Steppin' out

Back in January I read a blog post from Brightened Boy in which he mentioned his internship with a literary agency and it sparked something in me. I thought to myself, "I want to intern with a literary agency." And so I sent out 6 applications.

Within a month I had landed an internship with an agent, and so began my education. By the end of April, I had landed a second internship with an independent publishing company. I have learned a lot in the last 7 months. And all thanks to a blogging buddy who posted about his own journey. That's the magic of our little blogging world.

Now Brightened Boy is joining the ranks of professional agent. I am so excited for him! And to think I knew him when. ;)

I, on the other hand, am taking on the mantle of freelance editor. My internship is up at the end of August. Before the month is out I should have a website to point people to for information. I'm not expecting millions of people to beat down my doors wanting service. But I hope that some people will. I think there are a lot of brilliant manuscripts out there that just need a little bit of refining.

I wanna help them stand out.

WHAT IF? Fairytale Madness Blogfest!

Get ready y'all! It's here! And YOU can still sign up!

WHAT IF?

Fairytale Madness BlogFest!

AUGUST 13th – 17th

Hosted by: Cassie Mae, Morgan Shamy, Leigh Covington, and Mark Koopmans

Rules

To enter, think of your favorite "well known" fairytale and ask "What If…!" Then, pick one of these four categories: (be sure to mention which category you're joining, during your blog post!)

Finally, write a scene(s) illustrating a new detail of the fabled fairy tale that changes our perspective.
To recap,

• Is it a plot twist? (Cinderella gets knocked up by the Carriage Driver…)
• An unknown romance that comes to light? (Snow White dumps the Prince for Grumpy…)
• A tragic loss occurs? (The Three Little Pigs are too late to save their house…)
• A little comic relief? (Hansel and Gretel win a trip on Euro Rail, sponsored in part by M&M’s…)

Whatever the change…It's limited only by your imagination – but please keep it PG-13

Other Rules:

• Post your story during the week of August 13 to 17.
• Flash Fiction – 300 WORD MAX. (You don't have to tell the whole story in three hundred words. Pick what works to illustrate your point.)

JUDGING CATEGORIES and the respective judges:

• Best Plot Twist – Cassie Mae
• Best Love Story - Morgan Shamy
• Best Tragedy -  Leigh Covington
• Best Comic Relief - Mark Koopmans

PRIZES!

(Prize will go to the winner of judge's sponsored category. For example, Leigh's prize goes to the winner of Best Tragedy, Mark's prize goes to winner of Best Comic Relief, etc.)

• Leigh is offering: A Paperback Copy of "Save The Cat," by Blake Snyder!
• Morgan is offering: A full manuscript critique!
• Cassie Mae is offering: $25 Amazon Gift Card
• Mark is offering: a $25 Hawaiian care package (incl. $5 USPS Priority Shipping) Winner can choose from any number of small items such as candy, trinkets, Kona Coffee, etc.

So go!!! Please! Sign up and join me next week in coming up with some cool twists and turns to our favorite fairy tales! See you around!

Florence songs are awesome theme songs

Today has had its share of ups and downs and "I'm really confused about how I should feel"'s... so the theme song for tonight is by Florence and the Machine. I LOVE Florence. Shakin' out the devils on my back.

Lyrics:

Regrets collect like old friends

Here to relive your darkest moments

I can see no way, I can see no way

And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh

But I like to keep some things to myself

I like to keep my issues drawn

It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind

I can never leave the past behind

I can see no way, I can see no way

I'm always dragging that horse around

And our love is pastured such a mournful sound

Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground

So I like to keep my issues drawn

But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh woah

I am done with my graceless heart

So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart

Cause I like to keep my issues drawn

It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh woah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake him off

And given half the chance would I take any of it back

It's a fine romance but its left me so undone

It's always darkest before the dawn

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't

So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road

And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope

It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat

Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me

Looking for heaven, found the devil in me

Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh woah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh woah

Whew... I feel better now.

Ravens' landing...

Not much to say in the way of writing today. Here's a link to a humorous new post by Keith Miller, though.

In other news, I was still creative this weekend. Two new paintings and a third one started on the easel... here are the two I finished:

I find my inspiration at the oddest moments. I think I like painting because of the instant gratification (relative, I know)... writing takes a long time and a lot of effort and the end result is not quite... THIS... I keep working at it though. But for now I'm pleased with my Ravens.

Here's to a new week and lots to do!

Top Ten Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With For 24 Hours

I jumped on a bandwagon and decided to follow a meme for the rest of the year (as much as I can)... the Top Ten Tuesday meme here! Sadly, it's Thursday... but I am undaunted!

Here are my top ten characters I'd switch places with, in no particular order.

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) - not that I could ever be her... she's brilliant... but I would love to live in a world where magic like that was real.
2. Susan Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) - because I want to meet Aslan!
3. Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) - How amazing would it be to be part of that world for just a little while? Fancy dresses for balls, servants to cook and clean, parties to attend... and she's not too good for the rest of the world.
4. Morgaine - it's definitely about the magic, and the time period... this character from Arthurian legend, as portrayed in "The Mists of Avalon,"... I'd love to walk around in her shoes for a little while.
5. Gemma Doyle (A Great and Terrible Beauty) - her life seems so exotic, and with the magic she discovers, anything is possible!
6. Bean (Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow) - Bean had it hard, but for the chance to know Ender, I'd switch places with him.
7. Arwen (Lord of the Rings) - Daughter of an Elven Lord... need I say more? Plus, she has a love affair with one of the most honorable and heroic characters in literature (IMHO)...
8. Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden) - I know she loses her family and struggles to find her place in a very unforgiving world, but she shines through it all... and the garden is alive and beautiful.
9. Peter Pan - What I wouldn't give to have adventures, fight pirates, and be able to fly!!!
10. Alec Ramsey (The Black Stallion) - I read these books when I was young and I have always been enchanted by the Black... and Alec's relationship with him. Fearless. Incredible.

What do you think of my choices? Are there any you would add?

Top 10 books I love to read over and over again

Hey ho everyone! It's been a while since my  last post! I need to get back on the wagon for real! So I thought I'd start today with a list of my top 10 favorite books to re-read and why.

Re-reading is not for everyone, I hear. Some people devour a book the first time through, addicted to the rush of not knowing what will happen next (or at least to the illusion of not knowing what will happen next). I call this "plot-angst." When the plot is discovered and the characters all reach their destinations in life (literally and/or figuratively), the non-re-reader's angst dries up. That's all they need from those characters. It's like a one-night stand, really.

Not me! One of my favorite things about reading a book is re-reading. I hurry through the first time to get the "plot-angst" out of the way. Of course we're all drawn in by "what's going to happen" in a good story. But that's why I love to re-read. Without the distractions of "plot-angst", I can focus on the characters... I can really dig in and enjoy who they are. In a good re-read, the characters become like old friends I revisit again and again and again. I want characters I can build a relationship with that will stand the test of time.

Here are my top picks for re-reading (starting at the bottom):

10. The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein - Here's a wonderfully told tale by the master of storytellers. Adventures, dragons, battles, treasure, what's not to love? Whenever I pick this book up I feel I'm going home.

9. The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis - I could fill up my entire list with separate books from this series, but that wouldn't be fair. Though some I love more than others (The Last Battle, Voyage of the Dawn Treader) this entire series is a wonderful re-read, and the characters fill me up every time.

8. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte - A tragic love story whose characters and plot always leave me puzzling over how their lives and loves could become so painfully desperate.

7. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray - I just re-read this book (first in a three book series) the other day and I loved it even more than the first time! The setting and the plot are both so intricate and the characters really stand out to me. I'm hoping the rest of this series will hold up as well.

6. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen - God I love this book. Darcy and Elizabeth steal my heart every time I read and I love to mull over the burgeoning feminism that Austen laces her characters with... wit, intelligence, independence. Sigh...

5. The Crystal Cave, Mary Stewart - What an amazing story this is. Stewart made King Arthur and Merlin seem real to me... her use of history and mythology woven together to create a world like no other will have me going back to her novels (and England) again and again.

4. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card - The Ender books will always have a special place for me. You'd think this is one series that would lose it's luster once you know the ending, but it's not so. Ender's tortured soul stole my heart from day one. I can't help myself.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling - Epic. If you leave off the 17 years later tag at the end, this is a masterpiece of a work for me, and after following the characters all the way through their journey to defeating Voldemort, the pay-off is worth every bit of ink.

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling - This book really struck me deeply. Why? Not so much the main characters... Harry, Ron, Hermione all go through a lot of changes in this novel and that's great. But Neville steals my heart in this book... he grows up and becomes more multi-dimensional... and I love him for it.


1. The Book of Flying, Keith Miller - Sheer poetry and whimsy. I will always enjoy re-reading this modern fairy tale. I highly recommend you give it a try as well. Miller's writing is stunning and his story goes straight to the heart. It's something to aspire to.


What are your favorites and do you re-read often? What does it take to get you to crack a book for a second time?

My first guest post!

Look! I wrote a guest post here for Emily Suess's "Break Into Freelance Writing" program and I got paid to do it. Please go visit her blog and give me a little comment-luv!