Richelle Mead's Blog, page 10
January 29, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 11
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 11
Let's not kid ourselves. We all love it when Dimitri comes to a daring rescue. If zealous vampire hunters are attacking you, wouldn't you want to see our favorite Russian god kicking their asses? Of course, the downside of this scene is that we've got two damsels in distress being rescued by a guy. I try not to reinforce that stereotype, but if you've read the VA series, then you know where I stand on women being able to take care of themselves.
And that's where we have to remember that Sydney isn't Rose 2.0. I wouldn't have written this series if she was. Sydney is brilliant and capable, but she's not a warrior. Nor should she be. Most real people aren't. Part of my point of putting Sydney as our star was to show that brains are as effective as brawn, and we've certainly seen that a number of times with her. Besides, she can't be perfect at everything. When that happens in writing, we call it a Mary Sue. Flaws are what make people real, and Sydney's got plenty.
And this particular one is good for a couple of reasons. First, Sydney does tend to think she's good at everything (social interactions aside), and we see what a blow it is for her to accept that she's weak in some areas. That acceptance leads to our moment of vulnerability with Adrian, which strengthens their relationship. It brings them closer and also allows Adrian to gently remind her of the "don't be a victim" talk she gave him. This isn't a one-sided relationship where Sydney's always the one doling out advice and guidance. Adrian's there for her too, telling her the things she needs to hear. They watch out for each other.
The line of the day comes from Eddie to Sydney: "I thought something was wrong with you today...Especially at breakfast, when Angeline called a tomato a vegetable and you didn't correct her."
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 11
Let's not kid ourselves. We all love it when Dimitri comes to a daring rescue. If zealous vampire hunters are attacking you, wouldn't you want to see our favorite Russian god kicking their asses? Of course, the downside of this scene is that we've got two damsels in distress being rescued by a guy. I try not to reinforce that stereotype, but if you've read the VA series, then you know where I stand on women being able to take care of themselves.
And that's where we have to remember that Sydney isn't Rose 2.0. I wouldn't have written this series if she was. Sydney is brilliant and capable, but she's not a warrior. Nor should she be. Most real people aren't. Part of my point of putting Sydney as our star was to show that brains are as effective as brawn, and we've certainly seen that a number of times with her. Besides, she can't be perfect at everything. When that happens in writing, we call it a Mary Sue. Flaws are what make people real, and Sydney's got plenty.
And this particular one is good for a couple of reasons. First, Sydney does tend to think she's good at everything (social interactions aside), and we see what a blow it is for her to accept that she's weak in some areas. That acceptance leads to our moment of vulnerability with Adrian, which strengthens their relationship. It brings them closer and also allows Adrian to gently remind her of the "don't be a victim" talk she gave him. This isn't a one-sided relationship where Sydney's always the one doling out advice and guidance. Adrian's there for her too, telling her the things she needs to hear. They watch out for each other.
The line of the day comes from Eddie to Sydney: "I thought something was wrong with you today...Especially at breakfast, when Angeline called a tomato a vegetable and you didn't correct her."
January 28, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 10
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 10
Oh, man. I totally forgot about what happens in this chapter until I sat down to look at it for this post. The assembly and the motivational rock group! This was a little inspired by personal events. We had a lot of motivational acts come through my high school. Usually they were just individual speakers, though we did occasionally have musical groups very similar to Koolin’ Around. And although we never had a student attack any of these performers, there was a notable time at my high school when a completely unrelated fight broke out between students just as a feel-good assembly was letting out. It was kind of a shock to those who stumbled into it and wasn’t nearly as hilarious as Angeline destroying sound equipment. Sydney’s “lawyering” in the wake of it is pretty awesome.
And aww...Dimitri and Rose are having a cute lovers phone call. Although things are turbulent in Moroi Court politics, rest easy that during the events of this series, Rose and Dimitri’s relationship is pretty happy and stable. So you know they’re totally having “I love you more” phone calls and sending “xoxoxo” texts.
Lia’s pretty over the top when she accosts Sydney, but she has a fair point about ready-to-wear Halloween costumes. Seriously, have you ever read the tags in those? They tell you not to wash them, iron them, keep near an open flame, etc.. I mean, admittedly, you shouldn’t put any clothing near an open flame, but I’ve had a few Halloween costumes that made me pretty nervous wearing them. Makes me wish I had an unstable designer to design me custom stuff.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 10
Oh, man. I totally forgot about what happens in this chapter until I sat down to look at it for this post. The assembly and the motivational rock group! This was a little inspired by personal events. We had a lot of motivational acts come through my high school. Usually they were just individual speakers, though we did occasionally have musical groups very similar to Koolin’ Around. And although we never had a student attack any of these performers, there was a notable time at my high school when a completely unrelated fight broke out between students just as a feel-good assembly was letting out. It was kind of a shock to those who stumbled into it and wasn’t nearly as hilarious as Angeline destroying sound equipment. Sydney’s “lawyering” in the wake of it is pretty awesome.
And aww...Dimitri and Rose are having a cute lovers phone call. Although things are turbulent in Moroi Court politics, rest easy that during the events of this series, Rose and Dimitri’s relationship is pretty happy and stable. So you know they’re totally having “I love you more” phone calls and sending “xoxoxo” texts.
Lia’s pretty over the top when she accosts Sydney, but she has a fair point about ready-to-wear Halloween costumes. Seriously, have you ever read the tags in those? They tell you not to wash them, iron them, keep near an open flame, etc.. I mean, admittedly, you shouldn’t put any clothing near an open flame, but I’ve had a few Halloween costumes that made me pretty nervous wearing them. Makes me wish I had an unstable designer to design me custom stuff.
January 27, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 8 & 9
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapters 8 & 9
I do so love the image of Adrian sitting on the curb of Sydney’s dorm when she and Brayden pull up. Some scenes play out very cinematically in my head, and I can just perfectly picture the look on his face.
I’ve talked a lot about the honesty and a growing connection between Sydney and Adrian, as well as a little of the physical attraction. But let’s face it: their banter is the glue that holds all that serious stuff together, and their San Diego drive is a bonanza of it. This is where the rapport comes from, the chance for that Adrian wit and charm to shine and Sydney to relax a little and show that she has a funny side too.
Fun fact: although I’m not that much like Sydney, I did write one of my quirks into her. I so dislike it when people mess with the controls in my car without asking when I’m driving, whether it’s changing the song or the heat or whatever. How hard is it to ask? If you're driving, my car or yours, you can do whatever you want. So Sydney’s pet peeve here with Adrian and the window is straight out of my playbook. And perhaps coincidentally, out of all the guys I’ve gone out with, my husband is the only one who didn’t mess with my car when I was driving.
In other news, Sydney’s shirt has a tiny ruffle, and her skirt has a herringbone pattern: “Normally, I wouldn’t have worn such contrasting textures together, but I’d liked the boldness of the look.” Those silly asides are what make these characters. You go with your bad self, Sydney. You go.
No need to dwell on Nathan Ivashkov. He’s a jerk, we all know it. Let’s move on to the slushes. I had no idea they were going to become such an iconic part of the series. Fans talk about them all the time. Most of us are pretty sure at this point that Adrian’s smitten with her, but I needed some small, silly gesture to tip us off that she’s getting feelings for him too. She can’t stand to see him sad and gropes for something that’ll make him happy, even though it means ignoring that kneejerk sugar reaction of hers. When I came up with this, I had to go back a few chapters and write in Adrian mentioning slushes so that it’d have meaning here. Like I said—-slushes are a small, silly thing, but I assure you, Sydney wouldn’t have downed a quart of sugar for Brayden.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapters 8 & 9
I do so love the image of Adrian sitting on the curb of Sydney’s dorm when she and Brayden pull up. Some scenes play out very cinematically in my head, and I can just perfectly picture the look on his face.
I’ve talked a lot about the honesty and a growing connection between Sydney and Adrian, as well as a little of the physical attraction. But let’s face it: their banter is the glue that holds all that serious stuff together, and their San Diego drive is a bonanza of it. This is where the rapport comes from, the chance for that Adrian wit and charm to shine and Sydney to relax a little and show that she has a funny side too.
Fun fact: although I’m not that much like Sydney, I did write one of my quirks into her. I so dislike it when people mess with the controls in my car without asking when I’m driving, whether it’s changing the song or the heat or whatever. How hard is it to ask? If you're driving, my car or yours, you can do whatever you want. So Sydney’s pet peeve here with Adrian and the window is straight out of my playbook. And perhaps coincidentally, out of all the guys I’ve gone out with, my husband is the only one who didn’t mess with my car when I was driving.
In other news, Sydney’s shirt has a tiny ruffle, and her skirt has a herringbone pattern: “Normally, I wouldn’t have worn such contrasting textures together, but I’d liked the boldness of the look.” Those silly asides are what make these characters. You go with your bad self, Sydney. You go.
No need to dwell on Nathan Ivashkov. He’s a jerk, we all know it. Let’s move on to the slushes. I had no idea they were going to become such an iconic part of the series. Fans talk about them all the time. Most of us are pretty sure at this point that Adrian’s smitten with her, but I needed some small, silly gesture to tip us off that she’s getting feelings for him too. She can’t stand to see him sad and gropes for something that’ll make him happy, even though it means ignoring that kneejerk sugar reaction of hers. When I came up with this, I had to go back a few chapters and write in Adrian mentioning slushes so that it’d have meaning here. Like I said—-slushes are a small, silly thing, but I assure you, Sydney wouldn’t have downed a quart of sugar for Brayden.
January 26, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 6 & 7
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapters 6 & 7
Chapter Six opens with poor Sydney being mocked by her friends for shaking Brayden’s hand at the end of the date. Here’s a true story for you. When I was in a high school, a friend of my boyfriend’s liked a friend of mine, so we set up a double date. It turned out to be terribly uncomfortable between them, and when the night ended, the guy walked my friend up to her door while my boyfriend and I waited in the car and watched. There was an awkward exchange between them, and after several long moments, they shook hands and parted ways. My boyfriend and I nearly had laughter seizures because we were mean like that. But it was pretty funny.
Anyway. Let’s see what else is happening here. I often write in little things that amuse me, and having Dimitri continue to wear his duster in a desert city just tickles me to no end. Why does he do it? How can he handle the heat? He’s Dimitri. Don’t question it. He just does that kind of stuff.
Adrian comes asking Sydney for a favor, which isn’t new behavior. What’s new is that he actually goes about it humbly and gives us a straightforward reason: “There’s something about you...you don’t judge like the others. I mean, you do. You’re more judgmental than any of them in some ways. But there’s an honesty to it.” That’s hardly red hot passion, but it calls out one of the biggest things between them: honesty. We saw this all over the place in the last book. They don’t usually sugarcoat things with each other, and where some people would chafe against that, Adrian and Sydney welcome it in each other. As he points out here, it makes him feel comfortable.
Let’s head on over to Chapter Seven and the windmill date. When I was trying to find a place for Sydney and Brayden to go, I went over to tripadvisor.com and looked up a list of attractions in the Palm Springs area, searching for the nerdiest one I could find. This windmill farm is a real thing, though I embellished the tour specifics since I haven’t actually been on it. What I also had to do was go do all kinds of cracktastic research on wind energy so that I could build that argument between them. I’m an environmental fan, but I seriously didn’t know any of that stuff. Like I was saying the other day about Brayden, I grabbed all that info and just dumped it into his dialogue in as academic a way as possible and then had Sydney answer in kind. I was so afraid my editor was going to cut it. Normally, dry exposition like that isn’t something you’d want in a book, but here, as part of their conversation, it had a purpose. I knew most people wouldn’t follow it. Hell, I can’t follow all of it. But it was such a fantastic example of their relationship’s inner workings, and no matter his other faults, you have to give Brayden props for swooning over Sydney being a woman who stands by her opinions.
We close with a great exchange with Trey. I love that Sydney has guy friends like him and Eddie, with which there are no romantic complications whatsoever. As such, Trey has no filter on when it comes to giving guy wisdom:
“Brayden got me flowers,” I declared.
“And?”
“And, why’d he do it?”
“Because he likes you, Melbourne. That’s what guys do. They buy dinner and gifts, hoping that in return you’ll—um, like them back.”
Methinks Trey had a little more in mind than “like them back.” I guess he’s got a filter after all.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapters 6 & 7
Chapter Six opens with poor Sydney being mocked by her friends for shaking Brayden’s hand at the end of the date. Here’s a true story for you. When I was in a high school, a friend of my boyfriend’s liked a friend of mine, so we set up a double date. It turned out to be terribly uncomfortable between them, and when the night ended, the guy walked my friend up to her door while my boyfriend and I waited in the car and watched. There was an awkward exchange between them, and after several long moments, they shook hands and parted ways. My boyfriend and I nearly had laughter seizures because we were mean like that. But it was pretty funny.
Anyway. Let’s see what else is happening here. I often write in little things that amuse me, and having Dimitri continue to wear his duster in a desert city just tickles me to no end. Why does he do it? How can he handle the heat? He’s Dimitri. Don’t question it. He just does that kind of stuff.
Adrian comes asking Sydney for a favor, which isn’t new behavior. What’s new is that he actually goes about it humbly and gives us a straightforward reason: “There’s something about you...you don’t judge like the others. I mean, you do. You’re more judgmental than any of them in some ways. But there’s an honesty to it.” That’s hardly red hot passion, but it calls out one of the biggest things between them: honesty. We saw this all over the place in the last book. They don’t usually sugarcoat things with each other, and where some people would chafe against that, Adrian and Sydney welcome it in each other. As he points out here, it makes him feel comfortable.
Let’s head on over to Chapter Seven and the windmill date. When I was trying to find a place for Sydney and Brayden to go, I went over to tripadvisor.com and looked up a list of attractions in the Palm Springs area, searching for the nerdiest one I could find. This windmill farm is a real thing, though I embellished the tour specifics since I haven’t actually been on it. What I also had to do was go do all kinds of cracktastic research on wind energy so that I could build that argument between them. I’m an environmental fan, but I seriously didn’t know any of that stuff. Like I was saying the other day about Brayden, I grabbed all that info and just dumped it into his dialogue in as academic a way as possible and then had Sydney answer in kind. I was so afraid my editor was going to cut it. Normally, dry exposition like that isn’t something you’d want in a book, but here, as part of their conversation, it had a purpose. I knew most people wouldn’t follow it. Hell, I can’t follow all of it. But it was such a fantastic example of their relationship’s inner workings, and no matter his other faults, you have to give Brayden props for swooning over Sydney being a woman who stands by her opinions.
We close with a great exchange with Trey. I love that Sydney has guy friends like him and Eddie, with which there are no romantic complications whatsoever. As such, Trey has no filter on when it comes to giving guy wisdom:
“Brayden got me flowers,” I declared.
“And?”
“And, why’d he do it?”
“Because he likes you, Melbourne. That’s what guys do. They buy dinner and gifts, hoping that in return you’ll—um, like them back.”
Methinks Trey had a little more in mind than “like them back.” I guess he’s got a filter after all.
January 25, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 5
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 5
There’s a lot of good stuff in here, starting on page one when Adrian interrogates Sydney about her upcoming date. I especially like that he asks her to clarify that it’s a real date and “not, like, doing homework together.” Here also is where the joking about poor Brayden’s name begins. I feel the need to state here that I don’t think Brayden is a bad name. I like it. In fact, it’s my nephew’s name, and for that reason, I was hesitant to use it. But I really, really wanted to have that recurring gag where people kept getting it wrong, and Brayden offers a million possibilities. I couldn’t think of anything better, so it won. (Those familiar with my other series will recognize this wrong-name thing is a joke I use a lot, from Blake Lazar calling Christian “Kreskin” to Kiyo getting called Kujo in the Dark Swan series).
Two of my favorite lines in this book come from side characters, when Sydney’s girl entourage is helping her dress for the date. First Julia: “This is the kind of shirt that says, ‘You’re never getting in here.’” And then Kristin’s follow-up: “I think it’s more like a shirt that says, ‘I’m going to have to end this date early so I can go prepare my Power Point presentation.’” It’s been a year and a half since I wrote that, and it still cracks me up.
The date speaks for itself, but I’ll close by pointing out how Sydney describes their restaurant as a California place that puts avocado on everything. Seriously. Have you noticed that? That every time a restaurant sticks California in front of a menu item, it has avocado in it? California omelet, California burger, California pizza. If it’s got avocado, the state of California apparently endorses it, so I decided to just create a restaurant that embraces the avocado for everything on their menu. I should've called Avocado My Eye On You.
Tomorrow we go to the two-chapters-a-day weekend system.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 5
There’s a lot of good stuff in here, starting on page one when Adrian interrogates Sydney about her upcoming date. I especially like that he asks her to clarify that it’s a real date and “not, like, doing homework together.” Here also is where the joking about poor Brayden’s name begins. I feel the need to state here that I don’t think Brayden is a bad name. I like it. In fact, it’s my nephew’s name, and for that reason, I was hesitant to use it. But I really, really wanted to have that recurring gag where people kept getting it wrong, and Brayden offers a million possibilities. I couldn’t think of anything better, so it won. (Those familiar with my other series will recognize this wrong-name thing is a joke I use a lot, from Blake Lazar calling Christian “Kreskin” to Kiyo getting called Kujo in the Dark Swan series).
Two of my favorite lines in this book come from side characters, when Sydney’s girl entourage is helping her dress for the date. First Julia: “This is the kind of shirt that says, ‘You’re never getting in here.’” And then Kristin’s follow-up: “I think it’s more like a shirt that says, ‘I’m going to have to end this date early so I can go prepare my Power Point presentation.’” It’s been a year and a half since I wrote that, and it still cracks me up.
The date speaks for itself, but I’ll close by pointing out how Sydney describes their restaurant as a California place that puts avocado on everything. Seriously. Have you noticed that? That every time a restaurant sticks California in front of a menu item, it has avocado in it? California omelet, California burger, California pizza. If it’s got avocado, the state of California apparently endorses it, so I decided to just create a restaurant that embraces the avocado for everything on their menu. I should've called Avocado My Eye On You.
Tomorrow we go to the two-chapters-a-day weekend system.
January 24, 2013
Book Club: The Golden Lily 4
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 4
Holy crap. Sydney has a date!
Here it is, the introduction of Brayden, one of my favorite characters. Like Angeline, he’s got a lot of potential for comic relief, and I have a lot of fun writing his dialogue. There’s nothing too over the top in this chapter, but frequently throughout the rest of the book, I’d have to pause writing and do research into some obscure topic for him to talk about. Like Sydney, he’s a wealth of random knowledge, but as Adrian points out later, Sydney makes learning fun. Whenever Brayden talks, I try to write his lines like he’s delivering a boring college lecture.
Meanwhile, let’s look at Sydney. Romance, as we know, is the farthest thing from her mind. It’s not something she gives a lot of thought to, but when Brayden's invitation forces her to deal with it, you can see her working it all out logically. He’s intelligent, steady, and responsible. She’s intelligent, steady, and responsible. From a practical point of view, she’s certain that’s all it takes, right? But even in that first scene, you can already see where Sydney’s at, even if she doesn’t know it herself: Brayden met my eyes. His were hazel, almost like Eddie’s, but with a little green. Not as much green as Adrian’s, of course. No one’s eyes were that amazingly green. If you asked Sydney about having feelings for Adrian, she’d tell you that you were crazy. And yet, here she is, admiring a guy...and admiring Adrian more as she does it.
Heads-up: there's a Twitter chat today, January 24, at 4pm Pacific Time/7pm Eastern Time. Send me your tweets then marked with #readpenguin. It's only a half-hour, and I can't get to every question, but I'll try my hardest to knock out as many as I can!
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 4
Holy crap. Sydney has a date!
Here it is, the introduction of Brayden, one of my favorite characters. Like Angeline, he’s got a lot of potential for comic relief, and I have a lot of fun writing his dialogue. There’s nothing too over the top in this chapter, but frequently throughout the rest of the book, I’d have to pause writing and do research into some obscure topic for him to talk about. Like Sydney, he’s a wealth of random knowledge, but as Adrian points out later, Sydney makes learning fun. Whenever Brayden talks, I try to write his lines like he’s delivering a boring college lecture.
Meanwhile, let’s look at Sydney. Romance, as we know, is the farthest thing from her mind. It’s not something she gives a lot of thought to, but when Brayden's invitation forces her to deal with it, you can see her working it all out logically. He’s intelligent, steady, and responsible. She’s intelligent, steady, and responsible. From a practical point of view, she’s certain that’s all it takes, right? But even in that first scene, you can already see where Sydney’s at, even if she doesn’t know it herself: Brayden met my eyes. His were hazel, almost like Eddie’s, but with a little green. Not as much green as Adrian’s, of course. No one’s eyes were that amazingly green. If you asked Sydney about having feelings for Adrian, she’d tell you that you were crazy. And yet, here she is, admiring a guy...and admiring Adrian more as she does it.
Heads-up: there's a Twitter chat today, January 24, at 4pm Pacific Time/7pm Eastern Time. Send me your tweets then marked with #readpenguin. It's only a half-hour, and I can't get to every question, but I'll try my hardest to knock out as many as I can!
January 23, 2013
Book Club: The Golden Lily 3
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 3
Here we go, Adrian and Dimitri in the same room. Every time I go back and read this scene, I'm torn on whether their little tiff there should've been more intense. But then, that would've involved one of them being more of a jerk, and I really don't like to see either of them that way. I love both of those guys. The scene ends with Sydney coming to Adrian's rescue with a little teasing, so that's really what counts.
Sonya's come a long way, hasn't she? We first saw her in Vampire Academy as a crazed teacher in Rose's flashbacks. Later, we saw her in full-on scary Strigoi mode and then traumatized restored-Moroi mode. After everything she's been through, she's kind of got this wise, Zen view on life and has really stepped up now that she's using her biology background to run these spirit experiments. Sydney and Adrian do a lot of advising to others, and it's nice for them to sort of have a competent figure to counsel them when it's needed. Keep an eye on Sonya's observations of Sydney and Adrian in this book and The Indigo Spell. She's an aura watcher, and you may recall in the VA series how she could sense the relationship between Rose and Dimitri. She's too cautious to say anything, but she sees a lot when she looks at Sydney and Adrian.
If you missed it, I've got a few more tour dates on the calendar. Also, there's another Twitter chat tomorrow!
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 3
Here we go, Adrian and Dimitri in the same room. Every time I go back and read this scene, I'm torn on whether their little tiff there should've been more intense. But then, that would've involved one of them being more of a jerk, and I really don't like to see either of them that way. I love both of those guys. The scene ends with Sydney coming to Adrian's rescue with a little teasing, so that's really what counts.
Sonya's come a long way, hasn't she? We first saw her in Vampire Academy as a crazed teacher in Rose's flashbacks. Later, we saw her in full-on scary Strigoi mode and then traumatized restored-Moroi mode. After everything she's been through, she's kind of got this wise, Zen view on life and has really stepped up now that she's using her biology background to run these spirit experiments. Sydney and Adrian do a lot of advising to others, and it's nice for them to sort of have a competent figure to counsel them when it's needed. Keep an eye on Sonya's observations of Sydney and Adrian in this book and The Indigo Spell. She's an aura watcher, and you may recall in the VA series how she could sense the relationship between Rose and Dimitri. She's too cautious to say anything, but she sees a lot when she looks at Sydney and Adrian.
If you missed it, I've got a few more tour dates on the calendar. Also, there's another Twitter chat tomorrow!
January 22, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 2
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 2
Remember when I said that I catch people up over a few chapters? Yesterday’s chapter went over the Alchemists, and now it’s time to learn about Sydney’s charges in Palm Springs. And what better way than through Sydney’s email? I’m particularly in love with Angeline’s all-caps forwarding and Adrian’s plaintive prison letter. I wrote that long before the recent incarnation of Les Miserables in theaters and thought maybe I was being too obscure with the 24601 reference. Now I see references like that left and right, so I guess I’ve gone mainstream.
I’m a big lover of contrasts, and you’re probably well aware by now of how my books flip between wacky and serious. It’s why the succubus series can have angels in Santa suits on one page and Georgina’s heart being ripped out in the next. After the dark tone of chapter one, I had to completely turn it around here. I love that talented, brainy Sydney, member of an elite and far-reaching organization that’s trying to save humanity, finds herself having to get Angeline out of trouble for violating the dress code with homemade jean shorts. I remember at the time, my editor worried it was too ridiculous, but I pleaded to keep that scene in because I think it’s just a great example of the humor that fills these books and offsets the hard-hitting emotional gut punches.
Oh, Angeline. Angeline, Angeline, Angeline. She’s a tricky person to write. Her potential for comic relief is off the charts. She’s a classic fish-out-of-water character, enhanced by the fact that even among her own people, she had little impulse control. She does what she wants! At the same time, I don’t want her to be completely absurd. There’s an aching vulnerability to her she hides that needs to be taken seriously. Even though she’s longed to be a part of the outside world, she’s constantly aware of how beyond her some parts of it are. She’s always trying to catch up and keep up, and that’s a frightening place to be. It lends a poignancy to her character and makes her incredibly complex.
Fun fact: I originally had her make the jean shorts with a butter knife. My editor pointed out the logistical difficulties of that, and even I had to agree. So, we went with an all-purpose knife.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 2
Remember when I said that I catch people up over a few chapters? Yesterday’s chapter went over the Alchemists, and now it’s time to learn about Sydney’s charges in Palm Springs. And what better way than through Sydney’s email? I’m particularly in love with Angeline’s all-caps forwarding and Adrian’s plaintive prison letter. I wrote that long before the recent incarnation of Les Miserables in theaters and thought maybe I was being too obscure with the 24601 reference. Now I see references like that left and right, so I guess I’ve gone mainstream.
I’m a big lover of contrasts, and you’re probably well aware by now of how my books flip between wacky and serious. It’s why the succubus series can have angels in Santa suits on one page and Georgina’s heart being ripped out in the next. After the dark tone of chapter one, I had to completely turn it around here. I love that talented, brainy Sydney, member of an elite and far-reaching organization that’s trying to save humanity, finds herself having to get Angeline out of trouble for violating the dress code with homemade jean shorts. I remember at the time, my editor worried it was too ridiculous, but I pleaded to keep that scene in because I think it’s just a great example of the humor that fills these books and offsets the hard-hitting emotional gut punches.
Oh, Angeline. Angeline, Angeline, Angeline. She’s a tricky person to write. Her potential for comic relief is off the charts. She’s a classic fish-out-of-water character, enhanced by the fact that even among her own people, she had little impulse control. She does what she wants! At the same time, I don’t want her to be completely absurd. There’s an aching vulnerability to her she hides that needs to be taken seriously. Even though she’s longed to be a part of the outside world, she’s constantly aware of how beyond her some parts of it are. She’s always trying to catch up and keep up, and that’s a frightening place to be. It lends a poignancy to her character and makes her incredibly complex.
Fun fact: I originally had her make the jean shorts with a butter knife. My editor pointed out the logistical difficulties of that, and even I had to agree. So, we went with an all-purpose knife.
January 21, 2013
Book Club: Golden Lily 1
Book Club Disclaimer:
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
Hey! If you missed my earlier post today, here's the latest news about The Indigo Spell.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 1
Let's talk a little craft first. Unless you’re writing a highbrow literary novel where you can open with some in-depth description of the way light’s reflecting off cottonwood trees, it’s always a nice rule of thumb to drop readers right into some action at the beginning of a book. And what’s more action-packed than going into an underground Alchemist bunker? (That’s rhetorical, so you don’t need to answer with, “Adrian shirtless.”). I also don’t like to info-dump in the opening chapter. Even in the middle of a series, I like to gradually catch readers up over a few chapters, so that they can get hooked into the story right away without reading a bunch of recap.
A book two is very different from a book one for me. I always use the first book in a series as the establishing book. That’s not to say that crazy things can’t happen in it, but you can’t really knock readers for a loop if you don’t set up a baseline so that they know how to measure crazy. I need to lull you guys into a false sense of security. So the status quo usually more or less resumes at the end of my first books. Bloodlines certainly had its share of twists and turns, but we ended in a relatively calm spot (aside from the newcomers’ arrival). Book two is where I can really begin to turn the tables on my characters, setting us up for the real game changing moments that come in books three and four.
That’s part of why I started The Golden Lily here: to remind us of how really freaking scary the Alchemists can be. We ended Bloodlines in a sunny spot. Sydney was breaking out of her shell and becoming friends with the Moroi gang, one of whom has a more than friendly interest in her. It’s easy to think all is peaceful between the races, so we need this slap in the face of poor Keith beating against the glass to remind us of the consequences of crossing the Alchemists. Even I’m a little disturbed at everyone’s reactions, like how Keith’s father thanks Sydney for saying Keith’s a terrible, immoral human being--just so long as she doesn’t say he likes vampires. It’s really messed up, as is their treatment of him, and no matter how likeable Sydney’s become to us, we need to go forward into this book with the threat of what she risks hanging over us.
But don’t worry. If this chapter was too intense, just hang in there for the next one because I can never stay too serious for long. Angeline’s got some wardrobe problems that we’ll address tomorrow.
Spoilers ahead! I'm not recapping these chapters in Bloodlines and The Golden Lily, but I do refer to some things that happen in them. These posts are to give some commentary and behind-the-scenes info for people who want to read along (or re-read) with me or walk down memory lane. If you haven't read the books, you might have some surprises ruined. So maybe go grab a copy and read along as we count down to The Indigo Spell! :)
THESE POSTS ARE NOT ABOUT THE INDIGO SPELL! You're safe if you've read the first two books in the series.
Hey! If you missed my earlier post today, here's the latest news about The Indigo Spell.
The Golden Lily, Chapter 1
Let's talk a little craft first. Unless you’re writing a highbrow literary novel where you can open with some in-depth description of the way light’s reflecting off cottonwood trees, it’s always a nice rule of thumb to drop readers right into some action at the beginning of a book. And what’s more action-packed than going into an underground Alchemist bunker? (That’s rhetorical, so you don’t need to answer with, “Adrian shirtless.”). I also don’t like to info-dump in the opening chapter. Even in the middle of a series, I like to gradually catch readers up over a few chapters, so that they can get hooked into the story right away without reading a bunch of recap.
A book two is very different from a book one for me. I always use the first book in a series as the establishing book. That’s not to say that crazy things can’t happen in it, but you can’t really knock readers for a loop if you don’t set up a baseline so that they know how to measure crazy. I need to lull you guys into a false sense of security. So the status quo usually more or less resumes at the end of my first books. Bloodlines certainly had its share of twists and turns, but we ended in a relatively calm spot (aside from the newcomers’ arrival). Book two is where I can really begin to turn the tables on my characters, setting us up for the real game changing moments that come in books three and four.
That’s part of why I started The Golden Lily here: to remind us of how really freaking scary the Alchemists can be. We ended Bloodlines in a sunny spot. Sydney was breaking out of her shell and becoming friends with the Moroi gang, one of whom has a more than friendly interest in her. It’s easy to think all is peaceful between the races, so we need this slap in the face of poor Keith beating against the glass to remind us of the consequences of crossing the Alchemists. Even I’m a little disturbed at everyone’s reactions, like how Keith’s father thanks Sydney for saying Keith’s a terrible, immoral human being--just so long as she doesn’t say he likes vampires. It’s really messed up, as is their treatment of him, and no matter how likeable Sydney’s become to us, we need to go forward into this book with the threat of what she risks hanging over us.
But don’t worry. If this chapter was too intense, just hang in there for the next one because I can never stay too serious for long. Angeline’s got some wardrobe problems that we’ll address tomorrow.
Indigo Spell news, including tour dates
We're going to kick off book club posts for The Golden Lily later today, but I wanted to pause and give you some updates on various things. The Indigo Spell is SO close you guys. SO CLOSE. I'm just as excited as you at this point. It'll be out February 12 in English speaking countries--less than a month! Eek.
Here, at last, is the much anticipated news about my tour dates. For various reasons, however, I'm not doing a major tour this time. For Indigo, I'll be staying very close to my home turf in the Pacific Northwest. I'm very sorry to my fans in other places, and we're hoping to get me on the road for visits elsewhere later this year. For now, though, I'll just be in Seattle and Portland. Here are the stats:
Wednesday, February 13 - Seattle - 7pm
University Bookstore
4326 University Way, Seattle, WA
206-634-3400
Monday, February 18 - Portland - 7pm
Barnes & Noble, Clackamas Town Center Mall
12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR
503-786-3464
NOTE: there will be a second Seattle signing at a different store, probably a week or so after the first one. I'll give you info on that as soon as I have it. Full details are on my website, but the stores are using a ticket/bracelet system where you get a priority spot in line if you pre-order or buy The Indigo Spell from them. You can still bring in your own books and get them signed, though, so no worries there. Check my website and feel free to call them.
I'll do some giveaways at the signings, answer questions, read, and generally have an awesome time! So I hope you Northwesterners can make it. If you live in other places, you can still get autographed books! Check out this information if you'd like me to make a book out to you. It can be The Indigo Spell or any of my others. It's a virtual signing! The store will mail Indigo to you on release day, and they ship internationally.
In other news, I'll be having another Twitter chat this Thursday. The times are here. We only schedule a half-hour for these, so I'm sorry that I can't get to every question. I try hard and type really fast! I did about 70 out of 300 last time. If you didn't get yours in, try again. You can read the transcript here.
Finally, if you need an Indigo fix, make sure you watch the full run of teaser trailers. We're also starting to get in some early reviews! They're spoiler free, and we've got two so far: this one and this one.
Okay, I think that catches us up! We'll get back to book club later today.
Here, at last, is the much anticipated news about my tour dates. For various reasons, however, I'm not doing a major tour this time. For Indigo, I'll be staying very close to my home turf in the Pacific Northwest. I'm very sorry to my fans in other places, and we're hoping to get me on the road for visits elsewhere later this year. For now, though, I'll just be in Seattle and Portland. Here are the stats:
Wednesday, February 13 - Seattle - 7pm
University Bookstore
4326 University Way, Seattle, WA
206-634-3400
Monday, February 18 - Portland - 7pm
Barnes & Noble, Clackamas Town Center Mall
12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR
503-786-3464
NOTE: there will be a second Seattle signing at a different store, probably a week or so after the first one. I'll give you info on that as soon as I have it. Full details are on my website, but the stores are using a ticket/bracelet system where you get a priority spot in line if you pre-order or buy The Indigo Spell from them. You can still bring in your own books and get them signed, though, so no worries there. Check my website and feel free to call them.
I'll do some giveaways at the signings, answer questions, read, and generally have an awesome time! So I hope you Northwesterners can make it. If you live in other places, you can still get autographed books! Check out this information if you'd like me to make a book out to you. It can be The Indigo Spell or any of my others. It's a virtual signing! The store will mail Indigo to you on release day, and they ship internationally.
In other news, I'll be having another Twitter chat this Thursday. The times are here. We only schedule a half-hour for these, so I'm sorry that I can't get to every question. I try hard and type really fast! I did about 70 out of 300 last time. If you didn't get yours in, try again. You can read the transcript here.
Finally, if you need an Indigo fix, make sure you watch the full run of teaser trailers. We're also starting to get in some early reviews! They're spoiler free, and we've got two so far: this one and this one.
Okay, I think that catches us up! We'll get back to book club later today.
