A Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

In support of Banned Books Week, Tehereh at TH.Mafi and Le R at The Rejectionist have coordinated a sort of banned book review blogfest wherein the participants read/review/talk about a banned book. Be sure to go here to check out the rest of the entries!

Standing on the fringes of life...

offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.


Do you remember being fifteen, or the anxiety of starting high school?  The conflicting battles between wanting to conform and at the same time wanting to be special?  Feeling like you should be old enough to take care of your own problems, but still silently wishing for someone to come along and make them all go away? Finally feeling like you have some control over your life while at the same time feeling like everything is spiraling out of control? Or, mostly, the desperate need to figure out who you are and how to become who you want to be?

That is why The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is such a phenomenal read.  I remembered, sometimes relived, all of that angst and confusion and excitement of being a teenager in reading this book.

In a series of strikingly raw and unaffected letters to "Dear Friend", Charlie takes us through his first year of high school, first love, tragedy, acceptance.  I don't think I've ever read anything quite so HONEST, ever.  And so earnest and naive. And funny and sad. And relatable.

This quote from the book is why I fell in love with it and why it's so powerful.  Because this is what I think every adolescent/teen feels at some point:

"So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."

I used the Highlight feature of my Kindle more for this one novel than I did for all of the other books I've downloaded combined (and there are a lot of them). If I'd read the paperback, yellow highlighter ink would have bled through nearly every page and there would be a mess of multi-colored Post-It Notes sticking out all over.

Here are some quotes that really stuck with me:

About family:

"I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other."

As someone who's battled depression for years, I felt these, if you know what I mean:

"I don't know if you've ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist."

"I'm a big faker because I've been putting my life back together, and nobody knows."

"Something is really wrong with me. And I don't know what it is."

Something about fate and choices:

"So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to chose where we come from, we can still chose where we go."

So, honest truth:

Do I understand why this book is so often challenged?
Yes. There are references to sex, homosexuality, drugs, suicide, abortion, abuse--and these are not light, minor references. They are discussed in a straightforward, albeit not particularly explicit, way, and without apology or caution.

Would I want my 13 year old niece reading this book?
Probably not.  There are some very adult themes and issues brought forward. And while there are serious consequences to the actions taken, they are discussed as subtly as the actions themselves. More specifically, I would want my 13 year old niece to read it with her mother so they could talk about the issues that are represented.

Do I think it's okay to ban this book?
NO!!  And not just because I think banning books is narrow minded and shortsighted (which I do).  Just because I don't want my niece to read this now, I think she should read it in 4 or 5 years. When I was 13, I probably would have read it and been mature enough to understand some of the subtleties. My niece maybe is, too, but it's not my call.  It's her mother's call. 

Not talking about a subject does not prevent or make the problems disappear.  Some teenagers have sex.  Some teenagers may be homosexuals.  Some teenagers get pregnant and have an abortion.  Teenagers go to parties where drugs and alcohol are available, and may or may not partake in the options.

My message to those who want to ban books:  Banning books that talk about these issues won't help.  Talking about them (both the books and the issues) with your children in an honest and straightforward way will.  Don't take the choice away from others, just make the choice for yourself and your family. 


Okay everyone, I'll get off my soapbox.  I'll leave you with this final, and super profound, thought brought to you by The Perks of Being a Wallflower:

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

Announcements and Reminders

Name My Blog Contest

Don't forget about my Name My Blog Contest.

The contest:


Suggest a possible title for my blog. You can enter as many suggestions as you can come up with. Post them in the comments section.

If I pick the title you suggest (or if your title prompts a moment of brilliance for me) you will win a $20 gift card to amazon.com.

NaNoWriMo is a Go

Okay, I decided that I'm going to try NaNoWriMo this year.  I have not real expectation of succeeding, but decided that it can't hurt to try.  *crosses fingers*

If you want to buddy me, my user name is:  J. Leigh Bailey

and, last but not least,

***OMG! OMG!  I'm almost at 100 followers!*** 

This means a celebration of sorts, yes?

When I started this blog last November, I had a few goals. The first was that I would not make a complete idiot of myself. Hopefully I've succeeded there. *looks around for affirmation* Right? Right?  My next goal was 20 followers. After that I waited for my "real" followers (those who are not personal friends and family) to exceed the number of relatives following me.  Then it was 50 followers.  At this point, I gave myself a real goal, one I was going to work hard towards. I was going to aim for 100 followers before my first anniversary. I had a plan and everything! Then, there was this Great Blogging Experiment on Sept. 24 with over 180 participants and suddenly, WHAM! 30 new followers. 

So, in the next week or so, I'm going to plan for some exciting way to celebrate 100 followers.  And, as soon as I actually reach 100 followers (given my luck, I'll be sitting at 97 for months), I'll announce the plans for some kind of contest or somthing... someone will be able to teach me how to do those great contest form thingees, right?

A Jane Austen First-Timer

This is kind of a rambling collection of thoughts brought forth from reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for the first time.

Part I--What I've Been Missing

How in the world did I, as a 32 year old romance book loving woman, manage to go this long without reading Pride and Prejudice?  It's crazy.  After watching (and loving!) the movie version of Sense and Sensibility in high school (Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Allen Rickman...man, I so love all of them) I tried to read something by Austen. I don't remember what it was, but I do remember thinking that it was unfortunate that the works of Austen were going to be joining the works of Dickens in my mind. Great stories that I love, but can't read for myself.  Movie version of A Tale of Two Cities? Loved it. The book version? Couldn't trudge through it.  I thought I was destined to only enjoy the movie adaptations of Austen's works (of which there are dozens, if not hundreds).  Pride and Prejudice (staring Colin Firth) is my all-time favorite movie/mini-series closely followed by Persuasion.

Anyway, to make a long story a little less long, I recently downloaded Pride and Prejudice to my Kindle, determined to make my way through it, no matter what.  Much to my surprise, I loved it. I already knew I loved the story, but was sure I'd find it cumbersome to read through.  I was wrong. Which makes me wonder which Austen book I'd tried to read back in high school.  I've totally been missing out.  This also makes me wonder, what other "classics" have I been missing out on? 

Please remember, I started reading Harlequin and such romances at age 12, and couldn't be bothered with "real" literature after that point.

Part II--What I Noticed

Okay, Austen is noted for her biting wit and almost satirical examination of society during her day. I truly appreciated that fully for the first time.  I found so many places where I wanted to say "ouch" or "zing" or "touche" or whatever as I was reading.  And it was snarky and subtle. It was fantastic. Someday I want to be able to do that.

The other thing that I noticed that was kind of interesting, was that there was very little description.  Not of locale, not of people.  We know that Mr. Darcy admired Elizabeth's "fine eyes", but nowhere does Austen tell us what color her eyes are, or her hair, or her height.  The only thing we know about Mr. Darcy is that he's tall, but again, we don't know his coloring or build beyond that.  Despite this, Mr. Darcy is considered one of the premier romantic heroes of all time.  Just proof, I guess, that looks aren't everything.

I don't think readers today would appreciate a novel with such spare description. We rely on authors to tell us what we see, and we don't use our imagination the same way.  If one read Pride and Prejudice when it was first written, one could imagine any man was Mr. Darcy. I, of course, pictured Colin Firth through the whole thing, thanks to A&E and BBC, but I really enjoy looking at the man, so it's all good.

So, my wonderful followers, I have two questions for you:

Are there any "classics" that you tried to read when you were younger and couldn't get through, only to have them become favorites as adults?

How much do you rely on description--both for setting and character--in your writing?

Bonus question: Who made the better Mr. Darcy? (I bet you can't figure out who I'd say...)
1. Andrew Osborn--1938
2. Laurence Olivier--1940
3. Colin Firth--1995
4. Matthew Macfayden--2005

Writing Compelling Characters--The Great Blogging Experiment

Last week Elana (Elana Johnson, Author), Jen (unedited) and Alex (Alex J. Cavanaugh) shared oodles of advice about blogging--how to attract followers, what to blog about, etc.  Then, to sort of illustrate how no two bloggers are exactly the same (to paraphrase badly) they are also hosting The Great Blogging Experiment.  Basically, they assigned the topic and we all get to write about it on the same day. 

The Topic: Writing Compelling Characters

For my contribution, I decided to look at television, movies and books to identify some of the favorite characters. To make this list, I did a bunch of random Internet research and then picked my favorites from those lists. That way I know who I'm talking about. I've identified three favorite characters from each medium and then I'll discuss what makes them compelling characters to give us as writers an idea of what works and is memorable.

TELEVISION:

1. Dr. Gregory House from House

2. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

3. Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl

MOVIES:

1. Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean

2. Shrek from Shrek
3. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz

BOOKS:

1. Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

2. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. Anne from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

 

What are some of the things that these characters have in common?

They are flawed.

House is the doctor you love to hate. He's a jerk, addicted to pain pill and walks with a cane. Chuck Bass is a misogynist with an over-inflated sense of entitlement. Shrek is an ogre with very ogre-like tendencies. Mr. Darcy is standoffish and proud.

They are relatable.

Dorothy is a bored teenage girl who wonders if there is more to life than what she's experiencing.  Shrek just wants to be left alone and protect his property. Spike has a weakness for strong women. Mr. Darcy is emotionally distant and proud, but loves his sister.

They are sympathetic.
Anne's a orphan who wants a family and home where she's not taken advantage of.  Harry's family and friends are killed an/or threatened by the darkest wizard of all time and is bullied by his aunt, uncle, cousin, and random Slytherins. House suffered trauma to his leg that causes him endless pain. Chuck acts out to get his father's attention.

They are distinctive/extraordinary/over-the-top.
Harry is the boy who lived. Captain Jack Sparrow is, well, Captain Jack Sparrow. Everything about him is just a bit over the top, from the drinking, the women, the gestures. House is a brilliant puzzle-solver with a horrible bedside manner. Shrek is a green monster with a bad attitude. 

They find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
Dorothy is transported to Oz.  Harry finds out that not only is he a wizard, he has to defeat Voldemort. Shrek goes on a trek to rescue the fair maiden and falls in love.

They have to fight for what they want.
House goes up against hospital (and legal) policies.  Social standing is in the way of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship. Jack has to fight Barbosa to get the Black Pearl back. Spike has to face the tortures of Hell to get his soul for a chance with Buffy.

So, there are a few things we, as writers, should keep in mind when creating characters. If it worked for the writers of these novels, television series and movie scripts, it can work for us too!

I'd like to add a special thanks to Elana, Jen and Alex, both for sharing their blogging tips and for hosting this great blogging experiment!

A Blogfeast!

Angela at Jaded Love Junkie is hosting a blogfest! No, actually, she's hosting a blogFEAST. What fun!

Here's what she's looking for:  "It can be a scene where food is central or just happens to be in the scene.  It could be a poem about food."

Be sure to check out Blogfeast 9.23.2010 to read the other entries!

Here's my entry--this is a scene taken from my WIP short story "The Gatherers."
______________________
Jay noticed that almost all of the gatherers had arrived back at camp before him. Kids ranging in age from six to eighteen stood in line with their loot, ready to exchange their finds for food and water. The central bonfire was already burning, the flickering flames alternately highlighting exhausted faces and casting shadows in hollow cheeks. The smell of roasting meat—Jay had learned long ago never to question too closely the origin of the meat—was enough to make his stomach twist and grumble. Moisture flooded his painfully dry mouth.

As he neared the line, he saw Lily huddled against the wooden side of a wagon. Her face was pressed against her drawn knees, her shoulders shuddering as she cried.

“Hey,” he said, crouching next to her. He reached over to brush aside her snarled elbow length black hair and ran his hand along her back, trying to comfort her. He mentally cursed as he felt every knob of her spine and the sharp edges of her shoulder blades. He pushed his own loot bag into her arms. “Get up. Get in line.”

She lifted the bag, hefting its weight and stared up at him with big violet eyes. “But…”

“Take it.” He stood and helped her to her own feet. “I had a good day yesterday,” he said, lying. “Besides, I’m the one who told you to give Pete and his gang your bag.”

“But Ricky will be so mad at you.”

He shrugged, trying to look unconcerned, though his stomach twisted again, in anxiety rather than hunger this time. “I’ll be fine. Go. Get in line and get something to eat and drink.”

With one last agonized look at him, Lily raced to the line. He kept his eye on her as the line moved forward, ready to step in if anyone made an attempt to steal her items or her share. His throat burned and his stomach churned as he watched her collect a sliver of meat, half of a roasted potato and a cup of water. The meat and most of the potato had disappeared into her mouth before she’d taken two steps, along with a long swallow of the water.

“Being noble is going to get you killed. Dumbass.”

Jay looked up at the sardonic voice and watched his tent-mate Glitch limp up to him. His coffee-colored skin was nearly invisible in the dark shadows left by the setting sun. Glitch was a year younger than Jay, slighter and more delicate in build. His foot had been crushed during the Destruction when the four story apartment building he’d been living in had fallen on top of him and the other residents.

Glitch was one of the few people in the clan who wasn’t a gatherer. Usually, if you didn’t gather, you didn’t eat, but he had a talent with electronics and gadgetry that Ricky recognized and was more than happy to take advantage of. As long as Glitch was able to fix some of the electronics that were brought in or use the parts to create something worth selling or trading, he was given food and water regularly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jay tried to keep his eyes—and his mind—off of the aromatic food and 50 gallon drum of water.

“Right. Why’d you give her your loot?”

Feeding the anger, Jay realized, was one way to distract him from his gnawing belly. “Peter and his gang saw Lily and me retrieve a cell phone and decided they deserved to have it. Rather than fight them—and Peter was playing with a monster of a knife—I told Lily to hand over her goods.”

“Which doesn’t explain why you gave her yours.”

“C’mon, Glitch. She’s had next to nothing to eat in days. She’s starving. I can handle an extra day without food. I don’t think she can.”

“Jay, she’s not the only one starving. You can’t save them all. You won’t be any help to anybody if you don’t take care of you first.”

"Jay!”

Cold snakes of dread curled in his empty stomach. Ricky in a rage was a very bad thing. Waves of animosity and fury rolled off him, milling gatherers parted to create an open lane to where Jay was sitting.

“Shit, dude,” Glitch muttered, backing away quickly.

Jay refused to have this confrontation looking up at Ricky. He came to his feet, forcing his trembling legs to stillness.

“Where’s your loot?” The demand was abrupt, and despite the low volume, pissed.

Jay saw Lily’s terror-filled face in the crowd that had formed around them. “I didn’t find anything today.”

Ricky narrowed his eyes. He unfastened his belt buckle as he turned away. “Come with me.”

It never occurred to Ricky that Jay wouldn’t follow.

It never occurred to Jay to disobey.
_________________________

An A for Easy A

I enjoy a good movie the same way I enjoy a good book.  And usually for the same reasons.  Most of the time I'm looking for entertainment value over deeper meaning, heartwarming relationship building and dynamic, memorable characters.  I prefer clever plays on words and fun references to slap-stick comedy or crude "shock" comedy.

I expected the movie Easy A to be fun. I sort of expected crude references.  I expected to enjoy it in a very shallow way.  I was expecting something along the lines of American Pie. Much to my surprise, and delight, I really enjoyed Easy A and not in a shallow, playing-to-the-least-common-denominator kind of way.

The reason I wanted to see it had everything to do with the cast.
I love Emma Stone (her role in House Bunny cracked me up). 
Penn Badgley is dreamy (he's the reason I ever watched any episode of Gossip Girl).
Amanda Bynes is a riot, whether it's super-fundamentalist religious girl or Penny Pingleton or any of the dozens of other roles she's had over the years.
Stanley Tucci. He needs no explanation. He's just always amazing.
There's also Dan Byrd, Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell, Alyson Michalka, and Patricia Clarkson, who were equally awesome.

So, what's the movie actually about (thank you Yahoo movies!)?

After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter," which she is currently studying in school -- until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Here's why it was awesome:
 
I went into it knowing that it tied into the story of Nathaniel Hawthorn's The Scarlet Letter.  I did not know that there would be more, especially fun references to other books and series. Here are the ones I caught (and remembered):
 
The Scarlet Letter (obviously)
Huck Finn (a very funny reference!)
Gossip Girl
Sweet Valley High
Twilight
 
I know there was another fun one, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. But these were peppered into the story in such a way that a person who has read these books (as I have) got an extra kick out of the movie.
 
In addition to the great literary references (hey, some of those books are literary!) the movie also paid homage to the great collection of John Hughes films. Specifically:
 
Say Anything
16 Candles
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Breakfast Club
Can't Buy Me Love
 
In the end, if you enjoy John Hughes's movies (as I do), I think you'll enjoy this one.
 
Then, if that wasn't enough fun for me, when I was in the little girls room after the movie (those 44 oz sodas kill me, but I can't resist) I ran into a group of five or six girls, probably about 15 or so, who were gathered. Apparently they all went to a movie together for one of the girl's first date and got to observe the girl's first kiss. So they were all huddled in the bathroom discussing it in detail. When I left one of the girls' father (their chauffeur, no doubt) had apparently heard the conversation too (15 year old girls are not known for being quiet) and he sort of grinned at me when I left. It was so cute!

Why I Type

Just a short note.  The picture below is why I type rather than write most of the time.  :)

I have atrocious handwriting.

I'm always moving chunks around.

Hitting delete/backspace is neater than scribbles.

Inserting text is easier with a cursor and keypad than arrows and scratches.

I once had a friend tell me I wrote like her grandfather--or a serial killer.

How many of you actually do your writing old-school? You know, pen and paper, then transcribe it to computer screen?

NaNoWriMo or No?

I'm debating entering National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the first time this year.  I'm a little uncertain, however.

I have a novel sort of mentally plotted and ready for some action, so I've got that going for me.

I have some questions for past participants:

Is it worth it?

Was it just a big time suck? 

What are the benefits and drawbacks of this?

And, I guess, most importantly, are you doing it? (I may not be an adolescent any more, but peer pressure can still drive my decision making process!)

It's a Secret Blogfest!

Summer at My Inner Fairy is hosting a blog fest to celebrate reaching 100 followers, complete with prizes!  This is my second one this week. Man, these have messed with my planned week of book reviews, but these are so much fun!

Here's what Summer is looking for:  "In 700 words or less give us at least one secret in a story: murder, mystery, funny, romantic, poetry, or story snippet...doesn't matter but the word "Secret" must be included in the story or poem to count."

Here's my entry. It's from a half-written short story that takes place in Wyoming near where my family lives.
_________________________________

Chloe James stood at the end of the trail and stared at the female body laying face down in the shallow water of the Popo Agie River. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon and the pale yellow rays of the sun caused diamond bright sparkles to dance on the rippling water. Those ripples, she noted with a detachment she knew was not normal, had the woman’s hair billowing around her in streaming red waves. Mingling among the bright strands were cloudy wisps of darker red that were spreading and turning pink as the diluted blood flowed with the water into the large cavern known as the Sinks.


The woman was wearing a short denim skirt and a black tank-top that revealed pale limbs that stood out in sharp contrast to the dark grays and browns of the rocks blanketing the river bed. Spring in this part of Wyoming was still quite cold, so the woman’s scanty apparel was odd. And she was shoeless. Why that bothered her so much, Chloe wasn’t sure.

The call of a golden eagle as it returned to its aerie jolted her out of her reverie and the horror of the sight before her hit her fully for the first time.

“Oh, my God.” She ran forward, heedless of the boulders and bushes in her path. The icy water, which was little more than the run-off of melted snow from the surrounding mountains, drew a ragged gasp from Chloe as she dashed into the calf-deep river. She knelt next to the body and grabbed the woman’s shoulder, turning her.

Lifeless brown eyes stared up at her from a face that, despite the slight blue tinge to the skin, was young and pretty. And horribly, horribly blank.

Though she knew it was futile, she reached out to check for a pulse. She pressed her shaking fingers against cold, wet flesh, and waited. The rhythmic tug of the running water was the only thing she felt.

“Help. I’ve got to get help,” she muttered through chattering teeth. She patted the pockets of her khaki hiking pants, then up along her torso, frantically searching for her cell phone. “Back pack.” She finally recalled where she’d put it and started for the bag she’d dropped along the shore.

Her feet and legs were nearly numb from the frigid water, making her trek to the shore a clumsy, stumbling one. She fell once, tripping over a tree root, and scraped the palm of her hand on a jagged piece of granite before reaching her pack. Her hands were stiff from the old, making grappling with the clips securing the pocket where she’d stored the phone difficult.

Before she dialed, she stopped. If she called it in, her secret would be out. No one was supposed to know she was back in the state. If she called it in, reports would be filed, and then he would find her. But she couldn’t just leave this poor woman’s body floating in the river.

Her brain scrambled for a solution that that would satisfy her ingrained desire to help, and her instinctive need to protect her secret and her anonymity.

“Anonymous report,” she told herself. That would work, right?

She had just grasped it when a sharp pain erupted at the back of her head in a shower of multi-colored sparks. Then there was nothing but darkness.
_________________________

Special thanks to Summer for hosting this. Now, be sure to go here and read the rest of the entries!

A Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I think I have trouble reading the end of a series. In fact, I can only think of a couple of instances where I loved the last book in a series. 

The Deathly Hallows almost (almost!) ruined the whole Harry Potter series for me, and believe, me up until that point I was uber-fanatic about everything HP.

I despised almost every aspect of Breaking Dawn while I devoured the rest of the Twilight series like a star-struck teenager.

My sister-in-law once commented that maybe the reason I was always disappointed in the conclusion of a series was because part of me was upset that it was ending. That maybe, because I regret that the books that I'd enjoyed so much were going to be no more, I was overly-critical when I read them.  She may be right. She's a pretty smart lady.

[On a side note: This is entirely different from those series that I feel have been dragging on waaaayy too long (Anita Blake, I'm talking to you!) and which I think it's time for them to come to some kind of conclusion.]

No one can argue (well, I suppose you can, but I wouldn't give your argument much credence) that Suzanne Collins is an amazing writer.  She has a wicked way with words and engrossing plots and complicated characters. The Hunger Games was probably the best book I'd read in a decade. Despite this, I find myself very torn about Mockingjay.  And I think it has to do with pacing.

When reading it, I found myself going back and forth between edge-of-my-seat, can't-read-fast-enough to completely bored. Back and forth. Over and over. It was draining. And, I suspect, it was a deliberate choice by Ms. Collins. It takes an amazingly skilled writer to actually make me feel, to experience at some level, what the main character is feeling. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy it.

The action packed moments were too short and the long wait between them was too long. But as much as I could wish we could have zipped from one tense moment to another action sequence and back again, the long breaks between really were necessary for the story. In real life, the moments of adrenaline-infused action seem to go by in an instant while the boring moments of life, or those times when we're forced to reflect on our purpose, or decisions, or sadness seem to drag on endlessly.  So, again, it takes tremendous skill to convey that so effectively.

I'm not really upset with the way it ended, though I was a little dissatisfied at parts. Katniss definitely went through some significant character growth, but in the end, I just didn't like her as much.

Or maybe I'm just disappointed that an awesome series is ending and that disappointment is reflected in my negative feelings of the book.

Here's the thing: If you've already read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you're going to read this book, no matter my review. And you should. Absolutely.

I would have rated The Hunger Games 6 out of 4 Jewels from the Dragon's Hoard. Yes it was just that good. 

I would have rated Catching Fire 3 out of 4 Jewels from the Dragon's Hoard. It was good (especially the second half) but rather than feeling like a book in and of itself, it felt like it existed as purely a transition to get from The Hunger Games to Mockingjay.

My first knee-jerk reaction would be to rate Mockingjay at 2 out of 4 Jewels. Not necessarily because it wasn't a good book, technically speaking, but because it was just not to my taste, which isn't really fair.  So, I'm giving Mockingjay 3 out of 4 Jewels from the Dragon's Hoard

What do those of you who've already read it think? Am I off base? Is it just misplaced disappointment coloring my view?

Back-to-School Daze Blogfest

We're breaking up the book review week planned for a special event: 

Roh Morgan at musings of a moonlight writer is hosting a blog fest. Yay!

Here's what Roh's looking for:

"Write a scene that takes place on a campus. It can be in a classroom, on the football field, in a locker room… (grin – but nothing explicit, please!) – just as long as the setting is on school grounds."

This is part of the first chapter of my WIP Embracing the Dragon which has been filed under the bed as a "maybe someday" project.  This is where the main character Lacey first sees her love interest.

Enjoy!

----------------------
Seventeen year old Lacey Bradley had one goal in life: to live long enough to graduate high school. Everyone’s life needed at least one major milestone before they died, right? Of course, she wouldn’t object to living a long and healthy life, but things were starting to look a little bleak for that particular ambition. Especially if she spent much more time in the frigid Minnesota air on a December morning.


And why, oh why, did it have to be Minnesota?

Chicago winters were no summer picnic on the lake shore, and the Windy City’s winter wind could freeze a person’s eyeballs, but nothing she had ever experienced could compare to the bitter cold that slammed into her as she walked down the salt-covered sidewalk that crossed in front of Dalton, Minnesota’s high school.

The sun was shining and it was a perfectly clear blue day, but she was still afraid to touch her ears in case they broke off. She pressed at her cheekbone. It felt almost solid. “Ah, man, that can’t be right,” she grumbled and pulled the red hood of her parka tighter around her face.

She saw the steps that led to the main entrance of the school and sighed. Half a block to go. It might as well be half a mile. The cold was sapping her strength at a tremendous rate. There ought to be a law against parking lots being located a block from the main building. Kids probably got lost in blizzards never to be seen again, just trying to get to class. A quick image flashed through her mind of her falling into a snowdrift and no one discovering her ice-encrusted corpse until things warmed up. Which would probably sometime in August, she thought in disgust.

Lacey grabbed her cell phone out of her coat pocket and fumbled it in her stiff fingers. After a moment she was able to grasp the shiny plastic phone and looked at the time display.

“Fantastic,” she muttered at the phone. “If being the new kid doesn’t make me enough of a freak, I get to be the new kid that shows up late.” The wrong turn she’d taken off of the main street is what did it, she decided. She sighed. It was the story of her life: whenever she was at an intersection and had to guess right or left, she always chose the wrong way. Always.

As she went to put the phone back, she heard quick steps crunching in the crystals of ice melt behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw three boys striding up the walk behind her, closing the distance between her and them with each step.

“Damn it, Nate,” one was complaining. “I have a test in Trig this morning. You know Mr. Greyson hates it when someone’s late. He might dock my grade.”

“Whatever. He’s not going to dock your grade, not top-of-the-class Dominic Drake. You’re his pride and joy. Besides, even if he did dock it, you’d what, get an A instead of an A plus?”

By this point they had caught up to her and they parted around her while she stood there. Whoa, they sure do grow them fine around here. She knew she was gawking, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. The one she’d heard first was tall, probably half a foot taller than her own five-ten, but looked puny compared to the one he’d called Nate. Nate was even a couple of inches taller than the first guy, and since he’d wasn’t wearing a coat—was the guy crazy?—she could see that his limbs and torso were covered with thick bands of muscle and he was broad enough that she felt positively petite as he walked past.

“You dropped your phone,” a quiet voice said. She started and knew that if it the blood in her face wasn’t frozen to slush, she’d have been blushing for getting caught staring. Then she looked up and found herself lost in the brightest green eyes she’d ever seen.

He was beautiful. Not in the way that so many boys were, that just this side of pretty way, but in a wholly masculine way that made her think of guardian angels in battle. His blond hair glinted gold in the sunlight, thick and wavy and just a little bit too long. His leather jacket was open, exposing a broad expanse of chest covered in a blue and yellow rugby style shirt. He was holding her phone out to her.

“Aren’t you cold?” The minute the words were out of her mouth she wanted to kick herself.

He looked at her in apparent confusion.

“You’re coat is open. Aren’t you cold?”

He smiled, flashing even white teeth and a single dimple. “I’m warm blooded,” he said.

At the sight of his dimple, her mind took a detour to loco-land. Oh, wow. That’s so not fair. Then, to compound her humiliation, a strange gurgling sound escaped her throat. She was pretty sure it was supposed to be something like “uh-huh,” but sounded more like someone was trying to strangle a guinea pig.

She blinked, trying to pull her mind back on track. This was mortifying. She’d always thought it was a joke, or at least an exaggeration, when people said they were struck speechless by someone’s good looks. The fact that it was happening to her was embarrassing in the extreme.

She snatched the phone out of his hand, and dropped it in her pocket. It was only after he had gotten several feet away that she realized she was still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, staring after him.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice trailing off.
____________________


Be sure to check out the other entrants here!

A Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Book Description (Via Amazon.com)

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.


But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

So.  You'd have to be dead on the blogosphere right now not to hear the hype about Kiersten White's debut novel Paranormalcy.  I mean, come on, a debut novel that hits the New York Times Best Seller's List? Awe-Some.  Now, the cynic in me can rationalize it. We are a very supportive group and will burn out the social media wires to help out a fellow writer...whether they deserve it or not. So it was was with some trepidition that I purchased this book.   Um...Yeah. The cynic in me needs to shut up and eat a burger, because the hype got it right.

This book was so much fun to read.  In fact, I started reading it while in the parking lot of my local McDonald's (I had to wait for them to bring me my meal...apparently the chicken needed to cook a couple more minutes). After the very nice crew person delivered by bag of Mickey-D's goodness I decided I might as well keep reading and just eat my meal in my car. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. 

Two and a half hours later I was still in my car in the McDonald's parking lot.  My butt was numb and I'm sure the restaurant manager wondered what I was doing, but I had finished this amazing book.

On Monday I promised I would not rave about a book I did not like. That I'd be honest in my review.  So, I can honestly say, I LOVED IT.

Here's why (in no particular order):

1. It manages to mix the light and fluffy with the dark and intense.  So many paranormal novels are very dark and edgy. So many YA romances are fluffy and sparkly. Both get old very fast. Ms. White managed to twist and twine them together in the pefect blance.

2. Evie feels very real.  Despite all the paranormal aspects of her life, she is a typical sixteen year old girl, with typical teenage girl wants and needs. She may be a member of the International Paranormal Containment Agency, but she gets afraid, she panics. She doesn't believe that she can handle anything and everything.  She does stupid kid stuff, gets frustrated when the adults don't take her seriously, is totally caught up with some high school drama t.v. show. Her voice is authentic, engaging and fun.

3.  No YA romance (paranormal or otherwise) is complete without the hot boy.  In fact, in Lend, we get several hot boys on the outside and the same great guy on the inside. And he's nice. A little impetuous, but all around a nice guy trying to do what's right. He's got issues, but he's not moody or broody about them.  He's a little uncertain about some things, but who isn't?

4.  It is age appropriate.  Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with realistic or edgy portrayals of teens today, but a lot of YA, especially YA paranormal, seems to be geared towards adults who read YA, rather than kids who read YA.  This book will appeal to both, but it's definitely appropriate for the younger end of the audience. Completely PG without being preachy or false.

5. Positive parental involvement. Okay, so Evie didn't have a real parent there, but Raquel filled the role to an extent. But, more obviously, Lend's father David.  I know that in a lot of teen-centric books, having too much parental involvement is frowned upon. Then, in order for there to be a realist reason for there to be no parents around to hinder the action, the parents are often dead, uncaring, drunk, abusive or oblivious, none of which is particularly positive.  In this, we get the action moving before introducing Lend's dad, but Lend is being held prisoner, so it makes sense that dad's not around. But when we meet dad, he's caring, supportive, and disciplining when needed.  He's also three-dimentional, despite being a peripheral character.

There you have it. Five reasons I particularly liked this book.

I give this book 4 out of 4 jewels from the Dragon's Hoard.

Be sure to check back on Thursday for my review of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. (We're breaking up the reivews for a Blog Fest on Wednesday.)
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Don't forget about my Name My Blog Contest.  $20 amazon.com gift card to the person who comes up with the name I decide to go with.    :)

A Book Review--Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (& An Award to Share!)

This week is all about the book reviews.  I realize that last week's posts were mostly me ranting about bad books or things that made me mad about a book.  Normally, I'm not such a complainer, I swear!  So, after a weekend of marathon reading, I've decided to review a few of the books I read. And, if you saw my post about responsible reviewing, you can be assured that I will not lie. If I say I liked it, I did. And I'll be honest about what didn't work. That being said, on with the first review!

Book Description (via Amazon.com)


Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.


When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My Thoughts:

Clockwork Angel is the first in a new series by Cassandra Clare, called The Infernal Devices.   This series is connected to her previous one, The Mortal Instruments, but takes place about 130 years earlier. 

One thing amused me about this is the possible classification of this novel.  I've read a few things, especially in regards to querying, that indicate that you should be able, to some extent, keep the classification simple. Romance. Sci/Fi. This book could potentially be classified as YA Historical Paranormal Romance with elements of Horror and Science Fiction and a smidgen of Steampunk. This could be a bad thing, if it didn't work. But it worked.

The difficulty in reviewing this book comes in the instinctive desire to compare it to the Mortal Instruments series, especially when it comes to the characters.  Will is Jace with brown hair, Jem is Alec with a different set of issues, and Jessamine is Isabel, and then there is Nate who is basically Sebastian but without demon blood. These characters really worked well in The Mortal Instruments and the worked really well here, but it would have been nice to see some new characters.  Even Tessa is an awful lot like Clary, though a little less snarky.  The characters are great--well developed with fully formed backgrounds and intriguing and sympathetic stories. If I read this book without having read the other series, I'd love the characters, which is why it's almost unfair that I'm comparing them.

One of the really cool things about this book is the role of women in this paranormal world.  In a lot (most) of the YA Paranormal books today the girls are kick-ass. They don't take crap from anyone, they hold their own and speak their mind. They are, without a doubt, tough chicks. But his book takes place in Victorian era England where kick-ass chicks had to be a little more subtle in their ass-kicking. They also had to be ladies. And were, in a lot of ways, second-class citizens.  Ms. Clare did an outstanding job illustrating the struggles of the lady Shadowhunter in Victorian England.  There was Charlotte--the one who was de facto in charge, though everyone assumed her charmingly absentminded husband, Harry, was.  She had to fight to be taken seriously as a hunter and as the head of the Institute.  Then there was Jessamine. She didn't want to do anything as uncouth as fight demons. She wanted to be a lady. She wanted to marry a gentleman who would take her away from this life.

Oh, and one of my absolute favorite characters from The Mortal Instruments series made an appearance her too. Magnus Bane.  While his role wasn't particularly important in this book, the ending makes it clear that he'll be back and better than ever.

There was a lot of exciting action and intriguing mystery in this story.  The automaton army was inspired. Creepier by far than any monsters they could have faced. The mastermind behind them was a little disappointing, though.  There was the expected betrayal, and enough twists in the plot to keep it going. And while the main question was answered, other questions were left hanging open. I'm definitely psyched for the next in the series, if only to find out what Will's deal is, the origin of Tessa's gift and the possible love-triangle between Tessa, Will and Jem.

Which brings me to my biggest disappointment:  The book description makes it sound like Tessa had to chose between these two delicious boys, when, ultimately, there's no real choice, and the romantic aspects are there, but not the focus I was expecting. Oh well, I have a feeling that this too will be addressed in the next books. I can't wait!

I give this book 3 out of 4 jewels from the Dragon's Hoard.

Check back tomorrow for my review of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

__________________________________

Nancy at N. L.. Williams, Fantasy Author presented me with this award! Isn't it sweet?

There were no rules presented with it, but the person who passed it on to her passed it to five people, and she in turn passed it on to five people, so that seems like a good way to go. 

So, I'm passing this award to five blogs that I really enjoy!

1. Cholisose @ Rose Transpose

2. aspiring_x @ Hairnets and Hopes

3. Kim @ Kim's Korner

4. Michelle @ MichelleStephens.com

5. Tiana @ tiana smith

*Hugs!*

Writer's Digest Writing Prompt

I follow Writer’s Digest on Facebook. A lot of the time their posts and links are blogs they are showcasing, or articles from their magazine or great deals at their shop. On Wednesday, I came across this writing prompt.


I thought it was pretty cool, so I decided to share it. The same exercise could also be done with a different scenario.

Writing Exercise of the Day: Write a dialogue scene in which a high school teacher questions a student who is suspected of cheating. In your first version of the conversation, the student is guilty. Then rewrite the scene, but this time the student is innocent. The challenging part: You may change only the tag lines, not any of the dialogue.

Here's what I came up with:

1.Guilty

Mrs. Francis held up Jimmy’s test paper. “Would you care to explain this?”

“Um… it’s my test,” he said cautiously.

“Jackie says you copied your answers from her test.”

“I didn’t!” Jimmy couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Can you explain why all of your answers match hers?”

He chewed his lip, thinking his answer through. “She…she must have copied me.”

2. Innocent

Mrs. Francis held up Jimmy’s test paper. “Would you care to explain this?”

“Um… it’s my test,” he said, confused.

“Jackie says you copied your answers from her test.”

“I didn’t!” Indignation colored his voice.

“Can you explain why all of your answers match hers?”

“She…she must have copied me.” Jimmy glared at Jackie, infuriated when he figured it out.


Go ahead, try it for yourself. It’s kind of cool.

The Really Bad Book (or, Betrayed by a Reviewer)

You know how there are books that you read and you get to a point and you ask yourself: How on Earth did this ever get published?

As published and pre-published authors we know how hard it can be to write, polish, query, submit a manuscript before it gets published. We know how many eyes are reading and judging the piece before a reader can purchase and read the novel.

Then we read a book and it's horrible. And you wonder "HOW?"

I just read such a book.  First, I'm disappointed that I wasted a couple of hours of my life on the piece of crap book (because I'm compelled to finish it once I've started it, no matter how bad it is, in the hopes that it will get better).  But worse, I'm ticked (and feel a bit betrayed) because the main reason I read this book is because a fellow blogger/reviewer who I usually agree with, gave it a stellar review.  If I had just randomly picked up the book on my own and didn't like it, I could lay the blame fully on my own shoulders. But now I feel like asking the reviewer to compensate me for the $5.50 I shelled out for the book.

Now, I don't know whether to rant about all the places the book went wrong (I can even spout out several "rules" that were broken, complete with examples) or to rant about responsible reviewing.
.
.
.
*Pondering the options*
.
.
.
Responsible reviewing it is!

Okay, first I'll preface this with:

Yes, I know different people have different opinions on all sorts of things. People like what they like. A reviewer is just a person with an opinion.

No, I'm not so naive that I don't recognize that people solicit reviews for their work all the time, generally with the understanding that a good review, no matter the content, would be forthcoming.

Having said that:
The reviewer for this book enthused that this author is the best of the best in this genre. I've read a lot in the genre, and this was one of the worst. The review also said that the characters and story would draw the reader in and keep them on the edge of their seat. Um, no. The writing was bad, the characters not developed, and there was a weird "twist" in the plot that ruined the whole thing. The book was advertised as romantic suspense and there was no romance and only a little suspense.  There was a lot of sex--very weird, random sex that did not move the plot forward at all--that in no way added to the romance. In fact, the first three quarters of the book was sex between two characters between whom you think a romance is building, when suddenly the MC has sex with a different character (without any relationship building) with whom he gets his HEA.

Whoops...starting to creep into where the book went wrong....

I don't always agree with the reviews for books that I read. Most of the time, if the book looks good, I don't even look at, or care about, the reviews that come with it. On the other hand, I, like many others, will occasionally buy/read a book that I may not have come across otherwise, based on a good review.  Because of that, when I read an enthusiastic review for such a bad book, I get ticked.  Because, and I don't say this lightly, the book had no redeeming qualities (though, I must admit it appeared to use correct spelling). It's not like Twilight where I can say it was poorly written in a technical sense, but had an engrossing story or engaging characters. Or a book where I don't like the characters but recognize the awesome writing skills.

I suspect that this is one of those cases where the reviewer was given the book to review either by the publisher or the author and felt honor-bound to give it a good review. When I review a book, I'm more likely to only review books I liked to some extent.  If I didn't like it, I wouldn't review it--kind of a "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" mentality (but, for crying out loud, don't lie about it!). Or, if I do talk about a book I didn't like, I'll talk about it in general terms and don't mention the title or author (like above). I really wish more reviewers were more like me. Or, at least tell their audience that they are reviewing a book at the author or publisher's request so I know to take the review with a grain of salt.

Anyway, I'm disgruntled. And ticked. And just a little bit pissed. 

Do you ever chose something to read based on someone's recommendation? How important are reviews to your reading choices? Would you give a good review to a bad book to spare someone's feelings?

Born to Write?

Do any of you watch "America's Got Talent"?  I don't, not really.  But I caught a rerun of the semi-finals performances.  There's the 10 year old girl that sings opera.  Have you heard her? It's beyond words that someone so young is so talented. And dedicated.  It can't have been easy, no matter the inherent talent, to have gotten as good as she is.

Jackie Evancho--America's Got Talent You Tube video

Now, this is a girl who was born to sing. No question.

Clearly there are people--artists, athletes, whatever--that were born to do what they do. Their talent was clear, their dedication and discipline set at an early age so they were bound to succeed.  They would likely be miserable if they were not able to do what they do for some reason.

I'm not one of those people. 

I'm fairly intelligent, but not brilliant.

I have a good sense of humor, but I'm not inherently funny.

I can't paint, sing, act, or take photographs with any kind of skill (and in some cases it's actually painful to observe if I try).

I don't have a skill or talent that screams YOU MUST DO THIS!

I've read essays and comments by writers who say that they write because they can't not write. That the stories or characters won't leave their heads, they're compelled to get the words out.  They can create beautiful prose and awe-inspiring description, witty dialogue, etc. in their sleep.

I'm not one of those people either.

I like to write.

I have some skill (though I'm still trying desperately to learn more) for the craft.

But if I never wrote again, I'd probably mourn it in a vague "shoulda, coulda, woulda" kind of way, but I'd be content, even happy, in my life. (On the other hand, if I could no longer read, my life would not be worth living.)

People with gifts like Jackie Evancho and the writers who are compelled to write make me wonder sometimes if I'm on the "write" course. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) I run into serious feelings of inadequacy. Sometimes I wonder if maybe, given my love of books and reading, I'd be a better editor or reviewer--let others do the writing. But I want to write and I'm willing to work at it. But then I tell myself that writing, or more specifically, being successful at writing, is made up of more than just talent. There's determination, dedication, discipline.  And aspects of the craft can be learned, nurtured and grown.

How do you handle feeling of inadequacy or uncertainty? What makes you stay the course?

A Reader's POV

I have a confession to make.  Those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time probably have figured out that I have no real expertise as a writer. I'm still learning. What that means, however, is that I'm not in any position to dole out excellent writing advice. 

But...

I'm a heck of a reader. I've been reading since I was four and never paused along the way. Now I average about a book a day, usually more, on top of my full time job and the time I eek out for writing.  I'll be honest, I'd probably get a heck of a lot more writing done if I read less.  But I digress...

The point today is, as a voracious reader, I can give some advice to writers, but from a reader's point of view. 

Today I'm going to mention a couple of my pet peeves, prompted by a couple of books I've read lately, that deal with characters/characterization.

1.  Your main character needs to have some redeeming qualities. He can be the baddest of bad-asses, but somewhere along the way he needs to have a nice side. Maybe he saves abandoned puppies or donates anonymously to worthy causes. Somewhere along the way, we need a reason to like him.  I'm sure there are many instances where it's okay for the main character to be un-likable across the board, but as a reader, it's hard to connect with, or care about, a slime ball.

2.  I read a lot of book series where a beloved character in one book gets a story of his own in the next book.  I like these kinds of series.  I'm one of those people that, when I get to the end of Jack and Jill's story, I ask myself "Whatever happened to Paul, Jack's best friend? I liked him."  There's a catch though.  If Paul is a nice, funny, charismatic man in Jack's story, when he gets his own book, he needs to still be a nice, funny, charismatic man. I don't want Paul to suddenly become a sullen, withdrawn bastard in his own story. Like everything, there are exceptions, but there better be a darned good reason for a drastic change. 

So... there's my reader's POV advice for today. 

What pet peeves do you have when it comes to things that you read?

The Name My Blog Contest

When I started this blog last fall, I intended it to relate specifically to the novel I was working on (about a group of shape-shifting dragons called Drakon--thus the title Stories of the Drakon).  Well, I've recently decided to put the Drakon novel on the back-burner for a while and focus on other projects.  What this means now, however, is that my blog title no longer makes sense.

The solution?  A new title, of course.

The problem? I have no idea what to call it now. While I'm fairly intelligent and I think I have a good sense of humor, I'm not particularly clever. I think the best blog titles are usually kind of clever. And since I know that most of you out there are so much cleverer (more clever?) than me, I'm looking to you for help.

So I'm looking for suggestions.  Help me come up with a new title for my blog. 

The contest:

Suggest a possible title for my blog. You can enter as many suggestions as you can come up with.  Post them in the comments section.

If I pick the title you suggest (or if your title prompts a moment of brilliance for me) you will win a $20 gift card to amazon.com. 

I'll re-post this periodically between now and the end of September. By October 1st I'll have a new name and one of my lucky (and extremely clever) followers will have an amazon.com gift card. 

So, please, help a girl out! :)

P.S.  Thanks to Cholisose at Rose Transpose who asked a very good question:

Is there any specific kind of element you're looking for in your blog title? 

I don't have anything specific in mind, but it would be best if it related somehow to reading, writing, books, words or my name ( J. Leigh Bailey). 

Words to Write By

When you are describing,

A shape, or sound, or tint;

Don't state the matter plainly,

But put it in a hint;

And learn to look at all things,

With a sort of mental squint.

~Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)

What I'm Up To Now

I've officially decided to file my Embracing the Dragon story away in a drawer called "maybe someday."  I'm bored with it, the characters, the premise, and I've officially gone three months since I've even opened the document on my computer.  It's time to put her away. 

Do not despair, however.  I've got plans. Plans that include two new projects that have me really excited. One a new YA Romance and the other a post-apocalyptic short(ish) story.  I've even started to outline them, which is a total first for me.

The novel: working title: Healing Summer

The idea:  Summer is a girl from Chicago who has everything going for her—good looks, talent, good friends, a wealthy family—but her world is shaken up when her best friend dies of a drug overdose. Now she’s juggling grief and guilt—guilt because she didn’t know her friend was even using drugs and she thought she should have seen the signs before it got out of hand. Increasingly depressed and withdrawn, she is forced by her parents to spend the summer before her senior year of high school at the summer home in Door County, Wisconsin .

When she gets there she is reintroduced to her childhood friend Elliot. During her earlier summers there they’d been nearly inseparable. Elliott has changed a lot since she'd last seen him. Before he’d been tall and skinny with glasses and uncontrollable hair and now the glasses are gone and he’s built, buff and hot. And he’s no happier to see her than she is to be there. Elliott had a bad experience that put him off the “seasonal” girls who thought he was good enough for a summer fling, but not for a serious relationship. His family doesn’t have a lot of money, and he has to work all summer, at various jobs catering to the seasonal crowd to pay for college and help support his family during the off-season. Frustrated with the sense of entitlement from the seasonal residents, he’s initially harsh with Summer, considering her emotional shields and withdrawn behavior a sign that she’s just one more rich-bitch summer chick.

Setting:

Ephraim, WI (in the fall, though the story will take place in the summer)

The short(ish) story: working title: The Gatherers

The idea: In a post-Apocalyptic world, there are a few people who survive by gathering goods from dangerous or hard-to-reach areas that are then bartered/sold. The gatherers travel in a caravan (like gypsies) throughout the ravaged country searching for, repairing and trading goods to other survivors.


The leader of the clan takes care of younger members if, and only if, they return each day with enough loot to warrant it. No loot = no food or water.

They face violent gangs, treacherous terrain, rival gatherer clans, and starvation/dehydration.

Bullies and gangs take advantage of the younger and weaker gatherers. In order to protect them, and ensure their survival, the main character, Jay, must make a stand and challenge the new system.

Setting:

Bryce Canyon, Utah

So, now that my enthusiasm is back, I've got a lot to do, even if part of me mourns the abandonment of Embracing the Dragon.
Honest opinion: Are these ideas too over-done? Sound interesting? Worth the effort?