Julia Benally's Blog, page 11
September 18, 2020
The main character is wrong. What?!
So... bull crap went down.
I was typing away, having a grand time. I was secure in my knowledge of the villain and the hero. And then I reached the turning point when everything explodes.
Bam! I slammed flat into a wall and couldn't make anything work. Why? Why? I turned off the computer and spent the next fifteen hours struggling with what was wrong.
And then it came to me. "You got the wrong main character! There are characters who have unresolved issues. Resolve their issues. It isn't time for this character's issues yet. You've been building the issues for these two characters since book one. Now resolve them."
I also realized I didn't want to write a book without the original squad in it. It just doesn't work for me. The series is about them. What in the world was I thinking?
So here I am.
Hopefully, I will get it done before "Renzhies" comes home from the editor.
Now for the next video, this one is done by David Romero:
September 17, 2020
I have just made a new monster!
Yesterday, I freakin' broke my tooth and accidentally swallowed the piece that broke. After that I got a bead on the villain's motives. Thank goodness. I was beginning to think I was never going to find the meat. I even got a bead on the hero's inner conflicts.
Since I had their mess written down nice and neat, I commenced on the villain's physical features. I like drawing for that. My drawings are a mess and I usually doodle them on the side of the notebook. Those notebook margins are very useful for that.
Now I know where the villain comes from, what he is, what he does, what his rules are, and his motivation. It's all very freaky!
I have just made a new monster!
Now I need to figure out what the monster is called. Once I have that, I'll have the title for the fourth book.
My tooth sacrificed itself for the villain. Maybe I'll dedicate book 4 to my broken tooth.
And now the next video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0o-irp02o
September 16, 2020
A lovely little monster and the next scary video!
Sometimes I feel like I'm writing this book just to get a bead on the personality of a certain character that appears in book 2, who then makes a bigger appearance in book 3.
Like book 2, I'm having problems in book 4 and it's all the villain's fault.
In book 2, I made a perfectly horrific monster, which ended up not following the rules of the monster it actually ended up being. So I had to cut it. Now I have a place for it in book 4.
I've been noticing that my books don't like being like one another. They're all part of the same family, but all the siblings are completely different.
Book 4 is acting like this and I think when I'm finally done, it will be different from the others, but the others are not going to be the same as each other, either.
After I applied the changes I needed to my villain, he started taking over and there are parts in the story that are changing because of him.
They were such good parts, too.
Today I will be working mostly in my notebook. There's an upcoming scene in which I don't know what happens next. Maybe I will just write and see what comes out. I did that for "Beautiful Dream," and it worked out just nice. It just got really weird and made me question my sanity.
That said, here is the next video, done by Nightmare Tales.
September 15, 2020
Freaked myself out! And first promised creepy video.
Since I had to make the villain as scary as the first three villains, I was wondering what in the world I was going to do. I made something up and I was like, "Okay, this is good. I think this will work!"
Last night, at the witching hour, I was still pounding away at the keyboard, wishing I had one of those gaming keyboards because they're so nice, and the creepiness came. Maybe it was because it was the middle of the night.
The villain suddenly got creepier than I expected and I started feeling freaked out. Right at that moment, my sister walked in the room. She's got silent feet so as far as I was concerned, the door opened by itself and I almost screamed.
After that, I decided, "I think I better stop and wait for tomorrow." So that's where I am.
Anyway, join me in feeling freaky. Here's the first video on our way to Halloween! This is done by a youtuber called Mr. Nightmare.
September 14, 2020
Four books in the Monsters and Demons series nearly complete
I had announced the re-issue of the first book for the Monsters and Demons series. The second book is with my editor and I'm paying off the fantastic cover artist who did the new cover for Nri Kryne.
I'd forgotten to send off short stories in all this time span of waiting, planning, and doing the relaunch.
What I've been doing all this time is writing books 3 and 4.
When I sent book 2 to a beta reader, I noticed he picked the book apart in all places EXCEPT where I actually plotted the scenes first with a notebook.
For book 3, I plotted the entire book from beginning to end. I was able to pick out the problem spots quickly and easily. As a result, I wrote the book in 2 months, equipped with all the madness I love to put into the stories. As soon as book 2 is finished with its final stages, I shall begin the refining process for book 3.
Book 4 had some serious problems. I was plotting and writing as I went along, but once I hit the climax, something went wrong. The story stopped working. I smacked into a brick wall at a hundred miles an hour.
For the last week, I've been tearing my brains apart, wondering what had happened. Where did I mess up? What went wrong? What was I missing? I thought and thought and thought. I almost missed going onto the Saturday morning show with the chairwoman of my tribe. She was going to let me discuss the book. I thought Thursday was Friday and went through a freak out. On the real Friday night, I woke up every two hours and showed up at the show looking pale and drawn.
I ran to my mom for help on book 4, and she put on an evil, whining voice, and described my villain as if she were a person who hated my guts. The cringe was real. My villain was weak, stupid, made no sense, was hiding most of the time, and the real threat was designated to a side story.
After staring at my knees for a bit, I thought, "You're right."
So, I changed it. I fixed my villain. Now I just need to watch more Forensic Files to get a better bead on him.
With the change, five characters I really loved became obsolete. Now they will be featured as the main characters in a different book. It may be book 5, or even 6. Their story came together right quick, so that one is all set.
And then my mom said she hated one of the characters (not the five), but one I had to cut from Nri Kryne. Poor kid is getting chopped out of all the stories. Once she was gone, though, book 4 came to life and it allowed the villain to be as creepy as he liked. It also allowed for more monsters, demons, freakishness, more adventure, and more action. Book 4 was staid because of this kid.
The kid herself...I don't know what to do with her. She's got a really good name, though. In the end, I might just take the name and give it to somebody who's more likable. Or she could go the way of Ivel, who had been a mainstay in the rough draft for the series. And now...
What is exciting is that a villain I had to cut out of Nri Kryne gets to make her debut in book 4. She's not the main villain, and not exactly a villain, but one who plagues the MC. She shined in all her evil glory in Nri Kryne, but didn't make the final cut. So now she gets to shine in book 4.
That's about it. That's what I've been doing. Now that I'm kind of recuperated from all the mess that's been going on, I sent off a short story and will be sending more throughout the week.
"Keepress" should be out sometime soon. The magazine it was accepted into hasn't put it out yet. For all anyone knows, it might come out in October.
Here's hoping.
PS
Halloween is coming and I've found some freaky stories for you to listen to. I will be posting those here all the way to Halloween.
PPS
For anyone wanting to buy Monsters and Demons: Nri Kryne, click here.
September 12, 2020
Where to buy Monsters and Demons: Nri Kryne
Hello everyone!
Today I was on the chairwoman's show and it was totally exciting. Some people have asked where to buy the book, and so I am going to post it here.
The kindle is also on kindle select.
Here is the link for the kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Nri-Kryne-Monsters-Demons-Book-ebook/dp/B08GZR31B9/
Here is the link for the paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Kryne-Monsters-Demons-Mara-Duryea/dp/B08GV97VHF/
And while you're here, check out my spooky short stories under the 'online stories' tab! You might run into a couple of romances, but I promise they're very few.
Subscribe so you can see what else is coming up.
Here is the book description:
Meet Vijeren, a typical 12-year-old boy...with fangs! And did I mention he lives in the shadow of a powerful demon? When a frightening fire burns down his home, Vijeren is free!
But now he's on the run in a world of blood-suckers and brain-eaters. And hot on his heels is the demon who craves his soul. If Vijeren can't find a way to defeat the demon, the monster will melt the flesh from his bones.
Nri Kryne is the thrilling first book in the young adult Monsters and Demons fantasy series. If you love spine-tingling adventure, non-stop action, and blood-thirsty monsters, then you'll adore Mara Duryea's awesome book!
Buy Nri Kryne today and leave Earth for planet Ilo!
August 31, 2020
New cover, title and name is finally here! And book two title reveal!
Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well.
"Pariahs" has finally gone through its revamp. It is no longer "Pariahs" in the Ilings series, but "Nri Kryne," book one in the Monsters and Demons series. My name for it is here, too!
It was a long haul, but it is done!
And while I'm here, let me tell you what's up.
First, the name of the second book in the Monsters and Demons series! RENZHIES. You're gonna love it.
Next, I wrote the third book and I'm in the middle of the fourth.
You can buy both kindle and paperback of "Nri Kryne" here.
Stay safe and happy reading!
July 6, 2020
A Creepy Story, A True Story
I've written about the Hondah Resort Casino before, but I didn't include this story into its haunted environs.
Several years ago, before The Grudge had gone into theaters, a woman who worked in the casino was shot and killed several miles away.
During the graveyard shift, a security guard saw a woman walking around in the restricted section. Since employees walked around in there all the time, he paid no mind. The woman kept walking through the halls, back and forth, and in and out of the camera lens. She caught his eye and he peered closer at her.
The woman's hair was around her face and she walked with a tomboyish gait. He knew that walk, and he recognized her. It was the dead woman who'd died in the shooting.
June 29, 2020
Ha-ha! Triumph!
A story I wrote four years ago was finally accepted. I have a little notebook where I write down what story I sent to where. "Keepress" had like seven pages front and back of rejection letters. Editors said there was nothing wrong with it, but no. Very annoying. I dealt with it by saying all the editors were complete idiots. And since none of them are subscribed to me, twice the idiot. Mwahahaha! And if they are subscribed, I guess they're not a total loss.
"Keepress" is a high fantasy in another world.
The people have been plagued by a terrifying monster called the Bengadriss, killing off their guardians one by one. Nahleen has been handed the mantle of guardian at too young an age. When the Bengadriss steals her baby brother, Nahleen must face off with the Bengadriss in a violent battle to save him, or lose her life trying.
Stay tuned for a thrilling tale of adventure, terror, and ultimate sacrifice.
Coming to a computer near you in The Scarlet Leaf Review, September 2020.
June 10, 2020
Lice and Banishment!
Lice, the bane of my little girl existence.
Every few months, my elementary school conducted a lice check. The teachers each had their hour to bring the students to the nurse's office. We had a nice nurse's office. It was big and could fit a whole classroom into it.
We all waited by the door while two or three nurses took a student and checked their hair with long sticks.
"Clean, clean, clean."
And then it was my turn. Everybody watched as the nurse, in a loud, nasal voice announced to the universe, "This one has lice."
All the little rats who'd been passed as clean gasped and whispered to one another until the info reached the whole school that Julia had lice. Had the nurse no sense of propriety? Why didn't she howl out who the clean ones were, too? She put me in a corner where all the dirty kids went to think about their life.
"Julia has to go home."
Me and the nurses were on a first name basis since I showed up in the nurse's office every day for some kind of bruise, bump, or scrape. Sometimes, I just came to get an ice pack since the Mesa sun was a steady two million point three degrees. They didn't give ice packs freely. You had to be hurt first. They gave me ice packs, though. As soon as I had lice, just like that, I was banished and nobody wanted to be friends anymore.
There I sat, in a hard metal chair, hoping somebody else had lice so we could be ashamed together. Nobody else had lice, not even that kid who drooled ranch all over himself at lunchtime. They gazed at me as if I had a pentagram written on my forehead. The little devil worshipers played Bloody Mary on a regular basis, but they didn't have lice.
Before all was finished, the teacher told me to go back to the classroom and gather my things up because I was going home early in shame. The door was crowded with my fair-weathered friends, but I headed straight for them and they parted like water. I made my slow way to the classroom on the other side of the school.
The school was in a bad neighborhood and we had real lock-downs every once in a while, but no weirdo wanted to kidnap a little girl full of lice. So I made it to the classroom unharmed.
While I was getting my things, I was gearing up for the lonely walk home. It was the most exciting part of my banishment, but then my mom was there out of nowhere and took me home. I guess they had called her and told her of my banishment for the sixth time that year.
For a week, she pulled bugs and eggs out of my bushy locks. When I got back, everybody was friends again and they welcomed me back. They were glad I was well. And then the teacher dropped a stack of work in front of me and said, "This is all the stuff you missed."
I had to rethink my life.
