New Life *Official summary*

I know you have been patiently --more or less-- waiting for this official summary.  The reason it took me so long to post it is because I was waiting to upload the last chapter of Cursed with Power before talking about the sequel.  Now that I'm editing and revising CWP for who knows how long, I can tell you about New Life. There's not all that much I can say for now, but I do have the official summary for you.  (Remember how you couldn't read it before?)  This summary will later on be posted on my personal blog, as well as on the page for New Life on this blog.

None of that you care about, though, right?  Let's get on with the official summary already.  I'm saying official because this isn't a teaser.  This honestly is the summary I would most likely be keeping for the book --it could of course change once I become involved in writing the book.

`Official Summary of New Life`

Léal had changed his looks because he wanted to; he was forced to change his life because he had to.

"I could hardly believe it myself—I probably wouldn’t have if it was not everywhere. I can see it in people’s eyes now... Nothing is going to be as it was in the past."
Léal had changed everything about his looks: the way he dressed, the length and color of his hair, and the way he walked. He had done it all because he could and because he wanted to. 

--------------

After meeting another Dark magician named Celestria, Léal comes to realize that he must change his life while he has the chance. He also discovers that he has feelings for her but she seems un-attracted to him, and he certainly does not expect to ever see her again after she sends him away.
Then in the darkest of times he finds that he can reach out to Celestria. They join together again with the help of a third Dark magician, Alaire Sencler. Now, though he is in good company of people he knows and trusts, what happens next is almost certain. Léal must change his life. It is either adjust or suffer, and he is not sure which is worst.

^

Can't wait for New Life?  Later tonight hear more about the sequel to New Life, ask questions, and read more.
Until then, there's....
Cursed with Power

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

Chapter 30: Get Out Alive *LAST CHAPTER OF CWP*

Chapter 30

Get Out Alive

Wow.  I don’t know where to begin because I don’t think any of us were expecting for the end of Cursed with Power to come so soon.  After all of the buildup for chapter 30 I honestly thought I was going to post something saying a specific date it was being uploading.  Well, dearest readers, you got better.  The LAST CHAPTER is finally uploaded.  No more emailing me complaints; look at the bookJ

I understand it took me months to upload this chapter.  The reasoning for that is because I was trying to add in everything else before posting the ending chapter.  I’m at the point where I’m editing and revising like my life depends on it, so I finally have the ending here for you.  Know what that means?  Hello official summary to New Life.  Ladies, please contain your enthusiasm, haha.

Finally it is time for me to talk about chapter 30, and yes I should tell you know that this post won't be short and sweet because I think we all can agree that this is a big deal.  (From the amount of emails I received, it seems this is all you have been waiting for.  Hey, I'm not going to complain.)

While one would think I wouldn't be able to say much about the chapter because it is the ending chapter, there actually is quite a lot I can say.  I know in the past I have said other chapters were challenging, but determining what the final end to the madness would be was rather interesting to say the least.  (Interesting?  Ummm, right...)
Anyways, here's an excerpt from chapter 30 which was uploaded last night but I never got the change to blog about.  Sorry everybody.  At least I'm only a day late with the update.  And now what you've been waiting for...

Excerpt:

The man, whose name I had no recollection of, continued to hold onto my frail body.  Soon I would be limp, and moments after that I would be dead.  I tried to think back to my sister and… What was his name?  My mind was shutting off my thoughts, as if they would cause more damage.  Perhaps it seemed logical in thought, but I needed something to hold onto; somebody to continue breathing for.  Staring and resisting the urge to give up, I listened to a noise above the water.  Someone spoke, but their words were muffled by the water filling my ears.

Welcome to your conclusion. I thought to myself.  A conclusion… The only thing I could hope for now and the only end I expected.  My body was prepared to give up, but it was a faint heartbeat that kept me alive.

The ending of this book isn't at all the end of this blog or the series for that matter.  There is New Life and the other books that follow after Cursed with Power, and each of them return to Celestria's account of events.  Even though I'll be doing edits and revisions for Cursed with Power now, there is much more I have to think about, plan out, and prepare for.  I'll be giving presentations in a few months about Cursed with Power and in addition I need to start thinking about New Life while querying agents.  During these times when I receive rejections I will need something to keep me going.  In the past I always was confused on how that would work, but now I am certain that so long as I am writing something I can find the motivation.  (If that makes any sense.)

During the time I've been working with Cursed with Power, I feel like I have made several connections with Celestria.  At first I worried I would never be able to feel any kind of closeness with her, but I definitely do now.  Working out Celestria and Alaire's relationship has been... Well, it had its ups and downs --and by that I mean for the two of them, not me.  And while originally I thought I wouldn't hate anybody except for Aldemund, I discovered that Aldemund I can deal with.  It's Japhet who drove me absolutely insane when he entered into the book.

Being at the point where revisions are essential, you would think I wouldn't have much to look forward to.  Again, though, I can start planning out what happens next while working out edits.  There have been numerous ideas filling my head (and four journals) during these ten --soon to be eleven by tomorrow-- months, and it will be challenge to figure out if and where they can fit in.  

I am just as excited as you about New Life, but in the mean time you'll have to believe me when I say I am doing everything I can to share Cursed with Power with the rest of the world.

For those of you who enjoyed Cursed with power and you're uncertain with how you'll feel about the sequel, I am here to reassure you that the main story of the series does not change in New Life.  I know everyone has been wondering what will happen in book 2 and etc., etc. but honestly so long as you come along for the journey I'm certain you'll find a character to love, a place to be interested in, and a joke or two to laugh at.  (I can't believe some people say Léal is funny, but hey I'm not going to question it.)

There are a lot of new exciting posts coming your way, and I'll keep you updated on progress with CWP.  In the mean time, there's that official summary for New life that you have been waiting for --some more than others-- and that I will also post before anyone starts a riot.

Once again, this is only the beginning of a very long journey.  Enjoy the last chapter.  

COMING NEXT: NEW LIFE (!!!!!!) 

`

Cursed with Power

Power, love, heartbreak...

Violence, Screaming, blood...

His eyes rolled back into his head.  I had done this.

Read the book today.

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

Cannot Carry On

You asked me once if I would wait for you.  What I would do without your voice, without your body, without your jokes…without you.  Here I am.  And though I thought it would be easy, and I could make it through this… The truth is I lied.

If there’s one thing I miss the most it’s the reassurance that you are beside me.  Perhaps I am weak in the heart to be missing you already, but now I am suffering for the times I took your company for granted.  Without you I am realizing how dark and cruel the world can be, and I do not like the feeling at all.  I am empty without you and until your return I will not be able to turn around and look at the sun.

You.  You are my only light.

The picture at the top of this post was what inspired me to write what I just did.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever use this as a letter, quote, or thought in one of the books [in the series], but even so I feel like it can work with what happens to two characters in a later book.  For now it’s just something to give you to think about.

`

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

First rejection

At some point or another reality strikes us, and other times it seems like it stabs us in the heart.  In one word: REJECTION.  That’s right, blogging friends, I have officially started the querying process and have received my first rejection.

“This is not for me, but thanks for the look.”

The first rejection is always the most difficult to deal with.  I remember when I was querying for The Magic of Light that I felt close to tears every time I read a rejection letter.  I suppose this one didn’t hit me as hard because, let’s face it, I know what it’s like.  All the same, this was the first rejection I got for Cursed with Power.  And a part of me was thinking, “How could they say this to my baby?!” but rejection is something us writers must be prepared for.  This is only the beginning of a long and frustrating path I am taking, so I am certain there will be many more time I will share my rejection stories.  All I know is that in the end it’ll all be worth it.

I’ll keep on querying because if I don’t then Celestria’s world will remain a secret to everyone... except us.

Keep checking back in!  Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the last chapter of Cursed with Power and the official summary of New Life.  I wasn’t too pleased to see CWP’s ranking go down again, but I have faith in all of you and by that I mean: READ the book. .. please J  Enjoy your Tuesday; I’ll hopefully be back later on with more news and whatnot, but for now it’s back to answering questions for CWP.

Cursed with Power

Readable to all on inkpop.com (link here)

Power, love, heartbreak… Violence, screaming, blood… His eyes rolled back into his head.  I had done this.

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

What do you want me to blog about?

Even though I know it has been forever since I’ve been able to post as I have been... Where the heck are you guys?  There are 22 followers of this blog; I find it somewhat shocking that all 22 of you decided to fall off the Earth the same exact moment.

Anyways, I have literally been trying my all to keep this blog alive, even during my absences, and now I want to ask YOU:

What do YOU want from ME?  What am I not blogging about [at all or not eough] that you want involved in the blog?

I cannot read your minds, so please tell me your thoughts and give me some feedback.  I want this to be an interesting and enjoyable experience for all of us, and if I’m going to blog and try to keep you interested it would help if I knew what you wanted to hear mostly about.

`

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

*New* scene in Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Pleasure and Pain

**NEW SCENE**

Since this hasn’t been talked about yet, I figured it was about time I get you up to date on the new scene that was added into chapter 21.  (In case anyone still checks in on this blog and the book, for that matter.) 

The new scene that was added in was --surprise, surprise—unexpected.  However, throughout the editing process I have been thinking a lot about what I can add in.  After all, if Christopher Paolini has his 900 page books that he somehow has published, I can clear up the confusion my book and keep it under 900.  (Really, I can’t imagine 900 pages.  I think it would kill me... or someone else. That was a joke, for those of you who didn’t get it.)

Anyhow, before I continue to ramble on I should give you an excerpt to read.  Jolly-oh good excerpt, aye mates? (Got to love the British, that’s all I’m going to say.)

EXCERPT:

Glass shattered and fell from the windows while flames hissed out from every corner of the church.  I stopped filling my bucket with water, and the men around me did the same.  It was only ALaire who continued retrieving water from the well, throwing it at the building, and repeating the process again.  All I could think of was how sick he was and that he needed to return to Grefin’s.  It wasn’t right to for him to be throwing water on a burning church when there was a chance his injuries would cause him pain again.  The fire roared, and I feared sparks would hit Alaire.

Two new pages were introduced into the story because of this scene, and I can honestly say that even though it wasn’t the easiest to write I am beyond glad that it is finally on paper.  I was happy with how Alaire’s character continued to evolve this late in the book, even though the end was not all that far away by this chapter.

In regards to “where the heck is the last chapter? When are you posting it?! Why can’t I read it?!”  My lovely readers, rest assured knowing that I do have the last chapter typed up and I do plan to post it.  Please be patient with me.  I want this chapter to end on a shocking note, and while it does I also want to make sure that when I write “the end” it actually is the end.  Keep in mind that the official summary for New Life won’t be posted up the final chapter of Cursed with Power is uploaded --apologies!

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

"I want...your heart."

“All my life people have told me I’m beautiful, funny, and interesting to be around.  Those are lovely traits, but why should I care about them?  All I want is your attention, your endless love, and your heart. 

Your heart… the one I need to hear beating because every time I see you my heart races.  Beauty is something of the past.  All I want is to know love..”

Above is a possible new quote I’m considering using later on.  Unfortunately for you I cannot give away too much without spoiling anything, but just keep this quote in mind because you’ll probably see it in one of the books in this series.  Tell me your thoughts on the quote.  I'd love to hear some feedback.

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

*New* Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

ALDEMUND'S TURN

At this point you're probably confused and you are thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute, she finished the book.  Why is there a second chapter ten and what the heck is going on?"
If you are reading now I am going to explain.  (If not, good luck figuring this out on your own.)  While I was editing and revising the chapters of this book --which is absolutely driving me insane-- I recalled how everyone felt like they needed to know more about Aldemund.  I thought about it for a while, outlined, edited, and then looked back at my work.  I realized I could add in a chapter focusing briefly on Aldemund because it would have information essential to the storyline and it would add suspense.  This chapter is the only chapter in the book told from third person POV.  Not only was this an extremely complicated chapter to write, but it was also a challenging one to end and then start back into Celestria's narration of events.  Nonetheless, I managed to find a way to make it work --or so I think I have.  I should have introduced this chapter several days ago, but I never got the chance until now.

EXCERPT:

“W-where do I t-take it?” He shook like a helpless animal as he spoke.
Aldemund pushed him gently, though the defiant stare he gave was not pleasant. “Go; take it to the usual place.”
Watching as the teenager ran through the street, Aldemund backed up into a dark ally. As usual the two people he argued most with were standing in the shadows. He could hear their whispers before he smelled the unmistakable scent of blood. There was a sneer on his face until he realized all too soon that the blood was coming from Christopher, one of the strongest magicians working for him.
“What did you do, fool?” Aldemund slapped Christopher’s face before he could answer.

Aldemund's character is just as difficult as Celestria's to work with, and this chapter I found especially challenging because the narration switched from Celestria to him.  They both have entirely opposing views and the most important difference between the two is that Aldemund's a Fire magician while Celestria is a Dark magician.  (Trust me, I know how complicated it can get.)  You might also notice in this chapter that at the very beginning Aldemund is speaking with a man named Wilhem.  First off, Wilhem was originally put down as "Wilham" and then I changed his name without realizing it.  (Great way to confuse yourself, in case you didn't think of it.)  Also, once again I mixed up Wilhem with Christopher, which was the worst mistake I could have made.  In my solo novel The Magic of Light I had certain characters confused with one another, but I honestly wasn't expecting to do it in Cursed with Power.  Well darn it, I did.  Despite all the notes I wrote for myself, and the character name list I put down so there was no way I could make that mistake I did.  Lesson learned?  No, I'm bound to make it again.  For some reason I can never avoid it, or so it seems.
Despite the ridiculous problems that arose in this chapter, somehow it managed to come together and now it's here at last.  I feel like I've been talking about this chapter forever and am way behind schedule with posting an update on it.
Though I don't know that this will help much, I wanted to explain that this chapter goes in place of the original chapter 10.  Let me show you what I mean... Originally, this was the order:
9: Three Days Later
10: Shadow of Power
11: Encounter


And here is the change that effected every chapter after "Three Days Later":
9: Three Days Later
10: Aldemund's Turn
11: Shadow of Power
12: Encounter


To clarify, each original chapter number went up one more chapter number to fit in chapter 10.  And I know my clarification just confused the heck out of everybody.  Please don't get lost!  I promise it is much more simpler than the way I am explaining it.  When you look at the book it will make sense.  If I'm confusing you then please by all means just ignore whatever nonsense I'm speaking.
No one has read this new chapter yet.  I am interested and excited to hear your thoughts because even though this chapter confused me until I lost my mind and refocused and rewrote it, I think it's finally ready and everybody will hopefully enjoy it just as much as they have with the other chapters.  If you read it please tell me your thoughts.  Read it at the usual place.

The last chapter of CWP coming soon!  Keep checking back in for updates!
"There's a lot that I want." He said. He smirked as he said it like he knew he was pushing my patience.

Pity, Fire.... And Admiration?

When you take the time to sit down with your book and look at it, you realize just how many different elements come together in it.  That's right blogging buddies, welcome back to Celestria's world.
Celestria is by far the most difficult character to work with, as I've mentioned countless times in the past.  Nonetheless, she and I have to learn to get along because... Well, we're stuck with each other, whether we like it or not.  In the latest chapters of the book I have come to realize the change in her character.  Not only has she evolved from simply being a Dark magician yearning to survive, but she has also made a connection with other characters in the book.  If she was a real person I would be proud of her because honestly I never imagined she would make it to this point.
Now we all have those days where we just struggle.  We can't find the words to write, our characters hate us, and quite honestly we hate ourselves.  It can get rough, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how bad it gets you can almost always find your way back into the story.  The best thing a writer can do for herself is imagine she is in the book as well; this way you become part of the story.  The beauty of it is that once you're back in the story, you can get back to work, focus, and really start writing.

During these last couple of days I suppose you could say that I've come back to the story.  Everything is moving along, and even though I have the ending written I continue to add more to the entire book itself because thoughts have been racing through my mind.  Sure Alaire is driving me crazy because of his condition --later on in the book-- and of course I can't stand returning to Japhet.  (I'm not even going to start on Japhet.  That man...!)  Yet the words on coming down on paper and the story keeps moving along, and I'm accepting it without question that I am returning to the normal amount of time and effort involved in Cursed with Power.

In the next couple of days there is a lot I'm looking forward to sharing with you:

• Exciting new scene added into chapter 22
• The new additional chapter  (I really want to hear your opinion on this!)
• AND the last chapter --chapter 30-- which I do realize you have been waiting for patiently --some more than others--and I do apologize that it has been taking so long.  I'm hoping I can have chapter 30 up by the end of this month, but again I cannot be sure because I have new ideas that I'm working in.  Unfortunately for those avid followers, this means that you won't be reading the official summary to New Life until the last chapter of Cursed with Power is posted on inkpop.  Sorry!

All in all, there's a lot of exciting news, announcements, etc., etc. If I can actually find the time when I'm not finishing my history bio and my chemistry homework I plan to catch you up on what's been going on.  No matter what, I'll try to find a way to bring everything back into perspective and hopefully I won't lose anybody along the way.

EXCERPT FROM CH 10

Being on the other side of town, he could see the teenage boy delivering the letter to the man emerging from the bakery. As if knowing he was there, the two looked over to Aldemund once the letter was ripped open. Aldemund nodded, yet he did not meet them as they expected. Instead he carried on his way until someone tapped him on the back. The instant he turned around the person punched him in the face. 

Holding his hands up to his nose, Aldemund cursed and screamed, “Who do you think you are? You worthless, thoughtless—”

He opened his eyes and saw Christopher standing in front of him. Tasting blood on his lips, Aldemund backed away. It seemed Christopher had come alone, but there were others in town moving toward them to see what the uproar was about.

If you're interested in reading more, you know what you need to do.  Read.

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

Daciana

DACIANA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Romanian

Derived from Dacia, the old Roman name for the region which is now Romania and Moldova.

(information from: link)

It's been too long since I have blogging about a character in Cursed with Power, so I figured I should start out with this because there may be some of you—as hard as it is to believe, I know—that are interested in these posts.

Daciana is Grefin's Healer in the book. Whether you've read that far in the book or no is of no relevance. Anyways, the picture above was one that automatically reminded me of her because Celestria's first meeting with her was when she had paintings on her face. However, I will have to admit that she is a difficult character to work with for two reasons:

• She is needed in the book, but there cannot be much history behind her
• Her abilities are unique and confusing

Being a Healer, Daciana does not have magical abilities but she does have a specialty in curing magical wounds and such. The few readers who have read up to the point where they were introduced to Daciana had interesting—to say the least—reactions to her character. Some were not bothered by her, while others said that they did not care for her character and find themselves frustrated with her. Could it be Celestria's attitude toward her that also affects the readers? It's hard to say, but sometimes it would seem that Celestria's feelings for characters can affect how others perceive them. All in all, I suppose there is not much more that I can say about Daciana, except that I have spent time thinking over everything she does to heal magicians and I'm telling you the truth when I say it gets extremely complicated.

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

10 months and counting

Ten months. Wow! Can we all take two seconds out of our busy days and freak out? I realized today as I was sending emails to history teachers that I have been working on Cursed with Power for the past 10 months, and is it over yet? Haha, no. A part of me is thrilled to notice that I've survived through 10 months of this madness, but another part of me is shocked and frustrated because let's face it... I've been doing this all on my own. Writing, I suppose, is always a path we end up taking and doing on our own. Even though there are the editors, agents, publishers, it is us—the writers—who end up making the final product first on our own.

Nonetheless, I cannot complain at this very instant because there is a lot I want to blog about today and I think I may just be able to catch you up with what has been happening as soon as I finish the lovely chemistry packet that's due tomorrow. Anyways, though, I have some new posts coming up for you all so I hope you'll stick around and check them out. A lot has been going on, not just with my life, but I mean with this book. And I really want to get you back in the loop with what's been going on in Celestria's world.

Ready?

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

New Chapter?!

And if I wake up to find that the world has turned bitter, your words have been sucked from my memory, and your love was a mere dream...
I will not look at the sun again.  My world, like yours, will be darkness. --Celestria

It does sound strange to be announcing a new chapter in Cursed with Power when I have finished the book, but alas my dear blogging friends I cannot simply edit, edit, and never write. As a writer it is only normal for me to crave writing, and until I address that craving I am forever hungry. (As odd as that may sound)...

The new chapter I am telling you about is one that has been added into the book. There is new material here and there that I am trying to add in because if you think about it that's probably what Christopher Paolini continued doing while working with Eragon. Until my book is finished, there is more work to be done. Editing, revisions, and additions. Whatever is necessary to move along.

Anyhow, the new chapter is going in between chapter 9 (Three Days Later) and what was originally chapter 10 (Shadow of Power). Since this new chapter is becoming chapter 10, this does mean that every chapter after that is advancing to the next number (if that makes sense). At this point you might be asking yourself what to do if you've already read past those chapters, and my suggestion to you is that you re-read the ending of chapter 9 and then you read the new chapter which is becoming chapter 10. This all sounds very confusing, but I assure you it's not as complicated as I'm making it sound. For those of you who have been keeping up with the book, I'll be sure to notify you when the new chapter is posted.

AND remember... I am going to post the last chapter of Cursed with Power as soon as possible. I've been rather busy lately, but I do intend on posting the ending for any of you who are interested in how the first book in the Magicians series ends. More announcements coming soon!

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