OK, I am essentially ready to send out the proposal for The Rake. The chapters are darn good and the synopsis is as good as I am capable of making it. So, good! Then I turn to the next paranormal proposal. Shift? Dark Elf or this other thing Chris K said he'd be up for just the other day.... Which was interesting. I think he may have slyly asked me to write something else for him. Well, of course he knows I'm under option for another paranormal, which proposal would go to him, so why not mention something. Anway, it was just interesting. Be cool if I could pull it off.... Proposals, good. Contracts better. I want to be under contract like all the other grown up writers out there (insert whining voice)
posted by Carolyn @ 10/31/2005 05:03:00 PM Permalink![]()
I think my Rake chapters are pretty solid, but I want another read through before they go off. I have this habit of acting too quickly, so even though I am feeling DONE I want to make sure that's true. So, anyway, it's doubtful I'll be ready tomorrow since it's Halloween and I will be out with my son, but hopefully by Wednesday. I did get some good work done today, mostly on the chapters.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/30/2005 09:35:00 PM Permalink![]()
Ok, given all the interesting reactions I've had to possession sex in A Darker Crimson, I've posted a page explaining what I did and why I changed it. And, I've also posted the original possession sex chapter.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/29/2005 02:21:00 PM Permalink![]()
Someone sent me a really interesting email asking about websites so I spent a long time answering. To the point where I got zero done today. I believe a writer needs a website that looks professional and works. Most writers are not capable of turning out a professional looking website on their own. It's way more complicated than making some graphics and sticking up some text. Plus, it's getting even more complicated - a writer needs a website and should have a blog, too. With an RSS feed I started this blog a little over four years ago and I headlined with the phrase "Here's a grand experiment" I removed that quite a while back. It's not an experiment anymore, now, it's dumb not to have a blog.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/28/2005 10:09:00 PM Permalink![]()
It did it again. The washing machine just stopped. Filled with water and then nothing else. Now I have to stay up to make sure everyhing gets into the dryer.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/27/2005 10:52:00 PM Permalink![]()
The title says it all, I think. Thursdays are my long day. I'm tired. I have to stay up for the laundry. Didn't really get anything done writing-wise, I was reading student papers. Plus I was reading A Darker Crimson and I found a part that didn't get fixed the way it was supposed to. Shoot. Pg 104. Bad.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/27/2005 10:46:00 PM Permalink![]()
I'm almost done with the synopsis for The Rake. Woo-hoo! Plus, I had this interesting notion about the atmosphere for the next historical. The important part is I'm on track for sending out the proposal on the 31st.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/26/2005 08:51:00 PM Permalink![]()
Fab progress made on the synopsis for The Rake. I've been having it read back to me. Very valuable. I'm this close to have a completed draft that doesn't totally suck. Tomorrow I meet with my prof about the chapters of which I now have no recollection. Sometime between now and the 31st I have to do some adjusting of the chapters. Fortunately, this weekend, my son doesn't have any soccer so I am going to be a bad mom. . .
posted by Carolyn @ 10/25/2005 08:37:00 PM Permalink![]()
The thing about not feeling well when you're a parent is that you don't get to not do the parent stuff just because you're coming down with something hideous. And the thing about getting up at 5 a.m. is that it's hard to tell if you feel like crap becuase it's 5am and no sane person should be awake at five (unless you work someplace that sells espresso, then you better be up because there are hordes of caffeine deprived, sleep deprived not sure if they're hideoulsy sick people headed straight for the extra shots) or if maybe you're really not feeling well. I'm the latter.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/24/2005 10:21:00 PM Permalink![]()
Jude the Obscure has been read. Hmm. Not sure what I think. Is it to be placed squarely in the Madame Bovary hate column? Not quite but almost I think. I think that may be blasphemy. I am well aware that Hardy shocked his generation with Jude, but really, I must continue to stand by my opinion that Charlotte Bronte's Villette ranks as the most coherent and true reflection of what it meant to be a woman in the Victorian Age. Get a life Jude! And Sue, you freak, get some Prozac. Arabella you're a slut. Lastly, I bet Richard was good in bed. What a stud. (Richard, you should never have taken her back...)
posted by Carolyn @ 10/23/2005 07:02:00 PM Permalink![]()
So, the Joyce is done. Poetry almost done. Jude the Obscure left. The building?
posted by Carolyn @ 10/22/2005 10:24:00 PM Permalink![]()
My cat, Jake is helping me write.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/21/2005 11:12:00 PM Permalink![]()
On no! It's 10:40pm and I just discovered the washing machine stopped for some unknown reason VERY early in the cycle, so now I'm going to be up waaayyy too late because my son's soccer stuff MUST be clean for his game tomorrow and my gym clothes need to be clean too. Crud. I'm practically cross-eyed, I'm so tired. I crash fast on my late night.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/20/2005 10:39:00 PM Permalink![]()
I'm paying for getting behind in my school reading. Now I'm frantically getting caught up. Much reading to do this weekend. Actually, to be more accurate, much thinking about all the reading I've been doing. This is my long day. I'm trying to wind down. It's only sort of working so far. Soccer Friday and Saturday. Holloween stuff to take care of Sunday, but if all continues to go tell reading wise, I should have time for the Rake synopsis Sunday so that darn query can get into the mail!
posted by Carolyn @ 10/20/2005 10:24:00 PM Permalink![]()
Still inefficient. I'm annoyed and irritated and just Sign.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/19/2005 06:37:00 PM Permalink![]()
Thanks, Carolyn, for your kind introduction and for allowing me to guest on your blog for the day. It was a pleasure to work with you! Y'all I sometimes inundated poor Carolyn with ideas, only to email her back and say, "never mind, it didn't work." Never, not once, did she scream--at least that I know about. ;-) I consider myself lucky to work with someone like her, and we did consult often.
Thoughts on Through a Crimson Veil
by
Characters can be funny. Just when I think I know who they are, what the underlying theme of their story is, they throw me a curveball. I believed Through a Crimson Veil was about accepting and integrating all parts of one's personality, but while that's certainly a thread, the primary idea Mika and Conor decided to explore was a different question--what is strength? In the book, it's defined in different ways.
The demons of Orcus view strength solely in terms of their powers. Mika grew up in that world. She's from a weak branch of demon, and because she's half human, is considered to be less powerful than the average Mahsei. She believes that she's a weak demon, and is apologetic about it. Yet, she knows she's stronger than vampires or werewolves, and has no fear of these creatures.
Conor is also half human and half demon, but his demon genes come from one of the darkest of the breeds. He's a slayer, not just of vampires and werewolves, but of other demons as well, and he has powers that make him among the most dangerous of his kind. But he views other demons as weak, no matter their branch, because they're overly emotional and they let it control them during a fight. He knows that it's foolish, that only by staying coolheaded can a person win a battle.
But Crimson Veil goes beyond magical strength or even physical strength and looks at emotional strength as well. Mika grew up cocooned in the love of her familyÂboth human and demonÂand because of this, she's not afraid to make herself vulnerable. She admits things to Conor that only someone secure could share. These aren't things that slip out, Mika thinks about each of them before speakingÂshe consciously chooses to risk herself emotionally. But Conor for all his incredible, and deadly power is unable to do the same thing. To be fair, Conor didn't have an easy life. He has good reasons not to trust anyone, and to protect himself after how profoundly he's been hurt.
It's only when Conor learns to trust Mika completely, to reach out past his pain, that he figures out what strength really is. Mika too comes to realize that she is more than her powers. She appreciates that her ability to stand fast, to open her heart, is a different kind of strength, one that she's overlooked for much of her life. Human or demon doesn't matter. Neither does weak or dark. What's important is what's inside.
Of course, since they're in Crimson City, Mika and Conor aren't sitting around, figuring these things out. They're busy fighting assassins and evil demons, and struggling to stay alive as they make discoveries about themselves. I love writing action and adventure, but I also like the emotional growth that these intense moments spur. Sending characters into the fire reveals who they are--not only to the reader, but to the character himself--and when they emerge, they're always stronger than when they entered.
Review Excerpts for Through a Crimson Veil:
~"Paranormal adventure at its ultimate!" - RT BOOKclub Top Pick!
~"Vivid, spellbinding and impossible to put down." - Fresh Fiction
~"Patti O'Shea proves once again why her books are some of the most highly anticipated of the year." - A Romance Review
~"A thrilling and imaginative paranormal fantasy." - Paranormal Romance Writers
Through a Crimson Veil Excerpt
Patti's Web Site
Order from Barnes & Noble or Amazon
posted by Patti O'Shea @ 10/18/2005 02:17:00 AM Permalink![]()
Patti O'Shea will be blogging here tomorrow. Her Crimson City installment Through A Crimson Veil is available now. Patti and I worked very closely together creating demons that worked in both stories. As I hope you know by now (If you don't, you're missing a great story! Go read it!) Patti's story features two half-demons with very different opinions about their heritage. She came up with some really cool ideas that I stole shamelessly for use in my book. So, welcome,Patti!
posted by Carolyn @ 10/17/2005 07:23:00 PM Permalink![]()
I didn't get as much done as I hoped I would. My son had this Aikido seminar this weekend and on Saturday, I found an outlet, plugged in the laptop and got a decent amount done while he did Aikido. Then today, the first two hours was outside and I got roped into writing an article about the seminar, which actually was pretty interesting, learning stuff about Aikido and why the instructor is famous etc. On Saturday, he gave the kids a half hour class just for them, and I know from doing other martial arts that this is really unusual. Since I watched that part, I know he was a fabulous instructor. So, I had to get my son a bit before the end of the first half because I promised I'd take him to a Univ. soccer game which started at 11:30. So I got zero work done Sunday morning.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/16/2005 08:11:00 PM Permalink![]()
My son had soccer today, so not a lot of work done. I have a fairly solid draft of a Crimson City article for the Dorchester web site. I got asked to do that a couple days ago and it's due end of next week, and since I'm busy all Thurs, it needs to be done well before then since I'll be reading papers Tues and Weds. So that's mosly done. This weekend, no soccer games. But my son has an Aikido seminar Saturday and Sunday. I'll get a lot of work done there. It's at the Univ, so that's convenient to electricity. Sunday we'll cut out for a while to catch a Seawolves (Univ) soccer game. Busy weekend. Busy day. Didn't make it to the gym. Sigh. I'll have to do something this weekend to make up for that. Probably the elf was there.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/14/2005 10:56:00 PM Permalink![]()
It's Thursday, my long day. I need to wind down from teaching. My whole class is turning in such interesting stories. I'm having fun reading everything. Did some good brainstorming for the Rake, the story's coming together well. I need to get working on the synopsis again so it's ready to go with the chapters. Have some interesting stuff on my most recent short. It might not turn out so short. Anyway, I haven't been reading for school lately. Bad me. I need to get back to it.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/13/2005 10:27:00 PM Permalink![]()
Today I axed 5700 words of The Rake. Sure, I mourn the loss, but it was time for them to go. They were words that served no purpose, had no home, or whose allegiance was to the wrong plot. So, actually, I don't feel all that broken up about it. In fact, I feel kind of good. It's not total freedom from the tyranny of crappy writing, because, alas, I know I'll just do more of it. But it's good to know I fought the good fight.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/12/2005 09:25:00 PM Permalink![]()
My new best friend Patti O'Shea sent me the text of the Romantic Times review of A Darker Crimson. My issue is still a no show. It's a good review. Jewel makes a huge contribution to this dazzling series that just gets richer and more complex with each new chapter. Plus, the words gifted author are used in connection with me. I'm trying to enjoy the moment.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/10/2005 04:54:00 PM Permalink![]()
P.S. No elf sightings in well over a week.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/09/2005 08:15:00 PM Permalink![]()
I believe the title says it all. I've broken free and am running rampant in the world.
posted by Tiber @ 10/09/2005 08:12:00 PM Permalink![]()
Making progress on the rake. In fact, I can now go back to keeping track of word count. I don't seem to be going backward. I'm not fighting the changes that pop up, I'm just going with it and that seems to be working.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/09/2005 07:23:00 PM Permalink![]()
I should be writing, but anyway, Harriet Klausner (The Best Reviews) has a really nice review of A Darker Crimson. No sign of my Nov. issue of RT. I believe there's been subscription snafu. The magazine is not to be found at any store where I live. Frown. So, anyway, off to work on writing. I'm glad it's Friday. Really, really glad. What a stupid week.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/07/2005 05:10:00 PM Permalink![]()
It's Thursday,school night, so I'm just now home. All wound up, of course. I've gotten some good work done on The Rake lately. Honest. The chapters are de-messifying and hanging together well now. I'm working on another short that is taking up a lot of my mental downtime. The other day, at a veeerrry boooorring and long meeting at which I had only to listen and pretend to look at a powerpoint presentation, I mentally checked out and did thought-work for the short. Interesting experience and, in my opinion, a good use of an otherwise hideously dull and mind-sapping stretch of time. I found myself quite irritated if some point caught my attention and took me out of my mental exercise. I wrote two whole scenes in my head. And then I went home and did them for real, AFTER I worked hard on the Rake.
posted by Carolyn @ 10/06/2005 10:21:00 PM Permalink![]()
Ok, I'm getting stern with myself. Am tearing The Rake to bits. Got some good work done. I'm doing what I've done before which is work all around an issue instead of on it. Sigh.
Elf sightings: 0 (Darn)
posted by Carolyn @ 10/03/2005 04:51:00 PM Permalink![]()
Liz Maverick
Jennifer Ashley
Sandy Schawb
Patti O'Shea
Marjorie M. Liu
Megan Frampton
Kristin Nelson
Miss Snark
Dystel & Goderich
The Rejecter
Evil Editor