Lena Corazon

Flights of Fancy

Day: August 31, 2011

ROW80: And the Winner Is…

August 31, 2011 / / 53 Comments

Well, friends, here we are at the end of August, and I have all sorts of lovely news to share.  For starters, I did find out that I didn’t win the SheWrites contest I mentioned a couple of weeks back, although there are five absolutely amazing folks who did. However, there are lots of other things that have happened that give me warm fuzzies:

1. I WON CAMPNANO!

Eeep, it's so shiny!!!

Ahem, you will forgive me a wee bit of excitement.  There were some days this month when I wasn’t sure if I’d ever reach 50,000 words, but somewhere in the small hours of the morning, I reached my goal.  I can hardly believe that I did it, and I am soooo grateful for everyone who’s provided me with encouragement over the past few weeks (EmWantstoWrite, I’m looking at you — those tweets of yours have been wonderful!).

In honor of this success, I’ve posted the first scene of TELL ME NO LIES.  It’s the version that I polished up for the SheWrites contest, though it will most likely end up getting pulled apart and tweaked later on down the line.  Check it out if you are so inclined. 😀

2. Blog Love!

The second piece of awesome news: Last week I received my first-ever blog award!

I was given the Liebster from both Emilia Quill and David A. Ludwig, two bloggers and writers that I had the wonderful opportunity to meet during the 7 Virtues Flash Fiction Challenge earlier in the month.  In addition, Isis Rushdan, a new friend that I’ve made through the Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign, gave me an honorable mention.

I’m incredibly grateful, especially because I started blogging back in May without any real expectations, beyond trying to be accountable for my writing goals through ROW80.  Somewhere along the way, however, I have met some wonderful people who I am quite proud to refer to as friends.

More exciting than receiving the Liebster is the chance to pass it on.  These are the rules for the award:

THE RULES:

  1. Show your appreciation to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
  2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
  3. Post the award on your blog.
  4. Bask in the camaraderie of the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.
  5. And best of all—have bloggity fun and spread the love.

With that in mind, here are my top five picks, chosen for their overall awesomeness and supportiveness. Ladies, you’re all wonderful!

  1. EmWantsToWrite (@EmWantsToWrite)
  2. Nadja Notariani
  3. Elizabeth Anne Mitchell (@lapidaryprose)
  4. Marie Andrews (@marie_andrews)
  5. C.M. Cipriani (@crystalcip)

Swing by their blogs, add them on Twitter, leave them lots of love. Ladies, I look forward to seeing who will receive the Liebster to next.

On the topic of friends, I’m looking forward to going out to the Castro tonight to celebrate the 26th birthday of one of my closest buddies, Chris.  We’ve known each other since 3rd grade, and still fondly reminisce about our “puppy love” days, even though he came out a couple of years ago.

My bestie and me, 5 years ago

Now that NaNo’s behind me, I think I’m going to take a few days off, as I’m feeling slightly frazzled and brain dead.  I need to focus my attention on my thesis, since I haven’t gotten too much done on that front.  I’ve also got a hefty stack of books on the TBR list, so I’m going to tackle those as well.  I’ve also been a little swamped and missed Monday and Tuesday’s blog posts, so hopefully I can take some time to queue up a few posts this weekend. With roughly three weeks left until school starts back, I want to make the most of my remaining free time.

Don’t forget: Today’s the last day to jump aboard the Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign!  It looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun (and I’ve seen some friendly ROW80 faces as well), so check it out.

ROW80’ers, we’ve only got a couple of weeks left of Round 3!  How goes your progress?  Swing by to check in on everyone here.

Excerpt: Tell Me No Lies, Scene 1

August 31, 2011 / / 13 Comments

In honor of winning CampNaNoWriMo for the month of August, here’s the opening scene for tell me no lies, the steampunk romance/thriller I worked on.  It will, of course, probably end up getting edited and tweaked again somewhere down the line, so feedback and gentle critique is most welcome.

-oOo-

Tempest Dumont was no lady.

The art of feminine sweetness was lost on her, and the thought of pursuing the refined arts that were deemed appropriate for young women of quality made her want to retch.  Luckily, she had been born on the streets of Stockton to a penniless washer-woman, rather than in some gleaming Nob Hill mansion where she certainly would have been imprisoned by the trappings of propriety and respectability.

As a result, she knew enough about machinery to fix her secondhand cleaning-bot, Mrs. Three-in-One, with little more than a well-placed hat pin and the flick of a wrist, and she could beat out even the best poker players down at Roarke’s Tavern.  Better yet, she could swill cheap liquor down her throat without incurring too terrible a hangover, throw darts with the accuracy of a sharpshooter, and talk her way out of an arrest, no matter what the offense.

Of all her prodigious talents, it was her skill in flirtation and self-defense that she treasured most.  As the star singer of The Belladonna, the glittering saloon where San Francisco’s wealthy playboys gathered to sample the delights of the Barbary Coast, such strengths came in handy.  She was the Siren of the Coast, luring men to her side with the entrancing power of her voice.  They flocked to her shows, eager for an invitation back to her dressing room, where they waited like gallant swains paying homage to a fickle goddess.

At least once a month, however, one of those eager devotees made the mistake of breaking The Belladonna’s iron-clad rule: look, but don’t touch.  When they did, Tempest was always ready to put them in their place.

Exhibit A: Leander Ward, one of the wealthiest bachelors in the city and the latest in a string of fools to press himself upon the hot-headed chanteuse without permission.  Bleary-eyed and intoxicated, he accomplished little beyond tangling his fingers in the laces of her heavily-boned corset.  Pathetic, really.  Had it not been his third offense Tempest would have let things slide, but rules were rules.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Continue reading

Flash Fiction: Tuesday Tales, Round 4

August 31, 2011 / / 4 Comments

I finally got the chance to participate in Glitterlady’s awesome Tuesday Tales.  The prompt included one word, “dissemble,” as well as a photograph that can be seen here.  This 100 word drabble was a lot of fun to throw together, especially since it features the first vampires that I’ve written about in roughly 10 years.  There were some phenomenal entries, as usual, so be sure to scroll down and read through them.

“Dissemble”

Balloons bobbled in the sea breeze, garish against the sunset’s beauty.  Maggie scanned the half-empty patio, eyes alighting on the couple seated by the shore.  A celebration, she decided, lips twisting cynically. How precious.

A low growl caught her attention, and she turned to see Philip eyeing the couple, fangs flashing in his bloodlust.  She tugged on his hand in warning.

“Behave yourself.”

Philip licked his lips, unrepentant.  “I thought you wanted dinner.”

“Remember the Master’s instructions? ‘Fit in, dissemble.’” When he scoffed, she squeezed his hand harder, sharp nails digging into flesh. “Wait, brother. Our time will come.”

August 2011
S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  

© 2024 Lena Corazon

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: