Monday, September 23, 2013

"Look at these carvings! It must have taken them 200 years to make this!" *BOOM!* "Look, I made a bomb, and it took me, what, two minutes?"

 Wherein Jack tries to remember something important.

 I have short term memory loss. It runs in my family. At least I think it does. Where are they....hey, have we met?

 Okay, so I'm not that bad, but I have forgotten something important...I'll probably remember it tonight when I'm falling asleep then not feel like waking up to write it down. But when I do remember it I will tell you all about it since it involves you. (Scared yet?)

 I should have Abolished's first edit done today. I am putting it off because as much as I love cackling over my evil cliff hanger it still makes me sulk. I've been putting it off all weekend, but if I don't get it started the book will never be published and I think a couple of readers will come and hunt me down, and I don't really want to be hunted right now. Unless you bring oreos.

 I forgot how much I hate the first stages of editing. It is during this time I learn how often I use terms like, "He nodded." "He looked." "He felt." Until I want to stab my own book. I always dig out a thesaurus and find replacement words, but it is still annoying. I pity my editors, and admire them for making it through without throwing it out the window.
 That is why I am holding a....contest. I don't think it is a contest, but we will call it one and quibble about names at a later date. "Right now just buy it, and love it, and mass produce it!"

 While writing the Haphazard books I gathered a lot of inspiration from Josh Groban's songs. (Shocking, I know.) Below I am going to post all of the songs I listened to the most, the ones which remind me of characters from the books. Between now and Friday, everyone who has read the books can guess as to which song belongs to which characters, and the winner...well, might get something other than cookies. How about a sneak peak into book two, or book three if one of my beta readers guesses? Does that sound like a good prize? (I'll send cookies too.)
 We could do it up to Wednesday, but Wednesday is John's birthday and we are trying to plan something special for that.

 Anyways, there are no rules, except I will ask that all who know book one's biggest secret, if you could still please keep it? (Not that anyone has let anything slip so far, you've all been fantastic. I love how creative you all get in keeping it.) (And yes, the secret someone does have a song.)

 So, shall we begin?

Song One

Song Two

Song Three

Song Four

Song Five

Song Six, not a Josh Groban one, really shocking

Song Seven

Song Eight

 So, time to start guessing!!

 Quote is from Quest for Atlantis.




  1. I love your description of the first stages of editing. I, too, have wanted to stab my manuscript.

  2. According to my editor I use the word "smiled" far too often. I had to cut out half of them in my last book (I had over 80 smiling people and it annoyed my editor). LOL I understand... though I actually do enjoy the editing process (partially because I'm not the one doing the editing, I'm just reading the recommendations and changing/fixing things accordingly now that I have actual editors... a grand thing, I tell you!)

    I love your contest idea... though I'm sure I'll be very bad at it. (I'm only about halfway through Haphazardly Implausible, so I'm not even sure I know all the characters yet (or even the big secret!!!))

    In regards to your comment on my blog: Marrying someone who "gets" your quotes is very important! (And if they don't "get" them all when you meet, as long as they're willing to learn, that works too). When we were dating, Derek once asked me what my "top ten" list was, and I told him quite a few serious things, and then (only partially joking) told him that the guy I married would have to let me quote Princess Bride while watching it and not get annoyed, and he would have to be able to listen to country music without cringing. Since that moment, he never complained about country music again (and now he even chooses to listen to it on his own), and he quotes Princess Bride along with me (and many other things... as we have many of the same tastes in movies and books).

    I often have friends where one spouse will talk about how their wife/husband won't watch (fill in the blank with their absolute favorite genre) with them... and I just have no ability to understand how that works. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to marry someone who I couldn't enjoy movies/books/music with. But then, perhaps those things are more important to me than to others. [shrug]

  3. OOOOH! That's a cool contest! I haven't read you book yet...*Sniffle*...but I think I already love the characters if Josh's songs inspired you! lol. His music is the bestest ever. ;)

    And I know this was your last post, but I never got around to commenting on it so....I think it's high time you've come right out and called yourself an author! I mean, that's what you ARE! :-D For all the work you put into it, (And I know it's TONS!) you have complete right to call yourself and author. So, high-five!

    Now I will take my cheese-ball and go. lol.


  4. I didn't listen to them all, and because I really don't want to win this (even though I wouldn't mind a spoiler for book 3... like the resolved cliffhanger! I'm willing to wait for it, though. It's good patience skills), I will guess that song two is the whole entire cast? I know it's not. If I had to pick one person, it would be Isidore... But it really reminds me of almost everyone (maybe not Steed... or Mr. Leger. xD).

    Anytime you yell KHAN, even if it's not the opportune moment, it doesn't matter, because it will make it the opportune moment. It's just one of those amazing quotes like that. At Comicon this year, they had Star Trek t-shirts that said Comic-KHAAAAAANN!! They're pretty funny.

    That's okay, I have enough sap over here in After the Twelfth Night... There's just this one scene that just makes me grimace. I've already changed it once... but it's still too sappy. Bleh.

  5. Hehe, the phrase I use too much is, "rolled his/her eyes." I also scowl a lot.

    Le contest.....
    Gosh this is going to be freaking hard, a lot of the characters can relate to more than one. *sigh*

    Anyhoo... I'm guessing it's just the *main* characters?

    Peter: You Are Loved.... (oh... he is. I do. lol. :D)
    Darcy: Falling Slowly
    Steed: This is Home? (I LOOOOOVE that song, btw.)
    Isadore: If I Walk away?
    Tony: February Song
    Jack: False Alarms or Shine. I couldn't decide.
    Aden: Brave
    Hogan: ...... Bells of New York City?

    Ehhhhh.... I think that's it. I feel like I did *dreadfully*. Maybe you can let me know how many I got wrong? lol. See the problem is that I can fit multiple characters to each of those.... and as you know, I really suck at deciding.

    It's a cool contest idea though. Clever and unique. You should do it more often!

  6. 1. February Song: Tony. Because he wouldn't let ya down. :P...>_>
    2. You Are Loved: Peter. 'Cause Peter is a main character, so he needs the love.
    3. Bells of New York City: ...errr...wat...? Kirk. The dashing sir Kirk. Why not?
    4. Falling Slowly: Steed to Hannah (psh, the flirt... *rolls eyes*). But I'm actually thinking it's Darcy.
    5. If I Walk Away: Isadore (though he'd never admit it to Jack)
    6. This Is Home: Singur (because Hogan...and...yeah. Makes sense.)
    7. Shine: (what in the world Lewis...???) Max. Obviously. Duh.
    8. Brave: Jackeroony. Yup. Sure. Jack. Why not?

  7. Jack ... I think you got the quote wrong. I think it's bridge, not bomb. "I made a bridge, and it only took me, what, five minutes." I could be wrong of course ... but it was only the other week that I watched Quest for Atlantis.

    I'll try to figure out which song goes to who ... I think I figured out six ... but the rest of the ones I've listened to can go to multiple characters ...

