Popular opinion and reviews suck!

Well I found out that some of my friends aren't reading my blog. I do have to say that I am kind of surprised but at the same time I was given a pretty good reason.

"I am not following your blog about your book.  I want it to be a total surprise when I read it.  (I never even read the reviews on books before I read them.) "

Now, thinking about this a little bit more I realize that popular opinion isn't always the best thing, or even unpopular opinion. Take movies for example. Every time some damn movie critic says that they absolutely HATE a movie, I usually take that as my cue that I might actually enjoy this film. Sometimes, I find they're right and it does suck, but that's usually a rare thing.

The big thing here is if you like something, then THAT'S what matters and screw everyone else's opinion. If you don't like my writing, that's perfectly fine as well. This may also explain why I never was able to pick up an agent. They remind me of reviewers. Perhaps all those rejections were a great thing...

Sigh

You know there are times when you know you should be working...and I did do a little typing today, but alas I just wasn't feeling it today. I'm sure it has to do with my mood, but maybe tomorrow I will get more done. Being down never makes for a happy writer and sometimes your work suffers for it, even if you do write. When I think of it that way, perhaps it's better to just take a step back.

One step at a time

Alas I don't have too much to report this Friday, except for the fact that today during my off time at work, I was able to finish another chapter of the sequel, so hopefully that will make some of my followers happy. I'm getting to the point of the story called the climax, which means all the shit is getting ready to come to a head. So that in itself is exciting to me, because causing trouble for my characters is always the highlight of my day. lol.

Anyway, by the time I post next, this current chapter shall be finished and typed up.

Until next time...

Cutting back

Well folks, due to work...and life in general I shall be cutting back on the posts to the blog for right now, probably every other day. Sorry, I know this breaks your little hearts...(sarcasm) but it also gives me more time to do other things like write.

Speaking of that little fact, I have been in a good creative streak of recent and am coming right along with the new book. I might actually be typing up the new chapter this weekend, maybe two chapters if I keep this pace up.

Here's hoping!

Thank you!

OMG!!! I missed a day! How horrible, oh the humanity! All right enough of that, I'm sorry but I was at a get together and completely forgot. Alas, it is true, this writer does have a life that doesn't completely revolve around her stories.

Also I would like to thank all of you that have actually viewed my site here. I've almost made it to 225 page hits so that makes me happy. I never pictured this to be a catastrophic take off here, but at least I know I have people reading about my book endeavors.

Office Supplies...good or bad?

You know, I keep telling my friends at work that I stay out of office supply stores for a reason. Today is a good example of why. Sharpie is an evil company and has come out with something that I think I might really like. They have come out with a liquid pencil. It writes like a pen, erases like a pencil and falls into the #2 category for those of us who test take. Supposedly it becomes permanent after 24 hours, but I've yet to test it.Best part of all the graphite doesn't smudge! You should see some of my earlier works that are in pencil. They're hard to read and not because of my handwriting. The smudging is horrid! I may have a new writing friend, who knows. :)

Question answered...the work continues

Well thanks to the people who commented to me on my prior post. You said what I was thinking, that it really is too busy to have chapter titles, which is good because it is one less thing for me to do. :D


In other news, I have been sneaking in some time here and there to work on the sequel so those of you who are waiting for that will be happy. I'm getting into the dramatic part now so I'll be having fun with the characters. (yay for torturing characters...probably why I enjoy playing games like The Sims so much) What can I say there is certain aspect of fun playing God, however even God has to let his creation have free will. So while I may have a grand plan, in the end it's the story that has the last word.

What do you think?

I am sitting here looking at my table of contents for Cursed and the Damned and I have a slight query: To title the chapters or to not title the chapters that is the question? Does a book really need its chapters to have 'titles'? Is it really important or does it make it look...busy? What does everyone think? Hit me up here or on my facebook page and let me know. I mean I have my own opinion, but some feedback from others might be nice too.

Cover update and other drabbles

I might get more work done if I remember to take my notebook with me to work so I can actually write on my lunch...

I did get word from Ron that he is hopefully going to have a sketch for me sometime in the near future, so we might see the book cover sooner rather than later. Of course it will still have to be colored, but one thing at a time right? Time will tell, so keep an eye out.

Michelle

Observation about myself.

You know, with modern technology, I have come to a conclusion that there are certain things about it that I really just can't come to grips with. For starters, for some people it's easy to just sit at the computer and type what's in your head to the screen and I can do that for the most part; especially when I'm doing something like this blog for example. The problem for me is when it comes to writing a book I have to do it the old pencil and paper way. My thoughts flow more freely when I am writing them out by hand. I've tried writing at the keyboard, but it takes about 3 times as long to do it.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but even so when I type up what I've written, it gives me a chance to go back and change things and move things around; kind of like a rough and first draft. It's just the way I do things, so...good ol' paper and pencil for me.

Character Introductions part 3

All right, tonight you are going to be introduced to the main players in Redaltras.

Davali: Being the son of the leader of the Sky Riders has it's advantages and disadvantages and Davali knows it. He was pressured into this position and is very idealistic and smart-assed. Davali just wants to do the right thing and that is what gets him into trouble when he meets Atraiu.Also Davali is not afraid to take risks. Most think he is a fool, but in reality Davali would make a great leader especially with his uncanny ability for the supernatural.

Eanton: Is the leader of Sky Riders. He lost his wife a few years ago, gained an adopted daughter named Saffron and has been trying to get Davali to join the ranks for a few years now. He's proficient with a spear and wants nothing more than to see Tregone go down.

Dominia: She is Davali's girlfriend and a skilled archer. She also is the only female member of the Sky Riders.

Zarachis: Dominia's brother and Davali's good friend. He and his dragon partner do not get along and he wishes his sister's dragon was his. Zarachis is also a lush at times and that can lead to the others not believing him ...

Galzus: Another member of the Sky Riders although he is skilled in espionage. He's caring and wants everything to come to a happy ending.

Griel: A cocky Sky Rider. He's one of those that thinks he is all that and doesn't care what others think.

Taranda: She is the only elf around these parts and is also the village elder. She's great with the dragons and  also tinkers with the magical side of life. Wise beyond her years, she is the one that people go to when they have questions to be answered. She also has a soft spot for Eanton's son.

Arconia: One of the many dragons that the Sky Riders 'own'. Zarachis calls her 'Conia for short. Even though she has a son, she could be called a 'cougar' and she always looks out for her 'hot stuff'. She's kind as far as dragons are concerned, but like any woman shouldn't be crossed.

Aries: The son of Arconia. For some reason he doesn't like his rider and does his damnedest to make his life harder than it has to be.

That my friends is the major list of characters. Enjoy!

Character Introductions part 2

Continuing from last night, tonight I am going to talk about the bad guys of the book


Lord Tregone: Tregone is the ruler of the kingdom of Kolinah. He is a power hungry man who wants nothing more to take over the entire continent and to also make Hestia his own. Of course he has obstacles to overcome; most noticeably kingdom's resisting and a heckling magician sidekick.

Nehebek: One could say that Nehebek might actually be the brains behind this operation. He's a "pretty boy" as you might call him. He is under Tregone's employ, however Nehebek has his own goals and if someone else's name can be tarnished why do all the dirty work yourself. Truth be told, he hates Tregone and enjoys giving him a verbal tongue lashing whenever the opportunity presents itself. (Is one of the authors favorite characters as well)

Gandimas: He is the lead general of the Kolinahian army and has a very unusual nickname on the battlefield. "The Clown Prince of Fighting". Most people find him to be a joke on the battlefield considering he wears purple armor that is done up to look like the outfit of jester. However the laughs usually stop once the person's head is bashed in.

Well that concludes the list of bad guys...tomorrow we move on to the list of Redaltrans (the other good guys). Until then!

Character introductions

Wow, talk about a long day for me in general; work , a party, a nap and now the blog! I hope everyone had a great Saturday. Now down to business. I did have some feedback on my prologue post, even though the blog itself doesn't show it. Thanks for reading and commenting. I'm sorry for the little tease, but I'm happy that you enjoyed it.

Tonight I'm going to give you an introduction to the characters, or at least a start to the characters that you will meet in this book. Our topic this evening are the characters from the land of Altaria, the main protagonist's home.

Prince Atraiu: Atraiu is the crown prince of Altaria. He and his family have just lost the family patriarch to a sudden illness and Atraiu is forced to take his father's place as the leader of the kingdom. He's your typical all around nice guy and very much the straight man. (As opposed to the comic relief) What he wants most is for someone to love him for who he is and not for his title and considering that he is the next in line for the throne, that's not likely to happen. He's very much his father's son; just and fair.

Queen Hestia: She is Atraiu's mother and his senior by about 15-16 years. They started young back in the times that this story takes place. Hestia is the mother of two young men and married Edric, the late king, because it was her parent's will. The king and queen were never soul mates, but they did get along well enough. She is a very gorgeous woman and the prize possession that the villain of the story wants to obtain. (besides all the power and kingdoms) The queen also cares very much for her two sons and wants to see them very happy.

Prince Alimar: Alimar is Atraiu's younger brother. He's more fun loving than his elder brother and is all more carefree due to the fact that he is not the first in line for the throne. Ruling has never been first on his mind since it is destined to be Atraiu's job right?

Captain Lidell: The captain of the guard takes her position very seriously even if she is the adoptive daughter of King Edric. Lidell was taken in by Edric when her father, the former captain of the guard died in battle. The king was best friends with the man and he took her under his wing when she wanted to stay and continue in her father's legacy. Her mother left and took her baby sister with her after her father's death. Lidell is very much a mentor to both of her little 'royal pains in the ass' and has taught both Atraiu and Alimar how to defend themselves with a sword.

Commander Ethan: Being Captain Lidell's right hand man is never easy, especially when you have feelings for a woman who loves her job. With the scars on his face to prove it, Ethan has lived a hard life, but has found his calling as a guard for the kingdom of Altaria. When their new visitors arrive, he becomes very suspicious of their motives, just like Lidell and even Atraiu. He can be a nice guy, but also has a dark side that enjoys seeing bloodshed.

Lenore: Fifteen years ago she was taken away from the memories that her mother didn't want to relive. Now she returns to Altaria to live with her sister Lidell after their mother passed away. Staying in the palace was King Edric's wish and he died before seeing this come true. Lenore is a feistier, younger version of her older sister and she has hopes of taking over her sister's position as captain someday.

Anyway, there you have it...a little background to these characters that you will eventually meet. Tomorrow, we introduce the villains.

Info and What's this? The prologue!

Well I figured that I would give you some stats on Cursed and the Damned. Before I changed the page size, this book clocked in at 205 pages. (81/2 x 11 with a 12 font.) When it was converted to a 6x9 format it grew to 328 pages, so it's a decent sized book. 20 chapters in all. When I started this I had an idea how many chapters I wanted it to have. Also Cursed and the Damned has an alternate ending...the ending I originally thought up, however when I was writing chapter 20 something happened. That something was that the story wrote its own ending which is far different than what was originally intended. I did write both endings, but kept the one the story wrote for it seemed to be a better fit for a sequel.

Following the same 81/2x 11 format, the sequel has about 34 pages written and is 8 chapters long so far. For this one I'm just letting the chapters fall into place as they happen. Again it seems like the story is writing itself which is great and I am looking forward to continue the writing process and get my mother off of my back :D

For now, I leave you with a treat....the prologue to Cursed and the Damned. Enjoy!

Prologue

       

I

n ancient legend, there once was a time where dragons and humans lived together in harmony; however where there is harmony there is despair. There once lived an ancient red dragon called Adapu. Adapu lived for millennia and was well known by both dragon and humankind. Throughout his lifetime, Adapu gained great treasures and a great name for himself. He became the most feared dragon known to man and dragon. That fear and name became the cursor to the end.

Humans themselves told horror stories to their children about the great beast and when those children grew up the horror stories were even more devastating. Most told their young that if Adapu was ever defeated that there was a great reward waiting for them. Yet most of those offspring never dared go near the great red dragon.

Then again as times change so do outlooks. A young man by the name of Aarmon, believed the stories to be true. Aarmon and a handful of followers traveled and gathered more able bodies for his cause; to abolish the fear that dragons in general had put in their hearts, to destroy Adapu. Over time, Aarmon convinced a decent sized army to travel with him and capture dragons for servants and then they would take control and destroy Adapu. Most of the noble houses gathered together to try to stop Aarmon’s mad tirade but were unsuccessful in stopping him and his army. Aarmon marched on towards the land of Jinrika, the holy land of the dragons. On his way, the humans were successful in tricking the unsuspecting dragons and capturing them turning them to a life of servitude and abuse. Those dragons that they could not capture, they killed, although a few of them escaped. When Adapu learned of this news he was outraged. His people were being killed out of hatred and greed. He waited for the humans to reach his home and then attacked. However his efforts were futile. Aarmon and his followers were able to slaughter Adapu.

The great red dragon fell and with his dying breath swore that he would have the last laugh, that he would have revenge for his people. “My blood will be your downfall. Whatever my blood touches will bare my curse. Perhaps then you shall learn from this event and then we can all live together once more.” Then the great dragon lost his battle to fight on. The crown that adorned his head for millennia fell from his head and seen by all those in the room, a drop of blood from a wound on Adapu’s face graced the red gem in the center of the crown.

        After the cheers, Aarmon ordered that all of Adapu’s treasure, including the crown, be bundled up and that they leave this place. He told his followers not to worry for there was no way the dragon could keep his word, for he was not magical.

        When they returned to the mainland, the people had crowned Aarmon king. Aarmon was able to abolish all those who opposed him with his new fleet of dragons and for that his people praised him. As gratitude the townspeople entrusted the town jeweler in the task of creating a crown for their new king. The jeweler took the stone from the great red dragon’s crown and cut it in two. From those two pieces of stone, he fashioned a crown that had the biggest piece as the main jewel and the smaller piece was to be fashioned into a ring.

The townspeople presented King Aarmon with the beautiful crown, while the jeweler continued to make the ring. The people had never seen Aarmon so pleased with the crown since he was also thrilled to learn that this gem came from the crown of Adapu. Everything was fine until later that night. While King Aarmon gave orders to his servants, something terrifying happened.

Before their very eyes, King Aarmon began a horrible transformation, into something that he loathed and hated. Aarmon felt his head grow hot and he tried to remove the crown, but to his consternation he couldn’t. The crown grew with his ever-growing skull. Spouting wings and scales, Aarmon blossomed in size, filling his throne room. Within a minute, where King Aarmon sat, there now stood a dragon of immense proportions. The only thing that remained visible from the garments and adornments that Aarmon wore was a brightly glowing red stone, the stone that had once belonged to Adapu.

Aarmon’s people grew frantic at the new shape that their king had unexpectedly taken. They panicked and soon fear broke loose again. Fleeing in fear of his life, Aarmon took off and spent the rest of his days in exile, for no one heard of a dragon with a red stone in its forehead for a great many years. Aarmon’s followers lived in fear of Adapu’s words for the rest of their lives. They took back the great treasure of Adapu to the great red dragon’s final resting place. The ring that the jeweler made however was taken elsewhere and hidden in a cave that was marked forbidden on the outskirts of Aarmon’s kingdom.

Over the centuries there have been reports of people however that have found a mysterious red gem, but yet they were never seen again. Other reports were heard that the ring had been recovered and that some of those who had been lost had now been found. But then again the person who had the ring wasn’t heard from again either. The forbidden cave was checked after these accusations were made and sure enough it too had disappeared. As it always does, time passed and those who had found the red gem told their tales. They told that the ones, who had set them free of the curse, knew of their affliction, but alas he who sets one free was doomed to have the curse fall upon them. Those who were lucky enough to be changed back into a normal human, fled in fear of what their comrade’s became, for fear that they would be eaten.  Thus the history was written in spell books thereafter. The description of the Stone of Adapu and the Ring of Adapu were included in that history.

Time again passed, and a young mage named Iarde came into possession of the Ring of Adapu. Throughout the vast majority of his life, he worked on a way to reverse the effects of the curse, for his father had fallen victim. His efforts were useless, for before he could finish, his father had flown away to die in a secluded area. The now adult mage was heartbroken, but he did cast a spell on the ring. “To free the cursed spirit held by the Stone of Adapu, wear the Ring of Adapu and say:  ‘Hantai noroi’. Until then you will be spared. But be forewarned, wearing the ring while saying those words will be your damnation.”

Thus the histories were once again changed. The Stone of Adapu to this day remains lost. The Ring of Adapu however rests with the descendants of Iarde. And thus history will continue to be written…

Well the votes are in...

With a 3 - 0 vote, it looks like most of you want to see the sequel to Cursed and the Damned. Which is encouraging because it's not in print yet, but then again most who commented have read the earlier drafts. (Most noticeably my mother who is a book fiend and wants another) So that shall be the route that I take.

I must apologize to my friend Robert however, your idea to have "QBUM" as the main antagonist isn't going to happen at least in this book, considering I'm about 1/3 of the way done with it already.

As for a title I haven't come to a "That's it! Eureka!" point yet, but it might go along the lines of  Mystery of the Crystal Forest or The Crystal Forest and the Curse of Guilt. Haven't quite figured it out yet, but I'm kinda leaning towards the latter one.

Again, thanks for the input,
Michelle

What to do next?

Well since I am pretty much done with all I can do at the moment on Cursed and the Damned, what do you think my next project should be?

Should I ...
A) Work on revising my first book Truth of Reality (as mentioned in the July post 'Other Projects?')?
B) Work on the writing the sequel to Cursed and the Damned?

Whether you folks realize this or not, I am not only doing this for myself, but for any potential fans I have out there. I like having a reason to continue doing this...besides the fact I enjoy escaping for awhile.

Let me know if you have any suggestions,
Michelle

Book update

Well the final part of the inside of the book has been put together. There are a few things that still need to be added, but I'm waiting to hear back, but it's pretty much done. Also I was sending out possible ideas to my good buddy Ron about the book cover.

I did have some people at work ask me today who I was dedicating the book too and I gave him an answer "It's dedicated to all of us who just want to escape for awhile." He laughed and said "Pretty much everybody." That statement is true. This is dedicated to everyone and even an important someone who pushed me to finish this. You know who you are :)

Apparently I've grown up from what I really wanted to put in my 'dedication' section. I dare not put that here for it may incriminate me later on, but if you want to find out maybe on facebook or something, I'll let you know. LOL

So are any of you out there excited this might be coming to a bookstore near you, or am I just typing to the wind? Let me know!

Until tomorrow

Check it out ------>

If you take a gander over to your right, you will notice that there are a few things added. You can now subscribe to my blog via e-mail, that way whatever news I have to share will be coming to your in box and you don't have to keep coming here.

As we get closer to the anticipated date of seeing a release for this book, I might even change the picture to the right out with the book cover when we get that far.

I don't think anyone is as excited as I am about this whole thing, but I hope you'll all help me out in the long run. Again, thank you all for your support.

Michelle