Publishing News #Oathbreaker1

Signed a contract with Wayang Force to publish Oathbreaker 1. 

#BOOKHAUL!, DreamWalkers and A Whole Lot of Nothing

Aren't they PURTY?

Still have a ton of new books but I'll introduced them to you gently. 

Anyway, have been busy editing Wolf at the Door (WATD) especially since contract is being negotiated and I haven't time to continue with DreamWalkers but will go back to it after. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of changing The Wolf Series into the Oathbreaker Series, considering the book isn't really about the wolves but about the Waerloga....strange how things can hit you at the last moment. 

And I just changed the title on Goodreads. So WATD is Oathbreaker #1. 

I'm not editing much of the book just a little here and there, change some weird sentences or catch a few more typos and misspellings if I can. 

I really need a good editor. It would help if I have another set of eyes to catch things that I didn't. 

In DreamWalkers, it's weird how as an author you would have your own favorite character. Someone who despite not being a main character, you love just the same. Sure enough, like a parent, you would have a favorite child but...in DreamWalkers, I didn't expect Yohan to be my favorite. Sure he will be a big part of the story but...It's not surprising that Medea would be the most confusing character for me, I just don't really get her because my personality is so very different from her and writing her has its ups and downs and sideways while Sen, my second favorite, is actually pretty easy to write about that I'm worried that he would come off as boring. Don't get me wrong, I don't consider him boring, but he's so entrenched in Asian customs and traditions (Japanese, where everything is suppressed and understated) that I'm afraid he would come off as staid and...boring. To me he is fascinating, all that rock-steadiness and Japanese restraint hiding an ocean vastness of will and passion and I give him little moments-subtle-moments where I try to give hints of that intensity and bring it out, especially in his interactions with Medea. But Sen is also respectful, quiet, a flowing river underneath a mirror surface type and I'm afraid I wouldn't do him justice. And I'm afraid that my readers who aren't Asian will not be able to relate to him...

It's like when an Asian movie is remade by Hollywood,  a change in values and traditions change the whole look and feel of the movie. Sometimes what we Asians consider powerful emotionally or scandalous isn't a big deal for other people and I'm afraid of such meaningful actions from Sen would pass people by because they don't get it. They don't get him.

Or am I thinking too much or being an Asian snob?

Yohan, my favorite, would most definitely be a crowd pleaser, not only because he's the not-so-typical bad boy type--sort of--but because he is passionate and he acts on said passion. Not that he's reckless, because he's not. But he's the type to say rousing speeches and lead men while Sen is the one who stands behind the throne and whispers secrets and quiet advice. Both boys are intense but while Yohan has the burn-to-ashes intensity of the sun, Sen is the steady light in the dark that guides you home. 

So, which would you prefer? 

P.S: Boo is doing great. He's eating a lot, napping like the world is going to end and basically creating a mess wherever he goes like cats do. 

Happy with his progress. *thumbs up*

Curls, Fruit Juice and Writing

Lately, I've been scouring youtube for hair tutorials and I finally found a video that works for me. BeautyKLove is kind of awesome at this, her tutorials are simple and quite easy to do. I love her heatless, no product tutorials because I tend not to use both. And like her I also have thick long hair though my hair is frizzy and out of control. I should probably try her natural hair masks and the lot, it seems to be working for her.

Anyway, this is a tutorial I tried last night. I might have done one or two things wrong and I didn't even dampen my hair but it still works! Th curls are gorgeous, now let's see how long it would last on my hair.

Yes, my hair is that out of control. 

For me, this technique actually made my hair more orderly and smooth at the top (because the cocoon weighted my hair, so the the hair on my head is pulled straighter and smoother), and it prevent curls and such. I slept with my hair in the cocoons and no it didn't bother me at all, you have to make sure you do the cocoons properly though so it wouldn't loosen in the middle of the night. But seriously, it's worth it. My hair has never looks so good.

I would take a picture of the result but my camera is crap and my hair is a pretty dark color so all you can see is dark hair and none of the curls.

Her braid tutorials are also awesome, like this one!

My mom was here two days ago and I took the opportunity to buy a lot of fruits so I can make juice. I don't really use a lot of sugar in my juices I usually just let the sweetness of the fruit to come through. Yesterday was watermelon juice, today it's avocado.

The weather was totally hot yesterday so the chilled watermelon juice did wonders for my mood.

DreamWalkers is doing pretty great and I'm going to edit it and update chapter 3 to post today. About the Wolf Series, I'm still going over the contract while Mey Yeng is redoing the covers for me. She presented the  rough result yesterday and it looks EXACTLY has how I wanted. It looks BEAUTIFUL.

I'm also editing Wolf at the Door so I won't get any surprises. 

FAQ

Since I'm getting ready for NaNo I thought I'll answer some questions from readers, simultaneously doing an analysis of my characters so far.

Q:  Why are your MCs Asians or half Asian?

A: Um, probably because I'm Asian?

Q: Don't you think that Leah and Lei are frighteningly similar?

A: Huh. Actually, this has never occurred to me because to me the differences between them are pretty clear cut. Leah, my character from Touched is damaged by the disappearance of her mother and her part in causing that. She's spent her life containing herself, practicing self-disciplined and controlling her every reaction and her feelings. She does her very best to not attract attention, ever. Leah doesn't have a social life, she rarely goes out and more often spends her time trapped inside her home out of necessity. Outside of her family and Gabe, she doesn't have a social life. Leah is very prickly, very cynical, and no matter how much she tries to control her emotions, she is very honest with it; she gets angry when she's angry, and sad when she gets sad and tends to be very explosive with expressing her feelings. She handles violence in a very practical way and it is possible that her morals are somewhat skewed. 

There's not a lot of things in her life that she can control, even her own body, so Leah is very strict with herself and in her martial arts training. 

Lei much from WATD has a happy childhood, especially once she met the Lyall boys. She has a quick wit and has this steadiness to her that people gravitates to. She is ever polite and watchful and careful. She's also loyal and protective. Family and Pack is everything to her and she would do anything to protect it. She has a straight view of justice and right or wrong when it comes to her friends and family and Pack Protocal but when it is about herself, Lei is pretty chaotic and careless.

Her artistic bent often makes Lei the observer in every situation she was in, and raised under the tutelage of her mother, and the Alpha Pair, she can also get very cagey and manipulative although it is not in her nature. 

As the only human in a wolf pack, she has her insecurities, but she handles them pretty well. She is fairly tolerant but is able to easily adapt to every situation that comes her way. 

When Leah often fights her way to acceptance, Lei bends naturally....just as long as she could see an advantage in there somewhere. When Leah often mouths off, Lei watches and listens. When Leah uses her fist, Lei uses her words and her delicate looks. 

Both of them are intelligent and strong and fighters, but they have different strengths to them. 

Q: Why do your female MCs always knows martial arts? Do you equate their ability to kick ass to strength?

A: My MCs know martial arts because I LOVE martials, because I want my characters, being in constant danger, to be smart enough to learn some skills in order to protect themselves.

But both Leah and Lei has very different views about martial arts. For Leah,  it is her way of having control, to vent her anger and to fight the feeling of helplessness that often washes over her. It is also her way of bonding with her family and with Gabe. For her martial arts is power and a way of life. It's a mental thing for her.

For Lei, at first martial arts is just something that she had to do, it was the condition that Cana and Caleb gave, if she wanted to hang out with her, she should know how to defend herself. Then as she grew up and learn the way of the blade from Cana, she begins to like it, it was something between her and Cana, something that she could do alone, something that sets her apart from the boys. Something that gave her confidence because she was good at it. 

But, that's pretty much it. 

WATD news

FINALLY DONE WITH EDITING AND REVISING MY JUNE NANO. With a total of 136.084 words and 502 pages.

Okay NaNoWriMo, what you got? #WATD

WATD Songmix: A Heart That Can't Be Broken Is Not Worth Anything

Here's a SongMix that I've made for #WATD. It's a two parter and this is the first one. I picked certain lyrics that fit a certain scene in the book and inserted youtube videos of said song. Enjoy!!!

Updates

To repay my readers for their awesomeness. I give a snippet from the last chapters of WATD, a revealing dialog between The Lycaon and Kai.

Don't say that I never do anything for you readers!!!!

Updates!!!

Hi ya folks. Good news!!! Agreement for Touched is almost done so, we can start on the publishing (thank God). And I am also almost done with with editing and reviewing WATD; was going to write only 2 chapters for the ending but then decided on 3, then hey, decided to just merge 2 chapters into one so ended up with 2 chapters for the ending yet again.

I plan to add more angst for the last chapter especially the part where Kai and Lei says goodbye. I know, all of you are going to hate me.

Anyway, have updated the dreamcast on WATD, and will later on add more to the dreamcast.

Still undecided about how the plot is going to go for Guardians of Volk, but am excited to do it for NaNo!!! Wish me luck!!!!

Have been experiencing vertigo lately, my blood pressure must be crashing down, down, down. Am also fixing sleeping habits.

My corner of Indonesia has been so hot and buggy lately, so I get sweaty a lot and when I sweat, I often get itchy and my skin gets rashes and not to mention my allergies act up.

At least it rained today, so I'm hoping that it would clear up some of the damp heat. Urgh. Still means that I shower three times a day though. Ha. 

So,

I was re-reading WATD before I revise and edit and at the end, at a scene where Lei and Kai talked this song played out of the speakers and ooof, it got me right at the heart. Especially when Jason Reeves and Chelsea Lee harmonizes "Baby, I'm letting you go."