NaNoWriMo Day 5

New official song for Seasons Four Behind Closed Doors: "All Arise" by The Decemberists.

Mood: Hungry, tired, a little depressed, but also reasonably content.

Craft Show: Success. Tiring. Made $60, had a fun time chatting with my good friend who was working as shop assistant.

Write-In: Did not make it; was too exhausted from craft show.

To Do: Have snack, go to bed.

NaNoWriMo Day 4

I wouldn't have made it to class today without playing "Heartlines" by Florence + The Machine on repeat and listening to it as I walked. Made it a little late, but at least I made it. Pushing on through. NaNo is one of the brighter spots in my life right now, actually, aside from my wonderful loved ones of course, readers of this blog included. 6503 words so far.

Open query: I don't have a song that suits the novel as well as "July, July!" by The Decemberists, but it's still an awkward fit. Any suggestions? Thanks.

NaNoWriMo Day 3

Up to 5400 words now, and in Chapter 2. Much enjoying the comments. NaNo seriously came for me just in time, because it gives me something positive to distract me from the rough time, moodwise, that I've been having lately. It's kept me out of a lot of trouble and given me an important thing to get up for in the morning. So I'm glad of that. I wish I didn't have to do my Chinese workbook now, though.

Ooh, and a bunch of my friends are doing a write-in party at an apartment this Saturday, so that'll be nice. And I have a craft show earlier in the day. Positive things. Just keep swimming.

NaNoWriMo Day 2

Up to 4022 words as of now, and I really should do some homework. I've been functioning at only partial capacity due to this most recent bout of depression, but I'm working on that, and the writing really seems to be helping.

Additional fuel for the writing is Sour Patch Kids and listening to the most recent album by Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials, as well as my motley playlist of other songs when I need a break from that. I've decided, however, that my official theme song for Seasons Four Behind Closed Doors is "July, July!" by The Decemberists, which is appropriate since Seasons Four Open the Door was matched perfectly with their "Calamity Song". I will probably make a book trailer for it, either when I'm done or when I'm staving off another wave of causeless sorrow.

Many of my buddies are ahead of me. Grr. But I'm above par, so I'll sign off for tonight.

NaNoWriMo Day 1

It has begun! I eagerly awaited midnight, fortified with orange Izzes and pumpkin bread and apples, and wrote 1358 words before I went to bed around two-ish. I am now at 1720, as you can see by the screenshot. I have a special playlist, I got a lap desk to improve the ergonomics of my marathon typing sessions, a bunch of my friends are doing it too, and I'm super-excited. I feel like I'm kindling the forest fire again. And I plan on blogging at least every day about my experiences.

The novel itself is being posted on my tumblr; if you don't know what my tumblr is you are welcome to ask on Facebook and I will privately message it to you if you are over 18 years old.

Stay tuned for more.

Anime Face Generator - Seasons Four

I'm Doing NaNoWriMo

This is my account. I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off without my health and grades suffering, but here's hoping.

......

Seasons Four Behind Closed Doors

A sequel to Seasons Four Open the Door. The Lord Summer (formerly Jared Derkins, geeky American nurse) announces his plans to institute both democracy and legal polyamorous marriage during a conference of demigods hosted in his own castle. Hilarity ensues.

......

Doing double-duty for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), I will briefly chronicle how this goes every day, and provide links to read my output if you are of age to do so. My BlogHer page is here. Publicity and prizes, people! XD

My Writing Playlist (in progress)

LACONIA BOOKS

1st Generation

Ferdinand:
- "Supernatural Superserious", REM

Ferdinand and Selene:
- "Yellow", Coldplay
- "What Sarah Said", Death Cab for Cutie
- "Eric's Song", Vienna Teng
- "You've Got the Love", Florence + The Machine
- "Hero/Heroine", Boys Like Girls
- "Rainbow Veins", Owl City
- "Vanilla Twilight", Owl City

Selene:
- "Lullabye for a Stormy Night", Vienna Teng

Selene and Dianne:
- "Daughter", Vienna Teng

Dianne:
- "Howl", Florence + The Machine
- "Ode to My Family", The Cranberries
- "Strange", Tokio Hotel & Keri
- "Imitation of Life", REM

Dianne and Matthew:
- "The Scientist", Coldplay

Ferdinand and Nat:
- "Little Lion Man", Mumford & Sons
- "Gimme a Sign", Kevin Rudolf
- "Fix You", Coldplay
- "The Last Day On Earth", Kate Miller-Heidke
- "The Engine Driver", The Decemberists
- "If You Could Read My Mind", Gordon Lightfoot


Nat:
- "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid", The Offspring
- "Spaceman", The Killers
- "When You Were Young", The Killers
- "I Wanna", All-American Rejects
- "Driver 8", REM
- "Judas", Lady Gaga

Nat, Taylor, (Charity, Myra):
- "Star of Wonder", The Roches

Taylor:
- "Bright Eyes", Art Garfunkle
- "The Tower", Vienna Teng
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", Florence + The Machine
- "How Can I Keep From Singing?", traditional folk song

Taylor and Derrick:
- "It's All Been Done", Barenaked Ladies
- "Such Great Heights", The Postal Service
- "We Will Become Silhouettes", The Postal Service
- "Brand New Colony", The Postal Service
- "The Blood of Eden", Peter Gabriel

Derrick:
- "The Great Beyond", REM
- "One Week", Barenaked Ladies
- "Light Up My Room", Barenaked Ladies
- "The Starman", David Bowie

Edofine:
- "Strangers Like Me", Phil Collins
- "Two Worlds", Phil Collins

Edofine and Lira:
- "In Your Eyes", Peter Gabriel


2nd Generation (books not yet published)

Demetrius (as an adult):
- "Psycho Killer", Talking Heads
- "Life During Wartime", Talking Heads
- "Viva La Vida", Coldplay

Sally:
- "Australia", The Shins

Puffin:
- "Cops and Robbers", ?
- "Private Eye", ?

Puffin and Sandi:
- "I Must Have Done Something Good", Reliant K

Charity:
- "The War on Drugs", Barenaked Ladies
- "How to Save a Life", The Fray
- "Cosmic Love", Florence + The Machine
- "Breakable", Ingrid Michaelson
- "Headlock", Imogen Heap
- "Sing", The Dresden Dolls
- "Tiny Voices", Bad Religion

Charity and Myra:
- "Red Rain", Peter Gabriel

Opal and Amaranth:
- "The Dog Days Are Over", Florence + The Machine

Rivki:
- "Son of Man", Phil Collins

Rivki and Val:
- "Six Feet Under the Stars", All Time Low
- "Fields of Gold", Sting

Val:
- "My Name is Luka", Suzanne Vega

Ikh:
- "The Rake's Song", The Decemberists

Taran:
- "Born this Way", Lady Gaga

Taran and Eric:
- "I'll Cover You (Reprise)", from RENT

Taran and Creed:
- "Straight to You", Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- "Into My Arms", Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Myra:
- "The Sound of Silence", Simon & Garfunkle
- "Chasing the Dragon", Epica
- "Growing Up", Peter Gabriel
- "Blinding", Florence + The Machine

Myra and Felix:
- "Soul Meets Body", Death Cab for Cutie
- "Anan Water", The Decemberists

Felix and Rose:
- "Violet Hill", Coldplay

The Devil:
- "Red Right Hand" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Wren Fielding:
- "The Girl Anachronism" - The Dresden Dolls
- "Half Jack" - The Dresden Dolls
- "My Alcoholic Friends" - The Dresden Dolls
- "Ding Dong" - Nellie McKay
- "Mercy Street" - Peter Gabriel


Whole Series:
- "Human", The Killers
- "True Believers", Bouncing Souls


Misc.
- "Sons and Daughters", The Decemberists
- "Marching Bands of Manhattan", Death Cab for Cutie
- "Hello Seattle", Owl City
- "Swimming in Miami", Owl City



~*~*~*~



SEASONS FOUR OPEN THE DOOR

Whole book:
- "Calamity Song", The Decemberists
- "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", REM

Jared:
- "Wendell Gee", REM
- "Maps and Legends", REM
- "Fireflies", Owl City
- "Closer to Fine", Indigo Girls

Jared and Kira:
- "I Run to You", Lady Antebellum
- "Falling Slowly", from the movie Once

Kira:
- "Circle of Steel", Gordon Lightfoot
- "June Hymn", The Decemberists
- "In the Eye", Suzanne Vega
- "When Your Mind's Made Up", from Once
- "Lady Isobel's Knight", traditional folk song

Timmy:
- "The King of Bedside Manor", Barenaked Ladies

William:
- "January Hymn", The Decemberists

Gwen:
- "Don't Carry it All", The Decemberists

Radcliff:
- "I Wish I Was James Bond", ?

Lynne and Amber:
- "Under Your Spell", Amber Benson (written by Joss Whedon)
- "Momentum", Vienna Teng

Rain:
- "Sober", P!nk
- "River's Dance", from the Firefly Sountrack
- "You Can't Take the Sky from Me", Firefly Theme Tune
- "Land of Canaan", Indigo Girls
- "Poker Face", Lady Gaga

Minor Character Ensemble:
- "Pork and Beans", Weezer
- "Firework", Katy Perry

Djones:
- "Deadly Handsome Man", ?


Will update as I get ideas and encounter new songs. :)

Another Resurgence

I've revived my Twitter account: donayahaymond . Follow me if you wish. I'm adept at texting these days so it should work better (my last phone couldn't send texts).

Also, thanks to the encouragement of my biggest non-professional fan, Sam, I've restarted my first non-Laconia novel, Seasons Four Open the Door . I'm posting it chapter by chapter at the following locations:

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2393577/7/Seasons_Four_Open_the_Door

http://fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=417291

http://www.textnovel.com/story_detail.php?story_id=2091&_p=1

It's less than a quarter finished and it's already in excess of 25,000 words, so it's going to be one of my longer ones. I want to have something to offer other publishers while I wait for Eternal Press to get through all of Laconia, which will take the next few years. I would offer it to EP too, but I can only offer one novel at a time, and only three months after the previous one is published. That's to be fair to the people who didn't spend their high school years typing in the basement :D .

Here is a summary for the novel:

Jared finds that his mother's basement has been turned into an underground lake from a world where no one is surprised by anything. He saves a young woman who claims to be Spring. Meanwhile, Kira of the Temperate Zone finds that killing Summer, no matter how much he deserves it, has started opening portals between the realm of the Seasons and what they call Next Door.

Magical realism, urban fantasy, and dashes of both cyberpunk and steampunk.