Be Yourself Online

I read a blog post recently about The 10 Commandments of Social Networking for Writers. It's a great post so you should head on over and read it. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Good, you remembered to come back. Here's a cookie.

Anyhow, the article got me thinking about how easy it is to pretend that your someone you aren't online. You can 'show' the online world whatever you want. You can pretend to be younger or thinner or hide behind an avator or image. But why would you want to pretend to be someone you aren't?

It's a lot easier to just be yourself. And being real, I think, makes a person so much more relate-able. Makes a person more friendly. Makes a person someone I want to be friends with.

So keep that in mind when you tweet or are on FB. Who are you pretending to be? Or are you just being yourself? It makes a difference.

Me? I just like to be me. I hope you like me too. :)

Inspiring Mondays

Credit for picture

I think this picture has so many possibilities. The explorer - where did he come from? What is he looking for? Is he hiding from something or someone? And the house - what's inside? Is it a temple? Or is it hiding a terrible secret beneath its stone floors?

And another issue of The Medieval Chronicle is now available! Click here to read my article. Enjoy! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Credit for picture

Happy Thanksgiving all my blogging friends! I hope you enjoy lots of food and time with your loved ones.

I'm thanking for my family, who makes me happy and lifts my spirits when I'm feeling down.

I'm thankful for my friends, who love me despite my craziness.

I'm thankful that I'm able to spend my days at home, with my two adorable and precious sons.

I'm thankful that I'm a writer.

I'm thankful for the writing community, without which I surely would have pulled out all of my hair by now.

I'm thankful for my critique partners, my beta readers, my friends that I bounce ideas off of, that they aren't afraid to tell me what works and what doesn't, for helping to make my writing shine.

I'm thankful for all of you and your friendship.

What are you thankful for?

Writing Backward

Yesterday I wrote about Alexia's Pen and YA and MG. I ended by saying that I was going to make the story darker.

By adding a curse.

Here's the new query letter for Alexia's Pen:

Fifteen-year-old aspiring novelist Alexia loves the colorful pen the mysterious Arthus, a recent transfer student, gives to her. The pen is special – anything it writes comes true. When the pen writes of its own accord about a mystical Land of Imagining, Alexia learns she’s not just an ordinary girl, she’s an All-Knower. So is Arthus, and her mother.

The rest of the magical All-Knowers are in terrible danger. The Head Demon seeks to enslave and kill them, determined to rule the Land of Imagining. Alexia is able to control the All-Knowers with her pen, but the power comes at a cost – each time she writes with the pen, an All-Knower becomes a demon. After the Head Demon kidnaps her family, Alexia must find a way to go to the Land of Imagining. She will do anything, even if it means giving up her power, to save her family and her people and to prevent the Land of Imagining from becoming the Land of Terror.

So now the query letter is finished. I just need to go back and revise the story so that the story reflects the query. Talk about writing backward! :) I think the curse definitely makes the story darker and more YA in tone.

Have you ever written backward before?

Whoops! MG versus YA

I've mentioned my fantasy YA novel, Alexia's Pen before. I had the honor of placing in a recent writing contest on a blog and my awesome prize was a query critique by the amazing Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe.

She read my initial query and asked if the story was actually MG.

Oh... can we say whoops?

It's been years since I read a MG story. Well, other than Harry Potter that is.

The thought that Alexia's Pen might actually be MG startled me. But then to some extent, it made sense. After all, I started to write the story in the 6th grade.

And I'm no stranger to blurring lines. Take my Kingdom of Arnhem series. It's intended for adults but can be enjoyed by young adults as well. I purposely wrote those books that way.

So now I have a decision to make. Do I try to cut down an already tight story? Because at 79k, that's considered too long for MG. Or do I try to make the story more YA by making it edgier?

I'm not opposed to making Alexia's Pen MG. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that I thought it was YA. So now I'm doing to make Alexia's Pen more YA. It's gonna get darker. A lot darker. There won't be the possibility of a question of MG versus YA anymore.

Has this ever happened to you? Has a story started one way and ended up a different genre? Do you know the cut-off between MG and YA?

Inspiring Mondays

Credit for picture

Today's picture is a Kelpie. If you've read Knight of Glory, you already know all about this mysterious creature but if you haven't - the Kelpie is a water demon horse. It commonly looks like a lost pony and its mane is constantly dripping. To touch it could mean death, the horse is that cold. And if you should climb onto its back, it will race to the nearest body of water and drown you. Not the nicest of creatures, huh?

Extra little tidbit - the Kelpie will make a return appearance in Champion of Valor. But sh, I didn't tell you that! :)

Friendly Friday

I love horses. I used to tease hubby that I wanted two mustangs: the car and the horse.

Credit for picture

One time, hubby took me horseback riding as a date. I absolutely loved it even though I had no idea what I was doing. But it was incredible.

Then on our honeymoon in Hawaii, we took an excursion riding horses. We even went into the water. Now that was a thrilling experience! The backdrop of sapphire blue water. And I'll never forget our tour guide. Crazy guy, we're pretty sure that when he left our group for a little while, that he was enjoying a smoke. Yeah. Crazy.

One of my former coworkers back when I worked as a chemist owned a horse and took horseback riding lessons. We got to talking about riding and she gave me the phone number of the place. I signed up for lessons, once a week.


At first, it was hard. My legs didn't appreciate riding on such a large creature. And my allergies certainly didn't like it. But I continued with my lessons, got to be somewhat decent.


Then I became pregnant with son #1. I had to stop taking lessons. It's not safe. Although I had never fallen off of Jake, I couldn't risk it.


I still haven't resumed lessons. There's no point to, right now at least. I plan on having two more children. Might as well wait until they're all in school. But I will return, someday.


There's something majestic about riding a horse. Being so high off the ground, guiding a horse to where you want to go. I love everything about riding.


Have you ever gone horseback riding?

The Fun Part of Writing

Sometimes it's all too easy to get bogged down by the not-so-kind side of writing to be published. Writing query letters, writing sucknopsis (whoops I mean synopsis), sending out queries, receiving rejections, receiving partial requests then more rejections. It's all too easy to start feeling down, to wallow in a pit of frustration and despair.

But what about writing makes you love it? Why are you a writer?

For me, the fun part of writing is... well, the writing part. I love writing first drafts, to take a spark of an idea and blow it up into 80-110k worth of words. To meet new characters, to give them flaws, to put them into dangerous situations, to find a happy resolution. To discover new worlds, strange fantasy creatures. To experience things I've never experienced before, will never experience. That's why I'm a writer. That's why I write.

What about you?

Heavenly Lawn Care Joke

I received this joke in an email and that it was too funny so I'm passing it on.

GOD & ST. FRANCIS DISCUSSING LAWNS

GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles. 

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have they scheduled for us tonight?"

ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a really stupid movie about.....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Magic - Writing like Crazy!

I have found my own personal magic for making myself more productive.

And yes, I think it's magical.

*drumroll please*

It's a timer!

Ok, enough goofing off and more seriously, using a timer has made me so much more focused on my writing. I set the timer for 30 minutes and type. Usually when the timer dings, I want to continue typing. When I want to stop and take a break, I'll set it for 10-15 minutes and goof off, go on FB or visit blogs or write new blog posts. When it dings, back to work!

It may not sound like anything special or even magical, but it has been a lifesaver for me. I can only write when my boys nap together (which is usually not the case) or if I sacrifice sleep and go to bed really late or get up early and write before they wake up. By using the timer, I force myself to use my time more wisely.

So I think it's magic. It's definitely working too. Before the magic timer, I used to average 1K an hour. Not bad. But now, I write just over 1K in 30 minutes. Insane, you betcha!

So what about you? Do you have any tricks or tips for using your time wisely or to make yourself more productive?

Guest Blog with Shawna Williams

Back in May, Shawna Williams, fellow Desert Breeze author, stopped by my blog for an interview in honor of her release, No Other. Now she's back with a guest blog to spread the word about her newest release In All Things. Take it away, Shawna!

Hi, Nicole! Thank you for having me on your blog today. Last time I visited I shared about my debut Novel, "No Other". Today, I'd like to share about my newest release, "In All Things", and some of my favorite elements of story-telling.

"In All Things" is the sequel to "No Other". The story picks up with Jakob and Meri ten years later. Jakob has put all of his effort into fulfilling his promise to Roger by making Meri's dreams come true. They've moved to Hollywood and Meri is a successful actress. But what you have to ask is this; was this really Meri's dream, or was it what he thought was her dream, and by achieving it was he really trying to prove himself?

                

Meri on the other hand has her own set of issues. She's tried to put the past behind her, but a part of her still craves her parents' approval – something most children want even when they come from an abusive home. She hopes that time and her success have brought a change of heart to her parents, but when she finds that it hasn't she sets out with determination to shove her success in their faces and shame them that way.

Both Meri and Jakob are faced with coming to terms over the fact that success has proved dissatisfying. Likewise, an unhealthy nature to their relationship has stifled their growth in Christ, and they have to overcome that, too.

Along with Jakob and Meri's story is the story of healing that takes place in Jakob's family. Though, some things get worse before they get better. This story is actually more literary in that sense than romance. It's very focused on the characters' personal journeys.

One of the questions I get asked most is how I go about developing my characters. I'm most definitely a character writer! For me, characters define the story. I may have a sense of what the storyline is, but how it will play out to completion is very much determined by my character's response to events within the story. I think an author has to allow room for this or else you end up with a puppet and not a believable character. I've found that what helps is for the author to know what has taken place in the character's life before the book they're writing. In detail! Like flesh and blood people, a character should be molded by events. In this book, "In All Things", this was a little easier because much of the back-story was laid out in "No Other". However, my characters have quite a back-story beyond that book, too. 

When I profile my characters, long before the writing begins, it goes far beyond hair and eye color, height, occupation, etc. Those are the least important if you ask me. It's all surface stuff. To really dig into a character you need memories -- experiences that mold and define -- and you need both spectrums -- good and bad -- as well as stuff in between. These are the things that a person draws on when facing choices. They guide the course.

Another element of story-telling that I like, and believe adds depth and meaning to a story, is symbolism. If you'll notice on "No Other's" cover, and "In All Things", there is a farmhouse and a locket. Yep, they're important! The farmhouse is Jakob's childhood home, and it coordinates heavily with both stories' themes. In "In All Things" it becomes Jakob's personal mission to see the house restored. At the same time this is taking place within his family, which is still recovering from the lingering effects of their internment during WWII.

Meri's journey is represented through other objects, like the locket and a brooch in this story, but she is also very much tied with the farmhouse. Very much! 

The last element of good story-telling I want to talk about is conflict. Without it you have a whole lot of snooze. There are different kinds of conflict, but since I'm a character writer I'm going to talk about my favorite, internal. As I mentioned, my stories tend to be character journeys and usually my main characters serve as both protagonist and antagonist. They are their own worst enemy. The nature of their struggle is a mixture of plot and character development. As mentioned previously, my characters are molded by life experiences. These frame how they will handle the external issues of the story

I'll use Jakob's situation as an example. I worked out his family's history all the way back to their immigration from Germany. He is of a dual culture, born in America, raised in a German home. He claims both cultures, speaks both languages, so in "No Other", when these cultures clash, he has a major identity crisis. It's very difficult for him to process why certain things have happened to his family. So that story started off with heavy emotional conflict right at the start. 

That inner conflict evolves during the story of "No Other" so, in "In All Things" there is a new source that Jakob must come to terms with, as well as some unresolved old stuff..

Meri is a whole other story. In "No Other" her background isn't laid out in quite as much detail for the reader, but it is shown to have been pretty terrible. "In All Things" digs far deeper into this so the reader can see the pit she's trying to dig out of.

The process I use for resolving conflict is first to fully understand it. I do a lot of journal writing for my characters, where I ramble, in character, as to what they feel, what they think they need or want, and how they plan to get it. 

Then I work on scenarios that might bring this about.  Usually the first drafts are entirely too preachy because I'm trying to clarify the message to myself, but I go back and edit to try and make it so that the message is conveyed to the character, and not to the reader. I don't want to pull the reader out of the book for a sermon. I want them to experience the growth of the character.

The last thing I'd like to leave you with is this: We've all heard the phrase, 'write what you know.' I think it's equally important, if not more-so, that an author writes who they are. Yes, we have to learn the craft, pay attention to trends and whatnot. Those things are important. Just be sure that in doing so you don't lose yourself. The best stories come from the heart.

Nicole, I'd like to give away a freshwater pearl bracelet and a pdf copy of either book, "No Other" or "In All Things". I also have pdf files of the first three chapters of each book that I'll give to anyone who wants. Just email me at shawnawilliams@allegiance.tv

For more about me:

Website

Blog

Purchase In All Things

Thank you so much for dropping by, Shawna! I'm sure whoever wins will love your book. Inspiring Mondays will be back next week.

Family Friday

This post is a continuation of last Friday's post, if you missed it the first time around, the link is here.

So son #1 loves this photo so much that now every morning, he goes into my room to hubby's nightstand to look at it. Every morning. And he keeps saying hubby's name for hubby.

But the most adorable part is that he still doesn't recognize himself in the picture. Now, he is much younger in the picture, maybe 4-5 months so he doesn't have a lot of hair.

When I pointed to him in the photo and asked "Who is this?" he looked up at me and said, "Nee." Which is what he calls son #2 because he can't pronounce son #2's name yet. Isn't that the cutest thing ever?

Guest Blog

I'm the guest blog today at Lyn Cote's blog and would love some comment love! I'm talking about Aislinn, the female knight from Woman of Honor and how she's like Ester.

26 Puns for Educated Minds

I received this in an email and thought you all might enjoy reading them too.

26 Puns for Educated Minds

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.

21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'

22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'

23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'

25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Nano Update

For those of you doing Nano, here's a handy link with icons and a status bar.

I thought I would post today concerning my nano progress.

Sadly, my word count is nowhere near as high as I would like it to be. And it's not because of lack of time.

It's because I was sick.

It's hard enough that Thanksgiving is in November. That's an entire weekend in which you can't write because if you do, you must hate your family and family togetherness and am horrible antisocial. But to be sick? When you're trying to write a novel in a month? That's just rubbing salt in the wound.

I hadn't been sleeping well on the 3rd and 4th and chalked it up to winter coming but when I woke up Friday, I knew. I knew I was sick. And a few hours later, I was running a fever of 101. Intermittent fever, chills, sweats, aches, migraines, nasty cough, sore throat, I was not in good shape, especially because I couldn't sleep either.

So, on the 6th, my word count was only 6,749. When, by Nano standards, it should be at least 10,000.

But now I'm feeling much better and am ready to attack my keyboard and type like a madwoman! As of right now, my word count is 13,097 and climbing! I hope to type a lot more than 50K this month so we'll just have to wait and see how high my word count reaches by the 30th.

As for PiBo, I have notes jotted down for 11 ideas so far, so I'll definitely be able to reach 30 ideas by the 30th. :)

For the rest of my fellow Nanoers, how is your story coming along? Want to post your word count in the comments section? For those not venturing in the insanity, how are your writing projects coming along?

Inspiring Mondays

Twofer! Steampunk and Disney.

Family Friday

Son #1 is two. He is learning words at a rapid rate but still loves to babble partly because he can talk so much faster when he's babbling.

Yesterday, he walked over to my husband's nightstand, pointed to his father in a picture of the three of us and said hubby's name. I cracked up. I pointed to myself, but he didn't want to  call me or himself anything. He pointed to his father again and again said his name, at which point I tried to get him to say 'daddy' but he promptly ignored me and started to get into things he shouldn't.

Now son #1 loves to call his daddy when daddy's at work. He'll take my cell phone and call him (which only works if hubby is the last person I called, son knows how to redail). When hubby answers, son always says 'Hi, da!' and babbles to his little hearts content. It's so precious. And if he's done, he'll say 'bye' and hang up.

Son #1calls me 'ma' and has a tendncy to only call me that when he feels like I'm spending too much time with his father or brotehr. He'll say 'ma' then babble for awhile. If I dare turn to look at hubby, he'll say 'ma' again to get my attention. He really is adorable.

Now he has said 'Cole' before and sometimes even 'Nicole' but he doesn't seem to associate that with me. Unlike poor hubby. And hubby at first thought it was funny to hear son say his name, but wishes his son would call him 'daddy'. We're still waiting for 'I love you.' I'm sure it won't be too long of a wait.

The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

 Another link post because of Nano. I blame all things on Nano. Makes my life easier.


Anyhow, I adore this list, The The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord. Every time I reread it, I crack up, literally laughing out loud. (How many times do you type lol and not actually laugh? Yeah, I actually laugh. Hubby looked at me like I had three heads. Non-writers just don't get writers sometimes).

Here are a couple of my favorites:

My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.

My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.

Shooting is not too good for my enemies.

When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."

I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.

I will see a competent psychiatrist and get cured of all extremely unusual phobias and bizarre compulsive habits which could prove to be a disadvantage.

If I am fighting with the hero atop a moving platform, have disarmed him, and am about to finish him off and he glances behind me and drops flat, I too will drop flat instead of quizzically turning around to find out what he saw.

Hated Literary Characters

We all have favorite literary characters. I love Anne of Green Gables. And Aragorn. And Alanna from the Lioness Quartet. Han Solo (I have an entire shelf devoted to SW books #imadork)

But what about the flip side? What characters do you hate?

It's easy to list villains. Voldemort. Dark Vader. Iago. Bella Swan (not a villain I know but I can't stand her.)

Who do you hate?

Here's a compilation of the 50 most hated characters in- iterary history. Do you agree with the list? Disagree? Who would you add?

What Agents Are Looking For

There's been so great post on agent blogs lately about what exactly they want to see in their slush pile so it's time for some linkage (ahd here's fair warning that I may use a lot of linkage-type post for blog posts during Nano):

Weronika Janczuk's agent wish list

Mandy Hubbard Wishlist

Kathleen Ortiz Expanding what she's looking to sign

Every couple of months, Donald Maass lists on his agency's website what they are looking for. Click here for the link.

Enjoy the linkage!

Loglines and Inspiring Mondays

Today I'm part of a logline blogfest courtsey of Steena.

I'm gonna post two loglines for two different stories. Feel free to comment about one or the other or both!

Logline #1:

Hidden in Shadows
urban fantasy with romance elements

(side note: I've been having some real difficulty with this one. There are three major components to the story: the revenge, the love, and Lorna's discovery of her powers. All three are important and related in the story but I can't quite figure out a way to show how they are connected within the logline. Here's my best try.)

Traumatized by witnessing her father’s brutal murder, Lorna masters her feelings of powerlessness by becoming an assassin. As Lorna grows closer to finding her father’s murderer, she strives to master her newfound shadow power, the ability to create and hide in shadows. When she falls for a new target, Lorna must make a choice – love or revenge.

REVISED based on comments:



Traumatized by witnessing her father’s brutal murder, Lorna masters her feelings of powerlessness by becoming an assassin.  As a paranorm with the ability to create and hide in shadows, shegrows closer to avenging her father's death but when she falls for her latest target, Lorna must make a choice between love and revenge.

One-line:

As a paranorm with the ability to create and hide in shadows, assassin Lorna grows closer to avenging her father's death but is torn between duty and desire when she falls for her latest target.

Logline #2:

Alexia's Pen
fantasy YA

When fifteen-year-old aspiring novelist Alexia is given a mysterious pen that writes of its own accord, she discovers the mystical, but real, Land of Imagining, which is threatened by great evil. To save the inhabitants and her kidnapped family, Alexia must use the pen’s power before the Land of Imagining becomes the Land of Terror.

I also have a one-liner which I agree with everyone is better than the two line logline:

When fifteen-year-old aspiring novelist Alexia is given a mysterious pen that writes of its own accord, she discovers the mystical Land of Imagining, a land only she can save from demons.

Looking forward to reading and helping you all to have awesome loglines! And before I forget, here's today's photo for inspiring Mondays (a female assassin picture in honor of Lorna)