Sister Scribe - the Official Site of Chicki Brown

Someday at Christmas is coming together faster and easier than I expected. I wrote a scene yesterday that I laughed all the way through. It's great when that happens!  Here's the meter:

I'm rushing to get out of here this morning. I have to drive a friend to the doctor, so I'm taking my Alphasmart with me. I can write while I wait for her.

Today I’m departing from my typical Fun Friday entry, because I realized I never gave a review of J.R. Ward’s latest release when I finished reading it. Her new book, Covet, is the beginning of a new series for the paranormal author.

When I discovered Ward two years ago, I had never read a paranormal romance and had a real aversion to the idea of vampire stories. By the time I finished Dark Lover, the lead book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I had discovered my new favorite author.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel as strongly about Covet. Perhaps it was because I had seriously fallen for the brothers and their fascinating stories. Or maybe it was due to the fact that the characters in this story don’t have the detailed history with unique customs and language. I’m not sure.

At first I wasn’t sure if I would read this one simply because, as a Christian who knows the Word of God, I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of a book about “fallen” angels, but my curiosity got the best of me.

Of course, Ms. Ward’s idea of what constitutes a fallen angel isn’t biblical. First of all, I never understood where people get this crazy idea that angels are dead people. The Bible tells us the angels are heavenly beings created to minister to humans. It also tells us those angels that fell from Heaven with Satan became the demons who serve him. They are the enemies of God’s people.

J.R.’s fallen angels are merely people who died and were sent back to earth with an assignment to “save people’s souls.” Okaaay, I can go with that for 500 pages. At least they are the good guys and they are fighting the demons.

I loved Vin DiPietro, one of the heroes. He’s a real Alpha hero – sexy, tough, and rich. Jim, the angel, wasn’t as strong a character as I would have liked.

Another thing I liked about Covet was how J.R. incorporated characters from her previous books that readers will recognize. In fact, the heroine, Marie-Therese, worked in the nightclub owned by Rhevenge, the sympath vampire. She brings in other characters for “cameos”. Only her fans will recognize them.

Normally I don't give ratings on this blog, but I will this time just for the sake of comparison. Whereas I would have given each of her first six books an A+, A- or A, I have to give Covet a B-. I am thoroughly convinced that Ward can't write a "bad" book. Covet was good enough for me to read the next installment in the series, but I’m really waiting for vampire John Matthew’s story which comes out in February 2010.

There's nothing I love more than starting a new story. Some writers talk about how they hate facing the blank page, but meeting new characters, learning about their lives, dreams and goals is way more fun to me than typing The End.

Yesterday morning I uploaded the first chapter of Someday at Christmas to my critique group, and I can't wait to hear their comments -- good or bad. In general my heroines usually share my morals and my world view, but this time around I wanted to write a heroine who has a job I would NEVER do (even if I were young, skinny and totally hot).

Tamyra is an exotic dancer, and her reasons for choosing this line of work are central to the plot. Needless to say, since I won't be visiting any of the Atlanta "gentlemen's" clubs first-hand I've been doing a LOT of research on the clubs, finding online interviews with women in the field, and watching scores of videos from pole dancing classes.   It's fun and educational. 

Today the meter looks like this:

The National Weather Service is predicting an average of 3-5 inches of rain for the Atlanta area later today and tomorrow thanks to Hurricane Ida down in the Gulf.

Needless to say, we have had enough excess water in the ATL, but the good thing about those dark, dreary days is they send me directly into the writing zone.

Yesterday I read that 150,000 are doing NaNoWriMo this year. I admire anyone who takes on the challenge and can come up with a readable first draft of a manuscript in thirty days, but I can't write like that. Personally, I've never been one to cram. Didn't even do it when I had to study in school.

My m.o. is the old Scout motto -- be prepared.  I write all the time. Every day. Weekends. Holidays. With a few exceptions, of course.

Have a great writing week!

Since it was another perfect, sunny 70 degree day in Atlanta, I decided to find a new place to hang out and read my research material for Someday at Christmas.

Thanks to a very nice man at the Fayette County Recreation Department, I discovered a beautiful spot called Starr's Mill right on Highway 85. Here's where I spent a couple of hours today:

Here's a little history on this scenic spot from http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Starrs-Mill-a-popular-attraction-643159

"Starr's Mill, just a few miles north of Senoia, is probably one of the most famous -- or at least the most-photographed -- sites on the old McIntosh Trail, featured in numerous magazines and even in the Reese Witherspoon film "Sweet Home Alabama."

But even though a mill was located at the site from a very early period, when Creek and Cherokee Indians were still living in west Georgia, the current structure isn't nearly so old.

The mill changed hands three more times in the 20th century. This mill -- the building which still exists today, built on the foundation of the original burned mill -- operated until 1959, using a water-powered turbine, instead of a wheel, to grind corn and operate a sawmill.

The Starr's Mill site also included a cotton gin and a dynamo that produced electricity for nearby Senoia.

The Fayette County Water Department has owned the site since Feb. 1991. The county has used the millpond as a drinking water source since 1994 and has repaired the building's foundation and painted and fixed the roof."

Great day ...

I have mentioned many times that I do my best work away from the house, and Atlanta Bread Company is one of my favorite places to write. They offer free WiFi (which I don't need for my Alphasmart), but it makes the store a hot spot for meetings and studying.

If you write, you know how important comfort is. The ergonomics of the furniture are a major consideration. Something about the design of the benches and height of the tables at the Fayetteville ABC were perfect for me, but I have also worked at the Morrow and Peachtree City locations where they did a total remodel last year. The wooden benches are gone -- replaced by padded booths with a pendant light over each table. The booths also have high backs, which cuts down on distraction, and there is a half-wall separating the seating areas.

When my friends in Fayetteville announced that they were closing on Sunday night and reopening on Tuesday morning so they could remodel, I was thrilled.

Yesterday I spent three hours at the newly redecorated ABC. They're really going to have a hard time getting rid of me now.

This is kind of what the old decor looked like:

 This is the new look.

This booth in the bottom left corner is my new home. Headed out again in about an hour ...

GOD CREATED CHILDREN (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN)

To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students, here is something to make you chuckle.

Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children.

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And one of the first things He said was, "DON'T!"

"Don 't what?" Adam replied.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit," God said.

"Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve, we have forbidden fruit! "

" No Way! "

"Yes way! "

"Do NOT eat the fruit! " said God.

"Why? "

"Because I am your Father and I said so! " God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants

A few minutes later, God saw His children having an fruit break and He was ticked! "Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit?" God asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?" said The Father.

"I don't know," said Eve.

"She started it! " Adam said.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"DID NOT! "

Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you? THINGS TO THINK ABOUT!

1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.

3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.

4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said

5 The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own

6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY: Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.

 I am already 4,000 words into my new story, Someday at Christmas. Here's the meter:

The query letter for Hollywood Swinging is with my critique partners. Now all I need to do is put together the dreaded synopsis ...

There's nothing I love more than starting a new story. Over the weekend I was a bit under the weather, but I had enough energy to start outlining my next WIP, a "fish out of water" Christmas story.

The title is Someday at Christmas (taken from the old Stevie Wonder song) and it's about an Atlanta lawyer from a dignified family who falls for an exotic dancer. Y'all do know that Atlanta is the strip club capital of the nation, right? He takes her home to meet the family for Christmas, and you can imagine the drama that ensues.

During my cold medicine-induced wooziness, I managed to put together this collage of the cast of characters. These are some good-looking black folks!

TOP ROW: The Gardner Family - Everett, Helene, Grandma, Family Home, Veronica and Lisette (sisters)

CENTER ROW: Christmas Dinner, Warrick "Rick" Gardner, Tamyra "Tamy" Allen, Sledding in New Jersey

BOTTOM ROW: Dreamland, Shanice aka "Luscious", Ouida (Tamy's BFF), Dreamland Bodyguard, Campbell (Rick's BFF)

This is a continuation of my entry from last Friday. 

If you've ever had an evil voice whisper in your ear, "You look terrible today," I want you to bookmark this page. Now, go look in the mirror and smile ...