A to Z: (Y)ou

Today's post is all about you, the reader! You guys have been so awesome this month and its really hard to believe that tomorrow the blogging challenge comes to an end. I've had a lot of fun doing these post and reading what you guys have wrote. Every day I have given advice and in return have recieved a lot through reading all your blogs, too. It has been awesome.

I'm a little hesitant to give up the constant posting. Granted, I could use a couple days next month to gather my wits and catch up on some much needed sleep, but I have one favor before I do.

Today, I ask you for advice. Being a writer is all about having a support system. We get no where on our own. Without the people we surround ourselves with, we could never get as far as getting published. So, here's what I'm asking today. In the next month, is there anything you would like to see me do? What kinds of things would you like me to blog about? What would you like to see me share? Is there anything you want to know about me?

That's it for today. Again, thanks to everyone who has blogged this month for the challenge, you guys have been awesome and its been really great getting to see your posts and pictures!

Novel Update!

"A Place Called Earth" is finished. I am happy with it. For me, that's big news! It is ready for submission, and I bought myself a copy of John Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents. I guess that means I'll be working on my query letter now. Hee hee.

So, the plan is, I'm going to query like mad. I'll give it a year, if I don't manage to find an agent or publisher interested, I'm going to go the self publish route. And when that happens... I'll let you all know.

Well, that's about it. I don't have much to say for once. I do have a few reminders, though.

I could still use some ideas for what to give the winner of the 50 follower giveaway. Let me know. The link is on the sidebar, and you can view the post here.

If you would like to be a part of my blog spotlight on Tuesdays (or every other Tuesday, if I don't have enough blogs to spotlight...) you can email me, or check the post, also on my sidebar or here.

And last but not least, the "Pay-it-Forward" blogfest is going on for another two weeks. The details are in the Pay-it-Forward post. There is also a link to the post on my sidebar. Don't forget to sign up for it in the Mr. Linky box so we can all check out your post on the 23rd!

Announcing a blogfest!

I really miss doing blogfests, but I can't seem to find any going on in the blogosphere right now. So, I was thinking to myself today, if you can't find any, you should start one! Yay! I'm doing a blogfest!

I'm a little excited about this, in case you couldn't tell. I got the idea today from the boyfriend. He stepped on the puppy's foot and said that he was just giving it to her in advance for all the times she'll do it to him once she's grown up.

So, what's it going to be this time, Haley Jo?

Here it is: Introducing the

Pay-it-forward Blogfest!

Now, for the details.

You have until February 23rd to post a scene (either from scratch or something you already wrote) to your blog that deals with paying it forward. How your characters do so (good or bad) is up to you. I'm looking forward to some really interesting entries here. When the day of the blogfest arrives, everyone on the list will go around and read all the scenes and tell everyone how awesome they did! Sounds like fun, right? I think so.

So, if you would like to join in on the "Pay-it-forward Blogfest" all you have to do is fill out the little form at the bottom. If you would like, you can also spread the word by tweeting about the blogfest and where people can join, or even posting about it on your blog with a link to here!

Good luck, everyone. I can't wait to read your posts!



Practical Joke Blogfest

So, we've all had a month or so to prepare for this event. The Practical Joke Blogfest is here! I'm excited, aren't you?

I couldn't find anything in any of my own writing that was worty of the blogfest so I decided to come up with something special. Here we go.



Maya looked around the small room, noting just how thuroughly her mother had cleaned the bathroom. She gingerly prodded her nose, noting the rubbery texture. With a small grimmace she shook her head and clambered into the cupboard under the sink. She snorted. Can't believe I still fit in here.

The movie was almost over. She strained her ears to hear the credits, ignoring the throbbing in her knees. Joe would be coming in at any moment. She watched him squirming in his seat for nearly ten minutes. She excused herself, unable to watch anymore of the gore-fest. Her teeth ground together at his loud guffaws. She couldn't wait to see his face--to see who would be having the last laugh.

The door swung open. Joe's rubber-soled shoes squeeked on the tile floor, getting slightly louder the closer he came to her hiding spot. Her heart throbbed in her ears. She stared wide-eyed at a small splinter of light coming through the door. Her breathing hitched and sped wildly. Prodding slowly along her temple, she found a seam. Digging her long finger nail in, she peeled a portion away from her hairline.

A sigh issued from outside the cupboard. Joe's booming voice startled her as he yelled. "Hey Mom, where's the TP?"

Maya pushed the small plastic-wrapped package forward. Her mother's voice carried to her muted by the layers of wood and drywall between them. "It's under the sink."

The door swung away from her. Joe's thick face appeared in front of her. She forced a strangled gasp from her throat and tore at the green mud mask the clung to her skin. It crumbled and peeled away from her face. Joe's eyes widened and he backed away. He didn't seem to able to look away. His mouth fell open, but no noise escaped him. His feet shuffled back until he hit the tub and he toppled over into it. Flopping around for a moment, he finally managed to get to his feet and with a small glance over his shoulder and a whimper, he fled from the room. "Mom! HELP ME!"

Maya crawled out from under the sink and collapsed on the floor clutching her side while the laughter bubbled up from her chest.



Hope you all liked it! Now you should all go check out everyone else that signed up!

The Bad Girl Blogfest

So, I couldn't just pick one scene for the bad girl blogfest! So, I'm going to post two! Yay!

Here's the link:


Scene #1
This scene is from my finished novel, A Place Called Earth. This is how Opal is introduced. The scene is a bit graphic... Just to forewarn...



“Will you just fuck me already?” I glared at him. He seemed eager enough, even with all the hesitations.

He did a double take, his eyes widened as he processed what I was saying. “Seriously?”

I didn’t give him a chance. I smiled at him as demurely as I could manage. Without a pause, I grabbed his shirt and ripped it off of him.

His blue eyes lost their startled expression and I got the reaction I was looking for. His mouth crashed down on mine and I could feel him working at my bra. As it came unlatched, my shirt started lifting.

I shoved him down on the chair, right there in my kitchen. I unzipped his pants and straddled him. His face burned. I wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or excited, but I was too horny to really care.

When his hand dove into my pants, I forgot everything else. When I remember what was happening, we were both naked and he was thrusting into me.

I raked my nails down his bare back. He sucked in his breath for a moment before he started plunging into me harder. Faster. His eyes burned with desire.

"Fuck me!" I screamed, and he obliged. Heat flowed through me as my hands and feet started to tingle. I curled my toes toward my heels and tightened the hold my legs had on his waist.

"You like this?" he huffed before mauling my breast with his mouth. His teeth grazed my nipple sending electric currents though my entire body.

"Oh my god! You are so hot." I laughed. I leaned back, away from him on the chair allowing him greater access to my pussy. I ground into his throbbing cock and moaned when he let out a grunt.

I ran my fingers through his thick blonde hair and rode him on that chair until he was gasping for air. "I'm coming, babe."

I stood and grabbed him, finishing him off with my hand. I caught the flash of disappointment on his face before he closed his eyes and gave in to the pleasure. Apparently he had something else in mind.

"You want me to write a song about you, baby?" I crooned. I had a moment of déjà vu. This wasn’t the first time I used this line. And the look on his face now told me that it was working now.

He smiled again. "Yes," he sighed, as he shot his load onto the floor.

I grabbed a towel and threw it to him. "Clean yourself off and get dressed. I've got work to do."

I left the room and sat down on my brown shag butterfly chair, my favorite, grabbing my guitar on the way. I strummed a few chords and picked up my notepad. "Someone to fill that empty space, it's not love, but it'll do," I sang quietly. I looked around the room, smiling a little. I had specifically designed this room to bring out my creative side. Other people came in here and held their noses up at the bright splashes of color. I liked it.

I was just about to get up and grab myself some coffee when he walked in. He was still naked. I’d have to be blind not to appreciate his Adonis-like body, but it wasn’t enough for me to want to keep him around. "What are you still doing here?"

He frowned. "I thought I'd make you something to eat. You told me you really liked breakfast."

I shook my head. "I don't eat breakfast and I don't do relationships. I'll write you a song, but that's it. You need to leave now."

"Will I see you again?" he asked. He took another step toward me and froze when I glared up at him.

"Maybe." I shrugged. I shifted my Epiphone Genesis across my naked body and looked down at my notepad while I waited for him to get the hint.

"Have you bought one of those lottery tickets yet?" he asked softly.

"Hell no. If the world is going to crash and burn I want a front row seat. I need some inspiration." I lied.

He sighed again and left. I sat and played through a few covers that I knew before I got back up. I would write a song, but I wasn't going to write him a song. I wasn't even going to see that guy, uh god what was his name. Well, either way, I wasn't even going to see him again, so it didn't even matter. I went to my bedroom and opened my sock drawer. A folded lottery ticket sat there, wrinkled from the number of times I had crumpled it up to throw it away. One of these days I'd actually do it. Probably wouldn't matter though, I knew the numbers on it by heart. Word came out today there would be just under one thousand winners in the U.S. Of course, no one was certain that the world was actually coming to an end. They had sacked the N.A.S.A. guy that was saying that. That he got fired for saying it, tells me he wasn't lying. Sucks to be a patsy.

My phone started ringing. I tried my best to ignore it, but it started up again after voice mail picked up. Somebody really wanted to talk to me.

"What?"

"Opal. We're playing in Pioneer Square tonight, right down by the piers. EMP nearby and everything. This is huge!" Tony, my bassist chattered excitedly.

"Nice, Tone," I sighed.

"Get your shit together Bergen and get down here. We've got to set up!"

I hung up the phone and looked outside at my emerald city. I could see the Space Needle from my apartment. I sighed again, and got dressed. Time to do what I do best.

The show was great. We had people coming up to us asking for autographs for the rest of the night. I’m pretty sure my manager was pleased. Any time he had wads of cash being handed to him he was pleased. I’d have to keep my eyes on him, sometimes it seemed like the rest of us were coming up a little short on money.

I met a few guys and got some phone numbers. After everything was packed up I picked up a twelve-pack of beer ad wandered down to the pier.

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind." Tony hopped up onto the post next to the one I was sitting on.

I nodded and looked out over the Sound. The mountains were hidden in the dark on the other side. The grey water lapped against the wooden posts below me. Clouds hid the moon and stars. I tossed him a beer and we both sat sipping them quietly.

Tony sighed. I looked over at him. He was a scrawny guy. His clothes hid it well enough that most people couldn’t tell but I’d seen him at practice with no shirt. It wasn’t that he wasn’t muscular; he just looked to be skin and bones. His beard was kinked and wild as it hung half way down to his waist. He covered his dark hair with a bandana tonight; it looked strange on him. It over exaggerated his forehead in a way that a baseball cap never did. The girls at the shows were always all over him. I never understood it. "What do you think about this whole lottery thing, Tone?"

I could almost hear him roll his eyes. This wasn't the first time I'd asked him this question. "You know what I think, Opal."

"You know, you've never actually told me." I spun around and looked at the stores and businesses lining the water. Most of the lights were out now; people had gotten out of work hours ago. Few remained, giving off enough light to see the detail of the city around them. The space needle stood proudly in the middle like a shining beacon saying, “Look at me!”

"I think it’s all a bunch of bullshit. The prize can't be all that amazing if the whole world is involved and so many people are sharing it. It also makes me think it's probably not money." He jumped down and chucked his empty can into the water.

"That doesn't really help with the whole pollution thing," I teased.

"Yeah, I know. Look, you want to come back to my place. I know you always said you'd never sleep with a band member, but I'm not looking for anything here. I just want to get laid." He paced back and forth and finally stopped in front of me. His eyes never actually reached mine. I wondered how bad it would hurt him if I rejected him now. I’d never seen him so vulnerable.

I held out my hand and he accepted it. "Sure. I feel like breaking a few rules tonight." He took my other hand and helped me off the post. I landed lightly on my feet and tried, unsuccessfully, to take my hands back.

I made an effort to be polite to him. My hand remained firmly attached to his for the entire ride, sparing a few brief moments. He wasn’t technically the first band member that I’d broken the rule for, but after the first few, I had to start a whole new band. I hoped for his sake that this was nothing, like he said. If it really ended tomorrow, I wouldn’t say anything. I really hated looking for new bassists.

 
Scene #2
This is a little shorter is from an unfinished and unnamed novel I've been working on. Completely unedited. Meet Joanna...
 
 
 
The cell phone buzzed and danced on the table.


“Are you going to answer that?”

Joanna didn’t even acknowledge the man sitting next to her at the bank. She could snap his pudgy, sweaty neck so fast no one would even notice.

“Ma’am, your phone is ringing.”

Joanna rolled her eyes before she turned to face him flashing a dazzling, toothy grin. “Really? I had no idea.”

The man visibly gulped air. She knew what he was seeing. He stared at her face for a moment and then stood and hurried away.

The phone started humming again. Joanna suppressed the urge to smash it, but knew it would get her into trouble. She reached out and picked it up, flipping it open in the process.

“What?” she snapped.

“Joanna, where are you?” Jude’s voice came from the other end. His voice was an octave higher than usual.

“It’s none of your business. Don’t you have your little family to protect these days?” Her eyes narrowed to slits as she whispered indignantly into the phone.

Jude ignored her mocking. “So help me, if you are scouting again...”

“How did you get my number anyway?” she asked, not even remotely curious. She winked at an older man sitting across from her who had been ogling her since she sat down. His eyes bulged and he quickly looked away.

“That’s really not important. Now are you going to tell me where you are? Or...”

“Jude now is really not a good time. Can I call you back in, oh say...never.” She flipped the phone closed and dropped it into her purse.