Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Teaser Tuesday

As a part of my frantic dash to edit Hidden Souls so that I have some idea how it ends before I begin the sequel, I've decided to share a bit of my edits for today. Chances are, especially with my strong negative feelings about editing, that I won't be anywhere near finishing, but so long as I got general motivations and can work from there, I think it will be okay.

~*~

Light filled the room with a faint yellow glow. Silver shapes danced across the wall, reflections from the passersby below. Sophia brushed her hair out of her face and rolled over in bed, blinking to bring her clock into focus. Twelve-thirty. At least Kate had listened and left her alone. Sitting up slowly, she stretched and rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes. She still didn't feel rested, but she did feel much calmer. Guilt over the way she had treated both Michael and Kate pressed against her chest, but she shook those thoughts away. She would apologize to them later, but for now, she had work to do. Grace was still in trouble, and the police were no closer to finding her than they were a week ago.

She stood and walked to the window, scanning the few people crossing the courtyard on the way to class. She could try to contact Grace, but how much good would that do? She needed more information—clues that would lead her to where Grace was being kept. Once she figured that out, getting Grace home should be relatively easy. Filled with new resolve, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She imagined the dark room forming around her, feeling her body grow more weightless with each breath. She opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at the ceiling in her room. She huffed in irritation, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. She imagined Grace in her dank room. The large warehouse, oil drums stacked against the walls. The faint light coming from the lights far above her head. She focused on every detail she could remember, even the way she felt when she had encountered Michael. Once again, when she opened her eyes, she was staring at her own white ceiling.

~*~

Looks like our heroine is having some issues. I know it's short, but I'm working on it, I swear! I'm reaching the point where I really do need to figure out why the characters are doing what they're doing, why Grace was kidnapped in the first place, and what the final conflict is going to be. Cause what I wrote the first time makes no sense.

Once NaNo starts (10 days!), I'll introduce you to at least one new character from the second book. Should be interesting ;)

Oh, and fun fact: I originally wrote this scene on NaNo day 14, two years ago. I was reading over some of the excerpts I posted on my blog back then, and I have no idea where some of these ideas came from. I apparently have a character named Zach coming up at some point. Don't remember a thing about him. Yup... editing will be fun.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

New Goals and Announcements

Have I mentioned lately that I hate editing? Cause I really do. So much so that even though I had ample time to finish editing Hidden Souls by my birthday, I barely did any more editing than when I made that promise.

But, I have a new goal. I have decided to take part in NaNo again this year. Without any inspiration for any stories lately, I've decided to write the sequel to Hidden Souls. I still don't know what the plot is, but I have lots of ideas of how I want to start it, so that's something. I just need to figure out some sort of conflict.

Since I'll be doing interviews for a good portion of November (already have 2 scheduled that month, and hope for at least three more), I'm not sure how successful I'll be at winning this year, but I'm going to try anyway. Wish me luck!

In other news, my dear friend Ayden Morgen has now published her second book!

Introducing.... Fall, Book 2 of the Ragnarok Prophesies!



Summary:

How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?

Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.

Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.

It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself. Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?

FALL – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and will be available in paperback soon!

FADE – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book One is available now at Amazon US, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other major retailers.


About the Author:
A.K. Morgen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and demonic cat. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and Law, and plans to save the world some day. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching her niece and nephews how to cause mischief. You can also find her dancing in the grocery store, building a spork army, and fundraising for nonprofits close to her heart.

You can learn more about Ayden at http://akmorgen.com or by following her on Twitter, Goodreads, or Facebook.

Unscripted - Teddy Bear

Today's unscripted post is inspired by Teddy Bear

~*~

She clung to it, her safety net. It had been a gift several years ago and was showing its age now. Where once the fur was soft and fluffy, now it was matted and balding in places. The black plastic eyes were scratched and pitted, a sign of a well-loved toy. As she moved through the classroom on the first day, she glared at everyone who showed interest in the bear. 

"That's a... cute bear you have there," the adult chimed, squeezing the little paw. "Why don't we put him in your cubby so he doesn't get lost?"

She pursed her lips together and furrowed her eyebrows, spinning away from the teacher's waiting hands.

The teacher sighed. "Alright, Emily. You can keep your bear for today. But only because it's the first day. Tomorrow, he needs to go in your cubby with the rest of your things, okay?"

She glared at the teacher, then reluctantly nodded. Her mother had warned her that she wouldn't be able to have him with her forever. She still didn't understand why adults didn't have theirs. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone who wasn't mean and wouldn't hit you if you spoke badly. Someone who was always there, no matter what happened. 

She gave the bear one last squeeze, then made her way to the seat the teacher had pointed out to her. She traced her name on the bright yellow sign taped to the desk and bit her lip nervously. Plopping down in her seat, she set Teddy on her lap and waited for instructions. The girl in the desk next to hers leaned over and whispered, "Nice bear. I have one like it, but my daddy made me leave it at home this morning."

She turned towards the girl and blinked, then glanced down at her bear. "My mommy would never take my Teddy away from me."

The girl smiled. "Your mommy must be really nice. I'm Tracy."

"Emily."

"Pleased to meet you, Emily," Tracy said slowly and regally. "I think we will be best friends."

~*~

"I don't know where he could beeee..." she wailed.

Tracy patted her on the shoulder. "Shh... it's okay, Emily. One of the boys probably took him just to be mean."

"What's going on here?" the teacher asked, looking down at the sobbing girl. 

"Emily lost her bear."

The teacher sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, Emily. You can't act like this anymore. You're growing up."

Tracy stood up and stamped her foot. "Let her be upset about it! It's a very important bear!"

The teacher rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Tracy to comfort Emily. "I'm sure he will turn up sometime. Maybe you just left him at home or something."

"I didn't leave him at home! I had him with me on the way to school this morning, and brought him into the classroom with me!" she snapped. 

Tracy held up her hands. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."

"Well, I don't want your help!" Letting out a groan of frustration, she stood and raced towards the building.

~*~

"Why the puffy eyes, sweetie?" her mom asked as she grabbed her bookbag. 

"Teddy's gone," she mumbled, storming out of the building without waiting for her mother to follow. Her mother let out a sigh and quickly caught up with her daughter, then drove her the short distance home.

"Go play in the backyard for a little bit while I get dinner ready."

Dropping her bookbag unceremoniously in the front walkway, she rounded the house and opened the gate to the backyard. She kicked at the grass with her shoe and mumbled as she trudged around the yard, keeping her eyes at the ground.

Her mother slipped out of the back door to the house and set a glass of lemonade on the patio table. "Come have something to drink, sweetie."

Sighing, she walked slowly up to the table and dropped into a chair. As she reached for her lemonade, she let out a shout. "Teddy!" She rushed to the other side of the table and grabbed the bear from his resting place in one of the other chairs. "Oh Teddy, I missed you so much! Mooom... why didn't you tell me he was here?"

Her mother smiled. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to when I picked you up. I snagged him from your cubby after I dropped you off so I could fix him up a little bit. He got surgery to fix the hole in his side and got his mouth all fixed up, good as new.”

She spared a quick hug for her mother, then squeezed her bear more tightly. “I'm never letting him go again!”