Concept Graphics

 

Here's a couple of really cool concept graphics of my work in progess, The Whisperer of Storms.  A big thank you to Dragon Slayer for working so hard to make them for me.  You can check out her portfolio here:  Dragon Slayer's Portfolio  You can tell she's a Gerard Butler fan, like I am.

 

More Concept Siggys/Wallpaper

 

Veronica

On My Own

Unrequited love.  I think it's one of the saddest things in the world to love someone who doesn't love you.  That's what the song from Les Mis is talking about.  I've been there, done that.  A part of that experience has influenced my novel.  Fortunately, my heroine, who happens to be around the same age that I was at the time, does not suffer the same fate.  She's too busy looking out for others to be concerned with matters of the heart. But, I do tend to make my male characters suffer on occasion.  Come to think of it, it is quite a bit. But, make no mistake, I do still love them as their creator.  That's the fun of being a writer.  It's like playing God in your own little world.

I hope you're enjoying summer.  During this heat wave, I'm looking forward to the cooler days of autumn.  That is my favorite season.

Veronica

Storms, Traveling and the USB Drive

Wow, we had quite a storm this past month.  The sky was as dark as midnight and the thunder rumbled like there was a bowling tournament in Heaven!  The wind blew the rain against the windows like a car wash.  I made sure to grab my USB drive, which has a backup copy of my novel,  before heading down into the basement.  Whenever the weather radio goes off during this active storm season, I grab the USB drive.  Leaving it behind would feel like leaving one of my children behind.  I've told my hubby many times that I feel like this story is my baby.   If I don't bring my laptop along on trips, even day trips, I like to bring along a copy of my manuscript on my USB drive.  What if there was a fire?  What if there was a tornado that relocated my house?  It's always good to be prepared.  I couldn't imagine all the time and effort I put into it being gone, like it never existed.

I'm currently a little over 61,000 words on my manuscript.  Since I like to read books 300-375 pages in length, that's the size I'd like my novel to be.  Normally, that's about 85,000 to 90,000 words.  That means I have 2/3 of it written!  I still have plenty of revising to do, as well.

I'm currently reading Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick.  She doesn't provide a year for the setting, so from my research, I was able to determine it took place after 1829 when she mentioned Scotland Yard.  She also mentioned traveling by train, which the first passenger trains in England began in the 1830s.  The telegram also became a method of communication in the 1830s and 1840s.  It's good to know these things, so I don't try to incorporate them in my own novel, which takes place in 1820.  I haven't decided if I'll include the year, or make the reader guess like Ms. Quick does.  If you're ever looking for a good mystery, I recommend reading one of her books! 

I hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July!  It looks like we will be having our backyard picnic again this year.

Veronica 









I Dreamed A Dream

I saw Les Miserables for the first time last week; the 2012 movie with Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.  I'm not really a fan of musicals, but I made it through this one thanks to subtitles.  I loved the opening scene with the ship being pulled in.  That was quite some cinematography. 

One thing I always enjoy about films with a historical setting is the costume design.  I especially paid attention between 1815-1823.  I love the empire dresses and that trousers were replacing breeches.  I've never been much of a fan of knee breeches.  Men used to wear them with white or black stockings covering their calves, with buckle shoes and it doesn't look masculine to me.  Now, if he were to wear a pair of knee-high boots such as Hessians or Wellingtons, well that's a different story.   It was interesting to see more of the poor in this film, as we normally see the wealthy dress in historical films.

Some of the songs were familiar to me from college.  I had a friend who loved Les Mis.  I can remember "On My Own" and "Castle On A Cloud".  "Do You Hear The People Sing?" has been stuck in my head since I first heard it.  "I Dreamed A Dream" was so familiar to me, that it took me a while to realize that was the song Susan Boyle sang in her first audition when she blew the world away with her talent.  Now, that's the lesson in the old saying that you cannot judge a book by it's cover!  I loved this verse in the song, "But there are dreams that cannot be.  And there are storms we cannot weather."

Something I discovered from the DVD extras was that Victor Hugo, the author of the original novel, was born the same year as my protagonist; in 1802.  I hadn't even planned that.  I should see what other historical figures were born in the same year.

I've been busy updating my web site, so check it out when you can.  Just keep in mind that I'm new to this and I'm learning as I go.

Hope you're enjoying the start of summer.  It feels like April here!

Veronica

Website

I finally have a website: My Website.  I also placed the link over to the right of this page with my other links.  It's a very basic site at this point, but it will give you more of an idea of what I'm about.  As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Happy Memorial Day!

Veronica

Dreams

I know of a few published authors who got ideas for their novels from dreams.  Stephenie Meyer who wrote the Twilight series is one of those writers.  She dreamt about the meadow scene, which compelled her to write the story that would forever change her life.  I'm not one to remember my dreams very often.  If asked what I dreamt about last night, I couldn't tell you.  The other night was an exception.  I dreamt of a hostage situation, which I won't disclose the setting because it was just weird!  It involved a mother trying to protect her children and considered doing things she normally would never do in order to protect them.  There were two men who were her captors.  One she didn't like, but the other she did.  She sensed good in him.  He was the one that interested me and I wish I could have found out if he helped her, but I woke up before he did anything!  I've never kept a dream journal before, but I made sure to write this one down for future reference.  I'd like to learn more about this fellow my subconscious dreamed up.  I'll just have to let my imagination take over.

I started reading Amanda Ashley's latest novel As Twilight Falls last night.  I read the first eight chapters and didn't want to put it down, but I really needed sleep.  It's kind of a Twilight Zone hostage situation story.  (Now, had I started it a few nights ago, I would have thought it triggered my dream.)  Can't wait to pick it up again.  That's what I love about reading; the anticipation of a good tale.

I saw the movie "42" a few weeks ago.  What a wonderful movie.  Even if you're not a baseball fan, I recommend it.  Harrison Ford was at his best.  I remember learning about segregation in elementary school, but it is unbelievable how racist "the greatest generation" was.  Just imagine their reaction if they could see our day and age!  The sad part about it is most of those people were probably Christians.

This may be a little early, but have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Veronica 

Empathy

This was a post I made on a different site with a writer's group.  I've decided to post it on here because it's easier to access. 

I consider myself to be empathic. Seeing someone else cry can make me cry. That is why I can't watch mourners at a funeral. I can easily put myself in another person's position and I feel that I'm more considerate of a person's feelings because of this. I think my empathy aids me in writing because it helps me imagine how my characters are feeling and how they would react. This really comes in handy with writing in third person.

I'm curious about the rest of you. Do sad stories make you cry? Do love stories give you the euphoria one feels with new love? Does someone else's joy bring you joy? Have you ever felt fear that wasn't your own? Do people consider you someone easy to talk to? Have you ever disliked someone for a reason that you couldn't explain? I'm just curious if it's just me or if the rest of you writers are sensitive to emotions, too.

Veronica