After Weeks Of Writer's Block....

....I have it again.

Haha, fooled ya! Actually, the reality is that I am far from having writer's block, considering I am now currently working on three novels at once.

Yep, you read that right. Three.

The first you already know about. Yep, it's Confessions of a Redhead. But the other two are more up my alley. They are both fantasy, one being middle grade and the other young adult.

It's pretty fun since one of my best friends is in my new middle grade novel. I created a character based on him several months ago, but never had a story to put him in. Now I do and I am so excited! It's a lot of fun working on this stuff, and one of the reasons why my posting has gotten a little scarce.

I'll try to keep you updated a little more often like I used to. But so much has been going on lately that I haven't had a lot of time to devote to writing. Hopefully that is going to be changing and I think it will since I now have several projects I am very excited about. :)

Happy writing! :D

Another WIP In The Works???

There might be.

I am currently working on yet another YA fantasy, this one titled My Reality, Your Fantasy. A little vague, you say? Well, yeah, it is. I'm not revealing too much on this one at this point in time. But I will tell you that there are two main characters and each will be telling thier story in first person. Yikes! Can I pull this off?

I think so. I enjoy a challenge. *rubs hands together gleefully with strange glint in eye*

Anyway, I have a lot of completed manuscripts right now. I have The Heart and the Horn, Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!, and Khaladin. I also have a middle grade fantasy trilogy called The Mirror's Portal Trilogy, which is complete, but in editing. If I could just find an agent, I'd be in good shape.

Then again, maybe not. Just because you have an agent doesn't mean said agent will rep all you write. Gotta keep it real here, folks. ;)

Anyway, sorry my posting has been sketchy lately. I've been lazy, there's no other word for it. But I'm going to try not to be anymore. Please don't quit reading and, if you like what you see on this blog, feel free to follow me. Really, I don't bite all that much. ;)

Queen Sapphire and Her Friends

Since I was having a hard time writing The Unicorn Queen, I decided to make some more drawings of the characters and share them with you. This first one is Sapphire, wearing her Badge of Majesty, given to her by the former Queen, Midnight Star.

I have a question about the Badge of Majesty. Would you say it is a necklace or a breastplate? When I said breastplate in my sample chapter, someone on AW said that it creates a confusing image when I say it lifted off her shoulders. So, what do you think?







This is Ruby, Sapphire's older sister. She was also in the group Midnight Star was training to see who would become the next ruler and Ruby is not jealous that Sapphire was chosen over her. She always does her best to help her sister in any way she can. Both she and Sapphire are first introduced in the first story, The New Queen's Challenge.






Here is Levan. He is a castle guard and becomes great friends with Sapphire. I don't really know a lot about his character yet, but I do know that he would do anything to protect Sapphire, even if it meant laying down his own life. Levan is introduced in Book Two: A Silent Killer.












Last but certainly not least is Kila. She is a very sweet unicorn, quiet and controlled, but is a wonderful fighter. She is eternally loyal to Sapphire because the Queen saved her life. Kila considers Sapphire her best friend. Readers will meet Kila in the third adventure, The Marred Unicorn.

Weird....

Before I get to what my post is about, this is my 100th post! YEAH! :D

OK, remember a few days ago when I said all my adventures in my new series, The Unicorn Queen, were all planned out. Well, turns out, that's not too true.

Because I found out that the adventure for book one won't work as is.

But that's OK. I've gone ahead and started writing book two. This isn't a series with cliffhanger endings, so I can skip ahead no problem. Book two: A Silent Killer is already in chapter eight! I'm very pleased with it so far. Basic rundown is Sapphire has to deal with the first murders ever committed in her land of Harlindale and her own sister is suspect for one of them.

Cool.

Besides book one, these adventures seem to be turning out really well. I hope it stays that way! :D

Also, there's a very interesting post for you writers out there on Pubrants, the blog of literary agent Kristin Nelson about music and writing. If you want to check it out, you can find the link to her blog on my blog list on the right side of the page. Check it out! :)

Have You Noticed Something?

Because I sure have! I recently posted about my story status. You can look over those titles again if you want to.

I used to say that writing young adult was my favorite audience to write for.

Now, I think, my mind has changed.

Why?

Well, all of my stories listed, except for The Ultimate Evil, are for middle graders.

There's something about writing for that age group that I absolutely love and I didn't know why until just a few days ago. It's because the kids are still young enough where you don't have to explain the logic of your fantasy. If you say it is so, then they believe it.

And there's something about that....magic, if you will. It's addicting and it's wonderful! :D

(Guess this means I should switch around the age groups I write for under my blog title, huh?) ;)

Sapphire Pic

Here's my Photoshop picture of Sapphire. She's pretty, no?

I am in chapter five in the first book of her series, The Unicorn Queen. I have already come up with all her adventures and the titles for each book (subject to change). Here they are:

1. The New Queen's Challenge

2. A Silent Killer

3. The Marred Unicorn

4. Gallop of Life or Death

5. Innocents and Facades

6. A Betrayer In Our Midst

7. A Journey Through the Sea

8. She Is Not the Queen!

9. The Temple Secrets

10. The Blackest Night

11. Sapphire Comes to Earth

12. A Human Goes to Harlindale

13. Kroboth's War

So, what do you think?

A New Series In The Works!!

Yes, that's right, I'm going to be beginning work on a series that I have been trying to write since I was about seven or eight years old. I created this unicorn (will post drawing of her later) named Sapphire and I have always wanted to write a series for her.

Well, last night, after midnight, I couldn't go to bed yet. My dad was in the bathroom and I didn't want to go to sleep with dirty teeth (eew!) so I waited up so that he could finish. While I was waiting, I was rumaging through all my story ideas and pieces. I wasn't thinking too hard, just going over everything, when suddenly, I found all these short little adventure ideas that could work in a series! So exciting! I started to put together a story folder and I've filled it with a lot of information. So today, I am going to begin book one in my new middle grade fantasy series, The Unicorn Queen.

So, yeah, you've probably noticed that unicorns are my favorite mythical creature. I never wanted to be referred to as "The Unicorn Writer", but now I think that I will bear that title with pride! :D

I Need Your Advice

Many of you know that I am seeking an agent with my YA novel, The Ultimate Evil. However, I'm wondering if that's my best course of action.

Huh?

You see, there's been a lot on the web lately about agents and editors wanting (needing!) middle grade fiction. I have my two completed MG novels, Khaladin and Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! What I'm wondering is this: do you think I should query those ten other agents I found for The Ultimate Evil, or do you think it'd be a better decision to wait on that novel and pick one of the other two to pitch?

Speaking of pitching these novels, there's a poll in the sidebar of my blog about which MG story I should pitch. Even if you already told me your opinion several posts ago, please vote over there. It's an easier way for me to keep count. :)

A New Look!

Hey, everyone, I made over my blog! I was getting tired of the old look and wanted something a little bit more hip and cool....and I found this template. Awesome, isn't it?

I wanted a new look to go with my new outlook. I've been doing a lot of soul searching recently and I just feel so much more peaceful inside. So....every thing's good (even with rejection after rejection!). :)

More writing updates. More story ideas are in progress (what, again?) and I finally have a dedication for Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! I had a hard time finding out who to dedicate it to, so I asked one of my friends if he'd want it dedicated to him (no one else I know really likes SF all that much) and he accepted.

Anyway, with three completed manuscripts and two in editing, I'm looking for my next story to write. I'm teetering with two: another MG sci-fi called (tentatively) Space Kids or a YA fantasy called The Prophecy. I don't know which one to choose yet.

Rejected

Well, as you can tell from the title, my dream agent just sent me a rejection letter. :(

But, you know what? That's OK. YA fantasy is a tough sell right now.

So, here's my stratagy. I am only going to query The Ultimate Evil to a few more agents. Most agents are really looking for middle grade fiction right now and Khaladin and Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! both fall into that catagory. So, I'm going to try The Ultimate Evil a few more times while I REALLY work hard on finishing up these other two manuscripts before I start querying them off. I have read several stories about authors getting thier first work rejected, the second accepted, and the first gets published because of the second. Pretty cool, huh?

And, if no one wants The Ultimate Evil, then I can dismantle it and turn it into another story. I'll make things work.....somehow.

Anyway, I have a question for everyone. If I were going to pitch one of my middle grade novels now (but I'm not yet, they're not ready) which one should I pitch?

Khaladin: Horse gives birth to unicorn foal.

Or....

Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!: A girl finds out her parents are aliens and, after a great, kinda messed up adventure, has to save two worlds, her father, and the President of the United States.

So, which would you choose to pitch?

So, I Finished

Yeah, last night, I finished the first draft of Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! I already had about half of the manuscript written, so it didn't take me long to finish.

So far, it has 26K and 20 chapters. It's been a lot of fun to write because it's in first person and my first time finishing a novel in that format as well. Since I'm so used to third person, I'm learning new things and it's been great! It's harder to write first person because if you say something that is completely out of sync with your character, it shows more. There's not as much leeway in first person as there is in third, not that there's much in third anyway! :)

Also, I just submitted The Ultimate Evil to my dream agent. I hope she bites! :D

And My New WIP Is.....

.....a MG sci-fi story called, Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!

I have been working on this story for several years (I came up with the idea when I was ten) and only since last year has it really started to come together. I had writer's block on the project, but that seems to be gone now, as I am MUCH closer to the climax of the story.

Here's the basic low-down: This story is told in first person by Stacie, a typical teenage girl who wakes up one morning on a spaceship (surprise!) and soon discovers that her adoptive parents are really aliens in disguise. Now she's being forced to live on thier planet, called Z'ghon, and can never see anyone from Earth again. Her life becomes a MAJOR rollarcoaster when her father and the President of the United States are both captured by the evil Z'ghonian leader and she has to save them, not to mention both Earth and Z'ghon. Pressure? Just a smidge.

It's been a lot of fun to write and I'm even more excited about it right now because I am nearly done with the first draft. I don't know how close I am, but I do know that I've passed the half-way point in the tale. This is my first real attempt at first person so I'm learning new things about storytelling as I go and it's been (and will continue to be) a great ride! :D

Question: Has anyone noticed that a lot of my ideas I say I've had since I was little? Does that strike anybody else as being weird? Just curious. *shrug*

Khaladin All Debated Torture Scene!

OK, here it is! I have revised it a little, so it's no longer the same one that's over on AW. Remember, I love honest opinions, so tell me what you think!

Here goes:



Vaccaro’s men stormed into the barn, many ropes in their hands. After getting them securely on the twins, they tugged Raala and Raama out of the barn. Khaladin whinnied after his companions. He knew they couldn’t understand him, but he wanted to tell them not to worry. But even if they had understood his language, he doubted he could convince them when he himself was unsure about their fate.

With the twins gone, the remaining men swung their ropes and Khaladin could feel them tightening around his neck and he barred his teeth angrily at his handlers, but Vaccaro leaned casually against the stall, unmoved by the half unicorn’s thrashing. “Tie him up!” he ordered.

The men obeyed, pulling Khaladin into the asile. They tied him down so that he was forced to stand in the middle of the barn, unable to move. A makeshift halter was pushed roughly over his head and tied behind him, keeping his head thrown back.

The position made breathing difficult because of the strain it put on his throat. However, he didn’t want that to phase him, so he kept an angry eye on Vaccaro, his thoughts equally determined.

Vaccaro came around to face him. “I really do have to admire your spirit. Now, if you cooperate, this will go smoothly. If not. . .”

“What do you want?”

“I got a serious problem,” Vaccaro said. “Your friend, the one who’s on eBay, is generating more money than I thought. That’s a good thing. However, my supply of unicorns is very limited.”

“It may be more limited than you think,” Khaladin said, trying not to let his lack of breath show in his voice. “I am only half unicorn.”

Vaccaro waved his hand at the statement. “That doesn’t matter. No one can tell the difference. Now, as I said before, my supply of unicorns only consists of you and your two friends.” He stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back and leaning towards him. “Do you know where I can stock up my inventory?”

The Valley, Khaladin thought. He wants to know about the Valley! But I won’t tell him!
Vaccaro saw the determined gaze settle over the half unicorn’s features. “Ah, I see that you do know and are unwilling to tell.”

“Give it up, Vaccaro,” he said. “You couldn’t get there even if you tried.”

“Oh, but I intend to.” He stepped up closer to Khaladin. “Would you rather me question your friends?”

“They can’t take you there any more than I can.”

“Oh?” he said, interested. He folded his hands over his chest. “And why is that?”

Khaladin shifted his gaze, refusing to answer the question.

“You won’t tell me?”

He continued to ignore the greedy human.

“Fine,” Vaccaro said, stepping back. “Have it your way.” He left the barn.

Minutes passed and Khaladin could hear them ticking by, annoyingly slow. The passing of time did nothing to help calm his nerves. His breathing was quickening and sweat trickled down into his eyes and rolled down his flank. Just what was that greedy human bent on doing. Had be become bored with him and gone to Raala and Raama? Where were his friends. . .where had they been taken? Were they all right?

Khaladin tried to shake his head as if to banish the questions, but the ropes held him fast. He grunted in frustration and nervousness, unsure of what the coming hours would hold. His neck and chest muscles were aching and he could feel the pain in his legs and back as well. A few of his muscles were starting to cramp up on him, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he simply ground his teeth and endured it.

Khaladin didn’t know how long he had been standing there when he finally heard the barn door open again. He tilted his ear back to hear the footsteps and recognized them. They belonged to Vaccaro.

When Vaccaro came into his line of sight, Khaladin saw that this time he carried a hot iron in his hand. The end, which glowed red, had the letters “M” “E” and “V” on it, except they were backwards. His heart leaped when he realized what Vaccaro had planned, yet he simply laid his ears back flat against his skull.

Vaccaro ignored Khaladin’s hostile glare and hefted the iron in his hand. “Do you know what this is?”

Khaladin didn’t answer.

“This is a branding iron. It belonged to my grandfather. He used it for the cattle he once owned. See the initials? Same as mine. Something I don’t write in my signature is that I am Michael Earl Vaccaro, III.”

“Like I care,” he snorted.

Vaccaro nodded. “Yeah, I bet you don’t.” He stepped forward. “But you will if you don’t tell me where I can find those unicorns.”

“Nothing you do will make me tell,” he stated.

Vaccaro shrugged. “All right. Have it your way.”

He walked around to Khaladin’s back right hip and pressed the iron against his white coat. The flesh singed and Khaladin felt a searing pain that seemed to grow more and more painful with each second the iron remained on his skin. His eyes bugged out and his body tensed as he fought showing his emotions, but the torment didn’t cease. Vaccaro thrust the iron more heavily into his skin and Khaladin couldn’t hold back his screams of pain any longer.

First Beta Read Done!

So my friend finished Khaladin and, to use his own words, says it's awesome! I was afraid he wouldn't like it because it's totally different from The Ultimate Evil. He even said he likes Khaladin better than The Ultimate Evil. I thought it'd be the other way around.

Go figure.

Apparently, the story kept him on edge because he told me he was wondering how in the world Judy and Khaladin were going to be able to work everything out. I thought it was pretty obvious reading through, but apparently not, which is great!

About the torture scene in this story, he didn't mind it. He liked it because there's not a lot to it. Someone over on AW said the piece about the torture was lovely and they would read the story. Holy major compliments, Batman!

If you are a member of AW, you can find the torture scene in the Children's SYW section with the title: Khaladin All Debated Torture Scene! If you're not a member, don't worry. I promised that I would post the scene on here after I was done with it, so I'll put that up here for you guys in a day or two. I don't have my JumpDrive on me right now. :(

Overall, I am very pleased with the way things seem to be turning out. The Ultimate Evil is in the querying stage and in case it is good enough to snag an agent (I think it is, but I'll let the agents give the deciding vote) I already have Khaladin ready and waiting. Now I need another WIP because I loathe not writing. I have several ideas, especially this one I'm toying with called The Prophecy, but as we say, that's another story. :D

First Round Of Edits Complete!

Yes, I did it. In four days (wow, only four days?) I have read Khaladin from beginning to end and edited everything that I found. I didn't find a lot that needed changing.

I'm worried.

Honestly, you'd think that since there wasn't a lot to change I'd be happy. I'm not. Why? Because, truthfully, I thought there was more wrong with the story. Maybe there is, but I just haven't put it away long enough to see them yet.

Yeah, that's probably the answer right there.

In my edits, I only added about 1,000 words, so the word count for this middle grade fantasy is now 31K. I'm surprised I was able to add that many words. This story is TOTALLY and COMPLETELY different than The Ultimate Evil. It's told in a completely different voice and I really like it.

Do I like it better than The Ultimate Evil?

At this point.....no.

The Ultimate Evil is currently my fav of the two. I've talked to many writers and authors who say that they can't chose which of their stories they like the best because that's like choosing between your children. Honestly, I don't see my stories as my children, even though I have called them 'my baby' before. I truly feel like my stories are pieces of art. Some are going to turn out better than others. That's just natural.

Anyway, Khaladin is already off with it's first Beta reader. This is the first time I have let someone read my very first draft of something.....I sent the story to him before I started my other edits. I'm glad he has the very first version. A lot of it is just bone and joints. Maybe he can help me add the meat. :)

I Finished!!!!

Yep, you read right. New Year's Resolution #1 is now complete. Last night, at about 1:30 AM, I finally completed the first draft of Khaladin!

I am SUPER excited right now! I finally connected the middle with the end (I had already written the last three chapters). It's done at 30K, which isn't bad, considering that most MG books are 20K-40K. I was hoping for 60K (don't know why) but I really doubt I'll have that much more to add.

Really, the first draft is all about putting down the basic feelings, creating a basic landscape, then moving on. There's plenty of time for details later, since you know you will spend a LOT of time editing.

Right now, Khaladin is complete with twenty-eight chapters. The original title for this story was "Judy and the Unicorn Herd" but that title didn't work when I revamped the story, so that title is now being used in chapter twenty-five or twenty-six.

I think.

Anyway, I have now begun the first round of edits. Khaladin is really naked in some areas with not enough detail, so I have to fix that. And the grammar. Then I have to chop things out and add some more......wait, most of you are writers. You already know all this.

Stuck In The Middle With You!

So, the good news is that I finished the last three chapters of Khaladin about an hour or two ago. The bad news is that I have to finish writing the middle. *SIGH* I know what happens, I just can't find the words yet. Words are stubborn. They only come when they're ready, not always when you want them.

On the bright side I have nearly finished a children's fantasy chapter book. I only have a chapter and a half to go before the first draft is done and then the edits can start.

Once I'm done with the first draft of Khaladin the edits will begin with that story. My BFF has offered to read it and be VERY harsh. Yeah, I LOVE harsh critiques! Those are the ones that make you a better writer.

Well, it's 12 AM here in North Carolina. Better sign off and go get some sleep. See you later in cyber world!

Picture Time! :)

It finally let me upload pictures! Here's the one I made in Photoshop of Khaladin:




OK, so his mane and tail aren't as copper as I see them in my imagination. I can't find the right shades on Photoshop and I'm too impatient to try. This is close enough for me. :)


I've been working my tail off in Khaladin (see picture below) and have written 21,000 words, but I don't think I'm going to make it to 60K. No big deal....60K is long for middle grade, so I'm not too bummed.

So, here's the story with the picture. That's me (duh!) writing on my laptop, but WHY IN THE WORLD am I writing in the middle of the Grand Canyon overlooking the Colorado River? Simple: these two natural landmarks are in my story. There's a great chase through the canyon and maybe even a river rescue. It's going to be so much fun!

OK, So I Might Not Reach My Goal

This post isn't near as depressing as the title suggests. I've been working my butt off in Khaladin, am in chapter 19, and only have about 20,000 words down. I'm past the halfway point in my plot (I think) so I'm not sure I'll make my 60K goal. But hey, that's all right. Most MG books are 20K to 40K, so I'm good.

I did a picture of Khaladin in Photoshop, but this stupid Blogger won't let me load it. The "Sorry, this page cannot be displayed" keeps coming up after it's loaded the picture, which, of course, it hasn't. So, if I ever figure it out, I'll show you what Khaladin looks like. Since I have also created photos of Arvil from The Ultimate Evil, I could share those as well. But alas, I am no computer genius. I'm not really even computer smart, which is pretty lame considering the fact that I like (and write!) science fiction. What can I say, I'm a dork! (and I love it too!) :)

OK, I Need Your Help

My new story, titled Khaladin, is a story about a girl named Judy. Her aunt's horse, Penny, ends up giving birth to a unicorn foal. Well, technically, he's a half unicorn. Long story short, they try to keep him a secret, but the baddie finds out and kidnaps Khaladin. In trying to find more unicorns, said baddie tortures Khaladin.

Here's my problem. The age group I'm targeting is upper middle grade. I don't want anything real gory and gross, like Khaladin lying there dripping in blood. But I would like something that appeals to both sexes. Most girls don't tend to like a lot of blood and guys are like, "Yes, blood!" I'm somewhere in the middle. But do any of you have any suggestions on how to do this scene? Yes, it will be told from either Khaladin's or baddie's point of view.

PS: If you are a member of http://www.absolutewrite.com/ (aka AW) you can go to the children's section and read one chapter that I posted of this story. Also, I have a thread about the torture topic in The Sanbox titled, Unicorn Help......Again.