Haiku Friday – Miracle & Save

Miracle and Save are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.

Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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“Typically creative people are usually not clock-slaves or list-makers, so the idea of enforcing goals and deadlines can be somewhat daunting.”

~Kristin Armstrong

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Need a miracle

Deadlines marching ever nigh

Save me from myself

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**I’m currently in the formatting stage of my upcoming book, The Fall of Lilith. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is one of the most difficult and overwhelming parts of the process. At least if it’s your first time doing it. Phew! However, everything continues to move along toward the deadline that I set for myself (Summer).

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Happy Friday and great weekend all!

Spotlight: Michael C. Hayes (My Book Cover Artist)

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It is my privilege to introduce today a creative and just plain gifted artist, Michael C. Hayes.

His amazing artistry will inspire you. I have always said, art and writing go hand in hand just like poetry and music. I am honored to have one of Michael C. Hayes’ works grace the cover of my upcoming novel, The Fall of Lilith. I will do a cover reveal later on but for now I want to showcase this artist and his magnificent works of art.

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In Michael’s words . . .

If you had told me I would end up painting for a living when I was 17, I would have assumed you meant houses or cars. The idea of creating a representational image out of pigments suspended in linseed oil was so far removed from what I thought I was meant to do in life.

Most other artists I know tell stories of ceaselessly drawing as children and never stopping. Drawing was something I was dragged into against my will. Once I stopped grumbling about it and tried to make the best of the situation, I discovered an unrealized passion. It is funny how a seemingly insignificant high school elective can change your life for the better.

At that point in my life I was set on making the big bucks in the glamorous field of software engineering, so when I learned in order to graduate I had to take an art elective instead of a programming course, I was not happy. I chose animation as the elective; over the  course of that semester, I found that I enjoyed drawing. I was also introduced to a few 3d animation programs, for which I developed an affinity. I eventually decided that animation would be a lot more fun than writing code.

In the 5 years that followed, I studied at a local community college and later at Cogswell Polytechnical College, earning a degree with honors in Digital Arts and Animation. Throughout the years it became evermore apparent that 3D animation was not quite what I wanted to devote my career to. I was slowly spending more and more time and effort on my traditional drawing, painting, and sculpting courses and less time building wire frames on the computer. By the time I was ready to graduate my goals had once again changed. All the years of required art courses and a few influential and supportive professors had made their mark: I was undeniably hooked.

I moved back to San Diego after graduating in 2005 and enrolled at Watts Atelier of the Arts. Free from the constraints of term papers and physics tests, and in a wonderful artistic environment, I began spending almost every waking moment I could spare on a drawing bench or in front of an easel.  I often tell people the crammed 20 years worth of study into my short time at the atelier.  As a result of this effort, and a few extraordinary teachers, my artistic skills began to develop to professional level.

About halfway through 2008 I got my first professional gig working freelance on a game called “Legends of Norrath”.  In the years that followed I began to receive more and more work and took fewer and fewer classes, slowly transitioning from student to full time professional.  Since then I have had the good fortune to work for clients such as: Wizards of the Coast, Blizzard Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment, Night Shade Books, Palladium Books and others.  In the past few years I have received several ARC awards, a Chesley award and a nomination for a Spectrum award.

In late 2013 I decided to make some changes and pull away from the freelance world for awhile. Although I will still take those projects that are too good to pass up I plan to spend a few years focusing on my personal work.

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There is so much more art to see. Check out more of Michael’s work and connect with him at the sites bellow:

DeviantArt

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

You can sign up for Michael’s newsletter here.

Haiku Friday – Wonder & Spy

Wonder and Spy are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.

Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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Illustration by Alex (IllustrateSir) DeviantART

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When fallen angels

drop to earth, their wings torn off

How do they evolve?

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Childlike wonder turn to fright

When revealed they’re doomed to night

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UPDATE: Right now I’m doing the finishing touches to my book, The Fall of Lilith. I’m working on the blurb for the back of the book, dedication page and a few other things. I have the illustration for the book cover, which is something I’m very excited about. I’m planning a post featuring the illustrator’s work, along with a book cover reveal. My goal is to release the book before summer.

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A Happy Good Friday to everyone!

Haiku Friday – Breeze & Blow

Welcome to The Writer Next Door blog! Happy Haiku Friday!

 

Breeze and Blow are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.

Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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• I decided to share an excerpt from my WIP, The Fall of Lilith. The Fall of Lilith is a young adult/adult Fantasy with dark elements about angels. I hope you enjoy.

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 When Lilith arrived at the tree, she marveled at its brilliance. She coiled her tail around its base, slid to a branch, and plucked one of its blushing fruit. She stared at it, but hesitated to put it in her mouth, recalling what happened when she bit into the fruit from the other tree.

The fruit was like none she had ever seen, draped in shiny reddish-gold. It was cold and smooth in her hand. She placed her mouth over it and sank her bloodstained teeth into its crisp, delicious flesh. The fruit squirted its sweet, succulent juice into her mouth. Its scent swathed her like a dip in a pool of warm water, conjuring images of Heaven’s light and bathing in the River of Life. The aroma was bright, cheerful, and more fragrant than any flower in Heaven’s Triumph Gardens.

Upon finishing the magnificent fruit, she began to undergo a transformation. She grew stronger, full of energy and vitality. The eyes on her wings gained the power of sight, having been of no use in the past. Now she saw in every direction at once, except directly behind her. The feathers in her wings became lustrous and able to withstand extreme temperatures. The inner frame of her wings became stronger, capable of enduring powerful impacts. Her tail grew longer and robust. The colors of her lower half were alluring and intense. She knew she was becoming godlike.

Blinding flashes of lightning sliced through the sky. Thunder, which followed closely, shook the ground. As the wind grew stronger, the numerous trees in the Garden began to disintegrate one by one. The dust left behind by the crumbling trees blew to and fro in the increasing wind. Flowers and greeneries no longer crooned melodies. The vegetation wailed and screeched as it ceased to exist.

Lilith scanned her surroundings. The colors of the Garden were gone, and only dreariness remained as it all turned to sand. She released the Tree of Life and leapt to the ground before it, too, dissolved. She lifted her eyes to the sky, now an ominous dark gray. A jagged bolt of lightning struck nearby; she screamed. Overhead thunder continued to rumble, boom, and clash. She jumped as her hands flew to cover her ears. She slithered ahead, leaning into the wind. Dirt and debris whizzed by her, whipping her face and body. She pressed her eyelids together against the sting of the violent wind. A heavy, humid smell spread through the air. The Garden of Eden was in turmoil. If she did not exit soon, she would suffer the wrath of God.

She flapped her wings. Thick, turbulent winds attacked her from every direction, making it difficult for her to take flight. Beating her powerful wings faster she lifted herself off the ground. She moved through the dense, forceful atmosphere, and finally escaped. Had she not eaten from the Tree of Life and gained supernatural powers, she would have perished. Once more, she headed to the cover of the forest. She settled on the tallest tree where she could overlook the destruction of paradise.

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The wind grew stronger

Garden trees turned to grey dust

Eden’s colors blown

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Flowers no longer sang, but

wailed as they ceased to exist

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I hope you enjoyed the excerpt from my WIP, The Fall of Lilith and my poem, inspired by it. Have a great weekend!

Writers Quote Wednesday – The Life of an Artist

Hello everyone! I’m sorry for the late post. I saw this quote and I loved it because it rang so true. I felt a need to share it. I had my book, The Fall of Lilith critiqued by an editor which I trust very much and it turns out that I have some structural issues to work on. Just when I thought I was done with this book. Ugh! She said I have some strong writing and great action scenes. She likes much of the dynamics between my characters. She also said she loves my imagination and the way I envision conflict. But I have some structural elements to work on if I want this book to have a strong storyline. So It’s back to the drawing board for me.

At first, after the critique, I was overwhelmed with fear. Could I pull this off? Will I ever get this book to where I want it to be? Then it went downhill from there. Am I a good enough writer? Will I be able to make this work? I wanted to pull the hair out of my head and scream.

Then I realized I needed to sleep on it. Today I’m feeling differently about the critique and my abilities. It’s going to be a lot of work to restructure this book but it’s a matter of taking the elements and scenes I have and using them in a slightly different framework. I can do this. I’m not going to allow my fears to stop me from making this book great. I do have the ability to do that. I just need to focus and get it done. I still feel like crying but I’m going to roll up my sleeves and get to work. That’s what it means to be an artist.

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“Remember: It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential benefits are staggering. A pat on the back to an artist now could one day result in your favorite film, or the cartoon you love to get stoned watching, or the song that saves your life. Discourage an artist, you get absolutely nothing in return, ever.”

~Kevin Smith

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“The artist lives to have stories to tell and to learn to tell them well.”

~Criss Jami

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Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and combining it with a poem, story or excerpt and posting it on your blog.

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Haiku Friday – Crystal & Hope

Happy Friday everyone! And a warm welcome to my blog. ♥

I have written very little about my work-in-progress which is the 2nd installment of my Fantasy Angels Series. It is tentatively called Dracúl. This book picks up where The Fall of Lilith ends. That is why I want to finish both books before publishing the first. Today’s prompt words provided by Ronovan Writes are Crystal and Hope. I decided to give you a light description of two of the characters in my novel Dracúl in today’s haiku. I hope you enjoy.

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Dracúl

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

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Good natured devil

Cast aside by lucid mom

Chase things with feathers

(Crystal = Lucid / Hope = things with feathers)

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Kind devil’s desire

Transpicuous plans hindered

Love born of evil

(Crystal = Transpicuous / Hope = Desire)

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Aurora

by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

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Silver angel hair

Vivid eyes of many hues

Reverie of  light

(Crystal = Vivid / Hope = Reverie)

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**Ronovan is a writer and poet and he also does author interviews and much more. You can read some of his poetry and fiction pieces on his blog. He also hosts RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday. Anyone can participate. Check out his Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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Have a great weekend everyone! 😀

Haiku Friday – Charm & Look

Happy Haiku Friday! Welcome and thanks for visiting. 😀

Ronovan from Ronovan Writes provided this week’s prompt words, Charm and Look. I love these words. Ron wanted us to try doing opposite meanings in our haiku this week. It was a challenge but I think I got it, if not I certainly had fun trying.

Ronovan is a writer and poet and he also does author interviews and much more. You can read some of his poetry and fiction pieces on his blog. He also hosts RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday. Anyone can participate. Check out his Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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Cerbera Odollam, commonly known as the ‘Suicide Tree’.

The Suicide Tree

by Vashti Q-Vega

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The flowering tree

Beauty so inviting

Gazes as your heart wilts

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The Fall of Lilith (Read an excerpt)

Lilith

by Vashti Q-Vega

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She lured with beauty

Her body be witchery

Her soul––repulsion

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I hope you enjoyed. Have a great weekend everyone!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Read A Book

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to my blog. Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog. Check out her weekly wrap-up every Tuesday and be inspired by all the quotes.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

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Illustration by Luis Royo

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A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.

–Neil Gaiman

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The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.

–W. Somerset Maugham

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A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.

–William Styron

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If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

–Haruki Murakami

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Illustration by Luis Royo

777 Writer’s Challenge – The Fall of Lilith

Hello. I have been invited to participate in the 777 Writer’s Challenge by the lovely and talented Eloise De Sousa from Thoughts by Mello-Elo. Eloise is an author who dabbles in different genres of books ranging from poetry, children’s literature to adult crime romance. Her blog covers a variety of topics that include her experiences and opinions on different subjects, and from time to time, details on books she is working on.

Author Eloise De Sousa

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What is the 777 Writer’s Challenge?

The author/writer must go to the 7th page of a work-in-progress, go to line 7 on that page and share the following 7 sentences. The writer must also invite 7 other writers to take the same challenge.

It seems simple enough but for a writer, sharing a random piece of work, still in progress, is daunting. However, I accept the challenge and I thank Eloise for thinking of me. ❤

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♦ My book, (not yet published) The Fall of Lilith is divided into BOOK I – Heaven and BOOK II – Earth, so I will do the challenge for both parts of the book.

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BOOK I – Heaven

Illustration for The Fall of Lilith by Jeff Brown

This was war and she had never seen anything like it––none of the angels have. Lilith’s body trembled and waves of nausea plagued her as the realization that she, like the angels torn to shreds, was not immortal and could end in the same way. A sudden rush of blood to her head made it throb. She panted as her eyes darted in every direction. These strange sensations tormented her as she stepped over the splayed bodies of warrior angels whose once celestial glow had been extinguished by enemy blades.

She had done this. She had caused all this to come to pass.

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BOOK II – Earth

‘Fan Art’ for The Fall of Lilith by Denise Spencer

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Lilith stared wide-eyed at her surroundings. Where beams of light shone through the trees, strange shadows danced. The jungle evoked memories of the terrors she had endured in the East and South Forests in Heaven. With each new noise, her heart leapt to her throat. Branches creaking, leaves rustling, birds squawking, hostile screeches from unknown animals, the beat of paws against the ground—these sounds created a symphony of fear.

“I must remain calm,” Lilith told herself in a low voice. “After all, this is Earth. I watched most of the event Creation, and I did not witness God create anything as menacing on this planet as in the forests in Heaven.”

Still, she knew much had happened besides creation during Creation.

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The Chosen 7

Olga – Just Olga

Marje – Kyrosmagica

Colleen – Silver Threading

Sarah – Lemon Shark

Mel – Melissa Barker-Simpson

Alana – The Author Who Supports

Serins – Serins Sphere

 

 

 

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – The Voices In Your Head

Today is  Writer’s Quote Wednesday hosted by Colleen from Silver Threading

I am quoting the author of The Crater Lake Series, Francis Guenette. I was visiting her blog the other day and read this quote which she wrote and I had to share it, because it is insightful and makes complete sense to me.

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“We owe our characters something that no one else can give them. So, learn the rules, read the advice and then throw it all away and listen to those voices in your head.”

~Francis Guenette

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I thought I’d post a small excerpt from my book, The Fall of Lilith which demonstrates some of my character’s personality traits.

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            “We should consume it.” Lilith licked her bottom lip.

“What? You cannot mean . . . ” Gadreel could not bring herself to say the words.

“We need nourishment to survive,” Lilith said. “The small animal’s carcass can provide us with a substantial amount of food.”

Samael stared at her, openmouthed. “But Lilith, consuming animal flesh is surely forbidden.”

“Why?” Lilith asked, without hesitation. “The rules we lived by in Heaven no longer exist here on Earth. We are different creatures now, and we make our own rules.”

“In Heaven we ate fruit and vegetables on occasion for the pleasure of it,” Gadreel’s said. “I understand that on Earth we need sustenance to survive, but we were taught in Heaven that animals should be cherished.”

“You forget we are no longer in Heaven.” Lilith stared at her. “We rule over these animals now and we shall do what we please with them.”

She strutted to the small camel’s carcass and lifted it from the ground. The large camel snapped at her several times, and finally latched onto one of her wings with its large teeth and held on tight.

Gadreel and Samael watched in horror as Lilith willed her serpent form and then struck the animal with her tail until the camel finally surrendered and retreated.

Lilith placed the stiff little calf on its back upon a flat surface of the cave. Her nails grew into sharp talons as they had in the jungle. She ripped the calf’s soft underbelly open and began to gorge on its insides.

Samael toddled toward her. Dark blood ran along the sides of Lilith’s mouth, and her neck and hands were coated in it.

“Are you enjoying that?” Gadreel became nauseated and dizzy watching her eat.

“No. It is revolting, but it fills my belly, and it strengthens me.”

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