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“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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Ramblings of a Gamer: Kingdom Hearts III Part 3: Final Rant

**** SPOILERS**** I have quite a few bones to pick with Kingdom Hearts III; I’ve already mentioned the POV fail and the overabundance of Disney, but there were a few other points that hit my editing nerve. The dialogue tags were excruciating. There was no need throughout the game to keep naming all the characters when they were talking to them. It came off very awkward the first couple times, and was painful the longer I played. The cut scenes were another problematic area. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love those little mini movies in my RPGs, but in KH3, there were so many that the gameplay was interrupted. Cut scenes are good for a reward after a long battle or to tell a part of the story that can’t be told in the gameplay, but too many can pull the player out of the game, which was the case for me. Kairi got shafted in this game. She worked so hard to be a member of the team, and she doesn’t even get to use her skills. Instead of being the fully-fleshed out chara...
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Ramblings of a Gamer: Kingdom Hearts III and a Storytelling Fail

**** SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVEN”T PLAYED AND HAVE MANAGED TO AVOID SPOILERS, RUN AWAY NOW! ***** Still here? For real, there’s going to be spoilers because I can’t talk about this without them. Staying? Okay! Here we go! I’ve been a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series since the early days. The thought of Final Fantasy mashed together with my fave Disney characters was just odd enough to make me check it out, and that gorgeous opening sequence with Utada Hikaru’s Simple and Clean absolutely drew me in. The game was beautiful and strange, and it had a compelling story that somehow made these characters from completely different franchises work. I bought a Gameboy Advance to play Chain of Memories, and I eagerly snatched up KH2 when it came out, but after that, I couldn’t keep up. There were too many games on too many platforms, and while I love my gaming collection, I’m not much of a handheld gamer, and I couldn’t justify all these extra purchases ...
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Return to the Attic: The Blog Lives!

*dusts off cobwebs* Hi!  It's been awhile since I've visited the attic. Many things happened in my personal and professional life, and this blog unfortunately fell by the wayside. But! Here I am, ready once again to ramble about whatever gets stuck in my mind and needs an outlet. Here’s a brief recap: Shortly before the release date of my book, things went awry, and an agreement was made that I should have it back. Bittersweet, but I haven’t given up on that story yet. There was much to be done, and frankly, some tears to deal with, but it wasn’t all bad because in the midst of it all, I signed with Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency. After the dust cleared, I set to work on a new WIP, which I love and hope to share with the world, and now I’m 52K into my next. Words are flowing, and I’ve got new ideas and plans to rework some of my existing projects. Progress feels awesome! I want to share my excitement and my words and...
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#Pitchslam is Nigh! A Bit About Feedback

It's time for another season of Pitchslam, the writing contest with the bonus of feedback! For all the nitty-gritty, you can check out our fearless leader's post here:   http://linkis.com/llmckinney.com/wjY1x   There's all kinds of bonuses to writing contests: feedback, getting your work in front of agents who might not be open to queries at the time, camaraderie between contestants, and even finding critique partners who get you but aren't afraid to tell you when you're way off course. (Seriously, crit partners (CPs) are essential. If you don't have one, get one. Or three.)   What I really like about writing contests is getting fresh eyes on my pitch or first pages. As the writer, we know the ins and outs of our story, and those details never really leave our minds. So when we're writing queries or pitches, it's easy to think our summary makes sense when really we're filling in a gap with our insider knowledge. When we think it's go...
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Waiting…

Waiting sucks.   When something excites me, I usually want it RIGHT NOW. Like when the PS4 came out. I wanted one really bad, and my brain was screaming, “GET IT NOW!” However, my sensible side said, “Wait. Let them work out any bugs. At least wait until they have game you actually want to play.” So…I’m still waiting. Waiting for writing things makes me twitchy. I squirm when I’m waiting for feedback, contest results, or replies to emails. Especially the last one because waiting on anything to do with publishing is torture. I obsessively refresh like everyone else when I’m dying to see a query response or edit note in my inbox. And when my inbox remains frustratingly empty? I mentally whine and wait some more. If I’ve learned anything since deciding I really wanted to slog through the query trenches, it’s patience. No matter what level you’re at, there’s waiting to be done. A writer waits on an agent to scoop them up. An agent waits for an editor t...
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Guest Post with Jessa Russo! Writing Loveable Supporting Characters

Today, Jessa's giving us a glimpse into her process for creating characters and excerpts of some of her loveable supporting cast members! “Writing Loveable Supporting Characters” (With excerpts!)   I’ve been beyond pleased with the feedback I’ve received regarding my side characters, in both DIVIDE and The Ever Trilogy, and I have to say that my characters are blessed in friendship, because I am blessed in friendship. For over twenty years now, I’ve had the same core group of girls in my life, and though we’ve had the occasional hiccup (okay, some of them were more than hiccups), we’ve always managed to come back to each other. There’s Charissa, who constantly inspires me and can make me laugh on even the darkest of days; Candice, my ride-or-die (though I despise that phrase—the Thelma to my Louise, the one who can call me out on my BS and I’ll actually listen; and Kristin, the one who would hit the road with me in a heartbeat if a getaway was needed, and som...
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2014: Skyrim, Rocksmith, and Words

Hello, all! First off, I hope the new year is going well for everyone. I sort of fell into a blog black hole toward the end of 2013. I’m back now, and I hope to keep a better schedule, but no promises. Last year, I mourned the death of my old PS3 and, thanks to my lack of home internet, the loss of my save data. I bought a new PS3 and piddled around with some games, but I just couldn’t get back in the groove. Well, I’m once again traversing Skyrim with my bow, sneaking up on bandits and shooting down dragons. The nonlinear play of Skyrim and the vast number of missions has kept it from being too repetitive. Not to mention, I now have the Legendary version, complete with all the download expansions. (I’m ridiculously excited to build my own house.) I’m also starting Rocksmith 2014. I’ve always wanted to play guitar. Once I’m done cursing the tuning section, I think it’ll be a fun way to learn. Assassin’s Creed 4 is on my to-do list…after I finish AC3. Not all my free...
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Writing Ramble: My Adventures in Plotting

I am a hardcore pantser when I’m writing. I know a mood and a general direction I want to go in, and I write. But that’s not working for this one particular WIP. My general roll-wherever-the-words-take-me method worked for about twelve pages. Then I got stuck. I knew where I wanted to go; I even had the basic plot written down. However, I couldn’t see the details within the picture. It was like trying to do a connect-the-dot puzzle with only two dots. (The thing’s supposed to be a bunny, y’all.) So, I did the thing I never thought I’d do. I made an outline. Yes, an orderly, structured, numerated document of information to guide me along my way. The thing I never wrote in school until I’d already finished my paper. And once I had it nice and neat, I saved it as a separate document, and I added details in subsections until the dots started looking somewhat bunny-shaped. It’s terrifying and so unlike me. My critique partner thinks I’ve been replaced with a pod person. B...
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That Time I Tricked My Creative Nonfiction Classmates into Thinking I Was a Dude

I think I've mentioned somewhere on here that I used to be part of a sword fighting club back in the day. Well, once many years ago, I took a creative nonfiction writing class in which I wrote about it. That particular assignment called for anonymity. After the critiques were done, we had the option to claim our works. To the shock of many of my classmates, the following story was indeed not written by a dude. Warmongers   We were mighty.   We were a band of warmongers, at times forty strong, battling to the death with swords of PVC pipe, padding, and duct tape.   We were the UCA sword-fighting club, and our battleground was Old Main.   Our founding father and great leader was Steven.   With a sharp eye and careful hand, he fashioned weapons for those of us that recently joined the ranks.   With the help of the veterans such as Cyrus and Matt, he kept us in line and trained us in the laws so we didn’t get thrown off campus.   Our rule...
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The Writer's Voice 2013: LEAD ME BACK HOME

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Woot! I won the lottery! What lottery? The one that let me into the awesome Writer’s Voice contest, hosted by Brenda Drake , Cupid , Monica B.W. , and Krista Van Dolzer . (For all the details about this contest, click here .) Thanks, beautiful hosts, for letting us stick our necks out! Query LEAD ME BACK HOME is a YA supernatural, complete at 81,000 words. Sixteen-year-old Trisha Myles thought her sister loved her. But after her sister commits suicide, it turns out she wished Trisha never existed. Confused and guilt-ridden, Trisha takes her sister’s suicide note to heart and abandons her friends and old life to become a social ghost. Not existing is sort of peaceful—until a vicious bully targets her. She’s saved by Jesse Reagan; the one guy in Hoghfield, Alabama, who outranks her as an outcast. Trisha’s desire to live blossoms, but friendship with Jesse is more than she bargained for. When she sees the slashes on hi...
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A Love Note for My Critique Partners

Hi there! *wipes off dust* There was an avalanche in the writer cave last month, and I only just now climbed back out. Many words were written and rewritten, contests were ventured into, and many words were read.  All lovely, phreaky,fantastical, and heart-squishing words! Writing for others is so much more than just putting down words or telling a story. Though I do my best, someone always catches something: an awkwardly worded line, a disjointed time switch, or something that's not exactly clear to the outside reader that may be perfectly understood in my head. And that's why I love my critique partners. They catch my mistakes and ask the right questions to inspire new ideas that will make my story better. They also encourage me and tell me when they love something, which makes the whole thing worth it. So here's to my CPs, who smack me when I need it and keep me in line! Without you, I might be all eyes and --ing verbs. Now, I must go shoo out some plot bunnies...
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The Difference Between YA and NA to Me

New Adult is emerging. Agents and publishers are acknowledging that the 18-24 crowd is a bit different than the 14-18 crowd, and not quite the same as the adult crowd. Unfortunately, some articles are simplifying the difference into YA issues plus steamy sex scenes. And that’s a gross understatement. As a reader, to me YA generally deals with issues like finding a place in the world, who you want to be, and gaining a sense of independence. It’s about personal identity and friendships and the evolution of a person from a child to a young adult. Sometimes it is about first love. Does it sometimes cover sex and sexuality? Why, yes, yes it does. Now, while some of these issues continue—some of us never know exactly who we want to be—there are new issues and experiences when someone becomes a new adult. A new adult is free from the relative uniformity of spending the last 13 years or better of their life in a regimen of classes and homework. There are new options. Lots of opti...
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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Sooo…I’m it. I was tagged by Alexander Pierce , aka @redantisocial , and since we share a love of the wonderful Nanaki, I’ll play along. The last time I was, um, carefully chosen to talk about my WIP, I gushed about INSATIABLE, but today, I have a shiny new WIP to talk about. What is the working title of your book? LEAD ME BACK HOME. Normally, the last thing I think of is a title, and they’re usually about as tormenting to come up with as writing *ahem* a query letter. This one though, I was listening to a lot of Halestorm while I wrote it, and there was a particular song that just really made me feel the whole thing. Where did the idea come from for your book? I had a ragey redhead running around in my head, and I decided to let him out. Also, I was playing Dragon Age II at the time, and I was fascinated with how magic, blood magic in particular, was viewed in the world of the game. Overlaying that was this dark, broody feeling, and it all sort of meshed together. ...
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Vacation Thoughts

I took a few days of vacation this week, and I discovered I needed the break more than I thought I did. I had ALL THE PLANS to do ALL THE THINGS. I managed to do about half of all the things, hehe. But that's okay because I did things I didn't know I needed to do. Such as listen to hours of music with the volume turned up. Or sit down and read with no distractions. And that is where a lot of my five free days went. I finished Lia Habel's Dearly, Beloved, which was absolutely amazing, and I also finished A Storm of Swords in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. Good stuff. Then I listened to all of my My Chemical Romance albums, A Perfect Circle, Evanescence, We Are the Fallen, Within Temptation, and so much more music. I missed doing these things. I hadn't left myself time to just read or listen to music in such a long time, that I really, truly had come to miss them. I also hung some Halloween decorations up, and I worked on my costume. Of co...
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Be Inspired Blogship Meme

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So, I got tagged by Hali Baumstein for this bloggy thing where I’m supposed to talk about my current project. Luckily, since it’s a blog, you can’t see my horribly red face as I write this. (End moan.)   Here’s the dirt on my most recent completed project: 1.       What is the name of your book? INSATIABLE   2.       Where did the idea for your book come from? One day, my main character popped into my head and said, “Hey, I’m Charlie!” I could hear him so clearly that I had to write him down. 3.       In what genre would you classify your book? Definitely YA contemporary fantasy. Possibly UF. While it’s full of faeries, it’s also set in a city, with cell phones and movie theaters and homework. Not fun, magical homework where if you screw up your rainbow potion explodes and paints everything multi-colored.  Math. English. 4.       ...
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Rewriting: A Pleasant Surprise

Rewriting. I thought it would be a nightmare. Something akin to ripping my skin off. How would I possibly tear apart something I had created, something that had made my heart swell with joy once I reached the final word? No way. I can’t destroy my precious story. Rewrite? Never. I’m doing it now. Driving home from work one day, a brilliant stroke of inspiration smacked me in the brain. It was undeniable, insistent. Though I hated the idea of majorly changing anything, the urge persisted. And since computers make it so easy to create a new file, I pushed my fear aside and surrendered. (Save As is my friend.) It started as a simplification of the beginning where I finally had to admit that there was too much going on. Then, I had another thought. Wouldn’t my villain be much more interesting if…? And then another idea that made a scene work much more emotionally than it had originally. Slowly, I’ve realized that rewriting isn’t tearing my stor...
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Of Notebooks and Past Lives

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Once upon a time, I worked in the land of dirt and flowers and litter pickup. And while this world of physical labor was good, satisfying work—I loved planting flowers and didn’t mind so much the litter—it was difficult to write down those OMG moments of inspiration. For example: In the early morning of a spring-break abandoned campus, roaming the grounds in a drizzle, the hood of my yellow raincoat muffling the infrequent sound of traffic on the nearby street. Boom. A sudden impression, brought on by memories of late-night battles with padded PVC swords (showing my nerd here), of an old battlefield. Walking along the sidewalk underneath the great oaks, my litter-stick in hand, I saw the entire first scene unfold before me. I had a first line. I NEEDED to write it down. I learned early on that I have aha! moments at any given, random time, so I started carrying a notebook with me. Spiral notebooks were best, could be rolled or folded to fit in the space between the firs...
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