Gwen Gardner's Blog, page 22

Stealing Time

After receiving lots of advice and encouragement from the writing community at the last Insecure Writer's Support Group, I had a lot to think about. My circumstances have changed and now I'm working full time and struggling to find time to write and edit or even blog.

What was your advice?

"You'll find the rhythm of writing and working that works for you."

"But I know so many writers who do manage a full time job, kids, and writing. I just figure they were super humans"

"It's really difficult to find time to write. You just have to steal time when you can."

"I have long moments I can steal. I have short moments I can hide away. I take the time I can get"

"I just force myself to do it. I set aside time in the evening and write no matter what. Well, if the house caught fire I'd probably stop."

"...I do the best I can- half hour here, five minutes there, 30 seconds jotting that idea down before I lose it... that little goes a long way to keep me going."

"Writing is only one of my 'super-powers' (lol) so I roll with the punches and don't crank out words just to fit some profile. I work when I can and fit in some down time. Publishing is not a race or a destination, just a mile-marker along the way."

"When I was working, it helped to tackle smaller chunks [it's not as overwhelming] and gave myself days off w/o guilt."

"... I think it's important not to let yourself feel guilty. You write when you can!"

I really took your advice to heart. "Stealing" time seems to be a popular concept among working writers. At work on Friday, I had a slow afternoon.  So I stealthily opened the outline on the second novella in the series I'm writing. I thought about where it was going. I actually asked myself what I could "do" to my characters to try to  prompt some kind of creativity in myself...

Nothing came.

So I worked a little. Looked back at the novella. Worked a little more. I finally turned back to the novella and thought of a plot point / scene prompt to add. Then added another. Two plot / scene prompts. That's about all I had.

But as it turns out, the direction in which those two scene prompts led me absolutely rocked! Because on Sunday when I opened the outline again (and mind you, it had been about two months before I even thought about working on it that previous Friday afternoon), I added another, then another and another plot point until I finished the outline in just a couple of hours. It's all done except for how Indigo gets rescued from her latest predicament, and I haven't decided how that will happen yet.

I wasn't feeling creative at all when I opened that document on Friday. In fact, the two prompts I wrote weren't even particularly creative. But it was those few stolen moments that actually led to a windfall of ideas that allowed me to complete the outline. For me, that's huge. I use scene prompts / plot points to write my books, so I know where they're going. I have a beginning, a middle and an end. I know what scenes I'm going to write. Heck, I'm practically done!

I always felt like I needed large chunks of space and time to settle into writing. And maybe I still do, I don't know.

All I know is that this time, a few stolen moments worked!

Thank you all so much for the advice!

You guys rock!

Insecure Writer's Support Group and Me

  Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! This awesome event is hosted by Alex Cavanaugh on the first Wednesday of every month. You can sign up HERE to share your writerly insecurities and receive the support of the writing community.

As my buddies know, I've just returned from a month-long bloggy break. After the A-Z Challenge, I think most of us needed it.

What have I been doing? Packing, moving from Colorado to California and starting a new/old job. Without going into details, because this must be familiar to most of you, I needed to make money outside of my less-than-lucrative writing career. Who knew?

When my old employer called and asked me to come back to work, I couldn't say 'no,' even though it's only a guaranteed six months (whether I remain is dependent on if someone else decides to stay or move on. And then, of course, it's up to me whether I accept the permanent job if it's offered to me). In any case, we're ready to move on from Colorado - we love winter but nine months of winter are too much. My life is sort of in limbo....

So now I'm in California working and the hubs is in Colorado trying to sell the house.

Which brings me to, HOW IN THE WORLD CAN I CONTINUE MY WRITING CAREER WHILE WORKING FULL TIME?

I know that so many of you already do this, but I'm struggling. I'm tired at the end of the day and not feeling the least bit creative. I have a novel and a novella to edit (the novella is really close, though. Eeep!). Not to mention blogging/blog visits - and oh how I missed you all!

Help! I need advice! How do you do it?!
Rant over.
How are you all doing?

The Flavor is in the Flaw

I'm baack! But more about that on Wednesday for the Insecure Writer's Support Group!

Today, I'll be over at Dianne Salerni's Blog - hope you can join us!

And now, I'm thrilled to have Rachel Morgan here today talking about flawed characters!

Check it out:)


Flawed Characters in Fiction



Why have flawed characters?

If you start reading a book with perfect characters in it, you'll probably put it down. Perfect people are boring! Who wants to read about them? Flawed people, however, are more interesting. They make mistakes. Mess up. So you keep reading because you want to find out what happens to them. Flaws also mean characters that you can relate to. You understand and forgive them for the mistakes they make, because you might do the same thing in that (fictional) situation. And after the mistakes comes the conflict. A good book must have conflict, and there would be no conflict if there were only perfect people! Lastly, the most important reason characters should have flaws is so that they have space to grow. What’s the point of a story if the characters aren’t going to learn something from it?



Some examples of flawed characters
Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries

Flaws

This guy is SUPER flawed when we first meet him! Selfish, arrogant, proud, manipulative, and he shows no remorse for the tons of humans he kills.

What redeems him?

Bottom line: his love for Elena. As he falls in love with her, his humanity starts to show through. He begins to care for certain people. He loves his brother. He will do ANYTHING to protect Elena. And at the end of the day when he winds up second best yet again (Katherine chose Stefan; now Elena chooses Stefan), our hearts break for him.



Will Herondale, The Infernal Devicesseries

Flaws

When we meet Will in Clockwork Angel, he is a complete and total jackass to absolutely everyone except his best friend. He uses his quick witted and sarcastic tongue to lash out at people, even those trying to be nice to him. I was convinced I could never like him.

What redeems him?

Then along came Clockwork Prince. We find out exactly why Will acts the way he does, and it makes SO. MUCH. SENSE. We understand how alone he must have felt all these years because of the curse. And we know, we just KNOW, that when he finally realizes he can be happy, it’s already too late.



   
Harry Potter, the Harry Potter series

Flaws

Harry can be arrogant, hot-tempered, and act too quickly without pausing to think.

What redeems him?

Come on. He freaking defeats the Dark Lord Voldemort! And how does he do that? He gives himself up to die at Voldemort’s hand. He realizes that Voldemort cannot be killed while he, Harry, still lives. So he chooses to sacrifice himself.




   Are there flawed characters in The Faerie Prince?

Absolutely! Violet focuses far too much on being the best. She is kind of emotionally stunted. She refuses to deal with things that hurt her, choosing instead to push them deep down into her imaginary Stuff I Don’t Think About box.

Ryn is downright rude to people in order to keep them at a distance. Does he have a reason for doing this? You betcha ;-) But you’ll have to read The Faerie Prince to find out what it is! Speaking of which, you can find it at the following places online, plus a few others:





Amazon US
Amazon UK
B & N
iTunesAmazon (print)

~  ~  ~
About the Author:



Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion
of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a
degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t
approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in
fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults.




http://www.rachel-morgan.com/
http://www.twitter.com/RachelMorgan13
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRachelMorgan| http://www.goodreads.com/authorrachelmorgan
http://pinterest.com/rachelmorgan13/




Don't forget the giveaway!



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IWSG, A-Z Complete and A Bloggy Break!

 The Insecure Writer's Support Group 
The first Wednesday of every month is reserved for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we tell the world our fears about being writers. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting. If you'd like to sign up, go HERE.

So --a few months ago I worried that the novella series I wanted to write was a bit over the top. Well, I'm still worried about that, but I've written the first one, and if you followed my blog during the A-Z Challenge, then you read quite a bit about Second Death in addition to excerpts from Givin' Up The Ghost and A Guilty Ghost Surprised. It's so funny and silly that I write about ghosts and my real worry was adding a demon to the mix! (That was the Z post yesterday.) I mean, like ghosts aren't over the top but demons are? *shakes head* Anyway, people who followed my A-Z posts seemed to enjoy them, so thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to comment.

The 2013 A-Z ChallengeMission Complete!




I finished! Even though my posts were pre-written, it was still a lot of work commenting and visiting every day. I loved everyone's creativity and it was such an awesome experience. I was a minion, too, one of Spunky's Soldiers!

 Congratulations to everyone who finished! And to those who didn't, well, life does tend to get in the way, doesn't it? But really, my hat is off to those who hold a full time job and were still able to complete the A-Z! I don't know how they do it unless they're into cloning like the Ninja Captain, Alex Cavanaugh!  Thanks so much to everyone who put the A-Z Challenge together and made it run smoothly. Let's give a big hand to the A to Z Hosts, Alex J. Cavanaugh , Damyanti Biswas, Tina Downey, DL Hammons, Jeremy Hawkins, Shannon Lawrence Matthew MacNish Konstanz Silverbow, Stephen Tremp, Livia Peterson, L. Diane Wolfe, and Nicole.

 And a very special thanks to founder Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out.

And of course I have to thank Indigo Eady, who showed up every day at my blog to talk about her paranormal misadventures! Thank you, Indigo!

Indigo Eady, illustrated by Corona Zschusschen

   Bloggy Break And now, I'm on Bloggy Break for May! I have a lot going on and will be incredibly busy this month, not to mention that blogging every day for a month sort of exhausted me. I like those blogs who posted Zzzzzzzz's for their last post. My sentiments exactly! I may be back to post something that comes up, but if not, I'll be back on June 3rd because the lovely Rachel Morgan will be here with a post about her new novel, The Faerie Prince!   ***************************************************   What are your current writer insecurities?   How was your April?   What is your plan for May?

 

A-Z: Zagana

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady   Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************  Z is for Zagana.  Zagana is one of the fallen angels turned demon, and is now one of Lucifer’s henchmen. I had the displeasure of meeting her far underground. Further underground than any live person has a right to be. She is the leader of the Shadow People. She also commands legions of demons, as well as protects them from anyone who would interfere with her evil intentions.
Yeah, Zagana and I don’t see eye to eye, needless to say. Here is a scene from when I had the displeasure of meeting her acquaintance:  “What do you want with us? And what did you do with Franny?” Yeah, I was sort of hiding behind Badger during my bit of bravado. I never actually claimed to be brave. “I do not know what you mean,” said Zagana. “And perhaps I should remind you that you dropped in on me—uninvited.” A hint of menace laced her deep, but feminine voice. Her darkness hovered over the whole wall, about ten feet tall and almost as wide. The smell and her very essence made us back up several steps. Actually, we ended up backs against the door with nowhere else to go. “W-w-well,” I said, lifting my chin. “W-w-we’ll just be on our way then. R-r-right after you tell us where Franny and her friends are.” “HAHAHAHAHA! You are an amusing little plaything.” She drifted further into the room, and if possible, grew another few feet. Or maybe it was the huge shadow she seemed to cast on every wall. “And I do love playing,” she cackled. “Perhaps I do know something about your friends.” She hover-paced a few steps before turning back to me. “And a lot about you.” Red laser beam eyes pinned me to the door. I shivered. “W-what do you know about me?” I was starting to suspect I knew about her as well. I didn’t know much about demons—except that they seemed to favor red eyes. And hers were blood red. And then there was the rumor that they stole lives of those close to death. And souls. They fed on souls. *** Have you ever had to be brave when scared witless? Without stuttering, I mean?  ________________A - Z Related Links:

Creepy CotillionGertrude's GardenLucifer's CageShadow PeopleVolatile Vortex

A - Z: Yggdrasil Packs a Punch

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady   Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************   Y is for Yggdrasil packs a punch.  The Yggdrasil is a type of sacred ash tree. Also called the world tree, it is said to unite Heaven, Earth and the Underworld by its roots and branches. The real Yggadrasil tree is located at the center of the universe and is considered the tree of knowledge. I suspect this to be the main ingredient in the punch at Gertrude’s Garden. My theory is that’s why all the dimensions can congregate and coexist there, the living and dead alike. Even non-seers like Simon and Badger. I also think that’s why the punch affected me so much more than the others—because I am already able to see the otherworldlies. Adding the punch sort of put me on overload. Here’s what happened. Do you remember when we were on ‘G’ for Gertrude’s Garden? Or was it ‘I’ for inter-dimensional travel? Anyway, while I was there, I drank the punch. Paranormal Punch. And lord almighty, what a mistake. Here’s what happened when we were inside Gertie’s seated at a table and discussing the missing paranormals case: “Th-they want to know, bwahaha,” snorted Franklin, “why Gertie’s is called the ‘garden.’”The table erupted into a roar, but eventually Franny controlled herself. “It’s a joke, dear.” Snort-sniggle-cough. “It’s called the ‘garden’ because it’s attached to the cemetery. It’s the one thing all paranormals have in common. We’re ‘planted’ there until we emerge in the afterlife. Get it? Planted instead of buried? That’s why it’s called the garden.”Everyone began laughing again. “Um, yeah. I get it.” I guess when faced with the strangeness of afterlife, a morbid sense of humor is a must. “Nice they can laugh at their own demise,” said Badger out the side of his mouth. “No doubt,” added Simon, a plastic smile pasted on his face. He reached for his glass and took a sip of the red drink. “Mmmm, this is bloody tasty. What’s it called, then?” “Just your garden variety punch, dear,” said Franny, tittering at her joke. Realizing how thirsty I was, I took a sip. “Oh, this is good.” I chugged half of it in one gulp. Suddenly the room began to sway and faces blurred. I shook my head, blinked my eyes. When my chair began to spin, I clamped my hands to the seat to keep from falling off. The last thing I remembered was wishing I had a seat belt.  ***** And I’ll bet you already guessed that I had to be carried home, dead to the world so to speak.  ______________A - Z Related Links:

Creepy CotillionGertrude's GardenInter-dimension Travel
Krispin the Kitsoon
Shady Shadow People

A - Z: Xylomancing the Stone

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady   Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************   X is for Xylomancer. You may be more familiar with the term 'divination." Perhaps you remember it from Harry Potter because it’s the one thing Hermione Granger wasn’t good at. Remember the one where she knocked the crystal ball to the floor? She dismissed divination as a bunch of old fashioned hooey, something that was a bunch of guesswork. But it’s not hooey to those who practice it: modern day druids and witches, aka Wiccans. Trust me, if I can believe in some of the things I do, like talking to ghosts, reading energy and receiving psychic information, believing in magic is not much of a stretch. Divination is a branch of magic that is quite ancient. Using various tools, the xylomancer attempts to foresee the future, or gather insights into future events. In Harry Potter, they used crystal balls. You may have even had your fortune told by a fortuneteller with a crystal ball. You could also use palmistry, tarot cards or Chinese fortune-telling sticks. The more traditional forms of divination are interpreting omens through the way twigs or branches fall. So yeah, Hermione was right in a way. It is a lot of guesswork.  Did I mention that I'm not a witch?  Have you ever had your fortune told through a crystal ball?  _________________A - Z Related Links:

Afterlife
Extrasensory Perception
Freakin' Frankenstein
Psychometry or Psycho?Which Witch is Which?

A - Z: Which Witch is Which?

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady   Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************    W is for Which Witch is Which? Let’s get this straight. I am not a witch, even though I’ve been accused of it more than once. I spend so much time trying to tell people what I’m not…well, never mind. So let’s take these points one by one. According to Bing’s dictionary, the definition of a witch is:
1. somebody with alleged magic powers: somebody, especially a woman, who is supposed to have magical or wonder-working powers that are most often used malevolently – now I ask you, if I had magical powers, would I always be in so much trouble? 2. follower of nature religion: a follower of Wicca, a pre-Christian natural religion – another no-go. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m currently angry at God for taking my father. 3. offensive term: an offensive term that deliberately insults a woman regarded as ugly, vicious, or malicious ( insult) – Admittedly, I’m no natural beauty, but I don’t consider myself ugly, vicious or malicious 4. seductive woman: a woman who is regarded as alluring or seductive ( informal ) ( sometimes offensive ) – Ummmm, I’ve barely even had my first kiss and given my current awkwardness—well let’s just say that nobody would consider me a seductress.   So you see? I'm not a witch!
In yesterday’s ‘V’ category, Hannah (the ghostly wench from the Blind Badger) briefly mentioned her love of modern technology. For a seventeenth century serving girl, you can imagine how fascinating it is, especially cell phones. But like she said, in her time, simply possessing a cell phone would have been grounds for being burned as witches:  “… There never was such a thing in my time.” She leaned in and whispered, “You lot would have been burned for witches.” She said it with relish, as if a day at a hanging was the best entertainment ever.  Even though I’ve taken a lot of flak for my psychic abilities during the admittedly strange sixteen years of my existence, it’s still better to be living in the 21stcentury rather than the 17th. Because Hannah’s right. We would have been burnt at the stake as witches, right after the Sabrina Witch Trials. Or maybe before. In any case, we would have been the spotlighted entertainment with the agonizing screams riding upon the smoke until nothing but ashes remained. And the psychic girl would have been the opening act. I’m grateful that there are no such beings as witches. So really, let’s take a moment to bow our heads in thankfulness that this is the 21st century.   What have you done that would have gotten you burned as a witch?  _________________A - Z Related Links:Help From HannahVolatile Vortexes
Xylomancer

A - Z: Volatile Vortex

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady   Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************   V is for Volatile Vortex.  Now I did mention the Soul Collector when I talked about Lucifer’s Cage and how Lucifer had access to his minions, even though he was locked up. But I don’t think I mentioned that the Soul Collector is actually a vortex. So what is a vortex? It’s an evil entity, a sub-category of demon. A dark, swirling mass that sucks the life energy from its victims until it reaches the soul. That’s the real goal. A Soul Collector who lives off energy of the living, but saves the soul for Lucifer. Here’s a scene right after I had an encounter with the Soul Collector: “Bloody hell,” said Simon, “I hope I never meet it. I mean face-to-face. Through the door was bad enough.” He shuddered.  Hannah nodded in agreement, whispering. “Lor, Miss. It frightens me somethin’ awful.” “But what does it want from me?” I focused my sight between Simon and Riley, both thinking I was speaking to them. They shrugged and shook their heads. “Not you two – Hannah.” I pointed. “She’s sitting between you.” “What?” Their voices echoed in unison as they quickly moved apart. “Oh, Hannah is in here quite often with us. She knows everything that’s going on, don’t you Hannah? She especially likes cell, er, mobile phones.” “Yes, Miss. I’ve learned how to use them. There never was such a thing in my time.” She leaned in and whispered, “You lot would have been burned for witches.” She said it with relish, as if a day at a hanging was the best entertainment ever. We were getting off track. “But Hannah, what does it want?” Her form flickered in and out. She glanced around furtively. “Your soul, Miss.”“My what?”“What what?” said Simon. “What’s she saying?” I ignored him. “Why does it want my soul? What will he do with it?” And then I remembered Shelly being frightened as well. “And what does it want with Shelly – or you, for that matter?”“Oh, it wants us as well, but it’s mostly you. You have a most powerful energy, you see? You can speak with both sides equally. It’s afraid of what you can do, that you will help the lost souls. It collects souls and uses the energy to survive.” “Oh.” *****  Now I'm sure you've never seen a vortex--have you?   _________________A - Z Related Links:Help from HannahLucifer's Cage
Shady Show People
Which Witch is Which?
Zagana

A-Z: Unpacking and In Denial

A - Z Challenge 2013: The Paranormal Case Files of Indigo Eady  Hey bloggers! I’m Indigo Eady and I play the leading role in Givin’ Up The Ghost, A Guilty Ghost Surprised and Second Death, written by Gwen Gardner.  I've had some pretty interesting paranormal experiences, to say the least. I mean, just look at those titles! So I’ve been asked by Gwen to host and share some of my paranormal case files for the A-Z Challenge. I’m always happy to help Gwen out. Right now I’m trying to get on her good side so she’ll ease up on the clumsy angle of my character. And maybe she’ll even give me a little more confidence, especially around boys. Oh, and I’d totally love it if she made my bubble butt just a little bit smaller. So—you know—if you enjoy my case files, maybe you could put in a good word for me…********************    U is for Unpacking and in Denial.  I debated whether or not to include this story. On one hand, it’s kind of personal. And painful. And embarrassing. When I went to live with Simon and Uncle Richard, I was in denial about my father's death and so I didn't unpack. To tell you the truth, I still haven't. Somehow my father's death isn't a closed chapter yet and so I don't unpack. Anyway, it's up to me to unpack when I'm ready, right?  But on the other hand, it’s the first time I met saw Franny. You may be able to tell by now that I’ve grown rather attached to her. But at the time, I was livid….The room wasn’t bad. A twin bed, an easy chair in the corner, and a desk and chair against another wall. A trunk at the foot of the bed held everything I owned, everything I was able to bring with me when my father died. The room was abnormally neat for a teenager, partly because I didn’t own much. But mostly because I hadn’t unpacked yet. I was on the verge, though. Really I was. The best part of the room was the bay window with colorful pillows and cushions to sit or lie on, and a huge oak tree right outside. A nice place to while away the hours, if I could ever get any peace!The room was quiet for a change – no sign of spirit activity. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when spirits were active, except they seemed to be more prevalent in the middle of the night. But having stayed up all night the night before, sleepiness suddenly overtook me. Changing into sweats and bunny slippers, I curled up on the window seat and wrapped myself in a blanket. Only for a few minutes, I told myself. And then I would start the laundry. When I opened my eyes, it was to a twilit room. For a brief moment my world was normal. Well, normal for me, anyway. But then I remembered. I sighed and cast a glance around the room. Perhaps this was the new normal, perhaps...I frowned. What was that smell? A fragrant perfume filled the room. I sniffed, looking around for the source. A lit pink candle glowed on my desk, casting dancing shadows on the walls. And now I became aware of other things, as well. Pretty tasseled pillows piled on my bed, with matching throw blankets. Personal items from my trunk were now arranged on my dresser and desk. A photograph of me with both my parents when I was younger sat on the nightstand. Someone had unpacked my things! I jumped up, incensed. Did Simon do this? No, he wouldn’t. And that’s when I glimpsed the old-fashioned figure of a woman drift through my bedroom door.             I ran to the door and flung it open, catching sight of the spirit as she turned the corner and zipped downstairs. I charged after her.             “You!” I yelled, running after her. “Stop. Right. Now!” I chased her down the back servant’s stairs, which wasn’t easy in bunny slippers with six inch floppy ears. I burst into the kitchen, skidding along like a penguin on ice toward the table. Seated at the table, Badger yelled, “Whoa!” jumping up with hands out to try and break my fall before I went head first over the table. I tried to put on the brakes. But when you’re me? Not so easy.             Simon, always so helpful in these situations, jumped away from the table, laughing.             Lying halfway across the table, with Badger’s hands around my waist, and bunny feet waving in the air, I cleared my throat. “Ummm. Sorry, am I interrupting?” You’d think I could come up with a better line than that, given how often these things happened. But no, I had to go and act like I was about to throw myself onto the table anyway. ***Other scenes featuring Franny are in the 'F' and 'O' posts.  Have I asked you yet if you've ever seen a ghost? ________________A - Z Related Links:
Freakin' Frankenstein
Orbs, Pretty Orbs!
Shadow People are Shady