Wednesday Randomness...Behind the Scenes

After missing Wednesday Randomness Blogging for a week, I’m glad to be back and to welcome a new lady to the group. Say hi to Gwendolyn Cease!

Had I written this blog last week, it would have been completely different. At that point I considered a different WIP my current project but then I had lunch with the fantastical Bronwyn on Saturday and now I’m going in a whole new direction. Or maybe it’s going back in an old direction, but with a new twist?

See, I wrote the first draft of this book that I thought would be the first in a series of four. Something felt off though. What I realized is...its not supposed to be a series. Its supposed to be one book.

How can I go from four books to one you ask? Well, let me tell you. It is going to be one page-turning, action-packed, conflict-filled piece of YA. If I do say so myself.

Here's the gist of the story. Girl is a witch, and a bad one, as in no talent. Her family has an affinity for the element of water, dating back to a spell cast centuries ago. Things are going awry because that spell is causing the natural order to be thrown out of balance. Girl meets boy who has an affinity for the element of fire and a quest begins. Originally that quest was going to be completed over the four books. Instead, its going to be one intense ride.

I have to say, this decision to re-work the story feels right and I'm excited about it again. I haven't been excited about writing in quite awhile. 

Here are a few pictures to show you some of my inspiration for this story.

Lake Michigan - the true inspiration

The lighthouse in Grand Haven

Main Street - home to the Silver Moon

To see behind the scenes of everyone else's projects, click on a name below.

Bronwyn

Jess

Kellie

Tess

Kris

Jenny

Gwendolyn

Alright, back to it. I have a LOT of editing to do.

10 Somewhat, Kind of Random Things

Wednesday Randomness is back in full force and this week's topic is 10 random facts. To check out everyone else's blogs, click on a name below:

Bronwyn Green
Jess Jarman
Kellie St. James
Kris Norris
Jenny Trout


I struggled with this for awhile, so I'm calling my list of 10 Somewhat, Kind of Random (and a couple of strange-ass) Things.

1. My cat once saved me from being locked out on a balcony, no lie. Long story short, the security bar fell down across the middle of the door and after about 10 minutes of me tapping on the door and getting him to paw at the bar, he pulled it down enough that I could slide it open. This is the kitty...Noah the Genius.

2. I studied Russian in college and wanted to be a Russian Studies major. I think I wanted to work for the CIA.

3. Speaking of government jobs, I also wanted to join the FBI. That lasted about four years.

4. This isn't so much about me, but includes my husband too.  He doesn't remember the first time we met. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (we "officially" met the next July). We were in a bar with a bunch of mutual friends and we talked. He has no memory of this and thinks I'm making it up.

5. I once got into a car accident with a tire (bigger than a car tire, smaller than a tractor trailer). It was rolling down the road, up hill no less, and it was dark so I didn't see it in time to swerve. Plus I couldn't figure out what the hell it was. So it slammed into the front of my car.

6. I wrote a short story in high school that had a silver locket in it. Because of that story, I bought myself a silver locket at a plantation outside New Orleans (that was used for some scenes in Interview with the Vampire) and wore it for years. I bought it in high school and I still have it.

7. I recently found out there is a name for my sensory/sound issues that I have. Misophonia. Basically its a condition that means I am super sensitive to every day sounds and the reaction is to get completely, irrationally angry. I thought I was just losing my mind or that I needed to just relax. Turns out it is a real thing. I'll be honest, I still wonder if its not something people are making up because it sounds so strange, but at least other people have the same issues and I'm not the only one. It got bad enough at work that I had to move into my own office because I couldn't handle my office roomie and her carrot/cereal crunching. Or her stapler. I wanted to staple her head.

8. I don't like fireworks. The big, overhead, loud ones. I'm assuming this is mostly because of number 7 above, but I don't like to be under them either. I might get burned. When I was a kid, I basically used to try to dig a whole in the ground to bury myself in so I couldn't get hurt.

9. I grew up in Michigan, but I was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. I spent time on the Gulf Coast every summer when I was growing up and some of my family still lives there. 

10.  My favorite animal is the giraffe. I've fed them a couple of times at Binder Park Zoo and it was pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Alright, that's 10 things about me. What about you? What are some random things that people may or may not know about you?

A Day in the Life...

Wednesday Randomness is here again! This week we are welcoming a new member to our little group, everyone say hi to Jenny Trout!

Today we are walking through a day in the life of...us. Check out the blogs of Bronwyn Green, Jess Jarman, Kellie St. James, Kris Norris and Jenny Trout to find out out how we spend our days.

I'll do my very best not to bore you with this description of my daily activities, but most days I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

But, you know, one of those flesh eating hamsters that kicks ass.

Anyway, my day starts with me pulling my zombified self out of bed. A morning person I am not. Usually there is a bit of tripping over my cat while I get ready and that's the excitement in my morning, followed by a half hour drive to work. A nice drive in the summer, a horrific drive up the lakeshore in the winter that makes me feel like I live north of The Wall.

I then proceed to spend the next 9 1/2 (sometimes less an hour for lunch) in front of my computer manipulating Excel spreadsheets. Now don't get jealous everyone, I know you would all rather be in my place. Admit it.

I suppose I may be exaggerating a bit, but I do spend the vast majority of my day playing with Excel in my duties as a senior financial analyst. And that folks, is all I'm going to say about my job. We don't want to go down that rabbit hole.

It's after my half hour drive back home that the fun really starts. That's when I get to do the stuff I love. Sometimes I cook, depending on my mood. I actually like cooking, I think it's fun in a weird way. There is something satisfying about taking raw ingredients and turning them into a meal.

Then I usually spend some time reading or writing, depending on my mood. Sometimes I binge on a new favorite tv show (Supernatural is the current obsession). Every once in a while I tackle a home project. And I try to exercise a few times a week, at least a walk on the treadmill. Oh, and I can't forget practicing the piano for my weekly lessons.

Then it's bed.

These are my days during the week, pretty boring and fairly repetitive. Things change some depending on the season. In the summer, I spend time in the garden.

My weekends tend to be all over the place. My husband and I have a lot of freedom since it's just the two of us, but that will change soon when our puppy finally comes home (yay!). And, I'm starting an online fiction writing class this week that will, if nothing else, force me to write on a daily basis.

So, that's a day in my life. For better or worse.

What about you? What's a day like in your life?