Month: July 2011

Character Archive: Casting Logan Conner

As promised, I’m back today with my “casting” of Logan Conner, Raena’s other “main guy”.
Raena calls Logan annoying, but smoldering hot with a heavenly voice. He’s in all her classes at school and he’s extremely cocky.
I chose Chace Crawford to “play” Logan. Now, Logan actually has black hair, but other than that he’s Logan to a T.
You’d probably recognize Chace Crawford from the TV show Gossip Girl. Here are a couple of clips of him:
What would you like to see next Monday? More castings? Character interviews? Or songs from the Shadow Imperium series playlist? Leave your vote in the comments below!

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Six Sentence Sunday #4

I’m back for Six Sentence Sunday with another excerpt from Foreshadow!

            “Why can’t I help out a pretty girl in distress?”  He winked at me again.
            “I’m hardly in distress,” I told him, ignoring the rest of his comment.
            “Ah, but there you are wrong.  You are in distress.  You are distressed at the prospect of not being with me every waking moment,” he said dramatically.

Want more? There will be another Six Sentence Sunday next week!

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Short Story Saturday: "Bemused" Chapter Two

I’m back for Short Story Saturday with Chapter Two of “Bemused”! “Bemused” follows my Muse, Lorelei, as she goes through her training. Chapter One can be found here
Chapter Two
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” Eric, Lorelei’s father, asked.
She turned to look at him. “It’s fine, Dad.”
“I really don’t want to leave you here, Lor.”
“I know, but I need to do this. I’ll never know unless I try, right?”
Eric sighed as he got out of the car. He popped the trunk and hauled out Lorelei’s suitcases. He set them on the ground and turned to her. “Last chance to change your mind.”
“I’m not going to change my mind Dad.”
Eric hugged his only daughter tightly. “Call anytime.”
“Okay, I will,” Lorelei agreed.
“If you do change your mind, or if you don’t like it, I’ll come get you.”
“I know Dad.” She let go of her father and picked up her suitcases. As she turned away, a lone tear trailed down one cheek. She squared her shoulders. She was not going to cry. She needed to do this.
As Lorelei approached the Temple of the Muse, she tried to walk slowly so she could take it all in. The white marble façade with its columns and many statues placed throughout the well-tended gardens was breathtaking, but intimidating.
When she reached the door, Lorelei put one suitcase down and turned to wave to her dad. She hauled the door open and held it with her foot while she grabbed her suitcase again. She wrestled herself and her suitcases inside, the door clanging shut with a resounding bang. She stared at the vastness of the inner foyer and grand staircase. She wasn’t sure where she was supposed to go. Where would she find Calliope?
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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Fun Fact Friday: One Ring . . .

I’m back with Fun Fact Friday! Today, I’m going to talk about something that’s been an inspiration to me:  my grandmother’s ring. Please excuse the poor photo. I couldn’t find my camera and had to use my phone.

Now, this ring is just a piece of costume jewelry. It reminds me of a signet ring, which is probably how my Nana wore it (she had really tiny hands!). It may not seem significant, but it’s the only thing of my Nana’s that I have. I like to pretend that she bought it after I was born, because the stone resembles my birthstone, topaz (or citrine).
This ring is what inspired Raena’s citrine necklace in the Shadow Imperium series. Citrine is traditionally used for protection, which is why the necklace is given to her. Several of my works-in-progress also involve amulets or signets that serve various purposes.
Now, I’m not particularly superstitious, but I do like to wear this ring when I write. It sort of makes me feel close to my Nana, which is comforting. And I won’t necessarily say that it’s good luck or anything, but I did wear it to my math final last month . . . and I got the highest grade in the class. Of course, that could have been due to my seven-hour-long marathon study session the day before, but who knows?
I’ll be back with some more “fun facts” next Friday! Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the next installment of “Bemused”!
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Moira’s Blog: The Happiest Place on Earth?

*In case you missed this week’s episode, please visit: Escape! Episode 5: Fireworks

We’re in Disneyland! I wasn’t expecting a reward this big. I bet Toby’s team is in Disneyworld, since they went to Florida. It’s exciting, but at the same time I’m a little disappointed that I’m not going to be able to take him to his first theme park. Oh well. We’ll still go to the Boardwalk when he comes to visit. The Boardwalk > Disneyland, in my opinion.
So, the morons on my team wouldn’t let me go to Star Tours. I took off on them. It’s a big park. Hopefully I won’t run into them. Too bad Toby’s not here. It would have been more fun with him.
Anyway, I have no idea what our next challenge is going to be. I hope it’s not like the freaking desert. Between that, the clowns, and being locked in that tiny room, I’m really regretting going on this show. I kind of just want to give up and go home. But right now, being on this show is my only chance to see Toby occasionally. I’ll stick with it for him. Hopefully we’ll both survive this show.
Well, I don’t know where I’ll be blogging from next week. I really wish they’d give us more notice as to where we’re going. I’ll be here though!
~M
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Why I Love Wednesdays . . . Why I Love Summer Reading

I’m back with Why I Love Wednesdays . . . This week’s topic is “Why I Love Summer Reading”. Now, I admit, I don’t usually get that much reading during the summer. I’m in school full-time (don’t ask me why I decided to go back to school—I must be out of my mind or something), so summer is usually the best time for me to get a lot of writing done. So, I’m going to share with you some summer releases that I’m looking forward to reading in the fall when I’m back in school:

Ø    Dragon’s Oath by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast (House of Night novella)
Ø    Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
Ø    Everlasting by Alyson Noël (Immortals #6)
Ø    Passion by Lauren Kate (Fallen #3)
Ø    The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies #2)
Ø    Sirensong by Jenna Black (Faeriewalker #3)
Ø    Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
Ø    Supernaturally by Kiersten White (Paranormalcy #2)
Ø    Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (Nightshade #2)
Ø    Hades by Alexandra Adornetto (Halo #2)
Ø    Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines #1)
Some of these series I’m actually behind on (or haven’t started yet), so I’m definitely going to be busy reading! I have to admit, out of everything, I think I’m the most excited for Bloodlines. Richelle Mead is extremely talented and I’m dying to find out what happens with Adrian! 

Which summer reads are you the most excited for?

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Writing Prompts: "Nothing to Say"

I’m back with Tuesday Writing Prompts. (I really need a better name for this, don’t I? Any suggestions?) Each Tuesday, I’ll be sharing short stories I write using prompts from http://creativewritingprompts.com/
Today’s prompt is: Write a mini-story (100 to 250 words) that begins with: “They had nothing to say to each other.” So, without further ado (I love that phrase for some reason!) here it is: “Nothing to Say”.
They had nothing to say to each other. The time for talking was over. They sat quietly, both fuming in their silence.
Finally, Blake stood. “I’m outta here.”
Janessa glared at him. She wanted to scream, but she’d already done enough of that. “Fine. Go,” she said vehemently.
Blake paused. He hadn’t expected her to agree. He’d expected her to cry, scream, beg . . . something other than her seeming indifference. Just moments ago, they’d been shouting at each other. Now she was showing about as much emotion as she would if he were a stranger. “I’m really leaving,” he reiterated.
“I said go. You don’t need my permission.”
“Fine.” He headed for the door, pausing to scoop up his keys from the hall table. He reached for the door handle and stopped. When he turned to look at her, she still remained in the same position, sitting rigidly straight in a chair. She was staring away from him. He shook his head and stepped into the hall, slamming the door behind him.
Janessa cringed at the noise of the door closing. It sounded so final. He had actually left. She sat there in shock for a moment, then began to sob.
Hope you enjoyed this little story. As always, feel free to leave feedback in the comments below.
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Character Archive: Casting Andrei Petrov

I know I promised a character interview with Raena today, but instead (by request) I’m going to share my “casting” of Andrei.
Andrei Petrov is one of Raena’s “main guys”. Raena describes him as a “golden god”. He’s a police officer, a college student, and very charming.
I chose Chris Hemsworth to “play” Andrei. After all, who better to play god-like Andrei than someone who has already played a god in the movie Thor?
The above picture is actually a couple of years old, but it’s exactly how I picture Andrei.
Here’s two trailers for Thor, which is Chris Hemsworth’s latest release. The first is a little more of him kicking butt, while the second has more dialogue.
Next week I’ll be sharing my “casting” for Logan Conner, Raena’s other guy so be sure to check back!

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Six Sentence Sunday #3

I’m back with Six Sentence Sunday! Since I’ve posted more serious excerpts the past two weeks, I thought I would share something a little lighter this week.

Logan pulled his aviators down the bridge of his nose so he could peer at me from above the rims.  “Well, if it isn’t Raena,” he murmured in a heavenly voice. 
“It’s Rae,” I told him flatly.  “No one calls me Raena.”
He leaned closer.  “And you can call me the guy you’ve been waiting for.”




Want more? Six Sentence Sunday will return next week!




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Short Story Saturday: Chapter One

Welcome to Short Story Saturday! Each Saturday, I will be posting a chapter of my new serialized short “Bemused”. “Bemused” will follow my Muse Lorelei as she goes through her training. As I mentioned in my post with my blog schedule, ever since I gave my Muse a name, she’s been demanding her own story. In order to keep her happy and cooperating with me, here it is . . .
“O Muses, O high genius, aid me now!
O memory that engraved the things I saw,
Here shall your worth be manifest to all!”
~Dante Alighieri, Canto II of The Inferno
(Anthony Esolen translation, 2002)
Chapter One
“You want to study where?” Lorelei’s father asked in amazement.
“At the Temple of the Muse,” Lorelei told him.
He visibly paled. “Isn’t that all the way in Greece?”
She laughed. “No! They’ve moved it since ancient times. It’s in L.A. now.”
“You want to move to Sin City?”
“Dad, Sin City is Las Vegas, not Los Angeles.” She shook her head. Her dad could be so clueless sometimes.
“Then what’s Los Angeles?”
“It’s just . . . Los Angeles. The City of Angels.”
“Why would the Temple be there?” he asked.
“Well, it’s a creative center. You know, with all the actors and models and designers . . . it seems like a logical place.”
“Why do you want to study with the Muses?”
“I’ve always wanted to inspire people. I love to create and to help others do the same,” she said.
“What would you be studying?”
“I’d be studying epic poetry under Calliope. You know that writing is a passion of mine, especially epics. I think it started when I read Beowulf in middle school.”
“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?”
Her expression softened as she looked at her dad. He seemed so old in that moment. “No, Dad. I’m sorry, but you can’t.”
“I shouldn’t even let you go. You’re only sixteen.”
“I’ve already been accepted. My bags are already packed. You can’t deter me. I know this is what I’m supposed to do.”
He stood and faced her. “I know, Lor. It’s just that you’re my only daughter . . . my only child.” He paused, then sighed. “We can leave tomorrow.”
TO BE CONTINUED . . . 
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