Don't Ever Look Back . . . okay, maybe a little

New Blog

So, yes I have a new blog layout. It is one of the defaults and I am using it so I can put the playlists in the sidebar.

Back to Sundays

*Murder Eyes*

So, as I am sure Linda guessed the song I was holding on to was Drop in the Ocean by Rob Pope. It was supposed to be the last song but, I was only 98% committed to it.

DADT =

Okay, a few of you mentioned DADT and I mean, not to be politically unaware but this story had nothing to  do with that. Now, personally really glad it got overturned because I think any form of discrimination is ridiculous in this day and age and it really shouldn't take all of this to change something that is so obviously wrong. Especially in a volunteer service, I mean really.

The taboo of the relationship between Haley and Maxwell is about social class and their positions in the military than anything else. In fact, Maxwell says he is bisexual (take that tropes) and never says anything about Haley being a boy being an issue for him.

Perspectives

I talked about persepectives a lot and that had a lot to do with perceptions of Haley. When I first wrote his character I knew he was older than Alan and I knew he knew he was older than Alan. I just couldnt think of a way to reveal that. Tnen when I reread part 1 I realized Maxwell said Haley looked 14 and that made you all think he was 14 which squicked a lot of people out. In that part Maxwell does know Haley is 22, he is just making a bad metaphor.

Anyway I'm not jumping on a Lolita bandwagon and I wanted to make that clear.

Interweaving.

As I said I wrote Sundays right after I wrote chapters 8 & 9, so the story was interwoven into it a lot. I thought I may point a few things out.

1. “I’m not a soldier,” he said walking to my other side, his boots making a soft clicking sound.

He stood closer to me--he smelled like sweet lavenders and vanilla."
                                                     - Chapter 7


- I hope this reference makes sense now.



2. Also Haley's talk about purgatory was part of this idea of brainwashing and how he truly believed in something that wasn't there.


3. The biggest thing is many of you thought it was Alan's fault that Haley got hurt (and I mean to each their own) but, I really wanted to say no it's not in the comments . Haley getting hurt had nothing to do with the alcohol or anything Alan did it had to do with Maxwell's own jealousy and insecurities. I was hoping some of you may pick up on his reaction being impulsive and an act of passion. I then added the conversation through the door but, no one picked up on it and I couldn't explain it so that really pushed me to post Sundays. I mean I think one of you picked up on their relationship.

 So, Inspired

Okay, so like I said Sundays was an inspired work and I finally tracked down the passage Haley's character was inspired by. Here is the line it's from  Slaughter-House 5. The main character 18 year old  American Soldier Billy, is in WWII, he is one of the few survivors of an attack, has been wondering around for days and some German soldiers find him :


" Next to the golden boots were a pair of feet which were swaddled in rags. They were criss crossed by canvas straps, were shod with hinged wooden clogs. Billy looked up at the face that went with the clogs. It was the face of a blond angel, a fifteen year old boy.


The boy was beautiful as Eve.


Billy was helped to his feet by the lovely boy, the beautiful androgyne"


Then the character is never mentioned  ever again and somehow I weaved this entire story out of that.

 It was just very inspired. And yes,  I know it was a little sexual but, that type of  erotic/unhealthy relationship is kind of what the story was about.

Endings

The end does suggest that they "broke up" and the ending was somewhat inspired by the end of the Color Purple, where  these two character who have battled the entire story, end  in an almost domestic and calm position. The last few lines when they say they are waiting for the others it refers to the other soldiers, the prisoners, the End is referring to  end of war and death refers to them dying in war. Which I will go ahead and say is highly unlikely because they don't work in a combat zone or a locaion that is a threat,

 So, okay enough of that story.

The New Website

The point of the new website was because I didn't want a new website for all of my serials or short stories. I was mildly happy with it and I could never figure out why it looks so off and after looking at Lile's redesign I know why. I should make the links look more like books than web banners. If I ever feel so inclined I may change them. It killed me I couldn't find the original graphic I used for UL.

Teenage Dream

As a writer/editor and reader, I love books but I can't read them all. Sometimes what I love most is just the title of the novel, I just love titles. Some of my favorites are "Of Mice and Men" "Catcher in the Rye" "The Sun Also Rises". What do they all have in common ?

They are named from poems. I have always wanted to name a novel or serial after a poem but, I figured the contemporary things to do was use a song instead so that is where Teenage Dream came from. I seriously wouldn't look to much into the title or the picture really.

This short story is done and I work on editing it every day and I will post after I finish Veritas. This is not the supernatural YA story. It is just a short story I came up with while I was writing Sundays. This story and Sundays have a bit in common stylistically but not plot wise . . . well kind off. Anyway don't worry about it oto much.

As for this YA supernatural, I am not sure it will ever come to be. I need a plot and some solid characters. I will keep you updated. Maybe I need to get more genre savvy.

Mimic

This part of Veritas had it's name long before I began Hidden. The concept of it was with me from the very beginning so, as I look back I realize this was a year in the making almost. This story  really got to have the time to float around and develop in my mind ( I feel a birth analogy coming on) before it came out. The story has really developed though and changed so much.

It is part of the CTE and Hidden canon but, I changed one little detail, it's just a spelling though. This story is written in a style that is very different (it doesn't show up until part II though . . .) it's a style I would personally hate to read but, I did it anyway for the sake of story.

Funny story, I had a deja vu with this while I was re-reading it in the editing phase,  I felt like I had read this story before somehow.  Also, I used a name and I am convinced I used it before. So, if any part of this sounds familiar let me know. It was very odd. Then again, it is once again another thing in Part II

Let's Try Something . . .

I worked on Mimic a lot in the editing. It starts out a little slow. I wanted the very beginning to have kind of a Wes Anderson asthetic to it. He is a film director, I couldn't find a good example of his ashthetic it but, you can kind of relate it to the show Pushing Dasies. Wikipedia describes it as

" . . . employing a deliberate, methodical cinematography, with mostly primary colors. His soundtracks feature early folk and rock music, in particular classic British rock. Anderson's films combine dry humor with poignant portrayals of flawed characters"

Mimic is shorter so, it will be in parts like Sundays was.

Mimic

I am having some link issues so, the banner goes to chapter 1 for now.

 Part 1

Playlist

Playlist in sidebar except for one song, I have to Youtube embed. I had a hard time finding songs that really fit, I had this issue with Hidden because so many songs are love songs out there. I was really pleased to find these songs that actually have a unifying theme.

-1- New Soul by Yael Namin.
-2-  Firework by Katy Perry ( I know)
-3- City of Black & White by Matt Kearney ( ***Youtube embeded****)
-4-  Dream by Priscilla Ahn ( I love this song, stole it from Lile)
-5- Come Home by One Republic Ft. Sara Barielles
-6-  Look After You by Lifehouse
-7- New Divide by Linkin Park