Breaking the Rules

My Brain is a Rock Tumbler

2012-07-07T14:03:00.002-07:00

When I was young, I used to collect stones. It didn’t matter where they came from: beaches, rivers, streams, and parking lots alike, I could always find a gem. Of course, this was where I learned that most stones look better when they’re wet, and so my room was typically filled with jars of dry, gray, and disappointing pebbles. And, of course, it never really occurred to me that a rock tumbler would do the trick, if not a good dose of oil. But by the time I came to that realization, I had already dumped the majority of my unimpressive rocks into the gravel of my old driveway.

The thing about being a writer is that there are ideas everywhere. They are inescapable. They are noteworthy. They all have novel potential. If you are a writer, you’ve probably had one of those “oh shit" moments where you get an idea and know for a fact that you must write about it. For me, those moments usually come when I’m in the midst of another book. At that time, the new idea is fresh and certainly not ready to be written. So, as I should have done with all my pretty parking-lot-rocks and a rock tumbler when I was a child, I take the new idea, put it away in the back of my mind, and let it tumble for a few months. Then, when the idea is polished and ready, I take it out of the tumbler to add to my polished collection.

Again, you’d think I would have come up with that idea when I still had my rocks. At least I have it figured out with my novels. Because let’s face it, there are always many ideas tumbling around in my head. The real question is: which idea will I take out next?

To My Twenty Year Old Self - Write for the Fight

2012-03-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

Recently my dad was asked to participate in the collection of essays, Write for the Fight. Partial proceeds for the collection go toward breast cancer research. The collection included four life questions including, “What would you tell your twenty year old self?” I thought it’d be fun to write a blog post based on that question, since I have a different perspective being not yet twenty.

So often I hear adults talking about how stupid they were when they were younger, listing regrets, and if-onlys, and talking about what they’d do differently. For this post I wanted to reflect on what I know now, at seventeen and on the cusp of adulthood, because although the younger generation has a way of getting a reputation of being naïve and making bad decisions, we still have a pretty good idea on how to live. There are five things I’d like to tell my twenty-year-old self, not from the point of view of someone looking back on their life, but from the point of view of a teenager looking forward and striving to remember the oh-so important lessons of youth.

#1: Don’t fall into the mechanics of an ordinary lifestyle, because let’s face it, that’s too boring – I’m the kind of person who can easily fall into a schedule and become lost in it. I like things to be organized and predictable, because order has a way of making things easy. So, to my twenty-year-old self, I say, don’t fall into such habits. My best experiences have come unexpected: a kiss, a sudden opportunity, an impulse. Like when I was in Thailand and got on the back of my friend’s bike with no breaks and took on the big hill, or in Colorado when we suddenly dared to make it to the top of the mountain, or in Texas when I stared out over the thousand-foot drop to the desert beyond in a place called the Window, because it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The point is, life happens with more thrill when you take risks and embrace the chaos of living.

#2: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, they make you a better person – I’ve spent my whole life trying to learn from other people’s mistakes. Yet while it’s good to be smart about my decisions, I find that the biggest lessons I’ve learned were not from observing the mistakes from the sidelines, but from making them myself. I have no regrets regarding the mistakes I’ve made, in fact, I’m thankful for all the experiences I’ve had. All of them have led me to where I am now, and in a sense, I am made up of the decisions—good or bad—that I’ve made. So for goodness sake, twenty-year-old self, you better still be taking risks and learning from your failures, because that’s the whole point of becoming a better person and truly experiencing life.

#3: Don’t take yourself too seriously – Sure, by the time I’m twenty I will have had the great opportunity to study writing at my dream college, and will probably be living on my own, and will probably have the responsibility of supporting myself and maintaining income, while juggling the vast waters of friendship and love, but I better still be able to understand the concept of fun. Twenty-year-old self, I want you to remember the joys of toy stores, candy shops, picnics, and exploration. Always embrace your inner child, because being a kid is fantastic and responsibility has no right to get in the way of that.

#4: You can do or be anything you set your mind to – I remember when I was in the second grade and we went around in class talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Kids said things like, “I want to be president” and “I want to be a firefighter” and “I want to be a doctor.” Nothing was off limits, yet by the time high school came around, those aspirations were muffled by the concept of what was realistic. Right now, my dream is writing. My dream is traveling. My dream is cooking. And while I sit here and yearn to say that I better still be writing books every morning, exploring new places every day, and cooking dinner every night when I’m twenty, I can’t. My real advice, twenty-year-old self, is to keep following your dreams. I don’t care what they are, as long as you are dedicated to them. Right now, the path seems pretty clear that writing is my number one passion, and although I don’t foresee that changing, all I want for you to remember at this point is that nothing is too far from your grasp.

#5: Happiness is always worth the risk – This is the hardest and most real of all the things I want to tell my twenty-year-old self. As I venture further into adulthood, I can see the struggles that so many people face, and how happiness is often the compromise: a dead-end job in order to gain steady pay, the sacrifice of a hobby for a spouse, the loss of a dream because of a reality. But no matter how difficult, there is always a way to make time for happiness. The confusing matter is deciding what it truly is that you want. Perhaps the loss of one love is the gain of an even greater one. Despite my youth I recognize that these decisions are what ultimately make up living, the joy and the sorrow that encompasses life. In my final point, twenty-year-old self, I am telling you that no matter what, being happy is the ultimate goal. I want to be able to look back on my life and recognize the ups and downs, the failures and successes, the sadness and the happiness, and be able to confidently say that I enjoyed every second of the ride and always strove to keep a genuine smile on my face.

The Best Motivation

2011-12-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

Is it better to be motivated by the art, or the pay? Should we write for genre and readers, or for ourselves? This is becoming a big question with the recent shifts in the book world—especially in the case of self-publication. (Let me mention that there are some really amazing self-publishers putting out decent work. I this case, I’m speaking of those that seem to have a disregard for the craft.) More and more, I find people uploading their work and calling themselves writers, when the writing is unpolished and unedited. We can all pick up a paintbrush, but that does not mean we can all call ourselves painters. And although we can all take photos with cool filters on our phones does not make us the next Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, or Alfred Eisenstaedt. Art is not easy, nor does it make a quick buck. We make music, paint, look through the lens, and write everyday because we love it, not simply for the money.

Take Vincent van Gogh for example. Homeless for many years, he often had others buy his paint for him, and for the longest time, he lived off of coffee and bread. I see him as an extreme example of an artist who will do anything for his work—an artist who practiced his art solely because he loved it, and needed it.

But I’m not saying that writing for money comes without a love for the practice. Look at da Vinci and Michelangelo. Although they were often commissioned for their work, they both had a passion and respect for their art forms.

I believe there is a special balance between writing for love, and writing for readership and money. We all want to be heard and be successful, but first and foremost, we all want to practice our art. So rather than only writing for one or the other, I find that there is an important balance that must be made.

I think the best motivation is the art paired with the need to be heard. What are your thoughts?

Anonymous Shakespeare

2011-11-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

What if all your life's work could see the light of day? Could be loved by hundreds and live for decades? And what if no one knew it was yours? That is the question. And the answer reveals everything.

I love Shakespeare. Or, in light of the conspiracy, I love the 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to his name. I recently saw the movie Anonymous, which was a fictional depiction of one of the many theories about Shakespeare. Set in a time ridden with political drama, tainted nobility, and Royal scandals, Anonymous is a movie that is complicated and daring in what it projects. Between the action, heated conversations, and layered flashbacks, Anonymous is a pleasure to watch. And, for those seeking a deeper meaning, it explores passion, madness, dedication, and our undeniable need for art. "We've all been played."

I write for myself. I don't write for fame, or money, or to create a name that people will remember. But there is a part of me that wants to be heard. And my characters want to be heard too. Anonymous depicts this with a great degree of truth. The movie is bittersweet. The true writer, the Earl of Oxford, strives to have his words be heard despite his role in society. He loses money, ruins his marriage, and risks his life, all for the sake of his words.

It's been bothering me lately when I see self-proclaimed "artists" (of all kinds) making heaps of money--and in reality they find their "art" a chore, boring, or tedious. Why, why, why, would someone ever waste their time like that? And how could they ever call themselves an artist? I know many people who are tortured by their work because it's difficult or not enjoyable or because they feel obligated to do it. So why do it in the first place?

In my opinion, art should be an outlet. It should be like love. It should be challenging, scary, risky. And it should be utterly, purely wonderful. It should be worth it. That's why I enjoyed Anonymous so much. It encompassed what it meant to be a real artist. Granted, I don't think musicians, writers, and painters should let their families, marriages, and lives fall apart for what they do. But they should perform their art for themselves. Make time for it because they love it. That's what it's about.

Now, whether or not William Shakespeare actually wrote all 37 plays and 154 sonnets is not a concern to me. If the true artist's name was lost or covered up, I do think it's a tragedy. Everyone should have credit for what they do. However, I don't think the writer (Shakespeare or not) regrets the writing itself.

I know I wouldn't.

Bad Dessert Book Endings

2011-11-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm a Crème brûlée person myself, but every once and a while I feel inclined to try that odd-sounding-yet-probably-good-anyway dessert on the menu. I'm often pleasantly surprised, but sometimes I find myself wishing that I wasn't so outgoing and had just ordered the Crème brûlée instead.

So how does this apply to books? I think of it this way: ordering the mediocre dessert after having a fantastic gourmet meal is like reading an amazing book and having the end fall flat. It can be the climax or the falling action, but either way, these kinds of books typically have the reader saying "What?" In the case of dessert, well, it can have the diner wishing they hadn't gone out at all.

The best example of a "Bad Dessert" book ending is the well known "And it was all a dream..." The book is great, the premise is captivating, but as the novel continues, the reader starts to wonder how it will all unravel. The threads become more tangled, the knots begin to tighten, and soon there's no turning back. But the reader has faith, because certainly the author of such an ingenious book will know how to undo all that has been done. But then, within the last pages, are written the most lazy, horrifying, frustrating words in novel history: "It was all a dream." (Exception: the movie "Inception.")

Then there's the marathon "Bad Dessert" book ending, where the falling action is almost as long as the book itself. The poor summing up of a novel can happen in many ways, from the classic and useless flash-forward, to the minor-character-montage in which the writer ties every loose end. Both of which are utterly unneeded, and both lead the reader to believe that the author must have developed an unhealthy obsession with the characters inside their book, and they simply didn't want it to end.

Lastly, there's the un-characterly ending, in which the main character goes against all that he/she believes in. There are a few ways that this can happen: 1. The only way the book can end in any coherent way is for the main character to abandon his/her beliefs, 2. There's not enough character arc in the middle of the book so when the moment of truth does come, the reader is blindsided by the character's decision, and 3. The author was lazy and writing against the grain of the character's personality and deeper motivation was the quickest way to finish the novel.

Talk about leaving a bad taste in the reader's mouth!

Are there any other "Bad Dessert" book endings out there? Any examples where one of these endings works well? Leave your ideas in a comment!

The Power of the Non-Human Mind

2011-11-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

One of my other great loves aside from writing is science. From astronomy to biology, I've always struggled with my passions across subject. There are few career paths that quench my expansive thirst for knowledge. I believe writing is one of those few, because one can write about anything. I write because it's a thoughtful and exploratory creative outlet. I write fantasy because it helps me delve deeper into my creative pool without it conflicting with the real world. But despite the fact that I write in nonexistent worlds, my stories still have a real-world base. It's often historical, but sometimes topics like psychology, astronomy, and marine biology pique my interest--and inspire fascinating adventures.

So this blog post goes out to the marine biologists, not just because I'm a wannabe, not just because I'm currently taking my third marine biology class, not just because cephalopods (mollusks like squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses) are some of my favorite invertebrates, but because I recently read an article in Orion Magazine's latest issue about the "Deep Intellect" of the octopus.

If you were to write about an alien in a scifi novel that was super strong, had eight legs, could taste through its arms, had a venomous beak, squirted ink, and had no backbone, how many agents, editors, publishers, and readers do you think would laugh in your face and think you a fool for creating such an unfathomable creature? Yeah, that's what I thought. So take a look at the octopus. Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda. They're related to clams, oysters, snails, slugs, and other "brainless" invertebrates. So why are they so interesting?

I don't want to paraphrase the article too much, because it's a great article and definitely worth reading, but let me give you some perspective on why these creatures have the potential to alter the way humans see intelligence.

   1. They have brain neurons in not only their brain, but in their tentacles. That means that, even when recently detached from the body, a tentacle can still taste and recognize a scrap of food. Recent research on the human body has proved that we have traces of brain cells in our heart, as well as other organs, but this does not work in the same way that an octopus does. They seem to be more conscious than we are.

   2. Octopuses are thought to be colorblind. And they can change color, shape, and texture to fit their surroundings. Not convinced? Check out this TED video. It has to do with more smart-cells in their skin.

   3. These mollusks can recognize people, and grow likes and dislikes toward certain individuals due to past experience.

   4. To quote the article in Orion, "The octopus knew how to get what it wanted: by employing foresight, planning--and perhaps even tool use."

   5. Though we (humans and octopuses) may have similar ancestors, research suggests that our systems of intelligence have certainly evolved differently. Humans began their evolution of intelligence with the development of stationary lifestyles. All the extra time that had once been taken up by hunting and gathering became time to learn. This created the rise of occupations such as blacksmiths, teachers, weavers, etc. as well as the development of more advanced tools and otherwise. This also was the beginning of government and other social creations, like advanced language and business. There's a great lecture by Jared Diamond related to that human development. Octopuses, on the other hand, developed intelligence for theorized reasons more geared toward different types of prey.

So how can we as humans possibly begin to understand a creature that thinks with its body, uses every piece of its being to survive, and can learn at captivating rates? How can we fathom thinking and functioning all for a separate set of motivations? This is where inspiration comes from for me, questions like this.

And this is why I write. Because in some way or another, it's my way of answering those questions for myself.

When History Turns into Fiction

2011-10-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to be surprised that a young girl like me is more likely to be found reading the latest issue of Discover rather than the most recent fashion or gossip magazine: from the cashiers at Safeway to strangers in coffee shops. I always get double-takes. In fact, a cashier once asked me, "Discover and ID? Really?" I answered with a casual, "Yeah. I'm a writer, and these are full of inspiration."

Mary Celestia Shipwreck in Bermuda
(Thank you, Archaeology Magazine)

What I didn't know at the time, was that the ID Magazine I purchased that day would spark my next novel. I remember reading the issue's article, The Biggest Lies in World History. I came across a spread with an eerie photograph of a man in a wheelchair, his eyes wide and glazed. The man was paralyzed, and according to the explanation, he watched for months as a friend took advantage of his condition by giving orders in his name, and forging medical documents to back the scheme. What a nice basis for a creepy, odd fantastical novel! My favorite type. (Let I mention that the last novel I wrote was about a man losing his mind to memory and grief--while unconsciously leading a war against himself.)

Let me move on to my latest find: a nifty article published by Archaeology Magazine called, Secrets of A Civil War Shipwreck. It's an article about a shipwreck site that has recently been significantly uncovered by a series of hurricanes near Bermuda. The ship, called the Mary Celestia, was a blockade runner from the south, not only set against the Union but also its own government. It lasted a mere two years providing goods to the army as well as luxury items (like perfume) to the upperclass public. After the death of a captain, it's rumored the new pilot had been in cahoots with the government and ran the ship into a reef. Not only that, but someone on board is thought to have been doing his own business aside from the crew. So, how many illegal operations is that? I counted at least three. It's a huge article, but trust me when I say that it handed me a new plot. I'm talking beginning, middle, end. Calling, journey, climax. If you need more proof, I'll post my notes in the margins of the mag.

This is how fact can easily turn into the base of a fiction novel in the mind of a writer.

Needless to say, I love history.

On Travel and World Building

2011-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Not only is travel a very rewarding experience culturally, religiously, emotionally, mentally, and so on, it is also a venue that offers tremendous inspiration for my novels. I appreciate history books, but love any opportunity that lets me travel to a new place and soak up a new culture first hand. Writing fantasy novels takes a hunger for culture, religion, place, climate... A hunger for world building. So when I travel, I pay close attention to all the things that make the place different from my home. How is the weather different? What is the place's history? What motivates the individuals I meet? What do they believe in? All of that comes in handy when I'm developing my next novel. I ask the same questions of the places I create and the characters I meet within my own made-up worlds.

So let me put this in context to my latest novel, Dead of Knight. Above is the map that I followed.
I literally just finished writing and editing it, and it's being proofed. (In a separate post I'll talk about the places in my published novel A Kingdom's Possession, which were greatly inspired by the Puget Sound.)

Oftentimes, a character's motivation can be found in the place and culture they live in. Here's a cheap example: In The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, Frodo's ultimate goal is not to take the ring to the fires of Mordor, his goal is to save the Shire. His motivation for his entire journey can be found in the world building (not to mention that the world building is what makes that series great).

I can't say that I'm a world-traveler (though I'd like to), but I have done my fair share of traveling over the years. My high school was dedicated to experiential learning and travel, so I had the pleasure of going to many great places and experiencing many great things. In sixth grade (and again in seventh grade) I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Thailand and teach English in a small northern village. I've been to Texas, where I did service to help restore the planes in Big Bend National Park. I've also been to the mining towns in Pennsylvania to record oral histories from the miners, been on secure Native American reservations for a cultural immersion project, as well as many other more local trips in the Northwest.

For my newest novel, I took great advantage of my traveling experiences in the world building process. A character of mine was a sailor, another a ship captain. Living on the Puget Sound, in the home of the Wooden Boat Festival, I had many opportunities to be on the water sailing and also in motor boats. Places like Eresther and Amaray were inspired by seaside cities: the bluffs, the hills, and the long docks.

Tuzedo, the "exotic city" in the book, was greatly inspired by my time in Thailand, especially the busy streets of Bangkok and the night bazaars. However, to go with a realistic climate for the proximity of the places, Tuzedo was not made to be as tropical as Thailand. Culturally, it was driven by color, dancing, trading, and strange markets. Thailand was the perfect inspiration.

The country behind the Heavenly Barricade was reminiscent of being in Pennsylvania: rolling hills, tons of rivers, and forests mixed with evergreens as well as deciduous trees. Quelora, a mountainous and well forested town follows the same inspiration, as well as hints of the Northwest as well.

Rovalle, a place bombarded by storms, was heavily influenced by spending time on the Washington coast in the late fall and early spring. Rocks, wind, rain, waves, and cold.

There are more cities and towns, and each were based off of places I've been, the cultures I've studied or visited. Traveling and world building work hand in hand. But while I'm at home, I keep a "World Cultures" history book close by, just for fun.

Writing What I Don't Know: A Glimpse into My Creative Outlet

2011-08-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone back to school in the fall and had the teacher ask you to write a report about your summer? It could be about anything: your vacation, the family reunion, your day hike with your older brother, or your recent trip to the ER for stitches after your crashed your bike. My summers were never so eventful. Sure, I'd go back east to visit my relatives, take a day trip Lake Crescent, and ride my bike around the neighborhood, but it was boring to write even just a page about what I'd done over the summer. I used to get in trouble for fiction-izing my papers, whether it was giving a true story a more dramatic arc or adding something completely new to an otherwise bland story about my summer.

So this is my post about why I write. How I write to explore, rather than writing to go over something that's already happened. How I write to learn. How I go against the classic concept of "Write what you know" and instead, write what I don't know.

My debut novel, A Kingdom's Possession, focuses on the idea of freedom. Both of my major characters seek freedom all throughout the book. Max, an escaped slave, found herself free for only moments before a goddess came down from the heavens and claimed Max's body as a prison in her strange lifecycle. Johnny is a prince who escaped the demands of being heir to a kingdom five years ago, and now must go back home to save the realm. In the cases of both Max and Johnny, their leading struggle is regaining their freedom. At the time I wrote the novel, I was struggling with my own freedom. I occasionally felt stuck in my schoolwork or even simply in my own head, and just as my characters found their freedom as the story progressed, I found my freedom in writing.

The second novel I wrote was a sort of sequel to my first. It was essentially the backstory of Avaline, the mysterious mentor-like figure in Kingdoms. The novel, which I conveniently call Avaline, dealt more with moral issues than anything else. Things like adultery, murder, and rape. It had undertones of change, love, and persistence. It had a less-than-happy ending, with an equally rough start. Definitely not the YA novel that I'd written before. However, at that time in my life I was exploring those boundaries myself. Not to the physical extent as in the book, but nonetheless I was still testing the waters as far as right and wrong; finding out that things are not black and white, and that there are no distinct lines between the two.

Let me note here that I don't sit down to a novel thinking "I'd like to know ____ about myself, so let me write about it." It just happens. Why, I have no idea. Writing is my way of calming my mind and bringing myself back to center. I suppose it makes sense that my unconscious mind would apply the happenings in my life to my writing in some way or another.

My third novel had a different twist to it, not necessarily driven by the questions in my personal life, but questions I had in general. It was more conscious than my last two. Dead of Knight is about Orson, a king of two realms who goes to war with himself. It's also about Elise, Orson's disowned daughter who starts a rebellion against the war he started. It's a complicated book, told in the point of view of many different characters, from sailors to farmers as well as Elise and Orson. The major drive in the book is grief, found in the form of abandonment, a lack of acceptance, and the death of a loved one. None of those I was feeling at the time, yet I found it fun to explore those dark ideas through a set of unlikely characters. The most fun about this novel, however, was the "writing acrobatics" as I like to call it. Orson was not aware that he was at war with himself. His original grief caused him to develop an altar. One personality ruled one realm, one ruled the other. The book starts when they, Orson, declare war. A complicated book to write, let me say. But it was a great pleasure, and I love the book for it.

I'm currently in the middle of my fourth novel, so I won't talk about it here, but as you can see, each of my novels has its own questions that come up subconsciously while I'm writing. It's the very reason I write: not to make a re-run out of my past experiences, but to explore myself and my characters in a way that's new and fun.

Recipes: Zucchini Bars

2011-08-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

Aside from having the ability to talk about books, writing, and the current state of publishing for hours on end, I also have a fascination for cooking and baking. It allows me to listen to my favorite music, zone out, think about my characters or latest plot puzzle, AND I get rewarded with (hopefully) a great meal or treat when I'm done. Pretty awesome right? So I decided to share a few of my favorite recipes here on the blog. This post features my "famous" Zucchini Bars, a recipe I found in the house one day, hand written by a friend of my moms. They're super easy to make, I have a garden that explodes with zucchini and yellow summer squash every year (what else do I do with it?), and they are a great guilty-pleasure treat for breakfast! ...or whenever, really.

Ingredients:

3/4 C. Shortening
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs (free range, local eggs are best)
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 3/4 C. Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 C. Shredded Coconut
1 C. Chocolate Chips (I've found semisweet to be the winner)
2 C. Grated Zucchini (I typically use 1 small green zucchini and 1 small yellow zucchini or crookneck squash. If possible, save most of the juices from the grating process and add with the rest of it. That ensures that the bars come out of the oven with a good, moist texture.)

Process:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Cream shortening with sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together and mix in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold in coconut, chocolate chips, and zucchini. Pour into a prepared (and by that I mean buttered sides with a dusting of flour, or if I'm feeling lazy, I spray on a little Pam) 2x9x13 pan (although, I usually use a 2x8x8 glass pan instead, because I like the bars a little thicker). Bake for 35 minutes, with additional time if needed.

Frosting:

Beat together 2 T. Butter, 4 T. Milk, 2 Tsp. Vanilla, 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon, and 2 C. Confectioners Sugar and frost the bars while they're slightly warm.

Additional Notes: I usually frost the bars right before I eat. The frosting has a tendency to soak into bars, making them a little wet once they're a few days old. However I personally like them plain, since they're plenty sweet from the coconut and chocolate chips. In fact, if I'm looking for a more savory tasting bar, I'll half the chocolate chips or eliminate them from the recipe completely. Also, I actually prefer the bars when they're made with one zucchini and one yellow crookneck squash (or "summer squash" at some grocery stores). They're prettier with the mixture of yellow and green, plus they tend to bake and taste better. No idea why, but that's my experience.

Enjoy! And if you have questions, comments, suggestions to improve the recipe, or have variation ideas, please comment below!

The Liebster Award

2011-08-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

A special thanks to Katie Flanagan for nominating me for the Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is dedicated to promising blogs with under 200 followers. Not only is Katie a fantastic editor (she edited my novel A Kingdom's Possession for publication), she always has a great insight into the business and is a talented writer herself. I always enjoy her posts and would recommend her blog to any and all who enjoy reading and learning about reading, writing, and the book business.

So to spread the love, I'm going to nominate a few blogs for the Liebster Award:

1. Terry Persun: Not only is Terry my father, he is a successful writer with six published novels, various published chapbooks of poetry, and a non fiction book dedicated to helping writers interested in publishing with small independent presses. He writes technical articles for a living and runs an engineering magazine with a focus on entertainment. On his new blog, you'll find an array of posts on all those subjects.

2. Sarah Martinez is a fellow writer and friend with a great blog that includes book reviews, comments on the book business, and her experience in the art of writing.

My Inspiration Playlist (And a sneak peak into my latest novel)

2011-08-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

I don't believe in writer's block. There's always something I could write down, but occasionally I feel as though I'm lacking in inspiration. One of my other great loves besides writing is music. I played the violin for years, have a love for the piano, wish I could play the cello, and have been told by various musicians that I have an "ear for music." So it just goes to show that when I'm feeling less-than-inspired about my latest piece of writing, I listen to a few choice artists to get me back in the groove. Here, I've compiled a list of songs/artists that get me going again on those days when even a good coffee just doesn't do it for me.

First and foremost, I am a big fan of the artists that are a little more "out there" then what you will find on the average radio station. Charlotte Martin is a BIG favorite of mine. She has amazing range, a beautiful (and professionally trained) voice, she experiments, uses the piano like it's a part of her, and knows how to rock. Now, this is a very small list in comparison to my collection of her music, and there are many that I left off the list, but as far as inspiration is concerned, these are what come to mind. Here are my favorite songs (in no particular order) by Charlotte, over a whole slew of her albums:

Steel (my absolute favorite, if not just for the piano solo at the end)
Any Minute Now
Truth Cerium
On Your Shore (the live version from her album Veins)
Inch
Keep Me in Your Pocket
Days of the Week
Dancing on Needles
Animal
Redeemed

Another favorite of mine, who I suppose is a little more mainstream, is James Blunt. In fact, one of his songs was THE inspiration for my latest/ favorite novel. The book's working title is Dead of Knight. It's about a king of two realms who goes to war with himself. His madness derives from the suicide of his wife, sexual abuse as a child, and the belittlement of being a second son in a land where the first born are celebrated. The song that inspired it was James Blunt's Same Mistake. The first time I heard it, I was in the car with my dad. When the song came to the place where Blunt sings:

And so I sent some men to fight
and one came back at dead of night
said he'd seen my enemy
said he looked just like me
so I set out to cut myself
and here I go

I remember telling dad, "I could write a book about that." And that's just what I did. Now, here's the list of my James Blunt favorites that get me back into a creative space:

Same Mistake
1973
Carry You Home
I Can't Hear the Music
Wisemen
Out of My Mind
Dangerous
Billy

And here's a few more, by random artists that I also love:

Jackson Browne: Doctor My Eyes, These Days, Fountain of Sorrow, and The Barricades of Heaven (which inspired a mountain range in my latest novel world).
Jewel: Barcelona, Down So Long, Do You, and Hands.
Keane: Somewhere Only We Know
Lucy Schwartz: Graveyard, Rain City, Life in Letters, and Gone Away.
Missy Higgins: Where I Stood, Secret, The Wrong Girl, The River, and the bonus song after The Sound of White
Coldplay: Amsterdam, Cemeteries of London, Yes, Violet Hill, Swallowed in the Sea
Fleetwood Mac: Tusk, Murrow Turning Over in His Grave, Red Rover, Peacekeeper
Gavin Rossdale: The Skin I'm In, This is Happiness, Frontline, Forever May You Run, The Trouble I'm In.
The Perishers: Sway, My Heart, Come Out of the Shade
Sarah McLachlan: Time, Don't Give up on Us, Out of Tune, Fallen, Train Wreck
Vertical Horizon: Underwater, Inside, Shackled.
Yes: I Am Waiting, Real Love.

Of course, I could list 100 more, but those are my top picks. What are your inspiration songs?

YA Thoughts on the YA Debate

2011-07-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of talk about young adult fiction lately. As a young adult myself (with a novel being marketed as a young adult novel), I get asked a lot about the recent shifts in content. After so many comments and questions, I finally decided to do a post. So here it is: YA Thoughts on the YA Debate.

So first of all, the debate is this: is YA fiction getting too dark? Are the themes getting too real for teens to handle? Shouldn't YA present stories of beauty and joy, rather than brutality and loss? It seems that everyone is getting in on the debate: the Wall Street Journal ran a piece on this very topic. NPR wrote a response countering the opinions implied from the WSJ. So we've heard what the adults have to say, but what about those of us who are the topic of choice, who are the young adults? Here's what I have to say:

First off, I think this is not so much a debate over the content in the YA genre, but a debate of what the YA genre is. I've heard that the young adult genre should have censored content, like a PG movie. And books classified for teens should be more along the lines of PG13. On the other hand, many seem to think that YA is defined by the characters: it's young adult if it's about young adults. As a teen myself, I prefer the latter. I like to think that the genre can be about any theme as long as the characters are young. And there's something great in that: an agent once told me that young adult novels should basically be adult novels told in the point of view of characters who have little past experience to guide them. If anything, that should make YA novels more raw, and in her opinion, "beautiful." The last thing a teen wants is to be talked down to. When I was young, I veered away from young adult novels (and went straight to adult) because I felt as though YA novels were not as complex, and it made me feel as though "they" (whoever was marketing the novels as YA) thought little of me.

However, though the darker subjects that have become undertones in YA intrigue me, I still believe that any dark or graphic themes should be made clear in the back cover copy. Readers who are particularly sensitive shouldn't stumble upon a dark topic in a novel. Everyone should know up-front before the book is purchased.

But I believe that by no means should writers censor their novels or cease to write about serious topics like sex, drugs, or suicide.

I read to explore. I read to learn about myself. Months ago I read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and loved it completely. It was fast paced, it was fairly dark, and it made me think. It's no light book. Half of it is told in the point of view of a girl who has already committed suicide. The thing that I loved most about it was the conversations it provoked. I had long conversations with my friends about suicide, our opinions on what the main character should have done, and what we would do if we knew a person who was showing signs of depression. I have reason to believe that this book has the potential to save a lot of suicidal teens. Asher took a once-taboo topic and brought it out into the open.

Why should teens be sheltered from these themes? What better to remove them from life and let them contemplate something like suicide within the safe pages of a book? I think the same goes for sex and drugs and cutting yourself and whatever else can be found in the pages of the popular YA novels nowadays. I think that by getting those subjects out into the open, teens will be more willing and comfortable talking about them with their parents and other trusted adults. By opening up, getting educated, and allowing teens to read more dreary things, we can prevent more suicides, more unplanned pregnancies, and more troubled childhoods.

I also want to mention that I'm not saying that teens should only be reading about vampires or abuse or what-have-you. We should all broaden our horizons. We should all think. We should all learn to learn from what we read. We should all, in some way or another, get to know ourselves better as we read, as we form opinions and think about the situations presented in any novel.

I look at the YA debate this way too: if a teen craves oozing horror, complex plots, moral boundaries, and other "dark" themes, They. Will. Find. It. Period. They will read Stephen King novels, they will read dark fantasy, epics, and if they can't find it in the YA section, they will look elsewhere. That's what I did. That's what many of my friends did. In fact, I was never really interested in YA until it started pushing the boundaries a little bit. It never made me want to do any of those dark things inside the pages, it just made me think about them. What's wrong with a little contemplation?

Overall, I'm fine with a little darkness spilling into the YA section, as long as it's noted somewhere on the front or back cover. I'm all for teens gaining a little perspective. It's important in our growth that we're safely exposed to things. That way, for example, if we learn that a friend has developed a drug problem, we know how to get them help.

So, those are my thoughts on the YA debate. If you have more questions, post them in a comment. I'm happy to share more thoughts.

How it Started

2011-07-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is the extended bio from my website, but I figured I'd stick it on my blog as well. The post is about how my writing career began. I feel very blessed to have started my writing career so early. In fact, it feels a little surreal. And I consider it rare. That's why I continually stay motivated to market my work, stay involved in the writing community, update myself on the ever-changing book business, and most of all, keep writing.

So here goes: How it started:

My father always says, “Learn the rules, then break them.” Most of the time, that’s something I live by.

I was 13 when I started writing, and 15 when I decided I truly wanted to be a writer. My close friends and family were supportive from the beginning, but I life was not without the occasional comment, “What’s your plan B?” At first, I didn’t understand what that meant. I knew making a living as a writer was difficult, but that had never stopped me before. My parents are firm believers in doing what you love, despite the hardships. I went to a high school that took students to other countries every year to learn. By the time I started my first novel, I’d taught English to kids in Thailand twice. I’d grown up in a house where happiness dictated decisions, not money. I didn’t understand the concept of keeping work separate from play.

I was not, however, oblivious to the fact that writing was a hard path to take. I had read many books on the craft, marketing, and the business. I’d attended the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association conference the same year I started writing, and had learned about the difficulties writers come by when trying to publish. I was well aware that my love of writing also came with the thorns of rejection.

Everywhere I turned, something was there to tell me that writing would not be an easy thing to incorporate into my life. My parents encouraged my dreams, yet ensured that I understood the risks and rewards. My teachers and friends were no different: warning, yet supportive.

In my senior year in high school, I devoted my senior project to writing. I covered three aspects: The Individual, The Community, and The Business. Instead of doing the required 100 hours of time on the project, I spent an estimated 600 hours over the course of the year. It was more than a project for me: it was the beginning of my career. I got more involved with volunteering for the PNWA, went to workshops, met agents and editors, wrote an article for an arts journal called Line Zero, and started sending out queries to choice agents and presses in hopes of getting a book contract.

I knew it was far fetched. In fact, I was in New Orleans doing service work with my school when I heard about my first rejection. Despite the fact that I’d worked on the novel for three years and it was my dream to get my writing out there, the rejection didn’t faze me. I sent it out again, and again.

Just two months later, my father came to school to pick me up, and in his hand was a book contract from Booktrope, a small independent press based in Seattle. I was 16 at the time, and a month off from my graduation. I signed it that night, and the rest is history.

How I Write: The Beginning of a New Novel

2011-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Every writer has their process, and I am no different. I recently finished the first draft of my third novel, and am now proofing, fixing inconsistencies, and filling plot holes. And while I sum up my third adventure, I look toward my fourth with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. As I wonder if this one will be better than the last (because the last one was a load of fun), the characters are rising to the surface of my creative space, and sooner or later I'll have to write them down. With commencement day nearing, I've been re-evaluating my process, and preparing for what's ahead. This novel will be different. Instead of fantasy, it will be historical fantasy. Not only that, but I'm writing within a fantastical world that my father (published writer Terry Persun) created, so there's rules I have to follow. I'm a big proponent of breaking the rules, but this is a challenge I'm eager to work with. So anyway, here it is: How I Write: The Beginning of a New Novel.

1. To outline, or not to outline? That is the question.
I am a firm believer of the "organic" writing process, therefore, I don't outline. But it's much like jumping in the deep end of a pool without a life jacket: there's no telling whether I will sink or swim with this one. My only flotation device is my research. That includes historical research regarding place, culture, politics, etc. (for fantasy, there's little difference, except that instead of reading history books, I tap into my creative pool and create a map, culture, politics, etc.) My research also includes character sketches, where I write a rough-draft version of my character's back story and physical traits. (The more refined draft happens when I'm writing, where I begin to learn the character for who he or she is, and how their past shaped them.)

Though I don't have a true chapter by chapter outline, I still have an idea of what I'm doing. I don't like to start a book until I know the beginning and the climax. How the characters go from beginning to climax is up to them, and the falling action falls accordingly.

2. How the hell do you keep track?
No lie, before I start a book, I go to Office Max (or something like that) and pick up a cork-board, a stack of 3x5 cards (colorful ones, because hey, it's supposed to be fun), and a box of push pins. I also pick up a 3-ring binder. In the binder goes my research, so I can file away my references. On the board goes the working title of my new novel (even if it sucks) and the map (real or from my head). While I'm working, I'll tack up 3x5 cards to help me keep track of future ideas, point out things to fix in draft 2, and a list of minor characters (because I have enough going in my head. I often don't remember the hair color of so-and-so six chapters later, so I consult my board). Oh, and I forgot to mention, I hang the board above my computer, so it's close by.

As I write, I also have a file open next to the novel that consists of a table with chapter information. It includes the chapter number, the location of the character, a brief description of the events that take place, the viewpoint character and how many times I switch POV within a chapter (if I have multiple POVs), the page range, and the number of words. I have a table below the chapter information that has the header "what the reader knows" and is organized chapter by chapter.

3. When do you write?
I want to give my novel my best, so it only makes sense that I write first thing in the morning, when I'm fresh. It depends on the time of year, but as a general rule, I get up 2 hours before my day starts. During school, I'd get up between 4:30 and 6 am. In the summer, that looks more like 7 or 8 am.

4. How do you go about writing?
In the first draft, to remember what comes next and get into the proper voice, I read what I wrote the day before, and do a light edit. That way, I don't start cold when I jump back into the story.

In the second draft, I simply read and edit for typos and inconsistencies (on the cork board from the first draft, and ones find while I read). I also tighten up imagery, actions, dialogue, etc. In this case, I don't read what I did before, because there's no need for me to get into the proper voice.

Regardless of the draft, I like to work on a novel 2 hours per day.

5. How many words do you write per day?
On average I write between 1,200 and 1,600 words per day in the first draft (and come in "contact" with double that, since I edit what was there the day before).

In the second draft, I'll do1-2 chapters per day, depending on their length. In my last book, the chapters were about 3,000 words each, so I liked to shoot for 2 chapters edited in two hours.

6. Third person or first?
My YA book that just got picked up is in first person narrative, but I like third person specific better. I had a blast writing my last novel, because it was in third person specific for six different points of view. I think you can get inside a character's head better in third than in first. I know that sounds strange, but think of it this way: In third person, you can say, "Jon grinned, trying to mask his feeling of terror. He told himself it'd be alright, but for some reason he still felt lost." In first person, Jon is the one speaking, and if he's denying his fear even to himself, why would he tell the reader about it? Also, third person allows me to add more imagery in the scenes. In first person, it's all by reaction of the character, and if he or she is familiar with the place, they won't be talking about it.

My fourth book will be in third person specific to two points of view.

7. How long are your books, and do you know how big they'll be when you start?
Currently, they range between 78,000 and about 113,000 words (although the big one is shrinking as I edit).

When I start a book, I usually know how big the story idea is. In other words, my word-count guess for my last book was 90,000 because I knew it had many points of view and the plot had more room for events. Of course, I was off by about 25,000, but I knew it'd be bigger than my usual.

As for my next book, well, I think it'll be about 80,000. But we'll see.

So that's how I write, and what I'm up to at the moment. If you have other questions about my process or my new novel, ask me in a comment!

5 Ways to Help a Fellow Author Sell Their Book

2011-07-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here's 5 things that readers and fellow authors can do to help sell their favorite books.

1. Review every book you love on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc.
2. Announce every book you love on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.
3. Tell all your friends and relatives to buy a copy.
4. Buy extra copies as gifts (especially if you're attending a book signing. Signed copies make great gifts, because they're more personal).
5. Sign up on the author's newsletter.