VDGP Teaser

Since I usually post an intense scene from VDGP, I figured I'd show you that I do, sometimes, let my characters be happy. Here is a lighter scene between Gwen and Jay.



“I’m sure you’ll get used to it eventually. You are stuck with me for the rest of your life, you know.” I leaned back against him and breathed in his scent deeply. He smelled masculine and musky, like he been holed up reading old books for days. It was a smell I had come to know as home in the last two years.

Jay wrapped his muscular arms around me and met my eyes in the mirror, “My dear Gwendolyn,” I rolled my eyes at my full name but didn’t say anything. Even though I wasn’t fond of it, it never sounded better than when it came from his mouth, “tell me about the dream.” I sighed heavily and considered not telling him. I didn’t really want to drag it back to the surface but I knew deep down it would make me feel better if I talked about it. And who better to confine in then my friendly vampire boyfriend.

Just as I opened my mouth to tell him there was a scratch at the door and I heard our puppy Howie whining just outside the door. We usually let him sleep in the room with us but last night we wanted some alone time and it was surprising how fast getting your feet licked by a dog could ruin the mood. I smiled and Jay dropped his arms so I could open the door.

Howie, our three month old Rottweiler, came bounding in. He tried two times to jump onto our bed but keep sliding off of our silk sheets before Jay picked him up and sat him on the bed. Howie jumped on his chest and started licking his face. Jay fell back onto the bed, laughing. I watched the from the door and smiled. I may have lost my parents when I was eight, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a family.

Howie stopped licking Jay long enough to turn and look at him. He barked firmly at me once as if to say, “Get over here silly!” before turning his attention back to Jay. I laughed wholeheartedly and went to join them on the bed. As soon as I sat down Howie jumped onto my lap and served me with my daily serving of morning kisses. Howie was usually playful and loving but whenever we left him to sleep in his dog bed in the living room, he acted as if he hadn’t seen us in days. I giggled as he assured himself that we were really there and hadn’t left him. When he was satisfied, he flopped himself into my lap and panted. He was growing so fast that in another couple months he wouldn’t be able to fit in my lap anymore. I scratched him behind his ears and turned to Jay smiling.

Teaser... Er... Thursday?

Since I missed out last week, and am posting this two days late, I figured I'd post two teaser today to make up for it a bit. And there's a reward at the end. Just for you guys. This first one is from The Freshman Affair.

She reached for the door handle, but stopped herself, suddenly nervous. She looked down at herself and straightened her gray skirt that fell just above her knees. At that moment, she was very glad she had decided to dress up a little this morning. She had paired the skirt with her favorite long sleeved blue v-neck that showed just a taste of cleavage and had a gray bird that trailed up her side. Quickly, she ran her fingers through her wavy brown hair, took a deep breath, and pushed through the door.


Reece had been pacing in front of the doors nervously, wondering what was taking her so long. Right when he had convinced himself that he should go back, just in case something happened to her, Grace came through the door.

She walked up to him and opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. He tried to think of something, anything to say, but his mind was completely blank. Not a damn thing came to mind. All he could was stare at her.

In some ways, she looked completely different. The last time he saw her, she was about three inches shorter, her hair reached the middle of her back, and she was still a girl, small in more ways then one. Now she had grown up, in more ways then one. He couldn’t help it when his eyes grazed over her chest and he couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to the lower parts of his anatomy. When he managed to regain himself, he continued his inspection of her. Another thing that surprised him was that she had cut her hair so it barely rested on her shoulders. Before she moved away, her long hair was her favorite feature. She had adamantly claimed that she would never cut it above her shoulder blades. It took him a minute to decided whether or not he liked it but he noticed it framed her face perfectly, causing her fair skin and delicate features to be even more striking. As she had grown taller, the bit of baby fat she carried with her up until middle school had disappeared completely. Super model skinny, no. Healthy looking, yes. Even with all these differences, just underneath it he could still the girl he’d grown up with. His first real crush.

She’s beautiful. Reece had always thought so, even when they were just toddlers running around on the playground, but it was different now. She looked put together and mature. She looked young and hopeful. She was simply beautiful. And Reece was surprised when his throat tightened and his mouth ran dry. Grace was affecting him more than any girl had in years.

Finally, it was Grace who broke the silence first, “Reece Brooks. What a pleasant surprise.” Her voice was soft and even, as if she was completely calm.

Reece took a few breaths before answering, trying to bring that same level of calm indifference to his voice. “Grace Reynolds,” he barely got her name out before she flung her arms around his waist. Reece tensed up, surprised, but after a moment, relaxed and returned her embrace. Grace was about seven inches shorter than him so her head was pressed against his chest and he could rest his chin easily on her head.

He heard her mumble something against his chest so he pulled back, “What was that?”

Her eyes were full of emotion and Reece thought he saw tears welling up in her eyes but they never spilled out, “I’m so glad you’re here.”



And here is the second one, this one from VDGP:

It wasn’t hard to find the crime scene. First off, it was less then two blocks away from the street Jay and I had been patrolling the night before. That worried me more than I’d like to admit. Dante’s face crept into my thoughts but I pushed him away. If I thought about it, there was a very good chance I’d have a breakdown. Yet another thing I’d never admit out loud.

Secondly, there could be no mistaking the bright flashing lights of the cop cars, ambulances, even fire trucks. A van with the words City Morgue painted on the side went by us just as we found a place to park.

“Damn. There goes the bodies. I was hoping to avoid a trip to the morgue if I could.”

Riley nods, oddly silence. I touched his arm and he met my eye. “What’s wrong?” I asked, genuine concern filling my voice.

He shivered once, “There’s a reason I never go on any of these things. I’m not good with violence and dead bodies and cops.”

“You could have stayed home. I wouldn’t have held it against you.”

He scoffed, “Bullshit, I coulda stayed home. You knew the second you mentioned Dante’s name I’d go with you. I couldn’t leave you to face any of this alone, and you knew that,” he sighed heavily before visibly shaking himself, “I’m not mad. But don’t pretend I could be anywhere but here right now.”

I hung my head, ashamed. Riley was the only one I told the whole story to, even the parts about Jay. And I know I shouldn’t have. He was right. I did know he’d come along if Dante was involved. The truth was, I wasn’t the only one to lose part of my family the night my parents died. Riley’s parents and mine had been so close that Riley called them Aunt and Uncle, just as I did with his. If Dante could be a part of this in anyway, Riley would be by my side the whole way. And it wasn’t fair to him.

“I’m sorry. You’re not wrong. I did know you’d never say no. I just.. I couldn’t do this alone you know?” My voice wavered and I hated myself for it.

Riley put his arm around me and pulled me into a half hug. His lips pressed a kiss into my hair. “I know.” He held me like that for a moment longer, then let me go. Part of me wanted to wrap his arm back around me and hide in his arms, but I would never allow myself to do that. Not even in private, definitely not at a crime scene.




And now for your reward:


A soaking wet Jake Gyllenhaal:
And for my guy readers,













































(Click to see full picture. Too lazy to screw with the size)
Cause she is so damn hot.

TFA Teaser!

Here is another Teaser from TFA, since I got such good responses to it last week. This is right away in the beginning, the first time Grace and Reece see each again.



While he read down the names of students, Grace quickly jotted down a few notes about the class. All freshman had to sign up for a freshman seminar and Grace had chosen the one that immediately jumped off the paper. She knew this class would give her all the college, and life, skills she would ever need. “Zombies: Advice for College.” Even thinking the name of the class brought a trace of a smile to her lips.

“Brooks, Reece.” Grace’s head snapped up with recognition. Did he really just say…

“Here,” a deep, familiar voice called from the back of the room. Grace practically knocked her desk over when she swirled around to look. The two people next to her eyed her cautiously but she forgot all about them, about everyone, when she located the face that went with the voice.

There he was, Reece. Her Reece. If she hadn’t been staring right at his ridiculously handsome face she never would have believed it. It had been about six years since she had seen her childhood sweetheart, but she knew it was him. His had grown up, but she could still see the boy she used to know. A small smile grazed her lips. Reece was here.

They still do roll call in college? Reece thought idly to himself. I thought they grew out of that. He sighed aloud and responded automatically when his name was called. Guess not. He stopped paying attention again so the teacher read through his large list. When he had read the name of this class, Reece thought it would be a popular choice so it would be easy to fade into the background, grade wise that is. In everything else, Reece had always and would always love attention. He thrived on it. He had been the star point guard on his high school basketball team as long as he could remember. Liking attention sort of came with the territory.

His hand moved without thought across the sheet of paper in front of him, doodling nonsense. His thoughts drifted to his plans with the team tonight, but two words yanked him back to reality abruptly.

“Reynolds, Grace.”

A smooth, silky voice rang out from a few rows in front of him, “Here.” Reece gazed frantically around the room, searching for that voice. He knew he heard right, but he wouldn’t believe it until he saw her. Grace Reynolds wasn’t that uncommon of a name. Just because there was a girl with the same name, and voice, didn’t mean it was really….

Then he found her, and realized she found him too. When Reece met those blue-gray eyes, he knew there was no mistake. It was Grace Robin Reynolds, better known to him as Gracie Lou.

They looked at each other for a solid minute, then Grace smiled slightly, almost shyly, before waving and turning back around. Reece’s eyebrows crinkled. Was that it? Was that all he got? Just a smile and a wave? He shook his head. It didn’t make sense. Here he was, practically jumping out of his skin, and she just turns around, perfectly unaffected by the fact that they had just seen each other for the first time in six years?

Reece crossed his arms and sank down into his seat, completely unable to even fain interest in the lecture about zombies. Memories from the past bombarded his thoughts and long forgotten feelings came flooding back. His breath escaped him in a sigh. Gracie.




And yes, the Zombie class is a real thing. One of my best friends took it her first year in college and I fell in love with the idea. Hope you liked it!

Tuesday Teaser! Finally.

I was going to post a new scene I wrote for VDGP, but after Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional came on in the car, I needed to work on The Freshman Affair. The song is perfect for Grace and Reece's story. Perrrrfect. I came home and wrote the following scene (and a bit more) in all of fifteen minutes. The words just flew out. I love when a song can inspire you like that. It's a great feeling.

Alright, enough talk. Here is said scene.

Grace and Reece were doing more talking than studying, no matter how hard Grace tried to force him to concentrate. Their Psychology books lay all but forgotten in front of them.

“Reece, shut up already. You’re already falling behind in school and I’m trying to help you,” She stabbed his book dramatically. “Let’s get to work already!”

“Pssht. I don’t need school. I plan on getting by on my looks, thank you.”

She tossed her pencil at him and frowns. Reece quickly pocketed it. “There. Now we can’t study. You seem to have lost your pencil.” His grin was cocky and triumphant.

Before he could react, Grace threw the book from her lap and launched herself at him. She tried to pin him to the ground and wrestle the pencil back from him, but he easily rolled her over, pinning her instead.

“Bad move, Reynolds,” Reece declared, then started to tickle her. Grace shrieked, struggled, and laughed loudly all at the same time. She was insanely ticklish, and Reece hadn’t forgotten.

Happy laughter bubbled out of Grace’s mouth as she tried to speak, “Puh… Please,” she giggled harder, “I surrender!” She practically shouted at him. “You win, stop! Stop!”

Reece nodded happily and stopped his assault on her. Grace met his eyes, tears in hers from laughing so much. Reece’s smile faded and a look of intensity replaced it. He was still on top of her, impossible warm and close. For a moment, she forgot herself and Tristan. She let herself be the girl in seventh grade who had been so in love with him. She let herself get lost in those beautiful hazel eyes that brought back such wonderful memories from her childhood.

Then he started to bring his lips to hers.

Grace scrambled out from under him. Standing up, she kept backing away until her back hit the wall. Reece sank back on his heels and wouldn’t meet her eye.

“Reece,” she began, “I can’t. Tristan,” Reece’s hand shot up in the air to stop her.

“I’ve got to go.” He packed up his things and left without saying another word.

Lessons in writing

I used to think I had to start my story from the beginning and write straight through to the end. So when I would get stuck, I just gave up. If one scene wouldn't come to me, the whole novel would end up getting trunked.

Thank God I grew out of that.

I used to think I could only wing it. Planning and outlining were not for me. And yet, I couldn't finish a draft. I would get to about the 20k mark, and lose the story completely because I didn't have a plan about where it was going. (I knew how it would start and how I wanted it to end. The middle was a mystery to me)

But I now know that doesn't work for me either.

I came to a realization today that I wanted to share with you all:

I am growing as a writer.

I'm slowly but surely learning what works for me and what doesn't. My writing is getting better the more I do it. I am even getting more disciplined when it comes to a writing schedule. I am actually working at achieving my dream.

I know that I have a long way to go. I know that no one ever stops growing as a writer (hopefully anyways). But I'm on the right track. And it feels good.

Putting faces to names

This is something that we're fond of over at the YA forum on Absolute Write, finding celebrities that look like our characters! It's fun and inspirational. Looking at someone and thinking, "That's so [insert character's name here]!" can, and has for me, refresh your desire to get their stories on paper.

You've heard me whine about them and read some of the hell I've put them through, and now ladies and gentlemen, I give you the characters from VDGP!!!

First off, Gwen. One of the main weapons Gwen has is that her appearance is incredibly deceiving. She looks soft, harmless, and even helpless. Hell, she looks downright innocence. Although, as many of her foes have learned, she's anything but.

Natalie Dormer is perfect for Gwen. She's the last person you'd expect to chop off your head, right? Well, she can. And has.

Next up is Jaiden, nickname Jay. Jay has a more mature look to him and could be described as ruggedly handsome. He knows what he wants and he goes after it. A man of little words with a shady past. He turns heads and knows it. Only one man came to mind for Jay,
Gerard Butler. He fits perfectly in my brain for Jay. I think he would play the strong, silent type beautifully. Now, Gwen and Jay might not look like they fit together, but they are both what the other person needs and that's all that matters to them.

Chris is rebellious, hot-headed, and a major pain in Gwen's ass. Once again, I found a man who just fit.

If VDGP was ever made into a movie, I would insist on Jensen Ackles. He is absolutely perfect.

And finally, Riley is Gwen's only family. He was the only thing that kept her sane when she lost her parents. He's loving, outgoing, and extremely open. Riley is probably my favorite character I've ever written. I've always had a thing for the best friend character and Riley does it better than anyone.

A young Heath Ledger, happy and carefree, is a perfect fit. When he was young, Heath looked like nothing bad had ever happened to him, and Riley is the same way.

So there they are. My characters. Aside from Jensen Ackles/Chris, they all have little things I would change (eye color, hair length, etc.) but other than that, they are what I see when I'm writing. From the teasers I've posted, do they make sense to you or are you sitting there like, "What is she on?"

Anyone else do this? If so, you should do a blog post and leave me a link! I'd love to see what your characters look like to you.



(Look! Two posts in two days!!! I really am trying harder!)

Character CPR

VDGP (Which may have a new title soon) has been dying a slow, painful death. I've almost lost Gwen's voice completely. Hence the blog silence lately. No new writing means no new teasers.

Thankfully, I've thought of a way to hopefully revive this story. I'm going through and writing some Character worksheets (which is probably something I should have done in the first place). So far, I've only done Gwen's but this her voice is already starting to fill my head again. It's a great feeling.

Since I'm still new at 'seriously' writing (meaning trying to make money from it some day), I am still trying to find a way that works for me. I've read blog after blog about other people's methods, and have found one thing in common: ACTUALLY WRITING. Which is surprisingly harder than it sounds. I hope you will all stick with me through this insanely difficult journey that is writing.

So my faithful readers (even though I'm a less then faithful blogger), I am back in the game. Reviving my characters, my voice, and my motivation. Wish me luck. Because Jake Gyllenhaal says so.
And you can't say no to that face.

Teaser

Sorry about the absentness that's been me lately. I've started working double shifts at my job so my online time has been cut in half. I'll try not to let it happen again.

With this teaser, I'm going to reveal what Gwen, Jay, and Chris do for a living (if you haven't figured it out yet). Welcome to the first fight scene.

A flicker of doubt enter my mind. Something was off here. For the most part, vampires were solitary creatures and very rarely banded together. Something bigger then a casual meal was going on here and I was sure we weren’t going to like it.

As if six against three wasn’t bad enough, two more beings exit the woods. These guys definitely weren’t vampires. For one, their skin was red. For another, they had no shot at passing for human. They had tiny spikes traveling down their arms and their faces were warped, void of anything remotely human. I flipped through my knowledge of demons breeds, like turning the pages in a book. My mind quickly found them.

“Chris,” I spoke quickly yet quietly, “Those are Belthrax demons. Guns won’t kill them, only decapitation will,” As I was speaking, I drew my short sword from it’s sheath, wishing it was my gun.

Without thought or discussion, Jay, Chris, and I formed a circle, each facing a different set of vampires. Jay and I made sure that the two demons were on our sides. For the first time tonight, I not only feared for Chris’ safety, but for mine and Jay’s as well. Usually I was so sure of myself and of Jay but this was far for a usual night.

The vampires and demons were slowly inching closer to us. Just a bit closer. We needed them close so we were still near each other, but not so close that we had no room to maneuver and we were effectively trapped. There. I lunged towards the closest vampire.

A Welcome and a Teaser.

First of all, I'd like to say hello to some of the new followers I've picked up. Hello new followers! I can't tell you how awesome I think you caring about what I post is. I've been trying to post more often but real life has a tendency to get in the way. But here's what you can usually expect from me:

1. A post at least once a week.
2. Usually a teaser from my current work in progress
3. Complaints about said WIP
4. Adult content every now and then.
   
5. Annnddd...

Pictures of beautiful men (and yes. I do know this is the real reason y'all keep coming back.)

Anyways, on to the teaser! This is after a hunt and Gwen just got out of the infirmary. Some adult content in this one but nothing too explicit. Enjoy.

Jay motioned me towards him, his tongue slowly licking his bottom lip. Before I made my way over to him, I took my sweet time undressing, letting my hands linger over buttons and drawing his eyes where I wanted them. I ran my fingers in the waistline of my pants before unbuttoning them; my hands skimmed the edges of my breasts before I slipped out of my shirt.

Jay’s gaze went from hungry to concerned when he saw the bruises that decorated my torso. I tried not to pout as he left the bed and stood solemnly in front of me. There was little arousal in his touch as he methodically prodded my wounds. A frown emerged when he took in my bandaged shoulder. He raised his eyebrows in a question. I rolled my eyes then nodded. Peeling away the gauze, he examined my shoulder.

He sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I’m surprised you are out of the infirmary. From what I can tell, you’re lucky to have use of your arm. That guy really tore into you.”

I started to shift uncomfortably, but stopped myself. Jay didn’t like it when I left against doctor’s order, but so what? It was my life and I was going to do what I was going to do. I met his eyes, daring him to lecture me, “Dr. Galloway didn’t want me to leave, but I wasn’t going to hang around there. I feel fine.”

Suddenly, Jay poked a particularly nasty looking bruise roughly. I gasped and bent over. “Oh yes. You are in top condition.”

I snarled at him and lashed out, but he easily stepped out of reach. He held his hand up in surrender. “I should not have done that. I was just making a point. I apologize.” I gritted my teeth to tell him to fuck off, but his words were genuine and it would have just been childish.

Straightening, I said coolly, “Fine. Just don’t do it again.” We stood there for a moment, both of us unsure what to do.

Jay slowly trailed his eyes down my body once more, but this time his fingers went with it. A gasp escaped me with the sudden change in atmosphere. It was like our little exchanged had never happened. The air was once again thick with passion and heat. Jay’s slow stroke sent small shots electricity down my body and settled between my legs. My breath increased as Jay's fingers did too.

I'm back to teasing!

Told you I'd be back this week. This teaser is the continuation from the last teaser I posted. The main villain, Dante, is tormenting Gwen and Chris. Here we go.


I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Dante so I don’t know how Chris reacted. It must have been with fear because a small smile appeared on Dante’s lips before his attention turned back to me. Another small noise attempted to escape from my lips, but I squashed it. I tried to tell myself that I was braver than this, stronger, but Dante’s presence stripped me of it all. He made me eight years old again, weak and helpless. The thought should have made me anger, it should have made me fight back, but it didn’t.

“The city is really quite beautiful. I have always liked it here. It holds such wonderful memories for me,” he licked his lips slowly, deliberately, as if he was remembering a particularly tasty treat. His fingers stroked my cheek lovingly and I couldn’t help shaking, “But I never imagined you stay here. I thought I had ruined this place for you. Apparently, I gave myself too much credit. But thankfully, I have the chance to make up for it.” He released my face and started to circle around me.

“But there is someone here I was even more surprised and pleased to see. Someone I’ve been missing these past few years.” He sighed longingly. “No matter. My dorato raggazzo* and I will be reacquainted soon enough.” Dante was at my back and leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “I believe you know him as Jaiden.”

I gasped audibly as my knees gave out on me. My stomach heaved and I retched on the pavement. When my stomach emptied, I wiped my mouth and met Dante’s eye. He had a bemused smile on his face and his eyes were filled with pleasure.

Finally, some spark of me flare to life and I forced myself to my feet. After a few deep breaths, I snarled through clenched teeth, “I am going to kill you.”

Dante laughed joyfully. It made me shutter and flinch. When I opened my eyes, his was gone.


*Means Golden boy in Italian. At least according to the website I looked it up on.

So. Whatcha think?

It may be Tuesday, but...

I have no teaser. Why, you may ask? Because I have been writing very little lately.

I work too much. I'm tired all the time. I... I... Shit. I have no excuses. I just haven't been doing it.

Shame on me, I know.

But I'm going to start writing more. I swearz it. VDGP is going really well whenever I do sit down and force myself to work.

Expect an awesome (I hope anyways) teaser next week.

























"Wait, was I mad at Amanda for something? JRM distracted me.... Oh well." *continues drooling staring at JRM*

And so Angie will forgive me,


















If James Marsden doesn't do the trick, nothing will.

Books Read in 2010

January
1. Between Brothers by Lauren Gallagher
2. Graceling by Kristen Cashore
3. Ironside by Holly Black
4. Stray by Rachel Vincent
5. Bridge to Terabithia by Katerine Paterson
6. The Summoning By Kelley Armstrong
7. Halfway to The Grave by Jeaniene Frost
8. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
9. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
10. Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

February

11. Masquerade: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz
12. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
13. Fade by Lisa McMann
14. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
15. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
16. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
17. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
18. Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
19. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

March

20. Stolen by Kelley Armstrong
21. Thirst No. 1 by Christopher Pike
22. Vampire Prince by Darren Shan reread
23. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
24. Immoral by Brian Freeman
25. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
26. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
27. Pendragon: The Never War by D.J. MacHale reread
28. Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

April

29. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
30. Magic Bites by Illona Andrews
31. Only In Your Dreams by Cecily von Ziegesar
32. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
33. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
34. Would I Lie To You by Cecily von Ziegesar

May

35. Slawter by Darren Shan
36. Pendragon: The Reality Bug by D.J. MacHale
37. Once Bitten by Kalayna Price
38. A Witch in Time by Madelyn Alt
39. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
40. The Awakening by L.J. Smith

June

41. The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
42. Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton
43. Naked Dragon by Annette Blair
44. Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix reread
45. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
46. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
47. Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson

July

48. Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong
49. Long Time Coming by Scarelett Parrish
50. The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong