When is it "a sign"?

Honestly - when do you start to think the world is conspiring against you?

I went to post this morning - my internet was down.

I waited.

I tried again when it came up, but Monkeyboy, who is sick, started to cry and needed medicine and ginger ale.

I "will come right back". (which of course turned into doing most of the morning and lunchtime before sitting back down.)

I went to post this afternoon, blogger wouldn't let me in.

Double checked my password information.

I went to post once that came in, and my son woke from his naptime, crying and miserable (he's getting teeth.)

Was it a sign I shouldn't post? Or just Bad Timing all around?*

But it got me wondering. How many 'signs' do people need? In fiction, it tends to come in threes - once your poor character has had three warnings, or three failures, or three successes, it's a sign. In real life, every individual seems to have a limit on how many things they need to see/hear in order to believe they're being given some sort of message.

So how many is it for you? How many cute little babies do you have to see and coo over before you're willing to take it as "A sign" you should have just one more? How many books have to fall off the shelf in your local bookstore or library before you decide it is one you should read?

Is it just "internet issues"? Or was there some reason I was supposed to post on this topic today?

I love these questions :-D They're why I'm a writer ;) I can answer them a thousand different ways, depending on my mood.



*I often say I'm going to post these ahead of time, but never manage to do it. Which is just bad time management, and not A Sign.

What day are we on?

It's summer. Lazy days and no paying attention to the calendar. Or the clock, for that matter, but let's pretend I posted this in the early hours of the morning, shall we?

It occurs to me I don't pay much attention to the passing days, weeks or months in real life, unless I'm marking the time to get to something good. The birth of a baby. The end of that cold sore on my lip. The conference in DC in 2009 - the one I should be able to attend.

And it's like that in my books, too. Days, months, years pass with the same fluidity as in my own life.

Only I've birthed a compulsive calendar-watcher. My five year old yells at me when the calendar still shows July in August (it still does, fyi) or the really awful time we went from May to July. (the picture for June was yucky, though, so it worked out well for me.)

The difficulty in his attentiveness was made clear last night...his older brother is away for three weeks, and poor Tank had a meltdown. Which means we are now counting down sleeps til Brother comes home. I'm aware of time in a way I never have been before...and I'm going to tell you a secret...
being this aware of the passage of time is frightening to me.

So...which are you? Compulsive calendar watcher? Or ignorer of time?

I accept it - babies are magic

My entire world right now sort of revolves around diaper changes, bottles, and "okay, he's asleep I can take a quick trip to the washroom." There's not a lot of room for writing, which is...fine. (Y'know, fine in the I have a beautiful healthy baby why on earth should I complain about anything kind of way.)

And he is healthy. And beautiful, and he's at that adorable stage where he smiles at everything I say, which is really good for my ego.

So I'm in my happy Mommy-bubble. Which leaves me pretty much unfit for most adult conversation. My friends call and I say things like "Oh, he's doing the cutest thing!" And they say "what?" and I answer "He's breathing." (Though now it's more likely "he's talking", as he sits cooing at my elbow as I'm typing this.)

And babies really are magic. Everything about them, from the way they enter the world to the way they take it over once they've arrived. The way your heart stops when the doctor said his umbilical was around his neck. The way you can't breathe the first time he throws up and you can't be sure he's breathing. The way I can be changing the foulest diaper ever in a public washroom, and women still stop to tell me how beautiful he is. (The fact none of them gagged was magic, too!)

I realise this is the kind of love I've never written about. I'm not sure I have words for it. It turns out, I don't have to...he's got them, and they sound strangely like cooing while having the hiccups.

Thursday Thirteen: Dayna Hart Interviews Gena Showalter

In an attempt to convince my fellow bloggers that I should totally be kept on board despite my rapidly approaching Maternity Leave, I have begged and schmoozed my way into the hearts and heads of some Very Famous Writers. Okay, so only two have not slapped me with a restraining order so far, and I have had to promise to be this author’s personal stalker fangirl. (which was not so difficult, as I lurve her work, and she’s a terrifical person besides. And I’m not just saying that because she’s letting me use her in such a shameful way.)

So…here’s my interview with (*fangirl squee here*) Gena Showalter!

1. What do you have coming out next? And can we have a sneak peek? (Erm, seriously, I want an ARC, please.)
   
   Up next are the first three books in my Lords of the Underworld series. I’ve never been more excited! They feature immortal warriors who opened Pandora’s box, releasing a horde of demons upon the earth. Now, as punishment, each warrior carries a demon inside himself.
   
   Maddox, the hero of The Darkest Night, is keeper of Violence. His heroine, Ashlyn, is able to stand in one location and hear every conversation that’s ever taken place there. Lucien, the hero of The Darkest Kiss, is keeper of Death. He’s been ordered to escort the goddess of Anarchy’s soul to the hereafter. The tempestuous and fun-loving Anya views his attempts as a game. Reyes, the hero of The Darkest Pleasure, is keeper of Pain. He’s forced to self-torture to survive. Danika, his heroine, is being chased by his best friend, the demon of Wrath, for reasons the warriors do not yet know.
   
   (*note: I did not get an ARC. *sigh* I have plans to stalk harder.)
   
   


2. Do you have a favourite character? Who is it, and why?
   
   Anya, the goddess of Anarchy. She has a somewhat warped sense of humor that I adore. She steals unabashedly, spent some time in an immortal prison, and isn’t afraid of the Lords. She’s their equal in every way. To me, there’s just something so very magical about her. And, considering the number of dark things happening in these books – Maddox is murdered every night, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again – it’s ironic that Anya, Anarchy herself, proved to be my calm center while writing.
   
   


3. Which was your favourite book to write?
   
   Even though Anya from The Darkest Kiss is my favorite character, and her man Lucien is my favorite Lord – he’s a man who deals in death, and I adored giving him, well, a life -- The Darkest Pleasure is actually my favorite book (although my answer could change tomorrow). Writing that book took everything I had.
   
   


4. Which was the hardest book to write?
   
   The Darkest Pleasure, Reyes’ story. By far. At his demon’s urging, he is sometimes forced to jump from the roof of his fortress simply to feel his bones break. Pain is his pleasure, and pleasure is his pain – if that makes any sense. Writing this book was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to tap into an emotional well I hadn’t known I possessed. Afterward, I was completely drained.
   
   (Fangirl note: I want this book. Seriously, the pain-pleasure thing grabs me. Read into that what you will)
   
   


5. Do people often mistake you for JR Ward?
   
   Oh, I wish! She is one of the most amazing authors out there, and I would love to be in her shoes. (No, seriously, what size does she wear?) She writes some of the most highly addictive novels I’ve ever read.
   
   (fangirl note: I think Gena underestimates the power of her own books. And her legion of stalker fangirls. However, I like her modest, don’t you?)
   
   


6. Which is your favourite cover? (I’ve got to say the Lords of the Underworld series has some amazingly hot ones.)
   
   Thank you so much! I was floored every time a new cover came in. They just seemed to get better and better – and that shouldn’t have been possible, as The Darkest Night is stunning. But I fall into a lust-fog every time I look at the The Darkest Pleasure cover.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. Would you like to see a movie made of any of your books? What about all of them?
   
   Seeing one of my books play out on the big screen is a major dream of mine.
   
   
   a. Would it be difficult to leave creative control in someone else’s hands?
   
   Not at all. I think it’d be kind of cool to see someone else’s interpretation of my vision.
   
   (interviewer note: I have to interject here that Gena posted on her blog no less than three days after this interview that her book Redhanded will be a TV show. My inner fangirl is thoroughly saddened I didn’t get the scoop.)
   
   


8. Your list of books ‘coming soon’ is quite impressive…have they all been written in the past four years? If so…how the heck do you do it?
   
   I think I average three to four full length novels a year. It usually takes me a month and a half to write a rough draft. Then I spend another month fixing what I’ve written and another few weeks reading over everything. That puts me at about 3 months for one book. But not all of my “coming soon” books are written. I just turned in The Vampire’s Queen (Layel’s story). Right now I’m working on Twice As Hot, the sequel to Playing With Fire. After that, I’ll write the fourth Lords of the Underworld book. And after that, the next alien hunter novel (Devyn’s story).
   
   (writer note: This level of organization kinda frightens me a little. )
   
   


9. What was the worst advice you ever got? (writing related or not)
   
   Write to the trend. If you’re doing that, the trend will be over by the time you finish your book. You gotta write from the heart.
   
   *fangirl love right here*
   
   


10. From your website: No matter the date or time, I’m drinking too much coffee, eating too much chocolate and working on my newest series… Future stalkers...er...fans...want to know:
    
    a. What’s your favourite coffee?
    
    The Bella latte at my favorite local coffee shop. It’s amazing. Even when ordered skinny, decaf, low carb, it’s like liquid candy.
    
    (side note: Now I want one. )
    
    b. Favourite chocolate?
    
    Cinnamon spiced almond. I can only find it at Christmas time, so I’m currently in withdrawal.
    
    


11. Say it for me? sloooooowly. I will never live that down!
    
    LMAO no, Never. For those of you who’ve missed it…
    
    
    
    
    
    
    


12. What book(s) have you read that made you think “Oooh I wish I wrote that?”
    
    Anything by Kresley Cole, Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh, JR Ward, Karen Moning, PC Cast, Jill Monroe, MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Eve Kenin, Marjorie Liu, Michelle Rowen, Michele Bardsley, Jeaniene Frost and so many others. There are so many amazing authors out there today.
    
    (fangirl note: more modesty here. Innit adorable?)
    
    


13. Where can fans find you online?
    
    http://www.genashowalter.com and http://www.genashowalter.blogspot.com/
    
    
    Thanks so much to Gena!

Introduction

Well, this is my first post here at BtV...and I have NO idea what to say! Which, for anyone who knows me, is actually kind of impressive.

I'm also a former FaE blogger, though I'll admit I've been so swamped with real life this past year I never got to know my fellow-bloggers well enough. I'm hoping to work on that in the coming months here.

The short version bio:

I'm 31 years old, and due to have my fourth child in 5 weeks. (three boys so far)
I have the most fantabulous husband ever.
I write fantasy. With romance and without. With sex and without.

Wow. Way to sum myself up in three sentences, eh?
Oh yes, I'm Canadian. ;)

Funny enough, the first question most people ask me is "why Fantasy". Granted, with things like Eragon and the Spiderwick Chronicles coming out as movies, I'm getting that question a little less. But I was still made to feel as though 'magic' was something I should have put aside about the same time I realised we really couldn't keep a pony in the garage.

Instead, my fascination with it all has just grown as I have. I'm amazed by how many writers have put their own spin on old favourites. Or who have created entirely new legends that live on in the global subconscious as something which 'simply always has been.'

I love the freedom of being able to create worlds, to establish my own rules and cultures. I love the epic nature of fantasy books - it isn't just boy meets girl, but it's often World meets World. Or...boy meets girl and saves the world ;)

I love the fact that fantasy books tend to have something which triumphs over all. Whether it's good over evil, or love over death or...well, you get the idea. There's a transcendence. An ability to believe in the best of people, even if they're not human. And when it's written very very well - the fact the characters aren't human just underscores their humanity, which I think is pretty freaking cool.

So why fantasy?
Why not ;)