K.C. Stewart's Blog, page 14

COVER REVEAL....take 2.

Some of you may have noticed that my cover has mysteriously disappeared from all my sites. After some unfortunate events I had to find a new cover designer.

Seriously, best decision I have made so far.

Mayhem Cover Creations had designed a fabulous cover for Spark. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Oh, and now that this snafu has been settled I picked a date for publication. March 3, 2014....Be ready. 

Fun Facts About Lia

Thalia (aka Lia) Muse of comedyHair: BlondeEyes: BlueHeight: 5’8”Celebrity inspiration: Kaley Cuoco

This is a snippet taken from Spark where Hailey meets Lia.
Hailey reluctantly got up as the knock pounded again. Through the peep hole she found a woman who looked to be everything that was Hailey’s opposite. She was built like a model, tall and skinny with golden hair falling in loose waves down her back. Long lashes framed deep blue eyes that shimmered in the dull lighting of the hallway. Even distorted through the fisheye bubble of her peep hole she was beautiful.
Hailey hated her immediately.
“Well now, this is an unexpected turn.” Dak said with amusement and if she wasn’t mistaken, lust.
“Who is she?” The woman stared back through the peep hole at Hailey and gave a little finger wave.
“A Goddess.”
Hailey frowned. “Well yeah she’s pretty and all but who is she?”
The woman smiled. “I am Thalia, bored Muse here to help. May I come in?”





Lia has her reasons for joining Hailey as her partner in crime (literally). But Lia is good at directing people away from topics involving herself. I really can’t say much about her without giving away spoilers. 
However Lia was my first indy character I wrote as. Her story has changed so many times and her personality is completely different from when I started her. However, book Lia is my favorite version of her so far. 

Release schedule snag

I had been planning on releasing Spark on February 16. That is not going to happen now.

Why?

Well I'm not going to tell you, sorry. Just know that somewhere a long the way I hit a publishing snag. It will hold up pretty much everything until I can get it fixed. This is my first book and I was bound to run into trouble somewhere along the way.

Lesson was learned.

I apologize for this break in the schedule, but believe me no one is more upset than I am.

In other news...I finished book two over the weekend. Yeah I know, book one isn't even out yet. I just had to get the story out so I could focus on important things like homework, tests, and papers for school. I'll be taking a break from writing now that school is in session. This will also give me a chance to read all the books I've been neglecting in my TBR pile.

Alright, enough blogging for now. I'll try and post another Fun Facts about another character later this week.

Fun Facts About Silas

Silas
BasicsAge: 784Hair: BlackEyes: GreenHeight: 6ft 2inCelebrity Inspiration: Adam Von Rothfelder




Fun FactsKing (Overseer) of Green ManipulatorCunning, deceptive, controlling.Killed his father (resulting in his ultimate Green take over) after he had killed Silas’s sister.
I didn’t think I’d enjoy writing as Silas, but I was wrong. He has many more layers than even I know. He says the least and yet his presence is one of the strongest. 


I really don’t have much to say about Silas since most of it would be spoilers. You’ll just have to be content with the pretty pictures of him for the time being.

Fun Facts About Dacea

Dacea
BasicsAge: 824 Hair: Dark Brown Eyes: Amber Height: 6ft 1in Celebrity Inspiration: Daniel DiTomasso (Daniel has an aversion to shirts, but I know that won't be a problem for most of you.)


Fun FactsOnce was King of Red Dragons Bossy personality Cursed 


Nicknames (given solely by Hailey):Dak Ace Sparkles Pompous Ass Captain Dragon Breath Captain CrotchWaffle Mr. Dragon Mr. Big Bad Dragon


I’m not going to tell you who I named Dacea (or Dak) after. Just know he was named Dak first then I had to find a name that worked with it. My favorite part to write for Dak is his dialog with Hailey. I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights I had with them bickering in my head. *coughs* like last night *coughs* 
He’s confident, stubborn, serious, mistrusts compassion of everyone but his small close circle of friends, not one to get intimately involved with others. The expression I see most on his face is a raised eyebrow and a small shake of the head.

Let me tell ya a little something about introverts…

Why can’t introverted (is that a word?) writers just write? Why can’t we just put the words on the page and create that magical story that makes you fall in love with the characters and hungry for more? Why do we have to actually go out in public and talk about what we write? Gah! Why would I ever want to actually talk to someone about my writing? Don’t you understand? I just want to tell the story; you’re supposed to be the ones to talk about it…over there…far out of my hearing range.

Unfortunately that is not how the world works.
Introvert crash course.


In a perfect world all of the introvert writers would sit in a closet with their laptops and a Costco sized tub of cheese balls, and write their story. Let me be clear, when say sit in a closet I mean separate closets. We would each have our own closet and talk to one another online because that is an acceptable form of communication. Then we would hire and extrovert to go out in the world and pretend to be the writer. They can talk all they want because they like to do that sort of thing. 
Let me quickly recap: Closet, cheese balls, laptop, internet….perfection.
Couldn't have set it better myself.Many of the writers I have met share my introvert nature, which I find quite funny since writers have to promote themselves. That is like the worst form of torture. Not only do you want me to talk about my creative mind baby but now you want me to talk about myself? Eww, no thank you. Do you know how crazy I think I sound when I say, “I write about dragons and a girl who gets one stuck in her head.” Well, do you? In my head it makes perfect sense but once those thoughts are verbalized, I’m wondering how I am not in a psychiatric facility.
Conclusion: The writing world was created by extroverts who like to watch introverts squirm.
If you are thoroughly confused at this post, don’t worry you are not alone. I am wondering why I am writing it as well. I guess I just wanted to express just how much courage it takes for a writer to hit publish, whether it be on a blog post, a website, facebook, or a book. 

Chapter 1

Now please keep in mind this is still a draft. There will be some grammar and spelling mistakes because I am still in the editing phase. 
Update: After some input from my betas, the chapter was modified and may be slightly different than what you may have read last week. 
Chapter 1
Hailey sat up in her bed and gasped for air. With its blaring alarm, her bedside clock announced that it was time to wake up. She hit the off button and because she couldn’t shake the dream she had been having, Hailey held out her arms and checked for any red marks, but she found only her porcelain skin. “Ugh.” She groaned as she rested her head in her palm. It had just been a horrible dream; one she had been having on a nightly basis. There was no fire, no smoke, and no dragons. “That’s the last time I eat Mexican before bed.”“Not this again.” A deep voice grumbled in her head. Hailey squeezed her eyes shut. “I will not talk to the voice in my head. It is not real.” She repeated her recently acquired mantra, punctuating each word.“Every morning it is the same thing. Hailey, you need to get over this already.” He sounded frustrated, not that she cared. The voice had been with her ever since the unfortunate event in the nearby park three weeks prior. “The sooner you accept what has happened, the sooner we can figure out how to fix it.”“LA LA LA LA LA.” Hands covered her ears as she crawled out of bed. “I can’t hear you.” He sighed in her head. “Why don’t you believe what is right in front of you?” Because what was right in front of her was a crazy person who had voices in her head, she answered mentally. Hailey turned on the shower, set in her ways of ignoring him. She dropped her shirt on the floor but quickly covered her breasts with her arms.“Crap. Close your eyes.” “Excuse me?” “I said, close your eyes. I need to shower.”“You are infuriating.” He bit out.“Nonsense, I am delightful. You on the other hand have no manners. I need to shower and don’t want you to watch.” She shifted uncomfortably, unsure where she should look when she spoke to him. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. In fact a little peek is the least you can do for the headaches you’ve caused me.” “Headaches I’ve caused you? What about me Mister! Do you think I want to hear your critique of absolutely everything I do, have done, or will do in the future? Just close your eyes and leave me be.” A moment of silence passed before he grunted out a, “fine.”“Are your eyes closed?” “Yes.”“How do I know that? You could just say they are but really be watching me shower like a creeper.” Hailey shuffled her weight back and forth as the cool air chilled her bottom.“I guess you will just have to trust me.” He said amused. The steam began to fill the small bathroom. It called to her like a Siren. Hailey sucked up her modesty and uncovered herself before tearing back the curtain. Her shower was short but it was hot. If she wasn’t red when she got out, then the shower was not over. Steam fogged the mirror and it took a few passes with her hand before she could see herself. Her damp, brown hair hung straight but soon it would be a mess of frizzy waves. She accepted her genetics early on and didn’t fuss over it. Sure, her hair left much to be desired but she had been graced in the body department; curves up top followed by a cinched in waist and a nice flare at the hips. However, she could stand to lose a few pounds. Her stomach had a bit of an overhang these days. The rest of her morning passed rather simply and routinely with minor interruption from her dragon annoyance. The streets were bustling with people on their way to work. In her own world of thought, she walked the 10 blocks to work along with the rest of the city of Philadelphia. It seemed everyone always had somewhere to be in a city. It was a fast paced life and would run right over you if you didn’t keep up. Hailey never really felt like she fit in the urban lifestyle; her pace much more like a leisurely stroll. But she did like the feeling of life around her, even if it was just to watch it from the safety of her apartment. An accident ahead had her normal route packed full of bystanders trying to get a glimpse at what happened. She checked her watch, still on time but she wasn’t sure how long it would take her to wade through the crowd. There was another way to her office, quicker in fact than the route she usually took. Hailey had her reasons for not walking that way, but being late was not an option. In a last second decision Hailey cut down the street to the entrance of the park.“Ahh,” said her dragon, “I was wondering if you’d ever come back here.” “Don’t talk to me.” She snapped. Her nerves kept her feet moving at a considerable pace. The park was a quaint piece of quiet in amongst the hustle of Philadelphia. At one point this had been Hailey’s favorite part of her walk to and from work. Now it was an eerie reminder of all the things she didn’t know about in this world. “That’s where it happened.” The dragon pointed out. She knew and didn’t have to look, but did anyway. As clearly as if it were happening again, Hailey saw two dragons fighting. Trees were uprooted and patches of grass were scorched by fire. The only thing unscathed was a simple swing set on the other end of the park.That day Hailey had been late getting out of work. She had considered grabbing a taxi home but had decided to walk after remembering about the bag of gummy bears she had at lunch. Typically the park had a few kids playing basketball or someone reading on a bench, but that day the park was empty of all life. She was too occupied to notice this lack of life until she all but ran into the red dragon. Stumbling backward Hailey’s mouth hung open in astonishment. Her phone was clutched in her hand and she knew that she should be calling the hospital to see if they had an opening in the mental ward, or maybe the police. Instead she scurried back out of the line of fire and hid behind a tree. Neither of the creatures seemed to notice her presence, and if they did they thought of her as only a lowly human. She however, took notice of them.The larger dragon was easily 15 feet high. It was covered in dark green scales with two lines of spiky horns traveling all the way down its long neck and spine. It towered over the reddish dragon with a wicked gleam in its eyes. She wasn’t sure which one she should be rooting for, but when the green one took a cheap shot, Hailey decided on Team Red. The red dragon was much less vicious looking, but still terrifying. It had two large horns protruding from its head and a much smoother coat of scales. The wings were extraordinarily large, twice the size of green. And as a stream of fire came barreling out of its mouth she began to second guess her choice in team.Hailey blinked herself back to the present. Her feet had stopped moving and she was standing in the middle of the path blocking a mother with a stroller. Apologizing and stepping out of the way Hailey had to shake loose the memory and the racing heart it brought with it. Her panic was palatable even now. That day left her with more than an unnatural fear of city parks, it also gave her a mental roommate who ate all her food and played music too loud.  “Reminiscing?” He asked.She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Go. Away.” “It doesn’t work that way.”Walking once more, Hailey made her way through the center of the park. It had been a bad idea to come this way. The memories of that day were too vivid even now. A dark spot up ahead caught her eye. It was a 6 foot long oval of dead grass. She knew what had killed the grass but was surprised it had not begun to grow back. Stepping off the path, Hailey walked over to the spot and crouched down. She brushed a hand over the dead spot. This was where a woman had found her unconscious. The green dragon had tossed the red one into a tree, even Hailey had heard the crack of bones as he hit and fell to the ground. She lost her footing as the ground shook with impact. The tree became her crutch while she righted herself. Red had begun to change after she found her balance. He tried to hoist his body from the ground but was plainly in agony. His form shrunk, a shriek of pain tore from his throat as the scales were absorbed leaving only skin behind. Arms, legs, even hair appeared. All too soon Hailey was looking at a human man, a very naked, beaten and bleeding human man. She blinked and the green dragon had changed too. Not being harmed as much as the red one, his change was much less painful to watch. From her view point Hailey couldn’t see much. She darted to the next closest tree and caught the green dragon-human-thing crouched down and speaking to the other. He held a knife at his side and as the red one spit in his face the knife slid smoothly into his stomach. Laughter filled the silent park; the green dragon wiped the blood covered blade on the grass and walked away. Just walked away like he didn’t turn into a dragon and have a full out dragon brawl in the middle of Philadelphia.  Hailey told herself she should turn away and lock herself in her apartment for an undetermined amount of time until she felt mentally healthy enough to go back into society; of course she rarely listened to herself. She ran over to the man and searched for a pulse in his wrist. It was faint, but it had been there.“Hey, Mr. Dragon?”His eyes opened and the most beautiful shade of amber surrounded the oblong pupil. They looked out at her with a mixture of curiosity and humor, both living and dead all at once. “Yeah I saw the whole thing. Don’t worry I’ll freak out later.” She found his hand and gave a light squeeze. “Just close your eyes, it will be over soon.”The sharp intelligent eyes of the dragon studied her. She ran a hand over his short blonde hair. Just because he was a big bad dragon didn’t mean he couldn’t have someone to comfort him in his last moments. His mouth started to move but she couldn’t hear anything. Hailey leaned closer to his lips. Was that Irish? “I don’t understand. The only Irish I know are whiskey brands. Do you know English?” His eyes smiled one last time before his body stilled. Hailey felt for a pulse but couldn’t find one this time. She felt oddly sad for the loss of the dragon. She placed his hand on the ground and started to stand, unsure of what to do next. A line of thin red smoke traveled out of his open mouth. It twisted and twirled in the air as it made its escape from his lips. She couldn’t resist reaching her hand out to touch it. The smoke wove its way between her fingers and traveled up her arm. Soon her body was surrounded by a red vine of smoke. The feeling of it whisping over her skin, almost like light kisses, made her laugh as it tickled her skin. The smoke wrapped around her neck, winding around and around until air was hard to swallow. She clawed at her throat taking in large gulps of air when she could. The smoke crawled up her skin, attached itself and spread like veins over her face, before she could think to do otherwise, it was slinking into her mouth. She stumbled back and fell to her knees. Pained bloomed in her head. Her skull felt heavy, too full. Blood dripped from her nose onto the grass. She caught a drop on her fingertips. “Shit.” She slurred and fell unconscious.She had awoken the next day in her bed with a voice telling her to wake up. Hailey groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. “Five more minutes.”
“Get up or I will make you get up.” The deep voice echoed through her head as she burrowed deeper under the covers.Hailey’s eyes shot open. Who the fuck was that? She peeked out of the blankets and found only an empty room. “H-hello?” Okay maybe her imagination was on hyper drive or something. She sat up and her head swam. She felt like she had the worst hangover of her life. “How much did I drink last night?” She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand.“You had nothing to drink but I’m sure the effects of our joining would leave you feeling as if you spent a night with a bottle of whiskey.”“That was a rhetorical question jackass.”“Language.”“Bite me.” Hailey’s feet hovered above the ground. Did she just have a conversation with herself? And when did the voice in her head start sounding like a man? She stood and shuffled into the bathroom. Why was she still in her work clothes?“You surprise me. Here I thought you would be clawing at your head trying to get the voices to stop. Instead you tell me to bite myself. This may not have been a mistake after all.”She took a full minute before speaking. After running through every rational explanation she still had nothing. “Er, come again?”He sighed. “Then again, maybe I spoke too soon.”It hit her then, everything that had happened the day before in the park. There was a dragon fight and some smoke then everything got fuzzy. How did she get home? She vaguely remembered flying but not in a plane, almost as it she had wings. This was crazy; she needed to wake the fuck up. Dragons, really? Hailey turned on the cold water and splashed some on her face. This was just her mind making up fantasies to escape the stress she’d been under lately. Bracing her hands on the side of the sink Hailey lifted her head and stared into eyes she didn’t know. Her once dark brown eyes were now a light golden color, her pupils were long and narrow reminding her of a cat. Holy fucking shit she had the dragon eyes! But that would mean…“I have dragon eyes.” “And she finally gets it. Congratulations.”“You’re the dragon? You’re the dragon and you are in my head?”“Yes.”“Crap.” Hailey’s head was spinning. She had a dragon inside of her and she was speaking to him in her head. She needed to lie down; this shit was too weird to be true. Obviously she had an accident and was now in a coma.“Err, Dragon? I’m going to go back to bed and when I wake up you’ll be gone.” She opened her medicine cabinet and grabbed the bottle of NyQuil. Hailey could almost feel his disapproving gaze. “Don’t judge.” She took a few swigs from the bottle and replaced the cap.“Very well, we will play this little game of yours but when you wake up we will talk.”      She stood and brushed off the bits of cut grass from her pants. They hadn’t talked that day, or the next. Hailey did everything in her power to pretend he wasn’t there. She still did. Realizing the time she took a deep breath and cleared her mind. Once outside the park’s gate she felt the air move again. A cool fall breeze snapped her from her stupor. Life had taken a serious wrong turn, and that park was to blame.