WIP It Blogfest: SOULLESS

Hello friendlies! Today is

Join up and hop around with us, learning about all the amazing project people are working on right now. This one is mine (*Note, all images/blurbs are in the works, and I'm open to suggestions for how to improve them.): 

WIP Title: SOULLESS, book 2 to MOONLESS (Release date to be announced shortly)

Word Count: 33K, goal: 90K

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

How long have you been working on it?: ...Do I count when I jotted down the first notes and page one, or when I actually started working on it? This one's been sitting in a folder and added to periodically for about 5 years, but is under serious construction as of March. 

Elevator Pitch: Alexia saved the man she loves, but lost her sister to red-eyed wraiths. Discovering the power to reverse time, she faces a terrible choice: keep her happily ever after, or save her sister and countless others from the Soulless.

Brief Synopsis: 

Alexia only wants to be with the man she loves, but at the cost of hundreds of lives?

Alexia saved Kiren, but lost her sister to red-eyed wraiths known as the Soulless. She has lived with that truth, supporting Kiren while he protects the rest of the world from these predators. When she discovers her ability to reverse time, Alexia faces a terrible choice: keep her happily ever after and ensure the future safety of her kind, or say goodbye forever and leave to prevent the Soulless from existing. 

She may make things better. She may make them worse. The only certainty is, she will never be able to come back.

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?: Always. Anyone who has written AT LEAST 2 complete novels, has 5 to 10+ years writing experience, and reads all the time, shoot me a first chapter. I'll send you one back and we'll decide if our critique styles/likes are compatible. I tend to be very positive, pushing toward the very best writing, but incredibly invasive. If you're seeking someone to pat you on the back and tell you this is the best story since baked bread, I am NOT the partner for you. If, however, you are looking to grow as a writer, and seek a partner who is constantly reading industry books and applying their advice to her own (and critique partners) writing, we may just be a match. I read all genre's, but am not particularly drawn to hard core sci-fi, detective stories, contemporary, memoir, or erotica. Anything with a paranormal, fantasy, or horror twist? I'm so in. 

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?: I am always looking for beta readers. Always. To become one, sign up for my newsletter and you'll receive the call as soon as I'm ready. (As well as other cheesy/exciting opportunities.)

That's it for today--now tell me where I can improve my pitch, eh? (It's so brand spanking new!) And what are you working on? 

Be sure to check out some of these awesome blogs: 

Blogfest Full of AWESOME

Who doesn't love a chance to share what they're working on? 

DL Hammonds is hosting a wonderful blogfest this month, and I'm going to be there. Are you? It's all about what you're working on now, or your Work In Progress. (WIP) It's also about finding friends to hold your hand through the long journey to success. Inspired by Devo's song, Whip it, we're asked to share:

WIP Title:

Word Count:

Genre:

How long have you been working on it?:

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): 

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?:

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?:

And now for the theme song:

Ready for the hard part? Which work of awesomesauce are you going to share?

It Takes Courage

...to be different. (And I'm not talking about something like, "Dude, bet you've never seen this before. Check it out, toenail ring!") I'm talking a lifestyle or set of morals that the world may label as "lame", or "outdated". Who are they to judge? And while we're talking about this mysterious "they", who is that anyway?

One of my favorite WIP's (Work In Progress) is about a teen who's grown up in the "projects", or slums of New York City. While living in the city, I was astonished by the culture of government dependence and generational poverty. It was almost impossible for these people to see beyond their Section 8 housing and Foodstamps, to realize there was a better world out there--one where they didn't have to live in cockroach infested/frequently-flooding apartments, one where they could obtain gainful employment, one where the value of life wasn't dictated by power companies who would turn off your power in the middle of a heatwave, but by your own determination to excel. The problem was, most people got stuck in the city because it was too expensive to get out. My heart ached for them. Didn't they understand there was a better world out there?

There were, however, a handful of individuals who caught a glimpse. These were the hope of the future, the ones who would break the cycle of poverty against formidable odds, the ones who would become something.

My main character, Alaska (aka Ally), is one such individual who has lived through the grime. She's a fighter whose sights are set on a better life--not just for herself, but for her mom and little brother. She lives a strict moral code that her friends don't understand, one she created because of the people around her--to avoid some of the pitfalls they succumbed to, things that would keep her from her ultimate goal. She's different, weird, and sticks out. I adore Ally because of her courage. She's my hero.

For years we've been home schooling. Some people understand our reasons, but others turn their noses up and scoff. How dare we flout societal expectation and do our own thing? Don't we realize we're handicapping our children by keeping them out of the "cookie-cutter" school system? Don't we realize how socially damaged our kids will be from learning in a loving environment with educators who's most important goal is their success? Don't we know that sheltering our children from damaging influences will ultimately make for morally-different and confident people? Don't we know that no kid should be mature enough or educated well enough to graduate High School by the age of 14? I mean, how dare we!

My point is this:

People will tell you your work isn't good enough. They'll say you're going about it the wrong way. They'll insist that you have to follow a formula and do things by a predetermined method. If you don't do things their way, they'll tell you you're strange, or stupid, or wrong. The truth is, as long as you get the result you want, does it matter how you got there?

Courage, friends. Don't be discouraged by the voices out there. Do your best, and don't be afraid to go against the "norm".

The Next Big Blog Hop

When you step away from a project or regular social activity, do you fear you'll be forgotten? It's a question that's been on my mind through our most recent move, having left all our dear friends behind. BUT, I got assurance that I HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN online. Yay!

I've been tagged! My long-time blogging buddy, Ian, over at Views from the Bald Patch (who has been way more involved in the blog-o-sphere than me for the last while,) put a smile on my face when he remembered me. Thank you, Ian!

I guess the point of The Next Big Blog Hop is to brag, er, answer 10 questions about your WIP, or Work in Progress. So, here we go.

1. What is the working title of your book?

Project Alaska.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
New York City, and one totally awesome dream.

3. What genre does your book fall under? 
Fiction--I know, how general can I be? YA fiction. Better?

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 
See, this is the problem with YA. Actors who are in the age range to play the main characters are difficult to find because they don't have a long history in film. However, if you want the look of the characters, these are my MC's:

       

Alaska or "Ally"                               Michael AKA "Ryan"                         

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Okay, I don't have it down to one sentence yet, so...

Ally doesn't ask for excitement. She steers clear, struggling to balance her Manhattan high school education around raising her little brother, keeping her illegal mother under a roof, and aiming for the cure to all their ails: Columbia Law. Boys are the last thing on her “to do” list, but Michael is no boy. From the first time he dismantles a security system to the first time he annihilates a foreign assassin, her world is forever altered. Now keeping him one step ahead of the searching military is the only thing that matters—as long as she can avoid falling in love.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Agency.  

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 
This one has been with me since we lived in NYC and regularly interacted with people who lived in the "projects", or government housing. Throughout the years I've been toying with it and doing research, and am still working on the draft. It's a ways from completion, but there's so much heart behind the story that when I stop worrying about my other projects (especially the one being considered for publication right now), I'm going to dive in full time. 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
It fits in the same world as the TV series Kyle XY, and closely with Breathless by V.J. Chambers. (Though much cleaner.) 

 

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book? 
I met one of the characters while living in NYC. I met so many others who faced the struggle of making it in a city where just one person is inconsequential. While struggling with that idea, I dreamed this story, and it's been bursting at the seams to break free ever since. 

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Do you believe in liberty or patriotism? Which is more important, loyalty to cause, or freedom to discover who you truly are? 

Okay, that's all I'll say and tag 5 other people--all recent friends I've come to adore in the virtual realm. 

Tammy Mckee
Fiona Claire
Elizabeth Prats
Christine Danek
Nazarea Andrews

So what is your big project right now?

Bittersweet Words

My list begins with: school, writing, rainy days, birthdays, and...

"The End."

I sit here, staring at my latest draft and lamenting that the story has nowhere new to take me. It's so fulfilling, and yet so sad.

"I'm done."

"Finished."

"That's all folks."

*sigh* It's kind of depressing really. Well, or it would be if I wasn't compelled by external forces (*glaring at my hubby*) to write this story into a series.

So, now that I've finished my WIP (again), I find myself going, "Okay, what's next?" Well, let me tell you. October is a busy month. I'll be critiquing and beta reading this book, and on October 24th, come back for the most awesome CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE bloghop ever!

Eighteen authors have come together to present the adventure of a lifetime, and you get to be one of our lucky readers. Look forward to seeing you there!

What's the worst/best "The end" you've ever met?

I love my story, I love my story not

I've reached that magic point with my WIP (work in progress)--you know, the spot twenty feet before the finish line where you look at the remaining ten steps and collapse screaming, "Why?!"

James Scott Bell warns in Plot & Structure, "You are going to spend a lot of time with the plots you choose to write...passion is the most important for your writer's soul and, almost always, your ultimate success."

Oh passion I've got, but most of it wants me to turn a firehose on my computer and laugh manically as the device sparks to death. Here I stand on the brink, wondering if I love this story enough to finish. I imagine it's like any relationship. We go through ups and downs, times when we want to throttle the source of our adoration, and times when we could die of sheer joy. I'm needing some of that bliss right now.

In consequence, I'm attempting to publicly remind myself WHY I love my WIP with the top five reasons.




1. Faux (Fox) is a freakin fire hazard, and so totally awkward I never stop laughing. Josef (Jason Dohring) said it best in Moonlight, "But this is so awkward. I love awkward."





2. The mysterious Sam. Dangerous. Bad mouthed. Ridiculously talented, but also tortured and careful. Learning what makes him tick and why he's so dedicated to his "cause" has me aching to write the sequel.

3. Greg. I'm too much a nerd not to love Greg.









4. Blowing stuff up is awesome. (Yeah, yeah!) That would be my inner tom boy stepping out. Excuse me while I put it back.



5. The ugly duckling. I LOVE transformation stories... And lest I should give away too much, I'll leave it at that.

Can you feel the love? I'm trying. What do you do to rekindle the spark when all you want to do is scream? And what is it you love most about your WIP?

Super Short

I'm participating in the Second Summer in the City Blogfest, which is basically a "let's set some goals for June and all support each other" blogfest. =)

So, my current WIP's are Immortal the Musical, Dark Moon, and my kids, of course. (Goals as follows:)
         1. Revise Forever into a blow-your-mind piece of music (-with the help of our kick-trash producer).
         2. Finish revising Dark Moon to third person (as opposed to 1st).
         3. Smooth and submit The Kiss of Death to a writing contest.
         4. Create our home school plan for 2011-2012. (3 kids, 3 grades.)

Is that enough? What are your goals?