Yes, I did. Yesterday evening, 50K loomed on the horizon. I was almost there. Tired and dehydrated, I stumbled across the finish line, swearing to myself I’d never do this again.
It was a dark and stormy night…
Yes, I did. Yesterday evening, 50K loomed on the horizon. I was almost there. Tired and dehydrated, I stumbled across the finish line, swearing to myself I’d never do this again.
It was a dark and stormy night…
Giddyap
I was over at Romance University and followed Loucinda McGary’s link to her blog. She is a great blogger, with all kinds of interesting topics going on. One of them I liked was Ten Things…
I’m an Ojibway chickie (thanks to mom and dad) who grew up on the rez–or First Nation, if I use today’s pc terminology, heh. A child of the 70s and teenager of the 80s. So I’m going to tell you ten things about growing up on the rez.
1. The abandoned residential school was our playground. It had sidewalks. Paved small roads. OMFG, pavement. Can you believe it? We’d ride our bikes down all the paths, skateboard, play tennis–clueless to what the big fun building used to be since we were too young to have been in residential school. The one we played at closed in ’74.
Retro
Yes, I thought I’d take a quick break from my NaNo project in order to blog. This is my second year and I’m ahead of the game at 31,356 words so far—or something like that (I’d have to check). According to the NaNo stat thingie, I should finish on November 23rd. Would be nice. Hopefully I can keep this pace. Last year I got so caught up in NaNoing I finished 50k in sixteen days LOL. Whoa! But I faced major burn-out afterwards. Major burn-out. So burnt-out I couldn’t think of anything writing. It took Biffno to get me out of my burn-out faze, and during Biffno I drafted Real, which is waiting to be edited, since I’m currently editing Fire and Water, and that WIP is sitting on the wayside, thanks to NaNo.
Four Kisses by Bonnie Dee
Since I can’t review every book I read–if I did, I wouldn’t have time to write–I thought I’d do a post each time I pop a new novel into my e-reader. Currently, I’m turning the pages to Bonnie Dee‘s Four Kisses. What can I say so far? Gorgeous prose. Vivid descriptions. A realistic view of two kids in elementary school at a lake with their friends during the summer. I’m smelling the suntan lotion, feeling the sand between my toes, and enjoying the warm rays of the sun on my skin.
Here’s the blurb:
Unforgettable moments shape a romance that could last a lifetime.
Jen Adams’s first kiss didn’t happen the way she’d expected. On a steamy summer’s day, a shared moment with a boy who runs with a bad crowd leaves an indelible impression on a thirteen year old girl. But that’s only the first time Jen and Drake Malinson’s paths cross in an unforeseen way.
The night of junior prom Jen bumps into an older, sexier and even wilder Drake. He distracts and mesmerizes her, turning a disastrous evening into one she’ll always remember.
When they meet again as adults under stranger circumstances, Jen tries to ignore old memories. Were her insights into Drake real or had his kisses seduced her into believing he was deeper than he was. Can straight-arrow Jen and aimless Drake change enough to find common ground?
Four vignettes illustrate a relationship that spans years. A 20,000 word novella.
Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance E-Books, and Smashwords.
How about you? I’d love to hear what’s in your e-reader.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
One perk I love about drafting a novel is figuring out what interests my characters, such as movies, music, clothes, etc. For NaNoWriMo, I’m drafting Always (working title for now). Taking place in the 80s, Lisa is a spunky chickie who is loyal to her girlfriends and all about showing some skin. Her philosophy is: If you got it, flaunt it. When she slips a cassette into her boom box, her preference is arena rock, adult contemporary and pop. I’m glad I familiarised myself with the last two when I wrote Real, because Isabetta also enjoys the same genres.
Mind you, because I love music so much and don’t limit myself to just heavy metal and hard rock, digging into the tunes my characters love has been nothing but a joy. I love discovering new artists—such as the sixties kick I’m on, thanks to a character in my YA romance.
So I thought I’d do a playlist of what’s on Lisa’s mixed tape. Remember those?
In my YA romance (WIP) that takes place in the 80s, three female friends enjoy gathering at one another’s apartments (they all live in the same complex) to scarf down popcorn, gossip, and fight over which movie to slip into the VCR. Each has their faves. During one scene in the WIP, the girls are curled up on the sofa watching Valley Girl when their very-angry boyfriends show up. So I thought I’d do a post in honour of my female characters. Instead of me listing my fave movies as a teenager, I am going to list theirs.
Do you wanna sleep over?
Poor Tom is Cold
Maureen Jennings, Canadian mystery writer, is at the top of my fave authors’ list. She’s best known for her Murdoch Mysteries series that occur in Toronto, Canada during the Victorian period. Detective William Murdoch is employed by the Toronto Police Constabulary at Station House 4. While Murdoch prefers modern policing methods over conventional forms, his boss, Inspector Brackenreid, looks down his nose at the former. The two sometimes clash, since Brackenreid, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is old-school in his approach. Brackenreid also takes into serious consideration the politics that go with the job. Murdoch, though, prefers to search for truth. Their diplomatic and idealistic views during cases tend to frustrate Murdoch, who does not approve of having his hands tied.
Poor Tom is Cold is the third book in the series.
Boo!
Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I’d do a post on scary movies I enjoyed. Er, okay, my list won’t be long, and the movies hardly scary. Unfortunately, I’m terrified of movies that make your skin crawl, especially the paranormal kind. I can maybe handle slasher, gore, and some suspense, but nothing else.
Lemme put it this way: As a teen, I humoured my friend who was babysitting by tolerating Michael Meyers terrorising Jamie Lee Curtis on the TV screen. When I had to meet Mom two blocks away, my thirteen-year-old legs could have won the one hundred metre dash.
It’s been awhile since I did a music post. So far I covered songs about unrequited love, break-ups, triangles, and cheating. Today, I’ll focus on something more positive. The title says it all.
Friends Forever
As I did in my previous posts, I won’t go for the obvious. There’ll be no Endless Love, Unchained Melody or anything else along those lines.
I’m with the Band by Pamela Des Barres
This is an autobiography, but I’m recommending this book because Pamela Des Barres’ early life, in so many ways, plays out like a romance novel. Ms. Des Barres is more than clear she’s in search of her rock ‘n’ roll prince charming who’ll sweep her off her feet and take her to his Beverly Hills mansion. Or perhaps her tale leans towards women’s fiction? Whatever category, this is a must-read for those who love music and enjoy stories about the ladies who coveted the men plastered on our teenaged walls.
First off, I love her voice. There’s no, “I did this and went there.” Ms. Des Barres address the readers as if we’re sitting in a circle listening to what she has to say, and as she speaks, is reliving the tale minute by minute.
Warning, there be spoilers for those who haven’t read the book.
Some of my fave romances fall into this category. He loves her, but she’s with him, but that certain him isn’t very good for her. The Last American Virgin comes to mind when I think of unrequited love. It was a cheesy eighties movie I can recall watching. The ending threw me for a loop. Boy, I didn’t see that coming. I won’t elaborate or I’ll spoil the plot for you if you’re bored enough to rent it.
“If only he wanted me…”
Oregon Bride by Rosanne Bittner
Published in the early nineties, the book’s narration has an old-school feel since Ms. Bittner refrains from using third person limited, and does a wee bit of telling instead of showing. Still, her writing holds up, along with the story and characters, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend this novel, or bother re-reading it for the bazillionth time. As a matter of fact, I love this story so much that I purchased two copies (my dog ate the first one and the second I bought right from the author, which she kindly autographed).
The widow Marybeth MacKinder has no choice but to travel from New York to Oregon with her in-laws. A single mother, she has nobody to look after her child if she decides to stay behind, because she’ll have to work in order to support herself and baby Danny. Plus, there isn’t a chance in hell her abusive in-laws will allow a mere woman to dare leave their family.
Warning: There be spoilers below.
Mad Max
Heroes, they come in all shapes and forms. Max Rockatansky from the Mad Max trilogy doesn’t want to be anyone’s saviour. A simple man, he desires to survive in a wasteland world and nothing more. Hero? Companionship? No thanks. His blue heeler is sufficient company.
Then there’s Kyle Reese, a brave, intelligent, and dedicated fighter who battles machines with John Conner in a violent world in The Terminator. Reese risks his life by journeying to the past to save Sarah Conner.
What about Chandos from Johanna Lindsey’s a Heart So Wild? He’s hell-bent on vengeance when a group of men murder and rape his mother, sister, and the other women in his peaceful Comanche village. Reluctantly, he agrees to help a young woman travel to Waco, Texas.
As a fellow Canuck, I must say Shania didn’t mess around when she asked this question. In some romances, not all, but some, the protagonist either cheats, is cheated on, or finds him or herself in a love triangle.
As I did before, I’m not trying for the obvious and will provide a YouTube link—if one is available. To start, here’s a list of songs that deal with cheating.
Three’s a Crowd
Broken Heart
Music. It moves our feet, makes us reflect, causes us to exercise like crazy, gets us on the dance floor, and a host of other actions and feelings. As writers, we use music to inspire us. While I write this entry, I’m listening to a cover of Boom Boom done by The Animals.
I’ve come across many topics on “novel soundtracks”—writers who make up playlists for the main characters. I do this, too.
Maggie Blackbird 