Wonhundred Word Wednesday--I stared at the flames that had...

It's Wednesday again! Which is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week :) This week's prompt was super fun, since, if you've read my books you realize I have a thing for fire (ironic, since I'm afraid of it in real life). So! Here it is:

Here's my take:

I stared at the flames that had just tried to swallow me whole. They’d leaped right out of the fire place and chased me around the room, slowly growing smaller until they were just little now—and they looked distinctly people-like.

They stared back at me, sparks dripping from their mouths and scalding the rugs.

“So…yeah. You should probably get back in the fireplace before you, like, extinguish or something.”

“We’ll die either way.”

“Then what’s with the chasing?” I asked.

They grinned, flames leaping from their heads. “We’re taking you with us.”

And then they leaped.

Now see how everyone else did it!

Kelly Martin, Author

Alison Woods

Jessica Winn

R.K. Grow

Stephanie Worlton

Leah Sanders

Laura D. Bastian

Jaclyn Weist

Amryn Scott

K.R. Wilburn

Lindzee Armstrong

Kat!e Larson

Miranda D. Nelson

Angela Schroeder

Storymakers Recap--Warning-tons of pics!

This past weekend, I went to the Storymakers Writer's Conference here in Utah. Utah has a HUGE writing community, and we have a few really awesome conferences a year. I like them all for different reasons--some are more for networking, some are for learning...speaking of--I took a horror writing class from J. Scott Savage that was SO AWESOME, and a creating an author brand from Ali Cross that were both phenomenal. They were my favorites.
But.
But for me, the best part of these conferences is getting to see my writing friends. We talk a lot online, but it's more awesome to see them in person. So, despite my fear of cameras, I take lots of pictures :)

Four Astraea Press Authors in one place!

Dauntless girls. We are spectacular

Isn't she cute? Mindy Holt was in charge of the Whitney Awards

Rebecca Rodes, Marcia Mickelson, me, and Jaclyn Weist. We were signing table buddies

Um, yeah, so that's Jaclyn and I with Brandon Sanderson. He's thrilled at our fangirling, obviously

Me, Donna Weaver, and Amber Argyle. We're super cute.

So glad Tara came to find me. It was awesome to meet her!

Some of my most favorite people ever. We're only missing Lindzee Armstrong. Someone photoshop her in!

Meet the Character Monday-Livi!!

Livi is one of my favorite characters to write, I think partly because her voice and character is so unique and different from everyone else in any of my books. Livi, even though she's a teenager, is still excited about life. She's super enthusiastic and bubbly and, like Nev, open and friendly and loyal.

What a lot of people don't know is Livi is based on my oldest daughter. She's only eleven, so hormones and stuff haven't made her completely insane yet. It's a side that not very many people get to see of her, because she's very shy, but it's my favorite. So I captured it and put it into Livi.

Meet Livi:

Name: Olivia aka Livi

Age: 17

Book/Series: Feudlings/Fate on Fire

Hometown: Saint George, Utah

Family: Livi's dad left when she was little. Her mom and Nev's mom were best friends, so they moved in together to help make ends meet. So Livi grew up having her very best friend as a sister. She's technically an only child, but she claims Nev and Nev's brother as her siblings.

Appearance: 5'1", long brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. Super tiny and petite, and very bouncy.

Best Friend: Nev! Livi's adorable and everyone loves her, but Nev is the one who protects her and keeps her from getting hurt. They stick together through the hard times and the good times and don't let any guys ruin their friendship.

WonHundred Word Wednesday

Here's our prompt for the week:

"Would you like fries with that?"

And here's my take on it!!

Why couldn’t I have a normal job like every other sixteen-year-old? Maybe work in a McDonalds and complain about how the grease ruins my nails?

As I slithered toward my target-a drug lord who had more blood on his hands than I did, I pretended I had a normal job. I raised the dart gun and blew, watching as the tiny dart found its mark in his neck. I sprang to my feet to retrieve my dart. As I stood over his lifeless body, I blew the hair out of my face and grinned. “Would you like fries with that?”

Now see how everyone else did it!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, the distracted writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburn.com/my-blog.html

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Kat!e Larson http://katesnovelidea.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Meet the Character Monday-Dani!

Here's the thing about Dani. She was supposed to be sort of a tortured bad guy--I mean, she does betray Will and Ari, right? But as I was writing her, she didn't fit that idea. She took on a life of her own and ended up saving the day in not one, but two Feudlings books. I LOVE Dani. Because she was put in the most impossible of situations--save your little brother by betraying the Prodigy, or let him die.

I don't know how anyone could make that decision. But Dani was smart. She knew Ari couldn't be killed. She knew that if Ari had a say in the matter, she'd give herself up. So she saved her brother and put all her trust in Will, knowing he would save his sister.

It wasn't until Dani was written and Feudlings was released that I met the real live person that Dani seemed to be based on without me even meeting her yet. She happens to be on the bravest, sweetest people I know, and she looks exactly like I pictured Dani in my head. So when I wrote Feudlings in Smoke, I kept her mind a lot.

Here's my Dani

Name: Dani

Age: 26

Book/Series: Feudlings in Smoke/Fate on Fire

Job: Computer programmer for Will's company. Friend/girlfriend/Carules warrior.

Hometown: Wilcox, Arizona

Family: Her parents are high up in the Carules ranks. She has a ten-year-old little brother who stays with his parents. After Feudlins, her family comes to live in Will's colony, where they're protected.

Appearance: 5'9". Shoulder length Dark brown hair, brown eyes. She's tall and slender, as are most sorcerers in the Feudlings series.

Best Friend: Dani is friends with everyone in the colony. She's fiercely loyal and a hard worker, so everyone loves her. But Will, always, is her best friend.