she only smokes when she drinks

Dreams do not come true, this much I have learnt. Disney films have lied to you

Actually they do, I just really liked the line.

Just discovered Rimmel's 'Your Majesty' nail varnish colour. Cant believe its taken me 24 years to find it, has to be my perfect colour. Looks like I dripped my nails in diamontes!So much win.

For anyone wanting inspiration, you have to check out weheartit.com . It's a website where people contribute photos of anything and everything. I've been addicted to it for about the past week & its amazing. Because of The Rising I've been searching 'Italy' and 'Mexico' and coming up with some beautiful images that just wow me. And then I found one particular image that gave me the ending of The Rising. Totally. Completley. Anubis and all, here's the ending. Just from an image. You must check it out!

Feeling rather ‘writerly’ today. I think its reading Margaret Atwood that does it. Spent this morning driving round the uni & surrounding streets swearing like my hero Saint as car after car filled every available parking spot. How do so many cars get there so fast? When I finally found one, it involved a trek through the Botanic gardens to actually get to uni. So, being of a very lazy disposition I decided to stop and read my new Atwood novel at a bench. Covered in sunlight, looking up over the pages of Lady Oracle, which is an amazing thing in itself, I’ll never understand how Ms Atwood can nail life so perfectly, I watched the trees sway in the wind. Until of course, my reverie was broken by a seagull wanting my salad. When I waved a fringed thong at it, it cawed, or whatever they do. Evil little beggar. After that I packed Lady Oracle away and went on into uni.

The curse of prac has finally been lifted – for how can we be creative when we all look the same? I no longer have to wear that bright blue uniform and march in step. So today I celebrated by wearing denim leggings (jeggings? Whats the difference?) A black tulip dress with sparkles on the shoulders bought solely because it reminded me of Blair Waldorf, my latest obsession. A neutral loose cardigan cause Spring has not yet sprung properly and tried a new hairstyle. Of which I’m incredibly, stupidly proud. I tried to copy Serena Van Der Woodsen when she goes to that White party, with the silver scarf wound through her hair. I picked up my own sparkly silver scarf and attempted to wind it through my hair similarly. Forgetting Serena’s hair is much longer. So I wound it round and tucked it through my bun, then let it fall and the result is half Serena – or enough that people will recognise it and not think I forgot where my neck was – and half vecchio Signora. The effect put me in mind of the Signora leaning over the fence, bawling her dark haired, wifebeater wearing husband out for drinking the grappa and playing poker on the steps. So I look creative as well as feeling it.

you and me honey, baby we were born to run

Under the pretence of ‘research’ I bought the best Mob movie ever made – Goodfellas. Stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta & Joe Pesci. Directed by Scorcese. It just doesn’t get any better than that! Or, it could, but only if Al Pacino was in it. I have the flu & am kind of drugged up on Sudafed so my plan is to tuck up & watch Goodfellas. It’ll also help with Santangelo & Vin.

Speaking of the two gangsters, The Rising is coming along nicely. The progress is different from HN but I think it’s because I have no preconceived notion of The Rising, it’s just spilling out. I’m hoping some heavy Mafia lore might inspire me too. It’s just odd at the minute because I know what to write & how I want it when they arrive at the hospital but right now, they’re driving there and Grayson’s revelation seems to be taking forever.

Along with Goodfellas I have True Blood S2. And Eric Northman/Alexander Skaarsgard is seriously becoming an inspiration for Saint. I think it’s in the way he holds himself & the way he keeps all his emotions in check. Northman is a pretty awesome vampire. Don’t get me wrong, the Vampire Lestat is good, but the Vampire Eric is all kinds of amazing. There’s an underlying menace to everything he does that I just love. He’s definitely an inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, I sat down to read Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane this arvo in the freezing cold sunshine. Bathurst is the only place on Earth with freezing sunshine. I love her writing anyway, but I started reading it & it inspired me. Not inspired as in slavishly copy and just change names around, but inspired me with Saint. So far – and I’m 5 chapters in – it’s an awesome book! I’m most definitely a Terrible shipper though. Lex is a fascinating character but Terrible. Terrible’s perfect. Right down to the description of the car. I also love the way Ms. Kane does dialogue. The language in the Downside series is not strictly perfect English but it works so well for the world that she’s created. That’s what I hope to achieve with Saint & Vin.

I would desperately love to write more of The Rising this evening but thanks to my lovely flu that I’ve been landed with I have what feels like a needle of pain right behind my left eye. So I’m going to go to bed as suggested & watch Goodfellas. Expect a post about how great the Mafia is sometime in the near future!

Also, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Nothing to do with my writing, more to do with my fashion sense. Since watching Gossip Girl S1 my wardrobe appears to be taking on a distinctly Blair like appearance. So much so that as I was browsing the shops today I found myself holding a top & thinking I’m sure Blair had one like that. I know Serena is meant to be more popular & I do like her, truly I do, but Blair holds more interest for me. I think it’s the whole Queen Bee mentality. I see shades of Ronnie I think.
& now off to bed...cough...cough...splutter...insert gratuitous sympathy here:

there's a darkness on the edge of town:

I could have also called this ‘Why the Synopsis should be murdered with a stake through its heart’

Human Nature is being submitted to multiple agents & publishers over the next two weeks. One query went to Camerons’ Management just this morning. HN will also be sent to Ebook publishers (is it just me or are they more receptive to new authors?) and will continue its Australian & American agent search.

I have no idea why it wishes to refer to itself in the 3rd person.

Going to come right out and say it – I love this whole process. Not so much the querying, not so much the synopsis. Definetly not the synopsis, more on that later. But the whole process of getting your book out there, marketing, networking. I’ve met some truly awesome people and maybe I’m just a show off at heart, but I love marketing Human Nature. Promotion is definetly one of my favourite parts of this whole gig. The Facebook page, this website, Twitter. An Ebook publisher started following me on Twitter today & I about fell out of my chair. Of course I didnt, because that would have been undignified. Rebecca Leigh gave me a brilliant looking forum – the Romance Divas – to join & I daresay I’ll shamelessly promote myself there too. Thats more about networking though. And finding the answer to the question thats been plaguing me for a couple of weeks now.

Ebooks. They’re intriguing me. Ebook publishing is intriguing me and I’m seriously considering submitting Human Nature to some brilliant sounding Ebook publishers I’ve come across. I admit I have a massive desire to see Human Nature on the shelf at the local bookstore, to take it down and run my fingers through the pages, but at the same time am I missing something huge by not following Ebooks?

Back to synopsis. Whoever invented those...well...shame on you. I’ve discovered varying agents & publishers want different lengths, which is harder than it sounds. After condensing 190,000 words into a one page synopsis its like a nightmare trying to expand it back out to 3-4 pages. I wish there was some way we could just plonk my brain on the page and be like ‘there, see that? Thats it’. However I think plonking a brain on an agents’ desk would result in a mental hospital. Possibly also a rejection. Still, its a novel way of getting their attention. Dear Agent: My submission is in my brain. Enclosed is my pre-frontal cortex. Kindly don’t poke the hypothalamus.

Work’s also started on the 2nd book in the Black Rose series, The Rising. A prologue is done and the first chapter’s been re-done about a zillion times. First Maryse wanted to talk, then Vin. I’d complain but I read a quote that says ‘the muse comes when she wants. If you send her away again, she may not come back at all’. So I’m gonna be real hospitable here.

As another outlet for shameless self promotion of the Black Rose series, look out for the upcoming forum. I was inspired by a friends’ Facebook discussion page. Keep your eyes peeled for Secrets. I’d tell you more, but its a secret. Hah. See? I can get endless miles out of this shebang. Anyway, she inspired me to go ahead and create something for the Black Rose series. It’ll focus on Human Nature & The Rising, as well as my upcoming series, roughly titled Guardians. Stay on the edge of your seats. No not back...the edge.