SPF

First off, a big welcome to my new followers, especially those from Twitter.


When I started this blog my intent was to tell you about my books, although at present the more accurate description is book in progress.


SPF is the story of Nikki Truman, a girl on the cusp of 17. Nikki has grown up with an allergy to sunlight. The older she gets, the worse it becomes. She is basically a prisoner in her home when the story begins. Her Mother told her she inherited the allergy from her Father but what her Mother doesn't disclose is that her Father is a (drumroll please.......................) Vampire. She fled when pregnant with Nikki because she thought he was a Monster. Her Vampire blood has slowly been consuming her human blood since birth with the traits of Vampirism manifesting as she ages. At 17 the change is complete, including a need to drink blood to survive.


As if this wasn't complicated enough, her lone friend Cade,who also happens to be her boyfriend, disappeared under mysterious circumstances several months prior. On her 17th Birthday a surprise visit from Vampire Cousins she never knew existed sends her on a runaway journey to meet her Father and extended Family. As Nikki adapts to being a Vampire she learns that her Father still cares for her Mother, and that her boyfriend's earlier disappearance is part of a larger plot to bring down her family from their position of power in the Vampire world. Will Nikki's Dad get his happy ending with her Mother? Will Nikki's love for Cade survive the evil plot that has followed Nikki from Oregon to Quebec and will the family she is meant to be a part of survive unscathed?


Guess you'll have to read to find out! This is the first in what I visualize as a three book series. I am still writing and don't have a date I intend to publish yet (at this point I intend to e publish), but I hope to have the first chapter posted on my blog soon.


Thanks for following!


Melanie

Author

The other day I was thinking out loud, a common occurrence, about whether a cruise with my writing group could be a tax deduction. I was following the train of thought that if I used the cruise to write, edit, critique and research with business associates (aka the writing group) it would be a business expense. My train of thought was promptly derailed by someone telling me "you'd have to be an Author to do that, and you're not, you haven't written any books." I tried to explain I have 15,000 words and the remainder of the book outlined but my audience was clearly skeptical. My work suddenly seemed inconsequential.

My mind then shifted from happy thoughts of warm tropical breezes and Pina Coladas in coconut shells to the question: What makes an Author? Am I an author based on the fact that I spend all my free time writing a book? Am I an author because I've created a blog that says I am? Have I declared myself an Author prematurely?

Feeling somewhat offended by the implication that I am not yet an Author I turned to the dictionary. Merriam Webster lists a possible definition of an Author as one who creates. The Free Dictionary online defines as Author as the writer of a book, article or other text or one who creates an electronic document or system such as a website. Wiktionary lists an Author as the originator or creator of a work, especially of a literary composition. 


According to the Dictionary I am an Author. I am one who creates. I am the originator of a literary composition. I am the writer of a book and a blog and I am proud of what I do.


I think I will author a toast to the skeptics, and try it out when I'm cruising with my fellow Authors:

To the skeptics - May we write you off the way you wrote us off.

It's after nine as always :-)

Melanie

Tidal waves, nukes, taxes and other unpleasant things

I will admit I have not written much so far this week as I have been focused on unpleasant things, foremost being the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the unfolding nuclear drama, and the annual tax ritual. Between the drama unfolding on TV and the drama unfolding in my household after finding out my husband did not log his business miles for the year, kindergarten can't be considered a childcare expense and we may owe taxes my muse has taken cover. I hope to coax it out by the weekend. Yes, there are a lot of sad things happening but there are stories of hope as well. The survivor found after 4 days at sea, happy reunions with missing loved ones, people from many countries working together in the spirit of humanity. Emotion makes us human. Knowing sorrow allows us to appreciate the good things, knowing how virulent hate can be allows us to appreciate love more. This week I intend to love despite the bad things. I think it's an exercise we should all undertake at one time or another. When my muse resurfaces I hope to take the emotions of the week and put them to good use. Who wants to read a book that was written absent of emotion?

Until my muse returns, please join with me in appreciating and thanking God for the love in our lives and joining our hearts with those in sorrow, keeping the people of Japan and all those affected close in our hearts and prayers.

Melanie

Worst night of the year.

This will be a short post this evening. I've already written 5000 words today in my young adult novel "SPF." It's been a good day. Unfortunately tonight is the worst night of the year. Why's that? Because of a unnecessary and outdated annual event we refer to as "Spring Forward." I dread it all year. I am not a morning person. Anyone who really knows me can tell you this. It takes me several weeks to make up for that missing hour of sleep. I can't make up for it by going to bed an hour earlier because with the added daylight my kids just stay up an hour later.I'll give up fall back to get rid of spring forward. Arizona and Hawaii have the right of things by not observing it.

I think once I finish my novel I'll donate a portion of the proceeds to ending the annual spring forward/fall back. Down with Daylight Savings Time!

:-)

Melanie

Mr. Lowpar

Stephenie Meyer once said that she got the inspiration for Twilight from a dream. Ever since I heard that I have hoped that one morning I would wake up with a brilliant idea for the novel of the decade. Unfortunately the only dreams I usually remember are those induced by night time cold medicine and they tend to be a bit strange. Recent examples include the dream where I designed winter coats for Dolphins to keep them warm or the dream where I was Amish and trying to hide from living mannequins. 

This means that I have to pull my inspiration from daily life. An important part of my daily life is my children. My daughter is almost six and my son is two and a half. I love my children but as far as inspiration for books I have to stretch. In all seriousness my children don't fit into my books. My current book is written for an audience that is young enough that they should not be thinking about children. My next book will be written for an audience who probably read books to escape from their children. Would Twilight have been the same with a sometimes whiny 5 year old and diaper clad toddler appearing throughout the storyline? Probably not.

This means I must sometimes find unusual sources of ideas. This morning is a perfect example. I always said I would not be one of those parents that parks their children in front of the TV. However, at 6 AM when I need to get ready for work I have no problem with it. This morning my son was watching "Handy Manny" when I had an epiphany of sorts. Mr. Lowpar, a regular character, was trying to build a hat rack and had a few screws left over. Now every episode Mr. Lowpar tries to complete some project himself and refuses help from Manny and the tools despite the fact that he clearly has no idea what he's doing, and it never turns out well. In the case of the hat rack Handy Manny was walking by and noticed there were some pieces left over. Mr. Lowpar insisted they were just extras. Needless to say as soon as Handy Manny walked away the hat rack fell apart.

I realized that it would be very easy to be a Mr. Lowpar as a writer. To push forward on a project without the necessary research, ignoring what may need to be fixed or redone and avoiding the suggestions and feedback of others. As with Mr. Lowpar's projects the story would fall apart. I acknowledge that my story at present is far from perfect and if I pushed forward without critique and feedbackI could ** GASP ** become Mr. Lowpar. I am thankful for my "Handy Manny" - my online writer's group on Facebook full of a great group of writers from many genre's, both published and not yet published. I follow many of their blogs. The group was started by my Facebook friend author H.P. Mallory and I am fortunate to be a part of it. I have found a great tool in group member Dee Dee Scott's "Muse Therapy" and Tonya Kappes "Tricked out Toolbox". My fellow writers' blogs keep me smiling. They have great suggestions on everything from cover art to publishing and marketing. I have found people willing to listen to my ideas, read my drafts and be my beta readers. 

I know one thing: If I woke up tomorrow morning in Sheetrock Hills, I would not be Mr. Lowpar. Thanks to all my friends in the group! You are the best!

Melanie

Diet A & W Root Beer

I had a lot of great ideas for tonight's blog. It was going to be fabulous and entertaining. Instead I am going to tell you about diet A & W Root Beer and the perils of country living. I like diet A & W Root Beer. I like it in a tall frosty mug without ice or draft from A & W. I have learned this evening that while it is a tasty drink it really shouldn't be used to brush your teeth.

How did things come to the point where I made this discovery? It is a sad situation that began yesterday evening.  We live on 1 1/2 acres 14 miles SW of town. Our water is supplied by a rural water cooperative and in order to keep our water pressure during peak agricultural use we have a below ground holding tank. Water is pumped to the house from the tank. If the pump doesn't work the water doesn't flow. Last night I came home to no water. My dear faithful husband made the trip to the pump house and discovered 6 inches of water. He mopped it up and reset the pump.

Problem solved, or so I thought. I woke up this morning and headed to the shower. Nothing came out. Once again my dear faithful husband trekked out to the pump house and reset the pump. I missed my shower but water flowed happily through the pipes by the time I left for work. I arrived home around seven PM and once again the water was off. Without dear faithful husband around I made the trek to the pump house and tried to reset the pump. My attempts were futile and my unattended children tore the house apart in the process  fed the dogs cheetos and used the last flush in the toiled to flush my new Scentsy spring and summer party testers down it. Perhaps they will make the septic tank smell better.

So we passed the evening without water. It came to kids' bed time and still no water. I am big on dental hygiene so I looked at my options: milk, pepsi, a nice pinot grigio or diet A & W Root Beer. Milk has lactose which is a sugar. Pepsi has sugar and caffeine. The pinot grigio has alcohol which might kill some germs but it certainly won't work for the kids. This left the Diet A & W. I wet the toothbrushes with it and squirted on some cinnamon tooth paste. After the final rinse and spit with it I can tell you the combination is all wrong. Cinnamon and root beer should never be mixed.

So here I sit with a bad taste in my mouth, two grubby children in bed and still no water. If dear faithful hubby can't get the pump working when he comes home tonight my blog tomorrow may be an apology to my coworkers for my two days without a shower. Maybe I'll bring them all a root beer.

Melanie

M.G. Magazine

This blog is a new endeavor for me but writing is not. I have been writing my entire life for enjoyment, occasionally with accolades and awards. Sadly, most of my writing in recent years has been technical writing for work. Who doesn't love a good letter to a Physician or report of a recent meeting? In my younger years however  my writing was a bit more exciting.

When I was eight years old my parents separated. This was a difficult time for me as it would be for any eight year old. While my sister and I stayed in our white, ranch style home on Van Buran Street my dad moved into his insurance agency which had a small kitchenette and a couch that converted to a bed. He showered at the local Elks lodge. Sundays were our day with my dad. While some Sundays we would go fishing or catch a minor league baseball game many Sundays were spent at his office while he tried to balance his work with his children.

This was a hard time but I have fond memories of watching Star Wars for the first time on VHS not Beta, drinking Coca Cola with lemon juice added to make it special, playing Frogger and Donkey Kong on the Coleco Vision and writing. Let me tell you about M.G. Magazine. Never heard of it? Not surprising as distribution was limited to my dad and my younger sister. It featured original artwork in colorful highlighters and ballpoint pen, stories and news from the prior week. Occasionally I would interview my sister. The finishing touch was a neat row of staples on the left hand side. I would not be surprised if my dad still has a few copies stashed away somewhere.

M.G. Magazine is what I consider the true start of my writing career. I created it in a difficult time and used it to distract me from the changes around me. The publication was sporadic and alas it was only in circulation for two years (the market was limited) but it still has significant meaning to me today. From the magazine I moved on to short stories and poems, longer stories and term papers but I will never forgot the little magazine with the bright artwork, handwritten stories and a whole lot of my heart put into it.

Maybe if my dad has a copy left I'll post one someday. The one and only M.G. Magazine by the one and only
M.G. Ainsworth.

:-)
Melanie   

Beginning

I have been told that all good things must come to an end. All good things have a beginning as well. This post marks the beginning of my blog, writing after nine, which I think is definately a good thing. What does writing after nine mean? It means I am fulfilling my dream of writing after nine PM at night. On weekdays it also means I am writing after nine hours at my job, the commute home, dinner and putting two tired tykes to bed.  I hope someday after I have some published books that writing can become the job where I spend the hours before nine PM, but until then I am writing after nine.

I have always enjoyed writing and have spent years storing characters and ideas in my mind. Finally my mind became so full that I had to transfer some of them onto paper. Plus, I was not getting any younger and realized it would be good to be able to take a book jacket picture before I sprouted gray hairs. I am currently writing the first installment of a young adult paranormal series and am laying the framework for an adult paranormal romance/fantasy as well. It is not easy. Even I must sleep so the process has not been fast, but after nine PM nightly I connect with my muse and get writing. I hope you'll follow along to learn more about my novels and myself nightly after nine. And on that note, I begin and end my first blog post after nine PM :-)

Melanie