The Song That Inspired the Sequel to “The Dark Proposal”

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authors, books, Evanescence, inspirations, muse, sequels, songs, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampires, writing, writing inspirations

This week will be five years since I self-published “The Dark Proposal”. It was the first book I’ve ever written, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment and excited as I sent my baby out into the real world.

Five years since, I have grown so much as a writer and person. It’s hard to recognize myself during that time, honestly. That is why it has taken so long to write the sequel to “The Dark Proposal”.

But I’m not going to ramble on why and how the sequel has been delayed. I’ve done that enough times on this blog.

So, I’m here to present one of the inspirations behind the sequel. A few years ago, I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to write the sequel. And then I heard the song, “Lost in Paradise” by Evanescence, and it blew me away. For a while, I could see Claire saying the words to the song to her friends, Samantha and Monica. Or I could see Hilde telling Claire those words. Or any of the vampires. After all, my vampire trilogy is about the vampire world being in trouble with modern technology and surveillance threatening their existence. And also, there is a wonder among the vampires if their own existence is worth it. After all, what are they truly living for?

But that’s for a later blog post. For now, enjoy this beautiful song, “Lost in Paradise” by Evanescence:

Another Reason Why I’ve Delayed My Sequel…

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authors, book sequels, books, depression, hell, job from hell, mental health, mental illness, sequels, vampires, writing, writing a book, writing a novel

Before I start, I just want to make a couple of announcements:

First off, I will be blogging every Friday for now on. This is to gain momentum for the sequel to my first book, which by the way, is coming along smoothly. I’ve recently finished the first draft to Chapter 7, and have begun Chapter 8. That means I am about halfway, or more, done with the first draft! If all goes well – and I think it will – I’ll have the book published by February 2018.

If I do, it would mean I let five and a half years go by between my first book and its sequel. That’s a long time for an author to take a break between books within a series. I’ve written a lot about my insecurities with writing this sequel, as well as financial reasons for not going forward with it. But I had other reasons for not working much on this book.

It all started when I first moved to Brooklyn in May 2013. From there, I got busy adjusting to life on my own, and job searching. I mentioned on this blog that my job hunt was taking away from my writing, but I had to do with what I had to do. Eventually, I did find a job in the spring of 2014. At first, I was delighted with my new job at this small arts school. But very quickly, I soon realized I was in the job from hell.

And I mean, hell. Everything you can think of that can go wrong at a job happened. For starters, it was a shady place with rumors of grant money being pocketed, parents not seeing their money going where it was supposed to go, embezzlement, you name it. The owners of the school were abusive – verbally, emotionally and psychologically. There was also harassment and slander going on. The turnover rate was very high, and there was always a wonder when the IRS would show up. I was there for 15 months before leaving, or rather, running away from the place. Soon after, I sued my former employer in small claims court for tax fraud. We settled out of court, with me getting everything I asked.

Those 15 months took a huge toll on me. Everyday I would come home miserable, angry or even totally depressed. The strain of working at an abusive workplace caused me to have a mental breakdown. It also caused me to not have the energy to do any kind of writing. I believe that if I had not taken that job, I would have finished my sequel by now, and it would’ve been released by now.

So, that was 15 months taken away from writing. Granted, I was starting to have doubts about whether I wanted to continue writing anything fictional anymore when I first began the job. I was going through some personal changes and self-discovery, and was realizing where else I could point my writing skills towards. It is important not to put your talents or skills into a single box, and to know that your talents and skills could be used for multiple things. Basically, it is not the end of the world if you do not write a book.

But I still like creating characters, writing stories, making up worlds. It may not be the sole purpose to my existence, but it is a part of it. I have learned that I have other talents and abilities to add color to my life, and I intend to use them for places that deserve them.

At the same time, it is important to not waste your time at a job, or relationship, or anything, that sucks the life out of you. Life is short, and you are precious human being. There’s no reason to waste your self-worth on someone or something that doesn’t respect you.

And if you want to create, paint, dance, act…whichever, it is important that your mind is in the right place. Creativity is like a plant: If it doesn’t get sun, it withers. Bad energy blocks creativity, and it makes it wither.

So, there you go. One of the many reasons why my sequel to The Dark Proposal has been delayed. I hope what I told you here will be of help to you!

2016 – New Year, New Updates!

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art of writing, authors, book trailers, books, eBooks, how to write, sequels, vampires, writer, writers, writing, writing a novel

Hello everyone!

I know its 17 days into the new year, but I haven’t been able to wish everyone a happy new year. So I’m taking that opportunity right now. I’ve been crazy busy this month so far with work and getting another job squared away, as well as taking steps to laying the foundations of what I hope – and expect – will be a productive year for me!

With that, I will now give some updates on where my life is now. I currently work as a part-time reporter for a local paper, and in a few weeks I will start teaching as an adjunct professor for English 101 classes at one of the public colleges here in New York. I am very thrilled by the developments in my professional life, and look forward to see them grow even more this year.

Along with those developments, I am eager to see my authorship restart and grow by leaps and bounds this year too. I recently completed book trailers for The Dark Proposal, and I am offering to do book trailers for other authors. I am excited by the prospects of helping other authors – particularly self-published authors – expand and meet their audiences in a variety of ways.

That being said, you’re probably wondering what is up with my long awaited sequel to my first book? Well, the good news is that I am still working on it. The bad news, my work stalled due to the holidays and my other commitments. But I’m finding ways to squeeze in time to write this second book, which is great because I really am excited by what the sequel has to offer. I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but I just want to reiterate that I am excited. I have to admit that I am nervous though, because I’m approaching the story of Claire and the vampires differently, even though the original story stays. I have grown so much as a person and as a writer that my approach is far from what it was a few years ago. It’s amazing how much I’ve developed since releasing The Dark Proposal over three years ago.

Anyway, I just want to say that I am still actively writing. My goal is to complete the first draft of this book by the end of summer. The sooner, the better, of course, and I know I might be compared to George R R Martin, author of the series that inspired the HBO show, Game of Thrones. But life comes first, that is the way it is.

But I will finish this story. I’m a passionate storyteller, and will always be. I can’t not tell a story, so the sequel to The Dark Proposal will be out someday. I haven’t forgotten any of you!

 

The Road to Redemption

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authors, books, eBooks, life, life is a journey, mistakes, novels, redeem, redemption, sequel, sequels, that's life, truth, vampire books, vampires, writers, writing, writing a novel

Redemption. What does the word conjure up when you think about it?

For me, as a spiritual person, it means to recover from past mistakes by undoing them through better deeds, better actions, better attitude, and everything better all around from what you did wrong – with what you did wrong fully in mind.

We all fall short, and we all make mistakes. And we all have to pay or fix those mistakes. But when it comes to redemption, to me at least, we redeem ourselves from major, life changing mistakes that take our life’s path in a totally different direction. A direction that we did not intend, yet were too blind by something to not realize that we were going to veer off course.

Image by Maria Morri via Flickr

I’ve been down that road, and there’s nothing quite like looking back and wondering why I took the road that took my life in a direction it should not have gone on.

The good news is, I’ve been getting back on track and fixing my life, and becoming someone who I was meant to be, rather than running away from my potential and talents. What I’ve learned is that there comes a point in life where you simply cannot doubt yourself anymore or else you’ll have more problems than you need. Plus, you never really grow. Since I value personal growth, I had to learn the hard way that insecurities are really limiting, and I had a choice to get over them or give them up if I wanted a better life.

So I made the choice to give them up, and now I’m setting on a more better path for myself. Too bad there are lots of consequences that I have to deal with, such as starting over again professionally, financial sacrifices and consequences. But I am more at peace with myself, and where my life is headed.

I hope for the same for my main character, Claire McCormick. Some of you may recall in the first book of my trilogy, she made a lot of mistakes that led her onto a path she couldn’t really get off of. Now she is stuck in a life she never wanted, but ended up on because of her flaws and naivete. Granted, she’s a young girl, just 22 years old and just out of college. Like many at that age, she thinks she can survive easily yet is wrought with insecurities. And she paid a heavy price for her actions.

The second book of my trilogy will focus on Claire’s redemption. She is not the same person she used to be. Aside from being a vampire, she’s been through a lot and is now more unsure of who she is and where to go in this life that she didn’t ask for. That uncertainty is ripe for either self-destruction or self-redemption. However Claire chooses her path determines not only her future, but the future of the vampires, which is growing increasingly insecure with modern technology.

Redemption can be fun. It can also be scary. It can be painful. It also can be relieving. Either way, I believe when one is committed to redemption, it is a journey filled with new beginning and painful endings, great reminders, and agonizing truths. But its a path no one can ever avoid, no matter how hard we try.

 

The Synopsis Method That Saved My Sequel

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author, authors, books, meme, Natasha Lester, Pinterest, sequels, synopses, synopsis, writer's block, writers, writing, writing advice, Writing tips

…or at least, I think it did!

A few weeks ago, I was on Pinterest, checking out my feed page, when I came across a meme titled, “6 Sentence Synopsis Method”.

Turns out, it was a list that gave tips on creating a synopsis for your story. The method was made up by Australian author, Natasha Lester, who has written two books with another one on the way. I am thrilled she came up with this method because it has helped me arrange my ideas for “The Dark Proposal’s” sequel.

Before finding her method, I had several ideas for the sequel, but I had trouble putting them altogether, creating a theme, and an overall meaning of not just the sequel, but the whole trilogy. These six sentences have been a lifesaver for me.

Click here to read Natasha Lester’s blog post on synopses!

I’d say out of all the writing tips out there, this one has been one the most helpful for me.

Thank you, Natasha!

Taking Notes – Another Form of Helter Skelter?

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author, authoring, authors, novels, sequels, vampires, writing, writing style

As I continue working on the sequel to The Dark Proposal, I am regularly challenged by my busy schedule. I once mentioned in a previous blog post that having a full time job has made it harder to find writing time. It also doesn’t help that I am also searching for a new job, which is a huge task in itself. But my life is no different from the vast majority of writers, so I have to find a way to squeeze in my writing while doing taking care of other priorities.

One way I have been getting the sequel done is taking notes during my lunch break, my commute or even for a few brief minutes before I go to bed or head out somewhere. I’ve been keeping a small notebook with me in case a scene or an idea pops into my head, and I have to write it down or else I would forget it.

Since I’ve been doing this a lot lately, I wonder if this is another way of writing helter skelter style. For those who do not know, helter skelter writing is when you write a scene here and there, rather than writing from beginning to end, which is what I did for my first book. I once took a novel writing course where the instructor who recommended helter skelter writing, and I tried it myself the year following the course. But it didn’t work with me, and I went back to my chronological writing style (BTW, I don’t know if helter skelter is the correct term for writing here and there, but I’ve seen it used on some writing forums).

Anyway, as I scribble in my notebook, I wonder if I’m actually getting my book done. I may be, because whatever notes I take or brief scene I write, it will likely end up in my book. My life is totally different compared to two years ago, when I was unemployed and had plenty of time to write whenever I could. But I guess because I was, and am, so insistent on sticking to the chronological method, I feel like I’m too disorganized to get my book done.

At the same time, though, I feel like I’m finally making progress. Pantsing and writing chronologically is a little tough with a busy schedule like mine. So when an idea comes and I write it down, I feel like I’m finally getting somewhere. The only downside is that sometimes I write something that will belong in the third and final book of my trilogy. But hey, might as well make note of it before it is forgotten.

I’m getting excited again for my follow-up. It’s hard and confusing to write a sequel because I wasn’t so sure how often I should refresh anyone’s memory, if I should at all. Plus, I have the backstory of the first book to keep in mind while writing another story. I’ve been referring to this blog post by Janice Hardy to help guide me with this sequel. My plan is to keep what happened in The Dark Proposal to be like a shadow for the second book while other issues will be front and center here, some which were touched on the first book. Meaning, what was briefly mentioned in my first book will be a major part in my second book. I just hope I balance everything.

But I think I will. Just rid the doubt out of my head, and keep writing. The few chapters I’ve written and the many scenes I’ve noted have me pumped and ready. I’m eager to share what becomes of Claire after being forced to be a vampire, and how Daniel is after he got everything he wanted. What I am most excited about is the other characters. Some of the vampires were mostly in the background in The Dark Proposal, but here they will be more developed and have bigger roles in the story. I’m excited about that because as I get to know them and tell their story, I’m also explaining how the vampire world functions and I get to tell about my version of vampires. It’s all cool and good 🙂

That being said, I am going to make an announcement here. Because of my schedule, I am going to cut back from blogging for now. I’ve thought about this for a while, and it wasn’t easy to make this decision because I love sharing and discussing my thoughts on writing with others. But with finding a new job (I am currently employed, just need something better) being a major priority for me, along with my writing, I will blog only once a week now, on Tuesdays. Once I get hired somewhere, I will go back to twice a week. But until then, priorities!