Year: 2009

  • ‘Tis done … for now …

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    So I’ve finished my first draft of my young-adult fantasy, Quiver. Word count: 62,241. If I was writing one of the Elemental Assassin books, I’d need about 30,000 more words. But I think 62K is a good start for a YA. I’m thinking the final book will be between 70-75K.

    After about six false starts, I finally think I’ve nailed down how I want the story to go. My main character, Gwen, is sort of a Scarlet Pimpernel meets Robin Hood type. With magic. Here is something resembling a blurb:

    After her father’s murder, Gwen Frost has taken up his legacy as the Hood, an outlaw who haunts the forests around the capitol city of Cadogan. Gwen has a Talent or magic for sight, which has led her to become one of the best archers in all the Thirteen Kingdoms. By day, Gwen robs the corrupt nobles who travel through the forest and gives their money to those who need it. At night, she masquerades as Lady Gwendolyn, a spoiled, wannabe princess who seems to care for nothing but spending her inheritance on her extravagant wardrobe as fast as she can.

    But when Gwen inadvertantly thwarts on assassination attempt on Prince Percy St. John, she finds herself working to stop a scheme that threatens the entire kingdom — and vows to finally bring her father’s killer to justice …

    I don’t know why this draft was so hard for me to write. Maybe because I’ve never written a YA before, so I was unsure about the voice. Maybe because my first plot sucked out loud. Maybe because it’s been winter, and I’ve just felt sluggish and lazy.

    Anyway, here’s the first chapter for your reading enjoyment. (And please excuse the formatting if it is wonky or if there’s a word or two missing. I had to go through and delete all the code, and I just never know what WordPress is going to do to the type until I hit post). Happy reading! :ww:

    QUIVER — CHAPTER ONE

    Read More “‘Tis done … for now …”

  • Smooth-Talking Stranger …

    So the folks over at Dear Author and Smart Bitches are doing another Save the Contemporary book campaign, this time for Smooth-Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas. There are free books to be had, so go on over and check out how you can enter and help spread the word. 😉

    Now, I don’t keep a lot of books (simply because I don’t have room) and I don’t re-read that many books either, but Kleypas’ other two contemporaries, Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil, are two books that have gone up on my keeper shelf and that I will re-read. The voice, the stories, the characters, the simple elegance of the writing — I loved both of them. Sugar Daddy was my favorite read of 2008, and so far, Blue-Eyed Devil is my best read of 2009.

    Kleypas makes me want to write my own contemporary. To me, that’s the mark of a great book — it gets me excited about reading more and even writing in that genre.

    And what’s even better is I gave Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil to my mom. She’s really picky about what she reads. She doesn’t like historicals (except for westerns), and she doesn’t like paranormal. But she loved these books just as much as I did. We had a lot of fun talking about them, and we’re both looking forward to Smooth-Talking Stranger. We’ll probably be fighting over who gets to read it first …

  • A second chance …

    There will, in fact, be a second chance tournament for the Dear Author/Smart Bitches tournament. Huzzah! So go on over and enter.

    I did, because my first bracket sucked. Of course, now the second book I’ve picked to win (Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas) will automatically lose as well. Because that’s how I roll when it comes to contests. :rolleyes:

    Sorry, Ms. Kleypas, I really didn’t mean to curse your book …

  • Book madness …

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    I’ve been meaning to mention this all week, but time has gotten away from me. Anyway, the folks at Dear Author and Smart Bitches are hosting their own version of March Madness — with books. Check it out here.

    It’s too late to sign up to win prizes now (unless maybe they do a second-chance tournament halfway through like they did last year?). But you can still vote here and play along at home.

    My pick to win the tournament? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (which is next in my TBR pile). Of course, now that I’ve picked that book, it’s sure to lose. Whenever I pick something in a game like this, it always loses — even if it’s favored to win. Wheezley claims I have this curse thing going on. Sometimes, I think he’s right … :rolleyes:

  • 930 and counting …

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    Finished The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines. This book kicks off a new fantasy series for Hines, about three fairy tale princesses and the adventures they have.

    This book focuses on Danielle de Glas Whiteshore (aka Cinderella). Danielle is trying to adjust to life in the royal castle now that she’s married her prince. But when Danielle’s stepsister Charlotte tries to kill her, the princess learns that her husband has been kidnapped — and that her servant Talia (aka Sleeping Beauty) is quite handy with weapons. Danielle and Talia team up with Snow (aka Snow White) and go to the dangerous realm of Fairytown in order to rescue Danielle’s husband. But whether the princesses ever make it back home again is anyone’s guess …

    I enjoyed Hines’ Goblin series, and I was looking forward to reading more of his work. And there are few things I love more than a good twist on classic fairy tales. This book featured everything I’ve come to expect from a Jim Hines book — a classic fantasy world, an ordinary character turned reluctant hero, and lots of funny moments.

    I liked how Hines took the traditional fairy tales and used them to give each princess her own personality, problems, and quirks. Of the three, I thought Talia had the most interesting backstory. Because instead of being awakened by a handsome prince’s kiss, Talia’s prince charming took horrible advantage of her sleeping body — which has left her with more than a few emotional scars. I’m interested to see what Hines does with her in future books.

    Danielle and Snow also get their moments to shine, and I liked how Hines wove in other fairy tale elements with their characters. For example, instead of a glass slipper, Danielle has a glass sword, while Snow wears a necklace made of magic mirrors. Subtle little touches like that are some of the things I love best about fairy tale stories. I also loved the whole Charlie’s Angels, secret-protectors-of-the-kingdom setup.

    Overall, if you’re looking for a fairy tale story with lots of action and plenty of girl-power attitude, check this one out. I’ll definitely be reading the next one. Thumbs up.

    Up next: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks.

    Books in my TBR pile: About 20.

    What about you guys? Reading anything good? Share in the comments.