A thank you to the real Dr. (Mr.) Beeson

Many of you have read The Eden Trilogy and are very familiar with the character of Dr. Beeson.  He's a brilliant scientist who kinda-sorta helped bring about the end of the world with TorBane.

What you might not know is that Dr. Erik Beeson got his name from a real person.

Mr. Sam Beeson.

Mr. Beeson was probably my favorite teacher at American Fork High School, home of the Cavemen (yes, I know this is an awful mascot...).  I had him for English my junior year.  See, my sophomore year I took Honors English and I did just fine in it.  I think I managed an A- average.  But the teacher who taught Honors for the juniors scared me to death.  Seriously.  I knew there was no way I would make it through her class, and frankly, I just didn't really like her.

So I enrolled in what was dubbed as "the drop-out Honors class."

It was one of the best decisions of my high school career.

Because this weird, cooky guy named Mr. Beeson was the teacher.

On the first day of class, he told us how he was glad that we were all drop-outs, because that meant he got to interact with us kids that were smart and knew stuff, but we weren't so stiff and uptight.  Or something to that effect.  I just remember after he said that thinking he was going to be a freaking awesome teacher.

And he was.

Something he required in our class was that we write every day.  Even weekends.  It sucked at first, and it was hard and sometimes I only wrote a sentence or two, but it got me into some good habits I still use today.  I understand now why he told us to do that.  But this isn't a post on the importance of writing every day.

He is the person who got me to write my first "scary" story.  There was this scary writing challenge that the public library did every Halloween and Mr. Beeson informed us that he had won the contest every year for the last few years.  So he gave us the assignment to write a scary story and if we wanted to, enter it into the contest.

I wrote a scary story.  It was about a boy that went to school and was suddenly being ignored.  He noticed his parents were depressed and they too were acting like he wasn't even there.  And then he goes to brush his teeth that night, looks in the mirror, and has no reflection.

I don't know if he was just humoring me or being a good, encouraging teacher, but he told me that mine was the one story that he thought would beat his.  No other teacher had made me feel this good about myself and something I'd done.  Sadly, at the time I had no money at all to pay for the entry fee, and so I'll never know if my story was scarier than his.  I doubt it.

Another thing he assigned us was to give our most prized possession away to someone we love.  He told us how he'd gotten in trouble with parents in the past because of this assignment, but he continued to do it anyway.  Mr. Beeson could be a rebel.

I thought about this for a few days, trying to decide what my most prized possession was.

In the end, I decided my most prized thing I had was a story I wrote with my best friend.  We'd started writing it when we were 13 or 14 and worked on this thing off and on for a few years.  In the end I finished it myself and took our handwritten version and typed it all up on the computer.  It was an epic Harry Potter fan-fiction.  This thing was over 200 pages long.  So I put it on an old school floppy and gave it to one of my sisters.

I didn't think much of it at the time other than I really, really hoped she wouldn't change anything in my story.  I wrote my paper and life moved on.  But fast forward a few years.  I no longer had the computer I typed it all up on and that was before I knew any better to back things up, so I thought it was lost forever.

And then one day my sister whom I had given the floppy to, gives me an awesome gift back: Two printed out copies of my friend and I's story.  How's that for coming full circle?  I still have one copy, and gave the other to my co-author.

There were many weird and different assignments Mr. Beeson gave.  Like when he asked us to write about a controversial topic we felt strongly about.  It was short, a one page handwritten essay.  And then the next class, he told us we had to write another paper on the same topic, arguing in the other direction.  My topic at the time was abortion.

I can honestly say that no one had a bigger influence on my writing life than he did.  He made me think differently, made me question why I wrote things the way I did.

Dr. Beeson and Mr. Beeson really don't have anything in common.  I knew when I started my writing career that I'd immortalize him somehow.  The time came that Dr. Beeson needed a name and that was what I picked despite all their dissimilarities.

But I just have to say thank you.  He'll probably never see this, and heck, I'm sure he doesn't remember me after ten years, but still.  Thank you Sam Beeson.  You helped inspire me to look at things and think a little differently.


Now, I just have to share this video.  This is actually Sam Beeson.  He's the creator of this thing called Grammar Punk.  I never did this, he created it after I graduated, but here he is talking about it.  And if I am not mistaken, this is in the same classroom I was in.

He's published a few zany children's books. book himself.  And true to his wacky personality, one is about a young girl that hates Valentine's Day very much.  It's pretty cute.  Check his books out here.

I AM still alive!

I was pretty horrified to see that it has been over a month since my last post.  Life has been a little out of sorts lately, to say the least.  We've gone through a temporary move/extended family vacation/seeing family thingy and getting into any sort of a routine has been nearly impossible.

So, what have I been up to lately?

I really enjoyed my writing break.  I told myself that I wasn't allowed to write anything from the time I finished THE EVE to the beginning of 2014.  That stretched on a week or so longer than I would have liked, but that's life for you.  So, I ended up taking TWO MONTHS away from writing!  WHAT?!  Yeah, it wasn't easy for me, but soooo needed after releasing three books and two short stories in nine months.  Some R&R was in order.

But I am HAPPY to say that I am back to writing!  I am working on a completly new project (well, sorta, I wrote 40,000 REALLY crappy words of it back at the end of 2012, before setting it aside to get going on the Eden trilogy, now it's getting a MASSIVE overhaul) and I have to say, it is daunting!  I haven't really worked on something totally new since I started WHAT I DIDN'T SAY back at the end of 2011.  And coming off a two month break means it's taking me a while to get back into the swing of things.  But we're getting there and it is AWESOME.  I'm now 10,000 words into it with a 90,000 word first draft goal.

"What is this project about?" you ask.

Well, you know how I don't like to talk TOO much about a fresh project.  But I will give you a few little tidbits:

• It is written in present tense
• It is told from dual points of view, a guy and a girl
• It is a YA
• It is dark
• It is creepy
• I am taking a big research trip in February to somewhere in the South (US) that has everything to do with this book

That's all you get for now.

Well, I'll give you a song, because I can't write without epic songs that match the book...

A Keary Taylor short story

I am still on self-forced writing break until after New Years, but I have been getting cranky and itchy lately.  Finally, I decided today, that the best way to fix this was to write something.  Just something short.  I didn't have anything in mind that would work for something short and quick.  So I decided to turn to two of my favorite writing inspiration resources.

Music and beautiful images.

I went to my iTunes and opened my recently added playlist and hit shuffle.  This song came on.  

Then I went to my Inspirational Pictures board on Pintrest, and this image struck me.

No, I hold no rights to the image, it was just one I came across on Pintrest.

And then I wrote.  It's probably not very good.  It's pretty weird, and obviously very short.  But I enjoyed the process of its creation and thought you might enjoy it too.

_____________________

The glistening of the sunrise on the very tops of the clouds.  And the way one’s hair glows when that setting sun is behind it, illuminating the tiny hairs that wish to fly away and reach the sky.  That is the way I would describe the color of his skin.

But that is not the only color.  There is turquoise, the color of the sea when it is kissed by sunlight, with coral and dolphins below its surface.

And his eyes.  I don’t know that there are words to describe them.  They are alive, simply.  They contain the universe in its impossible entirety.  Framed by lashes thick in an unhuman way.  And white.  White as a dove’s wing.

He is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

Some would call him terrifying.  Especially if he were to be unexplainably present when you awoke in the middle of the night, as I had.

But I am enchanted.

The moon floats through my open window, riding the summer air into the room.  My lacey window coverings float through the room, like tortured shades, searching the firmament for their lost lover.  A flash of lightning breaks the black sky outside. 

He looks at me unwaveringly.  His eyes were fixed upon me the moment I awoke and saw him perched on my footboard.  He is only a breath away from me, but he does not move and neither do I.  We are suspended in this mutual moment of mysticism and the uncertain.

I should be wondering why he is here.  I should be wondering what he is.  I should be contemplating the obvious fact that he is not human.

But I cannot look away.

There is the faintest of movement to his lips and then they are forming shape to form words.  And for that small period of time that I have to form a thought before he speaks, I am filled with panic.  Surely words will break this moment.

But it is only a small moment I have to think this thought, and then words come.

“What if this storm ends?”

And as his words break that silent barrier between the real world and the one where I am possibly dreaming, white flakes begin to fall.

The Places of The Eden Trilogy

Now that the Eden trilogy is all wrapped up, I thought it might be fun to share a little map with the places in the book.  For some reason, when I'm writing the books, I like to be vague with the actual locations.  I've never said where Eden's (from the first half of the first book) location is.  I hated saying they went to Los Angeles but didn't see a way around that.  I know, I'm weird sometimes.

But now that it's all over and you've all read the books (right? ;) ) I thought I'd share where these places are.  If you haven't read all three books, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T LOOK AT THE REST OF THIS POST, FOR IT WILL SPOIL SOME THINGS FOR YOU.

This map isn't totally 100% accurate, I am placing things generally, from locations, to the journeys, so don't feel like you have to zoom way in and track locations down where you need to visit.  Ha.

Enjoy.

Tips For Story Inspiration

I hear a lot of people say that they want to write a story/book, but they have no idea WHAT to write about.  This is an understandable predicament.  I've been there before.  Admittedly not often, but I have been there.  And it is a frustrating place to be.

So today I thought I'd talk about inspiration.  Where I get inspiration from and maybe offer some tips on how to look for inspiration in the smallest of ways.

My most popular series/book is the FALL OF ANGELS, namely with the first book, BRANDED.  I've been asked quite a bit how I got the idea for it.  Not many people look at the concept of angels in such a dark way.

I got the idea for it while re-watching the latest version of The Phantom of the Opera.  I've loved the music since I was 12, and in fact, that was the only Christmas present I asked for that year, was a CD of it.  But for some reason, 8+ years later, the lyrics to one song hit me in a different way.  Angel Of Music.  Now, Christine is singing this, talking about the Phantom.  And I thought about how odd to refer to him as an angel.  He was terrifying, he'd done terrible things.  Why would anyone ever call him an angel?  And then there is another song that talks about the Phantom being inside her mind.

Que a story about a girl who has nightmares of terrifying angels.

The inspiration for THE EDEN TRILOGY came while I was re-watching Star Wars III.  There is a shot with Anakin and his new mechanical hand and I had the idea How cool would it be if he'd somehow grown that mechanical hand?  And if it was somehow part of his DNA?

Here comes a story about technology that takes over human flesh and turns you into a robotic zombie.

WHAT I DIDN'T SAY was a bit different.  Initially the idea for a person who could not speak came from an episode of Gray's Anatomy.  There was a patient who ended up with their vocal cords damaged and after that couldn't talk.  But this one was also largely based on my own experiences growing up as a teenager.  It was also based on the island where I live, and my husbands family, and another family here on the island.

TV is good for this writer.

Let me introduce you to a tool I've been using lately.  This isn't a new concept.  This isn't unique to me.  It's simple.  And when I say lately, I'm talking only like the last few weeks have I been doing this.

I've been keeping this little notebook by my side.  I try to keep it with me at all times, though I admit I'm not always successful.  I try to make sure it is always in my purse.  It is ALWAYS by me whenever I am watching TV/movies or reading a book.

Now, this doesn't mean I'm ripping off TV shows or other people's books.  We never do that, people.

But sometimes little ideas strike you during these times.

I think my biggest thing with this post is this: Inspiration doesn't have to be huge.  It doesn't have to be full plot or world ideas.  It can be small.  Something little.

Like character traits.

The other day I was watching a show and the common line was said "You're such a bad liar."  A phrase used often.  But I thought of a character who was a fantastic liar.  The kind of person who can tell such a good lie that sometimes they even believe themselves.  And from there it went onto the thought of what if I had a narrator who admitted that everything you are about to read might not be true?  How are you the reader to ever know what is the truth behind the story?

So I wrote this down.  It isn't a full story.  It isn't really a plot.  But it's interesting.  It would be the basis for a very interesting character.

Sometimes a single word will make you ponder.  It's a word you've heard multiple times but when you have the concept of inspiration in your head and story making as a driving force in your life, you look at it differently.

Say, the word sleepwalking.  Or crucifixion.

Both words I have written in this notebook recently.

You see an image that is unique and interesting, and the blues in it are just incredible.  Suddenly you think of rings around a planet that is run on a unique energy.

See, you write down all these little, random things.  You record character traits, or concepts, or just thoughts.  And someday you might start linking them together in a new and creative way.  And suddenly, you might have an incredible story to tell.

I find inspiration in a lot of random places.  I was watching the music video for Daughtry's new song "Waiting For Superman."  And I got two new ideas.  I won't say them here because there's a chance I might actually write them someday, but LISTEN.  WATCH.  Not just with this video, I'm not talking that small.  I'm talking with everything.  Visual and musical inspiration is powerful.

Which leads me to images.  I LOVE Pintrest.  And DeviantArt.  I have a board on Pintrest called "Inspirational Pictures".  This is not what you might call your normal inspirational picture board.  Mine is filled with images of two creepy hands sticking out of the ground, reaching for each other.  It's got images of odd lockets, and owls, and floating ships.  Buffalo's walking out of the fog, monsters in the dark, and and amazing Victorian dresses.  Sometimes just the right image can create an entire world.


Don't feel like a failure if you don't yet have an idea for an entire story, or have an entirely new world built.  Keep your eyes open.  Keep your mind open.  Look at ordinary things in extraordinary ways.  Because even the most ordinary thing can be turned into something extraordinary.  And write things down.  Because you may think you would never forget that idea or concept.  But you will.  At least I do.

Stories are everywhere if you're looking.

A Writer's Space

I'll admit it: when I'm working within a few weeks of a publishing date, I tend to let small things go.  Things like cleaning.  And good cooking.  And a social life.

Here is the reality of what my office looks like on the day of publication.  This is what it looked like yesterday, the day I published THE EVE:

Stuff.  Stuff everywhere...

I just have to wonder how I always have so many boxes in my office?!

To be honest, this was AFTER I had started picking things up a bit...  Shameful.

There was even a day where it looked like this...  This is what happens when 5 packages come in one day and I have no time to deal with any of them.

I pretty much live in my office for those last few weeks.  I eat in here.  I wrap packages in here.  I make calls from here.  Pretty much all but sleep in here.

So today seemed like a good day to reclaim my office, now that THE EVE is out.  Man, it felt good, lol.  So I decided to give you a little tour of my office now that it doesn't look quite like a hurricane tore through it.

Ta-da!  There she is!  My office is an octagon shape and I love it!  It can make it tricky to set up as a room, but it gives it so much character.

I don't know that a writers office can really be complete without a couch.  Sometimes you can't think creatively unless you're laying down and closing your eyes.

This would be where I keep all of my proof copies of my books, as well as the majority of my plotting notebooks.

One of my most prized possessions: a typewriter from my great-grandmother who passed away a few years ago.  This thing has so much history to it.  It is beautiful and I treasure it.

Where the "magic happens!"

My desk.  I FINALLY have dual monitors.  Makes a writers life so much easier.

This whiteboard is critical.  And huge (4 feet x 4 feet).  And it is scary when it is blank.  This morning it was filled with leftover editing/plotting notes for THE EVE.  "What is to come next" you ask?  Awesomeness.  That's what.

Ugh.  The overflowing closet that has no door.  I keep a lot of things in here.  Someday I will organize it a bit better.  And I hope that someday I have a door on it so I don't have to look at it all the time...

And in that closet there are a lot of books.  Behold, copies of the FALL OF ANGELS, old and new covers alike.  There are even a few copies of the original EDEN peaking out back there.

What I Didn't Say...

The Eden Trilogy.  Well, almost.  Copies of THE EVE will be here soon...

And the author who inhabits this space...

This room is my sanctuary.  This room is where I create worlds.  This room is where I escape to them.

THE EVE - Available Now!

Today's the day!  You can now download the final book in The Eden Trilogy!

A plan was laid out as the Evolution crushed mankind, a plan that was right under Eden’s nose all along. And Eve is the key to everything. New Eden—mankind—they have a small chance at fixing their dismembered planet. 

But it will be a reckless sprint against time and the coming Bane to retrieve the final piece to the plot. New Eden’s worst fears have become reality. The Bane are back in the city and they’re smarter and more aggressive than ever. They know where the humans are and they’re coming to finish what they’ve nearly completed. 

Eve has been content with the family she’s found—Avian, West, Gabriel, Royce. But she’s about to discover she may have the one family Eve never thought she would: blood. With every odd stacked against her, all the lies and all the secrets of her origins will be exposed. 

The past and the future are about to come full circle.

KINDLE

NOOK

PAPERBACK

IBOOKS (coming soon!)

And don't forget to join myself, DJ DeSmyter, and Jenni Merritt tonight for #EveChat!  We'll be talking all things YA lit, dystopian, and giving away cool prizes!