Caroline Hanson's Blog, page 6
December 15, 2011
Love is Fear is on Amazon-- BUT....
Love is Fear is out but Amazon has not linked it up quite yet. The only way to find it is to see all the books by Caroline Hanson. it should match up in a day or two but here is the link.
http://tiny.cc/1d0g6
Hope you like it and I would love to know your thoughts! I'm no longer doing a review giveaway since LIF is now out. Although there is a deleted scene that would have been Chapter 26 (it's a sex scene) that might be turning up soon.
Thank you so much for reading!
http://tiny.cc/1d0g6
Hope you like it and I would love to know your thoughts! I'm no longer doing a review giveaway since LIF is now out. Although there is a deleted scene that would have been Chapter 26 (it's a sex scene) that might be turning up soon.
Thank you so much for reading!
December 6, 2011
FAQ-- where do you get your ideas?
I guess my ideas come from reading a lot and thinking about what I don't like, what's missing and what I wanted to happen that didn't. Then I try to fix those problems and write the book I wanted to read instead.
I wrote LID partially because I was sick of all the super tough heroines that are unrelatable, sick of the extensive world building when what I really wanted was character interaction and sick of having a love triangle where I instantly knew who I was rooting for.
And I was really irked at how sanitized vampires are. They eat people! They are not good or nice! And yet, a lot of authors let that slide or just totally ignore it. And I think everyone gets short shrift from that. That's part of what makes them so interesting. Losing their humanity, making that decision to live at the expense of others, what makes someone evil or not. That was the Joss Whedon angle on vampires. They still love, they still have their own code of ethics, but it's kind of messed up.
Stephanie Meyer said she dreamed about Edward and Bella in a meadow and the books came from there. I suppose my initial idea was that a young woman was kidnapped by a vampire and turned. Her love interest whom she had grown up with is chained up next to her and if she wants to survive she has to drink his blood. But if she does he can never forgive her as his parents were killed by vampires. And somewhere in there was a very evil vampire who held them captive. That was the initial idea.
So yeah, my idea changed a lot. I mean sure, Jack and Val have known each other since they were teenagers and their parents bit the big one, but otherwise the idea has changed radically. And I didn't see Lucas as being a genuine threat for her affections. Probably it was similar to LK Hamilton-- Jean Claude was supposed to die so that Anita and Richard could ride off into the sunset but she was too tired (she'd just had her daughter) to kill him off. So he lived! And look at him now.
As for my inspirations-- I grew up reading romance novels and rereading Anne Rice over and over again. Even her Beauty series. I think that has an effect on a teenager. (Lol!) I've read the Hamilton books 3-11 about four times each (at least!) and while I really like Sookie, I keep meaning to reread them and just have not done it yet. But there was a span of time where I was pretty obsessed with them. I had the first print run of Sookie, and she'd actually autographed them, but I let a friend borrow them and they were stolen out of her car.
I've also re-read Outlander, all the Laura Kinsale and JR Ward a few times. And can I just say how much I'm looking forward to the quinn/blay novella. Holy cow!
Anyway, the ideas do not come to me full fledged. Peculiarly it's the cliffhangers and endings that I see first. I knew Jack was going to be in that room from very early on. And the same with the second book. The end and what's happening with all of our characters was something I knew from the outset of the second book. And I know the series ending, it's just a question of getting people there.
There was a point where I wanted to traditionally publish and it wasn't going to happen with the series being vampire based. Vampires are a dirty word in publishing right now. Did you know you're reading a genre people are sick of reading? Me either! But apparently it's true. So a few weeks before LID came out I came up with a huge plan to change the series and make Lucas not a vampire. There would be no vampires or werewolves but they would be from a different dimension. I didn't change it but that idea is still in my head. And it's different enough from LID that it could be a series.
The Lucas character is there and so is the Cerdewellyn character. Valerie to a certain extent but everything else is different. The world, the plot, all of it. So that might happen when VD is all over.
I also read a lot of historicals. Not now so much because they don't have enough sex and I don't like such a naive heroine. I don't want my heroine to swoon at her first kiss. It's boring. But I have a book that's half finished and is set in Regency England. It's time travel and the heroine is pretty kick ass. It's almost a reversal. She's worldly and tough and while he's our English gentleman alpha, he's not able to understand the world she comes from and what makes her so bold. And of course, that is the fascination.
I've also written an erotica but I don't think that will be under the Caroline Hanson pen name. It's m/m and regency. I don't think that's LID's core audience. I'd love to know what books you all go back to and what makes you crazy about certain genres. So tell me already!
I wrote LID partially because I was sick of all the super tough heroines that are unrelatable, sick of the extensive world building when what I really wanted was character interaction and sick of having a love triangle where I instantly knew who I was rooting for.
And I was really irked at how sanitized vampires are. They eat people! They are not good or nice! And yet, a lot of authors let that slide or just totally ignore it. And I think everyone gets short shrift from that. That's part of what makes them so interesting. Losing their humanity, making that decision to live at the expense of others, what makes someone evil or not. That was the Joss Whedon angle on vampires. They still love, they still have their own code of ethics, but it's kind of messed up.
Stephanie Meyer said she dreamed about Edward and Bella in a meadow and the books came from there. I suppose my initial idea was that a young woman was kidnapped by a vampire and turned. Her love interest whom she had grown up with is chained up next to her and if she wants to survive she has to drink his blood. But if she does he can never forgive her as his parents were killed by vampires. And somewhere in there was a very evil vampire who held them captive. That was the initial idea.
So yeah, my idea changed a lot. I mean sure, Jack and Val have known each other since they were teenagers and their parents bit the big one, but otherwise the idea has changed radically. And I didn't see Lucas as being a genuine threat for her affections. Probably it was similar to LK Hamilton-- Jean Claude was supposed to die so that Anita and Richard could ride off into the sunset but she was too tired (she'd just had her daughter) to kill him off. So he lived! And look at him now.
As for my inspirations-- I grew up reading romance novels and rereading Anne Rice over and over again. Even her Beauty series. I think that has an effect on a teenager. (Lol!) I've read the Hamilton books 3-11 about four times each (at least!) and while I really like Sookie, I keep meaning to reread them and just have not done it yet. But there was a span of time where I was pretty obsessed with them. I had the first print run of Sookie, and she'd actually autographed them, but I let a friend borrow them and they were stolen out of her car.
I've also re-read Outlander, all the Laura Kinsale and JR Ward a few times. And can I just say how much I'm looking forward to the quinn/blay novella. Holy cow!
Anyway, the ideas do not come to me full fledged. Peculiarly it's the cliffhangers and endings that I see first. I knew Jack was going to be in that room from very early on. And the same with the second book. The end and what's happening with all of our characters was something I knew from the outset of the second book. And I know the series ending, it's just a question of getting people there.
There was a point where I wanted to traditionally publish and it wasn't going to happen with the series being vampire based. Vampires are a dirty word in publishing right now. Did you know you're reading a genre people are sick of reading? Me either! But apparently it's true. So a few weeks before LID came out I came up with a huge plan to change the series and make Lucas not a vampire. There would be no vampires or werewolves but they would be from a different dimension. I didn't change it but that idea is still in my head. And it's different enough from LID that it could be a series.
The Lucas character is there and so is the Cerdewellyn character. Valerie to a certain extent but everything else is different. The world, the plot, all of it. So that might happen when VD is all over.
I also read a lot of historicals. Not now so much because they don't have enough sex and I don't like such a naive heroine. I don't want my heroine to swoon at her first kiss. It's boring. But I have a book that's half finished and is set in Regency England. It's time travel and the heroine is pretty kick ass. It's almost a reversal. She's worldly and tough and while he's our English gentleman alpha, he's not able to understand the world she comes from and what makes her so bold. And of course, that is the fascination.
I've also written an erotica but I don't think that will be under the Caroline Hanson pen name. It's m/m and regency. I don't think that's LID's core audience. I'd love to know what books you all go back to and what makes you crazy about certain genres. So tell me already!
December 1, 2011
Love is Fear-- Prologue
Hi All,
I am really bummed I wasn't able to get LIF out today, but I want it to be as close to error free as possible. I mentioned to a few people that my goal was the first, which it was. Ultimately getting the book out on the 15th will make for a better reading experience for you too. So I'm going to put the prologue of LIF up in hopes that it does something to make the wait a little less irritating. And it is set in 1587 and I am sure you're thinking, I don't care about 1587 what the hell is going to happen with Jack and Val? And will Lucas get any hotter? At least these are the questions I get emails about, so I assume that's what you might be thinking :)
But I will say...yes Lucas does get hotter. At least I think he does. Okay, so her is the prologue. No Lucas, but he gets mentioned. Hope you enjoy it and again, sorry!
August 18, 1587 Cerdewellyn, King of the Fey, smiled triumphantly at the baby's first angry cry. He looked around the primitive shelter in disgust. It was nothing like the opulence they had been forced to leave behind. Two tallow candles were sputtering in the room, dimly illuminating the spent woman who held her newborn child. Eleanor murmured something soothing to the babe, then looked up as he approached. "A girl, just like you promised," she said tiredly, but with a smile. She doubted his word? Yes, because no one fears the Fey any longer. "Do you have a name for the child?" he asked."Virginia. Virginia Dare is her name." His black eyebrows pulled together in a frown, giving him a satanic look in the guttural light. His inky hair fell forward into his eyes and he pushed it away absently. "What is the purpose of such a name? Why did you choose it?" "Because of the Queen, of course." The English Queen. A mortal. More regal, more deserving of having an infant named in her honor, than the Queen of the Fey. Of course. He nodded, watching absently as the baby whimpered and struggled, rooting around her mother's chest. Cer was pleased, felt a moment of gladness that this, at least, was going as it should. It was an omen for what was to come-- it must be. Their lives depended upon it."She is strong," he said and turned to find the midwife watching him as if he was a rabid dog about to steal meat from the fire. Her arms were crossed defensively and she made a sign at him, as though to ward away an evil spirit. As if a hand gesture could impact him in any way. Cer took a moment to study the deep crimson stains on her apron, eyeing it and her until she saw something in his expression that made her take a step back. And she should fear me."It's not his place to be here," the midwife said, never taking her eyes off him. "Seeing the babe before your husband, before your father." "Hush, Martha. His Highness has been nothing but goodness to us."Martha shook her head and went back to Eleanor, pressing on the woman's stomach repeatedly until the afterbirth, a huge glistening organ, spilled from her onto the bed. Cer's voice cut through the night like a blade. "You are done here. Go, Martha." Martha looked at him, then back to Eleanor. Did she really believe Eleanor's wishes would trump his? "You are to leave. Now. This is mine. The child is mine. Do nothing to interfere or you will regret it." "Are you threatening me?" the woman said, her bloody hand flying to her chest as she stumbled backwards towards the door. The confusion and fear on her simple face made him want to kill her and leave. But it would distress Eleanor, and, after the service she had done his people, he felt magnanimous. "No," he said quietly, and then waited until her beefy shoulders slumped in relief. "I threaten you, your children and your man. You leave here and speak nothing of this. Nothing of me, nor the dark birth I will take with me. One whisper, one rumor of this and all you love will perish." "You are the devil!" she cried and backed out the door, slamming it behind her. He heard her footsteps on the dry ground as she ran to the nearby huts of the other Roanoke settlers.Gently he placed the afterbirth into a bucket, gave the mother and child a blessing, then went to the woods, ready to reclaim his world. He'd promised Eleanor Dare a daughter and a husband, promised her that her family would prosper. He'd made it happen. I still have the power to give someone a destiny. But the Fey never gave away anything for free. Cer had helped the woman conceive for his own purposes—moving the Fey realm, and its living portal, required a host on the perilous journey across the sea. Eleanor Dare had carried their magic to the New World just as she carried the babe in her womb. They had fled Europe, leaving from County Norfolk for a wilderness so vast and unreachable that no one could harm them. She'd consumed Fey magic and the essence of their land until she was near to bursting with it. Most of his people-- too weak to exist outside his realm-- waited for him to complete the rite that would allow them back to the mortal world. And tonight, he'd do just that. Cer walked into the woods, feeling the night air closing in around him, as though it wanted to meet him, lift him up and return him back to his former glory. Waiting. How long had they been a civilization on the brink of extinction? How many had been slaughtered by Lucas over the long centuries? When the time came, Cerdewellyn would kill him. It was a death he imagined every waking moment. Akin to a fantasy of a woman he desired but had never taken—he would close his eyes and imagine killing him. He didn't care if he looked Lucas in the eyes, didn't care if he stabbed Lucas in the back, didn't even care if someone else forced the stake through his heart…so long as it was done. He and his people, including what was left of the Others had been forced to leave their homes for good. He stepped into a clearing in the woods, where the trees and brush had been cut back by the settlers. The strongest of his people-- those who had not needed to lock themselves away in the portal-- fell to the ground, the Wolves howling in recognition. Cer could feel the expectation. A fire raged in the middle of the circle, flames licking so high that they singed the nearest branches—an inferno under a witch's control. Tonight they would be reborn, put the past behind them and start again. His witch, Nantanya, stepped forward and took the bucket that contained the bloody after birth all the magic of his people and went to the fire. Cer looked at the remnants of the Others—a handful of Empaths, a few Witches, and all that was left of the Wolves. Many of their loved ones were trapped in Cer's dimension, never aging, nothing changing, as they waited for a way to return to the mortal world.He made eye contact with each of them, feeling the weight of loss and ruin in their worn clothing and lean faces. The journey to the New World had been hard, and Roanoke was not as plentiful as they had hoped. But once the portal was opened, that would change. "With this birth, our fortunes change. Our new life begins. Bonded together by death, we are no longer enemies, but kin. All of our kind forged together in a fire of despair." Cer paused, letting the men and women think about what they had left behind. How dire their situation had become. There had been only one choice. Leave. Because Lucas and his horde had destroyed them all. The silence gave way to the slight crackle of leaves underfoot. His Queen approached, their witch leading her by the hand. She was naked and walked forward slowly, flowers twined in her long, honey-colored hair. The trip had been especially hard on her, and as he watched her come forward, he noticed that she was thinner than usual—her stomach concave and her breasts smaller. He felt a moment of unease. A true goddess is unaffected by mortal coils. But they'd been together for hundreds of years, had dozens of children together, and as she smiled at him, all his doubts disappeared. The witch chanted, sliced her palm with a sharp knife, her blood dripping into the fire with a hiss. She lifted the afterbirth from the bucket, holding it held it suspended over the fire. The witch had cast the spell allowing their dimension to be moved, but Cer and his Queen were the ones who would break it, allowing the Fey to come and go between the two dimensions. Nantanya knelt down and cut into the bloody mass, slicing off two small pieces before casting them into the fire. They burned with a flourish, a cascade of rainbow-colored flames sparking bright. Cer felt the magic rise from the fire like smoke, knew the moment it touched him— thickened him, his cock pulsing in time to his heart and the witch's chant. A breeze rustled across his skin and his Queen's hair flitted across him arm, twining around his hand. The fire crackled again and he was hard as obsidian. The urge to mate with his Queen an overwhelming need. Magic and power flooded the night. He drew it into him, channeling it into pure desire, before throwing it into the land, aware of it touching each person in the clearing. Their sudden moans of carnal hunger, a primitive song in the night. The witch approached, a strip of meat dangling on the edge of her blade. He inhaled, the smell of blood and power potent and intoxicating. Without question, thought or hesitation he swallowed it whole, felt it burn through him. The magic needed an outlet. The magic was half him and half his Queen. Only their joining would make the magic whole. Cerdewellyn watched as his Queen opened her mouth, taking the flesh between her lips. She closed her eyes in bliss and raised her hand, covering her mouth as though she savored every drop. Women came to him from the crowd, helping him take off his clothing, stroking his body. They touched him everywhere, their passion growing as he fed his desire to them. A woman tugged the sleeve of his shirt away, then touched his chest, her finger grazing his nipple. Another unfastened his pants, pulling the laces free, her hand touching his cock, sliding her fingers across the damp head. He was ready and full, potent and eager to mount his Queen. With this offering, with their release, they would all be free. His Queen closed her eyes and made a choking noise, an expression he couldn't identify scraping across her features. But it wasn't joy. Uncertainty flooded him and he shoved it away. This was their chance. Their realm hinged on this night. There was no time for uncertainty or doubt, no going back. The rite would work. There was no alternative. Male hands caressed her flesh and stroked her hair. Readying her. With a cry, she swallowed, tears running down her cheeks. He knew that pleasure: When his body was so overrun with verdant desire that he could barely function beyond the moment and his own urgency. Cer grabbed his Queen around the waist, her back to his front, his fingers going around her body and plunging between her thighs. She was hot and wet. A Queen built for desire. He pushed his fingers into her, opening her, making her wide for him. No gentleness, no hesitation. It was unnecessary because she was Queen of the Fey, as ready and hot as he was. She was his equal—a mirror for his desire. She cried out at his blunt invasion, struggling closer. He settled her on the ground, raising her hips into the air as he impaled her from behind in one, swift move. Like a dagger plunged to the hilt. Like the last gasp of a dying man. That connection was everything. Cer thrust within her, slow then pounding, feeling the magic course through him. It was building, growing. Wrong. He felt it even as the orgasm gathered in his cock. He was buffeted by sex and violent urges as his followers mated around him. The men took the women hard, the Wolveshalf-transformed, all control wiped away and fed to the magic. There were not enough women and several of the men were pleasuring each other, holding tight fists around their pricks, their motions quick and greedy. Bodies writhed while their groans rent the air. He heard the witch chanting, felt the fire grow, consuming the very air around them, urging them towards completion. His Queen was below him, her body milking him, fingers sunk deep into the earth. Wrong. Through the fire of lust he knew this was not right, knew something was out of balance. With a hoarse yell, he pulled out of her, flipping her onto her back and sinking his face between her thighs. He kissed her and licked her, ate at her with a passion driven by the elements. She clenched hard, exploding around him. Her taste burned him, scalded him, tasted…. Wrong. He ignored it, still driven to come, to break the spell that kept the Fey trapped in another dimension. He loomed over her, looking down at her perfect face, and caught a flash of something. It was as though she wasn't there. As though she'd faded and was covered head-to-toe in an illusion of death. Her skin gray and mottled, her eyes wide in her sunken flesh. The leaves she wore, dead and rotting. He blinked, and the image disappeared. His Queen was whole and beautiful before him, body lush and spread, ripe as spring, hot as summer. She stared at him with an expression he'd never seen before. As if she didn't want him. He kissed her deeply, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he slid inside of her. They were one. Orgasms erupted around him, each offering of seed and honey greedily taken by the magic. He felt the first spasm within him, his essence pouring into her as he ground himself deep, the climax wrenching, as though his seed had become heavy, liquid gold. She shifted away from him so that he slipped out of her, the final potent lashes of his seed falling to the earth. He heard the fire roar and die—Wrong. His Queen lay beside him, crying, and the whole night was as dark and still as the dead. Cerdwellyn stood, pulling her to her feet. Her breath made a strange hitch and then she struck him, hand open, so that his head cracked to the side. "Where is the portal, Cerdewellyn? We have come so far and there is nothing!" She hissed the words at him. Cer didn't bother to touch his face, tasting the blood at the corner of his lip. He strode away from her, towards the smoking coals and the witch who had served him for decades. Nantanya turned, the lines of her face etched even deeper with the night's failure. She started speaking as soon as he was near. "It should have worked. The spell was perfect. You did your part. But the Queen—Did you not see it? You hurt her, Cerdewellyn. If she were still your equal, that would have been impossible. She is no longer the true Queen, my lord." "She has been my Queen for time beyond measure," he said, words hollow with fear. "But that doesn't mean she still is. There was another before her, and now there is another to replace her." He shook his head in dismay, pressed his lips together hard even as his gaze strayed to the fire and then out into the distance, through the trees and towards the ocean. Where the barest, faintest hint of light was—and the newborn female babe conceived with all the magic of the Fey. "And where is my Queen then?" he asked harshly, even though he feared the answer. "You know, Sire. Surely you feel it. Affection, a shared history is irrelevant. Survival is all that matters now." "She is but a babe. It will be years before she could perform the rite as a true Queen must. If I open the portal and we go in, we cannot come out for years, not until she old enough to perform the rite and break the spell." He looked around at his people, cursed Lucas again for forcing them into this situation. "Tell the settlers. They come with us, to wait for Virginia Dare. If they want to live, then they must come below."
I am really bummed I wasn't able to get LIF out today, but I want it to be as close to error free as possible. I mentioned to a few people that my goal was the first, which it was. Ultimately getting the book out on the 15th will make for a better reading experience for you too. So I'm going to put the prologue of LIF up in hopes that it does something to make the wait a little less irritating. And it is set in 1587 and I am sure you're thinking, I don't care about 1587 what the hell is going to happen with Jack and Val? And will Lucas get any hotter? At least these are the questions I get emails about, so I assume that's what you might be thinking :)
But I will say...yes Lucas does get hotter. At least I think he does. Okay, so her is the prologue. No Lucas, but he gets mentioned. Hope you enjoy it and again, sorry!
August 18, 1587 Cerdewellyn, King of the Fey, smiled triumphantly at the baby's first angry cry. He looked around the primitive shelter in disgust. It was nothing like the opulence they had been forced to leave behind. Two tallow candles were sputtering in the room, dimly illuminating the spent woman who held her newborn child. Eleanor murmured something soothing to the babe, then looked up as he approached. "A girl, just like you promised," she said tiredly, but with a smile. She doubted his word? Yes, because no one fears the Fey any longer. "Do you have a name for the child?" he asked."Virginia. Virginia Dare is her name." His black eyebrows pulled together in a frown, giving him a satanic look in the guttural light. His inky hair fell forward into his eyes and he pushed it away absently. "What is the purpose of such a name? Why did you choose it?" "Because of the Queen, of course." The English Queen. A mortal. More regal, more deserving of having an infant named in her honor, than the Queen of the Fey. Of course. He nodded, watching absently as the baby whimpered and struggled, rooting around her mother's chest. Cer was pleased, felt a moment of gladness that this, at least, was going as it should. It was an omen for what was to come-- it must be. Their lives depended upon it."She is strong," he said and turned to find the midwife watching him as if he was a rabid dog about to steal meat from the fire. Her arms were crossed defensively and she made a sign at him, as though to ward away an evil spirit. As if a hand gesture could impact him in any way. Cer took a moment to study the deep crimson stains on her apron, eyeing it and her until she saw something in his expression that made her take a step back. And she should fear me."It's not his place to be here," the midwife said, never taking her eyes off him. "Seeing the babe before your husband, before your father." "Hush, Martha. His Highness has been nothing but goodness to us."Martha shook her head and went back to Eleanor, pressing on the woman's stomach repeatedly until the afterbirth, a huge glistening organ, spilled from her onto the bed. Cer's voice cut through the night like a blade. "You are done here. Go, Martha." Martha looked at him, then back to Eleanor. Did she really believe Eleanor's wishes would trump his? "You are to leave. Now. This is mine. The child is mine. Do nothing to interfere or you will regret it." "Are you threatening me?" the woman said, her bloody hand flying to her chest as she stumbled backwards towards the door. The confusion and fear on her simple face made him want to kill her and leave. But it would distress Eleanor, and, after the service she had done his people, he felt magnanimous. "No," he said quietly, and then waited until her beefy shoulders slumped in relief. "I threaten you, your children and your man. You leave here and speak nothing of this. Nothing of me, nor the dark birth I will take with me. One whisper, one rumor of this and all you love will perish." "You are the devil!" she cried and backed out the door, slamming it behind her. He heard her footsteps on the dry ground as she ran to the nearby huts of the other Roanoke settlers.Gently he placed the afterbirth into a bucket, gave the mother and child a blessing, then went to the woods, ready to reclaim his world. He'd promised Eleanor Dare a daughter and a husband, promised her that her family would prosper. He'd made it happen. I still have the power to give someone a destiny. But the Fey never gave away anything for free. Cer had helped the woman conceive for his own purposes—moving the Fey realm, and its living portal, required a host on the perilous journey across the sea. Eleanor Dare had carried their magic to the New World just as she carried the babe in her womb. They had fled Europe, leaving from County Norfolk for a wilderness so vast and unreachable that no one could harm them. She'd consumed Fey magic and the essence of their land until she was near to bursting with it. Most of his people-- too weak to exist outside his realm-- waited for him to complete the rite that would allow them back to the mortal world. And tonight, he'd do just that. Cer walked into the woods, feeling the night air closing in around him, as though it wanted to meet him, lift him up and return him back to his former glory. Waiting. How long had they been a civilization on the brink of extinction? How many had been slaughtered by Lucas over the long centuries? When the time came, Cerdewellyn would kill him. It was a death he imagined every waking moment. Akin to a fantasy of a woman he desired but had never taken—he would close his eyes and imagine killing him. He didn't care if he looked Lucas in the eyes, didn't care if he stabbed Lucas in the back, didn't even care if someone else forced the stake through his heart…so long as it was done. He and his people, including what was left of the Others had been forced to leave their homes for good. He stepped into a clearing in the woods, where the trees and brush had been cut back by the settlers. The strongest of his people-- those who had not needed to lock themselves away in the portal-- fell to the ground, the Wolves howling in recognition. Cer could feel the expectation. A fire raged in the middle of the circle, flames licking so high that they singed the nearest branches—an inferno under a witch's control. Tonight they would be reborn, put the past behind them and start again. His witch, Nantanya, stepped forward and took the bucket that contained the bloody after birth all the magic of his people and went to the fire. Cer looked at the remnants of the Others—a handful of Empaths, a few Witches, and all that was left of the Wolves. Many of their loved ones were trapped in Cer's dimension, never aging, nothing changing, as they waited for a way to return to the mortal world.He made eye contact with each of them, feeling the weight of loss and ruin in their worn clothing and lean faces. The journey to the New World had been hard, and Roanoke was not as plentiful as they had hoped. But once the portal was opened, that would change. "With this birth, our fortunes change. Our new life begins. Bonded together by death, we are no longer enemies, but kin. All of our kind forged together in a fire of despair." Cer paused, letting the men and women think about what they had left behind. How dire their situation had become. There had been only one choice. Leave. Because Lucas and his horde had destroyed them all. The silence gave way to the slight crackle of leaves underfoot. His Queen approached, their witch leading her by the hand. She was naked and walked forward slowly, flowers twined in her long, honey-colored hair. The trip had been especially hard on her, and as he watched her come forward, he noticed that she was thinner than usual—her stomach concave and her breasts smaller. He felt a moment of unease. A true goddess is unaffected by mortal coils. But they'd been together for hundreds of years, had dozens of children together, and as she smiled at him, all his doubts disappeared. The witch chanted, sliced her palm with a sharp knife, her blood dripping into the fire with a hiss. She lifted the afterbirth from the bucket, holding it held it suspended over the fire. The witch had cast the spell allowing their dimension to be moved, but Cer and his Queen were the ones who would break it, allowing the Fey to come and go between the two dimensions. Nantanya knelt down and cut into the bloody mass, slicing off two small pieces before casting them into the fire. They burned with a flourish, a cascade of rainbow-colored flames sparking bright. Cer felt the magic rise from the fire like smoke, knew the moment it touched him— thickened him, his cock pulsing in time to his heart and the witch's chant. A breeze rustled across his skin and his Queen's hair flitted across him arm, twining around his hand. The fire crackled again and he was hard as obsidian. The urge to mate with his Queen an overwhelming need. Magic and power flooded the night. He drew it into him, channeling it into pure desire, before throwing it into the land, aware of it touching each person in the clearing. Their sudden moans of carnal hunger, a primitive song in the night. The witch approached, a strip of meat dangling on the edge of her blade. He inhaled, the smell of blood and power potent and intoxicating. Without question, thought or hesitation he swallowed it whole, felt it burn through him. The magic needed an outlet. The magic was half him and half his Queen. Only their joining would make the magic whole. Cerdewellyn watched as his Queen opened her mouth, taking the flesh between her lips. She closed her eyes in bliss and raised her hand, covering her mouth as though she savored every drop. Women came to him from the crowd, helping him take off his clothing, stroking his body. They touched him everywhere, their passion growing as he fed his desire to them. A woman tugged the sleeve of his shirt away, then touched his chest, her finger grazing his nipple. Another unfastened his pants, pulling the laces free, her hand touching his cock, sliding her fingers across the damp head. He was ready and full, potent and eager to mount his Queen. With this offering, with their release, they would all be free. His Queen closed her eyes and made a choking noise, an expression he couldn't identify scraping across her features. But it wasn't joy. Uncertainty flooded him and he shoved it away. This was their chance. Their realm hinged on this night. There was no time for uncertainty or doubt, no going back. The rite would work. There was no alternative. Male hands caressed her flesh and stroked her hair. Readying her. With a cry, she swallowed, tears running down her cheeks. He knew that pleasure: When his body was so overrun with verdant desire that he could barely function beyond the moment and his own urgency. Cer grabbed his Queen around the waist, her back to his front, his fingers going around her body and plunging between her thighs. She was hot and wet. A Queen built for desire. He pushed his fingers into her, opening her, making her wide for him. No gentleness, no hesitation. It was unnecessary because she was Queen of the Fey, as ready and hot as he was. She was his equal—a mirror for his desire. She cried out at his blunt invasion, struggling closer. He settled her on the ground, raising her hips into the air as he impaled her from behind in one, swift move. Like a dagger plunged to the hilt. Like the last gasp of a dying man. That connection was everything. Cer thrust within her, slow then pounding, feeling the magic course through him. It was building, growing. Wrong. He felt it even as the orgasm gathered in his cock. He was buffeted by sex and violent urges as his followers mated around him. The men took the women hard, the Wolveshalf-transformed, all control wiped away and fed to the magic. There were not enough women and several of the men were pleasuring each other, holding tight fists around their pricks, their motions quick and greedy. Bodies writhed while their groans rent the air. He heard the witch chanting, felt the fire grow, consuming the very air around them, urging them towards completion. His Queen was below him, her body milking him, fingers sunk deep into the earth. Wrong. Through the fire of lust he knew this was not right, knew something was out of balance. With a hoarse yell, he pulled out of her, flipping her onto her back and sinking his face between her thighs. He kissed her and licked her, ate at her with a passion driven by the elements. She clenched hard, exploding around him. Her taste burned him, scalded him, tasted…. Wrong. He ignored it, still driven to come, to break the spell that kept the Fey trapped in another dimension. He loomed over her, looking down at her perfect face, and caught a flash of something. It was as though she wasn't there. As though she'd faded and was covered head-to-toe in an illusion of death. Her skin gray and mottled, her eyes wide in her sunken flesh. The leaves she wore, dead and rotting. He blinked, and the image disappeared. His Queen was whole and beautiful before him, body lush and spread, ripe as spring, hot as summer. She stared at him with an expression he'd never seen before. As if she didn't want him. He kissed her deeply, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he slid inside of her. They were one. Orgasms erupted around him, each offering of seed and honey greedily taken by the magic. He felt the first spasm within him, his essence pouring into her as he ground himself deep, the climax wrenching, as though his seed had become heavy, liquid gold. She shifted away from him so that he slipped out of her, the final potent lashes of his seed falling to the earth. He heard the fire roar and die—Wrong. His Queen lay beside him, crying, and the whole night was as dark and still as the dead. Cerdwellyn stood, pulling her to her feet. Her breath made a strange hitch and then she struck him, hand open, so that his head cracked to the side. "Where is the portal, Cerdewellyn? We have come so far and there is nothing!" She hissed the words at him. Cer didn't bother to touch his face, tasting the blood at the corner of his lip. He strode away from her, towards the smoking coals and the witch who had served him for decades. Nantanya turned, the lines of her face etched even deeper with the night's failure. She started speaking as soon as he was near. "It should have worked. The spell was perfect. You did your part. But the Queen—Did you not see it? You hurt her, Cerdewellyn. If she were still your equal, that would have been impossible. She is no longer the true Queen, my lord." "She has been my Queen for time beyond measure," he said, words hollow with fear. "But that doesn't mean she still is. There was another before her, and now there is another to replace her." He shook his head in dismay, pressed his lips together hard even as his gaze strayed to the fire and then out into the distance, through the trees and towards the ocean. Where the barest, faintest hint of light was—and the newborn female babe conceived with all the magic of the Fey. "And where is my Queen then?" he asked harshly, even though he feared the answer. "You know, Sire. Surely you feel it. Affection, a shared history is irrelevant. Survival is all that matters now." "She is but a babe. It will be years before she could perform the rite as a true Queen must. If I open the portal and we go in, we cannot come out for years, not until she old enough to perform the rite and break the spell." He looked around at his people, cursed Lucas again for forcing them into this situation. "Tell the settlers. They come with us, to wait for Virginia Dare. If they want to live, then they must come below."
November 27, 2011
FAQ- What's the deal with Bewitching the Werewolf
I've gotten emails from people wondering if there is more to Bewitching the Werewolf and the answer is no. The follow up question is, will there be more? Um. Probably not.
I wrote it, first person, when I was taking a break from LID. Val, Lucas and Jack are exhausting. They need to get over themselves. The problem with BTW was that I found it boring. They were happy, I really don't like werewolves (I mainly wrote it as an excuse to make fun of them) and the truth is I wrote most of it and then just left it, moldering on my computer with no intent to finish it. But I wanted to promote LID and thought a free short story would be a good way to do that. So I finished the Werewolf story, keeping it short because it was free and I wasn't passionate about it. Then I tried to get it free. Which didn't work as well as I wanted it to. Because it's not free in some places and is in others.
I have been expecting to get slated for having it cost 99c (amazon won't let me put it lower) but for some reason no one has complained. And rather oddly, I get less returns on BTW than I do on LID. LID took off on its own and I don't know why or how. It just did.
It did go free in the UK and actually the results have been disastrous. People in the UK don't like BTW and have not bought LID. And they are not terribly happy with BTW. Part of me wonders if I actually did myself a disservice by having it free. Or if they are just a tougher crowd and don't appreciate Val's Valley Girl ways. Anyway, I find myself a bit surprised by the whole thing but one can't please everyone so I just have to let it go.
And if you're wondering what my problem is with werewolves....It just seems to cross the line into bestiality and that's not my cup of tea. I like the repercussions of werewolfiness-- inability to control one's emotions, being passionate and acting out, but I don't want a half man/half dog hybrid trying to hump my leg. That's not hot as far as I'm concerned. (Although Kresley Cole and Nalini Singh have convinced me as much as anyone ever could.)
I LOVE Laurell K. Hamilton. I really do, but when she had Anita get it on with two half changed wolves I just about lost my lunch. That crossed a line. But hey, now we have dragons, cat men with barbs on the end of their penises, the weird Rhage monster, to name a few. And people love them. So yes, I know it's just me.
I wrote it, first person, when I was taking a break from LID. Val, Lucas and Jack are exhausting. They need to get over themselves. The problem with BTW was that I found it boring. They were happy, I really don't like werewolves (I mainly wrote it as an excuse to make fun of them) and the truth is I wrote most of it and then just left it, moldering on my computer with no intent to finish it. But I wanted to promote LID and thought a free short story would be a good way to do that. So I finished the Werewolf story, keeping it short because it was free and I wasn't passionate about it. Then I tried to get it free. Which didn't work as well as I wanted it to. Because it's not free in some places and is in others.
I have been expecting to get slated for having it cost 99c (amazon won't let me put it lower) but for some reason no one has complained. And rather oddly, I get less returns on BTW than I do on LID. LID took off on its own and I don't know why or how. It just did.
It did go free in the UK and actually the results have been disastrous. People in the UK don't like BTW and have not bought LID. And they are not terribly happy with BTW. Part of me wonders if I actually did myself a disservice by having it free. Or if they are just a tougher crowd and don't appreciate Val's Valley Girl ways. Anyway, I find myself a bit surprised by the whole thing but one can't please everyone so I just have to let it go.
And if you're wondering what my problem is with werewolves....It just seems to cross the line into bestiality and that's not my cup of tea. I like the repercussions of werewolfiness-- inability to control one's emotions, being passionate and acting out, but I don't want a half man/half dog hybrid trying to hump my leg. That's not hot as far as I'm concerned. (Although Kresley Cole and Nalini Singh have convinced me as much as anyone ever could.)
I LOVE Laurell K. Hamilton. I really do, but when she had Anita get it on with two half changed wolves I just about lost my lunch. That crossed a line. But hey, now we have dragons, cat men with barbs on the end of their penises, the weird Rhage monster, to name a few. And people love them. So yes, I know it's just me.
November 25, 2011
The Lost Colony
I have always been fascinated by the missing Roanoke colony from the 16 th century. Where did they go? When I decided to write about the Fey I thought it would be awesome if they were the Lost Colony. The rest was kismet.
I've spent a lot of time in Norfolk because my husband's family is from there and we go every year. So that was where Valerie was going to drive around when she went on her quest for Lucas. Coincidentally, it turned out that was where the Roanoke settlers left from. And when the English finally returned to Roanoke they found the initials CRO carved into a tree. Sure, it probably meant Croatoan (the local Indians who were nearby) but another term for the Fey is Bunadh na Cro which means Host of the Hills. It was almost as if they were taken by the Fey. Anyway, it kind of blew my mind.
The story of the Lost Colony reminds me of the Ben Linus line from Lost -- "Fate is a fickle bitch." Boy is it true.
The English Colonists settled in Roanoke, didn't get along with the natives and by the time help arrived in terms of food and reinforcements, 3 years had passed and they had faced the biggest drought in 800 years.
And then, three years after the Colony's leader left to tell England how awful things were, he returned to find everyone gone-- including his daughter and granddaughter (the first English child born on American soil, Virginia Dare). He arrived on his Granddaughter's 3rd birthday.
Anyway, I took all the info from Wikipedia and pasted it below if anyone is curious about the fate of the Roanoke Colony. The formatting from Wikipedia is a bit whacky and I'm technologically incompetent so it's going to stay that way. Sorry!
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina,United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by Ralph Lane and Richard Grenville, Raleigh's distant cousin. The final group of colonists disappeared during the Anglo-Spanish War, three years after the last shipment of supplies from England. The settlement is known as "The Lost Colony," and the fate of the colonists is still unknown.
In 1587, Raleigh dispatched a new group of 150 colonists to establish a colony onChesapeake Bay. They were led by John White, an artist and friend of Raleigh who had accompanied the previous expeditions to Roanoke. White was later appointed Governor and Raleigh named 12 assistants to aid in Roanoke's settlement. They were ordered to travel to Roanoke first to gather Grenville's men, but when they arrived on July 22, 1587, they found nothing except a skeleton that may have been the remains of one of the English garrison. They were counting on these men to help with the new colony, but when they could find no one, they gave up hope of ever seeing Grenville's men alive.[5]The fleet's commander, Simon Fernandez, now refused to let the colonists return to the ships, insisting they establish the new colony on Roanoke.[4]:215 His motive remains unclear.With no choice, White re-established relations with the Croatans and tried to establish friendly relations with the tribes that Ralph Lane had battled the previous year. The hostile tribes refused to meet with him. Shortly thereafter, colonist George Howe was killed by an Indian while searching alone for crabs inAlbemarle Sound. Fearing for their lives, the colonists persuaded Governor White to return to England to explain the colony's desperate situation and ask for help.[8]:120–23 Left behind were about 115 colonists — the remaining men and women who had made the Atlantic crossing plus White's newly born granddaughter Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas.[9]:19[edit]White returns to EnglandWhite sailed for England in late 1587. Crossing the Atlantic at that time of year was a considerable risk, as shown by Fernandez's claim that their ship barely made it back.[10] Plans for a relief fleet were delayed by the captain's refusal to return during the winter. The coming of theSpanish Armada led to every able English ship being commandeered to fight, which left White with no seaworthy vessels available to return to Roanoke. He managed to hire two small vessels considered unnecessary for England's defense and sailed for Roanoke in the spring of 1588. White's attempt to return to Roanoke was foiled by human nature and circumstance; the two vessels were small, and their captains were greedy. They attempted to capture several Spanish ships on the outward-bound voyage to improve their profits, but they were captured themselves and their cargo seized. With nothing left to deliver to the colonists, the ships returned to England.
Return to the Lost ColonyBecause of the continuing war with Spain, White was not able to mount another resupply attempt for three more years. He finally gained passage on a privateering expedition that agreed to stop off at Roanoke on the way back from the Caribbean. White landed on August 18, 1590, on his granddaughter's third birthday, but found the settlement deserted. His men could not find any trace of the 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children, nor was there any sign of a struggle or battle. The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into a post of the fort and "Cro" carved into a nearby tree. All the houses and fortifications had been dismantled, which meant their departure had not been hurried. Before he had left the colony, White had instructed them that if anything happened to them, they should carve a Maltese cross on a tree nearby, indicating that their disappearance had been forced. As there was no cross, White took this to mean they had moved to "Croatoan Island" (now known as Hatteras Island), but he was unable to conduct a search. A massive storm was brewing and his men refused to go any further. The next day, they left.[
I've spent a lot of time in Norfolk because my husband's family is from there and we go every year. So that was where Valerie was going to drive around when she went on her quest for Lucas. Coincidentally, it turned out that was where the Roanoke settlers left from. And when the English finally returned to Roanoke they found the initials CRO carved into a tree. Sure, it probably meant Croatoan (the local Indians who were nearby) but another term for the Fey is Bunadh na Cro which means Host of the Hills. It was almost as if they were taken by the Fey. Anyway, it kind of blew my mind.
The story of the Lost Colony reminds me of the Ben Linus line from Lost -- "Fate is a fickle bitch." Boy is it true.
The English Colonists settled in Roanoke, didn't get along with the natives and by the time help arrived in terms of food and reinforcements, 3 years had passed and they had faced the biggest drought in 800 years.
And then, three years after the Colony's leader left to tell England how awful things were, he returned to find everyone gone-- including his daughter and granddaughter (the first English child born on American soil, Virginia Dare). He arrived on his Granddaughter's 3rd birthday.
Anyway, I took all the info from Wikipedia and pasted it below if anyone is curious about the fate of the Roanoke Colony. The formatting from Wikipedia is a bit whacky and I'm technologically incompetent so it's going to stay that way. Sorry!
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina,United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by Ralph Lane and Richard Grenville, Raleigh's distant cousin. The final group of colonists disappeared during the Anglo-Spanish War, three years after the last shipment of supplies from England. The settlement is known as "The Lost Colony," and the fate of the colonists is still unknown.
In 1587, Raleigh dispatched a new group of 150 colonists to establish a colony onChesapeake Bay. They were led by John White, an artist and friend of Raleigh who had accompanied the previous expeditions to Roanoke. White was later appointed Governor and Raleigh named 12 assistants to aid in Roanoke's settlement. They were ordered to travel to Roanoke first to gather Grenville's men, but when they arrived on July 22, 1587, they found nothing except a skeleton that may have been the remains of one of the English garrison. They were counting on these men to help with the new colony, but when they could find no one, they gave up hope of ever seeing Grenville's men alive.[5]The fleet's commander, Simon Fernandez, now refused to let the colonists return to the ships, insisting they establish the new colony on Roanoke.[4]:215 His motive remains unclear.With no choice, White re-established relations with the Croatans and tried to establish friendly relations with the tribes that Ralph Lane had battled the previous year. The hostile tribes refused to meet with him. Shortly thereafter, colonist George Howe was killed by an Indian while searching alone for crabs inAlbemarle Sound. Fearing for their lives, the colonists persuaded Governor White to return to England to explain the colony's desperate situation and ask for help.[8]:120–23 Left behind were about 115 colonists — the remaining men and women who had made the Atlantic crossing plus White's newly born granddaughter Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas.[9]:19[edit]White returns to EnglandWhite sailed for England in late 1587. Crossing the Atlantic at that time of year was a considerable risk, as shown by Fernandez's claim that their ship barely made it back.[10] Plans for a relief fleet were delayed by the captain's refusal to return during the winter. The coming of theSpanish Armada led to every able English ship being commandeered to fight, which left White with no seaworthy vessels available to return to Roanoke. He managed to hire two small vessels considered unnecessary for England's defense and sailed for Roanoke in the spring of 1588. White's attempt to return to Roanoke was foiled by human nature and circumstance; the two vessels were small, and their captains were greedy. They attempted to capture several Spanish ships on the outward-bound voyage to improve their profits, but they were captured themselves and their cargo seized. With nothing left to deliver to the colonists, the ships returned to England.
Return to the Lost ColonyBecause of the continuing war with Spain, White was not able to mount another resupply attempt for three more years. He finally gained passage on a privateering expedition that agreed to stop off at Roanoke on the way back from the Caribbean. White landed on August 18, 1590, on his granddaughter's third birthday, but found the settlement deserted. His men could not find any trace of the 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children, nor was there any sign of a struggle or battle. The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into a post of the fort and "Cro" carved into a nearby tree. All the houses and fortifications had been dismantled, which meant their departure had not been hurried. Before he had left the colony, White had instructed them that if anything happened to them, they should carve a Maltese cross on a tree nearby, indicating that their disappearance had been forced. As there was no cross, White took this to mean they had moved to "Croatoan Island" (now known as Hatteras Island), but he was unable to conduct a search. A massive storm was brewing and his men refused to go any further. The next day, they left.[
November 19, 2011
UC Sunnydale Class Notes-- hantonmckenzie's blog
Someone was kind enough to send me the link for this and it's so great that I wanted to share. (Sorry! i couldn't find your email to give you proper credit!!) Hopefully I can give the original blogger enough credit so they don't get pissed off at me for jacking it. But it's so great....
UC-Sunnydale Class NotesHello class. Can you take your seats, please?My name is Professor Hanton and I'm filling in for Dr. Maggie Walsh who seems to still be on her extended sabbatical. I'm not sure what you all may have been covering in class, as her notes are a little unclear...and her TA, Mr. Finn, seems to have withdrawn from the university due to illness.As best I can tell, she wanted you to start discussing "The Psychological Impact of Wish Fulfillment and Wish Denial in 20th Century Popular Culture Narrative."Did everyone get a handout? No?Ah. I see, They seem to have stopped there with someone in the back row. I'm sorry I don't know anyone's name yet. Let me see the chart. Um. Summers? Is that Ms. Summers? Could someone please wake her up and get her to pass these along? Thank you.First, we are going to focus on two verbs, which describe a process of dramatically engaging your audience by delighting them and then ruthlessly breaking their hearts. The terms are Jossing and Whedoning. I'll just read from the handout here :
Can anyone name other examples? Yes, the redhead in the back. You're...Ms. Rosenberg? Alright, go ahead, and I'll write it on the board. Let's start with the Joss.Hmm. Beloved shy english librarian. Sassy funny computer teacher. Polar opposites. Awkwardly, poignantly fall in love. Go ahead... become estranged, due to betrayal. Good! That's the Whedon.Oh, there's more? Interesting. Gradually come back together, on brink of reuniting. Yes, this feels like we are beingJossed, doesn't it? Go on. Shy librarian receives romantic note that she is waiting for him in his apartment. He arrives to see a romantic scene. Lit candles leading to bedroom. He climbs the stairs, finds her awaiting him in bed...excellentJossing... only to discover that she has been brutally murdered by a psychotic killer. Whedon! Excellent example, excellent.Anyone else? No? Ah, Ms. Rosenberg again. Go ahead.An LA-based empire private detective and his employee and friend... I'm sorry. Did you say an "empire detective?" Oh.Vampire detective. Interesting idea. Yes. Friends for years. Mm-hmm. Slowly growing appreciation for each other. Unspoken attraction, but evident to audience. Finally, decide to meet and declare their feelings. Yes, we're being Jossed.Then the woman stands him up by disappearing to a higher plane of existence without letting him know what happened...that's a good Whedon.There's more? She returns - another Joss! - but no longer loves him - Whedon!She betrays him by sleeping with his son? Nice! A double Whedon! You go, girl! You're on a roll!She gets pregnant from son? Triple Whedon!Then gives birth to an evil being that threatens to overwhelm the world? Quadruple Whedon!She falls into a coma? Quintuple!A long time later she awakens, returns to him clearly in love, Jossing, Jossing...only for it to be revealed that she has actually died? Incredible, Ms. Rosenberg! A SEXTUPLE WHEDON!Wow. This IS exciting! And I'm sorry to say that we have run out of time for today. Please read the rest of the handout, where we touch on "First loves becoming psychotic after sex," and "Cancer survivor Moms finally enjoying life only to be found dead on the couch" and "Rogue demon hunter's girlfriends dying due to possession by blue elder gods."Any last questions? Ms. Rosenberg. No, no. This is purely a fictional device. I don't think that you need to be worried about it, at all. Nice shirt, by the way.
Here is the blog link http://hantonmckenzie.typepad.com/talking_animals/2007/04/jossary_of_term_1.htmlPosted at 02:26 PM in Whedling | Permalink
Here i
UC-Sunnydale Class NotesHello class. Can you take your seats, please?My name is Professor Hanton and I'm filling in for Dr. Maggie Walsh who seems to still be on her extended sabbatical. I'm not sure what you all may have been covering in class, as her notes are a little unclear...and her TA, Mr. Finn, seems to have withdrawn from the university due to illness.As best I can tell, she wanted you to start discussing "The Psychological Impact of Wish Fulfillment and Wish Denial in 20th Century Popular Culture Narrative."Did everyone get a handout? No?Ah. I see, They seem to have stopped there with someone in the back row. I'm sorry I don't know anyone's name yet. Let me see the chart. Um. Summers? Is that Ms. Summers? Could someone please wake her up and get her to pass these along? Thank you.First, we are going to focus on two verbs, which describe a process of dramatically engaging your audience by delighting them and then ruthlessly breaking their hearts. The terms are Jossing and Whedoning. I'll just read from the handout here :
Jossing, v :Please note, class, that Jossing never occurs alone. It is always followed by Whedoning.
Definition : To grant a much-beloved character (and by extension, the audience) a moment of transcendent happiness - usually after denying them this for months.
Whedoning, v :I'll give the first example of this. The setting is the future. Here's the Joss : a lovable space pilot completes a harrowing, well-nigh-impossible flight through a cloud of opposing space ships, declaring himself "a leaf upon the wind." Upon successfully landing, he exults "I AM a leaf upon the wind!"Can anyone identify the Whedon in this situation? You there in the second row? Go ahead. Yes, the Whedon in this situation comes immediately following this glorious moment ... when the space pilot is brutally impaled on a massive hunk of metal, right in front of his wife.
Definition : To dramatically and suddenly cause catastrophic angst/harm to a much-beloved character, (and, by extension, the audience) immediately following a moment of transcendent happiness.
Can anyone name other examples? Yes, the redhead in the back. You're...Ms. Rosenberg? Alright, go ahead, and I'll write it on the board. Let's start with the Joss.Hmm. Beloved shy english librarian. Sassy funny computer teacher. Polar opposites. Awkwardly, poignantly fall in love. Go ahead... become estranged, due to betrayal. Good! That's the Whedon.Oh, there's more? Interesting. Gradually come back together, on brink of reuniting. Yes, this feels like we are beingJossed, doesn't it? Go on. Shy librarian receives romantic note that she is waiting for him in his apartment. He arrives to see a romantic scene. Lit candles leading to bedroom. He climbs the stairs, finds her awaiting him in bed...excellentJossing... only to discover that she has been brutally murdered by a psychotic killer. Whedon! Excellent example, excellent.Anyone else? No? Ah, Ms. Rosenberg again. Go ahead.An LA-based empire private detective and his employee and friend... I'm sorry. Did you say an "empire detective?" Oh.Vampire detective. Interesting idea. Yes. Friends for years. Mm-hmm. Slowly growing appreciation for each other. Unspoken attraction, but evident to audience. Finally, decide to meet and declare their feelings. Yes, we're being Jossed.Then the woman stands him up by disappearing to a higher plane of existence without letting him know what happened...that's a good Whedon.There's more? She returns - another Joss! - but no longer loves him - Whedon!She betrays him by sleeping with his son? Nice! A double Whedon! You go, girl! You're on a roll!She gets pregnant from son? Triple Whedon!Then gives birth to an evil being that threatens to overwhelm the world? Quadruple Whedon!She falls into a coma? Quintuple!A long time later she awakens, returns to him clearly in love, Jossing, Jossing...only for it to be revealed that she has actually died? Incredible, Ms. Rosenberg! A SEXTUPLE WHEDON!Wow. This IS exciting! And I'm sorry to say that we have run out of time for today. Please read the rest of the handout, where we touch on "First loves becoming psychotic after sex," and "Cancer survivor Moms finally enjoying life only to be found dead on the couch" and "Rogue demon hunter's girlfriends dying due to possession by blue elder gods."Any last questions? Ms. Rosenberg. No, no. This is purely a fictional device. I don't think that you need to be worried about it, at all. Nice shirt, by the way.
Here is the blog link http://hantonmckenzie.typepad.com/talking_animals/2007/04/jossary_of_term_1.htmlPosted at 02:26 PM in Whedling | Permalink
Here i
November 17, 2011
Things are moving along for me. My daughter will bring ho...
Things are moving along for me. My daughter will bring home stick insects this weekend which she is excited about and which I am not. I'm quite worried actually, b/c the odds of us keeping them alive don't seem good. We're not mean, shoot, we may not even be negligent, it's just that things come into our house and want to die. Mainly plants. Unless i'm blocking something from my mind, maybe only plants. Oh wait, there was a caterpillar once that didn't make it. that was a bummer cause I watched that sucker like a hawk.
I've been watching a bit more TV lately which is a nice change. I either write or watch tv and now that i'm editing I'm watching tv. I can't bear to read something good when I'm editing. I'm so critical of my writing when I'm editing that reading something good makes me feel like a loser who can never compete.
Which is why I can now say I've blown through 4 episodes of Ringer in the last 24 hours. Sometimes I wonder if there are huge plot holes for books, movies and shows or if I just zone out and miss something. But I'm pretty sure Ringer is terrible. Why did she touch the pottery as Bridget? Has she been sleeping with Siobahn's husband the entire time? Why would she run away from the police the night before the trial b/c the cop told her to? Why did Bridget ignore the guy at the table who said he'd slept with her and called her a witch? If someone said to me, 'now i get it, you crazy witch, you've been banging me on the side and now it's over' i might have a question or two.
Anyway, they just brought Jason Dohring on the show who was Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars-- good actor and v. funny. He was also some dude in Moonlight which was a terrible vampire show that got cancelled one episode after it became interesting. I keep thinking of that super hot shower scene. In Ringer he's a teacher being hit on by his student. It's so wrong it's right. That's why I love the CW. You don't see that crap on CSI. Or maybe you do, I don't know, I don't watch it.
As for LIF...it's bigger than LID. LID came in at 81k. LIF is going to be 95k it looks like. Some stuff has been cut but not nearly as much as I wacked out of LID. For the first 6 months LID started in Italy with Jack's parents being murdered. That scene is hanging around still and it might turn up somewhere, somehow. It went from 60 pages, to 30, to a 2 page dream.
There was also a scene where Jack first meets Rachel, which was in his POV and which I liked, she was feeding him info. on Lucas after all. And also the scene where Marion met Rachel was initially in Marion's POV. That got chopped. Which was a shame b/c I love Marion. I love writing her and how screwed up she is and she had some really amusing thoughts on Lucas that I had to cut out since he couldn't think them about himself. Then there was Lucas and his damned prologue. It also got changed so many times it's insane. The scene used to be 2 or 3 times longer and was probably pretty boring.
All that's been taken out of LIF so far is a sex scene. I am not sure where that will wind up. Moved into a later book or given away as an extra. Oh, the painfulness of options. I assumed this would be 3 books and now I don't know. I've got some plotting to do to work out just how much needs to happen for the end and then I'll be able to say with more certainty. I suspect it will be 4, it's possible it will be 5. If these people would sort out their shit, it would make things go a lot faster!
Do you have any bit plot hole examples that bug you? I'd love to hear them. Like that book Shiver. I read part of it and I just kept thinking, 'why the heck don't these fools move to Hawaii?' Did that get answered? Was it just me?
I've been watching a bit more TV lately which is a nice change. I either write or watch tv and now that i'm editing I'm watching tv. I can't bear to read something good when I'm editing. I'm so critical of my writing when I'm editing that reading something good makes me feel like a loser who can never compete.
Which is why I can now say I've blown through 4 episodes of Ringer in the last 24 hours. Sometimes I wonder if there are huge plot holes for books, movies and shows or if I just zone out and miss something. But I'm pretty sure Ringer is terrible. Why did she touch the pottery as Bridget? Has she been sleeping with Siobahn's husband the entire time? Why would she run away from the police the night before the trial b/c the cop told her to? Why did Bridget ignore the guy at the table who said he'd slept with her and called her a witch? If someone said to me, 'now i get it, you crazy witch, you've been banging me on the side and now it's over' i might have a question or two.
Anyway, they just brought Jason Dohring on the show who was Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars-- good actor and v. funny. He was also some dude in Moonlight which was a terrible vampire show that got cancelled one episode after it became interesting. I keep thinking of that super hot shower scene. In Ringer he's a teacher being hit on by his student. It's so wrong it's right. That's why I love the CW. You don't see that crap on CSI. Or maybe you do, I don't know, I don't watch it.
As for LIF...it's bigger than LID. LID came in at 81k. LIF is going to be 95k it looks like. Some stuff has been cut but not nearly as much as I wacked out of LID. For the first 6 months LID started in Italy with Jack's parents being murdered. That scene is hanging around still and it might turn up somewhere, somehow. It went from 60 pages, to 30, to a 2 page dream.
There was also a scene where Jack first meets Rachel, which was in his POV and which I liked, she was feeding him info. on Lucas after all. And also the scene where Marion met Rachel was initially in Marion's POV. That got chopped. Which was a shame b/c I love Marion. I love writing her and how screwed up she is and she had some really amusing thoughts on Lucas that I had to cut out since he couldn't think them about himself. Then there was Lucas and his damned prologue. It also got changed so many times it's insane. The scene used to be 2 or 3 times longer and was probably pretty boring.
All that's been taken out of LIF so far is a sex scene. I am not sure where that will wind up. Moved into a later book or given away as an extra. Oh, the painfulness of options. I assumed this would be 3 books and now I don't know. I've got some plotting to do to work out just how much needs to happen for the end and then I'll be able to say with more certainty. I suspect it will be 4, it's possible it will be 5. If these people would sort out their shit, it would make things go a lot faster!
Do you have any bit plot hole examples that bug you? I'd love to hear them. Like that book Shiver. I read part of it and I just kept thinking, 'why the heck don't these fools move to Hawaii?' Did that get answered? Was it just me?
November 10, 2011
Love is Fear-- The Blurb
The blurb. What a ridiculous word. Okay, so it took me ages to write this darned thing and I rewrote it at least 10 times. So much happens in the book that I didn't want to give away too much and spoil it.
Love is Fear is the highly anticipated sequel to the Number One Fantasy Bestseller, Love is Darkness.
After a lot of swearing and only a little nookie, Valerie Dearborn has decided to make a change. No more lusting after Lucas, the hot but emotionless vampire king who can't commit. Instead she's going to make it work with Jack. After all, not only is he breathing but he's the love of her life…isn't he?
Valerie is an empath, with supernatural abilities that seem to do nothing more than give her the hots for Lucas. Once upon a time empath's had a purpose, they were ambassadors to the Others- Fey, witches, werewolves and vampires. They could settle the emotions of a werewolf, make vampires feel…but that was long ago.
Lucas isn't about to let Valerie go, especially not when he needs her to help him find the Fey, last seen in Roanoke, South Carolina, circa 1587. He still wants to find them and believes they are the key to restoring balance to the world and keeping vampires under control. But Lucas is the one responsible for their extinction and he knows they won't trust him—although they will trust Valerie.
Between Jack, Lucas and the vampire witch Rachel –Val knows life won't be dull. Nor will it be the normal, 2.5 kids kind of life she's always wanted.
As their enemies close in, Val must ask herself what life is really about – trust, loyalty, duty or love? And even if she finds the answer, she may not live long enough to enjoy it.
Love is Fear is the highly anticipated sequel to the Number One Fantasy Bestseller, Love is Darkness.
After a lot of swearing and only a little nookie, Valerie Dearborn has decided to make a change. No more lusting after Lucas, the hot but emotionless vampire king who can't commit. Instead she's going to make it work with Jack. After all, not only is he breathing but he's the love of her life…isn't he?
Valerie is an empath, with supernatural abilities that seem to do nothing more than give her the hots for Lucas. Once upon a time empath's had a purpose, they were ambassadors to the Others- Fey, witches, werewolves and vampires. They could settle the emotions of a werewolf, make vampires feel…but that was long ago.
Lucas isn't about to let Valerie go, especially not when he needs her to help him find the Fey, last seen in Roanoke, South Carolina, circa 1587. He still wants to find them and believes they are the key to restoring balance to the world and keeping vampires under control. But Lucas is the one responsible for their extinction and he knows they won't trust him—although they will trust Valerie.
Between Jack, Lucas and the vampire witch Rachel –Val knows life won't be dull. Nor will it be the normal, 2.5 kids kind of life she's always wanted.
As their enemies close in, Val must ask herself what life is really about – trust, loyalty, duty or love? And even if she finds the answer, she may not live long enough to enjoy it.
November 8, 2011
November 7, 2011
Cover Art
So excited! I should have the first draft of Love is Fear Cover Art tomorrow and I cannot wait! Oh, and that tennis match I played in? Boy what a stinker. They should have thrown us a few games just for charity's sake.
Got another very nice email from Angeline Kace. She's super sweet and funny. If I ever get out of revision hell it's on my list of books to read. Her book is called Descended by Blood and is doing really well on Amazon too.
Here is the link. http://www.amazon.com/Descended-Blood-Angeline-Kace/dp/0983803714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320702242&sr=8-1
I suppose my other shout out would be to Virna DePaul who was willing to haul my butt to Oakland for a RWA meeting. Her books are pretty darned smexy. Here is a link to one of her vampire novellas. She's both traditional and Indie pubbed. http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Salvation-Vampire-Novellas-ebook/dp/B004HW6JJI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320702419&sr=8-3
Got another very nice email from Angeline Kace. She's super sweet and funny. If I ever get out of revision hell it's on my list of books to read. Her book is called Descended by Blood and is doing really well on Amazon too.
Here is the link. http://www.amazon.com/Descended-Blood-Angeline-Kace/dp/0983803714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320702242&sr=8-1
I suppose my other shout out would be to Virna DePaul who was willing to haul my butt to Oakland for a RWA meeting. Her books are pretty darned smexy. Here is a link to one of her vampire novellas. She's both traditional and Indie pubbed. http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Salvation-Vampire-Novellas-ebook/dp/B004HW6JJI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320702419&sr=8-3
