DrunkenLilacs

Eenie Meenie; Which SNI Should I Write?

2010-03-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I think we all have moments when we are working on a serious project, a tiny spark ignites in your head. Like a blister on your feet, at first, the symptoms are small, but overtime, they reach a size so big you can't even control yourself. And what do you do? You open that Microsoft Word document--the one that's fresh, new, and blank. Won't be blank for long, since you're punching those keys with your fingers. Soon, you have 1.2k worh of words, more than you'd written that day for your "serious" project; your supposed number one priority.

Now not everyone struggles with this, but both my sister and I do. One moment, I'm writing something I think is going well, the next, my sister tells me what she's up to and I am suddenly inspired by some new idea. Some ideas are usually not better, however.

Now I'm no expert at giving advice, let alone WRITING advice, but here are my two cents jus in case there are those who have this problem like we do:

I believe there are pros and cons when it comes to a million SNIs in your hands. Leaving a WIP for a new SNI is a very risky thing to do (of course, you can always returnto your previous WIP, but it might be difficult to get the feel of that WIP back). On the other hand, you should try to see how the SNI works out because you never know, it might be the one. Also, I never believe writig something that doesn't work out is a waste of time; it's practice to help you get better.

Having too many WIPs and SNIs can confuse you, so it might be best to keep a couple, maybe three or four at the most. But having a lot of SNIs can also be a good thing. If you are not taking one of the SNIs seriously, try to steal a scene/idea/quote/etc. From it and try to incorporate it into your main WIP.

I always write my SNIs to get them ot of my head. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they actualy stick around and become my main WIP, so I would recommend writing down your SNIs whether to wash them away from your system or just to see whether it works.

However, the most difficult part about having so many SNIs and WIPs is figuring out which one to write at what time. The answer can be as simple as, "write the one you feel like writing". But I struggle with picking which one because I get excited over every one, and if I could, I'd write all of them at once.

The best way to go by this is to write the WIP or SNI you believe in the most, which in a sense, the WIP or SNI you are feeling.

So these are the procedures I follow when in doubt of which WIP or SNI to write. When in doubt, do not panic, just write what you want and feel like. Maybe overtime, one of your new SNIs become your number one priority when it comes to writing.

Teaser Tuesday - SLOW

2010-03-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry we didn't post last week--caught in the IB Program acceptance and stuff. Anyways, here's a scene where Drew and the girl bond a little. And finally, we find out her name. Sort of.

Long, so:

"She has the most honest eyes I ever read."

I'm standing by my window, enjoying my nightly cigarette (I found a pack under my books inside my bag) when the girl interrupts my thoughts. I don't know why I'm not complaining about her being on my bed, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her stubbornness.

I flick some ash off the cigarette, its flakes falling into the snow below, and take a long drag before asking her what she means.
She examines a picture of me and Jo on the wall, the day we went to some shitty carnival a few blocks north from here in some huge empty lot. I remember feeling so far up, scoring someone like Jo, while Liam, sadly, had to accompany someone like Jess.

Jess and Jo. The J Hotties. One classy, one trashy.

"Let's ride the Ferris Wheel," I'd said, pointing at the rusty circle carrying zero passengers on its crates. Jess and Liam had jumped right on it, while I stayed with Jo as she hesitated.

"I always hated those," she'd confessed, looking up at it with scared eyes. "There's a lot of ways you can kill yourself on that."

"Jo," I'd hugged her. "It's always a good thing to face your fears." And then I promised her that I'd hold her hand and stare at her while we rode it. In the end, Jo faced her fears. It always did work out in the end with her.

"I can see a lot in them," the girl finally answers. She points at the picture. "Her eyes. They're black, and the pupils even darker. That shows mystery, but it can also show integrity. The shape of them. Narrow. That shows confidence. Was she a swimmer?"
I almost dropped my cigarette out the window. "How'd you know that?"

The girl smiles a secret smile. "Her eyes. The size of her whites are water blown."
I'm taken aback and decide to see for myself. So I flick my cigarette out the window and stride up to the picture. All I see are normal looking eyes. Beautiful normal looking eyes, but still ordinary. Something I wouldn't have been able to guess if I never met Jo. "Hm," I answer. "That's freaky."

The girl fishes her hand inside one of the many chip bags inside my room. WIth the noise she's making, I'm still not one hundred percent sure about her being here.

School's tomorrow. How do I keep her from wandering around the house?

"Hey," I say. "We gotta talk about what happens tomorrow."

She puts the Doritos in her mouth and chews. "What's tomorrow?"

Like every single kid on the planet should, I roll my eyes. "I go to school."

"School?" she asks. There's a hint of curiosity in her eyes that just gives her away.
She either doesn't know what the hell a school is or she's never attended one before.

"You know, the shitty place they teach you stuff at?"

I know she doesn’t understand, but she's making progress by nodding.

"Anyways, we have to arrange somethin' so you don't wonder out of the house and get yourself killed."

"I can take care of myself," she says. "I'm not stupid."

There's a pinch of attitude in her voice that I don't like. "It's not about stupidity--" I'm about to call her by Jo's name when I realize the girl still hasn't told me hers. "Listen. I know you're shy and stuff, but it's gonna be pretty hard living with someone for four months without knowing their name."

The girl sits up and shrugs. "I don't have one. I told you."

See what I have to deal with?

"Fuck it," I say, and start walking around my room.

"What're you doing?"

"You won't tell me your name," I answer her curtly, and start by looking through a stack of video games. "So I'll just give you one."

"A name?"

"I think that's what I just said." My hands sift through the piles. Bloody murder games, war games, Liam's perverted games, (Italian) gangster games--you name it. There's a lot of names to use. No need to research. No need to stress.
I pull out every name in every single fuckin' video game. "Alice?"

Even I can tell it doesn’t fit the girl. She doesn’t seem interested, either. "Okay, too white. How about Jane?"

The girl shakes her head. "I don't think I need a--"
"Briana?" I look her up and down fast, so I don't get caught up. "Kind of sounds black, but still too white. "Bridget? Too sexy."

I go through this about a million times until I stumble upon Liam's ultimate video vixen crush. I laugh out loud as I pull it out. "There's no freakin' way, absolutely not."

"What's wrong?"

I flash her the case for Lara Croft. "Lara Croft. Tombraider. Old, sick video game. Ever heard of it?"

Just like I expect, the girl shakes her head. "I like that name, though."

"What'd you say?"

"Lara. It's pretty."

I almost say something stupid. "Lara…" I say, trying to feel the connection with the girl's face. I feel like some expert, looking at every corner of her face, matching it with the letters, the curve of her lips, trying to make sense of how it would sound coming out of them during an introduction.

"Lara," she repeats. "My name's Lara."

"Don't be so sure."

"You gave me a name," her eyes are wide. "Now I have one."

"You mean now I have a name to call you by," I correct her. "Lara obviously sounds better than your real name."

She doesn't say anything.

"So, tomorrow, Lara, you'll stay in this room by all means. That means no going downstairs, Ashley's room, or anybody else's room. Just here."

She nods, then frowns. "But I'll be alone. I told you; things are out to get me."

"Hey," I hold my hands out. "It's this or nothin'. I can't bring you to school. They'll annihilate you."

I can imagine how Principal Digby would handle it. Rednecks and sticks.

"You know what that means, right?"

"They'll kill me," she says defensively.

"Don't get defensive. It's the truth."

She ignores me and angrily bundles herself inside the new white sheets. I can't see the hole behind her head, so I don't panic. But then again, it can leak through that thick hair of hers anytime in the middle of the night.

"What're you doin'?" I ask rhetorically. "This is my bed. We made a bargain. I let you stay here, you let me have my bed."

"You promised me you wouldn't leave me alone," she murmurs under the pillows.

I snort. "Well, guess what? Life's a bitch, especially in Freedom. Now get off my bed."

I wait three seconds and nothing moves.

"Lara," I say, trying out her new name. "Don't make me--"

"If you want the bed so bad, why don't you just get in here with me?"

For a second, I almost do exactly that. If the invitation had come out of Jo, I'd jump right in. From Jess? Fifty-fifty, depends on my mood. But this girl? I actually had to think of the words. I had to know if she said it, really. Weird thing is, I don't feel disgusted. I just act like I do.

I clap my hands quietly. "Smart, Lara, smart," I say bitterly. Sarcastic. "I know what you're tryin' to do here. Mess me up before tomorrow. Well, you know what, screw you. It's not gonna work."

I stand there, waiting for a response or an apology, but there's nothing. Just breathing. I'm frustrated, but I don't make her know. It's because it's what she wants. Or at least what I think she wants.

I flip her my birdie finger while I get ready for bed. I pull my shirt off and throw it onto her bed, hoping it makes the covers heavy so it could suffocate her. And then I plop down on the floor, thinking to myself why I agreed to this in the first place.

She's black, a bitch, and completely worth killing. I have blood on my hands. I betrayed my own shitty town. For what? A girl who can't take anything thrown to her?
All because I'm crazy and I hear Jo's voice inside my head?

I want this shit out of me. Just like I want Lara out of my town.

Teaser Tuesday - SLOW

2010-02-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys! Another Tuesday, another Teaser. I'll be reading everyone's as sson as I get home from school!

Now, this is another teaser from SLOW, since Selena's still a bit self-conscious with sharing anything else from Brothers. Last week, a caring side of Drew is shown. This week, it's a little different, because it sort of goes back to the past, but really in a dream. So this is the first of these kinds of dreams that Drew starts having--and he's starting to remember what could've happened to Jo.

Thanks for the comment guys!

My Buried Life List (So far)

2010-02-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so, there's this show called the Buried Life that's inspired me in many ways, not just in life, but also my writing. After watching that show, my fuel to write just sort of bubbled a little more. There's so much inspiration that can come up in a less than thirty minutes, and when they put the sad music on it's just the best. It just shows everyone that nothing, NOTHING is impossible.

So I made my own little list of what I want to do before I die, basically what the show's all about.

In no order:

* Kiss a shark
* Give a graduation speech at an Ivy League College (when I'm older, of course)
* Bathe in chocolate
* Be a part of an action movie
* Pull out 7 days worth of all-nighters (a week of no sleeping)
* Drink my first legal shot/glass/taste of alcohol
* Be in a music video
* Get my book published, and then some
* Go streaking
* Face my fear of heights
* Shoot a gun (at a dummy, of course)
* Run a six minute mile
* Go on a joy ride with my friends (I need a license first)
* Read every classic literature piece before I turn 30
* Go to Antarctica
* Hug a bear
* Meet Emeril
* Gather with all my childhood friends and play tag at a cemetery at night
* Try out for American Idol
* Write a song with lyrical genius Tom Delonge
* Join the Peace Corp
* Do a collaboration with all my favorite authors (once I'm published)
* Kiss a stranger
* Go cliffdiving off of some Australian cliffs
* Run around my neigborhood screaming "The world's gonna end!"
* Give Stephenie Meyer a copy of Nightlight by the Harvard Lampoon
* Fall in love
* Save a life or many using my words
* Win the lottery and donat 50% of it to charities
* See a tiger give birth
* Jump in a moshpit
* Interview a racist
* Go to a heaven-looking rivefield I always dream about and just lay down
* Buy my mom a mansion
* and meet the Buried Life guys

What do you wanna do before you die?

I Might Sound Lame...

2010-02-17T22:23:00.001-08:00

But Woot! Andrew Garcia,

Alex Lambert,

and Tim Urban are on the Idol Top 24!!!

Teaser Teaser Teaser - SLOW

2010-02-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Alright, y'all. First off, we just wanna thank everyone who commented on our teaser last week, and just thank everyone who had time to read it, even though they couldn't comment. Thanks!

This week, we have a teaser for Serena's SLOW. In the previous two teasers from this, MC Drew is introduced. Now, jumping ahead a little bit, Drew kind of shows a different side of him. Of course, to put all the pieces together, you'd actually have to read ALL of SLOW. But for right now, here's a little piece:

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Slow Cover Art

2010-02-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

I've always loved covers with symbolism, and here, there's a lot. Maybe some of you can infer what the story's about...

Teaser Tuesday : BROTHERS

2010-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

So for the last two weeks, you guys have read from Serena's WIP SLOW. But this week, it's time for Selena's rough WIP entitled BROTHERS (for now :P) to be released in the world. It's still rough, however, because it's just something I started writing one day and it grew into something more.

Brothers is about learning to be your own man and not always depending on the ones closest to you. It's about choosing between loyalty to your family, or saving yourself and getting everything you want. And of course, about the real bond twins have--the one everyone thinks is just a myth :D.

Add in a mysterious book, a completely different territory on the other side of a river, a very different girl, a Local legend that just might repeat itself, and splashes of Native American Mythology, and this WIP is what it is.

Anyways, back to the teaser.

It's in a guy's point-of-view, and his name is Evan. :D

Thanks for reading!

What do you think?

WIP Wednesday - SLOW premise and Trailer

2010-02-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

As promised (I think), we decided to be have a new blogging schedule. So far, we've schedule what's to be for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and although that might not seem a lot for the hot-shot bloggers out there, it was an accomplishment to us :P. Anyways, this Wednesday, it's only appropriate to introduce my WIP, SLOW, to fellow bloggers out there. The teaser comments have been supportive and it's been great hearing--reading--them, since this is the first time I--Serena--'ve ever written something like this or close to it.

SLOW is a story about a boy named Drew Prendergast, who just happens to be a real-life person that kind of inspired me to write this story. This WIP started out as nothing but a "I'm-going-to-pass-time-now-since-my-first-book-is-out-to-betas" *deep breath* thing, and the plot isn't half what it is now. I still remember. November 18th, 2009, and I really wanted something to do with snow, and I just wrote this endless thing. I kinda forgot about it the next day and left it there until the new year began, and my sister and I knew that we'd have to put GLACIALIS, our other project, away for awhile until we're ready to revise it again.

All the while this is going on, the boy at school that's been my best friend (and crush, hehe) since last year, made a real derogatory remark that I took to the heart. It wasn't addressed to me, personally, but I knew it might as well be that way, because what he said, man it can be offensive to ANYBODY. For days, I asked myself if what he says is true. If he really meant it and if he did, would he be able to change. Being myself, I asked him a week later. His answer? Yeah, he meant what he said. But what shocked me about all that was the fact that he said it wasn't his fault. That whatever he thought came from his parents, and what they thought made him say those words. Again, being selfish, I told him he was stupid.

We didn't talk for about two weeks. One horrible day, I went to my recycle bin (you know, the one on your computer)to retrieve some English homework I deleted by accident. There it was: the document, titled "slow" in small caps. My curiosity made me open it, and since I haven't seen it for so long, I thought to myself: did I plagiarize this? This does not sound like me. But it was. And angry as I was, I knew I needed to write. SO I started writing. Named my nameless guy MC Drew because it sounds like a completely annoying boy name and pounded on my keyboard. I remembered everything my ex-guy-best-friend said and typed it all down in the point-of-view of this jerk MC, who's running away from something.

And you know what? It felt good. Besides the fact that a few "from"'s were "forms" and "of"'s were "fo"'s, it read pretty well. I was happy by the end of the day, and forgot to retrieve my english homework.

Ironically, the next day, jerk ex-guy-best-friend comes along to my table at lunch and starts yapping off an apology. He still stood by what he said, but he also admitted about his "mistake" of ignorantly saying it wasn't his fault. I told him that it wasn't, but he could change. And then a light bulb lit up right there and then. What if Drew had no choice? What if he had no choice but to HATE, or PERSECUTE those who were DIFFERENT? What if his entire freakin' town was home to the world's most close-minded, close-hearted people? Would he take the exact same step as ex-guy-best-friend who turns into now-best-guy-friend and invite me over to his house, even though his parents hate people of color?

This got me thinking. What if the girl in my story is not only colored, but is also different? As in, not of this world different? What if she thinks Drew hates her for being out-of-this-world different, instead of just being colored? Get the gist?

Then, the revamped SLOW is born. Drew is now not only running away from the truth (finding his girlfriend Jo's blood in Silver Creek, but no body), but also running away from what he might be feeling for this girl he found trying to jump off the exact same bridge Jo did. And then, like every story, there's a connection. The girl and Jo--very connected. Drew just doesn't know this--yet.

Throw in a bunch of complications, mythological elements, self-transformation, and there you have it: a story that I really love writing. Hopefully, it'll sound better once it's done and collected and has a query or synopsis or whatever.

As a closing note, I'll leave you with the cast pictures (how I picture them, at least) and the trailer :3

Drew Prendergast, 17, The life of the party until his girlfriend's blood is found in Silver Creek. No body, no goodbye. At least, that's what everyone thinks...

Liam Hawk, 17, Drew's life-is-good best friend who constantly pushes Drew to move on by throwing girls like Jess Kensington on him.

Girl, found by Drew trying to jump off the bridge. Jo's voice inside his head forced him to save her. Has no home, has no car, no phone number, total dinosaur. Now he's stuck with protecting her from the prejudice of Freedom.

Jo, 18, Drew's dead(or is she?) girlfriend who he keeps hearing voices from and dreaming of.

Now, the trailer:

Next Week: A teaser from Selena's WIP BROTHERS.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-02-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

Another teaser from SLOW this week, since it's gotten real positive comments last week. We'll post more about it soon (characters, plot, etc.) so you'll have a feel of where we're coming from with this.

Backstory: Last teaser, Drew's sulking about his girlfriend Jo's death, and he sees something unbelievable. Well, he follows that figure when "she" runs away, and sees her again on the bridge (it used to be the Well, but I changed it back to bridge) Jo jumped off, about to do exactly what Jo did. And the setting is changed - from a South Carolina island summer to a Georgia winter - so it's a lot different.

Now, just a warning, this might not be for the weak stomached. Drew is close-minded and really, really annoying, even to me, but as the story goes, he changes a lot, and in a good way. Here it goes:

Thanks for reading, guys!

Teaser Tuesday

2010-01-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

Okay. We know we've been sucking A LOT when it comes to posting, considering our last post was December 30th. Twenty-six days ago. Yeah. But we've been really busy and we're just trying to figure out what to do with our WIP's and stuff.

But don't worry, to anyone who still follows here. Today we actually have something(YAY!). We're still working on Glacialis, so right now, we'll post something from a new WIP of Serena's temporarily called SLOW.

It's about a close-minded boy. It's about a different kind of girl. And it shows what happens when you choose to make a difference rather than sticking to the status-quo. And of course, we can't write anything our genre yet, so there're a little bit of magical, mythological elements to it. We'll post more of it soon, along with Selena's WIP temporarily called WRITTEN.

It's in the guy's point-of-view, and his name's Drew (it's kind of long and rough, so we apologize):

Thanks for reading, guys!

Top 5 Things that Kept Us Alive in 2009

2009-12-30T20:16:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Things that Kept Us Alive in 2009

We should personally start off with a huge “Thanks” to everyone following our blog. When we started this, we never dreamed to have anything close to 19 followers. Yes, we know that doesn’t measure up to others who have fifty, one hundred, and even two hundred followers, but in a place where we only post Teaser Tuesdays, we think that 19 followers might just be too much. Seriously, we feel so horrible for having that much followers and nothing to post at all. But thank you so much to all of you. This is why our BLOGGER FOLLOWERS are runner ups to the TOP FIVE. If we hadn’t joined the blogging community, we wouldn’t have been able to procrastinate as much as we did in 2009.

So on to the list. It means so much to us that we do this, because we wouldn’t be able to sleep if we didn’t.

5. Glacialis and Our Characters

There’s always that time of day at school when we just want to drop to the floor and die. Oh, and there’s also that time when we just want to shut out completely out of this world. Not to mention all the times where we thought we weren’t good enough for anything. But all of you, our characters, the setting, and the plot itself, had brought us to the realization that you’re all alive inside of us, and even though it felt like you left sometimes, that you’ve always been with us. Special thanks to Mary and her voice, who never gave up trying to get her story out there. We’ve quit on you many times, but you fought to grasp our attention every time we ventured off. The first draft sucked, yes. The second draft was much better, and we even had feedback from some great people about it. But with those voices constantly nagging us to be better, the third draft shall be epic. The least we could do for our story and our characters is to get their message out there. And with them constantly pushing us, we think we just might.

4. Books and Authors

Fahrenheit 451 is just about the scariest book we’d ever read. What kind of society keeps people from gaining knowledge through books. We’re the kind of people who dislike book abusers. We treat books like a mother would treat a baby, like seriously. Anyways, the point is, books should not be hated, but thanked for. Thank you to all the books that served as our writing bibles, pointed us in the direction of what people actually want to read, and entertained us for the most part. We don't have second thoughts when we buy books like we do when we shop for clothes and other things. That’s obviously a sign of dedication. We know we’ve read at least one hundred this year, but if we list them all, no one will end up finishing this post :P. So here’s a few: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (for the steamy romance of Grace and Sam), Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (for igniting our love for bad boys), Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (for scaring the crap out of us with description of high school), Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia (for turning the tables and having a boy narrate a paranormal romance), Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (for introducing something new to the market), Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (just for existing), Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (for making us cry), Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (for making me [Serena] not pay attention in class to read it, and Selena do the same thing). Now, it’s safe to say that the novels we betaed for are real books. So here it goes: 365 Days Until I Disappear by Elizabeth Page (it’s self-explanatory if you read it), The Illuminated (or Luminous. Although Sarah Harian’s done another draft of it, we still loved this one), The Infernal Family by Parametric/ Eleanor (for having lots of action and demons) and Evangeline by Teresa Kirkland (for having so many magical elements. I’m almost done reading it! Sorry for taking so long!)
So there.

3. AW and Everyone on There

We can’t even try to imagine our year without AbsoluteWrite. When we found the site in August, we knew great things would come from there. And guess what? Great things have. We could ramble on and on about the greatness of this site, but that would be too long. Everyone has given us a chance to grow, not only out of our old shell and into a new one, but also grow into the community. Even if we barely posted, we feel welcomed every time we did. To us, all of you are family. We’d like to thank (and in no order): Karla, Emilia, Amna, Maddi-Rose, Lily, Jamie B, Choco, Becca, Laurie, J.S. Wood, paranormalchick, Sumayyah, Krista, Vero, Tere K., Deniz Kuypers, Kaitlin, Houndrat, Raven, Katiemac (for the amazing query advice), Rebecca S. (for the Hush, Hush fansite!), Corrine Jackson, Amanda, Laura, Sarah Harian, Stephanie, Lia, Parametric, Kody (for writing THE DUFF and making me want to read it), half.jaded, and especially to Liz for wanting to listen to thirteen-year-olds ramble about plotpoints, revision ideas, and crazy characters, not to mention for letting us read her beautiful, heart-breaking story. We love you all. So sorry if we didn’t mention you. Our mind is cloudy with many things right now. But please, note that everyone on AbsoluteWrite deserves to be mentioned here.

2. Our Parents, Gramma, and Each Other

Even though they’re the people that sometimes makes us want to be dead, they’re also the people who kept us alive. And not just literally by feeding us or supplying a roof over our heads, but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We’re a crazy bunch,and we think that’s why we manage to survive living together. We constantly remind them that we love them, even if it isn’t by words. If our book gets published, the dedication would be to them. Also, we survived using each other as support. Without my sister, Selena, I would’ve quit Glacialis a long time ago, and without me in her life, she said she would be getting in and out of trouble quite a lot.

1. God

The most influential force of all. God’s been with us from the start, and God’s been here ever since. It doesn’t matter what religion or belief other people have, there is something bigger than us, bigger than this world, bigger than the universe, even, out there somewhere. And whatever that force is, it’s kept us alive literally and metaphorically. So thank you, God.

This post says it all. Understand that these words are only words, and that there’s so much more to say inside of our heads. We thought 2008 was The Year, but we were wrong. 2009 topped 2008 by a landslide. Let’s keep it this way for 2010, shall we? We respectively predict that 2010 will be more explosive (in a good way), and much more ALIVE.

Happy New Years, Everyone!!!

Teaser Tuesday

2009-12-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! We are so sorry we haven't posted anything other than teasers. We are trying our best to create an exciting schedule for our blog, but we've been so busy wthe rewrites. Speaking of, they are going well. We are so happy of how things are turning out, so wish us luck that things keep goin this way. P.S. Happy holidays to you all and we are sorry we didn't wish you guys his sooner. Anyways on to the teaser. In this one, after starting some trouble with her "friends" at Faust's house, clumsy Mary gets hurt and has no choice but to turn to Faust for help. Enjoy!!!

"What's that for?" I asked, even though the answer was clearly in the air.

Faust set it down on the island next to my fingertips, along with a lean glass bottle of clear liquid called "Vodka", and white stretchy-looking cloth.

Faust made it clear that although he was planning to assist me on cleaning up my scrapes, talking was not a part of the process. Instead, he literally made me jump by making it seem as if he were about to graze my thigh. Both his hands landed on either side of my body, and with that barely-there accent, he said, "We have two choices here. One of them rational, the other just plain stupid."

I didn't catch where he was going. "What do you mean? What choices?"

Slowly, his eyes trailed down towards my blood-soaked blue jeans. The one Mom'd purchased from out of town, in other words, the really expensive ones.

"If you're smart, you'd probably want to take these off," he said, barely tapping on the surface of my jeans. My face twitched, but those were the only muscles I could move. "If you're stupid, you'd probably just want to roll them up, which'll cause quite more damage on those gashes. Judging from your terrified face, I don't really have to ask, do I?"

I remained quiet. Not because I was scared or anything. Mostly because I was amazed at his jerkish persona. But then again, this was Dillon's brother. Maybe they shared the same gene when it came to disrespecting people.

His face didn't change. "Roll them up."

Teaser Tuesday :D

2009-12-15T06:38:00.001-08:00

While the story is out to betas, we decided to edit some of it. Our brilliant beta Liz Page has helped us with good revision ideas. We're planning to do major editing, so my betas, please, if you WANT to drop the project all together, do so. Unless you want to help us out with the big picture stuff, of course. Anyways, this is part of the first rough line of the first revised chapter. The story now, is not only completely different, but we think, more elaborately developed. Guess sixth time is the charm :P

Thanks for reading guys!

Please tell us if it's too cheesy!

Teaser Tuesday

2009-12-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Teaser Tuesday again! We didn't have time last week, so we didn't post anything. Great teasers on everyone's behalf, nonetheless!

So basically, this is what's going on: MC Mary just got in a fight with her parents over ________ and she sought for a friend, specifically Faust. But like everyone else, Faust shuns Mary.

Here's the teaser!

Thanks for reading, guys!

Literary Crushes: RTW

2009-12-02T21:06:00.001-08:00

We've decided to participate, because one: we love literary boys(and girls, lol), and two: everyone seems to be doing it :D

Since we have more than one, we'll make a list.

1) Sodapop Curtis - The Outsiders

And not just because Rob Lowe plays him in the movie. S.E. Hinton
made him so likable that in the end, we really don't care if he's a dropout.

2) Ray Singh - The Lovely Bones

Ray, Ray, Ray. How can we ever forget your adorable timidness :D

3)Jacob Black - Twilight Saga

Jacob Black is not cute, but hot, not only in the movie,
but also the book. Plus, he's protective. And a wolf. *Squee*

4)Dallas Winston - The Outsiders

Dallas Winston is bad-a**. Greasers 4 the win.

5)Sam Roth - Shiver

We wish someone like him would show up shot and bloody on our doorstep :D
And he fits perfectly because we're obsessed with wolves.

6)Nora Grey - Hush, Hush

*sigh* Sorry Patch. Nora gets this one.

7)Nick - Demon's Lexicon

Oh, come on now. He has a sword! A sword! That's pretty self-explanatory.

8)Ethan Wate - Beautiful Creatures

It never goes wrong with a Southern boy that has a big heart.

9)Cabel - Wake Series, but especially in Fade

Cabel *sigh*

10)James - A Certain Slant of Light

He is so real we have a place for him inside our hearts. Kind. Gentle.
Lovely.

Not a great post, but at least we participated!

Calling All Betas :D

2009-11-30T15:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we've been waiting for this day for a very long time. The day that we're actually going to send our baby (in its whole) to actual writers/readers. To be honest, we're kind of nervous about this. But to succeed, we feel this is relevant.

So if you're interested in beta-ing Glacialis (complete at 95,000 words), please post your emails on the comments :D We'll send it to you in no time with what we're looking for in a beta :D

Thank you so much.

New Website :P

2009-11-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

Click Here

Titles That Fit

2009-11-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

Titles. They're essential to your book(duh). But what happens when you don't have one.

Sigh. We're in that kind of situation right now. When I first started out writing Sixth Circle, it was a very different story from what it is now. The MC was bland, and so were the other characters. The setting was horrible. The plot--even more horrifying. But that's not the point. The point is, the title "Sixth Circle" actually fit into that story.

And then, we made a drastic move to rewrite the whole thing. Third -person narrative became first person narrative. Our MC Mary suddenly has a past. And there's a lot more going on, but with less words (~~Sixth Circle~~Book used to be 130,000 words, and now it's 95,000 words). But the thing is, the words "Sixth Circle" is only mentioned once. Once, out of all 95,000 words. And it doesn't hold a very big meaning like the previous draft.

We're basically stuck on the premise of changing the title, but we have no idea what to change it to. We decided on Glacialis, which is Latin for "frozen" because it has been mentioned in a very big part of the story, but while sleeping, part of me was just dying. Apparently, my sister and I have grown too attached to the title we have. Have any of you had this problem? I mean, I know that a title doesn't make the book (or does it?), but I'm seriously stressing this right now. I'm sure if "Twilight" was called something like "Vampires Love Too" people wouldn't pay much attention to it as much.

So, the final question, how do you pick out your titles, and if you can't, what do you do? Or should we just use the original title?

Should I use title generators? LOL.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There's so much we're thankful for, but we can't post everything on here. So here's the top ten things we're one thousand percent thankful for :D

P.S. They're not in order :D

1)Our mother - because she brought us to this world and has been nothing but supportive since that time.

2) Each other - we're not just writing buddies; we're also sisters. Without each other, life would be lonely.

3) Books - without books, life would not only be dull, but it would also be harder to gain knowledge.

4) Education - again, the knowledge thing. Without knowledge, what is the human race, really?

5) Our characters - they changed our lives for the better. We'll never forget the day they popped their ways into our heads.

6) Everyone on AW - We've never met (well, technically not met, but yeah) people who were so helpful and supporting on our writing. Everyone in QLH is fabulous with whipping queries into shape :D

7) Music - Imagine a world where music isn't available. We think music is so common that we all take it for-granted. Thank you to all kinds of musicians for creating such inspirational words for very catchy tunes.

8)Writing - without writing, we'd probably get into lots of trouble, like the rest of our friends.

9) God - We don't think this is necessary to explain :P

10) Regene, our best friend - for actually listening to our story :D

Again, there's a million more, but it would be a very long post :D

Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your turkeys, pies, and etc!

Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! It's Teaser Tuesday again! This is a scene kind of nearing the end. It's kind of long, so...

P.S. We're looking for betas after Thanksgiving. So if you're interested, we'll have a post next week asking for your emails :D Thank you for reading guys--you have no idea how much support we have received from your comments!

Thanks for reading :D

UPDATE!!!

2009-11-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

Yay! We've never been so excited to edit. The editing process of Sixth Circle is going smoothly. After printing out more than three hundred pages of paper, we set to work. By work, of course reading and editing grammar mistakes and simple things that would alter the direction of the story like the inconsistencies of a character's dialogues and feelings or the lack of chemistry between the two main characters. Thank GOD, we're sisters and we have each other's help.

So while Selena reads and edits ten chapters a day, Serena does the chapter rewrites on the weak chapters. And so, now, we are twenty chapters in the editing and we have thirteen chapters to go.

Reading your own work can definitely be a challenge, though.

Well, hasta luego mis amigos. Tengo laborar!

TEASER :D

2009-11-17T06:30:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Another beautiful Tuesday!!! First off, we would just like to say that the rewrite for Sixth Circle is finished! Yay!!! At exactly 10:19 PM on Sunday, the last word of the rewrite was written.

Anyways, this is a bit from the beginning of the story--Chapter 3, to be exact. Strathill(MC's School) has just won a football game and the opposing team's quarterback is stirring some trouble :D

Enjoy...

Teaser was here :D

Setting: Sixth Circle

2009-11-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, whoever reads this. We know we have only been posting teasers, so we want to try something new.

One of the most important parts of a story is setting. Setting affects the mood and tone of the story. For example, I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Would you think it would be as scary if the story was set in sunny Southern California? Setting means time, place, and customs too. For example, Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Would some of the main topics in the story be viewed the same if the story was set in 2009? Your answer would be know, I'm guessing, since, well, the customs have pretty much changed from since then.

Setting is essential to a good book. And if the setting and the plot ties together--which they usually do--I call that a good book.

So to tie things up with our current WIP, we are posting pictures of the settings in Sixth Circle. :D

Here it is:

This is the town of Goldwater. Small but filled with so many secrets.

Welcome to Strathill. A community, a school, and a dangerous place to be.

There is something off about Brystol Lake...

Woodsworth Pines. Nothing but woods and...something completely frightening.

Sparrow Claw. The highest point in Goldwater. Wanna know why its called what its called? Because only the Sparrows get away alive. Careful, don't trip.

Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-10T15:03:00.001-08:00

Ok, so posting the Teaser a little later than usual :P Anywho, this scene is pretty short (we think) and basically, Mary is about to be in real big trouble. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading, guys!

Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, another tuesday with another teaser. This week's scene involves Faust and Mary standing on the school's roof. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, guys :D

Teaser

2009-10-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys, here goes another teaser. It's kind of rough but the scene is when Mary has some difficulties with her vicious little brother. :D

P.S. We'll try to read and comment all your teasers.

Here it goes:

Thanks for reading :D

New Sixth Circle Trailer :D

2009-10-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Being bored can make you do very productive things :D

Updates and Movies

2009-10-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, how was your weekend?

Ours was great! We hit 69K last night and we are so excited. Sixth Circle is close to being done. Hopefully, it will be finished by Thanksgiving break and things will go from there.

So that's the update on Sixth Circle.

Now its time to talk about movies!!!

Paranormal Activity. Don't watch it alone. It will scare you to death. It was very interesting and new. It was a great movie and you wouldn't believe its budget was only 15,000 dollars. Its worth the watch.

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-10-20T06:09:00.001-07:00

Okay, so, again, our post is a teaser tuesday. This scene was just written, so it hasn't been edited thoroughly. Ok, so Mary visits Dillon's house, and she's beginning to regret it. Maybe she shouldn't snoop around people's business...(Oh, yeah, it's pretty long)

P.S. We'll try and comment on everyone's teasers today!

Thanks you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-10-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Gosh, we've been noticing that the only thing we post is teaser tuesday :P We'll find soemthing creative soon, promise!!!

Anyways, this is a scene written just this weekend, so it's a little rough. Basically, Mary wakes up in her room and she finds something a little off. Okay, maybe a lot.

Thank you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-10-06T15:44:00.001-07:00

Thank you for reading :D

Updates and Tips

2009-10-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we're on the halfway mark to finishing the rewrite! Last night, we finished off part one with 9k words! By the end of our shift, we were so tired we forgot to shut down our computers and left them to overheat, lol. Anyways, just wanted to share the glorious news, if anyone cared.

Also, me and my sister found a very good way to fix little plot problems and or build a stronger, more sturdy plot. Now, we know it sounds bizarre, but we came across this brilliant idea to read reviews of books that match the genre you're writing. We don't know if anyone does this, or if it helps anyone at all, but my sister and I would just sit down and read book reviews on books that match our genre. If there's a bad review of the book, and there's a same weakness in our story, we would go back and try to emphasize anything we missed or take out all the unnecessarry baggage. If it's a good review of the book, we would keep our eyes out for more of those or this or that. DOes that make sense? We hope it does, because it helps us a lot, and it would be selfish not to share this discovery(if it is a discovery, even).

Anyways, have a good rest of the day. Write, write, write, and good luck to all!

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-09-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this teaser's kind of long. Mary is in the bathroom when she suddenly witnesses something happen...

Thank you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-09-22T13:42:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this scene is after a foot ball game and Mary is trying to go to the bathroom when she hears something. And for all our readers who are wondering "where is this Faust?", He's finally here!!!! Enjoy.

I increased my speed, trying to catch the noise before it disappeared. As I approached a corner two visible figures came into view. I almost ran into their little spectacle before shielding myself behind a locker, shocked to see the unnerving sight. In front of me, two young men looked as if they were having some trouble with each other. Figure number one, tall and lean, had figure number two, tall but stocky, by the collar, slammed against the locker. I assumed that the slamming had caused the loud bang I'd heard just seconds ago. Now, I felt somewhat unprotected. Great, just great.

Although my savagely beating heart begged me to leave, my curiosity prompted me to stay. I could barely distinguish their conversation, so I leaned forward, interested in their discussion.

I was more than surprised when figure number one spoke, his voice indubitably familiar and spine-chilling. "What did I say about keeping your mouth shut?" Faust demanded. He tugged figure number two's collar hard before banging him against the metal lockers once more.

I didn't have to listen closely to figure out who figure number two was. It was obvious--Rolan. "I swear, I won't do it again," Rolan said in a frightened tone. What did Rolan do to deserve this? I doubted that it was something about the football field tonight, because in my eyes, Rolan did nothing but lose. "Please, just don't hurt me."

I caught a glimpse of Faust's silver eyes. In the dark, they stood out like diamonds, only they weren't happy-making to look at--they were terrifying. "I won't do it again," Faust mimicked. His mocking tone changed abruptly. "There are no second chances, you worthless donkey. Are you aware of what I'm capable of?"

What was Faust capable of? Whatever Faust was planning to do to Rolan, I didn't want to see. "Dude, please--I'll do anything. I'll keep my mouth shut, I--I'll be your slave, just please, don't hurt--"

Rolan's incoherent babbling ceased and was replaced by a terrifying shriek. I had no clue of what happened until the shrieking stopped. My breath tangled with my throat as I struggled to step back. Oh my God. What did Faust do to make Rolan let out that blood-curdling scream? Choke him? Slap him? Stab him?

The thought almost made me throw up. I needed to get out of here. Now. I stumbled on my own feet and fell onto the solid cold ground. I found my eyes lingering behind me, wondering what would happen if Faust showed up with a bloody knife in his hand. The thought forced me to get up, and not walk, but run.

I told myself that I was crazy. That I was brain damaged and that there was no way that Faust, as strange and terrifying as he acted, was a killer. A murderer. It was a big step to take. I tried to control my breathing, but I failed. It raised a bar every few seconds, and as a corner neared and neared, I had the urge to look back. My ears perked up for any possible sounds--I was hoping another scream, to assure me that Rolan was alright and not, you know…hurt. But nothing came. Just an icy silence that left my heart beating faster.

My feet started shuffling when I could no longer hold the impulse to turn around. I looked over my shoulder, only to discover a skeletal hallway behind me. No Faust. No Rolan. Not a single breathing life form. I sucked my breath in, ready for one huge relieving sigh when I bumped into something hard.

Someone.

My jaw dropped open when a set of silver eyes narrowed on me. I found myself choking for air. I couldn't even contemplate how he'd made it from one end of the school to another so fast. Especially when I was running away from him. He'd have to pass me to be able to be in front of me. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks. Either he did pass me, or I was just passed out in one of my hallucinations.

I realized immediately that he was much taller than me. A giant. Faust. Possibly about to repeat what he did to Rolan to me. I tried to search for words, but it was as if my mouth was sealed shut. I could hear my heart beat inside my brain, and I knew that something horrible was going to happen. Maybe now, I'd be dead for good.
We stood in silence face to face, his eyes slicing through air and through me without mercy. Whatever he did to Rolan, there was no mercy to it, so he probably wasn't worrying at all with me.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but his mouth opened first. This was the first time he talked to me in all my life--at least, that was what I understood. "Lost?" he said, but I knew better than to answer. I wished that we'd be able to talk under different circumstances, but that's another thing I learned from wishing--ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, they never come true.

I tried to gulp, but I realized that all the liquid in my body was sucked out. What was I supposed to tell him? I kind of saw you hurt someone. No, really, I did. He was screaming. I'd have to be stupid to say that. I bit my lip, mustering up some personable words. "Look, whatever happened over there, it's none of my business, really…" my voice trailed off when I realized my tone was rude. I tried again. "I was just leaving."

He tilted his head creepily and ignored my comment. "It's dark in here. You shouldn't be wandering around alone." Somehow, I knew the statement was not made out of concern.

I couldn't think straight with those silver eyes cutting my vision. "I--I--"

"Don't you think it's rude to pass by without saying hello?" he said, cutting me off, and instead of feeling disrespected, I was grateful. "Don't you like to talk, Mary?"

I stepped back. "How'd you know my name?"

For the first time, I saw emotion in his eyes, a mischievous smile played on his lips. "Don't give me that," he said, and I was more than surprised when he lifted my chin with his left hand, as if he were checking my face. "Everyone knows who you are."

Character Profile: Dillon Forbes

2009-09-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, we haven't done character profiles in a while, and I'm bore sooo...here's Dillon, my favorite character at the moment from Sixth Circle.

Full Name: Dillon Forbes

Age: 17

Height: 6'1

Weight: Between 160-170

Appearance: Sparkling, genuine green eyes. Easy smile, sandy hair. Tall and fit.

Personality: Nice yet creepy. Mysterious yet open. Kind yet sinister. Gentle yet aggressive. Reluctant, protective, caring.

Friendships: Mary is his priority. He's always trying to protect her one way or another, whether its taking her home or keeping her away from some people. (Some friendships are still at work. Dillon's a bit of a loner, soo....)

Family: His mother Selene is the only one he considers family. His father and his brother are still in development :D.

Favorite Subject in School: History

Likes/Loves: The Lake and his mother.

Hates: Faust.

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, another one from sixth circle. If you read the second teaser, you'll kind of get it. This scene is with Mary and Craig after he tells her to meet him by the water fountain. Enjoy!!! :D

I swerved into a corner before I almost hit a familiar face. "Craig," I said his name softly. I found him, and although I thought that it would be uncomfortable, it was strangely comforting to have him inches away from my face. "You wanted to see me?"
He grabbed my arm lightly and pulled me away from the busy hallway crowd towards a less crowded area near the lockers. "I need to ask you something," he said, but his voice was serious. The smile on my face dropped. I hoped that he wasn't going to lecture me about the other night.

"Craig--about last week--" I started, but before I was able to finish, he cut me off.

"This isn't about us," he had a type venom in his tone that made me jump.

"What's it about then?" I questioned, disappointment reaching out for me. He let go of my arm and my eyes followed his hand.

"The school's being divided," he told me. I frowned, not quite understanding. "I need to know whose side you're on."

"Divided? What do you mean?" I've never heard of the term intertwine with school before. Was the school being separated from the district?

He crossed his arms. "You're either on Faust's side or the people's side." Faust's side? The People's side? I was growing befuddled by the second. Why did I have to choose? He must've gotten my confused drift. "Everyone's picking sides, Mary. Most of them believe him."

I was starting to understand. "Is it because of Daisy?"

He nodded. I cleared my throat. The school was being divided because of Daisy? I understood her importance to the school, but was it really necessary? "Why?" I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Because most of us are tired of him. He doesn’t belong here, but yet, he's still here."

I didn't know what caused my brain to do something foolish, but when it happened, I didn't stop myself. I raised both hands towards his face, his skin hot under my touch, and I pulled him in. I managed to only graze his lips slightly before letting go. But I didn't apologize for my actions. I let him know I was sorry enough. "I'm with you one hundred percent, Craig."

Surprisingly, his body started to shake and his face turned somewhat saddened. Before I knew it, he pulled my palms off of his face and let them drop lifelessly to my side. I frowned once more, feeling the side of my head ache. "Craig…" I started, but I couldn't finish. I thought that this was what he wanted.

"Mary, you don't understand," he said, his voice small. I gulped, not ready for what he was going to say next. "I need time to get over you."

Updates!!!

2009-09-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so everything is going well. We got into our new schedule for school, which is fairly simple. Write at least two chapters every weekend and edit them during the week. The rewrite is going very, and we mean, very well--not the way we had expected. It's now around 18k,and we plan on writing more tonight! Yay!

In other news, I'm beta reading for the first time and man, am I excited! Already started reading a beautiful piece by this amazing writer right here It's so exciting!!! (I hope she doesn't think I'm creepy for saying that, LOL)

Anyways, just wanted to post something. Have a great weekend everyone--I know I am!!

Hush, Hush has a fansite

2009-09-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check it out here

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

2009-09-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

So this is another Teaser Tuesday from SIXTH CIRCLE.
In this snippet, MC Mary is at Craig's party with her best friend Megan, where she sees Faust, the handsome and mysterious guy she doesn't really remember because of her coma. (Hint: read Teaser Tuesday #1). Hope you guys like.

Standing there, Daisy and Faust, very close to each other. I didn't expect him to have human contact at such great heights. All this time I've seen him, he'd always been quiet, and yet, he had some kind of charisma that captured people's attention. Maybe it was because his silver eyes--which by the way had to be contacts, right? And I found it rather unsatisfactory that he has yet spoken to me. I mean--all I want to talk to him about is Noah.

Bianca stuck her index finger in her mouth, making a face. "Apparently, so."

"Why would he want her?" asked Megan.

Did that question really require an answer?

"Why wouldn't he want her?" I asked, sounding somewhat defensive, "She's pretty," I toned down my aggressive tone.

The loud music continued to hum in my ears as the song changed into a slower tune. Bianca shot a glare at me. "Honey, Faust Diabolus doesn't just choose any girl," her lips curled with her words, "Amanda Fife; beautiful, smart, accepted into Princeton with early admissions. Rejected. Catherine Siegel; even more beautiful, senior, and the star of the swim team. Rejected. Daisy Constantine; captain of the cheerleader zombies, b-student, and school's resident slut. Accepted?" she waited for an answer, and when I didn't provide one, she continued. "No. I don't think so. There's definitely something up."

I took in all the negativity she was putting on Daisy, who to me looked like a very good girl. Daisy and Faust were by a huge glass door, over-looking the back yard, and probably if I had the chance to look further, the lake would lie not too far.

With a flirtatious smile, Daisy slid the door open. I couldn't see too well, but besides Daisy's smirk, I could make out Faust's expressionless face. She exited the door and he followed, closing the door quietly. There was a significant-sized gap he didn’t close off. Didn't they want some privacy, whatever they were doing?

"Where are they going?" I asked, concern flowing swiftly in my voice.

"I don't know," Bianca replied, "And most importantly, I don't care. “Have you seen the cute DJ?"

"Mary," I rolled my eyes. Not again. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you. Get out of here."

"Craig," Megan scolded. "Just fuck off, will you?" The curse word singed my ears. I had to get used to this. Dear God help me.

He ignored Megan. "Mary, let me take you home."

"Stop telling me what to do," I rebuked. I was ticked off with his attitude. You weren't supposed to shoo guests from a party without a decent explanation.

"Mary, cut the bullshit, I'm taking you home," Maybe I had gone too far.

Out of nowhere: "Hey." It was Brody, the boy with the handsome shark face. But before the conversation took off, something caught all our attention. Before Craig could order me to leave and before Megan could tell Brody off, something caused us to stop and listen. Made us listen.

I had to make sure that I'd heard it for real before bringing it upon my peers.

The sound rattled through my ear canals once again. The sound was real. "Did you guys hear that?" Megan asked before I did, in a way, saving my troubles.
No one answered. We just listened. Brody ran to the DJ, commanding him to silence the music for just a second. The music died down. There were no peculiar sounds except the crying of crickets and the calling of frogs.

But suddenly, something woke me up. A scream. An ear-splitting, bone-crunching scream that almost made me paralyzed. I couldn't explain the feeling I had. The feeling of knowing that something had gone horribly wrong.

"It's coming from the backyard."

Updates!!!!!

2009-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

The revision process for SIXTH CIRCLE is going really well. We're basically rewriting the whole book, changing some plot sequences and adding more character development. We're not close to the finish line, but it's been really fun doing the rewrite. It always makes us giddy.

Other than that, we just purchased tons of books, two of them we are currently reading (The Hollow by Jessica Verday, and Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri). Pretty cool.

School, school, school. Serena just became editor-in-chief for the school newspaper and we're really happy about that. My theme for the school yearbook might just win all votes, so I'm happy about that. But under all that happy news is homework, homework, homework. Which equals to less writing time. Boo hoo. But we're going to take it slow and steady. Because slow and steady wins the race. Yay!

So that's pretty much it for our updates. :)

Sixth Circle Trailer

2009-09-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

We tried...

Character Profile - Faust (Diabolus)

2009-09-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Model Erich Taylor

Full Name: Faust Diabolus

Age: Unknown

Height: About 6'1

Weight: Unknown

Appearance: A set of intriguing silver eyes that's made to frighten and attract the attention of those around him. He's tall, muscular, and rarely smiles.

Personality: Most of his personality is unknown, but when he shows interests in others, he's usually sarcastic, vile, and careless.

Friendships: The whole school wants to be his friend, but who were they kidding?

Family: From what it seems, his family is Lucifer, his father, Desdemona, his supposed little sister, and Selene, he woman who Mary seems to think is the mother figure.

Favorite Subject in School: Faust says: "Surely you're jesting."

Likes/Loves: His interests are a mystery.

Hates: His pet peeves also.

Song: This Place is a Prison by The Postal Service

WIPs

2009-09-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Selena's WIPs

Catching Butterflies: The story of Sam Talbot, a girl who is brutally raped and killed by two classmates and her best friend, only to discover she isn't really dead. Sam is a walking spirit, and Purgatory won't let her in until she finishes her unfinished business. 11k/57k

The Getaway: Drew Cole, a former self-destructive teen is brought unto a happier road. That is until the only person he loves dies (foster father). He decides the only way to make himself feel better and escape the landslide everyone called "life" is to go to the place his foster father loved the most: Paris. 6k/70k

Escape to the Amazon: Nick Williams isn't a criminal. And yet, he was in a high-secured detention facility for teens somewhere within the Amazon Rain-forest. The reason? Nick had killed his best friend--out of self-defense. But when he starts to make new friends and an old friend joins him in the facility, Nick sees the growing cruelty the kids are facing from their abusive officers. As time grows, kids begin dying from mysterious causes. Nick wasn't going to be one of them. So he creates a plan. He was going to escape. With the help of his friends. They say he'll never make it out. But he was going to do it. Or die trying. 17k/82k

Serena's WIPs

Outlaw: James and Connor are best friends--the kind who'd die if the other did, the kind that did each other's dirty work, the kind that had each other's backs. Connor--the introvert, is smart, kind, and loyal, while James--the extrovert, is the daredevil. When two of them are caught in a situation where there are no negotiations, Connor gets the blame. But James won't take it. They'd run away together and stir up their own trouble to stay together, even if they have to kill. 11k/60k

Finding Sanctuary: Ian is an orphan. In the dystopian world he lives in, orphans only had one place to go: The Lion-Hearted Society. A place that seems so perfect on both the outside on the inside, Ian doesn't feel forced to join. Until he finds out the truth: Lion-Hearted Society is a children slave trade network program--where the healthy are not coveted, but rather despised. When Ian is sold to a psycho bidder, Ian plans to escape. But how would he be able he do that if he was going crazy himself? 7k/70k

Short Teaser Tuesday

2009-09-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, this is an excerpt from a scene from the middle of the story. It's not very long--I think--so, please do enjoy it.

The loud, rowdy lunch room was anything but welcoming. I pushed through obnoxious people before I reached a clearing in the middle of the cafeteria. I looked to the right; to the left. He was no where to be found. I needed to find him. Right now.

"You still haven't had enough?" I spun around, almost tripping on my own reckless movement. He was looking at me, I at him, eyes locked so tight that my eyes started to water.

"Where's Faust?" I couldn't look at him for more than three seconds without being fearful. Noah's eyes didn't seem to be interested in generously telling me where Faust was, and even the people around me saw. Maybe I had exclaimed the name too loud--maybe everyone was wondering why I had the right to know where Faust was.

"Are you fucking serious, Mary?" I didn't like the sound of my name curling out of his lips. It sounded twisted. Evil. "Are you blind? Deaf? Retarded?" His words earned a few gasps in the background, and if I hadn't held on to my thoughts, he would've probably earned a whimper from me.

I looked at his feet, afraid that he would step forward and make a move. He never attacked me before, but with those eyes, I could only imagine what horrible things he was thinking of doing to me. I shivered at the thought. I didn't know my brother very well, and now, I really didn't want to.

© 2009 by Serena and Selena Howard

Character Profile - Craig Ponter

2009-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Actor Taylor Kitsch

Full Name: Craig Ponter

Age: Eighteen

Height: 5'11

Weight: Between 168-180(muscle)

Appearance: Olive eyes that compliments his sandy hair and fair complexion. Stunning smile and athletic body to woo the ladies.

Personality: Ambitious, protective, and though sometimes brash, he's very modest most of the time.

Friendships: Many friends, but linebacker Brody is his best buddy, along with Mary, whose more of a love interest.

Family: Hardworking wealthy parents--the only child.

Favorite Subject in School: Likes every subject--4.0 student.

Likes/Loves: football, parties, and Mary.

Hates: Faust, Mary's little brother, and anyone who engages with Faust.

Song: Dustland Fairytale by The Killers

Character Profile - Megan Smith

2009-08-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Actress Mila Kunis

Full Name: Megan Smith

Age: Sixteen

Height: 5'8

Weight: Between 122-126

Appearance: Hazel eyes with curly brown hair during the first part of the story. Straightens her hair later on. Hourglass body.

Personality: Wild, ambitious, and snaky.

Friendships: Mary's best friend before she befriends Daisy Constantine, Bianca Taylor, Noel Hutchings, and Sheila Jones.

Family: An alcoholic mother and a father she never knew.

Favorite Subject in School: English--sixth period, because she's in the class with Faust.

Likes/Loves: Herself, Craig, and Faust

Hates: Later on; Mary, Her mother and Craig.

Song: Diva by Beyonce

Character Profile - Noah White

2009-08-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

Actor Logan Lerman

Full Name: Noah White

Age: Thirteen

Height: 5’6

Weight: Between 122-130

Appearance: Brown eyes and dark brown hair with thick eyebrows, an atheltic build and a cynical smile.

Personality: Careless about almost everything. Crude, sarcastic, and diabolical.

Friendships: Many friends, but the most important is Faust.

Family: Mary White, his pious older sister. His mother Ruth, a positive wife and a great pious mother. His father, the minister turned Christian School teacher; loving, caring, yet strict and disciplined.

Favorite Subject in School: None.

Likes/Loves: Himself and Faust.

Hates: Mary, his parents, and God-loving freaks.

Song: Blood on My Hands by The Used

Character Profile: Mary White

2009-08-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

Actress:Elizabeth Harnois

Full Name: Mary White

Age: Sixteen

Height: 5’7

Weight: Between 117-120

Appearance: Big, blue eyes, neatly tucked blonde hair. A bald spot on the right side of her head, pretty pink lips, and thick eyebrows. Slender, but not athletic. Babyish face with an innocent smile.

Personality: God-loving, optimistic, sometimes stubborn. Also confused most of the time, questioning things. Educated, respectful, patient, and determined. Will get herself into danger if it means finding valuable information.

Friendships: Megan was her best friend, before she was ditched. Craig and Dillon, the only two people who seem to support her.
Love Interests: Craig becomes a love interest, but someone else catches her eyes…

Family: Noah/Lev, her thirteen year old lackadaisical little brother. Her mother Ruth, a positive wife and a great pious mother. Her father, the minister turned Christian School teacher; loving, caring, yet strict and disciplined.
Favorite Subject in School: English

Likes/Loves: God, School, Tolstoy.

Hates: Her delinquent English Partner Faust.

Song: Hoppipola-Sigur Ros

Okay, so it hasn't been very good

2009-08-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's been very frustrating for us. First, school, now our muse is reacting. WE CAN'T WRITE. At least for now that is. So we will blog until something comes up. *SIGH*

Our first ever Teaser Tuesday!

2009-08-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Okay so, with school starting and stuff, we're basically holding up revisions until the weekend. Until then, we're just going to *think* of what to add and subtract to the plot and stuff like that. We noticed that we haven't really posted one before, and since it's really popular and we're just copy cats (real bad joke), here's a teaser for you.

Kinda long, so yeah...sorryyyy

God help me.

He was looking at me with bated breath--like I was hiding something. I prayed that he would stop the stare that smoldered holes through my skin and that he would wipe the look of pity off his face. I didn't want to be pitied. There was no reason to pity me.

"How was your day so far, Mary?" Mr. Seymour asked. He reminded me of a poodle, with his big wet eyes and black curly hair. It didn't help at all to see that he had a clipboard in front of him, probably waiting to jot something down about what he thought was a horrible day.

I thought that therapy at the hospital was enough. I didn't need therapy on my first day back at school.

"Good," I answered. There was nothing much to it.

"Care to explain what you did so far today?" Specifically? I thought so. By this time, I should probably get used to these kinds of questions--where the answers had to be thorough and specific, just the way I despised it.

I sighed. "I woke up. Ate breakfast. Went back to sleep. Woke up again. Ate lunch with my dad, and he drove me here."

"Did you enjoy lunch?" the questions kept coming as he jotted some notes on his clipboard, the sound of his pen scratching on the paper irritated me.

"I guess," was all I said. I learned not to say too much in therapy, because if you did, then they'd keep asking you more questions.

He nodded, acknowledging the fact that I might've been telling the truth. I was smiling, and that was the key to make anyone believe. I looked at him, waiting for the next question.

"Are you excited to be back?" I didn't know what to say to this, especially since I wasn't back for good just yet. Of course, I wanted to be back, but I wasn't sure if I was able to. I sighed and nodded, trying to keep the fake smile on my face. He grinned in return, nodding. "That's brilliant."

Yes, it would've been more brilliant if I could get out of here now, and finally get to sixth period. It was after all, the only reason I was here. I would rather be in English listening to Mr. Colt, who was probably still raving about Robert Frost or Tolstoy, just like I'd remembered three months ago.

"It's good to see you healthy, Mary," Mr. Seymour commented unexpectedly. I widened my eyes, and the back of my head ached. I needed to stop doing that. "I know it must be very hard for you…after what happened."

I've heard that statement more than I wanted to. Yes, it was difficult to cope with, and no, I didn't need someone to even contemplate how hard it was for me. Mr. Seymour hadn't had a clue what I've been through, and if I wasn't so close to God, I would've probably lashed out on him minutes ago.

I nodded anyways, not wanting to be uncouth. I reminded myself no matter how annoying all these people around me were, that they were only trying to help me. I assumed that they cared.

"Are you still in touch with some of your friends?" That was when my smile dropped off of my face. I wasn't sure what had replaced it, but Mr. Seymour looked taken aback. "Never mind that question, Mary. You are eating healthy, aren't you?"

I was sure he asked the question because I was much thinner than I'd used to be. But yet again, how did he know? I’d never been to his small beige office until now. "I'd like to think so," I said, trying to give a variety in my speech so I wouldn't seem mechanic. I'd learned that in therapy, that to avoid looking depressed, you needed to talk with tone and diversity.

"Very nice. Your brother--Noah, is his name?" A picture of my lackadaisical and rebellious little brother entered my mind. I had completely forgotten about him after what happened, and it didn't take a long time for me to see why my parents were so obsessed with grounding him.

I nodded, waiting for his point. "You two still talk? I realized that he's still an eighth grader here at Strathill. Did you talk a lot in school before what happened?" No, not really. Except for the fact that he always seemed to call me nicknames I wasn't really fond of, we didn't really have much contact. But back then--I didn't really remember anything from back then.

"Of course." I hoped that the answer would satisfy him.

"Brilliant," his voice was starting to grow inside my head, and just as I hoped that our little get-together session would end, the door opened with a click.

Both our eyes whipped to the door of the counselor's office, questioning who was at the door.

"You asked to see me?" the boy asked as he poked his head inside of the room. He was looking straight at Mr. Seymour and not at me, but I still could see that something was very familiar in his eyes. I knew that I knew him, and that I just didn't remember his name.

"Oh, are you the TA?" Mr. Seymour asked the boy with sandy-colored hair. He had an odd look that reminded me of a small boy with a tall build. The boy nodded. "Come in." He looked at me then, and he froze, his green eyes sporting a surprised look that made me feel uncomfortable.

Raising both eyebrows, he questioned, "Mary White? Is that you?"

He knew my name--so I must've known him. I looked back at him, not puzzled, but wishing that I knew his name. I didn't want to seem like a shrew by looking at him dead in the eye without even acknowledging him with his name. But yet again, maybe he understood my situation.

"Mary, I assume you know Dillon Forbs?" the name sounded so familiar to me, but I couldn't process the significance of our relationship. He could've been my mortal enemy for all I knew.

I nodded, not wanting to be rude. "I'm sorry; I don't quite remember you clearly."

The boy--Dillon--nodded rapidly, showing his understanding. "Of course, of course. It's okay. It's just really…weird seeing you here."

I didn't take the comment in a bad way, because his eyes were smiling. "Dillon here is going to take you to your sixth period. I guess I'll see you again if you choose to come back?" I wanted to come back since I was already so behind, but I wasn't sure I wanted to see Mr. Seymour in this office again.

"Sure," I said anyways to break the conversation. As I stood up, he shook my hand, then with a concerned look on his face told me to be careful. I was careful now, and I didn't need to be told that.

I exited the room moments later, feeling the fresh air of the school hallway drift into my nose. The moment of liberation only lasted a few seconds when I realized that the school was much larger than I'd remembered a few hours ago. Short term memory loss wasn't helping me with anything.

Dillon stood next to me. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as his eyebrows rose. A picture of him in a place I didn't recognize skidded through my mind, and just like all my random flashbacks, I started remembering him. I nodded, and we started our journey to sixth period--the only class I remembered.

The hallways stretched in many directions and it dizzied me. The only thing keeping me from going insane was this Dillon, who I was extremely curious of. He looked at me, smiling, and I realized that I'd been staring at him. "So how're you, Mary?"

It was a general question. "Fine, I guess."

"You look good," he said, and I flushed. "It's been so long--everyone was worried about you." I looked down, feeling discomfort crawl into my stomach. "Do you remember me at all?"

I paused before answering. "Yes, but very little."

He laughed. "It's good to see you again, Mary. You haven't changed a bit." I wasn't sure what to say, because I'd forgotten about how I was back then. "We missed you. We all really did."

It was hard to believe, since Noah told me that I was very quiet. If I wasn't mistaken, quiet people were nearly invisible. "It's a surprise," he continued. "I never thought that you would come back."

That hit me hard--I didn't know what kind of person I was back then, but the way he pronounced the words made it seem like I was weak, and I didn't like that. "Why?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, as if he was thinking hard. Then, "Well, Mary, you were in a coma."

basically done with revisions

2009-08-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

hopefully(and we mean hopefully) we're ready to start querying next week. Had a few betas read the novel and they're impressed and if we're lucky, we might have the same reaction in the agents, when we get a request, of course. wish us luck, whoever reads this!

Sixth Circle

2009-08-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sixth Circle is our YA Urban/Supernatural fantasy novel.

CHaracters:

Mary White
Noah White
Faust
Megan Smith
Craig Ponter
Dillon Forbes
Claude White
Ruth White
Daisy Constantine
Abel Good

Setting:Goldwater, Vermont

Status: Revision

Word Count: Undertermined

Two More Major Scenes!

2009-08-07T18:09:00.001-07:00

Before we finish the rough draft! Yay, not that anyone cares!
Well, we're planning on finishing everything tonight if we can, and then we'll be done. Then we'll edit everything and send it off to a professional in London for critique and tips. Then hopefull we can mold together the close-to-perfect query letter we want so badly to write.

wish us luck, whoever cares!

Ok, introductions aside

2009-08-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

Selena and Serena Howard are aspiring writers from Southern California, currently in revision stages of their novel SIXTH CIRCLE. Aside from working on SIXTH CIRCLE, each of them have different WIPs they are working on. Selena and Serena are twins, and they attend school as eighth graders. Having a lot of homework sometimes distracts them from writing, but they have to live, right? They live with Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Fozzy, the family Schoodle.

Selena

Serena

so, okay.

2009-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

we're new to this kind of thing, and we doubt that anyone would be reading any of this unless we make the first move. we're probably talking to ourselves right now, but we'll try our best to make this blog worth your while. Although, who would want to read two aspiring young authors blog about their adventures in writing?

We've seen many people do it, and even if we hate to admit it, we're following the trend :P

so maybe when we get the hang of things, we'll update on how our story is going. Well, so much for a first blog :P