The update you've been waiting for

After playing "in-and-out-of-the-office" tag with my co-worker for several weeks, we finally sat down last Tuesday and talked about my manuscript. What a relief! I've seriously had dreams about it because I've been so anxious to hear what she would say. And even better--she loves my story!

Honestly, the 45 minutes we sat and talked were more helpful than any feedback I've ever had. She was honest and open and kind all at the same time, which I think is perfect when you're trying to critique someone's writing. And I agreed 100% with everything she said. In fact, I'd never even thought of several of her suggestions before, but I loved them and can't wait to incorporate some of her ideas into my story.

What was the biggest issue she had with my story, you ask? Character development. And I couldn't agree more. My main girl, Leah, is a little too naive, and my prince, Evan, is a little too perfect. I realized after our discussion that when I started this story 10 years ago, I envisioned my characters one way and one way only. My plot development and story telling has improved, but my characters haven't, and I really haven't given them the attention on paper as I have in my head. So my goal for the next few months is to develop their characters more.

Another suggestion she had was to not worry about turning it into two books at this point as much as making it one, cohesive story. So instead of sitting in front of my computer trying to figure out chapter 1 of book 2, I am now going to finish the ENTIRE story without worrying so much about the length. It's tough, but I'll have to do some major cutting in the end.

The best news of all was my co-worker really liked the story! She said it reminded her of a fairytale, and it's definitely a novel you want to escape to and read over and over again. :) And she said when I finish making changes and writing the entire thing (I'm re-doing the ending), she wants to see it first!

So no publishing contract, but I honestly wasn't expecting that at this point. I'm thrilled she gave me such great feedback, and it makes me happy to know how much she loves the story. Now it's time to get serious about writing again and make the changes happen!

Tigers on the brain

Last month, I read 3 books in a 4-book series called Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck. They were addicting like Gummy Bears are addicting: sweet and delicious, but not very good for you, and very likely to a stomach ache if you eat too many. My stomach is starting to ache.

 (The first three books.)

My co-worker read the first one for her book club, and knowing how much I love YA Fiction/Fantasy, she asked me to read it and give her my opinion. Like her, I'm not sure what to make of these books. I'm literally conflicted between loving them and despising them, all for various reasons. Seriously, any book that can captivate my attention and make it difficult to put it down or stop thinking about it deserves credit. All three of these books did this to me. (I read all three of them in less than 3 weeks, and they're NOT short books!) The story was intriguing, the settings unique, and the plot more creative than I'd ever come up with. Little details, personality traits, and fantastical elements really stood out to me, and I really appreciated Colleen Houck's creativity and story telling. I'd give you a brief synopsis, but I really don't know how to explain it since it's so complex. Girl meets tiger, tiger ends up being an Indian prince under a spell, tiger prince and girl fall in love while trying to break the curse...yeah.

At the same time, I had a hard time liking the main character, Kelsey. And yes, this was a love-triangle, not too unlike Twilight. In fact, the writing style (and plot in some ways, but with tigers instead of vampires) was similar to Twilight, and although the story and constantly shifting love-interests made it a page turner, I wasn't always impressed by the way it was written. And that's where my heart and brain are battling: can I really love a series that has a dramatic, high-maintenance, indecisive teenage girl; two "perfect" Indian princes; lots of love-triangle drama; and some very poor writing?

 (Final book)

If anyone else wants to read these books (or has read them), I would love to hear what you think! Honestly, I could probably talk about them forever--the good and the bad. Lets face it: I obviously liked them enough to keep reading (obsessively, I might add. Hence, the stomach ache.). In fact, I've already put the 4th (and final) book on hold at the library (it comes out September 4th). And like me, I doubt any girl can stop from falling head-over-heal for Ren.

(Luckily for me, I have a Ren in real life to obsess over. ;))