Jenyfer Matthews

I spent much of yesterday reading and cooking. Not such a bad way to spend a day really.

I’ve been reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – another book I’d heard too much about to think that I’d actually like it. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t just like it – I loved it. I’m biased though – not only is it written in first person but it’s about travel and has a happy ending besides – all things I love in a book. I finished it last night and promptly ordered my own copy. It’s a keeper.

When I could tear myself away from reading, I got busy cooking. Earlier in the week I’d purchases a bunch of celery because my daughter mentioned that she liked to eat celery sticks. I’m not such a big fan of celery myself but when a child asks for celery, how can I to say no? However, there is a limit to how many celery sticks a child will eat (1) so I was left with a bunch of celery.

Celery is cheap enough, but here I will admit to being neurotic about wasting food. Who knows? Maybe I lived a former life in the Depression. But I was determined not to let that celery go to waste. So I made cream of celery soup. All those leafy tops looked like seaweed in the pot as they cooked but it wasn’t half bad when it was all pureed. I won’t go so far as to say I loved it – it is still celery after all.

Today, I’m getting back to work. I have a self-imposed deadline to finish my WIP. I want to be done by the beginning of June. It’s a doable deadline and I’m sure that I’ll make that. Part of that deadline includes writing a synopsis though and that part I dread. What is it about writing a synopsis? Having already written an entire novel, you’d think writing up a few page summary would be a cake walk. All I can say is that it’s not.

But once again my character Aurora – who insisted on dictating her story through me is also now making noises about writing her own synopsis. I think I’m going to let her have a go. If she can do it, more power to her.

Sam Cheever writes fast paced romantic fiction with feisty characters who deal with life’s little challenges in unique and often hilarious ways. A long time writer of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, Sam’s recent published work includes ‘Tween Heaven and Hell, a rip roaring fantasy adventure that will leave you panting for more. The fast-paced and highly entertaining sequel, entitled ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place, was released in April 2008. Her humorous romance, Dancing With Tad is coming out through Red Rose Publishing in 2008. To learn more about Sam and her work, visit her website at www.samcheever.com and her blog at http://tweenyouandme.blogspot.com/.

‘Tween Heaven and Hell By Sam Cheever

Astra Q Phelps is a Tweener, which means she’s part angel and part devil. She vaporizes devils and demons for a living. When Astra gets the call from the big Him to aid the good side in a battle between two rival devil courts, she finds herself battling not only the forces of evil but her own nature as she rubs up against the sexiest, most infuriatingly enticing devil prince and discovers he brings out her devil in the most delicious ways.

But Astra’s problems don’t end with a worrying jolt to her sexual nervous system. She is also discovering that she doesn’t really know herself all that well as she begins to uncover magic powers that she didn’t know she possessed. She might be entangled in a prophecy that links her to her delicious devil prince in more ways than one. Add to this spicy mix a few yummy secrets she learns about her longtime partner and friend, Emo, and you have a tantalizing stew of problems to solve, and only one small Tweener to unravel them all.

Sam wanted to share this interview that her heroine, Astra Q Phelps, recently did with a local news organization. It was quite enlightening.

Hello Astra, thank you for joining us today, we love your books and were hoping we could get to know you a little bit.

Hey! How’s it going? You got anything here that needs to be blown up or vanquished?

Uh, well, no, not really. I have an ex-husband… But no, forget I said that. I just wanted to chat with you for a few minutes.

You don’t want me to save the world?

Um, no, not right at this moment.

Oh good. Okay.

So, Astra, you certainly lead an exciting life. Vanquishing demons, fighting off devilishly handsome Royal Devil Princes, and saving the world, how does one get into this line of work?

One has to be born a Tweener, with a powerful Seraphim for a father and an equally powerful Royal Devil with witch powers as a mother. It’s not an easy gig you know.

I can imagine. Can you tell us what exactly a Tweener is?

Are you kidding me? Do you live in a cave? (shakes head) Tweeners are half angel and half devil. We’re a warrior race that helps the Big Guy out in the epic battle between good and evil. (shrugs) I thought everybody knew that.

Impressive. So how long have you been doing this? Vanquishing demons I mean?

Well, I vanquished my first one when I was five I think. He tried to steal my little red bucket in the sandbox. I loved that bucket. I’d have done anything to keep it.

You, um, (clears throat) you killed a demon for stealing a bucket?

Well yes and no. He tried to eat my sister, Darma too, but it was the bucket that really set me off.

I um, I see. Well, so you figured out you were good at vanquishing demons when you were five and decided that might be a good way to make a living?

Absolutely not! I mean, yeah, I was good at it. But saving the world is so hard…and exhausting. I probably would have just gotten a job throwing rowdy schmoes out of extra-terra nightclubs if it hadn’t been for that stupid prophesy.

Prophesy?

Yeah, the one that has me working with the great Unifer, that’s Devil Prince Dialle we think…we’re not absolutely sure at this point…to save the world.

Wow!

(Nods head) Yeah, wow! Except the world doesn’t stay saved. I can’t tell you how many meals and how much sleep I’ve missed over the last several months trying to keep this stupid world saved. It’s become a full time job.

(Reporter leers) Yes, but there are perks aren’t there. I mean, you get to lock lips with the gorgeous Dialle on a regular basis.

Oh yeah. I mean, he’s really yummy, and impossible to resist let me tell you…but there’s so much to do when saving the world, there just isn’t all that much time for extra-curricular activities if you know what I mean.

But I understand you manage, somehow.

(Astra grins) Yeah, we manage. Somehow.

So, what’s it like? Hanging out with the magical crowd? Are they nice?

(Astra snorts) Nice? Lady, what planet are you from? No really, what planet?

(Reporter shrugs) My ancestors came from Venus.

(Astra nods) That explains a lot. None of them are Nice. Even the angels have an agenda. They’re good, yes, but rarely nice. Demons are just plain skuzzy, with their pretty masks that fool humans every time, and you don’t want to get yourself in a room with a lot of them when the temperatures are very high…

Dangerous huh?

What? No, they smell like last week’s steak on the windowsill. And then there are the Royals…well, they’re beautiful and everything, but they’re just like sexy walking uber-agendas, you know. And their plans are never good for yours truly or the human race. (Astra sighs) My social circle just fizzes with conflict, intrigue, and dangerous agendas.

Well, you certainly have a difficult job.

Tell me about it.

But what’s this I hear about you going to the Big House to visit the Big Guy in ‘Tween a Devil and His Hard Place?

Cool place. All light and airy and stuff. He needed to fill me in on something…I’m still not sure what…talk about agendas… Something about getting my father back. He was at the right hand of God before he fell you know.

Your father? Really?

Yup. Took over the celestial army when Michael retired. The Big Guy needs him to help keep the humans safe against a really big plot to take over control of the dark world and humankind. The demons are in an uproar and the rumor is that the Angel City witch coven is pulling the strings behind the uprising. And to make things even worse, somebody from the Big House is involved and helping the witches. A dark angel with some power apparently. Some think it’s my father.

But you don’t believe it I’m sure.

Not for a minute. But the sticker is I’ve got to prove it. No easy task while saving the world.

So what’s on your plate for the next book. Are you saving the world again?

Of course. In the third book of the series, the ratio between magic and non-magic is being altered by the dropping of a veil of twisted magic. Humans can’t survive under the veil and as it descends they get increasingly crazy and start attacking everything in sight. I of course have to find the cause and put everything right again. Meanwhile, I’ve been marked by the Serpent as one of the conduits…

Serpent? Conduits?

(Astra smiles) I guess you’ll just have to read the book.

Sounds fascinating, I can’t wait. I want to thank you for visiting with me today, Astra. It’s been very…ah…illuminating.

Yeah, sure. Hey, you haven’t seen a really small dragon running around here have you?

(Reporter picks up her feet) A dragon? Why no, did you lose one?

(Astra shrugs) Maybe. Oh well, I’ll just follow the char marks…

Buy this book!

Look what I found on Google today – a glowing review of All the Way Home from Romance Junkies!

Ms. Jenyfer Matthews’ novel ALL THE WAY HOME is a touching and poignant tale of healing and rediscovery. [...] Well written and riddled with emotions, sisterly bonds and a deeply moving romance, ALL THE WAY HOME has secured a permanent place in my heart and on my keeper shelf. Bravo Ms. Matthews, you have delivered a novel well worth the time invested and I can’t recommend it enough.

What a great way to start the weekend!

Starting a post this way is going to make me feel and sound really old, but…

Since when did Legos go from being a toy consisting of a bag / box of various sizes of bricks limited only by the imagination of the person playing with them to being an elaborate puzzle that results in the same object each time? A puzzle that requires a map?

I remember having a flat base to which we could stick the Lego, and various other brick sizes. I would most often make houses, but I *could* make other things as the whim struck me. Modern day Lego kids seem fairly limited – and frustrating – to me. What do you do if one of the million of tiny pieces goes astray? (most often to be found in your instep as you are walking innocently past to the kitchen for a snack)

Okay. Here it is. Now what?

Another dimension of modern Lego is Lego Digital Design, a computer program in which children can design what they want to make on the computer and then send the plans in to Lego. Lego will then send the child a kit to make the toy they designed. For a price.

I have done what I can to keep my own children ignorant of this scheme. I don’t feel guilting in the least. They seem perfectly happy with the sticks and rocks in the backyard…

Wishing you all a good weekend. Author Sam Cheever will be here this weekend with an interview of the heroine of her ‘Tween series. Stop by and say hello!

As you might expect, we don’t drink the tap water in Cairo. Apparently there have been studies to show that it’s safe enough, but why take chances? And frankly it just doesn’t taste that good.

Ordering in cases of bottled water soon became tiresome. We were always running out and I didn’t like all the trash we were creating. So we signed up for a water service. We have three 5 gallon bottles and they come weekly to replace them.

Until recently.

It’s been about a month since the water company has come on a regular basis. The first week I didn’t think much about it. There are times when they get behind or public holidays that I’m not aware of. After a second week went by, I called them.

Apparently the government was giving them trouble about driving their trucks into our neighborhood so they were unable to deliver water. The stated reason is for security. The word on the street is that the government wants to charge them a high tax.

Whatever the reason, I still need water. They told me that they would come…soon. They did not. I called them back a few days later. They told me that they had drivers parked at various gas stations around and that I could send my driver to come and get the water. I informed them that I didn’t have a car or a driver – which is why I subscribed to their service. It wasn’t until I told them to come and collect their bottles and return my deposit that they promised to send someone with water.

But he couldn’t come until after dark.

Absurdly enough, these guys are actually delivering water in unmarked passenger cars, after dark. Smuggling water into the neighborhood.

I called again yesterday because once again we had run out of water. I got the answering machine – a tactic they use when they are simply tired of answering the phone to irate customers. I left a message saying that I needed more water and when could they come. They hadn’t come by 9pm but before I went to bed, I put the bottles out just in case because I really didn’t want them to wake me up.

The water guys showed up at 11:30pm. I know this because the building guard called us to find out if we needed water.

I really hope they get the truck situation sorted out soon…

Check out my poinsettia. Ssshhh!!! Don’t tell them it’s May and they should have moldered away into compost by now. I went out a few weeks ago and lobbed off their cheery red heads because I was sick of looking at them and then…they started to grow again!

I’m trying very hard not to pay too much attention to them lest they realize their error and decide to croak anyway.

Think I can simultaneously ignore them and cajole them at the same time?

Might I actually be able to convince them to bloom at the appropriate time, seven months from now?

Stay tuned…

Mr. Matthews fell ill on Wednesday night and was sick much of the weekend. Between nursing him back to health and keeping up with the children’s many sports activities, the weekend flew by. Add to that the beginning of the May/June/July birthday party season and it’s just a social whirl these days.

Still, I managed to finish the last of the baby quilts for the recent order I received. I know, I know – it’s just squares. But I made the top to go with the back.

The rules state that I in turn have to award the honor to five more blogs. Since Terry already has it, she’s out My five picks, in no particular order:

Anny Cook’s blog – Anny not only entertains with serial stories but her insights into human nature are thought provoking. She’s not nicknamed the Zen Queen for nothing.

Shelley Munro’s blog – Shelley’s blog keeps us up to date on her writing news and introduces us to many other wonderful authors with whom she is acquainted. I particularly enjoy the glimpses of New Zealand she shares from time to time.

Killer Fiction – this is a group blog for six Dorchester romantic suspense / mystery authors. These ladies are seriously funny and I drop by there often to see what wacky thing they will share next.

Postcards from Cairo – the blog of world class quilter Jenny Bowker. She writes about her life in Cairo and I found this blog seriously helpful when I was preparing to move to Egypt myself. She doesn’t blog as often as I would wish, but when she does, she does it very well indeed.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books – a blog that entertains, informs and in spite of its name celebrates the romance genre in a serious way. I don’t always have to agree with them to love them.

None of these blogs need an award from me to know they are great. But I hope that maybe they too will enjoy receiving a little outside affirmation.

How was your weekend?

Please welcome romance author Anny Cook, winner of the Best New Author 2007 award from Love Romances Cafe. For more information about Anny and her books visit her website or her most excellent blog.

In the past few months several readers have asked me about how I created the worlds of Mystic Valley (for the Mystic Valley series) and Avalon (for the Flowers of Camelot series). World building is something I do before I begin writing the stories and I have a pretty specific order that works for me, though it might not work for other writers. After all, everyone has different working and creative styles.

Though I may be a “seat of the pants” writer, that doesn’t mean that I’m a “seat of the pants” planner. When a new story idea begins to prod at me, I begin by jotting down ideas about the background. The story might be the central focus of the picture, but the frame and background are at least as important.

When the ideas are written down and seem to fit together, then I draw a map. All right, don’t panic if you can’t draw, because this map is for the writer—not the public. I always draw a map, maybe even several maps, so that I remember where objects, houses, furniture, whatever might be important, are located. Maps clarify the surroundings for me. As I draw the maps, the “world” begins to take shape. What kind of flora and fauna exist on this world? What type of buildings are common and why?

The culture and society starts to take on some substance. That’s when I start a series of lists. One list answers the cultural questions—what is the monetary system, the system of government, the cultural norms? What are the positions of power? Is there a religion and if so what are the basic beliefs? What are the gender norms? What about education, military, and economic systems?

A second list has the answers regarding appearance for my characters—what type of clothing do they wear? How old are they? What are their physical characteristics? In the Mystic Valley series, the inhabitants of Mystic Valley are blue with pointed ears and small fangs. Long hair is culturally important, so with few exceptions everyone, both men and women, has long hair. Within the valley, status is based on lineage and warrior rank. Hair ornament colors are used to display the warrior’s rank. I have detailed descriptions of the ornaments, called chinkas, and also their weaponry.

The third list is the bare beginnings of a relationship chart. Who is related to whom? In the case of the Valley with a huge cast of minor characters who might someday have their own stories, it is particularly important that the relationship lines are kept straight. It would be exceedingly awkward for a sharp eyed reader to point out that Joe has inadvertently married his Aunt Sally. A corollary to this list is an alphabetical list of names used in the series so that I don’t use a name twice, and confuse my readers.

Beware inventing a new language for your new world. The glossary for Mystic Valley is four pages long and growing. If you’re going to have a new language, take a tip from me—begin your glossary list immediately and keep it up to date. In my case, my publisher chose to place the glossary in all of my Mystic Valley books. It’s far easier to provide this on request if it’s kept up to date. And your editor will thank you too when she or he is wading through a sea of new words. Just a quick word here about new words. It they’re too weird, your reader will find them distracting. I try to use them sparingly, just enough to give the flavor of the new world, but not enough to make reading the story such a chore that the reader finds something else to read. Of course, if the word is the name for an everyday object, such as the sharda that all the valley men wear, then it needs to be a very simple word to pronounce.

When the framework is in place, then I begin to write. Most of the information is pretty bare bones at this point. As I write, there will be numerous additions to each of the lists and possibly even quite a few changes as new events pop up. As the series progresses, more lists are added. For every occupation, there is a list of equipment and materials. The healers have “patient” records listing who they treated, when, where and what the diagnosis was. The justices have records listing the cases they presided over and what the final decisions were. Investigators have case files. Cooks have recipes. The barter keeper has the barter books.

This is a small glimpse of the ways I create a new world. There are other things to add to the lists—a time line, a birth/death registry, a building registry to keep track when new buildings are built and old ones are torn down. If all of this sounds complicated and a lot of work, just consider if you were building your town or village from scratch. What would need to be done? That’s what I do on paper and computer. And it also answers another question I get frequently…how do you keep everyone straight?

My goal is to provide a rich, lush background for my characters and stories. The lives and loves of the men and women of Mystic Valley and Avalon play out in the new worlds I created with a lot of thought and craft.

In this excerpt from Dancer’s Delight, Dancer has his first glimpse of Mystic Valley and its inhabitants. I thought perhaps you might enjoy picking out the different aspects of world building:

Dancer’s Delight
by
Anny Cook

The path that led to the village wandered through a new section of woods. Immediately, Dancer knew that he was in a fantasy forest. As they walked along the trail, he took note of the plants, both familiar and strange. Unlike the last stand of trees he’d encountered, most of these were very strange, indeed. There were huge trees with odd dark blue leaves. One lonely tree had smooth, glittery black bark. Back from the path, he saw a pair of trees with orange bark and triangular purple leaves. Occasionally, he spotted pine-like trees with shiny red needles. The undergrowth was a multi-colored riot of prolifically flowering shrubs and a bright blue runner vine. Suddenly, without warning, the path took a sharp jog to the right and they stood at the edge of a thriving village unlike anything he had ever seen.

Circular adobe homes with smooth, domed adobe roofs were arranged in concentric circles around a cluster of larger circular domed buildings. The domes ranged from small, one circle homes to a very large compound of multiple joined domes.

Without hesitation, Eppie headed for the compound. Following on her heels, he observed as much as he could, noting the neat yards and gardens enclosed with low stone walls. Some had blue or green birds similar to chickens pecking at the dirt. In a couple of yards, enormous long-haired creatures that vaguely resembled dogs, silently eyed them as they walked by.

On the front steps of the compound, two huge cat-like animals were curled up, sleeping in the sun. The long-haired orange one’s ears twitched as they went by and it opened one green eye before settling back into slumber. The chocolate and cream animal opened both eyes, yawned mightily, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth and stretched before curling back up and snoring lightly. “Those are Tyger and Llyon’s packits,” Eppie commented briefly before opening the door and entering the cool darkness of a wide foyer.

Dancer merely nodded and followed her inside, completely resigned to the odd and amazing. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the shadowy hallway, but when they did, he observed a entryway like he had never imagined. A huge exquisite woven tapestry covered the wall on the left. The deep jewel colors shone vividly, even in the dimness. On the right, three unframed landscapes were arranged above a long narrow carved table. There were no artist names on the paintings, but it was obvious the same individual—in a style reminiscent of Goya—had painted them all. Bold bright colors portrayed life in the valley. The table below them had elaborately carved legs and skirt. When he bent over to study it, he saw the carvings were leaves and flowers.

Eppie barely paused before leading him into a larger room with an empty fireplace and a large varied collection of chairs. Standing in the doorway, he stared around in amazement. Every chair was occupied. Near the center of the room, he picked out two people he thought must be her parents. After focusing for a moment, he realized the rest were probably her siblings…and there were a lot of them. Every single male, from the youngest through the eldest, was dressed in the skirt-like garments. Some had on loose over-wrapped shirts, but most were bare-chested. And all of them had their hair neatly arranged in the narrow braids ending with the tiny jeweled clasps.

Buy This Book!

My children most generously shared their cold with me so my head is foggy, my nose drippy and my energy zapped. Not only can’t I write, but I’m quilt blocked as well (get it??) I have one more boy quilt to make to complete the order for four I recently received, and I’ve got nothing – no inspiration.

Not even for blogging really. So instead of writing anything witty I though I’d show you my Cornflakes box. It’s the same…but different. (Click on the image to enlarge)

Now I understand why, in this part of the world, they are stating that there are no bacon bits in the Cornflakes but what’s up with the barley alert? Anyone?