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Angela Cavanaugh

Angela Cavanaugh

Monthly Archives: February 2015

Sleep Saga – Book 1 – Beta Version

28 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Fiction

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

beta readers, chapter 1, fiction friday, free story, preview, series, short story, sleep saga

***If you are interested in reading more, please email or message me.  I’m still looking for a few more beta readers. ***

Ava straightened my bow-tie and I couldn’t help but laugh. The accessory was made of lab-grown leopard hide, and dyed bright green. It was meant to be seen, and nothing called attention to it like wearing it askew. But I let her fix it anyway. It was only after she had messed with it that I realized she was untying it.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She smiled at me. Her skin looked so smooth that I crapped my pants since she had started taking the Sir2 gene therapy.

“Helping you look more ridiculous,” she said.

She pulled at it so that one side lay longer than the other. I studied her alteration in the mirror. She was right, I looked downright silly. But, that was the point. While all of our other affairs this season had been serious ones, tonight was a special event. It was the farewell party, an end of season tradition. Over the years, it had grown in it’s ridiculousness. It began as just serious a party as any other, more even. But once everyone began trying to out do each other, the whole thing quickly became a parody of itself. Rather than admit what had happened, we embraced it, and a theme party was born.

Ava wore a low cut dress with a train that swept the ground. The gown was bedazzled along it’s length with Swarovski crystals. She wrapped herself in a black snake-skin cape. I put on my matching fedora and we headed out to the car.

Most nights we’d take our own. But seeing as this was a special occasion, the host arranged to have everyone picked up by limo. Automobiles were all self-driving, so the addition of a driver was unnecessary. He got out and opened the doors for us. Again, something the car could have easily done itself. We climbed in, and I was surprised when he came in after us. I naturally assumed he’d be sitting in the front.

He didn’t say a word at first. I was just about to ask him what his job was, when he beat me to the punch. He pulled out a collapsible guitar, assembled it, and began to play. He started his set with Ava’s favorite song. It was slow and sweet, and sounded fantastic acoustically. I watched her with delight as she took pleasure in the serenade. It wasn’t until he began the second song, another by the same artist, that I realized he was that artist. Our host had arranged for each of their guests to be entertained by their favorite musician.

Only four songs had been played by the time the car pulled into the long driveway. There was a mass of paparazzi standing at the property’s edge. They jockeyed for position as they tried to see who was in the car. They couldn’t legally step foot inside the property lines unless they were invited. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their drone cameras. They began flying around the car.

The cameras didn’t bother me. At this point in my career, the more publicity I had, the better. And a piece of me liked the attention.

I disabled the tinted glass. A few drones stayed on us, but most flew back to their owners.

The car let us out. I assumed that the artist would get out and join the party as well, but he remained in the car. As we walked up the silver plated walkway, I was able to get a better look at the house. I had stayed in smaller hotels. The path was lined with ice sculptures that increased in size. The first were a pair of polar bear cubs sitting on either side of the walkway. Next, there was a couple, larger than real people, who were holding their hands over our heads. We ducked through quickly to avoid getting dripped on. In this heat, these sculptures wouldn’t last long. The statues closest to the porch were still being worked on. A giant Zeus stood looming on the left, his lighting bolt in hand, ready to smite whomever incurred his wrath. On the right, a sculptor was carving out the features of a woman. My first guess was Hera, since she was Zeus’ wife. But based on the provocative posture, I decided it must be Aphrodite.

The sculpture carved a piece of ice, threw his chainsaw in the air, turned in a circle, and caught it as it came tumbling down. He carved another swipe, kicked one leg in the air, and ducked his head and the saw in a swooping motion. The blade was mere centimeters from his face. He came back up, and worked some more. Ava was enchanted with his flare. I had to remind her that we hadn’t even gotten to the party, yet.   Continue reading →

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Writing Wednesday – Timelines

26 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

advice, how to, non-linear story telling, timeline, write, writing

Last Week’s WW: The Best Laid Plans

BTTF timelines and linesSometimes in story telling it’s essential that you tell things out of order.  Maybe you’re writing a time travel story, or a murder mystery, or you’ve got some sort of Memento thing going on.  Whatever your reasoning for having a non-linear story line, you still need to know what happened, when.

I recently started plotting out a new serial and it will include some flash backs.  So, one of the first things I did was write out a timeline.  (Not the one above, that’s Back to the Future)

Having a time line for any story, especially a non-linear one,  helps insure that there won’t be any confusion, that the story is consistent, and there’s an easy thing to reference when needed.

 

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Mention Monday – Apocalypse Weird

24 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Mention Monday

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Tags

apocalypse weird, brand world, collection, indie authors, new releases, new way of writing, self-publishing, universe, wonderment

Last Week’s MM: An Unwelcomed Quest

In the beginning there was light, and it was good.  In the end, there was the apocalypse, and it was weird.

USA Today Best Selling Author Micheal Bunker is the father of the Amish Scifi genre.  But he isn’t stopping there.  Together with author Nick Cole, and a group of very talented authors, they’re taking indie-publishing to new places.  They’ve created what they’re calling a brand world.

Today they are launching 5, yes 5, novels set in the Apocalypse Weird universe.  The individual arcs of the stories will unfold to reveal a larger picture, with each book containing Easter eggs.

It all kicked off with The Red King (WYRD Book 1) by Nick Cole (free)

And today, it continues with:

Texocalypse Now (Digger Book 1) by Michael Bunker and Nick Cole
The Serenity Strain by Chris Pourteau
Reversal (Polar WYRD Book 1) by Jennifer Ellis
Immunity by E. E. Giorgi
The Dark Knight (WYRD Book 2) by Nick Cole

They plan to release a total of 25 novels this year.

It’s an ambitious project and a new way to bring writers together.

Also, if you’re a writer, check them out on Thridscribe.  There are opportunities to get involved.

And their launch party is happening right now!  Check it out, maybe get some freebies.

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Flash Fiction Friday – The Time Keeper

21 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Fiction

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

adventure, assignment, chuck wendig, female protagonist, flash fiction, read, scifi, short story, story, terrible minds, time travel

Last Week’s FFF: Beach Bridge

The Time Keeper Part 1
The Time Keeper Part 2

I ran out into the rain, desperately trying to escape to the image of my father’s affair, and the hurt in my mother’s voice as she found them.

I’d rather be anywhere but here! I screamed inside my head.  I squeezed my eyes tight.

The sound of the rain stopped.  I opened my eyes and found that I was back in the pawn shop.  The lights were off, and the place appeared closed.

I heard the door jingle as a key slid into the lock. Continue reading →

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Writing Wednesday – The Best Laid Plans

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

anxiety, author, career, day job, job, keep going, otherworlders, stress, work through it, writer, writers life, writing, writing life

Last Week’s WW: The Writer’s Roller Coaster

A few weeks ago I wrote about how it’s important to create a schedule for yourself.  About how self-imposed deadlines can help you create, and stop you from procrastinating.  I still believe all of this to be true.  But, those plans don’t always work out.

Continue reading →

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Otherworlders is on Sale

18 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Fiction, Random

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Tags

.99, amazon, countdown, fiction, kindle, kindle count down, limited time, novel, parallel universe, read, sale, science fiction, scifi, survival, thriller

Just wanted to let you all know that I’m running a sale on Otherworlders.  You can pick up a copy on Amazon for .99 for a limited time.  If you haven’t read it yet, now’s a good time to buy it.

otherwroldersblkwhtnomdlebldgsmudge

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Mention Monday – An Unwelcome Quest

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Mention Monday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

an unwelcome quest, Book, book review, recommendation, review, scott meyer

Last Week’s MM: Elena E. Giorgi

An Unwelcome Quest: Magic 2.0, Book 3 | [Scott Meyer]

A few weeks ago I mentioned Off to Be the Wizard and Spell or High Water.  Well, the third book in the series has come out, An Unwelcome Quest, and it didn’t disappoint.  In some ways, I think this may be the best of the three.  The first book was good, but a bit predictable.  The second book was also interesting, although the bad guy didn’t make much sense to me, or, at lest, I felt that there could have been better villains.  But I can’t really think of any problems with the third.  I listened to the book in about 2 days.  I also really like the narrator for this series.

I’m really enjoying this world and this concept.  I feel like it has endless possibilities.  Scott Meyer can’t release them fast enough for me.  I hope that the series keeps going, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Flash Fiction Friday – Beach Bridge

14 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Fiction

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

apocalyptic, conspiracy, fff, fiction, flash fiction, flash fiction friday, horde, not-human, post apocalyptic, story, survival, virus

Last Week’s FFF: Wasteland
(
This story was set up by author Paul J Willett’s story Beach Road)

My Scars

As she lay in the grass above the abandoned bridge, she followed the distant helicopter with her binoculars. She knew that she had two options. She could either sprint down to the bridge and scream out to it, or let it pass and hope she went unnoticed. The bridge had a gap in the center that was free of cars, and big enough to fit a helicopter. There weren’t any suspension cables or things to impede it’s landing or take off. And with limited access on two sides, and water on the other two, it would be the ideal spot to get picked up.

Just a few months ago, her course of action would have been clear. She would have laid as still as possible and pray that they didn’t see her. Continue reading →

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Writing Wednesday – The Writer’s Roller Coaster

12 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Writing Wednesday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

author, emotions, highs, how to write, lows, roller coaster, writer, writing advice

Last Week’s WW: Making A Schedule

Here’s the way it seems to go:

-Yes!  I’ve got an idea.
-Why won’t this idea come together and make a story?
-Oh, oh, wait, there it is.  Now I know what’ll happen in my story.
-I’m going to type like the wind.  This is the best idea ever!
-I’m the worst writer ever!  No one will ever read my stories, and maybe that’s for the best because if they did they’d punch me in the face.
-I need to just put this away for awhile.
-*Reading* okay, this isn’t so bad.  I can work with this.
-*stares blankly at screen* need to clear my head, let’s play video games or watch tv.
-Why won’t the words come?
-Oh, there they are.
-Soon everyone will see my genius!
-I literally shouldn’t be allowed near a keyboard.  Seriously, someone is going to put a restraining order against me writing ever again.  And they’d be right to do so.
-Am I really going to let someone read this?
-They liked it!
-Why don’t more people like/buy it?
-Hey, I’ve got a new idea for a story.  I’m the best writer ever!
…
…
…

 

For many writers, this is how it goes.  I’m in a valley right now.  But I hope and know that soon I’ll be back on the upswing.  And I know that most writers ping pong between manic highs and self-loathing lows.

But the peaks are worth every valley.  Keep at it and work through it.

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Mention Monday – Elena E. Giorgi

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by angelacavanaugh in Mention Monday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

author, chimeras, elena e. giorgi, immortality, science, science fiction, telomeres

Last Week’s MM: Gundam Wing

I always say that good science fiction should come from good science.  My friend and Author of Chimeras Elena E. Giorgi just put up a post about Telomeres.  If you are unfamiliar with what a Telomere is, check out the article.    If I understand them correctly, they’re the part of the cell that gets shorter every time it replicates.  Meaning, it’s what makes you age.  The simple answer to creating eternal youth would seem to lie in making Telomeres that never degrade, but that’s basically what cancer is.  It’s a science that I’ve been interested in and known about for some time, and I mention in my upcoming series.  If you’re interested in knowing more about this subject, I suggest that you check out her article.

Elena was also kind enough to interview me about my novel Otherworlders.

She has a number of books, and I believe she may be looking for ARC readers for an upcoming novel.  Science fiction from scientist, that may just be the best kind.

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