Take, Run, Follow

Somewhere in here I mentioned that I was heading toward the final book in the Dark-Hunter series. The Minions out there know that statement is incorrect. I know it now, too.

This year, dubbed The Year of Acheron, by Miss Kenyon herself gave us the long awaited book, Acheron. I thought that was the end of it because he’s the driving character behind the creation of the Dark-Hunters.

In a way, I’m right.

The Kenyon website states that we are heading into “Phase Two” of the series. Acheron is the first installment of the second phase. So from a point of view, there was an end in sight. Lucky for us fans though, it’s not exactly the end, but a new beginning.

Next up in the series is One Silent Night. There is a ticker on the website that says it’ll be here in nine days. I clicked it for details, but got an invite to sign up for the newsletter instead. I did sign up, but I have no other info on that book.

Looking at the rest of the site, I came across two future installments, Dream Warrior and Bad Moon Rising. Both are slated for 2009.

So where does that leave me? It kind of leaves me caught up with the rest of the paranormal romance world. I’ll have to sit and wait like the rest of you.

That kind of sucks.

So what will I do while waiting?

I’ve been asking myself that for a while now. I’ve mentioned that I am going to start a novel on November 1st. I feel the need to ride the Wrimo buzz all the way through to the end of the month and beyond. (There’s no way I’m going to send a query out on a first draft piece. I’m arrogant, but not stupid.)

And speaking of queries, am I really going to do it? I think I am this time. Or rather, I am this time.

I’ve spent many years writing. My first journals are from grade school. I’ve been praised for the ability all of my life. I was told I was going to be a star when I was seventeen years old.

So what happened? Here I am at 36 and I’m unpublished and the height of my “career” is in a high school that no longer exists.

Life happened. Poor choices and wayward paths happened and maybe just a tad of insecurity. I stopped pursuing my dream because I didn’t think I was good enough. I held myself to such a high standard that anything but a perfect first draft was unacceptable and I did the worst thing a writer can do, in my opinion anyway.

I wrote for my audience.

Sure, it’s good to give the people what they want. I want more Dark-Hunter books. I don’t want Kenyon to stop producing them. But you know, you can put too much into the wants of the crowd; It can destroy creativity. It can make a writer question themselves.

I did and the words wouldn’t flow. They’d come out jumpy and unsure of themselves. And it read that way.

Four years ago I stopped doing that. I got back to writing for me, writing the things that came to mind. I even stopped caring about what I was actually saying. My goal was to get it on paper, get it out, no worries about depth or being seen as good.

After awhile, my brain was trained to pick out the good from the shit I was spewing on paper. I grew confident in my word choices and understood that nothing is written in stone. Second drafts are a possibility! And I have this button on my keyboard that says “delete”.

Deleting can be a wonderful thing. So is backspacing.

So here I am producing relatively coherent stuff and there are people who actually like what I do. Imagine that? And I am writing for me, writing for my sanity, not them or thiers.

But after a while, my writing started to include the readers. Not because I catered to them, but because they started coming along for the ride.

Nah, I can’t please everybody and I don’t expect to. I am expecting to keep at it though. I’m going to keep going, even if my words never get past a few lone pages on the internet.

A couple of weeks ago I did something that I never did before. I answered an ad for our local News and Review. It felt good to do it, even though I know the Editor won’t give me the time of day. Who am I, but an unknown writer with absolutely no experience?

It doesn’t matter if I don’t even get a Thanks-but-no-thanks letter. I applied. I applied to prove that I was actually doing something with myself.

This Saturday, Wrimo starts. It’s nothing but another day to most, but to me it’s a start of a new perspective on my writing life. I aim to get published or at least turned down by every publisher in the country: twice.

So I’m feeling good on this Halloween Eve. I’m riding high and have much joy to share. Take it, run with it, follow your dreams!

© 2008

Dark Side of the Moon: Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Ten

I think I’m still a little giddy from this read. I have to tell you that it was one of the better ones and our hero Ravyn ranks as one of my fave Dark-Hunters. For those of you who don’t recall, he’s the Were-Hunter turned Dark-Hunter. This oddity gives him some special powers, and I likes ’em.

Here in Dark Side of the Moon we see a meeting of two souls – well, as much soul as a Dark-Hunter can manage – who have lost everything dear to them. We see in Ravyn the kind of integrity and predatory strength we like to see in our heroes, and Susan ain’t too bad either.

I actually like Susan a lot. She’s tough in that not-so-overbearing way. She’s likable, gutsy, classy, and all those things our DH crew likes in a mate.

So what’s going down in this installment anyway?

Looks like the Daimons may have retained some human allies. Those allies may be bad asses in their own right. They might be, you’ll have to judge that for yourselves. But what really matters in this plot is that Susan and Ravyn are wanted for the murder of her dear friends. They are being hunted day and night, and the only place for them to run is for the Sanctuary, the Serengeti. Sounds good until we find out that’s where Ravyn’s family is, the ones who basically want him dead.

So what happens to two would-be outlaws whose lives are being torn apart, whose normal safe houses are now deemed unsafe, and whose very city is under siege?

They do their best to survive.

But not everybody does. We see death in this novel. We see three lives being changed for the better and for the worse. Ravyn’s and Susan’s lives aren’t the only ones transforming. Nick, Cael, Belle and others’ lives are going to be changed or ended in these pages. In fact, maybe the whole Dark Hunter world is changing as we read. Little by little Stryker and his crew are wreaking havoc, and as the pages pass by I can see an ultimate challenge brewing.

But then I could be wrong. Please read along and tell me what you think.

And where is our wayward Acheron, our cavalry of this here world? He’s busy with the bitch goddess herself. Her games are never-ending, and Ash is constantly torn between deals made and duties sworn.

He’d better keep his eyes open because betrayal is afoot, and it’s coming from the most unlikely places.

Trust me when I say read this book. It’s one of those pivotal ones and it’s a lead into something huge, I can feel it!!!!

Okay boys and girls and girls and boys. I’m off! I’ve got to read the next book!!!!

© 2008

Unleash the Night-Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Nine

Whew. I’m in one of my low spins, reading instead of writing. For those of you paying attention to this blog that’s a good thing, I hope, but since you are silent in the ’Verse I can only imagine.

So where are we now? Book #9, Unleash the Night. Wow, I don’t have too many more to go before I’m at the end of the Dark Hunter world. Will it be DH fan fic after that or something of my own creation?

Ah, but you want me to get on with it, so I will.

Unleash the Night takes us on the Were-Hunters’ side of things. This would be our second jaunt into the Katagaria/Arcadian world. I doubt it will be our last, and truly I hope it isn’t. As much as I love our Dark Hunters I like the Weres just as much. I have to give Kenyon credit, her world certainly runs vivid. Great characters abound and delight.

Loping into the scenery this time is Wren, Wren Tigarian. For those of you not in the know, he is a busboy at the ever famous Sanctuary. He doesn’t talk much and looks pretty scruffy in that please-don’t-kill-me kind of way. Of course, our Miss Hero is seduced by him.

Ugh.

Before I go on, let me scream something out to the wonders of the land. When a guy is super creepy let it be!!!!!!!! He is most likely dangerous. Hmmm, am I bit jaded here? Or perhaps the book is too rosy for our reality?

You know, we don’t read these books for a dose of reality. Reality is all over the front pages, flashing at you on your Yahoo home page and being buzzed down your throat before you fully wake.

And I really didn’t want to wake from this one.

At first the plot is a little much. Senator’s daughter meets busboy. We’ve seen that, done that. The story even has a Romeo and Juliet kind of feel, but this is no comedy of errors. (Romeo and Juliet wasn’t a comedy, but strip the drama and look at the mechanics and you will find farce.) This story is actually fast paced and pulls you into the pain and longing of the characters.

I found Wren to be classically misunderstood and Marguerite to be trapped by her social standing. They are thrown together through an unfortunate circumstance and the misfortune escalates to the point where The Peltiers have turned against Wren. The only hope he has comes in the form of Vane and his cronies as a blood hunt is called out for Wren’s life and because of his feelings for Marguerite, her life is in danger too.

Once again Kenyon starts the book at a slower pace. This time it works for the story and gets you inside the characters as they open up and develop right before your eyes. By the end of the book you are ecstatic at their triumph as they seamlessly come into their own.

I have to say this is one of Kenyon’s better installments in the series. Are Wren and Miss M added to my favorite characters list? Not exactly, but they are wonderful enough that I don’t mind missing the likes of Kyrian, Valerius and Vane.

Ah, but you care little about plot and character development. Are the sex scenes worth the genre? Yeah, they are. Though, there aren’t as many packed in here as our previous ride on the dark side.

This is not a bad thing.

Kenyon’s last effort relied a little too much on titillation. This effort has it speckled just right, just enough spice to set off a hum. If you want more action, buy porn.

The final word? Buy it, read it, keep it close to your...

I gotta laugh, some things shouldn’t be shared – like what kind of porn would you actually buy?


© 2008

Sins of the Night-Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Eight

Hello one and all, I’m back with my latest review. Yep it’s another Kenyon, but hey, there are like two thousand two hundred and thirty two installments. Sins of the Night is No. 8 in this sometimes seemingly infinite series and it’s pretty good.

No, I’m not foot stomping around for this one. The story line is cool enough, the heroes are likable, nobody sucks in this one except maybe the bad guys. However, the book doesn’t create the fever pitch that so many others in this series has, but you now you can’t bat 1000 through and through and really, an A- isn’t so bad.

So, now that you know that the book is good, but not fiery, do you still want me to go on?

Don’t bother answering. I’ve put too much time into those pages not to tell you how much I know about them. And for the record, even though I’m not, what did I say, foot stomping over this book, I did read it in a single day. That means something, right?

Anyway, most of the Kenyon books focus on a male Dark Hunter, this one doesn’t. Here we meet – get ready for this – Danger. She’s French, so the name’s okay. Besides, it’s short for Dangereuse.

Riiiight. Sometimes these authors go a bit over the top with the name thing, but hey these are romances. And like I said, anyway…

Danger is bad ass in her own right and it’s nice to take a spin on the double X side. Of course we have to have a dude come along. (I’m not knocking gaiety, but the books do have a pattern.) And who is dude?

This is actually pretty cool, but I’m only going to tell you a part of it.

He is Acheron’s right hand man.

WTF?

Yeah, I know!!! Acheron does have a right hand man and he’s here to pass judgment on the Dark Hunters.

Judgment , you ask? You are so full of questions.

It seems some of the DH crowd has decided that good ol’ Ash is a Daimon who’s been using them as pawns. The idea came to them in a dream. No, how about a walking nightmare called Stryker. Yep current bad dude # 1 is back.

Basically we have a Daimon telling Dark Hunters that Acheron is a Daimon out to get them. And that right there is what makes this plot a little weak.

Kenyon delivers hot sex and characters with compelling pasts that make you feel for them. You get to learn more about the DH world as well. You even get a few more tidbits on the ever secretive big guy, Ash. However, all of these vibrant gems are milling around, soggy in their milk. Of course, I ate up and licked the bowl clean. I just wished the dish had a little more crunch.

I’m not saying skip it. I’m not even saying you won’t enjoy it. I’m just saying it’s not going to be as exciting as the rest and the plot isn’t going to be as sound as so many of the previous have been.

I will say that the resolution has a different spin, meaning… well, meaning you’ve got to read it. It’s not going to end like you think it is, not exactly anyway. And for those of you haven’t read, “In the Beginning,” the little piece explaining the birth of the Dark Hunters off the website, it’s in the back of the book. Per the author’s note, it’s a should read before delving into this story.

And that’s all, kids. I’m off to read book nine. You know it’s a wonderful thing to find a great series, but it’s kind of sad when it’s all over. Let’s hope Ms. Kenyon never tires of the series. I think I can read on forever…



© 2008

NANO WRIMO 2008

It occurred to me this morning to mention NanoWrimo. Writer’s and non-writer’s alike know all about National Novel Writing Month. It occurs every year and starts on November 1st, 2008.

I’ve participated for the last couple of years, but never really signed up and used the tools available. This year though, my on-line social network has a lot of people enthused about Wrimo. So, I signed up and am going to keep track of my word count this year.

Word count?

Oh yeah, stinking premises would help for those not in the know, huh?

The name explains the basic idea. Participants devote November to writing a novel. The goal is 50,000 words of a story that you haven’t written before. You can do research and prepare all you want, but you can’t haul out that half finished story from three years ago and pass it off. It has to be brand spanking new, not new ideas, but new words.

I’ve been planning on doing Wrimo for a few months now. Hence all of the research I’ve been doing. I’m going to write a paranormal romance which if I wanted to use hence again I’d say, hence the focus on paranormal romance in these here pages.

(I guess I just did.)

Anyway, I’ve been researching for the past couple of months and setting up what’s supposed to be a light piece. I can tell you right now though, that the story isn’t shaping up to be a traditional paranormal romance.

Traditional paranormal romance?

Tacking on traditional can be arguable since to some, the genre is fairly recent.

But I’m shifting from the whole point of this post and I’m sure there is a point if I just let myself find it.

Well, I’m a writer by nature. I write all of the time out of sheer need to get some of the top surface off my mind. I blog here, I blog there, I blog everywhere. The one thing I haven’t managed to do though is write a complete novel.

I have a lot of almost finished pieces. I have an erotica piece that I think is very good. Will it be a classic? I don’t know if I don’t ever finish it. I have my previous Wrimo adventure. That one stalled because I didn’t do ANY research and realized that though the story was good and the characters were interesting, the environment was flat. The story was like looking at a beautiful face surrounded by blank white canvas. It seemed to float there unattached.

So this year I decided that I would do the research. I even attempted an outline. I’ve fought the idea of an outline for years because I managed to write some really good pieces without one, but you know a vignette is easy, a whole novel is something else.

This time I’ve put in my time. I’ve created a world. I’ve created characters with history and texture. I’ve done this before on a grander scale, but I’m going simple on this one.
I think simple is the key here as well.

I’ve done my time, like I’ve said above, but in the past I did it with all kinds of grandeur. I have created a world with so many layers and so much texture that it’s actually beyond my current capabilities to write it. So, I committed myself to Wrimo, with a less complicated web of a world, with straight forward characters, and a story line that will be fun, but not too complicated.

This is the first time I’m actually fully prepared for my 30 days of creation and I’m revving to go. Though, I have a few things to do before hand. Like find out a little about Montana and New York. I need some weapons knowledge and maybe a little bit on tactical warfare. Just a tad. I don’t need to be an expert on the subjects. I just need enough knowledge that those in the know aren’t going to scream “Bullshit!”. I want to know enough for them to just whisper it, you know?

I’m hoping that those of you who come across this who have the writing bug, whether you want to be published or not, take a few days of your life and participate in some mutual creativity. I think you’ll like the energy of support that Wrimo can give.

And you don’t have to show it to anyone. You can write for you and only you. I find the very act of expressing myself frees me in a way very little else can do. So, come along, play with me. It’ll be sooo much fun!

You can sign up at




© 2008

Seize the Night: Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Seven

Who is the worst person to fall in love with? I think many of us can answer that on some level, but what if your answer was the enemy of your twin sister? And technically the enemy of just about everyone you have to deal with?
Well, as we have discovered through the pages of this series, Tabitha Devereaux doesn’t do anything easily. This brash, in-your-face twin does come across the love of her life in a dark alley on a night out of hunting the bad guys. Unfortunately for the love of her life, he gets stabbed…by her.

Yeah, that’s basically how the couple meets. Classic right?

Seize the Night finally sheds some light on the hated Valerius, grandson of the man who killed Kyrian and brother of the now god, Zarek, both of whom would like to see him dead. (Among others, poor guy.)
When I started reading this book I did what I’ve been doing at every start of every book in this series: I sat there thinking it’s not going to be as good. I’m not going to like the next guy as much. I’m certainly not going to like the stick-up-the-ass General, Valerius.

Come on, we all think Valerius is an asshole.

Well everyone except Tabitha.

And now, everyone but me. I really, really ended up liking Valerius a lot. I learned to feel for him and I have to admit I cried more than once for the General.

Kenyon, through Valerius and Tabitha, gives us a Dark-Hunter installment for those of us who never quite fit in, for those of us who have had to live on the fringes for one reason or another.
Maybe we were associated with something bad, maybe the way we walk the path is just a little different. For whatever reason though, we’ve never been accepted in the way we’d like to be.
Here you get to experience the journey of two people finding the missing part of themselves in opposites while trying to battle the perception of one of them. (Yeah, the step-brother wants to kill my boyfriend thing is kind of an issue.) All this, while going after the big bad.

So, read this one, I think you’ll really love it. Oh yeah, there some juicy bits about Acheron and some pretty harrowing things going on outside of the star couple of this book. Tragedy strikes and, for some of our faithful Dark-Hunter crew, life is going to change; I can’t say for the better. I can only say they have my condolences and Kenyon fucking delivers again.

© 2008

Night Play: Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Six

I just finished Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and though I have liked all of the books in the series so far, I’ve only adored a couple of them.

This one falls into that category.

Night Play brings back Vane Kattalakis, the wolf that risked clan punishment for protecting Sunshine, Talon’s great love. Well, he didn’t just risk the fury of the pack, he got it, he and his brother both.

The story is, of course, about Vane finding his love. The Fates have mated him to a human and he has three weeks to prove himself to her and hope to the gods she can accept him. But really, what kind of life can her give her? He’s hunted and he lives his life looking over his shoulder.

And who is this woman he has to protect from himself? Do you remember the hot chick he watched walk away from him? The human he found so enticing? Well, she’s back and living large.

Bride, though, isn’t your typical romance heroine. She’s got some weight issues. She’s spent most of her life being the “smart” one and quite frankly thought of as the fat one.

I have to say that this installment made me laugh and smile a lot. There is no intense oh-my-god-I-hope-that-doesn’t-happen moment, but this story doesn’t need the high intensity of super suspense. It rides smoothly, with just enough uncertainty and spice to keep you reading on.

Will Vane’s brother, Fang, be all right? Will pack mate Fury betray them? Will Bride’s choice to mate with Vane be a good idea?

And what is Ash’s role in all of this?

Oh and you finally get to know the Peltiers better. I think you’ll like them and feel safer in Sanctuary than you ever did before. I know I did.

I really, really enjoyed Night Play. It made me feel good all over and what more can you ask from a group of Weres and Vampires?

Next up on the plate? Seize the Night. It’s time to enter into Valerius’ tidy world. Just how arrogant is this Dark-Hunter of noble blood? Is he really a good guy or is Kyrian right and the man should be put down? I guess we’ll find out, but read Night Play first if you haven’t already.

Hmmm, suddenly I’m itching for BBQ. Damn Simi.

© 2008