Showing posts with label pyrotechnics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pyrotechnics. Show all posts

Monday, October 28, 2013

Fire! Yeah, Yeah!

Are you a Pyro?

If you don't know what that means, the answer is "no." What is a Pyro? A pyromaniac, or someone who plays with fire.

I'm a Pyro.

My dad dragged us kids up, through, and into the heart of the outdoors. Knowing how to build a fire was MANDATORY. (Like knowing how to tie your shoes.) I spent way too much time poking at the flames, learning the fine art of marshmallow roasting, and warming myself, mesmerized by the flickers of light. BUT, I also learned to be cautious of this hungry beauty. Part of our education included knowing where it was safe to build a fire so we didn't accidentally set the forest aflame, the proper tools to use, how to douse the coals so it would die, and recognizing when it was safe to walk away.

I think relationships are like a fire. They have to be built, and when first started, the flame is tenuous and needs to be sheltered. The fire grows only if it's fed, and you can't feed it too much an once, or you'll smother it. Eventually you'll have a roaring bonfire, but it too will die if not continuously fed. It provides incredible warmth, beauty and can be utilized to help you survive. Unlike a physical fire, there may never be a need to walk away, but if there is, those coals stay warm long after the flame has disappeared.

With that said, today I have the privilege of sharing my good friend, Julie Musil's brand spakin' new cover!

Manny O’Donnell revels in his status at the top of his high school food chain. He and his friends party in the mountains on a blustery night, sharing liquor and lame ghost stories around a campfire. The next morning, as a wild fire rages in those same mountains, Manny experiences doubt. He was the last of the drunken crew to leave the cave, and he’s uncertain if he extinguished the flames. Within hours, he becomes the number one arson suspect.

Santa Ana winds + matches = disaster. You’d think he would've learned that the first time he started a fire.

As he evades a determined arson investigator, Manny, a modern-day Scrooge, is visited by ghosts of the past, present, and future. He’s forced to witness the fate of his inadvertent victims, including Abigail, the scarred beauty who softens his heart. Manny must choose between turning around his callous, self-centered attitude, or protecting his own skin at the expense of anyone who gets in his way.

Julie Musil, author of YA fiction, is a chocoholic and obsessive reader. As the mother of three teen boys, she’s immersed in teen speak, drama, and gym socks. She loves to chat! Connect with her on her blog, Twitter, or Facebook

Awesome, right? I'm looking forward to this book sometime in early 2014. So are you a Pyro? Do you spaz out about flames? Have you ever accidentally set something on fire? 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

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?