This series of vignettes actually started as a short for Tales From the Hollow Tree and took on a life of their own. It’s funny when stories do that. Blindside you and force you into servitude. Not that I mind, it just amuses me. I was busy working on something else when this little project slapped my face and said, “Hey, over here! I’ve got something wayyyy more interesting to tell you”. And darnit if it wasn’t telling the truth.

You should know, of all the myths and fairytales and such that I tend to cover and dabble with on Hollow Tree, Alice was never a favorite. It wasn’t a childhood reread or a must attempt classic. I enjoyed it well enough. Felt that a good chunk of it was reminiscent to an acid trip. That said, something about it called to me and I envisioned something that could work within that world, yet be quite different.

All that said, here’s the cover!

With the Great War finally over, a volatile peace has settled over Wonderland. The truce between the Red King and the White Queen has produced two daughters, beacons of hope for the future of their nations. But Lilliabella, next in line for the throne, knows a horrible secret. Her sister has no intention of giving up the crown without a fight and Libi fears for her future if Edana gets her hands on Wonderland’s source of true power: the Jabberwocky. 

With her life at stake and the situation worsening, Libi is faced with a choice: fight or flee. One choice means sending Wonderland into another bloody war. The other means leaving behind the person she loves most and trading a familiar world for one she’s never known.

Look out for it this summer! I’ll have the exact date for you real soon.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for another volume of Hollow Tree stories. Would you believe I’ve written over 25 short stories since the blog’s beginning as a fiction journal? That number seriously boggles the mind. Some have been… eh. But some have surprised even me. And that’s what I live for as a writer. Surprises. Not even I know how somethings are going to end.

Anyway, happy Friday, interwebz! Hope your long weekend is sunny and delicious.

In fact, I’ve done more writing within the last month than in the past six. I’m not really sure where it’s all coming from. It’s often quite literally a sucker punch. I’m up late, in bed, eyes half closed, pen to notebook to furiously get down the thoughts before they fade into my dreams. It feels as though all these pieces I sent into the creative atmosphere are finally returning and making some kind of sense. Which is exciting! And exhausting. Ha ha.

How am I supposed to keep so many story maps straight in my head? How am I not supposed to implode from the sheer euphoria of it all?

Either way, there’s lots happenings, and I’m grateful for it.

At the moment, the thing taking up most of my time is my new secret project. I’m in detailed planning mode. Much of it is plotted out (which is strange for me, since I’m a total pantser), and I have a very clear direction about tone and POV. I’m also scouting cover artists. I think by late summer, this bad boy will be ready.  Let’s aim for August, shall we?

I’ve also been knee deep in editing and cover design for Tales From the Hollow Tree Volume 2! YES! VOLUME 2 IS COMING! Are you as thrilled as I am? Expect a really great collection of stories and a kick-butt theme. I’ve also already started my exclusive for it and I’ll tell you now, it’s a total sci-fi retelling of an old myth. SPOILERS.

I hope you’ll keep checking in as I mark off more items on this ever-growing check-list. It’s going to be a productive summer.

In the meantime, head on over to Hollow Tree for this week’s free read. It’s a Snow White retelling called “Red as Blood“.

Happy Friday!

For all you B&N readers who thought I forgot you… shame on you.

Also, if the wallet is tight and you really want that shiny, pretty paperback *come closer* *whispers*

Barnes and Noble is selling it for only $9.35! Instead of the $12.99 on Amazon. So get it while it’s hot!

Other than the usual post-release stuff: reviews, press, FB/Twitter socializing

I ended up with a nasty case of the flu! Can you believe it? Right on the heels of a release! Ugh. I have been a hot mess. Runny nose. Terrible whooping cough (not THE whooping cough, just a cough that whoops). Body aches. Not fun.

I finally visited the doctor yesterday and they gave me an asthma pump to help clear up my very achy lungs. I haven’t had asthma in years so it was a bit of a bummer to see that it was returning.

Either way, it allowed me and the husband to have a nice little dinner date as we waited for my prescriptions. I had curly fries and chicken tenders at a little place near the University, which was ridiculously delicious. I haven’t had junky food in a long time. I’m trying to be good, but it felt so good to be bad. Ha ha. And now that its out of my system, back to being healthy. *sigh* As soon as I feel better, I have to get my exercise regimen back on track. I’m down 41 lbs. It doesn’t make sense to go backward now.

Meanwhile, I’m gearing up for a concert that I’m going to in about three weeks. Florence and the Machine! *squee* I am SOOOO excited to see her, you don’t even know. It’s going to be so much fun. She is so insanely epic and I love her for it. I feel like her songs each tell a story. They’re haunting, lovely, and heart-wrenching. And I’m going with one of my BFFs so yay for that! It’s going to be a good night. Will try and take pics but I’m pretty sure I’ll be in the nosebleeds somewhere. Ha ha.

In Florence’s honor, I’ll leave you with a new song of hers from the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. Which, other than Kristen Stewart, looks like it might be amazing. LOL Sorry, couldn’t help it. I’m a little Bella-d out, I think. I do love me some Charlize Theron though.

And of course it wouldn’t be a Friday if I didn’t let you know about my free story over on Hollow Tree! I’m pretty proud of this one actually. It was a very abstract idea when I first started it and it turned into this whole other thing. In a good way. In that creative way that excites authors. It’s called Checkmate. I’d love it if you went by and told me what you thought!

Either way, happy Friday all! Hope your weekend is full of awesomeness.

Well! Let’s get started, shall we? It is a party over here at Chez Santiago.

I’ll be in and out of Facebook all day, so if you want to stop in and ask me questions about the book, the series, writing, or anything really (my favorite episode of Castle, why I love Summer Glau, how I managed to get my 3 yr old to learn all the words to Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding, its all fair game). Hit me up on my Page and let’s chat!

If you’re looking for an excerpt of The Guardian’s Mark,  you can head on over to Tales From the Hollow Tree to read an exclusive! Or if you want a taste of the beginning, download an excerpt from Amazon.com.  There will be a Nook version available soon! Look out for the announcement on that, ok?

To celebrate RELEASE DAY (one of the most awesome days in a writer’s life, no matter how many times it happens), I’m sharing my playlist with you! I know I’ve been teasing you with videos of certain key songs, but this is the complete list that I played on repeat, that I added to over the course of about two years to get it exactly right. In the end, I could listen to it with my eyes closed and follow the emotional course of the story, seeing certain scenes play out in vivid detail. It was awesome.

I definitely alternate between instrumental music and lyrical music, depending on the scene, the intensity I’m looking for, etc. It really just depends on the night.

The Guardian’s Mark – Playlist

1. Ascension/Nature Boy – Moulin Rouge 2

2. Dangerous Game – Tristan & Isolde

3. Liz On Top of the World – Pride & Prejudice

4. Anakin’s Dream – Star Wars: Episode III

5. Structure & Discipline – American Beauty (score)

6. All That I’m Living For – Evanescence

7. Dark Blue – No Doubt

8. We Haven’t Turned Around – Gomez

9. Time – Sarah McLachlan

10. Honestly Ok – Dido

11. Away From Me – Evanescence

12. Breathe Me – Sia

13. Breathe No More – Evanescence

14. Eternal – Evanescence

15. Two Loves Be One – Tristan & Isolde

16. Everything – Lifehouse

17. My Oh My – David Gray

18. My Last Breath – Evanescence

19. The Walk – Imogen Heap

20.  Gorecki – Lamb

21. I Dream of You – Tristan & Isolde

23. American Beauty – American Beauty (score)

24. Understanding (Sound Asleep) – Evanescence

24. Taking Over Me – Evanescence

Go forth and let your day be full of music and reading! <3 Happy Release Day all!

I’ve mentioned before how critical playlists are to my writing. They often help me set the right mood and get me into those dark places I need to go for the black moment and the breaking of people’s hearts. In fact, most of Cinematic Royalty was written with a playlist which kept me deep in the time period and helped me keep the right tone.

Today’s particular song is instrumental. One reason it worked so perfectly is because it had a rain track toward the middle of the song. Since one of the main characters in the book is a Water Element, and there’s a critical scene that takes place in the rain, this track just seemed to fit what I was trying to convey in words. I particularly love that it has strange electronic/techno type synths over a classical piano, which is both beautiful and haunting. Til this day it makes my heart beat a little faster. I can still hear my characters talking, the full moon hanging above on that dark night, the rain falling on the cobblestones of the Temple courtyard as everything between them changes – forever.

Enjoy!

P.S. Don’t forget to stop by Tales From the Hollow Tree and check out my new freebie, Breath of Life. One of my favorites that I’ve done thus far.

It is now T-minus 15 days for The Guardian’s Mark‘s release! *insert happy dance here* I’m looking to have an online release party and would love your input on the best place to hold it. I figure our current options are Google + Hangouts or Skype. But of course, I’m open to other suggestions. Maybe even Twitter. We could just do a hashtag to keep ourselves organized.

I’d also be posting links to Youtube videos so we can immerse ourselves in the playlist, links to pictures of the characters as cast in my mind, and a tentative list of recipes I’ll post on my site a few days before, if either of you are interested in making some funky themed drinks or cakes. Cause I like food and that’s how I roll.

I realize I failed to post my Guardian Circle Series inspiration point this past Friday, due to overall exhaustion. This weekend was ca-ray-zy. But it’s settling and I’m glad to offer this little tidbit.

I wrote more than half of Book 2, before I ever realized there was a Book 1. 

Yup. The characters were being difficult and withholding very significant information. Which made it nearly impossible for me to understand why they reacted so strongly to situations I kept putting them in.

It all became very clear when I finally said, something’s missing, and allowed for the possibility of exploring what I had initially considered was boring backstory.

*_* Boy was I wrong! Ha ha. Boring it was not.

I did an insane index card plot-out (which, as a pantser is pretty much foreign to me), and it all became so clear I was stunned to find my office walls filled with neon yellow, orange, pink, and green cards. I used to have a picture of it, but it seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Anyway, stay tuned for more info, excerpts, sneak peeks, and all that good stuff coming within the next few weeks and weigh-in on the release party!

I think it’d be fun to do a feature where I present a photo or song that helped shape scenes or relationships or specific character traits. So that you get a neat little window into my creative brain. I’ll do one post every week until release! Likely Friday or Saturday, to round out the week. How’s that sound?

Today’s post is a song that captures my hero’s journey so thoroughly it kind of scares me, ha ha. The intensity and rhythm of the song really fit the character too.

Kieran is locked in a battle with Destiny and even though he knows he can’t win, he’s not going down without a fight. Early on in his life he decides what’s important to him and then fights for his right to have it, a tiny slice of happiness in a strictly regulated life, regardless of the consequences.

All I’ve known
All I’ve done
All I’ve found was leading to this
Gonna stay right here til the end of time
Til the earth stops turning
Gonna love you til the seas run dry- Gorecki, Lamb

And as usual, another Friday’s upon us which means freebie over at Tales From the Hollow Tree. Today’s was inspired by more music (are we seeing a pattern here, ha ha). I was listening to Somebody That I Used to Know on repeat yesterday and this song kind of sprouted from the idea expressed in the song. We’ve all likely felt that way at some point, and that awful, awkward moment is one that I just had to write about. Check out Just Another Somebody.

Happy Friday!

Long story short, years later, we cross paths on Facebook. And he is doing some amazing things. I am so thrilled to congratulate him on his release day! Who would have guessed we’d be here following our dreams, Raheem? Proud of you, dude.

Everyone should check it out. There’s more info and linkage below!

Release Date: March 21, 2012 

So go forth and join the Robot Revolution. Or at least feel a little less alone in this big scary world.