Jenn Moffatt

Queen City Blues

2008-07-17T17:54:35Z

I was a bit frustrated yesterday, because after writing a chapter and getting most of the plot in place Denver shut up on me. But today the secondary plot for Queen City Blues just clicked totally into place. I have NEVER had a plot work out so well. I guess when you're up to novel #6 you figure out how it works.

I now have:
Main plot
Secondary plot
Four big characters other than my POV character Denver
All the setting pieces for Seattle

The only thing I'm missing is the name for the Big Bad... off to search the name sites...

Don't forget penguinpop starts on Monday. I'll be talking about Dr. Horrible. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, I have to wonder what rock you're living under.

What a Difference an Ending Makes

2008-07-13T17:38:34Z

Last Winter I got an idea for a character. His name is Jack Dawson. Not from Titanic mind you, I've never even seen the movie. It was just the name that popped into my head for Jack. I've worked out who he is. What he does. What he's trying to do, and supporting characters to write a novel with him. But I haven't been able to come up with a definitive plot. Everything keeps falling back to it being an intro novel, since it's a new world from my other stuff. That's fine and all, but I don't much care for intro novels.

So I keep putting Dawson's Law on hold, hoping that a better plot will appear.

Yesterday I started up the sequel to Ashes to Ashes, called Queen City Blues. I was going to wait until September, but the words wanted out now. I have characters. I have a plot and I know exactly how it ends. And after months of frustration with Jack's world, I now know that the ending is the key. Without that ending, I'd just have the characters meandering about doing their own shit without a goal.

I'm sure if I had the ending for Dawson's Law in my head or jotted down on a scrap of paper, that I'd be writing that one. Of course now I'm hoping the DL ending doesn't pop into my head anytime soon. I have enough on my plate with demanding Denver and his saga plus editing Jace's two books.

Current Projects:
Ante Up - partial out, finish last edit where I toughen up Denver and cut out 15K. It is WAY too long for an Urban Fantasy.
Eighty-Sixed - I haven't looked at it since I finished the first draft. I've learned so much since I wrote it. It's going to have some MAJOR scrubbing when I do.
Ashes to Ashes - working on the 2nd and 3rd draft before I start pitching it to agents. Will be done by September.
Queen City Blues - write it. ;) Would like first draft done by November aka nanowrimo.
Dawson's Law - come up with an ending, so I can do the first draft for nanowrimo.
Smoke & Steel and Origami Moon - I do need to get back to Toya's world. These are the first 1.5 novels I wrote. Someday I really need to finish them.

Editing Brain has left the building

2008-07-11T19:50:50Z

I went over chapter 13 of Ashes to Ashes today, and found it good. This is not good. I should be seeing stuff that needs fixing. It makes me suspect that I've been on the project too long or something. I have ten chapters to go, but I think it's time to put it aside for a few weeks.

So next Monday, I'm going back into Ante Up. With the changes in Denver's past during A2A and the follow up book, he's going to have to have more of his shit together in Vegas than he does. Fortunately those changes won't effect the 100 page partial I have out with an agent. That'll manifest about page 110 if I remember correctly. A friend who critiqued the book thought he was too stupid to have lived for a hundred plus years as it was, and SHE has never seen Denver's own books. So a fixing I will go.

I'd also like to go float in the pool with one of my many TBR books, but it's just not hot enough. Hello, Mr. Sun, It's JULY in San Diego. Where is the heat?

On July 21st some very dear friends of mine and I will be starting penguinpop a group blog where we'll talk about Pop Culture - books, movies, TV and such. I'm Monday's Penguin. Hope you can come by and join us.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-11T15:32:06Z

Whedon, Fillion, as if I'd miss this, and you shouldn't either

Three Entries in Three Days

2008-07-09T14:10:55Z

What's up with that?

My brain is in hypermode peoples. So many ideas. So, so many ideas.

Monday I got the plot together for Queen City Blues which is the follow up to Ashes to Ashes. It's taking place in Seattle around 1910. I am not committing to a solid day until I get that book of historical newspaper articles I nabbed the other day used on Amazon. Once I see what was going on in the real world, I can pick and chose where my fantasy world intersects it.

Monday night a third major player popped into the plot. This morning the Monday night villain decided he wanted to be someone else - Quinn Boudreaux. I don't know if any of you remember me mentioning Quinn before, but he is Denver's blood brother. They have the same vampire sire. Quinn was supposed to be a slick, manipulative bastard from the eighties. Now Quinn wants to be a morally bankrupt priest at St. James' Cathedral in Seattle for QCB. And if you're wondering where Quinn's awesome name came from - he wanted to sell me drugs to get a bigger penis. That's right, I got his name from my SPAM filter.

And you know something? Quinn's dead right. I think it'll be a great point of origin for his character, and it'll mean he can fuck with Denver for close to a hundred years by the time we get to Jace's book in the present.

I love it when a plan comes together. But once it a great while, it would be nice for it to be MY plan, not my characters'.

Dead Blood - Deleted Scene from Ashes to Ashes

2008-07-08T17:31:11Z

This is a scene I've cut from Ashes to Ashes. It'll go on my website once I have it remodeled. It's about Denver's first, well second, attempt at hunting after being turned by Lady Xue Ying. It is set in the late 1890s in San Francisco.

The reflection in the shop window made me think I was looking at someone else. My eyes were sunken, dark shadows beneath them, in thin deathly white cheeks. They were fever bright, the blue almost glowing from within. I looked like I’d been in the dark for years without more than a slice of moldy bread to nibble on the entire time. As I thought about how hungry I was, the blue in my eyes washed away to the same red I’d seen in Xue’s eyes. But that wasn’t the worst part of my transformation. That was the teeth. My teeth, the same ones I’d barely managed to keep in my mouth for all the times someone had hit me in the jaw, were like a rattlesnake’s.

Three days since I’d woken up in that warehouse. Three days since I’d murdered an innocent girl for her blood, and just as long since I’d scared my wife so much that she had died to get away from me. Emma had run straight in front of that coach thinking I was a monster, and now I saw that she was right. There wasn’t anything left of the man I’d been. It was only a matter of time before I started feeding on the bodies of the dead like the rest of the creatures that served Xue Ying.

I was cursed. But I was determined. I could hear the heartbeat of a drunk as he lurched past me. The stink of vomit and cheap whiskey clung to him, but all I could think about was the thumping of his heart. My lips pulled back, revealing more of my saber like fangs, and the man shook his head before dashing off. His legs tangled on each other, and he went down in a heap in the middle of Market Street.

Chase him, kill him, and drink him dry, the voice in my head kept saying.

But I wouldn’t do it. Not again, not ever again. I’d killed enough people in my life. I didn’t want to kill anymore of them in my death. Why wouldn’t the voices in my head shut up, and for that matter why was I still thinking for myself? The rest of Chen and Xue’s creatures didn’t. They just did as they were told far as I knew.

“That’s right Sinclair,” I said to my haggard reflection in another shop window. “You can’t even die right.”

Ahead of me the drunk fell down into the gutter. I ran forward, my legs moving against my will. He was unconscious and smelled worse than a pig farm. The sound of his blood pumping terrified me as much as it tempted me. Dropping to my knees beside him, I cupped the back of his neck to expose the pulsing veins. A string of drool ran from my lips, and landed on the derelict’s face.

“No!” I don’t know if he screamed the word or if I did.

I ran from the Barbary. Ran through Chinatown too until I found myself in front of some hospital. I was too hungry to read the sign over the door. My mind was slowing down but the hunger was racing. No one paid attention to me as I entered the building. Sniffing the air like a dog smelling a bitch in heat, I licked my lips when I found what I was looking for. It was the smell of the real dead.

Don’t know how much time passed, before I was shivering in an alley near the hospital. I’d gorged myself until my belly was bloated off of the blood from a pair of corpses in the hospital basement morgue. I’d felt good at first. Even looked more like myself when I checked, but now I hurt. My belly was cramping, and I could barely walk. Falling to my knees, I puked a torrent of foul smelling blood. It tasted worse on the way out than it had on the way in.

“You can’t drink the blood of the dead.”

I looked up as another spasm of pain made me cry out to see Xue Ying standing over me. She was dressed like a proper white woman, down to the bustle on her little rump. The brim of her straw hit hid her slanted onyx eyes.

“What did you do to me? I think I’m dying.”

“You’re not dying Denver,” she said as she reached down to stroke at my hair like I was a prized pedigree dog. “You’re like me now. Come let me show you how to do it right.”

Denver Sinclair and Xue Ying are my creations - do not use them without my permission - thank you.

Constant Distractions

2008-07-06T19:36:22Z

I'm not talking about noises keeping you from writing, or that tempting book by someone else that you want to read instead of working on your project. I'm talking about being at a party, watching people, chatting with people, while part of your brain is going over scenes, dialog and plot ideas for your next project.

The sequel to Ashes to Ashes is taking up considerable brain space. I've settled on Seattle being the setting around 1909, when Pikes Market Place was founded and some other tidbits of history I've been able to piece together. Seatlle history is an ellusive beast. When I was researching A2A, I found a ton of stuff on the 1906 quake, follow up, death rolls, incident reports, first hand survivor's letters and more. Too much information for one 85K book.

But Seattle information is sorely lacking. Last night I did find an out of print book that has newspaper articles from the city for the past 150 years. Hopefully it will give me some basis in fact for the plot. I do like to build on a real foundation before the fantasy comes in. That is the whole point of UF, no?

I've got a few characters in mind besides Denver and Lady Xue Ying, and quite a few plot options that I'll need to sort through too. But I want to get the A2A and Ante Up edits done first before I start writing a new novel.

New Name and stuff

2008-06-28T17:28:27Z

Looks like J. Lee Moffatt is the winner. Even my mother thinks it's a good name to write under. And like I told a few of my friends I'd rather start with something close to my everyday name and then work up to using my real name. I do have a few names that have nothing to do with reality that I am going to save for future characters or projects.

I just got back from a week or so visit with my family in Eugene. It was a wonderful trip. Very relaxing and tons of fun since my mom got my dad a wii. We played that damned thing almost every afternoon. I even tried doing the wii fit. For those of you who don't know, I'm disabled. Was born that way, so I don't talk about it. It's just a fact of my life - ya know? I couldn't do it without my crutches, but I still had fun giving it a try. Someday I might try to get a set, but not until they cost less than 10 tanks of gas.

While in Eugene, I worked on a requested 100 page partial for Ante Up. I was shocked as hell by the request. I'd only emailed the agent 12 hours before she asked for it. I checked my email right before I left for the airport, and there it was. I was pretty much beaming the whole day. "Oh you want to strip search me? That's ok! An agent wants to read 100 pages of my book." "Full cavity search? No problem. Did I tell you an agent is interested in reading my book?"

Oh yes, I was incredibly happy and nothing could bring me down. Nothing has yet actually, and it's been almost 2 weeks. The hardest part was that I didn't have my critiqued copy of Ante Up on my laptop or thumb drive. So I had to get those 100 pages polished on my own. Thankfully I'd read the BDC (Big Damned Critique), and while I didn't know exactly what needed to be changed I figured it out. The agent got 99 pages, 7 full chapters with a nice cliffhanger.

I know not to put my eggs all in one basket.... But it doesn't hurt to think positive. I've got to finish the Ante Up edit and the second draft of Ashes to Ashes. I'd like to finish them both before Comic Con. Speaking of which, anyone going?

Names and Pseudonyms

2008-06-11T18:48:43Z

I have a question for my writerly friends and readers out there. How do you feel about reading a book told from a male's perspective being authored by a woman? Would you hesitate to pick it up on a shelf? Would you doubt that a chick could get it? How about the other way around?

When I lived in Hawai'i after graduating from College I got more job interviews using J. Lee Moffatt than I ever did as Jennifer Moffatt. That Lee made me possibly either Asian or male - both a plus in the Hawaiian culture.

I've been told that you cannot tell that a woman writes for Denver or Toya. I pride myself on being able to write either sex convincingly. But would you buy a book from me?

And would J. Lee Moffatt keep me on the SCIFI Fantasy side of the bookstore without explaining that my books are not paranormal romance?

Opinions?

Just write

2008-05-29T19:39:07Z

Write it one way and then write it again the other.

No words are ever wasted except the ones you don't write at all.

Review - Wicked Game - Jeri Smith-Ready

2008-05-21T18:21:56Z

Wicked Game
Jeri Smith-Ready
May 13, 2008
384 pages trade paperback

WVMP, The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll. Real Music for Real Vampires.
Located in Sherwood, Maryland, our signal reaches Baltimore, Washington, Harrisburg—and beyond the grave.
Come on in. Look around. Bites by request. Ciara Griffin

From the author's website:
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher-and the perils graver-than any con game Ciara’s ever played…

I had high hopes for this novel. The premise sounded like so much fun, and being a fan of the musical periods the vampires represent made it even more tempting. I will confess that I am frequently disappointed with Urban Fantasy that tips into the romance end of the scale, but the relationship between Ciara and Shane, the youngest of the vampires from the 90s, is not the main plot.

Keeping sleepy privately owned WWMP afloat is. A giant radio station eating corporation wants WWMP, and Ciara steps up out of the box and comes up with the gimmick that will save the station. The reactions of the various DJs are hysterical about her plan.

Smith-Ready’s vampire model is quite original. I’d never heard of anyone using the trapped in time situation for their fanged ones. Having the vampires fighting to stay solid by clinging to their eras and adjusting to the ever changing world is a great take on the mythos.

The evil vampire cult leader is as creepy as they come. Smith-Ready paints a vivid and believable picture of the big bad and his followers – both fanged and human. No his logic doesn’t always make sense, but he’s crazy so that’s ok.

I’m very much looking forward to more books in this series. It is well written. Although being told in present tense makes it a bit jarring at first, but I think I understand why it’s told that way. It’s to keep the reader locked in the present, not the past like the vampires are. (But I could be wrong.) The pacing is good, and I never found myself skimming over filler sections. All in all it was a great read.

And the website for WVMP – the life blood of rock and roll might be the greatest tie-in site ever created. There are playlists from each of the DJs, station merchandise and soon there will be DJ blogs too. Be sure to check it out.

Feast of Fools: Morganville Book 4 - Review

2008-05-20T18:32:19Z

Feast of Fools: Morganville Vampires Book Four
Rachel Caine
June 3, 2008
256 pages
YA

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though—especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he’s set for Morganville.

For any of you who were frustrated or disappointed with Midnight Alley, Book Three, you’re in for a treat with Feast of Fools. Feast of Fools takes all that we learned or thought we learned from Midnight Alley and puts it all together in a very entertaining package. I could not put Feast of Fools down, and there aren’t a lot of books that I’ve read lately that I can say that about.

There is a level of tension in the Morganville books that keeps you on the edge of your seat, even in the background scenes you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it always does. Rachel Caine abuses her characters like a pro, and she doesn’t shirk because these are YA books. Claire and her friends go through hell just trying to survive in Morganville.

Her characters are young, Claire is about to turn seventeen, but she is no Mary Sue. She’s smarter than the average bear, but it’s not rubbed into the readers face. Claire’s roommates make up the rest of the main characters in the series, and they are pretty normal, or as normal as they can be after growing up in a town run by vampires. But above it all, each book stresses how important friendship is to these characters. You know without a doubt that they are willing to die for each other.

My only complaint is the cliffhanger endings in the series. I need to remind myself that Morganville reads like a TV series not like a movie. There really is no self contained storyline in each book, just a long arc that is being told throughout them all. In other words you cannot pick up Feast of Fools without reading the three books that preceded it.

When Denver Met Dawson

2008-05-08T17:53:57Z

Yep I'm writing more fic of my characters to get my brain working. Since Denver comes from a different 'Verse where the supernaturals are out of the closet...I've dropped him into Dawson's very human world.

When Denver Met Dawson
The best part about going to Vegas, besides leaving the wife back in San Diego, was that whole everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. My appointment with my paying client hadn’t lasted too long, afterwards the guilty as sin son of a bitch took me out on the town. Got to admit though that when Aaron said he wanted to take me to paint that town red that I was a little worried that he meant it. I wasn’t his highly paid legal counsel for back taxes and unpaid parking tickets. Oh no Aaron decided that he liked his business partner’s heart on a platter.

Sure the cops had tons of evidence linking Aaron to the murder. But it was all circumstantial, and it wasn’t as if we wouldn’t be buying him a concrete alibi soon enough. That’s why my firm gets paid the big bucks and my name is on the stationary.

But after hitting a couple of shows, drinking more than I should and watching the accused murderer try to bone every cocktail waitress that shimmied by, I was bored. Even the lap of luxury can get dull. Sometimes I just wanted to go to some crappy bar and shoot some pool.

So here I was dressed in jeans and a sport coat, instead of the Armani I’d been in all day, climbing out of a cab in front of Hades. The place didn’t look like much, but what club does if it’s part of a strip mall? Two doors down was a used book store, and next to that was a Laundromat. Yeah this was a prime piece of real estate. All it needed was a nice taco shop or all you can eat Chinese buffet.

It was smoky inside the club. None of that second hand smoke will kill you crap in Nevada that we dealt with in California. In Nevada smokers didn’t have to care about who they were killing, most didn’t even care that they were killing themselves. Personally I’d go for a faster approach to suicide, like pills or locking myself in the garage with my Bugatti spewing out the carbon monoxide while I sipped out of a bottle of single malt.

Making my way over to the bar I checked out the crowd. The place was pretty empty, but then if was well after two in the morning. Only a couple of girls were left, and they were both too drunk to notice me. But if I’d been trying to get laid, I’d have done that back at the Bellagio.

“I’ll take a Glenlivet,” I said as I slid onto one of the many empty stools. The bartender looked over at me with one eye as he pulled his attention from another guy. He came over wiping the bar down as he went. Obviously this guy had never been in a hurry in his life.

***
“Ain’t no need to fret. Got it right here,” Denver drawled as he reached behind the bar to pull the one of the best bottles of Scotch they had in the place from the top shelf. He carefully poured two fingers of the golden liquor into the glass then added an extra splash to ensure a good tip. “You a lawyer or somethin’?”

Jack picked up his drink, noting the fingerprints the bartender had left behind on the plain bar glass. Good thing alcohol kills all the germs he thought. “What makes you think I’m a lawyer?”

“Well I’d play all mystical and pretend I read your mind,” Denver chuckled, since he could have read the human’s mind if he wanted to. He leaned on his elbows on the bar, while the lawyer sipped his Scotch. “But y’all got that I’m a suit kind of thing wrapped around you like a blanket. You’re also wearing a law school class ring.”

Denver smirked as the guy rubbed his fingers over the heavy gold ring, giving him time to notice the other ring he wore. This one was a plain, but thick, gold wedding band. “I’m just observant. Don’t let it bother you none, and this late at night I got to do something to keep my mind sharp.”

“Do you have a pool table?” Jack asked as he drained the last of his drink and slid the glass towards Denver for a refill.

“Right on over there.” Denver pointed with his chin while filling the glass. “You up for a game? ‘Cause I’m always willin’ to relieve a fella of his hard earned money. But since you’re an ambulance chaser and all, I won’t feel bad ‘bout it at all.”

***
I left Ash to take over watching the bar. It’s his place after all; at least that’s what most folks think. Can’t play the poor downtrodden abused if people know I’ve got a piece of property worth taking away. The guy walked a straight line to the tables. Never stopped once to smile or nod to any of the other customers. If it was possible, I think he might be even more of a selfish prick than I am, and that’s got to take hard work. I couldn’t wait to get my fingers on the wad of cash I’d seen when he pulled out his wallet.

Walking past him to get one of the cues off the wall, I didn’t use a custom cue. That made people too cautious about a casual game. I left the showing off to the professional sharps. Besides, poker’s my official game, not pool.

I could feel something dark slithering over him. It was oily like a grease trap fire, and smelled a bit of brimstone. He didn’t feel like a demon. I’d have noticed that soon as he’d come through the door, and so would any other vampire in the bar. I glanced over at Ash who was polishing glasses to see if he caught a weird vibe too. But he just looked at me and shrugged.

Someone had their fingers into this guy’s soul, not that I was surprised. The devil loves lawyers and civil servants. Their souls must taste like ambrosia, and they all seemed more than willing to be on the banquet line. Me, I was in no hurry to get to hell. Biggest reason I avoided a true death. I didn’t want to see what hell had in store for me and my sins.

“Your break,” I said, stepping back from the table to let him take his best shot. I reached into my pocket and put forty bucks on the top of a stool. Before he took the shot, he put his money on top of mine.

The made me grin. Meant he thought he was going to win. If he’d put his money next to mine, it’d have meant that he thought I might win. But oh no, Mr. Lawyer thought he was going to kick my ass. That was ok. I’d already planned on letting him win the first two or three games, then I’d kick his fucking ass. It wouldn’t be too hard. I’m not just a good pool player; I’m one hell of a cheater.

***
It was nearly dawn when I got in the cab back to the Strip. My clothes smelled like smoke, and I’d had enough booze that my legs were a little wobbly. The bartender had managed to win five hundred from me. I’m not even sure how it happened. I was winning, and then all it took was one look from him across the table and my concentration broke. You’d think he’d grabbed my ass or something the way I lost control. Oh well, it was just pocket change anyway. I paid more to have my car detailed.

ISTPD - Denver Sinclair Ficlet

2008-04-24T02:37:35Z

Hey look a fanfic of my own character - LMAO.
This is for seajules I've owed her this for months and MONTHS.
Denver Sinclair is mine. This story is set in Neo Frisco that belongs to wedschilde. Grace belongs to seajules

My nose tickled, and I had to fight back a cough that would have tipped off Helen Keller that I was hiding. Things could have been better. I could have been at the casinos having a good time trying to lose my hard earned money. Could also have not been pinned down in the back of an herbalist’s shop that had enough spices and dusty covered monkey’s paws to make a mummy sneeze.

“I know it’s your place. But they are goin’ to kill you, you go out there.” Besides me I felt Gracie shiver. She wasn’t cold. She was pissed off. It was her shop, and every time she heard a jar crash she cringed. I grabbed her wrist again and dragged her back into the shadows glaring a warning at her in the dark. I could feel her drawing on the power of her charms, and knew she was just about ready to let go something dangerous.

“Don’t care,” she swore at me in Korean. After two centuries of looking after her family, I was still pretty clueless about her language except for the swear words. Probably because I heard those more than anything else from her, and the rest of the time she was speaking English or Chinese as part of her gig as Miss. Jade.

Before I could say a word, I heard a floorboard in the old San Francisco shop creak. One of them was close. I clamped my hand over Grace’s mouth and then tapped her lips with the tip of my finger. “Stay here,” I mouthed at her.

I slid into the shadows, leaving Grace on her own. I didn’t like it. Not one bit. But I couldn’t fight them if they were going to hurt her. I’d promised her grandmother and her mother that I’d look after her, just like I had the rest of her family. Wasn’t about to let her down now, especially since they were looking for me.

“Hey asshole,” I said from across the shop where I picked up a jar of white powder. Had no idea was it was, but I hoped it wasn’t too hard to replace. If it was, I was going to owe Gracie again and that list was getting long.

One of the big goons spun, the gun in his hand looked tiny compared to his meaty fist. As he took the shot, I threw the jar. It exploded as the bullet hit sending a cloud of foul smelling dust into the air. Good thing I didn’t need to breathe as often as he did. The big guy went down doubling over in a choking fit that had to be breaking ribs. I almost felt sorry for him.

My gun on the other hand fit into my hand right and proper. It should, I’d been using the Colt since I was old enough to shoot back in my Barbary Coast days. I shot the other guy in the knee. I could have killed him. Two hundred plus years will make you one hell of a good shot, not that I was ever a bad one. But I had a nagging suspicion about who had sent them, and I didn’t need to piss Tujiro off anymore than I already had.

I ran for the door and rushed out into the lower level street. The sky was covered by the upper levels of Neo Frisco, but now that I knew they were after me I wasn’t afraid anymore. No one could find me once I went underground. This was my town. Well at least the gutters were.

First thing on my list as I pounded my way down the street as I slipped through the crowds of the have nots, was to make sure they were still following me and leaving Gracie behind. Secondly I was trying to figure out where I was going to get the twenty grand I needed to pay the White Tiger back.

Yeah I know. Two hundred years old and I’m still in trouble just for walking upright. Some things never change.

House of Night Novels - Review

2008-03-28T02:01:47Z

The House of Night series is the second YA vampire series that I've gotten into. The other is the Morganville Vampires by rachelcaine. While Rachel's series is set in a world where the vampires hide and the characters are college age (or almost in Claire's case). The writing in Morganville is sharp, and I enjoy the hell out of them.

House of Night by PC Cast and Krisitin Cast is for younger readers. The characters are in mid-high school. The writing is done first person from the main characters POV. Zoey is quite possibly the most Mary Sue character I have read in a long time outside of a Merry Gentry novel, and thankfully she's not that much of a ho. It is jarring for me to read 16 year old Zoey's thought processes, but then it's been a hell of a long time since I was a 16 year old girl. Hell when I was 16, I was reading Salem's Lot, Harvest Home and devouring everything else that Stephen King churned out. I was a ghoul, and I was proud of it.

Now before you freak. Yes Zoey is the pinnacle of vampyre evolution with more power in her pinky than anyone else, but I don't mind. I can't believe that I don't mind. If I was reading an adult UF novel with a lead like Zoey, I'd toss the book to my dogs to eat. But I like Zoey. I just press the "I believe button," and let the story flow by.

Book One - Marked - was great. I had a ton of fun reading it. The world was down right silly, but it was fun. It was fun fluffy fanged filled fun. (Go ahead say that three times real fast)

Book Two - Betrayed - started us into the big bad story arc. I actually cried when a character I don't even like died. I couldn't believe it. Jaded Jenn cried when (I'm not going to tell you) died. And yes let me tell you, the betrayal was evil as hell.

Book Three - Chosen - I just finished this one. It took me quite a bit of time to get past the opening chapters. Quite frankly the first 50-70 pages were just dull stereotypical character introductions. I swear series books need a chapter one for people who have read the other books and a chapter one for virgin eyes. But instead of giving up, I did finally get to the new bits that were enjoyable. The big bad is manipulative and evil as they should be. Zoey is strong, but she's finally not perfect. Zoey got cocky and she screwed up. That was good to see. Because if she kept being perfect, I was going to have to start hating her.

I do wish there was a complete story in each book. I much prefer a single plot with a long going sub-plot in my series books. Book Three could really have been cut back to 100 pages shoved between book 2 and 4 with ease. Hopefully Book Four - Untamed - gets back some of the fun of book one and two.

These books are listed for grade 9+. The writing and the character works for that age group, but although the sex isn't described there is sex in book three. There is making out in books one and two. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's something high school kids have to deal with, but if you're a parent, you might want to know it's in there.

Ante Up Again

2008-03-27T23:08:24Z

I am still not happy with the first chapter of Ante Up. It's an action chapter now, which is the norm for my genre. But I don't think it grabs the attention. I love Jace. I think she is a terrific character, but it is in her nature to be cool and professional. She is not the typical leather wearing shoot them and ask questions later lead for an Urban Fantasy. She's a complex creature, but you have to get further than the first chapter to see that.

Denver on the other hand is a highly entertaining SOB. Only one person who has ever read him in Ante Up or Ashes to Ashes didn't like him. Chapter Two is Denver's intro, and he finishes up building my world. But I think I need his humor and disregard for society sooner to get the attention of my readers/agents...

So once again, I will be reworking chapters one and two. I don't think it'll be hard. I just need to swap scenes with the breaks that are already there. It shouldn't be too hard.

Yes there is a god - his name is Steven Tyler

2008-03-26T02:56:26Z

Pimping my Fan Fic Community

2008-03-24T20:14:46Z

I write Fan Fic - I freely and proudly admit it - so thought I'd pimp my comm.

This is where you can find all my fanfic. I post to the comm from the different Muse LJs. Silly - I know - but I got in the practice RPing them that way, so that's how I write their fic too. Besides they get more icons that way too.

All members can reply/comment on posts, but only the muses can make entries.

Please do join. As you can see, I'm not too good at writing women. But I do love the bad boys.

Well Duh

2008-03-21T17:59:55Z

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from.

And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi.

Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics...

Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Teaser Tuesday - and where the hell have I been for 2 months!

2008-03-11T12:58:34Z

TWO MONTHS - Holy Shit! How did that happen?

Honestly I have no idea. Had some fun. Had some sadness. Had some voyages. New Project. New Goals.

The Fun - Discovered Guitar Hero. I swear I do not play it every day. I do play a few hours a week though. I love it. So much fun. I used to play classical guitar, but I was never able to learn to play electric. The problem was all the theory most music teachers want to teach you. I don't want theory. I want to learn songs. Playing the game is learning songs....

The Sad - One of our dogs suffered heart failure. He rallied for a month on new medication, but his heart was just too far gone. The house is so quiet without Draven. He was the smartest dog ever a Scotty/Cairn mix. His brothers miss him too.

The Voyages - Went to San Jose for a day to see my Nana who will be 96 in July. Caught the plague from her. Thought I was going to die for a couple of weeks, and as soon as I was better we headed north again to Frisco for the Chinese New Year Parade. Frisco was great. The Parade was drenched in a pretty rough winter storm though. I have never been colder in my life. But I was wetter the last time I went to Chinatown for the Parade in 05. But it's the Year of the Rat now - my year.

New Project - The weekend before last a new character popped into my head. His name is Jack Dawson. He has no redeeming qualities. I mean none. He's a hot shot rich lawyer in San Diego and married to a beautiful woman that he wants dead. The problem is - she's not human - and her daddy is going to punish Dawson's evil ass for his crimes.

New Goal - It does feel good to be writing again. My goal for 2008 is to be better about editing/revisions though. I'd much rather just write, but a pile of first drafts does not a published author make.

The sky was a tapestry of gold, bronze and deep purple as I watched the sun reaching for the horizon. Ice clinked in my glass as I drained the last of my Glenlivet. It was my second glass since I’d come home, but considering what I had planned I needed more than a little liquid courage. I leaned down on the railing of our penthouse balcony. Below I could barely hear the sound of a fire engine’s siren as it fought its way down Broadway. The drivers in San Diego were never very good at getting out of the way of each other let alone emergency vehicles. From my vantage point I could see the back of a flock of seagulls as they swooped down India Street heading for some dumpster in Little Italy.

I should have been happy. But there I was plotting murder. It wasn’t a new thing. I’d been working on getting rid of my wife off and on for the past two years, but the woman was luckier than a bus load of Asians in Vegas. Nothing worked. I’d hired professional hit men. I’d tried poison. I’d tried pressing a pillow over her face, but nothing worked. She’d wake up and give me a big kiss saying she’d had the best dreams ever. I’d divorce her, but I didn’t feel like giving up half of what I had to her, god damned pre-nup. Stupid California community property laws too. I might not be a divorce lawyer, but I know they are nearly impossible to fight.

The last thing I wanted to do was give half of all I had to Layne. It wasn’t as if I married her because I loved her.

I heard the elevator arrive on our floor as I was refilling my glass. Dropping one fresh ice cube in the glass to go with each footstep of her Jimmy Choo’s followed by a liberal splash of more of the thirty year old Scotch as the door opened. As always she was dressed like a cover model, cleavage that stopped only by the miracle of double sided tape, skirts short enough to be arrested for wearing in public. Fuck she was beautiful. I might not have married her for love, but that didn’t mean I’d married ugly.

Oh no she was drop dead gorgeous. Now if she would just drop dead. Maybe I should have put poison in the insoles of her shoes, but when she never wore the same pair twice it would be cheaper to just let her have half of everything. Her skin was like rich dark caramel, soft as velvet too, and her voice was a siren’s call. Even as much as I hated her, I loved the sight and sound of her.

“Hi baby,” she purred as she dropped her daily shopping pile on the sofa. I just shook my head as more shoe boxes slipped out onto the floor. “Did you have a good day in court?”

“Did you have a good day shopping?” I replied asking about her job in return. Layne had never worked a day in her life. Sure she’d done the rich girl games like opening a boutique and a stint as a model, but she wasn’t good at responsibility. Her father backed her up in everything she tried. Shame he wasn’t underwriting her credit cards anymore. Oh no, I had to pay for all the boxes and bags. It was a good thing I was rich before I married her or I’d be screwed. Helping the guilty get away with murder is a lucrative way to run a law firm after all.

She started talking. I stopped listening. Leaning against the bar with drink in hand I watched the rise and fall of her beautiful breasts while she sucked in air to prattle on and on. I picked up a few words here and there, none of them mattered to me at all. Why couldn’t she find some boy toy to crawl in bed with?

Because you are her boy toy Jackie boy. You’re the score, the rich, successful, charming a-list attorney that she bagged just like a pair of her Prada boots. Things would have been so different if her father hadn’t caught us doing it in his office and forced me to marry her. She wasn’t even pregnant, but he wouldn’t hear of someone doing the nasty with his little girl. For some reason he had it in his head that she was a virgin or something. No one who looks like Layne is a virgin.

But it was a lucrative deal, or at least it looked like one when I signed up. I was getting a beautiful, rich, smart wife, and she was getting a rich, smart, good looking husband. We were on the cover of all the gossip magazines for years. I couldn’t fart without being photographed. It was good for my business, not so good on our marriage. It certainly cut down on my being able to spend quality time with my girlfriends.

The Writers' Meme

2008-01-21T20:34:52Z

1. Your genre(s)? Urban Fantasy, Cyberpunk

2. How many books have you completed?
Final Draft - 1
First Draft - 3
Second Draft - 2

3. How many books are you working on now?
I'm currently working on two of my first draft novels for their second draft. One is present day UF and the other is UF set in 1906

4. Are you a linear or chunk writer? Neither I'm an organic writer. I have the main plot, but let the characters decide how they get there.

5. The POV you're most partial to? I bounce between third and first person. It depends on how many POV characters I want in something. I like 3rd because the villain gets to speak. I like 1st because you get so much of the main character's thoughts.

6. The theme that keeps cropping up in your books? Flawed heroes who have major personal issues they need to work out. Those issues really are the whole point of the story, even if they aren't the main plot.

7. How many days a week do you write? Five

8. What time of day do you get your best writing done? Morning or late night. I also do great if I leave my house.

9. Who are your inspirations? Jim Butcher, JD Robb, Rachel Caine, Carrie Vaughn

10. Who are your favorite authors to read? (different from mentors) Kij Johnson, Lian Hearn, Jeff Lindsey, all my LJ writer buddies...

Back to Work Bitches

2008-01-14T21:38:23Z

It looks like Ashes to Ashes is still too fresh in my mind for me to start the second draft. When a first draft looks like it's not broken, and we all know that's a big fat fib, time to put it away for a little while longer. So I'm going to work on 86'd instead for the rest of the month. Like I said before, I don't even know how many chapters there are...I'll have to check on that tomorrow. I did nearly finish the new first chapter, and I'm almost at 80K. I'd have finished the chapter, but I'm not sure what happens next. Going to sit and ponder that until tomorrow morning.

86'd Progress - Draft Two

79601 / 100000 words. 80% done!

Time to make it a job

2008-01-12T19:42:23Z

Starting on Monday I'm going to second draft one chapter a day until I'm done with Ashes to Ashes. I have 23 chapters in the first draft, it's sitting at about 76K. My goal for draft two is to add 1K per day until I hit that 100K mark or close to it. I still need to go down to San Diego Bay to see the Berkeley ferry boat for research, and I'll be going up to Frisco the third week of February where I'm sure to get a lot more inspiration/information for the third draft.

After I do the one chapter a day revisions on A2A, I'll move on to 86'd. I don't know how many chapters there are in that one. I've never counted them. Hell I'm not even sure I marked chapter breaks. Guess I'll find out in a few weeks when I open the file. I think wordcount-wise I'm in the same area as I am with A2A.

By April I should have the second drafts done of those two novels, and then I'll start working on something else. Might be time to head back into Han Tokyo. I'm sure to need a break from the present and past urban fantasy and working on the future will be nice. Toya would like to come out and play too. He thinks Denver has had my brain/fingers long enough especially since he was created first.

I hope that by making a schedule like this that I can get past my writers'/editors' block. If I make it a job, I have to do it.

Teaser Tuesday - Eighty-Sixed

2008-01-08T19:21:42Z

I don't remember the last time I did a Teaser Tuesday, so here you go. The opening scene of Eighty-Sixed, the sequel to Ante Up.
____________

“Poor Jace,” Denver chuckled. “Some vampires can’t stand crosses, and y’all can’t stand havin’ fun.” He grinned and glanced out at the crowd of dancers and revelers filling Body English, the elite club at the Hard Rock. His blue eyes lingered on the back of a scantily clad girl who was shimmying with a group of her equally beautiful nearly naked friends. The vampire licked his lip as he thought about joining them.

“If that dress was any shorter, I’d have to arrest her.” Jace folded her arms across her chest and did her best to disappear into the back of their booth. “You can see what color her underwear is.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He held his hand up to get the waitress’ attention. She was actually wearing more than most of the girls on the dance floor. When she rested her hip against their table and leaned toward Denver, he edged closer to her sliding a hundred dollar bill onto her tray. “Darlin’ can you bring my friend here another beer, and I’d like another JD. And keep ‘em comin’ if you don’t mind.”

“Wow you’re paying?” Jace teased him as the waitress left the table. “I just assumed that I would be.”

“Hey now I paid the cover charge to get us in here, which wasn’t easy considerin’ Carlos is havin’ his private party and all.” He pouted and threw his arm over her shoulder to give her a quick hug before letting go. “What kind of friend would I be if I took y’all out to get drunk on your birthday without payin’?”

“The kind of friend who missed my birthday last week, and you didn’t have to pay for me. Local women get in free. You were on the list, and I don’t want to know why you were on Carlos Vincente’s list of approved guests either.” She shook her head; her long brown hair fell in loose curls over the shoulders of her black leather jacket. Jace hadn’t felt like a party when it had been her birthday the week before when her partner and the rest of homicide had decorated her desk with balloon animals. Now six days later she really didn’t feel like celebrating at the Hard Rock surrounded by a bunch of loud people she didn’t know.

to be continued...

Finally got off my ass

2008-01-07T21:37:35Z

and sent Ante Up to an agent. Will be sending it out to more Agents by the middle of next week. Time to get me an agent and this puppy sold.