Random Musings

Hmm... can I change that to what 5 series, because that would be much easier:

Sookie Stackhouse (aka Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris
Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent
Grave Series by Jeaniene Frost
Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs
Crown Duel omnibus by... I don't remember the author.

Princess Bride, my Jamie Cullum dvd, both Bridget Jones, and The Prince and Me... all movies I never get sick of!

Heh, I figured, since I wand more people to join the So Write! group, why not post on my livejournal and see what happens?

http://communities.livejournal.com/so_write

Check it out and join!!!

I almost ran into this really cute guy today.  I mean, majorly cute.  Like, the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life in person.  What struck me first when i saw him: "HOLY SHIT! He looks like Bladen!"

No lie.  This guy looks exactly how I picture my character Will Bladen.  He even has that nose I'm finding so hard to describe!  GAHH!

Here's the Bladen snippet, just to illustrate:

"This guy has dark brown hair tussled to give the statement “I just rolled out of bed after the best sex of my life and I want everyone to know it.” Models would kill for those cheek bones. His lips put Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s to shame. His bright, bluish-green eyes are majorly intense. He stands, no poses like he’s at the end of a runway in Paris, even though he’s just in a simple gray tee shirt and faded blue jeans. Which, by the way, emphasize a very nice area. He’s not particularly tall, just average height for a guy really, and his build isn’t really huge, but, from the look of his arms, he is built and solid."

Minus the eye color and the thick Jonathan Rhys Meyers lips (and add a black beanie) and you so have this guy!  His nose is hard to describe... Look up Jamie Cullum's band and find the attractive guy who plays sax (Tom Richards is his name.).  That's the nose I'm trying to describe... kinda.

Anyway, I call this a "Steps of St. Patricks" moment for a reason.  That's the title of a song by Jason LeVasseur.  Here's a part of the song:

"I remember the day we met
Tried to get as close as I could get
I only asked her for a cigarette
and then I wished
I could have been a little more clever than that"

Yeah, so, I wish i said more than "sorry" to this guy.  And I almost wish we had actually collided, because then maybe conversation would have been easier.

*Sigh*

Such is life.

All of the above.  I'm an optimist who become pessimistic about the optimistic ideas and then realizes that both outcomes could happen.

=)  I'm multifaceted.

There was an author--I can't remember who--who would not read books in the same genre as he wrote.  He called it "incest" to read them.

Frankly, with all due respect, that's complete bullshit.

I just finished reading At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost.  First off, it's a fucking awesome book.  A great, imaginative, original addition to her series.

Second, it inspired me for my own story.

The story, for a while tentatively called Medium, though I now have to change it for many reasons, was starting to take a bad path.  I say bad, because it was.  The plot idea was bad.  It was hokey.  It had no real motivation.  I've been struggling with it for months... years even, I believe.  But now, with my ideas pre-reading At Grave's End and now post, I think it can be an awesome story.

I'm going to explain, because it will help me figure things out a bit more as well.  Basic premise:  Franki (Franchesca Davidson) is a necromancer who refuses to give in to her full power.  She prefers to be a simple medium (hence the old title).  Originally, she was supposed to be a medium who will become a necromancer, but I couldn't find a way to make that work that made sense to me.  So, she's one of those stupid people you wanna slap for not taking advatage of her full power.  There's a reason for this, I totally promise, but that will give away a bit too much.  And, well, I'm not quite sure I know the full reason right now.  Franki's being a little annoying and stubborn on that front, even to me.  (Yes, I refer to her as a real person, because to me, that's what she is.)

Ok, now, here's where the new ideas come in.  She hides her powers, yeah?  But now she's drawn into a vampire fiasco and she can't really ignore her powers any longer.  Even with her gris-gris (this is tentative at the moment), vampires can sense her power.  Plus, she's just that good.  (I refuse to Mary Sue her, though, so even though she is good, she's so untrained that she might as well have no power at all).

So the new idea involves another necromancer who is power drunk and cocky, the ancient vampire bonded with him/her, and lots of deaths to feed the other necromancer's power lust.  Oh, and more in depth with the cute vampire who is Franki's love interest.

This actually has little so do with At Grave's End.  As I was getting towards the end of the book, however, this idea struck me.  It made perfect sense with my plot idea.  This idea was already there a bit, but for some reason, Jeaniene Frost really inspired the idea to be better.  And far more creepy.

Cause right now, the story is a bit too... sugary.  Too much humor, not enough darkness.  Because what is death magic without a little darkness?

What's that old saying?  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  This isn't imitation, per say, but there are a few elements from that book that inspired me enough that it's slight imitation.  I won't give away anything about Frost's book, but believe me, there is a lot in the end that can be re-worked and fit into my idea.  Not obviously to anyone who wouldn't know the difference, but enough that she basically just save my story.

Oh, and to that author who's name I can't remember:  Suck it.  Reading in your genre isn't incest; it's inspiring.

Yesterday was a great day in my literary life.

My top three favorite authors all have new books out.  Because I was finally paid yesterday, I decided to take a trip to Mecca.  I went for PRIDE (which you may remember me talking about) and I came out with three books and a Barnes and Noble subscription.  I got the new Rachel Vincent, Jeaniene Frost, and Patricia Briggs--which is in hard cover and therefore expensive, but I love her character Mercy and, of course, Adam, so I had to get it.

Right now, I'm in the middle of PRIDE, and can I just say:  Holy shit!  Talk about a developed world.  And a new twist!

But that is all I am saying.

Time to go back to reading...

I want to have all my parts that are able to be donated to someone who needs them to, uh, well be donated to someone who needs them.  And then the rest, I want cremated.  I don't know where I want to be spread yet...

Some girls buy shoes.  I buy books.

It's pretty ridiculous, actually.  I could always just go to a library, but there's something about knowing the book is yours...  I can do whatever I want to it.  I love my books to LOOK read and loved.  I don't use bookmarks.  I dog ear everything, because that's why books rock.  Who needs a bookmark?  Show those paperbacks who's boss and wear them out with love!

I'm known to buy a book at, say, 5p, start reading it as soon as I get home, and will not put it down until it is done.  (Unless the book sucks.  But the rarely happens.)  For example, last night I started reading (and sobbing to) PS I Love You.  Yeah, the book made me sob almost as much as the movie.  I started it around 9 or so.  I didn't get to bed until the book was done.  At 2am.  When I had to work the next morning.

I do this all the time.

So, what's the next book on my list?  Well, how convenient of you to ask...

Pride, by Rachel Vincent.

I can't tell you how excited I am.  I bought the first book in the series, Stray, on a whim when I was at Mecca (known to most as Barnes and Noble).  Is it sad that I remember the town I was in and what the set up was like? ... I'll pretend I didn't mention it.

Anyway, the book caught me at the first sentence.  Let's see if I can remember it without looking at it (which is easy, since I sadly left most of my books home so my dorm is pretty bare in the book aspect... well, except for my newly acquired Sookie Stackhouse books...):  "I knew as soon as I stepped outside that ass kicking was eminent.  Whether it was mine or not remained to be seen."  OK, I don't think that's word for word right, but I know I'm really close.

The series (Pride is the third; Rogue is the second) is about a werecat named Faythe.  It's all about pride politics, mystery, female independence--or lack thereof--and, my favorite part because I'm a hopeless romantic, Marc.  *Licks lips*  He's yummy.  Trust me.  Let me put this in context with another series lots of people have read:  Richard (from Anita Blake) SOOOO has nothing on this guy.  And Faythe?  She's cheeky, headstrong, and in need of a good slap.  Funny enough, I'd almost compare her to Faith from Buffy (pre-evil and post-evil Faith) on the coolness scale.  (Yes, I like Faith better than Buffy.  And don't get me started on how much of a loser Angel is... I'm Team Spike.  But this is a post for a different time.) 

The book is (officially) released February 1st.  Here's the cover AND a blurb!

Here's hoping cats do have nine lives

I’m on trial for my life. Accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend—and killing him to cover up the crime. I’m not guilty. But tell that to the panel of Alphas sitting in judgment. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride—along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.

I’m two for three. A goner.

On top of that, Marc is in danger of being tossed from the Pride, then we discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. I think I can protect her from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.

If I survive my own trial…

Pride is available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, and Amazon


Um... hello!  Tell me that doesn't sound interesting (and I WILL stab you with a pencil if you tell me it doesn't.).

I'm going to try my darnedest to get to Mecca so I can get it; but when you're a poor college student, you shouldn't be spending you pennies on books.

Again, some girls buy shoes...

But!  Not only do I love the books, but I almost obsessive compulsively read Rachel Vincent's blog.  And you should too.  Especially if you like writing.  She has great tips AND she updates daily (except weekends).  For example, I have done a lot of research on how writers plot their books and I stole a lot from her as well as other sources.  Since I do have a white board next to me right now, pleading me to start plotting my latest story idea, I think she has the biggest influence.  (Time for the So Write! plug:  check out the latest discussion in So Write! about how we amateurs plot our stories!)

Oh, and Rachel Vincent has the best contests.

Which, uh, this post is for.  I mean, I would write this anyway, since I love her books so much, but... yeah... now the cat is out of the bag.  Or would that be werecat?  (Sorry for the kinda unintended pun.) 

But, honestly, check out her blog, go buy all her books, and wait, like me, with baited breath for the release of Prey, her fourth book, which comes out on July 1st.  Yeah, I haven't even read Pride yet and I want Prey to be out.

I think that says a lot.

...those "AH-HA!!" moments, I mean.

I've been spending pretty much months trying to get my plot idea to work and I just had that moment where, instead of getting that idea to work out, I figured out how to get around it.

I'll explain.

My character Franki is a medium.  Or so I thought.  I thought she was going to "ascend" into being a necromancer.  I thought there had to be, like, a three step process.

Yeah, no.

Franki is such a little liar.  She SAYS she's a medium.  But she's not.  She IS a necromancer, but she refuses to LET herself be one.  Because she doesn't understand what it really is.  So she SAYS she's a medium, because it's easier.  But she's too good.  And things are finally going to start happening to her that makes her realize that she really can't hide what she really is.

Loves it.

Now I can stop being depressed while researching sacrificial religions.