The Ophelia Dawson Chronicles

This Blog Has Moved!

2011-02-20T04:58:00.001-09:00

If you've popped in over the past month, you'll know I've had technical difficulties. I've tried and tried to fix it, scoured the Help section at Blogger and everything. Nothing worked and I can only conclude that the Template, 'Travel,' just doesn't work for the things I like to do with my blogs. I really loved this Template too! Waaaaah! But, alas, such is life and those who survive are those who can adapt. So, I've switched Templates. This blog is now 'Read Only.' To visit the new, active blog, please click over to
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The Brand New & Improved Ophelia Dawson Blog!
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And please bookmark and tell your friends, thank you!
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It's going to take a while to build the new blog, but it will be fully developed by the time Crushed Sugar releases.

CRUSHED SUGAR Excerpt: "I Lived To Hear You Say My Name."

2011-02-14T06:47:00.000-09:00

If you've read Sugar Rush, you may remember Adrian telling Ophelia about how he felt when they first met, about the cute little inflection in her voice when she spoke his name. In Crushed Sugar, this is a pivotal scene and, hopefully, very romantic. Crushed Sugar is a *prequel* novella to Sugar Rush. By that, I mean it's a shorter tale of faint hearts and a fair maiden set in September BEFORE Sugar Rush. Happy Valentine's Day!
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...When Ophelia Met Adrian.............................................
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Ophelia slipped into Calculus and found a desk in the back. She dropped her backpack on the floor and pressed her forehead to her folded arms. There wasn’t much to see, even after three months’ absence from the mathematics classroom. The teacher had no imagination. It was just bare walls, windows, desks, and an ancient chalkboard.

She straightened as male blue jeans crossed in front of her. Nice butt.

Every other boy in the universe immediately evaporated from her mind.

Ophelia glanced at the new guy, but he didn’t look up. Cute. She quickly forced visual focus on her calculus textbook, but analyzed the mental snapshot she’d taken of him. I wonder if he’s the one from the café? He is! I know he is! I’d recognize that backside anywhere. She cleared her throat and fingered her burning earlobe.

Blond hair, kind of longish and sun-bleached very light on top, he smelled of birch trees and a cool breeze. Chicken pox scars dotted his forehead, temple, earlobes, and chin, and made him look ruggedly ‘devil may care.’

Must be from a community where a lot of families refuse the chicken pox vaccine for religious reasons. She drove her pencil into her new notebook. Or maybe I’m shifting into hyper-analysis mode here. Omidog, he’s gorgeous!

He had a pouty mouth that made her want to give him a chocolate chip cookie, or a nibbling kiss. His lips had fallen apart as he’d shifted uncomfortably in his seat and she’d glimpsed crooked, but well-cared for teeth. He wore a royal blue t-shirt, a gold chain around his neck, and a gold ring on his left pinky finger.

Ophelia wondered where he’d come from and if it was any place she’d always longed to go, like NASA in Florida or the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.

Trevor snapped his fingers in her face and whispered, “He’s gay.”

Ophelia glared.

“Told me himself.” Trevor straightened in his chair. He was cute with curly brown hair and big brown eyes, but she wasn’t into that.

He told people he was gay? Wow, that’s really brave for this dinky little town. Still, Ophelia’s heart sank to her shoes because it meant he’d never be interested in her the same way. She’d only get her heart broken.

“Who you sitting with at lunch?” Trevor persisted.

“Hadn’t thought about it. Probably Bianca.” She counted her three pencils and three Sharpie pens in her backpack. Her iPhone had been jostled from its inner pocket. Her sister would throw a fashionable fit and launch into a tirade about how she didn’t need to look like a geek just because she was one. But, Ophelia could not sacrifice her most precious bit of technology. She tucked the iPhone into a holster embossed with the Star Trek emblem and fastened it to her belt.

Trevor folded his arms on his desk and leaned on them. “The chair next to mine will be empty without you.”

Ophelia was a little annoyed by his persistence, but remembered the drawing in her notebook. “Draw me a picture and I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.” Trevor took out a piece of paper and went to work.

Mr. Smith stepped in front of his desk and proceeded to drone. Short, skinny, and bald, he was no more interesting than the bleak room.

If Ophelia wasn’t so determined to ace the class and win a scholarship, she’d have fallen over and died of boredom.

After a while, she rolled her eyes up at the big black numbers on the clock. Half way through.

Trevor slid a paper onto her textbook.

Ophelia held her breath and looked. A truck? She exhaled disappointment. She couldn’t even tell if it was a Chevy or a Ford. In Togo, Alaska, four wheel drive SUVs were of vital importance. All the snow and ice of the six-month-long winter and all the slush and mud during spring break-up meant everyone knew and loved their trucks very much.

Trevor whispered. “Sit with me at lunch?”

“No. Thanks.” Ophelia tossed the drawing back. She forgot to hide her dissatisfaction to spare his feelings. “Sorry.” She pushed the word out to compensate.

Trevor slumped his shoulders and pretended to read his textbook.

Ophelia opened her notebook a little, enough to see the owl drawing, and traced the gentle pencil strokes with her finger. Only a person with incredible patience and attention to detail could have drawn such a perfect owl, a person with a great love of animals, birds especially. I love birds too.

A worksheet appeared in front of her nose and she accepted it. “Pass it to Adrian,” said the boy in front of her.

Adrian! Such a nice name, like a Spitfire pilot. Ophelia held her breath and turned to him. She’d heard the name in the hall, but had been too preoccupied to connect it to a face. Down, girl. He’s gay. “Adrian.”

He didn’t look up. His shoulders tensed and he pressed his lips into a thin white line.

She placed the worksheet on his desk. “This is for you.”

Adrian’s beautiful blue eyes flitted around, but he still did not look up. “Thanks. What did you call me?”

“Adrian.”

His face went very red.

“Adrian is your name, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s it.” He showed her the worksheet and pointed to his name written on it. “Can you read this for me?”

“Adrian.”

“Thanks.” His ears turned scarlet and he shifted in his seat.

He’s shy. New kid syndrome. The local jerkwards are probably bullying him for being gay too. Ophelia opened her textbook.

At last, the bell rang.

Ophelia closed her books and tucked them into her backpack. She looked forward to Honors English because her old babysitter, Mrs. Cox, taught it. She rose up and slung the pack over one shoulder.

“Did you drop this?” Adrian held a paper in front of her.

She looked at the blank sheet with his name on the top. “No, that’s yours. See? There’s your name at the top, Adrian.”

His ears turned red again. “Oh. Right. Thanks.”

Maybe he needs glasses. Ophelia waited while the other geeks crowded the door.

“Can…can you read…read this too?” Adrian held up his English textbook which he’d already covered with brown paper and duct tape. His name was scrawled at the top.

Ophelia cinched her brow. “Didn’t you write this yourself?”

“Uh…yeah.” He shrank back.

She faced the door and her heart pounded. Maybe he’s flirting with me! Maybe he isn’t gay! Oh, please, God.

A loud bang spun her around and Adrian landed shoulder first onto the floor. The chair he’d obviously tripped over lay turned over beside him.

“Adrian!” Ophelia braced an arm up under his and helped him stand. “Are you all right?”

He gaped at her, but didn’t speak. His adorable lower lip trembled

She let go of him and followed the other geeks. Nope. Not flirting. Just bad eyesight and I embarrassed the heck out of him.
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......End of Excerpt...
One of the editors told me Crushed Sugar will likely be released in March. Check back here, my main site Kimber An , or Decadent Publishing's Young Adult Shelf

Romantic Excerpt Coming Tomorrow!

2011-02-13T04:05:00.001-09:00

By the way, to celebrate Valentine's Day, I thought I'd post a romantic excerpt from one of the stories. If anyone has a preference for which story, please let me know. Otherwise, it'll probably be from CRUSHED.

CRUSHED SUGAR's Progress

2011-02-13T04:02:00.002-09:00

Taking a break from my break to let you know I'm very close to the end of edits on CRUSHED.

Taking a Break Until March 1st

2011-02-11T04:12:00.000-09:00

Good morning, Blog Buds! I've been tryin' and tryin' to deal with my Tendonitis and it's just not getting better. The best thing for Tendonitis is rest. So, I'm going off-line, except for eMail until March 1st. As you can imagine, going off-line for an ePublished author is not a pleasant thing, especially with this blog so screwed up. But, I gotta do what I gotta do. The wordcount for Sweet Bytes stands at 25,500.
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Meantime, one of my editors is thinking March will be the release month for Crushed Sugar, so I'll be all over the Internet when I come back promoting that. This is a scary thing, since Crushed is a *prequel* to Sugar Rush, like Star Wars Phantom Menace was a prequel to the originally released Star Wars movie, now called Star Wars A New Hope. Prequels tend to be judged harshly because viewers/readers go in with already well-developed ideas of the way things are supposed to be. My husband was severely disappointed with Anakin Skywalker, for example, because he'd already imagined his own backstory for Darth Vader and it was nothing like the one George Lucus came up with. And I was like, "Yeah, but he's really cute!" That did not go over well.
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Anyway, I'll still be answering email, so drop me a line if you have a question or something. Until then, take care of Happy Valentine's Day!

SWEET BYTES Hits the Half-Way Mark

2011-02-05T04:54:00.002-09:00

25,000 words
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That may not seem like half-way, if you think about how Sugar Rush is almost 70,000 words. The thing is I'm one of those authors who always comes in under wordcount on the first draft and I just barely squeeze over on the final draft. No agent or editor needs to worry about me dumping a 600,000 word epic Fantasy on their doorstep!
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I'm that kind of reader too. I pretty much read anything my daughter tells me to, but I whine and drag my feet over the longer ones. I barely made it through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in a month, even though I love that series. Took my daughter four hours.

Bianca's Cat 'Toe-Jam'

2011-02-03T09:34:00.001-09:00

I think I've mentioned Bianca's cat, but I was calling her Luna. Due to character growth, I've decided to name her something else. I asked my own beautiful sister if I could name Bianca's cat after her cat, 'Toe-Jam.' See the paws? That's why. The real Toe-Jam is a very good cat who has lived a good, long life taking care of my sister. The fictional Toe-Jam starts out as a kitten, but is gray and stripey too. Here's an interview I did with a cat-person- Mean Kitty Wants to Know
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On the Sweet Bytes front, I'm taking it easy one more day and will be back at it tomorrow morning. I hate Tendonitis so bad.

Decadent Publishing to Give Away a Loaded Kindle

2011-01-30T05:33:00.002-09:00

Pop over to Enduring Romance to learn more

Guest Post at Long and Short Reviews

2011-01-26T04:44:00.000-09:00

How I Write Novels
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P.S. Hands hurt too much to do anything about the sidebar right now, but I thought I'd mention I'm about 17,000 in SWEET BYTES.

Tendonitis Alert

2011-01-20T05:17:00.000-09:00

I'm staying off the computer as much as possible right now, due to Tendonitis Still working on Sweet Bytes though, just very carefully.

"Stake? I don't need a wooden stake. I'm a geek, you moron."

2011-01-13T04:43:00.001-09:00

There's your quote for the day. After finishing Ophelia's first major butt-kicking scene, I needed to go over the outline and structure of the story again to make sure everything was still in balance. So, I didn't actually write story today. Chapter after next, Ophelia visits her grandmother in Seward. That's going to be a fun one to write. Grandma's obsessed with Dolly Parton, like Ophelia's into Star Trek, but her personality's more like Bianca. Oh, boy. Here's Dolly with Kenny Rogers, singing 'Love is Strange'- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kIc7ARl4HE
And here's Dolly's website- Dolly Parton

One-Fifth Through SWEET BYTES

2011-01-12T04:39:00.000-09:00

I timed myself. I can crank out five pages in a half-hour. But, my hands hurt. I have other online stuff I need to do, like update my main site with my new reviews and stuff. But, my hands just hurt too much today.
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Any advice on Tendonitis?

My Guest Post at Alien Romances

2011-01-11T09:05:00.000-09:00

Ancient Egypt & Blood-Sucking Dead Guys Just so you know, I believe I'm the only Young Adult author there.

"You think I'd want to be a vampire? Clearly, you've forgotten the taste of chocolate!"

2011-01-11T05:06:00.003-09:00

I just wrote that and I love it so much! The heartbreaking thing is that this is the first draft, which means it might get edited out of Sweet Bytes before the book is ever released. Such is the reality of published authors. We have a lot of 'darlings' which never see the light of day. I hope this one will though. Dang, I'd even like to make up a t-shirt! In fact, I think I may have used the line in Sugar Rush, but I can't remember because it went through so much editing. I think it's okay to use it again though, considering context. Only time will tell if the editors agree. Now I must go update my wordcount and get on with my very busy day.

Another Four Star Review for SUGAR RUSH!

2011-01-10T17:01:00.000-09:00

SUGAR RUSH at Romance Reviews

SUGAR RUSH Receives a Four Star Review from Night Owl!

2011-01-10T09:50:00.003-09:00

SUGAR RUSH at Night Owl

McHugh Creek and Beluga Point

2011-01-10T05:01:00.000-09:00

This setting is from Sweet Bytes, the book I'm working on right now. If you've read Sugar Rush, you know Adrian ran off with the intent to kill himself. Beluga Point is one of the places he tries to do this. McHugh Creek is nearby and it's where he goes after he fails. While there, he realizes a couple of things about Ophelia which changes his mind.
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Beluga Point and McHugh Creek are two of the most beautiful places in Alaska. My husband and I had our first date at McHugh Creek. He carried me across it to pick a flower. Altogether now, "Awwwww!" Here's a link to learn more- McHugh Creek, Alaska

My Guest Post at the Dusty Rose

2011-01-08T05:01:00.000-09:00

Dusty Rose

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

2011-01-06T03:51:00.001-09:00

My little brother got me into this movie because I'd just escaped, uh, graduated high school and got out of the 1980's and didn't want to go back for nothing. This movie's set in 1988 and is about two goof-offs who must pass their History class or they flunk out and the future of the world will be destroyed. They're helped along by a time traveling phone booth. What's a phone booth? A phone booth is how people made calls before cell phones were invented. Your parents and grandparents probably had fun cramming as many of their friends into them as they could too. Yes, your parents were probably dorks back in the 1980's, but I think they were kinda cute too. All I can say is Thank God they grew out of black eyeliner! Ewww! Here's Wikipedia's entry on this movie-
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
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And here's the movie trailer from YouTube-
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
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I think the best thing about this movie is that it demonstrates, in a hilarious way, that you never know what you can accomplish and the impact you'll have when you're a young person until you go out and do it. Sadly, a lot of grown-ups forget how it feels to be a teenager. The media doesn't help. Too often I'll watch a show and think, "Oh, good grief, that actor is at least twenty years old!" (child labor laws in the US makes it difficult for real teens to work the long hours making a movie requires) Actually, the two actors in this movie were at least twenty as well, but they did an excellent job of portraying their teenage selves. One of them, Keanu Reeves, went on to superstardom in movies like, The Matrix

So, if anyone calls you a loser, just watch and/or remember this movie. As a young person, you have your whole lives ahead of you and there's no telling what you might do. You have talents and strengths you haven't even discovered yet. *You are not a Loser!* Anyone who tells you otherwise is the real loser.

SUGAR RUSH is Reviewed at Tink's Place!

2011-01-06T03:11:00.000-09:00

It's a place for those who love reading and other mischief. SUGAR RUSH at Tink's Place

The Best Thing About Alaska

2011-01-05T03:45:00.001-09:00

And it's the reason I moved here.
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THERE ARE MORE MALES THAN FEMALES! That became a big issue for me when I finally got around to deciding I was ready to get married. The male-to-female ratio has changed since I moved up about a couple of decades ago though. I think it's about two to one, but there is an exception which I'll explain at the bottom of the post.
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I was looking at a census of the area where I grew up and I thought, "Geez, no wonder I was depressed as a young person there." The dating prospects were not good at all and then everyone split after graduation. The economy stinks, which means most young people move away after high school graduation, like I did. Of my siblings, in fact, only one remained in that area.
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In contrast, Alaska has a certain macho appeal with all our wildlife and wilderness, not to mention all the military bases. So, when I was about 25, I think it was, I casually mentioned to my brother that I was ready to get married, but I didn't know what to do about it.
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Hesaid, "Move to Alaska. The men outnumber the women, ten to one there. Just walk into the biggest church you can find and take your pick."
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And I said, "Well, okay." And I did.
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Here's the thing, the ratio of male-to-female is different, depending on what social group you're in. I'm a Christian, so I wanted a Christian husband. Once I got to Alaska, I walked into the biggest Christian church I could find and the ratio was fifteen guys to every girl. Not kidding! There were thirty guys in my Sunday School class and only one other girl, and she was already engaged to be married!
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JACKPOT!
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So, I scanned the room, saw a tall, gorgeous blond and thought, "Lord, I'll take that one."

Tristan Li

2011-01-04T16:12:00.001-09:00

Tristan Li was dealt a fatal wound after failing to protect his mother from being murdered. The name 'Tristan' means 'sadness.' As he lay dying, a woman he thought was just a florist found him and asked if he wanted her to save him. He did and she turned him into an Oldblood. If you've read Sugar Rush, you know that the Oldbloods originated the vampire myth in my fictional 'universe.' The florist was a benevolent Oldblood and immediately took him to Joseph, an elder who trained him to live peacefully among humans. Again, if you've read Sugar Rush, you know who Joseph is and his role as a father to newly turned Oldbloods.
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Tristan was orginally caucasion, but during revisions on Crushed Sugar I thought a lot about vampire mythology. Ancient China holds one of the oldest myths, along with Egypt and Babylon. I've always been fascinated by Ancient China, as well as the history of Chinese Americans. And so I decided Tristan ought to be Chinese.
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Tristan makes his first appearance in Crushed Sugar, which will be released soon, as an Oldblood scout sent by Joseph to investigate reports of a Newblood (alien-human hybrids) coven and a Sweet (a beautiful diabetic) in the remote town of Togo, Alaska. I hope readers are not disappointed with him, because he does fail in this first quest. No one was born all-powerful, you know.
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All my protoganists make mistakes, because I do and everyone I know does. That's the way it is when you're human.
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Tristan returns in the next full-length novel in this series, Sweet Bytes, which I hope will release by summertime. I think readers who like him in Crushed will be thrilled with his heroics in the novel. He portrays a central protagonist and even enjoys a romance with Ophelia, after she comes to believe Adrian is dead. As the most gifted telepath of Joseph's 'children,' Tristan is assigned to protect Ophelia and also to help her develop her ability as an empath, so that she can protect herself.
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In my imagination, Tristan looks like Chow Yun-fat as a teenager with thick black hair, but I haven't found any inspirational pictures yet.

Seward, Alaska

2011-01-03T04:51:00.000-09:00

Seward is my favorite place in Alaska and a popular tourist destination. My husband and I hiked around the Exit Glacier area when we were dating and honeymooned in Seward not long after. We love Resurrection Bay. The Alaska Sealife Center is located there. The mountains surrounding it are among the most beautiful in the state. Seward is accessible by road, air, train, and sea. Cruise ships dock there all summer. In the Ophelia Dawson Chronicles, her eccentric British grandmother lives in Seward. In the book I'm working on now, Sweet Bytes, several scenes will be set in Seward.

Sneak Peek at a Night Owl Ad for SUGAR RUSH and Other Decadent YA Stories

2011-01-02T15:59:00.002-09:00

Looks like SUGAR RUSH won't be all lonesome on the Decadent YA shelf much longer!

SWEET BYTES Begins

2011-01-01T04:41:00.002-09:00

I've put my wordcount progress at the top of my sidebar to the right.

The SWEET BYTES Playlist

2010-12-31T05:48:00.001-09:00

At the moment, it's the soundtrack from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmoron right now. Remember that old movie from when you were a kid? Here's a link to the Bryan Adams song, 'You Can't Take Me' to refresh your memory- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqDhmTORtqM
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Meanwhile, I still listen to the A-Teens for this series too. Their link is on the sidebar.

CRUSHED Edits Came Back

2010-12-30T10:35:00.000-09:00

Prequels are scary to write. Just look what happened to George Lucus.

Countdown to SWEET BYTES

2010-12-30T04:03:00.002-09:00

Last week, I was beating out the story structure for the next full length novel in this series, then titled Sugar Baby, and I realized what I had was two novels crammed into one, like conjoined twins sharing vital organs. I surgically seperated them, but I have to say without the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet it would have taken me months of work and frustration to figure out this MAJOR problem. So, if you're a storyteller and don't know about it, pop over to the blog and click on 'Tools' at the top of the page. Blake Snyder It was created for screenwriters, but it works for novels too.
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Christmas vaciation is just about over. The tree is down and I'm trying to get my household in order before school starts again, because I don't just send mine off to school, you know. I also homeschool two of them. When you school at home that homes needs to be in order. However, I'm also counting down to the starting of the next novel in this series.
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After surgically seperating the two stories, I renamed the novel, SWEET BYTES, because Sugar Baby just didn't work anymore. I'll save it for the next book where most of that plot takes place. Sweet Bytes is not misspelled. As a Diabetic, Ophelia is a lollypop for Oldbloods (originators of the vampire myth) and a syringe full of Meth for the average Newblood junkie. 'Sweet bites,' get it? But, she is also a
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Geek.
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Hence the spelling 'bytes.'
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If you want to read into that meaning, I suggest you look it up. I'm chasing a metaphor here.
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Okay, I'll toss you something. Ophelia undergoes a major learning curve in this story, coming off the tragedies of Sugar Rush; you know, her father's murder, her dog being killed, losing Brandon and Adrian. Geez, it was like when Robin Hood returned from the Crusades in the spoof-movie Men in Tights to discover his whole family had been killed, even his dog and that his cat had choked to death while eating his pet goldfish. So, Ophelia's reeling from that and is assigned a new Oldblood Protector who is also in charge of helping her develop her empathic abilities. She kind of makes a mess of things before she learns self-control and thrashes an Oldblood who ticks her off. She yells,
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"This Sweet bites back!"
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And that's where I got the title.
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Meanwhile, poor Adrian's off trying to kill himself. That's going to require me to learn how to write Male Point of View well. I did write Male POV for Star Captains' Daughter which is available free at Feedbooks, but I did a lousy job, I think, and now I'm scared. Also, I'm more than a little anxious about writing Multiple Point of View, but Adrian's demanding it and I've had to agree that his side of this story is necessary in Sweet Bytes.
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So, meet me back here New Year's Day for an update. The way it works is I create the story entirely in my head and then I set a date and I start writing the dreaded First Draft, at least five pages a day every single day. It should take about a month to hammer that out, much like it does for NaNo. Then, the rewriting and revision process begins. I always come in way under wordcount on the first draft, so the rewrite takes twice as long. Throw my four children and Tendonitis into the mix and I've got a lot of work ahead of me.
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There are more wolves in Sweet Bytes! My daughter, who's a member of the YA readership, told me I needed werewolves, but I told her it just didn't make sense to have werewolves for a story which is set in Alaska. We have plenty of REAL wolves here. Anyway, she liked the wolves from Sugar Rush, brief as they were, and so they're coming back and getting more page time in Sweet Bytes. A pack of wolves ate somebody from a small town in Alaska and made the Top Ten Stories for 2010 here- http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-top-10-stories-increased-wolf-activity-122610,0,6490571.story Do a search on the KTUU news website if you want to learn more details about the incident. And do remember wolves are not evil. It's just in Alaska, they *shop at the same grocery store* as the humans and things happen sometimes. It's the food chain, you know, predator competition. The Wolf in Alaska
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Okay, I need to get off the computer and rest my hands. Here's something fun, I found the cover models for Sugar Rush at Dreamstime. Want to see more pictures of 'Ophelia' and 'Adrian?' These photographs are watermarked, so you have to buy them to use them. You can look at them for free though. I do and it helps inspire me as I'm writing. My cover artist, Dara England, has excellent taste, I think.
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'Ophelia' - http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-attractive-teenage-girl-in-studio-image14452754
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'Adrian' - http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-young-man-image5484026

Ophelia's Prom Gown

2010-12-28T04:58:00.003-09:00

Writing a novel is long, hard work, but there are some fun things too, like dressing up my imaginary dolls. In this fictional universe, Ophelia's twin sister, Bianca is the clothing design genius, but I'm the one who gets to dream up what she dreams up.
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The big battle at the end of the second novel takes place Prom Night. By that point, Ophelia has matured from a quiet geek-girl into the leading edge of Kick-Butt Heroine Status. I need a prom dress which is very beautiful, princess-like, but also conveys her developing power and confidence.
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You're all probably familiar with Prince William, the next king of England, and how he's getting married next year. Maybe you've read about his beautiful mother, Princess Diana. Well, I had this image stuck in my head and I finally found it. That's the picture above. It was first featured in Vogue magazine, I believe. The photographer was Patrick Demarchelier and Princess Diana is wearing a dress by Gianni Versace.
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In my imagination, Ophelia's dress has a very similar bodice, the fabric is more pale green, and the skirt is full a-line. I couldn't put her in a strapless bodice or a sheath-skirt, because there's going to be running, jumping, and kicking. Ophelia's no Buffy the Vampire Slayer Her fighting style is more like MacGyver Still, she can't very well whip alien-human hibrids in a corset, you know.

Merry Christmas from the Moon

2010-12-24T03:36:00.000-09:00

My Christmas present to you is the firmly held belief that you can do anything you set your mind to, that anything is possible, and that you are a beautiful, intelligent person who deserves kindness and respect from everyone. Take a look at this picture of the Apollo 8 crew from 1968

And now take a look at the heroic crew of the Columbia Space Shuttle.

Notice a difference? Well, for one thing there are only three people in the Apollo 8 crew, but there are seven in the Columbia crew. Why? Major advances in technology from the 1960's to the 21st century. But, it wasn't just technology which advanced. In the Columbia crew, there are two women (one of whom was from India), one African American, and one Israeli. How awesome is that? Freakin' awesome.
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A couple of decades ago when I was the same age as my Young Adult readership, I dared to dream of having a close, loving family of my own, after growing up in a broken home. Now, I have a husband who still thinks I'm cute and funny and and four beautiful children who never go hungry, get cold, or wear rags. You can live happily ever after too, if only you believe it's possible and then set about making it happen. Here's a great song to inspire you-
The Original Into to Enterprise
And here's the original Christmas broadcast from the Moon from the Apollo 8 crew-
Apollo 8's Christmas Message 1968
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Merry Christmas!

'All I Want For Christmas' My Guest Post at Decadent

2010-12-22T04:04:00.001-09:00

Good morning, Blog Buds! Pop over to the Daily Dose of Decadence to read how I learned to thoroughly enjoy Christmas. 'All I Want for Christmas' at Decadent
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Here's the Mariah Carey song at YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY This song meant a lot to me the first Christmas after I learned I was expecting my baby. I heard Mariah was expecting twins! I'm so happy for her. She's been waiting a long time to be a mommy.

SUGAR RUSH Participates in the SFR Holiday Blitz

2010-12-20T13:08:00.000-09:00

Hi, Blog Buds! You can enter to win a free copy of Sugar Rush at Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance

Kimber Jr's 2010 Book Recommendations

2010-12-20T03:37:00.000-09:00

Kimber Jr's Books of the Year Yeah, I know what you're thinking, it helps to be biologically related to the book reviewer!

Nayuleska's 2010 Book Recommendations!

2010-12-18T09:45:00.002-09:00

http://enduringromance.blogspot.com/2010/12/nayuleskas-book-recommendations-for.html

Sick

2010-12-16T11:03:00.001-09:00

I must confess I'm often thrilled to catch a cold. Gives me a legitimate reason to sit down. Reminds me of when I was ten and caught the Chicken Pox. I was thrilled out of my mind and practically skipped with joy as I left school. For a whole week, I didn't have to put with bullies. You know, I can't stand adults who think children should just deal with bullies themselves. And they actually think they're smarter than animals who, by the way, defend their offspring.
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"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
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What a load of crap.
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Okay, I'm headin' back to the sofa now.

My Bianca Christmas Story Gets An Encore Presentation

2010-12-14T04:35:00.000-09:00

The Christmas My Sister Blew the Head Off Malibu Barbie at Got Romance Musings

Colors & Symbols

2010-12-13T05:31:00.000-09:00

If you've read SUGAR RUSH, have you noticed the color symbols? I've always included symbols in my stories, but only realized I was doing it a couple of years ago when it was pointed out to me by critique partners. Never underestimate the power of critique partners! Now, I do it on purpose.
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This is why Martin drives a brand new red Dodge Ram, wears a black and red letterman's jacket, and red t-shirt.
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Martin's eeeevil parents, Gary and Nancy Brynner drive a black Hummer and Nancy always wears a black pencil skirt.
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Ophelia loves purple, but doesn't wear it at the start of SR because Bianca would throw a fit. Adrian encourages her to wear purple anyway. As Ophelia's self-confidence grows, she wears more and more purple until the end she's wearing a beautiful purple blouse which Bianca made for her.
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Adrian wears blue, most prominantly Royal Blue. This ties into his Royal Knight character architype. His father was British Royal Navy and served with a real prince.
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Brandon wears gray because he is an Oldblood. The Oldbloods founded the vampire myth. Vampires, of course, have an evil and dangerous reputation, but Brandon is gentle and good, a little boy lost in the dark. The color gray combines black, the color of evil, with white, the color of purity and goodness.
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Dr. Deborah Dawson, called 'Debi,' has a hidden passionate nature, like her daughter, Ophelia. Her color is burgundy, which is a very dark red.
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Likewise, Joseph, has a hidden love of life, even though he is one of the supposedly 'undead.' He's an Oldblood, like Brandon, but believes in the sanctity of human life. As an Oldblood, he must keep his true nature hidden. His color is dark forest green.
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The beauty of color is it can help describe a character on a primal level. If you're curious about the symbols of color, pop over to Color Symbols Incredible Art to learn more.

My Book Recommendations for 2010

2010-12-12T07:14:00.002-09:00

Going shopping? Pop over some gift ideas. Book Recommendations 2010

Thanks for Reading Sugar Rush!

2010-12-11T06:10:00.001-09:00

To those of you out there who've read Sugar Rush, whether you bought it or it was a freebie,
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THANK YOU!
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Sales are better this month. As a brand new ePublished author, I celebrate every single sale. As a book reviewer I learned that it's pretty close to miraculous to achieve publication at all. If you do, then you start out at rock-bottom and have to scratch and claw your way up. Most authors can never afford to quit their day jobs.
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J.K. Rowling is a once-in-a-century phenomena. I'd be terrified out of my mind to go up against her in a game of Trivial Pursuit. I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
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Right now, I'm taking inventory of my time and the tasks I need to complete between now and New Year's Day. I do have four children, you know, plus a short story that wants to get out and the next full-length novel in the series. Time Management is a big deal when you're a mom who loves being with her children, but also wants to do some of her own things too.
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I need to find one of those Countdown widgets.

"Reading With Our Blinders On"

2010-12-10T04:35:00.000-09:00

I'm Fantasy author Lisa Shearin's guest today! Pop on over and read about why some readers only read one kind of book. Help us brainstorm how to persuede them to read other good stuff. Kimber An at Lisa Shearin's Blog If you comment, you're entered into a drawing to win a copy of SUGAR RUSH. Also, I just want to add that Lisa is an awesome Fantasy author and seems to always have contests going on at her blog. I've learned a lot from her on the writing craft, as well as how to connect with readers.

Wish Granted!

2010-12-09T11:38:00.000-09:00

The Mighty Jesse wanted to see a picture of a costume I made. This is a picture of me as Lady Eowyn from Lord of the Rings and my husband as Han Solo. Doesn't really show detail, unfortunately.

SUGAR RUSH Gets Its Second Amazon Review!

2010-12-09T05:55:00.001-09:00

Thanks, MightyJesse! Sugar Rush at Amazon You're right about my problem with description. It was like pulling wisdom teeth to get me to write the descriptions I did. My theory is it's my visual imagination. I can 'see' it all in my head. Putting what I 'see' into words is crossing a major threshold for me. If only my readers were telepathic! I can see it, why can't you? Ugh. I'll work on it.
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Oh, the scientific details thing. I introduced several that I haven't followed through with yet. Plus, Ophelia isn't correct about everything, just as a regular human. Throw in alien science and she's off on several things. (P.S. This is good news for readers who loved Brandon, especially.) Notice she never got the chance to analyze Martin's DNA or even ask her mother, or she would've known the hair wouldn't work. Figuring this all out for the next book is making my brain want to explode. I have a posterboard on my wall and I jot little details on it. What if I forget something? What if I figure out one thing, but mix it up with another thing? I also have notebooks filling up. It's mind-boggling the things an author has to learn about while writing a novel. For example, can you rig up a salad shooter to be battery operated? What are the ocean currents like between Seward and Juneau, Alaska in January? Can I have my alien-human hybrids 'farm' diabetics by turning non-diabetics into diabetics? Eeew!
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At this point, I can only tell you one thing.
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Never go against an author in a game of Trivial Pursuit.

Inspiration: Crocodile Dundee, Horse Whispering, the Beastmaster, and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

2010-12-09T05:35:00.001-09:00

Personality-wise, Adrian is nothing like Mick "Crocodile Dundee." And, in fact, Crocodile Dundee is just one of many characters and real people I've known with similar traits which inspired Adrian. The most central trait, of course, is their way with animals. I'm sure you know animal-lovers, but there is a certain type of person out there who seems to have a psychic connection with them. I've always been fascinated by these people. That fascination led to me imagining Adrian as a gryphon, which is another spelling of griffin. According to mythology, the griffin is lord of all sky animals and all land animals, which is why he has the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. There's also a book called The Beast Master by Andre Norton about a guy with a special connection to animals. A television series was based on it. And you may have heard of Horse Whispering. There's a movie about that too, The Horse Whisperer. But, it's a real skill. Natural Horsemanship It's also been seen as a magical ability- Horse Whispering My personal belief is that here in the real world there are simply some very hard working people with a special personality who have perfected their ability to pay attention, have patience, and really listen to horses and other animals, and people. One of my favorite books as a nanny was Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg Some call it being empathic in general. Some are born that way, but I think the world would be a better place if more people developed the skill.
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As a teenager, you probably know how it feels when someone tries to talk to you or demands something of you, but you think, "Why bother? They won't actually listen to me or try to understand." So, you keep your mouth shut, maybe grump at them, and just avoid them altogether. This happens to all creatures. I think it's just most painful for adolescent humans because you're becoming aware that you deserve more respect than you're getting. A baby can't comprehend this. She can only feel the terror, cold, and hunger.

Alaska

2010-12-08T05:23:00.000-09:00

Good morning, I kind of posted my Alaska thing earlier this week. So just scroll down to the posts on wolves.

Pearl Harbor Day & the Importance of History

2010-12-07T05:25:00.002-09:00

Being a History major, I generally have a low opinion of how well the subject is taught in American public schools. If you've been blessed with a good curriculum and an enthusiastic teacher, I'm happy for you. If not, I strongly encourage you to go out of your way to find out why this day is so important. Here's the Wikipedia entry for an overview- Pearl Harbor at Wikipedia
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There are three things I can tell you about this day in history, very briefly.
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One, it drew the United States into World War II. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was a Japanese victory, the United States had been trying to stay out of the fighting. After the attack, our nation was fully involved and resolved. Here's a quote from the Wikipedia entry: 'Admiral Hara Tadaichi summed up the Japanese result by saying, "We won a great tactical victory at Pearl Harbor and thereby lost the war."' A local lady told me the story about a teenage boy who was fixing something at her house when she was a little girl and the radio was on. It was announced that Pearl Harbor was bombed. The boy dropped his tools, stood up, and told her mother he had to go enlist in the navy. She told him to go and he just walked out, leaving his tools and everything.
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Two, World War II is one of the most pivotal time periods in world history. It drew out the most EVIL and the most GOOD the human race possesses. Millions of Jews, Christians, Homosexuels, developmentally disabled, and political dissidents were murdered by the Nazis. At the same time, there were people who risked the same slaughter to hide the victims in extrordinary acts of compassion.
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Three, women and African American men received a major push forward into equal rights. Most of the white men were shipped off to war, leaving the women behind to get things done. Women built AND flew combat aircraft, though not in actual combat. The Tuskegee Airmen were formed and African American men saw combat. Neither group would go back to having their rights suppressed once the war was over. I daresay we would not have an African American president at this very moment, if not for the Tuskegee Airmen.
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World War II changed everything. If you hate history, it's not your fault. It's probably just because you haven't been taught it well. Most history curriculums I've seen are crap. But, you don't have to put up with that. All you need is a library card. If you've been taught to hate history, I suggest starting your own learning experience with some great old movies. You'll find them in the adult section of your local library's video and DVD aisle. The legendary John Wayne had some great ones. Here are a few others:
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SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
- The D-Day Invasion

PEARL HARBOR

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THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
-These events took place right before Pearl Harbor. Great Britain stood alone against the threat of invasion. Every British man, woman, and child was mobilized for war. Yes, I do mean even the children. Everyone. Ever watch The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Remember Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy and their mother running for the shelter while their house was getting bombed? This is that time period.

The British Ambassador responds to the Nazi ultimatum: "We're not easily frightened. Also we know how hard it is for an army to cross the Channel — the last little corporal to try it came a cropper. So don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall! ...and even then we won't listen!" 'The last little corporal' he's referring to his Napolean and Whitehall is an important place in London. Here's the Wikipedia entry: The Battle of Britain

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SCHINDLER'S LIST
-This one's about a man who saved Polish Jews. It won a ton of Oscars.

Wikipedia entry- Schindler's List
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RED TAILS

This one about the Tuskegee Airman is just getting into production, I think. It's so new we don't have a movie poster for it. Here's a link to learn more- RED TAILS at imdb
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Here's an already-made movie- The Tuskegee Airmen

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Once you've watched a few movies, your curiousity will be at an all-time high. If non-fiction makes your eyes roll, I suggest diving into Historical Fiction first.
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Here's a story about an African American girl who pretends to be white so she can fly-

And here's a review of it- FLYGIRL at Dear Author This is going to make you want to learn more about the WASPs and why African American women were kept out.
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You may already be familiar with Jane Yolen. She's written a lot of Fantasy and one of my childhood favorites, Owl Moon. She also wrote this one-

It's about the Polish Jews too. Here's my review- BRIAR ROSE by Jane Yolen
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I've been a grown-up for a while, but I usually go to the children's non-fiction section of the library first. Children's non-fiction books provide a clear overview and excellent pictures. If I want to dig deeper, then I head over to the adult non-fiction section.
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Why am I intrigued by history? I love stories. Obviously, I'm an author. The Human Story is the greatest story of all. Unfortunately, it's often a story poorly told.

Speaking of Wolves...

2010-12-07T04:01:00.001-09:00

...here's a story about some real wolves and real people in Alaska. Bear in mind, this does NOT make the wolves bad or evil. It's just they want to be in the same place as the humans do and that just doesn't work. Think of the caribou herd as their grocery store and they've got a family to feed. It's a situation with no happy ending for anyone, which is very sad. Heiden Asks for State Help with Wolves

Togo High School

2010-12-06T05:38:00.001-09:00

I think it may be difficult to comprehend such a small school if you've only gone to large schools your entire life. I graduated from a small high school, but not one as small as Togo. There's about twenty students in each grade at Togo High School. So, that makes about eighty students altogether enrolled in Togo High School. That's it. In Alaska, there are a lot smaller schools. In fact, there are places where there are no schools at all and any kids in the area must be homeschooled, whether they like it or not. But, I digress.
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Like the real town of Seward, Alaska, a lot of Togo was swept away by the Tsunami triggered by the 1964 earthquake. Learn more about that here- 1964 Alaska Earthquake Afterwards, the townfolk rebuilt, including Togo High School, but nothing new was built since. This makes the school over fifty years old.
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The school is built of gray cinderblock and have what the rest of America would consider antique chalkboards, desks, and such. There are two large buildings. The main building is two-story and holds most of the classrooms. The other one holds the gym and the rest of the classrooms. A breezeway, a covered sidewalk, connects the two. The teacher's parking lot is on one side and the student parking lot is on the street side, along with a couple of picnic tables and a statue of the school mascot, the Tundra Wolf.
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The Tundra Wolf is the official name of a subspecies of gray wolf in Northern Europe, but the founders of the school just named the mascot that because there's lots of wolves around Togo and there's tundra. Follow this link to learn more about the real thing- Wolves in Alaska My daughter keeps nagging me to put werewolves in these stories and I'm like, "Why? We got plenty of real wolves here in Alaska. Why do we need werewolves?" She says its just 'cause they're cool. Oookay. There is a wolf pack in the stories, in fact, who do play an active role and could be considered sentient. They come into the story because of Adrian, the hero, who has a special connection with all animals.
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Togo High School's colors are red and black. I chose those colors just so the Villain could wear a black letterman's jacket. The school has three major social events each year, Homecoming in September, the Christmas Dance, and the Prom in May. Sports include Football, Hockey, and Track, plus cheerleading. There are a few extracurricular clubs. Bianca always makes all the costumes for the Drama Club and Ophelia is president of the Computer Club. As freshmen, Ophelia was sorted into all college prep classes while Bianca remained in regular classes. This is why they have no classes together, even though they are twins and the school is so small.
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Right now, I'm looking forward to sending Ophelia and Bianca to a huge Lower 48 school at the end of the next novel, Sugar Baby, after attending this tiny school. It's gonna be a major 'fish out of water' scene!

My Guest Post at a Screenwriters' Blog

2010-12-03T07:32:00.000-09:00

How cool is that?
Kimber An at Blake Snyder's Blog

'Blogging for Aspiring Authors'

2010-12-03T04:34:00.002-09:00

My long-time blog buddy, Tia Nevitt, is my guest today at Enduring Romance. Pop on over and figure out if blogging might work for you or how to improve what you already do. Enduring Romance

What I'm Writing Now

2010-12-02T05:36:00.000-09:00

Sorry, I haven't been able to stay on schedule. You know, as an aspiring author I used to get up at 4 a.m. to write. Now that I'm published, I get up at 3.
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Not kidding.
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When I really feel pressed, I get up at 2:30. Did I mention I have four children? Anyway...
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I'm supposed to be taking December off story writing to focus on promo. That's short for 'promotional writing.' I've learned that published authors do a staggering amount of writing for free, especially if they can't afford to pay real money for promoting their books. Sorry, but unless you're Stephanie Meyer, you're not gonna have millions of dollars thrown behind advertising your book. My publisher does a lot, don't get me wrong. But, still, especially in ePublishing, a lot of promotional work depends on the author. I knew that going in, because I was a book reviewer for four years. I'm not complaining, because it is nice that I can go to sites like Night Owl Teen and have the option to 'sing for my supper,' so to speak. I can't afford to pay for advertising on their site, but I can request to have Sugar Rush reviewed and I can 'guest-blog' for free. This gets my stories out there too. Otherwise, I couldn't be on their site at all and no one would know Sugar Rush exists. To learn more about my promo writing, check out- Kimber An's Calendar
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But, I am 'pre-writing' a few few other stories.
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Well, actually, one's 'post-writing' I guess you could say. I tried to get out the prequel to Sugar Rush before, but I just didn't have the time to do it justice. Sugar Rush was ready to go and it worked with my publisher's schedule. So, the prequel, CRUSHED SUGAR, is actually coming out after Sugar Rush, probably in January. It's been gutted and flip-flopped, critiqued and edited, and generally butchered and put back together. I need to do some polishing work based on some critiques my fellow Decadent authors generously provided and then, I think, it will be ready for the final edit before it's released. Crushed is a short story, although it might be just long enough to qualify as a novella. It's approximately 15,000 words, unless I have to cut or add dramatically in the final edit. Crushed is about how Ophelia ended up with Martin, the villain, instead of Adrian, the hero, before the start of Sugar Rush.
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I have another, truly short story called, 'Bianca & the Blood-Sucking Dead Guy.' Several readers really liked Ophelia's twin sister and I had the urge to try out First Person Point-of-View, which is really scary writing for me. I came up with this rough draft. It's set right after the end of Sugar Rush and hints at events to come in the next full-length novel, SUGAR BABY. Becaise First Person POV is so scary for me to write, I tried it out on a holiday story, which you can read for free by clicking here- The Christmas My Sister Blew the Head Off Malibu Barbie
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And I'm also working on the world-building for SUGAR BABY. When doing a series, each new book gets bigger and more complicated. It's also quite scary, a major learning curve for me. Some of its fun though, like figuring out if it's possible to convert a salad shooter into a battery operation and finding a picture of what I imagine Bianca's new kitten, Luna, looks like. Here's a link to a great post on writing a series- Leanna Renee Hieber on Writer Wednesday You may know her as the author of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.
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Well, that's it for today. Take care. The weekend is upon us!

Nayu Revews HARBOR MOON

2010-12-02T04:13:00.000-09:00

Harbor Moon at Enduring Romance
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Want to know something funny? The girl model on the cover was almost used for Ophelia on my Sugar Rush cover. The guy is hot, isn't he? Those eyes!

30 Days of Decadence

2010-11-29T04:10:00.003-09:00

Continues with finding the perfect cup of tea for Christmas! 30 Days of Decadence The prize today is a free book and tea.

SUGAR RUSH is Reviewed

2010-11-28T20:03:00.000-09:00

Sugar Rush at LoveRomancePassion I only got 1.5 stars, but that's okay. It's better to get a whole whopping 1 and a half of anything than get nothing at all. At least, my story is out there!

Leslie Soule's Top Ten Books for 2010

2010-11-27T14:48:00.003-09:00

Need help with your holiday gift giving? Pop over to Enduring Romance

'The Christmas My Sister Blew The Head Off Malibu Barbie' by Bianca Dawson, as dictated to Kimber An

2010-11-27T03:55:00.000-09:00

My short, short story is up at 30 Days of Decadence

Meet 'Gothic Kimber An'

2010-11-26T08:37:00.001-09:00

You may not be scared, but I am. She's the personification of my subconscious mind. I used to have a muse, like other authors. But...well...one of my heroines, Angelica of MANIC KNIGHT, offed the Old Hag, tossed her into a flaming tarpit. That's okay. I haven't missed her. Muses are notorious slowpokes, especially if you don't also have a cat, which I don't. Gothic Kimber An is much more dangerous, but she did get me published. The above Meez is of Gothic Kimber An's reaction to me wanting to take December off story-writing. I've learned it doesn't pay to defy Gothic Kimber An. Just this morning, I was minding my own business, doing the laundry, and she starts figuring out the final scene between Ophelia and Adrian in Sugar Baby, the next full-length novel in the Ophelia Dawson Chronicles. I tried to imagine out other stuff, like guest blog posts I'm committed to writing, but she would have none of that. So, I caved. It's all good though. It was hhhhot.
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You can pop over to Meez if you want to discover the personification of your subconscious mind too.
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Please don't forget my post for Decadent Publishing's holiday bash is up tomorrow, Saturday, November 27th, at 30 Days of Decadence Its title is
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THE CHRISTMAS MY SISTER BLEW THE HEAD OFF MALIBU BARBIE
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I didn't come up with the title, I swear. It was Gothic Kimber An. Seriously.

Decadent Publishing Kicks Off the Holiday Season

2010-11-26T04:30:00.001-09:00

My publisher has set up a special blog 30 Days of Decadence Each day an author will post and give away a prize. At the end of the thirty days, a grand prize drawing will be held for this necklace from Tretra Designs.
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Today's author is Amanda McIntyre who wrote A Christmas Promise

My post is tomorrow. It's sentimental and dignified title is

THE CHRISTMAS MY SISTER BLEW THE HEAD OFF MALIBU BARBIE

See you there in the morning! I'll be giving away a copy of Sugar Rush and an Alaska holiday ornament.

I'm Most Thankful For

2010-11-24T04:50:00.002-09:00

Like many of you, I had a less-than-ideal childhood. I'll tell you something I learned. You don't have to accept it. You can't change your childhood, but...

You can create your own future.

The trick is to find your healing. Once you do that, your heart will be ready to discover what you love the best. After that, do those things with all your might and you, too, can live happily ever after.

This Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving since I met my husband, I am most thankful for my own little family. I found my healing in the way my husband loves our children and in the way I can love them too. When my daughter complains she doesn't have her own Wii, it does not annoy me. It reminds me that she has absolutely no idea how it feels to be cold and hungry. Then, of course, I tell her to do extra chores to earn the money to buy a Wii herself!
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A couple of Thanksgivings ago, my heart held a precious secret my mind was not yet aware of. I was pregnant. I had suffered a terrible miscarriage. I had lost a baby growing in my womb. I desperately wanted another baby, but I was terrified to even think about it. I was terrified she would die too.
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I found out shortly after Thanksgiving that I was, indeed, pregnant and then I had this song by Mariah Carey to carry me all the way through Christmas! All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Here's some more holiday cheer-
ER's Thanksgiving Post

Jewelry

2010-11-22T07:17:00.000-09:00

I included several very important peices of jewelry in Sugar Rush and I didn't even realize it until the story was almost done. Ophelia and Bianca wear identical antique gold heart-shape lockets, which their father gave them for their sixteenth birthday. Originally, I put those in simply because I like gold heart-shaped lockets. My husband gave me one after I suffered a devestating miscarriage. When I remembered this, I attached a stronger meaning to the twins' lockets.
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Adrian has a gold signet ring engraved with a griffin, which he inherited from his father. Here is a link to a real Gold Griffin Ring Brandon has two things, his mother's nanny brooch and the Alaska Native gold raven cuff.
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These are the most signicant, although there are others. They were all given in great love and they are all gold.

Linda Gerber is My Guest at ER Today!

2010-11-21T03:29:00.001-09:00

Linda Gerber, multi-published author of Young Adult fiction, talks about Contemporaries and Paranormals and switching back and forth. Enduring Romance

'Reading to Write' My Turn at Enduring Romance

2010-11-20T04:54:00.000-09:00

I co-blog on Saturdays at Enduring Romance with other YA Decadent Publishing authors and today is my turn. Reading to Write

Fan Fiction

2010-11-19T04:19:00.001-09:00

I have it scheduled to post Fan Fiction and Art on Fridays, but I'm still figuring out how to manage that. My daughter is writing one, Sugar Paw, which is Sugar Rush from the animals' point of view.
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A lot of the authors I know started out writing Fan Fiction. It's a great training ground for writers. If it's meant to be, after a while creating stories in someone else's universe is no longer enough. Then, you strike out on your own and start creating your own characters and settings and such.
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Here's a link explaining Fan Fiction-
Wikipedia on Fan Fiction

Nayu Just Posted a New YA Review

2010-11-19T04:14:00.001-09:00

Wickford High And the hero is blond!
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I'm sure I won't always remember to let you know about new YA reviews, so I've put a link on the sidebar to all the Young Adult reviews at my Enduring Romance book review blog. It's down there under my Goodreads widget.

Anne of Green Gables

2010-11-18T04:01:00.000-09:00

The great stories we love when we're young effect us for the rest of our lives. I adored the series by Lucy Maud Montgomery and the movies based on the books. I just knew one day I would write a story with a redhead. Now, I've written two, Sugar Rush and The Star Captains' Daughter. Oh, and I regularly color my own hair red. Yeah, weird, I know, but how many of you has at least one costume from the Harry Potter universe? Hmm? How many of you have Twilight posters on your wall? If you want to learn more about why I loved this series so, visit Anne of Green Gables

Operation Santa Claus

2010-11-17T03:52:00.000-09:00

The National Guard, the Salvation Army, and others recently helped organize a special Christmas event for rural Alaskans. Operation Santa Claus in Alaska

I Made Jacqueline Lichtenberg's Page!

2010-11-16T08:11:00.000-09:00

If you're an aspiring author, you need to know that writers never stop learning. I learned a lot from Jacqueline and you can too. I just made her page of writers she's influenced. Check it out-
Writers Influenced by Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Adrian Grayer, the Hero

2010-11-16T04:59:00.003-09:00

His real name is Griffin Adrian Blair. Grayer is his mother's maiden name.

*This painting is by Dante Gabriel Rossetti- Rossetti at Wikipedia *
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Adrian is a Knight Hero on a quest who rescues the beautiful princess from the terrible dragon. Read the story of St George & the Dragon if you don't know what I mean. Saint George and the Dragon at Wikipedia
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Adrian had a happy childhood. After his father was killed in action in the British Royal Navy, his childhood became impoverished. I left it to mystery in Sugar Rush why his American mother chose poverty in the United States rather than life insurance benefits in the United Kingdom as a widow of an honorable man. Without giving away future plot threads, his mother was trying to keep him safely anonymous. 'Helicopter pilot' was his father's official job, but I did leave a tiny clue as to his true nature and purpose in life. Its kinda like Luke Skywalker being raised on Tatooine by his uncle and aunt, only Adrian's father was a good and honorable man and not a Dark Lord of the Sith.
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So Adrian grew up poor with only his mother and sister for family. Because they were so poor, his mother had to work very hard outside the home and Adrian was cared for by his older sister, Perdy. As a result, brother and sister were extremely close. This is why he reacted so strongly when she was kidnapped by a Newblood when he was fourteen years old.
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By the time Adrian meets Ophelia in Sugar Rush, he's been on his own, desperately searching for Perdy for four years, moving around, working with other Diabecrackers to fight the Newbloods and rescue loved ones, and changing his identity several times. Although he has a scientific mind, those four years have been very hard on him, emotionally. This is clouded his ability to reason, but Ophelia brings new clarity and new hope.
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Adrian has subtle good looks to match his secretive existence. Ophelia compares him to a ninja. He's about 5'9", blond, and blue-eyed. The typical Romance genre hero is very tall and brown-haired, but, lucky for him, Ophelia is a geek who never got over the aforementioned Luke Skywalker. And she thinks he's gorgeous. Ah, looking through the eyes of love!
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Adrian's favorite color is royal blue and he especially good with animals. He's extremely knowledgable about Newbloods (alien/human hybrids) and Oldbloods (originators of the vampire myth.) He is a Diabecracker, a person who loves a diabetic and is determined to help her or him. The term 'Diabecracker' was first coined as an insult by the Newbloods, but the Diabecrackers themselves embraced it like the American Revolutionaries embraced being called Yankees by the British.
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Due to his life on the run, Adrian has only a few treasured possessions, his gold signet ring which is engraved with a heraldic griffin, his father's brown leather jacket, and Perdy's journal, which is embossed with vines and elves.
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Like his father, Adrian is a helicoptor pilot.
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Adrian is also a blackbelt in the martial art of Aikido. However, he's been on the run so long, away from a true master of the art, and stressed by constantly battling the Newbloods that he no longer practices it in pure form. He is a knight who has lost his way on a long and terrible quest, but the redemptive power of love will draw him back.
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Adrian's birthday is September 7th and his animal symbol is the eagle.

Ophelia's Grandmother's Mirror

2010-11-16T04:25:00.000-09:00

The mirror is first mentioned in Ophelia's first scene with her twin sister, Bianca. Ophelia, who couldn't care less about appearances, hasn't even opened the package it came in. Bianca, who is fanatical about appearances, is envious of the mirror.

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Towards the end of Sugar Rush, after Ophelia learns the truth about Martin Brynner and the Newbloods (alien/human hybrids), she converts the mirror into a weapon, which also works on Oldbloods (orginators of the vampire myth) though in a different way.
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The mirror was inspired by Rose's mirror in the movie, Titanic. This movie is right on top of my most favorite movies of all time. My daughter and I agree that the hero, Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio is the hottest movie hero of all time, edging out our second favorites, Hayden Christianson (mine) and Robert Pattinson (hers.) The funny thing is we both love Fantasy and Science Fiction! Yet, Titanic is a Historical. Here's the music video from that movie for a taste of why we love it so- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saalGKY7ifU
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In case you're curious, my daughter and I want several of the same DVDs for Christmas too. We want Twilight, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief, Star Trek Voyager (second season,) and Titanic (special edition, Blu-Ray, we already own the old version.) She's going to ask for the first two and I'm going to ask for the second two. That way, we're more likely to get all four and then we'll share. That's Brat Technique #391.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg is My Guest Today!

2010-11-14T05:25:00.000-09:00

If you don't know about her, you really need to come and meet her. She is a treasure for aspiring authors. Her guest post is about Young Adult literature.
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Jacqueline Lichtenberg at Enduring Romance

I'm Interviewed at...

2010-11-12T06:50:00.002-09:00

... Nayuleska's Reading Corner
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My goodness, lots of interviews back and forth this week!

I Interviewed My Executive Editor!

2010-11-12T06:46:00.002-09:00

Check it out- Heather Bennett at Enduring Romance

Kimber An is Interviewed by Meankitty

2010-11-11T07:24:00.000-09:00

Meankitty Wants to Know

The Music of Howard Jones

2010-11-11T07:23:00.000-09:00

I didn't listen to popular music when I was a teen. I just wanted to get the whole adolescent thing over with. Ever once in a while I hear a song from the 1980's and I'm surprised that I like it. 'No One is To Blame' by Howard Jones really feels like Adrian's theme song to me. His family was destroyed by the Newbloods when he was only 14 and he's been homeless and searching for his kidnapped sister ever since. In Sugar Rush, the Newbloods come between him and the girl he's fallen in love with, Ophelia. He's constantly on the outside and unable to achieve his heart's desire. Here's the song on YouTube-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fiba80YVyM
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And here's 'Everlasting Love'-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x09PDHEYoXk
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To learn more about Howard Jones, click here-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Jones_(musician)

Mount Redoubt

2010-11-10T14:17:00.000-09:00

Did you know Alaska is covered with volcanos? My husband's a pilot and flies over them all the time. Here's a picture he took of Mount Redoubt last time it was spewing ash-

To learn more about Redoubt, click here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Redoubt

Stop Diabetes

2010-11-10T05:17:00.000-09:00

November is Diabetes Awareness month. Pop over to Stop Diabetes to learn more.

Martin Brynner, the Villain

2010-11-09T04:40:00.004-09:00

Martin Brynner. When I first began submitting Sugar Rush to critique partners, their response to the Villain was something like "Eeeeww! He's creepy! More! More creepy!" So, I was like, "Uh, okay, I can do that." So I upped Martin's Creep Factor, twisting and twisting him.
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I reviewed books at Enduring Romance (I'm still the moderator there) for four years and one my chiefest complaints, especially for the Romance genre, was the utter lack or pathetic presence of ineffective villains! I can see how in the Romance genre, authors might be told to tone down their villains for various reasons. But, in my opinion, the Villain is the backbone of the whole story. Without him, the good guys have nothing interesting to do. Oh, sure, they can make out under the stairwell at school, but it's much more exciting, in my opinion, to read about a couple making out under the stair well if they're under the threat of being discovered by the Villain who would absolutely go ballistic if he finds them together!
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Like the boy in the opening scenes of the live action 101 Dalmations said, "It's not hatred that matters. It's the desire to annihilate!" And, let's face it, Cruella DeVille is one of the best villains of all time.
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But, Martin was named after Yul Brynner who portrayed Pharoah Ramses in The Ten Commandments. He was super intelligent, determined to deprive the hero of his heart's desires, and, well, let's just say it. He was dead-sexy too. I think it really ups the ante when the Villain is hot. Makes things so much more complicated for the Heroine. Sadly, Yul Brynner passed away a while ago, along with a lot of great old Hollywood actors. His great work lives on though. Here's a link to learn more about him- Yul Brynner
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In the Ophelia Dawson Universe, Martin Brynner's parents were turned into Newbloods (alien/human hybrids) at some point during his early childhood. They staked out the medical facilities in Anchorage, Alaska, searching for diabetics to fuel their new addiction, diabetic blood. When Ophelia was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age nine, they followed her to Togo, Alaska, took over the town's leadership, and waited for her to grow into a beautiful young woman, a Sweet.
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On his eighteenth birthday, Martin was turned into a Newblood by his parents. He hated his parents, but he embraced the power becoming a Newblood provides. Newbloods are physically more powerful than Oldbloods, who originated the Vampire Myth. As a newly turned Newblood, he was drawn to Ophelia's diabetic blood, convinced she was his Destined Mate. Unlike the Oldbloods, the Newbloods are religious fanatics. That's an element to be developed in later stories. Unfortunately for Martin, Ophelia, an empath, was already soul-mated to Adrian, the hero. And that relationship seriously inconvenienced him.
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Martin is very tall, at least 6'2", buff, and 'action hero' handsome. He has wavy, dark blond hair, big blue eyes, and a dimple in his chin. In my mind, he looks like actor Hayden Christianson.

Ophelia's Trekkie Stuff

2010-11-08T04:33:00.002-09:00

If you've read Sugar Rush, you know Ophelia is a Trekkie, the only teen Trekkie in the fictional town of Togo, Alaska. Right now, I'm working on a prequel, Crushed Sugar, and Ophelia's Trekkiness isn't the obsession it is in Sugar Rush. It's just a fun interest. The reason is Crushed takes place before she enters into a dangerous relationship with Martin, the villainous Newblood. During Sugar Rush, she leans hard on the courage and imagination being a Trekkie fosters. In the books afterwards, her Trekkiness is less obvious because she's developed self-confidence. But, she'll always be a Trekkie, even after she's worn out her 'I Love Tribbles' shirt. Every Christmas or birthday, she receives something Trekified. By the way, she prefers to be called a Trekkie to the more socially acceptable Trekker. She thinks it sounds more rebellious. The Captain Janeway Christmas Tree Ornament pictured above was released by Hallmark in 1998. In Sugar Rush, Adrian successfully woos Ophelia with one. Here's a link to learn more about Captain Janeway- Star Trek Voyager

Win Marissa Doyle Books!

2010-11-07T09:35:00.000-09:00

Pop over to check it out- Enduring Romance

Marissa Doyle on Writing Historical Fantasy

2010-11-07T04:41:00.000-09:00

Pop over to Enduring Romance for this guest post-
Marissa Doyle on Historical Fantasy

Sugar Rush's First Amazon Review

2010-11-06T08:22:00.001-08:00

Thanks, Nayu! Sugar Rush on Amazon If you've read Sugar Rush, please consider saying so on Amazon, even if you didn't like it. As a former book reviewer, I know readers buy based on negative reviews too. So, bring it on! Pretty please. It's my dearest dream to have Sugar Rush banned somewhere, you know, like my Queen, J.K.Rowling. Then, it'd be sure to sell!

A Glimpse into the Glamorous Life of an Author

2010-11-06T07:06:00.001-08:00

I was just posting links between blogs before I planned to beg my daughter to critique Crushed Sugar for me and a bowl of oatmeal was dumped all over the kitchen floor. This catastrophe resulted in three children bawling their eyes out. One was the child who lost his breakfast (he'll make toast instead,) one was the child who colored the picture the oatmeal landed on and destroyed, and one child was the baby who was not allowed to crawl around in the oatmeal and play with it.
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Did ya hear? J.K. Rowling has her own theme park in Florida. I'm not quite that famous yet.
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Speaking of J.K. Rowling, my daughter (the one I'm getting to critique my YA stories for me) insists that I dress up as Mrs. Weasley for the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. She says I'm a dead ringer for that character, right down to the red hair and massive herd of offspring.
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P.S. Crushed Sugar is a short story (or is it a novella) *prequel* to Sugar Rush.

Vanessa Talks About Steampunk...

2010-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

over at Enduring Romance today.

I'm at Daily Dose of Decadence Today

2010-11-06T03:08:00.002-08:00

Pop on over- http://decadentpublishing.blogspot.com/2010/11/show-tell-saturday-with-kimber.html

How Anime Turned Heather Massey onto Science Fiction Romance

2010-11-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

The moderator of the Galaxy Express is my guest at Enduring Romance today, proving that Ophelia, the geeky heroine of Sugar Rush, is not an exception to the rule that girls don't like Science Fiction. There are a lot more out there. We just don't hear about them as much.

Anime and SFR at Enduring Romance

Childhood on the Last Frontier

2010-11-03T06:17:00.001-08:00

*Running with the Reindeer Race at Fur Rondy in Anchorage Alaska.*

Growing up in Alaska can be a blast, if a little challenging at times.
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Ever try pushing an umbrella stroller through two feet of snow? Can't happen. Alaska Native mothers carry their babies on their backs in special slings. Their coats are bigger in the back to make room for their babies. If you live in deep snow and have a weak back, like me, a jogging stroller is your best bet. It's the big wheels that are important. They go right through the snow. In Alaska, you can find jogger strollers pretty cheap at second-hand stores. Before I became a mom, I was a nanny and the family I worked for put special skies on their baby's stroller. It worked, but the jogger stroller works better. Then, of course, a baby has to put up with snowsuits and boots and all that. They generally end up looking like little marshmellows strapped into their seats, poor things.
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As baby becomes more mobile, Alaska gets to be a lot more fun. There's sledding and skiing and snowboarding. Yesterday, I voted with most of the rest of America and I brought all my children into the polling station with me. My middle girl insisted on bringing her snowball in with us, even though I warned her it would melt. The snowball mostly survived and then my son regretted not bringing his because he couldn't find it when we got back out. I tried to console him with the knowledge that we would have plenty of snow between now and next April. My children have been known to complain about the summer being too long. They fall down and hurt themselves and bemoan the lack of snow to cushion their falls.
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Being a grown-up is harder in Alaska than it is for kids, I'd say. Those traffic jams can be such a drag.

In case you're wondering, this is a dogmushing team pulling a sled and braking suddenly for a herd of muskox.

Kimber An's Amazon Author Page

2010-11-02T11:30:00.001-08:00

is up now. Told ya I was brand-spankin' new author. Kimber An on Amazon

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If you pop over to my Goodreads author page, you can download, for free, the first novel I polished up for submission, The Star Captains' Daughter. It was never accepted for publication, but you can see how much I've learned since I wrote it.
Kimber An on Goodreads

The Goth Girls

2010-11-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

***Back when I was still writing Sugar Rush, I created this Meez of myself and called her Gothic Kimber An, the Personification of My Subconscious Mind.
You can create your own at Meez
***
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I asked my daughter, who is a member of the Young Adult readership, what minor characters I ought to develop more in future stories and she chose the Goth Girls. One of my editors also wanted to know their names, but I haven't named them yet. I'd been taught you're not supposed to name such minor characters or they become a distraction.
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I originally created the Goth Girls because I thought it would be incredibly brave for teens to dare to be so different in such a small town. You see, I grew up in a small town. Everyone knew everything about everyone. Now, there are great benefits to living in a small town and I do prefer them, but gossip and cliques, narrowmindedness, and crap like that are no fun at all. I felt I kind of needed a character or two who knew what was really going on with Martin's sinister side and Adrian's secret love for Ophelia all along. And who better to know than two very brave, very imaginative Goth Girls?
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I even thought maybe they were lesbians, but now it's been mentioned that the blue-haired one should end up as Brandon's girlfriend. Not sure how I'm going to work that out. The great thing about minor characters like this is you can develop them in any direction, because they don't play a major role. Make no mistake about it though. Their role may be minor, but it is essential.
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You know, when I first started polishing up stories to submit for publication I had no idea I instinctively wrote along the mythic structure with the usual archaetypes until my critique partners started pointing it out to me. I would classify the Goth Girls as 'The Herald' in character archaetype, but if anyone has a better interpretation I am okay with that. Here's a primer on archaetypes- Character Archaetypes And here's a link to more archaetypes- http://www.suite101.com/content/fictional-character-archetypes--types-of-hero-characters-a258500 What I like about this list is it identifies exactly the archaetypes of Ophelia and Adrian. She is a Chosen One Hero and he is a Knight Hero. Read the article to see what I mean.

Twinkies and Other Treats

2010-11-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

A few people have read Sugar Rush now and they know that Brandon, Ophelia's 'lost puppy' friend, is an Oldblood and that Oldbloods originated the vampire myth. But, Brandon's not a very good Oldblood. He's new, was turned against his will, and was turned at too young of an age. He's going through a sort of mixed-up, vampiric childhood-adolescence. He remembers being human vividly and Ophelia is the first girl who was ever nice to him. His father was a pastry chef in a grand hotel. Brandon helped him and wanted to be a pastry chef when he grew up too. So, when he meets Ophelia and discovers she smells exactly like a vanilla cream puff, he's smitten. Here's a recipe at All Recipies Vanilla Cream Puffs

Together, they long for Twinkies. He can't have them because he can only digest blood, which disgusts him, and she can't have them because she's diabetic and her blood sugar is out of control. But, Ho-Ho's are her favorite. She misses chocolate. I can't imagine being female and not being allowed dark chocolate! The horror! Brandon loves the smell of Twinkies, which will become more important as the series continues.
Click on Twinkies to learn more.

SUGAR RUSH is Reviewed...

2010-10-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

...at Nayu's Reading Corner Be sure to enter the drawing for a free copy.

SUGAR RUSH is Showcased...

2010-10-31T07:39:00.001-08:00

...at a Hawaiian blog. SUGAR RUSH at SOS Aloha You can enter a contest to win a free copy.

Walter Greatshell, Author of XOMBIES...

2010-10-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

...is my guest at Enduring Romance today. His novels are not officially Young Adult, I think, but I've read the Xombie ones and the protagonists are young people. I really like them. Walter Greatshell at Enduring Romance

Interested in Becoming a Cover Artist?

2010-10-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

Dara England is my guest at Enduring Romance today.
Dara England at Enduring Romance

Art Inspires Me

2010-10-28T03:35:00.001-08:00

I'm inspired by all art. Classic Art tends to inspire the big things about a story, like the main characters. 'The Naiad' by J.W. Waterhouse gave birth to Ophelia in my imagination, for example. This is actually a 'study,' what I believe is a practice picture for the naiad in a much bigger picture. In the big picture, the naiad is peering up out of water to adoringly observe a sleeping young man. Click on Mr. Waterhouse's link to find it and see what I mean.
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Other artwork tends to inspire the details of a story. Make no mistake about it, even the tiniest details of a story can have a huge impact, like Brandon's raven cuff or Adrian's griffin ring. So, if you're an artist of any kind, please keep creating. Not only are you filling the world with dimension and meaning, you're inspiring storytellers.
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Dara England created the cover art for Sugar Rush. She's my guest at Enduring Romance on Friday, October 29th, 2010. If you want to read how she got into that line of work, please pop over.

Snow!

2010-10-27T03:49:00.001-08:00

It's not our first snow, but it's the first snow that will 'stick.' Winters are long in Alaska, which is fine with me. I've always been an Arctic Princess. There's a reeeeeeally funny commercial for snowmachines which you can probably find on YouTube, but I don't have the time right now. In it, a bride is getting ready to walk down the aisle. I think she must've been a Lower 48er (someone who's always lived in the lower forty-eight contiguous states of the US) marrying an Alaskan man. Because it starts to snow. And she starts to freak out and scream like someone's ripping her ears off! She runs out of the church beating the falling snowflakes with her bridal bouquet. In the next scene, you see the groom shouting gloriously as he's jumping snow berms in his snow machine, having completely forgotten the wedding. Now, if he'd been marrying an Alaskan woman, she probably would've been out there with him. Here's a link to our local news network's weather page- http://www.ktuu.com/weather/

Moose

2010-10-26T04:12:00.001-08:00

We live with moose in Alaska like New Yorkers live with pigeons. We have a lot of 'em and we love 'em. I'll introduce you to a few of my favorite moose. This one's Buzzwinkle.

He had a rough Christmas one year, got drunk on fermented crab apples and hung up on tree lights in our largest city, Anchorage.
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Here's one keeping an eye on the folks at the Department of Transporation-

Here's one of our most famous moose checking out the emergency room at the Alaska Regional Hospital-

I gave birth to three children there. Thankfully, the moose wasn't around when I did, but they hang out with us when they give birth, sooo...

We love our moose and just try to stay out of their way. After all, they were here first. Make no mistake about it, moose are dangerous animals. See how the mom moose is standing? That's her threat posture. She's saying, "Go away! Leave my baby alone!" Moose are very tall and they will stomp you to death with their front hooves. So, if you visit Alaska, love our moose from afar, preferably with a truck or other very large object between you and them. They may appear letharic at times, but they can be extremely fast when they want to be.

There is one moose in Sugar Rush. A bull moose is bedded down in Ophelia's back yard when she leaves for school one morning. He serves no real character purpose in the story, except to acquint the reader with Alaska. By the end of the story, you may notice how animals are unusually attracted to Ophelia and you may assume the moose was there to keep an eye on her. If you read the book, I'll leave that assumption up to you. I love it when readers do that.

Ophelia's Medical Alert Bracelet

2010-10-25T03:48:00.001-08:00

As a Type 1 diabetic, Ophelia must wear a medical alert bracelet. She resents this and calls it her shackle. Resenting it makes her feel guilty because her parents searched far and wide and spent a lot of money to buy her the most beautiful one they could find. It looks like the one in the picture, except it has her birthstone, the blood-red garnet.
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People wear medical alert bracelets, so that if they're rendered unconscious for any reason people who rush to their aid can read what their condition is immediately and provide them with the right kind of help. For example, some diabetics appear to be *drunk* when their blood sugar's off. Without their medical alert bracelets, they might just get tossed out of a bar and left to die.
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The beautiful bracelet above was found at The Jewel Basket

The Cyber-Launch Book Party for SUGAR RUSH has begun!

2010-10-23T06:09:00.000-08:00

Cyber-Launch Book Party for SUGAR RUSH

2010-10-22T17:41:00.001-08:00

The party officially starts at 6 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. Alaska Time and is located at my book review blog Enduring Romance . Pop in and out, but do watch out for the trolls. They ate chili tonight and they're very cranky. And stinky. For an example of the general lunacy of our parties, please read Lisa Shearin's party for Armed & Magical

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By commenting, you will be entered into a drawing for a free eBook of SUGAR RUSH and an Alaskan moose plush toy and possibly other goodies. See you in the morning! Be careful going into the Temporal Vortex Chamber though. If you get nauesous upon rematerialization, there's nothing we can do about it.

Daddy Daycare

2010-10-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Didn't I tell you writers can find their inspiration anywhere? Well, we can. I loved this movie and it probably helps that I'm a former childcare professional. I especially enjoyed the plot thread about the little boy who constantly wore his superhero costume. Once he grew to trust the dads and came to emotional terms with his new situation, he took the costume off. The dads thought he was lost! But, it was just that they didn't recognize him without his costume. There was also another little boy who spoke fluent Klingon. Very sweet. Check out Daddy Daycare
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Oh, you want to know what inspired me about the movie? It was the little boy escaping into his imagination because he was frightened. His costume was that of a superhero, a person of courage, but he was frightened. Once his courage matured, he was able to take the costume off.
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Children survive all sorts of horrors by retreating into their imaginations. I think a lot of adults would cope better with the stresses of life if they could still retreat into the solace of their own imaginations. If you take any advice from me, take this. Try to hold onto your imagination as you move into adulthood. You'll stand a lot better chance of Living Happily Ever After.
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Ophelia and her twin sister, Bianca, are obsessed with the movies. They live in a small, isolated Alaskan town with no theater. Their massive DVD collection and the Internet are their windows to the rest of the world, a world they can only dream about.
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Also, Eddie Murphy is hilarious!

Prince William Sound

2010-10-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

If you visit Prince William Sound at Wikipedia you will see on the map that there are several inlets. The fictional town of Togo, Alaska is situated by one of those inlets. Prince William Sound and the Kenai Pennisula are my favorite places in the world.