Jennifer Melzer's Blog, page 8

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day 2

Today was a pretty solid day for writing. I am a little bit behind on daily word count goals on my Camp NaNoWriMo project, but I more than made up for it with the short story I started working on for an anthology I want to submit to later this month.

I’m in the early honeymoon stage with this project, though. You know, where everything feels new and exciting. I’m getting to know my characters, feeling out their personalities and coming to understand their motivations. It’s like we just boarded the plane to Hawaii with butterflies in our stomachs and starry-eyed wonder at all the exciting things we’ll see together in our new life.

All in all, I wrote about 3000 words total today between, which is a huge step in the ‘write’ direction. I’d love to keep writing now that I’m finding my groove, but it’s Tuesday, and I’ve got to go play D&D in a couple hours.

Back at it tomorrow and planning to surpass minimum goals so I’m on track. I hope you’re meeting all your personal goals, be they in writing, or another endeavor.

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day 1

When I got an email a few weeks ago from the people over at NaNoWriMo about their summer writing program, Camp NaNoWriMo, I decided it would be a good time to get back to work on something I miss all the time: writing. It’s been several months since I wrote something for pleasure, and while I’m sure there are a very small handful of people who would urge me to go back and finish the next books in a couple of old series, my mind is not in any of those places right now at all, and hasn’t been for some time. I also struggle with the notion of devoting time to projects that don’t do well out in the wild, even at the peril of disappointing that wonderful handful of people who supported the projects back when.

I had planned to dive into a New Adult paranormal romance about a vampire, but as the first of July approached, I found my mind returning to an idea I’d discussed with James a couple years ago. This was an idea that we talked about more than once, and though neither of us ever tried our hand at writing it, it felt like it might be the right time to actually give it a shot. So, this morning, I sat down and plotted the first five chapters of a novel I am tentatively calling Starman for the time being.

High School Librarian Stacia Morgan has been in a bad place since her last relationship went up in flames. At thirty-five, she’s been ready to settle into a good relationship and start a family for some time, but without any prospects the future she craves is starting to look impossible. Hoping to escape the tick of her biological clock for the summer, Stacia heads south to the remote, private island off the coast of South Carolina where she vacationed with her family growing up. 

When she meets a mysterious and handsome man named Rajiir on the beach, she isn’t sure what to think when he tells her he came from the stars. Maybe he has a quirky sense of humor. Maybe he’s mentally unstable. Or maybe, just maybe he actually crash-landed on Earth exactly the way he said he did, and now it’s up to her to help him find a way back to the stars.

I kicked off Day One with some plotting and planning, and I made a cute little cover for inspiration purposes only, and then I wrote about 500 words. I am about to see if I can write at least 500 more before it’s time to sit down and watch Captain Marvel while we all eat tacos. All in all, not a bad effort. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of some of these days I don’t have anyone in the house with me because they’re all at work. It’d be amazing to get back to that place where I could write 5000+ words in a few short hours. So that’s my goal right now… getting back to a good headspace for writing and using that space to write!

If you’re signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo, good luck! I hope you meet your goals and find amazing support from your cabinmates. I’d love to hear about your project, so feel free to chime in down below!

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day One

When I got an email a few weeks ago from the people over at NaNoWriMo about their summer writing program, Camp NaNoWriMo, I decided it would be a good time to get back to work on something I miss all the time: writing. It’s been several months since I wrote something for pleasure, and while I’m sure there are a very small handful of people who would urge me to go back and finish the next books in a couple of old series, my mind is not in any of those places right now at all, and hasn’t been for some time. I also struggle with the notion of devoting time to projects that don’t do well out in the wild, even at the peril of disappointing that wonderful handful of people who supported the projects back when.

I had planned to dive into a New Adult paranormal romance about a vampire, but as the first of July approached, I found my mind returning to an idea I’d discussed with James a couple years ago. This was an idea that we talked about more than once, and though neither of us ever tried our hand at writing it, it felt like it might be the right time to actually give it a shot. So, this morning, I sat down and plotted the first five chapters of a novel I am tentatively calling Starman for the time being.

High School Librarian Stacia Morgan has been in a bad place since her last relationship went up in flames. At thirty-five, she’s been ready to settle into a good relationship and start a family for some time, but without any prospects the future she craves is starting to look impossible. Hoping to escape the tick of her biological clock for the summer, Stacia heads south to the remote, private island off the coast of South Carolina where she vacationed with her family growing up. 

When she meets a mysterious and handsome man named Rajiir on the beach, she isn’t sure what to think when he tells her he came from the stars. Maybe he has a quirky sense of humor. Maybe he’s mentally unstable. Or maybe, just maybe he actually crash-landed on Earth exactly the way he said he did, and now it’s up to her to help him find a way back to the stars.

I kicked off Day One with some plotting and planning, and I made a cute little cover for inspiration purposes only, and then I wrote about 500 words. I am about to see if I can write at least 500 more before it’s time to sit down and watch Captain Marvel while we all eat tacos. All in all, not a bad effort. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of some of these days I don’t have anyone in the house with me because they’re all at work. It’d be amazing to get back to that place where I could write 5000+ words in a few short hours. So that’s my goal right now… getting back to a good headspace for writing and using that space to write!

If you’re signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo, good luck! I hope you meet your goals and find amazing support from your cabinmates. I’d love to hear about your project, so feel free to chime in down below!

Flashy Friday: Twilight of Souls

We gathered in the valley on the Twilight of Souls, anxious as our stomachs roiled in anticipation. Everyone we lost that year stood patiently in line. Amira, the baker’s daughter. The old cobbler, Leth Sorensen. The Harthlet twins, Seve and Kronin. Those were the only ones I’d known personally, but among them stood a host of others I’d never even met. Names my lips would never utter, bodies I would never encounter in my day to day travels through the Folded Crescent.


 


As first light gathered on the horizon, slowly turning a black sky grey, the first of them began running toward the edge of the cliff. Ethereal arms outstretched, the reminder of her body arched instinctually, curving from chest to groin as she threw back a head no longer there and soared into the valley. The next soul was not so graceful; legs that were no longer real flailed and kicked as he panicked on his descent. Barely waiting for him to leap, the next soul followed, wrapping arms around legs and dropping swift as a boulder into the canyon.


 


It didn’t take long for the souls to find their freedom, soaring, sinking, scattering like dust across the valley to seek out new lives to live among the foliage and wildlife below. To start the cycle over again, to grow and evolve into our best selves was the ultimate achievement, but I couldn’t help but wonder if some of those souls hadn’t already reached the greatest of heights only to plummet to the bottom for no reason at all.

Flashy Friday: Capturing the Weak of Mind

“Of course, we all wear masks,” the master of strings said without ceremony or pretense. “Every single one of us dons two faces at once, sometimes three or four or even more. A different face for each of our moods, for every occasion, if you will. But what most people fail to realize as they compartmentalize themselves this way is that the more faces you don, the more personas you gather and the more leads there are that tie you to the whims of stringmasters like myself. And make no mistake, we tug those strings without hesitation and manipulate the puppets dangling at the ends.” He paused to look each and every student in that small classroom in the eye before going on, “Now, open your text books to page 76: Capturing the Weak of Mind.”

Flashy Friday: Underneath Her Skin

Underneath her skin she is so much more then the good girl she pretends to be. Not patient, not sweet, not gentle like Mother taught her. Underneath her skin there is fire, simmering her blood, bubbling the chemicals in her brain, crackling her fat, making rage plume like smoke from her ears and her nostrils. If she isn’t careful, the monster seeps out, twisting her hair like tentacles and lashing out at the world around her.

Flashy Friday: Endcaller’s Eve

Each year on Endcallers Eve, the priesthood sent three of their finest to the Hell Gates to reinforce the seals. Brother Mulvor no longer took the task seriously. He’d been Brother Dalos’ age his first trip, and remembered how eager he’d been. How he trembled as old Brother Somnali sent him forward to pronounce the blessings, a part of him terrified the beasts beyond the gates would rattle the ancient chains in protest.

Brother Mulvor shook his head and grinned when Brother Beskov mimicked the clicking sound demons were said to make, biting back a chuckle as he watched Brother Dalos startle. Without looking back at them, the young man began to pray, calling upon each of the nine to reinforce the seal. Even if it was pointless, even if nothing actually lurked behind those gates any longer, it made everyone feel safer when the final words were spoken.

Flashy Friday: Justice

Ni’rikun felt calm for the first time in ages, the greatest part of her centered as the djinn whirled like smoke across the desert sands. Whispers and promises tickled her ears while the threads of their souls lashed at her skin like angry snakes, whipping open wounds inside her until they began to fester and ooze with power the likes of which she’d only heard in the Speaker’s fireside tales on long summer nights before the rains came, before their parents were killed and her sister went blind with sorrow.


 


E’ku learned to see again through the eyes of the birds, a magic Ni’rikun silently envied. Vacha told her such power was not for her, that when the time was right the gods would show her the way.


 


Ni’rikun was tired of waiting for the gods. She would find her own power, carve her own path, and she would make such vengeance the Speakers would tell of her deeds by fireside on long summer nights for a thousand years.


*This piece of flash fiction is tied to “Blind“, which was published here on February 8, 2019, and “Warrior“, which I posted on March 1, 2019.

Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines

I enjoy Jim C. Hines’ writing, mostly because it tends to be on the fun, quirky side… like me :p. I fell in love with Jig the Goblin years ago, and when I saw Terminal Alliance on the shelves at our local brick and mortar, I thought this was perfect because I love space and I love humor, so what a great combination. Hines tends to pay great attention to detail and every time he puts a book out, you’re almost guaranteed for an exciting, and at least mildly silly read.

Terminal Alliance was exactly what one would expect from Hines. It was funny, silly, ironic, and goofy. Though I suspect I wasn’t really in the mood for this type of book at the time I picked it up because it took me an eternity to read, and I started to wonder if there was something wrong with my brain. There’s not. And there’s nothing wrong with this book. Trust me when I tell you the length of time it took me to read is not a reflection the book’s quality. It’s a good read, and I liked it, so let’s talk about the plot a little.

Most of humanity was wiped out by a plague that basically turned them into zombies, and when an alien species arrived to bring them into an intergalactic alliance they weren’t exactly sentient anymore. Recovering specimens, the aliens sought to fix them and basically remake them into… something else.

Marion Adamopoulous, also known as Mops, is a Lieutenant on a Mercenary Corps ship known as the Pufferfish. In charge of Sanitation, no one knows there way around a mess like Mops and her crew, so when they’re thrust into the biggest mess imaginable, it’s up to her team figure out exactly why the humans on their ship have reverted to mindless zombies bent on eating their fellow humans. What follows is an intriguing plot, some great banter, and a few memorable characters.

The writing was top notch, with Hines drawing from a number of fun cultural bits to shape the situation and the world.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who loves humorous science fiction stories with a decent mystery woven in and lots of bizarre aliens.

 

Flashy Friday: Ancient Ruins

Scholars said the ruins led to another world, as alien to the surfacers as it was forgotten. Technology existed there the likes of which those above couldn’t even begin to fathom, much less replicate. Their tales were fascinating, of course, but nowhere near as intriguing as what the witch women had to say. Allegedly, there was an oracle at the heart of this strange old world who saw all moments of every time that ever was or would be.

It would be dangerous. She might even die trying to find the oracle, but if she lived the insight she might gain into the mysterious disappearance of her brother when they were children would be worth the journey.