Pet Peeves

So, I was sitting in my Transitions Workshop today, and we were all talking about things that push your buttons. And I thought -- I read a lot. And there are a lot of things that push my buttons in literature. So...I thought I would share a few, and maybe -- if anyone actually reads this blog -- maybe people will tell me in the comments section what sort of things in books push their buttons.

1. The Attitude Towards Death In Novels

If any author wants to kill off one of their characters, fine. If an author wants to kill its lead character, that's fine too -- after all, that was one of the bigger elements in 1940s cinema and it worked -- but whatever you do, don't write your main character's death in the first person. A finishing epilogue in the third person isn't such that bad of an idea, but it drives me bonkers to read a character writing their life's story all the way up until their final breath. In one book I read, the lead character wrote her story all the way up until her death -- in the water. VC Andrews' ghostwriters, I'm looking at you here -- you all are the worst for it.

2. Lack of Depth To A Character

I've always looked at creating a character like they're Michael Corleone from the Godfather. That, to me, is one of the most well-crafted characters of all time. The change, the depth, the range; it's what I strive my characters to be like, and I think it's what other authors should do with their characters. I feel that EVERY writer should know their characters like the back of their hand and should be able to tell you EVERYTHING about them. I also feel every good writer has an attachment to their protagonists in some way. If you can't feel attached, then why should your readers be attached? If you don't care about the characters, it shows to the readers.

3. Spelling Errors

Believe it or not, I've seen these in books. I read one book, an adaptation of The Burning Bed case, and it was just rife with spelling errors. I've also read a few with a couple of errors. It makes me want to throttle their editors. Spelling errors is one of my biggest pet peeves, and it just rips me completely out of the book.

More News!

Wow...it finally feels like things are getting rolling.

So, where am I standing at the moment? Between workshop seminars, bedrooms flooding and the otherworldly chaos that life can throw at us sometimes, I've managed to get at least six chapters edited. I've added a few more scenes and a few more things to give the characters a more unique voice.

I have also managed to get in touch with my good friend Reena Bains, the basis for my character of Grace Heartilly, to do a cover for my book, which she should hopefully have done for December. Thankfully for me, she's agreed to do my cover, which is a huge honor and a privilege. Reena is an incredibly talented artist and the only person that I could think of to ask. The fact that she's agreed has made me happier than words can ever express.

I am also in the process of trying to think of a title for this saga. It's hard, I have to confess, trying to find something that will suit the story but pack a punch. There's such a rich tapestry I have here with Mirella, and I am really very thankful for everybody's support during this incredibly rewarding process. Somewhere along the way, Mirella became something of my vicarious daughter, a character that I relate and am attached to. It's a great feeling.

Mirella's saga is now going to span into five books, detailing her struggles and the decline of her world. It's a bold statement, but I'd like to think she's something of a Michael Corleone character, someone who is always changing, always torn between that side of trying to do right and the other side of being sucked into their environment. It's a difficult dichotomy, but I think it's a great way to look at character development.

Also, I'm starting to draft up the thank yous and acknowledgements for the beginning of the book. I have a lot of people to thank for their patience, their love and their support. I've also got a lot of bands to thank, as giving the characters specific musicians to listen to helped me develop them into different characters.

More updates are on the way, but at the moment, I'm just adding new scenes and editing. I'm also contemplating putting up another preview, but I'm unsure of what passage.

Big Novel News!

Hello, everyone! Wow, it's been ages since I've been on here. Moving tends to make things jumbled, however.

So, an update on the first novel in the series: it's finished! I am currently up to my elbows in Latin and Italian translations, research notes and re-edits. At twenty-four chapters long -- twenty-six if you include the prologue and epilogue -- I'm proud to say that the first draft is finally all finished.

So, what's next, I suppose becomes the next question. I've currently got about four chapters re-edited, some characters re-tweaked and made a few changes to the structure and language of the characters. It's been one of the most frustrating, yet rewarding processes I've ever undertaken, and I am so proud of myself for making it through an idea. Once my re-editing process is over, then I plan on handing it off to a couple of people to take a look at it with a fresh eye. From there, who knows, but I feel like what I have in my hands is pretty special.

Any writer out there will more than likely admit that they have hundreds, if not thousands, of ideas floating around that they've never really finished or explored. John Grisham admits it in the introduction of my edition of A Time To Kill. I will most certainly admit that I'm horrible for not finishing ideas; on top of this series, I also have a bunch of other stories on the go as well. Will I finish most of them? I hope so. But it depends how much I get into the next idea.

Mirella's series was initially started with the idea of being a trilogy. Somewhere along the way it's spawned into a whopping five novels, and maybe more down the line if I really start getting into it. I find that I've become very attached to Mirella Cannellucci, a character that I have spent two years breathing life into. I've crafted everything from birthdays, appearances, tattoos, her behavior, her habits, her music likes, her movie likes. I've spent so much time crafting her into a strong, yet conflicted character, that I feel like she could be my daughter. I'm sure this is how Anne Rice felt creating Lestat, or how Charlaine Harris felt creating the amazing Sookie Stackhouse, or -- in the vein of my novels -- how Laurell K. Hamilton felt crafting Anita Blake.