Never Give Up!

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Hello! Remember me? You probably don't, seeing as I haven't contributed a post here for longer than I'd care to admit. But I am still alive, and I wanted to pop by and give you all a motivational message. *nods firmly*

I am a procrastinator, and therefore rarely manage to finish things that aren't important. I finish the stuff that needs to be done, but not so much the stuff that should be done. It's a lifelong habit, and one that I'm never likely to break.

So when I started writing back in - 2004? 2005? - I never really thought that I could ever produce more than a few short stories. Initially I wrote fan fiction. A really bad first one, followed by marginally better ones. I had a place where I posted a number of short stories - no more than a couple of thousand words long - and I had a few longer length stories, which I updated (in)frequently. Now, to understand the severity of my dithering, I will tell you that I only finished four of the longer length stories, and apart from the first one, they all took a couple of years to write. I unfortunately had an equal amount of unfinished works. So my record wasn't that great.

Now, back in 2009, I finally gave in a joined the NaNoWriMo event that everyone was urging me to sign up to. I also started my own blog - and to further demonstrate my procrastinating habit, it is worth noting that in three and a half years, I'm still a couple of posts away from my 300th blog entry. *shifty*

BUT!!

I did finish my NaNo adventure! Which is GOOD!! Though I proceeded to let it collect dust for two whole years, which is BAD. *shifty once more*

You see how my dithering is a problem? But this is supposed to be a motivational post, and this is the bit that I wanted to share with you.

After letting it sit for so long, I went back and tidied up my manuscript. True, I then waited another six months before doing anything with it, but I was on the right track. Back in September last year, I subbed it to a couple of publishers, not expecting anything groundbreaking to happen. I was, of course, correct, and duly heard back from both publishers in January, saying 'thanks, but no thanks'.

So where is this motivational message?? Well, I decided to send out to another four publishers, and if I had the same response, I decided I would overhaul the manuscript before subbing it further. But shock of shocks, I heard back within a couple of weeks, and it was a big fat 'YES'!! This was early in February, and on April 29th, just a few short weeks away, my NaNo baby will be released as an e-book!

Now, you'll notice that I haven't mentioned the title of my book, or any identifying details at all really, because this post isn't about me. Well, technically it is, as I've told you my story (which is, after all, all about me) but I needed to demonstrate the reasoning behind my motivational meanderings. *nods again*

You see, if I can do it, so can YOU!!

So... never give up, and just keep swimming!

Asian-Inspired Fantasy

Okay, hands up - how many of you have read a fantasy set in some kind of quasi-European-medieval world?  Given the rampant popularity of series like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, probably nearly everyone who reads any fantasy at all, I'm guessing.  But an interesting new trend has been making its way into English-language fantasy in the past few years, and that's worldbuilding inspired by Asian cultures instead, and I for one find it quite refreshing.  Here are a few titles to whet your appetites - feel free to add more in the comments!

Dark Heavens and Journey to Wudang - Kylie Chan

Two linked trilogies set in modern-day Hong Kong with more than a little overlay of mythic gods and demons - weekend escape, check!  Australian national Emma Donahoe is hired as the nanny for motherless 4-year-old Simone - and then all hell breaks loose (okay, okay, not ALL hell, just some of the lesser denizens - at least at first).  With ancient Chinese deities like the White Tiger popping over for tea, martial arts like they've never shown in the movies, and a host of very relatable characters populating the roles, these are highly enjoyable Australian imports that kept me flipping pages well past bedtime.


Vessel - Sarah Beth Durst

Durst is an extremely flexible writer (her previous YA title was Drink, Slay, Love - teen vampires AGAIN), and Vessel is set in what feels like a quasi-Mongolian desert society. Liyana is the Goat Clan's chosen representative to host their deity - basically meaning that her mind will die and the goddess possesses her body for the rest of its life.  Nevertheless, she follows all the rituals and preparations, yet when the day arrives, the goddess does not.  Abandoned by her tribe, she is found by a boy whose god DID arrive, who tells her that quite a few of the deities seem to have gone AWOL...  Well-written and highly enjoyable, with a side-plot that seems totally separate until they finally merge.

Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale

More Mongolian-inspired scenery here, with a side of the Brothers Grimm. Dashti, a maid from the lower (or "mucker") class, gets herself walled up in a tower with her mistress, Lady Saren, who has refused to marry - well, a jerk, basically.  Their sentence is for seven years, but after they are abandoned and forgotten, Dashti manages to get them out - and then it REALLY gets good.  This is my favourite of Hale's books (and I think I've read them all, save the graphic novels {I just don't do those}), despite it being one of the few standalones.  So very very lovely.  Go read it.

 
Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer

While we're on the fairy-tale thing, how about a Cinderella story set in post-WWIV New Beijing? Except Cinderella is a cyborg, and only one of the stepsisters is horrible, and there are androids and plague and oh yeah, there's a whole society on the moon, and boy are THEY scary...  Yeah.  Try to keep up.  This is projected to be a 4-book series, the first two of which are already out (Cinder and Scarlet), each one based on a different fairy tale but part of the same story arc (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White, if you're curious).  The worldbuilding is thorough and very believable, the pacing is fast, and even though you know how those fairy tales end, it's a brilliant ride getting there.

Prophecy - Ellen Oh

It's probably time for a side trip to Korea by now. Kira is niece to the king, bodyguard to her cousin the prince, and generally feared and loathed by the general public for her demon-slaying skills (which no one is really supposed to know about... but everyone knows about).  I really like the premise and the story (with three treasures to find, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a trilogy), but I have to say I wasn't too thrilled with the writing.  The voice was somehow too modern for the setting, and most of the obstacles they faced were overcome a bit too easily for a YA title (Young Reader, okay, but the girl is 17 here).  I'm hoping that gets fixed in the next one, because it's really quite promising, it just fell flat.

City of a Thousand Dolls - Miriam Forster

Here we have a bit of a mashup of Southern Asia and Eastern Asia, complete with a two-child limit per family and a rather novel solution to the dreaded extra-girls problem (note the sarcasm, please).  Orphaned or unwanted female children are dumped off at the City of a Thousand Dolls, and once assigned to one of six houses, they go about their lives learning what they'll need to know to be wives, apprentices, or what-have-you.  Except for Nisha - she's not a part of any house, but the Matron's assistant, who thinks she'll finally be "Redeemed" and get to leave... except wait, murder mystery time!  I do love it when my favourite genres get mixed, and this one has cats thrown in there too, so yep, right up my alley!

Eon - Allison Goodman

Yeah, I've mentioned this one before, whatever, I LOVE IT.  Here our main mythology is inspired by the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, each of which has an energy dragon associated with it.  It's also full of wonderful characters, a hell of a lot of gender-bending, quests and battles and DRAGONS, woo-hoo!  The cripple Eon presents himself as a candidate to be chosen by one of the dragons - except he's a she in disguise, and lo and behold, the Dragon Dragon (aka the Mirror Dragon, who hasn't been seen in centuries) turns up and chooses her.  Cue chaos.  Only two in this "series", but they're amazing.


Throne of the Crescent Moon - Saladin Ahmed

Hey, the Arabian peninsula is still part of Asia.  We've got ghuls (and the guys who hunt them), we've got thieves, we've got murder and mayhem and snotty royals and - okay, I admit it, I haven't finished this one yet (had to take my roommate out for dinner for her birthday, and I forgot to factor that in to my reading time.  Oops.).  So far, though, I'm really enjoying this tale, even if I do have the "Arabian Nights" song from Disney's Aladdin totally running on repeat through my head now.  The writing is very sensory - after I read the first chapter, I just had to go make myself a mug of chai, so be warned.  Warned is probably not the right word here - it's immersive though, which, when there's a foot of snow on the ground outside and a desert in the pages, is just fine with me!

Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff

Okay, I admit I haven't read this one yet, but I'm adding it on the strong recommendation of a trusted friend.  Besides, Japanese steampunk?  Yes please!  It starts off with a pretty polluted Japan (which is weird right off the bat), there appears to be some kind of griffin-like creature, and a kick-ass 16-year-old heroine.  Yep, sounds good to me, sign me up!  Erm, after I finish the previous one on this list.  So I got a little over-ambitious, what else is new?

Wordless Wednesday: Weaving Dreams

So, I  don't feel comfortable giving writing advice to our readers who are already established authors. I am a fledgling writer and still need more development in organizing my thoughts into a cohesive, coherent and sophisticated fictional tale.  However, I decided to go the other route.  No descriptive paragraphs.  Just pictures.  Just dreams.  Weaving dreams.

Arlington Row, Bibury, UK

Sheep Meadow, Central Park

Graz University

Heart Nebula

Luau Sampler

Soho Loft

Cairn Lagoon

Happy Birthday, Leanne!

DUDE!  Happy birthday!

Look, everybody knows!

even the hedgies...

erm... and him... hummina hummina...

Or the value pack...

All topped off with a viola cake...

Have a fantastic birthday. Leanne!!!

Monday Musings: Chary's thoughts on A-Z 2013 Challenge

I'm really excited about this A-Z Challenge.  I attempted them in the past and never really pulled through to the end.  Okay, I abysmally failed after the first week.  Like a paradigm shift, I realized where I went wrong- I didn't PLAN AHEAD.  I don't have an explanation why nor do I even understand how this incredibly essential component of a month-long bloghop eluded me for so long. 

However, this has been remedied.  So far, I have decided on the theme, drabbles and photographs.  By doing this now, there will be more time for me to visit blogs in April.  



Drabble- n. story told in exactly 100 words.
Word-count Tool


I will be participating on the A-Z 2013 Challenge on Bronx Tales & Inner Musings.  Come and join the fun!  For more information, please click here.

Take care,
Chary

Reading Monday: Book Review

Hello sweetie!!!  Dr. River Song here . . . Oh wait, nope.  Chary here bringing you my current reading list book review thingamajiggy with an additional recommendation from my nine-year-old daughter, Zionne.  With family, graduate school and work, you are probably thinking, "How does she do it?"  I have no flipping idea.  I sneak-read on my iPad as often as I can- on the train, on the bus, even on the boat.  I kid you not.  On Staten Island, we are accustomed to three forms of transportation when venturing into Manhattan.  But I digress . . . 

Just Read-
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I made the mistake of watching the movie and then reading the book.  I was somewhat skeptical at first, however, I truly enjoyed reading this science fiction, young adult novel.  The protagonist, John and his protector, Henri are alien life forms from a planet called Lorien.  They are being chased by the Mogadorians, a barbaric alien race that has laid waste to Lorien.  John must master his emerging supernatural powers before he can claim his Legacy.

I have also read several textbooks, specializing in education law and policy, but will not give a review.  I don't want to kill you with legal and educational jargon.  :)

Currently Reading-
At my job, we decided to begin a book club.  Well, only a handful of people in our school office have joined but word will spread of all our partying and fun and they will come.  Book Club at my job, really in my office

The Between by Tananarive Due

Because I have just begun to read this science fiction novel, here is amazon.com book snippet:

When Hilton was just a boy, his grandmother sacrificed her life to save him from drowning. Thirty years later, he begins to suspect that he was never meant to survive that accident, and that dark forces are working to rectify that mistake.

When Hilton's wife, the only elected African-American judge in Dade County, FL, begins to receive racist hate mail, he becomes obsessed with protecting his family. Soon, however, he begins to have horrible nightmares, more intense and disturbing than any he has ever experienced. Are the strange dreams trying to tell him something? His sense of reality begins to slip away as he battles both the psychotic threatening to destroy his family and the even more terrifying enemy stalking his sleep. Chilling and utterly convincing, The Between follows the struggles of a man desperately trying to hold on to the people and life he loves, but may have already lost. The compelling plot holds readers in suspense until the final, profound moment of resolution.

 Zionne's pick of the week for the little kiddies is:

Sweet Farts, Book 1 by Raymond Bean  

Yes, my daughter chose a book about the expulsion of methane from one's anus.  In the words of Mrs. Puff, "Why?  Spongebob!  Why?"  However, perhaps it is a grade school thing but somehow kids just love anything that is gross!  Anywho, that is a whole other post.

This is a hilarious book about the protagonist's, Keith, adventure in finding a cure for the fart.  He endeavors on a scientific journey of discovering the conversion of a foul-smelling, noxious fume into a sweet, delectable and enticing aroma of heavenliness.  To keep it simple, he is making Sweet Farts!  My daughter highly recommends this book for individuals of all ages.  

For channel 4 news, I'm Veronica Corningstone.  Thanks for stopping by San Diego. . . Damn, can't keep up with all these personalities!  

Take care and have a great week,
Chary Perez

ALA Winners

Okay, so I'm the adult who reads a ton of kidlit, so what?  It's better than ever these days, and Monday's list of award winners had many wonderful titles on it (especially the Morris, for a debut author, which went to Seraphina which is totally still my favourite book, yay!  Also, I love Tamora Pierce and I'm psyched she got the Edwards).  As ever, the list is a great place to start if you're looking for quality and don't have a clue which of the hundreds of lovely covers on the shelves to open first.  I have to say though, I was pretty surprised by the Printz list (that's the teen one), which for the second year in a row included mostly titles I'd never heard of before the winners were announced.

Now, I'm not saying I'm some kind of all-knowing book guru (all my friends are rolling their eyes at me behind my back right now, I know they are), but not only do I read a TON (we're talking 10-15 books a WEEK here, people {yes, frequently more than one a day}) but I actually work in a bookstore.  And receive newsletters from two more.  And can't pass one without going in.  So is the question "how did I miss these?" or is it "where did they find these?"

Especially since one of them figures in multiple categories.  And one of them is about an Aspie (a topic dear to my heart).  Where did these books come from?  It can't be a bad thing for these books to get more exposure - I read the summaries, they do indeed sound very interesting - so where have they been?  Where's the marketing?  And how did they get to the committee without it?

I'm going to go ponder those questions while I finally get around to reading Code Name Verity - which is one of the ones I HAVE heard of.  And boy does it sound fantastic...