Sunday, November 4, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday ~ November 4, 2012

I have a friend who has asked me a few times to start participating in Six Sentence Sunday, but I always seem to forget.  In my defense, Sundays at my house tend to be a bit crazy.  However, since I’m not a glutton for punishment and have no desire to participate in NaNo, I thought now would be a good time to suck it up and start with the other I’ve long promised to do.

Today, you get two bonuses.  The first is from my original work, Bleeding Again.  It stars a bartender named Ella - a young woman on her own, lonely, and a bit clumsy.  Her life changes irrevocably one night after mistaking her own flesh for that belonging to a lime.   

These next six sentences are from the prologue:

This was how it all began, after all.

It’s true, it all started with a simple little cut, with being in the wrong place at the very worst possible time. He reached for the drawer closest to him, tugging it open, and pulling out a box of Band-Aids he’d stashed there the last time she’d tried to amputate a finger. Bracing her arm against his side, feeling the warmth of her body seep into his skin, he liberated a single slip from the box. Peeling the wrapper from it, he wrapped the bandage around her finger, thinking back to that night.

It seemed like it had been forever ago…

**

And since I’m feeling generous (or cruel, your choice), the following six sentences are from a piece of fan fiction I hope to write as well.  It’s tentatively titled Bitter as Blood.

I've known he was a vampire for eighteen months. For six of those months, ever since that night back in March, I’ve been his donor. He needed me, and I was there for him.

He'd promised me it would be just that one time that he was hungry, desperate.

But he liked it too much. Liked me too much.

**

So, there you have it.  Two sets of six sentences, both very rough and needing of editing.  Comments?  Questions?  Rotten tomatoes? 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Buddies

I belong to this wonderful writing community on LiveJournal called The Character Loft and they post theme-related prompts seven days a week.  I must say, I’m constantly finding lovely little plot bunnies to feed my creative side, even if I don’t have the time to fill most of them.

Anyway… my point… Mondays are for the author themselves to answer, instead of the character.  They’re most often writing questions and today’s was a good one.  So, guess what?  I’m hitting you with it. 

This Munday we are going to talk about writing buddies. 

1.  Do you have writing buddies?

I have two, for the most part.  I do have others that help out, but these two are my main buddies.  The ones who really ‘get it’.

2. How did you meet each other? Do you interact in person or over the internet? 

The first is and has been my best friend forever.  We met in Girl Scouts and have been attached at the hip ever since.  We interact on the phone, in real life (when we can) and over the internet.

The second is a lovely lady I met in a Chuck community on LJ.  I’d been reading her stuff and when she put out a plea for a beta, I answered the call.  The rest is history.  We interact over the internet because I’ve been banned from her state.  KIDDING!  Or am I? 

3. What kind of support do you give one another?   Beta reading?  Late night chats about plot?Writing parties or word wars? 

The first, my long-time friend, isn’t a writer, but she supports me in so many ways.  Reading, commenting, suggesting, sending me sugar and LOLcats.  Anything that she thinks might inspire me.  Or help me.  Or encourage me.  Or make me laugh.

The second, we beta read each others writing, write long and rambling e-mails to each other about the technical side of writing, the joys of motherhood… and often supply one another with hysterical, useless gifs (see below) that make us laugh endlessly…

(What I call ‘the magic gif’ because I can watch it endlessly and never stop giggling…)

tumblr_m10d25Nxkf1rpewvao1_500

*coughs*  Where were we?  Oh.  Right.  #4

4. Do they write the kind of stories or the same genre as you?

Yes and no.  As I said, my first friend doesn’t write, but she helps me with ideas.  The second writes slashy, delicious fan fiction.  While I don’t write fanfic, I try my hardest to write other, delicious, slashy stuff.  *evil grin*

5. Have you ever collaborated on a story?

No.  But I think it’d be interesting if nothing else.  Why?  Because our styles are so different.  I wonder if it would work? 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday… on a Monday

Why?  Because I’m a professional procrastinator and I just could not get my butt into gear over the weekend.  Sound good?  No?  Oh well… but here I go anyway…

 

Today’s contribution – my first! – is the first six sentences from the prologue of a work-in-progress I’m tentatively calling Bleeding Again

 

The set-up?  Ella’s in love with a vampire.  What more do I need to say?

---

 

“I’m bleeding again,” she said to him, holding out her left hand, index finger outstretched.

He could see the blood welling up in the cut running the length of her fingertip. With a sigh, he dabbed at the small wound, attempting to staunch the flow of blood from her vein. One thing he’d never understand was how someone so graceful and light on their feet could be so prone to knife-inflicted injuries.

However, focusing on her clumsiness forced him to think about something other than the blood so near his nose. Its scent, its color, its heavenly taste.

 

---

Hopefully this brings a smile to your face on this promised-to-be warm Monday.  Or rather, warmer, Monday.  I don’t call 75ยบ warm.  Not when you consider what I’m used to.  :-)

 

Happy Monday, happy reading, and love, joy, and kitty kisses to all.

 

Mika

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Time to Get Serious

About so much.

And it’s odd because, well, I had this blog post all planned out… I knew what I was going to say and how I was going to say it.  Then, I sat down and read my horoscope for today and I had to laugh.

You may keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself today because you're embarrassed by what you want. Although you believe that your little secret is safe, you're probably more transparent than you think. Your closest friends will suspect that you're holding something back, but they know you well enough not to pry. Thankfully, your current shyness will pass if you can just get over your fears and insecurities. Your smartest strategy is sharing your inner process with a trustworthy friend.

Why is this funny?  Because it’s true.  I am embarrassed by what I want, mainly because it won’t benefit anyone but myself.  Is that wrong?  Not by any means, however, sometimes when you’re a wife and a mother, you put yourself last out of necessity.  The down side to all this is, by the time you’ve been married for fourteen years (almost) and your kids are nine and eleven, you’ve been doing it for so long that you don’t even remember how to put yourself first. 

The second sentence is beyond true as well.  I pride myself on being rather adept at hiding my real feelings, however, when it comes to those that really do know me well, it’s a lost cause.  I’m more than transparent… I’m, I dunno, completely see through, I suppose. 

However, the good news is, that, according to the stars in the heavens my *cough* shyness will soon pass… Hmmm…  I suppose that’s a good thing, in the long run. 

So, back to the real subject I came here to talk about.  Getting serious.  And, truthfully, this does apply to my horoscope above because my real desire is to buckle down and really become an author somehow.  I don’t consider myself that at the moment because I feel like a dabbler, a writer, a fly-by-night person who just happens to put words to the page on occasion.  That’s not good enough. 

The question is, how do I do this?

The simple answer is: get serious.  Don’t just take time, but make time.  Make it a priority. 

And stop doubting yourself.

That last item,that one about doubt?  That’s the hardest part of all of this.  I’ve lived my life in a cloud of doubt and sometimes it’s held me back, but sometimes it’s also kept me from making stupid mistakes.  The trick now is to figure out which is which and, if I’m only holding myself back because I’m unsure, I need to stop.  Now.

In that respect, I’ve at least done one, silly, stupid thing that has given me a tiny bit of confidence.  I bought a new writing folder this morning.  I couldn’t afford it, but it called to me.  And it’s lovely.  Black with a white and grey design.  Zipper close.  Three rings.  And an accordion file built in!  Score!  So happily beats my writer’s heart. 

And you’re all laughing now.  You’re welcome.  But it’s okay.  This is a good thing, this getting excited over something so silly.  Why?  Because I am excited, and excited about my writing again.

That, for me at least, is worth being excited about.  

Monday, November 15, 2010

Give Thanks

I don’t normally post these kinds of blogs because I was always raised to believe that your faith and your religion were YOUR business and not anyone else’s.  If someone wanted to know, they’d ask.  It was as simple as that. 

However, these last ten plus months have been horrible for me.  And yet?  We’ve found a way to pull through, to stay together, to be happy even in our misery, if that makes any sense. 

And therefore, I want to make my thanks public.

On December 31, 2009, my husband lost his job, effectively cutting our income in half.  Since he was essentially self-employed, he didn’t qualify for unemployment so we remained solely supported by my paycheck.  And while I make good money, I in no way, shape or form make enough to support four of us.  However, both my mother and my in-laws stepped in and have helped us tremendously. 

Thank you #1: To my mom and my in-laws for always having that spare $5 to get us through until that next paycheck.

My biggest concern, aside from the obvious things ( like the mortgage and groceries) were my children.  While we’d never lived in the lap of luxury, they were used to certain things.  Starbucks on Saturday mornings.  Dairy Queen on Wednesday nights.  That sort of thing.  I was so worried about the way they’d take not being able to do those things any longer that it made me physically ill.  I mean, what kind of mom am I if I can’t even buy my kids a $0.99 ice cream cone once a week?  Turns out that my kids took it in stride. Once in awhile, they’d complain or get disappointed but, for the most part, they bounced right back and acted as if they’d never had those privileges in the first place.  Go kids!

Thank you #2: To my kids for being so darn resilient and understanding, even at 8 and 10 years old.  I love you.

Since that initial layoff, things have gotten worse and finally, I think we may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  It took ten months for my husband to get a job of any kind.  And once he got it, he’s gotten approximately five hours a week.  Five.  But you know what?  I’m damn thankful for those 5 hours.  The $37 paycheck he gets puts gas in my car and that extra tiny bit of cushion in the checking account.

Thank you #3: To that place that decided to hire my husband.  Every little bit helps. 

It’s going to be a long time before things are ‘good’ again, but you know what?  We’re going to make it.  Why?  Because we are strong people and because we love each other.  And I think this setback has been good for us.  We’ve learned how to tighten our already tight belts and learn to make do.  Not to mention, I think I’ve finally learned to get a handle on my anxiety.  Despite my complete breakdown this morning, I’ve coped better than I ever have in my life.  And for that, I’m more thankful than I can ever express.

Thank you #4: To my loving husband for holding me together and for not allowing this crap moment in our lives tear us apart.  I owe it all to you.

Thank you #5: To all the bad things in the world.  Without you, we’d never know how good we had it nor would we ever have a clue how lucky we are to have gotten it back again. 

And that’s all for now.  I think that’s enough emotional BS for one day, don’t you? 

Oh, and a mini thank-you for chocolate donuts. 

~Mika

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Horoscopes and Life

I think that it’s a well-established fact that I am, plain and simply, a huge dork.  I’m a science fiction fan.  I love anime.  I am passionate about food and music. 

You get the idea.

To further press the point, I read my horoscope.  Every day.  And I’m constantly amazed at just how accurate it can be.

For example, today’s offering:

Thursday, Nov 11th, 2010 -- The day begins with the authoritative Capricorn Moon in your 7th House of Partners, reinforcing the hold that someone has over you.

This is interesting on several levels.  The first being, that I am in some dire straits at the moment financially.  I’ve been getting help from a couple of sources, however, when I woke this morning, I was panicking over several issues and it about drove me bonkers trying to calm myself down.  Anxiety attacks at 5:30 AM are so not fun. 

Secondly, we all have that one musician or artist that we love, right?  Well, I have a few, but there is one in particular that I’m rather enamored of.  I was looking online this morning and found he’d won a pretty impressive award for someone who is almost never even so much as nominated.  So, I cried.  Again, the dork thing, right?  Plus, just reinforcing someone else’s hold on me. 

But events can take some interesting twists and turns today, shifting the center of power from others to you.

This makes me laugh because A) of the bawling I did first thing this morning which was completely unexpected and B) I never, ever have ANY power.  Ever.  And even when I do?  No one respects my author-uh-tay.  LOL  Although, it IS still early yet, so there’s still a chance for a power shift here on the West Coast. 

Be careful, for being in control isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It's a smart strategy to find a supportive copilot so you don't have to do all the work.

Now this I love because, to be honest, I don’t want to be in control.  It’s like Bill Cosby once said regarding mothers being the real power in the home.  “I’ve seen her job and I don’t want it.”  That’s pretty much how I feel about it.  I’ll do what you tell me and ask me to but don’t expect me to take the reins and do your job for you.  Once you do that, you’re stuck doing it for the rest of your life.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than happy to step outside the box and take on or initiate things not usually my job, just so long as they fall within the realm of my job as it is.  I don’t want your job, I have enough to do on my own.

So, that’s it.  That’s my lesson for the day. 

~Mika

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Gotta love this…

Here is your Daily Horoscope for Thursday, August 5

You've got one voice too many rattling away inside your head now -- but fortunately, none of them are telling you they're from outer space. You just need to let them sort it out so you can speak with one voice soon.

Hmm… so one voice too many?  Out of the ninety-bazillion vying for attention currently?  So, how many is one too many then?

I often joke about all the people living within my brain, but sometimes, when I get horoscopes like the one above, it really makes me stop and think.

Maybe the universe knows the truth that I’m denying?

I guess we may never quite know.

~Mika