Free Story: New, Not Better

I thought it might be fun if, once in a while, I showcase some of my writing here in the form of a free story.  So, here's one I wrote for... some deadline that didn't get accepted.  Hope you enjoy it.  

            Tiffany’s polished red thumbnail found the equally red button on the dash and pushed.  Again, nothing happened… not even a revving noise.  Her husband—his thinning, mousy hair caught in a light breeze as he bent over the holo-reader—sighed.  His finger jabbed at the screen, presumably scrolling through the owner’s manual to the hovercraft the couple were currently sitting in.  She sighed, leaning back in her seat.  With another huff of aggravation, her husband began to shake his head at the screen in his hands, as if it were arguing with him.

            “Do you have the key turned?” he asked without looking at his wife.

            She closed her eyes.  Tiffany was not good with heights.  The fact that she could successfully drive a hovercraft of any sort between point A and point B was nothing short of a miracle… so the idea of being in a brand-spanking new model of craft that flew a good three hundred feet above last year’s models was making her feel sick.

            “Yes, Herbert.  I have the key turned,” she said in a monotonous tone.

            Herbert huffed again, jabbing some more at the screen.  With a couple of deep breaths, she finally managed a peek over the side of the craft, looking straight down.  Gasping, she immediately realized that that was a mistake.  Other hovercrafts zoomed by so far below the two that they were totally unaware of their presence, stuck hovering several hundred feet above the nearest parking port.  She slammed her back against her driver’s seat, trying to calm her increasingly erratic breathing.  Herbert did not even glance at her way.

            “Well,” Tiffany said with a hollow laugh, “at least we’re not plummeting to our deaths.”

            “Yeah,” Herbert responded without a hint of amusement.  “That’s the new thrusters on the bottom of the craft.  Exclusive to this year’s model.  Guaranteed to still run, even if the craft won’t.”

            “Why would someone just want to hover in midair?” his wife muttered.

            Now Herbert looked at her, one brow raised.  “It’s a safety precaution, Tiff.”

            She rolled her eyes.  “I’m aware of that.  I’m just saying.  They must have very little confidence in their new and better model if they have to install something like that.”

            “It’s not that, Tiffany.  This car has the highest safety rating—”

            And that’s when Tiffany stopped listening.  Instead, she glared straight ahead at the steering wheel.  She missed their other hovercraft, the one they had traded not hours ago for this hunk of junk.  The couple was just seven clicks away from the dealership, and now they were stuck and broken down.

            “Damn it!” Herbert yelled, throwing the holo-reader into the floorboard, causing Tiffany to jump.  “There’s not a damn thing in that manual to help.”

            With a groan and her face turned skywards, Tiffany reached out and held the button on the dash down.  Again, not a sound. 

            “That’s not gonna work, Tiff.  You can stop trying.”

            “I don’t appreciate you snapping at me.  I don’t see you trying anything.”

            He scoffed, turning his head away from her. 

            “Hey, I’m not the one who wanted this stupid hovercraft in the first place.  I liked our old one!”

            He whirled back towards her, nostrils flaring.  “It was out of date.”

            “No, it wasn’t!  It had everything that this one has… oh, wait… I’m wrong there.  Our old one ran!  You’ve always done this!  Gotta have the latest technology.  What is it with you?”

            Ignoring her—as he always did when he knew his wife was on the verge of winning an argument—he bent forward and picked up the holo-reader.  Tiffany resisted a strong urge to scream as she crossed her arms and turned, very deliberately, away from him.  A few moments of silence passed as he simply sat there, scrolling through the manual yet again. 

            “Aha!” he cried finally, causing her to jump again.

            “What?” she asked.

            Without bothering to answer, he reached down to a small lever that was located between the two seats.  He jerked it to the left and then pushed it up.  Smiling triumphantly, he motioned towards the ignition button.  Tiffany pressed it, and the hovercraft roared to life.

            “We had it in the wrong gear.  That’s all,” he said, as if he had known all along. 

            With her hands tightening around the steering wheel so much that her knuckles turned white, she made a sharp turn in the direction they had come from. 

            “W-what are doing, Tiff?”

            “I’m taking this stupid, overly sophisticated piece of crap back to the dealer and getting our old craft back!  Wrong gear… of all the stupid things!”

            “But, Tiff…”

            Tiffany shot him a look so full of fire that he only smiled weakly.

            “Um… if you hurry, honey, you can beat their closing time.”    

I wrote this one back in 2015, inspired by a story my aunt had told my mom once about how her brand-new model car kept breaking down.  She kept having to take it back to the dealer so they could "work out the bugs."  (It was leased.)  If you liked this, let me know.  

 

Quotes to Inspire

I'm sure you've all seen those inspirational quotes on posters.  The ones that give pseudo definitions to words like "teamwork" or "willpower."  And I know you've all probably seen those pseudo proverb-like messages.  Crap like "He said, 'You cannot withstand the storm.' And she whispered back, 'I am the storm.'"  Only usually there's a huge grammar mistake in there somewhere.  Those are all well and good, but my God, do I really hate seeing them.  I mean, no offense to those who truly take inspiration from reading or hearing them, but I just don't.  I feel like they're over-played.  I feel like they are fake as hell.  I do have quotes that I think about quite often, though.  Quotes that do inspire me.  So, I'd like to share them all with you. 

1.

If you talk to me in real life for longer than a few minutes, and the subject of Harry Potter comes up--and it inevitably will--I will make no bones about admiring this woman.  She's an inspiration to me.  And, of all the quotes that come from her--and not the books--that I think of most often, it's this one.  She's speaking about how she was a single mother, on welfare, in government issued housing, when she began writing the first Potter book.  Most people would give up.  Most people would make excuses.  "I can't write a book; I've got to get my life together."  She made writing a book part of getting her life together.  So, if you feel like you've hit rock bottom... build a house.

2.

I won't lie.  I first heard this quote in the context of an episode of Criminal Minds.  But it stuck.  I had never thought of it this way.  You tell a kid something magical and mythical like a dragon is real, and they might mutter "wow" but ultimately they just accept it.  So, if you don't have to provide proof, why do we need fairy tales?  This quote reminds me to look at things from more than one angle.  As a lover and writer of fantastical things, it also helps to remind me that there's more than just putting fantastic things in my works to make it a good story.

3.

Okay, so, yes, this quote comes from a Let's Player while in the middle of playing a glitching Sonic game.  And also, yes, it's immediately followed by him screaming "Not fu*king this!"  But this is just good life advice.  I have been in situations where the people around me are just so wound tight and freaking out about things that are, usually, out of their control.  Sometimes, you just have to reassess, and I think of these words a lot when I'm doing just that.

4.

This quote is found inside the second book of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, called The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.  When I read this section, I had to pause and read it again.  No truer words have ever been written.  A friendly reminder to side-eye anyone who is just so gung-ho wanting to be the leader.  People, indeed, are a problem.

5.  

My favorite Seuss quote from The Lorax.  I think a lot of people are forgetting this.  Do you have to care about every little thing?  No, you're only human with a limited capacity.  But we should all care about something.  Find a passion and stick with it.  And then make sure that that passion is a little better when you leave it than when you found it.

6.

I saved my favorite quote for last.  This quote was paraphrased to me by my best friend when we were both talking about taking risks and putting our writing out into the world--beginning the trying to get published part of our careers.  You see, I'm an anxious person.  I have many fears.  Many, many, many fears.  One of the biggest ones I have is failure.  I always had to succeed, growing up.  After all, if you fail, you're a loser, right?  Wrong!  All that failure proves is that you tried.  And trying is paramount.  It's the only way to succeed.  I think about this quote just about every day.  I'm not joking.  Every single day.  Every time I sit down to edit my novel.  When I submitted it to the open door call last year.  When I eventually send it to an agent.  Every time I have to put it out into the world I whisper the words "permission to fail."  It's become my mantra.  Because it's okay.  As long as I keep trying, I have that permission. 

Those are the quotes that inspire me the most.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a novel--or two and a novella--to edit and an agent to find. 

Books I Read in 2018

Much like the Books I Read in 2017 post, I'll be listing the books I finished reading in 2018, and then answering a few fun questions about them, to better analyze my reading habits in the past year.  Without further ado, here are the books I read in 2018.

Books Read in 2018

Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf       Wires and Nerve Vol. 1 by Marissa Meyer
Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen                                       Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins                  Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood                             Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl      Tempest and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
The Magicians by Lev Grossman                             Soundless by Richelle Mead
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas       A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin                       A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas     The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Heartless by Marissa Meyer                                     After Alice by Gregory Maguire
And I Darken by Kiersten White                             Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher                                  Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Princep's Fury by Jim Butcher                                 First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
Caravel by Stephanie Garber                                   Blood Communion by Anne Rice
Dracula by Bram Stoker                                          Half-Bad by Sally Green
Half-Wild by Sally Green                                        Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Total Books Read: 32

Favorite Book(s)?  Well, sticking strictly to standalones here... Wow... also seeing that I didn't read a lot of standalones... I was really taken in by Dracula. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by Alias Hook.  It had some false starts, but once it got going, I couldn't put it down.  Loved it.

Least Favorite Book(s)?  Oh, I'm ready for this one.  First off, freaking The Girl on the Train.  Hated that book.  I blame the hype, honestly.  It was so hyped as the next Gone Girl.  It is not.  Not even close.  I wasn't even a hundred pages in and I knew who did it and why.  And the protagonist got on my ever-lovin' last nerve.  And, while I love the Vampire Chronicles--and have even loved the two additions previous to the New Chronicles... I didn't particularly care for Blood Communion... (I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest... I finally said it).  There is always a lot of talking in Rice's books, which I'm totally cool with, but this one threw in a whole oh-no-can-it-be section... that wasn't.  I just... meh.

Favorite Series? Um, I think the Codex Alera series (all those books up there by Jim Butcher) and A Court of Thorns and Roses series (all the books up there by Sarah J. Maas) really took me this year.  

Least Favorite Series? That Half series by Sally Green.  I only read the second one because I had purchased both of them at reduced prices.  But I won't be seeking out the third.  Really just disliked the style and couldn't give a crap about any of the characters.

Any reoccurring themes in choice of reading? Well, I read a lot of series stuff... or stuff that has sequels either out or coming out this year (2019).  But, I read two books with the word "alias" in the title that were also two word titles (Alias Hook and Alias Grace).  I read a lot about fairies this year, and not consciously.   Six of them included fairies (Alias Hook, A Court of Thorns and Roses series--hereafter abbreviated to ACoTaR, and The Darkest Part of the Forest).  I read two classic novels this year (Sense and Sensibility and Dracula).  I always read a lot of books that deal with magic or mysticism in some way, so I'll skip that.  But I read either entirely or all currently published books in a series a lot this year... I think total series I read was 10... wow... two of those were all that is currently available to read, and only 1 series that I won't return to.  I read two books that dealt with the world of Alice in Wonderland (which spawned my first post, those books being Heartless and After Alice).  

Any of them have sequels you want to look out for next year/future?  A lot of them, actually.  Maas has promised a continuation of the ACoTaR series in a second trilogy.  I will definitely be looking out for that.  And I Darken I want to continue, and Bannerless currently has a sequel out I am interested in.  I definitely have to get the sequel to Furyborn (called Kingsbane) ASAP after it releases this year. 

Any authors new to you this year that you want to seek out more of? Claire Legrand is one I will definitely look more into, as well as Kiersten White.  There's a new book White is writing that's due out... two days from when I publish this that's set within the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe that I desperately want.  I have Throne of Glass by Maas in my possession that I need to read.  I think those all the new authors that I want to continue reading from this year (new to me, that is).  

Pleasantly surprised by any of them? Alias Hook for starters.  This was a Dollar Tree find by my BFF that she literally bought, brought to work, and then immediately loaned to me to get my opinion on.  And it was great.  Dollar well spent.  Furyborn surprised me too... but I'm not sure why.  I think I just had a total misconception about Legrand and this novel.  I really loved it.  And I was surprised by how taken in I was by the Codex Alera and the ACoTaR series.  

Any books left on your TBR (To Be Read) list that you're excited to get to next year? I am excited to get to another Jim Butcher book I have on my TBR called The Aeronaut's Windglass.  Also, Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, and Dracula in Love by Karen Essex.

And that's it for me.  I have read 32 books for 2018, and I'm so proud of that, considering the writing I do and that I mostly read on my breaks at work.  So, what did you all read last year?  Leave me a comment below!  Also, covers for favorite books and least favorite books following!

Favorite Books

Least Favorite Books

 

Resolutions: 2018 into 2019

So, I have this little cheat system.  I make, like, a ton of New Years' resolutions.  Like, a lot.  The reason?  The odds of me completing at least one or two of them are better that way.  There are some obvious cons to this, of course.  I mean, for example, for 2018 I made fifteen resolutions... wrote them down and everything.  How many did I complete?  Four and a half.  Just four and a half out of fifteen.  And I'll be honest, I might be stretching a one and a half of these to make me feel better.  But, you know what?  I like my system.  So, here are the resolutions for 2018 that I completed, followed by my writerly type resolutions for 2019.

Start Writer's/Reader's Blog: If you're reading this, well... you have your proof.

Finish Flame Rough Draft:  Flame is the sequel to my first complete, as of yet unpublished, novel.  My goal was to at least finish the rough draft to the first of its two sequels.  Well, done.  As of NaNoWriMo 2018, Flame's first draft is done.  Now, only to edit.

The other two completed goals were not writing or reading related, so I'll leave them off.  But, yeah.  Writing-wise, this is what I completed this year.  Doesn't look like much, compared to what I had set out for myself this year.  But... I did a couple of extra writing things this year--like writing a complete novella.  And while I didn't make any reading goals for 2018, I am very pleased with what I accomplished there this year.  I'll be doing my "Books Read in 2018" soon.  I actually super excited for it!  Now, to make a clear statement of what I want to accomplish, writer/reader-wise, in 2019.

Edit Ash and Get it Out to Agent(s): I was going to start on this this month, but due to several circumstances, I'm a little burnt out.  So, I'll give it a go starting in Mid-January, I believe. 

Edit Flame: This should be self-explanatory, given that it's the sequel to Ash, shouldn't it be?

Begin Ember: The third novel in this trilogy.  It might not be until November, but I'm coming for it.

Write Next Novella in Series: I like what I wrote for my novella this year, and I want to continue it.  So, here you go.

Find Publisher for Novella: Again, self-explanatory

Read at Least Two More Books This Year than Last: I won't reveal any numbers yet, as I want to save the number books I read this year for my "Books Read" post.  But I want to add at least two to that number.

Read at Least One "Classic" Novel: I read a couple last year--again, more info to follow.  So, I'd like to read at least one this year, just to say that I've lived up to the degree I earned.

Finished One Old WIP: This relates more to my "just for me" stuff... but yeah.  I need to do it.

Start Writer/Reader Podcast: This was on the to-do list for 2018 but didn't happen.  So, I'm gonna redouble my efforts at it this year.

And I do believe that's it.  It's quite a list.  Again, realistically, I probably won't get them all done.  But then... who knows?  Maybe I will.  I'll never know unless I try.  What is everyone else's New Year's Resolution(s)?  I'd love to hear them! 

Books I Read in 2017

Okay, so this is like an attempt at something I'll be doing near the end of this month/beginning of next month for 2018.  I had originally lost this list of books I had read last year, but I found it.  Also, sorry for not posting in so long... NaNoWriMo ate me... but I won!  Another 50,000 words in the books! 

But, more on this post.  What I'm going to do is this:  I'm going to list the titles and authors of the books I read last year (2017).  Then, I'm going to answer questions about them, look for similarities... whatever comes to mind.  Without further ado, let's get started.

Books Read in 2017

Cinder by Marissa Meyer                                         Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting by David Reed

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King       After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Dark Tower: The Drawing of Three by Stephen King    Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer                                Cress by Marissa Meyer

Fairest by Marissa Meyer                                Winter by Marissa Meyer

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer                 Prince Lestat and the Lost Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice

Darth Vader Volume I by Keiron Gillen       Darth Vader Volume II by Keiron Gillen and Jason Aaron

Darkwing Duck: Orange is the New Purple by Aaron Sparrow  

Darkwing Duck: Volume II by Aaron Sparrow      The Lost Hero by Rick Riodan

Son of Neptune by Rick Riodan                             Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Mark of Athena by Rick Riodan                            House of Hades by Rick Riodan

Blood of Olympus by Rick Riodan            Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawthon

Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts            Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts

Total Books Read: 27

Favorite Book(s)?  I read a lot of great ones last year.  I loved the graphic novels (Vader and Darkwing).  But if I had to point to a singular book (excluding series), I loved After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn.

Least Favorite Book(s)?  Um, the Five Night's at Freddy's book.  Yeah, that one, probably followed by The Drawing of Three.

Favorite Series? Definitely the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Fairest, Winter, and Stars Above)  

Least Favorite Series? The Circle series (Morrigan's Cross, Dance of the Gods, and Valley of Silence).  It wasn't bad... but when compared against others on this list... yeah.  Sorry.

Any reoccurring themes in choice of reading? You know, I thought I was going heavy on the series reading this year... but almost everything I read last year either was a series, or has a sequel. Also, featured a lot of myths/folklore type of things.  The Lunar Chronicles is a sci-fi retelling of fairytales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White), the Heroes of Olympus Series (The Lost Hero, Son of Neptune, Mark of Athena, House of Hades, and Blood of Olympus) mixes Greek and Roman myths, and Uprooted is based on Polish fairytales.  Discord's Apple also draws on Greek as well as a few other myths.  So there's that.  

Any of them have sequels you want to root out for next year/future? This is a bit funny for me to answer, given that it's almost at the end of 2018.  But, there is one on here that has a sequel I want to find and read, and that's After the Golden Age.  I think it's called Dreams of the Golden Age.  This is a superhero fiction, by the way, and I love it alone for that.  Not enough of it out in the world, if you ask me.

Any authors new to you this year that you want to seek out more of? Well, Meyer was new to me, and I'll talk more about her on my 2018 roundup.  And Novik has another of her myth themed books out called Spinning Silver I'd like to give a try.

Pleasantly surprised by any of them? Probably Bobby Singer's Guide, Fevre Dream, and Uprooted fit this best. A book based on a TV show is very, very hit or miss, and this one felt like they got Bobby Singer's character dead on.  Fevre Dream was a vampire novel set in the days of (and on) steamboats... I loved it.  And I just didn't know anything at all about Novik or Uprooted when I bought it, but I got really into it by the time it was finished.  

Any books left on your TBR (To Be Read) list that you're excited to get to next year? Again, I'm getting to this late, so this question is really here more as a place holder.

So, that's it for me.  What did you think of my list?  Got questions about one that sounds interesting?  And what would you like to see me do on this blog in the new year?  Leave me suggestions!  Thanks!  Covers for favorites and least favorites are below!

Favorite Book: 

Least Favorite Book: 

Favorite Series: 

 Least Favorite Series: