The Serpent's Tooth

Urban fantasy contest

2010-09-29T21:29:00.001-04:00

I haven't been around much lately--mostly because I'm tearing my hair out trying to find an agent for Kingmaker--but I just wanted to give people the heads up about a great contest that's going on right now. It's open to anyone who has a completed urban fantasy or paranormal romance novel:
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Sixth+Dear+Lucky+Agent+Contest+Paranormal+Romance+Urban+Fantasy.aspx

YA and MG contest

2010-02-07T20:55:00.001-05:00

YA and MG writers, there's a great looking contest going on here.

Procrastination Post

2009-11-17T17:22:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm back after disappearing from the Web-sphere for a few months. Grad school started up again and took over my life; plus, I was lazy.

After about two months of avoiding even looking at it, I've begun another, possibly final, revision of Kingmaker. I've workshopped a few chapters with other writers and gotten some helpful comments and feel that I really know what major plot changes I need to make. As a result, I've decided to participate in Nanorevismo--the editor's counterpart to Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). My plan is to finish this revision of my novel by the end of November, give it another once-over for language, and then step back and decide whether it's ready to submit.

I was saddened to decide that I didn't have time to do Nanowrimo as well; I actually began a new project for it before deciding that I just couldn't do both. That project, which is young adult science fiction, will probably be my next novel. More on it later.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-07-26T19:35:00.001-04:00

It's a beautiful summer day and I am no longer quite as young as I used to be. My parents and I celebrated (because my friends are lame and unavailable on the weekends) by going to see, of all movies, G-Force, which was surprisingly good, and playing pool at the local billiards hall (I'm getting better!). Next week, in honor of my birthday and my parents' anniversary, we're going to a local casino and playing in a Texas Hold 'em tournament, which should be a fun, if short-lived, outing. We're going for Mexican tonight with my grandparents, and then there will be cake. Ice cream cake. Ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery.

*dies of happiness*

In other news, I finished the Great POV Conversion yesterday. I'm going to spend the next few days doing another close edit before sending Kingmakers off for my beta readers to take another look. I also made the mistake of posting my query on the AW Share Your Work forum, which is significantly more brutal than http://www.openquery.blogspot.com/, and now I'm feeling all sorts of insecure about my query, which is too bad because I was starting to think it was pretty good. Alas.

Editing progress and 500 Days of Summer

2009-07-23T14:38:00.000-04:00

I continue to slog my way through a painful and thorough edit of Kingmaker. (I'm almost certain now that that's going to be the title.) I'm nearing the climax of the novel and working on tweaking plot elements so that everything is tight. As well as, of course, continuing to convert everything from first to third person POV. Which is delightful.

I took a break from editing yesterday to hang out with my dad. He's teaching me to play pool at a local billiards hall, which is fun but also slow and occasionally aggravating. My goal is to become one of those people who saunters into a bar, walks up to the pool table, and puts a twenty on the edge to challenge anyone who dares face me. Okay, it would be nice to be able to sometimes hit the ball in the hole too! I also went swimming for the first time in ages yesterday--it's the only form of exercise I'm permitted as long as I have a very annoying stress fracture in my foot, so I guess I'll be going a lot more often in the coming months.

Finally, we also saw (500) Days of Summer yesterday. My feelings were mixed. Overall I enjoyed the movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was adorable at the beginning as Tom, the leading man, a greeting card writer with dreams of becoming an architect who's searching for true love. Zooey Deschanel (sister to Emily Deschanel, lead of the fantastic show Bones) does a fairly good job as Summer, the object of Tom's affection. Summer doesn't believe in love but enters into a romantic relationship with Tom (though she always refers to them as just "friends"), but eventually she decides they should break up and Tom spends the rest of the movie moping, trying to get her back, and eventually moving on.

There are a lot of cute elements to the movie, particularly in the early stages of Tom and Summer's relationship, but it becomes a bit whiny as time goes on. Most of the really good moments were in the trailer. It wasn't a long movie but it felt like it went on forever. A decent enough summer watch, but it's pretty depressing and not really encouraging to all of us out there in search of our own true loves.

My rating: 2 1/2 stars

A new review of an old favorite

2009-07-20T15:27:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've mentioned on this blog before how much of a movie addict I am. I'll see basically any movie that passes a certain threshold of intelligence (i.e. I don't see movies where one person plays five different people, all of them fat; I don't see movies where all of the humor is scatalogical; and, except for Stranger than Fiction, I don't see Will Ferell movies). I'm immensely proud of my DVD library, which is constantly growing.

I only brought a few of my DVDs home from New York for the summer, and last night, for probably the fifteenth time, I watched Victor/Victoria.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, must see this movie sometime in their lifetime. Haven't seen it? Netflix it now. This movie is brilliant, from start to finish.

The premise: Victoria Grant (the amazing, wonderful, stupendous Julie Andrews) is a soprano who finds herself down on her luck in 1934 Paris (to the point where she offers to sleep with her landlord if he'll give her a meatball). She meets Carroll Todd, "Toddy to everyone who knows [him]" (played by the superb Robert Preston only a year or two before his death), a gay night club performer who's just been fired. They become friends instantly and Toddy conceives of a wild plan: Victoria will transform into Victor--the greatest female impersonator in Europe.

Victoria has her reservations at first ("A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman?!") but allows herself to be persuaded an in no time she becomes the toast of Paris. Her biggest fan is King Marshan (James Garner, of such fantastic films as Maverick and The Great Escape), a Chicago gangster (in Paris with his bodyguard and moll) who refuses to believe that Victor is a man. He snoops around and discovers Victoria's secret and they hook up. Their relationship is stifled, however, by the fact that she refuses to quit being Victor, and he doesn't want people thinking he's gay. Hijinks ensue.

Why this movie is so amazing: Well, there's the plot, of course, which is brilliant. The screenplay is also a work of art. The film brings together a lot of the talent from the Pink Panther movies (the originals, of course)--Blake Edwards as director, Henry Mancini as composer (there are five or six wonderful songs in the movie that Victoria and Toddy perform, especially "Le Jazz Hot"), and a couple of character actors with small but memorable parts.

A caveat to any who would rent the movie: Make sure you get the 1982 motion picture, not the 1995 recording of the stage production. The attempt to transform Victor/Victoria into an on-stage musical was mostly a failure; the additional songs aren't that great and the performances, even Julie Andrews' (she's in both), just can't compare to the original.

The movie's about 2 1/2 hours long, so make sure you set aside some time to watch it all in one sitting. You won't regret it.

My rating: 4 stars

Harry Potter movie

2009-07-19T01:42:00.001-04:00

I saw the new Harry Potter movie today for the second time (once with my dad, once with my mom). It was so much better than the book...

1. Even though nothing actually happened until the last 15 minutes.
2. Even though I really don't like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore--he's dark and creepy where Dumbledore's supposed to be a constant beacon of hope even in the Wizarding World's darkest hour.
3. Even though they kept the whole Ron-and-Hermione-love-each-other thing (okay, okay, it's not like they could get rid of it) despite the fact that Ron's a total dweeb in the movies and Hermione has no chemistry with him.
4. Even though Harry and Ginny fall in love despite the fact that Ginny: a) looks exactly like his mother, b) has no character, c) was dumb enough to be possessed by a diary, and d) worshipped him from when she was a toddler.
5. Even though Harry and Hermione have on-screen chemistry and clearly are meant for each other (I never shipped them in the books, but on screen it's always their scenes that actually work for me).
6. Even though they blatantly disregarded a lot of rules that had been established in previous books/movies, like no doing magic outside of Hogwarts and it being impossible to apparate in Hogwarts.
7. Even though they kept the lame plot of Dumbledore showing Harry his memories instead of just telling him what they contain and teaching him to be a better wizard.
8. Even though they added a totally pointless action sequence at the Burrow.
9. Because Harry isn't a total moron in the movie like he is in the book; he doesn't ignore Dumbledore's one task (to get Slughorn's memory), and he's not shown to be hopeless at silent spellcasting.
10. Because I actually almost felt sorry for Malfoy, probably because the guy playing him is pretty hot (yes, I am lecherous).
11. Because the cinematography was good.
12. Because Jim Broadbent was well cast.
13. Because Dumbledore still died.
14. Because Ralph Fiennes' nephew played Young Voldemort and was nearly as creepy as his uncle.
15. Because there were no Dursleys.

My rating: 3 stars.

More on editing

2009-07-19T01:37:00.001-04:00

I continue to edit away at Kingmaker. Yes, that's right--I've reverted to the original working title for now. I'm about halfway done with converting it from first to third person and doing a pretty thorough reworking of a few plot points. Mostly, I'm afraid that my MC, Shale, comes across too unlikeably (she's supposed to be snarky and smart, but might come across as b*tchy instead), so I'm working on building empathy for her and making her relationship with Grey, the mysterious man dating her mother, a lot more believeable.

Also trying to decide whether to put quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I'm not sure whether that's a little kitchy, if you know what I mean. Still, I've found some good ones, like:

“If any of my competitors were drowning, I’d stick a hose in their mouth.”
-Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds

and

“A slavish bondage to parents cramps every faculty of the mind.”
-Mary Shelley

And now back to editing.

Editing blues

2009-07-14T14:25:00.001-04:00

I've decided to change my novel from first to third person. Yikes!

Editing Joys

2009-07-13T13:03:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I finished the first thorough edit of my novel, which is now being called Unwilling, last night. It's now in the hands of my lovely critiquers, my parents (both former newspaper editors who insist that because they enjoyed Twilight any YA book is up their alley) and bagels from AW, who blew me away with her editing advice in the SYW forum there.

Now I'm going to relax for a few days while I wait for feedback, do some critiquing of my own, and play with my parrot. Ah, summer. How I adore thee.

WIP first five pages

2009-07-09T02:57:00.000-04:00

Here are the first five pages of my current project, A PROFUSION OF WANT, which is in the editing stage right now. You can also critique them here.

I was sixteen years old the first time I met Grey Koniges, at a high school chess tournament in a crappy gym on a dreary day.

The bleachers were less than a quarter full, only the most tenacious of parents and contenders staying to watch the championship match. They shifted constantly under the fluorescent lights, searching for a comfortable position on the hard benches. Many stifled yawns, and a few grandparents and small children were asleep. One father’s pockets bulged with cash he’d gotten from selling the puzzles in his sudoku book to other parents for five dollars a piece; but all of the puzzles had been solved hours before and now all there was to do was wait, and watch. The only sounds were the recurring sniffle of a child with a bad cold and the light patter of rain against the roof and high, grimy windows.

Down on the main floor, folding card tables were arranged in a neat grid across the lines of the basketball court. All except one were laden with finished games, pawns discarded, queens attacking, kings fallen. Abandoned battlefields.

It had been a long day.

I wasn’t particularly good at chess. I had the potential to be, since I was intelligent enough and had been told—both by people who liked me and those who did not—that I had an aggressive and cunning mind. However, I lacked the interest or the patience. Protracted battles weren’t my thing. The only reason I was there at all was to get a few points extra credit from my math teacher, Mrs. Mendez, which would push my grade from a tenuous B- to a solid B.

Before the tournament, Mrs. Mendez had pulled me away from the chess team, whose pimply, super-intelligent members were somewhat skeptical about my participation, to reassure me that I wasn’t expected to win and that I should “just try to have a good time.”

Mrs. Mendez was new to the school. She didn’t know me well. She didn’t know that I didn’t start things if I thought I would do poorly in them, and I never, ever lost.

It was the last round of the tournament, and I was winning.

My opponent was a boy several years younger than me, small for his age, with thick glasses and thin limbs. I’d forgotten his name, but he looked like a Simon.

Simon had obviously skipped a few grades. As Mrs. Mendez had told me in an excited whisper, he’d blown through all of his previous games more quickly than was strictly polite. I, on the other hand, had won my previous five rounds through sheer determination and the occasional lucky guess.

Simon’s face was pinched as he examined our board, contemplating his next move. I had fewer pieces left than he did, but while most of his were pawns, most of mine weren’t. Finally he reached forward, setting one small hand on his queen, the beginnings of a grin on his face that I did not like at all. I could practically hear the audience take a collective deep breath.

“I’m going to win, you know,” I said, tapping one of my murdered pawns lightly against the edge of the table.

Simon blinked and pulled his hand away. The audience exhaled. “Oh yeah?” He tilted his head and squinted at me suspiciously.

“Yeah,” I said, leaning back in my squeaky chair and crossing my arms over my chest. I ignored the ache in my back from sitting in one position too long. “You know why?”

He twitched, his eyes darting from my face to the board and back again. “Why?”

I smirked. “Because I know exactly what you’re going to do next. You’re predictable. It’ll be all too easy.”

Come on, kid. Mess up, I thought intently.

“We’ll see about that,” he blustered, but now his forehead was furrowed and there was fear in his eyes. He reached for the queen again, his hand hovering over her. He stayed like that for almost a minute before he let out a put-upon sigh and moved his remaining bishop instead.

I smoothed a hand down my face to conceal my grin. Whatever Simon had been about to do with that queen would have been bad for me, I was sure. Even better, now that I’d made him flinch once, I knew how to do it again. A studied slouch to my posture, a certain gleam in my eye at the right time, and he was lost. Five moves later, Simon used his stubby pointer finger to tip over his king, then slumped back in his chair, staring at the board and wondering when, exactly, things had gone so wrong.

The moderator, who’d been struggling to stay awake while watching the progress of the game from a chair a few feet away, didn’t realize at first what had happened. It was only when I stood to shake Simon’s hand that his eyes widened and he leapt to his feet. He cleared his throat and announced, “Shale Peterson is the winner!”

The audience burst into a smattering of applause. Most of the parents headed eagerly for the exits, their disheartened children by their sides. A few came across the gymnasium floor to offer their congratulations, Mrs. Mendez foremost among them. She seemed to bounce with each step, beaming with astonished pride.

“I can’t believe it,” she told me, near tears. “I’m so proud of you, Shale.”

She seized me by the arm, her hands like pincers, and pulled me toward the mob of well-wishers and enthusiasts. They congratulated me and shook my hand and used a lot of chess terms I didn’t know.

“However did you think to set that trap for his knight?” one man asked.

I shrugged. “Intuition?”

They all laughed.

“Well, I knew all along that she would go far,” Mrs. Mendez kept saying, arm around my shoulders. “One of my best students, you know.” She winked and tapped my forehead with one long-nailed finger. “Mind like a steel trap.”

I didn’t much care for public attention—that wasn’t the reason I was so competitive—and the approbation from my fans quickly became too much. I tried to step back but found myself held in place by Mrs. Mendez’s iron grip. She was conversing so enthusiastically with a young man holding a notepad—a news reporter, perhaps—that she didn’t seem to have noticed my attempt to move.

Finally I smiled awkwardly and told the group, “Excuse me, I need to grab a drink of water.” With a twist of my body only possible because I was a tae kwon do student, I slipped out from under Mrs. Mendez’s arm and made my escape.

The water fountain was in an alcove out of sight of the main floor and for a few minutes I just leaned against the sticky wall with my eyes closed, feeling oddly tired. I could hear the murmur of voices and the squeaks of tennis shoes against the laminated wooden floor. After a moment I realized that I really was thirsty and held down the round metal button, only to watch in annoyance as a dribble of water seeped half-heartedly from the spout.

“Some might say that that was bad sportsmanship.” The voice came from behind me, and was rich and deep and sounded like it should have had a British accent.

I jerked with surprise, banging my hip painfully against the fountain as I spun around to face the man who had spoken. He was very tall, and handsome in a way-too-old-for-me kind of way, with a firm jaw and a full head of thick black hair that had a hint of white at the edges. His suit looked expensive, not that I was any kind of judge. A half-smile played along his lips. He had the most extraordinary grey eyes—piercing and intelligent and unsettling.

Suddenly chilled, I rubbed my arms, feeling goose bumps.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, leaning away from him and setting my chin in that stubborn way my mother hated. “I never broke the rules.”

I wasn’t sure why he made me feel so uncomfortable. We were in a public place; if I raised my voice there was a crowd of people who would rush to my aid.

“I never said you did,” he said. “Nor am I chastising you. That was well done.”

Oh. That was unexpected. And didn’t make me any better. “Thanks.” He seemed to be waiting for me to say something else, and at last I blurted, “Are you some kind of chess talent scout or something? Because I’m not interested.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I’m a scout, of sorts, but not of chess,” he said.

His hands were empty, but he gave his right hand a little flourish and suddenly he was holding a business card between his index and middle finger. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was a little too old to be impressed by magic tricks. He held out the card and I took it, tucking it into the pocket of my jeans without looking at it.

“I’m Grey. Grey Koniges,” he said, keeping his hand out.

The name sent a strange little tingle down my spine. It felt like a warning.

I hesitated. In most situations I didn’t go around giving my name to strangers. Of course, that caution seemed silly given the way my name, in bold, capital letters, was currently being pinned at the top of the tournament chart for all to see.

“Shale,” I said, taking his hand, which was pleasantly warm, and making sure that my grip was as strong as his.

“Interesting name,” he said.

I nodded, extracting my hand from his. There was the briefest moment of resistance, as if he didn’t want to let me go.

“Isn’t it, though. It was nice to meet you.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and began to walk away.

“Weren’t you going to have a drink?” he called after me.

I turned back, my eyes narrowed. “The fountain doesn’t work.”

“Oh?” He leaned over the water fountain, pressed the button, and took a long, slow gulp as sparkling water arched from the spout.

Oh, Mariners...

2009-07-08T19:53:00.001-04:00

And in a classic Mariners meltdown, they were winning 3-0 in the 9th inning, then allowed 5 runs, 3 earned and 2 on account of errors.

Final score: 5-3 Baltimore. Ugh.

Query help

2009-07-08T12:44:00.000-04:00

I'm seeking help on my query over at the Public Query Slushpile. I'd appreciate critiques and comments here: my query.

I came up with a new (working) title yesterday, A PROFUSION OF WANT. It's got a couple of possible meanings, which I like.

I also started editing the first draft, which is more fun than I remembered. On the other hand, I've always been good at line edits--it's the big picture edits that drive me crazy.

I'm going to see a Mariners game today! We're playing against Baltimore. I haven't really been a Mariners fan in years but Safeco Field always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Here's a picture of the PUs (parental units), a friend of mine, and me at a Mariners game from a looong time ago. No, I'm not a baseball player! I'm the second from the right in the front row:

Teaser Tuesday

2009-07-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

This is my first foray into AW's Teaser Tuesday, and I'm very happy to post a teaser from my just-finished first draft of WANT (working title), a YA urban fantasy.

This comes from near the beginning of the book, shortly after the MC, Shale, has a surprise victory at a chess tournament.

Teaser:

I wasn’t a big fan of 11th grade.

Sure, it was better than 10th, but that’s like saying that tuberculosis is better than Ebola: whether or not it’s true, your basis for comparison kind of stinks.

10th grade had been full of zits and hormones and boring classes that I worked just hard enough in to have a B average. 11th grade was pretty much the same—the same long, institutional white halls, the same teachers, the same jocks and nerds and band geeks—except that now I was old enough to have a car.

Mrs. Mendez’s attitude toward me had done an about face since the tournament. Before, she liked to complain about my tendency to coast in class rather than really challenging myself. Which was true—I’d never been a great student. I didn’t always understand the point of homework, which seemed to just require you to spend a lot of time doing the same thing over and over again even if you already knew how to do it.

Also, she disapproved of anyone who went by a nickname.

Now, though, she was convinced that I was a closet chess prodigy, and she was determined to get me to join the chess team. She took to giving me extra credit I didn’t deserve for homework I half-heartedly did and cornering me in the halls with a narrow-eyed, predatory expression that I was coming to loathe.

I stayed after class one day to try to convince her that her attention was misplaced. “I won that tournament because of willpower, not talent,” I said. “Really. You don’t want me on the team anyways.”

My protestations seemed to bounce off of the shield of oblivious optimism she had erected around herself.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Mendez said, waving her hand. “Chess isn’t a game one wins through willpower, Shale—it takes intelligence and skill, and clearly you have both. The team meets Thursdays after school in this classroom. If nothing else, come for the free pizza!”

First draft complete

2009-07-06T19:47:00.001-04:00

I've just finished the first draft of my current WIP (which is still lacking a title)! The word count of this draft is 79,782 words (my goal was 80K). I'm very happy with how it turned out.

For those who are interested, here are the first and last lines.

First:
I was sixteen years old the first time I met Grey Koniges, at a high school chess tournament in a crappy gym on a dreary day.

Last:
Watching him go, feeling my lips twitch, I knew that it wouldn’t be long.

My Sister's Keeper

2009-07-06T17:21:00.001-04:00

I went to see My Sister's Keeper today (having not yet read the book) and found it to be, as expected, a real tear-wringer--worse than a tear jerker, the movie wrings tears from you one by one basically from start to finish. The acting was pretty good, especially from Abigail Breslin, but the plot didn't always hold up. It's one of those where you're nodding your head the whole movie saying, "Uh-huh, uh-huh, that makes sense" but once the movie's over and you get a bit of perspective you say, "Wait, actually, that could never happen." I'm not talking about the basic premise (younger sister created to be organ donor for terminally ill older sister), which is interesting, but about the way the plot progresses. Apparently there are some huge plot changes from what happens in the book as well. I think emotionally the movie basically succeeds at what it sets out to do.

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Federer=Awesomeness

2009-07-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

Federer just beat Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set. What incredible endurance from them both, and what a surprising and impressive showing from Roddick! Roddick broke Federer twice, once in the first set and once in the fourth, but Federer wasn't able to break Roddick until the end of that final set.

How many months till the U.S. Open?

Power outage! Comcast outage! Disaster!

2009-07-05T13:24:00.000-04:00

WARNING: Tennis spoilers below

What a frantic morning! The power at my house went out at about 11 p.m. last night (ruining my plans to participate in a writing session going on over at the Absolute Writer Water Cooler--"AW" from here on out) and still wasn't back on when I woke up at 8 this morning.

Meaning that I couldn't watch the Wimbledon championship. Federer v. Roddick, with Federer competing for a record number of Grand Slam wins. Ay.

Fortunately my parents called my grandparents (who live just far enough away to be in a different coverage area for power and cable--well planned, everyone) and had them tape the match. To our surprise, my grandparents, who speak poor English and aren't very technologically competent, actually succeeded, so we only missed most of the first set.

Of course, what I know and what I'm not permitted to tell my crazy parental units (henceforth, "PUs") because they want to watch the whole thing from start to finish without knowing the end, is that the match is still going on. It's the longest championship in Wimbledon history. So, if you're reading this blog (even though no one is)--go watch! History is being made.

And, even though I'm an American and usually root for the underdog...Go Federer! You've let Roddick have his pride, now go in for the kill.

John Dillinger, Little Dorrit, and Me

2009-07-05T00:38:00.000-04:00

It's the 4th of July and my parents and I (I'm home for the summer)celebrated by going to see the new Johnny Depp movie, Public Enemies, based on the life of notorious bank robber John Dillinger. Unfortunately, even with a great cast (in addition to Depp, who has proven his versatility and talent in numerous roles, are co-stars Christian Bale in his typical role of lawman and Oscar-winner Marion Cotilliard as Dillinger's gal) the movie failed to shine. The characters were flat, there were no surprises, and the shoot out scenes went on way too long.

My rating: 2 stars (out of four)

On the other hand, today we also finished the fifteen part BBC miniseries of Dickens' classic novel Little Dorrit. The cast was enormous, but among the many talented actors I recognized the man playing Arthur Clennam as having previously been Mr. Darcy in the new Pride and Prejudice movie; Mrs. Clennam as the queen mother in Ever After (one of my favorite romances); and the murderer Rigaud as our good friend Gollum (or Smeagol, as he sometimes prefers to be called). For Dickens fans the miniseries is detailed, well-written, and occasionally heartwrenching. It's also a bit too long and the twist at the end comes as a disappointment (leaving behind a pretty strong feeling of: so what?). Still, it's worth watching if you have the time and the patience and certain characters are truly unforgettable.

My rating: 3 stars

Finally, a report on my writing. I'm a student in a creative writing MFA program who's been in love with the written word all my life but for just about as long was convinced that I didn't have a chance in the world of ever being published (so there, all you who think I have a big ego!). Two years ago, two years into a law degree, I decided that I had to give myself a chance. That was about the time I was finishing the first draft of my first novel, FLAWED, a science fiction dystopia. Although I still think FLAWED has a lot of good elements, I've grown a lot as a writer since then and am well aware of its many, well, flaws.

I've been working on writing some literary fiction since then (mostly with a legal theme) but this summer I've focused on a new long project, a young adult urban fantasy novel. I began writing it in January, lost track of it for a while during the school semester, and have been seriously working on it since the end of April. I anticipate finishing the rough rough draft sometime this week. Then there's the arduous editing process, for which I'm on the look out for anyone who's interested in betaing (if you are, leave a comment please!). I'll give more details about the novel, whose working title is KINGMAKER, which will definitely change once I've thought of something cleverer, as time goes by.

That's all for now. Comments are welcome! Happy Independence Day!