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16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?

Romance has been lacking in my fiction lately (if you discount the girl who sorta dissolved). I desperately tried to shoe-horn a romance (and failed) into my YA 'Grim Glass Vein'. My first books though were all about the kissing and other things. Oh yes, once upon a time my characters went far.

17. Favorite protagonist and why!

Right now, Meg (from 'The Museum of Impossible Artefacts') because she's awesome and so much braver than me.

18. Favorite antagonist and why!

Right now, Derek Winters (from 'The Museum of Impossible Artefacts') because he's despicable.

19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!

Serena Tierney in 'The Maiden Phoenix' (how embarrassing - another unpublished novel). One minute she was a small love-interest part slated to die, the next she was doing the killing (and enjoying it).

20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?

I love it when they're verbally sparring with a tinge of sarcasm in the air.


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In other news, Poe Little Thing have accepted my story 'The Quiet of the Hour Glass'. And it's pro-pay. So happy. Ignoring the fact my book, 'Theatre of Curious Acts' was accepted in July by Hadley Rille (because that's a book not a short story) and that in the meantime I've placed stories with two markets where I was invited to submit (Spectral Press and Red Penny Papers), I haven't had an actual slush pile sale since May 8th. Me, panic? You betcha.

NaNoWriMo Catch up:

Yesterday's word count: 1711
Today's word count: 2047
Total Word Count: 36,297 + 3350 (other projects)

Fun Times: Meg and Jake (though in this draft I'm still referring to him as Ben - don't ask) are at the wall at the end of the world. It's mighty high and mighty wide and if they linger there too long, they'll end too.

Every year I write a list of my writing goals for the coming year and on the whole I complete all (with the exception of the irksome - must get an agent and a book deal this year - but I perserve and have added it to my list again).

My resolutions - beware 'tis a long list.

1. To finish my childrens novel 'The Poisoned Apple'.

2. To write a further book in my Lucy Baxter series and a further two in the above Poisoned Apple series. I mean why settle for just one when you can have three...

3. To write a horror novella (idea only so far sketched out on a few pages of a notepad).

4. To complete a redraft of my horror novel (all 141,000 ish words of it) The Maiden Phoenix.

5. To finally get to work on my horror novel 'Dead Girl Rising'... Something that has been on the back burner for like forever... Or if not (there I go, shying away from the project again), to complete a first draft of a horror novel.

6. And of course - to finally, god willing, praise be, etc etc etc - that golden ticket of a book deal... I am nothing if not an optimist.

An excellent word filled year to all.

My second book is knocking on my brain and the only way to deal with it is to write as much as I can in between the ridiculous jobs I have and other tasks that are pulling me in a zillion directions. (Alas - I do believe this is called "life" and I accept the challenge with a smile )

That said - this BOOK TWO is taking many forms - and one of my brains (for I have many) is drawn to drawing. I find I am making headway in my journey through little doodles that keep popping into this brain and then appearing on paper.

It's quite fun actually - and I marvel at the connection of mind/subconscious to the writing process. It's fascinating what happens when the brain store closes and all the employees go home. Ideas...snippets...sounds....and PICTURES.

Though posting is hard these days - I hope to keep sharing doodles as I write on!