Books are like Bananas? Where is this post going? Srsly.

*pokes head around corner* Um, hi. Alexis here. It's been a while. *grins sheepishly* Sorry 'bout that.

Life has been... well... life. Which has kept me from writing. Which in turn has kept me from posting because, hey, what could I say? "Oh, hey guys! Still not writing. Too busy trying to round up the marbles of my life which I've dropped all over the hardwood floor. Sorry I'm not inspiring! See y'all later!" Not really gonna cut it.

But just because I haven't written lately doesn't mean I haven't been creative. So I guess that's a stupid excuse. In fact, I've amped up my creativity quite a lot, especially in the last few months.

Tucker being ridiculously adorable.

I'm still doing my book "reviews" over at Witty Title Here. {With the new year came a new photo look and process, but of course I still get my feathery helpers to join in when they can}.  [RIGHT]

But you may not know that I've also started an Etsy store with my latest endeavor: hand-lettered typography. Most days, I spend my lunch hours sketching, and my evenings inking the sketches onto nice paper. [BELOW]

*FOR MORE INFO SEE BOTTOM OF POST

Lately, my evenings have been given over to finally, finally decorating and organizing my house and to refinishing the desk I finally bought for my office. Srsly y'all, you have no idea how long I've suffered without a desk and just how much chaos it has created in my home.   

The "cleanest" part of my office.

In my office alone, none of the art is hung. [RIGHT] Boxes flood the floor {because I have no storage}, all my art supplies and gadgets and computer and monitor are littering other parts of my house where I can use them since my office is pretty much just a storage shed/library. My books are only so organized on my shelves because they are sharing space with random objects and picture frames that have nowhere else to sit. It's driving me insane.

So, right now, my priorities have shifted to finishing the desk, getting it out of the garage -- where my husband can then move all his shit that clutters the house {it's a vicious cycle}-- and the house can maybe not be such a source of clutter in my mind.

Which is an exciting prospect. Because when my surroundings are in chaos, my mind is, too.  {Spent an entire Sat. sanding all of this, btw}.



Needless to say, with all that going on, I haven't really been focused on the writing aspect of my life. I haven't forgotten or abandoned it... just... haven't focused my energies there. I think it was much needed. In truth, things had been a little depressing for me in the fall/winter. I stopped sending out queries/synopses/etc in August, but got a continuous trickle of rejections through about November.

To be fair, there were many positive rejections. {One in particular, which came out of the blue a couple months after I'd stopped expecting to get any more responses, actually ended up meaning a lot to me because I was having a really rough week when I got it. And even though it was a rejection, it made me feel a little better}. [RIGHT]





But when something you truly believe in continues to give you almost nothing of real encouragement/positivity in return for years of devotion and effort, no matter how hard you try to change things, the veil of hope begins to wear thin. Especially when so many agents found it promising but, ultimately, not fresh enough. I'm convinced that this is the worst possible feedback you can get on a manuscript. How? How do you fix that? Srsly. It's very disheartening.

...And yet, I'm just the most stubborn person ever, usually clinging to optimism against my better judgement. {But that often pays off, so of course, it reinforces my desire to do so}. So even when I don't work on it for months, or give it really any shelf space in my daily thoughts, I continue to think of ways to fix it. Most are written off before they've completely formed. Other ideas swirl in my head for weeks before I voice them, and then realize how unhelpful they are. Yet I carry on. Why? Because my greatest flaw is my stubborn refusal to give up hope. Yes. Flaw. This flaw has got me in any number of situations where I suffer far more than I ought, and where most people would just give up. But oh, no. Not me. No, I'd rather spend seven years on the same book because I know it's worth not giving up on. And it's not like I'm being unreasonable. It's not a bad book. It's actually really good. People love the characters, they love the world, they enjoy the writing and the story... it's just not... Well, okay, it's like this:

You've got a bunch of bananas. They're ripe and bright and yellow and delightful. They are the best things you've ever tasted. But by the end of the week they aren't quite as bright. A little brown is creeping in. They're the same bananas you wanted on Monday, but by Friday, you've gotten used to the taste. You know these will be just as good, but it's not like you haven't had several like it before. Like, all week. You can actually taste them by memory without opening one up, and you decide to pass. You want a fresher one. So, at this point. my manuscript is sortof, to agents, like the bananas on Friday. Is it just the newest freshest plot ever? No. Is it still satisfying? I'd like to think so. But here's where my stubborn determination to not give up kicks in:

Not my photo. Totally grabbed this off the internet.

Wait another week and those bananas have finally reached the perfect ripeness for just the most fantastic banana bread ever. Yes, the bananas are mushy. No, they don't seem like something you wanna snatch off the shelf and devour. But add a few ingredients and give it some time... and you've got something devourable after all.


So I guess what I'm saying is: to me, my manuscript isn't bananas on Friday. My manuscript is banana bread. I just have to find the right ingredients and then give it some time. It will be fresh when the time is right. Maybe not in the same way as a ripe banana, but still devourable... still leaving you wanting more.

Anyway, that's the short version of where I've been and what I've been up to. I hope, if nothing else, you were entertained, and that maybe your life will seem easier and calmer in comparison to mine ;)

*Profits from ATYPeICAL are used to pay for the desk, art supplies, writing supplies, and books. Basically, if you buy my stuff, you're helping to sustain my creativity... and my sanity. So... please decorate your home and keep me sane!

Doing Nothing is Untrue

Is has been three months since my last lead on.

That's right. I'm fully aware that as a Pea, as a blogger, and as a speaker to our imaginary friends, I have been leading you on for months. I'd say it's because I've been doing nothing writerly since before Christmas 2012, but that'd be untrue.

It's an out and out lie actually.

Just since 2013's arrival, I registered for the national RWA Con (among others), I went to the Olde City New Blood Con in St. Augustine, I joined a local critique group, I met another amazing critique partner (who lives in Tennessee), I wrote my first worth-a-damn synopsis since I started this charade of being a writer, and I attended an event with Fairhope author Sonny Brewer (just this past weekend). Sha! It's true. I been doing stuffs! I even have another writer's conference scheduled for the first week of April. Why the hell didn't/haven't/wouldn't/willn't I blog about any of that?
Cause I have peas for brains!

(Clearly, I'm still in the anger/manic phase of this multi-staged return to pea blogging...)

And don't think the Peas haven't met semi-regularly either. Cause we have! J and I even concocted a slightly stalkery, INCREDIBLY fantastic, Princess/Sherlock/Benedict Cumberbatch themed birthday party for A (which was kind of for all of us really--let's face it). We even rallied together to get me through that worth-a-damn synopsis which scared me as much as a vat full of slugs and snails--which is a lot! (It seems my turret's word for this blog is: which.)

Heck! the group-text-dream-journal-entries the Peas trade daily... especially the one where Ziva from NCIS and I jump away from an erupting volcano, swim to Genoa, Italy, and sell all my parents belongings in a yard sale from a tent... those dream texts are proof positive that these peas have not lost the will to create. Our sub-consciousnesses demand it!

So if you're thinking that blue-masked Pea never blogs like she promised she would because she ain't been doing nothing...

Doing nothing is untrue.

I'm going to spend the next few blog posts groveling and getting you all caught up. (Yep... UP). First, the Olde City New Blood Con. It was awesome! You'll love it. See you back here soon for the skinny on the DL. (I have no idea what I'm typing. We'll just chalk it up to being out of practice.)

Peas and love.
M

Something Clever

I've wanted so badly to write something clever.

I read so many great blogs and I always wonder how do those writers keep it fresh, keep it going? How do YOU amazing bloggers keep all the contributors engaged and productive? Most impressively, how dost thou keep a single contributor going, going, going... especially when that individual is wholly aware that one's readers are imaginary friends?

It's no secret the luster and excitement behind the Inside the Pod posts has waned, dulled, dare I say... come to a screaming halt. I accept responsibility. I'm at least one third culpable. By that measure, I should at the very least post once every three weeks, right? I just haven't had any idea what to write. I wanted to make my fellow peas proud of the work I would do in their absence. And it's not very fun doing Game Pods alone. It just makes me sad that no one can come out to play. 

Then I was struck with a five part heart-squeezing realization...
A) My twenty year high school reunion is next year... which means time is passing at an alarming rate
B) A waiter told me I had a Thai-shaped head on my 16th wedding anniversary
C) I had a mind-blowing dream revelation that what my broken WIP needs is DRUGS as a plot line
D) I was mistaken for a man at the grocery store and will have a long conversation with my therapist Monday morning.
 ...Then Finally
E) I have logged text message conversations with A and J this week that include discussions of both French Toast Warfare and Tuna High Fevers.

No blog posts? No excuses.

When those three silly and ambitious writer girls set out to begin the Ninja Pea Blog, they never for a minute took themselves seriously. The whole point was random writerly related posts. The pod is information sharing, having fun with our writer friends and supporting them, and having a silly time. If someone got a laugh or a morsel or two of useful information...lagniappe. To quote THE Joker... Why so serious?

Somehow as the Peas got busy and I had this notion to continue alone, I felt I had to hone and forge amazing and clever words with eternal meaning.

What the hell was I thinking?

For goodness sake! There are three anthropomorphized peas in ninja masks on the banner of this blog. I've been taking myself way too seriously.

So that's where I am today. I'm inspired to get back in touch with the random-slightly-writerly-mostly-silly-and-misdirected-author-supportive-everything-we-love-blog that Inside the Pod was meant to be. And maybe... just maybe... if I can keep this thing on life support, the Peas will unsprout and return. Bare with me. This might get bumpy. But I hope I can lure a few readers back. I might even think of something clever.

Peas, Love, and Randomness
M

These Unquiet Bones

Kicking off 2013 Inside the Pod I have dear friend and respected fellow writer, Dean Harrison, here to talk a little bit about his debut novel. I asked him to answer a few basic questions to introduce all of you, our imaginary readers, to him and  THESE UNQUIET BONES. 

Make him feel at home.
(Horror and Southern Gothic fans, on the dark side, this is just up your alley.)

Release Date: January 28, 2013

M: You have your debut novel book coming out January 28th, 2013. THESE UNQUIET BONES. Tell readers a little about it.

Dean: It is about a teenage girl named Amy Snow. Trying to get behind the truth of her mother's death, she unleashes the skeletons lurking in the dark of her father's closet and learns a terrible and twisted truth about her family tree. Meanwhile, a man named Adam is on a mission to restore Paradise to its former glory. To accomplish this, he must find "The Lost One," a girl he calls Eve, and sacrifice her to the god she betrayed the day a talking serpent slithered into the Garden of Eden.

I like to think of it as a Southern Gothic and not just horror. It contains all sorts of elements: supernatural and psychological horror, suspense, mystery, romance, and drama.

M: What inspired this project and how did it come to fruition?

Dean: Inspiration came from a constant nagging desire to write a novel that I wanted to read. The themes and characters have been with me since I started writing fiction in high school but I never reached a stable storyline or plot until three years ago, which was when I decided it was time to finally get serious about my dreams.

However, the story and plot went through many changes before I made to the final draft. Minor characters became major characters and vise versa. Plot points were taken out and replaced by new and better ones. Some settings were different, some scenes were taken out and I went through three different titles.

The first title was THE CAPTURED GODDESS but I decided that sounded too much like dark fantasy. The second title was SUFFERING OVERDUE but I quickly decided it wouldn’t fit the story because it sounded too much like splatter-punk, which wasn’t what I was writing. THESE UNQUIET BONES was the third and final title, and the one that fit the story best. I hope others agree.

M: What kinds of readers will respond to this story?

Dean: Adults—and even young adults, since the protagonist and other key characters are teenagers—who enjoy drama, suspense, and supernatural horror in fiction; and who don’t mind being a little disturbed because there is dark and disturbing subject matter within THESE UNQUIET BONES.

Dean Harrison

M: Who are some of the writers that inspire you and what do you like to read when you aren't writing?

Dean: Douglas Clegg, Robert R. McCammon and Dean Koontz were my earliest influences. This was followed by Peter Straub, Thomas Harris and Thomas Hardy—I mostly read horror, suspense thrillers, and classic literature.

John Farris, Tom Piccirilli, Stephen King and William Faulkner were major influences for me while I was working on THESE UNQUIET BONES. T.M. Wright and H.P. Lovecraft also have a big influence on my writing, especially my current work.

Right now I'm reading a novel by Charles L. Grant, one of the masters of quiet horror. I’ve also been delving into the work of Graham Masterton and Arthur Machen, and plan to introduce myself to the writings of Dan Simmons, Richard Matheson, F. Paul Wilson and others.

M: Who is publishing the book?  Where can we find it?

Dean: Odium Media is publishing THESE UNQUIET BONES. You will be able to find it on the publisher’s website, odiumedia.com, or on such sites as Amazon.com.

M: What is next for you?

Dean: I'm currently working on a new novella inspired by Celtic mythology and the writings of horror masters T.M. Wright and Arthur Machen. I also have another novella, inspired by Lovecraft and alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, on the backburner. And though I am not a big fan of short stories, I have a ton of short story ideas set aside for a rainy day.

M: For the writers out here, what's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Dean: Just write and don’t worry about getting it perfect in the first sitting. As Hemingway once said, the first draft of anything is always shit.

Dean Harrison is a longtime fan of horror fiction. Though he has spent some time out in the “real world”   working as a shoe salesman, a security guard, an investigator, a loss prevention detective, and a journalist, he has consistently returned to what he loves doing most–writing horror stories. His published work can be found in the horror anthologies FEM-FANGS, FELL BEASTS, TWISTED TALES FROM THE TORCHLIGHT INN, RELICS & REMAINS, and CHRISTMAS IN HELL. More is to come. Dean lives with his family in his hometown of Mobile, AL; a city rich in ghost stories.

You can learn more about Dean Harrison and THESE UNQUIET BONES, which drops January 28th, by visiting his website: deanmharrison.wordpress.com
Like him on Facebook and drop him a line.

What's In Store?

Hello, lovely imaginary readers. It's 2013! Did you notice a whole new year is upon us? I can't believe it's been a month since we saw each other last. Santa came. The ball dropped. It's been a whirlwind of a 2012 wrap-up, which barreled right into 2013. Where did the time go? It's already mid-month. Somewhere during all that, we lost touch. Apologies. We'll try not to lose you again. No fear... we're back! And we're going to get back on track. Pinky promise. For reals this time.

In the midst of all the New Year planning, there'll be an Instagram revamping.

As is the nature of the pod, we've got a lot of random planned. But I want to fill you in on what's up with the Peas since we last chatted.

A is book blogging at Witty Title Here and you must check out her typography, photos, and graphic design forays on Pinterest and Instagram. She's pretty easy to find everywhere, doodling quotes and creating art to her hearts content. She's easily distracted (ooh, shiny) but she'll never neglect the pod.

J shared sad news about her Alex Sabian books. Since she has been playing with new creative ideas and vegetables. It's quite exciting -- the creative vegetable things. There's other super secret stuff she's doing (cause J is sneaky that way) and some not so super secret stuff. So... really... not much has changed. Yay for normalcy!

Me? Dr. Buttons has a big year ahead of her. A new rewrite of the same manuscript. And a new draft of a new project. Plus... I have 7,930 Days of books to read and the pile is growing. Lots of conferences--six total (Sha! I know! What am I thinking?) A few trips (Vegas, a Cruise, a super secret spring something). But I endeavor not to lose track of you, even when I'm out of town. I will learn to use the laptop effectively. This is part of my New Year's resolution... so... yeah, I gotta. It's in writing.

Heads up! This week I have writer pal, Dean Harrison, dropping by the pod to talk about his debut horror novel, These Unquiet Bones. After that, I have some mad ramblings planned until J and A ease back into the pod as their schedules settle. Hope you are ready for 2013! The Peas certainly are.

Much love and peas, always.

 

Blog Hop

 I'm participating in a blog hop. Sort of a fun way to link authors and readers.
First off... check out these Next Big Thing writer pals.
Sarah Bewley
Dean Harrison


How did I answer the Next Big Thing Blog Hop questions? See below:

What is the working title of your book?
The Resurrection -- but I've been told by industry-types more than once the title will have to change because it's too common. So... I'm not married to it.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I had a pretty graphic dream about being tortured. I guess you would call it a nightmare. A scene I wrote came from that dream, but it's evolved well past that. Most of my book idea come from an image or scene that I begin to ask a lot of questions about. This started like that.

What genre does your book fall under?
Definitely closer to an Urban Fantasy then anything else.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I hate casting in my head, because the actors that look most like the characters may not be the right age and kind of actor for the part. But if Taylor Kitsch could pull off a pretty great Americanized Dublin accent and would wear the face makeup required, he'd be my Callum Gallagher.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Jane wakes after a violent procedure with no memory and must figure out why a government sanctioned agency and an enigmatic man known as Raven is trying to capture her.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'm still seeking representation. Maybe by next year, I'll have a better idea on the answer to this question. Keep checking back... or drop by my website: www.michelleladner.com 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? One year. But it's being redrafted and has been for a few months.

 What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I've pitched it as a female Jason Bourne meets Xmen--so it's sort of like that.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? This question answers like the second one above. So I'll refer you to that.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I'm told by readers that it's dark and very character driven. Not for the reader that wants a quick light read. There's a lot of characters and all of them have a story, so if you like authors who build a world of various people that you'll want to know more about with some action thrown it, it'll probably be the book for you.

New Blog Launch

I've finally launched my new reading blog... the first post is up here:
http://maladner.blogspot.com

Things have been busy and disorienting for the Peas. We're trying to come up with some new ideas to keep things from stagnating around here -- unfortunately in that "thinking", we've failed to post regularly. Look for posts in the New Year. Meanwhile, check out my new reading blog... fashioned closely after A's fantastic Witty Title Here. 

***This hasn't actually gone so well--and I was advised against keeping a Book Blog as a writer. Since I'm not doing it well anyway... I may take that advice.
 
 

Vacation

I'm currently in Delaware with limited internet. J and A are doing their things. I've got a couple of great blog posts for you all--but I may not get them edited and posted via my iPhone. We'll see how this goes. :-)

Peas to you and thanks for your patience.

M

Lessons from Baby Writers

I want to ramble a little about inspiration and, perhaps, motivation in the context of something that might seem a little surprising. Earlier this month I had the privilege of sitting down with three young writers. My niece's fourteenth birthday party was upon me and two of her best friends had come to stay with her

"Aunt Michelle," my niece asked. "Would you mind if I walk my friends down to your house so they can meet you? They are writers and so are you... so *dot, dot dot*"

At first I was confused albeit flattered by the request. I'm nothing special -- what could I possibly have to say to a gaggle of aspiring teen writers? I'm not even the published pea. I have no secrets of the trade. Nor do I have a history of vetted publications to hold up as a guidepost that says, "this is how you become a successful writer." I realized that I suddenly felt under-qualified. But, of course, I obliged. I call myself a writer after all, and my niece is family. These are the things one does for loved ones. We endure a certain amount of embarrassment and pander to how we think those in our lives see us. In the end, what I'd envisioned as a potentially awkward experience -- where crickets chirped in the background and finally I was exposed for the fraud I knew I was -- well,  the experience ended up being one of the most rewarding of my young writing life.

I don't know if you've ever sat down to tea and cookies on a Saturday evening with three teenaged girls, but it's an experience no writer (or self-aware human, for that matter) should ever turn down. The incessant chattering, dramatic flourishes,  awkward mannerisms, statements of certainty based on limits that often make no sense...

In a word, it was awe-inspiring.

One can learn a lot if one just watches and really listens. Observational skills are the mark of a good writer, after all. What I found is emotion and internal dialogue ooze from a teen girl's pores, stinking up the room with raw unfiltered truths. It is a thing of true beauty.

You see... what I experienced with these three young ladies was a bit like staring into a mirror. A mirror that revealed the inner workings of my own mind. Young writers, all of us, wear our insecurities -- about ourselves and our writing ability -- on our sleeves. Some fake it -- and hide it -- better than others. But I've been to conferences where even the most incredible New York Times writers divulge that, yes, even they are still worried about failure, about readers not responding, about finishing the project. They worry about all the same things that new writers worry over, although in a slightly different context, because those are the worries of the writer.

What I saw during that precious moment with these three young ladies was a manifestation of what every writer feels. Insecurity, doubt, trepidation, and even the impulse to toss about a couple 'Hail Marys'! Curiously, each girl had a role in the conversation. On the surface, there was the supportive cynic, the overly-excited chatterer, and the nearly mute self-doubter. I recognized them all. Because we writers -- definitely this writer -- are all those things and many shades in between. A writer of any age can identify with the teen girl writer because we feel all those things too.

For four hours, I became immersed in their world. I got to see firsthand what it meant to them to be writers. I found it not so different from what is means to me. They worry about characters being genuine and believable. The exalt the books they love and criticize the books that they don't think work. They worry about not knowing what their story is about. They worry about grammar issues and spelling errors. They worry about the amount of work being done on a collaboration. They worry about, "are the funny parts really funny?" and "are the scary parts really scary?" They worry about finishing. Mostly, they worried about what readers think...

Girl 1: "Didn't you think it was great when my character did 'x'?"

Girl 2: "I love that part!"

Girl 3: *nods and smiles*

Girl 1: *beams* "That's my favorite part." (translation: I spent a lot of time on that bit.)

At the end of the day, we all want validation that our labor of love is worth it. We want readers that see what we see in the stories and characters that move us. We want to know that our creation is worth the time, the energy, and the blood, sweat and tears.

What do I think?

Of course it's worth it. Everything else aside, it's worth doing because we love it!  Because it's our passion. And because we can't envision ourselves ever giving it up.

This particular evening I got to talk to three passionate girls about the thing I love most. Crafting story. We shared insights about our projects. We asked each other questions. We laughed, joked, and snickered about the pitfalls of crafting a story.

At the end of the evening one of them said, "I got so much out of this. Thank you."

I replied, "I'm glad."

In retrospect, I should have said, "So did I. Thank you!" Because as writers, we are always learning. And it isn't necessarily from our mentors and idols that we learn the greatest lessons. These young ladies reopened my eyes to the love of writing and why I choose a writing life. They taught me about myself, about my writing, and about what it means to be a writer. The writing life should be about hope, creation, and the love and excitement of the craft. Success in terms of the end game (publication, sales, the coveted movie deal) should never be what it's about. It's arbitrary. But the passion and need to hone craft is not. It's passion and craft that attracts readers. So it's there that the real rewards lie.

If I could have a do over. A moment to tell those girls what I know now -- what I know because they retaught it to me -- I would say, "Keep writing. Trust your stories. Trust yourself. This is the writer's life. You're living it! So embrace it, grow, and have faith."

Scheduling Change

For the remainder of 2012, new posts from M will go up on Thursday. Due to my schedule, I can't manage the Tuesday post for now. We'll get back on track. :) Pea promise.  *fist bump*