Quick Update

Sorry I haven't updated with the next prompt challenge (on either blog) but I became engrossed in my work. I have been working on the third installment of the Millersburg Shifters series, Spy's Temptation. I do not know how long this book will be seeing as there is a lot I want to see go into this one. So I have a very shaky release date. It's more like 'I hope I'm done by this date'.

I have been asked if I will release all three books in a bundle pack and I will be. But before I do I am going to be going through the first two and fine tuning them just a bit before putting them in the bundle. Nothing major (I think).

I do have a couple of stories I would like to see make it onto your electronic devices but that all depends on my schedule and work *cough* procrastination *cough* level. Though I do have a bonus coming this week. My son is starting school which means I have my days off to do whatever I need to to get done with my work load.

Also, I am wishing my momma a Happy Birthday today. She turned another year older and had a great day of just relaxing. I can't wait for next month when I get a weekend of just relaxing on my birthday, no child, no work (main job), and just me and my computer. Ah, fun times to come.

Write drunk; edit sober.

- Ernest Hemingway

I hope you all have an awesome week. Since this is my Friday I'll be sleeping in for the next two days for the last time until school break. *cries* But as a single mom I am rejoicing at the fact that it is back to school time.

Prompt #1 Part 3

I am sorry for the delay on posting the next writing challenge. Pokemon Go abducted me. Yeah, I know, I'm a nerd so what? I also crochet, cross stitch, and collect Funko Pops. I also watch anime. And weirdly I still write romance stories..... So yeah I have certain quirks.

Anyway, moving on.

Obviously the name of my character doesn't match that of the prompt but hey it's my challenge. If you haven't read the first two challenges then I would suggest that you do. Prompt #1 and Part 2

Carly yawned as she walked to the diner. Her and Billy had been up late talking about how he had never realized his best friend was gay and that it had only taken her a few moments to realize it.

They had eventually decided on their sleeping arrangements as well, Billy on the lounge and her in the bed. She had been more than willing to take the lounge seeing as how the bed was a lot bigger than the one she had had and he needed more space to be comfortable. But he had declined saying that if she didn't agree he would shift and sleep under the bed.

Reluctantly she had agreed and had climbed into the massive bed that took up one entire wall. The entire apartment seemed to be bigger than before as well. Maybe it was some kind of spell, like in that Harry Potter movie she had watched a few years ago.

She waved to David through the pass-through where he was starting the lunch orders. She stashed her purse in her locker and clocked in. She grabbed one of the white frilly aprons that the waitresses were required to wear along with their usual uniform of pepto pink dress and white shoes. She grabbed a fresh order book and relieved Tory of her section.

She couldn't help but smile as Mr. Johnson walked through the door. "Mornin' Mr. Johnson. Are you sitting in your usual spot?"

The old man smiled, causing his already wrinkled face to become even more so. "I'll take my usual pot of coffee and heart attack waiting to happen burger."

She laughed. "One pot of extra strength coffee and the Baconattor coming right up."

He went to his usual booth. It was tucked back in the far corner. He always sat with his back against the wall and watched the people that came and went from the diner. Today seemed to be no different than usual, until she went to take him his food. He was sitting with his back to the door.

She placed his plate in front of him and poured him a cup of coffee. "Everything alright, Mr. Johnson?"

He looked up at her. "Why don't you have a seat with me dear?"

She looked around the diner, checking to see if anyone else needed anything. "Let me see if I can get someone to cover my section while I sit with you." She waved over Gail and asked her to cover her section while she talked to Mr. Johnson. She sat down across from him and looked at him expectantly.

He sipped his coffee. "We have a mutual friend that would like to see you go to a certain social event."

She looked at him in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He smiled at her. "Your roommate was invited to the Nightmare King's bicentennial ball. Someone wants you to go with him."

"But why? I'm just a human," she said.

He leaned forward. "You are much more than you seem." He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. "Open this when you get home. It will explain some things that your mother kept from you." He took another sip of coffee and pulled a few dollars from his pocket. "I'll be seeing you next week, my dear. Thank you for talking with me." With that he got up and left.

Carly sat there wondering what he was talking about. Things just seemed to get weirder and weirder lately. She picked up the envelope and tucked it into her apron before clearing off the table.

NOTE: So my surprise for this post has actually been pushed off until either the next one or the one after that. Once again I am sorry for the delay in getting this up for all of you. The next post may not be prompt oriented but hey something may catch my eye.

Alice Frost on Writing

First off, to those of you here in the USA, Happy 4th of July! I hope your day is fun and filled with family, fireworks, and parades!  I'm hoping my day will be too. To everyone else, if you aren't celebrating a holiday then I hope you are just having an awesome filled day!

I can tell you that as a single mother with a full time job and a passion to become an established author that it isn't easy. Sometimes there just isn't time to write much less think. But as a new author myself the biggest piece of advice I can give any budding author out there is: Make time. Even if it is just a few minutes while the kid is in the bath and dinner is in the oven cooking. Just jot down the idea you had and slowly expand on this. I have QuickMemo on my phone and Nooote Free on my tablet, which come in handy when I'm at work. Having a voice recorder also works.

Another thing that as a new author that takes time and unfortunately money is finding a cover that fits your story, especially if you are self-publishing. Most readers, myself included, are cover shoppers. If the cover looks good then they will buy it. If you have the money to buy a professional cover then you can move forward a little faster in publishing. If you don't have the money you can save up for the one you have your eye on but you risk the chance of someone else buying before you. Or you can find a temporary cover that kind of fits your story but then you risk the chances of no one buying your book. Now there are several sites where you can get premade covers and I suggest looking through those sites like you were buying a new house. Yes, that one is what you WANT but does it fit the story? Does it have everything you NEED to express? Will it draw your potential buyer it?

Yes yes I know I am a new author myself how do I know what I'm talking about. I do a lot of research. I read a lot of reviews, about writing, and different types of writing. Do I know everything? No. But I know what steps I have taken to get my book self-published. Trial and error is ok. If you make a mistake learn from it and move on. Just don't let that mistake get you down and stop writing, editing, or publishing. Don't let anyone or anything stop you from obtaining your goals. (Unless you are a murderer/serial killer then just don't do it.)

AF out! I'm thinkin' bout doing AAF = Awesome As Fuck

I don't know what do ya'll think?

Species Compilation of Trinity Mates

This is my compile of all the different species we come across in Book 1 of the Trinity Mates.

Freorian, Hydrakian, Draconian - Human in appearance, the closer to the original blood line they are the more dragon like abilities they possess. Their height can range anywhere from 5' to 7' tall, mainly between 5' and 6' 6'' tall. Their life expectancy can span centuries. All three species are at war with each other.

Terran - Terrans are human in appearance and physiology. The main difference between the two are that Terrans live much longer than humans. They normally extend their lives even more by exchanging biological body parts for cybernetic ones.

Criptian - Small mammalian beings who are very intelligent. Their features can range from those of a mouse to those of a raccoon. All are no taller than 4' and they are the natural prey to the Kartorians.

Kartorian - Lizard like beings that stand anywhere from 6' tall to 9' tall depending on age and gender. The smaller the Kartorian to weaker they are considered. Most leave their home planet due to the harassment of the larger Kartorian. They are a hostile and violent race known to cause mayhem where ever they go. Males are usually smaller than the females. An off world male Kartorian never breeds with a female of his own race. He usually kidnaps a female from any human like race.

Grenicks - Small amphibious beings known to be cannibalistic. They are very resilient and are known to travel in large groups. Kartorians are known to use them in battle as their first wave of attack.

Credorian - They are a small humanoid race that stand no taller than 4'. Even though they are highly advanced and intelligent they are very trusting and naive. Most become historians for cities, countries, or even entire worlds. A select few become accountants and investors.

Arachni - Spider-like beings. They are a horrible combination of human and spider. They have the ability to shift between the two forms and even shift into a hybrid of the two. They are mostly female. Females are exceedingly attractive and 'marry' men, use them to breed the next generation and then devour them. Males, who are also highly attractive, can only be found on their home planet. Males are much larger than females and are known to breed several females at once. If a female attempts to attack the male he tears her apart and leaves her for the other females.

If you haven't gotten your copy of Galaxing Around then you can pick one up right here: http://goo.gl/TP2Wpe It is also available in paperback here: http://goo.gl/8mkeiz

Prompt #1 Part 2

My brother has expressly asked (told) that I finish my prompt story or he will stop feeding me. Me being the fat girl I am can't let this happen. (Yes I am a BBW and I use the word fat towards myself. Get over it.) So as per His Royal Highness Dork-fer-brains has asked, I will continue with the story.

Also, everything is unedited. So if something doesn't make sense or sounds weird it's because I'm not extensively editing it like I normally would.

Billy snorted at her. "Do I look like a Mogwai? Yes I can eat after midnight and I can get in water and stay there as long as I want. My kind reproduce in the usual way."

"Oh?" Carly asked.

"Yes, when we are ready for a youngling we cut off our hands and watch them regenerate," he said with a straight face.

She stared at him in horror. "Really?!"

He burst out laughing. "No, not really. We reproduce just like humans."

"So what exactly are you? I know that you look like a gremlin but that doesn't mean that is what you are," she said.

He looked at her solemnly. She was definitely different from any human he had ever met. But there had to be something special about her if the landlady rented out to her. "My dad was a selkie and my mom was a dragon. It screwed up my genetics, hence the green skin and gremlin like appearance when I shift."

She blushed and bit her lip. "I think you're cute in either form." She kept her eyes downcast, afraid that she might have freaked him out.

"For a human you are quite strange," he replied, stunned at her confession.

The closet door banged open, startling them both. A tall figure draped in bright purple fabric stepped out of the inky depths. The figure stood still for a moment before pushing the fabric from it's face. If it wasn't for his golden goatee, Carly would have thought he was a woman of the supermodel variety.

"Haven't I told you never to keep a human for a pet. They are so needy. Constantly needing food and attention. We've talked about this," the man said, his voice soft and lyrical.

Billy shook his head. "She isn't my pet, Gladius, she's my new roommate. What's with the dramatic entrance?"

Gladius sat down on Carly's little bed and leaned back. He was the epitome of gracefulness. "I just came back from a visit to the old hag's place."

"Your mother isn't a hag, she's the Goddess of Beauty," Billy retorted.

Gladius just snorted. "She's a hag. She refuses to acknowledge  that she even gave birth to me." He sighed. "Sometimes it sucks being the bastard child of a goddess and the King of Nightmares."

"At least you know your father," Carly said quietly. "Mine took off the moment he found out Momma was pregnant with me."

Gladius leaned forward, examining her. "You are an interesting human. I didn't think your kind were allowed to even step foot in this place." He looked sharply at Billy, who just shrugged in indifference.

"I still haven't figured out why the landlady rented out to her but she doesn't have an issue with either of my forms," he said.

Gladius looked around the apartment. "What happened to all your beautiful things?"

Billy looked at him drolly. "The landlady rented out my apartment to a human and put all my stuff in storage. Need I say more?"

Gladius stared at him in horror. "How could she?!" He stood up and clapped his hands. "We'll fix that right this instant." He looked over at Carly disdainfully. "You don't have a problem with me getting rid of your things do you?"

She shook her head. "I don't mind. I just don't want to be a problem for anyone." She grabbed a few things from around the apartment. "This is all I need."

Billy looked at the pile curiously. "What's all that?"

She smiled, remembering the history of the items at her feet. "They're things that Momma gave me."

Gladius snorted. "You're one of those people that absolutely adore their parents, aren't you?"

She shrugged. "Why shouldn't I adore the woman that gave birth to me and raised me all by herself? She endured many hardships to make sure that I had everything I needed in life. Why would it be wrong to adore and look up to her?"

Gladius sneered in distaste. "Please don't preach to me about how wonderful your mother is. Mine may be the most beautiful being in existence, but her beauty is only skin deep."

Carly looked at Billy who held up his hands in defeat. "My mother was more into collecting all the shiny trinkets she could get her claws on. I mostly fended for myself."

"Enough of this," Gladius said. He snapped his fingers and the room around them twisted, when it righted itself all of her old things had been replaced with beautiful furnishings. "You're welcome."

Billy sat down on the lounge that had appeared in front of the window. "Thanks. Just one little problem. I still have a roommate and only one bed."

Gladius chuckled. "I'm sure you two will figure something out. Vale, my loves." He stopped just in front of the closet door. "I almost forgot. The King of Nightmares has invited you to his bicentennial ball. He expects you to bring a date this time."

Billy groaned. "Let me guess, if I don't he and my mother will find me someone to spend the evening with."

"You got it," he replied before leaving through the closet.

Carly looked at Billy. "Bicentennial ball?"

He sighed in aggravation. "Don't worry about it. So what did you think about meeting a new supernatural being?"

She pressed her lips together. If she said what was going through her mind then she would definitely be seeing Momma rise from the grave. But how could she resist? "Does he get the irony of being gay and constantly go in and out of a closet?"

Billy started laughing. He hadn't even noticed the irony of it until she pointed it out.

NOTE: In regards to this last few sentences, I am not bashing on the LGBT community. I am bi. I make jokes about things that are relevant to me. Plus, I have a surprise brewing for the next post that has to do with this. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. I am sure there will be many more to come. Have a happy 4th of July weekend!

NOTE 2: Vale = Goodbye in Latin

Writing Fantasy

I love writing fantasy and science fiction stories. But the one thing that I hate doing is research. Why would I need to research anything for a fantasy story? A lot of stuff. It may not be apparent when you write your story but later on you might see that things don't quite connect. Some authors are ok with things not quite connecting but not everyone is. I am one such person.

1. What Is Your Story About?

This is normally called the plot but I'm a little different. So what is happening in this story? Is your characters going on an epic quest or are we just going to see a small snippet of your fantasy world? Is this a big enough story to have a map and even languages?

J.R.R. Tolkien had not only maps of his world but even created a language for the Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit. You may not think these things matter but you may have a reader that wants these things.

2. Types of Fantasy

You may think that this should have been first but as I've stated before I do things a little bit different. There is a WIDE variety of fantasy out there and you can mix them as much as you want as long as you make it sound plausible. So you could have androids with unicorns as long as it is plausible then have fun with it.

Cyborg leprechauns, FYI.

They can be a thing. Anyway once you have decided what your story is about then you can decide just how fantastical you want to be. But what about my characters? Just hang on we are getting there.

3. Characters

I already have a blog post about making believable characters. So basically you just have to do the normal routine on your character and if you find something new to add into your fantasy world then go ahead and do it. You may even find out that your plot/story line whatever changes, even expands. Yea, yea whatever. But sometimes a change in the plot line is fine.

4. Writing The Story

Now the hard part begins, writing the story. Don't stop writing until you have finished. Just remember to let yourself be creative (it's part of writing). Yes I know this is a short redundant tutorial but hey I like writing these.

What are you still doing reading this? Go. Go write your story. It's never going to be read if you never write it.

NOTE: I originally wrote this on my Wordpress blog. I have decided to copy the posts over to here cuz you guys need some lovin' too.

Character Development

Coming up with characters is as easy as pie, but coming up with BELIEVABLE characters is a whole different piece of pie. I know each writer has a different process of how they write their characters. Now I will be giving you a tour of how I do this process.

1. Motivation - I start with what motivates my character. Is my character doing this because of x, y, or z? This brings me a clear view of how their personality will be. So if my character had to rob a bank then I want to know WHY he had to.

Example: Joe Bob needed to rob the bank to pay off the mafia boss that he had borrowed money from so they don't take their payment out of his flesh.

Once you have figured out the WHY then we can move onto the next step.

2. Background - I have had some writers tell me that they don't do a background on their characters but I feel that having one makes my characters a little more believable and relatable (at least to me). When we have our motives then we need to know why our character feels they need to go about it that particular way.

Example: Joe Bob grew up in a bad part of town, raised by a single mom who worked as a prostitute for the mafia. He wasn't a good student and never graduated from high school and the only job he has ever had was with the mafia. He slowly developed a drug habit and began borrowing more and more money to supply his habit.

Ok so now we know that Joe Bob hasn't had a great life. He might have had small moments of happiness but that all depends on how much background you want to put into your characters.

3. Personality - Personality is a tough one for me. I have a tendency to give my characters snarky personalities in the beginning. But not all characters stay that way. As with each person, each character has a unique personality and quirks.

Example: Joe Bob has a Napoleon complex. He is very domineering and aggressive which was only made worse by his drug habit.

4. Description - Describing a character can be really easy or it can be extremely hard. I always look at my characters background and their motivations before I start putting their description together. To make your character more believable their physical description needs to 'fit' their personality.

Example: Joe Bob is very short and underweight. His hair is unwashed and a dull brown color. His eyes are a bloodshot brown color. He has track marks covering his arms.

5. Naming Your Character - Obviously Joe Bob was given a name but lets give him an official name. Now poor Joe Bob has a bad history and isn't the greatest looking guy.

Honestly, he is completely forgettable but that's how I want him to be. Now if we look at my poor character we know he didn't grow up in a great neighborhood and has ties to the mafia. Joe Bob is not what his name should be. Why? Because it doesn't fit him.

What would be a good name for my unimpressive character? A name that is equally unimpressive. I think I will call him Keith. Now that we have a name for him it is time to write his story. Either way the end for Keith is always the same, death.

If he succeeds in robbing the bank the cops shoot and kill him before he gets away. If he doesn't succeed then the mafia makes him an example. He newspaper article never makes it to the front page, he's relegated to page 8.

Yes poor Keith's story is a dark path of misery but that is how I wrote him. When writing characters every piece influences the character you create. Now Keith could have had to steal the money to get his mother off the streets as a prostitute. His story all depends on you and what you make it to be.

NOTE: This was originally written on my Wordpress. I am slowly copying posts from there to here cuz you all need lovin' too.