S.M. Pace's Blog, page 9
May 3, 2016
Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Childhood Characters You’d Love to See As Adults
Welcome to Top 10 Tuesday, a bloghop run by the Broke and Bookish. Check it out and sign up if you’re interested. The linky comes out every Tuesday evening.
Today’s theme is: Top Childhood Characters You’d Love to See as Adults
I had to really dig back into my memories for this one, and I could only manage five.
The Members of the Babysitters Club:
I’ll be honest, the biggest thing that bothered me about these books was that the characters never really aged. I don’t think they ever make it out of seventh grade, through a couple hundred novels. I really wanted to see the club members as high schoolers, or even older. I imagine they would have stayed friends, stayed in touch, maybe found each other on Facebook. I wonder where they all would have ended up.
Ramona from the Roman Series:
As a kid, Ramona annoyed me a little, probably because she was a lot like me. A daydreaming, goofy
little kid, who aggravated her siblings and parents, but managed to avoid getting in trouble because she was the baby. I’d love to see her all grown up, off to college. I kind of imagined her being a writer, since she seemed like a creative kid.
Dill from To Kill A Mockingbird:
I feel like I mention this one a lot, but it is one of my favorite novels 
Let’s just assume Go Set a Watchman is not canon. I know childhood friendships tend to drift apart, but I somehow imagined Dill, Scout and Jem would remain friends forever. Maybe Dill and Scout would attend college together, and eventually he’d convince her to marry him. The darker part of me is afraid of what would happen to Dill and Jem during the war. Hopefully, they all make it through.
Gawain and Twyla from Hogfather:
You have to envy kids that end up with a magical teacher/nanny. I guess the real world parallel is those amazing teachers that can breath life into the most boring subjects ever, who are just bursting with enthusiasm, and love for every single kid in their charge. Still, I think all teachers would benefit from being able to take their classes on spur of moment field trips across the world. So I wonder how Gawain and Twyla turned out, after having Death’s granddaughter as their caretaker for several years. Did Gawain ever make that horse skull helmet he wanted? And what did he do with it?
May 2, 2016
Monday Wake-Up and April Re-cap
Well, I fell hard off the A-Z wagon. Hopefully next year I’ll make it through the entire month, but at least I got a first draft of a 20K novella out of the deal.
So, I have that new project, a story of vampires, fae and kidnapping. 
Bit of a Frankenstory
I’m still working on Cry of the Hawk. I managed about 2K yesterday, finishing up a couple of scenes.
Blood Poison is also coming along, and I’m getting new ideas on how to shift the story from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Not such an easy thing when your vampires are adamantly not “vegetarians.”
I also have my eye on a couple of writing contests coming up in May. I’m bad with deadlines and I always end up just missing them. Hopefully, this time, I’ll manage to get my entry in.
Cheers,
How did you do with A-Z? Share in the comments.
April 16, 2016
Wewriwa and the week that got away
It’s that time again, Weekend Writing Warriors, when bloggers gather to share their writing snippets. Click on the link to check out the other participants and sign up if you have a snippet you want to share.
This was a strange week. I fell of the a-z wagon because I was seized by a ravenous plot bunny. I ended up writing over 16K words on a story that I had no plans to write. The idea only came to me on Monday, and my brain refused to focus on anything else.
So, that happened. My plot bunny refuses to let it die, so I’ll be finishing the story tomorrow and revising it next week. Wish me luck. Here’s a snippet from said story.
That smile again, so innocent, but equally knowing. “What you should be asking is what I am.”
Cam tried to stand up and a dizzy spell knocked him back down. “What are you?” Slurring again, like his mouth wasn’t working right.
Roman opened his mouth as if he was going to yawn, and four pointed teeth slid from his gums, like hidden needles.
Cam jumped backward, but it was like moving through water, or syrup. His legs didn’t want to cooperate. “What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t think straight.”
“Yeah, sedatives will do that.”
I could give context here, but what’s the fun in that I have no idea what I’m going to do with this story once I’m done, because it’s very different from my usual style. Wish me luck!
Cheers!
April 12, 2016
Top Ten Tuesday and A-Z Challenge Letter J
It’s Top Ten Tuesday. Click the link above or right here to visit the Broke and the Bookish, and find out more about this blog-hop.
Today theme is Top Books Every X Should Read (fill in your own X) Since fantasy is my thing, that’s what I’m going for.
Top Five Books Every Fantasy Lover Should Read
1. Something by Terry Pratchett. 
Seriously, he wrote over 30 books. If you’re a fantasy love, and you’ve never read anything my Sir Pratchett, go through his list. There’s bound to be one that will capture your fancy. He was a brilliant author, with a wonderful flare for humor. I don’t love all his novels, but I’ve never read one that bored me.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
A true fantasy classic. I read these novels when I was around 13, and I fell in love with them. If your a fantasy love, and especially if you love sword and sorcery, adventure and magical worlds, you need to try out this series.
3. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Another classic series that laid the groundwork for many fantasy stories since. Again, if you love epic high fantasy, I would be surprised if you haven’t read The Lord of the Rings, but definitely add it to your TBR list.
4. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
I actually read this novel fairly recently, and fell head over heels in love. Beagle plays with fantasy tropes in this novel, and develops a unique, fun, sometimes sad story.
5. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol 
T Even if you’ve never read it, you certainly know the story. It’s a surprisingly quick read and I will add, probably the only story that could ever get away with “it was all a dream,” because of Carroll’s commitment to creating a bizarre, dreamlike atmosphere.
Welcome to Letter J day! Here’s a joyous, jig inducing collection of J pictures. The jig thing may be unique to me, because I love jigs.
Jelly Fish! If you’ve never been to an aquarium, they are awesome. Find one and visit it! My favorite part is always the jelly fish. They’re always inside large, black-lit, blue tinted tanks, floating around like crazy, glowing aliens. I love it. If the tank is big enough, you can see them float in and out of view, like ghosts, or a terrifying glimpse of the invisibility power they will use to one day take over the world.
There’s also this guy. That’s right, he’s a leopard* It was hard to get
a good picture of this fellow, with the cage in the way. Wish zoos
would do away with those, right? But I love this picture because it looks he’s about to pounce. Like a giant house cat that’s spotted a laser pointed. That’s about as real as it gets at the zoo.
Cheers and see you all tomorrow!
*it’s actually a jaguar, in case you weren’t sure, or weren’t sure if I knew 
April 11, 2016
A-Z Challenge letter I and Monday Wake Up!
Letter I for the A-Z challenge!
For all my best efforts, I have no pictures that go with the letter I. I took a bunch over the weekend, but evidently things that start with I are hard to stumble across in my neck of the woods.
So, here’s a weird little story I wrote a long time back, for a blog hop. I don’t fully remember the prompt, but I do know that the words imago, lacuna and miasma had to be part of the story. Enjoy
I stumble through the treacherous hell. The noxious air clogs my throat and all around me is black. I can’t break free from the miasma.
My hands smack against something wooden. I press on, one hand touching the slimy wall as poor comfort. I fear I may never see daylight again.
Amidst the smell of burnt flesh, rot and mildew I catch the smallest hint of wildflowers. I freeze and wait, pray for the scent to come back stronger so I can follow it.
There it is. Freedom. I take careful steps toward salvation and my hands grope for the lacuna. A gap
between the worlds and the gateway I can pass through. Some bizarre synchronicity often catches me and dumps me in this hell. But I’ll taste freedom again, at least for a short while.
Empty air chills my fingers, the cold of the abyss. I dive through, to a world without breathe, where I have no heartbeat. For the briefest second and for all eternity, I cease to exist.
I’m home again, staring into the mirror on my door. Tears burn my eyes and the smell of rot lingers upon my skin.
Monday Wake Up –
Things are rolling along.
Chalice – I’ve done my first read through of my manuscript, and marked the initial major issues that jumped out at me. I’ll be doing my second read through this week, and looking for set ups that I didn’t follow through with.
Blood Poison – Going slower with this one. I did my pre-revision write up, refreshing my memory on what I wanted from the book, and preparing myself for what to look for as I read. I’m hoping to get at least halfway through my first read through this week.
Cry of the Hawk – I’m excited about the scenes I’ll be working on this week. Goal is 5K words, wish me luck.
Blood Poison 2 – I’ve done my scene plan, with ideas for 25 scenes, and a flexible outline for the novel. Can’t wait to write some more.
April 10, 2016
WeWriWa – Cry of the Hawk
If your here from the A-Z challenge, you can follow these links (G and H), and also click here: A-Z Challenge, to check out the other participants.
Sunday has come again, and with it, more awesome excerpts around the blogosphere. Click the badge above or here: Wewriwa, to read the other excerpts.
Here’s another bit from Cry of the Hawk.
The magickers walked further into the pub, so the dim light caught their scarred faces. The tallest, a woman, lifted her chin. “We are searching for rogue magickers, members of the underground.”
No one spoke, though a few eyes shifted to Ora, Toby and Cor’s table. Ora felt her cheeks heat, and thanked Deity for the dark lighting of the pub.
Tall Magicker’s eyes narrowed. She approached a table, where a woman sat with a small child, barely a toddler in her lap. The little boy tucked his head against his mother’s neck and she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
“I will give you until the count of five.” Tall Magicker laid a hand on the table, just in front of the mother and child. “One.” Her fingers curled against the scarred wood. “Two.” Wisps of smoke rose from the table. “Three.”
April 9, 2016
A-Z Challenge Letter H
As with G, better late than never, although better never late Click the link on letter H to head to the A-Z challenge website and check out the rest of the participants. Here’s a herd of H-themed pictures. (The alliteration was a struggle with this one)
Heart shaped pancakes. I made them myself I am that giant dork that creates shaped pancakes for every holiday, in case you were wondering if this and the Easter pancakes indicated a theme.
A sleeping baby wearing a Heart-shaped tie. I also made that myself. The baby and the tie, in this case.
April 8, 2016
A-Z Challenge Letter G
Better late than never. Click the link on letter G to head to the A-Z challenge website and check out the rest of the participants. Here’s a gaggle of G pics to brighten your day.
I’m pretty sure these are Geodes. Either way, they are pretty, which is why I took the picture, even though it didn’t turn out great.
I’m fairly certain these would not be considered Gems, but, this picture did come out prettier. Lest you think I went cave diving, this was a set up in a museum. I would love to find something like this in nature, but I’ve not been that lucky yet.
Because how could I resist, a baby feeding a Giraffe
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