Lorelei Unplugged - "I've Got That Gutter Feeling"

My first day back to driving a bus and even though it was a relatively painless ordeal, and the rain came in to save us from being overly heated while driving (we had 75 as a high today), I'm drained right now. Well, I've also had one beer, and that's my limit.

Weird Stories In The News:
I saw the story on the co-founder of group who was behind that video about the brutal African warlord this morning. Jason Russell is in the hospital for exhaustion. The explanation was that he was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition. Well, I saw the video of him running butt-naked in the street this morning. I can't say he looked like he was exhausted. But I'm thinking there's a lot more to this story and I'll just take a back seat and wait and see what the whole story really is. A lot of times when news breaks they are in such a rush to write it that they don't explore the whole story. But let me just say this when I'm exhausted, like I am now, I'm not about to go outside into the street my butt hanging out there slapping the sidewalk with my hands and yelling something. I think someone would want to examine my brain first.

On to the more placid side of my life.
When I get comments from readers, or those who have given my book to someone as a gift to read and tell me that they are enjoying it, I rejoice. Nothing could make me happier than someone who is reading something I wrote and some how relates this to me. Sales also make me a little giddy too. I had a woman cashier come up to me who'd purchased my latest book for her daughter, she told me she just began reading it and really likes it so far. Good. Love to hear it.

I'm currently working on my edits, but you all know this. I've posted about this in both Muse and Lorelei's Writing Journal, so I won't bore you with more of the same. But just a heads up, I may not be posting very much this week, next week, and the week after that. So, if I post anything at all, it might be ramblings of whatever I can come up with.

Do you feel lucky? Well...do ya?

I do have to do a Lucky 7 post, but not until I find 7 people who have not done this already. I will blame want to thank Christina Rains for choosing me. Thanks Christina...that was really nice of you to think of me, now that you've passed this off on 7 more people... me being one of them--ehem... I feel like I've come down with the seventh deadly virus or something. Yes! So this means I get to pass it on to seven more people, so watch out... don't get too close. I might pass it on to you!!!

FRIDAY ~ Editing...don't over do it!

thank you to Rich Evans for use of pic!

Okay, so you might realize I've been busy. Writing my fingers to the bone--they're bleeding (see picture if you don't believe me!)

Or maybe you haven't missed me all that much. That's fine. I'm okay with that. You're all busy too. We're writers and some of us are either working on our WIP, or taking a break. You do need to take breaks once in a while. Don't feel that this is a bad thing. It is not! I once took a 4-year break from writing completely. But I worked on my craft hobby during that time, which was fun.

I'm working on edits on third book. I like using the find button of my edits selection. I type in a word, or phrase and it will find that word or phrase throughout your mss. If I hit "find all", it will do that in a matter of seconds. I then hit the high light button and I'm done with high lighting that word or selected phrase. This is one thing I find that makes the job so much easier for working on the edits. And since we can't read through with our eyes the over-used words like was, or that, or even, etc., this high lighting idea helps you see them, so to make your job a little quicker (I had not done this with the first two book--stupid, I know!), and you won't spend quite so much time working through it over and over again.

When you are editing, it's a good idea to not over-edit. If you pick up any printed book (traditional paperback), you will see that these words will still be in use. We don't have to get crazy and yank every was, even, that, as, or but etc. out. Especially when these words are in dialogue, because people do speak that way. What you want to do is make sure you don't have a trail of WAS all the way through your pages. Try and get as many of them out as you can.

Now, I'm going to give you an excerpt from one of my favorite authors to give you an idea of how sometimes these "be" words are still left in. You'll notice that the read is fine. It sounds very much like your best friend is talking to you, while relating her story to you (first person).

From Embrace the Night by Karen Chance:

I heard him yell something in French and felt a bullet whiz by my head, but it was unimportant because I was falling, and there was nothing to hold on to, just sliding dirt and limestone rocks crumbling beneath my hands. My arms flailed wildly, grasping for the one thing I had to find, but for a long second I felt only air. Then my fingers collided with something warm and alive and I grabbed it and we were both falling. There was a dizzying rush of air and my power wouldn't come and all I could think was that I'd killed us both--then my brain whited out and my heart tried to stop and reality twisted and bent around us.

I might have tried to pull a few there was's, and I felt's, but this is Chances' style. Who can argue when you are a New York Times Bestseller?

My main point is to not go crazy trying to delete and somehow find a replacement for the "be" verbs. I can't even find my list of all of them, but I've listed a few.

My lazy writing tends to be the phrases it seems to, and I felt, and I saw, and I heard. These are the ones I'm most concerned with because when I read it through I'm wanting to vomit all over my PC, and that wouldn't be blood like in the picture above. Sorry...

Anyway, this is what I've been up to. Also I'll be visiting a couple of blogs here and will post a link for them.

So, back to the type pad. Promise no blood... or anything gross.

Beyond the Black Veil ~WIP & The Historical Dracula

Pince Drakulya-a.k.a. Vlad The Impaler

In case you didn't know by now, I'm working on the third book. I had decided--at some point--to somehow incorporate the historical Dracula into it. I didn't want to do some cheep rip-off, or cheeky paranormal romance with him as the romantic hero. I wanted to make him as close to his historical self as I could. I also needed a world in which he resides and rules--and is a vampire. In other words, I didn't want him showing up at Sabrina's doorstep. In this story Dracula plays a major character, and has a role throughout, to the end.

In Beyond the Black Veil, Sabrina slips into a portal while trying to locate her missing cousin, and suddenly finds herself in a Parallel World. In this world they're stuck in the late Victorian age. In this world the vampires out number humans ten to one.

 The Historical Dracula:

I've had a long on-going interest in the historical Dracula, as well as the fictional one. The historical Dracula lived during dangerous times (15th century Transylvania), and is far more complicated, and murderous than the fictional one by Bram Stoker. In 1444, Dracula's father, Dracul, had the misfortune of being be lured by the sultan across the Danube River (located south of Transylvania, beyond which lies the Ottoman Empire). He took his two sons along, and was caught and brought before Sultan Murad. In order to save his throne and his own neck, he left his sons, Dracula and Radu, to be taken as hostages. The two boys were imprisoned in Egrigoz in Asia Minor--under "house arrest". During this time is when Dracula was introduced to Turkish torture, was taught the Turkish language, and also became acquainted with the pleasures of the harem. During this time he also developed "a reputation for trickery, cunning insubordination, and brutality, and inspired fright in his own guards, in contrast to his brother's sheepish subserviency." ~In Search of Dracula - 1972

Dracula lived into his mid-forties, was able to sit on the throne twice as a prince, married twice (and many lovers), and was cut down in his last battle against the Turks--his sworn enemies. His head was severed in that battle, separated from his body and taken to Constantinople where it was displayed on a spike. His body meanwhile was taken to one of his monasteries. No one is for certain that the headless body found at this site is really Dracula's.

Monastery at Snagov where
Dracula's body was put to rest

Well, maybe it is or maybe it isn't. My writer's mind had to turn this over in my head and came up with a solution as to how Dracula's head was married back to his body, and became a vampire. Sorry, but you'll have to just wait and read the book when it comes out in order to see how he did this.

SYNOPSIS

~ partial~

Beyond the Dark Veil ~ a world where vampires out number humans ten to one, and humans are merely blood donors and objects of their sexual desire.

While trying to solve the mystery of where Lindee could be in this world, Sabrina encounters Drakulya--the real-life Dractula--a.k.a. The Impaler--who has some how managed to become a vampire living in this strange world, and rules as King. He is mystified by Sabrina's various abilities (such as being able to disappear at will from her imprisonment)--as he's decided she will become his "blood dame". Meanwhile, his son, Jett, simply wants her, despite the fact he is to marry a vassal's daughter, Penelope.

I'm Visiting Fangtastic Books Today!

Me at my very last book signing at BORDERS in DeKalb.

Hi to all of my adoring fans... Well, maybe that was a bit much. But you who are out there lurking, and stalking me... you know who you are!... I'm at Fangtastic Books, today, my host Roxanne was kind enough to put up another CONTEST to win a copy (ebook or a paperback copy). If you have yet to enter a contest, this is on-going as we speak! So head on over THERE NOW!

I'm working on a new novella, this is going to be in the horror fiction genre. I actually have taken scenes from Vampire Ascending which I've cut from it. I realized these scenes made the book too long and I also realized I had another entire book--or a short book, at least--I wanted to re-write it. This will not be a Sabrina Strong book, but a totally different one. I'm still playing with the title, too. It has a werewolf in it and an Indian legend called a Windigo (and I'm not sure about the spelling right now). My bloggy bud, Shelly Arkon, was nice enough to be the guinea pig my beta reader for this new novel. She's a big-hearted woman, and one of my adoring fans. Give her a round of applause. *cheers, clapping, etc.*

My back is a bit better today. My husband is doing some housework for me. Give him a round of applause *YAY! Cheers! Clapping*.

And I'm trying to find some notes from when I was writing this section of the book a few years ago. I'm unable to locate it )^; Must be in a bin somewhere...

Well, you all have a good weekend! And if you don't have any luck with this contest, I have another coming up on Monday. Swing back here and I'll let you know where!