Cherie Reich's Blog, page 89

Wednesday's Writing Update

Welcome to Wednesday's Writing Update! I actually have some great news today.
First off, Daily Bites of Flesh 2011 should be out soon. I don't have an exact release date, but I've seen the proof for it. My "Zombies Don't Exist" is in it.
I'm also hoping Oil and Water...And Other Things That Don't Mix comes out soon too. Last I heard, it should be out sometime in December. I really want to encourage people to buy this anthology when it comes out, since it helps the oil spill victims in the Gulf. They are still struggling down there. My story "Tradition" is in it.
Also, I am now officially a freelance proofreader with Passonate Writer Publishing (PWP). The senior editor said she will start sending me things to proofread next week, or by this weekend at the earliest. Thank you so much, Lisa, for telling me about this position!!
As for NaNoWriMo, I've slowed down a lot. I typically do when I come to the end of a novel. I'm on the last month in my outline, and I'm still hoping to finish the novel this month and having it be around 60,000 words. Right now, I'm at 38,495 words. By the end of the day, I need to be at 40,000 to keep up with the word count. I really plan to write a lot this weekend. *crosses fingers* I've also been updating and adding excerpts from my NaNoWriMo novel on Raven and the Writing Desk.

I reviewed Jeremy Bishop's TORMENT on my reviews blog yesterday. To read the review, click here.
Don't forget to check out the blog for my Flash Fictions Fridays and Promo Mondays.
That's all my main news so far. I hope everyone else's writing is going well!

Promo Monday

Today, I would like to promote another good friend's work. Aubrie Dionne has written several novels, a novella, and short stories. My favorite novel of all her works is The Voices of Ire.




Title: The Voices of IreAuthor: Aubrie DionnePublisher: Wyvern Publications (May 2010)To Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Ire-Aubrie-Dionne/dp/0956036325/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288448420&sr=8-3
Book Blurb on Back:  They were known throughout the kingdom as Wishcasters and they reigned unchallenged in the known world. Little did Azalin know she was one of them…
Although Azalin has always tried to keep her unusual powers hidden, people often realize that she's different. But when she's invited to participate in the ruthless trials for the next Wishcaster Queen, her powers are revealed to be truly unique.
Meanwhile, an army is amassing to take over the Eaglecrest Kingdom and Azalin is caught up in a web of castle politics. She soon realizes she's fighting not only her beloved kingdom, but also for the love of the capricious Prince Flynn. Can she open the eyes of the current king and queen before the land falls forever into the clutches of Ire?

Review: Aubrie Dionne's The Voices of Ire follows Azalin's journey. With poetic prose, believable characters, and a fantastic world, the novel tells how everyone deserves a second chance. The pacing is excellent, and Ms. Dionne excels in pulling the reader into her invented world. I easily fell in love with the characters and was yanked into Azalin's journey and felt her pangs of seemingly unrequited love and desire to save her kingdom above all costs. Most of all, Ms. Dionne's telling of the novel is pure and heartfelt. The Voices of Ire is worth reading, especially if you enjoy fantasy and a story of second chances, hope, and love.

Flash Fiction Fridays

This flash fiction piece focuses on a very traumatic even in Marc Bishop's life. It is the disappearance of his brother Michael. Marc is one of the main characters in Missing.


Michael, Where Are You?
Marc shifted on the twin bed. The springs creaked and groaned under his slight weight. He needed to go to the bathroom, but the bedroom was so dark. "Mike?" He couldn't see his brother on the twin bed not more than three feet from his own.
"Go back to sleep." His brother said, his words mumbling together. He moved and turned his back on him.
"It's dark, really dark." Marc felt tears in his eyes along with the pain in his bladder. "I gotta pee." The room's shadows reached out to him, and he felt his bladder twist. He was going to wet the sheets, if he didn't go. "Come with me."
"No, not getting out of bed." Mike yawned.
"Where's the flashlight?"
"Ugh." Mike's arm reached out from the dinosaur blanket. His hand groped the nightstand until he found the flashlight. "Here." He rolled it toward his bed.
Marc reached down and grabbed it. He flicked the golden light on, and the beam illuminated the boys' bedroom. He hopped out of the bed and waddled quickly toward the door. His bladder felt so full.
He reached the bathroom in time. His mama would call him a big boy for going to the potty by himself. He even stood on his stool and washed his hands.
Satisfied with his small victory, he entered their bedroom. The flashlight's beam grazed along Mike's bed, but Marc didn't notice the empty covers. The little boy climbed into bed, turned off the flashlight, and fell asleep.
Mike had disappeared.

Harry Potter 7.1

 
Tonight at midnight, I'll be at the movie theater watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or what I like to call Harry Potter 7.1, since it's the first part of the two-part movie.  I became a Harry Potter fan in the summer of 2001. The first movie was coming out in November, and I heard of the books. Several friends recommended them, so I decided I would give in and read the first book. I bought the copy in paperback at Walmart. Then, a strange thing happened. Like most people who read the books, I was sucked into this magical, fantastical world. Reading the first book wasn't enough. I scrambled to the store and devoured the second book, the third book, and the fourth book. What? JK Rowling hadn't finished the others! What was I going to do while I wanted for the fifth book to come out?
I created a roleplaying game on yahoo groups. Then, I created another Harry Potter roleplaying game. Then, I joined other people's Harry Potter roleplaying games. At one point, I was in over twenty different Harry Potter RPGs. It wasn't enough. The fifth book came out. The movies were there. I had to do more.
In 2003, I began to write Harry Potter fan fiction until 2005. It was my start of writing, even though I was playing in someone else's world. 
From RPGs and fan fiction to reading the books and watching the movies, I was as immersed in Harry Potter's world as the characters were to some extent. 
For the last two books, I went to Harry Potter book parties at Walmart, and I won a free copy of each book because of my vast knowledge. *smacks head* I still can't believe I forgot Brian, though, for Albus Dumbledore's full name. I knew all of it except the simplest name! It was great. 
When I held Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my hand, the first thing I did was turn to the last few pages. I had to know whether he lived or died. Yeah, I cheated, I know. But I had to know. I couldn't read the rest of this wonderful series without knowing. Then, I turned to the beginning and kept reading until it was finished. I cried almost the entire way through that book. It wasn't just because everyone was dying. It was because it was the end of something I loved. There would be no more (unless JK Rowling changes her mind). 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the only book in the series I haven't re-read, and I haven't re-read the other books since reading it because I know who will die and it makes me sad. I'm still not over Dumbledore's death! Poor Dumbledore! *sobs*
Okay, I'm okay. I even miss Voldemort. I never found him to be evil. Misguided perhaps, but not necessarily evil. You want evil, you go to Umbridge. I loath that woman. Abhor her. Hate her. There isn't a word strong enough to share in my passion of hatred for her. 
And, I still think Snape is the best, most complicated character ever. 
So tonight, I will go with tissues in hand to cry, laugh, and cheer on my favorite trio. I can't wait to see this movie, even though it does make me sad that it's so close to the end of the Harry Potter movies.  And, I still like to think the Harry Potter world might be real.
But, shh, don't tell the Muggles.

Wednesday's Writing Update

Today it's time for another entry in my Wednesday's Writing Update.
As for submissions, I've had no new updates yet. I'm anxiously awaiting word about two short stories, and I should know sometime in December-January about them.
I still have two short stories set to be published this year in anthologies. I'm just waiting for release dates to let everyone know.
And, then I have NaNoWriMo news. Writing a novel in a month isn't for the faint of heart, and I think all that thinking and writing is sometimes draining my energy, but I'm pushing through and still enjoying it, despite the nervous tick I've developed in my left eye. Don't worry. It'll go away. It always does. I hope. *laughs and eye twitches*
Right now I'm at 31,341 words in sixteen days. I haven't begun writing today. So far, I only took one day off from writing, and I'm on schedule to reach 50,000 words a few days before November 30th. My goal is to reach the 50,000 word count before Thanksgiving, so I'll still have time to finish writing the book. I think it is a very doable goal. If I get to writing a lot today, I'd like to reach between 33,000-35,000 words by the end of today.
At times, I'm a little worried my novel is boring, so I'm spicing things up here and there with scenes that weren't previously planned but fit the storyline. Also, if you missed Saturday's post, I explained the change in the title from Sarah's Nightmare to Missing. You can read that post here.
I still like the new working title Missing. It fits the storyline and characters so much better. I hope it'll stick.
I've been thinking about the end of the novel as well. I have the perfect ending planned, and it's so sad. I got teary-eyed in the shower as I thought about it. No, Missing doesn't have a very happy ending in a sense, especially for one character, but I'm not saying who yet. The ending feels right, though. True, I could write a different ending, but it'd change the novel and what it is about. Yes, this one is right, and it's not completely sad. A lot of good things happen. Trust me.
So, I'm continuing on. I'm really enjoying this NaNoWriMo thing. I've realized a lot about myself as a novel writer through it. For one, I'm a plotter, but I keep my options open if things must change. For two, I need to turn off my internal editor/critic and write with abandoned. If I let myself think about how I'm saying something and whether or not should I use this word or another in my first draft, then I'll never finish it. I have to just write with the mindset that I'll fix these things in the later drafts. I have several novels I've previously started and never finished because I was always editing the first three chapters and unable to go on. I know now I can't write like that. It's one thing for short stories to think more as you go and choose words more carefully and edit, but with novels, I have to write.
I've been looking forward to December and next year and thinking about my writing goals. Next year, I want at least one of my previous novels revised and polished, so I can begin querying agents. In December, I'll be doing research, plotting, character sketches, and all those good things I did for Missing for Virtuoso. Then, I'm rewriting Virtuoso from scratch. I'm actually really looking forward to it.
This is what I want to do. This is who I am.
I'm a writer.

Promo Monday

Today I would like to promote my good friend Nicole Zoltack's Kingdom of Arnhem series. I enjoyed reading these books, and I'm anxiously awaiting for the third one, which Nicole is working on during NaNoWriMo.



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Title: Woman of Honor, Book One of Kingdom of Arnhem seriesAuthor: Nicole ZoltackPublisher: Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. (April 2009)To Purchase:  http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-58/%3Ci%3EKingdom-of-Arnhem-Book/Detail.bok
Book Blurb: Aislinn of Bairdhe dreams of becoming a lady knight to honor the death of her fallen brother. To her mother's horror, King Patrick grants Aislinn's wish and she begins her long years of training.

Despite the mockery of the other pages, and the disdain of Prince Caelan who also trains to be a knight, Aislinn commits herself to her dreams and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and bravery. Through the years, Aislinn and Caelan grow from sparing classmates to good friends. They both know that someday Caelan will marry for the sake of the kingdom, but even that cannot keep them from falling in love.

The threat of war with the Speicans is a constant threat, and one that grows more frightening as she and Caelan train toward their eventual knighthood. Aislinn has committed herself to serving Arnhem, and has promised herself as King's Champion when Caelan claims the throne. She is willing to give up everything... her childhood, her life, even her heart for Arnhem. No matter the pain it brings.
Review: Nicole Zoltack's Woman of Honor weaves the tale of the first lady knight of Arnhem. Sprinkled with historical facts, bullies, and a good dose of love and honor, Woman of Honor is a coming of age novel set in the fantastical medieval world of Arnhem Kingdom. Aislinn is brave and truly grows to be a woman of honor. The characters are likeable and realistic. We feel Aislinn's pains while she tries to prove herself. She overcomes tradition and the growing threat of Speica. This novel has history, knights, and mythological creatures and is filled with intrigue, mystery, horror, and, most important of all, love. In this first book of the Kingdom of Arnhem series, I feel like we touch upon their lives and a conflict looming in their future. By the end, I craved more from this fantastical world, and I'm glad Ms. Zoltack supplied it in her next book.  

Title: Knight of Glory, Book Two of the Kingdom of Arnhem seriesAuthor: Nicole ZoltackPublisher: Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. (March 2010)To Purchase: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-69/%3Ci%3EKingdom-of-Arnhem-Book/Detail.bok
Book Blurb: Sir Geoffrey, along with some companions, has been sent away from Arnhem, entrusted by Queen Aislinn for a special mission, and has to leave behind the mysterious lady Celestia. On his journey, he uncovers seeds of a sinister plot, learns a horrible secret, and makes a new friend in exile Jenanna.

Their mission completed, Geoffrey and his companions rush to two different kingdoms to ask for aid. Danger and betrayal lurks around every corner, and even allies have secrets that could prove deadly. Geoffrey's feelings for Celestia grow and wane. After learning some of Celestia's secrets, he begins to have second thoughts about his love for her and is even drawn to Jenanna

Rumors abound that the Speicans have enlisted a mage of their own, to work unspeakable, forbidden magic. The war between Speica and Arnhem has just begun. Will Geoffrey survive the battle to live another day and discover which woman he truly loves?
Review: Nicole Zoltack's Knight of Glory follows Sir Geoffrey's quest for love and honor. With the growing threat of Speica and a dangerous Villaimage, the Kingdom of Arnhem may have met its match. Whereas in Woman of Honor, we see the historical aspects of knighthood, in Knight of Glory, Ms. Zoltack builds upon her fantastical world. We learn of new kingdoms, including the dwarven kingdom in the south and the troll kingdom in the north. New mythological creatures come into play, and we get our first real doses of magic. Despite battle brewing, love conquers all bounds. Filled with bitter foes, magical displays, a quest for true love in many cases, and a dash of enigma, Knight of Glory is a true delight. By the end, we understand that a brewing war of good and evil is afoot, but unfortunately, we must wait until May 2011 for the third book of the Kingdom of Arnhem series, Champion of Valor. I look forward to this third book and more from Ms. Zoltack.

Saturday Surprise

Surprise, it's Saturday, and I'm at work again.

Writing my NaNoWriMo novel has become a surprise despite all my well-laid plans. As you know, the novel was titled Sarah's Nightmare. I liked this title, and when I first envisioned the novel, it was the perfect title.

Now that I'm writing the novel, however, I realized the book wasn't about Sarah, her nightmares, and overcoming them. It's about the three main characters: Sarah, Marc, and Ted. It's their journey to find what each one of them is missing as well as finding the missing children. Sarah is missing a piece of who she is. Ted is missing understanding in human relationships, despite being a psychiatrist. Marc is missing his abducted brother. Children are missing. Thus, the new title is MISSING. It's simple. It fits the theme, and it encompasses the entire story instead of just Sarah's part in it.

Since I realized the story was about all three main characters, I modified my old blurb and created a new one. Here it is:
A government secret program nestled under the Blue Ridge Mountains. Five children ripped from their homes at twenty-year intervals. With one exception in 1985. Thirty-year-old Sarah Richards is an adjunct professor for Star City College, pages away from finishing her doctoral thesis, and has a live-in boyfriend, psychiatrist Theodore "Ted" Merriweather. Despite being happy and settled in her life, something is missing in her life.Thirty-nine-year-old Ted Merriweather has never been happier with his girlfriend Sarah and working at his own psychiatric practice, but despite his knowledge of human behavior, he is missing the signs of danger ahead.Twenty-eight-year-old Marc Bishop is a semester away from graduating SCC with a Masters in Criminology. He misses his older brother, who was kidnapped and never seen again when Marc was three-years-old. When Sarah begins teaching Marc's History of Criminology course, a current case of missing children sucks them into the investigation. These abductions have roots in the past, and Sarah, Marc, and even Ted must find these children before they're all missing forever.
Now, I'm not very good at cover art, but I sometimes like to try my hand at it using Microsoft Word. Here is the cover art for MISSING while I'm doing NaNoWriMo.


This is actually the first time I've written a novel and had the title change. I like to think I'm pretty good about naming titles and short stories, but I have to admit MISSING fits so much better. I like it.

Flash Fiction Fridays

Today, we focus on Ted, who is another main character in Sarah's Nightmare. 
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Ted ran his fingers through his reddish-brown hair, so he wouldn't do something stupid. "Angela, honey, calm down. We can work through this." He wanted to hold her, love her, make her understand it wasn't her fault for losing their baby.
She looked at me. Her plump lips parted, and he remembered how they tasted. "Ted, you know nothing about me. Mama was right. I shouldn't have married you."
"It's not your fault." There, he said it.
"What isn't my fault?" Her hand went to her hips.
"The baby. We can try again." He reached for her hand. "I love you, Angie. You know I do."
She snatched her hand away from him. "Of course it isn't my fault, you idiot!" Her voice rose in pitch with each word. She slapped him in the arm. "Jerk!" She proceeded to call him some other words, a few he had never heard outside the construction site where he worked. She turned away from him.
He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Her hair smelled of strawberries. "Please, don't do this. We love each other. We can make this work."
She laughed, but the sound was harsh and bitter. Nothing he'd ever heard from her before. "Make it work? Ted, don't you get it? It's over." She pulled out of his embrace and sniffed. Tears fell from her eyes, and it broke Ted's heart to see his baby cry. "I can't be with you anymore. You don't get me. You think we can be h-happy, but we can't. I don't love you anymore." She hiccupped.
"You're not thinking straight." He reached out to her again but stopped. "Please. I love you."
She wiped her tears away but more fell. "It's over. I'm sorry, but it is. I can't be with you anymore. You don't get me. You don't understand." She swallowed. "I want a divorce."
He felt like she punched him in the stomach. His breath whooshed out of his lungs. He would've sworn his heart stopped. Those four words killed him as easily as if she had shot him. "What? Angie, no."
"Yes. I want a divorce." The words flowed easier. She meant them.
"Can't we talk about it? Go to counseling?" He didn't want to be nineteen and divorced.
"No, there's nothing to talk about." She crossed her arms. "I want you out of here."
It was then he saw his packed bags. He loved her. He gave up going to college for her, and she was throwing him out like yesterday's newspaper. He didn't understand.
What had he done wrong?

Happy Veteran's Day

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the veterans (and active duty military personnel) out there. We may not always agree about the reasons of war or why we're in a war, but there are many brave men and women who fight for our country and other countries to protect their rights and freedoms.

I'd especially like to thank my grandpa for fighting in World War II and my cousin who served over in Iraq for a while. I'm pretty sure I've had relatives who have fought in other wars, such as Korea and Vietnam, but I'm not exactly certain, but thanks to them too.

Thank you.

Wednesday's Writing Update

It's time again for Wednesday's Writing Update.
On Thursday, I finished reading Dracula The Undead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. Although the beginning to the novel was fantastic, I felt it fell apart. It's the first bad review I've given a book. *frowns* If you want, you can read the review here and see why it received a bad review from me.
Also on Thursday, I received a new review of Once Upon a December Nightmare. You can read that review here.
Thursday was a busy day. At our Valley Writers meeting, Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House, spoke with us. She was amazing to hear, and I can't wait to read her book. Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until I read all the other books I need to read (for book reviews). Yes, my queue gets longer and longer, and no, I'm not really complaining. It just means I have to push other books back in the queue to read.
Since this month is NaNoWriMo, every Flash Fiction Fridays will revolve around the characters in my novel. If you haven't read it yet, don't forget to read "I'm Not Crazy" here.
Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I believe I'm doing well with it. I'm at 20,212 words, and I hope to get another 2000-3000 written today. I went through a down period where I hated the book and characters on Sunday and Monday, but I read through what I've written and thought that there was something here worth saving. It actually helped to take that moment to put it in perspective. Sarah's Nightmare takes place between February to June 2010 with some scenes/articles sprinkled throughout the novel from previous times, particularly the years of 1944-1945, 1965, and 1985. Today, I'll begin writing chapter seventeen and the events in the month of May. I'm right in the middle of my novel, and I hope it'll be long enough to be at least 60,000 words as a first draft. I originally hoped between 70,000-80,000, but from what I've written so far, it'll be much less. That's okay. I'm not taking much time to write descriptions of things. I'm getting the story and emotions out first. Things can be added in later drafts. *smiles*
On Raven and the Writing Desk last week and this week, I've posted two excerpts, which contain the entire chapter one. To read the first part of the chapter, click here. To read the second part, click here.
And, finally, I'm already thinking about what I might write in NaNoWriMo 2011. Is it too early to be thinking about it? Maybe, but sometimes ideas come at you and won't let go. Grim is one of those ideas. Granted, the idea is still in progress, but here is my working blurb for it:It's not easy being twelve and entering sixth grade. It's even more difficult if your name is Grim Reeper.

Besides having a name synonymous with Death, Grim's mother works as the county pathologist, and his dad is always away on business. When his dad comes home for an extended stay, Grim thinks now is the time to have some dad-son bonding.

But, then, he learns the family secret. His dad's Death. And, no, Grim spelled it correctly. His dad hears just fine. He's actually Death, CEO of the Underworld in the Southeast region of the United States. Come Grim's thirteenth birthday, he'll have to follow in dad's footsteps.

Grim doesn't want to be Death, though. He's happy being a sixth grade boy, despite the bullies and evil teachers. Then, his dad is kidnapped, and the rules of Death no longer apply. The undead arise, and it's up to Grim and his friends to find his dad and save the world before they become one of them.

Grim would be MG/YA Urban Fantasy, I think. As I said, it's in the infantacy of an idea. He's quite talkative, though, so we'll see if this novel makes it to NaNoWriMo 2011 or if I break down and write it before then.
In other writing news, I have nothing to report. No submissions, rejections, acceptances, or releases. Hopefully, I'll have some other news soon.