Flowering Fiction: Karen Elizabeth Brown

This week I was tagged by the lovely M.Pax for the look challenge! The rules: Count up the ‘LOOK’s in your current WIP and choose your favorite three. Then post the paragraphs around the word.

Dotted about the first two chapters of my WIP, I’ve used 50 looks. Ouch! Not toooo bad for out of 14,000 words, but that’s partly why it’s still a WIP. ^^;

Reiva twirled out of his path and caught his tunic by the neck. With an abrupt jerk, she threw him forward and sent him flying. A loud crack split the air as Darret crashed into a stack of wine barrels. Red liquid fountained down as Reiva hooked her boot under Darret’s fallen gladius and flicked it into the air. She caught it and pitched it forward, sailing end over end. It stuck into the barrel just over Darret’s head. Dazed, he looked up into a fresh spray of wine that spilled down his soaking tunic.

Stepping onto the street, faces turned towards them, taking in the blood and mouthing ceaseless questions. Reiva wanted to shrink so small they would never see her again. She felt their prying eyes like insects crawling over her skin, itching to dig under her shell and unravel her from the inside out. Looking at Talou, you might never know he was an object of such scrutiny. Glances slid off him like rain off a glass pane, but then again, he wasn’t the topic of their gossip.

She had to remind herself to stay alert; she wasn’t out of danger just yet. Risking a glance around the cart, she surveyed the crowd. There weren’t any guards just yet, but they weren’t the only threat. Cool steady eyes met her gaze and knew she’d been spotted. She’d seen him in the city center, watching the crowds from a distance. He was a foreigner by the looks of him, but even a foreigner could benefit from the capture of a fugitive.

I’m still new in the blogosphere so instead of tagging 5 lovely people, I’m going to tag 3. Karen Elizabeth Brown, Heather at Reading, Writing andEverything In Between, and Susan Gourley/Kelley.

Have a great week everybody and happy writing! ^^ :D

I did it! I sent off my very first submission to Cricket Magazine this week and I’m not going to lie. I’m terrified!!!!! I know everyone says there’s nothing to be afraid of, but every possible doubt ever had, has run through my head this week. What if I misspelled something? What if they don’t like my cover letter? What if they don’t like my story? Worse yet, what if they hate it?! For those that don’t know me very well, I’m a Worry Wart. If there is something to be worried about, rest assured, I am worrying about it! Therefore, I declare here and now, that to quell that voice in my head that says, you can’t, I will not speak another word related the Big Bad What if of Negativity! Or at least that is my goal. J And speaking of putting away that negativity, what better way to do so than to celebrate with my first ever Blog Award! Woohoo! ^^ J

In true Oscar fashion, I’d like to thank Karen Elizabeth Brown for awarding me with the Liebster Blog Award! If you don’t know Karen, she is the wonderful author of the newly released novella, Medieval Muse. It is available as a free read on Smashwords so if you haven’t gotten a chance to check it yet, head on over and check it out!

This award works in groups of 11. The first part I get to tell you 11 things about myself that you wouldn’t normally know by reading my blog, and then I’ll answer 11 questions the lovely Karen passed on for me to answer. Last, but certainly not least, I will award 11 other lovely people with this award and ask them 11 questions to answer on their blogs! Sounds fun, no? ^^ J

So here are 11 things that you may not know about me:

1. I love wood working. When I was in High School, I needed an extra class to fill out my schedule so they put me in woodshop with a total of two other girls. I don’t think I’ve ever loved another class more, except maybe Japanese. That was pretty awesome too. I made all kinds of things that actually looked cool when they were finished like that wavy Bud Vase there. Cool, huh? J

2. I play the violin. I picked it up in the sixth grade because my brother did, and I always did what my big brother did because he was just cool like that. J I’ve been out of practice lately, but I have to admit sometimes I really want to just bust it out and play along with groups like Escala and Bond. Those gals can really play!

3. I hate spiders. And other creepy crawly bugs. Praying mantises are really cool. But I hate spiders.

4. Before I decided I wanted to really be a writer, I was dead set on becoming a big time Hollywood director. One of my best friends wanted to do the same thing and we were both going to go to LA Film School and blow Hollywood away with our awesome talent. >:D Unfortunately I changed my mind in the last couple months before graduating and did not become a big Hollywood star. My friend however is still chasing that dream, and is currently taking classes at a film school in Portland. I’m super proud of her and even though I won’t be joining her in the directing world, I still hope that someday I can write a super awesome script and we’ll still blow Hollywood away with our awesome talent. ;)

5. I love videogames. Some of my favorites are the Final Fantasy Series (X, X-2, XII, and XIII),

Harvest Moon, and Rune Factory. I grew up watching my big brother play all kinds of videogames and so we are both big videogame fans. Except I have a hard time playing anything war related or something without a good storyline. If it doesn’t have a good storyline I like, I don’t play it.

6. One of the book series that’s had the biggest impact on my writing are the Beka Cooper books by Tamora Pierce.

Most Medieval or Middle Ages books focus on the nobility with a character that is most likely a noble, a princess, or some other high up position that we’ve read about a million other times before. Not a bad thing. Just overdone. In Beka’s books, we see the everyday people, how they live, survive, and struggle. For some reason I had never really stopped to seriously think about them. Sure I thought about them in passing, but not really thought about them. Now the book I’m working on is immersed in the everyday streets of a bustling city, far away from the castle. Okay the castle does come in later, but it’s not a huge part of the book just yet. ;)

7. When I was a kid during the summer, I would stay up until 6 a.m. reading stacks of library books. Sometimes when I heard my dad getting ready for work, I’d pretend to be asleep until he left, then go back to reading. Those were good days. J

8. Another thing I picked up from my brother was Poi. It is Hawaiian fire dancing and it is

amazing to watch. I’m not very good at it, but my brother is. He also practices more. Hehe ^^ J Because I’m terrible at describing it and a picture is worth a thousand words, I found a video that shows you what it essentially looks like. It’s pretty cool. :D

9. I collect fairy figurines. Every year, my family and I go to the coast and I make sure to bring at least one to add to my collection.

10. I am working on my green thumb. I enjoy gardening, but I have to admit, my plant skills are still a work in progress. I have one of those upside down tomato planters, but thanks to Bambi and her friends, I’ve had to start over on the tomatoes…and all the other outside plants as well. *Glares at Bambi*

11. I enjoy photography. I took a class in high school and so every now and again I use my super awesome photography skills to capture nature and hopefully create a beautiful piece of art. J

Here are the 11 questions Karen asked to answer on the blog:

What kind of music inspires you when you write?

I love to listen to a variety of music, but when I write, the music has to be lyric-less. Otherwise, I find classical, Celtic, and videogame soundtracks pretty inspirational. J

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas ^^ J

Barefoot or sandals?

Barefoot when walking on sand. Sandals everywhere else. :]

What are your goals for writing this year?

I would like to finish the novel I’m currently working on now and then hopefully publish a few short stories and/or novellas along the way.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I am reading a library copy of Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead. It is a rendition of Robin Hood, which I must confess, I have never actually read. It’s like all the classics that people have known about for years, but never actually read. Now I can say, yes, I have read a version of Robin Hood. ;) And I would definitely recommend it.

Do you outline before you write? If not, do you have some other preparation for your story?

Hehe. I struggle with outlining. I try to outline, but it never comes out right. So I make a vague outline, which then gets rearranged and changed a dozen times as I work on the story itself. The best way I’ve found to go about a type of outlining, for me, is to write down events that I know need to happen and fill in the blanks as I go along.

Who or what is your special muse?

That’s a tough one. I would probably have to say… Well...books, sometimes videogames if you can believe it (Final Fantasy especially. Gotta love those chocobos! J), and movies. I love movies. ^^ :]

Do you have a special place to go to get inspired?

I actually don’t. But I should.

Do you prefer to write during the day or at night? Do you have a schedule?

I try to write during the afternoon because I normally work early mornings, but I’m very much a night owl. I could stay up all night if I wanted. Sometimes I do. >:]

Favorite author(s)?

Tamora Pierce, CassandraClare, Suzanne Collins, Bryan Davis, and Kristin Cashore.

Beef, chicken, fish or tofu?

Chicken for the win!!! >:D

Now comes the part where I pass the Liebster Award on to 11 other lovely people! Unfortunately as I am still very new to the blogging world, I don’t really know 11 other bloggers yet. L However I would like to leave it open that if you would like to take the 11 Question and Answer challenge, post it on your blog and leave a link to it in the comments.

For those that decide to try it, here are your 11 questions:

1. What are your top five favorite books?

2. Do you have any special/odd talents? What’s one of them?

3. Paperback, hardcover, or eBooks?

4. What’s the name of your first pet? If you’ve never had a pet, what would you name one if you did?

5. Where is your dream destination, you’d absolutely love to go to?

6. What was your favorite subject in school?

7. What is your favorite movie, actor or actress, and TV show? If you don’t have a favorite TV show, pick another movie. J

8. What’s your favorite way to travel?

9. Favorite music group?

10. Paper or Plastic?

11. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?