The first chapter of my new novel is finished. By tomorrow, the second should be done, too. I haven’t plotted out this story yet (I’ll probably do that after I finish the third chapter, when I get a better handle on my characters), but I have to say…the story has already taken a pretty dark turn.

Didn’t quite expect that.

By the end of chapter one, both my hero and my heroine killed someone. (?Something?) I’d rather thought those parts might come later, but, no, there they were. Bam. Hello, darkness, my old friend… See, now that song is going to be in my head for the rest of this book. Sigh.

Do you like to read the Red Sage Secrets anthologies? Have you tried any of the new ebooks that Red Sage is releasing? If so, then you might be interested in the contest that Red Sage is running. 🙂

Here is the information that I shamelessly stole from the Red Sage blog:

So, to summarize, if you’ve got a favorite Secrets novella or a favorite Red Sage Presents story (those are the new ebooks that Red Sage is releasing), then just send an email to eRedSage@gmail.com (following the above instructions) and you could win an ebook. You see, all the voters will automatically be entered into a contest to win a free Red Sage Presents title (ebook) of their choice. Sweet. Voting and a prize. Got to love that!

I started writing a new book today.  I thought I would do my usual alternate beginnings routine (I generally like to write at least two beginnings for a book to see which one flows the best), but, this time, the first beginning seems to be working for me.  Seems to be is the key point here. I might write more and decide to go back and switch things up a bit–we’ll just see.  🙂  I wrote eleven pages today and I’m now back on my 10-pages-a-day rule.  Ah, I’ve missed writing.

I’m particularly excited about this book because, well, I just love writing paranormal stories around Halloween.  The mood is set for me and I can really get into the story.  It’s easy for certain times of the year to influence my mood.  Right now, I’m in the mood for some serious spookiness and it’s going to show in my writing.  This story is going to be very heavy on the paranormals, I can so feel it.

Anyone else in the Halloween writing mood?

Over at The Bradford Bunch, today’s guest blogger is the fabulously funny Angie Fox.  🙂  And as a special treat, Angie is giving away a copy of her book, THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER. So, yes–get going and  check out her post!

I don’t generally worry about running out of story ideas (cause, you know, doing that will just drive you mad). Instead, I worry more about not having enough time to write all the stories in my head.  I’ve said before that I get inspired by just about everything, and that’s definitely true.  Slivers of story ideas are always popping up and, when they do, I load them into my idea file for later use.  That idea file will hopefully prevent me from ever succumbing to severe writer’s block.

I got a new idea the other day.  A costume catalog arrived in the mail and as I sat on the front steps, thumbing through the pages, one particular Halloween outfit caught me eye…Frankie’s Girl. Now, once upon a time, we all knew what the bride of Frankenstein looked like–big hair, white skin…scary but old school.

Frankie’s Girl isn’t old school.  She’s young, she’s hip, she’s dead (um, reanimated)–and she kinda looks like a weird cross between Wednesday (from the Adam’s family) and a funky Buffy.  Of course, I liked her immediately.

And she inspired me. (She also made the song Jessie’s Girl start playing constantly in my head but I guess I can’t really blame her for that.)  As I stared at her picture, I thought–damn, this would be such a fun YA character.  Frankie’s Girl.  Maybe she survived a car accident (um, kinda survived?) and the result is the new chick with the scars and the cool black/white hair.  And mad strength–because she’d have to possess super strength, right?  She’d be awesome as a troubled teen. The undead/reanimated often don’t mix well with others.

Or maybe she could be an adult urban fantasy heroine.  She’d have ass-kicking power; she’d search for her “maker” because she’s pissed at what she’s become and she’d be desperate to find her lost lover.   So what if she isn’t beauty queen gorgeous? She’s Frankie’s Girl.

Will I write this story?  I am so tempted, if only for my own enjoyment.  Perhaps it will be one that I work on in between projects, just for fun.  Just for Frankie’s Girl.

Now, fess up, am I the only one that gets weird ideas like this?