Busy as always! :D

 So, my blog posts will hopefully happen this week. I'm about to leave to visit with family. I've packed up some things, making sure I have notebooks and the computer. I hope I'll get some writing done on the way. But I'm super excited cause I get to see my adorable niece and nephew! I'll try to get some photos to share with ya'll when I get back. Next Tuesday I'll try to share with you the theater class I'm taking currently. By the way, I was cast in the musical Tarzan! WHOOP! Anyway, I know this is short, but life is life, and I have to make sure I'm ready to go. I love you all, and hope to be on here again tomorrow!

~ a rambling author

Wednesday of Writing!

 Hey ya'll. Welcome to the first... Wednesday of Writing! This is the day of the week I talk about all things writing... whether mine, or someone else's. Today, I'm going to talk about the writing stuff that's been going on in my life.

 If you've been following this blog you know I participated in NaNo. I said I was going to update you guys on that, but totally failed. So see this as your extremely belated NaNo update.

I worked on my dystopian story, Up The Scarlet Staircase. (Which you can read part of here if you're so inclined... Not sure how much longer I'll have it up.) I did, in fact, win NaNo with a whopping 50,002 words. *Balloon deflates.* Yeah, it wasn't as big as some people's word counts, but it was something.

I was proud to get that much, considering it was show week for A Christmas Carol, and we had shows at the same time. I actually worked on the story during breaks, and took my laptop with me to a restaurant the cast went to hang out after the show on the LAST day of November. It was there, cheered on by the wonderful family that was the cast, I managed to whack out the last 2000 words or so. I don't know if I coud have done it if it wasn't for them. I finished it at about eleven or so, and we hurried to get internet so I could make it official. That night was crazy.

 The story still has a long way to go until it's complete, but I think I've given it a good foundation.

 As far as other things going on...

 I'm getting back to the editing of The Prince's Quest. I'd like to have that all ready in the next few

This graphic was made for me by Bryan McBride! :D

months. Here's hoping! I love this story. It was my first novel that was actually the length a novel should be. And though much of it was written before I knew the things I know about writing now, I really want this story to get out there. Even if I have to change every sentence. When author's talk about the one story that is special to them... this is mine. This is my baby. And I'm ready to make it happen.

 Remember The Pauper's Masquerade? That little story is currently submitted to a contest. I finished it, edited it, and sent it in. Now I'm just waiting to see what happens. But whether I win or not, I am content. Because if I don't win, I'll probably just develop it into a story.

 My most recent project is a short story inspired by a morbid thought. What would it be like to be the child of a serial killer? I mean, if you research, lots of murderers have been shown to have children. Imagine what kind of life that would be. So maybe it's my attempt to raise awareness, or just to give the subject some thought. It's titled Before Dusk and is almost completed.

Here's an excerpt: 

  Chills raced up my arms, and I peered ahead as a tall, broad shouldered man exited the vehicle.

 He approached, noticing me right away. I studied him as he did the same with me.

 My dad was… handsome. I mean, for an old guy. He must have been in his late thirties.

 His blond hair was parted to the side, and swept into a supermodel kind of look. Sunglasses rested on his nose, and his sculpted jaw opened in a smile. He was clothed in a suit and tie as if he’d just left a day at the office. I stared at his tan skin, thinking of my own pale complexion.

 He turned his flashy grin on me.

 Yep, definitely supermodel material.

 He lowered his glasses, his deep blue eyes looking at me over the rims. “Sophie.”

 My heart jumped at the sound of my own name, spoken in his mellow voice.

 Mrs. Simpson stepped up beside me. “Hello, Mr. Connors. As you can see, Sophie is all ready to leave.”

 I looked at my foster mom out of the corner of my eye. She was quick to get rid of me.

 He flashed her that perfect smile, and I was sure I saw his teeth twinkle in the sunlight. “Well, that sounds perfect.” He reached for my bag, but I instinctively pulled it closer to myself.

 Mrs. Simpson laughed and jerked it from my hold, handing it to my father.

 He pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes. “Well, then. You ready to go, kiddo?”

 ~~~

  By the way, Baby, It's Cold Outside is finished, but needing some massive revising. And Chasing Shadows is still on hiatus. Poor thing. 

   
But enough about me. What are you working on?

 Come back tomorrow for Book Thursday! Or whatever I decide to call it...

~ a rambling author

NaNoWriMo 2013: Up The Scarlet Staircase

  Hello everyone. *Sheepish* If you haven't noticed, I took a bit of a blogging break the last couple weeks. My life has just been insane, and I needed some time to evaluate and figure out what I'm doing on the blog and whatnot. Anyway, I'm taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, which is insane! But I'm on schedule... actually a little ahead. In case you don't know what NaNo is, here's the long and short: I'm trying to write 50,000 words of a novel in just the month of November. That's why NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.

 So today... on Day 5 of NaNo, I've decided to share with you a little about the novel I am writing.

Title: Up The Scarlet Staircase
Genre: YA Christian Dystopian
Age Range: 12 and up

My bad Back Cover Copy:

 Max was raised in the facility. It's all he knows. Every since disease wiped out the greater portion of the world's children, things have changed dramatically. Children are kept in special air filtered facilities, supervised by Doctors who look out for their well being, searching for a cure.
Max is almost thirteen, and when he turns that age, he will be sent to an all boys facility, and separated from his only friend Aimee.
 But age is not the only thing Max has to worry about.
A small window in his room's doorway allows him to see out into the hall where a mysterious red staircase climbs. And sometimes he sees children taken up the staircase... and never brought back down again. When one of his worst fears comes true, Max decides to leave the facility to find the family he knows he must have, even if it means walking through poisoned air to get there.
But the Doctors are not so eager to let one of their children leave.

Here's a collage of a few characters: 

Max is my male main character, while Sharron is my female main character. Aimee is Max's friend, and Valen Steward is a leading Scientist/Doctor.

 Here's a few songs on my writing playlist. I'm not a huge fan of some of the songs, but they fit my novel really well. The words, especially. 

Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

The Broken Ones – Dia Frampton

Song of The Caged Bird – Lindsey Sterling

Safe and Sound – Taylor Swift

 And for your reading pleasure... or maybe not so much pleasure... here are a few snippets that I've written thus far. 

 ~

There once was a boy named Jimmy Swift. He was eleven. He was the first to die.   

~

Our removal of children from the home was a necessary step in the protection of our future, and the future of the children. ~ Doctor Valen Steward

~

  The doctor was headed for the staircase. When you think of a staircase you see a flight of steps leading to a specified location. But this staircase was different. It lead to a place that was unknown, and its color was scarlet as blood.

~

 

 “This facility was built for the protection of you all. You live here because you are being protected. You should feel honored, and want to serve the Director with all that you can. He was appointed by an act of science- a disease- to lead us, and with science we will succeed in all things we so wish to accomplish. The Director has plans for all of you. You may become a worker in any facet of the jobs we provide: research assistant, instructor, or perhaps even a gold star scientist yourself. Anything can be accomplished with hard work, and when you are eighteen, you may decide which course you would like to approach.” ~ Professor Maclemore

~

 Aimee stuck her feet down, letting the rubber scrape against the gravel under foot. “Of course it matters. You’re the smartest kid I know Max. I think one day you will be a Scientist- one of the Doctors. Maybe you’ll be in charge of your own facility.”

 Max shook his head. “I don’t want my own facility.”

 Aimee turned to look at him. “Do you hate it here so much?”

 He shrugged, glancing at the children who ran on the track, played in the sand boxes, and swung on ropes. “It is all I have known. How could I hate it?”

 She stood, walking to him. “Why do you talk like you do then?”

 Max shrugged his shoulder, wondering if he should tell Aimee the worries plaguing him. “It’s the staircase, Aimee. It’s strange how that boy… I haven’t seen him since Doctor Ryland took him up it.”

 ~

 

Doctor Ryland pressed a button on her wristband, and a holoboard appeared. She studied it for a moment. “For now we will only need a sample from Aimee.”

 Max felt his muscles tighten. It made him uncomfortable that Aimee was the only one having to have her blood taken. Why shouldn’t they take his? He was scheduled for sooner relocation. Or were they focusing on the girls? 

~

  “This is where we filter the air. It comes in through some of the panels, and is filtered on its way down here, where it is dispersed to the entire facility.”

  Sharron nodded, pretending to listen, though she knew about filtering methods already. She hadn’t seen a dome designed like this one before, though.

 “Sounds complicated,” she said, acting as if she was a greenie with no experience whatsoever.

 He smirked. “It does, but it isn’t too hard to understand. It just requires experience to figure out, like most things here.”

~

 Science is the one thing you can always count on. With science you can accomplish anything. We are seeking to use science to find a cure. We will find a cure. Because science is everything. ~ Doctor Valen Steward

~

“I want you to know that was you saw was nothing. There is nothing devious going on here. We are simply working for the betterment of all of you children, nothing more.  Whatever you saw last night… you should forget. It is for your better interest.” ~ Doctor Ryalnd

~

 In a few moments the men exited along with Doctor Ryland. The door shut behind them.

 Max ran to it, slamming his fists against the metal. “Let me out! Where are you taking her? Please! He climbed on top of his stool, peering into the hall, desperate for any sign of his friend.

 Doctor Ryland had her… was pulling her across the hall… toward the scarlet staircase.

 “No!” he screamed, aware that his voice might not even carry into the hall. “No! Take me instead! Let her go! Aimee! Aimee!” 

~

“My name is Sharron. I lived in a facility too.”

 He looked at her again, and this time there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. “You? But aren’t you one of them?”

 Her heart pounded. She hoped their words hadn’t been picked up by some bugging system installed in the Activity Center. “Not exactly. I’m an assistant.”

 He looked up. “You mean… you’re one of the people they say we can be someday?”

 She smiled at his wording. “Something like that.” 

 ~



 Annnndddd I've probably posted too much already. Have a good evening!

~ a rambling author 

More Updates

 What to write about today? I've been so busy this entire Summer, I really need to think more about my blog posts. I suppose it's been a long time since ya'll have had an update on my stories?

 The Prince's Quest

 I finished my baby in a year and half, putting in much toil to bring it to a good end. I was ready to start the editing process when the large binder containing a good 50,000 words of the story went missing... I have the beginning and the end, but I'm going to have to rewrite. Yay. Like the facebook page for updates.

Baby, It's Cold Outside 

 Just finished this one! Took about seven months. It needs lots of editing, but I'm glad I'm finished. Also, I'm using this one for something called National Novel Critiquing Month. So a couple people will be helping me out with it.

The Pauper's Masquerade

 This is a new one I'm writing for the Five Glass Slippers contest Anne Elisabeth Stengel is hosting. It's a retelling of Cinderella, and I'll give ya'll some more info about it in future.

 Chasing Shadows

 This one's on a bit of a hiatus while I finish a couple of those I've listed.


 And those are the current one's I'm working on. I have several others up my sleeve, however, so keep an eye out!

~ a rambling author