the whole shebang…

the ins and outs & ups and downs of a new novelist's journey

alexis hodge July 16, 2009

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here she is. if you want to read about how i found her and how i generally feel about what characters in my books/stories look like, click right here. (but not til friday *7.17* after midnight as that’s when the other post is scheduled to publish.)

the reason this girl stood out to me is because..well, there are just so many reasons::
*her hair. perfect length and it’s straightened, as alexis likes it. her hair’s curly, but she rarely wears it as such. also, her hair isn’t pulled back. alexis always makes sure her ears are covered, even if some of her hair is pulled back..
*skin tone. she’s dark, but not ‘tanning bed’ dark. it looks like she could be half-italian/half-spanish.
*her eyes. not too much makeup, but enough to bring them out. it’s pretty much the only makeup alexis wears. can’t see this girl’s eyes, but alexis’ are green.
*eyebrows. well-groomed. in keeping with bringing out her eyes.
*her tattoo. she has one that the reader knows of on her foot. one single star. but she’s the type to have something like this and hide it. maybe the top would peek out of a tank on a warm day, but most people would have no clue it exists.
*the belt. just her style.
*age. at least the age this girl looks to be… alexis is twenty, and this girlie seems to be around the same age, give or take (or give) a few years.
*the pose. alexis is uncomfortable in her skin and with her peers, but she would so take a picture like this just to keep for herself. i could see her taking myspace pictures (although i don’t think she’s the type to have a page) and throwing some random poses like this in there that she would never have any intention of posting, let alone seeing the light of day. they’d be locked away – password protected – on her laptop somewhere. even better, on a memory stick that requires a password and encrypts all files. i could so see her with her lips to the camera—trying to portray her inner minx lol
*final note: this just is a perfect example of who alexis thinks she is (and actually really is—well, other than the faery part ;) ) but is too afraid to show her true self to others. for many reasons, mostly fear of rejection or being shunned for being a freak.

this is alexis hodge. period. and i love everything about her!

 

looking for a blurb critique. pretty please =) June 13, 2009

So, this is the blurb (and logline) for Avalon.

At the moment, I’m fine with the logline.
I’m just curious as to what readers think of the blurb. Is it something that draws you in? Does it tell enough? Too much?
I’m up for any and all suggestions. I still have quite a ways to go until the book is finished, but I already know what’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of finding the time to write it all down…
I suppose I want to know that it’s not all for nothing ;)
Let me know your thoughts!! Thanks, ya’ll!!!

*****

*Visions of another dimension usher a girl through an adventure of immorality, virtue, and self-discovery.

*Intense visionary dreams transport twenty-year-old Alexis to the unseen world of faeries. She soon discovers this is the world she was born into, and it’s where she truly belongs—it is Avalon.
Two understanding friends guide her home after a nightmare reveals that one of her kind is attacking mortals. History has never seen such evil, and Alexis is the only faery who can stop it.
The unexpected help of a Depraved faery makes this quest much easier. But, when Alexis becomes attached to him and begins to see the world differently, will she have the strength to choose the right path? Or, will she succumb to her innermost demons at the expense of innocence?

 

revision of yesterday’s excerpt. June 12, 2009

a new and improved version.
thanks to this blog, i was able to look at it from a different perspective.
just seeing a chunk of my text alone, i could pick it apart easier.
might be a good editing exercise…..i’ll have to keep it in mind.

so, here’s the revised version**

When the fogginess cleared, Alexis looked around and saw the life in everythingeven the air. The grass was so bright it was almost electric. It, like the air, seemed to moveno, breatheon its own. Tree branches swayed, as if waving a hello to her. Every flower, a different color. Their mix of fragrance, intoxicating. Alexis felt the sun radiating on her face.

Looking down, she jumped back in surprise. Her clothes glistened with miniscule dew drops. Upon closer contemplation, Alexis realized the drops were not wet. Curious. She felt a cool sort of glowing coming from her face, and as she went to touch it, she noticed her hands were covered with the same kind of sparkles.  Her skin and her clothes?  Amazing.

She held her arm out, and turned her wrist back and forth to watch the sunlight replicate, strangely enough, the shimmering of stars. It was fascinating, and quite lovely. Nothing like this had ever happened in any of Alexis’ dreams. She supposed that was because they were only dreams. And when she visited the faery realm yesterday, it had been a moonless night.

Alexis felt she was alone, and so decided to wander. When she moved her right leg, she gasped. The softness of the grass tickled her sole. She placed her foot down, and felt the pleasantness of the soft thatch. It was better than she could have ever imagined. Her senses began to overwhelm her, but in a wonderful way. Walking along, she brushed the tips of her fingers along the wildflowers, feeling their emotions with each touch. It was splendid and calming, and it was alsohome. Nothing had ever felt so right before.

Ahead, in the distance, Alexis saw someone, or something, approaching her. It moved quickly. Alexis craved interaction with this new world, so she picked up her pace. A sparking light, not unlike the first sight of her mother, met her.

This orb also became a person. Another gorgeous woman, with skin similar to Alexis own. The dress she wore was even more scintillating. It was phenomenal.

The beauty spoke. Hello, Kellyn. We have been waiting for you here.


*so, there ya go. i’m sure it’ll change as i canthelpmyself from changing at least one thing when i look over my work.. but hey, it is what it is for now. and i’m happy for the moment =)
that’s what counts, right??

oh, and–here’s the cover i was using on authonomy (the book is private on there for now until i get some more writing done and it’s edited a little more)::
newabandonededgeofavalon

the cover art was done by jasmine beckett-griffith. hence the watermark…
i think it’s beautiful :D

 

giveagirlapen + ‘avalon’ excerpt June 11, 2009

1) Yesterday, I was asked to Officially be a ‘Girl With a Pen’ on giveagirlapen.com =) I’m thrilled about this new development! I’ve posted on there a lot, and was even a guest blogger, and now I get to be a part of the team. I’ve had it as one of my links on here for a while now. Amazing stuff!!! The girls are wonderful and I’m honored to be a part of it all!

2) I’ve decided to post an excerpt of The Abandoned Edge of Avalon on here today.
I’m going to see if I get any feedback (ha!) and maybe I’ll continue to post more as time goes on. Today, I just picked a random part. Well, not really random…it’s the part that my mommy (I know,  I know =P) really liked. She thought it was great :D
So, here it is**

When the fogginess cleared, Alexis looked around and saw life in everythingeven the air. The grass was so bright it was almost lime-colored. It, like the air, seemed to moveno, breatheon its own. Tree branches swayed, as if waving a hello to her. Every flower, a different, fabulous color. The mix of fragrances was intoxicating. Alexis felt the sun sparkling on her face, and the breeze seemed almost damp, yet when she reached up to brush her cheek, she found it was dry.

She jumped back in surprise when she looked down. Her clothes glistened with miniscule dew drops. Like her face, though, nothing felt wet. Alexis held her arm out, and turned her wrist back and forth to watch the sunlight illuminate, strangely enough, the shimmering of stars. It was beautiful and fascinating, and lovely. Nothing like this had ever happened in any of her dreams. Because they were only dreams, she supposed. And when she was actually in the faery realm yesterday, it had been a moonless night.

Alexis felt she was alone, and so decided to wander. When she moved her right leg, she gasped. The softness of the grass tickled her sole. She placed her foot down, and felt the pleasantness of the soft thatch. It was better than she could have ever imagined. Her senses began to overwhelm her, but in a wonderful way. Walking along, she brushed the tips of her fingers along the wildflowers, feeling their different emotions with each touch. It was splendid and calming, and it was alsohome. Nothing had ever felt so right before.

Ahead, in the distance, Alexis saw someone, or something, approaching her. It moved quickly. Alexis craved interaction with this new world, so she picked up her pace. A sparking light, not unlike the first sight of her mother, met her.

This orb also became a person. Another gorgeous woman, with skin similar to Alexis own. The dress she wore was even more scintillating. It was phenomenal.

The beauty spoke. Hello, Kellyn. We have been waiting for you here.

 

prologue June 6, 2009

I posted the most recent version of my prologue on my Goodreads site.

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/43068.The_Abandoned_Edge_of_Avalon

I did this because I’ve made the book private on Authonomy for a while. Just until I get some more work done on it..

if you choose to read my beginning, here’s a big thank you for ya!!
xx  -e*

 

newer working title. the last one ’til someone else decides for me. March 16, 2009

I’ve gone through three revisions now, and am about to post the 1st 1,500 words on goodreads so that I can get a bit more feedback before I send it off to the Midwest Writers Workshop for a fellowship. If I get one of the nine spots, I’ll get a weekend retreat for free. I’m not counting my chickens, but one has to try all avenues.

I’m even more excited about finishing the next couple thousand words of my book because then I can upload it to Authonomy for reviews and ranking. I adore feedback of all kinds – unless someone is just being mean and pretentious for no good reason, and I have encountered this. Well, not personally, but I’ve stood up for others when I see it happen as there is absolutely no excuse for it.

- Oh, yeah. I almost forgot the final working title:
‘The Abandoned Edge of Avalon’

 

take two. March 5, 2009

Filed under: 15 words. — Eden Tyler @ 11:39 am
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Neither she nor anyone else is who she thought.  
Can she decide who to save?

 

take one. March 5, 2009

Filed under: 15 words. — Eden Tyler @ 11:37 am
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Visions of another dimension usher a girl through an adventure of immorality, virtue, and self-discovery.