Summer!!

Finals are over, let the summer begin!

Aside from working for the money I will need to use to buy textbooks in the fall, I plan on doing a number of writing-related thingers.

Yes, thingers. It’s a very technical term.

Anyway, here’s what I plan to do this summer:

1. Overhaul the blog: get rid of old links, update areas where needed, possibly change the layout (haven’t decided yet if I want to)
2. Get a cover done for MtbB: because I wanted to publish it months ago but things just did not go as planned
3. Finish King of Blades: because I need to
4. Work on another story I have planned and that will be 100% written via blog: as a change
5. Plan my next NaNo: because November will be here very quickly

I must kick myself to get all of this done before September. Begin!

Oh Wow

This is something I just found out about, and I can’t not share it with you guys. I live near Rochester, NY, where the Wegman’s chain of grocery stores was started, and it’s something of a source of pride for us. Just like Kodak also was, before it started going under… Anyway, recently a group of students at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, created a musical – about Wegman’s. At first it’s almost silly to think of students performing a musical about a grocery store, but then you look at how that reflects on the store itself. Wegman’s clearly has an impact on the people in the communities it comes to. It’s impossible to go anywhere in the Rochester area without seeing a Wegman’s store, and there are many, many people who never shop anywhere else. It really is a great store, with a huge selection of EVERYTHING, and an amazingly diverse array of choices in the hot food dining area. Thinking that there are other people in the country just experiencing for the first time what I take for granted on a daily basis is just incredible. And to see people becoming this dedicated and smitten with the place, well, it makes me proud to come from the place that started it all.

Soundtrack Sunday

I know I’ve been skipping this a lot lately… I just forget about it when I have so much schoolwork to do. Well, I was just introduced to this band, and I’m now convinced that every band needs a pipe organ. I usually don’t like live versions of songs, but you miss out on some of the awesome otherwise. They use some interesting instruments in some of their songs, and they use vocals quite heavily for more than just lyrics. They are amazing.To make up for my lack of posting, I’m going to video bomb you all. Enjoy!

 

Andandandandthenthenandthen – they did a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack!

 

Blog Hop Against Homophobia

In honor of the International Day Against Homophobia, I am giving away two books! One winner will receive a copy of The Angel and Meant to be Broken, both of which deal with the topic of homophobia.The Angel, however, really deals with it more so than MtbB. In The Angel, Seth Salvadore-Knight must deal with the fact that not everyone accepts his family – because he has two fathers. People constantly try to break his family apart, but they find the strength to keep going. This is a problem that same-sex couples and their families face when homophobic people don’t want to bother trying to understand them as fellow human beings.

If you are new here, here’s what my books are about:

The Angel

*Note, due to multiple technical problems that resulted in a loss of files, I cannot provide a ebook version of this book, only a physical copy.*

From his very first day at Madison High School, Seth is a witness to Brian’s relentless bullying.

And from the beginning he sets out to protect the bully’s victims.

But when Brian starts attacking Seth’s friends, it gets personal.

Then Brian learns about Seth’s gay parents.

That’s when all hell breaks loose.

The final showdown will leave blood in the rain, shots echoing through the night, and lives in tatters…

Check out chapter one!

…..

Meant to be Broken

*Note, this book is not officially published yet, because of delays with the cover art. The winner will receive a proof copy!*

Junior year hasn’t started very well for Ives Fay; his father passed away over the summer and he’s still having trouble accepting it, his mother is dealing with her own depression by chain-smoking and drinking, his sister finds it necessary to sleep with every guy she can in order to deal with her own emotions, and he has an androgynous stalker who comes to school as a guy one day and a girl the next. It’s all really messing with his mind. So he finds his escape in self-mutilation and bottles of alcohol stashed in his closet, hoping that the temporary fix will somehow become permanent. Then, when he’s on a fast track to an early end, he meets Tomi, a guy so much like himself, but so very different. Could their nearly instant friendship be enough to save Ives from his dangerous path? And could Tomi give enough to be Ives’ saving grace? Or will Tomi’s own troubles prevent either of them from ever finding happiness?

Check out chapter one!

…..

To enter:

WordPress won’t allow me to use any of the Google forms, so just leave a comment below by the 20th, and I will randomly select a winner. Please include your name and e-mail address so I can contact you on the 21st. If you do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. US only entry, please.

More of Ryle and Shane

I love them. I don’t know why, but they are the characters who keep poking my brain, demanding to have their story written. Unfortunately, their story comes to me in flashes, flashes that I have sudden urges to write. So, I will eventually get their complete back story done, but it’s likely never going to be more than a collection of short stories of varying length, never a novel.

Here’s a story from their freshman year, when things begin. I posted Shane’s coming-out-to-Ryle scene already.

 

Ryle Salvador had spent the last six months trying to figure himself out, ever since his best friend since third grade, Shane Knight, came out to him. Ryle had casually asked Shane numerous questions about how he’d come to decide what his sexuality was, and he wondered if Shane was having suspicions about him. If he wondered about Ryle, he didn’t say anything, though.

But, it was watching Shane date a guy one year older than himself that really helped Ryle face the truth. He couldn’t fight the wave of jealousy that hit him every time he saw them together, and he was ashamed of how hard it was to hide his smile when Shane told him he’d been dumped after only two weeks.

“High school sucks,” Shane grumbled while they did their homework at Shane’s house a few days later.

Ryle glanced up from the English book he wasn’t really reading. “Yeah, too much work.”

Shane shook his head and threw down his pencil. “No, everything about it sucks. The homework, the classes, the people… Some idiot in history is calling me names now. And Joe’s a bitch.”

“I told you not to date him,” Ryle replied, glancing down at his book again. “He’s not your type.”

“How would you know?” Shane demanded. “I mean, sure, we’ve known each other for six years, but you’re not -”

“I am.”

There was a long pause, during which Ryle stared at page 57 of Lord of the Flies and took nothing in. Why was he so scared? Shane, of all people, should understand him.

“What?” Shane finally asked.

“Why did you think I asked you so many questions?” Ryle’s throat felt like sandpaper as he spoke.

“I guess I wondered… I just thought you were curious, since we’d known each other for so long…”

Ryle finally set the book down. “No. I had been wondering about myself before that. I just wanted to find out how to know for sure.”

Shane nodded and picked his pencil back up to play with it. “So… back to my point. What is my type?”

Ryle shrugged. “I’d say someone like me.”

“Someone like you,” Shane repeated, a frightened expression on his face.

“Yeah,” Ryle said, blushing.

“We could ruin what we have,” Shane pointed out quietly. “I don’t want that.”

Ryle nodded and looked away. “I know. I don’t want that to happen either. But what if…” He shook his head and got up from the kitchen table. “I’m sorry,” he stated as he gathered his backpack and his books. There were suddenly tears in his eyes, and he didn’t know why. He started for the door.

“Wait!” Shane jumped to his feet and cut him off before he got to the front door. “Ryle, please,” he begged. “You didn’t give me time to let it sink in. You just surprised me with two really big things.” His green eyes gazed into Ryle’s, and he suddenly shook his head. “You’re right,” he agreed quietly. “What if? I can’t lose this chance. But we’ve been friends for so long…”

“We’ll always be friends,” Ryle assured him. “If it doesn’t work out, we’ll know we were only meant to be friends.”

Shane nodded and took Ryle’s books away to set them on the floor. Then he pulled Ryle into a tight hug. Ryle put his arms around Shane, resting his head against his friend’s shoulder. He loved the feeling of the tender hug; the last time Shane had hugged him this tightly, they had been ten years old – best friends for only a year – and Ryle had been coping with his father’s sudden death. Ryle had felt devotion from Shane then, and he felt it now.

After a while Shane took a step back, and Ryle leaned close, giving Shane a light kiss on the cheek. Shane responded by giving Ryle a soft kiss on the lips. Ryle smiled, so glad to finally be giving them a chance at something more than friendship.

City of Glass Review

Title: City of Glass

Author: Cassandra Clare

Published: June 2009, Walker Books

Source: bought from Amazon

Goodreads Description:

Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?

My Thoughts:

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Once again, the only reason this book didn’t get five stars from me was Clary. She is just an obnoxious brat that I can’t stand.

As for other things, I’m very happy. I actually like Jace more now, even though he’s still not one of my favorites. I like that he seems to have more respect for Simon now. Even though Jace was willing to sacrifice himself in the end to stop Valentine, I don’t think it was all that heroic. He really just didn’t want to live longer if he was part demon and in love with his sister. It was more of a suicide mission. On the other hand, what Simon did was actually heroic. He was willing to endure whatever the Mark of Cain did to him, just to make sure that the vampires came to the help of his friends. He was willing to live with the results of that action for eternity, without knowing what those results would be.

I felt bad for Magnus for a while, being around Alec but not really being able to be close to him because Alec still hasn’t come out. But I feel like the whole life-or-death situation kind of makes Alec change his mind about that. I love how he just kisses Magnus in the crowded Hall of Accords. Which leads me to the one thing that bothers me; if Clary created this rune to temporarily bind Shadowhunters and Downworlders so they can share powers and skills during the battle, how did anyone who partnered with a warlock learn how to use any of the warlock’s powers in the brief amount of time before the battle? I want to know what Alec could do. Did he shoot flaming blue arrows?

And Luke. I love him. I’m so happy that he finally told Clary’s mom that he loves her. So happy for him!And Malachi; saw that coming. I’m also very glad to know that Clary and Jace aren’t actually siblings. I was still hoping that her mom would be telling her about being married to Valentine and just say, “So I cheated on him. Don’t worry, Luke is your father.” That would have made it so much better.

Great book, though. Still hate Clary, but everyone else just makes her endurable.

Then again, I still can’t decide who’s supposed to be on the cover. I mean, why would it be Sebastian when he’s a giant jerk-face demonic bully? But if it’s Alec, why does he have a sword instead of a bow? But Sebastian is evil, he can’t be on the cover. And there are angel wings, and Alec is a heck of a lot more Nephilim than Sebastian, but the wings are almost tainted-looking… See, I argue myself in circles.

Rating: 4/5

King of Blades – Chapter 11 “Answers”

Chapters 1 through 10: clickeh

 

It was a tense wait for Shelton to return with the other mage. None of them knew what having Coulta’s powers could possibly mean, and Coulta himself was worried about their unborn child. Could he have passed on his powers to the baby, as well as Anil? Would that harm the child? What if it was born with similar markings on the skin that Coulta had? How could they explain that to the court? Punishments for Second Kings who failed to prevent themselves from impregnating a queen were severe – tradition called for castration.

But Coulta felt that such a punishment could only be dealt when the marriage was strategic, without much emotional attachment. He could feel that Wildas truly loved him. Wildas could never do that to him. After all, they all knew he was infertile – but the court didn’t. If the baby was born with marks like Coulta’s, it would be assumed that Coulta was the father. No one would stand for that, especially not for the first-born child, the young Grand King’s heir.

Maybe, though, Shelton and Wildas would find a way to publicly prove that Coulta was permanently infertile. If it came down to that, Coulta was more than willing to go through with whatever public display was needed of him.

His thoughts were disrupted by Shelton’s return. With him was a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman with graying black hair pulled tightly away from her angular face. She wore a silver gown that matched her glimmering eyes. Wildas, Myri, and Coulta all rose from their seats as the mages entered, while Anil remained seated. Shelton made the formal introductions, and the sorceress, Terezka, bowed to them each in turn, deepest to Wildas.

“I have been told that you have all been involved in an unplanned power share,” she said, her accent completely unfamiliar to Coulta. He still wasn’t used to all the foreign-born people who had made their homes in Phelin.

“That is what we’ve been told, as well,” Wildas answered her.

But Terezka’s silver gaze had turned directly to Coulta. “May I have your hand?” she requested. Coulta held his right hand out to her and she shook her head. “The other. The left hand is more closely related to the heart and the deep source of power within.”

Coulta held out his left hand instead. She held it gently, and within moments Coulta felt a gentle wave of sensation move across his entire body. After another few moments, she nodded and released his hand.

“Everything is as I had expected it to be, from what Shelton confided to me,” she declared. “There is no simple explanation for what has happened, but we can draw the likeliest conclusion from what we know. First, curse-magic is highly unpredictable. One never knows how strong it will be, if it ever stops growing, or when it will transfer. I don’t mean the curse itself,” she added, noticing the pale look on Anil’s face, “I mean the magic that it leaves behind when it is broken. Curses are never destroyed entirely, but if they can be broken, the power that created and continued the curse will be fully transferred to the control of the person who was cursed. Those powers can change, grow, and be transferred over time, but it is difficult to control. The Second King,” she continued, bowing her head briefly to him, “may notice his abilities slowly changing over the years. It may also be difficult to stop the powers from transferring to any sexual partner. That transferred power, I must assure you, is perfectly harmless. In fact, it seems that, as it mysteriously happens with curse-power shares, the powers shared are very helpful for the partner who receives them.”

“Why is it only happening now?” Myri questioned.

Terezka held up a slender hand, then bowed her head slightly to the queen. “I have more to add. Curses, after they are broken, leave magical scars that speak of what the curse was, and how it was broken. I do not mean physical scars,” she added, apparently noticing all three of Coulta’s spouses looking at the black tracery on his skin, “I mean magical ones that can only be sensed by direct magical contact, as I just performed. Those scars told me the story of Coulta’s curse, which began to break when he was very young. The crack began when his mother created a way for the curse to break through the love of another. The crack became a fracture, at which point he began being able to use some magic, when he was placed into the service of his former master and the crown’s enemy. That fracture was caused by the love of the servant girl who raised him.”

Coulta felt Myri put an arm around him from where she stood by his side. Wildas clasped his hand from his other side, and Anil looked up at him with a small smile. They had all known that Teeya was special to him, and somehow it felt like they appreciated her more for helping him break his curse.

“The curse broke further when he met the Grand King,” Terezka went on, bowing her head deeply to Wildas. “Even before they truly knew each other, their souls knew each other. Everyone who has a curse is somehow tied to someone who can break that curse, and their souls will find each other. The cursed soul is always looking for that one other who will free it from its suffering, and when it locates the other, it will link itself to the free soul.”

“Is this like the stories of true love in children’s tales?” Anil questioned.

“Not completely, My Lady,” Terezka answered with another head bow. She was clearly intensely formal. “The linking of two souls doesn’t hinder a person’s ability to love others. Indeed, the Second King’s deepest love may be for the one who truly freed him, but that does not mean that his love for either of his wives is any less real. Nor does it mean that the Grand King, whose soul is tied to his husband’s, loves the Second King any more deeply than either of his queens. Though they do tend to agree with each other, the heart and the soul often function separately. I can only speak of the magic, however, and I don’t want to speculate on emotions. The last thing I wish to do is create complications in this royal marriage.”

Myri laughed lightly, tightening her arm around Coulta. “Anil and I both know they are more inclined toward each other. I am happy, regardless.”

Anil smiled at her. “I do agree. They are good to us, and they don’t neglect us. Clearly,” she added, pointedly running a hand over her abdomen.

From where he had been lingering out of the way, Shelton chuckled.

Coulta cleared his throat in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness that he felt. “Then, if my curse broke after meeting Wildas, why did it take so long for this power share to happen?”

The sorceress bowed her head yet again – which was starting to get old to watch. “It is likely that the curse didn’t break immediately, Your Highness. According to what I saw in your scars, it didn’t fully break until you followed through with a vow that you had made in your husband’s name. Since then, your powers have grown quite steadily. I suggest you continue testing yourself to discover where your current boundaries lie. As for why the power shares have occurred now – or occurred earlier and are only being activated now – I can only suggest that it may have to do with a need to protect your family from the coming war, even if it wasn’t a conscious choice to give them your powers to do so. Sometimes magic – especially curse-magic – works through our primal needs and deepest desires. Curse-magic is especially hard to contain when it chooses to transfer to a sexual partner. Other ways of sharing power would be much more controlled, but there are only two ways to stop sharing with your spouses; either don’t engage in sexual activities, or drain yourself of your magic so thoroughly beforehand that you have very little to spare. That would also leave you physically exhausted and may defeat your purpose.”

She smiled and shook her head, eyes glittering. “I wouldn’t worry, however. As long as everyone you share powers with learns to channel them to meet their needs, there is no harm. And no, there is no way to know how long the abilities will last in those who are shared with. Weak sorcerers may only transfer enough power for one spell, but stronger sorcerers can share enough power to last several weeks and through nearly countless spells. Curse-magic that is shared generally lasts months, or even more than countless uses. It is harder to know with curse-magic because using it requires no pre-thought spells, only an idea of what you want to accomplish. It may be wise for everyone to start learning to use their powers before the war comes to us.”

“What about the baby?” Wildas questioned, his expression still calm, though Coulta felt the grip on his hand tighten.

Terezka shook her head – after the customary little bow, again. “There is no way to know before the child is born, Your Majesty. There will certainly be no harm caused to the child, but whether or not the child has powers, and whether or not those powers will stay within the child throughout life is impossible to determine. I cannot examine a child in the womb because the mother’s own body hides the child in an effort to protect it.”

Coulta took a sharp breath and finally voiced his biggest fear, “And if it looks like me?”

“Then questions will be asked,” Shelton stated, finally stepping forward, “but I will speak in your defense.”

“As will I,” Terezka declared with a full bow.

“However, if appearances require a public test by other sorcerers, it will need to be done,” Shelton added.

Coulta nodded. “I understand.”

Wildas turned to look at Coulta. “There is no tradition saying that a Second King can’t transfer powers to the heir.”

“The usual magic can’t transfer to an unborn child,” Shelton pointed out, then glanced at Terezka. “Correct?”

She nodded. “You are correct. I don’t know anything about curse-magic and children.”

Shelton returned the nod. “I’m not sure many are. Is there anything else that should be known?”

“That is all,” she answered.

“Then let’s return to the mage training.”

Terezka bowed to them all before leaving, and when she had gone, Coulta sighed with relief. It was good to know that he hadn’t brought harm upon his spouses or their child after all.

“I suppose we should go learn to use these new powers,” Myri declared, sounding decidedly eager. She gave each of her husbands a kiss on the cheek, then helped Anil to her feet.

Anil paused to hug Coulta. “We stand beside you,” she stated.

“Thank you,” he replied, returning the hug.

When they had gone, Wildas pulled Coulta into a tight hug. “I’m happy I was the one who was able to finish the work Teeya started.”

Coulta smiled. “I am, too,” he agreed before kissing Wildas strongly, all his thankfulness poured into that kiss. When he pulled away a few long moments later he asked, “So, would you like to learn how to use your new fire magic?”

“It’s not just for tormenting my brother?” Wildas questioned with a smile.

Coulta grinned. “Only on occasion.”

Furies of Calderon Review

Title: Furies of Calderon

Author: Jim Butcher

Published: June 2005, Ace

Source: PaperbackSwap

Goodreads Description:

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies-elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal-fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos-when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies-Tavi’s simple courage will turn the tides of war.

My Thoughts:

I feel like there were points when I was really enjoying this book, and there were points where I just felt like things were either dragging on, or too much was happening at once. I liked Doroga, I liked Bernard, I liked Amara, but I really struggled with Tavi. I don’t know why, but I kept picturing him as a boy of about eight or so, not fifteen. I had to keep telling myself that he was older, but it didn’t help. I just don’t know why.

Even though the multiple plot lines were frustrating at times – like when I just wanted to follow one character and it jumped to another one – they did all come together. I’m still undecided about whether or not I will read the next book. Only the last few chapters saved this book from getting three stars.

Rating: 4/5

 

[Bet you're all stunned that I actually finished a book and wrote something of a review. So am I. It took me forever to read this.]

Okay, So…

I’m aware of how much of a slacker I’ve been. It’s just that school has taken a major chunk of my time lately. I’ve hardly been doing any writing, and that is sad. I can’t read very much more than a few pages a day, either, which is even more sad.

But I’ve written some short stories about Ryle and Shane – sort of back-story short scenes, not really stories, I guess.

Anyway, here’s one short scene I wrote a few months ago. Enjoy.

 

Ryle Salvador stared at the map of Madison High School, trying to read the slightly smudged numbers that told which lockers were located in each hall. He checked the other sheet of paper he was holding, the one that told him his locker number and combination, but held no other clues as to how to find it.

“Want to look for mine or yours first?” his best friend, Shane Knight, asked, looking up from his own map and locker assignment.

“Whichever,” Ryle replied. “Why didn’t they point out what hallways had what lockers during orientation yesterday?”

Shane shrugged. “I thought our tour guide sucked. She was too concerned with running into her boyfriend leading that other group every five minutes.”

“I hope when I’m a senior I don’t have a stalker like that.”

His friend snorted. “Come on, I think I know where mine is, at least.”

Ryle followed him up the stairs, silently complaining about how useless their freshman orientation had been the day before. By the end of it they had both just wanted to go home and save finding their lockers for another day, unlike the rest of their classmates. That meant no one was there to point them in the right direction now.

They walked up and down several flights of stairs, found a few dead-ends, walked in a few circles, and made several wrong turns, but finally Shane held his papers up in triumph. “Found it!”

Ryle waited patiently while Shane tried the combination, and swung the locker open with a satisfying whine of metal hinges. At that moment, Ryle had a mental reality check.

“We’re in high school,” he stated. “It’s the real thing. Real classes and tests that actually matter. And a totally different social atmosphere, with bullies and cliques and all that.”

Shane looked up at him from the dial on his locker, a serious expression on his face. “Ryle, I have to tell you something.”

Ryle was startled by his friend’s tone. “Okay.”

“I’m telling you because you’re my best friend and I trust you more than anyone else in the world.” He took a deep breath. “I’m gay.”

Ryle stared at him for a moment, not sure how to respond. He was sure he was supposed to be surprised, shocked, upset, or something like that. But he wasn’t. In fact, he couldn’t see how it could possibly change anything about how he looked at his friend. And that was just it.

Shane looked like he might be sick. “Are you going to say anything?”

Ryle shrugged. “I don’t care, Shane. Well, I mean, I care,” he amended, seeing Shane go pale. “I’m just not bothered. You’re my best friend, and I want it to stay that way.”

Shane smiled and Ryle could see the relief on his face. “Thank you, Ryle. I knew I could trust you.”

Ryle returned the smile. “Can we go find my locker now?”

As they started back through the maze of hallways in search of his locker, Ryle found himself wanting to question Shane. How had he figured it out? Was he sure? When did he know? Had he told anyone else?

That was the first time Ryle ever admitted to himself that he wasn’t quite sure of his own sexuality.

I’m Not Gone!

Hey everyone, yes, I’m still around. If I don’t post anything for a while, it’s because I’m currently going to school at a much more stressful and work-loaded college than where I was going previously. I am still reading – slowly. Once summer comes, I’ll be around much more again. I promise!