YA Gets Real: Protection

These posts are silly, parody posts of some scenes that can be found in YA tropes. These fun shorts should make you smile on your Monday morning.

I love YA books, as a reader and a writer. Still, there are some tropes that deserve to become real. While these stories are still fiction, they provide a more realistic version of those tropes we know and love.

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I opened my eyes to darkness, but the hair on my neck crept upward as I felt eyes on me. My body froze, panic welling inside my chest. Asleep in my bed at home, I should have been safe, but that thought didn't quell my rising anxiety.

Reaching out from the warmth of my covers, I flicked on the lamp on my bedside table. I blinked several times, grabbed my glasses, and shoved them on. I nearly screamed when I saw the outline of Roger Kennedy standing on the other side of my room.

"What are you doing here?!" My voice was a harsh whisper. Roger was one of those guys who was hard to ignore. Try as I might, he was in all of my classes. As far as I knew, he was harmless, not the serial killer type. But still, he was in my bedroom in the middle of the night.

Roger shrugged, a sheepish smile stretching across his lips. His smile was framed perfectly by his sharp cheekbones and strong jaw. "Watching you sleep."

I widened my eyes and twisted my lips, shocked by his blunt confession. "Obviously, Roger. But... why?" I pulled the covers farther up my chest, covering the straps of my tank top. If I screamed right now, how long would it take my dad to get here? And would he murder Roger? Did I want to witness Roger getting the biggest ass kicking of his life?

Maybe.

"Because I feel like... you need to be protected."

I frowned. "From you?" I glanced around the room. "Because clearly, you are the only one here right now. Watching me like a total creep."

He held up his hands, shaking his head. "Sorry, Elisa. This isn't going as I planned."

"How did you plan it? For me to stay asleep the entire time?" My jaw dropped. "Roger... have you done this before?"

"Only once or twice." He shrugged. "You know, you're very sexy when you sleep."

"Okay, that's it." I pointed to the open window behind him. The window he had apparently climbed in earlier. Note to self: I must keep that window locked from now on. And maybe tell my dad. Restraining orders were a reasonable thing to get if someone climbed into your room in the middle of the night, right? There had to be some law against that? "Get out." I narrowed my eyes.

"You don't understand. I need to--"

"Out, Roger!" I threw the covers aside and got out of bed. I crossed the room and shoved him towards the window before he could even blink.

"Okay! Okay. Just... give me a second." Roger inched towards the window frame. He looked back at me, his brown eyes smoldering beneath his long lashes. "You know, you were supposed to feel... good that I was watching out for you."

"Go. Now," I growled.

Roger sighed and shook his head. "Only because you want me to, Elisa." He lifted one of his legs over the window frame. "See you tomorrow in school."

My eye twitched, not wanting to think about seeing him ever again.

He jumped and a second later, he shrieked from the ground. I rushed to the window and stared down at Roger with wide, unbelieving eyes. His leg twisted away from him at an awkward angle.

"Why on earth didn't you climb down?!" I hissed. It was the second story, not a particularly easy jump.

"Help me?" His voice was weak as he tried to shift his weight. A grimace passed over his face, making his hair look darker.

"Fat chance of that happening. You were watching me sleep, Roger."

"Yeah, but now my leg is broken because of you." He reached down, gasping out a pathetic breath.

I blew my bangs out of my face.

"Elisa, if you save me, we'll be linked together forever." He glanced up at me with watery eyes. "That's how this works. You save me once, and I give you my undying love."

"Dad!" I screamed, turning away from the window.

"No, Elisa. Don't get your dad, he'll never under--"

"Dad! Roger Kennedy was watching me sleep and now has a broken leg outside my window." I marched into my parents' room with a scowl on my face.

My dad had flipped on his light, his hair a shaggy mess around his ears. He reached for his police issued gun. "I'm going to kill him," he grumbled.

"I think a restraining order and a broken leg are sufficient for now." I shrugged. I heard Roger's groan from all the way down the hall. I leaned against my parents' door frame as my dad got out of bed. "He probably needs to see a psychologist too."

My dad grumbled something incoherent, picked up the phone, and called for an ambulance. After he hung up, he turned to me. "What did he say to you, Elisa? Why was he here? Did he touch you?"

"What? No! No. He was just saying something about love, needing to protect me and all that. You'll make sure he gets help, right?" I took a step back as my dad crossed into the hallway. My mother, never one for being interrupted mid-sleep, mumbled something about being careful and passed out. "I mean, since he didn't do anything other than..." I shuddered. I didn't realize being watched would be so... creepy.

"I'll make sure he gets help." My dad growled as he shrugged on his police jacket over his t-shirt. He would have looked official if it weren't for the plaid pants. "But we're getting that ruddy alarm system now. Your mother can't argue with me this time. Stupid Kennedys. Stupid..." He continued to mumble as he walked down the stairs and outside to greet the broken intruder.

I sat on the stairs and waited. It would just be a matter of time until Roger Kennedy got whatever help he needed. With any hope, he'd be out of my life and my bedroom forever.

Cat Life and Writing Updates

Morris - on hold!

Guys! Guys! I have this amazing job with incredible coworkers and bosses. One of the perks is being able to photograph these fabulous beauties during the day, since we're also part adoption house. So... this writing update will come with lots of photos of cats. Because I'm a bookish cat lover, that's why.

Twilight - adopted!

Being surrounded by furry felines has actually taken slightly away from my writing time. I'm just so darn relaxed, why should I stress myself out by doing work?

But I love writing (editing and I are still fighting as all of you probably know). So here's the update you guys have been waiting for!

I completed In a Blue Moon and sent it off to beta readers for feedback. My mom did the proofreading edits with her retired English teacher skills, and she encouraged me to seek traditional publishing. So, I moved back the publication date to give myself enough time to shop for agents / publishers and see if I get any bites. If I don't get any bites, then In a Blue Moon will be released in late May of this year!

Princess Miko - adopted!

The in-between novella for the Blue Moon series is about halfway done at 9,000 words. Greener on the Other Side is shaping up to be quite a decent little story, and I'm really happy about it.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through Conscious, so I am expecting to publish the first book in the series this year.

I would like to edit No Sugar Coating and Good Criminal Heart for publication this year as well, but I've been taking things a bit slower

My Munster Cat

because of the job and my own mental well being. I don't want to stress myself over writing (something I love to do). One book at a time; I'll get there.

Anyway, that's the shenanigans! Let me know how you guys are doing! Hope you are reading loads of awesome books, watching good movies and shows, and enjoying time with friends and family!

And if you like purry friends, I hope you have one close by to cuddle! It is still winter, after all. Better use those warm blankets and drink plenty of cocoa, since spring is just around the corner.

Shelving a Novel

Saturday night, I made one of the hardest decisions a novelist can ever make. I shelved The Unanswerable.

There's always a mixture of emotions when this happens, largely sorrow, but right now, all I feel is relief. The novel wasn't growing the way I wanted it to. The characters weren't strong enough to carry the hectic pacing of the story, and the pacing at the beginning was too slow to grasp the reader. It was a mess that I wrote two years ago, and even during my rewriting, the pacing and plot stayed a mess.

While I do plan on revisiting the book, I've decided to approach the series of conquels from a different angle.

My husband and I hashed out the plot line, the sense of urgency, the characters, and what I could do to revamp the current book. But the problem is, The Unanswerable has too much information. It explains the why of the apocalypse.

The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later start with immediate consequences. We don't know what's going on, but our main characters have an instant need to survive, something that all people can relate to.

The Underground, which was originally going to be book two in the series, starts with immediacy. The main characters have to go or else... And that's a pretty great opener for a series. It sucks you in and says, "This story is important. And these people? They matter." As such, The Underground will now be book one, which I'm hoping to publish next year.

I plan on revamping The Unanswerable with the same major characters, same turning point, but I plan on removing most of the story and starting from scratch. However, since I am so utterly frustrated with this novel, I'm not in the right mindset to revamp it.

While I won't apologize for choosing not to publish / pursue a sub-par novel, I will apologize for those who were expecting a virus-based apocalypse novel this year from me.

There is, fortunately, some good news in all of this.

Editing In a Blue Moon has gone smoothly, and I'm expecting a March publication. It's a young adult fairy tale retelling/apocalypse, so while there are some humorous moments (evil Pinocchio anyone?), it's very fast-paced and will be sure to hit on all the dark notes that you find in apocalypse novels.

In addition, I've started writing my Consciousness Series, which will start with Conscious. It's a paranormal series that will have some suspenseful elements. I haven't fleshed out the plot yet, but the beginning of the first book packs a huge punch. I'm really excited for this series because it combines a lot of emotional, contemporary elements with the intensity of a paranormal plot.

So, while I'm upset about having to put The Unanswerable aside, I do have high hopes for this year's publication schedule. No Sugar Coating and Good Criminal Heart should still be released this year, both standalones for those who don't want to invest in a series.

I'm excited about the future, and while the UnSeries isn't getting published on time, it will see the light of day eventually.

2014 Accomplishments and 2015 Goals

I set a lot of crazy goals for myself in 2014, which I realize was a little over zealous. But I still accomplished a lot, so here it goes:

• Wrote, edited, and published YA Dystopian, The Collapse (The Uprising #2).
• Wrote, edited, and published YA Contemporary, Girl Nevermore.
• Wrote, edited, and published short horror story, ZERO (which you can get for free by signing up for my newsletter).
• Started my author newsletter.
• Ran several book giveaways.
• Moved to a different state.
• Got a new job (which starts soon!)
• Read 50 books.
• Founded the independent author collective, The Scriptors.
• Finished NaNoWriMo for the fourth year in a row (by writing In a Blue Moon, to be published soon).

I think that's most of it, but overall a very productive year!

I'm excited for 2015, but I'm keeping my goal list a little shorter this year. I'm taking each day at a time, and I have a monthly calendar with each day's goals written out. It worked great for December, so I'm keeping it up for this year!

Here are my writing, reading, and personal goals for the next 365 days:

• Publish three books.
• Publish one novella.
• Read 55 books.
• Take five hikes to beautiful locations.
• Go on five photo adventures.
• Eat at five new restaurants.
• Complete NaNoWriMo for the fifth year in a row.

That's it! Seven goals. Of course, I can always stretch these goals. I can always add another book, hike, or random adventure to the mix. I'm excited for 2015, because I feel focused again and ready to take the challenges as they come.

Cheers to the New Year!

What are some of your accomplishments from the past year and goals for the new one?

On getting sick of your writing

As authors, we go through a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to our own writing. We love the concept, but hate this scene we can't get quite right. We adore our main character, but hate that the villain seems to one-sided. We call in and out of love with many aspects of our stories.

I'm at this stage with The Unanswerable where I am sick of it. I wrote it two years ago, rewrote it earlier this year, edited it once a month ago, and now I'm editing it again.

There's a few scenes that I hate because they aren't right yet. There's a few scenes that I adore because they make me cry or bite my nails because they are spot on.

But I'm sick of my own story. Trying to make the blah scenes pop with the vitality they should have is frustrating. Combing over the good scenes to make them the best they can be is tedious. I've read the story too many times to have a fresh perspective. The concept, and the story itself, are starting to feel stale.

So what now? When your inspiration and motivation for a piece are gone, what do you do?

I force myself to edit it one more time, and then I pass it off to an alpha reader--in this case, my husband. He's my concept developer. When I want to make sure the story works, I ask him. He points out weak scenes, tells me what I've done well, and provides me with a fresh look on my writing.

Getting sick of my own work doesn't mean the story is bad. It means I need a new set of eyes; someone else to be nit-picky. I need someone to confirm, "Yes, this is a flaw" or tell me, "No, you're being overly critical."

Developmental feedback can be obtained through alpha readers, friends, or even a developmental editor. If you find your eyes glazing over at your own words, it's time for another person to step in.

Don't worry, The Unanswerable is still on its way to being published, even if I am sick of it. I still think it's a powerful story, I just can't figure out how to punch up the scenes that need work.

The second set of eyes always helps.

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If you are looking for more advice on editing, consider reading Why We Edit, an article I wrote for the independent author collective, The Scriptors.