Huge Announcement!

Hello everyone!

I have an announcement I am so excited to share with you.  I will be self-publishing my first novel STRANGER through Amazon September 22, 2012.  The summary is below.

Seventeen year old Sophie Harper is different.  Not just different, peculiar.  Though her petite frame reveals nothing, she has superhuman strength that allows her to lift up cars like they were pillows, throw people twice her size across a room, and even kill a man with her bare hands.  She’s accepted to the Academy for Peculiars, an isolated school on Catalina Island for other teenagers like her.  As she settles into her new home, she makes friends with her dorm mates, stresses out about catching up with schoolwork, and starts dating one of the most popular guys at the academy.  But as normal as Sophie wants to be, she can’t change the fact that she her strength is rare, even among peculiars.  She starts falling for her trainer, a rugged shifter named Will, who frustrates her to no end, and finds out there is someone else who shares her ability, a man everyone refuses to talk about.  The more she learns about him, the more she realizes that just because her mysterious counterpart is probably the only person in the world who understands her isolation, doesn’t mean he isn’t a threat.

Jane Cabot’s life turns upside down when she moves a book with her mind.  Her ability is reading thoughts, not telekinesis.  In fact, she didn’t know a peculiar with two simultaneous abilities existed.  Now, instead of focusing on maintaining her 4.0 GPA and getting into shape in preparation for soccer, she is forced to take private lessons with her least favorite professor, Nikolai Depogare, who also happens to possess the same talent as she does.  He emphasizes the importance of keeping her new self a secret, even from her friends, leaving her isolated from all that she knows.  If other peculiars found out about her, they wouldn’t hesitate to run experiments on her and force her to do their bidding.  The only person who seems to understand her predicament is Depogare.  Trying to ignore her conflicting feelings for the man, Jane puts herself and her friends unknowingly in danger, and in order to save them, she must reveal what she really is.

As I have stated, it will be self-published.  I have been querying agents on and off for the past four years.  After getting a pile of rejection letters for STRANGER, I decided that instead of setting the manuscript aside and starting a new one like I normally would, I wanted to find a different way to publish it.

I love this story.  I love the characters and the plot and just because agents weren't interested in it didn't mean I was going to give up on it.  I want to share it with you all.  Whether it makes a lot of money or not doesn't matter.  I want to write.  I hope more than anything you enjoy this story.  That is my main concern.

I am new to the whole self-publishing industry but I'm learning.  I plan to document my experience here at this blog.  I was inspired by S. R. Johannes and her story, which you can read here.  Please be sure to check it out because it's incredibly informative.

But I do need your help.  S. R. Johannes did this for her ebook UNTRACEABLE and I liked the idea so I'm doing it here: If you are interested in reading an advanced copy of STRANGER, I would be happy to send you one.  All I ask in return is that you write your review somewhere - your blog, Amazon, wherever.  I'm not going to check so we'll be going on the honor's system.  Please write whatever you think.  You don't have to say you like it if you didn't.  If you're interested, please email me at heather.myers@ymail.com and put STRANGER Advanced Copy in the subject line.

Check back here for updates and news.  I'll be posting the cover and the first chapter in the upcoming months, blogging about my experience with the self-publishing industry and, of course, my upcoming time in England, Scotland, and possibly France.  Again, I can't wait to share this story with you.  I hope you enjoy it!

Snow White and chemistry

I saw the midnight showing of Snow White and the Huntsman.  It was much better than I thought it would be, actually.  There was a portion of the movie that interested me as a writer, and I thought I would share my personal thoughts on the subject.  Just to be safe, I'm going to say there are spoilers for the movie so if you don't want to be spoiled, come back when you've seen the movie.

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Okay, ready?

There's a love triangle in the movie.  Let me give you a moment to get over your shock.

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Are we good?  Okay.

I liked all three characters - Snow White, The Huntsman, and William - and didn't have too much of a preference who she ended up with.  Both men liked her, but interestingly enough, it was never clear who she preferred.  At one point, she initiates a quick kiss with William but it's the Huntsman's kiss that awakens her after taking a bite of that poison apple. 

I'm not sure about you, but if there's a love-triangle in a book, I hate when the heroine has two great, different guys but she's confused about which one to choose.

I hate it even more when the readers aren't sure who the heroine is interested in in the first place.  The heroine is who the reader connects with.  If your main character is going to end up with someone at the end of the book or the end of the trilogy, the readers need to be given clues about who that is.  We also need to believe it.

There's a reason why there's a huge debate in The Hunger Game fandom about whether or not Katniss truly loved Peeta at the end of Mockingjay or if she was just settling because she felt she owed that much to him.

I'm not saying be obvious about it.  Chemistry is tricky, especially in writing.  But it's little things.  Chemistry is subtle but it's the most important thing - in my mind - between two characters.  As cliche as it is, I love when the hero looks at the heroine in a way she can't decipher.  I also like when she notices things about the hero before the MC realizes she likes him (or her).  For example, his collarbone or his long fingers or the way his Adam's apple bobs up and down when he swallows.

My favorite tactic?  I love flaws.  To me, it makes a face look lived in, experienced.  So I make my heroine notice his flaws and notice them as flaws but still be attracted to them.  Maybe it's a mole on his face or a thick brow, maybe it's thin lips or a long face, maybe it's a broken nose or a scar.  It doesn't matter but it makes them who they are, makes them more well-rounded, and, to me, more attractive.

That's why chemistry is so important.  I want to believe the heroine likes him.  There are too many books where the hero is so hot and the heroine is immediately attracted and/or in love with him based solely on that.

No.

Boring.

Where's the chemistry?  Where's the depth?

I still like the characters in Snow White.  Maybe if I knew who she had feelings for, her character would have been more interesting to me.  Then again, if she wasn't interested in either of them, that should have been more obvious too.

Je parle un peu francais

So I'm in the process of teaching myself French due to my trip to England (and subsequent side trip to Paris).  Not to generalize an entire country's population, but every person I talk to that's been to France says they're not too fond of Americans.  Am I going to hold that against them?  No.  But if I'm visiting their country, I want to be as respectful as possible and try to learn the basics so they know I've put an effort into this.

Here's my plan of attack: Every day, I'm reading one chapter of French for Dummies on my iPad and reading the French conversations in the book out loud.  I'm going to watch one movie a day I'm familiar with (or, if time is too restrictive, four movies a week) in French with no subtitles, I'm going to download some French music and I'm going to read fan fiction in French.

Now, I've taken two French classes before.  One was in eighth grade and one was my freshman year in college.  I have a pretty good grasp of the language and can read it relatively well.  It's the speaking part that gets to me.

I'll let you know my progress.

This should be interesting.

So far, I've watched: She's the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You.  Today, I'm hoping to watch Legally Blonde (since I know the entire movie by heart).

I've listened to:  Vanessa Paradis.  You might know her as Johnny Depp's long-time love (and no, they're not over).  I love her, but I'm going to need more.

I have yet to read fan fic.

We'll see how this turns out.

What do you guys think?  Have you attempted to teach yourself another language?  What did you do and did it work?

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In honor of Memorial Day, me and my family went up to the LA Veteran's Cemetery yesterday in order to avoid the hoopla currently taking place (and I don't mean any disrespect by my choice in diction).  We like to avoid crowds and traffic and have time together with my grandparents and great-grandfather without worrying about being in the background of the news or being interviewed by a personality.

Please take time out to remember the fallen, to remember those who came back, and to remember those who are still out there, fighting for us.  Thank you.

International study

So this summer, I'm studying at Cambridge.  Cambridge.  In England.

I've never been out of North America before, and to say that I'm excited would be a thorough understatement.  I remember when I was in middle school and watched the second Harry Potter movie multiple times in theatres because I had the biggest crush on Tom Felton.  I wanted nothing more than to go to a boarding school in England.  Being the nerd I am, I actually researched boarding schools, made a pro-and-con list, came up with a packing list and presented it to my grandfather.  He listened to me and told me he would think about it.  (One of the best thing about my grandfather is he was never condescending and took me seriously, even when I was a kid.)  Obviously, that didn't happen but before he passed away, he promised once he got out of the hospital, me and him would travel all over the world.

Sadly, that never happened.

But this is happening. 

I leave in less than a month.

Sometimes, life doesn't work out the way you expect it to.  Sometimes, you get what you want in a different way when the time is right.

I am so grateful to explore England, Scotland, Ireland and Paris.  I am so excited to study at an amazing, historical, wonderful, timeless university.  I hope I represent the United States, California, my university, and me in the best, classiest way.

Most importantly, me and Papa will take our trip together.  It might not be the way we planned, but it's happening.  And this way, he'll be with me always.  

Running dry

So, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I finished my second manuscript on Sunday.  After a I finish something as massive as a manuscript, I tend to give myself a couple of weeks off to relax, take a break, and start over again with something new.  However, that doesn't mean I don't think about the next story and normally, I tend to outline during this time too.

Except, the story that I planned to outline just won't come to me.  I have the first six chapters covered, but then I'm stuck.  Of course, I have a feeling it might have to do with the fact that this is supposed to be a trilogy and perhaps the story is to narrow to span three books.  I want to add a third heroine too, but I'm still trying to fine-tune the details.  I'm hitting a wall right now, and I don't like it.  I'm going through what Natalie Imbruglia sings in her wonderful song "Torn": My inspiration has run dry... for this story, for now.

I still have a couple of weeks before I need to start writing again.  And, as someone who doesn't necessarily believe in writer's block, I have faith that my heroines' story - all three of them - will find me.  Soon.

It's just difficult when the story plays out in your head but the words won't come.

Lessons Learned

It's been over a year since Goatboy and I decided to stop seeing each other.  Up until April, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of him without missing him, longing for what we had, and wondering if we would ever be together in the future.  I wound up finding him on Facebook and we had a couple of chats through texts but we haven't seen each other in a long time.  It was like we didn't have to try.  We still had that casual banter I missed so much and I was happy to have him back in my life and hoped that maybe, just maybe, we might get a second chance at being together.

I was talking to my guy friend about it - let's call him Lawyer - and he made me realize something: What I missed wasn't what we had but what I thought it might be if we had more time.  In other words, the reason I stayed with him for so long and why I continued to miss him when he was gone was because I was waiting for what could have been rather than seeing what we were.  Because what we were was fun, but not enough.  And that's okay.  That wasn't his fault or my fault.  It just was what we were.

It took me a day to let the words sink in, but when they did, I was immediately over Goatboy.  I can now look at it with fondness and I won't ever say I didn't love him - I loved him as much as I could with what was given to me - but I can't long for what I never had.  I can appreciate it for what it was: two people who liked spending time together, who cared about each other, who had fun being in each other's company.

Just because he wasn't The One, just because I never met his friends or family, just because he never told me he loved me (if he ever did) doesn't mean the time I spent with him was wasted or inconsequential.  Thinking about us now makes me smile because he taught me what I want in a guy, what I want in a relationship, and more about myself.  I feel lucky that I learned these lessons with someone like him, and even though my heart was smashed into a thousand pieces, I've managed to put it all back together.

Except I couldn't find a piece.  It's small but it's still a piece of my heart that will always belong to him.  Not because he took it from me, but because I gave it to him.  The small hole left will remind me of him, of our time together, and that's enough for me.

Beginnings, Endings, and Middles

Hello everyone!

Sorry for another absence.  School has been putting me through the ringer to the point where I can barely even read for fun anymore, but I'm going to try to update at least once a week.  I'm in the middle of spring quarter, with four papers due around the same time, so I'm slightly overwhelmed.  Please bear with me.  There are many things I want to tell you that I can't just yet, but I have a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT in August June 7, so be prepared for that.

I finished my second manuscript, entitled AWAKEN.  I can't get too much into detail about what it's about, but I will hint that it's about angels and demons and involves fan-favorites from my work on Fictionpress.

I have a tumblr here.  Feel free to follow me (if you mention you're a writer or found me on Blogger/Fictionpress, I'd love to follow back and get to know you better!) and ask me anything.  Also, be prepared for reblogs of superheroes, actors, musicians, television shows, and my many, many ships.

Follow me on twitter.  I'm @heathermyers22.  I'm going to try and use it more often than I do, but I'm a big hockey fan, so be aware that I will be discussing hockey.

For now, that's it, but I'll speak to you soon.  Have a great Monday!

Music Monday

Ugh, I'm so sorry for my impromptu hiatus.  School, writing, and a cold have been pestering me.  I'm not one hundred percent better, but I wanted to update the blog.

This Monday, I have only one recommendation: anything by Lana Del Rey.  Her debut album, Born to Die, is amazing.  Don't listen to the haters, don't let her SNL performance throw you off: She's amazing.  If you're familiar with my work on Fictionpress, you know I tend to write about dark, sometimes bad characters and make them the heroes without trying to change them.  Nearly every single one of her songs is a story about bad heroes. 

I can hardly choose my top 3 favorite songs of hers, but I'll try:

1)  "National Anthem."  On repeat and obsessed.  Absolutely no lie.  The hook in the chorus gets me every time: "Red, white, blue's in the sky, summer's in the air, baby, Heaven's in your eyes."  I can't stop listening to it.  Here.

2)  "Off to the Races."  Such a poppy, gangster song.  Here.

3)  "Million Dollar Man"/"Dark Paradise"/"Summer Sadness"/"Born to Die"/"Video Games"  (I told you I couldn't choose!)

I hope to be back soon, but we'll see.  Until then, I hope you enjoy the music!

Chemistry and canon

All right guys, I don't mean to go back to television (again!) but I need to for an example: Have you ever watched a TV show where the OTP doesn't have as much chemistry as another pairing?  I feel like there are two types of people: those who follow canon no matter what (because it's canon) and those who side with chemistry, whether it's canon or not.

I'm one of the latter people.

It's frustrating to hear that canon wins because canon is true.  It's even more frustrating when the canon couple has absolutely no chemistry - even if the acting and writing is good.

Chemistry sells a couple to me, whether in television, movies, and especially books.  I've read books where I've been like, 'Why do you like this guy?' and I've read books where I had to fan myself off because the chemistry was just so smoking.  (Great examples of chemistry?  Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.)

In a way, it's easier for us writers to infuse chemistry into our couples, with little glances, touches. The difficult part is trying not to force it, trying not to smack your reader over the head with a sign that says, "YOU MUST SHIP THIS PAIRING BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT IS TRUE."  I guarantee that in nearly all cases, if you write good chemistry, they will ship that couple.

Television has it harder because they may not originally start out with a character's true OTP.  Then, when they're writing one, they may pick an actor/actress without testing chemistry.  A lot of the times, it's like: "Oh, well they're both good looking, it'll work."  For that, I throw the BluRay of The Tourist at them.  The two most beautiful people in the world didn't have chemistry together (although, I maintain if Johnny Depp looked the way he did in Public Enemies, my screen would melt off because of the hotness).  You can't expect to random actors to magically have chemistry just because they're supposed to be a couple.

Then we get to the other side of the coin.  Television producers also don't expect when two characters (actors) who aren't OTP have chemistry.  I absolutely hate when they're in denial about it (cough Penny and Sheldon cough).  I love when the chemistry is so obvious that the writers have no choice but to write something in regards to it (cough Jeff and Annie cough).

Sometimes, as a writer, you intend for one couple to happen when the chemistry between your hero/heroine is stronger with someone else, and before you know it, they've already gotten together so when you try to change it and fix it, you can't because it feels wrong.

Go with it.  These are the best stories to tell because you, the writer, don't even expect it.  It's why nearly all my shipping isn't canon. 

And if people ship your hero/heroine with someone else, let them.  You can't fight chemistry. 

Once Upon A Time there was Alcatraz and more

All right, I'm not a huge television person, but there are some shows that I've become absolutely obsessed with.  As always, if there is a hockey game on, that trumps everything else.  However, these shows come in close seconds (and thirds, and fourths, and you get it!).

1.  Hockey

2.  Once Upon A Time As I've mentioned in the previous post, I love Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold and the chemistry he has with Emma.  You have no idea how long two weeks felt without an episode last Sunday.  If you like Disney, adult retellings of classic fairytales, romance, adventure, action, and Robert Carlyle, I highly recommend this.

3.  Alcatraz  Okay, as you guys know, I love Alcatraz.  The place.  It's rich with history and such a fascinating place to explore, whether you're there for the prison, the inmates, or your parents and/or school forced you on the tour.  I like the show, but initially, I thought it would track real inmates disappearing from 1963 and reappearing now.  How interesting would that be?  Infusing sci-fi with history with crime.  Oh my gosh, I'm salivating just thinking about it.  But it's not.  Every inmate is a character.  As I writer, I get it.  It's easier to make up your own plotline, get everything to fit, when actual inmates will force them to omit things, change things, or make up things.  But I really, really wish they would have done it.  I love this history and it would have been so great to see it.  I definitely still like it, I watch it, but whenever I see Ernest Cobb on the show, I still scream, "He looks so much like Alvin Karpis, it's ridiculous!"

4. New Girl  I love every character on this show.  No joke.  I love Jess (and her theme song).  I love Nick (I have the tiniest of crushes on him), Winston, Cece, and Schmidt (I have a much bigger crush on him).  It's kooky and cute, and I love that Jess is beautiful, the biggest dork ever, but she knows who she is and rocks it.

5.  Up All Night  I have every single season of Married with Children on DVD and still have marathons.  I love Christina Applegate, so once I saw the show and how funny it was, once I saw Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, and it was on right after The Office, I was like, "I'm in."

6.  Smash  I've only seen one episode, but I love Katharine McPhee.  I love Anjelica Houston.  And when I saw Commodore Norrington (aka Jack Davenport) was a sleazy choreographer, I came aboard.  (Hahahahaha!)

Oldies but Goodies - Shows that I love watching and have been watching since the show began (most of the time).

1.  Bones  Probably my favorite show.  I'm literally counting down the days until it comes back on in April.  (This is how my mind works: Bones will be back on around the end of the Ducks' season.)

2.  House  I had to sit down after I read that it was canceled (this season will be its last).  At least I know without a doubt there will never be another House.

3.  Modern Family  More Married with Children goodness.  Each character - even the kids - is cast perfectly.  I laugh out loud through every episode.  I just - it's so, so great.  And smart.  It's hard to find television like this.

4.  The Daily Show/The Colbert Report  I remember when Jon Stewart took over The Daily Show from Craig Kilborn.  I remember when The Colbert Report premiered.  These shows helped shape my life and I feel so lucky that they're both still on and will hopefully remain on for a long time.

5.  South Park/Family Guy/American Dad  Animation where kids curse, nothing makes sense, and, in South Park's case, is smarter than it looks. 

6.  The Office  Okay, not going to lie.  I miss Michael Scott.  The Office is not the same without him.  But Dwight and his kiss with the power of a thousand waterfalls saves the show.  I'm not sure I'd still watch if he wasn't on it.

7.  Glee/The Big Bang Theory  I don't have to watch these shows on the original air date but I'll probably buy them on DVD.

Shows that should still be on

1.  Community  I know it's technically not canceled, but how is it that Whitney and Are You There Vodka?  It's Me, Chelsea are both on, but this isn't?  I need some kind of resolution between Jeff and Annie.  It'd be cruel to make me wait!

So there you have it.  By the way, it seems like I watch a lot of television.  I really don't.  If anything, I buy shows on DVD and watch them during the summer.  Speaking of summer, notice that this list leaves out one of my favorite shows ever, True Blood.  That's because it's not on.

What are some of your favorite shows?