CrimeWrite

… I do have a good reason for disappearing! Promise. Let me just find it here …

No. Really though. Nano was a rousing success, hit the 50k mark; still working on the book though, but it is leaps and bounds better than the first miserable attempt. And for you poor saps who read the first one (so sorry about that) you might actually appreciate this. Because the second isn’t literary genius by any stretch of the imagination. But I like to think I’m improving. It is currently untitled though.. Must rectify that situation.

My Christmas break was far too short; three weeks is not enough! Worked a lot (70 hours), saw my favorite people, reconnected with an old friend, danced myself into the ground with the DARLING lads of Molly’s Revenge, and had some interesting adventures (:

I also found myself in a tattoo shop with my tip top pal Maggie, where I made an appointment for this March. So. Thrilled. Finally, after a year and a half of planning, the date is set, and I am so ready to be inked. Hurrah!

Back at school now, just finished up my first day back. Yesterday we rearranged my room a bit by lofting the bed (far too high; I fear for my life). My poor fish – Jack – almost died on the drive down here but he is currently racing about in his tank like a crack addict. Probably not a good thing to have sitting on my desk: bright blue/green fish that is OH so very distracting when I’m supposed to be doing homework… But. Anyway. Today started off well, as I saw my two favorite soccer players out and about, then went to my Greek Mythology class (fab), had a nice lunch, tried to pay attention in math but was more interested in the cute boy next to me, barely made it to my (2 hour!) physics section on time but my TA was late anyway (who, by the way, is half-Swiss, but went to school in France; try to work out that accent!), walked in on my roommate and neighbors doing yoga, went to the gym, got lost with the neighbor trying to find classes for tomorrow in the dark, and then had to evacuate the building due to a pointless fire alarm.

Now I must go, dear readers (the two of you out there, bored to tears), as I have physics at 8am tomorrow, and I have a date with The Iliad. I’ll try to find time to keep working on the book… later…

Want a preview of book #2? Check it out, folks:

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2742692/1/untitled

I have just hit the daily word count requirement! .. For last Sunday. But still, charging on! I was determined to catch up by Friday so that I could get well ahead over the weekend and coast to the finish line. Still am, but …

Yesterday, this shitebag decided that he needed to cross over the bike path without looking behind him. My front tire smashed into his back tire, and next thing I know, I’m sailing off of the bike and skidding ten feet down the path. What does he say? “Oh … sorry.” and walks off. Cheers. I was mostly fine, but I’ve managed to sprain my wrist. Typing is a bit painful – and slow – but I’m getting there!

I will be caught up by Friday. I will be caught up by Friday. I will be caught up by Friday.

Oh goodness it’s nano time again!! That is why I have been absent. And other school-type things. This is going to be quick because I need to hit the 20k mark today and am currently sitting just under 19; almost! Things are going well, I’m liking this novel so far. Heaps better than the first, though I’ll be running out of outline soon…. Let me know how your novels are going!! I’d love to read an excerpt or two. Maybe I’ll post one of my own…

So. I’m supposed to be packing for uni. But it’s such a hassle! And there is so much that I still have to get. My art stuff is all packed away… but when I finish moving, I’ll have my brand spankin’ new scanner hooked up, and then I won’t have to take photos of things any more; I can scan them!! Happy happy days. It’s good that I packed the art stuff first, because otherwise, I’d be more distracted than I already am and wouldn’t get anything done. (not that I’m getting much done as it is..)

My school books came in the mail yesterday! That was a legitimate source of distraction. My math book absolutely terrifies me. I flipped to lesson 1.2 and almost cried. My teacher from last year did warn me… But my chemistry stuff looks really good; I’ll be all right! :)

Not much progress on the outlining process to report. I kind of get motivated in erratic bursts, but at least I get a lot done when I’m in the mood. Another few chapters knocked off, just trying to finish it all before NaNo!!! Christ, November will be here before we know it, and I hope I’ll be ready… Good luck all!

Finally got things up and running with createspace for my friends/etc. The book can be purchased online, but as of right now, I don’t receive any sort of payment from it; I’ve lowered the price to cover just creatspace’s cost. Drop me a line if you’d like the link. :)

I started designing my tattoo in October of last year, but it never looked quite right. So yesterday I spent over two hours on it, redoing it and redoing it, changing this, tweaking that, and now it’s perfect :) I’m planning either sometime in November or over Christmas. Hurrah!

Question of the day: do any of you have tattoos? If so, what are they? What do you think of tattoos in general?

Just some nonsense bouncing around in my head. Thoughts?

Chapter I

The sun’s rays could not penetrate the inky darkness that poisoned the alleyway like a black cloud. Even the boisterous sounds from the market square seemed muffled by the void. Filmy water puddled along the base of one wall, fouled by decades of accumulated grime. One puddle at the alley’s mouth managed to catch a small flash of light, reflecting in bruise-colored hues the brightly colored scene mere feet away. 

  A large boot suddenly splashed through the puddle and sent the images scattering. The boot’s owner ran straight out of the alley and collided with the girl walking past. He bumped into her shoulder, and she spun wildly, dropping her brown paper packages. 

“Hey! Watch where you’re –” She shouted after him, but he was already gone, snaking out of sight through the startled crowds. The girl cursed under her breath and bent to collect her packages, long auburn hair falling like a curtain around her face. She straightened, and was about to continue on her way when she froze. She cocked her head to one side, listening. A sound, very faint, but audible. There was something in the alley.

Someone, she thought to herself, instantly feeling panic’s icy grip tightening around her chest. She listened more intently and recognized the sounds from within not as those of menace, but of a creature in pain. Thinking immediately of the man who had almost knocked her down, she hesitated. Torn, she chewed on her bottom lip. The right thing would be to offer any help she could, but the prudent thing would be to steer clear of any danger. She heard the sound again and gripped her packages more tightly. Oh all right, she thought, and took a tentative step into the mouth of the alley.

Almost immediately, the roar of the crowds in the square disappeared, swallowed up by the gloom. The cry came again, this time more recognizable: a wet, choking cough. She took another step, and another, until she had reached the back end of the alley. Blinking furiously to adjust eyes that had been squinting in the daylight mere seconds ago, she struggled to see what lay ahead. She heard the cough once more, inches away. She looked down. Her hands flew to her mouth and her packages tumbled to the grimy concrete. A man was sitting slumped against the crumbling brick wall – more of a boy really, hardly older than she. The girl gasped. Protruding from his stomach was the long, curved blade of a knife.

Many of my friends are very eager to hold a copy of one of my books in their very own hands, but I am still having issues finding an agent, so I decided to self-publish for a little while. I’m quite pleased, actually. The cover art is original (well, my own photography; maybe there’ll be some drawing involved next time…), the author photo is “unprofessional” (ridiculous), and I’ve lowered the price as low as it can go so that I get no money at all, and you guys just have to pay the company I’m with to bind up the book. I’d buy them myself and hand them out, but I am strapped for cash and just can’t afford that…

But anyway, those should be ready in about a day :) Success! Also, if any of you have tips on finding an agent, my ears are open. Very open.

Alright, everyone’s got that book hanging around that you either never read or will never read again, maybe it was your mother’s or something, or maybe it’s just a really bad book (hey, it happens…), and you aren’t sure what to do with it. Donate it? Possibly. Throw it out? Even with a bad book I can’t bring myself to do that. No, instead, turn it into an ingenious hiding place! 

(Note: this is especially handy for those of you with nosy roommates and/or siblings!)

Step one: Leaving 15-20 pages at the beginning, glue the rest of the pages together (on the outside) with a 50/50 mixture of glue and water. Paint on the mixture with a brush, slip a piece of paper in between the free pages at the beginning and the glued ones, set something heavy on top (so the pages don’t bubble) and leave overnight. 

Step two: Using a ruler for the first few cuts, use a box cutter/exacto knife to cut away a couple pages at a time. Cut as many or as little as you want. 

Step three: Using the same glue/water mixture, paint the inside walls of the hole you made. Again, place a piece of paper in the book, set something heavy on top, and let it sit till dry.

Step four (optional): Line the inside of your book with felt, decorative paper, or anything you like.Important: Do not place anything above the hole, as your book will not close properly.

Step five: Hide whatever it is you don’t want anyone to see, store your book with all of the other normal ones, and enjoy the secret :)