Missy Fleming's Blog

So I have decided I am the world's worst blogger. Really. I own that title. What self-respecting author sucks as bad as I do? I haven't been idle. Just not blogging. I have written a book since my last post. A historical YA romance set in a gold boomtown. I love the story. Hopefully one day soon I can query it! I will be better. I promise.

Now. What are some of the books you've started but just can't get into. No matter how much you want to? You can say mine. I won't cry. Too much.

For me, and the inspiration for this post, it is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  Three times I have tried. And failed. It really bums me out too because I have heard a ton of good things about it.

Sadly I think a lot of it has to do with the Third Person Present Tense. I'm a fan of present tense. I use it a lot in my own writing but always in first person. I've never read a book like this before. Hard for some reason.

I will keep trying though!
So tell me, any books you had issues with? Despite wanting to read them?

A coworker and I were talking about this today and it got me thinking...which is better?


The evidence I've seen all points to the books being better. I hate walking into a movie based on a book I love, one I laughed and cried with. Granted, maybe my expectations were too high, but mostly I end up disappointed! There are plenty of examples lately. Seems every popular Young Adult book series is being adapted to the big screen. Like the YA boom, it all started with one silly story and a sparkling vampire.


Twilight.


I can't talk about this movie/book. I go off on rants and tangents that are not productive. Let's just say however much I dislike both, the movies stuck VERY close to the books. And I'm sure we can all agree the quality of the movies improved over the four films.


Another point, why do they have to have such cheesy music, especially during kissing scenes?

Don't get me wrong. Huge YA fan here. It's what I write! Just think the material deserves better attention from directors and producers.


Case in point...City of Bones, the Mortal Instruments. The movie. This has been one of my favorite YA series, ever. It takes paranormal and tweaks it just enough to keep it fresh. Great characters, awesome world building, and a smart-assed boy. Then they made a movie. I was so excited about this one. I loved the film. I hated the film. Clary and Jace were great. The guy who played Valentine is one of my favorite actors so I'm biased in that area. Essentially, they did a decent job. Interesting special effects. Until the kissing scene. Enter sappy song and just over cheesiness. Even now, thinking back, I'm not entirely sure what exactly went wrong with the movie, It just failed to translate.


Now we can look forward to Divergent and Vampire Academy.


Of the two, only one actually looks good. Divergent.


Vampire Academy, and especially it's offspring, Bloodlines, are my second favorite series. But OMG ( I say that on purpose ) they are turning it into Mean Girls meets a dozen other stupid high school movies. The girls in the books are never that stupid and giggly. The more I hear about it, the more I'm certain I won't see it. I can't look past certain things and infusing too much humor and angst-y jokes are unforgivable!


I guess the point of my mini rant is two-fold. First, movie makers are targeting the biggest money spenders out there right now...teenage and collage age girls. They buy the books and they'll see the movies in droves. Only now they're learning the material isn't always there. So how hard is it to give us what we want? (Note: I am not either teen or college aged). Still, the tools are there. Peter Jackson can take something as complex as the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and make amazing movies, closely following the books. How can we not bring to the screen a decent paranormal romance?


Second, as an author, I'd be so worried about letting down my readers. I know what it feels like to walk in to an anticipated movie and walk out disappointed. Like me and City of Bones.


Beautiful Creatures! Now that one was okay. It kept its dark feel and didn't delve into the silly side of being directed at younger audiences. Yet it didn't do as well in the box office. Strange.


Of course, the biggest success story, in my opinion, is The Hunger Games. Not so much the first movie, but it's getting better with the second installment, Catching Fire. From what I remember, they've followed the books very closely and have lost NOTHING. I even forgot Gale wasn't around much in the second book. Maybe I just liked him having more screen time ;)


So what does the future hold? Will we get a second Mortal Instruments movie? I hear it's possible but with all new director and maybe cast. What about Beautiful Creatures? Vampire Academy? Not so sure. Divergent? I sure as heck hope so. It's different enough to stand out, much like the Hunger Games there is more at stake to the story than romance.


And what's next? Any series you'd like to see brought to life? I'd love to see Across the Universe by Beth Revis or Under the Never Sky (my new favorite book!!!) Wait. Actually I think Under the Never Sky is being developed into a movie. So maybe I won't give up just yet.


This may come off as a mini vent or a series of short movie reviews, but it's something to think about. Is this the new trend? Did Twilight start this one too? Is it going to continue? I'm reserving my judgment. I'll skip Vampire Academy, remember the books fondly, but I will see Divergent. Let's hope it's worth it!

A list of my favorite things, in honor of the holidays and the song I can’t seem to get out of my head right now!
~ romantic comedy
First question and it’s a hard one! Of all time? I’d have to say Sixteen Candles. John Hughes at his best. We all had those seemingly unattainable crushes in high school so this one just hits home. It may show my age but it’s a timeless classic!

~ national park
Easy. Yellowstone National Park. I live an hour from both the north and the west entrances. It’s beautiful and eerie. No matter how many times I go, I still find something new, some new part to explore. Of course I try to avoid it when it’s high tourist season…

~ type of weather
I like sun, of course, but I LOVE rainy, dreary days. The kind that make you want to curl up on the couch with a good book or a movie.

~ foreign accent
Scottish or Irish for sure. Gerard Butler can talk to me all day…sigh

~ winter olympic sport
Hockey!!

~ part of your love interest's body
I love nice, ropey, muscled forearms. Especially if they are tattooed!

~ breakfast cereal
Cocoa Puffs and Captain Crunch Berries. I’m still a kid when it comes to cereal

~ political figure
Does the Dali Lama count? Sure why not. The Dali Lama for sure!

~ magazine/periodical
National Geographic. I have stacks of them in my house. Never gets old looking at their photos.

~ toy from childhood
Barbie. Had some epic Barbie play times with my sister.

~ tattoo that you have
My fleur de lis. It’s on the top of my right wrist and has a skull in the middle. LOVE it, the artist did an amazing job. Now I have the itch…

~ pie
Banana cream!

~ day of the year
Christmas and opening day of football season

~ genre of music
Always a rock girl at heart!

~ flower
Orchid. I have expensive taste.

~ movie musical
Rock of Ages…amazing music

~ screen kiss
The kiss at the end of Pride and Prejudice (the version with Kiera Knightenly).

~ curse word or phrase to say
Probably best not to say it here!

~ musical 'genius'
Ville Valo – Lead singer for the Finnish band HIM – his lyrical genius just gets me every time. That man has a way with words.

~ 'battle scene' from a movie
The one outside Minas Tirath (spelling?) in The Return of the King, Lord of the Rings. EPIC!

~ music to get your groove on
Usher!

~ thing about your family
That I can consider them some of my best friends

~ way to travel
Plane, because it’s quicker but nothing beats a good road trip!

~ cause
Humanitarian work

~ candy bar
Not a big candy bar person…I guess maybe a Baby Ruth or Milky Way


~ thing about your work
Day job at a hotel – the people and interacting with them
Writing – being able to create my own worlds and rules

~ horror movie
Mama! Still have a hard time watching that one all the way through!

~ sport to play
Football is fun, without the tackling. Volleyball. Channel Surfing haha

~ band to see live
Godsmack! And surprisingly, Nickelback

~ video game
CALL OF DUTY!!!!!!

Why mermaids? Why fantasy?

Mermaids and fantasy often go hand in hand. One can’t existwithout the other. As much as the Discovery Channel may try to convince usotherwise, mermaids are creatures of legend, of myth, as captivating andmystifying as the waters they call home. Before writing this blog post, Istruggled to remember where the idea for Into the Deep even came from. TheLittle Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, always has been, but likeso many of those stories, Ariel’s motivations were all rooted in romance, truelove. I didn’t want to do anything like that. I wanted a true coming of agestory, a glimpse at a girl who has a legitimate reason to fear the sea and toexperience the realization that it can make her whole again. Of course there’sa boy, as well as complications. He hates humans, despises what they’ve done tothe ocean.

That’s another subject I wanted to bring to the surface…nopun intended…humankind’s constant, uncaring neglect on the thing that gives uslife. Whether unintentional or not, no one can deny what we’ve done. Whaleshunted to the brink of extinction, fish populations decimated by overfishing,poisoned fish finding their way onto our dinner plates. Fukisima, in Japan, thenuclear reactor affected by the tsunami and earthquake, is dumping tons ofradioactive water into the sea every day. Who knows what effect that will haveon us in future generations? But I’m NOT going to get preachy! I promise. Mypoint here is what if the ocean one day decides to rise against us? What if thecreatures we’ve harmed decide to turn against us? And what if the only one whocan save both worlds is a brand new mermaid princess?

So why fantasy? Why do I enjoy writing about things andplaces that don’t exist? The same reason I like reading about them…escapism. Notto mention, I find it easier to set my stories in a made up land. To date, Ihave five completed novels—all young/new adult and every single one of themeither fantasy or paranormal or science fiction. For some reason, every time Isit down to try and finish one of my contemporary romances or women’s fiction,I fail. Writing about the real world? Not as exciting! Diving into apost-apocalyptic world where demons rule? Yes please! I don’t think I’m alone either.Why else have vampires and werewolves, fairy tale retellings, become sopopular?

I have a trick I learned from a writing partner of mine.Look at your plot. What can you do to make it unique, different from everyother fantasy/vampire/mermaid book out there? See. That’s the best part ofwriting fantasy. It’s okay to go a little overboard. You cares if you mess witha typical myth, give it tweaks to fit your story. Fantasy gives a writer truecreative flexibility. When I first started thinking I might probably give thisauthor thing a shot, I saw fantasy as this unattainable genre. So I stuck towhat I knew, the real world. I thought I’d never be able to write aboutgoblins, demons, aliens, or mermaid princesses. The first young adult novel Iwrote was published earlier this year. It’s about a girl who’s a sensitive, whosees ghosts, and has some terrifying encounters with them, kind of a ghostversion of Cinderella. That book was the test, dipping my toes into genres thatI’d never considered. And guess what? It worked! Into the Deep will always holda special place in my heart because it was the first book I ever coloredoutside the lines with, the first of many.

Now I say, “Lines? Who needs lines?”

 

Why mermaids? Why fantasy?

Mermaids and fantasy often go hand in hand. One can’t exist without the other. As much as the Discovery Channel may try to convince us otherwise, mermaids are creatures of legend, of myth, as captivating and mystifying as the waters they call home. Before writing this blog post, I struggled to remember where the idea for Into the Deep even came from. The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, always has been, but like so many of those stories, Ariel’s motivations were all rooted in romance, true love. I didn’t want to do anything like that. I wanted a true coming of age story, a glimpse at a girl who has a legitimate reason to fear the sea and to experience the realization that it can make her whole again. Of course there’s a boy, as well as complications. He hates humans, despises what they’ve done to the ocean.
That’s another subject I wanted to bring to the surface…no pun intended…humankind’s constant, uncaring neglect on the thing that gives us life. Whether unintentional or not, no one can deny what we’ve done. Whales hunted to the brink of extinction, fish populations decimated by overfishing, poisoned fish finding their way onto our dinner plates. Fukisima, in Japan, the nuclear reactor affected by the tsunami and earthquake, is dumping tons of radioactive water into the sea every day. Who knows what effect that will have on us in future generations? But I’m NOT going to get preachy! I promise. My point here is what if the ocean one day decides to rise against us? What if the creatures we’ve harmed decide to turn against us? And what if the only one who can save both worlds is a brand new mermaid princess?
So why fantasy? Why do I enjoy writing about things and places that don’t exist? The same reason I like reading about them…escapism. Not to mention, I find it easier to set my stories in a made up land. To date, I have five completed novels—all young/new adult and every single one of them either fantasy or paranormal or science fiction. For some reason, every time I sit down to try and finish one of my contemporary romances or women’s fiction, I fail. Writing about the real world? Not as exciting! Diving into a post-apocalyptic world where demons rule? Yes please! I don’t think I’m alone either. Why else have vampires and werewolves, fairy tale retellings, become so popular?
I have a trick I learned from a writing partner of mine. Look at your plot. What can you do to make it unique, different from every other fantasy/vampire/mermaid book out there? See. That’s the best part of writing fantasy. It’s okay to go a little overboard. You cares if you mess with a typical myth, give it tweaks to fit your story. Fantasy gives a writer true creative flexibility. When I first started thinking I might probably give this author thing a shot, I saw fantasy as this unattainable genre. So I stuck to what I knew, the real world. I thought I’d never be able to write about goblins, demons, aliens, or mermaid princesses. The first young adult novel I wrote was published earlier this year. It’s about a girl who’s a sensitive, who sees ghosts, and has some terrifying encounters with them, kind of a ghost version of Cinderella. That book was the test, dipping my toes into genres that I’d never considered. And guess what? It worked! Into the Deep will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first book I ever colored outside the lines with, the first of many.
Now I say, “Lines? Who needs lines?”
 

As an author, I always find it curious why certain people fall in love with certain books, especially if it's one I can't stand. Don't worry, I'm not naming names on the ones I don't like. That's a whole other blog! It just made me think about why I love the couple of books I read over and over and over. Story and emotion...for me, those win every single time.

I'm a HUGE fan of Game of Thrones, the show and the books. I guess the books are called A Song of Ice and Fire, so I should be correct here. I only discovered the show a year ago and, impatient to watch Season 2, I devoured all five books in a little over a month. Since then, I've already completed a thorough reread. It's weird, coming from a gal like me who gobbles up contemporary romances, to fall for an epic fantasy like this. It's easy to pinpoint what I love about these stories, though. Characters and plot. I wish I could create something so deeply layered and interconnected. When I read these books, I'm lost in them. 1200 pages don't feel like 1200 pages. I love how the characters swing from good to bad and back again, how a character I hated in the beginning has became one of my favorite ones in the entire series Jamie Lannister

So, when someone asks me what my favorite book is, I'm proud to say it is any of the Song of Ice and Fire books. I know a lot of people who would list novels like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights. I'm easy. Give me blood and battle and dragons and I'm happy. Well, to an extent. It's not like that's all I read now.

My second favorite book, which may very well be my first, is harder to talk about. Mostly because it's one many wouldn't expect. It's The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Yes, THAT Stephanie Meyer, who brought us glittery vampires and questionably healthy relationships. The Host is Science Fiction, aimed more towards adults than teenagers and it really shows in the writing. Gone are the easy to read pages with big font and short sentences. The story is complex, maybe a little out there, but it makes me think. The root of the story is love and I cannot deny this one makes me cry, every time.

Aliens have taken over Earth, wiped out pretty much every human, but use their bodies as hosts, putting their bodies into ours. I know, I know. Like I said, it's Sci-Fi. Anyway, it follows Wanderer, a gentle 'soul' put into the body of one of the last members of the human resistence. But her 'host' isn't as complacent as most. Soon, they're having conversaions, sharing memories and Wanderer begins to feel what Melanie does. Like the love she has for her boyfriend and her brother. Complications ensue and let's just say this book makes me think about love.

Is it physical? Mental?

If you were dropped into a body that loved another person, would those feelings make you love them, too? Or does it all exist in the mind? Do those residual feelings make the new body fall in love?

It's one of the most unconventional love triangles, well, rectangle really, that I have ever seen. And I LOVE it! The Host never fails to take me on this journey, a gentle being caught up in a war she hates and watching her grow. I never thought I'd say one of my favorite characters in a book is basically nothing more than a wormy amobea thing!

And let me say, I hated Twilight. Sure, it was packed with overwrought emotion and I somewhat enjoyed reading the entire series, but it pales in comparison to The Host. I think Stephanie Meyer showed improvement in her writing. But it still makes me hesitate in naming it a 'favorite'. Will people think I'm immature to like it, not as 'cool' as those who like the Bronte sisters instead? I think it's because Twilight gets so much negative backlash from fellow authors.

So, to sum up my long winded blog here. What are my favorite books? The Host and all of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Maybe next I'll talk about how Vampire Academy/Bloodlines comes in a close third! I read A LOT, so there may be books out there I forgot about loving.

I admit it. I'm a complete slacker once June hits. As you can probably tell by the lack of blogs recently. When you live in a state like Montana, where winter is so prevalent, you learn to take advantage of the good days when they come. I live for summers, for getting out and exploring this beautiful place, visiting Yellowstone, just sitting out and savoring the fresh air.

Until I have to write.

I work in a hotel, close enough to be on Yellowstone's doorstep. From the end of May on, we sell out EVERY NIGHT. It's busy, the guests can be demanding, and at the end of the day I don't exactly look forward to sitting down at a computer again. Too many distractions! Too many family BBQs and picnics. Too many nights of sitting in the path of the fan because once again the western United States is in the middle of a severe drought and heat wave.

Not that I haven't been productive. I have. In bits and pieces. Finished editing two books I've written with my fabulous writing partner, started a deep edit of a New Adult book I started on last November, and I'm still slowly putting the sequel for Happily Never After together. It just never feels like enough. Not compared to the epic writing marathons I do cuddled under a blanket once the colder weather hits. And I haven't even mentioned the other book in my head begging to be let out.

So in Summer, I generally feel extremely sluggish when it comes to writing and marketing and plugging my book. Am I alone here? I can't be the only one who wants to be outside all the time! It's a hard balance when you move into the days of deadlines and when the voices in your head want to be let out.

I have been doing some reading and I have to tell you about a book I read called Gameboard of the Gods, by Richelle Mead, one of my favorite authors. She's famous for her Vampire Academy books, which put Twilight to shame by the way. This is an adult book, though, a venture into dystopian and religion. Completely fell for the main character, Justin. I LOVE how Richelle Mead gives us these tortured, indulgent asses that we readers end up obsessing about. Anyone who has read VA or Bloodlines knows I'm talking about Adrian...sigh. Anyway, great book, different and unexpected despite some not so great reviews. Give it a try this summer while you're out at the lake or the beach or propped up in front of the A/C.

And I will get back on track soon, be more dedicated and get to writing. When I'm not writing...I miss it! Hope you all are having a great summer!
xoxo

As a writer, it's a moment of true triumph. It means the months of stress and plotting and living in this world you created is over. The End is bittersweet, celebratory, and oftentimes, elusive. That's usually my problem. I can get up to the last few chapters then...all my momentum will stall. Even if I have it outlined, planned and pictured in my head down to the last detail.

The first time I wrote 'the end', I felt a sense of accomplishment. It'd been YEARS with that first book, something I started for no reason other than to see if I could finally get rid of the people taking up residence in my head. I didn't have a freaking clue what I was doing. While the story does hold a special place in my heart, when I go back and read it now, I cringe. I've come a long way since then.

Now, I'm working with deadlines, release dates, and an understanding of how the book has to evolve. To be honest, it's a gestation period. As the story grows, or takes off on tangents I wasn't expecting, I've learned to roll with it. There's a reason my characters want to go there.

Writing, for me, isn't always technical or mechanical. I learn so much about myself depending on the book I'm writing. Take this one, the book I'm thisclose to finishing and my NaNoWriMo project. I've learned I can do dark and disturbing. Yesterday, I attacked a chapter I've put off for months, not sure I could 'go there'. Whipped it out with no pain at all. The book has taken on a lot more religious undertones than I expected too, dealing with evil and faith and how fully can a person really be forgiven by whatever God they believe in. Deeper meanings than I've touched on with previous works.

So, as I gear up to finish the final three chapters, I'm a little melancholy. I have an attachment to this book I haven't had for another. Will I be glad when I finally resolve the main character's journey? Heck yes! But he's become special to me, regardless of his dark past.

The funny part? This has been relatively easy to write. And I say relatively because I can cough out a chapter or two of this no problem. Add to a scene? Easy! Yet there my sequel for Happily Never After, my first published book, sits and I struggle with it. It frustrates me like crazy! I know a good story can't be forced and blah, blah, blah, but jeez! I WANT to finish the one I'm supposed to! Maybe how the NaNo book is out of the way, I'll be inspired!

Am I alone here? Do any of you fellow authors experience this? Why does 'the end' come so easily to some stories and float around so elusively for others? I hope to God I'm not the only one!

Any fellow authors out there can probably understand what I mean by just those two words in the blog title. In the process of writing, I find myself wondering certain things and the easiest way to resolve it is to pull up Google. This morning, I went from 'soul collectors' to 'evil voodoo loa (or entities)'. Often, they are searches I'll do at work and I can't help but laugh when I imagine the big bad corporation monitoring what I'm searching for. What would the government think when I'm looking at the layout of certain military bases? Or there was the Google of nuclear radiation and radius. The one about demons and their names.

I wish I could remember some of the subjects I've searched. At the time some of them were pretty questionable! Does it put me into a category of merely insane or the next Unibomber?

When I was writing Happily Never After I spent so much time buried in maps of Savannah, Georgia--a town I'd never been to. I had to find which direction Quinn would walk to get to certain places, where she'd catch the bus to the cemetery. It's one of my favorite parts of writing, the research. Which is kind of funny because I wasn't the biggest fan of school. Most of my bookshelves at home are packed with books on things like Egypt, haunted Savannah, ghost towns, a giant visual encyclopedia of the oceans, even a thick, detailed report on all that went wrong during Hurricane Katrina. It's made for some fascinating reading!

For instance, did you know that in a voodoo (or more accurately spelled as vodou) ceremony, when a person is possessed, it's often referred to as being mounted by the spirit. It took me a few minutes to figure that out. As you can imagine, I had a much different thing in mind! Yeah, my mind dove straight for the gutter, no questions asked.

So, tell me, especially you authors out there, what is the STRANGEST Google search you've ever done?

Once upon a time I thought that when I became a published author all I'd have to do is sit back and keep doing what I was supposed to be doing...creating new masterpieces and thinking life was amazing. Well, the reality is harder to accept. These days we authors are expected to be present, available, seen. Sounds awesome for an introvert like me!

I'm certainly not one of those overnight success stories. My book, Happily Never After, was shopped to literally every agent I could find who accpeted paranormal YA as well as a couple smaller publishers. Nada, nothing, except a pile of rejections. The very last person I had to try was a new publisher specializing in Young Adult novels, Fire and Ice. Not only did they love the book, they loved the story I wrote, not the story it'd be with a million and one changes. There are good things coming from us in the future, even the not-so-distant future. I've found a group of people I like, who support me and my so-called talent. What else could I ask for, really?

Sure, there were dreams of the big six publishers, of the day Penguin called and begged for the honor of putting my words in print, but in today's book universe it ain't gonna happen. My book is out there, more are coming, and if only a handful of people read them, fine! Of course each time I get in one of those five star reviews there is a part of me that doesn't trust it, doesn't believe it. I wonder how long it will take until I can?

Do I have a point? Good question. I think all I'm saying is if you're an author the key word to our craft is PERSEVERENCE. Don't quit after ten rejections, or fifty. The next letter you send out may just be the one, the new publisher willing to take a chance on you. You have to adjust your expectations, but the end result is the same...the stories you wrote, the ones that helped you through a hard time or transported you from a dull life, are out there giving the same experience to someone else.

And while I am starting out slow--book then reviews then blog--it's okay. I'll get there. I'll make a name one way or another, even if it is as 'that crappy blogger'. Next up, trying to find more ways to market Happily Never After. More blogs. More pictures of places I love, which tend to be mostly Montana. More books :)

Have patience with me as I get the hang of this blogging stuff. It hurts coming up with witty things to say! Just kidding. I'm looking forward to another adventure.