Just a small town girl, learning in this lonely world

Year of Living Heroically #5: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

It is totally perfect (fated?) that Helen Lowe wrote about Sidekicks a few days ago and here I am talking about the portion of a book where the Heroes meet allies for their journey. She gave great examples of people who help along the way, and frankly, get all the best lines of dialogue.

So, our Hero has said YES to the adventure and is now entering a new world. This could be through starting a new job or, in most of our paranormal stories, the hero has actually jumped through a portal into an actual new world and needs to learn what is going to eat them and what is going to help them.

The Tests, Allies, and Enemies stage in the Hero's Journey is the exploration of the new world by the hero. She is stumbling around, trying to learn new rules, who to trust, what is real. And frankly, the best and most fun way of making a Hero learn is by testing them. Throw something ugly at them that makes them realize how this new world works. Its the Journeying part of the journey as the hero moves inevitably towards her Resurrection.

When I talk about Allies and Enemies, I'm talking about the people the hero meets who test her and who teach her. It is the character the hero encounters that helps her understand herself almost as much as the trials she is going through. And sometimes that needs to be an old-fashion villain.

In Diaries of an Urban Panther, Violet had to learn a lot and very fast. It seemed the middle section of that book was nothing but reading and fighting, learning and protecting herself from this new world and her new power. Finding out about herself, her best friend, and what exactly wanted to eat her for dinner.

In life, it really doesn't look much different. We face hardships every day that teach us something. We encounter people that drive us NUTS but teach us to be better. We meet people whose sole purpose of being is to make our life harder (yes, personal experience here).

I was chatting with a few people at RT in New Orleans (awesome sauce), and we decided we needed more words for 'friend.' There are people who you enjoy hanging out with who share similar interests. Then there are those who you would totally pick to survive the zombie apocalypse with. And then there are those who you really don't even like sometimes, but who have undoubtedly made you better some how. The word 'frister' came up and 'framily" and I couldn't help but think of Christina and Meredith from Grey's Anatomy. All of them help us along this journey, all in their unique way.

So reflections for this month: Are you someone's frister? Are you someones frenemy? Who is your person that helps you through your journey and have you said thank you lately?

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Amanda Arista
Author, Diaries of an Urban Panther series
www.amandaarista.com

Fantastic Sidekicks

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Hands up all those of us who have a soft spot for the sidekicks in SciFi-Fantasy?

Buffy Season 1: the original sidekicks

Often it's the sidekicks who ground the heroine or hero, like the "Scooby Gang" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And like Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings, and Zuzana in the Daughter Of Smoke and Bone series, the sidekick has the heroine or hero's back.

Often, too, the sidekick's character acts as a foil for the main character's strength or weakness
—or, again like Sam and Zuzana, illuminates both.

Han Solo: sidekick & show-stealing loveable rogue

Other times, the sidekick steals the show, as that loveable rogue, Han Solo, did in Star Wars.

Clearly, sidekicks are important. And like the loveable rogues they often are, they have a way of wangling their way into a story.

In my Junior/YA novel, Thornspell, recently reviewed by Kate Forsyth, the hero (Thornspell is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the prince) finds sidekicks in unexpected places, including a shabby servant girl first met in a neglected garden:

"He turned away, kicking through a deeper drift, and saw that there was a girl standing beneath the bare crown of an elder tree... She looked like a servant, he thought, a girl from the scullery or laundry, with the ragged hem of her skirt stopping a few inches clear of bare, brown ankles. Her feet were thrust into the wooden shoes worn by the lower servants, and her hands were scratched, her hair a snarl of brown curls. She had a leaf caught above one ear and was looking at him sidelong beneath a tangle of dark lashes—a shy look, he decided after a moment, rather than sly.

“Who are you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

The girl pointed to her mouth and shook her head, and after a moment he guessed that she must be mute. “All the same,” Sigismund said, a little disconcerted, “I don’t think you should be here. You’ll get into trouble if anyone finds you.” 

It did not occur to him then, that he had already found her..."

In The Gathering Of The Lost (The Wall Of Night Book Two), the sidekicks are again vital to the action, including the part played by Raven, a hedge knight of dubious origin:

"“It's not far now,” his rescuer said at their next, brief halt ... [His] sardonic expression twisted into a grin. “You can call me Raven. I answer to it most days.”
 
The name suited the man, Carick thought. He was very dark and there was a sharp edge to his gaze, as though he was used to assessing men and situations at a glance. The shabbiness of his first appearance though, did not improve upon closer inspection. The old-fashioned sark had been mended with horn and bone in places, and his cracked leather gauntlets, like the helmet, had definitely seen better days. Carick had noted other signs of the disreputable as well: the tattoos glimpsed between the edge of the knight's sleeves and his gloves, the fetishes of bone and feather tied as a crest to his helmet—and horses that answered to a whistle. The father of one of Carick’s university friends, a prominent River merchant, held the unshakable opinion that horses that came to a whistle belonged exclusively to smugglers or brigands. In the merchant's world, mercenaries and hedge knights were only one step above brigands. 

“Ser Raven?” he said tentatively, not wanting to offend the man. But Raven just shrugged and remounted without replying."

Amongst more straightforward sidekicks, both the shabby servant girl in Thornspell and the disreputable hedge knight in The Gathering Of The Lost remain mysterious figures in their respective stories—but like all good sidekicks they also play a pivotal role in the main characters' hero journey, frequently have the central protagonist's back, and illuminate their strengths and weaknesses. Unlike Han Solo neither steals the show, but both certainly complement it.

How about you: I'd love to hear about the SF-Fantasy sidekicks you "heart", and why, if you've time to leave a comment. :)

Greetings from Canada!

Congratulations to my three winners for this month:  Susie from Maryland, Cherri-Anne from Canada, and Amanda from Kentucky!  Thank you all for coming by to comment!  Please come back June 25th for the next giveaway!

It was great meeting so many readers at the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans!  Now, I'm on a family vacation in beautiful Alberta, Canada. What a change from New Orleans! But since I'm exhausted from hiking (I'm a writer who sits at a computer all day, so I'm out of shape!), I'm going to make this brief.

Many, many thanks to all my readers who rushed out to buy How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying).  Thanks to your support, Zoltan was able to debut at #10 on the New York Times list!  And now,  everyone wants to know what comes next?  Book 16 will release at the end of December with the title Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire.  The hero is Russell, the former Marine who was discovered in a cave in Thailand in a vampire coma (in Eat Prey Love).  A few books later, in Sexiest Vampire Alive, he went AWOL in China, so he could hunt down Master Han for revenge.  For those of you who are wondering about Xiao Fang-- don't worry!  He will appear in the next book. We'll even get a few chapters in his point of view, which will give us an inside view of Master Han's camp.

This month's contest will have THREE lucky winners!!  Yes, I'm giving away three signed copies of the book that started the Love at Stake series, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire!!  International entries are welcome. If you don't leave an email address in your comment, please remember to check back here in a few days to see if you've won. Today's question-- is your family planning a vacation this summer and where?  Good luck!

Living like the characters

First, congratulations to CrystalGB for winning last month's giveaway! I've emailed you, Crystal.

This month I wanted to talk about what gets us through the tough times. Work was absolutely horrendous in late April and early May and I barely had time to scratch myself, much less have some fun. So I had to be kinda picky about what I did with the little spare time I did have.

Here's what I did:

a) I read. I was into science fiction romance this time around - there's some really interesting stories and ideas around at the moment. Although one that I picked up that I thought was science fiction turned out to be an urban fantasy based on some Indian mythology, which was interesting.

b) I watched only my favourite television shows. No wasting time with things I wasn't interested in. If it didn't float my boat right away, it got kicked to the curb.

c) I made time for my friends. Sometimes I was so tired I didn't want to, but still I got off the couch, made myself dress and went out to see them and it was always worth it.

d) I made time for my husband. Really important - I couldn't always prioritise time with him every day, but I made sure I arranged things that at least ever second day, we had some quality time together.

e) I said no. I said no to events that didn't interest me or didn't involve me hanging with friends. I said no to stressing about deadlines and putting that aside until I needed to panic. I said no to doing things I 'should' be doing that really could be put off.

And it occurred to me - why only make those decisions when things are tough? Why not live the life I want to live ALL THE TIME?

My characters get to have interesting, exciting lives all the time on the page because you just don't write the boring bits. So why live the boring bits in my own life?

Onto something, or maybe I'm going completely crazy. We'll see :)

What do you do to get through the tough times? I'd love to hear.

Have a great month everyone!

PS - if you love vampires, come visit my blog tomorrow (22 May) - Daniel de Lorne, a new writer with a great novel out, talks his favourite vampires.

Supernatural Spectacles - 2014

Even though some of our favorite Supernatural films and TV series are completed, and some are returning, some not, there's no reason to miss out. 2014 is full of anticipated, erotic, romantic and passionate supernatural display to keep your cinematic hearts pumping when you take a break from your current novel. For starters, True Blood returns in June where the much anticipated question of Eric Northman's time in the sun is awaited.


HBO has released one line episode descriptions for 1 & 2 of season 7, the final in this adaptation of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mystries. Here's the sneak peek:

True Blood 7.01: “Jesus Gonna Be Here”

In the True Blood Season 7 premiere, a band of rogue H-vamps launch an attack on Bon Temps.

True Blood 7.02: “I Found You”

Sookie and Jason find themselves in an abandoned town in search of answers to their problems. Meanwhile, Pam continues to search for Eric.

Although Dracula the British-American horror drama television series that premiered on NBC has been cancelled after one season, not so Orphan Black, the Canadian science fiction television series that's taken everyone by surprise. Created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett, starring Tatiana Maslany as several identical women who are revealed to be clones, it's incredibly gripping!

On the big screen is Jim Jarmusch's Only Lover's Left Alive, With Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt. It's beautiful, haunting, erotic, horrific.

For those feeling more than a little concerned about the way things are going on The Originals, don't worry. They are on for a second season.

The parent show, the CW's The Vampire Diaries is also back with more of the trio, but after last week, it looks like a duet! Find out tonight!

And what about the Vampire Academy, the adaptation of Rochelle Mead's novels? Will more be in production? What did you think?

Let us know your favorite Supernatural film or TV show (current or on DVD). Who's your top pick? Let's compare notes.

 Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, YA and epic science fantasy novels.

You can find out more about Kim at kimfalconer.com or on the 11th House Blog, and on FaceBook and Twitter. She posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month. Her latest release is"Blood and Water" in Supernatural Underground: Vampires Gone Wild.

The Bad Boys of Paranormal

My reading tends to be all over the place, usually due to whatever I'm working on at any given time.  But, one way or another, I find myself craving a good paranormal romance or urban fantasy for the amazing creatures, the flash of magic, and those oooh-sooo-wonderful bad boys that frequently fill the pages.  I thought I'd pop by and share a quick list of some of my favorite bad boys I've encountered over the years.  I'll admit that I'm massively behind on most of the series that are listed below, but I'm steadily collecting the books in the wild hope that I will one day catch up on my reading.

Kisten from the Hollow series by Kim Harrison
If you've taken a chance on the Hollow series, then there's a good chance that you've fallen in love with Kisten as well.  A living vampire who's working for the bad guy that helps to bring Rachel Morgan out of her shell while tempting her in so many wonderful ways.  With Kisten, you're sure to laugh, cry, and swoon.

Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Anita Blake series was the third book/series I tried after Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Lestat.  Yeah, there's a lot to love about Jean-Claude.  He's a complicated creature who doesn't pretend to live my humanity's rules and yet even with all his cruelty and selfish nature showing, he still manages to worm his way into your heart.  And maybe that's what makes him so tempting.  You know he's so very bad for you and yet you come back for more.


Jag from Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors series
Stepping away from vampires for a bit, I have to say that I've never been a sucker  for a shifter but, Jag (sigh) has me constantly torn between smacking him and kissing him.  It takes a special woman to love a man who doesn't know when to shut his mouth.  Internally damaged in the worst way, Jag works very hard to keep everyone at arm's length from him.  It makes you want to hug him (when you're not longing to hit him).

Carlos from Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake series
While we're talking about shifters, I have to know if you've met Carlos.  It was a tough choice when I thought about the Love at Stake series, because there are just too many wonderful heroes, but they seem too sweet to call them bad boys.  Except for Carlos.  Don't get me wrong.  He's a sweetheart too, but there's just something about him that makes me think that he's got a naughty side too and it makes him so much fun to read.

John Taylor from Simon R. Green's Nightside Series
John Taylor took me by surprise.  He's a private detective. working in the ultra secret part of London called the Nightside.  He's got a gift for being able to find anything... and I mean anything.  Naturally, it gets him into trouble every once in a while.  I love the Nightside and I loved John.  He's not sexy as the other men, but I loved watching him jump in and out of trouble like a dolphins darting through the water.

Gage Powell from Asylum Tales
What? You thought I'd make a list of my favorite bad boys without including my own two precious boys.  Gage has a special place in my heart.  He's like a brother who I worry over constantly.  He finds troubles like no one else I know and he's got no problem pissing people off when it suits him.  He's a tattoo artist, a warlock in hiding, and a man in love with a woman on the run.  He's torn between wanting the save the world, and wanting the world to stay out of his affairs.  I worry about Gage.  I worry about him a lot.



Danaus from the Dark Days series
This man is my first love.  Danaus is a bad boy in the darkest sense of the words. He is a vampire hunter to had the misfortune of fall in love with a vampire who had a thing for fire.  Danaus was trying to save the world from the bloodsuckers, and maybe even his own soul, but he didn't have much of a chance when it came to Mira. He's a fierce warrior with a deep sense of honor. A man of few words, Danaus never fears charging into a dangerous situation and if you catch him in the right mood, he's got a dark sense of humor.  I can't count the number of hours I spent with this man running through my thoughts, but I will say that it was time well spent. While I worry about Gage, I dream about Danaus.

Who are your favorite bad boys from the paranormal world?  Who would you be willing to run into on a dark lonely street when the moon is full?

I'll have what she's having: The Art of the YES

Year of Living Heroically #4: Crossing the Threshold. 

I've been looking forward to writing this particular step of the Year of Living Heroically and I am so very glad that it fell in this month. 

In YLH #2- I talked about saying 'no' and why it was really all about fear. We refuse the call of adventure because it scares us or we don't feel that we are good enough. 

So this time, I get to talk about saying YES, and the power that it holds. 

When a hero crosses the threshold of their story, they are actively choosing to go on an adventure, do something completely new, or just face what they have been avoiding their whole lives. They have met a mentor who has empowered them or shown them that its not as scary as they think. So they say YES and they start on their adventure. Everything is new and shiny once they say YES. Like a baby starting off in the special world. 

I think we can think of Dorothy putting her first step on the yellow brick road as a good metaphor as to how to say YES. Saying yes is a first step in a longer journey, but your on the road now and you can't go back. 

Just saying YES is empowering. There a certain freedom that comes with shedding off that fear and embracing something totally and wholeheartedly. The saying YES changes you as well. 

Some little questions that change everything in a big way by just answering:

Wanna grab some coffee some time?

Would you like to come work for us?

Will you marry me?

Want to have a baby?

So how am I saying YES this month to new adventures: I'm going to RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans, a place I have never been before, May 14th to May 18th. I'm ready to learn what NOLA has to teach and eat what NOLA has to eat. 

When someone asked if I wanted to be on a conference panel, I said yes. So you can come and see me at the Six Degrees of the Author/Editor relationship with the lovely Karina Cooper. 

When someone else asked if I wanted to be on a romance radio show, I said yes. So you can listen to me at the Worlds of Romance Radio Blog on May 14th at 10 pm EST.  

 And it is exhilarating as hell. I'm totally amped up to go!

So if you see me at RT and you need anything, ask me. I pack like a girl scout and I'm really tall. So if i can help you out with your adventures, I'll more than likely say yes. 

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Amanda Arista

Author, Diaries of an Urban Panther

www.amandaarista.com