Tag: Return to Dellapalania

BATMAN ALMOST DIED & Amsterdam, IWSG

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Pretty cool title, right? And accurate. Because Batman did almost die while white water rafting. But we’ll get to that in a bit (same with the ‘dam) 😊

Colorado Springs was awesome!! Seriously, props to Batman for his domestic pick. When he suggested Colorado, I thought the city would be Boulder or Denver, so I was surprised when he selected Springs/Manitou. There was more to do than I realized, and I actually enjoyed every part of my time there (except for when I thought I’d lose my fiancé on the river gorge and when I was halfway up the sky-ride at the Cheyenne zoo because HOLY SHIT AM I AFRAID OF HEIGHTS.)

But I’m here! Writing this! I did NOT fall out of the sky-ride like my gruesome imagination had me believing, and the plane ride home—although a little bumpy—did not interfere with any incoming hurricanes, so, second crisis avoided.

Because this is also an IWSG posting day (woop!) and I don’t want to take up too much time, I’ll post some pics of our adventures out in the mid-west, so you can get an idea of the awesome time that was had:

Because it’s in the title (and how could I not tell you?!?), yes, there was a moment when I thought Batman might die ☹

The heroic man that he is attempted to grab one of the other girls who’d fallen out of the raft, and in doing so, he fell out himself. People fall out of rafts all the time, right? It shouldn’t be a big deal. And it wasn’t. Except that we were going through one of the crrrrraaaaazzzzyyyy dangerous rapids and we were told over and over again: if you fall out, either swim to the shore or get your ass back on the boat. ASAP. The girl had already reached the shore, but when Batman went overboard, the boys in the front dove to get him. They’re a little thinner and Batman is a big guy, so they weren’t able to pull him in right away (and you’re supposed to get the swimmer in immediately). So, when it took more than a minute to pull him in with the guide barking to “Get him in! Get him in now!” and Batman struggling to get into the raft while the rapids are crashing around large, rocks, I thought, okay, I might be newly single.

THANK GOD they pulled him in in time, and besides a bloody lip, he was fine.

Other the near-death thing, rafting was so much fun! I would highly recommend it and definitely do it again!

Writing Life:

Like I said last week (or is it two weeks ago?) I’ve been going HAM on RTD. Which. Is. Awesome. The map for the rest of the story is starting to become less fuzzy, and I’m excited every time I sit down to write it. I could go on and on about how thrilled I am, but that could take forever and today is IWSG  day😊

Insecure Writer Support Group Option Question:

If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

So, there are a *bunch* of places I’d love to travel to because the pictures of them look fucking fabulous. Parts of England and Ireland, New Zealand, and across Europe look amazing, but there’s no one spot I’ve been dying to go write. However…

I’ve traveled to Amsterdam twice, and there’s a magic there. Yes, the coffeehouses do help with the mystical effect, but Amsterdam in the Netherlands is a storybook place. Beautiful. Enchanting. Old-world and definitely the desired backdrop for all my future writing projects. Batman and I have discussed it, and if we were ever able to swing it legally/financially, we’d move to the dam in a heartbeat.

A heartbeat.

If you’ve never gone, I suggest you go! Who knows? Maybe you’ll see me writing the next great something while drinking coffee on a cafe sidewalk one day. Like I said, it’s magical. Anything can happen 🙂

What about you? What’s the backdrop for your next creative project? Or, where have you really wanted to travel to?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) is a monthly blog hop for writers at all levels to share their fears and insecurities in a safe and encouraging place. Please drop by and say hi to Alex Cavanaugh who started this nifty concept in bringing us all together.

Have a great day and survive Dorian!

(Off to write more RTD…)

Two Years in the Making

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Sooo… I thought I scheduled this post correctly last Wednesday. It appears I did not. Well lucky for you you get TWO posts from me this week. Woop! Stayed tuned and Survive Dorian like Batman and I will be doing!

*********************

(Intended to post on 8/28)

I can’t believe I missed last week. I mean, I can, because I’m telling you about it now, but I’m a little surprised at myself for being such a slackass. In my defense, I had a half-formed post all ready to go about how I’d scratched off my beauty-mark on my upper lip and now I don’t have my cute Marilyn freckle to distract from—what my band teacher called—very thin lips. Also, in my defense, I’ve been going ham on RTD. 😊

As much action as I pack into my sci-fi series, I’m not a fan of writing it. I’ll say it. Not a fan. A necessary evil, writing fighting/action scenes (for me) takes longer, I’m never certain it’s sounding right, and as exciting as all the action is, it’s not my favorite. I prefer the dialogue parts. The ones that delve into the plot. The ‘story within the story’ and I’ve finally reached a part where everything is calming down for a hot minute, so I’m in my sweet spot. I think I’ve written more in the last two weeks than I have over the course of starting the thing. Maybe. Close to it at least. And I still feel *so* far from the ending. I’m like hovering in the middle, but that’s okay, because like I said: sweet spot. Of course, this just means I’m approaching another full action scene/sequence, but it’s the last book in the series. Story kind of demands it.

THIS WEEK (today, when you’re mostly likely reading this) Batman and I will be in Colorado Springs! Woop! It’s only been two years in the making and one year in the immediate planning and we’re going to see things and do things and I’m hoping I won’t fall out of the raft. But we’ll see. If we’re friends on FB (and we should be!) I’ll post some pics of our adventures in the mid-west so you can follow along with the shenanigans. 😊 If we’re not friends on FB (why are we not friends??) you can expect a way cool post next week that will *mostly* consist of pictures since I’ll be recouping hard from the day before – aka the day we get back.

I’ll try to be smart with social media and update Instagram. But don’t hold your breath.

Enjoy your week!

I Hope You Enjoy It

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This post is going to be short because:

  1. I live a boring life and don’t have much to say
  2. I’m first chapter into writing RTD and DO NOT WANT TO STOP

There should probably be a number three, but I think number two sums it up. I’ve got the energy going and I’m pantsing this baby like a mofo. What’d I say last week? Good vibes 😊 Alright 😊 For your pleasure/entertainment/whatever, here’s a current picture of me and Batman at his work holiday party:

Happy holidays to you—whatever you choose to do! Whether it’s lighting eight candles (which I believe has passed…sorry…happy belated Hanukkah!), opening presents with friends and family, or laying on the couch doing nothing, I hope you enjoy it.

Alright, back to writing RTD. (Woop!)

See ya on the flip side of Christmas. Fingers crossed you get everything you didn’t realize you wanted.

*Every.Single.Day

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On my commute home, there’s this short light that keeps our street backed up for two to three light cycles. It’s where I usually check my email and texts because I’m going to be sitting for a while. I know this. We all know this. We all know that in order to cross over this one busy highway, we have to do our penance and sit and wait for the light to change, and when it does, it feels three seconds long.  WE ALL KNOW THIS. IT DOES NOT CHANGE.

But this motherfucker:

Gets in the left-only turning lane, bypassing everyone, and then jets back over into our lane. I could understand if this was an “oops! Got in the wrong lane!” Or “Didn’t realize this was turn-only!” Whatever. I’m super forgiving for things like that because I do things like that. Because I’m terrible with directions and can totally get how you end up going the wrong way down a one-way street (twice) because it’s dark and you might need glasses. I get it.

But this motherfucker does this nearly *EVERY SINGLE DAY. We’re apparently on the same route home, and every day she whips past me, right to the front of the line. Then she slows down, puts on her blinker, and waits for the light to change. And I’m looking around like, am I the only person who’s seeing this? Can we all agree that this SAME CAR is doing this SAME JACKASS THING every day? Why haven’t we rioted against her? We need to unite and riot against her! Then the light turns green and someone lets her in.

*Every. Single. Day.

In other news, I started writing Return to Dellapalania. (YAY!!!) I haven’t touched Arizal Wars for a long time because I’ve been preoccupied with BTT. Mind you, I’ve been writing AW since 2011, so when a sexy side-series sashayed my way, it was hard to decline the temptation. 😊 Anyways, I’m three pages in and excited! To be honest, BTT was just the break I needed because now I feel refreshed and revamped and ready to go. I’d like to say this one will be ready next year, but I don’t want to say that. Not yet. I will when I’m more than three pages in and have an idea. Still. Good vibes, guys. Good gives 😊

Except for that bitch who cuts in line in traffic. She can eat a donkey dick.

*I’d be lying if I said it was every day. It happens more like 2-3 times a week, which is plenty often to be considered a jackass if you ask me.