Planning ahead...Yeah right, I wish

I actually have done some planning of what I want to get accomplished for today, but whether I will actually complete these plans I've set out with is another story.  I have to work until 8pm tonight, so it's not exactly like my afternoon is free me to blog and whatnot.
Later this evening I hope to....

• continue working on chapter 7 of Cursed with Power  --I feel like I've wasted way too long staring at the first two paragraphs for this chapter and I need to get the story moving along not only so I can have a state of peace in mind but so my readers --yes, you all--can read what you've been waiting for
• finish chapter 2 of Certain Fate --I've procrastinated with this book, I admit it.  However, I honestly do want to write the first 10,000 words so it can at last go public.  Hooray, hooray!  (What, am I the only one excited?)
• Revise/re-write/do something with the prologue off Everblue --not all that many people have read Everblue, but I've recently tried to begin polishing it because I'm so sick and tired of saying "here's another book I haven't finished"
• Finish prologue for The Magic of Light --yes, I'm thinking a prologue is necessary and besides I really like prologues and feel if I can pull the reader in at that point of the story then no worries...yeah, I wish it was that easy....

As you can see I have written out too much for myself to do today, but I pretty much go through this everyday.  Why am I sharing this with you?  It's so when and if I am blogging later tonight you can remind me of this long list full with madness I have to get working on.

Really, I mean look at that list.  FOUR BOOKS?!  It is madness and it's probably mentally destroying me working on so many projects as once, but as I was working with different ideas I would lose track of where to go next and then I would begin a new project.  Now while I have Cursed with Power there are at least these other books which can keep me company when I feel that Celestria and I have lost connection with each other entirely.

For any of you avid readers out there, I'll let you in on a secret: I'm going to post the prologue of The Magic of Light on this blog once I have it finished.  You will be able to read it.  Shh, don't let anybody know I told you.

<-----And maybe it's just me, but that's a really creepy face to make...even if she is winking.

Be there for the magic: www.themagiciansseries.blogspot.com

The wait for the Magicians series blog

I am just as anxious as all of you for when the Magicians series blog is public.  Laura told me about this blogger --Amanda-- who makes layouts, hence why the blog is not yet public.  I want to have the layout finished before I come on and say, "Hey guys the blog is HERE!"

I also want you to know that the survey about the blog is still going on. Please take the survey.  Everyone has been so helpful with giving me advice and suggestions to make this blog something all of us can be involved in and stay interested.
The ideas are more than whatever I would have imagined on my own, and thanks to your input I am able to see the interest everyone has in the series, even if there is only information up about Cursed with Power so far.
I did not think Cursed with Power --or even the entire Magicians series in general-- would go over as well as it has been.  I am amazed to always hear how readers are interested in the story.  Even though it takes a dark twist to a world that is always usually so spectacular, there are people who have become seriously involved in dedicated.
However, I must tell you --any of you fans out there-- I do not know how you all are going to beat each other to the book store when the first book gets published.  Somehow we all always get into that conversation about the future; it ought to be interesting.... Really interesting haha.
Hope my second copy of the update for Cursed with Power was decent; sorry it wasn't exactly what it started out as.

And yes I did change my signature; thanks for noticing!  Like it?

Chapter four... with that guy you know... LEAL

4: Someone to Need
I realize it's been a while since I've done an update on this blog about Cursed with Power.  I sincerely apologize to all of you who love --for some reason or another--reading updates about the book.  I can't remember when I last did an update because I've been busy with the new blog, surveys, the new contest, and etc etc... Oh well, I will start here.  At chapter four, which I posted up last night but didn't have the chance to tell you about.

In chapter four the entrance of a seemingly minor character comes into the story.  Yes, ladies and gents, I am talking about Leal.  He at first was going to be as minor as a character can get.  I suppose a lot of you are curious about just how minor he would have been, but I think that I will save for you to read on the Magicians series blog.
Anyways, the original chapter involved a lot of talking between Celestria and Leal.  Somehow or another there was something about Leal that caught everyone's attention.  I may never fully know why many of you fans like his character as much as you tell me, but I assure you there is more about Leal than first appears to be.  All the same, I was very strict with myself while writing this chapter because I wanted to make sure that whatever had sparked your interest in his character stayed in the story.
While at first I thought I would most likely keep the dialog in this chapter the same as in the first original version, I ended up changed it all because I felt that the conversation between Celestria and Leal needed to flow smoothly.
Who is Leal and what's all this talk about him for?  I would answer that question, but I think the best answer you can get from the chapter itself.  The reactions I've gotten from this chapter were unbelievable; I truly did not expect everyone to fall so madly in love with Leal and now I'm only more interested to see how you'll react as both you and Celestria find out more about him...

It was brought to my attention early that there doesn't seem to be much magic involved in the first few chapters.  Well, that is exactly why I'm going to give you some hints as to what is coming in the next few chapters.  There is definitely magic in this book, I assure you of that.

Coming next in Cursed with Power...
You know I'm not one to give away anything major, especially with books.  However, I feel it necessary to tell you about the following chapters in a brief kind of way because then it *hopefully* gives you something to look forward to.
I think for the book itself, chapter four was like the top of the staircase.  So far there has been lots of talk about magic, and Celestria has explained in more than one way how her world has shattered before her, but I don't think yet anyone can fully understand why people hate her.  Or even why she feels she cannot escape what she once called a "nightmare".
From chapter four we see a new side to Celestria, and then more mystery enters into the story once more.  The fact of the matter is you only know as much as Celestria knows.  She believes Dyanna is dead; you do no know what happened to her.  She thinks Leal is handsome but doubts him; you are only able to judge him from what he says and does.  All the same, while these unknown matters may be addressed very soon, there are much larger events that will leave you questioning everything.
The world of magic is about to come to life in the book... this may not be something Celestria will want to look forward to.  What makes her evil and why it is so hard to change the person she has become will be made clear to you.
In Cursed with Power the magical world is perceived in a different way.  The reader may find him/herself depending on Celestria to discover what is true and what is in the shadows of the world during these next coming up scenes.

"My talk about shadows is no joke, Miss Hale.  There are dark parts of this world thou have not seen before; I can only hope thou shall not ever be exposed to them." Leal said solemnly.


Read the book?!

*PLEASE NOTE: Leal's name has an accent on the "e".  I am sorry I did not take the extra time to post that within this update, but this was my second time typing this up so I assume you can understand.*

Survey *PLEASE TAKE*

Last night I came up with a crazy wonderful and bizarre kind of idea.  I really cannot go through with this idea unless I get feedback from all of you.
As you'll see I've added a poll to the blog and I have created a survey which I am embedding here for you.

I'm considering making a third blog --because I have this one and Write Here's official blog, mind you-- about solely the Magicians series.  I think this could be fun and interesting, and while fans and readers could follow it everybody else could follow it to just for the heck of it.  I'm really into blogging, so you all know I would definitely have posts up daily.  I'm not saying that because of this idea and if I went through with it that I would not continue to talk about the series and etc on this blog, but I feel there's even more that could be done if I have just a blog focusing on solely that series and that series alone.

Please take the survey --it's not too long and you answer what you want to.  If you don't have time for the survey just answer the poll for me.  I want to hear feedback soon so I can figure out what to do with this possible *new* blog.  If you don't feel like answering the poll or survey just leave a comment at the least with your thoughts.

Thanks!

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

The "ending" is here.... sort of

Today I've "finished" Cursed with Power.  I am putting finished and ending in quotes because the book has a lot of editing it needs to go through.  I am not even posting the "end" I have right now because it is this book out of all the books in the Magicians series that depends on how popular the others get.  If people don't read the end of this book and say, "Oh my gosh I want more. Please write the next book ASAP" we all know that will mean I've really screwed up.
I'm not sure exactly when I'll have the ending up, but you can read what I do have up on IP for now.  You can also read the book on Writer's Cafe by clicking here, but please note that you must be a member to do so.

And now you're wondering what's next right?  For me, editing.  For you, a premier of....

The premier of New Life, the second book in the Magicians series, will be coming in September!


I still have yet to determine a date.  I'll let you know when I actually do know.  Obviously I am not starting this book for a while, seeing as I have to at least get to a point where I feel confident enough to post the final chapters of Cursed with Power.  Plus now that I'm going back to school and I have work I have no idea when I will have free time.  When I do start it it's going to take me some time to get to 10,000 words.

Read Cursed with Power and catch up on what you've read.  Details about the ending are not going to posted here on the blog and when I post that the final chapters are up I'm simply going to say that and nothing more.
Yes, I am still currently writing Cursed with Power.  It needs a lot of editing --we've all been there--and more editing.  I'll keep you updated as always.

The Magicians series books 4 & 5

Here are the covers for the 4th and 5th book in the Magicians series.  Both were made by thatcinderellastory once again and she deserves all of the credit.  Again the summaries for these books are not going up until I actually get to these books. Besides, as I'm sure many of you will agree, we all change the summaries to our books many times.

Tadaa!  The fourth book, The Secrets We Share, and the fifth book, Gracien's Staircase.  

And no, Gandalf is not in this series; that's simply just a picture.  I assure you Gracien is not as old as Gandalf and I highly doubt any character can be as interesting and wise as Gandalf.

Like the covers?

A Greater Destiny --new cover *must see*

Here's the new cover for A Greater Destiny (book 3 of the Magicians series).  This cover was made by thatcinderellastory and she deserves all the credit for the excellent well done job.
This story was actually up yesterday, but I did not have time to post about the new cover.

The summary for this story shall not be up for quite some time because it's the third book in the series.  It will also not be promoted on my blog until I'm working on New Life.

Get a head start and read the first book in the series.  Come up with your own theories of what will happen once everything is said and done and stay tuned for the coming up ending of Cursed with Power.

When did I last post?

When was the last time I posted?  I can't remember... Maybe two days ago?  I don't think I blogged yesterday, but I could be wrong.  Hmm....
Anyways, I've been looking around and commenting on other blogs and.... Oh yeah, I got a new phone --not that anyone cares--but it's really amazing, so that's why I'm telling you.
Say hello to my new phone: the LG Cosmos.  Do you guys love it or what?  I'm not usually one to come on here and try and show off, and believe me I'm not trying to do that here, but I've never had a fine that works like this so yes I was extremely happy when it came in the mail yesterday.  I can tell you it's definitely better than the Motorola phone I had.

But moving onwards....
I can't believe that the summer is coming to an end and so is August.  Come Monday I will be returning to school.  Oh fun! *sarcasm* It's actually not something I'm dreading really, which yes I've already heard sounds stupid for me to say.
Right now I'm trying to figure out what happened to a pick Cursed with Power had.  I've been so busy with training for work lately I haven't gotten to type up the rest of chapter 18.  I have the dialog ready; it just needs narration and etc.
Hope everyone is enjoying the last few days we have of summer.

It's already Tuesday.... Wow!

As you probably figured out, I was not able to blog yesterday.  In all truth I doubt I would have had much interesting to say, seeing as I did not get any writing done yet.  Instead I was catching up with PMs and scheduling swaps and then I went to training for my job.
Thankfully, though, I have time now to catch you up on whatever I feel you should know or I just feel like saying.  Hopefully I do not bore you.

Oh my gosh you won't believe this, but Cursed with Power is finally in the 700s!!!!!!! Now I've still got a long ways to go to really be proud of anything, but I'm glad the book has gotten this far now.  The bad thing is that I have a lot of book swaps to catch up on.
Chapter eighteen, which was supposed to be finished how many days ago?  Well.... I cannot deny that other matters have kept me from finishing it.  Today I am really going to try and see if I can get it finished; if not I'll be bothered by that more than you will.
Good reviews, oh yeah!  At first I really didn't think too many people would like Cursed with Power and find an interest in it.  Apparently I was worrying for all the wrong reasons.  It's great to hear some positive feedback after some of the negative feedback I get now and then.  I suppose now, though, I'm just rambling on...
What is interesting?! All right, well, today I should be working on a significant part in Cursed with Power but I refuse to give away surprises.  You know that if you really want to find out you'll have to read it for yourself.
Innocent & Young will eventually be going up on the Teen Inkst Magazine, but I still do not know exactly when.

Laura's new book!!!! My writing friend, Laura, who you might remember having been on the blog several days ago for her interview, has posted her new book up.  Secrets Revealed is another book in the Assassin series that you won't want to miss out on.  I've only read the first chapter, but I suggest you read it and tell her what you think.  Read it here!
Shout out to Laura: Love the book; I'm expecting for it to get only more interesting whenever I get the chance to read more.

And coming up next is me giving out my first award on the blog.  You might be a winner, so check in because I'm putting it up right after this.
One last thing before I go to swapping and writing..... The next writers interview will be with Sherron Paris.  She hasn't said she's available yet, so please be patient.

New story covers!!!

I wanted to stop in to let you guys know that new story covers will be coming for my short story Innocent & Young and for my book The Magic of Light.
The new cover for New Life will not be up until Curtis from IP can do that; he did the new cover for Cursed with Power and thus I'd prefer he do the new cover for the sequel.

I'll be sure to show you the new covers when I have them.
And... Haven't read Cursed with Power yet?  Read more about it here and then go read the story.

Have you read this post? Why not?

The Teen Inkst Magazine is uploading stories in today, thus I think later I'll be back and giving you the links.  The new short stories of mine that are going up will be Innocent & Young and Sketching a Fashionable Future.

It is finally Friday! Honestly sometimes I feel like the week drags on and on and on, but at last Friday is here!

Since last night it was too late for me to give details about chapter 17 of Cursed with Power, I figure I probably should now before I return to typing up chapter 18.
It all happened so soon....
Chapter 17: Another Journey...................
In chapter seventeen Celestria is faced with having to travel somewhere else.  Now her mission seems clear to her, but can it really be as simple as she is thinking?  And what about all the troubles that she ponders about when all is silent?  How is this going to end for Celestria?  Well, both you and her are coming up on the end with every new chapter you read.


Coming up is..................
What I sadly cannot give away too much about.  As I come closer to reaching the end with this book it appears I'll have less and less that I can tell you.  Sorry; but you know what you can do to ease your curiosity. 


The author is looking forward to.................
What am I looking forward to?  Hmm, I think focusing more on the struggles Celestria is now going to face.  I mean, she's already been through a great deal of battling and betrayal and etc. but there's still more she has to face before she reaches the ending to her story, as she mentioned in her letter to Adam.  Whatever ending she has will lead readers into the next book.  I'll be curious for reactions when readers do discover how it all ends.


For now I believe this is all I have to say.  I'm not sure if I mentioned this yesterday, but I did not win in the "Love is Hell" contest.  At least there are still more contests that always go up, right?
To end this post I'll just say that now I've got to get back to Cursed with Power and perhaps if you should read the first and second chapter of the book on IP you can help me determine how to add in more about Dyanna at the beginning.
You can read the story by clicking here.

Gotta write and while I'm doing that....

Today when I logging onto blogger and looked at the other blogs I'm following, I realized that it seems like everyone has something exciting going on over at their blogs.  And I can't help but to wonder if you guys ever get bored on mine, despite how hard I try to keep matters interesting.
Today I'm hopefully going to finish up chapter 17.  While I'm doing that I may try to make some kind of presentation for you guys so you'll be excited about it and have something to look forward to.

MAGIC. IS. DANGEROUS. READ. ABOUT. IT. HERE.
You know, one of these days I'm hoping I find a better way to be like "Here's where you can read my book" but until then I'll keep playing around with different ideas.
As for what my next presentation will be about for you....?  Well, that's something you'll have to find out when I have it finished and post it up.

"Trailer" for Cursed with Power coming soon!

I just found out a way to turn powerpoints into video files so you guys can check them on here on the blog.  I'm making what I'm calling the "trailer" for the book right now, but hopefully I'll have it posted soon.  It will probably go up tomorrow, since I'm working on it this evening.
Hope you will enjoy it; who knows, maybe you'll be even more curious to read the book.

Wrong Impression

I wanted to blog about this because someone who recently read Cursed with Power got the impression that I was trying to make Dark magicians out to be good people.  I thought it would be good for me to explain that I am not trying to do such a thing.

The Magicians series, as you know, focuses on five Dark magicians and there struggle to survive since they are the last of their kind.  Each story in the series is told from the POV of one of the five Dark magicians.

At times it may seem like the magicians are saying --or suggesting--that they are good people, but in truth they are not.  Seeing as they actually tell the story from how it happens and how they see it, they are of course going to be objective and bias towards themselves.  These magicians know they are villains --or whatever you would prefer to call them--but like anyone else they do not believe that what is happening to them is right, nor is it something that deserves to happen to them because they are evil.

Like you, I view Dark magicians as villains, no matter what the story.  However, in this series you have to keep in mind that the stories are being told from each magician's perspective.  

So if you are reading Cursed with Power or if you should happen to read any of the other books in the five part series, please keep an open mind and remember that the magicians are narrating the story.

Chapter sixteen has been UPLOADED

Quite honestly it's hard to believe that I managed to get through chapter sixteen.  Some of you who are interested in whatever I happen to blog may ask, "Why?"  Well, when I first began this chapter I wasn't sure where to go with it.  I mean, at the beginning I knew what was going to happen but then after I finished with that I stared at the page on Word and thought, "What's next?"
While I have the ending outlined --and what leads to the ending--it's just not time for the story to end yet.  Obviously at 16 chapters there is more that needs to go into the book.  So what did I do?  Well, I thought about it and thought about it.  And then, my fellow followers, writers, viewers, and whatnot, I came up with a crazy and dare I say fantastic idea.  Unfortunately I cannot give you the details because that would give something away!

Chapter 16: Lost, Not Forgotten..........................
In this chapter Celestria comes to make a vital decision; one that not only affects her life, but also another's.  After having made this decision, Celestria is haunted by memories and also new images she's never seen before.... How? Why? Is it really possible?  Take a step into the river and find out... Read the story here.

Coming next.....................................
Celestria next must decide if what she has experienced was real or imaginary.  Would someone pull such a dirty trick on her?  And if so, how could they have done it?
As the ending comes closer and closer.... more gets added in!


The author's excited about...........................
I'm looking forward to adding in more supernatural kind of events into the story that will make both the reader and Celestria question what is really happening.


Hopefully you'll consider taking the time to read the story if you have the chance to; if not, you may just have to be happy with what little I let you in on.  And I promise that soon Lala's interview will be up.  I've been working so much on Cursed with Power that I just haven't found the time to post it up yet.  (Sorry)!

Chapter fifteen has been UPLOADED

Chapter fifteen has been finished and uploaded onto IP for you to read.  To get you interested I'll let you in on a little surprise that enters into this chapter....
Celestria,
I have sent this message because it is vital that you return in haste.  I will not say much for now but I will tell you that there is something within the diamond you left....


And that's all of the message that you can read for now.  If you want to read the rest and find out what Celestria does afterwards you know what you'll have to do. 
Read it here. Review it.  Leave a comment. Add it.


Now I'm going to work on chapter 16.  You can expect to hear more from me later on once another chapter is finished.  Soon I will be posting up Lala's interview.

Chapter fourteen has been UPLOADED

At last chapter fourteen is finished and uploaded on IP for you to read.  As always I'm here to give you a little preview and some hints at what may happen and telling you about what very well could happen next.
Read it here.
Chapter fourteen: Miraculous
In chapter fourteen Celestria travels to a magical, miraculous place.  However, she does not realize that danger is right around the corner for her.


Coming up next....
Celestria must decide how far she wants to go to save a person she barely knows.  Is she really going to put her life on the line?  And what may be the most significant to her comes her way.  What will she do about it?


The author is looking forward to...
I'm glad to be moving on with the chapters and getting a lot of suspense and tension into the story.  The paranormal aspects of this story come into play yet again and make the reader (hopefully) wonder what is real and what is a hallucination.  Celestria has to come to make a vital decision on her behalf in the next chapter or so.  It is this decision alone that will lead to what kind of ending she has to her story.
Hope you'll stop in to read more; if not I'll be back again later with another new chapter up.  The answers you've been waiting for are ones that Celestria is just coming to find the answers to for herself.
Read the story. Review it.  Leave a comment.  Add it.
 

Cursed with Power... writing more

Today I am writing more for Cursed with Power.  I think that for those of you who are reading it or have a least been keeping up with the posts I blog about it you will find that there is much more awaiting both you and Celestria in this story.
What happens next is what you're not going to expect... much less believe!
Just while matters are seemingly starting to go well for Celestria she finds out there is much more to come her way.  Unfortunately it is not at all good.  New characters come to enter into the story and Celestria goes to seek out an old foe.
Can she survive through it?
I ask this question but I know that you are asking exactly what she has to worry about surviving.  Well, my fellow followers and viewers, I cannot give that away to you.  However, I will let you know that I have outlined the ending of the book and as I said in an early post this ending is just the right ending to lead you into New Life.
As eager as I may be to write out the ending of the book there is still more Celestria has to tell you about.  Her journey is far from being over.
Haven't read it yet?
If you haven't read this book yet I am not exactly the right person to be saying you should read it --seeing as I'm bias--but you should definitely consider taking a glance at the summary if nothing else to get some ideas of your own on the book.
Read it here.Review it. Leave a comment. Add it.

Check in again later today on the blog to hear about chapter 14, which I'm in the process of writing right now.  Let's all hope I'll stay focused and force myself to write and finish more than one chapter.

In order to write a series you will need...

While I am still distracted from writing more for Cursed with Power I have decided to give you my honest opinion about the most important factors you must have figured out before you consider writing a series.

I know a lot of you who are already writing a series so this is nothing new for you, but perhaps you can just find that you agree with what I say.

As always I just want to note that this is my personal opinion and nothing I say here is what you have to live by.  An opinion is an opinion and we'll leave it at that; now maybe when I'm published I'll not say that this could be totally incorrect but for now I'll just cover myself.

What you'll need to write a series:

1. A colorful cast of characters
2. A well developed storyline
3. Time to look at what's ahead

So let me know explain why I say you'll need the following things and let's go in order, shall we?

A colorful cast of characters is important for every project you write, but with series this is really essential because if you cannot find your characters interesting or make them that way then it is unlikely that the readers will either.  You should be able to connect to characters and have a narration for the story that also lets the readers connect with them as well.  Have a favorite and someone you hate?  Make sure that the readers will also have characters that they feel this way towards.  Let's face it, if you can't stand your characters your book will be a failure.  Characters make the story; it's not the other way around.

A well developed storyline is something you can't do without for a series.  If your story is something that could have been ended in one book, why are you continuing it on?  Some stories do not need to continue on, so please keep the readers interests in mind.  The ending of the first book should probably arise new questions and leave the readers wanting more, thus the next book occurs  In each book you'll be answering more questions while at the same time adding in more, and some may not come to an end until the very last book in the series.  Make sure you know what your storyline is and that it is strong enough to live through a series of books.

Time to look ahead.  By this I mean simply that you should be thinking about the next book in the series and gathering new ideas for that while you are working on the current book in the series.  If you don't know what you want the next book to focus on, how will you know where to end the current book?

If you are writing a series as I am feel free to leave a comment on whether you have found that the three components I mentioned in this post are essential.  If you'd like to mention something else you find that is important, I encourage you as always to share your thoughts.

LReneeS is currently working on the Magicians series, a five part series.  The series focuses on five Dark magicians; each story told from a different point of view.  

She has also written a trilogy for The Magic of Light, though only the first book has been finished and the second one is in the progress of being written.

New Life

I've prepared myself on IP for when I get to writing New Life.  For those of you who are just dying to know what this book is about I'll tell you a little bit.  However, the full summary of the book I shall not be posting until I finish Cursed with Power.  I feel if I tell you the full summary now I'll be giving away too much, though the summary of this book really doesn't give away a lot.

New Life
Book 2 of the Magicians series


Sentence summary: Léal changed his looks because he wanted to; he was forced to change his life because he had to.