Peepinsidemymind

Naming Chapters

2011-12-02T13:46:00.001-08:00

How does everyone feel about naming their chapters?

I actually LOVE doing it, but I know it’s not meant for every novel, and so I don’t. To me, it’s like giving the novel a bunch of mini stories. With each chapter having a beginning, middle and end, but all connecting to the main novel. My chapter names are typically revolving around what is going on in that chapter only….or sometimes, just a common theme within the novel. Or, in the case of “Everything About You” it’s a display of all the songs in the novel because one of the main characters is a hip hop artist. The music needs to be felt while reading the novel.

In my very first novel I wrote, chapters were divided by main characters, and each title of the chapter reflected their personality. I have not used chapter titles for my other works in progress, but I do love it! I want to do it for all the SSS series. I mean, if I did it for the first one, I should do it for all. The Nola Kelly one def would benefit from chapter titles. Even “Six Sexy Sisters” would be better since there are six main characters…and at times their significant others’ POV. The only way I have divided chapters now is with the person POV it is.

So since I will be back in editing mode soon, I will get back to “Everything About You” and get it done!!

Sisters, they are so fun!

2011-12-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Now that Nanowrimo put me on a writing spree, I am back in blogging mode. I will try and do it more often, discuss some of the projects I am working on.

Well, first up, finishing “Now That We Found Love.” After that, I am for real, for real going to go back and edit and make ready the first one in the Six Sexy Sisters. I still have issues with that one because I wrote it for fun, not for someone to read!!

Also, I decided the order of the series, makes a lot of sense to me to the development of the story. First there’s Kitty and Icee, "Everything About You," the story that introduces the sisters, though they are not major characters at all. My take is, a reader will read this and want more of the sisters. You get that feel some time around the end. Like, why are they badasses? What other dirt have they done?

Then there is “Six Sexy Sisters” because in this one, you get to finally learn more about each sister as they develop even more and each face some drama. This was supposed to be it. I had to do a sequel to “Everything About You” because a stalker was out there for them, and I had to conclude that.

Somewhere in “SSS” it hit me, they all need their own story! I think Nola Kelly and Tone started that feeling for me because, even though they were in a solid relationship, it was starting to weaken. I wanted to develop their relationship more. Then having the long lost brother CJ around their age was a bonus!

But I wasn’t sure about the other sisters. I mean, Ashley dies on “SSS” so what do you do? Make a prequel! So for that, I decided Sarena Kelly and Victor ST. James love story was interesting enough. It is! This also shows how the sisters and Victor’s relationship began. It also develops Sarena into the deadly weapon she becomes. This novel is PIVOTAL to the series, but being the fourth installment works because the reader can say , “Oh, I get it now!”

I mean, you can read them in order, but to me, it’s not the same effect.

But then, I wanted to do Tenille’s next, which would come after Nola’s, but I decided if it’s all back and forth, that’s chaotic. So here’s what is next:

Ashley Kelly-(prequel)Her journey wilding out the two years she spends in St. Louis, MO before she gets pregnant.

Krystle & Kitty Kelly-(prequel)Yes, Kitty gets another story! I felt like because they are twins, and nearly connected at the hip around the time this one will be written, it worked. I will try and focus mainly on Krys, but this one may be the most “gangsta” because the twins are hardcore. Also, this one will be pivotal because they will lose their mother in this one.

Tenille Kelly-It is better to end with her as a wrap-up of what is going on in the others’ lives. It is going to be glammed out because Tenille will be on her second album and the others will have seen major success as well. Excited to end with this novel!

But as I stated yesterday, the Kelly sisters will live on! Well, not ever as main characters again, with the exception of Nola Kelly. This will be more like a thriller/suspense novel series. I’m thinking like the Alex Cross series. But if you watch Criminal Minds on TV, that is more of what she will do, profile serial killers.

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 30: Winner!

2011-11-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

Done!

Finished at 122Kwords. One complete novel, and one 80% complete one. I will finish it this weekend under no pressure.

And umm...even though I have FOUR more to write in the Six Sexy Sisters series, I came up with a great idea for another series. A spinoff really. They will be totally different from SSS, but also keeps readers in their lives. It also will give me a chance to develop and write in a genre I LOVE to read, but can't seem to write.

No, not giving out more details. All I can say is, I have LOTS, LOTS, LOTS or research. Like for real, I want to be well versed on the technicalities and there are lots. I will be doing that by reading more in this genre and just researching the field of expertise my main character will be in.

Oh, you know it's one if the Kelly sisters, I couldn't help that. She quickly became my fave....thought it was Kitty when I first wrote her, thought it was Sarena because she's well, scary, but nope.

Take a wild guess.

Duh!

NOLA KELLY the great FBI Agent!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 29: Payback is a B....

2011-11-29T14:16:00.001-08:00

I probably won’t finish this second novel by tomorrow for Nanowrimo…and that’s okay, because “winning” Nanowrimo is to write 50K and I did that 2 times over!!

I will finish “Now That We Found Love” on my own, writing when I have FREE time, not frantically and all crazy hours of the night. Thank God!!

Now, payback…who doesn’t want that? Well, I reread over “Six Sexy Sisters” last night and was fascinated that, when Sarena confronted Victor about her affair with T-Zack, the first thing he stated was “Is this payback for what I did when we were kids?”

Yep! Well, she said no, but she said she was still hurt by it. They were not married yet, and supposedly she forgave him for that. But really? When I initially wrote Sarena having an affair, it was not for payback sake. She was bored in her marriage and being neglected by Victor who was more concerned with the safety of the rest of Kelly sisters.

But now after writing about Victor’s affair(s), hell yeah, let’s call it payback is a b!*$%!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 28: Crunch Time!

2011-11-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

I pulled an al nighter last night, which means, no sleep, I just wrote like crazy. I have given up hope to hit 200K as planned, but I may hit a respectable 140K by Wednesday.

I’m still writing “Now That We Found Love.” Still loving it, but some of the scenes just seem extra. I mean, this novel spans over at least three years, when Sarena Kelly starts her sophomore year of high school, and now she’s about to enter college as a freshman…and I see no end! I was afraid of this.

One, because I know the ending, so I just have to write all the scenarios to get to that point. No surprise ending like the other novels in the Six Sexy Sisters series. But wa-ay so many throughout the story. I really detoured what I wanted Victor St. James to be. He’s supposed to be this awesome guy, loves Sarena, loves her sisters, and goes all out to protect them. Oh, he’s so much more!

But what has come up is a Victor I did not imagine. I knew I wanted him to “step out” on Sarena at the beginning of their relationship, but man, he went there!! And as I’m writing it, I’m feeling bad. He’s supposed to be a good guy! How can I make what he is doing right? I couldn’t. I think I made their relationship mendable though, and obviously they got through it (but Sarena gets her payback in “Six Sexy Sisters”).

Right now, they are on their honeymoon!

But getting back to Victor’ s little discretion(s)…Victor may not be that hardcore killer yet, but Sarena, GIRL, she went bananas! She even scared her twin sisters with her rage. And she’s not even known for her fighting. She’s known for carrying two guns! I think I’ll end the novel, somehow, when she gets her hands on her first gun!

Victor is about to start police academy. I think I have to back track and make him do more dirt. Besides fist fighting, he’s not done anything to make everyone so afraid of him…I mean, busting a guy’s nose in the Campus Union can’t be all he’s known for! If he’s supposed to be “Killer Victor” he has to, you know, KILL!

silence

I have just the person that must die!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 23: Now That We Found Love

2011-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

I know I am no where near 100K and it is the 23rd of the month, but I still have faith that I will hit 200K by the end. I have a 4-day weekend and no plans but to sit home with the laptop in front of me.

It helps that I looooooove this story! I titled it "Now That We Found Love" because well, I really was a big fan of Heavy D, and his death was kinda timely to my story. The day he passed, I wrote a chapter in "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places" that referenced this song, even though the characters were not born when the song was out! Geesh!

In this one, the song is only a few years old. It fit the principle of the story because Victor and Sarena "fall in love" very early on in their young relationship. But is that enough? Now that they found love, what are they going to do? I actually struggled with a 16 and 18 year old claiming to be so madly in love and knowing that's their soul mate. But it's true, and I know people it has happened to. So I have to make the story believable...

This means things aren't perfect.

Victor is still conflicted from his past, though he won't admit it. He also takes his role as father/big brother to the Kelly sisters, very serious...too serious at times, even risking his life.

Sarena has a bad temper that no one can shake. Victor does not help, training her in boxing and martial arts. Her rage is from for her father leaving, and for having to take on responsibility of raising her sisters, and in essence, taking her childhood. She looks to Victor as her escape and having a fairy tale life.

I'm not sure how to end this story. I like to end with a big BANG, and so far, all of the Kelly novels end with you wanting more...and having cliffhangers. It's hard to do this one that way, we know what the future hold! But yet, I bet there will be something juicy at the end. Hmmmm....

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 22: Killer Victor Part 2

2011-11-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, I was not going to go into detail about Victor St. James, but I just have to. I mean, I detailed each of the Six Sexy Sisters and all it does is intrigues readers to want to read more, I mean, I hope!

Soooo, Victor St. James…so complicated. Yes, he loves all the Kelly sisters, yes he feels more like their father than brother. He should, he raised them!

Victor’s story begins when he is a kid, abandoned at age six in an alley in New Orleans, and found by the St. James. They are an older white couple with no kids, so they decide to adopt him (actual more to this story…I haven’t written it yet, but it’s so deep). So he is raised with a pretty good life, except his father is in the military and travels a lot, so they move around a lot. They settle in Springfield, Missouri where his father decides to retire from the military.

He is sixteen when he arrives next door to the Kellys. He is instantly mesmerized with them and spends a lot of time with them. Even Mrs. Kelly adores him. His mother, who was a stay-at-home mom, now travels on vacations with his father, leaving Victor, at seventeen, home alone. He’s so busy with school, football and three different martial arts he doesn’t get into much trouble…well, if you don’t count the girls.

He dates nonchalantly, in the back of his mind knowing he is missing something. Yes, that something is Sarena, but he is in denial about his feelings for her, thinking she is just like a sister to him. He is very close with all of the sisters, and they all have little crushes on him at various points in their life (seven year old Tenille is upset when Sarena and Victor start to date because she claims Victor is HER boy friend—and she was serious, LOL!)

Victor wanted to go to the military like his father, but his mother is the one that convinces him he wants a career that keep him home and close to family, so he goes to Missouri State University. At MSU, he develops the reputation that will follow him forever--Killer Victor. Later, he decides that he will enroll in the Police Academy. He becomes a force to be reckoned with, but a heart of gold when it comes to the Kellys.

I always make my guy characters guys I could fall in love with. Victor is a winner!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 21: So far, so good

2011-11-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

But I am so behind! If my goal is 200K, right now it is looking like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!

Good thing I LOVE this second story I have begun. This is the fourth in the Six Sexy Sisters series. This one follows Sarena Kelly, and also the beginning of her relationship with Victor St. James, so he is a MC. Oh boy! You would think having main characters that are 16 and 18 there would not be much drama.

I was wrong, wrong, wrong!!

First off, I actually LOVE writing Young Adult type novels. That’s were I started, writing stories for pre-teens and teens when I started at age 12. So, for me, this novel actually reminds me of my younger work. Two teens falling in love, with a happy fairy tale ending. I mean, we already know how this one ends, they will get married, have two daughters, live happily ever after (well, not counting Sarena’s affair with T-Zack and ummm…darn, I can’t give the rest away)

But I am having fun developing these two. Victor St. James, before he was known as “Killer Victor” and Sarena Kelly before she becomes “Two Gun Toting Hot Momma.” Haha, there may be no guns in this one (well, not sure, this one spans a few years of their lives). So throughout the story, things happen that roughen them up.

I’m not even 15,000 words in and Victor and Sarena already beat one guy to a bloody pulp. And Sarena got a beat down by one of Victor’s exes. Sarena is starting her “training” with Victor and you can see that she will be a force to be reckoned with.

It’s interesting with Victor, because I had not done much background on him. Outside of moving next door to the Kellys and immediately taking on role of Big Brother, there was not much there. Why? That was the question, why did he attach so quickly to them. Well, learn all that in the novel, but it’s a heart-wrenching story.

But my FAVORITE thing about this novel is writing the Six Sexy Sisters, BEFORE they became who I grew to love in the later books. Wow! All I can say is, I am having so much fun with a four year old Nola Kelly, a seven year old, very Diva-ish “I’m a Princess” Tenille Kelly, the ten year old twinkies that are always in radio, Kitrina and Krystle Kelly, and the thirteen year old bad girl always into something Ashley Kelly. Oh yeah, Sarena is the boss and they still fear her. Counting a fight with Ashley, Sarena has already been in three fights!

And then there is Carrie Kelly, their mother. It’s kinda eerie writing about somebody you know will die so young (and in that case, I feel that way about Ashley as well—they both die of breast cancer). Carrie got pregnant with Sarena when she was sixteen, married at eighteen and got pregnant every third year with another daughter. Her husband leaves her when baby Nola is only a few months old. She raises SIX girls all by herself. I bow down to her!! Well, Sarena takes up most of the slack, because Carrie works 2 jobs, one at night, one while they are in school. She is only 33 in this novel. So young to have that many kids, but it is what it is.

Oh, she’s a character! Love her! You can see where Sarena gets her mouth and sass. She also looks so much like the twins.

In the first chapter, it’s the first day of school and imagine getting six girls ready and doing their hair! I wrote the scene but laughing at all the drama these girls were going through. This is when it helps me coming from a large family! I understand the dynamics oh so well.

Sarena and Victor, THE couple of the year!!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 17: Changing history

2011-11-17T13:33:00.001-08:00

Did no writing yesterday. A lot of other stuff going on.

But my mind was on my story, trust me on that. This new twist that came up in the story….changes the whole game! Changes the whole series…or it could. I could back-track and rework some things, or just leave them as they are. If I leave them as they are, that makes the BIG EVENT that happens even more shocking. But I feel like I need to drop in some “little nuggets.”

It especially affects the next story in the series, the first prequel, the love story of Sarena and Victor. I mean, it has the POTENTIAL to change the whole course of things….but I won’t let it. I will write it the way I originally planned it….as if the future has not happened yet (I mean, it hasn’t).

I will be beginning that one tomorrow and pretty excited! I have the whole day off and plan to just sit there and write, write, write! And then I have all weekend, no big plans! How much can I whip out in 3 days??

So I have about 5K to write tonight and finish “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.” I will say this, it ends with a cliffhanger…on purpose. You’ll learn how it ends in the next installment.

Nanowrimo Day 16: Too close to reality

2011-11-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

I’ll be honest…I’m shy about having others read my work. This Six Sexy Sisters series started off with a “what if” dream in my head. “What if I met and fell in love with a hot rapper?”

Pretty much from there, Icee and Kitty developed. YES, I am Kitty! Icee, one guess. Set in the Midwest? Enough said. It was actually set in St. Louis, but when I decided to make this less and less like a certain rapper, I changed locales. I kept going back and changing Icee to make him as different as possible…still have similarities….so wonder who the ex-girlfriend Bonnie is??

(I actually started combining that rapper with a certain R&B singer/actor/model/and now writer)

I was writing this for fun, never intending anyone to read it. Then as I introduced the sisters and started loving them, I wanted to know more about them. (I come from a big family as well, 3 sisters, 4 brothers). So many similarities in them and my sisters. I’m not a twin, but what I call an “almost twin” (11 months apart, we started school together and did everything together). AND one of my sisters is a fashion designer. Oh yeah, I’m a personal trainer like Kitty (but I was not at the time I created her, LOL)

From there, I have other similarities with real life people for other characters.

Take Tone, the rapper that Icee discovers. Well, he’s a certain young rapper out there now. Actually two combined. But think about a young rapper that is HOT right now, with a more established rapper as his Mentor. Also, Tone’s love story mirrors a young Hollywood couple (Fianna is based off a real celebrity as well).

Everything else is all me, all original characters. If there is a Nola Kelly out there, I want to meet her…then run scared from her. If there is a CJ Kelly out there, let me stare at the eye candy, but I won’t let his playa moves sweep me off my feet.

And if you see a Killer Victor or Two-Gun Toting Hot Momma Sarena Kelly, RUN!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 15: Best Writing Day Ever!

2011-11-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

Halfway point. I’m not halfway done, but that’s okay, that is what the weekends and days off are for. Some serious writing sessions coming up.

Last night….probably the best writing day of my life, like ever! And I have been writing since I was 12! Twenty six years later, I still LOVE it! I love creating characters that come alive…and take over the story.

The chapter I was writing was so intense! Basically, I knew what was supposed to happen, but did not know how. I can’t go into specifics because well…it would not be any fun if and WHEN readers read this book and already know. This is the element of surprise type of stuff. Although…I saw it coming, not initially…but somewhere down the line, I knew.

Okay, that was kind of cryptic, LOL! Okay, someone gets killed. I generally don’t like killing off characters, good or bad, but uh…this series deals with six sisters that take no mess and are trained to fight to kill. So yeah, that.

Also today, just now at work, I thought of another twist…shocked me it popped in my head, but TOTALLY works for the story. Again, it’s so juicy I can’t get into details. I said it before, I LOVE my Six Sexy Sisters (so sad one of them died off in the second book, but that’s what prequels are for!) And the books keep getting better, and better! This one is definitely my favorite right now. Not a simple love story like the first one with Icee and Kitty. Not the chaos of having SIX dynamic leads in “Six Sexy Sisters.”

Cannot wait to start the next one, still untitled, about Big Sister. This one will be a little different. A lot slower in pace because it’s a love story…basically between two kids. But just because my main characters, Sarena and Victor, will be teenagers, don’t mean there will be less action! This one will go a lot faster writing-wise because since it is in the past, what happens is like history already written.

But oh yeah, Momma Kelly will be in this one!! Excited to develop her and see how much of an influence she was on their lives. Wow! Okay, getting myself excited.

But listen, instead of just Baby Sister and Big Sister having their own novel as I previously planned…oh yeah, Lil Sister, a.k.a Tenille Kelly the up-and-coming Diva will get hers! Ha! More on that later!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 14: Good Guy, Bad Guy

2011-11-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I HATE my characters…and I mean in a good way. Like, I make then this really despicable person, so evil…but yet, you really can’t hate him if you made him that way, right?

It’s all a part of making fiction like reality. As a writer, everyone cannot be perfect (although I find it fun when mine are close to that). And everyone can’t be Mr. Nice Guy in a love story….ouch, this one hurts me. I like to create the perfect man. Gorgeous, smart, body, and a gentleman.

Come on now, that’s not reality!!

CJ Kelly has everything going for him. Just gorgeous beyond words, body smokin’ hot, and smart as heck. So he has to be flawed right? Let me say, I am having fun with his flaws! I think I have him a borderline sex addict (though he won’t ever admit that in this novel…it will be something to explore later). And the thing of it is, he doesn’t even see what he is doing!

Poor kid! He’s still young, only 21, but he will see some growth by the end of this novel…not totally there, but enough.

Did I mention he is an AWESOME singer? Oh yeah, and he writes his own music. And now, he has been signed on to be an underwear model. Okay, okay, I had to make the good things way out there because the bad things about him balance him out.

Least I have some good guys in the story. Nola Kelly is bouncing between two guys: Jason and John Jay. Which one is the keeper? The Frat guy or the up-coming Record Executive?

Ha! I could give it away, but it’s too juicy to give out all the details.

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 11: Things get interesting

2011-11-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to make a quick trip to Springfield, MO. It is the city where I went to college. It is also the setting of my Six Sexy Sisters series.

Soooooo....

I could not write yesterday, but I did take the opportunity to soak in as much of Springfield and Missouri State University as I could. Okay it's like this, 2 out of 3 of my MCs go to college there. There are sooo many scene around the campus...but that campus sure does look a lot different than when I was there 15 years ago. Take the student union or PSU (Plaster Student Union)

We didn't have that! We had the Campus Union....they have expanded on this building so much its unrecognizable to us Alum. I mean, I could get lost up in there, whereas in the past I knew every nook and cranny. I like the new PSU. It's very student friendly. You see students with their laptops in corners, diligently working (or maybe playing Angry Birds, who knows) There is a Subway, Papa John's and Burger King. There are like 3-4 little stores (I need to count--I think 3 though...ummm, maybe 4!).

I know one is for like Greek stuff.
One has convenience store things
And one is all computer and gaming things.
There may be a fourth I am overlooking.

There are lots of meeting spaces, and as I was there fore a meeting, I could see student groups using various rooms. But the most interesting thing I gathered was the fire drill we had while I was there. Super exciting! I have to find a way to incorporate it in my novel.

And I figured out who to kill off in my novel. Woohoo!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 10: The Drama Intensifies

2011-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Things are getting pretty darn interesting! Nola Kelly has won an intern with the FBI, so things are going great for her….that is, if she can control her temper. She is constantly getting into trouble. Like serious trouble….

Victor to the rescue.

Then there is CJ, who I will have to go back and make him more of a sleazebag. He is really bad with the ladies. And the bad thing is, I’m drawing from my own experience for him.

College + a fine man + young naïve girls + add in a Fraternity = FREAKS OF THE INDUSTRY!

No, but he’s not a Kappa. You get the point though. I have to make him so off the deep in with it, and then come full-circle. Actually…maybe not. He plans on recording an album with Da Factory Hitz after graduation, so do you think he will give up his playa ways? I doubt it…he’s still young and about to be put in a position men would love. Still thinking on him.

And then there is Tone, so in love with Fianna all he does is talk about being in love and his love for her. I mean, I have them so happy and perfect it makes me sick! Haha! So what do you think I will do…break up the happy couple? Thinking about it.

Like I said, I am not sure who will have a happy ending. It keeps changing in my mind, but then, I’m letting the characters lead the way. If I had it my way, all would be happy and in love….just not reality.

So I push on. No real writing today because I have to head out of town, but tomorrow it will be on!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 8: Sex Game

2011-11-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yep, I wrote a chapter last night about “sex game.” I couldn’t help myself from laughing through most of it. I’m ONLY a writer people, I am no professional on what I call “sex game.”

You know, like, “You got game!” when someone does something spectacular. Well, “You got sex game!” that’s like the same.

So I had to dig DEEP into my imagination for this. Tenille Kelly is home from her tour and Kimiko and Nola are her students. Tenille is a former stripper, and according to her, “a freak in the sheets.” She breaks it down to her two eager learners, how to entice a man. And when Tenille gets in action, it’s a show for real. She holds nothing back!

Wish I could detail everything taught but ummm, it's not that kind of blog!

I don’t even know if everything she taught them works…who cares, it’s not the point, but um, it’s definitely a hot, hot, HOT chapter. And this chapter ties in so well to a chapter in the first of the series, the Kitty and Icee romance. On their wedding night, she shows off some moves that Tenille showed her.

Yep, Tenille is a fun, fun character! She will have a book in the series as well, and trust me I will love every moment of writing that.

Hit 39,353 words yesterday, and plan on adding another 5K tonight.

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 7: R.E.S.P.E.C.T

2011-11-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

So I have discussed Nola and Tone’s storylines a bit more, now we come to CJ.

Oh boy! He has been a challenge for me from the get go when I introduced him in the last novel. I did not know what I wanted him to be, a bad guy or a good guy. In fact, I will have to go back and tweak him so that he fits with where I am with him in this novel.

He’s a ladies man. They fall all over him. And he knows how to play them to get what he wants out of them and moves on. He respects no women (other than his sisters—though he claims he respects his mother, he doesn’t show it). He’s a little vain with what he is looking for, wanting a girl that is near perfection. He wants someone like his sisters and less like his mother who he deems weak and co-dependent on a man.

Kimiko changes things up for him. She’s a slob, Plain Jane looking and she’s kind of an annoying pest to him staying in his room since he has left home and has his own place.

But these two first kiss literally was the hottest scene I have written in a long, long time!

It came from the blue too, because I didn’t know how I wanted Kimiko to be other than outside of anything he is attracted. And he continues to claim he is not attracted to her, even after the kiss. He just avoids her at all cost. Pledging a fraternity only enables him to dog more women.

Kimiko befriends Tenille and Nola and they give her a make-over. This really catches CJ’s eye because now he feels justification for his attraction. He still does not want to go public with a relationship with her. Kimiko doesn’t realize she’s his “uncover fling.”

Will this lil boy grow up and ever learn to respect women?

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 4: Reality show relationships

2011-11-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! For my character Tone, I have decided to do something a little different. I’m still not sure what kind of rapper I even want him to be! Is he hardcore, gangsta, a baller, a ladies man, a conscious rapper, thugged out, party up playful rapper, or all about some good dance beats. Ugh!

A few things just won’t work for him. He can’t be gangsta coming from Springfield, MO (though the group Fact Iz has a lil gangsta edge to them), and I don’t want him all flashy about material things (Icee does enough of that)…and speaking of, I didn’t want him anything like Icee, even though Tone idolizes him and wants to be JUST like him.

So what I have come up with is he’s a combo of a conscious rapper (like Nas) but likes to party up and dance (what rapper fits this). And he’s a loner, he does not have a crew anymore, which is different for a rapper. Besides the other artists on Da Factory Hitz label, he’s pretty much out there for himself.

Which brings me to turning this loner into a BIG public persona. I already mentioned that his new, superstar girl friend will be offered a reality show…but now I am think they BOTH are offered the show (I mean, the cameras were going to follow them both anyway). The idea starts from a simple tweet he sends:

“It’s lonely on the road…I need love”

He was heartbroken about Nola dumping him. After he sends this tweet, within minutes female fans are blowing him up. Little do they know, he immediately starts a relationship with Fianna.

Soooo, he becomes a Twitter superstar and gets droves of followers watching his every move…hence the reason they are wanted for the reality show. Camera crews start following them immediately. Each of HIS chapters will be an episode of their reality show (yet to be named) starting from when they record the rap song he wrote “Looking for Love (In All the Wrong Places)”---which I have written, but not in this format, so I will redo it.

EVERYTHING they do is televised, even Fianna revealing that she is pregnant. Even him debating with Icee on marrying her. So yes, LOTS OF DRAMA! But this is typical of a lot of celebrity stories I hear right now, so I’m basing their lives off what I see/hear.

Will their marriage last or be another Kim Kardashian one? Reality star relationships, do they ever work?

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 3: My Chick Bad!

2011-11-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

As a writer, you have to love your characters, the good ones, the mean ones, the boring ones, the ones you'd never be friends with. I have to say, I'd be friends with all six of the Six Sexy Sisters.

All different and unique...and they keep evolving. Nola Kelly can easily be my new fave Kelly sister to write about (Sarena was). Every scene with her I learn something new about her. The first time I wrote her character in "Err'Thang About You," she was only 18 years old. She didn't have any lines. She was insecure about her looks, and did not think she could even do the "Six Sexy A$$ Sisters" campaign. She thought violence was not the answer.

Till the first time she felt a gun in her hands!

She has continued to shock her sisters and Victor who is training her to be a deadly weapon. She's learning five different martial arts, boxes with Victor, goes to target practice at least once a week, lifts weight five times a week, runs ten miles four times a week...and on her free time, knocks out a chick who steps to her incorrectly.

I'm 13,000 words in and she has knocked out TWO men and one female. And we're just getting started. She's not afraid to stand up for herself, even to Victor who continues to try and protect her from any harm. He doesn't even like her dating, but he can't stop her.

So bring on the men!

First there is Jason, a senior at Missouri State University, and the President of his fraternity. He can have any girl he wants, and sometimes does...but when he meets Nola (and after she knocks out one of his girls) he is smitten. Too bad she is not so serious about him.

Then there is Rian, who she met in Six Sexy Sisters. Now that she is single, she wants to know what dating a model would be like. Except he's more interested in using her to further his career.

And then there is John Jay (yes, I had to name him after the Cardinal player--I just love his name). He works at Da Factory Hitz under Big Sister Sarena. He thinks Nola needs to be tamed...but just let him try.

Those are the MAIN guys for her right now. One or two might pop up, not sure. All I know is, everything that comes out of her mouth is gold! Yes, I wrote a scene with Sarena last night (which she took over and wrote for me) and she still delivers the best lines, but Baby Sister is gunning in on her.

I also write a scene with Kitty...it was hard. She should be a wreck after everything that happened to her in the last novel. But my Kelly sisters are strong. You knock em down, they stand right back up!

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 2: Looking for Love

2011-11-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am loving the title of this novel so far. I am soooo bad with titling my books. I hate it, and I never really LOVE them. Anyway, moving on.

Last night I made it to 9,157 words! That is awesome. My goal was 10,000, but even with this I am still ahead of my daily goal. I need to write at least 6,666 words a day to hit 200,000 by the end of the month. Totally can be done. I will rally use the weekends to put in big numbers. I want to hit at least 50,000 by the weekend and that’s very doable.

Now I would like to introduce the characters, which all have been introduced in Six Sexy Sisters, but now we really get to know them better:

Nola Kelly, also goes by “NoNo” or “Baby Sister.” She is 21 years old. After dropping out of Washington University’s pre-med programs, she transfers to Missouri State University (MSU) in Springfield, Mo so that she can stay around her family. She decided to double major in a 3-year accelerate program for Criminology and Psychology. Her 2 years complete at Wash U already puts her halfway through the program. With an additional year, she will also earn her Masters Degree in Psychology. After that, she plans to enroll in the Police Academy and join the force.

All while continuing to study for her Doctorate in Criminology. She wants to work for the FBI as a profiler (think Alex Cross series or Criminal Minds). Between her intense studies she still has time to party with her baby brother. She wrecks havoc on the campus of MSU and she breaks hearts as well. There’s no stopping her because she is no longer with Tone. But deep down, she wants to find love and happiness like her sisters have…can she?

Tony “Tone” Watson, is also 21. He’s the young up and coming rapper, Icee’s protégé. He’s ready for his shot at fame, but the album has been delayed yet again. He still is out there hustling, trying to get his name out there by performing his one single as much as he can. He is heartbroken over Nola, but not long when Fiana, the superstar singer comes along. They quickly rush into a whirlwind relationship. Fiana is on top of her career, Tone is along for the ride.

Even though others think he is in over his head, he falls in love with Fiana so when she gets pregnant, they quickly marry. But their life becomes a spectacle when she is offered her own reality show to follow the newlyweds. Tone tries to maintain some privacy, and adjust to this new lifestyle. Once his album is finally released, he finds himself even more busy and away from Fiana more and more. Can this young couple really find happiness?

Christopher Kelly, Jr. or CJ as he is called by all, is the youngest of the three, and 21 as well. He’s the brother the Kelly sisters never knew about till recently. He quickly becomes best friends with Nola and Tone. He’s a senior at MSU and ready to jumpstart his career in the music business as a singer/songwriter. Nothing slows CJ down, between his school, work and the ladies, (plus a bonus…shhh, wait for it later) he still makes time to get to know all his sisters because he felt like he missed out on knowing Ashley.

CJ faces demons from his parents, and therefore has no respect for women and believes love is for suckers. There is not a woman around he believes will make him settle down. His mother is Japanese, his father Black. He dates all types of women…except any Asian women because he does not want to date anyone that resembles his mother. But when Kimiko comes around, maybe things will change. She is a challenge for him. Though he is attracted to her, she is everything he was not looking for. Maybe he has found love.

Let’s just put it this way…as of this writing, I have NO CLUE who will actually be the lucky one to fall in love! I actually have a problem with any of them falling in “true love” at a very young age. Hey, it happens, but not to anybody I know, so we’ll see.

Nanowrimo 2011: Day 1

2011-11-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time already!

My goal soon after ending Nanowrimo 2010 was to double my word count. That would be a big 200,000 words! This will be at least 2 novels (if those come to an end and I have not reached 200K, I will start a third).

Here's a brief summary of the first novel.

Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places

I JUST now named this first novel I have started! It follows Baby Sister, Nola Kelly on a journey of self-discovery. Okay, that sounded real lame, but that is what it is! The Kelly sisters have just lost Ashley who died in the Six Sexy Sisters novel. Nola is in complete turmoil and can't seem to move on with her life. At a standstill are her plans for college and even her boy friend Tone. Tone is busy trying to become the next great rapper, but he still yearns for Nola...until Fiana steals his heart. It is CJ Kelly, the Kelly brother they discovered they had, that finally gets Nola out of her funk.

Now she is determined to let no one else suffer what her family has suffered. She plans to become a Criminologist/Psychologist and work with the FBI to help catch serial killers and rapers. So she throws herself into her new studies....well, until she gets invited to jet set with her brother around the world. Nola balances school with meeting men all over the world. She is in search for that one true love that she sees her sisters have. First up is Rian, the hot male model she met at the KStyle model auditions.

Meanwhile, Tone is in a whirlwind relationship with Fiana. The two takes things fast real quick. Fiana is set out to keep Tone in her claws, however means necessary. So when she ends up pregnant, Tone marries her, much to Icee's disagreement. Tone claims he is in love with Fiana and is doing the right thing.

CJ is the voice of reason for these two, except he is no better. He is the biggest womanizer ever. He uses women to his hearts desire. He doesn't think one woman would ever satisfy him because his standards are very high. He is so selective on what he wants and what he wants them to look like. What he is looking for is someone like his sisters, which would be the opposite of how he feels his mother is. He holds resentment for her and how she allowed his father to treat her.

But it is his mother that sees this and tries and get him to not be his father. To settle down with someone he loves and loves him. So she plays matchmaker...except this girl is the opposite of all his requirements.

Will these three find true love?

Okay, and the second novel follows Big Sister Sarena through the beginnings of her ralationship with Victor St. James. I'll write the synopsis up for that one once I'm about to start. Hopefully I can breeze through this first one in two weeks.

READ IT OUT LOUD!

2011-07-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm having to do that with my edits for All That It Seems. For the most part, it really flows well. I mean, I TALK fast, so sometimes my characters flow like I flow. It can be a real tongue twister. I'm having to slow down while I read, make sure I articulate the words and that it makes sense. I mean, I have way more Ebonics in me that I should, for a college educated writer, you know.

Proper English and all withstanding, I just do my best. One thing I know I am lacking is detailing out the scenery. Sheesh! I suck at that. If my character walks in the room, I don't describe much. Minimal at best. And as I read others' novels, I see all the nice prose and imagery and feel like I need to take a class on that. No, seriously!

I tell people that I have been formally trained in screenwriting, taking two different classes in college (one offered in the Media/Film department, one offered in the Theater/English department), and taking more play writing and mixed media writing than taking the required courses in the English department. I took one short-story writing class, it sucked, I dropped that creative writing minor (although I have taken enough writing classes while in college, I still say I have a minor in that).

So maybe I did should have continued taking writing classes in college. I did not even take the novel writing class offered! I know, I know! I self-taught myself how to write a novel through self-help books, and heck, just loving to read! Mind you, I've been writing since age 12, not that any of that was considered a novel by any means. Even back then, my writing was more dialogue. I could tell a story through people talking like nobody's business!

The screenwriting even further embedded that in my head since most films are dialogue driven. We aren't spending time watching scenery for PAGES in a movie. I'm not saying I don't have cool imagery written in my novels, I'm just saying, I don't spend much time on it. It's something I know I will get better at as I write more, read more.

Reading my novel out loud, I really enjoy getting into each characters voice. They don't all sound the same. Shae has that sass in her voice I like. Amari, the vixen, well, she's so spicy you never know what comes out of her mouth! Mykayla, not so quiet as she seems to be, I really like her voice too. And me being somewhat of a thespian (I studied it in high school, somewhat in college) it's like acting to me.

Haha! I just realized....WHEN you guys read my novel, you will readily know which one is supposed to be me now. Teehee! I write what I know, that's for sure!

Holla, Holla

2011-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Back to editing I go!

Holla, Holla, is chapter 6 of Everything About You. Yes, I decided that will be the title of the Icee/Kitty romance. It's simple, it works for the song that really explains their bond and relationship.

A quick review of the chapters so far in case you have not read:
Chapter 1: Hot Flash
Chapter 2: Hit It
Chapter 3: Show Me MO
Chapter 4: Fact Iz This
Chapter 5: U Da Winner

In Chapter 6, Icee and Kitty continue to hang out at the after party at Icee's mini-mansion. Kitty (sorry, she is still Kitrina at the time, but I get so used to calling her that now) is still a bit overwhelmed being with Icee, the rest of Fact Iz and the complete entourage that is around him. She gets more and more comfortable and Icee calms any of her nerves.

Each chapter starts with lyrics of the song:

We party strong, we party all night long

Facts in da house? Holla, holla!

Got the club going, bottles flowin’

Da party don’t start to da Facts hit it up

Party, party, party, holla, holla, holla!

I haven't distinguished who is actually rapping the lines, I don't think it matters much. Understand that it is a rap GROUP and Icee is the standout, but they all equally perform.

And this is about where I am stuck with my edits. I have to get back to finishing All That It Seems anyway.

Book Review: Unbeweavable

2011-06-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

This is another book written by Katrina Spencer. Loved Six O'Clock, so I did not know what to expect for this one.

LOVE IT MORE!! Let me say, I read a lot, and I "try" and read different types of books from writers in all genres and backgrounds. I say "try" because I still tend to stick to what I really love most, a particular genre, a particular story theme. Unbeweavable would not fit in any of my top genres. It's not a romance, it's not a mystery, it's not a suspense.

It does have a little suspense in it. Kind of a family tale about secrets. I must say, a bit in, you kinda know where it's going...or at least, I knew. One of the reasons I knew is because I wrote a short story years ago in college similar to this. (Not really, but it reminded me enough about it. One person finding out about a "secret" family and in search to find them--except in mine, the main character has found out his mother was passing for white and he's looking for his Black family.)

In Unbeweavable, the main character, Mariah, loses her job. She has depended on wearing weaves in her hair because she believes her own hair is not pretty. Some of the stories she told of her hair horrors had me laughing on the floor! Her mother is light skinned with more Anglo-Saxon hair, I will call it. And obviously did not take the time to find out how to care for Afro-centric hair. I'm so glad my mom and grandmother knew about hair!!

Actually, my older sister has very curly, fine, natural hair and it was the unmanageable one growing up. My mom would just wet it and put it in ponytails. My grandmother could not manage the curls and put a pressing comb to her hair in the pre-teen years. Oh, the horror!

So a part of me could not relate to a parent not even trying to understand her daughter's hair. I thought the main character was adopted the way the mother treated her--which hey, would still be wrong! My daughter is adopted and her hair is sooooo different from mine, but I had to learn how to take care of it because I'M THE MOM! Sorry, I had NO sympathy for the mother character, absolutely none, and the ending still I could not sympathize with her.

I also like the relationship between the sisters, Mariah and Renee. Renee was really, really fighting for attention in a "baby of the family" sort of way. I understood why Mariah distanced herself from Renee because the mother basically drove a wedge between them. I understood that. Why didn't Renee stand up a bit more for her sister if she KNEW their mother dogged her out. It was like Renee was in blissful ignorance long as she was doted on. Blegh! Okay, I did not like her either.

Oh, but to be fair, I did not like Mariah much either. She was whiny and bitter. I wanted her to get over it so many times. But then, she had a very traumatic past so I sympathized at the same time. And for me to not like the three main characters, I enjoyed the book very, very much! It was intricate, it was detailed, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and that's what a good story should do.

It's supposed to be a happy ending, but I felt like it was unfinished. In fact, I found myself flipping the page for more like, "Is that it?" I was actually looking for a "To Be Continued" or something.

Okay Katrina, I'm waiting for the next book. Get to it!

Edits are a pain!

2011-06-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm just keeping it real. Every time I sit down to do them, I don't get much done. I am more or less reading it like I'm reading any other book. I might catch some slights corrections, but I haven't done much more.

Well, tonight I buckle down and really get to it! All That It Seems, my first novel, needs one good last edit and then I will be done with it. Well, until my reader tells me otherwise. I have to get her these chapters to read and review and excited about someone outside of family reading it. I don't even tell the storyline to many.

I have been reading lots of good books! And I am finding that it helps me. Helps me to keep my voice, my sassiness. I like some "spice" in my story lines. I don't think I have one novel were there is not a spicy character or a spicy scene or just craziness happening everywhere you turn. And I am so far from any of that! I mean, I am a but of a drama queen, but really, I am a shy, quiet girl to most.

But I like the sass, so I write sass. Trust me, there is enough in All That It Seems. Between Amari's crazy, wild dramatics, and Shae's Miss Know-It-All attitude and MyKayla's quiet innocence, I cover pretty much everything. And I'm not even talking about the men and their crazy life!

Whew!

Okay, back to editing! My dear people hope you get to read this soon.

Book Review: Six O'Clock

2011-05-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished Katrina Spencer's first novel, Six O'Clock and I must say, I LOVED IT!

Okay, I will give a fair review of the book. At the beginning, I did not see where it was going. Because it was titled Six O'Clock and early on the reader was told that "Six O'Clock" was the character Yolanda's nickname, I thought it would simply be about her. But the book takes on multiple POVs (personally, my favorite way to write) and so we got to see what her friends, her enemies, her love interest and everyone else in between were thinking. I like that, but sometimes it could have gotten overwhelming. You had to go back a few lines to catch who's POV you were in, but mostly there were nice transitions between POV switch.

Once the book got good and going, I was loving it! Knowing the other character's POVs moved the story along. It just had to be written this way!! Another thing I don't like much in novels is when the main character is so naive, or so vulnerable...which Yolanda was, but it worked here. It's like I wanted to shake some sense in Yolanda and be like, "Girl, stop being so trusting!" She had some sass in her too, just not enough in the beginning. I like sassy characters!

This was actually the FIRST novel I ever read I discussed with my kids! What? Why? Because it was actually kid friendly (none of mine would past muster there). And it actually had a "moral to the story" type of feel. The main character, Yolanda, is super thin, but there was also issues with an overweight female character, a non-attractive female (I'm too nice to call someone ugly), and the drop-dead gorgeous female. Who would you date? Would you be turned off on things they could not change, if they were truly a nice person? Too thin, but pretty face? Big girl, but attractive to you?

I asked my 12 year old son who is just starting to like girls, and he likes girls A LOT, what would he think of a character like Yolanda. He notices breasts, and butts and pretty long hair, all that. He initially said "No way!" he would not like a skinny girl. Then I gave him the option of an overweight girl versus someone not really pretty. Tough decisions. And I am not teaching him to be vain, but I have to admit, it would be a tough decision for me. Initially, if I am not attracted to you, I don't want to spend anytime with you...not even giving you a chance. But in Six O'Clock I see that we should look beyond the outside appearance and really get to know someone before we make that decision.

I liked how everything wrapped up at the end of the novel. I was literally in tears and reciting lines to my kids. I told my daughter, this is what you want a man to say to you!

I think Katrina did a good job with this book! It was a feel good story. From the middle to the end I could not put the book down! Loved it! Now I cannot wait to read her next one, Unbeweavable, the title along intrigues me.

U Da Winner

2011-05-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter five, or what I like to call it, "Icee gets the girl!"

Ha! Yes, this is the chapter where Icee FINALLY makes Kitty his new girl friend. But first the chapter goes down like this.

After Kitty "Cinderella'd" him at the club, he lets her know that he wants to be with her. He throws a big bash at his club and invites her and her twin. When Kitty arrives, he swoops her away and they share their first kiss. He tells her that he dumped Bonnie Walker and wants to try a "normal" relationship with a down home girl. And Kitty says....

"Icee, look here, I want to be your girl too, but this celibacy thing, it’s for real. Can you handle that?"

Can he??

"But just how celibate is this celibate thing? No sex, as in sex sex, or oral sex, or what? Help a brotha out!"

In Kitty's words, celibate is no sex period. None with her, none with groupies. Icee is cool with that, he thinks.

For the rest of the night, Kitty enjoys being part of the Fact Iz crew and Icee's girl friend. She tells him he has found "Da Winner" a phrase Icee has frequently used in many of his songs. Oh yeah, he also has a iced out chain that says "Winner."

Kitty invites him to attend church with him the next day. Icee invites her to hang out at his house with the rest of the Facts as they continue to party all night long.

It's going to be a long night!

Fact Iz This

2011-05-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

Chapter four: Fact Iz This

Yes, I am continuing with naming each chapter a song that the group Fact Iz has recorded. "Fact Iz This" is on their first album and it is a total group collaboration where each of the six members raps a line throughout the song. In the song, (also the title of their first album), the rappers are giving their listeners a chance to know about them as a group, and a little about each of their personalities.

In this chapter, Icee has not given up on Kitty. He can't stop thinking of her, so he continues to call her and they get to know each other over the phone. Kitty is desiring more, but she knows she can't give in when this superstar celebrity not only has a girl friend, but also is obsessed with sex.

Icee is not taking no for an answer. Even though he travels 90% of the time, he makes a point to make it back to Springfield to see her. At his club, they hang out and he thinks he can break her. Kitty almost falls for his charm Any girl would be lucky to have his attention, right?

The chase continues...

Show Me Mo

2011-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

This is chapter 3. "Show Me Mo" is the song that lets everyone know that Fact Iz is from the Show Me State, Missouri. Get it, "Show Me Mo."

Anyway, in this chapter, Icee and Kitty begin to connect over the phone. In just one conversation they find things in common.

1. They both grew up and love their home city, Springfield, MO (though Icee was born in St. Louis, who moved to Springfield when he was five)
2. They both lost someone very close to them. Icee his brother, Kitty her mother.

And Icee learns several things he likes about Kitty. One, that she is a no nonsense type of girl. Two, she has a LARGE family of five sisters (Six Sexy A$$ Sisters first mention) and three, she runs her own personal training business and is determined to conquer the world. He loves all that!

What he does like is, she's a good Christian girl which means:
No drinking or smoking
No cursing
and NO SEX

Okay, so maybe Icee is in way over his head. As he likes to say, "I like all three of the above especially the last."

She's too much for him, and he decides to move on.

...Quit It

2011-05-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

That's about all of the title of chapter two I dare to post.

The name of the song is "Lick It, Hit It, Split It, Quit It." You gotta know Icee and the rest of Fact Iz. Basically they rap about what every other rapper in the universe raps about: women, sex, money, cars.

In chapter two, Icee and Kitty are still at the club that first night. In Icee's POV, he is lusting for Kitty and all he want is to (name of the song). He thinks she is just another groupie that would do anything to be with him. So he tries...and he tries...and he tries....

Also in the chapter, Kitty and TA begin their flirtation. It's obvious TA is also attracted to her, but she plays him off as a friend because she just has eyes for Icee. Nevermind the fact that Icee has a longtime girl friend, Bonnie Walker. So after hanging with Fact Iz all night, the twins call it a night.

Icee thinks he can crack her, so they exchange numbers and the chase is on.

Hot Flash

2011-05-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'll just break it down chapter by chapter, this Icee/Kitty love story (yes, I still have not decided on a title).

Each chapter is titled off of a Fact Iz rap song...or later, an Icee R&B song. Since most of the novel takes place in the hip hop/entertainment business, think of these songs as the soundtrack. I am trying to make the lyrics match the chapter, but even it it does not directly match, it goes with the general idea of the story and the concept of Fact Iz and Icee. So far, there are a whole lot of chapters! And since I like small chapters, I am still splitting some, so I don't have a definite number of chapters.

The first chapter: Hot Flash

Icee owns a night club in their hometown that he and Fact Iz are partying at. Icee spots Kitty in the VIP section and his first words to her are, "You are sexy as hell!"

The chase pursues. Kitty had been infatuated with Icee and the Facts since they were still local. In fact, she has a huge crush on Icee and is speechless as he stands before her. It is her twin, Krystle that does most of the talking. It's their birthday and they are out celebrating.

So Icee invites the twins to hang out and party with Fact Iz. Several things in this chapter are important.

1. You meet Kitty and Icee and see the instant attraction
2. See how gorgeous Icee is through Kitty's eyes
3. Learn some back story about Fact Iz

It's a very short chapter and it just gives a brief setup of how big Icee and Fact Iz are. The song "Hot Flash" is their current single off their third album. It will later go on to win a Grammy.

Oh by the way, FACT IZ is an acronym of the rap group members.
Freezy
AKA
Cra-Z (Icee's deceased brother)
TA
Icee
T-Zack

See how non-creative I can be! Stay tuned for Chapter 2, the title along is spicy!

The Royal Couple

2011-04-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

I am a romantic, I swear! But I just can’t get into this Royal Wedding stuff.

Okay, moving it right along! I like my own royal couple I am writing better anyway. That is the multi-millionaire, gorgeous and sexy, rapper/singer/model/actor, businessman Isaac Curtis, better known as Icee and the businesswoman/model Kitrina Kelly (know known as Kitty). Can’t relate to those Londoners and tiaras and crowns and Dukes and Dutchesses? Icee and Kitty are mid-westerners who came from nothing to be one of the Hottest Hollywood Couples (think Jay and Bey).

And their romance is a whirlwind that travels the globe. Their love is undying. It’s my fairy tale that us little girls dream of. Meeting our Prince Charming and having a relationship that stands the test of time.

Yes, I love the sappy, sweet romance stories, but this is so much more than that. It’s about the music. It’s about the entertainment industry. It’s about an ex-playboy meeting his match, officially “killing the playa.” It’s about those six sexy sisters every man desires (well, more on them in the next book). It’s about a happy ending.

Okay, this is FICTION. I can make my peeps PERFECT (although I give them slight flaws). The theme of this romance is that, you may not be perfect, but be perfect for the one you are with. Icee constantly comments to Kitty how perfect she is, and Kitty comes back with, “No I’m not, I have this issue and this issue…”

“But it’s not about that babe,” Icee says. “You’re perfect for me. Inside and out, you are an incredible person, that’s what is perfect about you. Flaws and all.”

Okay, I may have reworded my actual dialogue, but I know Icee’s voice, and I know his heart. Imagine being a hot, RICH superstar? Don’t you think he has a parade of hot women dying for his attention? But none of them get to know him. All they see is “Icee” not the man named “Isaac Curtis” (the premise of his solo album).

I just can’t get enough of Kitty and Icee, and I hope my readers will feel the same way about this royal couple.

Everything About You/My Heart, My Soul, My Everything

2011-04-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

These are the titles I can't decide on for the Kitty/Icee love story. (And as I type this, it is constantly changing between the two)

Whichever one I chose would be the name of the song Icee wrote for Kitty while they were dating. I suck at titles, I know. But then, this is the novel I had NO intentions of ever seeing the light of day. Now I feel differently. Only because I believe Six Sexy A$$ Sisters needs to see the light of day, and for that to happen, first Kitty story needs to be told.

The SSAS series as I envision it, will go back and forth in the the past and future. Weird I know, but there's a method to the madness. I am writing it this way, but the reader can read it anyway they so choose, but I think the order I write it is most effective.

First we learn about Kitty and how she meets and marries Icee, and follow her as she becomes a successful businesswoman. This is were we meet her sisters. Some of them barely have more than three lines, but the last few chapters is when I got the idea that I was not done with these sisters.

Six Sexy A$$ Sisters was born! This title actually came about when Icee declared that after hiring Kitty and Kryssy for K-Style Fashions and then signing on Tenille to record an album, he wanted to work with all the "six sexy ass sisters." Kitty ran with that idea and the sisters promoted K-Style clothing line by modeling in several ads. In Six Sexy A$$ Sisters, all the sisters are equally represented as they jet-set around the world living the fab life of celebrities. Also, there's a stalker on the loose.

So what's next for those Kelly girls? Do we go forward or back to the past? Both!

I'm choosing baby Sister Nola Kelly as one of the next novels. Since she is only 21 now, and has not had much of a past, her story will take place right after SSAS ends. But it will not just focus on her as a main character. It will also be about her boy friend Tone and her half brother.

And also I choose Big Sister Sarena Kelly for some back story, her love story with Victor. It's pretty much been told in SSAS, but this novel will flesh it out more, see what it is about Victor that has all the Kelly girls in love with him. PLUS, Sarena has a bad ass past! She's not called two-gun toting hot momma for nothing! Look for lots of action in this one, that's all I'm saying.

I don't know which sis is after these two. Who are will be left is: Kryssy, Tenille and Ashley. Oh you better believe they will all get a story too!

Right now, I am editing "Everything About You" or is it "My Heart, My Soul, My Everything." It's a crucial title because of when Icee writes the song for Kitty. Tough decision! I'll add bits and pieces of the story as I work.

Script fizzle...

2011-04-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

That's about the extent of my Script Frenzy experience. I have not "officially" thrown in the towel, but if I make it to 100 pages it will be a miracle.

I have the story idea in my head, it just is not flowing like I want it to. Very complicated! I see why writers say some of their work takes years to write. THIS may be one of those. I thought this was not me. I thought I could come up with the idea, the story lines and just write it!! I have written screenplays over weekends before, so why not this time?

Well, my mind is stuck on ALL these unfinished novels I have. When I say unfinished, I mean not edited yet. Seriously, I'm tired of saying I coulda woulda shoulda and say I DID! And so, I will stick with finishing Monday's Revenge (the action screenplay), then it will be all about finishing the Six Sexy Ass Sisters series.

I SO LOVE THEM!! Reminds me of the Braxton sisters. Can you imagine having 5-6 sisters? Think of the dynamics of it? Think of your group of friends and if you were all sisters? Crazy fun times!

So in the next few weeks, more blogs about my fave characters ever! I think I finally came up with a title for the first in the series, the Kitty/Icee story. More on that later.

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

2011-04-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said I would write FOUR screenplays for script frenzy? What the HECK was I on!

While I LOVED all four of my ideas, I just do not have the time this month. So I focused all my energy on finishing one great one: Monday's Revenge

This screenplay I am loving. Ask me what it is about and I'll shrug. It started off about a female assassin. Meh! Not so much so now. I mean, she kills people, but for money, no, for REVENGE. It's so complicated, I can't even understand exactly! I'm just letting her tell the story and then I will go back in and make it make sense.

When I thought of this idea over 10 years ago, it wasn't anything like this. It has evolved. Some things have stayed the same. she kills, she's good at it, that's pretty much stayed the same.

I'm a little behind in page count (because I can't count pages I wrote from the other script I was working on) but I will catch up. Also, I will post a few more details also...I mean, when it's more clear to me.

45 pages down, 55 more to go!

What exactly is a RomCom?

2011-04-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

I mean, I know what it is, but really, what make it so different from a Comedy or straight up Romance?

What are some of the greatest romantic comedy movies?

Here's a top 10 list I found:
1. Love Actually
2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
3. When Harry Met Sally (which would be my #1)
4. There's Something About Mary
5. Meet the Parents
6. As Good As It Gets
7. The Wedding Singer
8. My Best Friend's Wedding
9. A Life Less Ordinary
10. Four Weddings and a Funeral

A couple of things I noticed here. One, I had not seen more than half of these. Two, how many have wedding in them! Geesh!

Mine's unlike any of these. Well, that's a lie. Girl meets Boy, and at first Girl does not like Boy, and Boy does not like Girl, but then magically Boy and Girl like each other, and now doing crazy things to be together....or something like that. What makes it different is the characters. The oddball situations they will be in. My voice is different than any other writer out there. I mean, I would hope so!

I have not written that many pages. I'm actually writing two simultaneously, the RomCom and the Action. I would say the Action is intriguing me though, but I got stuck bad today. I just skipped a few scenes and went to some action. I'll fill in the blanks later.

Day 6 Script Frenzy Total pages: 14 (I know, that sucks right!)

Script Frenzy!!

2011-03-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

Counting down the hours!

Okay, so ummmmmm, I am a WOMAN, and it is MY prerogative to change my mind, right?? Just like with Nanowrimo, I find at the last moments changing my ideas. Well, at least one. And that was from the screenplay I came up with at the spur of the moment.

Instead of Sorors, the fourth screenplay, the drama, will be Women Are From Earth, Men are Just Visiting. Long title, I know. This was the original idea I had and thought I forgot/lost it, but...silly me, typed a brief description and had emailed it to myself. I found that email today!!

Whew!

I liked this story line better anyway. The characters are so CRAZY! I love crazy. I do crazy like nobody's business. In fact, I'll leave it under the genre "drama" but it may be more comedy or romance maybe even suspense!! I don't even have it all in my head, I just have the main characters (FIVE) in my head.

I'll start Fantabolous first because I think this one is the most fleshed out in my head, have the wackiest character ad will be finished in record time. Next, I have no clue, I'll just lo with it.

Coming soon...

2011-03-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Script Frenzy!!

In order to prepare for my feat of writng FOUR 100-page screenplays, I have been developing these ideas like crazy. Generally I come up with ideas as I write, but to accomplish this goal, I thought fleshing it out as much as possible would be best. Here's a sneak peak at the screenplays:

Fantabolous (Romantic Comedy): Party girl Valerie is forced to work at her parents health food cafe in a small town, "a la Undercover Boss-style." She meets quite the characters, especially the eccentric tree-hugging/raw foodist/healthnut chef.

Monday's Revenge (Action): Monday "Money" became a hired assassin to seek revenge on those that attacked her. Now her past has come back to haunt her. (This one is so-oooo complicated! I have been working on this one for over 10 years! And just came up with the title TODAY.)

Lady of Rage (horror): Someone is terrorizing cheerleaders. But why? (Again, can't give away too many details in a horror film. You have to keep them guessing...and also, I have no clue for real)

Women Are From Earth, Men Are Just Visiting (drama): Five women have a story to tell about men and relationships. Is it really the men that are the problem, are is it these women?

Sexy as hell

2011-02-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

The prequel to my nanowrimo novel "Six Sexy Ass Sisters" that has yet to be titled. This is the opening few lines were Icee first meets Kitty (Kitrina) Kelly.

“Damn! You sexy as hell!”

That was Icee, member of the hot rap group Fact Iz. The talented crew were young, hot and rich, the perfect combination to party up at The Plaza Club.

Kitrina Kelly was their biggest fan.

Okay, just that snippet, because it's so juicy I will only give bits and fragments. Gotta keep the sex appeal and the mystique about it. I'm itching to work on this again, but I will be patient. I really need help thinking of a title for it too!

November's Song

2011-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Opening from current novel "November's Song"

I had to get away from it all. I was too young to be stressed, depressed and wore out. A girl could only handle so much, right? But the drama in a drama queen’s life got a little over the top at times. Want to know how I was kidnapped, shot at, stalked, exposed as a home wrecker, lost my job, lost my dignity and left for dead? Right, you thought this was a romance story.

If you read my blog on how 2011 would go with my writing, weeellllll....I had to make a change. The screenplay I have written has pretty much been crapped out. The idea of it is a sequel to a movie already out there, and unless I find the correct people to deliver it to, it's kind of a wasted idea. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea and screenplay I wrote, just right now, I better focus on something that seems more feasible.

So November's Song is a novel I started all gung ho last year and stopped. I know why! It's complicated, so complicated! After writing that opening paragraph, I had to find a way to get all that drama in...and I wasn't getting it right (and in fact create extra drama).

So I took a break and now I am back at it. Wish me luck.

CHEATERS!

2011-01-31T07:07:00.000-08:00

I apologize to all the great men out there being MEN! SISTER CIRCLE's leading men is not a reflection on any of you...but some of you when you were young and free in college can relate.

I'm just saying!

I had to sit back and realize that most, if not all of my leading men are roof-roof dogs! Okay, maybe I reformed one, Kenyon, but he started off as a playa. The self-proclaimed "finest man on campus" has oodles of women drop at his feet. His reputation as the ladies man is what he is known for, and proud of. Having a girl friend has not been in his cards for the last three years, until... It just takes meeting the right girl to tame you down. And he has found his match with Zavrina.

But also there is Donte. He starts off as the perfect guy, does no harm and adores his girl friend Sherry. Hmmm, they always say it's the quiet ones...

Let's not forget Jill's quest on finding Mr. Perfect and finding every Mr. Wrong she can, and then when Mr. Right is right in her face...she rejects him. Oh we women have iss-kues too!

And poor little Lark, so lost, so confused. She had an older, professional guy who worshipped her, but yet lets the bad-boy basketball star sweep her off her feet. Hey, women can cheat too.

"Ross, we need to talk,” Lark said, having to think quick on her feet.

“Okay. Let’s go out to dinner, I have a lot to talk about with you too,” he said.

“Ross…”

“Lark, what’s up?” Frankie seemed to come from no where and stood beside Ross. This was a nightmare.

"Frankie, let me explain?" Lark started to say.

“Who’s this?” Ross asked, looking Frankie up and down.

“This is Ross, Frankie. Ross, this is…my friend, Frankie.”

“Your friend?” Frankie said, ignoring Ross and looking at her. “You didn’t tell him?”

Lark wanted to disappear in a hole.

“I was going to …today.”

“Tell me what?” Ross asked.

“Lark, you lied to me,” Frankie said. He turned to Ross. “I’m not her friend, I’m her boy friend.”

“Boy friend? No, you’re not. I’m her man,” Ross said.

Lark was never one for confrontation, but here she was, right in the middle of one. How she wished she could just be swooped away.

“Umm, Ross, I was going to tell you…I can’t be with you anymore because I want to be with Frankie.”

“No Lark, tell him the truth. You never loved him and you love me,” Frankie aid.

“What?” Ross said turning to her.

Lark wanted to run away.

“Lark, what are you, crazy? Are you going to throw away everything that we have? Are you going to just walk away from me after all that I have done for you?”

“I never wanted to hurt you Ross. But I have not been happy for a very long time. My parents are the ones that wanted me to be with you. I never made that decision.”

“So now you decide, just like that it’s over? No, I make that decision,” he said.

“Hey, hold up,” Zavrina said. “My sister said it’s over, now you gotta deal with that.”

“Sister? Oh, is this one of your new sorority sisters? See, I told you they’d change you.”

“This had nothing to do with MAX!” Lark said, raising he voice at him. “It has everything to do with you trying to control my life. You never cared about what I was interested in. It was all about how much money you could give me, what you could buy me, and other ways you tried to control me.”

“I only did it because I loved you,” Ross said, trying to touch her, but she moved away.

So really, I take that apology back. Men can do it, women can do it, no ones perfect. Chalk it up to being young and naive. We have to grow up some time.

What's up with those sorority girls?

2011-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

SISTER CIRCLE is all about four sorority sisters. Well, one has to first pledge. And it's not easy.

But SISTER CIRCLE is not about the rituals and ceremonies of a sorority, it's about the bond of four young women who are top leaders at their school, top in academics, but when it comes to relationships with men, they fail.

Mu Alpha Xi Sorority (MAX) is an elite sorority that cannot be compared to any other. Their focus is not community service like others, it's leadership. Developing leadership skills in women who show promise. Yes, they also do community service, but they mainly work developing leadership skills in others.

One way is through their week long Women's Leadership Summit. During MAX week, the sorority holds several workshops for women on campus. It is here that they find leaders they feel worthy to bring into their sorority. From there they send out invites to top candidates with all the other necessary requirements. And the process can be brutal...

“Well, she was our last and final candidate. So we have three, but we already discussed that we were taking two,” Jill, who would serve as the Dean of Pledges, stated.

“Essence, Teresa and Lark,” Sherry said, as she spread out their applications on the table in front of them. “All very qualified candidates, we just have to pick the top two.”

“My vote’s for Lark,” Zavrina quickly stated.

“Zav, this is not about favoritism. I think you’re a little bias,” Sherry said.

“What?”

“We both know you hand picked Lark to succeed you as president of the Black Collegians, and no one would run against her because of it.”

“So are you saying Lark can’t hold her own?”

“I’m saying, she’s a senior, how well can she serve MAX by only being here a couple more months? Essence and Teresa are both sophomores."

“True,” Jill said, with a nod.

“Forget that. We are picking the best candidates and Lark’s it. Besides, something shiesty about Essence,” Zavrina said. It was just a hunch, but she did not like the way the girl practically came from nowhere and was now President of the honor society. She did not even recognize her face from last year and she knew everybody, white, Black or otherwise.

“She hangs with the white crowd, that’s why she’s not in your orb,” Jill said.

“Fuck that, I still should know something about her, if she is trying to step the fuck in my shit. I don’t like her.”

“There you go again with your antics,” Sherry said, tossing her pen down. “The girl has a 3.8 GPA, Honor Society and on the Debate Team. Lark does not have it like that.”

“I’m talking about personally. What do you know about her?”

Sherry knew that she grew up in the same small town as Donte and their parents were friends, but she was not going to mention that. She would then have to mention that Donte was the one that insisted Essence was a good candidate for MAX. She trusted Donte’s word on that. Besides, Essence was a better candidate than Lark.

“Okay look at Teresa. 4.0 GPA, Honor Society, and already Gospel Choir Director. Come on now, that beats out Lark’s delayed start,” Sherry said.

“Right and Teresa is real nice. We need her for sure. Keep her and Lark, that’s our two, we cool. Straight? I’m out,” Zavrina said, standing from her seat and about to grab her backpack.

“Sit down, we are not hardly straight,” Sherry said. “As President, I say we take a vote.”

“Aw, you gonna trump me, madam President? Ain’t that some shit!” Zavrina said as she sat back down. “I made you, neo, don’t get the big head.”

“No, you already have it,” Sherry said.

“Peace sisters, dang!” Jill said. “I say we take all three. Three of us, three of them.”

“No!” both Zavrina and Sherry said.

“Damn! Y’all sound like you in radio. Got Bossy on one end, Princess Pepper on the other. Shall we go for round two?”

A change is coming!

2011-01-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I haven't went ahead with the 100-day writing challenge as stated in the previous post. have I been writing? Nit really. Bits and piece here and there, but no serious writing. So what gives?

I was so gung ho about my writing last August when I got recharged by it and started this blog. I wrote like CRAZY in November during Nanowrimo and then it went down hill from there. Yes, I blame Nano for taking the drive out of me. My problem: I'd rather write new things than finish the old! But what good is having a bunch of unfinished/unedited work that no one will ever read?

RIGHT!

So I will get to it this month and finish what I set out to do. My first novel All That It Seems is about 99% ready to send out...BUT...I think I want to go a different way. I think I want to self-publish or e-publish. Take a lot of hard work, but I think it is the way to go nowadays. Now many people publish the traditional way. I need to build up a following and then I'll have a base for a big publisher to pick me up later.

So with that, I am changing how I blog! I need to get people interested in my work, my writing, my storylines, my characters. So no longer will I drone on about my daily life, but I will actually add more of my actual writing to the mix. Kind of like I did during Nanowrimo where every day I posted an angle of the novel or a character in it. I had the most viewers then and a lot of positive feedback.

And I am not posting everyday (unless I am working on something hot and new) but just enough to get my awesome storylines out there.

Challenge yourself to write!

2011-01-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I know I am not alone in this, but sometimes I get so overwhelmed with all the things I want to do I actually get NOTHING done. This is one of those times. I have a whole list of things I wanted to get done for the new year and so far, not working toward getting any of it done. I am talking about my writing here, my fitness stuff seems to be doing fine. I am doing two different 100-Day challenges as far as my fitness/health goals but did not really challenge myself with my writing. Well, it's never too late to come up with one now.

What can my writing 100-Day Challenge be? Should I aim for a word count each day? That can be hard on a lot of days, I want it to be something I can actually attain. As far as writing I guess everything is really measured by word count, or pages, or something similar. But I know some months I will be editing more than writing so word count won't work.

Hmmm....

Okay, 100-Day Work In Progress Challenge!!

This means, I must work on ANY of my works in progress at least one of them, for 100 days straight. I can do this! No word count, no page count, just work on it (not just read it like I tend to do). This will included researching for agents and publishers and sending out my work. Okay, I love a challenge.

This will start tomorrow.....let me prepare myself tonight.

First time writing in the new year!

2011-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been that long since I blogged. And it has been about that long since I wrote anything, much less look at any of my work. But I am baaaaack!

As planned, this month I will finally finish Sister Circle, my second novel that I wrote. Welllll, never finished it. I don't know why since it is playing like a movie in my head....as well as the sequel. No! There will be no sequel to this...well, I won't bother writing one, just let things fester in my head.

This is the story of 4 sorority sisters. They go through a lot in this one school year. Can you remember those college days? Some crazy stuff you may have done? Well, this story just takes me back to that time and place where we THOUGHT we had issues, but the real drama does not start till you are out of school and for the long, long rest of your life

I just wrote a great chapter today, well, part of one, it was only 900 words and my chapters run really long. First I did not know what to write! I have not written in this novel for a long, long time. I have read it over a dozen times, but I guess I was stuck. So I took some things I learned from Nanowrimo and just wrote! I know what's supposed to happen, I just did not have the build-up ready, so I just wrote what was in my head, spit it all out, and let the rest come later. Aaaaa! That felt good, throwing up on the page.

I plan to chip at it every day with little bits and pieces. I need to get to a place where I can say it's done, and leave the editing for later.

2011 writing plans

2010-12-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

I have not written anything new in December. Call it post-nano syndrome. Not that I am blaming my lack of committing to a new project on that. If you have been following my blogs, September I wrote a 70,000+ word novel and in October wrote a 100 page screenplay. All that leading up to Nanowrimo in November for the 100,000 word novel. So I’m good!

And you know I have all the ideas in my head. So that’s not it. I have been editing All That It Seems and nearly done, FINALLY. It won’t get down to 70K words like the publisher likes, but I’ll see what happens when I end it at about 72K. I also have been reading through “Sister Circle” my second novel, not really editing it though because it is not quite finished. Missing those last great ending chapters. So in January, I will work on finishing that and doing a quick first edit on it.

I figure I might as well break the rest of my projects down by the month. Work on something and then wherever I am in the process leave it alone to finish another project.

Jan - Sister Circle finish and 1^st edit (did not finish)

Feb – screenplay rewrites and edits (not going to work on this at all)

Mar – Finish “November’s Song” novel (Moved to February)

April-Script Frenzy, write FOUR new screenplays

May –Start the first round of edits for the Millionaire Playboy novel. Have not looked at that since September!

June/July- I may be finally ready to read through my Nanowrimo project! Woohoo! In conjunction with this, I will also edit the first novel in the Six Sexy Sisters series (and find a title for it!) Hopefully this will prepare me for outlining the TWO novels in the SSS series I plan on writing for the 2011 Nanowrimo in November

Aug – Back to Sister Circle for more edits, hopefully get it ready enough for others to critique. Hope to start sending this one out by the end of the year.

And that’s all I have for now. I am sure this will not be how it all exactly works, but I can dream and it’s better to pre-plan than not plan at all! I will start sending out All That It Seems to agents, publishers and wherever else I care to starting Jan 1. Actually considering e-publishing, but still researching that. I want to try things the old fashioned way if possible.

Still trying to stick to nothing new except for Script Frenzy and Nanowrimo, and easily done because I have so much unfinished work! Yeah, I’m good with my writing for 2011.

Sister Circle's leading men

2010-12-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

I like my male characters to be someone I would be interested in. So even though I think all of them are smokin hot, that may not be the concensus. I start with Kenyon Moore because he is just so flippin hot! The character as well as the person I vision he looks like. That's Brian White, so hot! Kenyon is creeping with Zavrina, but he's nothing like the "frat ho" everyone deems him to be. He takes extra special care of Zavrina and he has a secret he's not sharing with anyone.

Then there is Sherry's man, Donte. He is the perfect gentleman and so in love with Sherry...well, so it seems. I did not visualize Lance Gross when I first created the character, but when I saw pics of him and Eva together, I thought what a cute couple! They have broken up though. Nothing last forever in LaLa Land or in my fictional world either. But enjoy this handsome dark chocolate brother.

Then there is Ivan, Supersonic....I mean Jill's BFF. He's been her friend forever, but he's ready to upgrade. They share classes together, they hang out, he does everything with her except get the benefits of a boy friend. Why? Jill is so hung up on finding a "blacker, than black man" for her "Mr. Right" she may let a good guy go.

Speaking of blacker than black, this is Frankie, Lark's basketball playing honey. This is the guy she must avoid because she has a long-time boy friend. Plus, she needs to focus on her school work and pledging. But Frankie is not one to stay in the back ground for long.

These are just the main men. There's also Lark's boy friend Ross, Jill's crush Mac and Sherry replacement Taj. Who said there's not enough men to go around?

"Cool it Now" Lark McCormack

2010-12-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

In Sister Circle, my current wip, Lark is the newest member of the sorority. She actually starts her senior year hoping she makes the new line. Afterall, this is her last chance. She has struggled to get her GPA and other requirements where they need to be. But don't let that fool you, Lark is a pretty smart girl. A bit shy, a bit introverted, but she is all about business as well. I chose YaYa, because despite the haters she had, she still goes down as my favorite ANTM contestant. And Lark matches her to a tee.

Lark took over the Association of Black Collegians from Zavrina, and now serves as the President. She does not mingle with others on campus because she has tunnel vision, to be accepted into this elite sorority. Her boy friend of three years is older, out of college and against her pledging into a sorority. Even her parents have forbidden it. But there is no stopping her.

Enter Frankie, the hot junior basketball player with eyes for Lark. He could be the distraction that she doesn't need. He is definitely an attraction she must avoid...but can't seem to.

It does not help matters that her line sister is slacking and Lark has to make sure they stay on top of things. Then brings the drama....but more on that maybe later.

Needless to say, Lark makes it into the sorority, and decides she is ready to make her own decisions, including deciding who she wants to date. Good news for Frankie, not for her longtime boy friend Ross.

To try and get her back, Ross tells her parents she is now in a sorority. Her parents cut her off, leaving her to fend financially for herself. Who steps up to the plate for her?

"Super Sonic" Jill Redmond

2010-12-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! IT’S THE ONE AND ONLY, HOT AND SPICY, SUPER DELUXE COMBO, THE RECORD-BREAKING AND THE RECORD MAKING, SUPERSONIC DJ UP EARLY IN THE MORNING! IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS, SO WIPE THE CRUST FROM YOUR EYES AND THE SLOB FROM YOUR MOUTH, IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP!”

In Sister Circle, that's about how Ms. Jill talks, all CAPS! Meaning she screams and even her normal voice is very loud. Hence the name SUPER SONIC, because of her big voice and sometimes hyperactive energy level. Jill is a junior and the youngest of the sorority sisters. She does a morning campus radio show and wakes everyone up daily with her big voice. She's a media broadcast major. She also serves as the Dean of Pledges.

I selected Danielle (now simply Dani) from ANTM. Everything about her is Jill. Tall, skinny, pretty but not overly so. The guys fall all over her, too bad she's way too picky with the guys she wants. And this year, she is on a mission to find "Mr. Right."

"LISTEN UP ERR’BODY, LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE SOMETHING, SOMETHING. SUPER SONIC IS ON A MISSION! WHERE ARE ALL THE GOOD MEN AT? YA HEARD ME, WHERE THEY AT? WHAT A SISTA GOTTA DO TO GET THE WHOLE NINE? COOK FOR ME, CLEAN MY CAR FOR ME, TAKE A SISTA SHOPPING, PAY DA BILLS, PAINT MY TOES…SUCK MY TOES, MAKE A GIRL SCREAM KIND OF MAN. YA HEAR ME! WHERE YA AT PLAYA, CALL ME!”

So every day after her show, many of her "groupies" await her and she turns them all down. The one she is interested in attends a nearby college but he doesn't notice her much. Till she gets him to notice her.

But then, there is also her friend Ivan, who she has no interest in, but he reveals his feelings to her:

“Unh-unh, man, stop playing,” Jill said, pushing him away. “You're my boy, you ain’t supposed to be pushing up on me like that.”

“Why won’t you take me serious?”

“Cause you…you my boy.”

“It’s because I’m white,” he said.

“That too.”

She has several very funny dating experiences. She is naive, wants things her way and acts like a big baby a lot of time. She needs a bit more fleshing out, but definitely a fun character to write.

"Bossy" Sherry Donovan

2010-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

If there is one character in all my "girlfriend" novels that is the least exciting, Sherry gets that title. I'd compare her with MyKayla or Nola. They just don't have that great a story. Well, actually, she does, it'll take me as the writer to make her scenes as enjoyable to read as Zavrina's. First off, I chose Eva Pigford as Sherry. She nearly fit my vision of her to a tee. Nearly. The face, not the body.

Sherry is a junior, smart as a whip, former student gospel choir director, current tutor, an Elementary Education major, and President of the sorority. She's all about business and not afraid to tell you what to do, hence her name, "Bossy." She doesn't look like the other pretty girls either. She wears he curly hair short and not overly style or with weave. She's not a skinny toothpick (so again, ignore the ANTM body, think Eva with about 50 extra pounds on her).

She loves to be in love, hence her boy friend of about a year Donte. They walk around campus like the couple of the year. They openly display their affections, and others envy what they have. Donte, the perfect gentleman, even though he is in the same fraternity as "frat ho" Kenyon, he doesn't act like those other fraternity guys.

Or does he?

Giving away too much here, but yes, Donte is not all he's cracked up to be....

But Sherry is not one to be alone. So in comes Taj.

Now if a girl had to choose, the boy she still loves or the guy filling in the blanks, well, it's not that obvious as it may seem.

Oh, and stay tuned and keep checking back and I will post the "eye candy"... I mean, the leading men in a blog. It'll get really HOT IN HERRE!

"Princess Pepper" Zavrina DeCosta

2010-12-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have a little thing with giving my MCs nicknames! I just noticed that. Read the character descriptions of Shae, Amari and MyKayla from "All That it Seems". Read the character descriptions of the Six Sexy Sisters: Sarena, Ashley, Kitty, Krystle, Tenille and Nola. Yep. I did not even realize I did this!

Anyhoo, for my characters in Sister Circle, I used former contestants from America's Next Top Model to cast my MCs. I don't know why. I just saw their pictures in a magazine and it called to me. I already had a general idea of the characters, and in fact, some did not even fit the look of the ANTM, but I worked it out and I think it all works.

I'm starting with Zavrina DeCosta because well, the first page starts off with her, and she is the most...wackiest...umm, wild....bitchiest.....lovable character. Always the sassy ones are my favorites. She's definitely up there with Amari and Sarena as taking the show every scene she is in. And if you watched Top Model Cycle 4 with Jade, you know she was the BITCH that season. Is my Zavrina like her? Yeah, somewhat.

Zarina DeCosta is a senior, pre-law student that is holding down the top position at the school, as Student Body President. She is running thangs! She also serves as Senior Resident Assistant and was President of the Association of Black Collegians two years running. She's pint-sized, maybe five feet nothing (so ignore Jade's model height), she rocks the extra large afro, she's multi-racial (Black, Mexican and Asian) and she believes the world revolves around her.

Well, if you read the opening scene, you know she is creeping around with one of the hottest men on campus, Kenyon Moore, only he's a known playboy and her sorority sisters hates him. Speaking of the sorority, not giving up the details on how I created the fictional sorority, but I LOVE it! Zavrina pledged her sophomore year, when she started to "creep" with Kenyon, the "frat ho" while several of her Big Sisters were fighting over him. Hence, Kenyon was off-limits to all members of the sorority.

That never stopped Zavrina, who continued her undercover relationship with him, off and on for years. Now Kenyon wants more. He wants to take the relationship public but Zavrina fights it all the way. What's a girl to do?

Oh yeah, and the "Princess Pepper" name is because she's so SPICY!

Bring out the Claws

2010-12-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

For my second screenplay for Script Frenzy I will tackle a horror, and just like the RomCom, I selected who my leading lady will be. This is Heather Hemmons. She currently stars on Hellcats, my guilty pleasure show. But its actually a good show! Heather plays one of the cheerleaders, and she's the bitch, and those type of characters I LOVE!

So it will be kind of ironic that the horror screenplay is about cheerleaders. Oooo! I have had this idea in my mind for more than ten years! It started as a made up movie that a character in one of my YA novels won a role in. The movie became a cult success for the character and she went on to make a sequel (but I won't even begin to go there for now). So after that novel was complete I thought, why not write the actual screenplay?

I started and stopped, never got far. I don't even know where those old pages are, but it doesn't matter because I want to start all new and fresh this time. In my mind I have changed some things. Horror movies just are not the same as they were ten years ago. Around this time, I think the first Scream had come out. There was no Saw or Final Destination (both my fave horror series). I like in those that there is no actual "killerman" or "boogeyman." I mean sorta in Saw, because someone has to set the traps.

So I want some kind of "unknown" element on the lose. This is going to be way complicated to do! Me, the writer who does not like to kill off any characters, not even my bad guys. The writer that talks a good game but knows nothing about guns and knives. Me, the writer that passes out at the sight of my son's bloody nose. Me, write a horror? Hey, I need this to help me grow! It's all about the creative process. The story may very well suck, but I want to try new genres in my forte of writing, screenplays.

Better this than a horror novel. You loss me there detailing everything in it.

I had the title in the YA novel, but it has sorta been used since then. Sorta, but I can't really explain it. The new title I want for it, gives too much away in the title, or does it? I am thinking of using the title as a twist. The audience will think one thing, but then bam, they get totally shocked. And I like Heather for the part not because her character in Hellcats, but I needed a biracial lead character, someone who's nationality was not really known (back in the day I wanted Christina Milian). And again, I am not writing it for HER, just using her as a basis for the character.

I also added a few other famous females in supporting roles, meaning, maybe they all get killed! That is going to be so much fun!

Living in LaLa Land

2010-12-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

I read this blog today all about how if you want to make it in the screenwriting world, you must live in L.A. Of course, like most screenwriters NOT in L.A. I felt discouraged. Right out of undergrad my first plan was to go to New York. A few years later, I attempted to move to L.A. with another friend who is a writer.

That very year I decided I wanted to have a family instead and adopted my two kids. Dreams deferred I thought. Writing went on the back burner. I knew how difficult it was to become an established writer not living in L.A. So I gave up. Why even bother, right?

Years later, I decided if screenwriting was so hard to break into in my hometown of St. Louis, maybe I could try my hand at writing a novel. I studied SCREENWRITING in college, not novel writing. That was not my passion. But yet, I learned the craft and drafted my first novel (currently editing it).

Do I still want to become a screenwriter? YES!! Can I do so not living in L.A? Maybe. Doubtful. VERY hard! But I think if you have the goods, and you are writing what Hollywood needs at the time, anyone can become successful. So for me, I like to think I will get in where I can fit in. Either I write and publish an awesome book so that when I shop a screenplay, people know my name, or I write an AWESOME screenplay that Hollywood can't refuse, no matter where I reside.

Will I ever leave and head for LaLa Land? I keep my options open, but there is no rush. If I am a good writer in St. Louis and can make some connections (and you can outside of Cali), I'll be even better in L.A. I don't think I am the best writer I can be right now. I'm not the best person either, because I don't do well with schmoozing with those types of people. Let me practice my schmoozing here in my safe comfortable home.

I will continue to WRITE, any and everything! I will continue to network, meet the people that make things happen in all areas of the country. I will find an agent willing to work with my novels. I will learn EVERYTHING about becoming a professional screenwriter, be it film or television. When I am ready to make that plunge to L.A. I want to hit the ground running, IMMEDIATELY, get it done, sell some screenplays, get a contract, get my own television show, all that!

Dream big!!

Such a diva!

2010-12-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

I like when I can take a real person and create a crazy story. Well, when I came up with my 4 screenplay ideas for Script Frenzy last week, it all started with one person. Kimora Lee! I replied to one of her tweets and she replied back with a "Oh hells yeah!" and I thought, "I LOVE HER!" she's such a character. I want a character like her.

And why not!!

To get the facts straight, I already have ONE character based off her. That would be Bonnie Walker from the Icee/Kitty story and a small scene in Six Sexy A$$ Sisters. But Kimora Lee needs so much more than a few scenes. So I came up with some ideas of a movie with a character similar to her.

And since Kimora Lee is a St. Louis native, it's all good! I'm one of those people that always supports my hometown people. It's one of those things were you really feel six degrees separated at. No, I never met her or know her personally, BUT, I did go to grad school with her brother.

I already have the title of the screenplay . . . Fantabolous! (it's a romantic comedy). I have two actually, just have not chosen. I don't know anything else about it, except the character will be a little bit over the top, which I think Kimora is, but in a good way! Least in a funny way, hence why I make this a romcom. I don't know who would ever play the part, but as the writer, I don't have to think of things like that. Besides, I'm an unknown, even if I wrote it for a particular actress, as if I could really snag them.

For my other 3 screenplays, I pretty much create the characters first, then the storyline. Only for my screenplays do I write out a detailed outline, especially for Script Frenzy I will have to.

All That It Seems: Shae and Trenton's first scene

2010-12-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

Currently in the process of editing All That It Seems, so I will post excerpts and more about the characters.

Her life, now that was a joke.

It was after six in the evening and Shae was still hard at work.

“I thought you were gone already?”

She recognized the voice, but she looked up anyway. Trenton Anderson stood at the doorway. He always seemed to find himself at Shae’s door. He constantly flirted with her and asked her out to lunch and she always refused. Not that he was unattractive, because he was incredibly handsome.

He was a rather striking man. Other women in the office always gave him extra long stares and whispers as he walked by. He was not notably tall, at about five foot eight, he stood two inches taller than Shae. His body was lean, though incredibly solid. His walnut brown skin was baby smooth, except for a small mustache, which gave him a boyish look. He appeared a lot younger than his thirty-two years.
His bank account was what women were most interested in. He worked in the Financial Business Planners Division and he dealt with the heavy hitters. With his perks, bonuses and salary, he was well over the three hundred grand mark, and everybody knew it. It was all in the way he dressed, the cars he drove, the trips around the world he took. The man was living large.

Shae knew he was a world-class jerk. He could have any woman he wanted. He walked around so cocky, as if he ruled the world. Hot damn, that turned her on! A man that made his money and was not afraid to show it off. Though he was nothing but nice to her, she knew there was more to his story.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson.” Shae wanted to piss him off so that he would leave her alone, but she knew the man was unwavering.

“Oh, so it’s like that, Ms. Morris."

“Making your rounds to all the ladies tonight, Mr. Anderson?”

“Only the sassy ones, Ms. Morris.”

Shae rolled her eyes and held back a smile. They could play the name game all night, but she was not up for it.

“I still have a lot of work to do. It’s only six fifteen. I’m here for at least another hour or so. And you?”

“Wrapping up. I thought I’d swing by and see if you were on for a drink later.”

“You never give up, do you, Mr. Anderson?”

“Oh, stop it Shae, it’s just a drink.”

“Sorry, I’ll pass.”

“One day, girl, one day.”

Shae shook her head. No buddy, not anytime too soon.

My college years inspired me

2010-12-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I started gathering my "ideas" written everywhere I could find. Geesh! I was not exaggerating either, they are everywhere and on everything! I typed up only the ones that made a little bit of sense. Some I was like, "What in the world was I thinking?" So far, about fifty story ideas but that's not all of them! I still have more places to look. I did get rid of the bits of paper though so I feel like less of a pack rat now.

I also found lots of unfinished ideas where I actually started writing something but never finished. Oh my goodness! I crack myself up!! About 15 years ago or so, right out of college, I started to write a TV drama type of soap opera show about college life called "Our New Life" and yes, I was totally biting off of "A Different World" my favorite show EVER!!

Someone on Twitter asked me if I write about college life a lot. YES!! Three screenplays, one novel. But that ain't it. In my findings of "ideas" I found a whole entire series for college life. Back then my series collections had a broad theme and 26 books in it, for each letter of the alphabet. So there are 26 story ideas in my college-life series. How can I create that many original ideas??

Let's get back to "Our New Life." I totally did not remember this until last night. I had to read a bit, all handwritten, to remember it. It is about two roommates who meet in college. Well, those are the main characters anyway. It deals with some of everything! It's based off my experiences at TWO different colleges. Yes, I attended two, one for a year, then finished off at another. The roommates are both me...yes, how creative of me...and tell my two different stories through my first year at each college. Okay, let's get this straight, the FICTIONALIZED me!!

I combined all my friends and experiences from each school, and they are all used in this drama series. It was working quite well, I guess I got side-tracked with something else. Anyway, the point is...do I, me, myself and moi, have enough stories to tell about college life??? Uh, no problemo.

I am a very observant person by nature. SILENT BUT DEADLY they called me at one of those colleges I attended (and I am not explaining why). I watch people, listen to their stories, and boy are they interesting!! I mean, stuff I went through alone is story enough, but everyone else in college? I think I touch some of every experience in all my college-related works. Well, maybe not, but I am still observant of young people so I think I can continue to write about that age group and those experiences.

In my second novel, "Sister Circle," when my college friends read this book, just be warned I FICTIONALIZED YOU, sheesh, so vain...it's not about YOU (you know, not really...and it's not about me....I mean, not a whole lot about me). I compare this novel to "Unfinished Business" the book in the movie "The Best Man" with Taye Diggs. He kept telling his friends those characters where not them, but they really were. Then he aired his dirty secret in there and Morris Chestnut nearly killed him over it. Soooooo, I apologize now to any of my friends that want to strangle me after reading my novel and connecting the dots.

IT AIN'T YOU! The names are not similar or anything. Okay, no more apologies.

And the craziness just keeps rolling in

2010-12-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I blogged about all my current wips, and I know it seemed like a lot, but really it's not. Do I hope any of them get published? Sure. If none of them do? Well, I have a hundred more ideas just waiting to put out there.

How many different, original ideas can you come up with that you would like to write? I have jotted done ideas and outlined stories, created character descriptions, clipped articles, whatever I deem as an interesting story idea, I collect them. At work today I did an exercise. I gave myself ten minutes and jotted down as many story ideas as I could. Boy, that was tough! Only seven came to me, and I thought it would be more.

Are any of them usable? Maybe. Some definitely need fleshing out. They go in my file of "ideas." I'm going to gather them all, type them up, keep them on the computer in one place so whenever I need an idea for something new I want to write, it's there.

And I need new ideas!

Now I did say that I would not write anything new in 2011 except for Script Frenzy in April and Nanowrimo in November. So I better make it count!

As such, here's the plan for April: FOUR SCREENPLAYS.

That is 400+ pages. My screenplays tend to be longer than the 100 pages required of Script Frenzy, but still under 120.  I already know I want to do FOUR very different genres: horror, action, drama and romcom. WHAT?? Is she nutso? Perhaps. Remember, I studied screenwriting in college, so I am more comfortable writing them than novels. Plus, I am a dialogue person, less prose. When I reread my first draft of Six Sexy A$$ Sisters, it nearly reads like a screenplay.  I definitely have a lot of filling in the gaps.

The horror and action plot I already know because they are past ideas I've tossed around for years. The action, actually I had since college, even wrote out character descrips I must find and redo.  The horror, maybe ten years ago. It was a movie inside of a story I wrote where a character was an actor and stared in this made-up movie.  I thought it would make an interesting movie and have tossed that idea around.

The romcom, I kinda know. All I know is I am writing it for a certain celebrity and I will blog about that in the future. Not saying she has to be the one that plays the role, BUT, I use her as inspiration.  The drama, I have time to come up with something, maybe one of my old ideas when I get them all collected together.

But Script Frenzy is months away, so I'll let all those story lines marinate in my brain.

Nanowrimo day 30: Last Nanowrimo blog of the year

2010-11-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I blogged every day for 30 days! That was not the goal for the month, but I had so much to say about my Nanowrimo novel and the experience. For any writer out there who did not participate this year, I highly recommend trying this for next year. Even if you don't make it to the 50K, it will get you in a writing frame of mind to JUST WRITE!

My mind has completely turned off of "Six Sexy Ass Sisters." I do that when I need to give my brain a break. Not that little elements aren't still floating in my brain, they are, but I have not opened the file since I hit 100,000 on Sunday. Why? To just begin edits? They will be there for me in another month....if I start edits then.

Someone asked me well, what will you be doing now that nanowrimo is over? Humph! Where do I start? How many WIPs do I actually have? I actually had to break out the scratch paper and jot them all down.

1. All That It Seems. My very first novel written, and as such, it is my top priority to send out. I am doing one last edit to get it under 70,000 and then I will start sending out maybe first of next year. This is my "best friends" novel about three friends looking for Mr. Right. I blogged about the three main characters and the storyline quite a bit here back in August.

2. Sister Circle. In the grand scheme of things, this would count as my second novel (although in between the two I started and quit several). It is at 56K and I would like to get it to 70-75K and start a round of edits. This is second priority. This is a story about four sorority sisters and the day to day life of college.

3. Millionaire Playboy (not the title). Also not the third novel written (another one in between it), but this is the order I place its importance. I wrote this in about 20 days in September and it is 74K so complete, but I have not looked at since I finished it, so it needs editing.

4. November's Song (not the title) I started this novel early this year to be my third novel, but lost focus on it, and then MP came and stole its thunder. Great story, I just lost it somewhere. I would love to finish this and put it in the line up. This is the story about a high school drama teacher involved with an older man and her high school crush at the same time.

5. Icee/Kitty Romance (untitled) Since I worked so hard on SSAS, I have to go back to this and decide if I ever want it published. It is 97K, but I skipped a whole chapter (on purpose).

6. Beauty School (not the title) a novel based on students in beauty school. I started this a long, long time ago, immediately after "All that It Seems" but never finished. This one is different in that it is erotica, so, whatever I do with this, I am unsure.

7. Six Sexy A$$ Sisters. You know that whole story! This would be in the lineup at the end, for now.

So that is SEVEN WIPs in progress, but wait, I'm not done. That's just my NOVELS, you do know that I am a screenwriter also.

1. new screenplay. I just wrote one in October and finished it, for the most part. Need to work on some rewrites and sending it out.

2. Greek Freak. Or at least that was the title of it when I wrote it 20 years ago. Right! My first ever screenplay that I still adore and needs a drastic rewrite, but I will do it and start sending it out there....Again!

3. Freshman Year. Another screenplay I wrote in college.  I never shopped this one out there, but now is the time. Oh yeah, and I just found the handwritten sequel to this titled Sophomore Year. Yeah, I'm a mess, but I'm not counting this.

4. Sisterhood. Not sure if I want to shop this around, because it's not as relevant as it was when I wrote it in college.

5. This Is How We Do It. A screenplay I wrote for a class that I never vibed with. Rewritten several times, but still cannot get it to work. I think I changed the title several times as well.

6. The Crew From the Lou. I hand wrote another screenplay I never typed up loosely based off my favorite singing group of all times, but yeah, that was just for fun!

7. It's Just A Job. This was a romantic comedy of short. Never finished it.

Also, I write other things:

1. Web-Opera. Earlier this year I got the idea to write a soap opera-type story as a blog-type of thing. I started writing it by hand and got pretty far, then got busy and forgot about it.  I still want to have a soap opera type blog. I've seen it done and pretty successful. Stay tuned for this!

2. Growing Up television series. This is my heart! I want to serious see how I can push this out there. I have about 300 episodes written. In all fairness, this should be my web-opera, but it's worthy of so much more.

3. Young Adult series. This is also my heart! I wrote some of these as a teenager myself (of course, re-written as an adult). I would love to serious work on these and get then out there. I believe I have 8 out of the 20 done in the series. Have not worked ion this in years.

4. Various miscellaneous short stories. Where to even begin there!

So there you have it! Not a boring moment for me and the choices I can decided to work on after nanowrimo. Hey, writing a novel in 30 days was nothing to me. How about we start a finish-edit-get-and-agent-and-publishing-contract-in-30-day-Group.

What does this mean?? Nothing new for me besides writing in Script Frenzy in April and nanowrimo 2011.

Nanowrimo day 29: Hot, hot men!

2010-11-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, since I am done with writing the story just a few more blogs about Six Sexy A$$ Sisters till whenever I start with the edits. Thought I'd post my eye candy. This is Primo Donatelli, the hot Italian Billionaire that falls for Twin #2 Krystle Kelly. He's nice to look at, and when he speaks Italian it's a real turn on! Well, you know to Kryssy!

Then there is Hugo, the hot R & B singer that falls for Diva in Training Tenille Kelly. He doesn't have many lines, but his presence is very much felt in Tenille's story line. What a cutie!

Of course, I had to add Icee! I didn't really want to because you know, I use Tyrese as my model, but damn! He's worth a drooling over as well. Dark Chocolate. I likes!

Of course, I already posted one of Killer Victor. Other hot men include: T-Zack, Icee's best friend and the man Sarena cheats with and; Malik and Dallas, Ashley's two hot model type men and; TonE the young rapper that dates Nola Kelly.

My Six Sexy Sisters have to stay up on their game!

Nanowrimo day 28: It's over!!

2010-11-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

I hit exactly 100,000 words today in "Six Sexy A$$ Sisters," my nanowrimo novel. And if you're just joining in for some odd reason, read all my past posts this month to catch up. Go! Hurry! NOW!

Anyway, I plan on the next blogs till Dec 1 to continue to be about Nanowrimo and my novel and my thoughts about the experience, then, I will shut up about it!! Find new exciting things to blog about. My other novels, how they are progressing and the long, weary time I will have sending out queries. My skin is still not as thick as it needs to be, but I will manage!

I still save a few characters in SSAS I have no clue about. They either need more fleshing out or just a better direction. One, Primo Donatelli, the hot Italian that falls for Twin #2 Krystle Kelly. I don't know what I have done with him. Because of Kryssy's indecisiveness, I have him flip flopping, or rather, she keeps changing her mind. Does he want to be with her or continue to be the playboy? I did not want it to be so happily ever after, so I struggled with that. Primo kept "falling in love" too fast for me. I just could not write him as the bad guy, still wanting to be the player. So I made Kryssy just a tad crazy for keep pushing him away. In edits, I will definite re-work that storyline. It is nothing new for me to TOTALLY change their whole storyline. Hmmmmm....

Also, the long lost brother, Christopher Kelly, Jr. For ONE, I don't like the name. I just threw it in as a place-setter name. TWO: what is his angle really? Is he using the Kelly name to claim fame or is he sincere? THREE: How important is he really? Well, I want him as a character in the next sequel, so I really need to be rock solid about who he is. So far, he has gotten really close with Baby Sister Nola and TonE (formerly just Tone) the rapper. The three of them are all main characters of the next novel because they are close in age, and right now all friends. Yes, I already have HALF of that novel plotted in my head.

I wrapped up all story lines except one. Diva in Training Tenille. What is interesting about her is that she is such a DRAMA QUEEN, she should have a bigger presence in this one, but she doesn't. Outside of her killer performance at the Grammys, she's not much of a diva....yet. So pay attention, Tenille ALSO gets a sequel coming up sometime in the far, far future.  I would like to explore a real Diva in Training and write a novel following her rise to fame. She's had some bad breaks so far: TA attacking her, AKA turning out to be insane as well, and Hugo, the one guy she was really starting to care about was murdered. How can she get past all that? Wait for the sequel!!

As I said previously, I have not written the very ending of SSAS.  I wrote up to a point, where it starts to switch focus, then stopped. Instead of all the sisters POVs, it goes to just Kitty and Icee's. They make a couple of BIG decisions regarding their life and the twins she gives birth too. It won't all be wrapped up in SSAS but there will be bits and piece of it in the sequels.

So let's count so far....

1. The very first in the series is an incomplete work of short stories about the rap group Fact Iz and their rise too fame. It starts with right before they are signed on and will go up until the point Icee meets Kitty. I started this as just a side thought, wondering what Icee was like before Kitty. He was WILD! He has a song called, "Hit it, Lick It, Split It and Quit it" (well, the Facts does) so that pretty much sums it up.  He's the self professed "iceaholic" and "sexaholic." These short stories are more on the "erotica" genre than anything. HOT!

2. Icee and Kitty love story.  (I NEED A TITLE!) If I had to put this in a category, maybe romance--well, till the end.   It just follows Kitty and Icee through about two years and their relationship.

3. Sex Sexy Ass Sisters. What more can I say about this. The sisters intrigued me, I had to write more about them. Even though Two Gun Toting Hot Momma tried to steal the show in this novel (which she really does) toward the end, Baby Sister Nola really stepped her game up. It starts with Nola beating down her ex-boyfriend, it ends (least at the part I stopped) she's giving a heart-felt speech at a press conference. She just received her defense training from Victor and now she is another deadly weapon.

4. Nola, TonE and CJ. So after SSAS ended so well with Nola finally becoming a strong character, I had to continue her story line. All I know is this: she is dating TonE and they are in love....well, they think so. But TonE is about to become the next big rapper and as Icee's protege and wanting to be as much like Icee as he can, can he resist temptation? Not when hot young pop star Fianna is after him. Not that Nola is being the innocent little girl, flirting with male model Rian. In the middle if it all, CJ is friends with both. He actually sings the hook on TonE's first single and he is signed to a record deal as well. So again, this one will really be in the hip-hop world as well.

5. Diva in Training Tenille. No story line in the works for her, but know it will be something hot!!

6. Big Sister Sarena. Oh, you KNOW I have to write more about my favorite sister!! Hers will be a prequel to it all. Going back in time when she is just 14 and first meets Victor. So this will be more of a romance story. Lots of back story here, but none that hasn't already been discussed but it'll add a few things like 1. Their mother is still alive and she is where they get all their spunk so it will be cool writing about her and 2. Readers will see exactly how Sarena and the rest of sisters become "deadly weapons." I believe it will cover at least 4 years, from when she meets Victor till when she gets married at 18.

Okay, and no, I am not forgetting the other sisters, Ashley and Krystle.  I have NO clue what I am doing with them. Duh, Ashley's has to be a prequel though. Kryssy's may be a prequel as well. Actually, I'm thinking it should be called "Switchblade Twins" as it has been mentioned several times how deadly Twin #1 and Twin #2 are with knives. Hmmmm...

Nanowrimo day 27: Bring the action

2010-11-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

It's a little rough, unedited, but I thought I would post an excerpt. This is a scene were the psycho, TA, has been spotted while all the Six Sex Sisters are attending a party. They are sequestered into a holding room where Victor wants them to stay put, with a body guard watching them. They are all frantic and the scene is fast-paced (as most of my scenes are). Scenes are short, lots of dialogue and switches POV a lot.
　
“Hey, hey, can we not get into that today?" Kitty said, going over to Victor. “Vic, where’s Icee?”

“Icee went to look for him too.”

“What? Vic, why would you let him do that? He’s not equipped to handle him like your guys. What if something happens? He could get hurt!” Kitty was about to have a break down.

Vic put his arm around her. “Come on sis, you know I wouldn’t put him in harms way. I could not convince the man to stay, he has his heart set on catching him himself.” Vic rubbed her shoulder. “Stop worrying, okay. Take care of your babies.”

“Fuck this, send me out there to look for him,” Sarena said.

“No, stay here.”

“In hiding?”

“Let me make sure everything is cool before I send you back out there. Okay, can you do that for me?”

Victor left the room, and only Timothy stayed with them. Kitty pulled out her phone to call Icee.

“Babe,” he said.

“Where are you?”

She heard Icee blow out a breath, but he did not say anything.

“Icee, come back! I don't want you out there. Let Victor’s guys handle it.”

“Hell no! This is my problem, okay.”

“Icee,” Kitty said, in tears. “Please come back. I’m scared. I don’t know what I would do if something--”

“Stop that talk,” Sarena said, grabbing the phone.

“Icee, find his ass, kill his ass. Period.” Sarena hung up the phone.

Not my best scene, but a scene that moves the story a bit at the frantic paced ending. Actually, the next few lines is where Sarena takes out the body guard Timothy and disarms him, rushes out after TA and gets into a shoot-out. But it needs a lot of editing to get it to move right.

Nanowrimo day 26: Mean, mean girls!

2010-11-26T20:35:00.000-08:00

Six Sexy A$$ Sisters being bad!

"I could have iced you in the back of the head but that’s the punk move. I wanted my pretty motherfucking face to be the last thing you saw.” Sarena Kelly-St. James as she guns down the bad guy.

"The things he did to me . . . I can't ever forget that. He has to pay! Motherfucker, you ready to die?” Kitty Kelly before she blows off the bad guy's head.

“You dumb motherfucker!” Nola Kelly said, kicking and punching the poor helpless guy on the floor. She wanted to see lots of blood, oozing down his face if she could. “How does it feel to get your stupid ass beat by a girl?”

After taking down a pretty boy model:
“Don’t ever grab me like that! What the fuck is wrong with you? Now look at that pretty face!” Ashley Kelly

Nola getting her lesson with Killer Victor:
“After you take him down, what do you do?”
“Umm, I want to make sure his ass is down, so I’d stomp him in the face with my six-inch stilettos and go for help.”

Tenille Kelly asking if TA is dead:
"Are you sure? Did you do it yourself and make sure?”
“Naw, I didn’t wax him. But his face is missing and I just squished his eyeball, so baby, you ain’t gotta worry about a thing.”

All of them have bad potty mouths. I even cleaned up some of the quotes for my blog. All of them get a little action in, maybe not Krystle, but she talks about a past run in she had slicing and dicing somebody. Victor always cleans up their mess if they use enough deadly force on a victim.

My word count is 96K and I may get in another thousand tonight and finish tomorrow. I haven't written the very end because I want to save that for when I come back to edit it, which will be a couple of months. I did this the same way with the original. The end becomes dejected from the rest, takes on the effect of a whole other story. I actually like that. The original was a romance about Kitty and Icee, then the last few chapters took on the sisters' POV. This end will go back to just Icee and Kitty POV as they battle to save their lives of their newborn babies. I felt like that was enough to focus on, without the other sisters and their issues (which I have wrapped up anyway).

I even have written in some of my next sequel ideas, which will be Nola, Tone, and their long lost half-brother CJ.

Nanowrimo day 25: Yo, ya hear me, ma!

2010-11-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

Part of the hip hop culture is the way that the people talk. I don't use that much slang in "Six Sexy A$$ Sisters" but I do. And when I do, it's just most words that I use when I'm around my peeps (people).

I started writing this blog early Thanksgiving morning, it is now midnight and there was just so much! So, I will only break down a few items right now. Maybe I will add more to this blog later.

Money is the most used word in the various slang forms. Here are a few of words that may be used:
cream
cheese
cheddar (chedda)
Benjamins or benjys
duckets
ends
papers
bread
cake
dough
paper
scrilla
snaps
　
Friend, also used quite a bit and I don't think I captured them all, but here's a few:
homie
homeboy
home slice
home skillet
partner
bestie
BFF or BFFL
brother
brah
bro
cat
dog or dawg
peeps (short for people)

Diamonds/expensive jewelry are pretty easy in slang form:
bling
bling-bling
ice

To murder or kill:
ice
wax
whack 187

Gun
heat
heater
gat
glock
nine

Cute or attractive person:
hottie
dime piece (or simply a dime)
totty
babe

Terms of affection:
ma
shorty (also shawty)
honey

Contraction like words:
I’ma is short for “I’m going to”
Innit is short for “isn’t it,” “Isn’t he/she,” ’”isn’t there”
Y’all means “you all”
A’ight means "all right"

Yo is short for “you," also used to address a person whose name is not known i.e., “Hey yo! What’s up?”

I also use the book "Urban Dictionary" by Aaron Peckham. There's a lot more words in there.

Nanowrimo day 24: All Cried Out

2010-11-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I was supposed to do the slang blog, but that is a biggy to break down, I need more time. I'll do it tomorrow some time during Turkey Day.

So last night, I wrote the most emotional scene I have ever written in my 25 years of writing. I'm sure I have had people die in all my stories (maybe one or two out of....200 stories), but this was like a big event. You first have to understand that this story idea has been in my head for at least 3-4 years. Even before the Kitty/Icee love story, I wanted to write a novel about a large set of sisters. As I developed Kitty, I kept adding more sisters, then remembered I always wanted a family of a bunch of girls.

So I gave her that. But they were side characters really. None of them had big scenes, not even Krystle and she's the twin. It took the third leg of that novel for me to get into the idea that these sisters were more than just pretty faces. At first is was just supposed to be Sarena that was a little rough. Kitty was this sweet, church-going, non-cussing, non-drinking, celibate girl that was as innocent as could be.

There were a few flashes here and there of her rage, but she was trying to "change." Anyway, that third leg brought out the beast in all the sisters, even the brainiac Nola who was never in a fight a day in her life. So I made these sisters deadly weapons. I blogged about how they were trained by Killer Victor. (Nola never received her training till she asked for it in this novel on her 21st birthday and THAT scene is HILARIOUS. She takes Killer Vic down!)

So when Kitty and Kryssy have the chance to escape the psycho, gun in hand, what does Kitty do? Pow! Okay, I'll save the rest for whenever you guys get the chance to read it, LOL!

I was happy for killing that character off. It was pretty cool. But then, one of my sisters is dying from cancer. Oh lord! I could barely type I was crying so hard. I was shaking, my eyes red, snot flowing, tissues everywhere, breaking down like this was my best friend. BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE! I've known them for years and their story has been in my head running around. I knew this scene was coming. I had visioned it in my head several different ways. One of course, she makes it. They live happily ever after (I actually wanted the SSS to record an album together in a sequel). But alas, I could not make them prone from tragedy.

The scene was touching (actually, she hasn't officially kicked the bucket, she's hanging in there till the twins are rescued). She's just saying her goodbyes to everyone. Ashley is the one dating two men. Both come in, men that did not get along before, and they are crying, telling her they love her. She wants her baby father to keep her daughter in the other guys life. He agrees. It is touching. The one that proposed 39 times, she asks him to ask her one more time, just to have a round number.

So yeah, I put a few comedy moments in it, but if (when) you read this novel, if you are not teary eyed at that point, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!! If not that, cry for the ordeal the twins had to go through with the psycho. I didn't detail every moment of it, but enough to give you chills. It's not wonder Kitty goes crazy after that.

There also was a shoot-out last night. Definitely need to work it out in editing. Like, where is Sarena pulling guns from? She had three at one point. She does get shot, but nothing serious. Her target bites the bullet though.

Nanowrimo day 23: It's all about the fashion

2010-11-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

Between the recording studio Da Factory Hitz and the artists it has, KStyle Fashions takes up the remainder of the hip hop focus. The clothes are very important in hip hop culture. In "Six Sexy Sisters" it plays big because it is what launched the sisters into the world.

Kitty started off as the spokesmodel, while serving as the President of the up-and-coming clothing line, her face was plastered everywhere. Then she comes up with the concept of all her sisters doing a series of ads titled "Six Sexy Sisters" and they all become every guy's dream. Even though Krystle is lead designer, she was content with staying unseen, but she agreed to do the ads along with the others (a few others hesitated).

By the start of this novel, the ads were well received and everyone knows these ladies. I wouldn't say there is anything special about KStyle Fashions. In fact, I simply compare it to Baby Phat. Hip clothes and put a cool logo on it. I spoke with my sister, a REAL fashion designer, and we both agree, there's no real designing in these types of clothes. BUT you can get them to stand out.

But that is not all that KStyle puts out! They also have a men's line called IceMan Wear (a play off Icee's name of course), and a couture line KStyle Originals. That is the evening gowns and formal wear that many celebrities die to wear, which they also have an inexpensive branch of that. Last night I just wrote a scene with all the sisters at the Grammys, so you know they had on smoking hot dresses!

Now Kitty and Krystle are pregnant, so of course Krystle decided to come out with a maternity line. They will premiere that line towards the end of the novel, not quite there yet. And Krystle also whispered to me about a baby clothing line, so I think they pretty much have everything covered. (Although, she did mumble something about maternity footwear after having swollen feet from partying all night at the Grammys.)

The anti-climatic ending has a big fashion show for all the lines and introduces the maternity line. I haven't written it, yet so no details, but all the sisters take part in it somehow.

Ended with 85,022 words last night, so the end is near!! And I have a good blog idea for tomorrow. The hip hop slang deserves its own look into. I even have to research the proper way my hip hop heads would talk. Hey, this novel is more than a hand full!

Nanowrimo day 22: Feel the beat

2010-11-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

Since this is hip hop lit, it really is all about the music! Okay, maybe not all about it, but if this were a movie, better believe the music would move the storyline. I'm not even a hip hop head. I like the old stuff, from the 80s and 90s, with a few of the newer songs by rappers that have been in the business ten years or plus. New rappers, naaa, you can keep that!

So what the heck am I doing writing a novel set in the hip hop world? Actually I think it works for my benefit. I can make my music acts fresh and new and not confuse them with current artist (although I use a few to compare them with.) There are several rappers and singers in this novel, most all signed on Icee's record label/management company Da Factory Hitz.

First there is AKA, the female member of Fact Iz. She has released her solo album. If I had to compare her with a female rapper, let me go with a MC Lite. A little rough with it, nothing all sexy like Lil Kim or a Nicki Minaj. She's more like a guy with her rap style. She doesn't rap about girly things because well, she's not girly.

Then there is Tenille Kelly. She is promoting her solo album. She's all R & B. She first sang the hook on one of Icee's song to get her name out there. Then she released her first single, "Get Me Get Me." She's more like a Ciara or Rhianna, very sexual when she performs (like on stripper poles and lap dances in her video). On the other hand, since a lot of young girls are admiring her, she tries somewhere in the novel to tone down her sexuality.

Then there is Tone, or TonE, as he was required to change his name mid novel. He's only 19 and dates Nola Kelly. He's a rapper formerly of a group called Guns and Steel (I think that's it, I get confused). They were hardcore rap guys, violent in the nature of their rap. But ToneE was the one with the skills, and Icee took him in as his protege. He raps relevant issues of his day to day life, so if I had to compare, I would go with a Drake. Not gangsta rap, because well, they live in a city not much exposed to that. His first single is titled "Mad at the World," which he wrote out of anger after the group split up. It'll go on to be Da Factory Hitz biggest hit. He's basically Icee's shadow, wanting to mimic everything Icee does, especially with his relationship with Nola.

Then there is my surprise. Christopher Kelly, Jr or CJ (not sold on his name either, it keeps changing). Yes, the Kelly sisters have a half-brother! I'm still not sure of his relevance and in fact, I wrote his first few lines just yesterday as he delivered his demo to Big Sister Sarena. He's the brother the girls never knew about until recently. He wants a record deal, and first Sarena is hesitant, wanting nothing to do with the son her father left them for. But once she hears his song,"My Heart Belongs to You," she jumps on getting him on the label. He's more like a Trey Songz.

But how could I forget Hugo. Hmmm, where to start. He's the hot R & B singer that falls for Tenille. He's on a different label, and meets Tenille through various promotional concerts they share. I'd compare him to a Ne-Yo. She only wants friendship, confused about her sexuality (she thinks she's gay). He sacrifices a lot to be with her . . . literally, his life.

Icee doesn't do any music in this novel, although he still performs from his last solo album as needed. He films a movie during most of this novel, putting off recording his second until Kitty gives birth.

So there's the music. I'll flesh it out with more music, lyrics to the song in the edits. I'm hoping to name each title a song title, which is what I "tried" to do with the original.

Nanowrimo day 21: Those three little words

2010-11-21T16:46:00.000-08:00

So kill me, I like happy endings. I am trying to make all six of my sisters have that, but . . . only four out of six will. I don't like it one bit! But I have to be true to where the story is going and this is how things look right now.

I'm 68,000 words in. Can I make it to 100K by the end of nanowrimo? Today will be do or die day. Can I get in at least 7K? I have already done 1K at the write-in today, so now I am at a race for time (and yet I have time to write this blog).

There have been a couple of twists in my story. Not one psycho, but TWO! Hmmm. And a long lost brother and I want his story line to be juicy. I haven't really thought it through yet. Maybe that will come in the editing process. I thought I'd make him the psycho, or at least had a tie-in with him. Still have no clue!!

I'm sure I will give him some romantic story line. To say this novel is epic would not even do it justice. Six distinct storylines, now I have to add another? Or do I really? He's not one of the six sexy sisters, just the brother they never knew.

And how many time are those three little words repeated in my novel? About 100 times and in two languages.

Nanowrimo day 20: Have Money to Spend

2010-11-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

Icee is a millionaire, so it has been fun writing him with all this money to spend. I can't even fathom. I spent most of yesterday just to research Icee and Kitty's five cars plus limo and their own private jet. Yeah, fun!

This is Icee's Maybach 62. These cars range from $300,000 to $400,000. And they are not even listed as the most expensive car. They were number ten on the list I was looking at (he also has a red Ferrari Enzo that is ranked a lot higher). Maybach's are loaded with things like a refrigerator, desktops built into the arm rests, TV screens, and look at those reclining seats. Money, money, money, money!

This is also the car Diddy bought his son for his sixteenth birthday and caused a storm. Yes, I agree that is a bit too much even for a grown man. But if you have the money to spend....

Icee has been in the music industry over eight years at the point of this novel. He has modeled for several labels. He has made three movies, and signed on for two more during the span of this novel. He has started his own recording studio and acts as a manager to talent he finds. He started a construction company his father oversees in his hometown. He along with Kitty, started the clothing line KStyle that has been in business about two years now.

Money is not a thing to them. After he proposed to Kitty, she immediately started building their dream home. Icee already had two mini-mansions, one in Los Angeles and one in their hometown. Kitty never liked either. The L.A. home was picked out by Icee's ex, Bonnie. The Springfield home was nothing more than a pimped out bachelor's pad to her.

Kitty designs a mansion she calls "Ice Palace." Eight bedrooms, eighteen bathrooms, 5-car garage, an additional garage with the chauffeur's apartment over it, outside heated pool, tennis court, two kitchens, a maid's quarter that houses the live-in maid, a bowling alley, gym, entertainment area with wet bar, movie theater, a staff wing (which houses the live-in body guard and includes the security monitoring systems), master suite includes two bathrooms, and large walk-in his and her closets. Okay, that sounded like a real-estate ad!

I had to look at many of them to figure out what this home would have. All this house to care for and Kitty is busy trying to build her own empire and raise a newborn son, while Icee is off filming a movie. The girl needs a little help! I tried to write her as doing it all, but there's just no way. I hired her a maid, a cook, housekeepers, and a chauffeur. Everything but a nanny. I want to see how long she can go before she gives in to that! Her sister Ashley has hired a nanny for her one daughter while she travels doing her modeling work, and Sarena eventually breaks down and uses the same nanny for her two.

I guess Kellys can't do it all!

Nanowrimo day 19: Killer Victor

2010-11-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

Just for my nanowrimo writing partner, I have posted a pic of what one of my characters looks like. Meet Victor St. James, or "Killer Victor."

He is 34 and currently married to Sarena Kelly, you know, "Two gun toting hot momma." Victor moved next door to the Six Sexy Sisters when he was 16 and has taken care of them like a big brother. He was a semi-pro boxer, martial artist, has a bachelor's degree in Criminal Law, became a police officer, and shortly after a detective. He's supposed to resemble a combination of LL Cool J and Suge Knight, sexy but someone you cross the other side of the street when you see.

He's ruthless!

He is the one that trained all the Kellys in boxing, martial arts and weapons training. His belief is, "You pull out a gun, you better use a gun!"

He was upset Sarena did not finish off TA when she had the chance, and because of that, they grow a little distant. He quits the police force and joins Icee in building a security/body guard organization to protect all the Kellys (they later branch off to provide services for other celebrities). He may be a "little" (meaning a LOT) over-protective of all the Kelly sisters.

But he's really a softie, especially when it comes to Sarena. He's only ever loved her. He loves her unconditionally...even though she is stepping out on him. T-Zack better watch his back when Killer Vic is on the loose.

Nanowrimo day 18: This is really a love story

2010-11-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

Or is it?

No really, there is a lot of love going on!

To make it more realistic, I have been looking into "celebrity couples." Umm, NOT!! Those don't ever work out in the long term, do they? I was thinking of that and of Kitty and Icee's relationship. Unrealistic for a big-time rapper, multi-millionaire like Icee to stay in a committed relationship, even while married. I think of Usher (one of my celeb hotties I molded Icee with) and I just shake my head. Well, I guess I am writing unreality.

I try to touch on all aspects of relationships, and with "Six Sexy A$$ Sisters", it's not that hard.

I believe in the happily ever after. Got that!

Sad endings. Got that.

Cheating spouses. Done!

Fresh, new innocent love. Oh yeah!

Am I gay? Curious? Women or men? Oh, I don 't even know!

A lil freak, like Usher say, yep, all that.

I can say that the hottest relationship of all the sisters is still Icee and Kitty. Something about how I made these two, if they were real, they would need to write the book on love. They claim they are the yin and yang, can read each other's thoughts, both workaholics, have no fights and the sex is always HOT (why else would Kitty get pregnant six weeks after giving birth).

Then I might like Twin #2 Kryssy and her hot Italian billionaire. Hey, Janet Jackson is dating a billionaire, all things possible! I have a thing for men with sexy accents or when they speak in their language. Gosh! I don't have to understand a word they're saying, but it's just HOT! Since I write all my characters with a bit of me in them, Kryssy is puddy in his hands every time he whispers, "Non posso viviere senza voi" to her. Yeah man!

And there's something about Big Sister Sarena. She has been with only one man all her life, Victor, and even though she starts an affair with T-Zack, every time her and Victor are together, EXPLOSIVE! They are the older Kitty and Icee. They feed off each other. And of course, it doesn't hurt that Victor (as well as T-Zack) are turned on even more when she has a gun in her hands.

Nanowrimo day 17: Hip Hop Lit

2010-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

I get this question a lot, and in fact, I asked it myself after I described my novel and someone asked if it was hip hop lit. Was that even a genre? I googled it. Yes! It’s also known as “urban literature” or “street lit.” Of those genre names, I prefer hip hop lit because my story is based in the hip hop culture.

At the center of things, there’s Icee, the rapper. He owns Da Factory Hitz record company which has Tenille (singer) and Sarena (Artist Development) working there. Hip hop is not only the music, it’s the fashion. There would be no Baby Phat, Apple Bottoms or Dereon without this hip hop music inspired into the clothing. So at KStyle Fashions is where Krystle (head designer), Ashley (model) and Kitty (former Director/part owner) works.

There’s not as much music in this one as the original (though Tenille travels and performs a lot, and Nola dates an up and coming rapper). And yes, there can be lots of music in a novel. It’s the feel of it, the way it moves. It’s like you hear the soundtrack in your head as you read. I am trying to write this novel in a beat that goes with the flow of the story. It’s done with the constant POV changes, having shorter, straight to the point chapters and lots if “hip hop dialogue” (which I need work to work on, with the help of an “urban language dictionary”).

So since I selected a specific genre for this, which I rarely do, I have gone back to my original title for it, “Six Sexy A$$ Sisters.” I’ll just call is “SSAS” from here on out. The reasoning is, hip hop lit/street lit is a little (okay, a lot) grimier than your average novel, so I can keep that edge to it. In fact, it needs more!

If you’re not that familiar with hip hop lit, google it. Those titles and covers are HARD CORE! Read them under caution. Some are so horrific I can’t finish them. The best I can compare mine to is “The Coldest Winter Ever” by Sister Souljah. It has more sex and drugs than violence, and it’s pretty tame compared to most. It’s also a bit more mainstream, which I hope mine would be.

I’m not trying to scare anyone off. I generally don’t like this genre that much. Trust me, my six sisters read like angels compared to some of the females in this genre of books. Heck, only one gets to shoot a gun (well, so far that is). They are from a middle class background, in a small city in the Midwest. They didn’t grow up around violence, but they were taught to protect themselves. Being six sisters that look smoking hot? Jealous women and guys trying to get to them, they learned to be tough.

Just don’t let the genre fool you, there’s so much more to this story than the hip hop nature. That’s just the setting, the culture. The people are every day people with great stories (well, in my opinion). I can’t think of any book or movie with these many main characters that are sisters. I do think of it as a combination of “Soul Food” the movie/TV show and “Deliver Us From Eva” movie. They both had a cast of hot sisters, so hey, six of them is possible as well.

Nanowrimo day 16: Putting the pieces together

2010-11-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

I reached 60,000 words last night!!

Just so you know, I am writing "Six Sexy Sisters" like I have classic ADHD syndrome. My mind is all over the place. No worries! That's what editing is for. I was writing a scene last night and thinking, this is out of order! I needed more preface before it, and it is definitely in the wrong part of the novel. I have been skipping around, starting new scenes were I think I need one.

Well, the scene I wrote last night, going in was just supposed to be filler, but it became anti-climatic. It was in the wrong place. How to fix it? Cut and paste for later, I won't worry about it now. But it will all be dissected apart and put together like a puzzle.

That's not new. I've had to do that before, even when I write the story linear, I always moves a few scenes around. I've been trying to write out the best, most drama-filled scenes first, and I guess this is what happened. I wrote all of the beginning very linear, then some of the middle. Then I got bored and was going slow, so I wanted to amp up my word count and jumped to the end (which the end could be a whole separate book). I can't explain it. Total chaos.

But it reads well. It's a page turner for sure. I have a tricky part I still need to work through and it's getting a bit clearer. My sis sisters are heavily guarded with what is supposed to be the best of the best security. There have been a few breaches with security throughout, but still, how does the psycho get to them so easily?

Last night I wrote a scene where Sarena, "Two gun toting hot momma," lived up to that name. A body guard would not her leave the room, she knocked him out with a one-two, and roundhouse kick, confiscated his gun and held it out on him. Then she was in a shoot out with a car aimed right for her. I felt like I was writing my first ever action movie! I got a rush. Now, I may have to go back in, flesh it out, make it so it reads lovely, but that was the best scene I have written in a LONG time!

I want HER to catch the bad guy....but she probably won't. Killer Vic ( her husband) or Icee possibly. Hmmm, yes, I don't know my ending yet. But I do know I want more of Sarena now...

Nanowrimo day 15: Ladies Love Icee

2010-11-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

What can I say about the man known as Icee? Lots!!

Icee, who’s real name is Isaac Curtis, started out as “I.C.” When his rap group Fact Iz first gets signed, he went out and bought a lot of ice, diamonds that is. His brother joked he should be called “Icee” for all the ice he had, so he went out and bought a diamond encrusted, platinum chain with his new name. (And how do I know all this, back-back story? I actually started a prequel to the prequel that is a group of short stories about the rap group and how they started out.)

Fact Iz is comprised of six members. Freezy is the DJ/producer, comes up with the beats, though he raps a bit. AKA, is the female rapper with top skills. Cra-C, or Craig Curtis, is Icee’s brother (but more on that later) who initially started rapping just with his brother. TA is that crazy, young rapper that begged his way into the group. T-Zack was the older, slightly laid back rapper in the group.

Icee found out he had a brother his age after his mother passed away and his father moved closer to be with his son Craig when he was five. The boys were only months apart (Poppa was a rolling stone). Icee and Craig were very close, best friends as well as brothers and they did everything together. When Craig was sixteen, he found out his father was not his biological father. He became distant from his father and Icee and started hanging with the wrong crowd, getting into drugs and all kinds of trouble.

Icee tried to follow his brother in whatever he did (he didn’t let a blood test change how he felt about his brother). Craig wanted to become a rapper just to get more girls, so Icee was down. They started to perform any place they could, gradually picking up the other members. T-Zack, the only one that attended college, was the one that got them through the door of a record exec and the rest is history.

Icee is a combination of a few performers I like. His rap skills are like Nelly (it is set in the Midwest), his singing is like Usher, and he models and acts like Tyrese. From the jump, Icee stands out from the rest. He and Craig have model good looks, but Icee also has the charisma to catch everyone’s attention, immediately getting signed to model and offered a movie part. Craig’s skills are more on the rap side, and he immediately gets offered to do a solo rap album.

Fact Iz success skyrockets in a short time. They are very sought after. Icee catches the eye of Bonnie Walker, ten years older than him, but still a fox. Icee remembers hanging her posters around his room, as many men idolized this triple threat, singer/actor/model. They begin dating exclusively, though Icee still tends to his legions of groupies (which is what my group of short stories is based on.)

After they recorded their second album, Craig was found dead of a drug overdose in a hotel. Icee was devastated. He did not want to be in the business for awhile. Bonnie, his father and the rest of the Facts convinced him that Craig would want him to go on. Icee started a record company, Da Factory Hitz, so that he could release his brother’s pre-recorded songs for what was to be his solo album. He also starts a non-profit organization to help young boys. The third company he started was a construction company, DadCo, for his father. These three businesses became part of The Factory Group (and later KStyle Fashions joins).

Icee continues to live his life wild and out of control with as many women as he pleases. Then he meets Kitty and everything changes. She demands that he gives up the groupies if they are to be together. She is celibate, he agrees to that (well, not for long…and then they are again…and then they slip up…yes, there’s a whole story there). They have a world wind romance, traveling all over the world together.

Kitty is the one that convinces him to sing for his first solo album after she had heard his voice. He was against it, till he wrote a sexy ballad for her and they record it together. His producer likes the track as is, but Kitty does not want her voice on the song. She asks her new best friend, singer Ginger to sing it with Icee. It goes on to win a Grammy.

I could go on and on about Icee. I made a perfect guy in a perfect love story (till the end when he is a jerk). Some people may say he is too perfect, unrealistic, has all this talent, money and good looks. Well, it’s FICTION people. Let me have my fantasy.

Nanowrimo day 14: BonBons and Kitty Kats

2010-11-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

"BonBons and Kitty Kats" is the title of the song that put the psycho that is on the loose over the edge. If you heard this song (which I had to partially write it to get in his head) you would see that's when he lost all his marbles. So this blog I will basically tell you about how and why this psycho is after my "Six Sexy Sisters."

TA, who's real name is Tucker Anderson, is the youngest member of the rap group Fact Iz. He actually was not supposed to be a part of the crew, but he followed his big sister AKA. She had the skills the group wanted, TA wanted in, so he was let in because Icee's brother Craig (Cra-C) was cousins with them. (Which in a whole other blog, I'd have to explain Icee and Craig's relationship.)

So TA was only 16 when the group dropped their first album. Now at age 21 (how old he was at the start of the original novel) his skills had gotten a lot better and he was a bonafide member of the group. When Icee meets Kitty, TA jokes around with her and Kitty flirts with him, just to catch him off guard. Unknowing to her, she set off feelings in TA.

Every time TA is around Kitty, they joke around like best buddies, or as Kitty sees it, "like he's my little brother." When Icee signs Tenille, TA is smitten with her, so he starts to date her (well, in his mind because Tenille had no feelings for him, just using him.) Days before Kitty and Icee are to get married, TA attempts to have sex with Kitty. He gets but so far before Kitty gets the upper hand and beats him down.

T-Zack, Icee's best friend, comes in on the beat down and questions what went down. Neither says anything. Kitty fears Icee would kill TA if he knew so she tells him it was nothing, but she does confront TA the next day. He said he had been drinking and smoking (marijuana) and he didn't mean to do what he did, but Kitty calls it attempted rape. He tells her he is in love with her. Kitty tells him it could never be and to leave it alone.

Fast forward to several months later. TA had been still hanging out with Tenille off and on, but it was more like friends because she did not like him that way. With Bonnie (Icee's previous girl fried who needs her own blog) claiming she is carrying Icee's baby and Kitty pregnant, TA records the song "BonBons and Kitty Kats." T-Zack gets his hand on the song and lets his best friend hear it.

Now Icee should not believe a thing he heard about how TA did all kinds of sexual things with Kitty. (He doesn't think twice about what he says about Bonnie.) In the song, TA even says that both babies are his (and one of them is.) Icee and Kitty's relationship had been strong throughout the book, and even for a hotshot superstar like Icee, he never went astray on her. Even with the allegations Kitty believed in her man. So why did Icee believe TA side of thins?

Well...Kitty promised Icee that she'd get a certain tattoo in a certain spot just for him, and she did, weeks before they married. No one, not even her sisters (because Sarena would have kicked her butt) knew about the "kitty kitty" tattoo on her private part. Except TA knew and he rapped about it. So Icee goes ballistic explaining to T-Zack that "He saw the tat! How did that MF see the tat?"

So after he sees Kitty's car at TA's house (The Kellys are giving him a beat down) he goes off and gets totally drunk before he confronts Kitty. When she finally reveals that he attempted to rape her, Icee wants to finish off TA, but of course he is long gone.

Now, in "Six Sexy Sisters," I can't give away much, but yes, he is alive, and yes, he is after the sisters. Any one of them, he doesn't care. He really wants Kitty though, because he blames her for his downfall and that he is on the run. Tenille is most afraid of him, after the brutal attack he gave her. She thinks he will come after her again. All sisters are heavily guarded by the best of the best. So how does he get to them?

Wait till the book comes out!!

Nanowrimo day 13: Two Gun Toting Hot Momma Sarena Kelly

2010-11-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

My favorite sister of them all, you know, if I had to pick one.

Sarena Kelly-St. James, "Big Sister," "Da Boss," "Head Chick in Charge," is thirty two years old. As the oldest of the Kelly sisters, a lot was put on her. Their father left them when she was twelve years old, so she took half the responsibility of raising her little sisters (Nola was only a few months old) to help her mother. She treated them as if they were her children and became very protective of them.

When she was fourteen, a sixteen year old boy named Victor St. James moves next door to them. All the Kelly sisters are mesmerized by him, but it is Sarena that he courts. Victor then becomes like a father/big brother to the rest of Kellys. He adores them, they adore him (a key element in this story, by the way). When Sarena is eighteen, right out of high school, she marries Victor.

She is happy with her stay-at-home mom status, watching her two little girls grow up, while Victor works his way up in the police department. He's one of the baddest, most notorious police detectives on the force. His presence sends criminals running (he's equivalent to a Suge Knight). He has taught all the Kellys how to take care of themselves, be it with a gun, a knife, or hand-to-hand combat. Sarena is the best student of his teachings. No one messes with her sisters and gets away with it.

Well someone did, and now he's out for revenge....

Suddenly, Sarena is not so happy with her home life. All her sisters are busy in glamorous jobs and traveling the world. Even Victor has quit the police force to work exclusively designing a security/body guard organization that will protect the Kellys. He's as busy as ever and doesn't have time for her. So when an offer for a position at Icee's Da Factory Hitz record company is offered to her, she can't resist.

It helps that her boss is the young cutie, T-Zack, Icee's best friend and business partner. T-Zack has had eyes for her for awhile. Problem is, she's married, he's married. But that won't be a problem too long. After a few flirts, Sarena gives in to her desires to be wanted by another man other than the only man she has ever loved. Now she is in an affair that can destroy her marriage and her sisters respect for her, maybe even put them in danger.

But she would do anything, ANYTHING, to protect her sisters, by whatever means necessary.

Come on Sarena, gets those guns blazing! POW!

Nanowrimo day 12: "Don't F*** With Me" Ashley Kelly

2010-11-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

Now we get to the fun sister!

Ashley Kelly is twenty nine years old. Though she did not get much space in the original story, in “Six Sexy Sisters” she has one of the deepest storylines. She packs her gun and she’s not afraid to use it. She’s been in a few…situations in her life where her gun has gotten her out.

“Life’s a b***, and b****s always want to f*** with me. Don’t f*** with me!”

Okay, she’s a little spicy!

She is a beautician by trade, even had her own hair salon, but she gave that up to take over as spokes model for KStyle Fashions, along with her eight year old daughter Atiya for the children’s line (Once again, I think Kimora Lee and her daughters in Baby Phat ads).

She does some traveling, but mainly likes to stay close to home with her daughter. She has been told she is the “prettiest” of the sisters, but she doesn’t take it to her head….much. Tall and skinny, she fits perfect in the modeling world and has even scored a major modeling contract. She is a true wild child, the one that got into the most trouble growing up.

When you are living the life, it’s always nice to keep a hot man around. Ashley has two great men that have fallen in love with her. Dallas is her daughter’s father. They have been in and out of their relationship from day one. He’s eight years older than her, a professional, works at a bank and makes lots of money. He loves Ashley, even though she has that one sexual problem, you know, she has never had the big “O,” no matter how hard Dallas tries.

Then there is Malik. Malik is yummy! Malik is sexy! Malik is the high paid sports agent that lives in Chicago. He doesn’t know about the big “O” issue (she just fakes it with him), and he is utterly in love with her. He has proposed to her 37 times (yes, she’s counting). He loves Atiya as if she’s his child and wants them to be a family, or at least have their own.

No, she’s not a ho. No she’s not leading these men on. They know about each other. She’s been upfront with them.

“You don’t have to stay,” she tells them, but neither wants to walk away. Might as well enjoy them both.

“Don’t hate my skills,” she tells her sisters.

She doesn’t think she needs to choose…you only live once.

Nanowrimo day 11: Twin #1 Kitty Kelly

2010-11-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

I would say she’s my favorite sister, but I can’t because, she’s just the one I started with in the original. But I do love Kitty (formerly Kitrina) and she has the richest story yet.

First, she met Icee at a night club on her 24th birthday. They hit it off, but he had a long-time girlfriend, the superstar named Bonnie. So they just talked over the phone for awhile, trying to resist each other. Then Icee can’t take it anymore, breaks up with Bonnie, and told Kitty he wants to be with her. Things are fine, if not bumpy to start. He traveled a lot and she did not get to see him often. She met him in a few different cities sometimes.

Kitty ran her own personal training business from her house (hmm, wonder why she’s a personal trainer). She’s very business minded. So while she, Kryssy and Fayme pitch their super mall idea to Icee, he makes plans to bring Kitty into his business empire. He offers her a job she can’t refuse, starting a clothing line with her twin.

To kick things off, Kitty wears a KStyle Original dress to the Grammys she attends with Icee. Several things happen here. She meets Bonnie for the first time. She meets Ginger, a relatively new singer she befriends. She meets her idol singer (I forget her name, but think Janet Jackson), who later requests a KStyle original dress. And Icee blings her out with a tailor-made “Kitty” earrings and shouts her out in his acceptance speech.

So she’s Kitty at that point as she begins her new job at KStyle Fashions. She and her twin travel the world promoting the business. A year later, on her birthday, Icee proposes. He offers her his business empire (record company, fashion line, construction company and non-profit org) to take over. She refuses and tells him to invest in her super mall idea.

But there are problems everywhere they turn. Crazed fans attack Kitty. Bonnie, still in love with Icee, tries to choke her. And TA, member of Icee’s rap group, tries to rape her. All this weeks before they marry. While on their honeymoon, Kitty reveals she is pregnant. Life doesn’t get any better though, because as soon as they come back to town, news is everywhere that Bonnie is pregnant by Icee.

It gets crazy the one night Kitty gets the phone call from Tenille. The Kelly sisters round up and head to TA’s house, beat him within an inch of his life and leave him for dead. But he’s not, and you know he wants revenge. Icee heard a song TA made about things he did to Kitty and goes on a rage, not believing Kitty’s side, that he tried to rape her. She’s upset he did not stand by her, so she leaves him.

She goes into labor early and Icee is there when she has the baby, and it ends all nice and sweet.

This is where “Six Sexy Sisters” kicks in. Icee and Kitty are enjoying their life and their newborn son Isaac Curtis, Jr, dubbed IceeJay. Icee has a new movie he is filming; Kitty is busy building her mall. She doesn’t even have time to catch up with her sisters. She does have time to get pregnant again about six weeks after she has her son. “Have you seen my husband? He’s so damn sexy!” Kitty explained to her doctor.

Her and her sisters are heavily guarded wherever they go for fear that TA will try and harm them. And try he will…

I just finished 50,000 words and the novel is going strong. Basically TA kidnaps Kitty and Kryssy, both very pregnant, and holds them for days before one gets a chance to escape. It gets wild from there, police swarm in, blah, blah, blah…both the twins are in trouble with their babies. It will get very scary for the Kellys. This is not even the half of it.