Guess That Character Day Two: Yseult Revealed

Yesterday's Guess That Character Blogfest was wonderful fun.  I posted a snippet from BEAUTIFUL MONSTER, and let my MC Yseult convince you of her appearance through her narration.  And there were some great guesses (and so descriptive), but the closest were from Summer Ross, Steph Sinkhorn (who nailed it), Renae Mercado (who also nailed it), and Amie McCracken (who got it right secretly, because she's read it).

Here are two pictures I feel adequately represent Yseult:

She is tall and willowy, with waist-length dark-brown waves, crystalline blue eyes, and freckles.  Her beauty is her curse, however, so she usually tries to ignore these details about herself in the hope that everyone else will, too.  Because when people judge based on beauty, bad things tend to happen.  Like arranged marriages...  and men turned into monsters.

Thanks for coming to the Blogfest!  I've loved all your excerpts.  Thanks so much, Jen, for hosting!

Guess that Character Blogfest!

Today Jen Daiker (unedited) is hosting a rather clever blogfest.  The idea is this: each participant provides a short snippet from a story they've written--without including any physical description of their character--and then everyone makes guesses at what that character looks like, based solely on voice and action.  Yeah, like I said: clever.  So, I've opted to participate with a snippet from BEAUTIFUL MONSTER.  If you already know what Yseult looks like, just play dumb.  Or guess, and act like you didn't know before. 

*

The fresh night air rushes at me the moment I am through the doors.  I sink onto the grass beneath a tree in the gardens where I am confident I’ll not be seen and lean against its trunk.  The moon is full tonight: a brilliant, glowing orb in the endless sky.  I have read that the night of the full moon is a night of magic.
       

It will take something like magic to save me from the Marquis, I expect.

There is a lilac bush growing beside me, and its heady fragrance makes me lightheaded.  I plunge my face into the blossoms and inhale deeply, wheeling back with eyes closed in a sudden ecstasy of hope. 

“I wish to be free of this,” I whisper as a breeze brushes my cheek with the lightest of kisses. “I wish to be seen for who I am, as a person—not as a decoration.  I wish...”  I open my eyes and look up at the brilliant moon, shimmering with power and enchantment.  Up there, in the vast darkness, it is free.  My hands tingle strangely and I am seized by a wave of grim determination.  I clench my fingernails into my palms until a sharp pain shoots up my arm. 

My voice is low.  I have never been more serious.  “I wish for a way out.”

 *

Okie-doke.  Come back tomorrow, and "find out who is right... and who is dead."*  Er, that is, find out who is right, and who is... not.  And please, pretty-please go check out the other entries, because they are awe-some-poss-um.

*Author's Note: Please be aware that often the writer has virtually no control over the amount of The Princess Bride in her system.  Often quotes will ooze into her life and posts without her approving--or even knowing about--it, and in such cases, it is best simply to let them have their way.

Oh, do come in! Welcome to the Party!

Welcome to the Character Party!  Feel free to mingle with the guests--who include a wide range of folks--and comment on the ones you like.  There is no popularity contest today, but all the same, let these authors know if they've created  a character than grabs you.  And don't forget to visit their blogs!

Cheers!  Let the party begin...

Author's Name: A. Grey
Website: http://greyplaces.blogspot.com/

Book Title and Genre: Evernow, Dystopian YA

Publishing Status:  Looking for representation.
Character

Name: Evernow
Origin: The deep south.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Slow southern drawl which belies her quick temper, dangerous capabilities  and militant stubbornness, auburn hair that grows continually, reaching her knees, metal-splinted fingers and frank honesty about any subject.
Wearing: Moccasins, buckskins, loincloth, and tunic... do weapons count?  Never without a bow and knives.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Water
Three Favorite Things:  The Wild, the Fey, her own independence. 
Job/Occupation: Staying alive in a post-apocalyptic world where humans and fey are constantly trying to kill each other.
Currently Busy Doing: Struggling for peace between humans, and Fey in the aforementioned post-apocalyptic world, and maybe finding love along the way... 

Author's Name: Amie McCracken
Website: www.iamalivephotos.blogspot.com
Book Title and Genre: Her Daughter, Literature
Publishing Status: Incomplete
Character
Name: Liza
Origin: Caucasian American, New York
Distinguishing Characteristics: Short, quiet, unremarkable for anything and therefore typically not remembered,
Wearing: Baggy jeans and a cute t-shirt covered by a sweatshirt from her college, NYU.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Coke, she wouldn't touch alcohol unless her parents are around to stress her out.
Three Favorite Things: Reading, Central Park, coffee.
Job/Occupation: Writer.
Currently Busy Doing: School, she usually takes 21 credit hours if not more.

Author's Name: Melissa Gill
Website: http://melissagettingpublished.blogspot.com/
Book Title and Genre: Zombie Rabbit MG Adventure
Publishing Status: Looking for Representation
Character

 
Name: Milo Thimbleberry
Distinguishing Characteristics: One of Milo’s eyeballs is hanging out and he has several large holes on his body. (I hope no one minds a few maggots.)
Wearing: Milo’s a wild rabbit, he’s no Edward Tulane or Peter Cottontail.  He’ll be coming in the all together.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Dandilion tea would be delightful.
Three Favorite Things: Sleeping, napping, and day dreaming.
Job/Occupation: Milo is a layabout rabbit on a quest to liberate an animal testing lab.
Currently Busy Doing: Just waiting for this party to start. I might need a nap while I’m waiting. It’s been a long day saving the world. 

Author's Name: Nicole
Website: hemingwayheroine.blogspot.com
Book Title and Genre: Anabel & Paul (working)
Publishing Status: Incomplete
Character

Name: Charlie Walsh
Origin: Suburbia Somewhere
Distinguishing Characteristics: Blonde. Short, but well built. Sarcastic and funny, but is too sweet for his own good. Always putting everyone else before himself. The lack of recognition, though, does get to him.
Wearing: Hoodie, torn jeans and converse.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Beer.
Three Favorite Things: Girls, family, pot.
Job/Occupation: Elementary school teacher; kindergarten.
Currently Busy Doing: Running interference for Ana & Paul. Trying to find his own identity outside of his sister (Ana) & his best friend's (Paul) promising but now doomed relationship that has been a part of his life since they were all kids.
 

Author's Name: A. Grey
Website: http://greyplaces.blogspot.com/

Book Title and Genre: Amarok and the Gone Missing Girl, YA
Publishing Status: First draft finished, transcribing to computer now.

Character

Name: Ansel Eben Whitetree
Origin: Alaskan, Athabaskan Indian
Distinguishing Characteristics:  Most obviously, his albinism, ice blue eyes, hip-length white hair.

Wearing: Comfortable jeans and a flannel.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Milk.
Three Favorite Things: Restoring books, fairy tales, Catskin, the girl he knows nothing about and loves anyway.
Job/Occupation:  Restoring old books, helping out behind the scenes at his parents' bookstore, Pipe Dream.
Currently Busy Doing:  Trying to help Catskin recover mentally and emotionally from a trauma he doesn't understand because she won't tell him anything about herself, like what happened, where she came from, and what her real name is.
 

Author's Name: Hanna C. Howard
Website: http://lunathetypewriter.blogspot.com/

Book Title and Genre: Beautiful Monster, formerly known as Ephemeral. YA fairy tale.
Publishing Status: Seeking representation.

Character

 
Name: Yseult
Origin: The countryside of 1890s France.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Her waist-length dark ringlets, sapphire-blue eyes, porcelain complexion... in short, her absolute physical perfection, which she would rather people didn't notice.  She'd much rather them notice her wit, or her sarcasm, or her loyalty.  Anything that would make them see her as a living, breathing person---and not a decoration.
Beverage of Choice at the Party: Red wine, from a glass goblet.
Three Favorite Things: Books, gardens, and the enchanted diary a gypsy once gave her.
Job/Occupation:  Trying to keep up the facade to her family that she is dead (while she lives on in a strange utopia with a cursed, beastly-looking young man) so that her ex-betrothed won't come blundering around to find her.
Currently Busy Doing:  Trying to unpuzzle the many enigmatic details of Rene's (the cursed young man) past, while she also attempts to work out the meaning of the strange diary--and simultaneously wrestles with feelings she never intended to have for the persistently mysterious, disfigured Rene.

 

Hurry, Hurry! There's Still a Spot for You!

This is just a friendly, neighborhood reminder that the deadline to RSVP for tomorrow's (fabulous) Character Party is tonight at 11:59 pm.  If you missed the invitation the first time around, you can scroll down, or just click on this link for all the information you need.

I hope to see you--and your Main Character--there!

You (And Your Main Character) Are Invited to a Party!

Guess where I've been?

(Okay, this doesn't account for an entire month's lull in my blogging endeavors, but it does explain a good deal of it.)

I've been in Chautauqua, NY at the Highlights Foundation 2010 Writer's Workshop!

Yeah, it was super fun. And also brimming with glittering gold-nuggets of information. After I've processed and organized all those gold-nuggets, I intend to share them with you. One by one, nugget by brilliant nugget.

But not yet.

Because just now I want to invite you to a Character Party.

What the bloody blazes, you may ask, is a Character Party? I'm glad you asked. A Character Party is sort of like a Blogfest, except that the sharing happens on this blog--prepared in advance--rather than everywhere at once. It is a virtual cocktail party for book characters. In short, it is an opportunity for you to shamelessly pimp your novel.

If you'd like to participate, here's what you should do:

Copy and paste the following questions into your email, along with whatever answers are appropriate to the character you are sending to the party. (Main Characters are anticipated, but if you'd rather send a supporting or minor character, you're welcome to do that as well.) Then email your answers, along with a picture you think represents your character, to hanna.c.howard(at)gmail.com.

CHARACTER PARTY FORM:
Author's Name:
Website:
Book Title and Genre:
Status (Ie., Published, Agented, Looking for Representation, Incomplete, etc.):

(Character)
Name:
Origin:
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Wearing:
Beverage of Choice at the Party:
Three Favorite Things:
Job/Occupation:
Currently Busy Doing:

I will post all the participating characters in an entry on Thursday, 7/29. Then, you can come mingle with other characters and and authors at the party!

But don't forget to comment on the characters you like--either here, or on the authors' respective blogs. That's the only rule. Because we want to know when our characters are well-received. They are, after all, very like our children.


If you'd like to participate, please send your character information to me no later than Wednesday 7/28 at 11:59 pm. (Okay, I'd accept midnight, too. But you get the idea.)
Oh, and one other thing. If you decide to come to the party, spread the invitation around. You don't get bonus points or lots of free drinks if you Tweet or Blog about it, but you will receive my sincerest e-love.

See you on Thursday! (Any questions? Leave them in the comments.)

Blogfest, May Day, and Foxes

To begin with, today is Lilah Pierce's Last Lines Blogfest. Check out this link to her post today, and you'll have access to the list of all who are participating. (A gold-mine of last lines--from novels and short stories alike.)

Following these rules...

Sign up below, pull out your favorite ending, and post it to your blog on May 1st. Entries do not have to be last lines only, it is understandable that a build-up may be necessary. I'd say that the previous 25 lines would be a reasonable length. It also does not matter if the last line is for a scene, chapter, or book, just as long as you wrote it. And lastly, don't forget to spread the word! The more people that participate, the more fun the blogfest is!

...I am posting my entry below. These are the last lines from EPHEMERAL, my Beauty & the Beast re-write:


“Yseult!” he cries, incredulous.

“If you can catch me,” I yell over my shoulder, “I’ll marry you whenever you want. But I don’t think you have a chance against me now that you’re human again!”

I am laughing riotously as I fly down the steps toward the open forest. I hear his footsteps behind me, and I remember the first time we raced. It was exhilarating then, just as it is now.

The autumn grass is beneath my feet; slightly brown, crunching as I run. The leaves are falling in the forest, red, orange, and plum. They spin lazily down around me, their pace countering my own light speed. I am smiling so broadly it hurts, but I cannot stop. Behind me, René is laughing like a boy playing chase.

We are young, we are children, but I will let him catch me.

I’ll let him catch me for love, and for change.

When I reach a little clearing in the trees, I turn around to face him, feeling the sunlight on my back like gold. He is running toward me with the light on his face, smiling, radiant with love.

He is running toward me, and a happy tear escapes my eye. I smile at him, my own ephemeral beauty, and skip forward to meet him.


The End.


In other news, it is May Day. Happy May Day! Today is the perfect day to read Corinna's Going A-Maying, by Robert Herrick--one of my favorite springtime poems. (Click here for the pleasure.) Today is also a good day to leave a basket of flowers on someone's doorstep, and then run for it. You might just make their (May) day!

Lastly:

A few moments ago there was a fox at the intersection of my street and the next. He was just sitting there, looking from right to left, as if debating which way to turn. In the end he decided to go left, and continued down Main street at a trot; undoubtedly on his way to some fantastic party. It's nice to see foxes in the city. I always give them a little nod, as if to say: Good. Keep Foxing.



To cap off this May Day morning, there is now a rainbow in the west, where a moment ago there were only angry clouds. Happy Saturday, all! I hope your day is full of beautiful Last Lines, unexpected foxes, and triumphant rainbows.