Is It Getting Hot In Here? blog hop - Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day, and time to steam it up a bit for the Is It Getting Hot In Here? blog hop, hosted by Hope Roberson and Cassie Mae at Reading, Writing and Lovin' It. I'm sharing an excerpt with you of what I think is one of my steamier kissing scenes. In actual fact, this scene ends in romantic disaster for my characters, but I'm leaving that stuff off so as not to spoil the fun! I hope you enjoy the excerpt!

          His voice had turned soft, and as if his words had their own magic, everything was suddenly different. His smile faded, and his eyes shone with a new intensity. My breath caught with a familiar panic--the panic of knowing I might soon be washed away. I inhaled raggedly, preparing to change the subject, to turn away. Instead I stepped toward him, reaching out.
          What are you doing?! Are you insane? an inner voice yelled. And maybe I was, because I kept reaching...
          He was easy to reach, half seated as he was on the table. He was still taller, but I didn’t have to crane my neck quite so far to meet his eyes. God, those eyes... They made my head swim. I felt both hot and cold at once; my skin prickled. That warning voice kept screaming in my head, but everything else drowned it out.
          I felt his heat right before my fingertips touched down, touched his jaw, brushed upwards and back. Fire on fire. I shivered.
          Then, flash. I froze, a wave of icy coldness washing over me. I couldn’t move--not even to let him go. There was new gleam in his eyes—panic. You bloody idiot. Get away from him! I stayed frozen.
          Was that his heart I could hear beating staccato, or my own?
          In my mind the scene played out: me springing on him, smashing my mouth against his. But I couldn’t move. I stood there, hands on him, under a spell.
          Then the spell broke. “Oh shit,” I whispered, withdrawing my hands. No heat now, only cold. I withdrew my hands but then he gripped them, and a single word rushed out of him:
          “Don’t.”
          I wanted to ask him, Don’t what? but instead I shifted, drawing my face to his. I knew he was close because I could feel the sparks. Was I breathing? Was he? I couldn’t tell. My head moved a fraction, and I was sure that our mouths must now be touching. But only as my head tilted forward further did I know for sure. My lips brushed his, dragging me into the electrical storm between us.

Craaaaaaazy

I would blame my recent lobotomy for the fact that I locked myself out of my home...again. But the last time I locked myself out, I hadn't had the lobotomy yet. So I guess there's really no good excuse for this one!! But instead of focusing on how annoyed I am right now (because my keys are still in my house...I may need to borrow a ladder), I'm going to concentrate on some good stuff.

For instance, I have (I think) two more chapters to go before I'm done with the revision thingy. Then I will send my manuscript thingy off to my beta-reader Laura! Wheeee! Then it will be time for NaNoWriMo. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

"My Weakness" by Moby

At present, I'm up to page 165 of my paper edit transfer. At this stage I feel like I am probably not doing the best I could do with implementing the edits. I mean, I should probably read over the whole thing instead of just focusing on the parts I had noted during the paper edit. But I feel good about the rearrangements I've been doing along the way, and how many words I've cut out. The wordcount is currently under 95k, which means I have already met my wordcount goal. However, there's potential for adding some words in these last few chapters, so I'll see how it all turns out I guess.

My face is swollen today. My aunty was telling me that when she had a similar procedure done on her face (but on her nose, not forehead), it took a couple of days after the surgery for the swelling to really start. I was confused when my face began to puff up, because I thought I had got away with hardly any swelling! Now I know I was wrong about that. But I'm not in any pain, so that part is fine.

Right now I am listening to "My Weakness" by Moby. Now when I hear this song, I think of that X-FILES episode. But I loved the song even before hearing it on that show. It's a gorgeous song, and if you haven't heard it, you should!

NaBloWriMo day...23

I could share more graphic pictures of my battle scar, but I wouldn't want to scare anyone! Oh, and for the record, that isn't a scar - it's a wound which will scar, at least a little. But I'm not worried about a white Harry Potter scar on my forehead. Or Zorro, as the man put it. I just want the sutures out so I can start healing properly!

Meanwhile, my wordcount during revisions is really shrinking. Right now I'm at 95,736. If you recall, my goal wordcount was 95k!! So I'm nearly there. I can well imagine going under it, which means I may have some breathing space for improving on descriptions in various places. I'm up to page 134 out of 188, so I'm making good progress. But enough about that.

I want to mention an experience I had a few days back, after locking myself out of a particularly important building (the one I live in). I had to call on my secret ninja powers of breaking and entering (luckily I didn't have to break anything in order to enter)... I even had to walk myself backwards up a wall while hanging off a window sill! Work colleagues suggested I might look into a job with ASIO, or one as a stunt double in action movies. Nah, I think I'll just stick with superhero librarianship and writing on the side, thanks. Still, it was fun to think about for a moment.

Zombie Trisha

Can you see it? I know, it's tiny! But I was searching Google for an appropriate zombie picture and I couldn't find any.

Now I guess you're wondering why I needed a zombie pic. Basically I was looking for something that would do my current appearance justice. I finally had my skin cancer removed and now I have a rather misshapen forehead. It really looked like I had little aliens growing in there. Not that the lumps were moving - no, they were perfectly dormant - but still, the description fit.

I'm not in much pain, just a little discomfort, and my lovely man stocked me up with white whine and chocolate (and leftover Thai food...mmmmm!), so I am all set. My mum is coming over at some point to wash the blood out of my hair. And then on Monday it's back to work, unless I decide I'm too ugly to be seen in public.

Meanwhile, today I am working on revisions. Currently I'm up to page 115 of 188. And I just realised I haven't paid any attention whatsoever to the Chrysalis prompt for this week. So I guess I better get a story written somewhere in the next few days.

What are you up to this weekend?

My NaNoWriMo past...and future

I thought I'd rehash my NaNo past, as well as briefly mention the future! A little research has shown me that I've done the following:

2002: ANJIE DAYS

2003: SOMANA

2007: SQUEAKY MCLEAN

2008: TURKEY BOURKE

2009: SUNDOWN

2010: NAUSICAA

In 2011, I'm writing two novels, so to the above list I will be adding:

2011: DANNA/VICTORIOUS

Because I am determined that I will win this year as well! Maybe I won't actually finish both novels. Maybe I'll finish one and not the other! Maybe both will be 'complete' (I'm doubtful of this). Either way, I will write 50k on each novel. At the very least, I will write 50k altogether. The major challenge will not be writing a total of 100k. Rather it will be attempting to finish both novels.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo during other years, but either unofficially, or unsuccessfully. So I'm not listing those here. One of the unsuccessful years was me attempting to continue with the previous year's story. I wrote a bit on it, but not 50k. One year I didn't participate at all, and another I participated unofficially.

So there you go. It's on record now, for all to see! But now it's your turn!

What's your NaNo history?

Some scribbles for day...16 of NaBloWriMo

Chrysalis wordcount for the year to date: 93,917

Number of stories written: 41

That is all I'll say for now, as I will be doing a proper statistical analysis when the year is over.

Paper edit progress: up to page 84 (start of chapter 17) in the transfer!

Current Scrivener word count: 98,535 (goal is 95k)

And I'm completely serious when I say: that's all, folks!

Except I am a liar, because I must compulsively add a P.S. to mention that I'm currently reading EPIC FAIL by Claire LaZebnik, and enjoying the heck out of it!

Oh, and P.P.S. (didn't you love doing heaps of P.S.s as a teen? i.e. right up into the P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S.s? Or was it just me?) Go NaBloWriMo!

I wrote some stories for the Chrysalis Experiment

And by "some" I mean 40, to date. By the end of the year it will be 52!

Anyway... NaBloWriMo, Day 9! I'd like to kick off the entry proper by saying: To all who have left me a comment lately but haven't received a visit in return...I apologise! But that's one of my 'things' to work on tomorrow, so look out for me invading your blog.

Now, on some other notes:

1. Good news: I finished this week's Chrysalis story (#40) with mere hours to spare. Bad news? It's not really finished, and it's not really a short story. Sigh. Another one to add to a very long list.
2. I haven't forgotten my Globetrotter Series, in fact I was just thinking about getting my next post up very soon. Just not sure when... Stay tuned!
3. On the paper edit transfers, I'm up to page 23. Of 188 pages. The revised word count (in Scrivener) is 100,962. Better than the 101-something I had before. But I haven't got to the really good bits yet (i.e. good bits for ripping out unnecessary words). Soon, my pretties. Sooooon.
4. I'm currently reading ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL by James Patterson. I haven't read much of it, not at all, but I like it so far! Prior to that, I read THE PACT by Jodi Picoult. I can't even remember if I've reviewed that at GoodReads...

Aaaaaand that's me done for Day 9!

Once An Imago

Once An Imago

The clock strikes twelve and Annie trips on the third step, embarking on the tumble to her near-death. Tommy's Grandmother hands him a carefully-wrapped present; her hands are shaking and the box slips through Tommy's fingers; everyone watches its descent. Lauren pauses in the act of reaching for her hand mirror as the doorbell rings. Rowan shakes his head, which is full of thoughts about how gorgeous Sandra looks tonight, and how he can't believe he ever thought Denise Rowland was hotter.

The cripple emerges from the condemned building, beginning his morning shuffle downtown. He wafts in a miasma of decay, an excellent example of what not to become. He's a survivor who foolishly refused to let the war kill him when he had the chance. The promise of what might have been haunts him every moment of every day, a giant lacuna lurking in his shadow. He passes people on the street and imagines the way his tale would make them oscitate. Their faces would turn bright red as they realised their bodies had betrayed how little they cared. He reflects on where he came from, and where he's ended up.

He thinks, Synchronicity.

---

I was tempted to let this post stand on its own, without any 'non-fiction' addition. That way it would truly be a 200-word post. But I just have to explain that this post is counting not only as my 2nd Campaigner Challenge entry but also as my first post for NaBloWriMo, which I am insane enough to have signed up for at sort of the last minute.

I also have to say that during October, and therefore NaBloWriMo, I am going to be reporting on how my transferral of paper edit notes to my Scrivener file for SUNDOWN goes - because yes, today I finally finished the paper edit!!! So now it's time to get that all into digital format. In time for November to start. Yes, friends, I've got a month to get this off my to-do list so I can relax for the rest of the year (and by 'relax' I of course mean write 2 novels in November, then spend the rest of the year scrambling to get my other 2011 goals finished). For the record, my word count before beginning to transfer edits is 101,459. I want it to be more like 95k by the time I'm done.

My Chrysalis friend...and an update!

I just wanted to give Jenn's blog, Hunting Sea Glass with Wolves, a little plug, since she's started using it a bit more lately. Jenn is one of the two gals I run the Chrysalis Experiment with. I met her on the NaNo forums in 2010, after she put out the call for critique partners. She wanted to form an 'elitist' group where we could start swapping chapters for critique. A bunch of people responded (I think it was about 8 in the end), but now over a year later there are a core group who are still active and in touch. Basically four of us. I think that's pretty good as an end

result. I'm pretty stoked with the friendships I've made through this group (we call it ElitistCritiques, and I think that's cool), and I'm excited to see Jenn posting on her blog more!

Jenn is the sort of CP who constantly inspires those around her. She has the most amazing imagination, and regularly makes astonishing suggestions for where your story could go. I've been privileged to read her (often weird and wacky) stories during this year's Chrysalis Experiment. You can read some too, here. I guess I'm posting this now because I would love for other people to benefit from Jenn's creative brilliance. So go, check her blog out!

I also want to update on my editing progress, since I haven't in a while. I'm up to page 170 of my paper edit (that's out of 188 pages), and about that I'm pretty excited. The end is in sight! Then it'll be time to transfer my paper scribbles into my electronic document. That's a rather daunting prospect, but an invigorating one as well. When I'm done with that, I'll be getting serious with seeking out beta readers. If you're interested in reading a rock star romance, let me know!

Another update on 2011 goals

It's been a while since I gave an update. To be honest, it's been a while since I got anything serious done. I have pathetic excuses that I won't even bother to utter because they're just not acceptable!! Suffice it to say though, I'm having fun and enjoying my life a lot! On my paper edit, well for a while there I was managing one chapter a night, but more often than not I don't get that done anymore. I'm up to page 65 or so, out of 188 pages. Other goals on my list can only be achieved after I'm done with my paper edit...so I guess I better get my act together!! On the preliminary read-through/edit of NAUSICAA...not much is happening. No, scrap that. Nothing is happening.

On A'vron's classics book club, nothing is happening, but at least that one's not my fault!

Now, though, onto things I have been doing.

I've been playing my guitar again, and currently I'm learning how to play "Rhythm Is A Dancer" (not just the chords but lead guitar parts, and the bass line). I've also been scanning old photographs from negatives and slides, and writing stories for the Chrysalis Experiment. I've been managing to post at least once a week in this blog, so that's another goal I'm keeping up with. And of course, I've been reading. It's pretty slow going. I'm currently on Jodi Picoult's Second Glance, and I'm enjoying it but I admit at first there were just so many characters and I was getting confused between them all. The central chapters from Cecilia's point of view were a welcome relief. But they also made me realise I should probably start reading the book all over again, to better understand all the interweaving storylines. I'm on page 301 of 420, so getting there. Slowly. But surely.

So there you go. An update, at last.

The Spark Blogfest

This is the last blogfest (and it's a contest, too!) on my list for a while. It runs from August 22-26, so there's still time to sign up! You can add your name to the list over at Christine Tyler's website. Anyway, let's get on with it! Here is what is required in the Spark Blogfest:

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer?

What author set off that spark of inspiration for your current Work in Progress?

Or, Is there a book or author that changed your world view?

As writers, we're always striving to get out a message of inspiration to others. This blogfest is a celebration for those who have done this for us. Join the Spark Blogfest, aka Sparkfest, by posting your answer to any of the three prompts above (or make one up as long as it fits the theme). - Christine Tyler

So, I thought I'd have a go at answering all the questions, just for fun!

What book made you realise you were doomed to be a writer?
Well, I've been writing stories since I was a kid, but probably the first books that inspired me to write something that took a bit more commitment than a short story were the Point Horror (etc.) books. I mentioned these books on my blog back in March of this year. I'd say they were the main inspiration for my first extended story (my English teacher jokingly called it "the novel"), The Winter Downfall. It was a terrible story, but it was the beginning of me trying to write longer works.

What author set off that spark of inspiration for your current Work in Progress?
Well, if we take SUNDOWN (et. al.) as my current WIP, even if they're complete and I'm far into revisions, I guess I can thank Stephenie Meyer and her TWILIGHT series. Or rather, I can thank all the women who read TWILIGHT and fell in love with Edward Cullen. I read somewhere about women's reasons for loving Edward, and it got me thinking about what sort of hero I'd love to read about in a novel. Unsurprisingly if you know me at all, he turned out to be a humble rock star. So yeah, that's how SUNDOWN and friends were born.

Is there a book or author that changed your world view?
I'm sure there are countless books or authors I could mention here, but I want to mention Emergency Sex (and Other Desperate Measures), which three peaceworkers wrote together. It details their experiences in some of the world's most war-torn locations. How did it change my view of the world? You can read about it in my GoodReads review, but suffice it to say it made me question how I thought of war and foreign intervention in civil war zones, a subject very near and dear to my heart both before and after reading this amazing book.

Paper edit, music, Chrysalis

The paper edit is well underway. I'm finding that the above picture is what happens on a better page, and on most pages there is way more scrawled handwriting, crossing out and rewriting, and sometimes when I'm too exasperated to do better, just a note that says something like "Rewrite", or "summarise?" or "too sudden". I'm up to page 53, and there are 188 pages all in all. So I'm a fair way in, but the prospect of getting through the rest is a wee bit daunting sometimes. Not that I'm letting it freak me out - not at all! I'm just plugging away. Not even doing a bit each day, I have to say. But I've been doing other stuff.

For instance, these are MY SONGS but the music is performed by a guy called Billy Bedard, who I've been collaborating with. The lyrics, music and vocals are by me, but he's added his own touches here and there, i.e. adding a bridge where there wasn't one previously. Sometimes it means I have to rearrange how I sing things, but that's okay. I've also recorded vocals for his songs too, but the tunes are not available anywhere online yet. He intends to wait until he has all 30 of his songs recorded before releasing anything. There isn't any money in this, but I'm doing it for the fun, and the passion for music. Collaborating is fun, if you do it with the right person!

I've also written this week's Chrysalis story, which I am really quite happy with. I'm currently revising it, but it was nice to be able to prove to myself that all my Chrysalis stories from now on weren't going to be post-apocalyptic tales of lonely woe. Hehe.

My FIRE proof (no pun intended) arrived

It arrived!! And before anyone gets the wrong idea (again) (like last time), I'm not being published. This was a free proof copy that I got as a result of participating in ABNA this year. I highly recommend that everyone participate in ABNA every year, so you can get your free proof copy too! I don't know that they do this every year, of course, but it's worth the shot! It's also worth participating in NaNoWriMo, as they usually give you a free proof copy too. For more information, you can check out this post I did a while back answering people's questions.




FYI, this was the last proof copy I got. You may notice that I stuck with the same cover design template. Both pieces of art are mine, but the template was a free one available from CreateSpace. I was pretty excited when I realised you could change the colour scheme. I figure I'll get all of the SUNDOWN novels proofed up, and all with the same template...just in different colours. And then they shall all sit on my shelf and they shall all look pretty together!

In other news...I've been kind of slack with the blogging, and that is probably because I've been kind of very slack with everything else writing-related. I'm supposed to be posting my Chrysalis story this week over at the Chrysalis blog, but I haven't quite finished it yet. I only started it last night. One excuse is that the prompt went up late. The main excuse though is no excuse at all - just a slacker's pathetic reason for why she didn't get her act together sooner. However, I have to say I'm quite enjoying my life right now, so I guess I'm okay with slacking just a little.

Still, there are two major goals I have yet to meet this year: Preparing SUNDOWN for beta readers (including actually sending it out to them), and completing a preliminary read-through/edit of NAUSICAA. I know I've got 5 months to get those two things done in, and that's plenty of time. But I do feel the days ticking away, slowly but surely. ;)

I just finished reading L.K. Madigan's FLASH BURNOUT, and absolutely adored it. You can read my review at GoodReads.

And in other news, I have a rooster in my back yard. I'm not sure if I mentioned him before, but my cat likes to chase him. Even at risk to himself (roosters have sharp beaks!).

Paper edit a go-go

I did it! Firstly, I finished my revision, and second I printed out SUNDOWN (all 188 pages) for a paper edit. This is my 4th draft, and so I'll be working on the 5th with this next round of edits. For interest's sakes, I'll say that draft #3 had 180 pages. So I've added 8 pages (A4, size 12 Times font - as opposed to Times New Roman - and single-spaced) since then. This needs to shrink again, because I currently have a word count of 101,459 (this will shrink when I check it in Word, as Scrivener has a higher word count than Word does, but still it's too high!). My goal is 95k or thereabouts, as it was during my last edit also. I did get there with draft #3, but my latest revision added some new content.

In other news, for some reason I took it for granted that (at least here in Aus!) everyone knows about the goodness that is peanut butter and honey on toast. Apparently though, it's not as common as I thought. I've had a few people lately telling me they've never tried it.

Anyway, that's it for today. I've read and commented on a few blogs already today, but I'm going to head out and read some more! Hope everyone is doing well.

Upcoming blogfests...I know of 2

They both look like heaps of fun to me! If you haven't signed up and are interested, do it now!!

So I thought I'd do an update on how my goals are going. I started out the year with a list of goals I would achieve this year. Since 2011 began, some of the goals have been altered/added to. Others have been crossed out already, once I've achieved them. I love being able to cross things off my list! It's a very satisfying feeling. Anyway, let's recap (in blue is stuff I've finished, and red is what I'm still working on):

1. I finished an edit of SUNDOWN and ordered my proof copy (it has been sitting on my shelf for a while now)
2. I finished another edit of SUNDOWN
3. I started another round, which would leave me with draft #...I think it's draft #5?? Honestly, I've kind of lost track. But this is the revision I'm still working on (and I have two chapters to go, people!! That's all)
4. Next, I'm printing out SUNDOWN to do a paper edit. I was going to wait on ElitistCritiques crits, but I've decided I'm too impatient for that! So paper edit, coming right up.
5. Once I'm done with the paper edit, I'm going to look for some beta readers!
6. I won NaNoEdMo 2011 - after chopping & changing my plans for what I'd edit so many times, I wound up working on SUNDOWN
7. Write 52 short stories in 2011 for the Chrysalis Experiment - this is something I cannot possibly win until the end of the year...but so far so good, with 27 stories written in 27 weeks...and the 28th brewing somewhere in my subconscious where I can't see even a glimmer of it yet. hehe
8. Write once a week in this blog - again, I cannot achieve this till the end of the year! But as of today I'm well on track!
9. Win NaNoWriMo 2011 - yep, another goal I can't achieve till November comes and goes. This year I have some especially lofty goals for NaNo, as mentioned in this blog post a while back...
10. I completed the first draft of STORM, and while the novel is an ugly best-ignored mess right now, that doesn't matter to me! What matters is I finished a draft, at least.
11. Complete a preliminary read-through/edit of NAUSICAA - um, yeah, no. Not done yet. But I've got plenty of time!
12. Read more than 21 (amended to at least 25!) books in 2011 - yes, I achieved this! I'm currently reading my 26th book of the year.
13. Participate in (and win) BuNoWriMo 2011 - achieved! I wrote over 50k, even if I didn't stick to just one story, and didn't complete any new novels. I did complete a novella!
14. Participate in A'vron Ayende's Classics Book Club - so far we have done 4 months of this, and I've participated in each one. I have a feeling it may be on hold for a while...but we'll see where it goes! Can't really call this an achievement till the year is over.

So, there you go. Latest goals update! To date I'm pretty happy with how the year has gone, but it can only get better from here!

How are you going with your goals this year? Anything you're proud of? Things you want to improve on for the second half of the year?

Alexandra Shostak has goodies to give away!

Check it ouuuuuut.....!

She went (to ALA), she saw (lots of cool people!), she held a baby alligator. Now Alexandra's back and she's got some great books to give away, so get in there & take a chance. :)

Books up for grabs are:

1. A signed copy of PERSONAL DEMONS by Lisa Desrochers (plus signed bookmarks!)
2. An ARC of FALLING FOR HAMLET by Michelle Ray
3. An ARC of FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick
4. An ARC of FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater (if you were wondering, the ink IS a burgundy red!)

Go forth and be lucky! (only if you live in the US)

In other news, I'm back into editing SUNDOWN. So far I've got through another 3 chapters (since my revision break took effect from May 10). Last night I was pretty slack and only did one chapter. But I'm getting there. I also crossed another goal off my list - reading 25 books this year! I could up the number, I guess, but I'm not feeling in the mood to thwart my success right now. I'm just enjoying it. I intend to put up a list of books read so far this year sometime soon, just to reflect. But for now, you have this brief mention. Anyway, speaking of goals, I've started thinking about possible goals for 2012. Nothing is crystal clear yet. Fair enough right?? I mean, it's only the start of July! But I'm thinking...

Have fun everyone! :)

ABNA proof...goals update

"Thank you for ordering a proof of Fire, Title #3645196. Your order has shipped."

My ABNA code has been used, and I am excited! Yes, FIRE needs serious editing, but I figure by reading the book in paperback form I can make notes as I go on what needs editing. Hehe. It's going to be a pretty large book, but then so was my proof copy of SUNDOWN (I've since shaved off about 40k from that one...hehe).

Can't wait to see it!!

In other news, I still haven't finished reading my 25th book of the year, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. I blame a weekend in which I got no reading done. But for only good reasons. ;) As for other goals, I've decided that in getting back to my revisions of SUNDOWN I may print out the whole manuscript...despite not being done with my previous goal of getting through the revision I abandoned at the end of May before doing a print-out. I just think I need to read stuff on paper instead of on the computer.

In Chrysalis news, we've reached the halfway mark!! I've written 26 short stories in 26 weeks. I reported on my stats here, but suffice it to say that because of Chrysalis, I've written 69,007 words this year. Not counting all the other stuff I wrote during BuNo, etc.

Ooh, I forgot, I get to cross BuNoWriMo off my goals list! Yay!

It's been difficult to keep up on blog reading lately, but I've done my best to get bits and pieces of reading/commenting in. I really appreciate all the visits I get at this blog though, and I do try my best to reciprocate!

Hope you're all going well!

Qurious Quirks Blogfest

Once again, I missed the deadline, but oh well, I'm going to do this blogfest anyway! My friend Brooke is hosting it, and I believe in many parts of the world it's still the 15th, so you can still sign up & participate! Do that HERE.

The blogfest involves this:

1. Sign up in the Linky. You do not have to be a follower to participate nor do you have to post the badge on your blog. However, both would be appreciated.
2. On June 15th, post questions or a small writing prompt relating to quirks on your blog and challenge others to answer in the comments. You must accept your own challenge. You can answer using one of your characters, someone you know in real life, or yourself.
3. Go to at least two other blogs and accept their challenges. I will repost the Linky at the end of my own blogfest entry on June 15th. - Brooke

Anyway, onto my entry! I'm going to ask questions of my character Edgar D., who I really love even though he's a bit of a bitter and twisted bastard. I also want to ask the same questions of my character Ever B., who is...well, wait and see.

1. So, Edgar and Ever, how'd you get to this point in your lives?
   
   Ed: Shit happened, and then I...well, I did almost die a few times. But narrowly avoided that particular fate. Basically, though, time passed and now here I am.
   
   Ev: Sometimes I really do think I floated down on a rainbow - or was it a cloud - or maybe on the wings of a stork. Aliens were potentially involved...
   
2. Do you believe in fate?
   
   Ed: I believe in shit happening for no particular reason. So I guess that's a no?
   
   Ev: Fate is like the substance of one's soul unfurling into the light, and...questing. Ever-questing.
   
3. What do you love most about music?
   
   Ed: It's a way to purge the body of the poison that builds up inside. Plus, it pays the bills.
   
   Ev: It's like a weeping willow tree in a breeze... Or sometimes not in a breeze. Sometimes just standing there...rustling.
   
4. What do you love most about life?
   
   Ed: It's got to end sometime, right?
   
   Ev: It's just so full of beauty...
   
5. Do you have any pets?
   
   Ed: Hey, listen now...the rumours aren't true - I'm not completely evil. I wouldn't subject any living creature to my company.
   
   Ev: I've got pets in my heart. Pets in my soul. Pets all around... Is that what you meant?

So, have at it! Answer these if you want. :P

ABNA rears it's...err...pretty head again

No really, it's a pretty head! *Pats the pretty ABNA head* But I just got an email saying that since I entered ABNA this year (regardless of how far I did not get. hehe), I get a coupon for a free proof copy of my novel (any novel) at CreateSpace! Another one!!

I'm sure anyone else who entered has got the same email. I think it's kind of cool!

Now the only trick is to decide what novel to use my code on!! I have so many choices!

I could get a new copy of SUNDOWN, which has changed to a ridiculous degree since I got that original proof copy of it. Or I could go for something entirely new.

I'm leaning towards entirely new...