Excerpt from Iron Thirst: Welcome to DragonCon

An excerpt from the first chapter of Iron Thirst.  Felicity, Mike, and Christian arrive at DragonCon in Atlanta, GA. 

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To get our ID badges, we wait in a line that looks like a mighty rainbow-colored python coiling around the large building. Well, a rainbow with lots of black in it. It slithers along as each person gives their name to the gatekeeper to get their pass. After nearly three hours of shifting from foot to foot, we finally gain entrance into this magical land. 

We find a corner to sit and begin taking in the thirty-seven page program that lists the events, exhibits, parties, and other things that there are to do at DragonCon. Each of us flips through our copy searching for things of interest to us. There is so much to take in, and I must admit I am overwhelmed and out of my element. 

“They have a class on how to survive a zombie attack,” Mike says sarcastically.

“Really, when?” Christian asks.

Mike turns to me. “I was kidding.”

I toss my head back and laugh. Poor Mike has no idea what he has gotten himself into. After continuing to look through the program, I find something of interest to me. “Hey, Nancy Leigh Johnston will be doing a lecture on how she came up with the premise for her latest book. That will be awesome.”

“Guys, they have real live wrestling,” Mike says.

“Isn’t that an oxymoron?” I laugh and a snort slips through my nose.

“You’re the moron,” Mike retorts, making a snorting noise back at me.

“Why don’t we walk around for a bit and get our bearings?” Christian suggests.

We all agree. Tossing the programs into Christian’s backpack, we head off to explore.

Con takes place in four hotels over four days. Two of the hotels are attached to a large mall by a cylindrical glass tunnel that stretches over the streets below. People move between the buildings like hamsters through the tubes. The other two hotels are within walking distance. It is so simple to get confused between them. Even easier to get completely turned around, which only adds to the adventure and mystery.

After much walking and exploring, Christian pulls the program from his backpack. He walks over to a bench to sit down. My feet thank him, and I follow. Mike looks back at me with a grin and then struts towards a woman wearing a bikini made of chainmail. The tiny chinks of metal barely cover her, but no critical flesh is exposed.

“So what’s next, party leader?” I ask, sitting down next to Christian.

“I’m not sure. I don’t really have anything planned until later this afternoon. Did you see something you wanted to check out?” he asks, passing me the booklet.

“I want to go back to the art room, but I think we will need to leave that one somewhere first.” I point to Mike.

Christian laughs. His stomach growls loud enough that I can hear it. “I’m getting hungry,” he says, grabbing his tummy to quiet it down.

“Me too. What is Mike doing?” I lean to the side to get a better look.

Mike is fiddling with the pieces of metal on the woman’s outfit while talking to her. She is smiling uncomfortably, then suddenly, is smiling no longer.

Christian stands to see what I’m looking at right when a large man with hair down to his waist approaches Mike. He is carrying a golden shield and wearing leather armor. We could divide him in half and make two people; he is that big. But judging by the expression on his face, Mike is the one in danger of being torn in half.

“Uh oh,” says Christian, walking towards them.

“Is there a reason you are touching my wife?” asks the voice equally as large as the man.

“I was admiring the craftsmanship,” says Mike, “Did you make this?”

“Hands off, or you will be one with the pavement.”

“Look, there’s no reason to be a jerk,” he says, retrieving the offending hand from the silver armor. 

“Your chick is hot, but I was just looking at how the damn thing was made.” His feet aren’t moving, but he is beginning to tap dance. A poor attempt to save his hide.

The man’s chest gets wider. I didn’t think that was possible. Christian steps in front of our friend, the moron, and pushes him the other direction, adding, “We were leaving. Sorry for the trouble.”

The man turns his back, leaving Mike upright and in one piece.

“Dammit, dude. I’m telling you right here and now, that was it. That’s your get out of jail free card. 

The next time you are on your own. You will just have to get pounded into the ground,” Christian says, his face a splotchy red.

“What? His woman’s running around wearing that, and he’s mad at me?”

“Dude, you were sticking your fingers through the chains.”

Mike laughs. “Yeah, she let me. This place is awesome.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s go eat.”

We take one of the glass walkways over to the mall.

The food court at Peachtree Center is so surreal during DragonCon. We pass two women dressed as leaders of an empire getting their shoes shined, and we giggle like children.

We split up, and each of us picks a place to grab our choice of food. My taste buds decide that I’ll be having stir-fry on a bed of white rice. I’m on my way back to the table with my red tray, when I feel a crunch under my boot.

A young man with a pipe says in a faint English accent, “Love, I’m the only one that stands on my feet. Off.”

His hair is but a shadow on his head, like he is waiting for it to sprout. He’s tall, slender, cute, but obviously obnoxious.

I blush and stammer, “I’m…I’m terribly sorry.”

“It’s alright, love. We can’t all watch where we are going.”

I can’t help but laugh. At this rate, either clumsiness or stupidity is going to get us in a world of trouble.

WSW: Titles

I am in the midst of trying to pick a better working title for my newest WIP.  Local Lore was a quick place holder, but the deeper into the project I go -- I see that it doesn't quite fit the story. I hate not having a title for something that I am working on, but knowing it doesn't work, well, I'm not a fan of that either.

I named Iron Thirst right away, however, it was originally Iron Obsession. It's sequel, Craving Copper, had it's name before I had even written the first 1,000 words. For me, I just want to lend credit to the project, and what better way to do that than to give it a name.

So, for this week's Whatcha Say Wednesday, tell me about your title selections. Do you name something right away, or do you wait until the perfect title comes along? Do you change titles frequently, or do you pick one and stick with it? 

How do you select your title? Is it based on a line within the book, or based on popular trends? Do you like short one word titles, or something with more depth? Is there a secret code in the name, or is it something that describes the book?

Whatcha Say Wednesdays are for you. It's a chance to voice your opinion, share your knowledge, and interact with one another. Answer what speaks to you, and ignore the rest. But do tell—I’m quite curious.

Recycled: Designed for a Second Reading

 (This video can still make me cry laughing)

I am one of those people who only reads books or watches movies once. (With the exception, of course, of TV repeats such as Breakfast Club.) I hardly ever buy DVDs, and could live with only my library card – but my need for “now” and my future dream employment leads me to still buy my books. (Karma thing)

But there are a few books and movies that are specifically designed for a second reading/viewing. I’m going to focus on movies for this post, because it’s more likely that we have all seen my examples rather than books that I might mention.

Two great examples of movies designed for a second viewing are “Fight Club” and “Sixth Sense”. Movies where the ending left you screaming, “Oh. My. God” -- “No Way!” –or-- “Shut the front door!” If you are like me, you started the dang thing over to catch all the clues sprinkled throughout the movie that you couldn’t see before. Clues that were so subtle you wouldn’t have caught them, but now it’s right there like a neon sign.

All of these examples include a big flip. Big Flip = Change that switches the perceived reality of the situation. I love this style, and to be honest – it’s what I want to be when I grow up. If you’ve read my short stories, they have this in common. Iron Thirst, yep – you guessed it, falls right in line.

The trick is wording and subtlety. The clues must be there, but they need to be invisible and only seen when your readers go through the book the second time. As if by finishing the book, they are handed a special decoder pen that unlocks all the hidden secrets you have tucked inside. An example of where this is not done well is “Hancock”. There are no clues leading up to the big flip. It’s just there. Like the writer said, “Ooo, this would be cool”. You have to appreciate and respect your audience. People will pick your work apart looking for holes and inconsistencies. The entire novel/movie must support the big flip.

But you can’t be too obvious. If people see it coming like a giant flying booger then the effect is lost. It will plop on the page, and your readers will be very disappointed. Superman Returns is a great example of this. The big flip of the boy being his son. My reaction - Duh! That movie is a great representation of plot holes and inconsistencies. You want a lesson on what not to do – watch this movie with a critical eye. Seriously. Sorry, rambling…

I was very fortunate to have the same person read my manuscript twice to help prevent this. (Thank you, Beej! You’re still the best.) The first time she read it, I wanted to know when and if she figured things out or if she had guesses as to what was coming next. My favorite answer was on one particular surprise, “Not until you revealed it in the book.” (Giggle, giggle, girl dance.) Then for round two, I wanted her to see where I put the clues – and she got ‘em. It was awesome to see her draw a big red smiley face by one in particular. (Woohoo! Success.) Sorry that was vague, but I hope that one day you will all read it – and I won’t be my own spoiler.

Have you used this style in any of your work? What’s one of your biggest flips? What’s the worst you’ve ever seen? (Be vague; we don’t want to be spoilers.)

Freestyle Friday: Getting out of a Musical Rut

Exploring new music is one of my favorite past times. I hate to get stuck in a musical rut. If the only new music you are exposed to is what is dished out by your local radio station, it is quite easy to do. We all know the drill. They introduce one new song, and then play it to death. Or until you are ready to strangle it to death.

Back when I was growing up, it was much harder to explore new music. Pretty much your only option was to hit up the local record store. I still love to do this, even though these days they are much harder to find.

Technology has made it simple to find new tunes. I have a few websites and apps that I use to keep the music playing. The logos are clickable links.



Pandora is one of the most commonly used internet radio sources. You can plug in a band or song, and it will use it's special music genome project to spit out similar bands and songs. You can build up to 100 radio stations. The free version does include commercials, but you can upgrade to Pandora|One for $3.99 per month for zero interruptions. The fee is billed through your iTunes account. There is a great app for the iPhone and other mobile devices.

I love to take musical journeys by starting with one song that I like, and then keep building new stations until I find myself in uncharted territory. It doesn't just play the Top 40 or radio versions. It plays songs that are on the CD that you may never have heard before, live performances, or unique covers. And you can train it by giving thumbs up or down to songs.





 
Have you ever been walking through a store and heard the coolest song and thought, wow, what is this awesome song? Shazam is an app that is available for your mobile device that will kindly answer that question for you. You can just click Shazam and it will listen for about 10 seconds, tell you the name of the song and band, allow you to share it with friends on Facebook or Twitter, and download it from iTunes. I like to also use it to bookmark songs for later purchase. It also provides instant lyrics so you can stop screwing up your favorite songs.


This is my new favorite toy. It works like a music concierge. Music experts build top notch playlists. There are two main ways to use it. One is to just browse through the playlists available based on popularity, genre, or by a song. There is a wide range of options to choose from and it is all based off of your mood. This option requires you to be a bit more specific in your searching.

The second way, the way that I use the most often is the Musical Concierge. It's easier to just show you. You start with the screen below, which is different based on the day of the week and the time of the day.

 

 So, let's say I want to choose --Eating Dinner. Now I have a new set of options. 

Now, I select "Cool New Music", and it goes even further...

Click on any and the playlist will entertain. Not feeling it--go back and try again.  The thumbs up, thumbs down, and skip functions work just like that in Pandora.  Biggest difference--free and zero commercials.  

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There are other great music players out there such as Spotify and Grooveshark, but these are my favorite for finding new music at the moment.

But don't forget, if you find yourself in a musical rut - ask your friends what they are listening to. I found a whole genre of music just by asking a friend what he was listening to. Post the question on Facebook, and you will be surprised by the response. But whatever you do -- keep exploring. Life is too short to spend it in a rut.

So, what are you listening to these days? Have you used these sites? What are your favorite apps or websites for exploring new music?