Now Showing Blogfest!

It's finally here! Today is the Now Showing Blogfest hosted by Alexis and Lindz. Click on the blogfest link to visit the other participants. Here are the rules.

1.Choose 4-6 of your lead characters.
2. Let us know a little bit about what each of your characters looks like.
3.Then, pick any actor or actress, they’re all at your disposal.
4.Finally, apart from their appearance, what about this particular performer makes you think they’ll do your baby justice. What’s that special something that makes them perfect for the part? Their attitude? The way the walk? Their voice? Let us know.

Now, without further ado...

Emily Deschanel as Talia Shannon--soft brown hair with gold and copper highlights, loose curls, violet eyes, taller than the average Sendek woman by an inch or two, slender and curvy, high cheekbones. I picked this picture in particular because her eyes are amazing. Can't you picture them tinted violet?

I picked Emily because:

• She has the facial bone structure of the people on Sendek. Square jaw, strong. Plus she's beautiful, what hero wouldn't want to save her?
• And no, I didn't pick her because she plays Bones (although I love that show). It's a bonus she's played a scientist, but Talia isn't as stiff and clueless as Bones can be. 
• I think Emily would be great with the romantic tension, and she's probably ready to be an intelligent woman that understands human emotions, don't you think?

Karl Urban as Commander Landry Sutton (Cousin to Prince Stefan)--"Perfectly proportioned, built of lean muscles, his stance suggested a tightly wound core of strength waiting just beneath his calm exterior. Even though he did not wear the Royalist uniform, it was obvious that he was as comfortable with command and giving orders as the General sitting beside him. "

I picked Karl because:

• Um, did you look at that first picture?
• He's played strong men, fighting men, he's got that sultry look down, and I love the scruff.
• When I saw him in the line up he just FIT.
• His eyes seem to say, I don't trust you, but I want to trust you because I so want you. (um, apologies to hubby)

Eric Bana as Prince Stefan (cousin and best friend to Landry)--I realize I never really described him in the book, I need to fix that. He looks like most people on Sendek: brown eyes, dark hair, eh, that's about it. He's a minor character, but one of my favorites because he's just so real. Anyway, I picked this picture because he has that small smile playing around his lips, but you can see the weight of ruling the world in his eyes. (His father is in a coma, so he's acting as king although they've not had a formal coronation)

Jude Law as Jaron (A wizard from another world that was destroyed by the Draguman--the world, not the wizard): this is his true form--tall, crystal blue eyes with a cloudy murkiness that sometimes flicks past (the demon that lives within). I just realized that I'm going to need a second actor to his shape shift disguised alter ego.

Anyway, I chose Jude because of this picture. He just looks like Jaron. Can't you see a heart broken man so bent on revenge for the death of his wife that he calls a demon from the depths of his world to prolong his life? The best part is he's not really the bad guy and as he helps Talia and Landry destroy the Draguman he also finds forgiveness and redemption. But he unknowingly leaves something behind...

Ed Harris as Johnathan Fielding, President of the Space Exploration Foundation(SEF) and Talia's boss--"In his mid fifties, with graying hair and laugh lines around his eyes, he exuded the paternal care I associated with his messages. His hands were as warm as his eyes, and I feared he would notice how cold and shaky mine were."

How can you not love Ed Harris? Plus he has a great history with science fiction.

Michael Caine as King Frederick: This is a small part, but this is another actor I have great respect for. He'd be great as the King come out of a coma just to deliver an important message to his son before dying. A message about some forgotten lore from Sendek's ancient past.

Mark Wahlberg as Edmont Ryce: Ok, this is a cheat because Edmont is introduced at the end of the book. He's actually the antagonist for Book 3: Battle for Sendek. He's not shoved in your face though, just described as twenty something, standard brown hair, eyes that are more amber than brown.

I picked Wahlberg because when I wandered past the photo I thought, "Hm, he looks a bit like the Edmont in my mind." Isn't that enough for now?

Ok, you may have noticed that the real threat is missing from the video and the list of actors. The Draguman. Help! Are there any amazing artists that can help me get some images of them prepared?

Just be prepared for a picky back and forth with drawings because I SEE them in my head. And I want what I wants...

Here is a description of them:

“Although they walked on two legs, they were definitely not human. The creatures stood between seven to eight feet tall with elongated noses (I want to blend dragon and dog faces with human shaped cranium for this—alien with very human eyes--the eye area is key), yellow-green eyes and a triangular muscular thickness along the shoulders and up the neck (think Cardassians, but pull the face out, and more ridgelines).”

Their torsos are longer proportionally than humans, they have tail buds (I'm considering changing this to full tails because of the fighting advantage it would provide--still undecided), knobby bones at the back where wings would have been, longish necks, arms, legs, feet are human in design with hands that end in long fingers with retractable talons.

Their faces also have unique ridge lines like this dragon:

Drawn by Chris B

Wish I could draw! Email me if you are interested in tackling this project. I can offer some critiques in exchange. :)

Nano Teaser the Snowflake Way

For the last two weeks my eyes have been blurry and exhausted. My time has been spent either reading blogs, writing blogs, answering emails for my Nano region, planning my novel, planning the parties and write-ins for my region, or reading. Yes, I love all of it, but my eyes are bleeding!

So, for today's post, I'm going to take it easy and just share part of the preparation I did for my November Nano project. The sequel to Sendek called Orek. Two planets settled and then abandoned by dragons, left to men and changed forever by the visit of the Dragumen. (ooo! I just wrote that and I really like it!)

Anyway, I feel like I can share a few steps because it's vague enough and the story is all in the details.

Snowflake Method
Step 1: Write a one sentence summary of your book.

Our heroes navigate a strange new world in search of information to bring peace to their home world.

Step 2: Expand that sentence to a paragraph that includes: the set up, at least 3 major disasters and the end.

I did this, but want to keep that one secret. :D

Step 3: Write a one page summary for each character. Include motivation, goal, conflict (specifically what is preventing the MC from reaching said goal) and epiphany.

Since you already know Talia and Landry, here is what I wrote for them. It wasn't a full page, but they are so familiar to me that I didn't need to say a lot. Just a few key thoughts to keep me on track next month.

Talia: She must learn some things are worth fighting and killing for--without regret. Motivation: a)protect her new found happiness with Landry. 

b)Sense of duty to Sendek and the new mages following her leadership. 

c)Excitement to meld together the two halves of her life (science and magic).

Goal: Gather info on how Jaron's society successfully used science and magic, magic training methods and return to teach her people.

Conflict: a)New anti-magic government on Orek. 

b)Passage of time has destroyed much of the information due to decay or action by the new government. 

Epiphany: Talia can work it out on her own. She is intelligent, scientific and highly magical, thus qualifying her to teach her world how to combine the two memes.

Landry: show more of his military skills. 

Motivation: a)Love for Talia, desire to support her. 

b)Love of adventure and a good challenge.  

Goal: Keep Talia safe and return to Sendek in one piece. 

Conflict: Orek's "Controllers" won't leave them alone. They are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want. 

Epiphany: Learns he can't do it all on his own. He needs Talia's help as well as others. Must learn to trust other's with his life.

Character Interview--Jaron/Talon

Hah! I wrote this last week and then remembered there is a Character Interview Blogfest  today--Hosted by Echoes of a Wayward Mind. Lucky me! Follow the link to read all the posts. This will take the place of the Wednesday post.

Jaron/Talon

Jude Law would make an excellent Jaron--just lighten the hair a little. Photo found HERE

Description from WIP (I just realized that in deleting backstory, I lost a description of him. *headsmack* I found this in a section I saved but am not satisfied with it):

As Jaron closed the door to his small apartment, he laughed and let the disguise melt away. Taking his true form, Jaron collapsed in the only chair in the room. His eyes turned a smoky blue and his hair golden blonde. The added height thinned his build and stretched his facial features.

Magical talents (L for learned, N for natural strength):
L--Shape shifting, portal jumping
N--mind control, healing (undeveloped)

What brings you to Sendek?
I follow the Draguman. 

Why?
It is all I have left to do in this life. 

I'm confused, can you elaborate?
(Jaron looks at the interviewer with his steely eyes. As he stares, she glimpses a dark shadow swimming in their depths.) No, my journey is mine alone.

That really makes it hard to interview you. The rest of my questions are based on why you are here. If you don't tell us, I can't ask the rest of the questions.
Then we are done. (He stands to leave.)

Wait! Sit back down, this isn't how this is supposed to go.
I did not ask to be interviewed. This is a waste of time.

Please, sit back down. I'll pretend that you answered. I know you are here for revenge because the Draguman killed everyone on your homeworld. How does that feel?
(His eyes narrow and his eyebrows crease with the frown.) Did you just ask me how it feels to have your world destroyed?  (He shakes his head and stands again.)

Sorry, sorry! Why are you so closed off and abrasive? You act like you don't feel anything, that's why I asked.
Feeling will not bring her back. It is better this way.

Her? Your wife?
Yes.

So, you are seeking revenge for her sake. 
Yes.

Will you talk about her?
No.

Alright. Let's try something else. Do you think the death of the Draguman will bring you peace?
No.

Then why do you seek it?
Their death will bring satisfaction, a sense of justice, but not peace.

Why not?
Only Dailya's forgiveness will bring me peace. I must wait for the next life to receive that.

Your wife again?
(he nods.)

Ok, (throwing away the rest of the questions) What do you regret the most?
Melding with the demon. It has made me commit horrible crimes against my own nature.

You melded with a demon? What does that mean? How did you do it?
(He sits tight lipped.)

Fine, last question. Do you think there is hope for Sendek? Can we learn to integrate the magical with our science the way your race did?
(He sighs) I do not know. You are an immature race, full of hate, fear, superstition and power lust.

Will you help us?
No. My time is limited and as I said, I have my own destiny to fulfill. (He stands and walks out the door before the interviewer can say anything else.)

Well, that didn't go as planned. Rest assured though, I know all his secrets and motivations. I guess you'll have to read the book to learn the why's and how comes. Anyway, here are some songs that scream Jaron's tortured soul.



Here are links to interviews with some of my other characters:
Talia
Landry
Shishali

Come back on Friday for my interview with new author Sarah-Jane Lehoux!

Interview--Commander Landry Sutton

Here is my interview with Landry. I've dreaded this because I didn't know him as well as I liked, and feared he was just a stock hero/love interest minor character. However, once I started the interview things went well and one question led to another. I finally just closed it because the post was getting so long. I learned a few things that I can work into the story to help deepen his character. I cringe a bit too because a whole subplot popped up in my mind that I'm not sure I want to take on at this late stage of the game. It would be a nice way to tie in one of my other subplots though. Need to let it percolate a bit.

Description from the novel (all from Talia's POV):

"The other man was in his prime, with jet-black hair and curiously light eyes."

"He stood taller than anyone else in the room and up close, I noticed his icy blue eyes. His smile made me feel he could read my innermost thoughts."

"Perfectly proportioned, built of lean muscles, his stance suggested a tightly wound core of strength waiting just beneath the calm exterior. Even though he did not wear the Royalist uniform, it was obvious he was as comfortable with command as the General behind him."

Commander Landry Sutton, thank you so much for joining us today. I know how busy you are, but we really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us. Can I call you Landry, great. Shall we jump right in? Yes, that would be great.

Explain how you are related to King Frederick. My mother was the King's sister, Ellyor.

So you grew up in the palace. How did things change when the Prince was born? Did you find that you received less attention? I was eight years old, so I remember when Stefan was born. It was a week after my own mother and baby sister died, and when the Queen died shortly afterward we just became family. My mother had prepared me for life with a new baby in the palace and I think I became his big brother because that is what I thought was expected of me.

You never had any problems with the young Prince? Never grew tired of him following you around? No, he was the only other kid in the palace so we stuck together. Sure he was younger, but he has a lot of grit and determination in him. I think he will surprise everyone now that he is King.

You seem like such an easy going man, but you chose to follow your father into the military. Why did you do that when you could have done anything you wanted? My father was a good man. He loved Algodova, believed in the goals of the monarchy and willingly gave his life to protect them. He shared that love with me. When he died, the King took care of me along with Stefan as if I was his son. The royal family is all that I have and I want to protect them the way my father did. For me, it is part of what it means to be a family. I'm good at what I do, I enjoy it, and it gives me pleasure to know it keeps my family safe.

Have you ever had to kill anyone? I mean, we've been at peace for years now. (Landry pauses, as if choosing his words carefully.) We are at peace, but there is a price to maintain peace. Let's leave it at that.

Is there anyone that you really hate? (Another pause as Landry's eyes narrow and turn icy.) There is only one man I think I've ever really hated. The man responsible for my father's death.

Do you know who that is? Yes.

Will you tell us? No, I don't want him to know I'm coming for him. Not yet anyway. Let's move on.

Landry, people have been saying that a certain scientist has caught your eye. Is this true? Yes.

We are all very curious about Ms Shannon. Mostly, people want to know what about her drew you in. I met Ms Shannon when she first came to Joharadin and found her rather shocking. (The interviewer has been fidgeting the whole time.) What I really want to know is, how did you get past her eyes? (Landry forces a smile as he feels the the interviewer's revulsion move through him. He puts up his mental wall so as not to "read" her emotions for the rest of the interview.) Her eyes were the first thing that I noticed, but I saw something different than you. Eyes are the windows to our souls, and hers are very deep.

Were you attracted to her immediately? I tried to convince myself that I wasn't, but she is so unique that subconsciously I wanted to know everything about her from the moment she walked into the room. When she didn't respond to me the way most women do, I felt challenged. Later, it was something else entirely.

Ooo, I'll come back to that, but first, I heard you actually accused her of treason to the crown. (Landry sighs) Unfortunately, that is true. I knew she was hiding something big. I think I wanted her to be working for the Dragnot because then there would be no chance of a relationship between us. Taking care of the royal family has always been my life, and I didn't want to be compromised by splitting my attention in that way. Now, I'm glad I was wrong.

So, when did you know you were in love with her? The first time I touched her.

Care to elaborate? Not really. But let's just say our magical qualities sparked a chain reaction that neither of us were prepared for.

You're killing me. Please kiss and tell! It wasn't a kiss, that came later. When we touched that first time, a bridge connected our minds. We could hear each others thoughts, share the emotions. I knew in that moment she was not the traitor I looked for. Instead, I felt the echos of my loneliness within her. We share similar experiences and it was a relief to know someone understood why I make the choices that I do. And then, there was the need so deeply hidden that she wasn't even aware of it. It consumed me and I knew I had to answer her call. But first I had to learn how to build a barrier between us.

Why was that necessary? I don't understand why it would be a problem to always know the motivations of the person you love. Seems like that would cut out all the misunderstanding and the hurt that comes from it. Obviously you've never shared your mind with anyone. Look at it this way, if you knew everything about a person, why would you need to talk to them, spend time with them? You would lose interest because there would be nothing to engage your mind, keep you wondering. And wouldn't you want to have the choice of what you share with them?

I guess I didn't think about that. Alright, I know you are short on time, but can I ask one more question? Did you really see a dragon? Yes, Talia and I woke a dragon in the Acaran Mountains. Don't worry, the dragon has now joined her kind on another planet. It's too bad, we could have learned so much from her. Now, if you don't mind, Talia is waiting. The first meeting of the new society of mages is meeting in an hour and I need to be there.

Of course, thank you so much for your time.

When I picture Landry in my mind, he is somewhere between David Boreanaz (left) and Chris Pine (right). David carries himself the way I imagine Landry. Confident, a little cocky, does his job with precision and brute force when needed, but still a good guy. My favorite picture of Chris Pine can be found HERE. I love the stubble, the smile and his eyes are really light in this picture. It would be a real toss up between these two if they both agreed to do a movie of my book.

DISCLAIMER: If I was a teen girl these are the guys I'd have on my wall, beside a picture of my hubby of course. Then, if I was a teen girl I wouldn't have a hubby...but, when I WAS a teen girl I had pictures of heartthrobs and a picture of my hubby as well. So, if my hubby reads this I'm safe. I did marry him and not *left blank out of embarrassment that I ever thought he was good looking*. Seriously, the only guy I haven't changed my mind about is my hubby, he keeps getting better every year, and I've known him since we were twelve.

Theme song? I have not found THE SONG yet. Maybe it hasn't been written. He sort of shares Talia's song If No One Will Listen. When I hear that song I think of Talia, but technically he would be the one talking to her. Another song that is just a bit more his personality would be Save You, also by Kelly Clarkson (Yes, she is still MY American Idol.)

Character snapshot--Shishali/Qatja

In my novel, I have dragon/human hybrids that...well, they actually don't do as much as I had hoped. They do play a part, but it is secondary in my current WIP. I took a break and wrote a 50K history about them and learned many fascinating things. Unfortunately, I can't use them in the WIP, and I don't think I will seriously go back and revise the history, so I think it would be alright to post a clip from Draguman.

This is a first draft that I stumbled on today and it didn't make me want to puke. All you need to know is that the Draguman were created by magic on Sendek thousands of years before the current story takes place. The dragons exiled them to a distant planet and thought mistakes were mended. Because of magical intricasies that I won't go into here, they stop aging or dieing of natural causes. They steal technology and slowly make there way across the galaxy in search of Sendek with the sole purpose of claiming it for there own. This scene takes place after they reach Sendek. As I mentioned above, it did not actually make it into the WIP. Instead of doing an interview with Shishali (None of the reporters were willing to take the chance she would let them live), I decided to post a character snapshot.

The men of Sendek retreated into the forest and Shishali worried she might not catch one of them, but as she entered the edge of the trees, she saw a small group through the trees. These people were not dressed in the military uniforms of the other men, but that did not matter to her. She wanted to feel blood on her hands and any Sendekian would do. She used the cover of the trees to close the distance between them and then rushed them. She killed two of them quickly by breaking their necks. The satisfying sound of snapping bones sent a thrill through her body. The other three men split up and ran in different directions. Shishali chose the largest one to follow.

The man looked back several times and when he realized he could not outrun the demon following him, he began to look for a weapon. Scooping up several stones, he hurled them in Shishali’s direction. Most missed their mark, but a couple of them hit her on the chest, arms and one on her leg. It hurt and bruised, but her scales still protected her from serious harm. Each time a stone hit her, she became angrier. By the time she reached him, the man had found a good sized tree branch. He wielded it like a club and Shishali let him take a few swings at her. She liked playing with her prey, but when one of the swings swiped the side of her head she yelled in anger.

“Enough playtime!” The whole side of her head throbbed from the strength of strike. She dove under his next swing and barreled into him knocking them both to the ground.

Although the man was not as tall as Shishali, he weighed more and he was a fighter. Every time Shishali thought she pinned him, he used his weight to flip her off. His survival instincts were very good, but Shishali was a hunting machine. She pounced on him as he tried to scurry to his feet and threw all of her weight into his leg from the side. She heard the crunch of bones and the man cried out in pain. Shishali held onto him and rolled until she had him on the ground pinned beneath her once more. The man’s eyes filled with pain, but he was still determined to fight to the end. His large hands wrapped around her neck and started to squeeze. It impressed Shishali that he was strong enough to make her feel concern. She began to feel a light headed, so she decided to end the game. Forcing her arms up violently between his, she broke his grip on her throat. In the same smooth motion she grabbed his wrists and twisted, breaking them.

Now the man’s pain grew so intense that all he could do was moan. He could not even keep his eyes open, but Shishali wanted to see his life disappearing.

“Open your eyes and I will make all the pain go away.” She made her voice as soft and soothing as possible, but the man would not comply.

“Go back to the hell you came from!” He spat the words out between ragged breaths.

Shishali wrapped her fingers loosely around his neck, and began pushing her talon like nails into his skin slowly. At first, there were just pinpricks of blood, but as she pushed deeper in she found the carotid artery and punctured it. Another finger found his windpipe and perforated it. The man bled out, drowning in his own blood. Shishali held him there with the warm blood flowing onto her hands until he was dead.

“Too bad for you that this is the hell I came from.”

UPDATE: A revised version of this did make it into The Magic Wakes (WiDo Publishing 2013).
It is still a first draft and so would benefit from more thought and work, but all in all I surprised myself. Proof that sometimes writing without thinking can bring about some good stuff. What do you think? Should I hang onto that 50K rough draft, try and work it in or write it off?


Character Theme Song--Pain by Three Days Grace. Shishali is all about the pain and the use of it to get what she wants. If Shishali were human, she would be the short haired girl two minutes in. The really angry intense one.

Character Interview--Talia Shannon

I thought it would be nice to interview some of my MC's from my WIP--Sendek (working title, subject to change). Below is the result of an interview with Talia Shannon, taken before she meets her love interest and right before all the action kicks in to high gear. This was one of the most enjoyable conversations I've had all day. :)

Character Theme Song--Stand My Ground by Within Temptation. It is perfect for Talia.  
Official video can be found here. Below is a live performance,


If No One Will Listen by Kelly Clarkson. This song would actually be sung to Talia by Landry, but whenever I hear it I think of her life and the challenges in front of her. Now that I think about it, Kelly kind of looks like Talia in this photo. Just add violet eyes, a stronger jaw line, and a haunted look, but the hair is the right color.



Let's ask the tough questions first. Does it bother you that you look so different from everyone else on Sendek? I mean, does it creep you out to see those eyes staring back at you from your mirror?
No, does it bother you that you look different from everyone else?

Of course not, but I have dark brown hair and brown eyes like everyone else I know. You, however, have the strangest eyes I've ever seen.

*sigh* Believe it or not, I happen to love my eyes. Yes they are a different color than most eyes, but I have met other people with blue, green or gray eyes. We were just lucky enough to get two recessive genes. That's all.

Have you ever met anyone else with violet eyes?

No. Can we move to another question, perhaps about my career?

First, how would you describe yourself?

Intelligent, strong willed, independent and stubborn. I'm very good at my job and my peers respect me.

I don't doubt for a moment that they respect you, but do they like you?

I suppose so. I don't really understand what you are asking. We work well together and I have not had any problems.

What I mean is, do you get invited to their parties, their weddings, etc. Do you have a close group of friends to hang out with?

Um, no, but as you know, I travel a lot for my work. Rarely do I stay in one place longer than a year of two, and most places are just a few months. There really isn't time to develop close relationships.

How can you live that way? Surely they would let you stay in one place if you wanted to?

They probably would, but I like to travel. I'm not comfortable with relationships, and constant moving gives me a reason to keep everyone at arm's length, if you will.

You have no family is that correct?

No, my father died when I was about eleven and my mom when I was sixteen. I lived with my brother for a while after that, but he died when I was nineteen. Sometimes I wish I had more family, but mostly I'm glad that there is no one to hurt or leave behind when I die.

Are you afraid of death?

Isn't everyone?

Do you think you will die young?

Not if I can help it. My work has a purpose. Eventually, I will learn where the creatures from my dreams come from, or at least find a way to leave Sendek before they arrive. I won't let them kill me without doing everything I can to prevent it.
 
Why do you hide your magical talent from the world? Are you afraid of it?
I don't know what you are talking about.
 
Come on. Ok, hypothetically speaking, you have unique magical talents that allow you to heal yourself among other things, such as prophetic dreams about demon aliens. Why don't you share those with the rest of the world?
Ok, let's forget about the dreaming. You would have to be of unsound mind to believe your dreams meant something. So, let's move to the healing. If, I did have a talent of that nature, which of course I don't, I would keep it secret for one very important reason. Research. Think about it. If someone could heal themselves, wouldn't you want to know how? Every medical researcher on the planet would be fighting over tissue samples. By the time they were finished there would be nothing left of that poor individual.
 
But if "you" could heal yourself why would it matter how many tissue samples you gave away?
Two reasons--what kind of life would that be, and no one can heal indefinitely. There is a limit even to magic. Let's move on please. I need to meet with the Royalist General in a very short time.
 
Yes, I heard that you were working on the moon colony simulations for them. I just have one last question for you. What is your greatest fear? Be honest with yourself.
*a long pause* Dying alone, never knowing what it feels like to love the way I loved my family. That was taken from me and I haven't let anyone in since. It would hurt to much to lose it again, so *shrugs while fingering an amethyst necklace hanging around her neck* I just keep moving. Well, it has been nice, but I need to go. I want to finish this project quickly so I can leave this city.

This is another picture that is almost exactly how I see Talia in my mind.

Emily Deschanel from Bones. Isn't she beautiful!