Melanie Nilles

Cleo laid sleeping, content and warm. Eyes closed to slits on a gray and white furred face. Despite the peace, something agitated her. She shifted her position and laid down again.

A few seconds later, a light tapping jerked her awake. She flicked her ears forward, her green eyes wide. Under the chair by the table, a shadow moved.

Her eyes fixed on it. Not a shadow, however, but the other cat whose dark-pointed cream-colored coat blended into the shadowed wood. Blue eyes round with mischief gazed back at Cleo.

Realization jolted through her. Cleo watched her housemate, Padme, for signs of the attack. However, the Siamese sat down and looked away.

Cleo stretched and closed her eyes with a sigh. She knew this game. Her tail twitched but she gave no other sign of her alertness. The attack would come, but she wouldn’t let on that she knew.

A faint swish almost imperceptible made Cleo open her eyes. Through eyes open a slit, she caught the thrash of a tail across the floor and blue eyes fixed on her. Padme stood, her tail twitching.

It came before Cleo could blink. She could only react now to the teeth at her neck and kicked out with her hind claws.

A second later, she freed herself and raced across the laminate, Padme at her tail. In the foyer she slipped, her hind claws finding no traction on the smooth surface. Lucky for her, Padme had stopped, but the Siamese hunched down, her tail thrashing.

This was it. Cleo had one chance to escape being cornered. She sprang for the opening between Padme and the wall.

Padme swiped at her, but Cleo leapt into the air and narrowly avoided the Siamese queen’s paws. She sprinted up the stairs to the bathroom, where she could hide in the bathtub. Padme never followed her there.

After catching her breath, she crept out, but Padme waited at the bottom of the stairs, seemingly unconcerned. Hoping to return to her sleep, Cleo descended. Padme sat without concern and Cleo passed her on the way to the couch.

A second later, the weight of the larger cat pinned her down. Cleo hissed and scrambled away. Padme stood over her, ready to attack.

Fed up with the unwanted disruption of her sleep, Cleo ran for the basement.

“Padme!” The human sounded unhappy. “Leave her alone.”

Cleo watched from the stairs. The Siamese turned from following her friend, tail up with an air of innocence. Cleo glared at her back. Someday when Padme tried to sleep, she would pay her back. In the meantime, she continued down the stairs to the basement and a quiet place to sleep.

I love my kids.  I do.  Honestly…but when the baby won’t sleep, I’m about ready to go insane!  It steals my concentration from writing.

And thus, gives me ideas to write about.  How’s that for irony?

How do you write when you can’t?  Do you push through the blockage?  A few months ago I blogged about writer’s block.  This isn’t quite the same but it is similar.  In this case, it’s a matter of tuning out and focusing inward to release the tension blocking me from writing.  In my case, it involves blocking out the cause of the distraction.  Oddly, I find music through headphones, so I can hear nothing else, solves that problem.

I’m always writing, but I have to coddle the source of my creativity like a baby too.  Earlier today I went out for a long walk.  That felt great!  But it’s not enough.

So, how do you write amid distractions?  It’s not easy.  In fact, I don’t get much done, but I try.  I find that if I can focus just a little, the next time is easier.  Yes, I do have to treat my writing like a baby and give it attention like I would my children.  That’s my way of writing.  It’s about the focus.  I’ve been writing long enough that I know what works for me–music, usually new age.

You don’t need a quiet little corner.  You can write anywhere if you know how to focus on the story.  Some writers are better than others, but we all have the potential to learn.

This really is becoming a Wednesday thing, to post something about writing, although it really depends on what I have going on. I’ll call it my 2W post, and I’ll get it done tonight. It’s easier to do writing tips on Wednesdays because weekends are so full and I don’t want to steal any attention from those wonderful character interviews.

Yes, I think this blog has hit its stride. I try to keep things regular and dependable, but real life can occasionally interfere. I also cross-post to my LiveJournal. If you have an account, go ahead and friend me as starlet97. I’m starting to enjoy LJ more than WordPress, but this will remain my primary blog.

Check back later for my take on the writing life!

Welcome back for our tenth interview! We still have four months to go, but each week will feature a different character from the series. Please keep in mind that some of these characters may not enter until later books, but the majority you will meet in the first book. Please drop me an email or leave a comment to tell me how I’m doing. I’d love to hear from you, my readers.

Now, on to the show!

Today we have Baron Cathmor, one of the minor nobles. Welcome to our blog!

As I understand, you have some relation to the Isolder family. Is that how you came by your title?

Yes and no. I inherited much of my wealth as Isolder’s father and my mother were cousins but that lasts only with work. I work. I worked my life to build a reputation of honor and skill and courage. I’ve given my life to defending Cavatar, but I’ll not have it ruined by this bloody war.

What do you do?

I fight. Rather, I teach men to fight.  To repay the training, they fight for the king and other nobles, who provide for their needs and pay me a commission. My training is considered by many to be superb to even that given the king’s royal guard.

His last master of the guard was killed a few years ago; someone slipped a snake in his bed while he slept. Yet the king insists he found suitable replacements. He sullies my name among the court!

They follow him, the nobles do. What he decides sets the fashion. *scowls*

And this understandably upsets you.

I’ll turn away no young man of brevity, but it drains my resources. Goddess willing, they’ll learn before it’s too late.

Too late?

The kingdom is set to fall. You’ll see. Tyrkam’s army grows while Cavatar’s stagnates and decreases, from news of these raiders on the roads. It upsets the people, and my messengers tell me men are needed in the nearby cities. Still, the king does nothing!

What would you do?

Send out groups of men to hunt down the raiders. I hear they speak as supporters of Tyrkam. I need no more proof of what I suspect…but it will be too late before Isolder understands.

Too late for Lord Isolder or too late for Cavatar?

*smirks* One is not without the other.

What will happen to you if Cavatar falls?

I will survive. I have my means.

Care to specify what those are?

No.

Okay. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Send a message when the war is over. I’ll consider what else I might say then.

Perhaps. For now, thank you for taking this time with us.

Thank you, once again, to our audience. Join us again next week with another interesting character from the Legend of the White Dragon series. We will have Dorjan, Tyrkam’s right hand man and closest advisor!

Okay, I haven’t been getting the next character interview done. It will be posted tonight–I promise!

What I have been doing is setting up a LiveJournal community called Fantastic Realms. I’m in the process of spreading the word to published authors to join. Anyone can read and reply to posts, but only authors accepted as members will have posting rights. It’s an opportunity to authors of fantasy stories of any length and from any publisher–large or small–to have the chance to mingle with their fans.

So, follow the link and check it out…and nudge your favorite fantasy authors to join

babies = sleep = creativity = writing
The result…delay in character interview.

Honestly, I haven’t had a break all day with the kids. I’m tired. I’m cranky. I’m ready to SCREAM!! Crabby babies can make mom very, VERY moody, especially when it steals her creativity because of the lack of sleep and lack of alone time.

There is such a thing as overstimulation. That’s what makes babies “colicky”. It makes mommies colicky too. Same thing. We just need quiet time, and in my case, exercise, which was lacking this weekend. Blame it on hubby for staying out of the house and leaving me with the kids. I already spend ten hours a day with my kids and other people’s kids, five days a week. You think I want to hang out in the house with my own all weekend? NO! I need to GET OUT!

/rant

My nerves are frazzled. My mind is shot. I need to get out, but that won’t happen until tomorrow night, after the dentist replaces the temporary crown with the permanent one. *sigh* I wish I had perfect teeth.

I promised a character interview, but if it doesn’t get posted tomorrow by noon, it won’t happen until tomorrow night at this time. Look for it within twenty-four hours.

Thanks for listening!

(If you read that as “he rows or he don’t”, you got the pun. Don’t like it? Then you come up with a title to make people think!)

Okay, enough semantics. This is about heroes and anti-heroes. In my current WIP, my heroine is in the midst of a feud between the antagonist and the protagonist, an anti-hero. It started me thinking about the use of anti-heroes in writing. They can be a lot of fun!

We all know what a hero is–someone who comes in and saves the day. They generally do what’s moral and just.

However, the anti-hero is something a little different. They can be fun when done right, and come in a few different flavors. Perhaps one of the best known is a character named Han Solo. Remember him? Brash, bold, only looking out for himself. Yeah, that Corellian smuggler who helped save the kid who saved the day, then got himself frozen in carbonite and married to a princess. You get the idea.

Now, how do we define the anti-hero? He or she is a protagonist, sure, but not your typical good-guy. Rather, he’s the one who only cares about his own goals. He may not always be honest, who may lie on occasion as a means to his ends. He may engage in questionable behavior–rude, conceited, greedy, even stupid, clumsy, or…Hell, he may downright bad. So, what makes him a hero if he’s as bad as any villain? Think about Han Solo. He was always fouling things up, but he found a way out of a mess and ended up saving the princess, even if it was just for the money. In the end, he realized with help from friends he met along the way who showed him a mirror on himself what was right.

Not all anti-heroes turn around. Sometimes they just get by on accidents that turn out right. As I said, there are different flavors, depending on what the story requires. They range in a wide variety of traits, but what they are NOT are heroes. They lack heroic qualities, but that does not mean they can’t be redeemed.

Know any anti-heroes? I bet you’ve read about them in at least one work of fiction, or seen them in other movies (Riddick, Han Solo, perhaps even Severus Snape).

I took some fun pics of Beau Saturday and was so busy I forgot to post them. Enjoy!

The first is us together. I may be slightly downhill from him, but not much. He’s 15 hands (5 feet) at the withers and I’m only 5′2″, maybe 5′3″ with my boots on. (The sun was glaring in my eyes and I was trying not to squint.)

Here he’s showing off! (He likes to do that )

Whee! (mid-air while bucking)

a nice forward trot

A beautiful canter

What more could I ask for? Aside from wanting his withers higher than his croup, which is still the highest point at this stage, he’s perfect for what I want. I hope his growth at least levels out, but he still moves very nice for dressage.

Welcome back! This week we have Phelan Isolder, heir of the throne of Cavatar. However, it’s not your typical kingdom, as some of our guests have hinted. I’ll let our guest explain, though. He’s the expert.

Thanks for joining us, Lord Isolder. We’re honored that you could join us. But to clarify, can you start by explaining how the rule of the kingdom is different from other feudal systems?

I’m not sure what you mean by feudal, but I will explain how Cavatar is governed. We are a country of five provinces forming a sort of confederation, each with their own governor. Each province is allowed up to three representatives on the king’s advisory council. They have equal voice concerning laws over their lands. Since the first Isolder was selected as the head of the country, it has been in our family to rule. Since it is passed to each heir, we have no binding loyalty to any one province. It is a fair system and one which has allowed Cavatar to flourish for hundreds of years.

If you search our history, you’ll see that over 900 years earlier–I’m not certain of the exact number–but the numerous warring states of Ayrule realized too many losses and consented to peace. In the days after, the leaders met at what we know as the Council of Laerenthal and chose Isolder to unite behind. His children took his name to identify them as the heirs of the kingdom. But it was not Cavatar then. Rather, they called their new alliance, Frîmor. It grew into a country with each of the smaller countries joining into the five provinces we have today. And the leadership was agreed to be a position of inheritance with each country represented equally in the Council.

When Rivon forces invaded almost four hundreds years later, the invaders were driven back by the forces of King Damien Isolder of Frîmor. After twenty-three years of various warfare and Damian’s death, his son Aric formed an alliance with the sovereign of Rivonia. As an honor to that agreement, Frîmor was renamed. The name “Cavatar” is a merger of two Rivon words: Cavaliae, meaning “honor”, and Natar, meaning “peace”.

That is as brief a history as I can give. The library in the palace contains far more detail.

Do you still maintain peace with the Rivon?

They have been our strongest allies since those early days and now are our strongest trade partners. The currents of the Darnasian Sea speed their ships to our coast. It carries them closest at the point where the city of Candro has grown. Those same currents brought them as invaders long ago.

We have other allies, but none beyond the sea as close as Rivonia. Part of my training has been as emissary to those distant lands. It will be my duty one day to maintain those alliances when I am king.

Are you required to take all those travels? Where have you been and what have you seen?

It is not a requirement, but in my experience I’ve found it helpful in understanding the…role expected of me.

I have been many places, from Rivonia of course to the far shores of Caprion, one of the smaller continents, and various island nations. I could not describe the wonders of so many countries. By far, the Rivon are the most talented architects with cities more beautiful than one could imagine, and quite old, I might add. They have lasted for centuries. Other places have marvelous statues or golden pillars. For the memories of those places, I am grateful of my position.

How do you compare those to your home, Setheadroc Palace?

Setheadroc palace was designed by Rivon architects as part of their concession of peace when they were driven out of Ayrule. While it bears a similarity to their cities, it merges the styles of both Ayrulean artisans and Rivon. It is unique in its own but similar to what you would see in Rivon cities like Chavali, the capitol.

I think I would pay my weight in gold to see what you’ve seen. What is your favorite place on all of Gairdra?

*sits back and stares away for a few seconds*

I might say home. Yes! I have traveled so much that I find myself at home wishing to stay. I find my peace there. Nowhere else can claim that, the intangible, invisible sense one has of where he…or she…belongs.

Home is where the heart is.

Yes! You’ve said it much better.

Thank you, Lord Isolder. You’ve opened our eyes to a world of possibilities, or at least this world. It would seem there is far more to explore than one continent.

And thank you, readers, for returning for another interview. Remember to come back next week for another revealing interview with another character from the upcoming Legend of the White Dragon series. We will have one of the lesser nobles, Baron Cathmor, with us.

Something every story needs is conflict. For those who have been writing a while, you understand the true nature of conflict. For those who are new or perhaps haven’t thought of it much, keep reading.

What is conflict? I can give the dictionary meaning, but that’s trite and unimaginative. True conflict in the framework of a fiction story is the element that keeps readers turning pages. It’s the opposing views/actions/thoughts of the characters. Conflict is the turmoil and trauma of a murder that makes us want to find justice. Conflict is the fight between two lovers that makes us want to know if they will resolve their differences. Conflict is the idea that one can conquer a smoking addiction. Conflict is the reason a story exists–something to be resolved.

Why have conflict? It creates suspense. Imagine reading a story about the day in the life of…say a farmer/rancher–I’m familiar with that. In the summer months, he might spend the whole day baling hay. Yeah, pretty dull–sit on a tractor in the hot sun, making sure the baler picks up the cut and cured grass in the windrows (no, I did not misspell the word), wraps it with string, and releases the bale. Yawn! Now, imagine that farmer has a breakdown–happens often–and has to get parts to fix the baler. He can’t bale hay for his cows. Now, imagine a storm is building on the horizon and the nearest parts store is an hour away one way (two hours round trip) and it takes an hour to fix the baler…can he do it in time to finish that last windrow before moving on to another cutting to bale? If it rains, he has to wait a couple days for the grass to dry, or risk mold growing in the bale if it’s too wet, but then it can be overcured and lose its nutrients. Now, we have some tension, from the conflict of man vs nature vs machine. Sure, it’s a simple example, but one I know well from growing up on a farm/ranch.

We went from boring to something of interest, and you probably learned something you didn’t realize along the way.

In the area of fantasy, here’s another example… We can have a character become a skilled fighter almost overnight without getting their butt kicked because they’re given some special talent. No fun and not believable. We want to see them struggle. Real life is that way–full of struggle, full of conflict. We need a reason to root for them. They should have to suffer to learn their skills. None of us are given anything. Some of us have a natural predisposition towards certain talents, but we still have to endure failure and overcome adversity to succeed. That is conflict.

Conflict is the spice of a story. Without it, the story is flat and lifeless. Kind of like those award-winning barbeque ribs vs. plain tofu. No conflict equals no story.