Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho (It's Off to Work I Go)

Hello, nation!

I know, I've been a bit overdue for a post, and that's partly do to my own laziness. See, I was working on an entry for last week, but the internet froze and I had to shut it down, which made me lose what I had written. Bad reasoning, I know, but don't say you haven't ever done the same before with something you've done.

Book writing front remains slow in terms of publishing and whatnot. I'm still writing, though, which is good after the long break I've had, not to mention I like where my current story is going. Right now I'm doing a chase scene with the main character and her friend vs. a whole bunch of cops and flying cars, so it's a good thing I've seen plenty of action movies to know how to end this.

My internship is excellent. In case you haven't been told, I applied for and was accepted for an associate editor's internship for a fashion blogging website called The Fashion Foot. It is unpaid, but it's good experience since I still do want to work at a publishing house, and it's something I can do straight from my house. The articles I've been working on are really fun: I basically look over 8 to 12 of them during the weekend and fix up the grammar and pictures, and they're about a variety of subjects. My favorite so favorite is an article about DC's Batgirl and her recently updated costume. Go and check it and other articles out at http://thefashionfoot.com/

Work is going well, too. I actually got to do customer service, which is more than just standing behind the assigned desk. I actually got to learn how to work a handheld scanner which I use to put books away in the right place, and I lead people around the store to wherever their book may be. Which is good, because I want to be moving since my feet STILL haven't gotten used to me being on them all the time. But yesterday I actually went shopping for some more work cloths, and not only did I get a cute pair of pants and some shirts, I got some padded socks that will help with feet. And cashier work is going smoothly too. One of my manager's actually told me that I've been doing a good job with selling B&N memberships, so that's a definite confidence booster. It's nice to know I'm doing my job well, and this makes me want to do it better.

Bi-Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: Getting told I've been doing a good job selling memberships. See above.

Like 2: My internship. See above again.

Like 3: Shopping and getting new cloths. See above again.

Like 4: Mt new sunglasses. I got a pair of gray-rimmed, dark Michael Kors sunglasses, and they look fabulous on me. It's helps that they're also prescription so I don't have to wear them over my regular glasses.

Like 5: Pandora radio app on my phone. The radio's on the fritz for the car I drive, so I just turn that on and it provides me with all the good music I want. Now if only it had a repeat button...

Dislike 1: Everybody leaving. My mom's moving to Arizona, and my baby sister's off to college. I love them very much, and while it's a little lonely, I'm glad they're living their lives and doing what they want to do.

Dislike 2: The smell of the B&N's bathroom. Being a somewhat public restroom, I can understand it for being smelly, and it probably isn't to a lot of people. But it is with my sensitive nose, and I wish they'd put some Febreze in there.

Dislike 3: Online banking. This isn't really a dislike because it basically does it for me, but me and Mom were talking about bills and stuff, and I ended up feeling stupid because I don't know the first thing about how to pay bills. American education seriously needs to start including personal finance in math classes for high school students, because out of all the useless junk math we're taught, how to pay out bills is not one of them!

And quote!

"Work isn't to make money; you work to justify life." -Marc Chagall

Love your faces,
Colleen

In the Biz

Hello, people!

So, it was the first week of work this week, and it was good. Most of it was training with how to work the cash register and the system B&N uses to find that one book you're looking for. Yes, it sounds boring, but it wasn't too boring for me; it's when I don't have something to do that I get bored, so I was fine with this. Best part was actual cashier work; I was put up at the front registers and got to help people buy stuff. I made some mistakes, but that's normal, and everyone I've talked to so far says it takes some time to get a hang of all the details of register work. And I believe them; the instruction guide to working the cash wrap was BIG, and there's a lot of things I have to remember. But it's fun talking to people and seeing what they're buying, and I get to see friends; my friend Niki from high school came in to pick up an order she made, and we talked some. It was nice to see her, and I hope other people I know pop in as well.

As far as writing, no news on the book front, but I'm taking on an internship! It's an associate editorial internship for a website called The Fashion Foot, basically it's my job to look through a certain number of articles each week and clean them up. It's a good counter balance to the bookseller job, and it'll give me more experience in the way of publishing. Because while I already like my job at B&N, I do hope to someday work in a publishing house. Here's hoping!

To BURN IN LIGHT, the character's name is Enid Delacroix. She's a high school senior, an average student, and quite frankly scares the pants off of anyone she meets. Part of it is how she looks: she has pale skin, white blonde hair, and amber eyes that look orange depending on the lighting. Here's a picture drawn by my best friend Tina:

Another reason she scares people is her attitude: tough, no hold bars, intolerant of any sort of bullying or bad behavior whether it comes from a ghost or human. She's nice only to those she considers her friends and family; anyone nice but unknown to her she's wary of until she knows them better (that is if she decides she wants to know them at all). She's kick ass and powerful when it comes to dealing with ghosts; she does not like chasing dead people sometimes, but she has accepted her abilities and does the best she can.

And that's this week's news. Onto the Weekly (Dis)Likes!

Like 1: Went to the Royals vs. Giants game, and we won. It was a really good game made better by the company I kept: my sister's friend and her sister. It was a good evening.

Like 2: It's Shark Week! Shark Week, oooh haha!

Like 3: My job. See above.

Like 4: My internship. See above again.

Like 5: Got my hand on The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith, aka JK Rowling. I love her to death, so I can't wait to read her latest work.

Like 6: My new shoes. I got some light brown wingtips to wear to work. They're comfy, and a whole lot better than my regular flats.

Dislike 1: Achy feet. The one thing about working at a cash register is you're standing a lot, and that equals feet that really hurt. Hence the shoes I got.

And quote!

"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you." -Erich Fromm

Bye,
Colleen

I GOT A JOB!!

Hello, everyone!

As the title says, I have a job! It's a part time bookseller position at one of the local Barnes and Noble, and I am so happy to get started. Today was orientation with tours and paperwork, so it wasn't too terribly exciting, but I start training tomorrow, so hopefully everything will get more interesting soon.

While the job front is fulfilled, there's been no news from either the agent or Rich-the-editor on BURN IN LIGHT's potential publication, so I'm just going to assume it's been put on hold. But I'm okay with that. Because I, finally, have started writing again. It's back to the normal half a page schedule, but that's normal for me. Not to mention it's just great to get back into the story; I've missed it. Said story, by the way, is my sci-fi story MOA-27, with the cyborg out to take down the scientist who made her and rediscover her past by means of the connections she forms with her teammates. Very high-paced, very techy, and something I love completely.

So back to BURN IN LIGHT. I talked about how I don't remember exactly where the idea for the book came from, but have I told the story behind the location it's set in? The story takes place in Philadelphia, PA. There is a big difference between a real city and the made up Florida town where I placed SWAMP ANGEL, but I wanted to see how location affected the plot (to tell how it did would be giving spoilers away). But I was mainly inspired by the time I spent in Philly taking a mouth long art study at Moore College, a small art school in the city. While I was there, I made art, lived in a dorm, and explored Philadelphia, which I liked for its history and just the general feel it gave off. I think what struck me about the city was how it was both old and new, and that both those sides fit together. This in turn was kind of how I saw the story: you have the new (humans) working with the very old (ghosts) to keep the life (and unlife) of each being the safest it can be from those that go bump in the night.

Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: I got a job! See above.

Like 2: I've gotten back into writing. See above also.

Like 3: Royals' baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, and we won. :)

Dislike 1: Blisters. If I've said it before, I'll say it again. I hate blisters. I got one wearing heels, and it hurt something awful. I hope my feet can get used to that certain pair, because they are adorable.

Dislike 2: The rate my DS and iPhone die. It's not like I try to make it so that I need to recharge them every day, but it seems like I have to. :P

And quote!

"If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it." -Lucy Larcom

Bye,
Colleen

To Colorado and Back

Yippee-ky-yay, cowpunks!

If you can tell by the title, the reason I didn't post anything last week was because I was visiting my dad, who lives in Colorado Springs. It was a week long mini-vacation, and it was awesome. I had delicious food, went to a Rockies baseball game (which was fun despite the fact they played as well as the Kansas City Royals, aka they played VERY badly), got to see my sister and my dog (I've missed the both of them very much), did some shopping, went to a wedding, went on a 20 mile bike ride (and survived), and got to go to the very top of Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak was the best; the view was absolutely beautiful.

The last picture has quite the story to it. When my dad and I first got to the top, there was a guy (black t-shirt man) flying one of those drones around. Just as we walked away, Dad heard an, "Oh, shit!" Drone Guy had crashed his drone thanks to the wind blowing about. After some time exploring and taking pictures, we were going back to the car and saw this: two yahoos (to use Dad's word for them, in the gray and red shirts) trying to get the drone back for Drone Guy. Nice gesture, but incredibly stupid, and Dad suggested we get out of there before we watched one of these idiots kill themselves.

So yeah, Colorado was fun.

Little change on the book/job front. I STILL haven't resumed working on my latest manuscript, but I have been doing some writer's work as a beta for an author on a story website I visit daily (a beta is basically the same as an editor). She's really good, despite being a bit wordy and having many incomplete sentences, but who's perfect? Anyway, I hope this gives me the edge I need to start writing again. As for jobs, I have started applying to other places besides where I know family, and I even have an interview tomorrow at one of the local Barnes and Noble. Pray hard and keep your fingers double crossed!

Bi-Weekly (Dis)Likes

Like 1: My sister, mom, and grandma all got back safely from London. They went there to celebrate Maggie's (the sister) graduation from high school (so proud of her), and not only did they have a good time, they got back safely.

Like 2: The souvenir they brought back. It's a lovely Cath Kidston wallet: black with a pink, taupe, and blue flower pattern. It's beautiful and big enough for all my cards, cash, and phone, and it was a good gift considering how my old wallet is patched and dirty. Thanks guys!

Like 3: My trip to Colorado. See above.

Like 4: My interview tomorrow. See above again.

Like 5: Shopping for and cooking dinner the past three nights. I was gone for a week, but Maggie, mom, and grandma were gone ten days, so I was in charge of making sure Grandpa had something for dinner. We had pork chops, chicken quesadillas, and pasta. I was very proud of myself, and so was Grandpa.

Dislike 1: Mosquitos. I HATE THEM. You know one good thing about Colorado? They don't have skeeters. But the first full day I'm home, Grandpa leaves the back door open when napping on the porch for 10 minutes, and now I've got like nine bug bites on my legs, AND THEY WON'T STOP ITCHING!!! I'm doing my best not to scratch, but it's really hard not to.

And quote!

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." -George Edward Woodberry

Bye,

Colleen

Moved In

Hi, everybody.

Again, it's a rather slow week at the personal office. I still haven't gotten back into the swing of things concerning my latest manuscript. I'm still job hunting. I haven't heard back from Spencer Hill to see if anyone's free to take BURN IN LIGHT.But at least I'm still writing this blog, right?

And the good news is I've moved out. Moving is all done, and I have officially taken up residence in my grandparents' house until I can find something more permanent. The stress and hard work that comes with moving is over! This equals more time to be spent on writing.

There's also good news on the job front. I got one of the pre interview calls from my local Barnes & Noble some days ago. They asked me a few questions, and if everything checks out with the boss (who's away on vacation), then they'll call me for an actual interview. I hope they do, but I'm still surfing job sites daily and calling in.

But to book stuff, let me talk/write about the characters from BURN IN LIGHT. We have the main character, Enid, who's a tough as nails high school senior and part time exorcist. In this book's world, exorcists are naturally born between the union of a ghost and human, but Enid's parents are both out of the picture, so she lives with her Uncle Vincent, who's a priest and a Viewer, which is the term used for non exorcist people who can see ghosts. Her best friends are two guys. Thad is a Viewer goth who's from a rich family and has been by Enid's side since first grade who's sweet and loyal. Al, her other friend, even longer, since her day one. He's a ghost of a British immigrant who died in a failed mugging over 100 years ago, to this day he still acts like a perfect gentleman. He also serves as Enid's 'guardian', which is basically the same as a guardian angel. All three make a kick ass evil ghost busting team. There's also a handful of minor characters, such as the gangbanger ghosts who Enid uses as info brokers, an occult shop owner who supplies Enid's hunting needs, and a particularly annoying poltergeist. All of them made this manuscript fun to write.

Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: The end of moving. See above.

Like 2: The Barnes and Noble call. See above again.

Like 3: My somewhat new flat screen TV. I say somewhat new because it was my mom's first, but now it's all mine!

Like 4: I had lunch with an old friend of mine yesterday. I saw her apartment (which was cool), and we had lunch at the farmers' market. We haven't seen each other in ages, but we clicked so easily; I hope to see her again soon (and the tomato curry I had was delicious).

Like 5: As a treat for the move, my mom and I got pedicures. With all the lifting and carrying, my feet hurt, so it was well worth it.

Dislike 1: The heat. You know it's summer when ten minutes outside leaves you swimming in sweat. >_<

And quote!

"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be." -Voltaire

See ya,
Colleen

Free Job, Anyone?

Guten tag!

It's another slow week at my imaginary office. There's only a bit of book news this time, and that is that Leticia is trying to see if someone else from Spencer Hill Press who isn't as busy as Rich-the-editor can take on BURN IN LIGHT. So far, I haven't heard back from her yet about anything, but I'll tell you when I do.

The job hunt hasn't changed much. I'm still looking and applying for jobs while trying to work up the courage to actually call hiring managers to say I'm still interested in what I applied for a week ago. It's all incredibly nerve-wracking (I hate talking on the phone), but I know I need to do it, and I will. I only wish this and job sites were easier. Isn't there a job site out there that works like one of those "For Dummies" books where everything is outlined clearly?

But enough about me whining. Time to make productive conversation, i.e. I tell you more about BURN IN LIGHT. Unlike SWAMP ANGEL, I don't remember the inspiration for this particular book. Maybe it came from me wanting to make my own twist on the classic ghost story, or maybe it started with the main character and involved from there (like the manuscript I'm working on now happened). I don't know. What I do know was that I started it in, ironically, the city the story is set in, Philadelphia. It was the summer before my senior year, and I was doing a month long residential art camp at Moore College. This worked so well, being in the city and working on a new book, really getting a sense of the surroundings and what city culture could do to the story. Not that I got a chance to work on the manuscript all that often, taking college-level art courses. But once it ended, it was back to school, which meant a return to the same typing schedule as SWAMP ANGEL: me typing on the ride to and from school while my sister did the driving. :P

But enough for now. On to the Weekly (Dis)Likes!

Like 1: Happy belated 4th of July everyone. I had a good one. My grandparents have a vacation house in the Ozarks, and I spent my 4th there watching fireworks from the dock. Our cove is the best when it comes to fireworks, because other than having firework-loving neighbors, there's a bed and breakfast in our cove that puts on a huge display every year. This time they did not disappoint!

Like 2: Blueberry pie. We had some at the lake, and it was goooooood!

Like 3: Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. I FINALLY got around to listening to this CD which I got back in December, and it was amazing! Black Veiled Brides, where have you been all my life!?

Like 4: Got a reply from my German penpal. Her name's Elisa, and I met her while she was studying abroad at Knox half a year ago. She's very pretty and friendly, and despite being back in her home country and knee deep in exams, she has graced me with a reply. It's always nice to hear from her.

Dislike 1: Talking on the phone with strangers. Enough said.

Dislike 2: Those fireworks that sound like cannonballs being shot. Never fails to make me jump and/or give me the beginnings of a heart attack.

Dislike 3: MOVING. I'm currently moving out of the house, and though I know all the packing's necessary, it's also driving me NUTS. Can't wait until this all settles down and I get my own place (because I'm still living with relatives, just not the parents).

And quote!

"Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute." -Josh Billings

Auf Wiedersehen,
Colleen

Summer Days (Driftin' Away...)

Aloha, little fishies!

I finally got some book news and direction to where I'm going next in the publishing world. I've been in contact with both Leticia and Rich-the-editor, and the final conclusion is that it's going to be a little while before another manuscript starts the publishing process. On Leticia's end, the demand for YA fantasy books hasn't come completely back yet, so we have to wait before she starts pushing any manuscripts. 'But what about Spencer Hill?', you may ask. On Rich-the-editor's end, he's basically swamped (no pun intended) with other manuscripts; basically, if I do want to publish with SH again, it's not going to be until the end of summer that he can look over my next book idea. A bit of a bummer, but if anything, this gives me more time to work on writing and job searching (which is going semi-well: plenty of places to apply, but no one's calling).

Not much else has happened, so how about I tell you about the next possible book of mine? It's, of course, YA fantasy, and it's called BURN IN LIGHT. It's about Enid, a teenage exorcist whose job is taking care of the evil ghosts that go bump in Philadelphia's night life. She has help in the forms of Thad, her gothic best friend who also sees ghosts, and Al, her ghostly guardian whose been dead for more than a hundred years. There's all the good stuff a book needs, like action and romance and plot as Enid uncovers a ginormous conspiracy involving other dimensions, myths, and her own past. Would say more, but I don't want to spoil the fun. Can't say when it'll come out, but it should be before anyone joins Al in death!

Weekly (Dis)Likes:

Like 1: Little Free Libraries. For those who don't know what this is, it's basically a community library where a little shed like house is built on someone's lawn, filled with books, and neighbors are allowed to borrow (not steal) them. My grandma told me about them and showed my the Kansas City Star article talking about them, and they're so cool. 15,000 'branches' in 62 countries! Unfortunately city ordinance laws can ban them, like so in Leawood, so here's hoping an exception is made. Fight the power, man!

Like 2: National Geographic, July 2014 issue. Let me just say I LOVE this magazine for both the awesome pictures and the interesting articles. Like last year, there was this one piece that talked about how cloning has gotten so sophisticated and how it can involve to the point where we can clone extinct animals back into existence. And in the aforementioned article, they talk about aliens and how studies may prove that the ocean on one of Jupiter's moons may hold all the ingredients needed to make life. WE MIGHT MEET ALIENS IN OUR LIFETIME!!

Dislike 1: How quickly my iPhone can lose power. I've discovered a bunch of awesome game apps, and I've been having to charge my phone more often. Honestly, with how brilliant Apple is, you'd think they'd invent a longer-lasting battery for these things. -_-

And quote!

"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." -Elbert Hubbard

Aloha,
Colleen