Well hello there! Long time, no see! Did you miss me???
Yeah, me too...
I took a long break from my precious blog, and I guess you could say I'm back now... sort of. I want to rearrange my blog posts to make them more interesting... you know--spice things up a bit! I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to go about doing it, but I thought I should let you know that I am thinking about it!
I'm all right, too, in case you were wondering.
At the beginning of April, I found out one of my sisters died, and it hit me pretty hard. For a while I didn't blog because I couldn't focus on anything, and then I just didn't do it because I had no more motivation. It has been really tough, and I still burst into tears at random times, but I know that she wouldn't want me to just sit back and sulk; My sister would want me to live. It took me a while to get to that point in my thought patterns, but now I'm finally getting back on track.
I abandoned the notion that I should only write one story at a time; I'm currently writing three different novels, with a fourth playing in the back of my mind. Reaper is outlined fully and ready to go. I'm finishing up the first chapter of The Tattooed Bride, on the second chapter of Johnny Darkling, and toying with the outline of The Keeper of Time. It's all very exciting! Of course I'm still keeping The Dead Half, Kiss of the Phoenix, Night Owls, Falconswatch, and my other stories in my peripheral, so they don't get left behind, but the three previously mentioned novels are my current focus.
I've also been keeping myself busy, putting together my Unusuals tome, bookmarks, soundtracks, and jewelry... I'm making "Team Falcon" and "Team Davis" beaded bracelets, lol. I'll post pictures soon :)
The Heroes of Edenville is either being finished up by the proofreaders, or is already in the hands of my editor, I'm not sure which. The scheduled release date is still sometime in June, but I'm not sure of the exact day. I'll let you all know more as I find out.
Well, I'll be sure to post more later; I simply wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive, and thinking of you! Much love, my friends!

The Unusuals Playlist, Vol. 3

Here's some more weekly music to entertain you! I bring you volume three of forty-one of the Unusuals soundtrack! Hope this inspires you!

1. N.W.O. - Ministry
2. Paddy's Lament - Flogging Molly
3. Rag Doll - Aerosmith
4. T.N.T. - AC/DC
5. Vampires - Godsmack
6. Yellow - Coldplay
7. You Got to Fight for Your Right to Party - The Beastie Boys
8. B.B.K. - Korn
9. Dance With The Devil - Breaking Benjamin
10. Face Pollution - Soundgarden
11. Half Jack - The Dresden Dolls
12. Jamies Got a Gun - Aerosmith
13. A Lack of Color - Death Cab for Cutie
14. Naked as We Came - Iron & Wine
15. Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car - Iron & Wine
16. The Rain Must Fall - Yanni
17. Take It All Away - Ryan Cabrera
18. Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
19. Shake it Like a Salt Shaker - Ying Yang Twins & Lil Jon

Daily Dose of Randomness: AC/DC, Antithetic, BBQ and The Tattooed Bride

Good afternoon my lovelies! I have to tell you something... I am no longer a math major! I used to be really good at math; it was my best subject, but now I think I'm nearly in over my head! Last quarter I had a professor who did everything but really teach! I learned more from the book than I did from him, and I barely passed the class... now I'm in my second math class and it's entirely online. I really loathe it! I don't get their video demonstrations, and the system totally sucks! So I've fallen a bit behind, but guess what? I'm gonna rock them today! I totally decided I'm going to do everything I can to make up what I haven't completed yet, today! I've got my math book at the ready, my Internet all hooked up, and some quiet time where Nick is going over to a friends' house! Hooray! So today's song of the day is "For Those About to Rock!" by AC/DC! I know, totally apropos!

The only thing that sucks about this day is that it's back to raining... yesterday was wonderful! I walked around without a jacket all day! It was glorious, and the air was laced with the scent of people on the grill! I miss those good ol' BBQ days! Where have they gone? I so love the scent of a good BBQ; mean cooking over charcoal briquettes... mmmmm... seems the only way I'm gong to get it today is to walk by Famous Dave's! LOL, I know the BBQ's time will come back soon... keep your fingers crossed from some delicious summer weather to float our way!

Today's word of the day is "Antithetic" which is an adj. meaning "sharply contrasted in character or purpose." I read the definition and I could immediately think of one scene from The Heroes of Edenville where Falcon demonstrated that he could be antithetic. In the car with Wynnie the afternoon after their fight, Wynnie expected Falcon to push her buttons a little, or put his two cents in when she left herself a little vulnerable, but he didn't. THAT shocked Wynnie and Docker to no end! Normally Falcon would have taunted; would have teased, and yet he kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything!

I can't wait until The Heroes of Edenville comes out! Hurry up, November!

Today however, I'm going to continue to also work on The Tattooed Bride. I know I was fighting between which story I wanted to write: Reaper, Johnny Darkling, or The Keeper of Time. So I chose one! The Tattooed Bride! LOL. I wrote a couple pages of chapter one yesterday, and I'm very excited! Maybe I'll post a bit of it on Friday...

Peace, love and chicken grease!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Frank Sinatra, Amorphous, Moraccan Mint and The Tattoed Bride

Today I'm in a pretty good mood! I slept well last night, and today I think I'm going to get some work done! I'm in a Frank Sinatra type mood - you could say "I've Got You Under My Skin"! I feel like blaring some old blue eyes, and cleaning up my library! It would be a really good thing to do considering I haven't been resident in my library for a few weeks! I'm going to need it so I can sip on my Moroccan Mint Tea and work on The Tattooed Bride!

For those of you who don't know, Moroccan Mint is my favorite type of Stash Tea, and I take it with three splendas! It's smell is also Divine, and I can't believe I haven't had a cup since last year!

As for the Tattooed Bride - have I told you about her? Her name is Eve.

Eve woke up one day and didn't know who she was. She didn't have any records, no ID, but she appeared to be a young teenage girl in the eyes of her foster parents. Eve alone could see that her ears were sharply pointed, and vibrant colorful shifting tattoos covered her body... only mirrors could reveal them, and only to her.

Eve gets adopted by an aristocratic family, who really only wanted a cheap nanny for their own two bratty children. Eve feels like a freak and is grateful to her new family, obeying their every whim despite the warnings from her best friend, and the fact that she's treated much like a slave. She's meek and ready to jump when her vicious mother says to, that is until the family funds start to dwindle down. Her parents are terrified of losing their social standing, and they fight to hide the disappearance of their wealth. In an effort to amend their damages, they agree to marry Eve off to a filthy rich newcomer in the neighborhood. Eve is stunned, considering she's never even met the man, and for the first time that she can remember, she thinks about rebelling. She knows she won't go through with running away, but her heart starts breaking as she realizes she's giving up her very freedom for the sake of her unappreciative aristocratic guardians!

On the day of her wedding, she sits in her dressing room alone, freaking out, and there's a light knock on the door. Her fiancee comes in to have a private word with her. He's young and handsome, though Eve has trouble even looking at him, lest her heart break even more. He tells her that he doesn't want to make her do anything she doesn't want to do, and he never actually thought she would agree to this. He says he would love to marry her, but not against her will. He offers her her freedom... and she declines. This guy is the first person beside her best friend who's ever been nice to her. How bad could it be for someone who didn't have any dreams of her own, to marry a man who would appreciate her? Maybe even love her?

With a new found courage, Eve goes towards the isle with her arrogant father on her arm, and just when she's about to get to the alter, a giant grotesque, winged creature erupts from the mirror at the head of the room and steals away her fiancee, disappearing once more behind reflective glass.

Amidst the panic, Eve's maid reveals the truth... Eve is from another realm; another dimension beyond the mirror. She can chose to go through the mirror since she alone has the power to travel between worlds - the only problem is that whenever someone travels through the mirror, their memories get erased... She can go back to where she came from to save her reluctant fiancee, but when she gets there she won't know who he is, let alone why she's there, or even her own name!

I'm so happy with this story! It becomes so much more! Eve's tattoos show up when she crosses over, and she finds she can use their magic to help her - a sword solidifying from her flesh, lightening zapping from her fingertips, and a fiercely protective wolf jumps from her calf to save her. She's labeled an assassin and hunted for the way she looks because of the tattoos, and she teams up with a thief named Lucky to search out her fiancee, ignoring the prophecy that states that she will bring an end to the reign of terror across the kingdoms! Yay! :)

What do you think?


Hahahahahahahahahahaha! I can't believe it, but I forgot to put in the word of the day!

Amorphous is an adj., meaning "having no definite form or distinct shape'" like the "ghosts" or "Red Vapor/Sun People" from my Unusuals trilogy! They are amorphous and red, like a gas, and they attack the parasites that reside in the bodies of the Unusuals, slowly killing them! :)

Daily Dose of Randomness: Breaking Benjamin, Agrestic, Skunk Stink and Reaper

I nearly finished reading "13 to Life" yesterday, and if it hadn't been so late I would have finished the last fifty pages... Today I shall change that! I am SO into the story! Pietr is awesome! His song is "How Wants to Live Forever?" by Queen, and I think that is great because my third favorite song is the remake by Breaking Benjamin! I absolutely adore that song, so it's perfect for today's song of the day!

Yesterday wasn't such a great day for me... I felt like a schmuck (excuse my unruly mouth, there isn't a better term for how I felt). It seemed that I couldn't do anything right, so today I'm not in the best of moods. I was thinking about how I could switch that around and I keep thinking that yesterday stunk... even blurted that it stunk like skunk! Truth is, I'm an extremely weird person, and I actually like the smell of diluted skunk spray... I'll admit it! I know there are a tremendous amount of people out there who are like me, but won't be caught dead admitting they like the stench! I drive down the highway and I smell the skunk on the side of the road, and while others plug their noses and roll up their windows, I take a good whiff before I join them (just to hide that I like it, lol). So it's perfect for today you see, because I'm taking something that's considered a bad thing, and turning it into something I can handle. I can handle skunk... I can handle skunk like no other! Love it! LOL.

The word of the day is "Agrestic." It's a adj meaning "characteristic of the fields or country". Very interesting! I've never heard this word, but it's something I can get used to! I can say that the Davis's and Baker grew up in agrestic surroundings! I love my farm boys!

As for the project of the day... gonna work on Reaper some more! Got my nose stuck in a book yesterday, so I didn't write really. Today I shall give it attention! And wouldn't you know it? The sun is shining outside! Yay! I think today is going to be great! Happy April, everyone!

Daily Dose of Randomness: LMFAO, Affluent, Coconut Lime and Reaper

Today's going to be crazy, I can feel it! The forecast is calling for heavy rain, and I find myself once again fouling up on my mathematics... hmmm.... time for a nap! But no, I must brave the storm and go to work...

LMFAO is an awesome duo who are sweeping the nation with their music, such as "I'm Sexy and I Know It," but today's song of the day is "Sorry for Party Rocking"! Makes me want to rock the boat!

Coconut Lime candle anyone? I LOVE the smell of this one! Makes me hunger... oh... perhaps it's not such a good scent for the day then... :/

Today's word is "Affluent." I've heard it before but I honestly didn't know what it meant. It's and adj meaning "having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value." Wish I was affluent! LOL, somebody is today, considering the lotto was drawn last night! Anyone I know win it? If so, could I borrow $50???

Money sucks... so today I'm going to focus on Reaper and learn from my characters how to love and fight, even in the worst position!

Friday Freebies: Meet Falcon...

Here's the first part of "The Heroes of Edenville" where we meet Falcon. I hope you enjoy! This is the one part of the book that was written over and over, and over, and over, and over... and over...

Falcon sat atop the St. Joseph’s church roof on the island, watching the fog creep up and down the streets. He watched as it engulfed the bridge to the mainland, and went on for as far as he could see. He glanced over his shoulder at the cross, and snickered evilly. Quite the ironic place for a vampire to seek sanctuary. In truth, he didn’t know why he had chosen the church. It wasn’t that he sought God for the answers. The church wasn’t even the biggest building around, but still, there he was, far from his home which was back on the mainland. The abnormal sensation only grew stronger as he settled down near the cross.

He had been drawn to the island. Some unheard message, trying to get the word out. Something…different. Falcon couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew there was something coming. He was anxious and nervous, and on-edge. His palms were sweaty, and his long coal-black hair was slicked back from perspiration, as the night pumped adrenaline through his veins. The higher up he went, the stronger the feeling. Maybe it’s the cosmos…he thought, reaching up to the sky, as if he could touch the stars themselves. Then he chuckled, so what exactly is going on with my horoscope tonight?

A chilling breeze caught him in the chest, and he breathed in the scent of the night. The cooling temperature didn’t affect him, even with his muscularly lean torso bare. The fog tried to creep up the side of the brick building, wanting to touch Falcon. To embrace him. He smiled at the mist as it stretched and reached for him, with ghost-like hands, wanting to suck the warmth from his very soul. He laughed. There was no warmth… no soul… Falcon liked the cold.

Awesome, ain't he? :)

Weekly Book Fiber

I know I was supposed to post this last night, and you're all probably expecting a daily dose of randomness, however I had homework that needed to get done last night, so I didn't get around to review all the wonderful stories I read this last week! I got up early this morning, just so I could get on here for you all! :)

I read quite a few stories in my downtime this week... hope you enjoy!

"Awakening Evarun Parts I-III" by Tom Barczak

I was very excited to read all three parts consecutively (there are actually six total, but I only have the first three so far). If you checked in with me last week, I posted a review for Part II, where I explained that the story was unique and intriguing, but a little confusing because I had jumped right into an action sequence since it was part 2 and not part 1. Well, now I've read 1, 2, and 3! The idea behind the story is very original, and the writing is superb! Tom has a way with words that left me breathless! We follow the story of Talus; a dead prince who was brought back to life to save the dead and fight back against the evil wizards who are taking over everything. It reminds me a lot of the heroic dragonlance books I used to read as a child, and that brought back so many welcome memories. I had a great time reading these books, and I can't wait for the rest of them! I do wish that there was more to the story however, because I feel it's missing something whenever the scene jumps to a different place. I would love to know how the transition between parts two and three really happened without just being told that something had. I would love to have read about the little battle with the wolves, and how they escaped the Dragon Storm. Still, I'll keep reading, because I'm drooling for more!

"Bitter Kisses" by Julieanne Lynch

This story was pretty interesting; dealing with angels, fallen angels, and of course a vampire. The idea was original, however I felt it went too fast; like I was missing vital parts of the story. The ending especially seemed to speed up, like the writer was ready to be done with it. I wanted to know more about Ysoriel and Antoine. I wanted to know what actually will happen now, and not in a way that says "awesome cliffhanger." I felt it needed something else.

"Fallen" by S.K. Whiteside

Great story. I like the idea about Grace and her guardian angel. I really wish I had seen more of their budding relationship between him showing up to him staying with her, but the idea behind it was fantastic! I love the way danger seems to be lurking and keeping you on your toes as you see the two fall in love. I like the unlikely circumstance they are in, and it has me holding my breath as I wait to find out the outcome!

"Harvest Moon" by J.E. Taylor

Sick, twisted storyline and I loved it! I thought some things could be left out, and more information should have been added in regards to the belladonna, but I love this new take on shape shifters. It wasn't what I expected at all, and it kept me reading nonstop until it was all over! Great short story!

"Inked" by Everly Drummond

Now that's what I call erotica! It was awesome! I really felt like I was in their heads, and a part of the story! Their emotions were electric and I felt every heartbeat and bead of sweat! Love this author and think that she did a fantastic job!

"A Look of Love" by Darlene Panzera

This was a beautiful story about truth; the truth of what we all really want in life. We just want to be loved, and when it comes down to it, are we just settling? Would it be worth it? I thought this was very heartwarming and relatible, and simply a joy to read!

"Micah's Magick" by Anya Bast

I've heard of Anya Bast and how amazing she is, so when Micah's Magick came available I leapt at it. There were quite a few spelling errors in the book that had me rereading the sentences, but the storyline was decent. I think there should have been more resistance from the guy they were tracking, but the love between Micah and Emily was tangible. I enjoyed this read, and I think I might check out something else by the author. I would only suggest that an editor take a look at this one, it could use a little help.

As a follow up, I saw the Hunger Games in theaters and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the book! Also, I ready "Beasts and BFFs" last week, and I received my copy of the story it goes along with - "13 to Life" which I'll also be reviewing after I complete it!

Peace, love and chicken grease!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Paramore, Aepyornis, Cookies, and Hope

So, I've been a little bad lately... I've neglected my blog for the sake of spending time with my boyfriend. You may have read about our anniversary, which was this last Sunday; Nick and I didn't do much at all on Sunday, so we planned some time together on Monday... and that turned into Tuesday as well! We went and saw The Hunger Games! I'm very excited about that one! I was going to do a Sunday critique of it this weekend, but I think I'll read the book first and then do a whole comparison critique! :)

I've also been bad in other ways... I said I was taking a break from the Unusuals, but that's not entirely true... I just can't put them down! I've been working on the outline for The Keeper of Time, which is the bonus book for the trilogy, and I've also been working on the Hope series! That's what I'll be doing today if I have time! I'm in need of a few hours of homework time!

Hallelujah by Paramore is the song of the day, because I don't feel like giving up! I'm gonna make this last forever! Hallelujah to my heroes! With them I am home, which is why I chose the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies! Oooooooooh! Makes my mouth water just thinking about them!

The word of the day is Aepyornis. It's a noun meaning "elephant bird, aepyornis huge (to 9 ft.) extinct flightless bird of Madagascar. I've never heard of it! I think I'm going to look for pictures, and maybe I'll have Drake create a aepyornis or two for the extinct animals sanctuary in the Hope series! That would be awesome!!! What do you think?

Happy Thursday all! Don't forget to check in later for this weeks Book Fiber Reviews!

The Unusuals Playlist, vol. 2

Music is a huge part of my life, especially when it comes to my writing. Each one of my stories has a soundtrack, and none of them have ever been as big as The Unusuals playlist. There are 41 volumes in the set, which took almost 2 years to put together! It's changed a few times, but now that the trilogy is done, I'm off to start other soundtracks for new stories.
Today's playlist is volume two! I hope you enjoy! :)

1. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
2. C-C-C-Cinnomon Lips - Ok GO
3. Each Coming Night - Iron and Wine
4. The Game - Disturbed
5. I'll Be There - Sade
6. Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
7. M79 - Vampire Weekend
8. O Valencia - The Decemberists
9. Go Ninja Go - Vanilla Ice
10. Sacred Lie - Disturbed
11. Unconditional - The Bravery
12. Valentine's Day - Marilyn Manson
13. Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
14. Love Shack - The B-52's
15. Dam That River - Alice in Chains
16. Fa Fa - Guster
17. Haifisch - Rammstein
18. Jack the Ripper - The White Stripes
19. La La Means I Love You - Delfonics

How I Met My Soul Mate

Due to the fact that today is my five year anniversary with my boyfriend, Nick, I decided to do something different for my morning blog. Oh, I could tell you that today's song is Satellite by Guster and the smell is roses. I can also tell you that I'm not planning on writing today at all, and the word of the day is one that most people think they know; Love. What is love? For this word we don't need dictionaries or special apps on our phones; Love IS. It's what makes you happiest. It's what you get up for every day. It stops your heart in your chest when the one you should be with is near, and sends cascades of butterflies drifting through your abdomen. Love makes you think, and makes you change. Love is something we as humans, would do anything for. It's more than just a feeling, or emotion; Love is breathing. It is a way of life!

I am in love with a man named Nick Song.

Nick and I met in the fall of 2006 at a movie theater in California. I had used to work there, and being that most of my friends still did, I spent a lot of time there. Nick had just been hired on, and one of my very best girlfriends had come over to tell me about him. Laura had been crushing on another guy at work, but still thought that Nick was a total gentleman, funny and cute, and she wanted me to meet him.

When I was introduced to Nick for the first time, he was mad at something, so he was short with me. I couldn't help but think 'she likes him? I would never date him!' Turns out catching him on a bad day didn't effect the rest of our relationship! Every time after that, he was smiling and joking and I couldn't help but to be drawn into his giddy life, just like anyone else would. It was very surprising to me how quickly I fell in love with him.

I'd had my heart broken pretty badly before, and I thought that I would never find anyone like my ex. Once some time had gone by, I started to realize that happiness didn't have to come in the form of a man, so I resigned to be happy alone. I just happened to meet Nick at that time, and he thought I was just as happy as him. My smile attracted him, and I was shocked when he asked me out! Of course Laura gave me her blessing (she ended up marrying the other guy at work :) it's another totally awesome story! Love you Laura!), and I said yes to Nick!

Nick and I went on our first date on March 25, 2007. I was so nervous that I made myself sick! Even though I was extremely nauseous, I had the time of my life and never wanted it to end! I had been a little sheltered when it came to certain things... like foods... and Nick made it his mission to get me to explore. In our first three dates I had oysters, Mongolian BBQ, and Korean food. None of those had I ever tried before. Being with Nick was a new experience in itself! He worshipped the ground I walked on, and I him.

Within a few months I had moved in with him, and we've been together ever since! Now we live in Washington with our two beautiful cats; he's a culinary assistant at the OG, and I'm an author who just happens to work for PS. We bide our time now as funds are low, with talk of marriage and children! Life is great! Love is great! I love you Nick! Happy Anniversary, baby!

The Vault: Imagination is a Scary Thing

I pulled a short little page from the Vault to share with you! It's a little creative piece I did in either my sophomore or junior year of high school... so at least a decade ago! I hope you enjoy it!

Imagination

          A sea of papery crisp leaves lay across the forest floor, and cast crumbling waves crashing at her feet. The pearl-white moon, like a snowflake, was silent and hidden by the tall heads of the trees. Rustles were heard as sleepy foxes and badgers crept home to their dens. Birds fluttered, screeched and flew fast past her, toward their nests. Startled, she jumped back. The lumbering trees were as soldiers marching at her in the dark, closing in, and she ran. Wolves howled in the distance and owls hooted, like thousands of cries that seemed to follow her throughout the woods. The wind whistled through the trees, echoed off the mountains and with a voice that was hushed like a whisper, it called her name. Danger lurked everywhere, yet nowhere, like some mysterious presence. The eyes of the forest gazed cruelly at her and she ran faster. She caught her foot on a low branch and tumbled forward, her body landing with a thud and piercing pain, her face pressed down on the scratchy leaves.
          Hands gripped at her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. She stood panting and looked into the loving face of her father. Rifle in hand and fur at his feet, he plucked a leaf from her matted hair, and stroked the side of her dirt-smudged face. Then he took her4 in his arms, at last she was safe. A peace settled over the forest. All eyes closed their heavy lids with a sigh. There was nothing to be scared of anymore. The dark had brought with it nightmares beyond reality, and she realized that imagination is a scary thing."


What did you think of my first vault entry? I'm very excited about this! I have so many stories and ideas, poems and tales to tell! All of these were written by me (mostly from before The Heroes of Edenville, 8 years ago!), and I can't believe how much my writing has grown since then! I read Imagination now, and I can see how I would rewrite it, and it's awesome!

Hmmmm... now to pick something for next week... :) Ta!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Black Eyed Pease, Adhocracy, Grass and Paper

Today I'm craving the intoxicating aroma of freshly cut grass... come on summer, you can do it! I want to have the warm sun baking down on me, with the brightness of the blue sky illuminated above. I want to wear shorts and wish there was something shorter I could wear in public that wouldn't be humiliating, that way more air could reach my sweat-soaked limbs! I want lemonade stands to pop up on street corners, and swimming pool toys to clutter the isles at Walmart! Hooray for freshly cut grass!

As the Black Eyed Peas so amply state "Let's Get it Started"!

The word of the day is Adhocracy which is a noun that means "an organization with little or no structure." I believe that's what Hope was before they had a name! Before Davis and the others gave it a purpose! Before Canon gave them a home! Before Chuck told them the world will end unless they're careful! Davis's gang was simply an adhocracy back in Edenville, and now it's so much more!

That's what I'll be working with today... I need to cut paper for the books so I can print fresh copies! Later on I'll be pulling a little somethin' somethin' from the Vault to share with you! For those of you who don't remember, the Vault is where I keep all my stories from the past, and ideas for the future, so stay tuned for something special!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Coheed and Cambria, Acousticophobia, Strawberries and Heroes Snippets

This morning I got up almost two hours early just to make sure I'm prepared for today. First I'll be going to work, and then immediately after I'll be going to school for the first day of my 3D modeling class. So far the 3D stuff in my other classes was really fun, so I'm actually looking forward to this one! As for work, I'm expecting my boss today to come inspect my property, and then grill me on my walk-in presentation. I'm not worried, but I'm not looking forward to it, so to get me in the mood I've come up with this most awesome list of intriguing... well... things...

My second favorite song in the whole world is "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria. I absolutely love the beat! You may have heard it a few times for movie trailers, like "9" and there's another but now I can't think of it... Anyway, it's totally awesome, and you should definitely look it up!

Today's word of the day is "Acousticophobia" which is a noun that means "morbid fear of sounds including your own voice." I had no idea there was a fear of sounds! I knew there was fear of spiders, germs, the sun, clowns, dirt... well I guess there's a phobia for everything! Maybe I'll have a character in my upcoming novels that has acousticophobia! That would be interesting! I could easily make them fit into the Hope series!

Speaking of, I'll be going through The Heroes of Edenville today to locate perfect little snippets for you all to read and enjoy! I've got two in mind, but I figured I'll scan the pages just to make sure I don't leave anything out that I think would motivate you to want to read. It's a truly rad story, and I know y'all will fall in love with it, just as I have!

Oh yeah, and today I chose the wonderfully aromatic scent of fresh strawberries! Remember to eat your fruit! :)

Weekly Book Fiber

So this week I read four short stories which I had downloaded to my kindle app. I'm really beginning to like the idea that I can download books straight onto my computer--though I would prefer a paper or hardback book in my hands, hands down! I read "Awakening Evarun Part II of VI" by Tom Barczak, "Beasts and BFFs" by Shannon Delany, "Beauty Touched the Beast" by Skye Warren, and "Bloodlust" by Larissa Ione.

Here's what I thought:

"Awakening Evarun Part II of VI" by Tom Barczak:
It was really confusing to start a story when it's clearly in the middle of an action scene, but that didn't deter me from reading on. The characters were intriguing and I couldn't help but wonder what had led up to this? and what will happen now? I really must get the rest of the stories and figure out exactly who all of these characters are, and why they are the way they are. I love the idea behind it! It was very unique, and I appreciated the change of scenery from the norm that I'm used to. I recommend this book, but I also suggest purchasing part one first...

"Beasts and BFFs" by Shannon Delany:
This was a bonus prequel story from Shannon's book "13 to Life," and I am going to purchase that book for sure! I've never read anything by her, but the short little story she put together captivated my attention, as did the different personality types of the three girls in it. Shannon continued this short story by adding a snippet of her book at the end, which I also devoured. I'm so curious about Pietr, and of course Derek! This book is definitely a page turner, and I can't wait to finish it!

"Beauty Touched the Beast" by Skye Warren:
I felt that this was a beautiful story about a secret love that comes out in the open. I love the relationship between the two characters, and enjoyed the fact that I most definitely have a different tempermant than Erin! I would have reacted very differently to the way Blake acted towards the end, and it's nice to know not everyone is as hotheaded as me! LOL. Still, I feel this story should have been longer. When it ended, it was almost in a rush, and though it was good, I was left wanting. I think if Skye had added in another page or two, maybe exploring Blake's emotions, and Erin's reactions a little more, that would have been more awesome! Still, Skye is a very good writer, and I enjoyed this short story.

"Bloodlust" by Larissa Ione:
This story was very intense and graphic! I've read some erotica in my time, but never as gruesome and heavy as this! It shocked and surprised me, and I found myself purely delighted at the ending! I wasn't sure where the story was going to go; was he going to give in? would he escape? would he and the vampire queen some how fall in love or something? But I think it ended perfectly! The story was brutal and shameless, and utterly perfect! Great job Larissa!


I should have some more stories read by next week, and I'll get you some more reviews! This is actually quite fun, and I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Flo Rida, Acanthoid, Chimney Smoke and Johnny Darkling

While I am still pretty tired, I have plenty to look forward to today! I'm a little bouncy--and hungry--so I think Flo Rida's "Right Round" ought to really get me going! I feel like pursing my lips and bobbing my head, so this song is perfect!

The word of the day is Acanthoid... weird one, I know, and when I saw it I just had to make it the subject of today's dictionary adventure. It is an adj. which means "shaped like a spine or thorn." Well you all know Drosdan from The Unusuals, right? Well, did you know that when he shape-shifts the lower half of his body becomes serpentine? And did you know that that snake-like appendage is covered with poisonous acanthoids? Hey, I like that word! What do you think?

Out of my three top favorite smells, I've already told you about my addiction to Lysol; Now I will tell you the one that tops the charts! Chimney smoke is my most favorite scent, and it is the aroma a choose to praise today! I can't enough of it when I'm outside and I can tell someone has a fireplace going! I just keep sniffing until it goes away... and then I am sad... Hey, I never said I wasn't strange!

Today's mission will be to finally complete the outline for Johnny Darkling, as it has been combined with it's sequel! I have to decide how to transition from Chloe finding out the tragedy and excitement of her past, to running away to save the lives of those she loves! Speaking of... Love you all! Hope you have a great day! Kisses!

Introducing... Wynnie Valentino from The Unusuals Trilogy!

Wynter "Wynnie" Valentino was born on November 29, 1987 to her loving parents, Paul and Eloisa, in Edenville, Maine. Paul was a Caucasian construction worker from the lower-middle class, and Eloisa was a shrewd advertising agent from old money. Eloisa's  parents--the Cortez's--didn't approve of their daughters marriage to Paul, and thus tried to get them to divorce. They were unsuccessful in their attempts, but when Wynnie was nearing four years of age, Eloisa hurt her arm pretty bad in a car accident and ended up addicted to pain killers. She started abusing the drugs and after a failed rehab attempt, Paul ended up taking Wynnie and leaving Eloisa. Even though Paul didn't have as much money or standing in the community as Eloisa or her aristocratic parents, he managed to gain full custody of his daughter and moved with her to San Francisco, CA. Eloisa tried to see her daughter, but Paul feared that she would only hurt her, and refused to let it happen. He destroyed all evidence that Eloisa cared about her daughter, including letters and birthday cards, save for a few pictures he kept hidden for himself. He figured one day he would tell Wynnie what really happened, but didn't get around to it until Wynnie was nearly twenty-one.

Wynnie was never a popular girl, considering she was an Unusual. The aura around her deterred other people from wanting to get close, so Wynnie was always an outcast. She didn't seem to care much though, and was content to play boardgames with her father in the evenings and hang out with what little friends she did have, in the day time. She was a typical goth/punk, bleaching her dark chocolate brown hair, blond, until she moved to Edenville and dyed it bright blue with fuchsia streaks. She was always petite and pretty, with stunningly gorgeous metallic gold eyes. If it wasn't for her Unusual background, she probably would have been the most popular girl in school!

Wynnie got decent grades, but was a day dreamer, and was constantly fantasizing about backpacking across Europe. It was her ultimate goal to take her Alaskan Husky, named King, and just spend a year or so abroad. She studied different cultures and languages, though found she didn't quite get passed the basics. Surprisingly enough she was a math major in her first semester in college.

Wynnie's first and only job she ever had was at a movie theater, and that's where she met Peter Malloy. Peter was a wisecrack alcoholic, the same age as Wynnie. He brought her oddball things you'd find at the cash register at a drug store, as tokens of his admiration, and Wynnie couldn't help but laugh and swoon when he smiled. They were connected at the hip, and worked together, went to school together, hung out in the same group, and even spent the night at each others houses. Paul looked at Peter and his brother Leon as the sons he never had, and Peter's family loved Wynnie and accepted her without a hitch.

Wynnie wanted to be a normal college girl, so she let Peter drag her to parties, where she pretended to enjoy herself. Drinking and getting stoned was not really her forte, but if Peter was there, she would be too. One night they were invited to a party in the more snooty area of downtown, where Peter got totally trashed. The one thing you should know about Peter was that when he drank he tended to get angered easily, and even became violent. Wynnie knew that, so she hid Peter's keys and told him they would just have to walk home. She expected some yelling on his part, after all that was the worst he'd ever done towards her, but on that night, something in Peter snapped.

Wynnie tried to help Peter up as he stumbled around, and he ended up getting furious with her. He chased her into an alley where he attacked and raped her, holding a knife to her throat before knocking her out. Wynnie suffered two horrendous scars from the attack, and many more that were emotionally damaging, however, things only got worse. Wynnie was found by a designated driver in a group of men, and she was rushed to the hospital. When her father asked her what happened and heard what Peter had done, Paul went to have a word with her best friend. Peter had no memory of hurting Wynnie, but the scene escalated, and Paul accidentally murdered Peter. The next thing Wynnie knew, her father was behind bars, and her best friend who had raped her, was dead.

Many of Wynnie's friends blamed Wynnie for what happened, and she found it nearly impossible to show her face in public. She was embarrassed and ashamed, blaming herself for what had happened. The trial was gruesome, and Eloisa was contacted when Wynnie suddenly found herself without a home as Paul was sentenced to prison time. Wynnie resented her mother and cursed her for abandoning her. Eloisa never said a word in defense, believing her daughters cruel accusations to be true, and also not wanting to discredit her ex-husband any more.

The depression got so bad that Wynnie knew she couldn't stay in San Francisco anymore, so she begrudgingly accepted Eloisa's offer to move in with her back in Edenville. Wynnie had never felt more alone and insecure. Secretly she planned on saving up enough money to last her a while, and simply drop off the face of the Earth for a while with her dog. Edenville didn't feel like a home to her, even though some of its inhabitants were remarkably similar to her. She did her best to ignore Eloisa, and the boys from school who showed interest in her; after all, no one could ever really, truly know her.

Wynnie could walk on water as easily as if it were a solid floor. She could catch glimpses of the future or the past, and she could move things with her mind. Never knowing that there were any other people out there that were like her, Wynnie's only confidant was her little diary.

Then Wynnie met Davis, Falcon and the others, and found that Unusuals existed. Davis could fly and Falcon was a bit of a vampire with an attitude, and all of the other guys could do extraordinary things as well. Suddenly, Wynnie wasn't alone... she could talk to others about what she could do. She could share experiences with each of Davis's gang with no fear or hesitation, and she could finally learn to love again.

Both Davis and Falcon showed an interest in Wynnie--though Falcon's wasn't quite as subtle as the adoration Davis had in his eyes for the only other female Unusual they'd met. Of course all of the guys were interested and excited to have Wynnie around, and for just a short while, Wynnie thought that life might not be so bad... that was until she was nearly kidnapped by an invisible person, and her diary was stolen with it's precious contents...

Read more about Wynnie in the upcoming re-release of The Heroes of Edenville, coming out in November 2012!

Daily Dose of Randomness: Ozzy, Abnegate, Daffodils and Blogging

So today's song is "Let Me Hear You Scream" by Ozzy Osbourne! Today is the day I'll be dealing with something that will be difficult to keep my mouth shut through... Ozzy is giving me courage! This song makes me want to jump up and down with my fist in the air and scream until my lungs burst with ferocious energy!

The word of the day is Abnegate. It's a verb and it means "deny oneself (something); refrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure. Today I will abnegate my true feelings until I'm here alone with you. I will also be abnegating my stories today due to the aggressive emotions I told you about yesterday. No worries though, it's only a minor setback.

Three words: Daffodil Bath Salt... I LOVE that stuff! It smells spectacular, and it really calms me down! I'm a big bath salt girl anyway, but the daffodil really gets me! Sure it doesn't last very long, and soon the scent is gone, but while it's there, just that small whiff is enough to slow the blood flow in my body!

Today I don't think I'll be doing much in the way of writing my stories. I don't know how I'm going to feel tonight, but I shall be working on a few treats I have lined up for my blog for this weekend! I'll be opening up the vault and pulling something delicious out for you to read! Also, later this afternoon I'll be back to introduce one of my characters to you, so check in later to get the scoop on Wynnie Valentino from The Unusuals!

Peace, love and chicken grease!

Tuesday's Alphabet Soup: Aggression

Today I believe an appropriate summary of my emotions would be aggression. Aggression can be a good thing and a bad thing in the writing industry, for me as well. If there's one thing the artists I've worked with can tell you about me, is that I'm aggressive when it comes to meeting goals. I don't always get to the deadline, but I'm constantly pressing (in as nice a way as possible) to get the job done. I was also very aggressive when I started out in the publishing world. I searched relentlessly for an avenue that would be both beneficial and satisfying when it came to my expectations for The Heroes of Edenville. I printed from home, then got self-published, and now I've been picked up by a pro publishing company! Persistent and aggressive, I sought out my destiny to become a known author, and now I'm living that dream!

However, aggression can also be a bad thing in my world... like today for instance. I found out that I'm going to be punished for something incredibly minuscule and inconsequential! I don't want to say that old cliche of "That's not fair!" because it's just that... a cliche. Still, I don't get recognized for the things that I DO do from this person, and yet I'm going to be reprimanded for something that didn't quite meet "standards"? That makes me angry! That makes me want to blow up and tell this person exactly how it is! The emotions welled up inside me, and the aggression I felt towards this person has kept me unable from fulfilling my writing goals today. When I'm mad my writing is never up to par, and that's such a disappointment.

I'm an optimistic person, and I know that the grass is greener, and that it's not the end of the world... it COULD be worse, however there are certain emotions that tug on my creative impulses, making them damn near impossible to bring to light! I'll deal with the yelling, the screaming, the kicking and biting, or bits of spittle that fly in sporadic flurries towards my face, with dignity and poise. However my imagination isn't in the right place, and thus I cannot pay my friends in Edenville a visit without upsetting the balance...

Tomorrow it will be over with, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will spend the next several hours stomping around, cursing at no one, and flinging my arms around as I point a finger at my invisible foe. After all that has ebbed, I know that things will be better. I'm not looking forward to the situation itself, but at the same time, I can't wait! I don't like it when there is something out there that has power over this side of me. I will not let it take control. No matter how far away I am emotionally, I live in a world of great splendor, and vibrant, exuberant vitality, that no other place in the universe can compare to! And when the day is done and the deed has passed, I can go home, and my worries cannot find me there.

I almost feel like saying "nanny nanny boo boo" to this person, but I guess I'll settle for smiling inside while they get their own aggression off their chest! The moment their gone, that's when I'll stick out my tongue and wiggle my fingers near my ears! I pity you, dude! I wish there was a way you could fix your aggression without taking it out on me though.

The Unusuals Playlist, vol. 1

Music is a huge part of my life, especially when it comes to my writing. Each one of my stories has a soundtrack, and none of them have ever been as big as The Unusuals playlist. There are 41 volumes in the set, which took almost 2 years to put together! It's changed a few times, but now that the trilogy is done, I'm off to start other soundtracks for new stories.

I'm pretty eclectic when it comes to music though I'm not very fond of country or rap. Some songs are all right, but mainly I'm a rock and roll girl, with a dash of electronica fever! I want to make it known that I am not a fan of ICP (Insane Clown Posse), however they do have one song that I had to listen to every time I started writing for the day, during the last six months of writing The Heroes of Edenville. That song is called "Rainbows n' Stuff". LOVE IT!

So for the playlist updates in my blog, I'll give you titles and bands that belong on each of the soundtracks. Today is The Unusuals vol. 1. Hope you enjoy!

1. Hall of the Mountain King - The Hit Crew
2. Rainbows N' Stuff - Insane Clown Posse
3. Whisper - Evanescence
4. The Night - Disturbed
5. Map of the Problematique - Muse
6. Rain - Breaking Benjamin
7. Careless Whisper - Seether
8. Save You - Kelly Clarkson
9. So Cold - Breaking Benjamin
10. Unintended - Muse
11. Burnin' Up - Judas Priest
12. Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane
13. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
14. Back in Black - AC/DC
15. A Little Piece of Heaven - Avenged Sevenfold
16. Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson
17. Right Round - Flo Rida
18. Hall of the Mountain King - DJ Liquid (I think that's who does it... it's a techno version of track 1)

Daily Dose of Randomness: U2, Abecedarian, Lysol and Johnny Darkling!

This will be my first in hopefully a long line of random stuff morning posts! I think I'll start with a song to get me in the mood for my day, then a word I've never heard, an inspirational smell, and my goals for the day! Sooooooo, here I go!

Today's most awesome song is "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2! This is a song from the Batman Forever soundtrack, and it makes me feel invinicible! I think that feeling really helps when I'm launching into a new project.

Here's an interesting word: "Abecedarian" which is an adj. It means alphabetically arranged (as for beginning readers). I alphabetize everything pretty much, but I've never heard this word! Hmmm... I bet I could have used it in so many sentences! I suppose I could say that my practices are very abecedarian!

My smell of the day is Lysol: original scent! Normally I would say something like the scent of the current incense stick burning  in my library, or perhaps that of a candle or food, but today I think it must be lysol! I've become hopelessly addicted, and I find the aroma very invigorating! I like to spray it in short puffs in the air around me just to make sure the air smells clean, and somehow I focus better! It was amongst the smell that I decided to combine Johnny Darkling with the Wolf and the Bear, and now I'm thinking about changing the title... it's more about Chloe after all, and not so much Johnny...

Today's project is to finish the combined outline for the new Johnny Darkling and to think of some new titles I might change it to...
Johnny Darkling is a young adult paranormal romance about a girl named Chloe. She crawled from a ditch on the side of the highway when she was about thirteen years old, with no memory as to who or what she is. When she's examined in the hospital, a couple of the doctors discover that Chloe is telekinetic.
No one can figure out who Chloe is or where she came from, and so her fascinated doctor--Jet Jones--brings her home to join his family until they can find hers.
Five years later, Chloe is a bit of a trouble maker and is in the middle of her last year in high school. She has a few friends, but her best friend is Cody Jones; Jet's nineteen year old son. The two of them are nearly inseperable, and finding it hard to cope with the fact that Cody has already graduated.
A new family moves into the old Lorre mansion down the street, and Chloe finds herself captivated by them--especially one in particular, who is as peculiar as he is gorgeous. His name is Johnny.
Johnny seems drawn to Chloe, as if gravity were pulling them together, and it was he who uncovers the truth behind Chloe's telekinesis. He's thrilled to have found her and tells her that's he isn't normal either; he's a Darkling.
The Jones's forbid Chloe from seeing Johnny or any of his creepy family, hatred seeming to fuel their decision, and Chloe can't figure out their reasoning. She doesn't see anything wrong with Johnny or his family, but the Jones's seem to know something she doesn't--and Johnny knows something about them too.
On top of it all, Chloe's about to turn eighteen, and Cody tells her that he's in love with her! She tells him no, but he's persistant--but how could she possibly be with Cody when Johnny is quite literally in her dreams?
A stranger shows up in town and somehow the Jones's find him more threatening than Johnny's family, and Chloe wonders if it's just a matter of them hating guys that hit on her? Jordan seems harmless enough--only Jordan holds the secret of who Chloe really is, and he's been hired by someone who wants to take Chloe away from everything... and he won't take no for an answer.

Ah! I'm starting to give you too much information! LOL. I'll give you more updates as I progress, and I'll try not to give out any spoilers! Peace, love and chicken grease!

Blog, you are thus far unsuccessful... this must change!

I've come to realize lately that I'm a writer with a blog, who doesn't really blog... I enjoy it, I have many grand ideas for it, and yet I neglect it too much! I could say that I don't have much time to write a blog, being that I am a full time student and I also have a full time job... not to mention that I also am currently writing multiple novels, and working on settling down with my soul mate--that doesn't even touch on my social life! Still, I think it's unfair to say that I don't have time to blog... after all, I'm blogging now! I'm simply a procrastinator! Starting now, that will change!
I wrote three books, and the first one is being re-released in November. I'm very excited about this, and I seriously want The Heroes of Edenville to do well! So, here's the plan... I'm going to blog... I'm going to post in my groups online and help promote others as well as my own work! I'm going to maintain daily status updates on my author's page on Facebook, and I'm going to market myself as best as I can! If you haven't read The Heroes of Edenville or The Heroes of Hope (which were previously self-published) then just you wait! You're in for a real treat! The storyline is beautiful, and full of excitement, adventure, suspense, romance, unrequited love, friendship, the bonds of family, and of course super heroes!
So here I come publishing world! You better put on your sunglasses because Athena Song is ready, and her future is bright!

SPOILER ALERT! Review for "Switched" by Amanda Hocking

For a while now people have been suggesting that I read up on author/phenomenon Amanda Hocking. They told me that if I could figure out how she became such a success, that I could do the same things with my books. Amanda Hocking started out as a self published author and popularized her books by getting people to review them and such. I've had my eye on a few of her stories for a while now, and I thought 'even if I don't manage to do things how she did them, that I'd still want to read her books.'
So, when I got my tax refund I spoiled myself with quite a few books, and one of them was "Switched" by Amanda Hocking. Now, those of you who know me, know that I'm always on the go; I'm so busy I don't really have much time to myself, let alone time to read (as it is, I'm writing this blog in the time slot between work and school since I already ate)! This book is roughly three hundred pages, and I still managed to read it in under three days! I couldn't put it down!
WARNING: I MAY GIVE AWAY PARTS OR SCENES OF THIS STORY, SO IF YOU'D RATHER READ IT WITHOUT THE SPOILER STOP NOW! I SHOULD BE POSTING A SIMPLIFIED REVIEW ON GOODREADS AND AMAZON THAT WILL BE SPOILER-FREE AT A LATER TIME!
This book started out fantastic! I was excited right off the bat and I love Amanda's witty writing! There was an immediate action scene where the main character was nearly killed by her own 'mother.' I was hooked...
The book progressed and I felt a longing to find out the outcome of the sparking romance between Wendy and Finn. The story got slow around the middle and I must admit I got a little irritated and a tad bit anxious (but then again, if I was able to read more often and get through the slow parts faster, I might have been satisfied at the pace of the story). I kept reading and I felt really connected to a couple of the characters like Rhys and Tove, and I love the personalities Amanda gave them!
The story didn't end the way I thought it would, and when the action hit, it hit hard! I was expecting it, but also not, and I still found my heart pounding in anticipation. While I'm not used to the way this book read, I'm terribly excited to buy the concluding two in the trilogy! I give this book a four star, and I recommend it to young adults and adults alike.
What do you think? Have you read the story? I'd love to hear your comments! Ta for now!

The Original Unusual: A is for Almost Done with WOH!

The Original Unusual: A is for Almost Done with WOH!: Lately I've been working like crazy on my book "Johnny Darkling," and I've been neglecting The War of Hope... It's so sad in a way because I...

A is for Almost Done with WOH!

Lately I've been working like crazy on my book "Johnny Darkling," and I've been neglecting The War of Hope... It's so sad in a way because I'm so close to finishing it...
However, in truth I haven't been writing much at all in the last few months, so me writing at all was a huge thing! I can't believe I can simply just not do my favorite hobby for such long stretches of time, and yet I lacked the gumption to finish book three.
Johnny Darkling has been in my vault for several years, originally titled "His Name was Johnny," then "I'm in Love with a Wolf." I've only recently been perfecting it, and I got so involved that I outlined the entire novel! It's so ready to be written!
So you see, that has been my dilemma... write Johnny, or finish WOH, then write Johnny? I had to think about it long and hard and I originally thought I could write Johnny really quick and get back to WOH, however, the fans have said "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!" and so on, and so forth... So today I did something I haven't done in quite a while... I worked on WOH!
Crazy, I know!
I wanted to let you all know that I have been working on it today, and it shouldn't be long now until it's done. The downside is that books one and two have been pulled from the shelves because The Heroes of Edenville is being published by Firefly and Wisp, so book three won't be out on the market for a while... Book one should be out in November bytheway...
Again I'll say 'however,' I know that a few of you have been dying for book three, so I'm considering giving out some previews before it's due to be published!
For now, I'll continue to work on it until it's done, and shortly thereafter I should have Johnny Darkling out as well! Of course my other main titles like "Reaper," and "Kiss of the Phoenix," will be soon to follow! Till then, don't forget to tell your friends about my heroes! They would simply love the attention!
G'night!

The Vault

Has anyone ever seen that Stephen King movie, “Dreamcatcher”? The main character has a memory vault in his head… I’ve always loved that idea! I have something similar though mine is strictly for stories and fragments of stories—ideas and perhaps future works of fiction. Mine is a combination of memory, and a small filing cabinet where each folder is labeled according to the working titles of each piece. I call this little imaginative zone “the Vault.”
I won’t exaggerate and say that there are thousands of stories in my vault, it’s not quite that big, so I guess I could tell you that there are just less than thousands of stories in my vault! I know right; that’s a lot!
The fragments in the vault are varied and range in genre, age group, completions, etc. They can be as small as a few paragraphs of dialog between two people discussing how one can extend their lifespan by not clenching when using the restroom, to thirty+ pages of notes on a story about a girl who falls in love with death!—by the way, I’m actually turning that one into a novel!
Over the last practically eight years I haven’t done much with my vault except add to it, since I’ve been working almost solely on The Unusuals books. My vault has grown sad and lonely… so now it’s screaming at me to select some new material to work on!
I’ve contemplated doing an anthology called “If Only Hollywood Would Hire Me,” but now I’m thinking I might go down a different path… With the third installment of the Unusuals Trilogy coming to a close, I’ve been opening my vault and have selected six pieces to focus on next. I think I might tackle each one consecutively according to popularity ranking, and then I’m going to put together that anthology… Only this time I’m going to empty my vault!
Everything I’ve written over the last—well, HALF my life—will be smashed together in one big chronicle, fragmented and not! I don’t know if I’ll publish it, or simply follow my process to printing and binding a few paperback copies for my closest friends and relations. Either way, I think it will be fun, and it will allow me to get reacquainted with the writer I once was, and compare her to what I am now. I think my writing has aged, or matured if you will, over the last five years especially, and it will be fun to see some more of the adolescent pieces I’ve done!
Until the time that “The Vault” anthology comes out, I’ll be pulling some samples up and posting them on my blog. I would love to hear what you all think! I live for constructive criticism and praise!
The day before yesterday one of my friends called me to let me talk to his young daughter who had just finished reading the first two books in the Unusuals trilogy. She wanted to tell me just how much she loved them and thought it was really awesome that I wrote them! Her dad even suggested a possible visit from me to his daughters writing class, as a guest speaker! The combination of the two of these wonderful people just made my day! I love to talk about my stories, and I love it even more when other people talk about them too!
Well, that’s it for right now, but like I said I’ll be pulling up pieces from the vault to show you soon! Over the next three weeks I’m trying to get those six other pieces put together and finish writing The War of Hope (WOH). The six include the young adult paranormal romance “Johnny Darkling,” the adult romance “The Two Hearts of Jane,” paranormal romance “Reaper,” the science-fiction/fantasy “Kiss of the Phoenix,” the post-apocalyptic zombie thriller “The Dead Half,” and the more-adult bonus Unusuals book, “The Keeper of Time.” I’m very excited about all of these works, and I can’t wait to get them to you in their proper novel form! Wish me fun!

Hi, hi, hi, Beautiful Sunday!

You know those days where everything hits you all at once? Not necessarily in a bad way, but it seems like one good thing happens after another, after another? I'm definitely having one of those moments! I've been walking on air this week, and I'm feeling a tad bit light headed!

My contract just arrived today, so all I have to do is sign it, and I'm on my way up in the ranks of published authors! It's been a dream of mine since I could pick up a pen. I can't believe it's finally happening!

There are few things in this world that I'd want more than sharing my stories with everyone. So few in fact, that they can be counted on one hand. One of those things happened today. I was nervous and anxious, but now it's happened and I feel so much better!

I can't believe my good fortune! On top of everything above, it snowed today, and it was soooooo beautiful! I think I took a little more than a handful of pictures of what it looked like just outside my work :) I usually don't like when it snows, only because I have to drive in it, and people are stupid on the ice. However, this was the great kind of snow for my fifty + miles I have to drive to get back and forth from work, because it covered the ground, then melted, then covered the ground, then melted, and left plenty along the landscaping for me to look out on my way home!

Ah! Thank you, beautiful Sunday, for bringing such joy and happiness to my life!

You had me at "We're Interested..."!

So here's the scoop!

Wednesday I got an email from the publishing company, Firefly and Wisp, saying that they are interested in publishing The Heroes of Edenville! A couple months ago I submitted the first few chapters to Firefly, and they responded a few weeks later, requesting the rest of my manuscript. Back when I received that email I was sooooooooo excited, I submitted my story and waited somewhat "patiently" until I received THE email.

I received the notification I had always dreamed of on Wednesday. My phone went off, and my first impression was that it was my sister or someone texting me. I looked at my phone and saw that it was a reply to my query, and I swear that my heart stopped beating. Then my blood began to race, and I felt heat boil up in my cheeks in anticipation. I opened the letter and it said that Firefly in Wisp are interested in publishing my book, and if I was still interested in finding a publisher, they would like to have me! It went into minute detail about royalties, but I honestly didn't care about the percentages right then and there. I stood up screaming and yelling, tears of happiness blurring my vision, and I couldn't help but feel like I'd died and gone to heaven!

I immediately called my parents to let them know that someone was interested, and Heroes was finally going places! I emailed the publisher back explaining my continuing interest and asked what to do next? I then proceeded to call everyone I thought would be interested, and then started texting when I realized my breath was getting shorter, and there were WAY too many people left to tell!

After a couple of short emails to the publisher, Danielle, Firefly and Wisp had their hands on my contact information, and I sat in gruelling anticipation on the edge of my seat, anxious for their reply. I bit all the skin off my lips, and did the whole nine yards with tiring myself out from unconsciously pacing. It has always been my ultimate dream of mine to have my stories distributed to eager readers! I've wanted my name known, and the names of those fictitious characters of mine in the backs of the minds of everyone world wide! My own little world on Edenville Island in particular, drove me to want my paradise to become a public place, and so nearly eight years after the pen started moving in an Unusual direction I find myself at the beginning of the carpet... it's not quite RED in color yet, but the new texture under my feet is quite euphoric!

The next day Danielle called me, bright and early in the morning, not realizing I was on a different time zone (LOL), and since I didn't answer, she left a voice message. When I heard it, the adrenaline started flowing once more... A couple hours later I received the call I was waiting for. I was so excited when I talked to her, I think I might have laughed too much! LOL.

We went over the details of what Firefly and Wisp could do for my Heroes, and what I could do for the company in return. I got more and more excited as the time went on, talking to this humorous and friendly woman. I knew some things would have to change in my book, as it's edited, and of course a new cover will be designed, but the one thing that I was always worried about was my Nessa.

Vanessa and have been best friends, and co-workers of sorts for a few years. She has drawn half of the illustrations for book one, and ALL of them for book two, not to mention the ones she's drawn for book three already! In my extensive research over the last few years I noticed that almost all publishers don't want to accept artwork from sources outside their own company, so Vanessa and I were preparing ourselves for the worst since then. What would I do if they wouldn't let me take Nessa with me? If her pictures were prohibited from my stories? Her illustrations have been a major part of the Unusuals since 2009! I was so scared... I mean, how do you choose something like that? Your best friends' artwork that is as much a part of you as the book is, or to simply get the story published? It's always been a constant worry of mine, staying in the back of my head, haunting my dreams...

Well, I asked Danielle about the drawings, and she said that as long as they don't look like a kid drew them, she has no problem putting Vanessa's illustrations in my book! She wanted to see the pictures and approve them first and agreed to try and work with any issues she might have with them. That's better than I have ever hoped to have, as far as luck goes!

I was so happy, I refused to post anything on facebook, or blog anything about it until I spoke directly to Nessa and tell her what the deal is!

So, now I'm simply waiting for my contract to arrive so that Firefly and Wisp can publish The Heroes of Edenville! I don't have a three book deal, because I guess the contracts are for individual books, but I was told that the company likes series! I consider that practically a three book deal, wouldn't you?

I have a friend that's going to help me build my very own website, and another friend who's going to take really nice, professional pictures of me for my authors bio over the next couple of days. I got back into book three, and I'm excited to finish the trilogy, and even more excited that I get to stay paired with my best friend/artist in the whole world! Danielle has been sent the book synopsis so that she can start working on the cover of book one, and the release date will be no later than November of this year!!!

There's so much to do, and so much to be thankful for and excited about! I've been given the opportunity of my lifetime, and I am seizing my moment! I can't wait to hear from new fans!

Of course this means that I'm going to have to find a way to balance my time more towards my writing... I've been wanted to anyway! I'm a writer! It's what I was born to do, and what I intend to die doing! So here it comes, World! Get ready because Athena Song's Unusuals are the next big thing!!!

Getting Published?!!

Well, here it is, the moment we've all been waiting for... I got an email this morning from a publishing company by the name of Firefly and Wisp, and they are interested in publishing The Heroes of Edenville!!! I can't believe it! I already wrote back voicing my interest and excitment, and then received a reply asking for my contact info so that we can get started! I'm so very ecstatic right now!!! Getting professionally published will definitely get my name out there, not to mention my heroes!!! I ultimately want to share my stories with everyone, so this is a dream come true! (Of course, it would greatly help if I were making a living off of it, so that I can afford to focus more on my writing)!
So, I'm about to go out to Outback or Black Angus, courtesy of someone very special in my life (thanks mom!), and I'll definitely be keeping you posted! Wish me luck everyone! Hopefully I'll hear back from them tomorrow!!!
Peace, love and chicken grease!

RIP Dillon

Those of you who know me, or have at least read some of my writing can draw the fairly clear conclusion that I am infact, quite weird... It might be odd to start a blog entry that way, however I thought that pointing out that fact would perhaps bring to light some depth of my character. My reasoning for wanting that is so that you might understand the special relationship I've had with a creature named Dillon.
Dillon was my printer... True, I have six printers, however Dillon has been my faithful companion since high school, and my partner in literary crime since then. He's been my preference, or "authors pet" among my printers, but over the last few months he has been displaying a particularly dismaying error message. I've tried to fix him... tried and failed...
I have been utterly distraught since Dillon's death, and have tried in vain to find a way to reanimate him. It's taken me this long but now I have realized that he's never coming back...
Dillon's particular species is ancient and hard to find, but I did manage to find one on ebay, and I'm hoping to have won the auction... I'll find out tomorrow morning. The new printer cannot actually replace Dillon, but I should be able to continue printing my handmade paperbacks with the new one.
I cannot begin to convey just how much Dillon has meant to me, so I feel I must dedicate this entry to my dear friend. You will be missed...

Dillon is a Canon printer, and has a character named after him in my Unusuals Trilogy; Dillon Canon.

June 2003 - October 2011

RIP

I love you, Dillon!