the delicious threesome...

or is three a crowd?

as a tween, one of my favorite series
of books was the single title historicals
(like "jacqueline" or "caroline") and it
always showed the teen heroine on the front
cover flanked by two boys. two boys that she
must choose between. i loved those books,
formulaic as the love triangle may have been.
the new period in history always made it fresh
enough for me to read almost every title in the
series. of late, there's been some discussion
on the love triangle within the young adult genre.

is it overused? tired and worn out? or is
the threesome configuration one of the best
ones to read for increased sexual and romantic
tension? like so many things in the young adult genre
that i attribute to "the twilight effect", the series really
put the love triangle at the forefront of YA reader minds.
but i'd like to talk about two other young adult series
that i love, both featuring love triangles.

*when two men love a woman.


isn't this cover wonderful? ariel the elemental is
holding bertie, the heroine of lisa mantchev's
theatre inspired young adult series, which begins
with Eyes Like Stars. Nate, the pirate is seen
in the background. i think lisa is very deft in writing
her love triangle, as the two men vying for bertie's
attention are different enough with faults and virtues
all their own, that the reader can understand why
bertie could choose either.

personally, i love me some ariel elemental. =)


sarah rees brennan's demon's lexicon and covenant
really blew me away as well. and this time, it is two
brothers, nick and alan, who seem to have fallen
for the same heroine. (or is it, the heroine has
fallen for both brothers?) what i love about sarah's love
triangle is that neither brother may be what he
seems or claims. how is a girl to choose?

me, i'm utterly for nick.

so what about you? how do you feel about
love triangles? do they work for you?
what threesome novels are some of your favorites?

Influences: Drifting on Musical Tones

I will have to admit that this blog entry snuck up on me. I don’t know where the month of August escaped to. I’ve looked for remnants of it under the bed and cowering in the corners with the dust bunnies, but the only place I’ve found it are in unanswered emails that are impatiently waiting in my inbox. As a result, I have to admit that I might ramble a bit in today’s blog entry as I search for a direction, theme, topic.

I’m currently in the middle of edits for Burn the Night: the sixth book in the Dark Days series. As I trek slowly through the chapters, trying to decide what stays and what has to go, I find myself trying to recapture the mood by returning to music that I listened to while writing the book. For the sixth book in the series, I once again found myself returning to some old favorites in the form of Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, and Tool. At least, those were Mira’s favorite bands and seemed to reflect her short temper, driving need for violence and control, and general fire of spirit.

At the moment, there is a second storyteller in the book and I needed new music to reflect this voice that is so different and yet similar to Mira. This character lacks the driving fire and short temper, but has the same dedication to a task and loyalty to those that she cares about. For this storyteller, I found myself slipping into Placebo, Tori Amos, and the soundtrack to “Pride and Prejudice.” I needed something a little more subtle and haunting as I worked with this character.
Music is an absolute must for me as I work. I am generally unaware of what specific song that I am listening to while I type, but the sound creates a mood that helps as I write a scene. The sounds seep into my subconscious and taint my words as they trickle across the screen.

When I’m not working on the book, but sitting at the computer, I currently find myself listening to a new playlist that I created called “random sad songs,” which includes “I Need Some Sleep” by the Eels, “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright, “Mad World” by Gary Jules, the Meds album by Placebo and the Ophelia album by Natalie Merchant. I’m need to dump this collection soon or I may soon be stuck in this melancholy mood.

Looking forward, I’m hoping to soon start a new series and I’m searching for new music to match my new storyteller. He’s a very interesting character that I am quickly becoming enamored of, though I’m still somewhat wary. However, I feel like I can’t love him until I know his soul and I can’t see his soul until I find his music. I can’t use the same bands that filled the Dark Days series because this series has a very different feel. I have a feeling that that Rob Zombie will be making an appearance in the playlist. It has a nice driving beat, an overall darkness, and yet a tongue-in-cheek attitude that fits this character. We shall see what I am finally attracted to as I begin to work on this book.

My question for you is what are you currently listening to? What drives you when you’re working? Is there anything that you simply can’t listen to when you work?

Procrastination & rationalization

I was away the bulk of August (thank you, Leah, for taking my blog day last month!), so I felt this great pressure to write a particularly insightful blog post this month. Unfortunately, there are two obvious problems with this plan—1) I don’t think I have a grand insightful topic and 2) it’s a holiday, so I’m not sure any of you are online anyhow.

Hmmm . . . I have a dilemma.

My solution is that wonderful solution that has served me well for many years: procrastination. I will tell you that I’ll have insight next month, and maybe by then I will (or, more realistically, we will have forgotten that I intended to locate insight by then).

I don’t know about you all, but for me, deadlines are a critical motivator. The downside to that is that without them I flounder a bit. In college, I was one of those people in the labs writing essays until the wee hours. When I taught college, I was the teacher sailing into the room at the last minute with my skirts tangled and pen holding a haphazard bun in place. As a mother, I had to set alarms for “drop dead time” to leave to pick up the children from school (which usually means being early because the alternative is being that mommy). As a writer, it’s meant that I set myself deadlines that are earlier than the contracted deadline—but just in case, fight for the later deadline in contract as a contingency plan.

The key is working with my tendency to procrastinate so it's not a limitation. Deadlines inspire me. Knowing that it's due now (what "it" is) gives me the same kick that I get from a strong pot of tea or one of those fattening mocha drinks. The beauty of it is that my deadline-NOW adrenaline rush is like calorie-free caffeine. How do I make that deadline kick work for me? I set myself earlier deadlines & trick myself. I plan for them, mark them on calendars, and by the time they are looming, I feel that kick. In doing this, I'm "at the last minute" for my false deadlines, but significantly ahead of schedule for the official deadlines.

So far, I’ve only written six novels, but I’ve turned every one in early. My next book is due December 2011, but I have set myself a personal deadline six months earlier in order to prevent lateness. In other words, I work with my natural tendency to procrastinate by building it into the schedule.

Of course, my other natural inclination is towards obsession, so it could really be that I’m not being organized at all, merely that I wanted to work on this new project so I rationalized it as “forward planning” in order to justify what I wanted to do anyhow. Hmm . . . that's a new topic though, so we'll stick with the idea that I'm actually harnessing the procrastination, NOT that I'm powerless before the obsessive desire to write. Either way, it led me back to Scotland. (Ahhh, if only all paths led to Scotland!) I went there to work on the new novel because I’m either working around my need to procrastinate OR because I’m rationalizing my obsessive streak.

. . . and anything that leads to more travel (especially to lovely Scotland) is a good thing.

So what about you? Do you have personality quirks you harness for your job? For your self-rationalization needs? Have you found yourself off on any adventures or predicaments because of your attempts to harness the quirks?

[NOTE: While I'm not online all day, I will be back to read replies. I always read every reply to any blog I post be it here on the group blog or on my own blog.]

New Beginnings

*Note: This is a repost - I've been told comments were getting an error message, so I apologize if you're seeing this twice on your readers. Happy Labor Day weekend, all!

Note: Books are carefully folded forests
void of autumn
bound from the sun
- Saul Williams


The above is a stanza is from a book of poems I just picked up, and those three lines sealed the deal for me. I kept repeating them in my mind like they were mental beads on a rosary, and knew I had to have it.* This is how I choose my poetry. It’s chaotic and intuitive and random. I never read what I’m “supposed” to read. That would be like reading names on gravestones, and would take all the fun out of it for me.

No, I wait for something to speak to me, for some gong of recognition in my chest, for the words of another person to form new connections in my mind. Poetry is a creative electric shock, so it’s a great place to run to when refilling the well from which ideas spring, a splash of cold water on the face at the beginning of your writing day. I’m at that point now, doing light edits on the sixth book in my Zodiac series, THE NEON GRAVEYARD, and looking forward to what comes next. Hopefully by the time I start sweating out two thousand words a day, day after day, that well will have a surplus of ideas and newly formed connections for me to draw upon.

Obviously I’m not only reading poetry. I’ve just blown through the HUNGER GAMES trilogy (another body of work that I’m shocked and delighted exists; I could have never dreamed those books into existence!) and I have a handful of books partly read (I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE, by Laura Lippman; THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS, by Alden Bell; PRINCE OF THIEVES, by Chuck Hogan, SILVER BORNE by Patricia Briggs; SAVAGES by Don Winslow) which I pick at every day depending on my mood. Like I said, no reason or rhyme to my reading. Only what I want when I want it. I don’t ever want reading to become work. (I suppose that’s why I don’t read overly much within the Urban Fantasy genre.)

The oddity in all of this isn’t that I’m reading eclectically, but it’s the time of year at which I’m actively doing so. No matter when my deadline hits, where I am in the publishing cycle, or what else is going on in my life, I - me, as a person - begin again in September. It’s when I clean house (forget spring cleaning; it’s September cleaning for me) and clear off my desk, clean up my writing notes, start a new journal, and begin again. Anything that isn’t good for me - including personal habits; including ‘friends’ - that I don’t want as an active part of the next year of my life, is swept out the door. This allows space for new habits, hobbies, and people. All of which create new thoughts. All of which create new experiences. All of which create new books. September, in other words, is my personal new year.

Lest this sound too calculated, I should say that I didn’t consciously realize this until it was pointed out to me about five years ago. Sure enough, right before each September I felt myself craving new experiences, knowing they would be the cornerposts for my life in the following year. I think everyone does this sort of skin-shedding, though maybe not everyone has thought of it as such. Realizing it, though - anticipating it, and recognizing it when it comes - has helped me alleviate a lot of frustration (“Vicki, why are you cleaning out the garage when your deadline is in two days??!”) and I can now see it as a great boon to my creative life. And we’re all creators of our lives.

So my question to all of you is what do you do to consciously remake your thoughts and life? Is there a time of year that you mentally seem to come alive? Is there a point in the twelve month cycle that feels like rebirth? Even though the world celebrates January first as a new beginning, do you have another, more personal date that makes you want to take stock, declutter, and then roar from the starting gate into the rest of your year?

Mine is September. I’d love to hear yours.

*The book of poetry, if you’re interested, is called ,said the Shotgun to the head. It’s ostensibly one poem laid out over alternating black and white pages and is apparently the result of a kiss. How could I resist that?

Movies that go bump in the night

Originally, I intended for this post about writing and revising, but you know what? I didn't feel in the mood to talk about those things. Instead, my mind kept sliding to a totally different topic: horror movies.

Maybe because it's September, which means of course that next month is October, and leading up to Halloween, channel after channel on the TV will play horror movies. Ah, I love that time of year. Yes, I have the Chill channel to get my fix in the meantime, plus Netflix, plus the occasional horror flick on premium channels, but there's something about that October parade of cinematic carnage that just makes me happy. Yes, I realize this may put me in Strange column, but here on Supernatural Underground, strange is the norm, right? So I'm just trying to fit in, heh.

And since I love the horror movie parade almost as much as the candy that flows more freely during October, I thought I'd get an early jump on the season by listing some of my favorite horror flicks. Let's get to it!

The Classics:

Halloween 1 and 2, the originals (don't ever ask me what I thought of the recent remakes unless you have a spare hour to listen to me rant). Ah, Michael Meyers. You in your eerie white mask walking slowly to the beat of that terrifying music has haunted my nightmares for decades. Well done, Michael! You will always be the only Bogeyman for me.

Friday the 13th, the original 1 and 2. Who doesn't like a little slasher with their horror? Jason was a great villain for me because, like M.M. above, he just kept coming back no matter how many times you killed him. Add how I went to sleepaway camp as a child in a setting that looked *just* like Camp Crystal Lake - minus the dead bodies - and this movie franchise has remained dear to my heart.

Jaws. Come on, who watched this movie and then didn't look at the ocean with a shiver? I know the statistical improbability of ever getting bitten by a shark, but I can tell you that every time I've gone into the ocean, this movie has lurked in my subconscious.

Campy:

Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. I'm sure these weren't the first campy horror movies on the scene, but they were the first ones I saw, and it was love at first "give me some sugar, baby!" Bruce Campbell as Ash slashed and wise-cracked his way through the creatures after him as well as his own hand (and how hard I laughed at that scene disturbed my mother so much that she left the room. Poor mom was grossed out and could not understand why I found any of it funny).

Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg was brilliant as the bumbling but sweet boyfriend who ended up winning back his girlfriend only after slaughtering a whole lot of zombies. So many scenes in this movie had me laughing out loud. Mad props to the supporting cast, too.

Zombieland. "Time to nut up or shut up" became one of my favorite phrases after watching this movie, and while the main characters all gave stellar, hilarious performances, Bill Murray's cameo stole the show. Loved this movie, even though every time I see it, I end up wanting a Twinkie afterward.

Scary:

The Ring. Yeah, it's not the best horror movie ever, but I can tell you that when I saw it on opening night in the theater, I screamed out loud (along with many of the other moviegoers) when that freaky little girl climbed out of the TV. And I kid you not, seven days later, I was giving my own television a wary eye. When a movie can make me do that, it's a win in my book.

28 Days Later. It didn't have many jump-in-your-seat moments, but what resonated with me was how this was the first zombie movie I saw where the zombies could move. No staggering shuffle that you could easily avoid, these suckers were fast. And even a scratch, or a drop of their blood into your eye could turn you into one of them. Props also to the creep factor of waking up one day to having literally no one around, and to the brutality humans can display to each other in dire survival situations.

Thoughtful:

Jeepers Creepers 2 (absolutely not to be confused with the first Jeepers Creepers, which I hated). Why do I call this thoughtful? Because, like many good horror flicks, the main drama didn't come from the creature; it came from interactions between the people the creature stalked. The premise of your true self being revealed under extreme circumstances was played out by a group of high school students trapped on a bus in this movie, and in addition to there being very good acting for a group of unknowns, I also loved the premise of harsh redemption portrayed through the vengeful father.

Wind Chill. It's hard to articulate what I liked so much about this movie. It was low budget, not terribly imaginative, but the protagonists really stuck with me after it was over. They started out pretty stereotypical - a geek secretly in love with snotty girl who'd never noticed him before - but by the end of the movie, they felt real to me. And the last line of the film hit me as so tragically sweet.

I could go on, listing some favorite SciFi horror (Pandorum, Alien, Aliens, Alien Versus Predator) but this is already a long post. So I'll close with this, the horror movie that had me sleeping with a light on for - no joke, ask my husband - six months because it touched on my deepest fear of trying to battle an evil entity that you can't even see and who resided in your own home: Paranormal Activity.

So what about you? We know you like books that go bump in the night *wink* but what are some of your favorite movies that do the same thing?

Dark Days Lie Ahead...

***WINNER ALERT!!***  Thanks so much for shedding some light into what our readers are up to this weekend, and the winner of the DARK DAYS Prize Packet is CHALENE (Comment #36)!!!  Chalene, drop us an email at booksthatgobump@gmail.com with your mailing info, and we'll get your awesome stuff in the mail!!

 

Nope, I was wrong. Dark days do NOT lie ahead... Dark Day PRIZES lie ahead! :-)

Today's giveaway in the Underground features the awesome books of

Jocelynn Drake, author of the Dark Days series!

Up for grabs is an autographed copy of DAWNBREAKER (with a cool matching magnet!), an autographed copy of DAYHUNTER, a free e-book download of PRAY FOR DAWN (with another cool matching magnet!), and a special e-book bonus download of RAPTURE UNTAMED by

Pamela Palmer!

How do you win this bundle of Dark Day awesomeness?

Simple.  Leave a us a comment and tell us how you're going to spend your upcoming Labor Day, and maybe you can have a Dark Day, too!

Barbeque, beach, a day on the couch reading your favorite book? Go ahead, tell us... don't leave us in the dark!  :-p

Helen-in-Black at Worldcon

The Sorting Hat has gone down to the wire this time, but I now have a result--thank you all for your patience as well as your support for "Helen-in-Black" and the Supernatural Underground!

And the winners are (drum roll!):

For "The Heir of Night":--

Jessica
Samantha.Thomson

For "Thornspell":

Giada M
Sharon S (The hat loves you, Sharon!)

Best wishes to you all--and dont' forget to check in again on 1 October for the Grand Launch of "The Heir of Night." I'll be looking forward to catching up again.



---
Well, here I am. In Melbourne, Australia (aka "the Lucky Country."); 1500 miles from home, but still about 10,000 miles away from those northern hemisphere hubs, London and New York. Tomorrow I'll be attending Worldcon, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention—or Aussiecon4 as its more affectionately known. And impressively (given those distances), meeting a whole lot of people from various regions of the northern hemisphere—mainly the US, Canada and UK, but also places as diverse as Japan and Finland, to name but a few, as well as the "local" Australians and New Zealanders.

I'll also be meeting representatives of both my US (Eos) and UK/AU/NZ (Orbit) publishers for The Heir of Night, for the very first time, during the five days of the convention. (My Thornspell publisher, Knopf, won't be at the Con.) Exciting times all round—but not without its predicaments.

Here's the thing—I seriously love color. Bright red, hot pink, electric blue: these shades all star in my wardrobe and some items are so treasured that they feature much careful mending. But when you travel, there's this little thing called airline luggage limitations (it's a 1 x 23 kg case to Australia)—and because every item has to work well in at least 2-3 combinations to earn its place, the more colors you add to the mix, the weightier the bag gets.

Me, I really like to travel light, so over the years I have found that the most efficient way to pack is to just take all one color, because then you know everything will mix and match. And when the chips are down, if you're going to wear all one color, you just can't beat black. Because actually, black is cool. Although if you've trained in the martial arts like me, you'll know that black isn't just beautiful, it's also the only color that counts. In fact, where I come from, black is so much the real deal that most of our national sports teams wear just that—and our most famous sports team is even called the All Blacks.

So when I laid all the different clothing options out on the bed, ahead of the packing, and thought of all the contingencies I needed to allow for (I mean, Melbourne, spring …!), then surveyed that one small suitcase, I already knew what was going to happen. Besides, isn’t writing Fantasy about tradition and destiny—and not only do I hail from the land of the All Blacks, but there's also Neil (never-seen-not-in-black) Gaiman to be considered, and what about Johnny Cash? Put in that context, the arrows of destiny were all clearly pointing in the one direction. Even the radio was against me, with the Rolling Stones urging me to "paint it black."

Call me fainthearted, but tradition and destiny are both compelling forces. So here I am, in Melbourne, with 5 days of Worldcon ahead and meeting my publishers and a whole bunch of other people for the first time—and all in black. (OK, OK, I did sneak in that electric blue shirt, but otherwise …)

So what do you think? Have I done the right thing, opting to stay within my luggage allowance and make my Worldcon debut as Helen-in-Black? What would you have done, in my (um, black) shoes?

---

Because I am in Melbourne I might not be able to check in with you as often as I otherwise would, but just to help the discussion along, I'll be giving away another 2 x copies of the gloriously colorful Thornspell and 2 x AREs (courtesy of my editor at Eos, the lovely Kate Nintzel) of the darkly brooding The Heir of Night—and it's the usual deal: the Thornspell draw will be for Supernatural Underground readers anywhere in the world, but only posters from the USA/Canada can go in the draw for the Heir AREs.

You can earn points (i.e. the number of times your name goes into the draw) by:

+1 Posting in the comments section
+1 Linking to this post on Twitter
+1 Linking to this post on Facebook
+1 Linking to the Supernatural Underground blog on your own blog/website
+ 1 for commenting on my Helen Lowe on Anything, Really blog while Worldcon is on, i.e. between today and midnight, September 6.

Just post the total number of points that you’ve earned in your comment.
Eligibility will close at midnight, EST on September 6, the day that Worldcon ends.
(Do remember to check back, or to post your email with your comment so that I can get in touch.)

And of course next month, 1 October, is Release Date for The Heir of Night in the USA/Canada so I'll not only be posting but there'll be special giveaways as well!