Infamous Love Triangle - A Vlog

My thoughts on the infamous love triangle. Originally posted to my YouTube channel. Sorry for the rushed nature of it. I do plan on doing a follow up.

Love triangles are tricky things to write well, and I really do applaud those who pull it off. I don't mind reading them so long as they are done well. It's just I simply have no wish to write one. (Watch me end up eating my words when one of my characters gets a wild hair up their bums!). I write to escape reality. It's my way of escaping the harsh realities of life. Writing is my playground, and on my playground I only want to relax and have fun :) Love triangles have the opposite effect for me, personally. :/.

As mentioned in the video, my own love life is a right mess. So while I might not necessarily write happily ever afters for my characters; rest assure they'll still be madly in love throughout the hell they go through. More or less, lol. Again, just wait until one of my characters makes me eat my words. The jerks.

I'm cutting this short tonight. Until next time!

Katie S. Taylor

Decisions, DARKLING, & Dolls

(This was originally posted to my Tumblr account.)

I still haven’t decided if I want to keep my blogspot blog, create a wordpress blog, or just use Tumblr & Twitter for everything. I don’t exactly keep up with my blog right now; life and actually writing my novels get in the way. I do have followers at my blog (through my other google+ account, found via the other blog posts), though, as opposed to [Tumblr]. Not important except if someone is interested in knowing more about my main novel I’m writing, DARKLING.

It’s an YA Fantasy set in 21st century America (I guess it could be considered, possibly, Urban Fantasy just without fairies, vampires, werewolves, and the like). DARKLING has an array of new monsters, a scarred chick who can run in high heels, creepy bad guys, and the slightly geeky-techno-nerd-with-a penchant-for-trouble-ex-boyfriend.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the classics and that’s what DARKLING (then titled Hunted / Devour / Dancing Demons ) originally revolved around. It’s a bittersweet realization to know that those earlier version were, in fact, cliche and cookie-cutter. I always knew something was missing, that those versions just didn't add up. Whether this version will add up to lit agents and publishing houses standards, I'm not sure. Guess we'll see when the time is right. However, I'm happy with what those versions have evolved into, which is DARKLING 

It’s essentially a completely different story but with the same CORE. Yeah, that wouldn’t make much sense to me either if I’d read that. The plot, story-line, and even characters (to a degree) have changed. I can’t say too much without giving it away, and once I finish all the revisions and edits I WILL either traditionally publish or go the indie route.

What I can say is Amberlyn (the protag) has worked hard to make this story into what is it, and has never given up getting me to tell it. The least I can do is never give up on her, finally get the first part of her story out there, and the entire thing finished. (Meaning there’s a planned total of four novels for Amberlyn’s OVER ALL character and story arc). I’m excited & so is she :).

Something else I’m excited over… Amberlyn in doll form! No, I’m not actually sculpting a doll. Don’t get too excited. I had planned too, once I eventually honed the sculpting skill (yeah, I’m adventurous like that, whoo), BUT I saw the Doll Chateau Christina head and… I won’t say fell in love because I’m not in love with Amberlyn, but Doll Chateau Christina is almost a dead ringer for what I envisioned Amberlyn looking as. Makes it difficult if I ever do decide to sculpt my own Amberlyn, BUT impulse got the better of me. Soo… wait for it…

…

…

I now have a Doll Chateau Christina head on layaway with Mint on Card! (wait until she has a face-up to look like Amberlyn!) They’re so awesome they even do custom face-ups if you order through them, which I’m getting for my DC Christina head to make her Amberlyn.

Pretty awesome in my book. Not to mention their customer service is superb. I’ll definitely go through them for my other dolly purchases unless they don’t sell the brand I’m after (like Resinsouls). I’ll start rambling if I’m not careful about how awesome they’ve been so far, but I’ll save that for when I actually get my Christina head in. This post is already long enough. But seriously they’re awesome. I haven’t decided on a permanent body for her yet, but when I do it’s Mint on Card I’m going through. (until I can decide which body I want to invest that kind of money in, I might just get a Mirodoll body. They’re cheapest and I can also use it for any other floating heads I purchase in the future,) All that for later though, when I actually have doll head Amberlyn aka DC Christina head in possession.

But I think I’ve rambled on enough today. Until next time!

~ Katie S. Taylor

FAERY MARKED by MARY WAIBEL

A special treat today! I'd like to welcome Mary Waibel, author of the fantastical Princess of Valendria series, novella THE MYSTERY PRINCE, and now her newest novel, FAERY MARKED!

I had the personal delight to read an ARC addition of FAERY MARKED in return for an honest review and guest spot on my blog. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll say FAERY MARKED makes for a quick, light read you'll fly through - in a good way - to find out what happens in the end. And the end is one of the best I've read in a while - an ominous cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more and not knowing what will happen next. The light tone quickly gets a dose of dark, which I'm personally a huge fan of. You'll be begging Mary for the second book - I was! The characters are fun and the guys swoon-worthy. Reece is definitely easy to fall for! Great for younger and older teens. Without giving away anymore, I welcome Mary to the proverbial floor, and invite all to continue reading below.

ENJOY!

K.S.

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Katie, for this musical day of the Faery Marked blog tour.

I love listening to music when I write. Most times, it’s just playing quietly in the background as white noise, but other times, it really inspires me. So, what music was inspirational to Faery Marked? Here are the top ten songs from my playlist (in no particular order)

1. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
2. Broken by Seether (with Amy Lee)
3. Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin
4. Iris by the GooGoo Dolls
5. Haunted by Evanescence
6. I Remain by Alanis Morissette
7. Someday by Nickelback
8. Hanging by a Moment By Lifehouse
9. Nothing by The Script
10. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

As you can see, the list is quite varied. Now out of these songs, and some others I listened to, I found a few that seemed to define my characters. So, here is the cast of Faery Marked in song: [All lyrics taken from azlyrics.com]

Callie: Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol

I love this song.

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

This section sums up Callie so perfectly. She knows that with Reece by her side, she can do anything, even save the world.

Reece: Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
Ah, Reece. He'd give his life for Callie if he had to, but he's never told her how he feels. But, I know he thinks the words of this song when he looks at Callie.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters


Ryan: Dance with the Devil, Breaking Benjamin
I'm not sure anything from this list could be more fitting for Ryan than this song. He's a wildcard. Not to be trusted. Yet he believes in Callie, no matter what.

Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.
Close your eyes, so many days go by.
Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.

I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

Gwen: Everybody’s Fool, EvanescenceThe Fae love double entendres, and to me that's what these lyrics are for Gwen.

Perfect by nature.
Icons of self-indulgence.
Just what we all need,
More lies about a world that...
...never was and never will be.
Have you no shame? Don't you see me?
You know you've got everybody fooled.

Look, here she comes now.
Bow down and stare in wonder.
Oh, how we love you.
No flaws when you're pretending.

She's supposed to be the perfect Fae, and to humans her world doesn't exist, so she really has everyone fooled.

What do you think? Do these songs fit the characters from Faery Marked? If not, what song do you think would be better?

Book Blurb:

When Callie Rycroft wakes to find purple flames flickering on the ceiling, she believes she’s still dreaming. But soon she’s forced to accept that she has magic―a special magic that grants her entrance into the Faery Realm.

For centuries humans have been banned from Faery, but dangerous times call for dangerous measures. Declared Champion by the Faery Queen, Callie is assigned a Guardian, and tasked with finding the Cordial―a magical elixir needed to keep the portal to the Faery realm a secret from humans.

The upside? Reece Michaels, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is her Guardian. Callie hopes that, by spending time with Reece, he'll start to see her as more than just his best friend's sister.

The downside? She's in a race not only against time, but against another Champion, and a rogue Guardian―a Guardian who stands to threaten her developing relationship with Reece.

Magic, mistaken identities, and hidden agendas are the least of Callie's worries when she learns that the Cordial requires a sacrifice. Will Callie be willing to risk everything―even Reece―to complete her task as Champion? Or will she let the portal open, and doom both realms?

Available at AMAZON

Win a signed copy of Faery Marked and other swag. Details HERE. Don’t miss out on this LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!

About the Author:
YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale.

Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers through her website: marywaibel.blogspot.com

Fiction University: Going All the Way: Should You Write the Whole Tril...

This is an AMAZING post by author Janice Hardy about writing trilogies. I'm currently playing around with a possible steam-punk trilogy idea and weighing the exact same pros and cons. I still haven't come to any definite conclusion, however this has definitely helped and have made me think about a few things. So enjoy! I hope this helps someone else out there.


Fiction University: Going All the Way: Should You Write the Whole Tril...: By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy There are two views on writing trilogies. Write just the first book and see if it sells, and write the w...

Pray & Be Happy

I don't have everything I want in life, but that's okay. I'm not always happy, and it's implausible to think every moment will be sunshine and daises, but I am happy. I've made the conscious decision to smile when I'm down, as well as change negative thinking, and those changes alone makes a significant difference. The thing that has helped me most though, is prayer - truly giving my problems to God. I won't go into a triad - my belief and Faith is my own. However, in the journey to find happiness, my spiritual awakening has been the greatest medicine.

So yes, I love a man whom I probably do not have a chance with. No, I'm not living in my own home or have my own vehicle as of now. My novel hasn't been published yet, and my hair will never be sleek, shiny, and straight (bit of nonsense thrown in ;)). But what I do have, I'm incredibly blessed. I have a beautiful daughter, a roof over my head, food to eat - that's more than many have in just this country alone. As for my unrequited love, at least I've experienced it - truly - and I'm thankful for meeting him and any moment I'm given to to spend with him. Again, it's more than what some people have. And you know what, my struggles are what have helped me to realize just how blessed I am and how truly amazing God is. I truly believe everything that has happened in my life, has been God's way of bringing me to him. Closer to him. And I'm thankful for that.

Yes, I still want those things I mentioned and more (some more than others, but I won't get too personal), but I've left it to God and that is all I can do. I won't worry and over think the situations anymore. When I start too, I take a deep breath and I pray and everything is okay. What is supposed to happen will happen, and no matter what, I will be okay. I will make it. I will prevail. I have God, and He - my Faith - is all I need.