Cherie Reich - Author

Book Chat: Favorite Genre(s) Results

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

And we have the results to your favorite genres. Drum roll, please...

1. Fiction (Mainstream/Commercial) = 7 votes

2. Nonfiction = 0 votes

3. Literary = 5 votes

4. Fantasy = 14 votes

5. Science Fiction = 10 votes

6. Romance = 6 votes

7. Horror = 4 votes

8. Mystery/Thriller = 9 votes

9. Westerns = 0 votes

10. Historical = 3 votes

11. Other = 0 votes

Twenty-two people entered the poll. Most selected more than one genre (I did too!). Fantasy had the most votes. None of us read much nonfiction or many westerns, it seems. We read a lot of genre fiction. The result that surprised me the most was the literary fiction one. Not that there is anything wrong with literary fiction, but it just seems like a quieter category, but quite a few of us enjoy reading it.

What do you think of the results? Anything surprise you about them?

#fridayflash "Rations"

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Rations

People packedthe church tonight for the town council. Marissa’s gaze briefly fell on heryounger siblings. One, two, three, four, five. Good, she hadn’t lost any ofthem to the crowd. Her parents squeezed into one bench, but she hesitated tosit.

These meetingshad continued one night a week for months, and the heavy uncertainty froze herin place, or it could just be the cold. Despite the battery-operated heaters,breaths plumed visibly in front of the townspeople, but she noticed one groupmissing.

The youngmen.

Where werethe ones she grew up with? Jimmy, Lane, and Barron were here last week. Hadthey too left for District 40? Were they really all gone?

“Marissa, sitdown.” Her mother jerked her hand, and she plopped into the seat like a fatraindrop.

Elder McGeerose from his chair at the pulpit and whistled the crowd into a semblance oforder.

Mother kepther hand in Marissa’s. The skin felt like old leather, soft and weathered. Theyears since the apocalypse hadn’t made things easy on any of them. Now with themarrying aged men gone what would become of herself, the town?

McGee partedhis lips as he allowed his gaze to fall upon each townsperson. Despite his age,he commanded attention. “Our town is in dire trouble. Look around you. Our lastyoung men have left for the cities and the New Atlantic. Everyone will have towork harder and pitch in. Since winter approaches, we’ll have to ration ourfood.”

His words driedthe spit upon her tongue. Ration our food, no young men, and winter was coming.The worse cold hadn’t even hit them yet. She tucked a strand of hair behind herear as she thought of her family. There were eight of them in that two-roomedhouse. How would they live?

Survive?

“We’ll do aswe’ve always done. Neighbors helping neighbors. A new curfew is in place. Be inyour homes by sundown. Head on now, ya hear.” With a nod he dismissed them.

Months ago,they would’ve revolted, at least questioned him. Now, they rose from thebenches, heads bowed, and left with mere grumbles.

Marissawanted to scream, shout, tear the room apart. Instead, she stood knowing whythe men left, knowing why she too would have to leave her home.

But when?

Purrsonal Thursdays: The Big "L"

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I normally don't write deeply personal stuff on my blog. It's not because I don't want to, but frankly, I live a pretty dull life consisting of work and home. I don't date. I don't have many local friends, so I rarely go out with them. My life consists of work, including the full-time library job as well as writing, editing, and reading.

But everything changed last Thursday.

My dad was laid off from his job. He'd worked there for 37 years. His company was involved in defense (made night vision goggles and such), so with the lack of new defense contracts, they're doing massive lay offs. He's 57 and having to enter in the job search market for the first time since 1974. Yeah, big change. He's better off than most. After his severance pay ends, he'll take early retirement. Technically, he'll only lose $400 a month for the most part once September comes. He'd hope to work three more years, so he could get full-retirement, but these things happen.

My heart broke for him when he told me with tears in his eyes. I can't imagine how scary it must be for him. I know I'd be terrified if I was laid off from my job. It's something that defined him. Then, snap, poof, gone.

He's hoping to find a new job, mainly for the health insurance and to recoup his $400 a month. Despite having had a good job, the family still lives month-to-month on his paycheck. I'm now the only one with a full-time job in the house. Yes, I still live at home. Have you seen the salary of a full-time library assistant? Yeah, not much, and I make less than average. My soon-to-be 17-year old sister offered to get a job to help pay expenses. It may eventually come to that, but nothing will change much until September when his early retirement goes into effect.

He's better off than most in that situation.

Still, it's not ideal.

I'd be lying to say my push to self-publish Defying Gravity wasn't influenced by what happened. It was, not that I expect to get rich or anything, but every little bit helps, you know. And for the last six months, I've planned to self-pub something, so why not it?

We'll be fine.

Still, it sucks.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Taking the Self-Publishing Plunge

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

My review of Nadine Rose Larter's Coffee at Little Angels is on Surrounded by Books Reviews.

Thank you to those of you who picked up a free copy of The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk by Lisa Rusczyk, Aubrie Dionne, and me. It's also up on Goodreads, so if you got a copy, be sure to add it to your list. Hope you enjoy!

Well, from the title of this post, you can see what I plan to do. That's right. I'm going to self-publish. True, I've been planning to self-publish some of my shorter works these past few months, but instead of releasing The Foxwick Chronicles: Women of Foxwick first, it will be my space fantasy romance novelette Defying Gravity.

Defying Gravity has had a rather rough start. I wrote it back in December 2009 and submitted to an anthology. At the time it was around 8500 words. It was short-listed in February/March 2010, but in January 2011 (yes, I had to wait an entire year to find out), the anthology was cancelled and all stories returned to their authors. *sighs* I couldn't give up on the story, so I spent two months editing it again. It grew to 10,500 words, and I submitted it to another publisher to become an ebook. I waited nine months without word and decided to withdraw my submission. During those nine months, I kept thinking about self-publishing it, but I wanted to wait and see. This month, I edited Defying Gravity again, adding another main character's POV and increasing the word count to 14,500 words. I decided to pitch it to another publisher, but it wasn't requested from the pitch. I then had a decision to make: self-publish it, find another publisher, or submit it the regular way to the publisher I pitched for a second chance (they were offering this). So I figured after two years and multiple edits (my poor CPs!), it is time to get the story out there.

I'm finishing up one more edit on it and will send it for a proofread. I'm working on learning formatting. I plan to publish it on Amazon first, so I can learn the other formats and eventually get it on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, etc. I hope to have it ready to publish by mid-February (shooting for February 14th for a release date, but it's subject to change). Yeah, that soon!

Also, here is where you can help. I'd like to do a small blog tour and get some reviews ready to go up on Amazon, Goodreads, wherever else you want to publish them (I'll be happy to send you ARCs for the reviews, of course). Nothing too fancy, but something to get the word out. If you're interested, feel free to email me at cherie.reich(at)gmail.com, or comment below (be sure I have a way to get in touch with you).

Now, without further ado, here is the cover art (Thank you, Aubrie!!!) and description.

Defying Gravity by Cherie Reich

15,000 words

A Space Fantasy Romance Novelette

Homesickupon the SS Perseid, Linia, a young linguist, thinks she signed up for amission of peace, but her crew members have another plan: attack the planetMedusa.

Boredwith his dying planet, Alezandros, a space cruiser pilot, joins the Medusanarmy in his quest for adventure.

Whenthe SS Perseid clashes with the Medusans’ army, Alezandros and Linia’s livesintertwine. Sucked through a wormhole, they crash upon a post-apocalyptic Earthand are captured by cannibals. In adjacent cells, Alezandros and Linia casttheir differences aside for a common bond: escape. Butwhen romantic feelings emerged between them, they might do the unthinkablebecause for a Medusan and a Persean to fall in love, it would defy gravity.

Fantasy Tuesdays: Magic

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the neatest things about fantasy writing is creating your own set of magic in the novel. I would say most fantasies have some form of magic to them. Typically, not everyone in the land is magical. People have different skill levels, even involving magic. A lot of magic involves world building (topic for next week).

A few questions a writer should ask when approaching magic:

Who has the magic abilities and why?

Born magical or can magic be learned?

Is it natural magic or do you have to have something to produce the magic (wand, special ingredients, etc.)?

I love the use of wands and wand-work in the Harry Potter series. They create a great visual, like sword-fighting. I also love the simpler magics, where an incantation can work, a mixture of herbs/plants, or even just energy building into the power of magic. In Lord of the Rings, I love how magic and power are entwined in the objects of the rings.

For The Phoenix Prophetess, I used their own inner power to create and manipulate the world around them. Yet, in The Foxwick Chronicles, there are more incantations and herbs/plants magic. It's fun to work in magic for novels because the possibilities are endless and well, magical.

If you're a writer, what type of magic have you used in your works? As a reader of fantasy, what type of magic do you like to see best?

Book Chat Special: ORACLE Cover Reveal Mystery Tour

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

I enjoy a good mystery, and J.C. Martin has one for us today. Her novel Oracle is being published by J. Taylor Publishing on July 30, 2012 and today her book cover is officially revealed to the world. But there is a mystery attached to it. What could it be? It's up to you, the readers, to figure it out, and one of you may receive a $20 Amazon voucher, if you can solve the mystery. To find out more, head over to Mystery Tour Headquarters.

As thecountdown begins, the body count rises.

WithLondon gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn’t need a serial killerstalking the streets. They’ve got one anyway.

Leavinga trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police are no closer to findingtheir latest murderer than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solutionfor his daughter’s disability.

Thrustinto the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parentis wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety ofa growing population of potential next victims.

One ofwhom could be his own daughter.

Fingerspoint in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer’sonly answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene.

Time's Running Out: The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk #free

2012-01-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk is free just a little longer on Amazon. Be sure to snag your copy now.

Once upon a time, in an Internet that is everywhere and nowhere, blogging writers joined keyboards and computer screens to create a blog of free short stories for the masses. Themes, ideas and morning coffee were plenty. A noisy Siamese cat was let outside. A flute trilled over young students’ heads. A library book was carefully placed in the proper shelf.

With an idea and a dream, Raven and the Writing Desk blog was born. Lisa Rusczyk, Cherie Reich, and Aubrie Dionne created these short stories and poetry within, now in book form.

We hope you enjoy them.

#fridayflash "His Father's Funeral"

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

His Father’s Funeral

His father’sbody lay upon the stacks of wood. Each step the death priests took made hisshoulders droop. A drum pounded out a steady beat.

Step, droop,beat.

He reachedover, his small hand trying to take his mother’s beside him.

She smackedhis hand away. The sting just tingled. It couldn’t compete with the ache in histen-year-old heart.

“Mother?” Hisvoice lifted the question, but cold eyes—not a teardrop sparkled within them—focusedupon him.

The deathpriests lifted the torches to the firebowl.

“Phoebus,your father died because he was weak. His daimon rejected him.” Her voice hadhushed to a sharp whisper. He glanced around, but no one heard her words exceptfor him.

Step, droop,beat.

The fierytorches went from the firebowl to the pyre. His eyes filled with tears, andthey trickled down his face and dripped upon his boots.

“Now stand upstraight, don’t snivel for the dead.”

With eyesclosed and tears still dampening his cheeks, he straightened his shoulders.

It didnothing for the pain. The loss. His breath held in his chest until he thoughthe would burst under the pressure, or pass out.

When heopened his eyes, smoke obscured his father’s body, and he could almost pretendhe wasn’t dead and gone.

Almost.

Step, droop,beat.

Ask the Editor

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, I'll take your editorial questions. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and more! I will showcase questions and answers (with permission) once I get questions as well. To ask a question, please fill out the form below.

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I've been a freelance editor since November 2010. If I don't know the answer, I will find it.

Christine Rains asks “Is there a placefor semicolons in dialogue?”

Grammaticallyspeaking, semi-colons shouldn't be used in dialogue at all. Frankly, theyshould be used very rarely. Most people use them incorrectly too. Semicolonsare better for academic papers, not in fiction. One here and there isn't bad,but too many, and there's a problem. I had a blog post about semicolons inJuly. If you don't think it is weird to speak with a semicolon, try it. It's just odd.

Tara Tyler asks “I have trouble withcapitals, like ma’am & titles like agent so-and-so. When should Icapitalize?”

A generalcapitalization rule, if it is the first word in a sentence, then it is alwayscapitalized, but what about those titles and words like “ma’am,” “sir,” etc.?

You shouldalways capitalize proper nouns.

Titles shouldbe capitalized when it precedes a person’s name.

For example:I’ll have to ask Special Agent Mulder on his opinion of extraterrestrials.

But there areinstances where you wouldn’t capitalize titles, such as “After the king died,his son, Prince William, became the King of England.

Now, whatabout “ma’am” or “sir”?

Unless theyare at the beginning of the sentence, then it shouldn’t be capitalized. Theexception is if you talking about the title “Sir.”

For example:Sir, can I have some more? OR Please, sir, can I have some more? OR Do you likeSir Elton John’s music?

A great listof when to capitalize words can be found here.

Rachel Morgan asks “1. When should thefirst word after a colon (:) be capitalized and when should it not?

2. I believe that, if we're going to besuper technical, we should put a comma before "too" when"too" is at the end of a sentence. But from my online research itlooks as though having a comma or not having a comma are both consideredcorrect. I'd prefer to leave the comma out, as I think it disrupts the flow.What do you think? (Example: I'd like to know the answers tothose questions too.)”

1. Rachel’squestion goes well with Tara’s. On the same website I mentioned above, it listswhen to capitalize things after a colon.

If you have alist following the colon, then you shouldn’t capitalize the first word.

For example:These are my favorite foods: pizza, spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, andstrawberries.

If you haveone sentence following a colon, then it should not be capitalized.

For example:I love Beth Revis’s writing: her book AMillion Suns was frexing awesome.

BUT if youhave more than one sentence following the colon, then you need to capitalize.

For example:I love Beth Revis’s writing: Her book AMillion Suns was frexing awesome. Also, Acrossthe Universe was brilly.

2. Ah, the ol’“too” and whether to comma or not to comma. That truly is the question.

The shortanswer is it’s up to you as the writer to decide if it is needed. Grammar bookswill say different things, but stylistically, it is up to you.

Now why isthis?

“Too” is anadverb, like “also” and “in addition.” Most of the time your sentences will begoing quickly without the pause (comma). Example: “I like reading young adult bookstoo.” OR “I too like reading young adult books.” But if you want to create apause for added emphasis, then you would use a comma. Example: “I like readingyoung adult books, too.” OR “I, too, like reading young adult books.”

Personally,it’s easier not to use the commas. I’ve dropped them from my sentences endingin “too.” But I have kept them from time to time in my sentences where “too” isin the middle.

Mysuggestion: Read your sentences out loud and see whether you pause/emphasizethe word. If not, then don’t use a comma. If so, then use one.

For a betterexplanation of it, click here.

Have a grammar question? Or an editing one? Be sure to fill in the form.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Three Years Ago and an Annoucement

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

My review of Beth Revis's A Million Suns is on Surrounded by Books Reviews.

After many months, The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk by Aubrie Dionne, Lisa Rusczyk, and me is now available on Amazon. Best of all, we're running a free promotion going on right now, so if you enjoyed our stories from the blog, go out and snatch you a copy.

Three years ago on January 15, 2009, I embarked on a great adventure. This adventure turned out to be my first written novel, The Phoenix Prophetess. It also was the day that marked the first time I wrote with publication in mind.

In that time, I've written 553,765 words. I've had 52 rejections and 17 acceptances, so a third of everything I've submitted has been accepted. I've written four and a third novels, numerous short stories and flash fiction, and even a poem or two. I've become a freelance editor. I've met countless of peoples and made many new friends. I've been to two writers' conferences, joined a local writer's group, and have several critique partners who've shaped me into the writer I am today.

I look back on these three years and realize despite the rejections, the anxiety of waiting, the stress-filled days, I wouldn't change these three years for the world. Becoming a writer and then an author has made me the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. I hope to have many more years writing ahead of me, no matter what happens on the publication front.

Thank you for sharing them with me.

Thank you for reading.

Fantasy Tuesdays: Creatures

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Bookworm with the uni-horned dragon(?)

One of my favorite things about fantasy worlds is the creatures. To list all the creatures in such worlds would probably be near impossible. There are too many to count. Some of the more well-known creatures that appear in fantasy are:

Dragons

Elves

Trolls

Goblins

Fairies

Phoenixes

Winged Horses

Centaurs

Basilisks

Unicorns

Merpeople

Seriously, the list could go on and on. One of my favorite books that includes fantasy creatures in them is Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling). As a fantasy writer, I love using well-known creatures as well as lesser known and even made-up ones. In the Phoenix Trilogy, I have dragons, phoenixes, centaurs, griffons, woodwoses, karshiptas, hippocampi, and more. In the Foxwick Chronicles, I have dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns. In my Gravity series (space fantasy romance), so far I have daimons, pegasiflies, and the draken to name a few.

I'm not sure which would be my favorite fantasy creature. I'm probably leaning more toward dragons, since I'm very fond of dinosaurs.

What is your favorite fantasy creature? If you're a writer, what fantasy creatures do you use in your stories?

Book Chat: Your Favorite Genre(s)

2012-01-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm curious to know. What are your favorite genres? I've created the poll below and will announce the answers on January 30th (we have a special treat on January 23rd).

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I decided to use broader terms, and of course, these apply from children's to adult fiction/nonfiction.

#fridayflash "The Surface"

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Surface

Alezandrosheld his older sister’s hand. He glanced behind him. The darkness of theUnderground nearly swallowed his parents, but he caught their silhouetteswithin it. Up ahead, thin light illuminated the entrance.

“Come on,Zanny. You’re too slow.” Kaire tugged on his hand and marched towards thelight.

“Go on, son.It’ll be a treat to see where we once all lived.” Father shooed them forward.

“Why don’twe—” His question was lost in the amazement of the surface.

A freshbreeze rustled his darkened locks. The strands seemed to recognize the air andwaved in greeting. He had felt the generated air within the tunnels and theirhome, but nothing like this. It was cold too, nearly frigid. It burned hislungs, but it made him feel more alive. The fear drifted away with each icybreath.

The lightcame from the weak sun in the sky. He’d heard about the sun and how Medusa wastoo far from it now. The sky swirled in blues and grays. He’d never seen suchcolors except on fabric.

In the distance,rocks poked up from the ground. No, not rocks. Buildings. It was where theyused to live before the asteroid. Before everything changed, including theclimate, plants, animals. Everything.

“That’sreally the city, isn’t it? Do you think we’ll find things still there?” Kaire’svoice rose in pitch with each word, her green eyes bright.

“Yes, that’sthe city,” Mother said, stroking Kaire’s thick strands. “Now you two need tostay with us. We’ll show you around, but it’s still a dangerous place.”

“Will we getto see where grandma and grandpa lived?” He’d never met them, but he heard thestories, how they bravely fought for a right at a better life on theirneighboring planet Persea.

“Yes, we’lltake you.” Father smiled, a genuine smile that made Alezandros’s heart sing.

“Race you,Zanny!” Kaire took off in a loping sprint.

For a second,he imagined what Medusa must’ve looked like before the disaster. It must’vebeen beautiful. Then, he ran to catch up, but he knew he never would. She wasolder and stronger. He would still try. And at the moment, he didn’t care if hewon or lost.

He was on thesurface.

Purrsonal Thursdays: I'm a Rebel

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm a rebel, or I was back in high school. No, I didn't go Goth or listen to heavy metal or anything. What did I rebel against? Popular music. That's right. I missed pretty much an entire decade (1990s) of popular music.

My parents don't typically listen to popular music, so in the car, we would listen to Christian music. So I started liking bands like Michael W. Smith and DC Talk. Yeah, start the eye-rolling here. Then, a magical thing happened. I saw Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I think it was magical because my whole musical life shifted to musicals and classical music, including opera.

I was obsessed with it. Seriously. And I rebelled against popular music by not listening to it. Yes, I missed the start of Britney Spears, *NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys. Instead, I was listening to Beethoven, rocking it to Mozart, and being swept away by Chopin. I would put a CD into my discplayer (no iPods back then) and would blare Puccini's Tosca. And, of course, I knew all the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera and enjoyed singing them on the bus on the way to school.

Yeah, I was a weird child.

Are you a rebel? What did you rebel against?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Reading, Writing, and Editing . . . Oh my!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

My review of Heather Webber's Trouble Under the Tree is up on Surrounded by Books Reviews.

I made the unfortunate mistake of starting Beth Revis' A Millions Suns yesterday. Now I want to do nothing until I finish it. Seriously, go read it now.

I feel like my head's spinning since the new year started. I've been editing, reading, writing, repeat almost every day, or as much as possible. So my 2012 goals were overly ambitious, but it doesn't mean I'm giving up on them yet. If you click here, you can see my goals and how I'm progressing. I've been trying to write, edit, and read every day. Of course, some days I get more done. Others, less. I've figured out if I manage to write everything I would like to write this year, it'll be around 330,000 words. Completely doable, if I keep on it.

I do feel like I've accomplished quite a bit this month so far. I've read one book (Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Larter) and have started three (Spur of the Moment by Candace Early Bowen, A Million Suns by Beth Revis, and On Writing by Stephen King). I edited a friend's awesome short story, working on a client's manuscript, and finished another round of edits on Defying Gravity (recently pitched it and now am awaiting word). I've written four flash fiction pieces, a few chapters in Fighting Gravity, and finished the short story "Dragon Seer." So I'm getting things done, but at the same time I need to do more. *sighs*

If only there can be more hours in the day.

Do you feel like no matter how much you accomplish it isn't enough? How's your new year starting off?

Fantasy Tuesdays: Subgenres of Fantasy

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today we have subgenres of Fantasy. Like all broad genres, Fantasy does have many subgenres within it, and all of these subgenres are found through children's books, middle grade, YA, and adult. I'll give you a brief overview of some of the subgenres, and in later Fantasy Tuesdays, we'll go more in-depth.

Fantasy can be broken into theme and setting.

By Theme

Comic Fantasy - Primarily uses humorous in intent and tone, also known as low fantasy. Ex. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Dark Fantasy - A fantasy story with a pronounced horror element. Ex. Stephen King's The Dark Tower series

Magic Realism - Blends magical elements into realism. Ex. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Mythic - Fantasy involving myths and legends. Ex. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

Paranormal Fantasy - Involves all things paranormal, vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, paranormal gifts like telekinesis. Ex. Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Superhero Fantasy - The form is a type of speculative fiction examining the adventures of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. Ex. Batman series

Sword and Sorcery - Generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus mainly on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Ex. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

By Setting

Epic Fantasy/High Fantasy - Set in invented or parallel worlds. Ex. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (My Phoenix Trilogy would also fall under this category as well as my Foxwick Chronicles.)

Low Fantasy - Nonrational happenings that are without casuality or rationality because they occur in the rational world where such things are not supposed to occur. Low fantasy stories are set in the real world. Ex. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Historical Fantasy - makes use of specific elements of real world history. Ex. Kingdom of Arnhem series by Nicole Zoltack

Urban Fantasy - The fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods. Ex. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series

Science/Space Fantasy - A writer can write a fantasy using magic of various sorts, and yet turn the story into science fiction by positing some highly advanced technology, or as-yet-unknown but ultimately thoroughly provable science, as an explanation for how the magic can occur. Another writer can describe a future world where technologies are so advanced to be invisible, and the effects produced would be classified as magical if they were only described as such. A world might include magic which only some people (or only the reader) know to be in fact technological effects. Ex. Star Wars by George Lucas (My novelette Defying Gravity fits under this category.)

Which subgenre of fantasy do you think you read the most?

Book Chat: Reading Trends

2012-01-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Writers hear that they shouldn't write toward trends. As a reader, though, do the books you read fall into those that are trending? Do you read in your own trends?

I often find the books I choose to read can fall within popular trends. I've always enjoyed vampires, so I read The House of Night series, started the Vampire Academy series, and even read the Twilight Saga. I picked up Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. I was all about vampires for a while.

Dystopian books came out, and although I haven't had a chance to read most of them, I bought a ton of them. I do that with a lot of YA.

If I start reading mysteries, then all I want to read for a while is mysteries.

I've even picked an author and would proceed to read everything they read. I wanted to binge on books that were similar.

So I easily get caught up in trends. Do you?

#fridayflash "The Persean Ritual"

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

“The Persean Ritual”

Linia focusedupon the glowing blue light seeping from underneath the door. Soon, it would beher turn to enter. The thought made her mouth feel like she’d swallowed hershirt. Her parents hovered beside her. Mom rubbed circles along her back. Dadstood with a lop-sided grin upon his face. Her antennae drooped lower into herblond hair.

“Does ithurt?” Her question rose barely above a whisper.

“Oh, no,sweetheart.” Dad stroked her hair as the light disappeared from the door.

“There is aquick jolt, but it goes away.” Mom stopped rubbing my back.

A quick jolt.Linia’s heart skipped a beat. Her fingers went up to the gemstone within her choker.“Do I have to do this?”

“It’ll befine.” Dad’s words carried no reassurance to his thirteen-year-old daughter.

The door slidopen.

She would’verun for it, if her parents hadn’t pushed her forward. Two steps. One more, andshe entered the darkened room. She glanced behind her, but the door had alreadyclosed, her parents on the other side. No, no!

A man dressedin white stood in the center of the room. “Come closer, child.”

Her backpressed against the cool walls. She shook her head.

“It won’thurt.” With a gloved hand, he motioned her toward him. When she didn’t move, hesmiled. “I can wait all day, but I don’t know if everyone else will be so kind.”

They all doit, she told herself, but she found no comfort in this sterile room. Sheremained in her spot for several minutes. The man with the gloves waited forher. Ugh, she couldn’t take the waiting any more than she could take the fearof what would happen. She stumbled from the wall and stood before him.

“Very good.”He lifted up a pair of metal pliers. “It’s a couple snips, and we’ll twist thegemstone around. Hold still.”

She held herbreath and closed her eyes. Metal clipped loudly in her ears. The gemstoneshifted against her neck. Then, electricity jolted through her body. Shestiffened as a soft cry burst from her lips.

“Open youreyes, child.”

Her eyelidsparted. The room was bathed in blue light. Her body buzzed with her liferhythms as the blue pulsed with her heartbeat. Amazing.

“Now turn thegemstone back into place.”

Her fingersfelt the smooth stone, and she shifted it back into place. The light vanished,leaving only the white room and the man in white before her. Shivers of theenormity of what had happened passed along her spine.

“You now havethe power of life and death. Use your Persean gifts wisely, child.”

Ask the Editor: Grammar in Dialogue

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Christine Rains asks “Hi! ;) I was wondering about this lately. Might notbe an editor question exactly. Might just be personal opinion.

I've had people when critiquing mystories correct the grammar and structure of dialogue. My opinion is thatpeople - well, most people! - don't speak with proper sentence structure or usewords properly. It's part of their character. I can see correcting the rest ofthe text, but not dialogue unless it's something glaringly wrong.

As an editor, do you want grammaticallycorrect dialogue or is there some other rules when it comes to such things?”

When I firststarted editing, I’ll admit I wanted to fix the grammar in the dialogue, butthat’s just not the way people talk. It’s one of the things that irked me whenI was studying foreign languages. The teachers would expect perfect dialogueinstead of natural dialogue.

In writing,dialogue should be true to the character. Sometimes editors will ask for acheat sheet, so to speak, on quirky things a character will say that aren’tgrammatically or structurally correct. That way they don’t fix them. Yet, ifyou are going to have a character not know the different between “who” and “whom”or the like, then you need to be consistent.

As an editor,I will fix typos and grammar things that look more like a mistake than acharacter’s way of speech. If I have a question about it, I’ll comment on it.After all, you want your characters to be understandable, but no, they don’thave to have perfect grammar or structure.

As for thenon-dialogue text, if it isn’t a character’s thoughts, it should be more orless grammatical, but even then there are stylistic cases that change that.Writers should remember when it comes to editors, we’re trying to do our bestto make the story the best it can be, but in the end it is the author whodecides whether the advice is true to the character/story or not.

Insecure Writer's Support Group: I'm Not . . .

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00


Please click here for a list to visit the other insecure writers. Yes, we need your love. Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Although the Insecure Writer's Support Group has been going on for a few months, this is my first post with them, and I have a confession. Yes, this confessions may shock and amaze you (Yeah, right!), but here it goes. I'm not . . . perfect.

Phew! There, I said it.

Yeah, yeah, I know. No one's perfect. Hence why we probably need the support group, right? But the problem is that I feel like I have to be perfect. Why? Well, because I'm a writer AND an editor. You know what I fear about being both of those things. Typos. Yeah, I said it. I'm afraid of the "typo." I'm human, far from perfect. I don't know everything, although I like to try, but I'm afraid a typo can destroy two careers with one mistake.

If I have typos, then I'm not only a bad writer but a bad editor and vice versa.

Oh, and I have had typos on this blog, even in published stories. I still cringe from them. If I miss something, I do beat myself up for it for days, weeks, months! Oh, who am I kidding? I still feel bad about them. Sometimes it gets to the point where I'm afraid to send my work to my critique partners. They are great people. I love them, but I'm afraid that if they find a typo (and they do happen), then they'll wonder what kind of critique partner I am to them, what kind of editor I am. I'm not even sure I want to mention that I'm a freelance editor to agents and publishers that I hope to query one day for the fact that if I make a mistake, then I'm bad at writing AND editing.

It's a lot of pressure, especially for something as silly as a typo.

Do you worry about such little things as a typo? Or are you more big picture worriers?

Fantasy Tuesdays: What is Fantasy?

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for Teaser Tuesdays, I've moved them to Surrounded by Books Reviews.

For our first Fantasy Tuesdays, I will talk about Fantasy as a genre. Later posts will go more in-depth.

So what is Fantasy?

According to Wikipedia, "Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of (pseudo-)scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction." As mentioned in the quote, sometimes the lines between fantasy and science fiction and horror are blurred, of course, but that's for another day's topic. Mythology and folklore are often found interspersed within fantasy as well.

I believe fantasy brings us closer to our childhoods. From a very early age, we grow up believing in magic, from Santa to the Tooth Fairy to the fae and dragons to mythologies from our own culture and others. Fantasy makes us open our eyes a bit wider. We sit up and pay attention. It helps us organize our every day life into something spectacular. This is why I enjoy writing fantasy.

The three series that shaped myself as a fantasy author are J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Mercedes Lackey.

What fantasy books do you enjoy reading?

Book Chat: What Books Are You Excited About in 2012

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Today's topic is 2012 books. A new year means new books to read. Here are a few I can't wait to get my hands on.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

I loved Across the Universe, and I've been waiting--not so patiently--for book two.

Tundra 37 by Aubrie Dionne

I've read the rough draft while Aubrie was working on this one. In my opinion, it's her best novel to date.

I can't wait until book two of Ali Cross's Desolation series.

The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle

I enjoy Michelle's style and The Breakaway looks awesome.

King's Champion; Artesans of Albia, Book 2 by Cas Peace

I loved the first one and can't wait to read book two! August can't come soon enough.

I'm sure there are more books I can't wait for, but I need to read earlier books in the series or just don't know about them yet.

So what books are you looking forward to coming out this year?

Happy New Year: 2011 Stats

2012-01-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I spent my last minutes of 2011 watching Psych. What did you do?

Since Wednesday is the Insecure Writer's Support Group, I have 2011 stats now.

Submissions: 18
Rejections: 13 (1 in December)
Dejection: 1
Acceptances: 5
Submissions still out there: 1
2011 Total Word Count: 186,096 (8638 in December)
2011 Total Pages Edited from June: 2828 (134 in December)

I hope to continue my statistics, and I do hope by the end of 2012 that I have at least 200,000 words written.

I wish everyone a fantastic and magical new year!

I've been awarded . . .

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Christine Rains and The Golden Eagle have awarded me with the Great Comments Award. As an introvert, I have a hard time commenting for commenting sake, so when I do comment, it does mean I have something to say. Plus, I'm working on commenting more in the new year. I'm rather weird like that, I suppose. I do appreciate all comments on this blog and all my readers, and I enjoy reading and learning more from each of you.

I pass this award to my 20 most recent commenters.

Michael Offutt, Supra-Genius

#fridayflash "Dancing Ladies, Leaping Lords, Pipers Piping, and Drummers Drumming"

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

*We'll have new flash fiction next week. Here is the last four days of our 12 Days of Christmas flash.*

Dancing Ladies, Leaping Lords, PipersPiping, and Drummers Drumming

Lord Dawningwinced when he heard the sound of the pipers beginning what was supposed to befestive dance music. He’d hoped for a flute or a harp, but he got bagpipes anddrums. The rat-tat-a-tat of the drums pounded, and the lord felt like he wasattending a funeral instead of a party.

Sighing, hesearched the growing crowd for one particular maiden. She’d saved him that daymonths ago when his horse threw him into the lake. Then, she disappeared, andhe hadn’t seen since. He searched the village and surrounding farms, but nosuch woman was forthcoming.

She must bemarried, but he prayed she wasn’t. He hoped his ruse of a New Year’s festivalfor all the villagers wouldn’t be for naught, especially after all the moneyhe’d put into the dressmaker to make suitable gowns for all the young ladiesunder his realm.

The ladieswere beautiful like a flower garden in their reds, greens, oranges, blues, andpurples. Their dresses twirled and swirled around with that dreadful beat. Themen leapt in the air and danced with various women, but he still hadn’t spottedthe brown-eyed blonde that had saved his life and stolen his heart.

“My good LordDawning,” a piper said, “pick a fair lass and join in our dance.”

“Dance,dance.” The crowd cheered, and the lovely ladies lined for Lord Dawning’sapproval.

Inwardly, hewould rather be mucking out the stables or some other hideous task than to haveto pick any but his fair heroine. Yet, he played the part of gracious host andstrolled amongst the beauties.

Then, thereshe was. The woman with the curvaceous hips, golden hair, and soulful browneyes. “M’lady, would you care for this dance,” he asked, giving her a courtlybow.

A flush roseacross her ample bosom and tinged her cheeks a delicate pink. She curtsied, andthe blond wisps fell in front of her eyes. “Aye, Lord Dawning.”

He took herhand and noticed the calluses of labor upon them. It made her seem so real tohim. “What is your name, m’lady?”

“Leto.”

“It is apleasure to make your acquaintance, Leto.” The pipes started up, followed bythe drums. Lord Dawning leapt into the air and twirled her around.

A nervousgiggle escaped from her throat, but when she smiled at him, the heavens hadbrought him a rainbow of light.

“Thank youfor rescuing me,” he whispered into her ear when he pulled her close to him.Her eyes widened in surprised, and he laughed and they danced.

At themoment, the pipes didn’t really sound quite as mournful with Leto there.

Changes in Blogging in 2012

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

As a new year unfolds, I figured it was time to do some changes to the blog and the blogging schedule. I'm keeping to my five days a week, but I'm changing a few things.

Mondays

That's right. Promo Mondays are no more. Now we have "Book Chat." It's more open than promos, and I hope to have more discussion about books. Of course, all interviews and giveaways will occur during Book Chat too.

Tuesdays

It's time for some fantasy in your life in Fantasy Tuesdays. I mainly write fantasy, so I'll be talking about fantasy. For those that come around for Teaser Tuesdays, don't worry. I'll be doing those on my book reviews blog, Surrounded by Books Reviews.

Wednesdays

Yes, Wednesdays will continue with a writing update. Also, I've joined Alex's awesome Insecure Writer's Support Group, so the first Wednesday of each month will be a post relating to it.

Thursdays

Every 1st and 3rd Thursday as usual. Bring on your editorial questions.

And what's a blog without a personal story here and there? I'll have them every 2nd and 4th Thursdays.

Fridays

And a new year, new flash fiction on Fridays.

So 2012 will bring in the old, the new, and much more. The schedule is subject to change as always. Also, in April 2012, I'll be participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge again, so stay tune to 26 days of flash fiction in April.

Bloggers, do you like to change things up? Keep to a schedule? Or just post whatever, whenever?

Wednesday's Writing Update: 2012 Writing Goals

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

My review of Becky Mushko's Stuck, a Middle Grade Paranormal novel, can be found on Surrounded by Books Reviews.

Well, as 2011 draws to a close, it's time to look back on old goals and look forward to a new year.

As for 2011, I'm a bit disappointed. I didn't get quite as much done as I planned. These things happen, but I feel like 2012 will be better.

For 2012, I want to read more books on the craft of writing. I have to admit I haven't finished reading through one yet. I read a lot on your blogs and learn by trial and error, but it's time to read more on the craft of writing. I'd like to get one book read every two months next year. I want to read more in general as well and more in the genres I write.

I made up a writing/editing plan for 2012. It's subject to change, but I spaced things out a bit better than I originally planned.

In 2012, I want to write two new novels: The Cassandra Project: Mindful Truths (a YA Paranormal Thriller) and Paranormal Junkies (a YA Horror). I want to write a novelette: Fighting Gravity (Space Fantasy Romance). I want to write some short story collections: The Foxwick Chronicles (Fantasy Short Stories - Women of Foxwick, Men of Foxwick, Neighbors of Foxwick, and A to Z Flashes of Foxwick). I also have two novellas in mind: Confessions of a Telekinetic (Paranormal Thriller) and Nightmare Ever After (Paranormal Horror/Thriller, sequel to Once Upon a December Nightmare). Of course, I'll have flash fiction every Friday and in April for twenty-six days in the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

In editing, I want to edit the short story collections, novellas, and novelette. I also plan to finally finish edits on four of my novels: Starred, The Phoenix Prophetess, Missing, and The Last Prophetess. I do have good news about The Last Prophetess. I figured out how the rest will go. It'll be in three parts like The Phoenix Prophetess. The bad news, I only wrote Part I and a couple chapters in Part II so far, so I'll be editing and writing the rest in late 2012.

If all goes as planned--when does that ever happen--then by the end of 2012, I'll have four edited novels and seven written novels since I started writing in January 2009. Of course, all of these plans are subject to change due to real life and if certain novels get picked up. *shrugs* One can hope.

Next year, I want to try my hand at self-publishing, create my own business for publishing my own work and my editorial services, and query agents and publishers for my novels.

It sounds like a lot. It's probably more than I can handle, but I like a good challenge. Plus, there is something about new years that seem magical. Like anything can happen and be possible.

So what are your writing goals or general goals for this new year?

Teaser Tuesday 12.27.11

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

TeaserTuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyonecan play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences fromsomewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (makesure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin thebook for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so thatother TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like yourteasers!

11/22/63 by Stephen King
59% Kindle

"Tell them 'Here is my heart, and my heart is pure, and my heart belongs to the cause!' Tell them 'Even if Hoover rips my heart out of me, it will still beat, and a thousand other hearts will beat in time!'"

So what are you reading this week? Do you have a teaser?

Promo Monday: EVERY OTHER DAY by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Every Other Day

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Egmont USA (December 27, 2011)

To Purchase: Amazon

Description: Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is anormal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends peprallies. She's human.

And thenevery day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though shestill looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take overand Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap,and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has noidea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Eventhough the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kalinotices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knowsinstantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali hastwenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as ahuman. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her humanbody might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious conditionin the process.

A good read that debuts tomorrow!

#fridayflash "Geese, Swans, and Milking Maids"

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

*I'm taking the month off, so enjoy this old flash fiction from last December's 12 Days of Christmas. We're on days 6, 7, and 8.*

Geese, Swans, and Milking Maids

Leto saw noone was following her. The other villagers wouldn’t notice if she snuck down tothe lake, or so she hoped. A warm, late spring breeze lifted her straw-coloredhair, and she breathed in the scent of lilacs and honeysuckles. She dropped hermilking bucket upon a large stone, kicked off her shoes, and ran down to thelake’s edge.

Her toes sankinto the wet sand, and she giggled as the gentle waves lapped at her feet. Anelegant swan dipped its white neck into the water, and its mate swam besidehim. Sometimes she wished she was a swan. They were so beautiful, whereas Letowas homely. Her mother told her she had nice wide hips that would attract amate, but she thought she was just plain fat.

A honking inthe cattails caught her attention, and she sloshed through the shallow waterstoward the sound. The edges of her brown skirt darkened from the water.

A male gooseappeared before her, flapped his massive wings, and hissed.

She gaspedfrom surprised and noticed what he was protecting. The mother goose sat upon anest of eggs. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. and Mrs. Goose,” she said, backingaway from them.

Then, sheheard a horse whinnying in fear and a loud splash.

A magnificentblack steed pawed at the ground and shook his head. He snorted and stomped.

Then, shespotted the reason for the horse’s agitation. A snake slithered in front of hispath. Snatching her milking pail, she calmly approached the horse. “Shh, shh,there, boy, calm down.”

When she wasclose enough, she trapped the snake in her bucket. Of course, once she didthat, she didn’t know what to do with it. Yet the horse quieted and stared ather with knowing eyes. “It’s okay,” she said, gently touching its velvetymuzzle. “Where is your rider?”

She twistedin circles to find him. When she saw him lying face down in the water, shegasped. “Oh, dear!”

Withoutanother thought, she ran into the water. The liquid weighed down her skirts,and she struggled to reach him. When she did, her feet barely touched the lake’sbottom. She grabbed him and turned him right side up.

“Oh, pleasebe alive.” She dragged him to the shore. Out of breath, she collapsed besidehim upon the beach. A stitch formed in her side, and she was soaked from thechest down. She leaned over and shook him while praying he would awaken.

Finally, theman woke with a start and coughed. When his blue eyes met her brown ones, shegasped.

She hadrescued Lord Dawning.

Purrsonal Thursdays: 'Tis the Season - Critique Winners

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered and spread the word about this contest. The six winners are as follows:

1st-Page Critique
Tania Walsh
Barbara Jean Byrem
Mitra

10-Page Critique
Sarah Webster
CD Meetens

25-Page Critique
Stuart Nager

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you shortly, so you can send your critique to me at your convenience.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Almost the Holidays

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Don't forget that today's the last day to enter in my contests. For a chance at a critique, fill out this form here. For a chance at winning a book of your choice, fill out this form here.

For a review of Stephen King's 11/22/63, click here.

I have the week off from my day job, so I'm trying to catch up on reading, writing, and editing. I can't believe 2011 is almost over either. Did this year go by this fast for everyone else?

I hope everyone will have a lovely holiday season.

Have you been reading, writing, etc.? Or has it been taken over by the holidays?

Teaser Tuesday 12.20.11

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

TeaserTuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyonecan play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences fromsomewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (makesure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin thebook for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so thatother TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like yourteasers!

Seduced by Darkness by Cher Green
PDF Copy, Page 5-6

Dread filled her as she landed yards away from the cavern opening. What little freedom she'd gained would be taken away at the discovery of the disastrous venture.

So what are you reading? Do you have a teaser?

Promo Monday: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Title: 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner
To Purchase: Amazon
Description: November 22nd, 1963 was a rapid-fire sequence of indelible moments: Shots ring out; a president slumped over; a race to the Dallas hospital; an announcement, blood still fresh on the First Lady's dress. But what if President John F. Kennedy didn't have to die; if somehow his assassin could have been thwarted? For Maine schoolteacher Jake Epping, those hypothetical what if's become real possibilities when he walks through a portal to the past. Without special skills and still unfamiliar with his new/old surroundings, he struggles to discover a way to change the history he left. Like its Under the Dome predecessor, Stephen King's 849-page novel shows that this master of suspense is back at the top of his game.

Yes, Stephen King might not need the promotion. We all know who he is, but this book is fantastic!

#fridayflash "Golden Ring"

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

*I'm taking the month off on writing flash fiction, so here is one from last year's 12 Days of Christmas. Here is Day 5.*

Golden Ring

Myra strokedher bare ring finger on her left hand where her wedding band used to sit. Shenever thought things would change so dramatically in the space of a year. Shehad worked as a paralegal for a small law firm, her military husband had been homeon leave, and her two boys had enjoyed their fifth and second Christmas.

ThisChristmas was dreary in comparison. She lost her job due to budget cuts andAaron had been declared MIA in Afghanistan for the past three months. Herunemployment benefits were about to expire, but she had a part-time job insight. Now, she had to pawn the last item that tied her with her husband, asimple, gold ring.

The tearssprung to her eyes, but she smacked them away. She wouldn’t cry. No more. Itwas Christmas, and William and Mark deserved a happy one.

Taking the$150 she’d gotten from the ring, she bought her children clothes, toys, and afew sweets. If things didn’t improve, it might be their last good Christmas fora few years.

Things had toimprove.

Laden withgifts on that Christmas Eve, she entered their home, silently thanking hisparents for giving it to them as a wedding gift, and readied the living roomfor Christmas. The small, artificial tree sat in the corner. Presents inbrightly wrapped paper sat underneath. The room twinkled in red, green, andblue lights. It almost felt warm and cozy, like Christmas, in here.

The telephonerang, and she winced. She couldn’t stand ringing phones and knocking on doorssince Aaron’s disappearance. She, also, hope it didn’t wake the kids. Answeringthe phone on the fourth ring, she said, “Hello.”

“Mrs. Laraby?”

The voicesounded official, and her heart sped up. “Yes, this is she. How may I help you?”

“This isColonel Ruthering, ma’am. We wanted to notify you that we’ve located yourhusband, Sergeant Aaron Laraby.”

His voicesounded far away and yet all too loud. Noton Christmas Eve. Please, don’t let him be dead on Christmas Eve. Sherubbed her thumb across her naked ring finger.

“He’s beingtransported from Afghanistan to a hospital in Germany before he’ll be flownback to the States. He has sustained injury, but they are expecting a cleanbill of health. He’ll be contacting you once he is briefed, ma’am.”

At first, theColonel’s words didn’t register. She’d feared the worst. Then, a pleasanttingling giddiness entered her. She smiled a genuine smile for the first timein three months. “He’s alive, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.He’s alive.”

“Thank you,Colonel.”

“You’rewelcome, ma’am. Your husband will be contacting you soon. Have a goodChristmas.”

“MerryChristmas too.” She hung up the phone. Everything appeared brighter, morecheery. She’d find a way to get the golden ring back too.

Ask the Editor

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wednesday's Writing Update: Decisions, Decisions

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Surrounded by Books Reviews is giving away books. All you have to do is fill out the form here to be entered.

I'm giving away critiques on this blog for the holidays. All you have to do is fill out the form here to be entered.

Also, my review of Jeff Gonsalves' A Fork in the Road to Apocalypse is here.

Oh, and Once Upon a December Nightmare got a lovely review from Julie Flanders. You can read that review here.

My writing has been slow going since NaNoWriMo. I've been struggling to get to the 50k mark (hovering around 30k) in The Last Prophetess. It's not that I don't love the story or even where it is heading. It's just that the idea isn't fully formed in my head, so it's a struggle to get the words out. Because of that, I've decided to put The Last Prophetess aside for now. I have too many other things I want/need to work on, and I can't waste more time on something half-baked.

So, I'm going to go back to my short stories for The Foxwick Chronicles: Women of Foxwick and work on a novella Confessions of a Telekinetic.

In editing, I'm still working on a client's manuscript. I am also editing my YA Fantasy The Phoenix Prophetess and my space fantasy romance novelette Defying Gravity, and tomorrow I'll begin my second read-through of my YA Contemporary Starred. I feel really good about both of those novels and would like to get them edited soon.

In completely unrelated news, I got a new car last Friday. I needed something more equipped to handle snow, so I got a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's pacific blue pearl color, and I'm naming him Treygan after Karen Amanda Hooper's half-merman/half-gorgon in her Tangled Tides. I hope she doesn't mind. *grins*

So do you have any news? Ready for Christmas yet?