Sunday, October 31, 2010

Should this be in Cursed with Power?

This is an excerpt I considered putting into the book because I wrote something similar --not directly similar, mind you--to this last night when I was talking with my best friend.  I felt like here Celestria and I got closer to one another because while Celestria speaks about a man she is evidently falling in love with, I spoke about a man I am in love with during a similar narration.

Anyways, here it is and tell me what you think.  If this goes into the book, it won't go in near the beginning...probably more near the end.  Last note, I know Celestria never says who "he" is but you can infer and I personally think it's more dramatic that way.


I lie down and stare at the star filled sky.  The moon appears as a crescent tonight, but I hardly notice this.  I am determined to watch the stars until I stop crying, thinking, and pondering over everything that has happened.  And maybe those good times will come back to me...
I feel as if I am in the darkness.  While there are lights in the sky I remain in the shadows, and there is no way out.  There are creatures around me.  They are people I know…people I care about.  They are crowding around me, taking away my every breath.  They are all taking, but it is one I recognize out of the entire crowd.  He is wearing a white tunic and velvet pants; he looks as handsome as ever.  He smiles at me like he knows that will draw my attention to him and him alone.
        He’s right; I’m fully focused on him and I ignore the others around me.  He holds out his hand to me and I casually take it, though I hesitate for a moment.  Is this real?  Is he real?  I don’t care anymore.  I hold onto his hand…and he stands beside me as I watch events that have never occurred before.  I see us getting married, him reading to a young girl, me holding a baby in my arms, and then… Then the smile and the confusion wipes away from my face.  Next there is a grave with the name “Irvine” engraved into it; he and I are running for our lives; I’m lying on the ground…motionless….

When it’s over he has not left me… We are standing together; me, holding his hand, and him whistling a song.  I close my eyes and that’s when it’s so hard for me to open them again.  I feel him wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close to him, but I cannot see any of it.
I cannot because my eyes are closed…and it’s dark.  It is always dark here.

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Lights... There are three lights... (chapter 7)

CHAPTER SEVEN
LIGHTS
First off let me just say that I realize it took me an entire WEEK to post this chapter.  The truth of the mater is 1) No, I did not fall off the Earth and 2) No, I did not stop writing. I simply did not get this posted as I planned on Thursday/Friday because I was running into techincal problems with Word while at the same time finding it difficult to write the chapter.  So let's talk about the chapter, shall we?  (Because let's face it Tessa can't wait another day for the update on this chapter *wink wink*)

In chapter seven there is a lot that happens which is essential and significant to the story, though you may not fully understand why until you read the entire book.  There's not a whole lot that I can say about the chapter or I'll give something away, but I can tell you a little bit and to make up for the little I tell you I can give you a sneak preview
Celestria is visited by people she knows...People she knows a bit too well.   How is she "visited" and who are these people?  You'll have to read the chapter to find out, but here's a excerpt from the chapter:

Léal… I lay back on the mattress as he name continued to cloud my thoughts.  I had been thinking about my sister…and now I was thinking about him.  I had let him leave, yet here he was coming back into my mind as if I needed to remember him right now.  As if I needed to remember his striking appearance, his beautiful and relaxed eyes, his wide and full smile, and his easy way of joking.
I allowed my eyes to close as I continued thinking of him.  He would never return to me; this much I was certain of because if he did he would be going against what I had asked of him.  I would never see him again…

It was a bright light that entered my room and woke me.  I opened my eyes and sat up, blinking several times so I could adjust.  A purple light shined in my face; I almost could not see anything but the light itself.  Then the whole room lit up to be white, and what had once been a purple orb of light now was a person.  She had a long, dark green, silky dress on that covered her feet.  Her eyes were sapphire and her hair was golden.
“Dyanna!” I cried in joy.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Bad news relating to chapter 7

For currently unknown reasons I am having a lot of problems with Microsoft Word.  Due to that I am unable to add new material to Cursed with Power.  I will keep you updated and let you know when I am able to work on the book.

Until then I fear you and I will have to accept that chapter 7 will not be going public tonight, and when it actually will be releasing public is unknown.

Sorry about this; I'm just as bothered by this as you are...actually I'm probably more bothered because I cannot write anything new.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

New Life FTW

Yes, New Life is officially for the win.  Enough said.
Are you supporting the Magicians series? Cursed with Power?  New Life?
I'll find out if you aren't.  Psh, yeah I wish, but anyhow.... Like Cursed with Power, the second book in the series has almost undergone as many cover changes and I haven't even begun writing it yet.  Interested?  Even if you aren't I'll share them with you:
New Life (book 2) --coverThe first cover that I made on polvore, hence why it was an entire failure.  I am so glad other people can make covers. Cover designed by author94


I can't remember when this cover was made, but it had been the cover I was using until recently. Cover designed by thatcinderellastory (Deena Shoemaker).






And then of course comes the latest one I've uploaded everything on with today that I absolutely love and adore forever....




















Love them, right?  Both the cover and the book jacket were designed by KBDanielle.  You can have her do the same for you if you read her book.
Just because the summary to the book is on the book cover does not mean I'll be posting the summary just yet. I am still going to wait as I originally planned to for when Cursed with Power is over to post up the summary.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

During these past six months

I've been working on Cursed with Power for the past six months --though the first one or two was mainly just outlining and brainstorming.  I noticed last night that honestly the book has gone through major cover changes.  I felt like sharing them with you today so you can see how, like the covers, major changes have occurred to the book as well.
This was the first book cover for Cursed with Power that entirely --in my opinion--looked terrible because I made it on polyvore. Cover designed by author94
Cursed with Power (new cover by curtis rainey)Next came this cover.  I absolutely loved this cover to no end until I got further in the book and decided there need to be more mystery and darkness in the cover to fit with the book. Cover designed by Curtis Rainey
Thus this cover was made on September 28th for the new "look" that focused more on the mysterious part of the book --primarily because the girl on the cover remains in the shadows. Cover designed by xNeytiri
Until at last we come to the most recent and currently my favorite of all these covers.

This one I felt showed both the mystery, the suspense, and the dark side of the book.

I'm really pleased with this cover, though I will say I was happy with the ones from the past.  However, I really like that this one can show a character that could represent Celestria accurately.
Cover designed by Hexen


What do you think?  Has it come a long way since the first original cover made in June?  I promise you the book itself will undergo many more changes than the covers ever will.

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Time to talk about the guy you love....but know so little about.

Cover designed by KBDanielle
And what an entrance to make.  It's no secret that the second book in the Magicians series is about Leal.  Yes, bloggers, today is the day.  I'm finally posting about Léal.  At last you get to hear me ramble on about the guy you've come to love...but you know so little about.
Shall we begin?

Léal is a French name meaning "faithful".  While this name has been used for females, it was also recorded as a rare medieval times name for males, hence why I decided it would be appropriate to fit.  Unlike Celestria, who doesn't fit her name's meaning at all, Léal does very much show that he is a faithful. This actually didn't purposely happen because of his name's meaning; I just happened to realize as I wrote this post that he does show a faithful relationship with Celestria, though she often pushes him away.
Evidently Léal is a handsome young man who everybody could easily find a reason to love, but there's more to him then meets the eye.
Despite the fact that Léal is currently one of my favorite characters to work with on this series so far, he did not originally have a major role in Cursed with Power.  His role continued to change.  Before I began writing the book he and Celestria were only going to bump into each other, apologize, and then be on their way.  Then, when I was writing the book and got to the part where Celestria leaves her home town I thought maybe there could be some mystery added into the story and so Léal would end up asking for directions to Meryvn's tavern.  While the conversation the two had about Mervyn's tavern was brief, I felt there was something building up between the two characters.
Once Celestria entered Deloys I could not help but bring Léal back into the story.  I did not do it for my own selfish reasons, but more so because it seemed wrong that he and Celestria had met but would never see any hope in the world falling apart around them.  If they hadn't met each other I don't think I would have gotten as far as I have now in the book.  Léal plays a major role in the book, whether you realize it now or at the end.  I am really glad I decided to add him into the book more; I also love the reactions many have had towards him.
Leal Irvine
Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image
And while this man is attractive and humorous, why have you fallen in love with him?  Let's face it we know very little about him...
In Cursed with Power there unfortunately isn't a lot given away about Léal's history and etc.  He explains that he's a Dark magician, who also used to work for a powerful man named Esmour.  He seems to understand Celestria's feelings about her sister's death.  More so to the point, he shows true signs of dedicated to Celestria.  Why is he so attached to her? Is there a relationship building up between them?  And who the heck is this guy?
For now you can only assume, as Celestria does, why Léal does not want to leave her.  As for their relationship, I'd say it can be...interesting.  Very soon he realizes that Celestria isn't going to cut him any slack simply because he's a Dark magician like her, but at the same time he seems to challenge her patience and temper when they speak to one another.
As for who Léal is....I can't really give that away.  Right now you'll have to accept what you know, what I've told you, and what you can infer.
Lastly, before I end this post, I just wanted to say I've been surprised, pleased, and amused with what readers have been saying about Léal.  Someone outright told me they think he's "hot".  I personally found that interesting because Celestria narrates the story, and therefore I wasn't sure what kind of reactions there would be to his character because while she describes him as handsome she also limits herself on how much she thinks of such a factor.  (This is why whenever I talk about Léal on the blog I always make it some kind of entrance where I mention that I'm once again talking about "the guy you love".)
Now you're going to be telling me you can't wait to read New Life, right?
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Almost finished...

I know I said I would have chapter 7 up tonight, but let's face it it's already 11:33pm and if I try to finish the chapter and post it tonight it will look like entire crap.

So, here's the plan....Tomorrow I will finish and post the chapter --unless Microsoft Word continues to hate me--and the post about Leal will go up.

By the way, first off I want to say I'm excited about the post I'm writing for Leal.  This ought to be...interesting....very interesting.  And secondly, someone made a new cover for New Life that I just have to share with you as soon as possible.  She even made me a book jacket, but I don't know if I should post that up because the summary is on it and I didn't really want you guys to know the full details of the book yet.  Hmm....

Hope you'll stop by the blog tomorrow.  A lot is happening.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Today...chapter 7... I promise

Later today --as in when it actually looks like morning outside--I will finish up chapter 7 and post it up.  I also will try to post an interesting update about the chapter, plus there is going to be a revision of Cursed with Power's summary/pitch because there's some errors here and there and you know how I am...I have to perfect it so if it changes that's because I ponder over the summary often.

However, I should let you know that it's unlikely the post about Leal will be going up tomorrow.

Sorry for the brief post but it's late and I literally just went from my personal blog to this one.  Whoa what a change that is to make!

Excited for chapter seven?

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Microsoft word: Why do you hate me?

Well I had planned on finishing chapter seven tonight but at the moment I experiencing technical difficulties --ahem, more like hatred--with Microsoft Word.

I really hadn't expected that to happen.... Hopefully I can figure it out soon; if not I suppose we'll all know what I was up all night doing...or rather trying to do.

The wait for chapter seven....brought to you by Microsoft Word.  Yeah, thanks a lot Word.... (Pardon me for my sarcasm.)


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

What does Leal want?

During the night there was a light that came from the sky. I believed at first it would lead me to what I wanted.  To what I sought to be my mission and purpose.  
In an instance he explained it to me...  I could not follow a mere light.  He told me if I ever wanted anything in this world I would have to look for it...in the shadows.


That image inspired me to just now write this for Leal.  His characters has been one of my favorite to work with, though I know that may sound surprising when I have to work so closely with Celestria.
The "he" Leal is referring to in the passage is Esmour, his former boss, but you learn more about him later.

Who is Leal?  What brought him into the series?  Soon I'll be posting about Leal's coming into the book.

And just something that made me laugh: My friend saw my journal yesterday where I had dialog between Celestria and Leal written out.  She said, "Oh, Leal's a guy?"
Haha, nice right?  I can't blame her....I admit his name is a bit uncommon; some of the characters in Cursed with Power even make this remark.  However, I wouldn't say his name of all sounds like a woman's.
Alaire....doesn't that sound more feminine?  Yet that was a name for men back in the time period for the book.  Interesting, huh?  Eh, maybe it's just me who finds that interesting.
Enough of me rambling.  The post about Leal will be up soon; chapter seven will be finished and posted as soon as possible.
By the way, did you like the narration I had based off of Leal's character and his story?  I could do that again in the near future if you like.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

It's at 401 and there's a new cover

No joke, the ranking of the book has gone down to 401 at last. (Remember, the lower the ranking the better.)
Besides that, a new cover has been made for the story.  Credit to Hexen for the beautiful cover.

I want to thank everyone for the ongoing support.  Julie tweeted about this blog, Summer made a post about it, Tessa made a post about it and has continued to comment on almost everything I put up here.
I enjoy going through all of this with you all here beside me.

Chapter seven is almost finished.  Let's hope it will be finished by tonight!

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Dyanna...Is she dead?

It literally took me way too long to find images to go along with this post that would work.  Even the one above isn't all that great, but let's more onto the topic:
Dyanna....Is she dead?

Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler of any kind --sorry if you were hoping it is.  However, whether Dyanna is dead or no is a reoccurring theme in Cursed with Power and let's face it now you're probably at the edge of your seat trying to determine where you stand on this simple question.
Dyanna's death is NOT a spoiler for if you have not read the book because her death is not only mentioned in the summary of the book, but it is also brought up in the prologue.  Therefore, if you have not read the book please do not fear this post will give away shocking details.
The little knowledge known about what actually occurred to Dyanna is something both Celestria and the readers must face and accept.  The readers only known as much as Celestria knows, and this remains true about many matters in the book.
Whether she's actually dead or not, though, is something you must along with Celestria to find out.  If you follow her story you can find more that brings you closer to the answer, though sometimes the answer is not as evident as it may seem.

What do you think?  Is Dyanna dead?  Perhaps more importantly, how will Celestria ever find out the truth?

"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

The wait for chapter seven. Whoa, there's a wait?

There's a wait for chapter seven?  Whoa, when did that happen?
Well, my lovely bloggers, I unfortunately have been procrastinating while working on this chapter.  It's not because I don't want to finish it --it's more so that I've been trying to stay focused on what happens at the beginning of the chapter.  I guess you could say the beginning scene isn't all that exciting for me because I wrote it before a couple of months ago, so for me it almost feels like writing the same thing again, though in reality I'm not.
Don't worry, though, there is an ending scene to chapter seven that I think you would enjoy very much.  Or at least I know I'm going to enjoy writing it.  More on that later, though.  I will try to get further in the chapter this evening.  Really I will.  This week I had planned to finish chapters 7-8 so if I don't finish seven soon it will only continue to bother me --and drive you crazy--to no end.

By the way, like the image?  It's so difficult to find pictures that can go along with my posts...I try to find some, though, because I feel then it can make it more interesting for you.


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Re: Tessa Faith guest blogs

I have to make a post with my comment about Tessa's guest blog post appearance because honestly what she sent me shocked me.  At first she was debating over whether to write a long review or a short story, and when she told me she was writing a short story based on an actual conversation she and her sister had about Cursed with Power I was entirely shocked.  Shocked.

After reading the short story tonight I honestly am smiling my face off.  I can't remember how Tessa and I ran into each other on inkpop, but if it wasn't for this girl --my fellow bloggers--I probably would lose motivation easily.  I've never had somebody so deeply involved in a project of mine before.
Please make sure you read Tessa's post for her guest blogging moment.  It's really meaningful...or at least it is  to me.  I never thought anybody could have a conversation about a book I wrote.  Turns out it's possible.

Tessa: Thank you so much.  Every time I read a comment from you or you do something like this to promote/support the book(s) in the Magicians series I become more motivated to write my absolute best.  You have to be one of my biggest fans out there right now.
There's people who read a book because everyone else is....and then there's people who read a book simply because they're curious.  I'm glad you were curious, Tessa.  As I'm re-writing my book I find it really all is worth it, and even though I have a long ways to go and there are a lot of paths ahead of me you really do keep me writing.
You have all my thanks and many virtual hugs.


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Tessa guest blogs with a short story on Cursed with Power

The following was written by Tessa Faith --an avid follower and reader--who won the PROMOTION CONTEST and therefore a chance to guest blog.  She chose to write a short story based on a conversation she and her sister, Emma, had about Cursed with Power.  Enjoy!

I stared at the computer screen in awe.  I could hardly comprehend the magnificence of what I had just read. It was so spectacular I was speechless -- an odd position for me because I usually babble uncontrollably when I finish a really good book. But this was different. This is was far superior to any words I could give it.

My reverie was briefly broken by a thundering worthy of an elephant. Then my sister, Emma, jumped the last three steps and slid into the living room on the newly refurbished wood floor.

"Hey Tessa," she said, "can I use the computer?"

I ignored her for dramatic effect.

"Tes-sa," she drawled. "Can. I. Use. The. Computer?"

"Emma." I hardly breathed the word but Emma caught my  tone.

"What's wrong?" she asked, jumping up and down in place.

"I just read an amazing book on inkpop." I was still very much in awe.

"Is that all?" Emma said, sounding disappointed.

"Noooo," I said, drawing out the word. " No, amazing isn't all. Spectacular, resplendent, majestic…and they just barely scratch the surface."

Emma raised her right eyebrow. I knew she was impressed now. "Really? What's it called?"

"Cursed with Power."

"Cursed with what?"

"Power." I turned back to the computer. "Here, read the pitch."

She adjusted her glasses and glanced over it. "This girl has a nice cover," she said. "And it does sound good. Right up my alley."

I smiled a secret little smile: normally Emma wouldn't listen to my book suggestions.

"I'll read it when I'm finally-" she sighed dramatically, "- old enough for inkpop."

My smile deepened.

"Now can I have the computer?"


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Celestria

Celestria

Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image
*Please note the picture is not an accurate representation.

Tonight, as promised, I am talking about the main character in Cursed with Power.  Tonight I am speaking about Celestria Hale.  How did she become one of the five Dark magicians?  What made her evil?  What formed her past?  Why does she narrate the story?  I will answer all of these questions and more.  Mind you you'll have to continue reading further into this post to hear the answers.  (Don't worry, though, I'm not giving away any spoiler information.)
Celestria Hale...you'll either love her or hate....

The name Celestria is actually said to mean "heavenly", though any of you who have read the book know Celestria is anything but this.  I did not uncover the meaning of her name until after I already chose it; however, I think for the context of the storyline it's insignificant of the meaning of her name.  I did not chose names because they had a meaning that fit perfectly with the character.

For the Magicians series I set out researching names everywhere.  I felt I needed to find names that were unique --and first on my list of names needed to be the names of the five Dark magicians.  I've always had this theory that magicians were unique people, therefore giving them names that were uncommon seemed like the appropriate action to take.
Celestria happened to be the first name that caught my eye, hence why she became the first Dark magician on my list.  When it came to who the first book would focus on I knew it would be her.  Without a doubt, she was to be the main character.
With the first Dark magician determined, I began thinking about the essentials.  What made her evil --had it been an event in her past or a decision she had made on her own?  I suppose you could say it was a bit of both.  I began brainstorming this idea where Celestria had a sister who was also a Dark magician, but something terribly wrong had happened to her.
It's rather evident to see that Celestria struggles with her emotions in the book.  However, as I look back on those decisions I made to form her character, I do not regret any of them.  She does indeed have a very dark past, but this shows the significance it has on her future.

Who would have thought I would have a Dark magician narrating the story?  I certainly did not, but after I wrote the prologue --the letter Celestria addresses to Adam--I felt the entire book needed the same feelings and mood that Celestria had brought into the prologue.  She had a new way of dealing with problems and she looked at the world in a different view; if anyone could tell her story there was no one better than her herself.  Besides that, I think the reactions from readers would have changed greatly if there had been a different narration for the story.  While our main character here often feels she does not deserve to be punished for the sinful deeds she has committed, she has a tragic background we can't help but feel sympathy for and she has an intriguing way with interacting with other characters.

Why is she evil?  Honestly I never thought twice about what kind of character Celestria would be.  The moment I decided she was a dark magician that remained true.  Her character did not switch back and forth.  Thinking about it now, I do not know how Celestria could ever be a protagonist in the story because her personality usually goes against such traits and characteristics.

And how about her and Leal....?  (Don't worry, I'm NOT going to spoil anything.) The interaction between Celestria and Leal has been something everyone has reacted to in a different way.  Some readers found their interactions to be interesting and helpful to the plot, while others were entirely shocked and at a loss of words.  At first Celestria and Leal were never going to meet each other more than once in this book, but as you can see that changed.  I'll tell you more about this major decision when I post about Leal.

That seems like quite a lot to take in, so if you just read this entire post your mind's probably exploding with a thousand thoughts.  Hopefully, though, you've found this semi-interesting.

Who is Celestria Hale?

Read Cursed with Power to find out.
If you already are a reader of Cursed with Power and would like to give your own account of Celestria or add your thoughts on her please comment.  If you have more than a few sentences to say, please email me.  I'm curious for your thoughts.

Character next in line: Leal
The post about Leal will be coming up on the blog shortly in time to come.  For now I'll let you take in what Ive said so much relating to Celestria.  In the mean time I'll find other matters to post about on this blog, though I'm sure you never doubted I'd run out of ideas.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Answering a question: "Do you..."

Question: Do you let your family read what you write.  Or a better question...have they read Cursed with Power?
Asked by: Tessa Faith at Witty Writer


Hi Tessa, thanks for sending another great question my way.  It intrigues me that you have so much to ask.

I do indeed let my family read my work, though sometimes I think they do partially because I bring out the papers and say, "Guys, read this."  I can't really go them for opinions on certain matters, since they're bias but it's good to hear their initial thoughts on what I wrote.
No one in my family has read Cursed with Power actually.  They know I'm writing it like there's no tomorrow, but as for knowing the full details of the book no.  I think my mom and dad read the dream that occurs in the first chapter; however they didn't have that much of a reaction.  Maybe once I start sending the book out to publishers and agents they will be more motivated to read it.

Thanks for your question, Tessa.  I hope you and everyone else will continue to ask questions when they arise.
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.


Monday, October 25, 2010

Tomorrow definitely the post about Celestria

It's already 1201AM and if I stay up to write the post about Celestria it won't be good as it should be.  Definitely tomorrow I shall try my best to make note of needed to write the post up; I also will be writing more of chapter seven tomorrow since time escaped me today as I was busy with covers and so forth.


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Your friends want to know about the series. Tell them this...

the Magicians series
For years there had been ongoing battles between good and evil magicians.  For years the good magicians were put to the test.

It had been tiresome, all those times, to keep fighting off the same group of magicians as the last.  They had the same tactics; they all believed they were invincible.

And then one day something happened....

I almost didn't believe it --I probably wouldn't have had it not been everywhere.  I could see it in people's eyes...Nothing is going to be as it was in the past.


1 July 1573, there were only five Dark magicians remaining in the magical world.

I had known the numbers had been decreasing, but it shocked me to hear there were only five Dark magicians alive now.


Suddenly being on the evil side was not all it had once been.

It was if someone had stabbed me in the back.  How had they all failed me?  Every single one except for four.


When you are the last of something the world becomes....

And all I could think was, Is this my end?

A much scarier place.
the Magicians series
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Later today....

I do intend to get farther in chapter seven of Cursed with Power than the first paragraph.  As working on that I'll be thinking about my post for later this evening about Celestria.

Also, a new cover is expected for Cursed with Power and New Life, but as for when I will have them to share with you is unknown right now.  I am waiting for the artists to get back to me on that.  I'm aware I've changed the cover for Cursed with Power four times now, but I honestly feel it's time for a new cover once again.

Thank you to all of you who always comment on these posts.  It makes me really feel like what I post is significant.  I hope not to disappoint.


"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cursed with Power *original* summary

This was the original summary I wrote in June or July.  I'm actually surprised it wasn't all that bad.  (The summary for New Life has literally changed four times already and I haven't even started on that book yet.)

Original:
At one time having power meant that you were in control...but soon having power could destroy you.
Celestria had been a Dark magician since she was fifteen years old.  She and her sister, Dyanna, had been taught from their aunt.  They had power, and it was a kind of power that everyone feared.  No one could question them unless they were ready to fight them.
Then everything changed...
Ten years after learning Dark magic, Celestria's life falls apart in ways she had never imagined.  Not even in her worst nightmares had she ever thought that everything could go so terribly wrong.  First, she lost Dyanna.  One day she just wasn't there anymore, and the last Celestria had heard was that Dyanna had been battling a magician.
Then, as if losing the only family she had left wasn't enough, the rest of Celestria's world fell apart.
"Haven't you heard?" Keina said. "There are only five Dark magicians left."

Current:
At one time having power meant that you were in control...but soon power could destroy you.
Celestria had been a Dark magician since she was fifteen years old.  She and her sister, Dyanna, had been taught from their aunt.  They had power, and the kind of power everyone feared.  No one could question them unless they were ready to fight them.
Then everything changed...
Ten years after learning Dark magic, Celestria's life falls apart in ways she had never imagined.  Not even in her worst nightmares had she ever thought that everything could go so terribly wrong.  First, she lost Dyanna.  One day she didn't come home and she had been expected to come back from the battle she had gotten involved in.
Then, as if losing the only family she had left wasn't enough, the rest of Celestria's world fell apart.
"Haven't you heard?" Keina said. "There are only five Dark magicians left."

My thoughts on this...
I realized now Keina doesn't even have those exact lines anymore... I guess we all know what that means.  Tomorrow I need to work out a new summary for the book.  I feel as if I constantly change the summaries to my books, but if the summary isn't good a lot of people will just click off of the book and move on.

Good night bloggers.

Chapter seven is coming soon

Unfortunately I did not get to work on chapter seven, though I promise you I did try to reason with myself that I should.  I got caught up in blogging and promoting this blog, as you know, and now it's too late for me to start writing anything because my eyes are already closing as I type this.

Rest assured that tomorrow I will work on chapter seven and maybe --just maybe--by some miracle I will be able to come on in the afternoon and give an update on the chapter.  Remember I post updates after I finish the entire chapter on inkpop because I cannot bear to think someone will read the chapter while it is incomplete.  (Yeah, I'm paranoid like that.)

Before I get so much needed sleep I am posting what the original summary for Cursed with Power was.  (Yes, I'm scared because it was not good.)
Later...We should talk about the revisions I made on the hard copy of the original chapter 6 I had printed out.  It looked like a blue monster ate the chapter...blue marker was everywhere marking up mistakes.

I need your opinion here

I went through hundreds of images to find something that would fit with the series.  I tried to ask my sister for her opinion, but since she doesn't understand what the series is about nor does she care what I do on this blog.....I decided I have to ask you.
Which do you prefer and why?
I don't something about the image above just looked strange to me....

OR

Tell me your thoughts, but for now I have chosen the second one because it just looked better; I don't know why.  Something about the woman in the first image looks kind of...creepy or unusual.  I would have actually preferred to find something perhaps with a guy and a woman or something, but it's literally almost impossible.

Encouragement from the readers

I've recently added some more to the sidebar of the blog, and I wanted to explain what "Encouragement from the readers" is.

Basically each week --or maybe more frequently, depending on time I can spare--I quote something from a person who has read Cursed with Power and has commented on it.  I post only one comment there at a time, but it's primarily because there have been a lot of people who have done more than just commented on my book and if this is the only small way I can thank them then so be it.

Also, I'm thinking of creating a survey about Cursed with Power soon.  Hmm, we'll see about that...

Who's first: Celestria or Leal?

Today when I went to look at the personality quiz results I read a lot of comments.  One person went as far as saying that they felt the quiz revealed a lot about them self that they had never known before.
"Thank you for this prescription.  This will help a lot of people found out the nature we are made of."

Wow, I did not think the quiz was that deep.  Glad it made someone's day.

Now, onto my question and topic for this post.  As I told you there will be some days when I talk about particular characters from the Magicians series.  Who do you want to hear about first?
Celestria or Leal


For both characters there is a lot I could talk about, so I just want to know from you all which you'd rather hear about first and perhaps even why.

Tessa Faith, who won the PROMOTION CONTEST will be quest blogging as soon as she has her post ready.  She is either going to post a long detailed review about Cursed with Power or she is going to write up a short story of a conversation her and her sister had about the book.  Stay tuned to read it!



Movie trailer for Cursed with Power

I'm downloading windows movie maker right now, and I am hoping to figure out so soon I will have a an actual trailer for the movie.

Excited?  I am:)

Read about the magic

I am trying my best to promote and advertise this blog.  How, you may ask?  I've posted comments to my blogging friends and now I'm sending messages on inkpop to the 54 people who have read and commented on my book so far.

Madness?
Nah, not yet.  It is a lot of work, though, so I'm begging you to please consider helping me out.  It's not like you have to say I'm amazing or anything; this blog focuses on the Magicians series.  It's all about getting everybody involved and finding ways for people to be able to interact with what goes on here.