Wednesday, June 4, 2014

What's Up Wednesday, June 4, 2014

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime and Erin Funk, to help connect writers on this writing journey.  If you want to join the fun, you can sign up here.

For those of you who are new to WUW, here are the headings we are using:

WHAT I'M READING
WHAT I'M WRITING

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO



WHAT I'M READING


The plan was to read Scarlet this week and then stop reading, but when the library informed me that my copy of Cress was available, I just couldn't help myself. I'm about half way through Cress. It is so much fun. Anyone who hasn't already figured out how good a series featuring a half cyborg/half alien princess can be--pick up Cinder right now! These are awesome books.

                    

WHAT I'M WRITING

This week has been a strange hodgepodge of writing...Pyromancy is written in journal form, but we don't bother dating the journal entries until we're ready for beta readers. So this week I've been figuring out the dates and adding chapter headings, and making sure the timeline is right. It's going remarkably well.

We've also been thinking about the final book in the series, because we need to get it outlined before we can publish Pyromancy. We need to be certain we add all the details necessary to make the ending book of the series run smoothly. All my best ideas got used up in Pyromancy, which is why I am so grateful to have coauthors who can get my creative juices moving again. They've got Ideas. So much fun.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

My coauthors, Sheena Boekweg and Sabrina West. It's funny how we can be writing the same story and sometimes have three different versions of where we think it is going.  We've been writing the Prophecy Breakers series for more than 2 years now. We've all had highs and lows and life hasn't always been easy for any of us. But they are professional and dedicated and fun. When life gets difficult, we dust ourselves off and keep going. I wish every author could have this kind of a learning experience. I can't even begin to describe how many ways they've helped me be a better writer. 

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

I have been crazy sick. It's hard for me to admit. I've been in denial for such a long time, pushing through pain because I thought the pain was there because I wasn't good enough. When I finally broke down and went to the doctor, they said my inflammation levels were sky high, and referred me to a rheumatologist. Then allergies hit suddenly and hard, plus a sinus infection, and I really thought I might be dying. Things have gotten much better, so no worries. But I'm learning that I have no idea how to nurture myself, and I think I've got to learn--fast!


20 comments:

  1. Ohhh I always meant to read Cinder - is the series really good? Oh man, it sounds like you've been really unwell - i hope you feel better soon!

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    1. Thank you! I really enjoyed Cinder, but Cress was definitely my favorite in the series.

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  2. Yikes, it sounds like you were really hit with sickness! Glad everything is better now--writing is hard enough as it is, you don't need additional problems on top of it.

    I hope you keep enjoying CRESS--I read CINDER and really enjoyed it, but haven't gotten around to the others yet. They're on my never-ending TBR…

    Have a great week!

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  3. Sorry to hear you've been so unwell. Glad to hear you're on the mend :)

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  4. That stinks that you were so sick. Happy to hear you're feeling better. I have to say, the CINDER series is one of my favourites ever. So good! I think it's great that she's taken familiar fairy tales and run wild with them. I mean, cyborgs? Who would have thought that would be awesome? I've never really thought about co-authoring anything, but that could be really cool! Hope you have a wonderful week!

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    1. Yes, the cyborg thing REALLY threw me. I think it was WUW that finally convinced me this series was one I didn't want to miss.

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  5. Sorry you've been sick! Enjoy Cress, I loved it! Maybe it'll help take your mind off the sickness for a bit.

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    1. Reading Cress definitely made being sick more enjoyable. I love losing myself in stories filled with people like Thorne. :)

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  6. I really need to read Cinder and the rest of the books. If for nothing else because the covers are amazing!

    So sorry to hear you've been sick! That is the worst! As a mother, we don't really get to "check out", even when we're sick. Hope you feel better soon!

    I think it is so cool how you, Sheena, and Sabrina are able to write together. That must take skill!

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    1. Thanks Kristen! Sheena, Sabrina and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It was just blind luck that our writing styles melded together so well. I don't know if I would be brave enough to jump into anything like this again, but I'm so glad I did it at least once.

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  7. It's wonderful that you're so inspired by your co-authors. It sounds like you must have an awesome relationship.

    So sorry to hear you've been sick and in pain. That's awful, and I really hope you get some answers and relief. And allergies on top of it? I have year round allergies that flare up like crazy this time of year, so I know how cruddy that one is to deal with. Hang in there!

    I'm thrilled that you're enjoying The Lunar Chronicles so much. I had a hard time putting them down too! :)

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    1. Thank you. And we do have an awesome relationship. It's been amazing, though it isn't always easy.

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  8. Hahaha... Okay, so I don't think I've ever been to your blog before, and was super confused by your use of "we" until I got to "My coathors..." Lol. I probably do that to people all the time by using first person plural for my blog partner and me, I guess.

    And...wow. I am so sorry to hear that you've been that sick. I hope things continue to improve, and I hope you can find healthy ways of living that work for you.

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    1. Haha! I can only imagine what you thought before you figured out the whole co-author thing. I probably am crazy, but I promise I don't talk about myself in the third person!

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  9. I loved both SCARLET and CRESS! Such an awesome series.

    Hope you feel better soon!

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  10. Cinder is on my TBR list! I hope to get to it this summer. I hope you feel better soon and, yes, for heaven's sake, take some time to nurture yourself. Better yet - spoil yourself!! :)

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    1. I have been. After I finished Cress I turned on season 3 of Sherlock. My poor, poor house.

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