DAY 4: Elevator Music and Updates

Gonna sum stuff up!

So FAMOUS FRIDAY is kaput! (is that how you spell that??) No entries this week if you haven't noticed. So when I return from my BLACKOUT I will have a new fun friday game (and special role for my two JUDGES Susan Fields and Jen). So no worries ladies! I haven't forgotten your faithfulness ;)

WRITE-A-HOLIC's CHALLENGE! I have a few
challengers who are going to try/think they might join me on my adventure!
These brave souls have jumped on the wagon with their trusty pens/papers/
computers and plan on writing ONE 
CHAPTER A DAY for
their WIPs (or on DL's case, querying by August 1st). Here are my lil' adventurers.

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude

Saumya of Quarter Life Crisis: Taking a Year Off
Shelley Sly (BETA-BUD!) of Stories In The Ordinary

Laura Marcella of Wavy Lines (is leaning towards our wagon)

Katie of Creepy Query Girl (is considering when her sched. frees up)

I'm so hoping you all join me! It really is invigorating! It's like spending a day INSIDE of your story (with snack/shower breaks). 

So my BLACKOUT starts tomorrow :( I'm sad to be leaving you all but excited to complete 2 novels this summer! I'm sure all of my bloggy-writer-friends understand. But I will stop in periodically and check-up on you guys as well as update my progress on my CHALLENGE. Maybe do a  post or two for old times sake but nothing like I usually do! So keep a weather eye out for my return and let me know what you're up to. My email is on my profile if you want to chat!!!

Anyways I'll have some music on loop for you guys while I'm away (think of it as elevator music, symbolic of waiting haha). But I wanted to share with you, my new WIP, here is a chunk (beginning of CH.2) of THE RESISTANCE/TOTAL COMPLIANCE. A YA/urban fantasy/dystopian novel (planned to be 82,8000 words thanks to my challenge in 25 ((weekdays))). ENJOY!

I wasn’t sure if math had been the highlight of my day or the utter ruin. I decided not to think about. Three more classes to go. U.S. History was my next stop, and my least favorite. The only good thing about it was the gorgeous teacher, Mr. Royce. The only bad thing, besides the subject, was Mr. Royce. He was an undercover federal agent—confirmed. Actually, he was the reason for my gash. Me and the others do some undercover work ourselves.

We thought Mr. Royce seemed too clean cut and organized to be a self-respecting history teacher so we investigated last night. Staking out his house was supposed to be easy. Hide in the bushes, make sure he doesn’t have dogs, and wear a black ski mask in case there are hidden cameras. Well the only thing that would have made our job easier was some night vision goggles, which Nathan forgot at his house. I suppose the goggles would not necessarily have made it easier, but certainly less painful for me. Mr. Royce aiming a sniper rifle on top of his roof made our assessment of him much simpler, though. No need to sneak about for long hours, waiting for something official to happen, when your History teacher shoots you. However, we might have seen him perched up top there, if we had something to see him with.

Lucky me. I guess Mr. Royce didn’t have night vision goggles either. His bullet grazed my arm at a sharp angle, missing my torso but cutting my flesh deeply. Enough so to cause me to lose a massive amount of blood, pass out, and awake to seventeen stitches. Joy. Oh and what made it even better, we have access to morphine and medical supplies thanks to Mr. Monroe. Ha! Jackpot! And even better than that, I’m allergic to morphine. What a world. I suppose I did not entirely lie to Cayden when I told him I was having a bad day. The pain was awful. It took all the energy I had, not to murder Nathan. Plus, Cayden was unintentionally or intentionally trying to destroy me. What a day.

AA: One Day at a Time.

***Yes I stole the Alcoholic's Anonymous catch phrase, but I'm not an alchy!!! I'm applying it to my writing. But I will admit.

I am a Writ-a-holic! HELP!

Okay, no don't help me. I CHALLENGE YOU! To become a Write-a-holic and join my W.A. PROGRAM. How? You ask.

SIMPLE!

You take it a CHAPTER A DAY! I just made this NIFTY BADGE, if you want to join me on my WRITE-A-HOLIC's ANONYMOUS journey.

I DARE YOU TO ADMIT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM... with your WIP that is. 

You aren't making enough progress right? I've been there babe! Let's take it one day at a time together!

Here's my goal:

82,800 words

300 pages

12 pages per chapter

25 chapters

25 DAYS

I did the math, you guys. I CAN DO IT! And so can you! Want to join me??? Post this ULTRA-FIERCE BADGE on you profile and DO A CHAPTER! I'm already 2 days into my challenge! It's pretty easy. This is the reason for my BLACKOUT! I plan on doing this challenge twice! Yes That is right. TWO NOVELS will be produced this summer!

JOIN ME!
Here is my progress with my WIP: The Resistance/Total Compliance (2 days in)

9436 / 82800 words. 11% done!

Sha-la-la-la SHOCKER!

Yeah I didn't know what to call this post... clearly.

Well here is a random T.J. post today. I have a couple awards to give out, a tag to get rid of, and some news. PLUS T.J. ADVERTISING:

FAMOUS FRIDAY PEOPLE! ENTER by posting HERE
Win THIS
By following THESE rules.
PLUS! become a judge after winning 3 times! I have two so far. I'd like to honor Jen of Unedited and Susan Fields of Susan Fields

I know! Easy right-o?? Well maybe not. As I've said before, any less than 3 entries and I'm trashing the contest for a new friday game-thingy.

Anyways, I've been hiding these little awards for a bit now so I suppose I should give them out now...

Thanks to Laura Marcella of Wavy Lines, she is in fact my blogger buddy and the woman behind the man WOMAN! What I mean by this is that she encouraged me to be a better blogger and not give up! And here I am today!

My buddies <3

Candace of Misadventures in Candyland

Lynn of Place to Create

Shelley Sly of Stories in the Ordinary

Jen of Unedited

Katie of Creepy Query Girl

This baby was gifted to me by D.L. Hammons of Cruising Altitude. He is SUPER-BAD, meaning really cool. With great taste for classic rock and Spartan love, this guys is BEST!

I regift this lovely to:

Talli Roland of Talli Roland

Laura Marcella of Wavy Lines

Julie Dao of Silver Lining

Nicole Ducleroir of One Significant Moment at a Time

Carolina Valdez Miller of Carol's Prints

NOW I was tagged by Amparo Ortiz of No Rest for the Lazy, I'm excited to play again so here goes:

So here is how the game is played. There are 5 questions and you must answer each question 5 times and then TAG 5 people to play. So here goes my 5...

Question 1: Where were you five years ago?
1) Ugh. Freshman in high school.
2) Hating english and writing.
3) Spending my free time watching TV.
4) Going to Barbizon Modeling School.
5) Got braces. SUCK-FESTIVIA.
Question 2: Where would you like to be five years from now?
1) Getting my Masters in English or Psychology.
2) Published and a rich-bitch (not in a bad way).
3) Hang gliding with my nifty Hang IV license and new Kitty Hawk Glider.
4) Living in Australia.
5) Dating some Australian who looks like Heath Ledger, Keith Urban, Jesse Spencer, or any other HOTT Australian.
Question 3: What is (was) your to-do list today?
1) Wake up, get dressed, arrive at work. (this all falls under "do the job thingy")
2) Check my inbox for form rejections and agent responses *sigh* none today! But lots of bloggy loves!
3) Blog. Done.
4) Study for Criminal Justice. Prob not gonna happen.
5) Give a birthday gift to my BEST FRIEND Alexa.
Question 4: What five snacks do you enjoy?
1) Rice Crispies
2) Old Bay potato chips
3) Stale Twizzlers
4) Anything Taco Bell
5) Cheese cake
Question 5: What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1) DONATE! I'm big on charity and sharing.
2) Pay for college and graduate school.
3) Pay for my sisters' college and other needs.
4) Replace my clunker (aka I guess you could call it a car).
5) Move to northern Australia and live on the beach.

I tag:

Amy Jo Lavin of Ramblings of a Novice Writer

Shannon Whitney Messenger of Shannon Whitney Messenger

Elana Johnson of Elana Johnson (who is going to be published! Need to learn more about this CHICA!)

Slamdunk of Slam Dunks

E. Elle of The Writer's Funhouse

I tagged all of you because I don't know you AT ALL! And I want to know you!!! Please play this game so I can read up and get to know you and become the bestest of blogger buddies!!! <3

Okay, last item on the "T.J. don't forget to blog about this today" list. BLACKOUT!

You all may call it "unplugging" but I'm calling it a BLACKOUT! Pretty much, June 1, 2010 I will be BLACKING OUT! NO NO NO! NO need to call an ambulance. What I mean is that I won't be blogging for the summer months unless it's something important. I plan on writing 2 novels in this time period. And what with my imaginary ADHD, that is hard to do with such distractions as Facebook, Blogger, and email. Okay, ok. I will still be checking my email so you can reach me there. But otherwise, I need to write. So I'm going on a BLACKOUT! :) I'll add my email address to my profile for you incase you want to chat or catch up or tell me some good news! Please feel free to use it whenever (unless you are sending me porn or youtube videos). 

Famous Friday and SvS FIASCO!

Is it T.J. or is it the stupid HTML?! IDK. But I can't seem to make anything work when it comes to HTML. So I do have a video entry for Jen's SOMETHING V. SOMETHING contest this week, but the females have male voices, ugh. And some of the actions might look weird, the stupid (T.J. or COMPUTER, your pick) F'ED UP! Anyways...
EH UGH AH NOOOOOOO! I just tried to fix it and now it won't even save it! F U C K! I'm sorry I think I'm out of the running for this week. He is a quote from my lost video :(

T.J.: "Well Pamela doesn't seem to have a problem with her buh-zoom-buhs when she is running along saving people on Bay watch. And she has some monsterous buh-zoom-buhs! Honestly, I don't know how she keeps those melons in place. But if she can keep her juicy fruit secure then I think I can manage. Thanks for the concern Sheila."


OMG! Guess who got a vid to work ;)

Here is who participated this week:

The Alliterative Allomorph 

The Misadventures in Candyland

T.J. Carson's Writing Endeavors

Creepy Query Girl

Shannon McMahon

Open a Window

Susan Fields

Unedited

Check out their vids for this week! They are gonna be awesome!

Next, FAMOUS FRIDAY!
WINNERS!

LYNN of Place to Create (ha def my fave this week! Loved the poem! Cracked me up!)

Here's my entry but it is Canadian! Loonie is our dollar, the toonie is our two dollar, and Harper is our PM. 

I'd like to be a loonie

Cause I'm cheaper than a toonie

and my gold shines like sun at noonie.

I get to ride in pouches, get lost in couches, 

get thrown to Harper, so he can prosper, and then sent back to a hand, that may be can help the land.

Jen of Unedited

Susan Fields of Susan Fields!

Anyways, I only had 3 participants this week, which is my minimum, so Famous Friday is around for another week! We also have 2 judges joining me!!!! YAY I'll have SPECTACULAR BADGES made for you guys this weekend for your profiles! Get some buzz going about my lil contest, I want to keep it around but any less than 3 entries and I'm ditching it for something new on Fridays. Although it will def come back every now and then, so hold onto your badges! 

Turn It Up

Enter Tahereh's CONTEST over yonder @ her blog Grab a Pen !!! It is pretty BEAST! :)

ALSO! Enter my weekly FAMOUS FRIDAY CONTEST HERE and you can find out how to play HERE.

-----

Classic rock fans? WOO HOO! I'm a biggie when it comes to the classics; Mellencamp was my first love, then I moved on to Joan Jett, next came some Triumph, and I recently fell in love with this band (especially the lead) this past winter. The songs hold so much passion and the music ROCKS HARD. Oh yes and then there is the 80's METAL HAIR. haha. <3 that too. 

"I Saw Red" Warrant

P.S. This song was based off one of the band member's TRUE experience. You can really feel the emotion in the lyrics and voice. This song was written by Jani Lane, it was his girlfriend that he walked in on while she was having sex with a friend of his. Hope you enjoyed this song, it's a fave of mine. 

Sampler Sunday

Can't talk. Must study. Ok. I give in. Enter my weekly FAMOUS FRIDAY CONTEST HERE and you can find out how to play HERE. Do you remember my short story Stall Patterns? Well I posted a sample a while back. You can find it HERE if this chunk interests you. Well here is another chunk.

-----

Her mind began to become coherent when she heard something beyond the blusterous air that beat against the fabric of the wrecked craft. A hum floated in wafts to her ears. She could not place the alien sound, it was too far off to identify just yet, but she was anxious. She was alone in the field, except for the noise and her neon glider. Blaine had neglected her phone in her car three hours ago, upon take-off.  It was not until she was up in the air that she realized the typical bulge in her pocket was missing. It was an idiotic move on her part and she openly cursed herself. Blaine fumed in her head about being so naïve about this sport—this being the first time she flew on her own with her Hang I license that she received two weeks ago. She 

should have been more cautious and not overly persistent about flying on her own.

            The hum grew into a mechanical bellow. An older, tawny colored, Jeep Cherokee mounted a slope in the vast distance. Blaine narrowed her eyes to screen through the debris that travelled on the wind. As the vehicle angled toward her general location a wall hit Blaine. She burst out of her ball in an attempt to stand and back away. She unattached her harness from the straps of the glider, freeing herself of the destructed piece of equipment and attempted to stand. Her ankle moved for the first time since the crash and jolted her shin with icy injections of agony. The ankle gave way under her weight. Blaine fell sideways from the attempt to crouch into a stand. Her ankle could not support her.

            “Fuck!”

            She beat the ground with a tanned fist that was spattered with white splotches of elasticity around the knuckles. She palmed thirsty sand and sprayed it into the wind. The Jeep parked alongside of her aircraft and she heard the engine die. Blaine threw herself onto her back in frustrated defeat.

-----

Well that's a good place to stop :) Let me know what you think! If my final's don't kill me I'll see you all LATERS!

Famous Friday & Something v. Something

Starting with Jen's contest on her blog Unedited SOMETHING V. SOMETHING: This week was Cats v. Dogs. Here is my entry:

Here are some others participating in this little BEAST CONTEST!
Shannon
The Alliterative Allomorph
Candyland
Me (T.J.C. BABY)
Jen!

-------------------------- Next on the AGENDA! T.J. Carson's Famous Friday Winners! Thanks to everyone who participated! You saved my contest for at least one more week! Encourage others to play! If I don't have at least 3 entries per week then I'm gonna cut it and find a new Friday topic/game! :) So here were the participants this friday:

Jen of Unedited Susan Fields of Susan Fields Candace of The Misadventures in Candyland Laura Marcella of Wavy Lines Talli Roland of Talli Roland Katie of Creepy Query Girl (ha the imagery of you picketing cracked me up!)
Anyways, AMAZING TURN OUT THIS WEEK! Winners are..................................

 Jen of Unedited 

 She was very creative, going above and beyond; making a video entry!!!! LOVED IT! Don't be scared to get creative you guys! Make me a collage and email it to me! Or add a picture and post your entry to your blog (providing me with the link so I can repost it as a WINNER!) Don't be scared to get crafty. It just means extra competition! :) And the regular entries are great too! But be creative! Add personality!

NEXT we have Talli Roland! I want to be: Lip Gloss.  1. I am always shiny and reflective, catching people's eye. 2. I am highly appreciated by women of all shapes and sizes, never cursed and always by their side.  3. I make things look good!  If I was lip gloss, I would make the world a prettier place. Lastly! Katie of Creepy Query Girl Let me think...I'd want to be a kid again. 1. Someone else provides food and housing. 2. My biggest problems are figuring out homework assignments. 3. I'd have my whole life ahead of me again. (not that i'd change anything but I miss that feeling)  If I were a kid again, I'd run as fast as I can down the hallway like I used to and 'fly' several feet onto the awaiting single bed- I might or might not hit my head on the facing wall. But the flight is worth it. If I were to do that now, my husband would probably have me committed to an institution.
THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!IT'S SO HARD TO CHOOSE SOMETIMES! But they were all wonderful entries, alas I had to go with the ones that made me smile (teeth and all). But beautiful description of Mona Lisa Laura! I loved it! And Candyland, yours was sooooo tempting! Bumping and grooving! I could picture it! Susan, I remember your STEAMY characters and HELLS YEAH i'd want to be Tabitha too lol. So please don't fret LOVEIES! Post your next entry on THIS POST for next week's Famous Friday Contest! Anyways guys! Link me when you post your pretty badge on your profile and let other people know about my lil game over yonder :) And ❤ the feedback on my query post! Susan I'm def checking out that sight you recommended! And Candace, thanks for all of your help with my query! Everything you said was on-target and exactly what I needed! I might post my revised query laters!

Hey and Join this:

Katie of Creepy Query Girl has this LAUGH OUT LOUD contest going on at the moment! The Query Spoof Contest. You should totally join! Check it out HERE!

WOWZA!

JEEZE you guys! Thanks for the feedback on my query letter. Pretty much the majority rule is:


(1) CUT THE BIO SECTION (paragraph 3).
(2) GET RID OF "It was a Monday." AS MY OPENING LINE.
(3) KEEP IT BETWEEN 100-250 WORDS.

This was all amazing feedback! I will certainly put these changes into effect ASAP! And please, anyone reading this post, feel free to give me critiques on my query letter (located in the post below this one). Now, since most of you expressed not being at the querying stage or never querying before here are some other general things on QUERYING (this is what I based my query letter off of)...

Don't be a Narcissist: "Your query is 90% about yourself, 10% about your book. I need to know about the book! Especially for fiction. For non-fiction, since platform and qualifications are so important, your query can be 60% about the book, 40% about your platform."

-Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent: Top Ten Query Mistakes

Time is Mula: "The person reading your query is: Busy; Has more to get to after yours; Knows BS when he/she reads it; Wants to find a good story; Knows that 99% of the material isn't very good."

-Carolyn Jewel: Writing a Query Letter

3 is Key: "A query letter has three concise paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis, and your writer’s biography. Don’t stray from this format. You won’t catch an agent’s attention by inventing a creative new query format. You’ll just alienate your chances of being taken seriously as a professional writer."

-AgentQuery: How To Write a Query

Good for a Laugh, but NOT Professional: "Trying to get noticed with gimmicks. Agents aren’t impressed by authors who write their queries with silver gel pens on black paper or who include a miniature doll to represent their main character."

-Writer's Relief, Inc.: Top Ten Ways to Annoy Literary Agents

DUH! You still Have Homework: "One of the quickest things an agent or editor can tell from a query letter is whether or not you’ve done your homework. If you’re querying Nathan Bransford with poetry or screenplays (something he says on his blog that he doesn’t represent), even if you have an amazing query letter, you’re sending the message that you weren’t proactive enough in your own career planning to research the person you want as an advocate.

-Nikki Duncan: Grabbing Attention Professionally and Keeping It.

FYI: I have all of these sites AND MORE located to the left. Also, I really want to thank Candace of The Misadventures in Candyland for offering to help critique my query letter as she has had GREAT success with hers! I can't tell you how much  you complete me  I appreciate it :D Thank you LOVELY! Oh and my BETA! You make  me fall on my ASS laughing  my day brighter and my story AMAZING! Just today we wrote corny "formalish" dialogues to each other (because we are nowhere near formal with each other).

Oh and it is not to late to enter T.J. Carson's Famous Friday Contest And don't forget about a few other contests, Candyland's Photo Contest and Jen's Something vs. Something Contest. I hope you choose to enter some of these, I've entered ALL of them (except my own, DUH!) ;)!

WTF Wednesday

COLD. It's cold outside. WTF? It's supposed to be spring and almost summer! Anyways I wanted to share my REVAMPED query letter today and get your insights. One thing I am having difficulties with is the bio section of the query. My beta Shelley recommended making it shorter, but said she was not an expert. So I decided a collective opinion might be helpful! Should I scrap the whole bio section (after all I do not have any publishing credits) or shorten it, or leave it as is? Personally I like my letter (of course I'm 100% biased about my own work) so that is why I'm asking my blogging buddies for their opinion! Well here goes nothing...

Salutations Ms./Mr. ______________,

It was a Monday. Spastic red and blue flashed in Sloane McKinley’s rearview mirror on her way home from class. The eighteen year old already had a day filled with paranoia after thinking a black Cadillac Escalade was stalking her. Now she was being pulled over on the dark highway, unaware that this was more than a routine stop. The cop was the owner of the black car. He was also Sloane McKinley's kidnapper. Birds In Flight is approximately a 110,000 word, urban fantasy/young adult novel, about a precocious young woman named Sloane McKinley and her struggle to obtain freedom from the confines of a government that denied her of it.

Under orders of the federal government, Sloane is abducted into a top-secret program for advanced humans with supreme physical strength and vitality. No contact is allowed with the outside world and the facility is located in an unknown remote area. With no other options, Sloane is forced to settle into this new life. Sloane learns that she is the leader of a troop of females as they are pitted against their male counterparts in militaristic dart-gun battles, referred to as The Game by its competitors. The male’s leader, John Duncan, is Sloane’s equal in strength yet opposite in ambition. Duncan stays loyal to the government’s cause while McKinley makes efforts against it. The two become entangled in a constant battle of love and desire, but only one of them can win.  Sloane is a savvy manipulator and born leader. She dominates the male’s contingent every night during The Game with new tactics a well as tricking the government’s psychiatrist into believing she has adjusted to this new life. However, Sloane is hell-bent on freedom from containment and experimentation, choosing escape over her feelings for John Duncan and even using these ties against him. McKinley is not alone in her yearning for liberation. Lucas Mans, her assigned wisecracking mentor, turned sidekick, assists in the initial escape with the hopes of informing the world of this dystopian life and injustice. The government will use any and all measures to prevent the world from finding out about these supernatural humans, but Sloane and Luke are quite the Bonnie and Clyde when it comes to deception, and John does not take betrayal lightly.

A query letter can only do so much, but the actual content of a manuscript is where my passion for literature and storytelling is contained. I do believe in letting my story speak for itself. With that said, I should inform you that I am seeking representation for a first-time novel. As I do not have previous writing credits to glamour myself with (yet), I can only show you what I am made of through this one-page letter. However I can share my inspiration for this novel with you and refer you to my writing blog for a slight view into who I am and how I write. I prefer to write under the pseudonym T.J. Carson and the link for my blog, T.J. Carson's Writing Endeavor, is grouped with my contact information. I encourage you to check it out if you would like creative insights on how I wrote this novel and other works in progress of mine, not to mention a giggle or two, I am being quite formal at the minute. The concept of Birds In Flight actually came from a feminist childhood fantasy of mine, where males and females compete in battles of physical and mental strength. A world where males dominate but one female is just as competitive and commanding, capable of empowering other captive women, and of course this woman falls in love with the most powerful man. I adapted this fantasy for commercial literature. And of course this entire fantasy was fueled by my addiction to action flicks, sarcasm, and tart noir. Now the title was an interesting story, but I'll leave that for a cover letter if sample pages are requested. After all, if I don't have your interest by now it is pointless for me to continue babbling in such a narcissistic tone. This is my first completed manuscript and it is available to you upon request. Thanks for your time and consideration Ms./Mr. _________________, I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

T.J.C.

Blogger buddies, I swear this is only a page long, the screen just makes it look longer ;)

Turn It Up Tuesday

AWE-SOME! OH-EM-GEE! Super cool contest to win a laptop bag from CSNstores.com! Check out the contest on Steph Bowe's blog Teenager of the Year

 Right now I'm rather sad. My Beta buddy, Shellsie (you may know her as Shelley), was injured in the battle field that is romped across by school age children. My wishes and various unorthodox prescription ideas go out to her! She even calls me Dr. Teej *shakes head with a groovy smile* Anyways I'm sending you HEALING energy through the computer as we speak.
Don't forget to enter my Famous Friday Contest, it's really easy-peasy. Submit your entry on THIS post by following these rules:

RULES: 

1) You must comment your response on THIS (aka the one that says Famous Friday in the subject and is on T.J. Carson's Blog) post. 

2) I need you to name what person/place/thing (NOUN) you want to BE. 

3) You need to list 3 reasons why you want to be this NOUN. 

4) Write a brief paragraph about what you would do if you were this NOUN for a day (5-10 sentences).

It's super easy! I've only received one entry so far and I'm worried that the shine has worn off of my little contest! So if you like this contest and want to keep it around please enter! If I get less than 3 entries (that how many winners I can pick) then I'm probably gonna cut it from my blog schedule :( BOO! I like reading these entries too!!!
Ok but it's Turn It Up Tuesday so here is a really short one today:
It's the opening credits song to this Australian Showtime series called Satisfaction. Hope you like LOVE it! This is one of my favorite TV shows, I watch it on Netflix because it is not played in the U.S. =D DAMN I WANT TO LIVE IN AUSTRALIA!

You're COOL, He's HOTT (Sampler Sunday + other stuff)

You guys are COOL but Google is COOLER. You guys are my BFFs but Ciffnotes are my BFFLs. Pretty much you guys are AWESOME but tools that make my homework easier are AWESOMER ;) (I have to write a 7-8 page paper on the play Fences, HA!). Yeah but don't mind me. I'm sitting in my bed, eating half of a cucumber and typing this post for your amusement, while putting off writing this FREAKING paper. And I have a headache. Joy! Oh crap -- happy Momma's DAY!

On another note, Susan Field's post today, Picturing Your Characters, made me LAUGH OUT LOUD! I profile my character the same way she does! I thought I was just some creeper with a hopeless fascination of beautiful people, but I'm not alone. So I wanted to share my characters and who I imagine them to be for my YA/Urban fantasy novel, Birds In Flight. And I want to hear your opinions on this mutual method of Susan's and mine. (BTW Shelley [my awesome beta-blogger-buddy], I decided to change my characters' ages to suit a younger audience. So don't freak, you are reading my script properly haha :) but I thought you might be interested in my muses for Luke and John!) 

If you would like to view a sample of my novel... CLICK HERE! But here's a brief summary of my book so you get some background:

It was a Monday when Sloane McKinley was stalked by a black Escalade and abducted by a police officer who is under orders of the federal government. What is perceived, as the most monotonous day of the week was Sloane’s closest brush with government conspiracy. Her abduction into a program designed for evolved individuals brought out a side McKinley never had the chance to experience as a collegiate student at the University of Maine. The eighteen year old internee is now a commander for a regiment of females as they are pitted against their male counterparts in epic dart gun battles. A transformation overtakes Sloane’s body within weeks of arriving and she gains supreme physical strength and vitality. Monitored by the facility’s scientists through a thick metal irremovable bracelet, Sloane has an escape plan coursing through her savvy noggin as she realizes the burdens of power and prices of freedom.

John Duncan: 19 years old. 

My male MC, who is the ANTAGONIST to Sloane McKinley, was inspired by Brett Scallions' killer looks. John is the mediator between the government and advanced humans (not to mention he is an advanced human as well and the leader of the male's unit). His hair is not as bleach blonde as Brett's hair is in these picture but definitely lightened by the sun.

Lucas Mans: 19 years old.

(Oh yes Shelley, HOTT STUFF!) This is Sloane's mentor, he is also advanced and pretty much a goof-ball. But he becomes very important. Lucas was based off of Scott Michael Foster's character, Cappy, from the ABC tv show GREEK (which is a fave of mine!). So his personality and physical characteristics are VERY similar to Cappy's.

Dane Laws: 21 years old.

Oh YES! Eric Dane from Grey's Anatomy. He plays Mark Sloan on the show. But in my book he is Dane Laws (I really liked his last name so I used it!) He is Sloane's roommate's boyfriend (Blake's boyfriend, and yes Blake is a girl).

Sloane McKinely: 17 years old.

She is the protagonist. A femme fatal/tart noir character. AND she looks like YOU (the reader)! When I wrote her and read back through her, I WAS HER! I do not include much description so you can get swept away as McKinley. Sweet ride right?

Blake Reynolds: 19 years old.

The dark haired girl is my best friend! I gave Blake her personality and looks! Amanda (Sloane's original BFFL) also had a similar personality but made up looks. 

The rest of the female character are based around my female friends, including the relationships. But all of the males are based off of GORGEY FAMOUS MEN! All of these images are pasted into a powerpoint (each character with their own slide) along with brief descriptions and pictures so if I ever lose my inspiration I can always check in. No lie, the pics are in a folder on my computer entitled "MUSES". 

So similar to Susan's post (because it really made me happy to see her using a similar method) how do you visualize/animate your character to make them INCREDIBLY real to you while you are writing?

Thanks Susan Fields for inspiring my Sampler Sunday Post!

Oh yeahs. Jen of Unedited is having a video/contest thing! (she has not decided if it's a contest yet) but it's BEAST! Here's my entry! I encourage you to enter her something v. something contest/fun thingy!

Cats vs. Dogs