Survivors

So Skyres and I are huge fans of the Night World series by L.J. Smith, and have been eagerly awaiting the release of Strange Fate, the last book in the series. Well recently we were on vacation togehter, and we were discussing the last time we had been on vacation together. More specifically, we were discussing Strange Fate and a rumor I'd heard that only five characters would survive the apocalypse. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but while trying to guess which five characters lived we had a crazy idea. What if we had to pick five of or characters to survive an apocalypse? After much discussion, here are my choices.

A New Beginning
1.Cameron
2.Brett
3.Kara
4.Heron
5.Serina

Just Another Ending
1.Dorian
2.Serafin
3.Crystal
4.Kara
5.James

Somewhere in the Middle
1.Kara
2.Zach
3.Zoey
4.Mika
5.Julien

The Last Chapter
1.Heron
2.Rob
3.Alexei
4.Zoey
5.Willow

Overall
1.Heron
2.Alexei
3.Rob
4.Serafin
5.Zach
6.Zoey
7.Kara

Check out Skyres's blog, Writer's Den, for her lists.

Heron

Do you ever wish your characters were real? Just so that you could see them, touch them, hear the sound of their voice. Just so that you could really know them.

I'm struggling with Heron right now. He's so complex. There are so many little things that make him Heron, and I'm having trouble piecing them all together. There's his past, with his brother and Serifina, back when being a psychic vampire was new to him. There's the witches, and him losing everything he'd ever cared about. That was what ruined him the first time. Then there's Jackie, slowly becoming part of his family, trying to fix things. That helped, but not enough. All those things are small really. They're so far in the past that they don't bother me as much.

It's the start of A New Beginning where things stop fitting. He falls in love with someone who hates him. He has all these awful habits that he uses to try and dull his pain. She can't stand that. He tries to change. It's hard at first, but for her he'd do anything. In Just Another Ending he finally starts to win her over. They fall in love, despite her reluctance.

Somewhere in the Middle is where things really fall apart for me. When he's with the band, and with the girl, he's bright and finally happy. He laughs, he loves, and he lives life to the fullest. He is so in love with this girl that it makes my head spin just thinking about it. But when they go to the Otherworld he almost completely ignores her, instead spending all his time with his first love, Serifina. Their relationship falls apart, and he again is the way he was in the beginning, as if he'd never met the girl. In the end he realizes his mistake and does everything he can to win her back.

In the beginning of The Last Chapter they are happy once again. They're married and living together, and they have a perfect life. The Heron just leaves, supposedly to go after Serifina once again. It just doesn't fit. Every time he's happy, he goes off and ruins it. Maybe he doesn't realize at first, but you would think after all this time he would've learned.

I think the hardest part for me is the band. I just can't fit that happy, joking guy with the rest of Heron. I just can't imagine him ever being that happy. It sounds horrible, but it's true. With everything that's happened to him, how could he ever feel that happy. Maybe that's my problem. I'm looking at his whole life. Maybe I should just look at his life up to that point. It's just hard not to get distracted by what I know is going to happen.

Sorry about this pointless post. I just needed to work things out. I'll try to find something proper to post soon. I tend to be really unproductive during the summer, which is why I have moments like this. I need to work on that.

My Books: Limbo and Silence

I've been really inspired lately, and I have two new books to tell you about. I'm doing both in the same post because neither of them have a full plot yet.

First up is Limbo. I decided that I needed to  write a book with characters based on my friends and I, and this was the result.

Nicole's parents died when she was young, and she has spent her whole life in foster care, moving from house to house. Every time she gets comfortable with her new family something terrible happens, and she is forced to move on. She's never had a family, or a place to call home. Ashley's parents also died when she was young, but she was lucky enough to be taken in by her rich uncle. Her life is one of luxury, with a big house, private tutors, and fancy clothes. Since her uncle is too busy to raise her, Ashley was raised by an endless stream of nannies. They never seem to stay long though. There is always some reason that they have to leave; family tragedy, a better job, etc. No matter who is looking after her, she always has to follow the rules and keep up the illusion of perfection. She's never had her freedom. Neither girl has met the other, and there seems to be no way their paths could cross.

Then one day both girls receive shocking news; they are sisters, separated at birth. Nicole is sent to live with Ashley at their uncle's house. When they meet it seems like there's no way they could ever get along, but they quickly become friends. Nicole is more reckless and wild than Ashley, but Ashley is more graceful and responsible than Nicole. Which is why Ashley is hesitant when Nicole suggests they sneak out and go to a nightclub. Eventually Ashley agrees, and that is when everything starts changing. The nightclub holds more secrets than the girls could imagine, and by the end of the night they are in a strange new world full of monsters and talking cats. Now all the girls want is to get back home before they get killed.

Pretty crazy right? P.S. The talking cat is my favourite character!

Next is Silence. Right now this book is more about the characters than the story. I've been playing around with the main character for a long time, trying to find a story that fit her. Instead of a story I found more characters and an idea.

Three years ago Maya survived the accident that killed her parents. Since that day she hasn't spoken a  word to anyone, not even her older brother Simon. The doctors say there's nothing wrong with her, and that she'll speak when she's ready. At school she is considered a freak, and people tend to avoid her, if not outright hate her. She's used to it by now. Then one day a new boy, Niko,  arrives in class. He doesn't know about Maya's "abnormality" yet, and ends up sitting next to her. Even when he learns that Maya doesn't speak, he still treats her like a normal person. Slowly Maya starts coming out of her shell. She smiles and laughs more. The paintings she uses to express herself are brighter. Simon is hopeful that maybe, just maybe, she's getting better. And it's all because of Niko.

Sorry that there's basically no plot, but I just love Maya and Niko so much! It's fascinating to write a character that doesn't speak, but still has to communicate with others.

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.

My Books and Characters: Falling

Falling is my new non-book, as I like to call it. Since around July I've had this group of characters stuck in my head. None of them had much of a story, but they wouldn't leave me alone. They were driving me crazy, so to shut them up I decided to put them in a series of short stories. All the stories are connected in the sense that they all have the same characters, but they don't follow a main plot line.

There is a war going on, but it's not a war among humans. It's a war among angels. Since the beginning of time the Angels and and the Fallen have fought for control, but now everything has changed. The Angels have become corrupt; bringing their war into the human world, killing innocents, and breaking their own laws. They've become no better than the Fallen. There is still hope for Earth though. A small group of rebel angels has banded together to defend the humans, and stop the wicked deeds of the Angels and the Fallen.

The Rebels

Valkyrie, known by her friends as Val, is the leader of the Rebels. She was formerly one of the Fallen, and Lucifer's lover.

Aurora was, until recently, an Angel. After being framed for an unforgivable crime she is banished from Heaven and joins the Rebels. She is the younger sister of archangel Micheal.

Pendragon, also known as Pen, is Val's best friend and second in command. Like Aurora, he used to be an Angel.

Roswell is one of the Fallen, but he works as a spy for the Rebels. He is madly in love with Skyla, and Daren is his twin brother.

Daren, a former Fallen Angel, is Roswell's twin brother. He is very fun-loving, and he always knows how to make people smile.

Skyla is an Angel working as a spy for the Rebels. She is madly in love with Roswell, and would do anything to keep him safe.

Crim, although a loyal member of the rebellion, is still very much in touch with her Fallen tendancies. She is often violent and angry, and she never hesitates to pick a fight.

Ashwinder was also a Fallen Angel. He enjoys coming up with new ways to annoy Crim, and he constantly challenges her. Despite this, he is her closest friend.

Elyra is the most mysterious of the group. Although she was one of the Fallen, she does not act like it. The other tend to favour one side or the other, but Elyra is completely nuetral.

Others

Lucifer is the leader of the Fallen. His evil is second only to that of Satan himself.

Micheal is an archangel, and the leader of the Angels. Although he was once pure and good, he is now just as corrupt as the other Angels.

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

Improv Writing: That Summer

This is another Heron scene, but it's completely different from the last on I wrote. This one is based on some song lyrics I came up with today.

I remember that summer
Watching her smiling in the sun
I remember that summer
Talking, laughing, having fun


I smiled as I remembered that summer, one of the best I'd ever had. My band had been on tour for months, and it had just ended a week before. I couldn't even recall where we were exactly. It didn't matter though, as long as I was with her. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. We decided to have a picnic, just the two of us.

Her hair flowed over her shoulders like a golden waterfall. It was longer than usual, almost down to her waist, but it was beautiful as always. I had an irresistable urge to run my fingers through the silky blonde strands, and so I did. She smiled contentedly and closed her deep blue eyes. In the warm sunlight her face seemed to glow.

"What did I ever do to deserve something as divine as you?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, there was that time you saved the world." she replied. "And that time you saved the Goldens. And then you saved the world again. That might have something to do with it."

"No, probably not." I said, playing along. "Maybe it was because I kissed that absolutely gorgeous girl."

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to glare at me. "What? When was this?"

"Right now." I whispered, quickly kissing her soft lips. She laughed and pulled me closer. I kissed her again, delighting in her tender smile.

"I love you," I told her. "More than anything."

"I love you too."

Improv Writing: As I Lay There Bleeding

I  just really wanna write right now, but I'm not feeling inspired by any of the scenes I need to write. So here's a random Heron scene that won't actually be in the book.


As I lay there bleeding, I think of her. She must hate me so much. Why wouldn't she? I left her again. I broke her heart again. I hurt her again. I broke every promise I ever made to her, and I hate myself so much because of it.

As I lay there bleeding, I think of all the terrible things I've done. I disobeyed my parents. I nearly killed my brother. I fought with everyone. I got my best friend killed. I drank, I lied, I cheated. I hurt the best thing that had ever happened to me. I never realised it before, but I'm a terrible person.

As I lay there bleeding, I think about all the things I'm about to lose, and all the people that are about to lose me. My brother, always keeping me in control and fixing my mistakes. My almost-sister, wise beyond her years but still too kind for her own good. My not-quite-friends, who dislike me but tolerate me. And her, my soulmate, my true love, my other half. It always comes back to her.

As I lay there bleeding, I again think of her. I miss her so much. I love her more than the world. I wish I could see her one last time. I can see her golden hair, her deep blue eyes, her brilliant smile. I can feel her hand in mine, hear her saying "I love you" one last time.

As I lay there bleeding, I stop thinking, and accept the end.

Nikki's Notes: Intro and The Tree of Souls

Hey guys. This is a new thing I decided to do called Nikki's Notes. I thought it would be cool to let you take a look at some of the notes I make when I'm planning books and scenes. I'll scan my notes, and then tell you a bit about them. For example:

This is a diagram I drew of the Tree of Souls. The space surrounding this area is called the Void. It's a never-ending white space. Each circle represents one of the eleven guardians (yes, I realize I spelled (spelt?) it wrong in the diagram). The guardians protect the Tree from shades, which are demons that live in the Void. The Gateway is enchanted so that no one except guardians can enter it. The Gatekeeper guards the Gateway just in case someone manages to break the enchantment.

The Guardian of Souls watches over the Tree. It is his/her job to make sure the Tree is cared for. If a leaf falls off the Tree he/she summons the owner of the leaf to the Otherworld, but this rarely happens. In Somewhere in the Middle, Serifina is the Guardian of Souls.

The Best Scene Title Ever

Usually when I write a scene I give it a name like "Jenn's Vision" or "Graduation". Something simple that tells what the scene's about. Occasionally though, I will come up with a really interesting or funny scene name. Here a few of my favourites:

Nicole had coffee?!
Call me Jenn
Chickens
Ren meets Alex... kinda
Fragments, fish, and pussy willows

And the best scene title I've ever come up with is:

Because I Love You (Heron's Sweater)

Believe it or not, it's actually a very dramatic, romantic scene. It also makes a great song title.

Laterz