*slap*

A few weeks ago, I got the first pass of edits back for SPEAKING OF LOVE (the soon-to-be-released, second book in my Perfect Kisses series). It's such a fun story; I'm so totally crazy in love with the characters and I can't wait to send her out into the world.

Before that, however, I'd sent my rough draft to my critique partner. Who is fab and brill and dons a editing pen of fire and brimstone. She had kiiiiind of an issue with one of my characters, who had tendencies that my crit partner (ha-ha) did not care for. In fact, there were many comment bubbles that said things like: "I want to slap her."

Fair enough.

As her notes on my manuscript progressed, instead of explaining what she didn't like, she simply wrote "slap." (I still crack up at the memory, even as I write this.) After some soul-searching and chocolates, I completely saw her point and set out to de-slap-ify my character, then sent the rewrite to my editor. Shew!

End of the story?
No.
Because it got me to thinking...

You know those annoying characters who keep making the wrong choices and every chapter you read gets more and more frustrating? Unfortunately, many of these characters are YA chicks. (Not her, her, her, or her and many others--I LOVE me some YA!) They whine, they pout, they stomp around and never listen to anybody.

Wouldn't it be so great if--like with my crit partner--every time one of these annoying characters did something super-annoying, you could write "slap" in the margin, and the author was forced to take out the annoying slap-worthy action?

Let me just throw an example out there: When Bella Swan sneaks out on her new vampire friends because she thinks she has a better idea than the hot vampires who have been living in the vampire world for, like, 500 years...just call out "SLAP" and blammo, Bella is listening to Edward's advice, ditching Jacob-the-manipulator, and washing her scraggly hair.

 Brilliant, no?

As soon as someone comes up with the software for this little gem, don't worry, I'll only claim intellectual property rights. We can split the royalties.

Dude, please close your mouth and run a brush through that hair.

disappointed. when I should've known better.

I have 3 questions for the producer of Breaking Dawn, part 2 (aka: Stephenie Meyer).

1) How dare you?

2) Who do you think you are?

3) What gives you the right?

Seriously, Stuffy? How could you?

As an author--who dreams of seeing my stories on the big screen someday--I hope that I would better protect my beloved stories and characters, and not allow a Hollywood screenwriter to purposefully trick my trusting, loyal audience in such a despicable manner, particularly on my watch. Just sayin'.

Don't judge me...

3 more days till Twilight's Breaking Dawn part 2! 

Woot!

Remember when Twilight was pure? Before everything was ruined by Jar-Jar--I mean Jasper's hideous hair?

Join me, and let us take a look back and the good old days:

Thing I Bought That I Love

Shut up. Don’t judge me.

Writing Inspirations - not writing

Sometimes there's nothing better for stirring creativity than blowing off responsibilities and just messing around. 

So, go ahead, live vicariously through my long, writing-free weekend....

Sisters first in line at Breaking Dawn, part 1.......

S & N waiting anxiously in the dark......

Sitting in the theater hallway......waiting to get into the Twilight marathon.....

(PS: it's the dim lighting and flash that made us look all vampire-like)

S getting her hair did with sweet K......

Then we got some chocolate cream pie......

Then we saw this movie......

(where I took this contraband picture of the screen)

And ate some crepes......

and speaking of eating......

Then watched a bit of this show...

Then we saw this movie......

(after defacing the vile posters)

then we had some sweet treats at......

Where I bought these super-snazzy earrings...

Then we ate a bit and did some family hanging out
(PS: my nefs are insane)

 

Then we saw a movie with this guy........

After S finished flirting with a bad boy...

Now, enough with the cupcakes, Oreo balls, pizza, sparkly vampires, barbecue, cinnamon French toast, pie, blood-red vampire eyes, Eggs Benedict, dark chocolate bark with almonds, kettle chips, fried chicken tenders, idiot werewolves who I hate, mint chocolate chip ice cream, sparkly vampires who probably smell like mint chocolate chip ice cream, diet cokes, pancakes and peacock earrings......

Time for me to get back to NaNo.

Sunny

I'm mad at Texas again. We had a week of gorgeous, glorious weather. And now, not only are we in the triple digits again, we've tied AND broken the heat record. Ugh.

What was it Michael Corleone said in The Godfather III? "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Or something like that. I prefer the original Godfather movie. It's purer, somehow. And I miss Brando.

But, I digress.

So yeah, I'm mad at Texas.

As I was driving home today, I caught the weather report. No surprise: Hot temps. No rain in sight.

I groaned aloud.

But then I got to thinking about that passage at the beginning of Twilight, when vile Mike is asking Bella about Phoenix. She tells him it rains three to four times a year there.

"Wow, what must that be like?" vile Mike asked her. And without skipping a beat, Bella answered:

"Sunny."

Sunny.

Of all the things she could have said (ie: disgustingly hot, dangerously dry, havoc on the complexion, it's a regular desert!), she chose "Sunny."

Now, I've never considered Bella Swan to be a particularly upbeat character. In fact, she's rather a dirty, whiny, complaining downer in my opinion (but more on that topic another time). Yet, she chose a positive word. She may have moaned it, of course, or uttered it with a roll of her dirty, whiny, complaining eyes (Ms Meyer doesn't give us any details, but I have my own ideas about it...). But the word is still there.

Sunny.

I like it.

I LOVE the sun. And I LOVE the word sunny. It's so happy and yellow and...I don't know...springy!

Ok, then. I'll say it. Today, Dallas was sunny! Both puffy and whispy clouds in the bright, blue umbrella sky. And it was gorgeous by any standards!

And speaking of sunny. Here's another one. Sonny Corleone. Not his best day....