Archive for the 'Road Trip Wednesday' Category

October 21, 2010 | Draven Atreides, Teenage Informant Series,Life in General,Reading is FUNdamental,Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

Topic #49:Who’s your comp titles/authors?

I’ve been knee deep in homework and totally forgot about RTW. So I’m doing it today. Since I’m still working the Draven Atreides series (and will be for the forseeable future, it appears), I would have to say my comp titles/authors would be:

Shannon Greenland‘s The Specialists series: “Secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover.” Granted, Draven works for a government agency, but it’s not so secret. Well, to her friends it is. And she’s trained to go undercover, true, but not like The Specialists. She works alone, you see, and doesn’t get to travel to any exotic locales. In fact, her type of spying is along the lines of Louise Fitzhugh‘s

Yes, HARRIET THE SPY. It’s local. All the people she’s looking for are in Phoenix, AZ. Yes, it’s a hotbed of crime here. What, you didn’t know? It’s all very tattletale-like. She spies, writes it all down and reports to her handler/guardian. Then sits back and lets the not-so-secret-agency do their thing.

It’s been years since I’ve read HARRIET THE SPY, but it’s one of my favorite warm fuzzies childhood memory. And I’ve never read Shannon’s series, but I’m curious about the teen agents…do they get paid? Are the benefits any good?

Technorati Tags: YA Highway, Shannon Greenland, The Specialists, Louise Fitzhugh, HARRIET THE SPY

October 13, 2010 | Life in General,Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

Topic #48:What are your favorite first lines? How do your own WIPs start?

Truth be told, and you’re going to be shocked…I don’t have any favorite first lines. What catches my attention is the cover (because more often than not there’s a gorgeous, half naked man on it), and the blurb on the back. If I’m not caught up within the first few pages, it gets put in the sell-to-used-bookstore pile. I really don’t pay attention to the first lines.

I’m already diggin’ in to the meat of the story.

Besides, for me, the favorite lines usually come later in the book, never the first line in Chapter One. My favorite line from my own WIP, however, comes from Book One in my Draven Atreides series:

I’m meeting two undercover FBI agents in Central Park today.

Of course, by the time I get around to publishing it, it’s no longer going to be a first line. Right now, though, I’d have to say it’s my favorite.

Technorati Tags: YA Highway

October 6, 2010 | Road Trip Wednesday,The 4-1-1 on Me

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

I didn’t participate last week as I didn’t have a favorite book of the month. Therefore, this is my 47th RTW, not 48 as indicated on YA Highway.

Topic #47: You’re packing for a month on a deserted island. What, as a reader and writer, must be in your backpack?

~ Enough romance books to last me two months, possibly three. I’m a quick reader and, seeing as how I’m a deserted island with nothing else to do, I could read quite a few in a one day.

~ Sunblock. I may be black, but I still burn.

~ A journal and a mechanical pencil. Because I’m a writer after all and this adventure could make for one helluva story. Or not.

~ Bug repellent (and possibly some Raid). Because there are going to be bugs bigger than my cat on this island. Guaranteed.

~ Survival Guide. Hopefully written by that dude from Man vs Wild.

~ Flashlight. The kind that works on Energizer Forever batteries.

~ A box of matches. Because I totally failed at the rubbing-two-sticks-together thing in Girl Scouts.

~ A machete. For food, of course. And possibly protection.

Am I on this island by myself? Cuz I’m thinkin’ a backpack isn’t going to cut it…

Technorati Tags: YA Highway, Raid, Man vs Wild

September 22, 2010 | Book One,Book Two,Dance Jam Productions,Draven Atreides, Teenage Informant Series,Life in General,Road Trip Wednesday,Secrets and Kisses

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

Topic #46: If you went to high school with your characters, would you be friends?

Hells to the yeah!

For the simple reason that each of my characters has a little bit of me in them, they’re “inspired by” someone I know, or they’re someone I wish I could be. In my first book, SECRETS AND KISSES, I would be Skylar Knight. Actually, I was her. I was shy, I crushed from afar, when I was her age I worried about not knowing how to kiss—okay, let me rephrase that. I didn’t worry about not knowing how to kiss until I actually started dating. Which was right around the time I entered community college. Back in high school, I just crushed from afar and didn’t worry about the kissing part because I was attracted to white guys and knew that no white guy would be interested in a black girl. That’s just how it was at my school. Especially when the ratio of minorities to whites was pretty slim. And, being the bookworm that I was back then (and currently still), I so would’ve checked out a kissing how-to book from the library. Skylar’s best friend, Ellie, kind of reminded me of Six. You know, Blossom’s best friend on that show “Blossom”? She’s funny, she’s bubbly, and knows when to give you a kick in the pants for being stupid. Or when you need to suck it up and put your Big Girl panties on.

Mataya Black Hawk in DANCE JAM PRODUCTIONS, my second book, is not so much shy as reserved (because of the secret she carries), and slow to trust people she first meets. But once you’re in her little circle (and it’s little. Tiny, really), you’re there forever and the loyalty is ironclad. Her two best friends, Mici and Ren, sort of balance her out. Ren’s a tomboy skater chick (but still a girly-girl) and Mici’s the feminine one, who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing baggy pants. There are differences, but the dynamics work.

My current series, DRAVEN ATREIDES, TEENAGE INFORMANT, Draven was inspired by my then 16-yr-old niece (she’s 21 now). She’s witty, independent, has a good head on her shoulders, and resourceful. She’s got to be because she’s leading a double life (Draven, not my niece). Her best friend, Rico, was inspired by an old high school friend of mine who “came out” during our senior year (luv ya, Michael). And OMG, he was hysterical. Hy. Sterical. He always had me crackin’ up, so I hope I’m able to do him a little bit of justice in this series. Draven’s other best friend, Poe, is a little wild and looking forward to that rocker musician lifestyle. LOL.

I think my group here is a great mix of personalities and ethnicity, with the occasional clash to make it interesting. LOL.

It’s funny, as I look at the break down of each character, I’ve noticed two things: 1) I tend to create an introverted/reserved MC and extroverted/silly/quirky friend(s) and 2) my MC’s have only one or two good friends.

I really am writing what I know. And I’m not just referring to the fact that all of my books are based in Phoenix, AZ. In real life, I’m the introverted/reserved MC and I have two best friends that I’ve known over 20 years each. That’s my tiny, ironclad circle of friendship. But they—and the other friends I have–are so much more than me: outgoing, bold, self-confident, strong. I feed off that and have come out of my shell a lot over the years. I have that “friendship diversity” in real life—and it works for me—and I guess I want that for my characters, too.

Technorati Tags: YA Highway, SECRETS AND KISSES, Blossom, DANCE JAM PRODUCTIONS, Phoenix, AZ

September 15, 2010 | Draven Atreides,Life in General,Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

Topic #45: If you could travel back to any historical era for research purposes, which would you choose?

The 50′s and the 60′s. For the music. Those eras weren’t kind to African-Americans, but man, the music was great. I grew up listening to Motown: Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Supremes, The Temptations, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five…they were always playing in our house. Even though my music of choice nowadays is alternative (my co worker, Lisa, refers to it as “angry music”. LOL), I still listen to it.

A while back, I bought a 2-disc set of oldies, you know, the kind they sell on those infomercials? From Chubby Checker to The Beach Boys, it had a bunch of really cool “summer” tunes. I now have those songs on my iPod. I love the oldies so much that I made this type of music a favorite for one my characters: Draven Atreides. She’s not your typical teen, so I didn’t want her listening to the “typical” kind of music teens would normally listen to. I think that makes her a little unique.

I normally have my iPod on shuffle, so I get a mix of music like on the radio, and every time one of those oldies songs comes on, I find myself smiling, tapping my foot, bobbing my head, and humming–sometimes even singing–under my breath. They really don’t make music like that anymore, you know? Lyrics were simple with no cuss words, the beats were catchy, and the groups–both men and women–dressed real snazzy and sharp, and had precise, simple, choreographed movements. And the harmonies! So amazing.

I’m so glad I was exposed to music like that. It’s funny how something like that can span generations, where musicians today are sampling tunes from the past. Music. It’s universal.

Technorati Tags: YA Highway, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Supremes, The Temptations, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five, Chubby Checker, The Beach Boys