows the world they're living in. It feels hopeless, and that's really how this book feels closer to the end.

Well, there you have it, I think. My playlist. What I wrote to, and am still writing to.

Peace,

-Katie

Seasons and a small teaser

So, it hailed today, which always makes me laugh because for some reason, despite living here their entire lives, people in my city are always surprised when the weather goes completely bat-shit crazy. Every spring, without fail, it hails, and every spring, without fail, people around here are like, "WTF? WHY IS IT HAILING?"

I love seasons. Winter, especially, is my favorite, which confuses people immensely. I love winter for the snow, but also for the sense of silence and stillness that it brings. I always end up transfering this love into my writing, and Shell and Crash are no exception. Shell is especially heavy in the whole "OMG, SNOW" factor, and Crash carries similiar traits.

So, in honour of the annual hailing, I thought I'd share a teaser from Crash, my current WIP and the sequel to the book currently on sub. If you've been listening to me whine at all these last few months, then you know I'm having problems with it, so it took a lot of courage to just pick something to share and hope it wasn't crap. Hope y'all like it.

This is (pretty much) how I introduce Arthur, one of my MCs. He is in an underground boxing ring.

“Next match,” the announcer’s voice boomed from overhead. “Trapjaw versus Artie. Gentlemen, this is the fight you’ve been waiting for! Our king of the ring is back to defend his title. Let’s see if Trapjaw’s got it in him to take the crown! Bets are closed once the fight starts, so if you haven’t yet, make your way to the betting booth.”

Trapjaw turned and glared at Arthur through the cage that ran around the ring. His square face pulled into an ugly grin.

“Fuck this guy up, Artie,” Hutch said.

Arthur stepped into the ring. The blood staining the mat sloshed under his bare feet. Arthur heard the cage door close behind him. For the next five minutes, there was no getting out.

Just the way Arthur liked it.

“What do you think you’re doing here, kid?” Trapjaw asked him, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You see what I did to the last punk who thought he could take me?”

“Yeah. It’s kinda why I’m here.”

Trapjaw threw his head back and laughed. “You think you’re some shit-for-brains hero, dontcha?”

A smile quirked on Arthur’s lips. The chanting of the crowd grew to a crescendo, the sound of his name ringing on the putrid air.

Ar-tie! Ar-tie! Ar-tie!

“I’m a hero all right,” Arthur said. “Waving the white flag of justice.”

The siren rang and the timer started. The fight had begun.

Side Characters are Heroes too.

Thanks everyone who signed up for my easter contest, and hello new followers! :) I hope we can get a few more entries before the end of the week to really spice things up. Retweets are always loved!

Now, in Crash, my current WIP, I have a character that came out of nowhere and quickly weasled his way into a star position. This isn't really unusual for me, as I love side characters and my books tend to write themselves more often than not. But what I'm starting to realize in all my infinite frustration, is that even though he's weasled his way into a star role, right now he's little more than a foil.

I hate foils.

Sure, they're great sometimes, but honestly, in novels, I like to think of each character as their own person. In life we don't have "foils," each person is their own main character, their own star. So I try to make every semi-main character a star, not just my MC.

So how do I do this?

Simple, (although it seems that way even though it took me a while ot puzzle it out.) for a character to stand out, they have to do something on their own. It can be small, it doesn't have to outshine your MC, but have them do something that's still vital to the plot. Of course your side characters all have dreams and motives and desires, so make your characters act on them. They don't have to blindly follow your MC around. It will help expand your story, deepen it, and give interesting subplots. (I love subplots!)

Try it. Find a character who is not insignificant, but has a smaller role but close to your MC. Have them chase their aspirations. Tie it back into the main plot somehow. Maybe they discover something about the villian? Maybe they foil a plan by a rival? Look through the eyes of somebody else to help add to your story. If you're writing in first person, you should be able to pull it off as well. Though we won't see it from the other character's POV, we can have them explain it or show us through other methods.

Peace,

-Katie