Back on Sub with a CRAZY Idea!

So, I officially went on sub today for The Guardians. Being on sub for the second time is a strange feeling. There's excitement, fear, giddiness, anticipation--all of what I felt the first time I went on sub with DHtP, but it feels magnified times a million! So much so that my Grammy, and resident therapist, was already pep talking me last night about "putting it out of my mind', not getting down and out with rejections, etc.

That's is soooooooo much easier said than done. Especially for me who is highly neurotic and a big time worrier.

Going back on sub is tough for another reason. I didn't talk on my blog about what happened in June/July with DHtP and the submission process. I've talked about it lots on AW, but I'll go for it her. Basically, an editor fell in love with DHtP, and I fell in love with the editor when we talked on the phone--yes, I even got to conference call with this editor, and then the most horrible thing happened. It died in acquisitions. It was very, very devastating.

Since mid July, I haven't been on sub. I was officially on sub with DHtP from late November to July. I've been fine tuning The Guardians, which was the first YA I ever wrote. It's a labor of love to keep with something for so long because you believe in the story and characters.

Anyway, long post short, here's what I'm planning to do if & when I sell......

I seem to favor red heads lately for the MC's in my novels. Cassie, my songbird angel, is redhead, and then so is Cadence, my spitfire in Testament. So, when and if TG sells, I'm going to DYE MY HAIR RED!!!

Yep, that's right. I'm going red! I already have some "cinnamon" lowlites in my hair during the winter months, but if I sell, I'm going full on red!!!

It's about the craziest thing I can think of right now to do when/if I sell.

Whatcha think? Cool or lame idea? Think of something else crazy I can do?

PS. I've also thought of buying an angel costume since TG deals with angels!!! :)

Sunday Slobber: My Mini-NaNo Experience aka Finishing My Dystopian

Welcome to another segment of Sunday Slobber....yes, I really had a segment called that, but it's just been a long time since I did one! lol

This is pupster, Duke, sacked out with exhaustion beside me on the couch. This is what I feel like today. Why? Well, because I just finished my YA Dystopian. *cue the Journey Don't Stop Believin'* Yes, I never saw myself writing a Dystopian...and when the idea for Testament came, I wrote about 6K of it and sent a synops to my agent. Even though she loved the concept, I never saw myself actually finishing it. But hey, guess what? I did!

In a way, I had my own mini-NaNO experience since I basically wrote 40K of the 60K this month. At times, I thought I would pull my hair out...others I marveled in the characters and world I was building. You know, that spark--that brief and always fleeting moment when you actually self-love, rather than self-loathe, your work? Yeah, I had it big time! And then it came time to write the end. As a total pantser, I don't use an outline or synops, and I never write it order. Well, this time I had a synops(which continously changed!), and I wrote it order. But truthfully, I think the ending was just because I was afriad of where and how to cut it off. That's never really happened to me before. Thankfully, my writer buddies and angels, Jamie and Hannah, helped me get through it and talked me down from the ledge.

So, since I really haven't talked about it on the blog, I thought I'd do a little quickie. Testament came to me last May/June. While trying to think of a way to hop on the Dystopian bandwagon(Hey, I'm being honest here!), an idea hit me with a mixture of the biblical stories of Esther and Joseph. I may post more of a summary later, but for right now, here's a little snip of the characters.

For my MC, Cadence O'Bryant, I see her as both of these versions of the lovely, Evan Rachel Wood. Why? Well, because during the course of the book she undergoes a transformation at the "pageant". She's typical teen, or typical Dystopian teen, lol, and then she's made to be something else. At her core, she is a fiery red-head. In fact, I had flashes of Maureen O'Hara in the Quiet Man when I was writing her. She loses control of her mouth on many, many occasions. There's a deeper and darker side to her since she's been through a lot of heartache and had to be strong.

If I had to have a favorite character besides my MC, it would be Malacky Greene. He's one of those characters who was never supposed to have a big story. He was simply Cadence's brother's best friend in one of the introductory scenes--and he kinda had some funny banter with her. And then suddenly, he was much, much more! He harboured a crush on Cadence and would do anything to keep her safe and happy. He's also a bit of a goofball, and he tries to hide behind his humor a lot. I seriously fell in love with him when I was writing! LOL Fortunately, he's 19 in the story, so it wasn't some pervy, underage thing! LOL

And then my cocky, but misunderstood, Cullen, which I'm sure I'll get grief for the name, but srsly, I didn't go for a Twilight knock-off. Most of the characters have names with Gaelic origins, and Cullen means "handsome" in Gaelic. I never really wanted to write a love triangle, and when Malacky wrote himself, so did the love triangle. Cullen's the rich son of the CEO who now rules the former America. While he's used to having his way, he also has a softer side, and one beta reader totally fell in love with him! LOL

And so Testament now goes off to agent reading land to see how it fares with her. *fingers crossed*

Friday 5 Dreams

So the very awesome Karla N is having a contest for Wade, Fade, and Gone . Creatively since the stories are about dream, writing about your dreams is part of the contest. So, here are 5 of my dreams.

(1). Get Married: Yes, I've been waiting for this dream to materialize since I was a little girl. Even though the divorce rate is 50%, I still want to take one trip down the aisle. And even though I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, I know that Mr. Right could appear at any moment!

(2). Have a Baby: My dream to have a child is probably stronger than my desire to get married. I've just always been maternal, wanted children, etc. If you had talked to "10 yrs ago Krista", she would have already believe this dream would've come true. But alas, it hasn't. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying prayers that both #1 and #2 happen SOON!!!

(3). Publish a book, or two, or 5: I think this is probably the dream of every writer. To be published. I've wanted to be a published author since I was a little girl. I got close this summer, and I'm hoping to finally achieve this dream soon!

(4). See Ireland & Scotland: Although my family has been here in America since the 1700's in some cases, I have an affinity deep in my bones for the "homeland", so to speak, of Ireland and Scotland. This is where family on both sides of my family came from along with England(but I've been there before). I really, really want to see these places. Hmm, maybe when I get a book deal!

(5). Be able to teach 1/2 time: I guess this dream goes along wtih the publishing dream b/c I'd love to just have to work part time. Well, it could also go along with #1 too, lol. I'd love to have more time to devote to writing and volunteering.

So there you have it. My 5 Dreams. What are yours? Be sure to stop by Karla's contest!