And no I don't mean the super catchy Paramore song.
YA Highway asked the question, "Who are your fictional crushes?" and because I love a question to rant about my loves, this post is dedicated to all those nerdy, mysterious, I-just-want-to-pounce-on-you dream boys from YA novels. The type of oh-so-adorable guys who could make my heart melt in one minute and then explode from frustrating/irritating/so damn cute it's almost nauseating moments. Prepare yourselves for this :)
*WARNING* There's a few spoilers here. Just a heads up for those who don't want some of the books ruined.
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1.) Peeta Mellark - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Blond, cunning, and willing to do anything to protect the girl. What is not to like?! I grew an immediate attachment from the moment Katniss recalls how he had given her the strength to keep living with just a simple loaf of bread. The bruise and the reprimanding didn't steer him away from his need to help her then, it certainly didn't throughout the rest of the book. He remains a knight in shining armor without the leading lady even realizing that he meant every word he had ever spoken and all moves he had ever made.
It was bad enough trying to see through the hearts pounding in my eyes every time I read about him; I can only imagine how worse it will get once the movie (Screenplay written by Suzanne Collins herself! *squeeeeeee*) comes out in 2011.
Quote: "Maybe not that long," says Peeta. "What was that you were saying just before the food arrieved? Something about me...no competition...best thing that ever happened to you..."
"I don't remember that last part," I say, hoping it's too dim in here for the cameras to pick up my blush.
"Oh, that's right. That's what I was thinking," he says. "Scoot over, I'm freezing."
2.) Ian O'Shea - The Host by Stephenie Meyer
So I know that it's technically an adult novel, but for some reason, my brain reads YA. Maybe because the MC-host Melanie, in the flashbacks, is 17. A crush is a crush right?
What's funny about this crush, is he tried to kill the MC-alien--which I take as a symbol of love. He wasn't just choking the life from her, he was doing it with love and compassion. In all honestly, he quickly became my favorite character in the book, and most likely the series with SM finishes the next two books. Fear can make people do strange things, like attempt to strangle the half-alien, but only acceptance can make him love her. The book had a lot of messages, good messages about sacrificing anything for the ones you love, accepting and understanding what you are afraid of, and admitting that you were wrong. This book has it all, and so does Ian. To watch his character turn from an asshat to the most sincere person in the entire camp is a fun transition. I find that every time I read The Host, I crush even more.
Quote:He nuzzled his face against mine until he found my lips, then he kissed me, slow and gentle, the flow of molten rock swelling languidly in the dark at the center of the earth, until my shaking slowed.
3.) Ron Weasley/Draco Malfoy - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
This decision was too difficult. I adore Ron, who has always been a fictional crush since the middle of the first book. The comic relief, awkward schoolboy, and has "the emotional range of a teaspoon," his personality had me dying to read more. There were so many moments when I just wanted to smack him over the head, wanted to *facepalm* at some of the things he did, but all the same, I couldn't ever hate him, or stay mad for long. Just a cute redhead with a boyishness charm.
Quote: "...from now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell 'die, Ron, die.' I'm chucking them in the bin where they belong."
On the other hand, despite all of the cruelty and taunting he gives, there is something about Draco Malfoy that just grabs me, reeling me in. Completely mysterious, dark, and brooding--we all see him joining the Death Eaters. But wait! Do I see redemption in the future? Is my psycho fangirl crush not completely psycho after all? We never really get a deep look into his character, which is a shame in my opinion, but we do see this unexpected side of him in the sixth and seventh book. Angsty and proud with a hint of sarcasm and insecurity. Don't worry, I'd be happy to take him under my wing ;)
Quote: "Azkaban - the wizard's prison, Goyle. Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards."
4.) Cabel Strumheller - Wake by Lisa McMann
What's hot about a nerd-gone-popular who is actually still a nerd? Everything. There were many things I enjoyed about Wake like the language, which captured teenagers very well. The premise was interesting, the first-person present was bearable. But those things didn't keep me reading. It was definitely the secretly attractive Cabel. Mysterious, intriguing, heartbreaking--you got it all with him. You also got his caring, his compassion, his understanding. While Janie struggles with a life she never asked for, in a world she believes really doesn't care, her path wanders into that of Cabel, the person who will love her unconditionally, who--without even knowing what was going on--sheltered her, held her numb hands, shooed away anyone who was curious.
Plus, he ends up being an undercover cop. *fans self* 'Nuff said :)
Quote: She feels like crying, and she does, a little. She closes her eyes and doesn't move. Can't move. The tears leak out. Cabel wipes her cheeks gently with his thumb.
That makes her cry harder.
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And that, ladies and gents, is my fangirl crushes, in order of my favorites. *sighs dreamily* And I can go visit them any day that I want.
Teased!
Why yes, I have started Teaser Tuesdays again with the lovely ladies at AW. I must say, it feels excellent. A seriously brief update first followed by a section of Concealed that I really like as an unofficial query.
Words: 12446
Chapters: 7
Pages: 46
Not too bad. It's going by quickly. Well, only the teaser :)
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*snipped*
So. Much. Better!
Just thought I would give a brief update about how my writing is going. As the title says, it is going so well! I currently just finished chapter three, which I'll admit was a tad boring in the beginning, but got better in the middle. In fact, the first two and a half chapters are not spectacular. It's interesting, I will say that, but I feel that I delivered an amazing intro paragraph, and from there, it's blah. Then there is the third chapter, where you get to unofficially meet the famous Seducer. The fifth or sixth chapter is when my favorite Healer appears. That is what I cannot wait to write. Hopefully me and Sarah get our Write-a-thon tomorrow, allowing me to get to chapter five or six where the fun begins. Excited!
Anyways, here are my stats so far, if you haven't read the Progress Bar:
Words: 7635
Chapters: Starting 5th
Pages (using Hunger Games font): 32.4 book pages/28 Word pages
It's a bit slow writing-and-book-wise, but it is starting to pick up and get more entertaining with the more characters I introduce. As of now, it is only Neira (MC) and her older sister Kali, who is also an MC, just not from her perspective.
I have decided that I do indeed have a dark mind. The direction of this book is edgy, angst, dark, but it is also giddy (at least I think so), heartwarming, occasionally sad. There are thing that I added into this book that weren't in the last, and there were things I took out of this book that were in the last. Some of it I regret not adding in, but mostly, I'm just happy with how this is turning out. I really feel like this will go over well with agents, if I don't get rejected immediately for a X-Men or Heroes wannabe plot. I don't suppose begging them to read it so they understand that it is definitely not X-Men or Heroes is out of the question? *shrug* Guess I'll just need to query it right when the time comes...
Where to start....
No, really, where do I start. I'm actually ready to start writing my new and improved idea (mostly because Neira, Kali, Adarin, and Dayne and threatening to beat me up if I don't write them into something) but I find the beginnings so hard. We as writers have to make it interesting. We have to capture our reader. If you character is sitting in a chair studying, that won't do much for people. If she is studying and suddenly a car crashes into her room, that's a little more intense. To me, beginning is everything when it comes to writing. Doesn't matter how awesome your story gets or how rockin' your characters are, if they can't get past the beginning, it's over.
I suppose all I can hope to do is grab a cup of tea, put on some epic music, and sit my butt down.
Let's do this.
*poof*
Yeah, I seem to do that every now and again. *poof* in *poof* out. I could give the big ol' speech about being busy, but every one has heard it.
Sarah: Hey, I'm doing NaNoWriMo challenge. Will you do it with me? Me: What is it? Sarah: It's National Novel Writing Month. Me: Okay...but what is it. Sarah: You write 50k words in a month. Me: I need to write anyways. Okay, I'll do it.
What has changed from the last time I blogged, however, is this: NaNoWriMo. It didn't take much convincing from Sarah for me to do this. More along the lines of:
Fascinating, yeah?
Anyways, I won't be taking my computer up to Idaho because I hate carrying it around the airport and my dad has no internet (You made me laugh about that "Oh God, no computer?!?" comment, Sarah.) I dunno, I kinda like writing it down by hand. It's...old school. Who knows, maybe it'll get me to think up some new edit ideas for JP while I'm writing The Catalyst, which is the new idea.
Well, I suppose that's all from my end. Add me on NaNoWriMo. I'll be sure to add you back when I return.
Teaser Tuesday 11
Eleven weeks without fail of TT. I'm pretty proud of it, actually.
Anyways, here is the first page of a short story I wrote a few weeks back entitled Silver. Thank you to the lovely Sarah for help editing. I keep forgetting to send it out to try and get published in a literary magazine.
Read it while it lasts. I'll be taking it down before I start sending it off :)
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*snipped*
Teaser Tuesday 10
So, I feel that I've already posted this snippet, but for the life of me, I can't find where. I really love it as it shows Adarin's playful personality and Neira's unwillingness to play along. It's just one of my favorite fun moments between the two. So here it goes, another exerpt from JP
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*snipped*
It feels so nice to read again...
As the title says, it feels amazing to be able to buy a book, pick it up, and read. Having gone for several months unemployed and attempting to skirt by in my apartment (Gotta love broke college life and parents that want to make sure their daughter doesn't end up eating the furniture due to lack of groceries), it's a relief to have a job and money to spend. Of course, there are also other expenses, which definitely narrows how often I can buy a book, but that's alright. A book here and there is perfectly fine with me.
The lovely Sarah has been nagging me to read a lot books (and I'm so glad you did). Between posts for OPWFT group blog and browsing the Absolute Write forums, we've picked up several recommendations for books. So far, they've all been fantastic.
Wake by Lise McMann was a quick, enjoyable read that I was able to finish in roughly 3 and a half hours. While the third person present tense bothered me a bit, I fell in love were her characters, mainly Cabel, who I couldn't hate no matter how much I tried. There was just something about him that made me want to like him, that, despite Janie's anger towards him, made him compelling. The language was amazing, as it wasn't made up of Mary Sue stuff that you always see. The perfect characters who can do no wrong. Teenagers are not like that. I don't know a single teenager that acts perfect like that. There was cussing, there was sex, drugs, violence...this is a part of average, normal, everyday life.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher couldn't be more different. Where as Wake was on the rough and ragged side, Thirteen Reasons Why was brilliance and beauty. I'm not sure if I could love another character more than I loved Clay (Well, besides my own characters :D). I don't know how many times I got teary eyed when he spoke in between her lines, how many times I "awe!"ed at a certain scene, or laughed at one of his more amusing lines. He was adorable and caring and kind, and as you see in the book and in real life, people like him are so hard to find.
I find that I respect these authors and novels because they show (in my opinion) more of young adults than most YA books I read. They are closer to what we all have experienced: highschool, drama...moments that destroy us and make us stronger.
I loved reading these two books, which I was able to easily read in two days. They were completely captivating and inspiring, which just makes me want to find more books like them. Days off like this make me happy.
Yet another Teaser Tuesday...9!
Wow, nine straight weeks of teasers. I'm going to have to post something else soon. I think I've given away most of my beginning rewritten chapters. Bad Leah!
Anyways, this is something new. I decided to skip ahead on the rewrite and do a snippet from a completely new idea. There was a chunk of about 3 chapters that are getting cut completely and replaced by a different idea. This is the other idea, designed for my MCs now-younger age. It's long, but it reads easily.
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*snipped*
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