Agents and Assassins, Beautiful Books

So, I haven't really talked about my writing in quite a while, so I'm going to participate in Beautiful Books! The blog link-up for writers, hosted by Further Up And Further In. If you don't know what it is go over there to read the rules. I'm too lazy to type them out right now...

So here we go. I'm going to use my WIP 'Agents and Assassins'.

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea? Actually, I was watching Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time, a couple of years ago, and I got the idea for a scene with a mysterious woman in black and a clueless hero arguing in a desert, so I wrote that scene and the story branched off from there. :)

2. Describe what your novel is about! It is about a very average young man named John Fletcher, and how he meets an easily upset young woman - who happens to be a secret agent - and gets swept up in a crazy adventure to stop an evil mastermind

3. What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like! Check out my pinterest board: Agents and Assassins

none of the images are mine, i found them on pinterest

ditto the previous caption

I made this on Polyvore

4. Introduce us to each of your characters! The main characters are: John Fletcher 21-year-old photographer, ran away from home on his best friend's airplane, a bit clueless and apathetic, does as he's told. Naya Law; easily angered, young woman, hates incompetence, been an agent since teen years. Cary Hitchcock; friendly, focused, young man, agent, captain of the team that Naya is on. Gigi Taylor, (I haven't written her yet, but she is awesome. No one is allowed to know anything about her just yet.). 

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?) I usually hang out with the characters in my head and watch them in my imagination until I have enough material to work with for a while.

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel? The twists. And the emotional and/or dark scenes. I love these characters, so I'm looking forward to spending time with them. :)

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting. Planes. Deserts. Secret bases.

8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way? John's goal is to stop the evil mastermind. What stands in his way is the fact that he is untrained and doesn't have the knowledge or skill necessary.  

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel? He becomes an agent (maybe), and gets more emotionally balanced.

10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over? I guess the themes are: Working through hardship. Friendship. Learning to live with a great sorrow. Helping others though trauma. 

I want readers to be inspired to reach their goal. Whether that goal is saving the world, or saving a friend, or saving themselves. 

Thank you for coming on this adventure with me! 

And if you're new to my blog, be sure to have a look around, and drop me a comment!

See you later! 

Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

Today is a day of giving thanks for all the good things we have recieved. I know you probably don't want to read a list of things I'm thankful for, and really, it's far too long a list to put anywhere; so I'm just going to metion a few things.

I'm thankful for:
All of my amazing friends! I can't say enough how grateful I am for them.
The Theatre that I love - it gave me hope and a new life.
All the midnight conversations I've had with people I love.
Being away from the one that hurt my family.

Now on to the fun part of this post!

On this Thanksgiving I decided to do something completely silly and imagine my character's as little kids putting on a Thanksgiving pageant.
Here is the result of that:


Cast of characters: John, Naya, Anthony, Sue, Gigi, O'Brian (Agents and Assassins), Dallas, Nora, Lucas (The Animalia Project), Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Aurora, Flint, and Valor (Alternatives).

THANKSGIVING PAGEANT

The kids, six boys and eleven girls, were gathered in a backyard and were attempting to practice a Thanksgiving play that Nora had written.

Nora tried to bring some order to the group, but the challenge of directing sixteen other kids in a play was a nightmare.

"Alright everyone listen up!" Nora shouted, "I'm only gonna remind you one more time!" She held up a clipboard with a scrawled list of who was supposed to play who.

"John, you are William Bradford. Naya you are Captain Miles Standish."

"Why does she get to play him?" Flint complained

Naya explained "Becuase I'm the best for the part obviously,"

Nora continued with the list, "Anthony, you are John Carver. Ariel you play his wife, ."

"Why her?" Flint asked

"Because they both have red hair," Nora replied, "Oh, and Rapunzel, you are Rose Standish. O'Brian is Chief Massasoit, and Flint is Squanto."

"Yes!" Flint shouted jumping up and down.

Naya rolled her eyes, "Dude, you already knew what part you got, we've been practicing all day."

Nora ignored the interruptions, "Belle is Dorothy Bradford. Gigi, Dallas, Lucas and Aurora are Indians. Snow White, Valor, Cinderella, and Sue are Pilgrims. Now! Places everyone, let's practice one more time."

The 'pilgrims' got on stage and climbed into a very large cardboard box that was meant to resemble the Mayflower.

John had the first line but had to be nudged several times by Naya before he remembered it, "Here we go, to a new land."

"Yes." Naya said in a deep voice, "We have left England behind us so that we can build a town in America."

Nora was blissfully unaware of the errors in her script.

Belle gave her line next, "I'm sure our lives will be wonderful there."

Anthony said hesitantly, watching Nora to see if he was doing it right, "Let's pray for a safe journey?"

Everyone on the 'boat' bowed their heads for about two seconds - except Naya who thought that her character wouldn't pray.

Then they moved the 'ship' around the 'stage' and Rapunzel called out, "We're here!"

They climbed out of the box and looked around. Flint jumped out at them and yelled "boo!"

Nora called, "Flint! No scaring!"

"Fine..." Flint grumbled. He approched the pilgrims and said, "Hello! I can speak english! I will help you!"

"I don't trust you." Naya/Captain Standish said.

"But I can bring you fish!" Flint/Squanto said whipping one out of his pocket.

Nora nodded to the 'pilgrims' and they all called out. "We feel sick!" they fell to the ground and shivered. While the 'Indians' made the sound of a harsh winter.

Ariel/Kathrine Carver said, "This winter is so cold!"

Then the howling stopped and the 'pilgrims' - except Valor - stood up.

"Snow White!" Nora yelled "You're supposed to be dead, like Valor."

"Oh," Snow White said, quickly dropping back to the ground.

Anthony clutched his heart, "Ugh! I'm dying!" he fell down.

"Oh no!" Ariel/Kathrine cried then died too.

Then the 'Indians' came on with pretend food. "Here you go!" Flint/Squanto said. The 'Indians' left again. The 'pilgrims' mimed working hard, then John announced, "Our food is growing so well, let's celebrate Thanksgiving Day!"

"Yay," they all cheered.

The 'Indians' came back and O'Brian/Massasoit was introduced.

Then after pretenting to eat a lot, everyone stood up, came forward and took a bow.

"Good job everyone! Let's do it one more time!" Nora said.

The cast groaned and all of them pretended to die.


THE END

Beautiful People: September - John and Dallas

Better late than never. It's time for Beautiful People!

What is Beautiful People?

Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up And Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help you get to know your characters better.

So, today, I had two characters - from separate stories - approach me and say that I needed to do Beautiful People this month.

Those two characters are John Fletcher and Dallas Green. Dallas wanted a post about herself, and John was just trying to be helpful and remind me. So I decided to do it with both of them. 

John is from Agents and Assassins. And Dallas is from The Animalia Project.

So here is a quick description of them.
Dallas is 16 with curly brown hair and fierce green eyes, she is tough - and acts tougher - and likes to be on top.
John is 21 with blond hair and blue eyes, he is gentle and just wants to be free from the pain he's in.

Alrighty, here we go!

Me: "Alright guys, I'm going to ask the questions and we will answer them," 

1. They’re in a crisis: who would they really like to see right now?

Me: "Dallas you go first,"

Dallas: "Ok then. In a crisis? I'm never in a crisis,"

Me: "But if you were, who would you want to come help?"

Dallas: "I don't need help. I would probably see Erwyn, because I'd defeating him and his silly try to get me in a crisis,"

Me: "I think that she would want to see Joe,"

John: "Who's Joe?"

Me: "A friend of her's that has saved her a couple times from fights,"

Dallas: "I told you, I don't need help,"

Me: "John. Your turn."

John: "Um... well, I guess I'd like to see Cary Hitchcock."

Me: "Not Agent Law?"

John: "Well, her too I guess, but if I could only have one person help me, I'd go with Cary. He's um... friendlier... than, Agent Law."

Me: "Next question. John you go first this time,"

2. Are they easy to get along with? 

John: "I hope I am. But I guess I wouldn't really know,"

Dallas: "Of course I am. I'm very easy to get along with, as long as other people don't act like iditots,"

Me: "John is very easy to get along with. 
  John: *Smiles shyly* "Thank you,"

Me: "Dallas, on the other hand..."

Dallas: "What?"

Me: "Dallas can be a challenge - not for me - but for others."

Dallas: "Oh, come on!

3. Who was the last person they had a deep conversation with?  

Dallas: "Deep? Deep conversations get you nowhere. And they make peopole emotional. But I guess the last person would be Nora, it was not fun."

John: "I guess it would be... her... I'd rather not talk about it,"

Me: *nods* "Ok,"

4. They’re in the middle of a huge crowd of people: how do they feel? 

John: "Not too bad, crowds don't really bother me. I like that you can disappear and just be another face in a crowd,"

Dallas: "It's neither here nor there. Crowds are crowds, so as long as they aren't all cheering for an opponent, I'm good."

5. Do they believe in luck or miracles? 

Dallas: "In luck, yeah, never seen a miracle,"

Me: "Your position on that might change pretty soon,"

Dallas: "What does that mean?"

Me: "Can't tell you. John, your answer?"

John: "Both I guess..."

6. Do they like and get along with their neighbours? 

John: "Well, before I left the states, yeah, but where I am now, it's a little more difficult," 

Dallas: "Define "neighbors". If you mean people in the town, then yeah, most of 'em. But maybe you mean the Green Kids, in The Green. Still, yeah most of 'em are fine."

7. If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go? 

Dallas: "The big city," 

John: "Well, I was kinda given that card already. Really, I'm not in to traveling,"

8. How do they feel about their body? 

John: "I'm very aware of how much stronger than me, everyone on Cary's team is,"

Dallas: "I feel great about myself, I'm the best kid in The Games, and I'm gonna win,"  

9. What is the cruelest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react? 

Me: "Well, Dallas?" 

Dallas: "No one would dare try to be cruel to me."

Me: "Why is that?"

Dallas: "Because I'm tough, I'm not fazed by stuff like that,"

Me: *nods with the wisdom and knowledge that comes from being the author*

John: "The cruelest thing? I don't know..." 

10. What’s the kindest thing someone has ever said to them? How did they react?

Dallas: "What is it with these sappy questions?"

Me: "They're great questions!"

John: "I guess, it would be something - anything - that She said,"

Dallas: "Who? Who is it? You always just say "her" or "she", what's her name?"

John: *makes eye contact with me* "I can't say her name. But she was wonderful. And I can't pinpoint just one thing she said, she was always so kind." *looks over at Dallas* "What about you, Dallas?"

Dallas: "I'm a Green kid, people aren't "kind" they're condescending. No one cares about us except when we're competing in the games. Though I guess, Joe and Mrs Ballet are nice,"

Me: "Ok... now that I've depressed the two of you, I guess we'll wrap this up. Thank you for partisipating, I hope you got at least some enjoyment from this."


And thank You for reading this very long post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

7-7-7 Challenge

I have been tagged, by my dear friend Kelsey at Kelsey's Notebook, to do the 7-7-7 challenge, which is where you share 7 sentences from page 7 of your WIP, and then tag 7 other writers to go and do the same.

 Anyone I would tag has already been tagged, and I don't have 7 people to tag anyway, so you are tagged if you want to be.

 Here is my clip from "Agents and Assassins"

“Why do I keep talking to myself?” John wondered aloud on his way to the village one morning a week later. The sky was bright, and the air fresh, with a tinge of excitement, as if something was to happen soon. However John ignored the feel of the air and continued his conversation with himself, “I never used too. But I do it all the time now. That is when I’m alone. Like right now. I suppose that I won’t be able to get rid of it very easily since it’s kept up this long.”

Beautiful People: Friendship Edition

I know that August is almost over, but better late than never! 

Beautiful People is a blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up And Further In and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month, they post ten questions to help you get to know your characters better. 

This month's BP is about Friendship!

This month we will meet:
20-year-old Agent Susan Wright (goes by Sue) and 18-year-old Agent Anthony Bridgewell.


This is Sue:

This is Anthony:
Just make his hair and shirt Red. And remove the Star Fleet insignia.

They are from my novel-in-progress: Agents and Assassins. 

1. How long have they known each other, and how close are they? They have known each other for about two years. They are very close - because they have a lot in common - but they are not quite best friends.
2. What’s their earliest memory of being best friends? As I said up above, they aren't best friends, but they first became really close about a year-and-a-half ago when they were put on Cary Hitchcock's "team". They found refuge in each other - they were both severely intimidated by Agent Law.
3. Do they fight? How long do they typically fight for? So far, they have not fought. They depend on one another too much to do so.
4. Are their personalities similar or do they compliment each other? Well, they are similar in that they are both shy, and they underestimate themselves... Yeah, they are similar.
5. Who is the leader of their friendship (if anyone)? Neither of them lead the friendship, but Anthony will defer to Sue more than Sue to Anthony.
6. Do have any secrets from each other? Yes. But probably not many.
7. How well do they know each other’s quirks and habits? They know how to make each other's coffee just right. Anthony has a lot of "quirks" and Sue is slowly deciphering what each one means. Anthony knows Sue's daily routine (as much as their life has a daily routine) and her habits fairly well. But they are still learning about each other.
8. What kind of things do they like to do together? You mean besides stopping bad guys? They love playing games of all sorts together. They also - on rare occasions, when they have the plane to themselves - will daydream, and share their thoughts.
9. Describe each character’s fashion style (use pictures if you’d like!) How are their styles different/similar? They wear uniforms most of the time, so their styles are very similar. But if they had no dress code Anthony would wear button-up shirts unbuttoned over a t-shirt with jeans. Sue would wear tank-tops and maxi-skirts.
10. How would their lives be different without each other? They would be less confident. And they would be lonely. They are a big part of one another's lives that it is really hard to think of one without the other.

Now, for your pleasure, here are a few snippets from the book:

                                                               ______________

Sue ~

“I am so sorry, I didn’t see you until it was to late to stop—I am so sorry about that,” She said quickly. She had medium toned skin; dark brown eyes; and, straight, black hair, cut in a bob, hanging to just below her chin. Her shirt matched O’Brian’s and Bridgewell’s in style, but hers was dark blue.

Anthony ~

Two large seats at the front of the cabin were occupied: the one in the center—looking everything like a Captain’s seat in a starship—was vacated when they came in, by a boy in a burgundy shirt; looking a few years younger then John, with red hair in short tight curls.

 

Both ~ 

From this bookshelf Sue and Anthony both pulled something: Anthony chose a board game and Sue picked a card game.

                                                                      * * *

Sue’s jaw dropped and the box Anthony was holding fell from his hands, hitting the floor with a crash.

                                                            _____________

There you go! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed answering the questions. :) 

Beautiful People: Parental Edition

Well, better late than never right? Beautiful People!

Hop over to Further Up and Further In to learn more!

This time we will be talking with Agent Steven Cary Hitchcock.

 He goes by Cary. And he's from my story Agents and Assassins (formerly known as the John and Naya story)

[key: Me, in blue. Cary, in red.]

Ok Cary. Thank you for coming to this interview.

You're welcome. But I really didn't have any choice in the matter did I?

You're right, you didn't, I know your pressure points.

You mean people.

Yeah, but I was trying to sound cool.

Ok. Perhaps we should get to the interview.

Oh, yeah. Now, these questions are phrased as though I am supposed to answer them, I'm not going to mess with rephrasing them, so just roll with it ok.

Ok.

Question 1: Do they know both their biological parents? Why/why not?

Yes, I knew both of them. They raised me until I was thirteen, when they died in a car wreck. Then I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa on Mom's side, and Mom's sister. 

I'm sorry for your loss.

....yeah... but I can think about them easily, and life with Gma, Gpa, and Aunt Sophie, was good.

Alright Q 2: Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?

I look a lot like my mom. But I have the same eye color as my dad.

And what color is that?

Brown. Mom's eyes were green.

Question number 3: What's their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!

Well, Do you mean Mom and Dad? Or Gma, Gpa, and Aunt Sophie? Or perhaps you mean Jagger from D.I.D.? 

How about all of them.

Mom and Dad dressed like normal people. Gma dresses like she's stuck in the fifties, Gpa was pretty normal. Aunt Sophie is a little eccentric and she dresses like it; and I really can't explain it. Jagger likes to wear an open button-up or a jacket, over a t-shirt, with cargo-pants. Often camo somewhere. He doesn't have the best fashion sense. 
And... I'm probably going to regret that statement.

Haha, Ok. Next. 
4: Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?

I'm often told I'm like my Dad, but I really don't see it, he was great, but we're nothing alike. I think I am more like a mix of Mom, Gma, and Aunt Sophie.

Then why do others think that you're like your Dad?

Perhaps because I was at one point interested in following him in his career of a Gemologist.

Hmm, I did not know that! Very good. 
The next question is number 5: Do they get on with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?


We all get along really well. Mom and Dad were great and we rarely clashed. Jagger and I often have differing opinions, but we haven't had any fights in a couple years.
6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?

Mom would be Loving; Dad would be Curious; Gpa when I was a child would be Gentle, but as he got older it changed to Distant; Gma is Surprising; Aunt Sophie is Enthusiastic or Eccentric; and Jagger is... Expressive.
7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?

All of them are and were so encouraging. Without their support I wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I was pretty shy as a child and socially awkward. They all helped me come around to how I am today.
8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?

Jagger and I once had a fight on irrationality. I had done something stupid and he berated me pretty soundly, and of course I argued back. Then shortly after that, He did something rash - though heroic - and got injured, so I was upset that he hadn't taken the proper precautions. 

What about with your parents?

None that I can recall.

Gma, Gpa, and Aunt Sophie?

None of us really fought.

Ok. Cool.
Next question...
9. Tracing back the family tree, what nationalities are in their ancestry?

We have a lot of German from both Mom and Dad's sides, beyond that, we're not really sure.

10. What’s their favourite memory with their parental figure(s)?

My favorite with Dad... I was eight I think and I had a crush on this girl that I knew. I told him about it and he counseled me to wait and see how things played out. As I got to know the girl better I discovered that she really wasn't very nice. I was devastated, so Dad took me out for Ice Cream, and we talked about all kinds of things.

With Mom, it was after a baseball game, when I was ten. I had gotten a splinter during the game and I was trying not to let anyone know that it hurt. But afterwards I showed it to Mom and she quietly dealt with it, so that my team wouldn't find out.

Gma and Gpa share a memory. It was a year after Mom and Dad had died I was having a lot of trouble in school, so they came and found me one afternoon, and announced that they were going to homeschool me from now on.

With Aunt Sophie... Hmmm, let me think... I have so many... Maybe the time we were riding a Farris Wheel, and we got stuck at the top, she didn't freak out or complain. And we ended up playing rounds of thumb war until we got down.

Who won?

I don't remember.

And what is your favorite memory with Jagger?

We were on a mission in a village - that must remain nameless - and I had gotten attacked by the local street thugs. Jagger came to my rescue. He took care of me, but never let me feel incapable.

Ok. Well, I'd love to hear more, but we are out of time. I've got writing to do!
Thank you Cary. I know so much more about you than I did before.

You're welcome. I'm glad to have been able to shed some light on my past.

Character Encounters

Character Encounters is a writer's link-up hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek over at Knitted by God's Plan.
Click on her name is you want to learn more!
 
We will be encountering John Fletcher (yeah, I know he's the one I used for Beautiful People) at this months location... the Playground


I arrived at the playground, just before sunset, for no particular reason, and found it to be deserted.
I walk to the swings and sit down. Whilest swaying gently, I see that I am not entirely alone. A sad figure sits at the top of the slide far to my right, the setting sun behind him. His head is bent and he is still. I slip off the swing and walk to where he is. He looks up as I approach and I recognize my character, John.

"A twenty-one-year-old on a playset isn't something you see every day," I comment
"Well... maybe that's because we come when no one else is around,"
"What's wrong?" I ask gently
"What makes you think something is wrong?"
"You're sad, I can sense it," I reply
He smiles, "I was thinking... about her."
"Ahhh. Don't dwell to much on the past, John,"
"I know how to handle it now." He assures me.
"How is training going?"
"You know, I'm not supposed to talk about it... But I will say this: Naya actually said I did well on the course yesterday."
"Wow," I say enthusiastically, but I wonder if she meant it.
He glances towards the sun, "I better go, it's Gigi's night to cook, and game night, so I don't want to be late." He pushes himself down the slide and gently reaches the ground. He turns to me and says, "Goodnight. We're still on for coffee?"
"Of course," I pull him into a hug. At first he was a little stiff from surprise, but he hugged me back warmly.

I watch as he disappears in to the night and I sigh at his past and smile at his future.

Beautiful People: May Addition

Today I will participate in Beautiful People,

It is a monthly writer's link-up hosted by Sky over at Further Up and Further In, do go and learn more.

Now for the character that I will examine... John Fletcher! From my novel currently nicknamed "The John and Naya story" I would include a picture but I don't have one. Now for the questions!

1. Do they get nightmares? If so, why or what of? Well... mostly they are about his friends and family dying. I can't really say more without reveling a spoiler.
2. What is their biggest guilty pleasure/secret shame? He secretly likes "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" but he would fiercely deny it.
3. Are they easily persuaded or do they need more proof? He is pretty easily persuaded.
4. Do they suffer from any phobias? Does it affect their life in a big way? He doesn't have one until he "joins" D.I.D, but then he acquires the fear of being drowned, not drowning, being drowned. Meaning someone keeping him under the water until h suffocates.
5. What do they consider their “Achilles heel”? He feels that there are many ways that someone could take him down. Therefore he doesn't think that he has an "Achilles heel".
6. How do they handle a crisis? Depends. But usually he becomes calmly reckless, and can't think clearly enough to handle it.
7. Do they have a temper? Not really. But he can explode if there has been a build up of things he doesn't like. For example, he can handle Naya for quite some time, but after a while, one of her comments will hit the wrong button and he will respond loudly, and only verbally.
8. What are their core values and/or religious beliefs? He's a Christian, and that's about how well I can sum it up.
9. What things do they value most in life? His family and friends, and his camera.
10. What is one major event that helped shape who they are? Well... the one I want to say is a spoiler that happens shortly before the book begins... So I guess I have to pick another one... Ok so... I don't have one that isn't a spoiler. Sorry.


So there you have it. :)



John waited until a few awkward moments of stillness had passed, to plop down beside her and ask, “Now what?”