Tag Archives: writing

It’s That Time Again — #ROW80 Round 3 Goals

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AKA: Yeah, I know I failed at this last year, but I have to try again.

See, I have an issue with commitment. I don’t like change–and that’s part of being a writer. I need to learn to cope with it, roll with it. You name it, I need to adapt. Sure, I can write. Sometimes my words are even beautiful, crazy things… But when I’ve spent the last three months letting FEAR get in the way of everything (my blog, my writing, everything…) something’s wrong. I know it’s easy to just ignore the problem and hope it goes away by avoiding it. But it’s not going to get my anywhere.

I didn’t expect to ever be afraid of writing. I don’t know if it’s actual fear of the writing itself, but it’s definitely fear. Of success? Of failure? Both? I’m not sure. All I know is that I’m lingering, hoping something will change, but I’m not doing anything about it. So it’s time to be proactive. I am a writer–I need to write. /end ramble.

Here are my #ROW80 Goals. These will be both writing and promoting related.

1) Post at least twice a week on the blog AND reply to all comments.
I’m horrible at this and I apologize; this is a very scary thing for me. I feel very…socially inept and I like to hide my head in the sand. I’m working on this.

2) Get reintroduced to Twitter and start participating more.
Again, comfort-zone issue. I was the same way with Facebook, but I’m doing better on that, just because I’ve forced myself to log in and piddle every single day! Now I find FB more of an amusement than an annoyance and hopefully I can fall back in love with Twitter again!

3) Buckle down and write 1,200 words MINIMUM a day.
My goal is to write at least a scene a day on my WIP Wolfspirit (which I’ll be blogging about here soon!) and then, at the end of the day, if I pass my minimum, I’ll allow myself some free-writing words on my adult romance project, which is my fun!WIP.

If I find need to change my goals, I’ll re-evaluate and update :) Also, I’ll probably only be checking in once a week, just because…I forget things. I’m so ADD sometimes, lol! But I’m going to set a timer on my phone to remind me :P

Souljacker: Cover Reveal!

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I am officially down to five scenes remaining in the Big Boss Battle on my WIP, Souljacker. (Well, technically four remaining in the BBB, and one for story-wrapup, but still!) Whoot whoot! Kicking butt, I am. Of course, it’s all thanks to the lovely Sadie Hart, for using that cattleprod and…zapping me into submission and writing the end.

The end. Ominious, isn’t it? Ends are superbly hard for me. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’ve been with these characters for 60k+ words, and know their book’s coming to a close and don’t want to give them up? Or if it’s the fact that I’m sick and tired of them and want it to be over (LOL!) that makes me halt around the 8-scenes-left line. I’ve done if for almost every book I’ve written. xD It’s just a Kodi-thing. But that’s okay!

The important thing is: I’m getting it done. I hope to have Souljacker completely written and a pass-over done by Monday, and out to betas the next day. Edits in April. And I still have hopes of a mid-May release date, but nothing’s set in stone.

BUT I do have a…dundundun…. Cover reveal :D

Souljacker:

Only one more year until she’s 18, then Lucifer Swift can start a new life, one not filled with loveless foster homes and whispered rumors—painful reminders of her past. She knows she’ll never outrun her Need, the monster inside of her that can suck the life force out of someone with just a touch, but she can sure as hell try. Nothing holds her here. She has no family, no friends, nothing.

Until she meets him.

Iofiel is a Cyberhound—a dark Faerie creation who can shift from man to canine and back again in the blink of an eye. Pack law denies him the right to love, but Iofiel can’t suppress his want. And he wants what he can’t have: A certain girl with haunted blue eyes, a girl with secrets darker than his…

I Know It’s Not A Monday, But…

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I need to share this music with you :) I’m like super-obsessed with this guy right now; I plan on buying the CDs he has available on Amazon, but just haven’t had the chance. I especially love the songs where it’s just him and the piano…brilliant. Really wish this guy was bigger than he currently is :0 He’s got raw talent…compared to people like Ke$ha who are rich and famous…for no apparent reason (I’m not bashing her! She’s fun to dance to xD But if we’re being honest here, talented isn’t a word I’d use to describe her. My opinion :P )

 

As for me, I’m surviving. Fell off the ‘healthy’ lifestyle for a bit due to Evil Bronchitis, working my fitness level back up again now. I have noticed that while I was eating healthier/exercising daily, I had more energy and was more excitable and overall happy. So I want to get back to that level!

We had to have one of our elderly dogs put down earlier this month because she was doing really bad…worse than we realized after we took her in. Immy and I didn’t see eye to eye, so I’m not that broken by it…but the fact that my girl, Lily, my heartdog, is Immy’s littermate…and is gonna be eleven…kills. I wish I could breathe years back onto her life. I love her…but I hope she sticks around a long while :) Doxies can live to be 15+ so here’s to hoping!

Writing wise, kind of all over the place, lol! TRYING to finish Souljacker (which totally has a summary now, go look ! ;D) but I’m just feeling rather…unsettled with it. Still hoping to finish up those 8 scenes in the next week or so! Still hoping for a May release :)

And in good news, my WIP from last year, Hunger, is telling me its a trilogy and the last book sounds totally badass in my head! Unfortunately, I probably won’t get to that book until mid-2013. Too many ideas, too little time.

<3

Now Available: Spellbound

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This novel has come a long way from being completely pantsed one fateful NaNoWriMo when I’d been through three dead-end drafts of books I’ll never go back to and couldn’t figure out what to write. I sat down, ready to start one project…and then Spellbound ran away with me. I had my main character’s name and the fact she was a dragon. The rest? Pfft. Who needs to know? :P

Of course, me being me, after about half the book spent floundering, going “What happens next?!” I decided to plot it. Well, about halfway. Then I hit 50k, shelved it, deciding I’d go back to it later. Two years later, I dusted it off, polished it up, plotted the end, and wrote the rest of it. It turned out to be slightly darker than I’d intended, but I love it.

Today, I’m happy to announce that Spellbound is now available for sale at Amazon, Amazon.co.uk Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords ($2.99). I will update Spellbound‘s page as more venues become available. :)

Until then:

Wylde Debraux is 16; sassy, fiercely independent—and the Wyvern princess of the desert tribe of Kiir’vanan. When her father demands she choose a suitor within a fortnight to become her mate, Wylde rebels…and finds herself face to face with her enemies.

Born without power, Kascien Trump is a slave to the Magi. He’s as trapped as the bio-engineered dragonhounds he breeds and fights for his master. Then Wylde blazes into his life, offering him the possibility of freedom, and he knows she’s probably his only ticket out of there. Alive, anyway.

But when Wylde’s captured, the spellbound slave and the fiery dragon-shifter have to put aside their differences and work together to outwit the Magi and escape the clutches of Kascien’s corrupt master…or lose themselves trying.

Happy reading! I hope you enjoy! :)

Update :)

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Whoo, been a long month…even though the month isn’t over yet (nor is it very long, but OH WELL Long in my book).

Been really focused on eating healthier, exercising, and all that jazz. I’ve fallen off the wagon a few times, particularly with giving up pop (ugh, my Kryptonite!) but I’m doing good for the most part. Excited to see the changes in my body and mind as I go through this journey, and excited to what the future brings. I really want to go horseback riding by my birthday this summer, so that’s my goal.

Another thing that has me working double-hard: I want to be independent. Not just, “Oh I’m making money!” independent, but a car, a house, a yard, a puppy, sort of independent. It’s the puppy that’s really driving this one :P I’ll admit. I know myself too well: If I start looking up breeders now, I’ll start wanting it badly. So I’ve decided I’ll reassess my situation around Christmastime this year. And then look at breeders xD (I want an Australian shepherd, I’ve decided, btw! I’m so bad, I already have names picked out LOL)

On the writing front, after finishing Spellbound, things just went to hell in a hand basket. Had some family drama, which has resulted in my younger two siblings moving to our Dad’s house early March. We may or may not be moving to a farmhouse this summer. It’s all up in the air right now and just stressful. I hate change haha.

After deciding on a “game plan” for future releases this year, I picked up my 2011 NaNo, Souljacker, which I’d abandoned halfway through the month. Lucky for me, I’d outlined it 100% already, so I set up the outline in Sticky Notes on my desktop, made a mock-cover, and have been working on that. So far, all’s going smoothly. I forgot how much I loved Lucy :D

Spellbound‘s still in editing stages, but I’ve gotten one round of critiques back and have implemented them. I’m hoping to have it out by mid-March, but we’ll see what the future holds.

And an update on Wolfsong! My proof is on its way here. Should be here by the 4th. :D If all goes well formatting-wise, paperback should be available through Amazon, Createspace, and several other vendors in March!

Music Monday: Forever Unstoppable

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I recently got the Whatever CD from Hot Chelle Rae; for the most part the lyrics are kind of meh/not high on my OMGAWESOME list. But the beats are catchy and I find myself singing to the CD. It’s definitely something I’ll be walking/dancing to :)

But this song, I really love. It’s my favorite on the CD and it’s aptly fitting in a sense for me. I recently started a lifestyle change, to aim to get healthier, happier, and fit. I’ve always believed weight loss was impossible with Polycystic Ovarian syndrome…but I really think I just needed to find what was right for me. I’m very happy with my loss so far, proud of myself. I feel Forever Unstoppable right this minute :)

Saturday Snippet: Spellbound #2

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Today’s snippet comes from my dragon-shifter WIP, Spellbound:

Wylde sprang away, crouching next to the fallen deer, her wings receding into clawed hands which spread, splay-fingered, on the ground. The doe’s brown eyes were wide, still hanging on. Wylde stroked her fingertips against the velvety nose as nostrils flared and unflared. The doe shuddered and then the last breath left her lungs and she was merely a shell of herself. Her soul ripped free with one final jerk. Wylde, graced, watched as the whisper of a ghost found her legs and took off into the woods, her spectral form blending in to the wisps of mist gathering around them before disappearing.

“Thank you, Free One.” The Wyvern’s voice was thick as she uttered a soft Vanlan prayer and sliced her claws across the doe’s throat. Ribbons of crimson flooded free and Wylde bent down. Heat still pulsed off the corpse, the smell of the blood sickly sweet, making her mouth water.

With both hands, she lifted the deer’s heavy head, bringing it close and licked the blood flowing from the wound. The taste of the doe’s lingering energy made Wylde’s stomach roar, a gargoyle statue brought to life by the pallid light of the moon.

And baring her fangs, she began to feed.

Saturday Snippet: Spellbound #1

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Subtitle: Wow, I Really Fail At Blogging.
Subtitle’s Subtitle: And Coming Up With Creative Titles. FTW.

Haha, that said, I am going to have to start scheduling posts because Monday goes by and it’s Wednesday and I’m like: “Whoo…I forgot to post!”…and then it’s Friday and I’m like: “Oh, I forgot again -facepalm-”. Just a matter of daily habits. Which I’m learning. Slowly. Blargh! ANYWAY. I’ve decided to start my Re-blogging on Saturday, instead of waiting until Monday.

I’ve decided that Saturday is a good day to share a snippet for the week. So weekly, I’ll be taking a few sentences out of my current work-in-progress, to share with readers. They might be happy, they might be sad…they might just be what I consider ‘pretty’ words, or a piece that I really like. Who knows!

So. I’d like to start off with the first excerpt from Spellbound. Wylde is a Wyvern princess quickly coming upon the throne, and her father’s making her choose a suitor in a fortnight to be her lifemate and future king, even if she doesn’t love the man she chooses:

He wouldn’t act like this if Mother was still alive. She blinked back the threat of tears and let the breeze carry her to the edge. Her gaze stole across the horizon, the light of the moon casting the sands of Vanla in a blue-violet hue. The stars dotted a black velvet sky, tiny pinpricks of light, and Wylde raised her arms.

He didn’t own her. His blood might run deep within her body, but he had no control over her soul. She threw her head back and let loose another shriek, the sound piercing the silent night air like a siren. Not at all human, but then again, she wasn’t one.

Before anyone could come up and stop her, Wylde threw herself forwards. Three steps and she was suddenly mid-air, careening towards the ruthless ground, hundreds of feet from the top of the Nest. Her silk dress fluttered in the wind as she fell: down, down, down.

2012 Goals

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Happy New Years everyone! We’re doing our typical New Years Eve, celebrating the ball dropping to 2012 with virgin pina coladas (and milkshakes for the kids), but I decided to do a post for my resolutions (but…let’s just call them goals, cuz in my entire 23 years on this earth, I’ve never been able to keep resolutions :P ) So. New years goals!

I’ve decided that 2012 is a “me” year; I’m going to try and better myself in all aspects, not just writing wise. I want to lose weight this year, I want to get more fit (because I’m pretty darn sedentary atm) and I want to start being me…because atm, I’m not who I wanna be.

So~

Writing Goals:

-Finish Spellbound. This is a project I started back in 2010 and want to have it DONE by mid-January and out to the public in March.

-Finish Hunger. I need to reconnect with this cast. I love them, but I’d burned out on first-person…and Hunger was my casualty. Nonetheless, this will be done (and aiming for a July/August release) this year!

-Finish Souljacker. This one can’t be too hard, right? I have it completely mapped out/outlined. It will just be a matter of dedicating time every day to writing it out.

-Write at least two novellas. I have a couple in mind. One of them has to have zombies in it…why? Because I need to write a zombie novel :P

-Finish one new novel before 2013. Completely new words, whether it’s a rewrite or a Brand New Shiny!

-Blog at least 2x, hopefully 3x, a week AND comment more on others’ blogs. I’m horrible at blogging…and I want to get better! My goal is to get on track so I have the blog posts written (or at least figured out!) ahead of time.
My tentative plan: Monday will be for music posts, talking about bands or artists or maybe just a song I love. Wednesday will be Wednesday of Whimsy, where I’ll post book reviews, funny things, or maybe just have random posts. It’s whimsy, after all! And Saturday or Sunday will be for ‘snippets’ ie; excerpts, a few lines of my current WIP, maybe something I wrote that I’d like to share.

-Facebook and Twitter daily. I’ll be the first to admit, social media intimidates me. Terribly. The idea of interacting, socially, with people terrifies me LOL. So. I’m going to aim to dedicate an hour a day to Facebook and Twitter, and hopefully by 2013 I’ll be an active member of the FB/Tweeting community :P

Real-life “Me” Goals:

-Go gluten-free again. I’m gluten intolerant, though I don’t like to admit that. I love breads, pastas, hell, anything that has wheat/rye/barley in it. AKA gluten. So… I’m going to eliminate gluten from my diet. I did it before, lost about 30 lbs. I can do it again, and stick with it. Yeah, there’ll be days where I cheat (like, for Chinese? I can’t give up Chinese!) but I want to always get back on the horse when I fall off.

-Cut back soda intake about 90%. I’m a horrible pop-aholic. I get fountain drinks…and not the small ones x.x So. Gonna be cutting that back, because it’s unneeded calories. I don’t really care for canned/bottled pops, so I should be good there. Besides the fountain drinks. Oi.

-Change the way I eat/view food. My relationship with food…well, it could be better. I need to cut back portions, use smaller plates/cups, and start understanding when exactly I’m full. This will be a toughie, but I’m determined.

-Exercise 6 days a week. Whether it be a dance game, stretching and basic floor exercises, light weight lifting, walking, swimming, etc. I want to get active and get sweating, get my heart pumping, start losing weight and firming up.

-Get down to a size 20-22. Gonna focus on inches before weight.

-Start wearing clothes/accessories that I feel are more ‘me’ than what I’m wearing. I’m so excited for this :)

So we will see how many of these goals I can do in a year! Whoot!

What are some of your 2012 goals?

Wolfsong: Now available!

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Whoo. Holidays are officially over (for me, anyways. We don’t really celebrate New Years). We had an awesome Christmas, saw a bunch of family, had a couple of great dinners. Despite my holiday-anxiety (which is a reoccurring theme LOL), things went awesomely.

We got a Wii. >3 It is blue and full of amazingness. So I am a happy Kodi!

Speaking of happy: I have an announcement. After multiple edits and revisions and polishes, my debut novel, Wolfsong, is officially available for sale through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. I will be updating Wolfsong’s page as additional distribution venues become available. Also, I hope to have it for sale in paperback by mid-January!

That said…

When his wolf-dog goes from furry to beautiful girl in 2.7 seconds, 17-year-old Kia doesn’t believe it. Arii’s been recruited to bring Kia home, back to her realm, where werewolves are real, the supernatural exists, and tension between the two wolf packs is threatening to erupt into a full-scale war. With his father missing, Kia is the rightful heir and without an Alpha’s power behind them, their pack is defenseless in the face of an oncoming battle.

Kia has spent his entire life being a wallflower—he’s not leader material, but he’s not given a choice. Stolen away from all he knows, he’s thrust into a world where rank is dictated by the color of your eyes and where the light of the full moon transforms you into a powerful beast. All Kia wants is to go home, where his only worry is not flunking calculus.

With the help of his new-found friends, he soon realizes that the only way to return to the real world is to end the war—but not everyone wants Kia to succeed, and as he starts to enjoy his awakening confidence as a leader and he falls deeper in love with Arii, he starts to doubt if he wants to go back at all…

~

So whoo! Much excitedness! :D

You can read the first chapter here.

And it’s available for sale ($2.99) as an e-book here: Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

I hope everyone enjoys Wolfsong as much as I have <3

Now it’s time to open up Spellbound and work on finishing it. Back into Word I go!