Insatiable

Today I completed Insatiable, by Meg Cabot. 

Wow, was I amazed! I love the twists, and I especially love how it mocks other vampire stories. It was nice to twist to a genre that is over populated with damsels in distress, and helpless women falling in love with vampires. Plus girls going crazy wanting to be turned into vampires to live forever with the one they “love”.

Meena is a strong, workaholic that doesn’t need a man to take care of her. It’s just the opposite really, she seems to be the one taking care of everyone else.

The twisting of characters, third person point of view, the way it melted together was flawless. Honestly, it was the best book I’ve ever read. Alaric Wulf knocked me off my feet, and Lucien—well, Lucien wasn’t your typical tortured soulless vampire—he’s the prince of darkness. Another interesting plot choice. Meena’s brother Jon was definitely a breath of fresh air. Funny, slightly loopy and reminded be a lot of the brother from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Which was fine with me, he made me laugh a lot. Probably my favorite aspect of it all, was Meena’s ability to see how people would die. The vulnerability she brought, the urge to help everyone she could—whether they wanted it or not, was rather astounding. I would recommend this book to everyone—all ages. 

Truly a masterpiece by Meg Cabot, Insatiable is impossible to put down. I’ve predicted a second novel…please Meg, I have my fingers crossed and high hopes for Mr. Wulf. *wink* wink*

What are you waiting for? Go get it!!

Ciao~
Angela Francis

Song for Ariel…

“Sometimes I wonder if anyone tells the truth anymore. Is there still good and bad, right and wrong, truth and lies, or is everything a gray area?” – Ariel, HOW TO SAVE A LIFE

I’m determined to finish my long time work in progress, HOW TO SAVE A LIFE (working title). It was a hard story to write, as it involves a girl losing her father in a tragic car accident. I wrote a lot but I couldn’t grasp the death angle, so I set it aside, and after my father passed away, I found the words needed to help portray the pain Ariel was going through. 

It’s easy to fall when your world crumbles, especially when you let the people in your life disappear, and the only goal you have is to become invisible. That’s how Ariel felt. Even with an over protective twin brother, a laid back younger, and an aunt that was barely old enough to handle her own life, let alone 3 teenagers. 

Her story is dark, like most of my writing, but the relationship, and the healing that forms the bond of Ariel and Liam is beautiful.  With work, she ends up swan diving back into life—at least until she learns some haunting news about Liam, and finds herself running down a path of drugs and depression once more.

 Once this story is completed, I have 2 others in the works that are brighter—for the most part. But you know me…I love the drama, lol.

To join the first quote from HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, here is another.

       “Hey guys,” Zoey shouted, over the loud, pulsing music, “this is my friend, Ariel.”
      “Like the Mermaid?” one guy asked. I narrowed my eyes, and the other guy laughed.
      “No, dude,” another said, “she doesn’t have bright red hair.”
     “Or purple shells,” he noted.

 Ciao
Angela Francis

Crazy Is The Forecast…

Newest music addiction….3OH!3 they are horribly addicting! Check them out.

Editing  film teaches you a lot. Between angles, cut, transitions…there are details you don’t notice when watching television or movies. I picked up a new bad habit. After editing (at like midnight) I go home and watch 90210. But instead of watching it for enjoyment, I’m examining every aspect—the cut between perspectives, angles, expressions, the way actors use their space, etc. It’s been an eye opener, though I’m pretty sure I’m driving Joe crazy with my new attention to every detail—I secretly thinks he likes it. Lol

 Day four of editing ended at midnight last night. We will resume today at 6:30pm. Can I say, despite how insane we are becoming…it’s a lot of fun. There’s never a dull moment with Erica, Joe, and I.

Erica and I have compiled a list of things we know about Joe…each night adding more to the list…

 What we know about Joe:

1. He likes to sing catchy tunes while editing
2. I drive him crazy/He thinks I’m a whack job
3. He hates me
4. His real name is not Joseph
5. He keeps a voodoo doll of me in his closet
6. He enjoys my advice
7. He secretly loves working with Erica and I

 And the list will grow as the process continues…lol.

This project has taken a lot out of me. I work 8am-5pm Monday-Friday, after work I go straight to the editing room till midnight and repeat. My days and nights have meshed into one vicious cycle, but I wouldn’t change it…not for a second.

 I’m lucky to have a supportive almost-husband, Josh – best friend, Erica – and amazing mother. I wish my dad was here, sometimes I think it would make everything easier, but I know he’s watching me. He loved my book—he loved when I wrote, sang, performed, everything. So, I know he would love this, even though he’d complain, he’d be proud.

 So this one is for you dad. I love you.

 Ciao
Angela Francis

Writing to Reach You…

Everyone has a quirk, something they do when they are writing, or when they have writers block.

At night, I lie in bed, close my eyes, and picture what I wrote as if it were a movie. If I’m stuck or I don’t know what to do next, I do the same thing. I close my eyes, and imagine what would happen next. I tend to dream about it as well, and the pieces fall together—for the most part. Late at night, I have a lot of creativity, and dialogue passing through my brain.

 Anyone else have quirks, tips, or traditions they have when writing? I want to hear from you!

QUOTE of the day, courtesy of my newest WIP, The Legion:

“The door flew open, rattling against the metal cabinets. Ashlee’s body was sloppily lying on top of the examination table, her belonging strewed about the floor. My eyes travelled up toward the Nephilim. There were two of them. Their backs hunched over, dragging their clawed feet on the title, clanking with each step.”

 

Ciao,
Angela Francis

Change your mind…

Song of the week

Change Your Mind by Sister Hazel

Hey, Hey
Did you ever think
There might be another way
To just feel better,
Just feel better about today

Oh no-
If you never want to have
To turn and go away
You might feel better,
Might feel better if you stay

Pre-chorus
Yeah yeah
I bet you haven’t heard
A word I’ve said
Yeah yeah
If you’ve had enough
Of all your tryin’
Just give up
The state of mind you’re in??

Chorus
If you want to be somebody else,
If you’re tired of fighting battles with yourself
If you want to be somebody else
Change your mind…

Hey hey-
Have you ever danced in the rain
Or thanked the sun
Just for shining- just for shining
Or the sea?
Oh no- take it all in
The world’s a show
And yeah, you look much better,
Look much better when you glow

Pre-chorus/chorus

Hey hey-
what ya say
We both go and seize the day
’cause what’s your hurry
what’s your hurry anyway

Let the good times roll…

Around 11 pm Sunday night, filming wrapped filming for “COLLIDE”. Can I just say, wow. Joe was right when he said, “anything that can go wrong will.” This is a long one, but read it, I promise, it’ll be good—at least to me it is. 

I’m organized, structured, prompt, punctual, and sometimes anal retentive, so needless to say, chaos and I are not good friends. The last 72 hours were pure chaos. I learned a lot in the last month, leading into the past 72 hours. I realized something important about life. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. You can’t rely on others, unless you have someone extraordinary, and most of the time…you really don’t. People that you think you are close with, when times get rough do they stick up for you, yell at you, or take a Tonka truck up your back instead of defending? Being in charge is lonely, but when the camera rolled, watching everything come together, and the shots at hand, was like magic. I was high. It was almost as good as belting on stage—almost. 

I’m craving more though. 12 hours passed in day one, 10 in day two—at least I think, since time wasn’t on my mind. I stood 95% of the time, I didn’t rest—not once—and yet I never felt tired, or hungry, or thirty. I was stressed out of my mind, but the rush I felt was unlike anything. I could have filmed for days straight, especially if I had a cast that didn’t complain or seem tired all the time. 

My experience was interesting. I learned a lot. What to do, what not to do, who not to work with again, and how to make sure you don’t mix work and pleasure. Most of all, I learned to be tougher. Because there will be a next time. I don’t stop. I never have, I never will. Life is not about reaching the destination, because you never reach it, and if you are satisfied then you are not living. You should always try reaching for more.

 I’m 22 years old. I’ve toured, sang, wrote a book, acted on stage, on camera, written scripts, directed plays, casted shows and much more—now on top of that, I’ve cast, written, directed film. My journey started 13 years ago, when my madness began, but in actuality, my future is now….my journey is beginning in a different direction, and I couldn’t be happier. 

Tomorrow the editing starts.
I love editing, and I can’t wait. 

I saw a quote on a restaurant wall that read, “Here’s to the good times which are happening now.” 

So, lets raise our glass to the good times, the beginning, the future, and the journey ….it’s gonna be a hell of a ride, so buckle your seatbelt.

 Newest ambition….finding a critique partner. Any advice?? 

Ciao~
Angela Francis

Story Starters?

So you’ve completed your manuscript. Now it’s time to perfect an opening.

What advice or tips do you have for story starters? What do you do when writing the opening pages?

We all learn as writers, the first 5-10…even 50 pages of the manuscript is crucial. What tips do you have to make sure it starts with a bang to keep them interested from page one??

video!

Check out the video posted on http://www.facebook.com/angelawrites

The bitch of living…

I officially have a week until filming.

Today’s playlist? Spring Awakening…all day long!

My stomach is twisting, I’m so nervous. Thank goodness I have Christina and Erica. They keep me in check, and every once and awhile Erica slaps me….verbally….lol…so I don’t worry anymore. I’m a control freak, and even though I wrote the book, script, and am directing it, I still feel out of control. Extras for one, and the fact that Christina’s cheerleading uniform doesn’t fit right and must be altered. Thank goodness I cast the mother. A woman I work with, Sherry, will play Madison’s mom, Anna. That’s a load off my back. 

Poor Austin had mouth surgery a week ago and is bed ridden, so his practice was moved and the girls are rehearsing today. Oh, and I ordered shirts for my core 5 and there’s a funky design and misprint I didn’t put. It’s a mess, my head is moving a million miles per hour.

All the while, I began a new WIP (work in progress). So far, I’m 51 pages deep. It’s definitely a lot of fun. After COLLIDE and HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, I think I’m out of my depressing kick. My life is different now. When I wrote those, my dad was sick/passed away, I lost my best friend, and I felt alone. I poured into my writing. Even though they are beautiful stories, I needed a break. 

After spending time and rekindling old friendships, I was inspired to write this story. It’s so fun, the MC is kind of bitchy, and overly confidence. The drama is insane. Every character has such a rich story, I could easily write a book on each character. There’s so many ways I can take this, and I’m excited to see where she takes me. 

Here’s a little glimpse. 

I exhaled, and smiled briskly, as I stepped into the diner. Like clockwork Dylan was sitting in a booth near the breakfast bar. The poor kid had no clue what was about to happen, and in a moment, he would suddenly find himself single—out in the big bad world of dating.

What do you think? 

Ciao
Angela Francis

Cover up…

What do you think?