Quirky Monday: Leather

You remember back when I said that people speaking in dialects and other languages turn me into a big pot of goo and I fangirl all over the place? Well, that isn’t the only thing that causes that reaction. There’s a whole list of them that could make maybe a month’s worth of posts, but this time I’ll only discuss—or fangirl about—one.

Leather.

I love the feel of it; I love the texture; I love the smell; and yes, I love the sound. Leather is cool. And it’s all the Man in Black’s fault.

For those not enlightened enough to get that cult reference (if you’re one of them--GASP!!!!), that’s a character from “The Princess Bride”. Actually, it’s two of my favorite characters from “The Princess Bride”, cause both of them sport leather.  And after you been bit by the leather bug—in my case anyway—it doesn’t go away.

My great-grandpa used to watch “Dr. Quinn” whenever we were over for Christmas, and even though I didn’t quite get the storyline, I loved the fact that these people were running around in leather boots, with leather saddles and stuff(it’s a Western, so go figure).

Wait, though, it gets worse. When I was ten, I saw a recording of Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance”(and if you haven’t seen it, you should, because OMG!!!!!....anyway….); and I fell in love with it. Not just because of the dancing, but because of all the leather pants. Ok, fine, maybe some of them were “pleather” pants, but still. It looked sooooo gooooood!!!!!

And now, on BBC, there is a show called “The Musketeers” and guess what they wear? LEATHER!!!!!

And really, all the time I was growing up I wanted to own something leather—because it looked COOL!!!!!

I used to prowl around H&M and Forever 21 just to pick up the “pleather” jackets and I’d wear them until they were worn out. I also had a pair of “pleather” pants I wore holes in cause I wore them so much. I got my first legit leather jacket three years ago. I wear it entirely too much. This past Christmas, my mom got me wool-lined leather gloves to wear during the winter. There is already a hole in one of them. Not enough to mean I have to get rid of them, but still.

If you speaking in an accents doesn’t get me gooey, try getting your hands on some leather for me. We could talk. 

Lack of One or Both Parents in Fiction

I don't usually blog on a Sunday, but I've had this on my mind for a bit, and it's time to let this thought out of my head. So here goes:

There is a surprising lack of parentage in fiction. Not just YA fiction either, and not just in novels. Adult fiction, films, plays and all of that have protagonists that--to varying degrees--lack parental ties for one reason or another.


And the parent that is usually lacking--either as an absentee who occasionally shows up but never has much of an intereatction with the protagonist, or deceased, or non-existent for some other reason-- is the mother. I get that in some genres that this is a necessary plot device(ie, the Revenge Plot, the Orphan Plot, or part of the Coming of Age Plot); but sometimes it's a matter of the author's choice.  And the more I thought about it.....well. take a look at this:

1. In Disney Films: Ariel and Belle have no mother at all. Bambi's mother is killed and he has an absentee father. Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty are taken from their parents and raised by a witch/good fairies.

2. In S.E. Hinton's YA novels, the parents are either dead(The Outsiders), or absentee in one form or another(Rumble Fish, Tex)

3. In the the Pink Carnation novels by Lauren Willig, and Deanna Raybourn's Julia Gray books, the parents are mostly there long enough to say something along the lines of: "this is where you came from, I love you, go live your life; and if you screw up I'll give you an earful"

4. The Coming of Age films like Take the Lead, Coach Carter, Forever Strong, Freedom Writers, ATL, Boyz N the Hood, etc, the parents/parental figure(s) is/are there to provide advice and guidence, but ultimately leave the choice up to the protagonist.

There are two pretty good articles I've come across that help illustrate these points. The first is an illustration of the "author's choice" idea in the form of a lovely post by one of my favorite mystery/romance writers Deanna Raybourn. Deanna is an amazing and amusing writer anyway, and I read her blog as much as I can. She made the choice, and the result is...well, read the article and find out.

The second article is from Glamour magazine, and focuses on why Disney won't give heroine's mothers. For the most part it focuses on the release of Malificent, but it does touch on this just a bit. And also brings up a personal bit about the Disney family history, which I quite like.

Personally, I have yet to write anything with a parent(or both) as one of the characters. For some reason, I have more fun in getting the characters into trouble and then making them figure out how to get out of it on their own--with little to no parental guidance, or whatever.

It's part of what makes this fun.

Me and the Movies: A Fangirl's Problem

I am a terrible person to watch movies with.

 Actually, I’m a terrible person to watch movies and tv shows with.

There. I said it.

Anyone who goes to see a movie or watches a movie or tv show with me is subjected to squeals, squeaks, vocal and silent fangirling and the occasional bouncing-up-and-down-in-my-seat-like-a-two-year-old. 

No, I’m not kidding.

Not that I don’t contain myself a little when I’m in a movie theatre. I do. But people still see the bouncing, muted squeaks,  and fangirling.

Yeah. I look like this.

Wait, though, it gets worse. Outside I movie theatre, I turn into IMDB 2.0. I spout celebrity chess did-you-knows, and behind the scenes gossips and stories, and goofs, and all that stuff.

It’s a problem.

But it’s not one I want to fix. I’m a very vocal obnoxious person when it comes to my interests and films happen to be one of those interests.

That’s all. 

Bright Smoke/Fantasy Epic Inspiration: Tyrone Power

Right so here's the deal.

Remember back when I said that this new fantasy-epic-sword-and-sandals-currently-title-less-thingummy I was writing pre-ScriptFrenzy had pirates and amazons and all that stuff? Well, now it's got something else: Tyrone Power.

Yes. THAT Tyrone Power.

 The dude from the first Mark of Zorro, and Black Swan and Black Rose and Blood and Sand and  Nightmare Alley and the list goes on.....

I mean...I Can't Even....

Here's the funny bit about that--I never would have discovered him if not for:
A)an itch to re-watch all the old pirate movies I watched with my grandpa when I was a kid; and
B) my body deciding it had enough of being perfectly healthy and it was time for a break aka Spring Cold--yay!!!(NOT).

And ohmygoodness I fell in Infatuation.

Again.

Anyhoo, I have now binged on just about every Tyrone Power movie I can get my hands on, and you know what? He could be a celeb model for either the Fantasy Epic(NEED A TITLE!!!!) or Bright Smoke, which, by the way, I'm going to overhaul after a--nine month(ish) "stew period".  And also finish up sharing tidbits of my ScriptFrenzy 2016(which I barely missed finishing on time--stupid cold!!!)

So that's cool, I guess.

Name of the Game: Artistic Control--Or Lack Thereof

Apparently, "Name of the Game" posts are turning into "Soapbox Day" here on the blog, so if you don't want to read a soapbox rant, go away. I'll still love you.

Still here? Ok, then. Bear with me....

It is human nature to want to control EVERYTHING around us.

And when we can't we scream about it.

Literally, scream.

A lot.

And you know who the loudest groups of screaming control freaks are? Thespians. You know how I know? The Oscars, and the critics, and the other stuff about the media becoming white-washed, and all that. Right. First off, I can see their point--it's a problem. What I don't like is some of the reactions to said problem, and these reactions happen because there's a situation you can't control and it makes you mad.

 That's right, whether we are on stage or the screen, we feel this very human need to control everything. And when it blows up in our faces, we throw the equivalent of a temper tantrum. Then we find out afterwards that there was something going on over which we really had no control and have two choices: throw a bigger tantrum, or move on.

Which do you think is the more mature choice?

I get it. I do. I've done it. During a production of one of my plays back in college, I was made aware of a casting decision that I was not happy with. Like, at all. So first I got mad. The way this specific character was cast didn't mesh at all with the idea in my head, my play was ruined, why bother, blah, blah, blah.

That lasted about a day.

And then I got worried. What if, because of this non-meshness, the whole thing was ruined, and I was made a laughing-stock(as we selfish college kids so wary of our "reputation" are wont to think) and branded as a terrible writer?

That lasted about a week.

I KNOW?!?!

After I finally calmed down, I did a little digging. Ok, maybe digging is the wrong word. I happened to be friends with the girl who was cast in part I was worried about, and (post one-day temper tantrum and week-long worry puddle) asked her about it.

You know what I found out? The same day I was throwing my silent fit, the poor director was in a panic because one of her actors had dropped out--the day after he was cast. For no apparent reason. And the week I was worrying, this friend of mine had offered to take on the role plus the other two she had already taken on.

Cue massive helping of humble pie and the very urgent need for yours truly to crawl under the nearest rock and not come out. For days.

My point is this: you never know what goes on behind the scenes. And people don't do things to deliberately cause offense. We choose whether or not to be offended.

True, as artists, we tend to have a bigger ego than some people; which means we think less and usually take the easy route by choosing to take offense and scream about it.

And it isn't just artists. It's other people, too. In the past--two years? three?--news headlines and the media have been rife with "situation A is making group B take action"--for "action" read "are unable to control something and therefore throw big fits to see if it'll make a difference".

Let's not. Because, really, there are things we really really can't control and being offended that we can't control something makes us look like idiots.

That's all. Descending soapbox....

Quirky Monday: BIG Entrances

The earliest drafts of Angels Alley began with Gyp being thrown out the window.

I watch the Fast and Furious movies because they start with a fight and/or a car chase--all the time.

West Side Story is among my favorite musicals because it starts with a fight.

Supernatural began its series with a fire.

Every single other show I've written has someone springing from nowhere in a really big way--one way or another.

Why?

Because I have a thing for big entrances.

I blame Disney. Some of the first movies I remember seeing--Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, The Sword and the Stone--they all had someone who got a dramatic introduction. I saw the Disney 1993 version of The Three Musketeers began with A) a torture scene and B)a fencing match followed by a chase scene. Those are big dramatic entrances.

And I love them!

On the one hand, big entrances tend to come off as cornball, which is a delicate balance that writer's have to keep, because on the other hand, big entrances are REALLY REALLY FUN!!!! Like this one:

Which is why my newest project begins with so many of them.

Quirky Monday: Austen Rant

Ok, soapbox time.

I recently saw Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with a friend. AND I LOVED IT. You know what the best part was? It made several things blatantly obvious that are hidden beneath the layers of the original. Not the least of which is:

Elizabeth Bennet is a conceited prig.

There, I said it, and I’m not taking it back.

Why? Well, first of all, because it’s the truth. Having been a fan of Austen from the time I was—eight(I KNOW!!!!); I have had/overheard countless conversations with friends/peers about her books. Chief among the subjects is something like this—“Mr. Darcy is a selfish arrogant snob that doesn’t deserve Elizabeth, blah, blah, blah.” But never never is Elizabeth faulted. Everything is laid at Darcy’s door, and some of those peers—who, understandably, have little understanding of Austen’s culture—deem him the villain of the piece. He isn’t. Not by a long shot.

Elizabeth is.

Here’s why: the class system of Austen’s world meant that those who were raised in the upper echelon of society were taught a form of etiquette where one of the rules was this: you do not speak to anyone who has not been introduced. Now, call me quirky, but if I had been raised by those rules my entire life, I’d have trouble “conversing with those of which I have no acquaintance”.  It isn’t snobbery; it isn’t anti-social behavior; it’s etiquette.

Additionally, if I was raised in a middle-class family with a scheming, rather embarrassing mother and a father who wanted to be left alone(and didn’t care a jot for society); and four sisters that were—well, they all had a fault of some kind—I would  certainly want to hide my hurt with something we all hold a little too dear at times. That something is called Pride. And when our pride is damaged, when tend to do and say stupid things, sometimes with the best of intentions.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that those of us with faults tend to tar others with the same brush. People familiar with both the book and the film will remember Elizabeth’s words to Darcy when he first proposes to her: “Your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain convinced me that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry!”

She calls him arrogant, conceited, disdainful. Anybody wonder if she picks those out because sub-consciously she has those faults herself? That’s called prejudice.; and it’s something Elizabeth developed long before that jackass Wickham came into her life. 

And ok, if someone I was attracted to(yes, she was attracted to him!!! it’s in the book)said I was “not handsome enough to tempt [him]”; and I was already aware that my fortune and family wouldn’t exactly get me the best match, I’d be ticked off too.

Pride and Prejudice doesn’t just get its name from the faults of one of it’s characters; the title comes from the faults of two. Both act—in part—according to how they were raised; and both have to overcome the faults in their upbringing to get their happily ever after.

The end.

Descending soapbox.

This post was brought to you in part by “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, now playing in theatres and one of the few adaptions where the screenwriter gets both Elizabeth and Darcy right.

Name of the Game: What's in a Genre?

“I admire those authors whose plots are charted from the first chapter, and whose characters do just what they tell them to. My characters know who is boss. Them.  I just watch, chronicle, and occasionally go back and rewrite after they’ve made a hash of my carefully laid plot plans.”  Lauren Willig

“Honesty is definitely the best policy when there is no danger of being taken seriously.” Lauren Willig

Really, there is nothing like one of my favorite authors to clunk me over the head with facts like that.
Thanks Lauren.

So this is me being honest. Again.

I hate writing fantasy with "magic-based" magic systems. And yes, part of it is pure laziness on my part because I hate coming up with rules and I hate outlining and developing magic-based magic systems has a lot to do with outlining and rules(kill me).

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against magical fantasy when done well, but let's face it, there are only a few authors who can do it right. The rest use seem to use magic as a cop out("hey, there's magic in my story, so it's fantasy"--BLEH!!!).

Looking back, the second reason for my not wanting to write "magic-based" magic systems in fantasy might have to do with some of my favorite fairy tales.

First Case in Point: Maid Maleen by the Brother’s Grimm

This is a fairy tale very few people know about, unless you’ve read Shannon Hale’s adaption, Book of A Thousand Days. Briefly, it’s the story of a maid named Maleen, who is also a princess. She refuses to marry the man of her father’s choosing, and so the king locks her and her servants up in a tower for seven years. When the food runs out after seven years, the princess and her entourage escape and run to the kingdom of Maleen’s love. The prince has been betrothed to another princess, who—on the night of their wedding—become so terrified that she sends Maleen in her place. After the marriage, the prince’s actual betrothed sends as an assassin to kill Maleen and the prince follows.  In true fairy tale fashion, he shows up in time to save her and they live happily ever after.

Magic? No.

One of my favorite fantasy stories? Yes.

Second Case in Point: Tathea by Anne Perry

Disclaimer: This book and it’s sequel are like fifteen thousand pages long and took me five tries to actually get through them.

However, it’s a brilliant piece of work. Written in multiple POV the story is initially hard to follow, but the basic plot concerns an exiled Queen, Tathea, and her search for the meaning of life.—complete with references to Judeo-Christian mythology and teachings(several of which made this little LDS[Mormon] girl very very happy!). Once again, there is no magic, there are no elves, dwarves, or regular staples of fantasy; yet it is still a fantasy.

Third Case in Point: The Knight’s Tale I and II  by Chaucer

I love the Canterbury Tales—even the dirty ones. They are delightful ways to while away time when all you want is a piece of lit fluff. The two Knight’s Tales are my particular favorites. One everyone already knows thanks to the Health Ledger movie. You know, the one about the peasant squire who masquerades as a noble knight and it turns out he is one?

The other Knight’s Tale isn’t one that many people—short of British History/English Lit majors—are familiar with.  It’s set in the time of King Theseus and concerns two childhood friends—Palamon and Arcite—who are knights and fall in love with the same woman, the king’s sister Emeyle. The king declares that they joust for the right to marry his sister and in the end Arcite dies and Palamon marries Emeyle at Arcite’s command. Which turns this little romantic into goo.

The original genre definition of a fantasy work deals with folklore and mythology. Fantasy doesn’t have to be about wands, wizards, elves, dragons and the like. Not everything has to be LOTR or Harry Potter to be great fantasy. Heck, not everything has to be Robert Jordan or George RR Martin or Brandon Sanderson either.

Which is awesome for someone like me.

Quirky Monday: Week of Mush

You know how I theme read? I also theme watch. And since it's Valentine's week, here's a little Valentine quirk for you: 

I watch chick flicks and period films the whole month of February.

I'm one of those types who plunks down in front of the screen ready to squeal at period romance and mourn over the fact that so few people behave like this anymore(that's for a later post)

So for you reading pleasure, below is a list of the films I indulge in this month--with a new one recently added, because Sean Bean in frock coat. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

 Follows the coming of age of a young governess, Jane Eyre, and her love for her master, the enigmatic Mr. Edward Rochester. Read so many times both covers are torn off, pages are dog-eared, and binding held together with—wait for it—packing tape.

Originally published: October 1847

Adapted for Film/Television:   adapted thirty-four times between 1910 and 2011

Adapted for the Stage/Radio: Adapted 22 times between and 2013 including radio adaptions, and web series

Most Famous Adaptions:

Film: Starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontain; 2011 Starring Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska

Stage: Adaption by John Caird and Paul Gordon, starring Marla Scheffel  and James Stacy Barbour

Television: 1983 BBC starring Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton; A&E 1997 starring Samatha Morton and Ciaran Hinds; Masterpiece Classic 2006 starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson(personal favorite)

Radio: Campbell Playhouse 1944 starring Orson Welles and Loretta Young; BBC 1994 starring Ciaran Hinds

**NEW**Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

Note: Hardest classic I’ve ever read. I have developed an intense dislike of epistolary novels.  Follows the lovely Clarissa Harlowe, and her seducer Robert Lovelace.  Also has the ability to makes me cry quarts--at the villain’s demise of all things

Originally Published: 1748

Adapted for Film/Television: Once in 1991

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Once in 2010

Most Famous Adaptions:

1991 BBC Starring Sean Bean as Lovelace(and that, ladies and gents makes 102 on my stupid list!!!!)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The lives and loves of the Bennett sisters, particularly Jane and Elizabeth, the latter of whom catches the eye of the proud and misunderstood(yes, I said misunderstood)Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. I could go on a whole spiel about why Darcy is so misunderstood—but that’s another can of worms altogether.

Originally Published:

Adapted for Film/Television: Eleven times between 1938 and 2005

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Nine times between 1935 and 2014(I happen to know the playwright of the 2014 adaption)

Most Famous Adaptions:

1940 Starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier(and containing the BEST Lady Catherine/Elizabeth showdown ever “I like her. She loves you Darcy; she’s the one for you.”  Eeek! Why was that not in the book?!

1995 A&E/BBC Starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth(with that LAKE SCENE!!!! why was THAT not in the book?!)

“Furst Impressions” Wishbone episode starring the darling Jack Russel Terrier as Mr. Darcy(if you haven’t seen it, Youtube it—SO CUTE!!!)

2005 Starring Kiera Knightly and Matthew Macfacdyen (Confession: I am not a Kiera Knightly fan, but this movie was one of her good ones—and the little thing with casting Collins as a shrimp—loved it!!!)

2014 by Melissa Lelani Larson. Premiered at BYU in Utah for the 50^th anniversary of the Fine Arts Building

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Follows the story of the dashing masked hero, Sir Percy Blakney and his wife Marguerite St. Just, as they rescue French aristocrats and foil the plans of the slimy Chauvelin.  Read the first book in four hours—lost sleep due to how good it is. Sequels? Not so much.

Originally Published: 1905

Adapted for Film/Television: Eighteen times between 1918 and 2006

Adapted for Stage/Radio: Adapted three times between1950 and 1997

Most Famous Adaptions:

1934 Starring Leslie Howard(playing the fop to the hilt!!!)

1982 Masterpiece starring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Ian McKellan(SO dashing as brunette, and fabulous foil for Anthony Andrews!)

1997 Broadway Musical by Frank Wilderhorn and Nan Knighton originally starring Douglass Sills, Christine Andreas and Terrence Mann

1999; 2000 A&E Adaption starring Richard E Grant, Elizabeth McGovern and Martin Shaw(some fans hate this—I happen to LOVE it. All of them! It’s called poetic license people. Deal!)

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The most famous of the Gaskell novels, follows the somewhat snobbish Margaret Hale as she moves from the south of England to the North, where she also catches the eye of mill owner John Thornton.

Originally Published: 1855

Adapted for Film/Television: Twice; 1975 and 2004

Most Famous Adaptions:

2010 BBC Starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Note:  my personal favorite Austen

Fanny Price is sent to live with her rich relatives at Mansfeild Park, where she observes that just because you’re rich, it doesn’t make you happy. She also falls in love with her cousin, Edmund.

Originally Published: 1814

Adapted for Film/Television: five times between 1983 and 2014

Adapted for Stage/Radio: three times between 2003 and 2014

Most Famous Adaptions:

1999 by Patricia Rozema starring Francis O’Connor and Johnny Lee Miller

2003 BBC Radio starring , Felicity Jones,  Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant(and Benedict and David make stunning brothers!!)

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Originally Published: serialized 1866

Adapted for Film/Television: twice in 1971 and 1999

Most Famous Adaptions:

1999 BBC starring Keeley  Hawes, Justine Waddell, Tom Hollander and Anthony Howell(I personally don’t find one of the leading men all that stereotypically attractive, but hey, to each her own. His voice makes me squeal.)

Quirky Tidbit Name of the Game: Bean, Sean Bean

So. It has clearly been a busy week, which means that this will be a mishmash of Quirky/Tidbit/Name of the Game. Thank you adulting. Fortunately, all three of these things coincide.

I've already mentioned that I do these weird celebrity obsessions right? This one has to do with my current projects. And it's weird, because not only is this someone I've had a secret crush on for a while, but I've never really talked about. Out loud. Fortunately, this is someone everybody knows(thank you pop culture). He started as Lovelace and Sharpe; he's done James Bond(as a villain); he's acted with Nic Cage(and was fabulous); current pop culture knows him as Boromir and Ned Stark. Know who he is yet?

Yes. It's Sean Bean. And yes, I fell in love with him when I saw Lord of the Rings. I saw him in National Treasure and he won me over even as a villain. Thanks to my job, I have access to all his earlier work, namely the Sharpe mini-series and the BBC adaption of Clarissa. So I've been doing a bit of a binge on all things Sean Bean that I can possibly get my hands on--and I feel no shame about such.

 The result is this week's "Tidbit Tuesday" section: that he  is currently dancing around in my head as a celebrity model for not one, but two of my characters. And here's why. See this photo above is Sean Bean as of last year. The photo below is when he was younger, specifically as Richard Sharpe:

And yes, all right, there isn't much difference between the two(the photos are fifteen years apart). But these are the faces I get when I think of these two characters--one the villain, and one the hero. I love his accent--both his natural and those he assumes for his roles; I love the way he moves, whether he's flirting/seducing a woman, or shooting things, or swinging his sword around. I haven't seen every episode of Game of Thrones but I have read the first book; and I follow enough of it on Social Media that I was upset by the death of his character(I watched Ned Stark's death on Youtube multiple times--some of the saddest fifty-three seconds of my life:) 

Needless to say, once this project is over, his face will stay in my head. And yes, he is one of the celebrities on my Collaboration Bucket List.

Quirky Monday: New Fluff

So Galavant is back on.

And so is Downton Abbey.

And Reign.

And there’s a new period show called Mercy Street that airs right after Downton.

And the other day at work, where we get to let music blare so long as A) you’re in the right department(media, in this case) and B)it doesn’t blare too loud, I found a Savage Garden album and listened to it all shift. (Savage Garden was my high school obsession. Yes, I’m that old. And we move on…)

Oh yes, and MTV’s Shannara Chronicles has become my Tuesday night TV show after my Shadowhunters fluff-fest(yes, there are a lot of new things I’m watching—it is not my fault all these new shows premiered at more or less the same time, leave me alone :3)

What do all these things have in common? All contribute to my next project.

Remember that one time I said that I have to work on multiple projects or all go nuts; because I’m just that weird? Well, as it happens, that is what this is. Gray Market is my “heavy project” and this new one is my “fluffy project”.

And my “fluffy project” really is that. Fluff.

If Gray Market  is Katie McGarry and my attempt at a romantic drama/urban fantasy take two, then this fluff Galavant meets Austen/Lauren Willig/Shanara—and a fairy tale. Because, really, who can resist a guy in breeches/ frock coat/ leather/ tunic/ all of the above? Not me. Especially if some of them look like this:

Guys, I am super excited about this project. I haven’t written something that is pure fluff in a very long time—and that is what this project feels like.

Research requirements? Minimal to none(this realm has no magic system, so I don’t have to worry about that; but it does have a class system and a monarchy, so there’s those rules to consider—and languages. I have to figure out what those sound like).

Music? I’ll post that later—it’s the fluffiest yet!

And it has Amazons! 

Ok, it has female warriors that resemble the Amazons.

And pirates!

And royalty!

And spies, conspirators, scrappy female runaway slaves(who may or may not resemble certain Reign characters in my head right now)….

Yes, a fairy tale.

Without a title.

But that comes later. 

Tidbit Tuesday: Cameos Galore From the "Writing Closet"

I was having one of those days yesterday where I go back through all my projects to find something to revise because if I didn't I'd do go nuts.

This was after I had spend four hours baking things. My roommates love me, and there is a lot of refined sugar stuff in our apartment--let see if it lasts a week.

Anyhoo.....

As I was going through my projects, I made a discovery--or rather, a lot of discoveries. Check this out:

• Nick Callahan and Johnny Moreno in "Angels Alley". Davey, Dutch, Ash, and Gyp featured
• Davey and Mark in "Not a Criminal". Nick, Johnny and Gyp featured
• Ash featured in "Spider's Web"
• Dutch, featured as an Adult, in "Alley Cats"(with Johnny)
• Davey, Mark, and Gyp(under another name) featured in "Like Wolves"
• Alexis Callahan(Nick's relative) and Max("Maxie") in "Bright Smoke" and "Angel's Alley" 
• Milo(from "Simpatico") is related to Johnny(from "Angels Alley")
• Kiki and Eve("Polterguys") are descendants of Ivy(Kiki) and Julia(Eve) from "Angels Alley" How's that last one for weird?

For some reason, these people insist on getting a relative into whatever story is being told at the time. I've even got relatives of these people in my fantasy stuff(figure that one out).

You guys.

I am unwittingly writing a multi-generational, multi-genre, family saga.

It's weird.

***This discovery has been brought to you by chocolate bread, mint brownies, and cake balls****

Quirky Monday: Open the Door

When I'm with a guy, I expect him to open my door.

All of them.

Whether it's a date, or not.

How's that for weird?

I went to shoot a publicity video with a friend once, and he parked the car, and walked across the parking lot. And left me in the car. I waited maybe two minutes before he texted me "are you coming?" and I texted him "I don't know, are you going to open the door?" And the same thing happened when he drove me home. When did open the door to let me in, he said "it isn't a date".

I'm sorry. Does it have to be a date to open the door? Personally, I don't think so.

With four brothers, who have opened the doors for me, my sister, and my mom from the time they were three(and trust me, there is nothing more adorable than a chubby three-year-old-wrestling with a door three times his size and stubbornly insisting "No! Do self!").

Maybe they ruined it for me, I don't know. But I happen to like when even random stranger guys open the door for me.

I'm the weird female that stands in front of the door when she sees a male behind her to see if he'll open the door for her. 

Nuts, right?

Yes, guys, I'm a snob.

It doesn't have to be a date for a guy to open the door for a girl. 

The end. 

Name of the Game From the "Writing Closet": What The People I Write Do To Me. For Fun.

Post title sounds racy, huh?

I swear, it isn't what you think ^_^

My characters so enjoy allowing me to transcribe their quirky and sometimes uncomfortable situations.

Don't ask me why, I get this weird little thrill out of it, is all. They tell the story, and I write it down; and I know I'm not the only one. Take this, for example(thanks again to Lauren Willig):

I KNOW RIGHT?!

And don't tell me a guy doesn't have instances like that; and if you say they haven't y'all are lying.

It's not just the romantic bits either(although it is pretty fun to write men who are stumbling over their words in certain situations). Sometimes it's the things they say. Like these--from Supernatural:

The best part is when those characters come off the page and up into the stage--or the screen, or in the reader's heads--in all their entertaining glory.  I have a friend who's world premiere  is coming up in about two weeks(and if you're in the Arizona area, you can get tickets to said world premiere by following this shameless Brelby plug here). I haven't read his script, nor is it very likely I will be able to see it--stupid airfare and hotel prices and life being what it is--but knowing him, and knowing the creative team and actors involved, the show will be killer(yes, that pun was also intended, and if you follow the link, you'll know why)! 

And, because we're all friends on Facebook, I do get to see little bits of the process. Like the mini-video of one character dumping water on the sleeping head of another character. Which, by the way, I have watched eight times; and it still makes me laugh(thank you Instagram). 

Yes, yes, I know that something like this gets done off the stage as well as on, but there is nothing more fun for a writer to do: to sit back and transcribe this story with all it's little quirks, and odd situations, and dramatics and the occasional scene where the males...punch each other for recreational purposes(thanks Lauren Willig for that one; and no, I have no idea why I get such a kick out of that--pun intended!). 

Writer's get to hear and see the whole story before everyone else. We get insight into the lives of people with stories to tell--and we are the first audience they get to entertain. There are times when I am nowhere near any writing utensil of any kind--laptop included--and I get this little scene in my head that A) puts a big stupid grin on my face; B) has my emotions all in a tangle and/ or C) experiencing and adrenaline rush that has nothing to do with the events of my day. 

Guys, I'm not just weird.

I'm a writer. 

Writers get to know the most interesting people, both inside and outside of our heads.

Is it any wonder we have the coolest dang jobs/hobbies in the world?

Tidbit Tuesday: New Year, New Project, New Research

Now that the GRE is over, and all I'm worrying about at the moment is work, I get to go back to doing what I love--writing twenty-four seven. Because I can.

See, this year I'm starting another project; because, let's face it, I'm a playwright and have to be writing or I'll--keel over and die probably :p Anyhoo....This project is new, so this means I get new research material for said new project, because artists need stuff like that(yay muses!)

My Angels Alley cycle relied on the films of the 40s, with special attention paid to the likes of Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.

Polterguys relied on The Addams Family, and Friends.

NaNoWriMo was a super binge on Urban Fantasy, Rob Thurman's books, and lots of Breaking Benjamin Albums(thank you Youtube).

My newest project obviously has to have new muse and new inspiration, and this one is kinda nice. It's a little throwback to last year of high school and first couple of years of college. I fell in love with this show after one episode, and spent the next couple of days reading up on it so I could understand what was going on--as I discovered it after the end of the third season(I saw the finale as a re-run). It was what everybody who watched CW loved on Monday nights and had clothes and glitter and pretty people and things. The show? Gossip Girl.

I posted about my wild crush on the show's Bad Boy Gossip Girl Chuck Bass earlier on this blog, but that isn't really the reason I'm using this show as media muse for this new project. I'm going contemporary with this one, so I've picked this show and a new author that will keep my muse fed:

Katie McGarry.

If Lauren Willig is my go to for entertainment elsewhere, then Katie McGarry is my YA contemporary fix. Katie writes like "Gossip Girl"--only she does it via the good girl/bad boy or bad girl/good boy romantic duo.....Yeah, ok, fine; it's exactly like Gossip Girl.

But I digress.

This project is contemporary, and deals with things I haven't written about before. There's more, but I think I've given you enough of a tidbit today.  Except for one thing: I'll give you the title.

GRAY MARKET