How do You Get Your Ideas?

This is the number one question I get when doing author visits. Now that Shadow in the Sea is coming out in a month, I can finally talk about it a little. I never planned to write a sequel to Forbidden Sea. I felt it was a great stand alone and ended perfectly. But as my writer's group finished reading the last chapter of Forbidden Sea they asked me one question that made me stop dead in my tracks. "Who marries the Sea Prince?" At first, I just laughed. What difference did it make, who the Sea Prince married? Denn was the only real choice for Adrianne.  But that night, I couldn't stop thinking about that simple question. Who DID the Sea Prince marry after Adrianne refused him?  After all, without Adrianne, Jendayi was now going to have to start all over again and find him someone new. But who would that be? Would it be someone like Adrianne? Or some other kind of personality all together? The more I thought about it--the more I could see Sadelynn Hanson in my mind. I could hear her voice in my head. And before I even knew what had happened, a whole new story had begun to write itself . The story of Shadow in the Sea.

A New World to Discover

Having finished my last manuscript I have now begun working on a new story. This is the one about a pale girl with white hair and a dark horse who is more than what he might seem. You can see I have decorated this page with a couple pictures that help inspire me as I write. It is a common practice for me to either hunt down some pictures for inspiration, or draw some for myself as I write. It helps me get a better idea of what my story is about and what its characters are like. I have been known to do a few other odd projects on the side for inspiration. As I was writing a story about a girl living in a haunted doll museum, I actually purchased a doll and made him up to look like one of the dolls in the story. I even hired a friend to design a costume for the doll that matched the one he wore in the book. I figured if the book ever gets published, I can take him along to book signings with me as a conversation piece.

Manuscript Completed!

It is with great excitement that I announce the completion of my most recent manuscript. This is the story of a tough girl who discovers a ghost town hidden at the bottom of a dried up lake. This story has turned out to be a lot of fun. I've been letting my writer's group read this new manuscript. A couple of them told me it is their favorite of all my books so far.

I've sent out the manuscript to my agent so we can begin the process of publication. Fingers crossed that this will be the one that gets accepted.

And as a special treat for those of you who were clever enough to find this hidden blog, here is a sneak peek at a scene from this new manuscript. Enjoy.

“So tell me about these oh-so-famous Wyvern relics.” Haddon’s tone suggested only the mildest of interest. “What’s so special about them?”

I didn’t have to answer him, because at that moment, Old Grimm, himself, came swinging into view. Haddon jerked back on his horse in surprise, causing Goliath to stumble lazily to a stop.  Even from our perch on Goliath’s towering back, the gigantic stone gargoyle that now loomed before us was at least a few heads taller than we were. Carved from some kind of black, volcanic stone, its fearsome dragon body rested back on a serpentine tail that was coiled up tight beneath its dark frame. The humongous stone creature reared up over our heads—wings spread and teeth bared—as if ready to pounce on us at any moment. Goliath sidled nervously beneath us. Even he found the formidable statue to be slightly unnerving.

Haddon gave a low whistle, respect quickly returning to his voice. “Would you get a load of that thing?”

“Haddon, meet Grimmraven,” I said by way of introduction. “Although, I’m not sure who came up with that fancy name. Most of us just call him Grimm. You know, like the brothers Grimm.”

Haddon squinted up at the stone gargoyle in bewilderment. “Who put it way out here in the middle of the forest?”

I shook my head slowly. “Nobody knows. He’s been here longer than the town of Wyvern has. In fact, that’s how it got its name. Old Grimm is a creature known as a Wyvern. Part dragon, part serpent.”

“Part big-time creepy,” Haddon added, eying the statue with distaste.

“Can you get Goliath to move a little closer?”

“Why?”

“I need to touch Grimm if I want to make a wish.”

Haddon turned his head to give me the full benefit of his blue-eyed gaze. “A wish?  On that thing? It looks like it might bite off your hand if you get too close.”

“Grimm would never do that.” My voice came out much more defensive than I meant it too. “He’s Wyvern’s guardian. That’s what gargoyles do, you see. Why do you think they carved so many of them into churches back in medieval times? They keep away evil.” 

“And you believe that?” Haddon shot me another look over his shoulder.

“You got a better theory?” I gave Haddon a non-too gentle poke in the ribs to hurry him along. “Get closer.”

With a resigned sigh, he urged Goliath forward with his heels. The horse pranced about a bit, skittish about getting any near to the giant statue.  Then, with a whole lot of urging on Haddon’s part, Goliath finally took a few steps forward, bringing me near enough to lay my hand against the gargoyle’s bumpy snout. The canopy of trees above was so old and overgrown that it blocked out almost all the sunlight.  And yet, the rough-hewn stone of the gargoyle’s body was warm against my skin. Goose flesh crept up my arm, rippling over the surface of my flesh in disconcerting waves. Energy hummed through my veins, causing my pulse to quicken.

Protect me and my family. I silently directed my thoughts toward the gargoyle. Keep us safe from whatever evil thing is lurking out on the lake.

Hesitantly, I lifted my hand away. The warmth immediately evaporated out of my body, leaving me with a sudden chill that caused me to shiver.

 

A Tale of Two Stories

Lately I've been having two stories waring within me, wanting to be written. I've worked back and forth on both of them from time to time. One is a tale of a pale white-haired girl and an enchanted dark horse who is her companion. The other is about a tough, straight talking, girl who is built like a linebacker, but who finds herself facing something that her brute strength can not protect her from--a vengeful ghost. I got the idea after reading a bizarre news article one day about a long forgotten cemetery that was discovered at the bottom of a lake after a drought dried it up. Sometimes, truth can be stranger than fiction. This second story is the one that I've done the most work on--so it will probably be finished first. I'm excited to finish both manuscripts and get them circulating out to the publishers as quickly as possible.

The Waiting Game

I have finally finished the two book proposals I've been working on for the last few months. A proposal includes an in depth summary of the book's entire plot, a description of every character and their motivations, and the first three chapters of the book, polished and finished. Both of these proposals were about thirty or so pages long. My agent let me know that she is sending off the proposals to the publisher who asked for them. Now the waiting game begins. All that work, and the publisher could just decided they aren't even interested. Then again, they could make me an offer on both books. The suspense is going to kill me over the next couple months. But that is a huge part of the author game--the waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting . . .

First Book Proposal--DONE!

One book proposal down--only one-half of one to go. Then it is off to the publisher with both proposals! I read the first chapter of the finished proposal to my writer's group and they loved it. Now let's hope the publisher will feel the same. Both of these stories are brand new, so it has been fun to get to know two whole new casts of characters right from the start--especially in such a short period of time.

A brand new ghost story and an extremely unusual story involving horses. NOT a horse story. I always swore I would never write a horse story.

A New Kind of Story

Whenever I begin writing a new story, I like to make a necklace that goes along with the manuscript I'm writing. This is the newest one I created. A pale girl, with hair the color of moonlight, riding as fast as she can through a dark forest on a black horse . . . don't you wish you knew more? The best part is the little girl's skin is made from glow-in-the-dark clay. When you turn out the lights, she glows green! Very mysterious. : )