30 Day Writing Meme: Day #9.

9. How do you get ideas for your characters? Describe the process of creating them.

It varies as to how I get ideas for my characters...sometimes, it's a character from a book or a movie that sparks an idea...sometimes I dream them up...like Mark. He was totally from a dream...a mixture of a dream and slightly based on Nick Charles from "The Thin Man". I was trying to think of a story idea for NaNoWriMo and my family and I watched one of the "Thin Man" movies, and that's where I got the idea to write a husband-wife detective duo mystery...and so I was going to base the book on Nick and Nora Charles. But then soon after, I had a dream about a young guy named Mark who just seemed like a great sort of character. So, I decided to combine him with Nick Charles and create this whole new character. Evidently, Mark had a mind of his own, because the Nick Charles personality was swept aside and Mark Ingleford became entirely his own person. :)

Sometimes I also base characters on people in my life or people I see on the street, in the library, etc.

Most of the time I just start with thinking of a name for my character...like the process with Teagan. I knew I wanted to write a comedy/modern day story surrounding a young woman. I asked myself, "What sort of girl is she? What sort of name would fit that personality?" And that's how I started. Then I built off from there...I like to come up with a short list of characteristics for each of my main characters. It helps in making the character become what she/he should become. And I also branch off deciding important factors...how many siblings does she have? Who is her best friend? Does she have a boyfriend? Does she have a job? Things that will make an impact on the story...and I'll jot those down, mix and match until I get a clear idea of what my character is like and who she/he will be. It's definitely one of the best parts of planning a story. :D

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #8.

8. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?

MYSTERY! lol. I LOVE a good mystery...both writing and reading. And especially love a mystery set during WWII...with humor. So a humorous, historical mystery. ;)

I've never actually finished writing any other sort of story. I am trying my hand at a non-mystery with "Those Who Wait"...we shall see how it turns out!

As for what I like to read...I also like a good romance, historical fiction, drama, some fantasy, modern fic., classics...all that good stuff. ;)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #7.

7. Do you listen to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your characters?

ALL the time. Literally. I find it very hard to write without listening to music. Music inspires me and gets me in the writing mood...it SETS the mood of the scenes! All kinds of music too! Rock, soundtrack, instrumental, classical, hip hop, rap, bluegrass, etc. etc. (All but country! :P) I literally create soundtracks for each story I write...it really does help. I'll come up with 18-19 tracks that seem to fit my story, and that's the playlist I'll listen to while writing. :D I find it's usually mostly soundtracks and instrumentals that I'll listen to, but I do find some songs to be great inspiration. Listening to Skillet REALLY helped me while working on my NaNoWriMo story...even if the songs didn't really fit the story...it was more that they're so loud...they really got me going. ;)

And absolutely! There are many songs that relate/apply to my characters. I cannot listen to Meredith Andrews' "You're Not Alone" without thinking of Arabella Knightley! Or to "Nuvole Bianche" without thinking of Mark & Karrie! And most recent of all would be "For Those Who Wait" by Fireflight that I now link to my latest creation: Teagan Harper. And of course, that's where I got the inspiration and title from for her book: "Those Who Wait". Heh. :D And I'm already planning a sequel based on another song...but I shan't give those details away. ;)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #6.

6. Where are you most comfortable writing? At what time of day? Computer or good ol’ pen and paper?

In the corner of the livingroom, on the recliner with my laptop. Or in my room, on the lower bunk of the bunkbed, with my laptop or a notebook with my boombox blaring. Evenings mostly...I get most of my inspiration in the evening. I prefer computer because I can get my thoughts out faster than with pen and paper...but there's something quite inspiring about pen and paper. :D

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #5.

5. By age, who is your youngest character? Oldest? How about “youngest” and “oldest” in terms of when you created them?

Youngest would be Nicholas (Nicky) Ingleford...born in "In Blackest Night" to Mark & Karrie Ingleford...not that he had much of a role in it...slightly more in "Switched" when he's 2.
Oldest...probably Peter Fisher in "Death Because of Amber".

Youngest in terms of creating...that would be Teagan Harper! :D
And Oldest...that would be...probably Lisa and Debbie of "Sunshine Castle"!

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #4.

4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!

One of my first attempts at a full-length novel was "Three Ardens", and was about three siblings, Sean, Samantha, and Seth, whose parents were killed in an accident...their only living relative was their cousin Esther, a young woman, who brings them to her home. She acts very mysterious however, and while she is kind to them, she also seems afraid. Life is fine at first...the three Arden kids join a homeschool group, they make friends with the neighborhood kids, and they're enjoying their new life. Then. One night they start to hear noises...someone is playing a piano above their heads! When asked about it, Esther denies having heard anything. So the three kids decide to investigate it on their own...leading to the discovery of a secret attic where a piano is hidden.
I was very fond of the three Ardens while I was writing them. Now, as I re-read the story, I cringe over it and laugh...so full of loopholes and twists that make no sense. But still...they are three siblings I won't forget. :)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #3.

3. How do you come up with names, for characters (and for places if you’re writing about fictional places)?

Well, generally, I keep a list of names that I love or think are interesting, so when I'm coming up with a new plot, I'll scan my list to see if there are any that I think will fit. Sometimes, I'll just sit and write down the first names that pop into my head and then pick the one that fits the best.
In rare moments of desperation, I'll go to the bookshelf and read off the names of authors and illustrators...but that's mostly for last names. I never find it too difficult to name my characters.

Teagan Harper, my newest character, was extremely easy to name. As soon as I thought up the character I knew she had to have a different sort of name...no Brittany, Ashley, Amanda, or such for me! It was a tie between Teagan or Darcy...I finally decided on Teagan, with Darcy for her best friend.

So, when it comes to naming characters I never get writer's block. ;) I love names to death. :D

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #2.

2. How many characters do you have? Do you prefer males or females?

O_O You mean, ALL the characters I've EVER created?? You've got to be KIDDING me. I couldn't count them! There's way too many! Or do you mean, in my current story? lol. In my CURRENT story there are 5 so far. But be assured, there will be many others.
As for which I prefer, males or females...I've really only written a couple novels with a guy as the main character and he was sharing "main character" with a gal. (Mark & Karrie). And I have to say, I love Mark more than Karrie.

BUT. I do enjoy writing females. So much fun. :P Really. You couldn't make a guy jump up and down and squee...that'd just be creepy. With a girl it's just normal. ;) lol. And we all know me...I love my squees.

No, but seriously...I think I just write with more girl protagonists because (duh) I'm a girl and I know how girls think. Well, at least, I know how I think, and I'm a girl, so obviously I know how one girl thinks. (Brilliant theory, huh? :D)
I really would love to write a story where there's a guy and ONLY a guy as the protagonist, but that has yet to come about. I'm *slightly* afraid that if I do, the guy will end up as a sap...a wimp...*shrugs* I hate that. So...until I can come up with a good, strong, realistic male protagonist, I'm waiting. Don't worry...I'm sure he'll come sometime. I did, after all, dream up Mark! :)

30 Day Writing Meme: Day #1.

1. Tell us about your favorite writing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.


My favorite writing project/universe would have to be my Mark & Karrie series set in Massachusetts during WWII...and partially in England and even France. Perhaps one of these days it'll be in Germany as well! :D :D Talk about exciting! French Resistance! O.S.S.! Air raids in England! Mysteriousness set during it all. I love it. I love the characters. I love the time period and the interesting events that happened. The struggles the people went through and defeated. England was so darn brave! RAF pilots are my heroes. :D There's always something new to learn about during that period and it's just all so fascinating to write about. :D

What Have I Been Writing Lately??

“The hairspray is seeping through the pores in my head. Seeping. It is going to start rotting my brain. In fact, it already has. I can feel my brain shrinking.” Teagan thumped her head against the table.
“You're weird.” Aidan gave a look of half-disgust and half-annoyance at his sister.
“My brain is pounding the sides of my head,” Teagan moaned, ignoring him, “It just keeps on going and going. And my eyes burn.”
“What do you know, a fuzzy pink rabbit with Darth Maul eyes.” Aidan spoke sarcastically.
It was Teagan's turn to give him a look of half-disgust and half-annoyance.
“The energizer bunny? It just keeps on going and going and going. And your eyes are red like Darth Maul's.” Aidan shrugged.
“Darth Maul has yellow eyes.” A third voice piped up.
“Whatever.” Aidan rolled his eyes.
“They're not red! They're yellow.” Darcy, Teagan's best friend, insisted.

What It Is Like...

I talk to my writing friends...and we've often discussed what it's like for each of us to be a writer. Because each writer is different...how we view things, how we think, how we react to our characters, how we write.

I think one of the things that really adds to my being a writer is my vivid imagination. I'm the sort of person who imagines the oddest things...not to sound gruesome or anything, but I've wondered in my mind what it would be like if I fell down the stairs and broke my arm. How would I fall? How would my arm look? How much pain would it be?
My mind is rather curious...my thoughts go by very much like a movie inside my head. It's like looking through the eyes of someone else and seeing things happen from a totally different perspective. And yet, at the same time, I am inside the head of whomever I'm imagining.

“Oh, Mark, please be safe! God, I know he's in Your very capable hands, but could you please just surround him with even more extra care? Just let him be safe!” Karrie breathed the prayer out loud, as she finally reached the end of the pier and went up onto the street. She found herself in a very ugly side of the neighborhood. There were old, broken down and dark-looking buildings all around. She shivered as she stood looking about. It almost seemed as if the sun had darkened over this neighborhood and was staying hidden behind a cloud on purpose, just to make it all seem more horrible than it really should have been. She walked slowly up the street towards some of the buildings feeling her dread building.

When I wrote that bit, I was inside Karrie's mind. In my own mind, I could see her quite clearly, looking around, approaching the dark buildings, the cloudy sky making the whole scene more frightening than it would've been in the daylight...yet, at the same time, I was inside her, feeling the fear and worry she felt. I could feel that she was scared of approaching the buildings, but at the same time she had another fear that was worse.

I wouldn't say that my books are REAL to me...I know really they aren't real. But inside, I can FEEL what my characters feel.


My mind is forever over-flowing with questions...What is it like to be terrified? I think it over...imagining worst-case scenarios in my mind, causing a feeling of terror to come over me. This is where it's hard to explain what it's like for me...in some weird way, I can make myself feel sadness, fear, bitterness, scorn, laughter...all the emotions that I put into my characters. I have an odd trait, where as I'm writing out a scene with different emotions, I'll stop and try to FEEL those emotions. It gives me a better taste of what it's like, and able to write about it more. Perhaps I don't exactly go into detail about the emotion...maybe I'll just write:

“You couldn't kill me.” --- (named blocked out so as not to give away spoilers) whole face was contorted into a sneer.

It doesn't go into how scornful, how evil, and how confident that character was feeling. But I feel those feelings just by reading that sentence, because I brought myself to feel those feelings while writing them.

Another odd trait I have is to act out bits of the story...or rather, try out things my characters are doing, just to see exactly how it would look (Sometimes I stand in front of a mirror. lol.) and how it would feel.

Karrie looked disappointed but smiled.
When I wrote that it didn't seem weird to write it. Then I stopped and re-read it. I had to ask myself, "Is it possible to look disappointed and smile at the same time?"
I tried it. It's hard, but it is possible. So I kept it in.
A character leers...what exactly does a leer look like? I try it.
A character grimaces, I grimace.


Talking to my writing friends, I've come across a couple who do some of the same weird actions as me, and others simply tell me that I'm a "highly dramatic person who feels the need to live her characters".
I don't live my characters...I just happen to feel what they feel. They surprise me constantly, just as real people would. They make me laugh, on rare occasions they have even made me cry.


I find my best writing time is in the evening...I am a mystery writer. While I do have a vivid imagination, I also struggle with thinking about murderers and villains in the daytime, when they just seem silly. At night, in the dark, they become more real. And it's easier to feel their emotions and to write about them. Weird, yes. Morbid? Maybe slightly. (No worries, I have no longings or tendencies to go and murder someone. :P)

I also tend to stop and find myself frowning while I write. It's not that I'm unhappy or angry with what I wrote...I think it helps me to concentrate better. It's more of a slight crease between my eyebrows, as I struggle to write exactly what I see in my mind. Sometimes, instead of a frown, it's a stupid, sappy grin.

And you will never, never (okay, very rarely) see me writing without earbuds plugged into my ears. Music is a necessity when I'm writing.


I don't write what I think. I write what I see. What I see in the real world. What I see in books. What I see in movies. But most especially, what I see in my mind...the over-reactive imagination of a writer. What is it like? It is never boring. It is exciting. It is fascinating. It is like breathing. It is...a passion.


*All exerts from "Switched"...do not steal! Not that you'd probably want to, but still. :P

Stolen Meme...

I tag anyone who wants to do this meme...

1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
The last thing I wrote...novel-wise? Part of my River Davies novel. But actual writing, that would be a letter. :P Besides some school papers, the first thing I wrote that I still have is my first story "Sunshine Castle". Total funness. :D

2) Write poetry?
Occasionally, but nothing good.

3) Angsty poetry?
Uh, not really.

4) Favorite genre of writing?
Mysteries set in historical times. Preferably WWII. :D

5) Most annoying character you've ever created?
Hmm..probably, Belle in "There on the Titanic"...I so wanted to shake her sometimes.

6) Best plot you've ever created?
Hmm...either the plot in "Pearls in Her Hair" or "Switched". :P

7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?
lol. I don't know about cool...I love to give little twists whenever I can...probably when former Chief Detective Reynolds turned out eviiiiiiiiiiil!

8) How often do you get writer's block?
Too much. :P

9) Write fan fiction?
I tried once with Campion...never actually finished the story. I'm not a huge fan-fiction, uh, fan. ;)

10) Do you type or write by hand?
Both, but I definitely get a lot more writing done by typing.

11) Do you save everything you write?
Not everything, but most.

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
Sometimes. :)

13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
My Mark & Karrie series...

14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?
Um, I'm not sure...you should ask them!

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
I've done slight romance in my Mark & Karrie series, but I don't like to get into REALLY REALLY romantic novels. lol. Just not my thing. As for angsty teen drama...nah, not really.

16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?
WWII England/U.S.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Um...*counts* Two are actually being written, but I've got like 3 in the planning stages.

18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Not yet. :P

19) What are your five favorite words?
I can't just choose 5!!!

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?
Hm...I haven't created anyone who is JUST like me, but Karrie has some of my personality...

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?
Real life people, fictional people, stuff that just pops into my head...:P

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Occasionally. :D

23) Do you favor happy endings?
I guess I do, since all my finished novels have "happier" endings, but I don't think I'd mind having a sad ending. It's just I don't know if I could get a sad ending to be "genuine"..."real".

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Not especially...I'm not usually thinking about it AS I write. ;)

25) Does music help you write?
Can't write without music!!

26) Quote something you've written.

“She believes in fairies?” he asked.

“Of course she believes in fairies. Everyone does.” Karrie murmured. “Don't tell me you don't?” she said.

“What? Of course not!” Mark said into the phone.

Karrie tsked, “Really, Mark, you shouldn't say that. Not out loud, at least. Every time you say fairies aren't real, a fairy dies. Oops, there I go. Another one down. How many left?”