Cornell and the Band

Wow. It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that. I've been busy with school and everything. Anyway, since I've got some free time, I thought I'd update you all on what I'm doing writing-wise lately.

Right now I'm working on getting together a full copy of Cornell. When I write I write each scene individually. Because of this I've got scenes scattered all throughout my computer, Ipod, and multiple notebooks. I decided it's time to try and get a bit more organized, at least where Cornell is concerned. I'm putting everything into a Word document, and I'm typing up scenes from my notebook. My hope is to have this all together and somewhat edited by early December. A hefty goal, I know, but I love to be able to give a couple people rough copies for Christmas. I'm not naming any names though, because I don't know if any of them read this blog.

Over the summer I was working on some things for the band in Somewhere in the Middle. I'm not sure if I've mentioned them before. Somewhere between Just Another Ending and Somewhere in the Middle, Kara decides to form a band. It's one of her crazy ideas that normally wouldn't work out, but this time she gets a few other people on board. The band is called Second Revolution, and it includes Kara (from Soulmate Guide), Heron (from Jackie), Serina (from Cornell), and Zachary (new to SWM). They all play multiple instruments, and most of them are song writers, so they switch up positions a lot. Usually though Kara sings, Serina plays guitar, Zach plays base, and Heron is on the drums. Over the summer I was working on coming up with songs and albums, because a couple are mentioned in the book. Here's what I've got so far.

Album 1: Mysterious Things
Invisible
Mysterious Things
Beautiful Madness
Next Chapter
Another Lifetime
Today or Tomorrow
My Life (In Black and White)

Album 2: Rewind
Unstoppable
Somewhere Close to Home
Again
6 Ways to Nowhere
Overwhelming
Never Forget
Unshed Tears
One More Time

Album 3: (untitled)
If You Were Mine
Girl in Black
Still Alive
Forever Yours
Wonderland

Album 4: Ashley (This is actually Heron's solo album)
That Summer
Because I Love You
The Last Time
Give Me Love
The Rain
After All
Letters to No One
If You Were Mine (Acoustic)

So there you have it. I actually have this all written out on sticky notes and displayed on my closet door:

The Spanish Iguana was a name Heron suggested for the band. It's been an ongoing joke between him and Kara ever since. Since Ashley and Brett are soulmates with members of the band they get dragged on tours and photo shoots a lot. They pass the time by playing card games. This is only one of many tally sheets, and as you can see, Ashley is much better than Brett. I wrote out Zach's Quirks because he's a relatively new character, and I didn't want to forget anything.

Well, I think that's enough from me. I have scenes to type up. Hopefully I'll post again soon. Until then...

Nikki's Notes: Celeste's Death

This note is a bit of what I like to call "Nicole Logic". At first it looks confusing and doesn't make sense, but once you understand it, it makes perfect sense. Let me explain it for you.

The first thing you need to know is what is happening at this point in the story. This is the first chapter, and Celeste's parents are taking her to a concert for her sixteenth birthday, which was a few months before. As they're driving over a bridge on the way to the concert a large truck hits the driver side of the car and pushes it towards the edge of the bridge. There is a long moment where the car is balanced precariously on the edge of the bridge before plummeting into the water below. Cameron Cornell happened to be in the car directly behind them, and was unharmed. Realizing that Celeste and her mother are still alive in the car, he dives off the bridge to rescue them before anyone notices. He manages to get Celeste to safety, but doesn't have time to go back for her mother.

Now, onto the notes!

In the top right corner it says everything shattered, but nothing mattered. I just realized that I put and extra t in shattered and mattered, but oh well. This is basically what Celeste is thinking after her car crashes, in the moments before it goes off the bridge. She realizes that her father is dead, and her life is shattering around her. Then the car falls, and nothing matters anymore, because she knows she's going to die.

Starting from the top of the page, there are several paths. The first goes down the middle. It says My death was a car crash, falling, water, but I'm still alive. This one's pretty self explanatory. It's just the order of events.

This is the second path. My death was fire, silence, ice, then him, Cameron. He saved me. Fire, silence, and ice each corresponds to one of the events. Fire is the car crash: hot, loud, frightening. Silence is the fall; all sound is drowned out by the wind, and in her numbness Celeste finds it almost peaceful. Ice is the water as it consumes the car: cold, and inescapable. Then Cameron is there, rescuing her, dragging her onto the shore, forcing the water out of her lungs, and saving her life.

And lastly is the third path, which branches off of the second path. My death was fire, silence, ice, then him, Cameron. But I didn't know that yet. How can you know something without actually knowing it? When Celeste sees Cameron she somehow knows his name, even though they've never met before. She realizes that this is something she couldn't possibly know, and in her half-conscious state asks herself "How can you know something without actually knowing it?" You don't actually find out how she knows his name until A New Beginning.

Updates

Hey guys! I have a lot of new updates today. First of all, I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but awhile ago I decided to cancel Kale. It was a book I wanted to write, and I loved the characters, but I just felt like I didn't have the ability to make it good enough. Well after some reviewing and new ideas, I've decided to start writing Kale again. It's still going to have the same characters and general idea, but I'm working on a new plot line.

Unfortunately I've also decided to cancel a few books for various reasons. I will no longer be writing Fairies or Sanctuary. I'm also considering cancelling Defected and Elemental. Neither of them have a solid plot line, and I have to many other books to focus on.

One last thing before I start talking about Falling; I've decided to combine Cornell 2 with Cornell. After a long discussion between Skyres and I, we figured that a) the idea for Cornell 2 was terrible (although it took her half an hour to convince me of this), and b) I need more material for the first book. Since James is such an important character in the New Beginning series we still needed him to be mentioned in Cornell. In the end it's all for the best, because the climax of the book makes more sense if James is actually in the first book.

That's all for now.

Laterz

Fanfiction and other random thoughts...

Whenever someone asks how many books I'm writing I usually say about 20-25. Recently I actually went through my list and discovered that in total I'm writing twenty books and five fanfics. Although I'm writing twenty books I'm mainly focusing on twelve of them, and eight are just side-projects. Most of what I post on this blog is about the twelve main books.

The fanfics are also side projects, and most probably wont be completed. I'm just writing them for fun. Also, when I'm having writers block I find it easier to write in a world that has already been created, as opposed to writing in an unfinished world of my own design. At the moment I'm writing two Criminal Minds fanfics and three Harry Potter fanfics.

I absolutely love Harry Potter, so I really enjoy writing the fanfics. Each one is centered around a different original character. While on DollDivine's Hogwarts Scene Maker, I made this:

These are my characters, Vextera LeStrange, Jennifer Evans, and Azalea Snape. I created Jennifer years before I started writing, when I first fell in love with the Harry Potter series. My friends also had characters (Crystal Black and Erika Edgewood) and we would add them into the series. Azalea was created from my love of Snape. After reading the seventh book Snape became my one of my favourite characters, along with Lily Evans. I really wish that he and Lily ended up together. In my fanfic Azalea is their secret daughter. I created Vextera because I have always wanted to write a Slytherin/Death Eater. While her mother, Bellatrix, was in Azkaban Vex was raised by the Malfoys.

For anyone interested, here is my FanFiction.net account and my DeviantArt account. I haven't posted any of my fanfics yet, but I'm considering posting Vex's because I'm planning on writing it from start to finish instead of assorted scenes. On my deviantart I'll put my drawings and photography, and the occasional character picture.

One last thing; I've decided to combine Cornell 2 with the first Cornell book. My original idea for the sequel didn't work out, but I still want to keep James and Niare. Celeste's trip to Brazil has been moved to the first book, and her mysterious illness has been eliminated entirely.

I think that's about it.

Laterz

Improv Writing: Memories

Before I start writing, I'd like to apologize for not posting often. It's summer, I have endless amounts of free time, I'm not doing anything productive, and at this point the only thing stopping me from blogging is pure laziness. I'm feeling really uninspired lately, but while searching the Internet for writing prompts I came up with an idea for a scene. So here it is, unedited, written on the spot. Enjoy! (P.S. It's told from Celeste's point of view, sometime between Cornell 2 and A New Beginning)


I sat on the couch, staring at the old cardboard box. It was a completely ordinary, unremarkable box, but it scared me more than anything else. I knew what was in this box. I knew that if I opened this box, there would be no going back.

"Now I'm just being paranoid." I said out loud. "It's just a box. I should just shove it in the attic and forget about it."

As I said it I remembered what James had whispered to me when he dropped off the box. You're going to have to face it eventually. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that he was right. I had to open the box.

Slowly I kneeled down and lifted the cardboard lid. I could smell dust, old paper, and ink. The first thing I saw was a picture of James and I dressed for our Grade Eight graduation. My mother had forbidden me from wearing jeans, so I had picked out a short zebra-print dress and paired it with dark makeup, combat boots and skull jewelry. James had worn a black suit with a red tie that matched my hair. We had opted out of the after-grad party and instead walked along the moonlit beach.

Setting the picture aside I picked up the next one, a family photo taken at the beach. I was 10, and Kevin was only 3. We'd gotten another beach goer to take it, but just as he pressed the button we were attacked by seagulls trying to steal my french fries. Every time we looked at that picture my dad would burst out laughing and then we'd all start laughing until our sides hurt.

I set the picture on top of the first one. With tears blurring my vision, I continued to shift through the old photos. There were a few school photo, along with more of my family, and some of James and I. All of them were taken before I was changed, before my parents died, back when everything was normal. Although I loved my new life as a vampire, I would've traded it all to have my old life and my family back.

Finally I reached the bottom of the box. The only thing left was an envelope with my name on it. Opening the envelope, I pulled out a sheet of paper covered in James' familiar handwriting.

Dear Celeste,
     I just wanted to let you know, you are the bravest girl I have ever met. Not because you saved your brother's life and defied death, or because you survived in the jungle against all odds. You are brave because you faced all the painful memories contained in this box. I know it wasn't easy for you, reliving it all and seeing what your life used to be like, but you did it. I'm so proud of you.
     You've changed so much Scar. Not only your appearance, but everything else too. I could go on for ages about how much you've changed, but I won't. I will say this though; I know you're strong and fearless, but at the same time I know you're also terrified of slipping up or making the wrong choice. Just know that if you ever need anything I'll be there for you, even if it means flying halfway across the world. You can count on me.
Love always,
            James

I slumped over, clutching the letter in my hands. My tears stained the paper and smeared the ink, but I didn't notice. Later I would think of how James knew me so well, and how he always knew what to say, but at the moment my mind was blank. I sat on the cold hardwood floor, alone with my memories, my face streaked with five years worth of tears.

MyDivaDoll: Serina

Hey! I just updated my mydivadoll account to Serina from Cornell. Check it out to see a preview of her story!

http://www.mydivadoll.com/?a=/fiche&pseudo=writer123357

Laterz!

The Characters: Cornell

Hey peoples!! Are you ready for more characters? Yeah? Then let's get started!

The Cornells

First up today we have Celeste, the main character, and Cameron.


Next are my favorites, Serina and Talia. They are twins, and Celeste's best friends.


Then there's Liam, who really enjoys bugging Serina and Talia.


Noah and Hailey are very athletic and competitive.


Elise loves gardening, and Micheal doesn't mind sitting silently to watch her.


Anna is very independent, and always ready to stand up for what she believes in.


Jennette is the oldest child, and she despises Celeste.


Tyler is the oldest of the boys, but he always makes time for everyone.


Caren is best friends with Samantha and Elise, and like Tyler she is very understanding.


Samantha is very down to earth, and Peter treats Kevin like the little brother he always wanted.


Kevin is Celeste's younger brother, and the only one of the bunch that is human.


Charles is the leader and adopted father of the Cornell family.


Other

Alexis is a nomad and a threat to the Cornells.


I hope you are enjoying my blog so far. Don't forget to vote in the poll!

My Books Part 1: Cornell and Fringe

So, today I'm just going to get everyone up to speed on my books. They don't all have titles yet, so bear with me, okay?

First up we have Cornell book one. This book is about a sixteen year old girl named Celeste, whose parents are killed in a car crash. Celeste is severely injured, but a mysterious boy named Cameron saves her life by turning her into a vampire. Yes, this is a vampire novel. Anyway, the really story happens when Celeste's brother Kevin is kidnapped. She has to risk everything to save him, including her own life.

Next is a book I call Fringe. It's about a girl called Kaya. Kaya was born in a realm called Telania, where everyone has telekinesis, but as soon as she turns thirteen she moves to the Fringe, a place somewhere between Earth and Telania. There she joins T.A.F.P.H.E. the Telanian Association For the Protection of Human Equality. She learns to fight and use her powers for good. Eventually she is paired with T.A.F.P.H.E.'s best agent, Emilie, who has personal grudge against the leader of another organization, Ghost. Jezabelle, the head of Ghost, and Emilie, have a very interesting past, and Kaya is determined to help her new teammate. Soon though, she finds the lines between good and evil being blurred.

That's all for now. Tune in tomorrow for more of my books!