Jen's Blog
The Long and Short of It
This week, in addition to the beginnings of my new first draft, I’ve been working on something a little different than the usual for me. A short story.
Guys, short stories are hard.
I’ve written quite a few shorts over the years, whether they be snippets of character backgrounds for fleshing things out in my head for a novel I’m writing, for contest submissions or just randomly for fun on the blog (I posted a pretty goofy piece of flash fiction based on a day when someone stole deodorant out of my bag on a NYC subway once - here’s the story).
Sometimes it helps me to switch gears from long to short. Sort of refreshing in a way. But if I said I don’t struggle with the short story form, I’d be lying. I feel like I’ve gotten into a novel-length groove, specifically a 70k-85k word groove. I feel like I know how to tell a complete story in that amount of words, and when it’s slashed down to less than 4k, or even 1k, I spend a lot of time staring at my blinking cursor.
That being said, I really enjoy it. I’d like to start writing more shorts instead of just the occasional. I’m a big fan of anthologies, and there have been some pretty amazing YA anthologies out in the past few years with more coming out in the next year or so. All of this spurred me on to write and submit this particular short story to an anthology with an open call for submissions. It’s not a YA anthology (it’s mythical/fantasy), but my story is about a teenager because that’s just what I write best. Last night, I found another short story anthology to submit to (this one is about zombies), and I’ve already starting mulling over ideas for it in between first drafting. I will be beyond thrilled if either of my stories gets chosen, but if not, it’s been a great learning experience, and I really hope to keep doing more of these.
Writerly Treats: Apple Pie with Brown Sugar Crust
On Sunday, I made apple pie for the first time ever. Surprisingly, it actually turned out really well, so I wanted to share the recipe/process I used for baking it.
For fun, I also decided to try it with a brown sugar crust instead of just a regular apple pie crust. I think it’s great this way though a regular pie crust would be just fine. If you don’t want to make it as a brown sugar crust then you can still follow the recipe as it is and simply leave out the brown sugar.
What You Need:
2 cups self-raising flour or plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
125 grams butter
3 tablespoons cold water
3-4 apples
A little cinnamon
A little sugar
A little milk
Here we go!
First, I started mixing the dough for the crust. I mixed the flour, salt and sugar together before kniving in small pieces of butter and mixing it all by hand to create a flakey sort of flour consistency.
Mixing in the butter.
Then, I added the 3 tablespoons of water and formed the dough into a ball.
The dough
At this point, the dough needs to sit in the refrigerator wrapped in tin foil or cling wrap for half an hour.
While I waited for the dough to ready, I worked on the apples. I used three medium-sized apples and one small apple because that’s what I had here.
Apples!
I was also temporarily distracted by the apples and went vampire on them.
Apple Vampire
Once I overcame my urge to just eat the apples, I peeled and sliced them into very thin pieces. I read online you can slice them in chunks alternatively, but they’ll take longer to cook that way.
Apple Slices
Because I’m a slow peeler/chopper, the dough was ready shortly after. At this point, I also started pre-heating the oven at 200 Celsius / 400 Fahrenheit.
I took the dough from the refrigerator and split it into thirds. I took two-thirds of the dough, rolled it into a ball and used a rolling pin to flatten it out on a flour-dusted counter.
I then, very carefully, peeled the dough from the counter and placed it over the glass baking dish, lightly pushing it inside so that it filled the dish. Any extra bits I had hanging over the side I trimmed with the blunt side of a knife.
Success!
Time to put in the apples! I placed a layer of apple slices in the crust-filled pan, dusted that layer with a little sugar and cinnamon, then did another layer, sugar and cinnamon, repeat, until the pie dish was full.
Layers of Apples
Then, I brushed the top edge of the crust with a little water. This is supposed to help seal the top layer of crust. I then took the remaining third of the dough and rolled it out with a rolling pin on a flour-dusted counter. Very, very carefully, I peeled it from the counter and placed it over the top of the dish, trimming off the excess bits with the blunt side of a knife.
Time for the finishing touches! I used a fork to crimp the edges, brushed the top with milk, dusted it with a little cinnamon and poked two holes in the top for the steam to escape while baking.
Time for the oven!
Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 200 Celsius / 400 Fahrenheit, and then lower to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit for about half an hour to 40 minutes. Just keep an eye on the crust to make sure it doesn’t start to burn. Once it’s done, let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Yum yum!
Back to the Beginning
And so it begins. The first drafting of what will become my sixth novel. There’s always something both incredibly intimidating and endlessly exciting about starting a new draft. Right now, it’s a bright, shiny idea with a sky full of possibilities. It’s also a blinking cursor on an almost-empty page.
I’m quite excited about this idea. I’ve done a lot of preparation for the drafting so far, and I still have some plotting and world-building issues to work out, but I’m to the point where I can start drafting the first few chapters.
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FAFH - YA Sci-Fi
450 / 70,000 Words (1%)
It’s one of those stories that I’m truly thinking of as a heart book. I’m writing it just for me, because I love it, and it’s a story I want to tell. So, here goes nothing! *dives in*
Verano en España!
After spending three weeks in America with my family, I headed off for a 10-day trip to the Spanish coast on the 15th via one of the longest plane journeys I’ve had so far. From my parents’ house in Tennessee to the flat where I was staying in Sanet y Negrals, it was a little over 24 hours of travel. Exhauuuusting, but totally worth it.
I flew from Nashville at around 9:30am down to Miami, where I had a four-hour layover. There, I had some lunch, chatted to friends online and got myself one of those travel neck pillows for the eight-hour, overnight flight. I’ve always had trouble sleeping on airplanes because my head falls forward every time I nod off to sleep. This pillow was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. For once, I actually got some sleep on a flight, although admittedly still not a lot since there were crying children sitting right in front of me.
Due to some weather delays in Miami, I ended up landing in Madrid with about half and hour until my boarding gate closed for my flight on to Alicante. I managed to mad dash through immigration and security, then airtrain my way to the right terminal and run to my gate just as they were doing final boarding call. Whew! A short hour later, I was finally done with flying, and I was finally in Alicante where I would meet my friends from England who were arriving only an hour later. Unfortunately, my luggage did not arrive in baggage claim after all that plane-hopping, and my (lack of) Spanish-speaking skills made for some confusing conversations until I finally discovered my bag was on the next flight out of Madrid and into Alicante and should be in baggage claim around the same time my friends arrived. And, thankfully, it did. Another close call!
My friends arrived, and we made the car journey from the airport to the village, and I promptly fell asleep with my face smashed against the car window. I try my hardest to stay awake until nighttime during jet lag like that to get my hours straight, but I literally could just not keep my eyes open. Soon enough, we arrived in the small Spanish village of Sanet y Negrals.
Sanet y Negrals
The next day we went out for tapas in the village of Benimeli (apparently home to only 429 residents), which are really just small portions of dishes where you’re meant to order several and nibble at them all. The restaurant was located in this little square by the local church. We sat outside on a warm summer evening, enjoying the very Spanish atmosphere, watching the local kids running through the narrow village streets.
The Village Church in Benimeli
At the tapas restaurant
The tapas restaurant
Here, I had maybe the best green olives I’ve ever tasted. They were so fresh you could tell they’d been grown locally and picked from the trees only recently. We also had a pizza that was decidedly not tapas portioned it was so huge. The food was delicious, and I loved sitting out in the little square. We went back several nights later, and I really wish I could remember the name of the place!
The next week was largely spent lounging on the beach, reading and enjoying the very sunny Spanish weather. Our beach of choice was in Xabia (Javea), called Playa de Arenal, with very warm water a lot calmer than the Eastern Atlantic shores I’m used to.
Javea Beach
Enjoying the beach
Our bright orange umbrella
Perfection
Several nights we ate at the Bus Stop Pizzeria in the village of Beniarbeig, probably my favorite restaurant of the trip. With large pizzas shared between two people at only 5 euros, it was also very affordable. It was situated right at the edge of the river, and I’m sure in cooler months, the rushing sound of water would be a nice backdrop to an evening meal, but as we were there in the hottest and driest month of the year, the river had almost completely disappeared.
Other than lounging on the beach and having nice meals, we took a trip to the nearby Chinese Bazaar, the name of which I can’t remember now. It was a large market full of random, inexpensive things fun to browse through. As a sort of souvenir, I picked myself up a small notebook for 50 cents which I plan to use for writing down book ideas and plotting notes. I also found a cute, vintage-looking alarm clock for my dorm room for only 2 euros! That’s one thing to mark off my list!
Time seemed to fly by and before I knew it we were packing up our suitcases and preparing for the journey back to England, another long and tiring experience for me! My friends were heading back the afternoon of the 25th, but I had my flight booked for overnight so that I could arrive in the UK on the 26th aka the day my student visa could be activated. So, I had about a 12-hour wait at the airport for my flight! I worked on plotting a new novel, worked on a freelance project, had some food, had some coffee, read, read some more, got on the little internet machine about five times, read, stared at the wall…
About halfway through the 12 hours
Finally, at 3am, my flight took off the ground, and I wrestled with falling asleep in the cramped quarters that is a Monarch Airlines plane seat. I managed to doze a little thanks to my neck pillow. A couple hours later, and we were landing early in Manchester. I was back in England! I went through immigration, kind of excited to use my student visa for the first time and get it activated. After that, I hopped on the train to Liverpool where I’m staying the next couple of weeks before heading off to school! I’m so excited to be back, and I can’t wait to start classes.
The next part of my adventure is about to begin. 
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth. Pronounced: Aber-ist-with.
The seaside in Aberystwyth, Wales.
This is where I am super happy to say I will be spending at least the next year as a student! I’ve been in America the past few weeks getting my student visa and preparing for the move, but in the morning, I’m off to Spain for a week and a half holiday, and then on to the UK to settle in for school!
So, exciting, busy times ahead! I can’t wait. I am and always have been a student at heart, and I can’t wait to be back on a campus, going to classes, taking notes and being all academic and stuff. :p
And in other news (!), I’ve also finished up a round of revisions for my agent on my latest project and have sent that off to her (as of yesterday, actually). Fingers crossed she loves the changes. I know I’m really loving how this book has taken shape. I had meant to do August CampNano, but I got her notes back and wanted to focus on revising instead. I do have a new idea I really want to get started on now, though, and luckily I’m taking my laptop to Spain with me.
Anyway, I have to be up early in the morning for long, long travel day, so I should say goodnight. Adios, buenas noches!
Let me tell you about Harry Potter.
I remember the first time I heard of Harry Potter. The first novel was sitting amongst stacks of scattered papers on someone’s kitchen table. It seems weird looking back at it now, knowing how much I’ve grown to love these books, but it’s almost like it leapt off the table at me. I blame the cover and the title. They intrigued me.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Harry Potter,” she said. “It’s about a boy wizard, and it’s really, really good.”
“Hm, sounds interesting.” I took a step closer.
“You should read it.”
And that’s all it took, being the reader that I am. A simple recommendation is enough to get me to crack open the front cover of a novel. So, all those years ago, I read the first book and loved it. Then, I read the second. Then, the third. I can’t put my finger on exactly when this series completely stole my heart, but I do know it’s right around this point, when the depth of the story really started to show through, when the characters started to feel like friends. I also remember, around this time, chattering to people about how I hoped there would be seven books - one for each year of Harry’s school. And about how excited I was that we were so early in the series. That there was so much more to come.
Today, that changes.
I remember when Order of the Phoenix came out. It was the first time I let midnight release madness take hold. I remember, very clearly, that I was having a hard time with various personal things in my life. I was pretty down. Sad. That night, I drove to Walmart at midnight and asked for Harry Potter. They hadn’t unpacked any boxes yet, so they went to the back and got me one. I was the only person there, but I felt like I’d won a race, the book being the best prize I couldn’t have ever gotten. I went home and tore through that book and felt transported away from all the things that were pulling me down. A lot of people say Order is their least favorite - but it ranks in the top three for me because, until that point, I’d never been more excited to read a book. And I’d never had a book change my mental state quite like that.
I love to read. I have never enjoyed reading more than when I read the Harry Potter books.
I remember when the final book released. The feeling of excitement mixed with dread. I had to know how the saga ended. I couldn’t wait to see what Rowling weaved for us because I knew without a doubt she’d do it amazingly well. But, like everyone else, I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want it to be the last Potter book. The release of the books had started to feel like a regular event in my life, and I always looked forward to them. It was this thing always slightly off in the distance I could look to and think - soon there will be more to this story for me to read. Of course, I thought, there’s always more movies.
I remember being at a wedding that weekend. I remember the bride being as huge of a fan as I am. I remember a group of us driving to the store before the reception and snatching the books from the shelves like they would disappear before our eyes if we didn’t move at warp speed. I remember sneaking paragraphs in the bathroom. I remember the morning after the wedding having a hotel breakfast and seeing a twelve-year-old boy reading at the table next to mine. I remember being jealous he was further along in the book than I was. And I remember thinking - there’s not much to get twelve-year-old boys to read at a hotel breakfast table with abandoned scrambled eggs and toast growing colder with each turn of the page.
And I remember reading the whole car ride home, even though I suffer from car motion sickness. And then closing the book, blown away by Rowling’s storytelling and sad that it was over.
Of course, I thought, there’s always more movies.
In November, with the threat of the very end of this entire experience in the air, I finally gave in and attended the midnight release of Deathly Hallows Part 1 with a NYC Harry Potter group I found on Meetup.com. I wore my Gryffindor costume, robe and all. We wizard-dueled in Columbus Circle with television crews recording, then paraded up the streets and sat in line for hours talking trivia and singing songs. It was, hands down, one of the best days I’ve had.
And that brings us to today. At midnight, the final movie is released into the world. I absolutely cannot wait to see this one, especially since it will include one of the greatest character reveals I think I’ve ever read. But with it comes some sadness because I can no longer say, “Of course, there’s always more movies.” Melodramatic? I’m not sure. Maybe. All I know is that I’ve come to love each new release of this amazing story, both books and movies, and it’s now coming to an end. All good things must come to an end, they say. But I wish this one didn’t have to.
Because Harry Potter is not only a story that I’ve read and loved, looked forward to and found cheer in when I was down. It has also made me the writer I am today.
For a long time, I kept trying to write a novel. They were always the same. Adult cozy mysteries with a spunky heroine who stumbles upon a murder and ends up solving it in some way. I love reading novels like that, but I had a really hard time writing my own. I never finished one. I couldn’t figure out how to write the things.
Harry Potter gave me the inspiration to try writing a book for young readers. Harry Potter got me wandering into the YA shelves to look for more. I found Twilight, A Great and Terrible Beauty and Uglies. I sat down and wrote a fantasy about a sixteen-year-old elf who lives in the modern world. I finished it in six weeks.
That novel didn’t go anywhere, but writing it made me realize these were the kind of stories I wanted to tell. Since then, I’ve written four more YA novels, and I’m about to start on the next. And yes, I trace it all back to my love of Harry Potter. Without it, I might still be struggling or I may have just given up.
I think there are just some stories that hit you at the right time and the right place in your life. They stick with you. They make you think. They make you smile. For me, it’s Harry Potter and the magical world J.K. Rowling started on her train ride through the English countryside. So, even though I’m sad it’s coming to a close, I know the story will live on, even if just in our imaginations.
Monday Musings: Inspiration is Awesome
Monday Musings is a weekly event hosted by Jen Hayley, Shana Silver, and Chandler Craig that highlights some aspect of the writing life. Short on blog topics? Everyone is welcome to participate. All we ask is that you link to one of our posts and leave your link in the comments. We’ll provide the following week’s topic at the end of each Monday’s post.
Today’s Topic: Where do you go (tv, movies, books) for inspiration?
1. Joss Whedon. Buffy, Firefly, Astonishing X-Men, Doctor Horrible. You name it. I probably sound like a broken record, but I am in complete awe of his writing talent. From dialogue, to character building, to plotting to the successful use of comedy even in the bleakest times up until the moment when the whole thing shifts into serious, dramatic mode. Something about this comedy/serious balancing act makes the impact of those serious moments so much more. So, when I’m feeling a little creatively dry, I sit down for a marathon of a Joss Whedon show and refill the well. Works every time.
2. There are a lot of things I keep going back to at one time or another for inspiration. I’ll reread Stray by Rachel Vincent because I love the writing and the voice. I’ll reread Uglies by Scott Westerfeld because the voice, the characters and the adventure. I’ll rewatch Veronica Mars because of the dialogue and the fun detective skills she uses.
3. And last, Harry Potter. I have a long, separate post on this planned for Thursday, so I’ll try to keep it short. I just think there’s so much about Harry Potter I can get inspiration from. Can you talk about incredible world-building? I mean, so so so many details are developed in this world. And then there’s the characters we’ve all grown to know and love. Not to mention Severus Snape and the way Rowling revealed who is really is deep down and how it explains everything he’s done so well, I couldn’t believe I’d never guessed it myself. It’s so easy to find inspiration in these books (and even the movies).
Bookanistas: WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight
WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight (July 26, 2011)
Every flame begins with a spark.
Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.
This book comes out on my birthday, so I thought that meant it was a sure-win for me to like. I was right!
First, it has an amazing premise. Certainly different from anything I’ve read. Polynesian volcano goddess? Yes, please! Not to mention the seriously feisty heroine, the sister who is a force to be reckoned with and the amazing, quirky cast of characters. The prose is also incredibly well-written and brilliantly hilarious. I adore paranormal/urban fantasy, especially with fresh new takes like this one and with a voice that stands out from the crowd. And even though I’ve already read it, I’ll be buying it on my birthday when it releases. Happy birthday to me! :p
Also, if you haven’t seen Karsten’s awesome dance skillz yet, here you go. You’ll thank me.
More Bookanistas Posts This Week
Elana Johnson celebrates A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie
LiLa Roecker adores Torn
Christine Fonseca is crazy about Cryer’s Cross – with giveaway
Beth Revis interviews Goddess Test author Aimee Carter – with giveaway
Carolina Valdez Miller delights in Texas Gothic AND Bad Taste in Boys – with giveaways
Jessi Kirby is giddy about Hourglass
Shana Silver fawns over Forever
Matt Blackstone savors Something Like Hope
Stasia Ward Kehoe jumps for Bumped
Veronica Rossi devours Bad Taste in Boys
Bookanistas: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
I stayed up until after four a.m. reading this book. I’d read up until about page 130 before picking it up that night. I didn’t stop until the last page - page 487. While I have occasionally read 350+ pages in one sitting, it’s rare. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, City of Glass, Uglies. There always comes a point when I’m reading books like these, no matter how many pages are left, where I say to myself, “I’m not sleeping until I finish this book.” In Jen speak, it means it’s good. It means, it’s REALLY GOOD. And destined to hit my favorites list.
DIVERGENT includes all the things I love in a story. It has a unique, well-developed world set in a place we don’t know even though it’s a futuristic, dystopic version of Chicago. The factions in this world are interesting and different than anything I’ve ever read. People divided up based on their tendencies, their personalities, really. How weird would that be? But it’s so well-developed that it’s easy to picture the world this way when reading the book. These people must choose which faction they want to be in, which rules they want to live by. But if they choose something other than where they’ve grown up, they’ll lose everything. Their home, their family, their friends.
And then there’s the initiation. All the tasks each new faction member must do in order to be officially accepted into their faction. It’s exciting, full of tension and heavy on the mystery. Because, something more is going on, and the strong-willed heroine of the story gets sucked into it due to that secret of hers.
While the main plot of this story gets wrapped up, there’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending and threads left open, but I’m a fan of that when I know for sure there’s more books to come. I want to know more about the Amity faction, more about the world outside Chicago and more about what’s to come now that the events in the last third of the first book have happened. Because it’s pretty much changed everything for Chicago.
Basically, this book is GOOD. Five stars.
More Bookanistas Posts This Week
Elana Johnson adores A Need So Beautiful
LiLa Roecker is gaga for Are You Going to Kiss Me Now?
Christine Fonseca interviews YA Fiction for Dummies author Deborah Halverson – with giveaway
Beth Revis interviews A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie author Matt Blackstone
Carolina Valdez Miller is wowed by Wildefire – with giveaway
Shana Silver and Veronica Rossi gush over Hourglass
Rosemary Clement-Moore thinks Chime is divine
Stasia Ward Kehoe has applause for Trauma Queen
Done with Revisions! (For now, of course.)
Last week, I finished up my round of revisions for my agent and sent them in. I am both extremely excited and nervous about this. It always feels like an incredible accomplishment when I finish another draft of a book, especially when it’s a later draft, and I can see just how much the novel has improved over time. At this point, the first draft seems almost like a shell of the novel that I have now. This seems to be my tendency when first drafting and then revising. I’ll write a somewhat short draft, quickly, in order to get the story down. When I go back in to fix all the mess I’ve written, everything expands out to become more layered and defined. I think, for this book, my first draft came in around 65k. And this latest revision round brought it up to 80k.
And then there’s the nervous aspect of sending in revisions to my agent. As much as I like the changes, the little Doubt Monster comes creeping in and whispering that I haven’t hit all the points as well as I could and that the completely new first fifty pages isn’t any better of an opening than the last. It’s a lot easier to have confidence in a manuscript when it’s sitting on your own hard drive than when it’s sitting in someone else’s inbox.
So now, while I wait for the next round, I have time to begin working on a brand new project. And THAT is an exciting thought. I have several ideas I could get started on, but one in particular that is pulling at my heart. It needs some fleshing out though, and a plot. As always, my idea started with a character. Now I need to find her story.