Mishka Jenkins's Blog, page 5
November 7, 2014
Blind Desire
This is a random piece I wrote based on this prompt- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/385268943097186761/.
It was only going to be a scene description and it turned into something more :D My writing exercises tend to have a habit of doing that! Anyway, this is an unedited piece of writing done for fun! Hope you enjoy.
Blind Desire.
A dirt trodden aisle ran between the centre of the stalls, the owners peddling their wares of bright woollen sweaters. Other smaller goods cascaded down on ropes from the cloth roofs covering the stalls, swaying in the breeze that the grey clouds above brought with them.
But there was only one thing Cassie was searching for in the mess of tables and crowds, her gaze flicking from side to side in the hope of catching a glimpse of what she’d come to collect. It was close.
She could feel it.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she took a step forwards and she froze. Whipping around to her left, she elbowed a browser out of the way, the woman sneering but eventually shuffled away muttering curses under her breath.
How long had she been searching for it, Cassie couldn’t remember. And now it was right before her it felt like a dream, her body shivered and she clenched her hands into fists to stop the shaking. A light drizzle of rain laced across her skin and dampened her hair, but she didn’t feel it; staring at the object before her had already made her numb.
“You interested?” the stall owner asked, obviously sensing a potential sale, and he shifted his bulk closer, his moustache twitching above his thin lips.
Cassie didn’t glance up. “Very.”
“Well, I’m sure we can work out a reasonable price…” He spread his hands out before him.
Now she flicked her eyes up to meet his, a long smile breaking her stern expression. “No, you don’t understand,” she said, the smile making the man fidget, “I’m not interested in purchasing it.”
The man stuttered to respond, but his lips snapped shut before he got the chance. Cassie waved her hand in an arc before his face and his eyes, once a dull hazel, turned white. Whilst the stall owner rubbed blindly at his eyes, Cassie slid the item off the corner of the wooden table, it dropping silently into her jacket pocket. She patted at the weight of it now concealed in her coat and turned to walk away, the man’s panic now bursting forth in a wail of fear.
As the crowd rushed towards the table, Cassie weaved between them and out into the open, disappearing into the fingers of fog that began to grip at the market.
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Bit random I know, but still, every bit of writing is practice, right? :D
How’s everyone doing on their writing? How are those in NaNo progressing?
Have a great weekend everyone! :)
November 4, 2014
Romance Weekly Blog Hop #lovewritechat
If you’ve joined me from the lovely Kim Handysides, then welcome!
So this week Sarah Hegger asked us to tell her our three favourite book boyfriends from any books we’ve read and why.
At first I thought, ‘pfft! Easy peasy!’, and then when I thought about it I found it quite difficult to choose just 3! :D
Anyway, here are the ones that stood out the most to me:
1. Diesel from Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich
Ah, Diesel… What’s not to love about him? :D
The man makes me swoon every time I read this book and although he doesn’t get together with Stephanie Plum, there is enough tension there to make the pages burn!
He is brash but kind, charming but understanding; definitely the type of guy I want in my life. Add to that the air of mystery about him and I’m sold!
2. Jonathan Harker from Bram Stoker’s, Dracula.
Ok, I watched the famous movie with Gary Oldman before I ever read this book and just assumed (bad, I know!) that the movie was a faithful retelling of the book. How wrong I was!
In the movie Jonathan Harker is a bit of a nothing, he doesn’t really do anything and certainly doesn’t inspire much romantic feeling.
Yet, in the book, he’s a COMPLETELY different character. Definitely one to swoon over. His dedication to Mina and his willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her makes my heart flutter, whilst at the same time he is a gentleman of his time with all the manners!
3. Otto from my book, Prophecy of Stones.
This is cheating a bit, seeing as it’s my own book :D But still, Otto is definitely a character that stands out to me as a man I would be happy to have around.
He’s calm, understanding, but strong; a man capable of leading his own life without relying on others. Although a secondary character, he stands out in his own right, and the intensity and depth that he shares with his bond mate is exactly what I’d want in my life.
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And there we have it :D Those are the guys I’d pick straight away, if you know, they were real…
Anyways! Go find out who Veronica Forand has chosen for her three.
The Romance Weekly’s November Contest is up and ready if you want to enter! Some great prizes this month :)
Who would you choose as your book boyfriend/girlfriend?
November 3, 2014
October 2014 Round-Up and November 2014 Plan
October was certainly an interesting month. I spent most of it trying to figure out my new schedule of less social media and more writing.
I did OK to start with, but then I found my hours creeping up again on social media. I am certainly going to have to be stricter with myself.
October:
- Didn’t exactly keep to schedule. Got most things done on time, but not others.
– Started my new Books on my Bookshelf series.
– Got my first reviews for The Magic Spark.
– Didn’t meet my reading target. Though I was only off by about half a book :D Forbidden Quest by Alaina Stanford, Reunion of the Heart by Elaine Jeremiah, and Hands of Evil by Melissa Barker-Simpson.
– Attempted to cut my social media right down and concentrate on the writing. Started well, but hasn’t been so successful towards the end of the month.
– I did some marketing using photosets, but still not enough.
– Managed to connect with bloggers regularly, and share their posts and news on Twitter and FB more consistently.
– I didn’t manage to sort out my Pinterest boards.
November:
It’s all change for November yet again to what I intended last time.
Unfortunately, there will be no Christmas novella. As much as I want to write it, I am just not in a place to do so at the moment. There is a lot of upheaval at home and things moving around, which will eventually result in a writing space of my own. But until then, I don’t really have anywhere that I can go to focus on writing.
I am one of those writers who needs quiet and peace to write :D And I just can’t get that at the moment, and my writing is suffering for it. I don’t want to put out a book that is less than my best, so I’ve decided to wait (though I will probably do the Christmas novella for next year because the characters and plots are just too awesome to forget!).
Instead this months goal is: To write 500 words a day.
Doesn’t matter what it is- short fiction, long fiction, fanfiction, poetry, as long as it’s something. I may not have the space to concentrate on a full book, but that doesn’t mean I have to stop writing altogether, I love it too much to do that :D
November will be about writing practice, which is just as important as anything else! But it will also give me more time to help at home and eventually get this writing space up together, which I am VERY excited about :)
As for reading this month, I plan to read three books: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes, Asunder by David Gaider (re-read that one, as I’ve read it before!), and Not Wonder More – Mad Maggie and the Mystery of the Ancients by Rod Raglin (for review group). Those are the only ones that I will definitely be reading, and any extra will be a bonus :D
That means no reviews except my review group one this month, and none in December either. My normal reading and reviews will resume in January 2015 (a scary thought to think that’s not so far away!).
So, there you have it. This post was a lot longer than intended, sorry!
**TL;DR – No Christmas novella due to a lot of stuff going on. Tons of writing practice instead this month! Back to book writing in the New Year.**
Other things that happened around the writing/blogging community this month:
Callum McLaughlin released his new book, False Awakening!
Topaz Winters has a beautiful new look to her site.
EclecticAlli has been hosting a brilliant set of posts for her Masquerade Ball Blog Party.
Natacha Guyot announced an exciting new project she’s working on!
Island of Glass by Ruth Nestvold is at a lowered price until Mid-November!
My Creative Flows blog had a great post on tips for those participating in NaNo and how to get through it! :D
Oh, also, to all those actually participating in NaNoWriMo this month- Good Luck! :D
How did your October go? Do you have many plans for November?
November 2, 2014
It’s Worth The Struggle…
I have a couple of links this week that really inspired me.
I think all writers, especially new ones, go through that down time of not progressing fast enough or not being where they want to be. It’s inevitable and can sometimes stop a person writing, but these posts really gave me a boost in confidence and motivation; to remember my dream and, even though it’s hard, it’s worth all the struggle to fight for!
They reminded me to write for the love of it, to work towards where I want to be, and not focus on the negative!
http://www.yourwriterplatform.com/build-your-writing-career/#more-4734
http://callummclaughlin.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/never-give-up/
Hope you enjoy them too!
Have a great Sunday everyone :)
Do you have any advice or tips? Have you ever felt a bit negative about where your headed in your writing? How did you deal with it?
October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween everyone :D
Our homegrown pumpkin all carved up. The scar was a mistake, but I think it makes him look pretty bad-ass!
This isn’t even remotely writing related, but I’m a bit stuck on time today, so I thought why not post something fun for today? So here’s a quiz I found-
Which iconic horror film character should you be this Halloween?
I got Chucky
Just like Chucky, who seems to be a Good Guy doll but is far from benign, you’re not always who you seem to be. You’re nostalgic about your childhood so don your dungarees and start scaring people as the supremely creepy Chucky…
So why not try it out? Maybe post your result in the comments so we can all have a but of fun? :D
Have a great weekend everyone, I’ll be back on Moday! I hope your Halloween is spooky enough (but not too spooky because I freak out waaaay too easily!).
October 30, 2014
They Walk Amongst Us
The awesome Shehanne Moore had me over at her blog today :D
Originally posted on shehanne moore:
MARY AKEHURST’S SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/scottish-shortbread-recipe.html
All right, so today on the Spooktacular we move to our next guest, the lovely Mishka Jenkins.
A very talented author of several books,
And what Mishka drew in the Spooktacular was the following……..
So, let’s put our paws together and welcome her along to find out just what that is.
GUYS???????
My Favourite Spookiest Halloween character…….by Mishka Jenkins.
‘No contest, it has to be ghosts.
The thought of something haunting you, something you can’t see or do anything about, creeps me out big time!
I can deal with the vampires and their fangs, or the Freddy Kruegers and their claws; at least you can see them, and then stab them in the chest with a large wooden stake.
But ghosts, not so much! What do you even do if they haunt you?
Yeah, they are definitely the creature that scares me the most.
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October 29, 2014
Books and Reading Wednesday: End of October Indie Review
Hands of Evil by Melissa Barker-Simpson
Goodreads synopsis:
Jonathan Jukes is accustomed to working alongside the police within his role as close protection officer at Morgan and Fairchild. But when Detective Sergeant Charles Macavoy requests the team’s help, JJ finds it’s his toughest case yet.
A serial killer, whose calling card is to remove the hands of his victims, is targeting interpreters. When lines begin to blur and JJ’s past comes back to haunt him, he soon discovers the biggest threat comes from a woman who stands at the centre of it all
Review:
This is the second book I’ve read by Melissa Barker-Simpson and it most certainly will not be the last!
The author’s ability to draw the reader into the story and characters is incredible. Each time I sat down to read I planned on only doing it for an hour, but every time it ended up much longer. I would glance up at the clock and not even realise two hours had flown by.
The characters throughout were brilliantly written, and I loved how Melissa wrote the character of Grace. The interactions between the characters flowed really well and the dialogue was engaging and realistic.
Throughout the book the romance and action is balanced perfectly. The plot is well paced and I never once found myself skipping through sections, in fact, it was almost the opposite as there were some scenes I read over twice because they were so good!
I highly recommend this book. Melissa Barker-Simpson creates a engaging story filled with great moments, along with high quality writing and enjoyable characters.
Links:
October 28, 2014
Romance Weekly with a Spooky Twist #lovewritechat
If you’ve just joined from the brilliant Sarah Hegger, author of Sweet Bea, then welcome!
This week’s hop has taken a bit of a spooky turn with Halloween fast approaching!
We were challenged to tell a scary story in 300 words or less.
Horror is not my forte, but it was a great challenge to try out a new genre :D I hope you enjoy it!
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Photo by Twisted Pixel on Flicker (Click photo for Photostream).
Alone in the middle of the stark forest, Susie stared out between the bones of the trees, the bare trunks grey from the cold.
Her abandoned and very dead car sat a few paces away, the fading sunlight gleaming on its red bonnet.
“Now what?” she muttered, her phone beeping the fact it had no signal.
A heavy breath plumed to an icy fog before her and Susie shuddered.
The breath had not been hers.
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So there we go, a (mildly) spooky story to get everyone in the Halloween mood! Now go see what scary treats Xio Axelrod has in store next :D
Have you written any spooky tales? Do you enjoy Halloween stories?
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Progress Report:
Status of sixth manuscript: Writing first draft and soon to go on hold.
Total word count so far: 38,306.
(Plus 1,416 on my Christmas novella that I couldn’t stop myself from starting :D )
Books read: 3/4.
End of October Indie Review: Writing.
October 24, 2014
It’s time!
I find myself at a point in my book that is both thrilling and slightly nerve-wracking.
As I’ve said, I’ve had this series in my mind for a while, and there is one scene particularly that has always been certain and always the same.
I have come to the point in my book to write that scene; a scene that has been in my head for a couple of years.
It’s a pretty intense scene, emotionally and physically.
Yes, this is just the first draft, and yes, I can sort it out later if it’s not perfect. But for some reason I have this feeling that I have to get it right first time, because it’s the pivotal scene in this first book of the series.
I mean, thinking on it for two years I should be able to knock it out in no time, but when I came to write all I did was just stared at the screen!
But it’s time to just do it, and today is the day!
I am going to write it, it’s going to be awesome, and this scene can finally leave my head and hit the page!
Have you guys ever had a scene you’re hesitant about writing? Have you ever come to write a scene you’ve been thinking of for some time? How do you approach writing such intense scenes?
Have a great weekend everyone!
Originally posted on 
