Keeping my head in the game

So, I really wanted to try to blog again on stuff for the new book.  But today I haven't been able to get one of my other characters out of my mind.  Those that have read Reborn - Elerbee just won't leave me alone today!  Elerbee is the priest/healer character in my fantasy book.  I just keep seeing him and Durlag (the dwarf) trekking all over Cantor, out to right all the wrongs the priests have brought into the world.  The dragons have restored justice and are now watching over the lands, Mey among them.  I seriously wasn't looking for this story, but there it is - WHAM!  Right in my face, for the past two or three days.  I haven't even gotten back to the original story to do rewrites!  I just keep jotting down the ideas as they come - so I won't lose any of it.

The past week has been fairly relaxing.  Trent started his new meds this week & we've been seeing some positive changes.  He hasn't had to be removed from any of his classes!  He's had some bumps and he's had to leave to calm down a couple of times, but NOTHING like what was happening before when he was off meds completely.  I  hate that we have to have the drugs to help, but, some people just need that little extra, I suppose.  All these man-made medicines are scary to me, though.  And I hate reading that side-effects sheet.  Geez!  He's still taking the melatonin for sleeping, though and it's been great!  He's gotten back on track and even put himself to bed tonight!!!!  How many 12 year olds do that?

So, I have to promise myself to get back to the romance book...I need to explore Lilli's character a bit more.  I had Diane Lane in mind as a visual for her but I think I might try to go more vintage and use an actual 20s-era actress or something.  I have two in mind for her.  Clara Bow:

Beautiful, right?  Only probelm is, I can't find too many pictures of her in color - this is one of very few...

Or Greta Garbo - again, not a lot of color photos.  But I guess it gives me leeway to imagine what I want for skin tones, eye color, hair color, etc.  And Garbo is absolutely gorgeous!!  Here she is:

She's supposed to be older than Vic - by around 12 years.  He's 24, so she's going to be 36-ish.  I can adjust that if necessary, but I don't want her any younger than 34.  Having an image to work with is important to me.  It helps me to have a reference to my characters, someone to gaze at as the thoughts come...I do that with a lot of things in the stories.  I even have a picture of Vic's house.  So, what do you guys think?  Clara Bow or Greta Garbo?  Cast your votes! 

Meet the Hero, Part 1

Character's Full Name:  Victor Eugene LaCour

Reason or meaning of name: Victor (Latin—winner, conqueror); Eugene (Greek—well born); LaCour (French: topographic or occupational name for someone who lived at or was employed at a manorial court)

Nickname: Vic

Reason for Nickname: Shortened version of his given name, his friends decided to start calling him this.

Birthdate:  April 11, 1902

Astrological Sign:  Aries - The ram is the symbol, Mars is the ruling planet and the element is fire. An Arian is creative, adaptive and strong-willed. People belonging to this zodiac sign are ambitious and are go-getters. They are enthusiastic and passionate about their life. Aries being a fire sign, the Arians are stubborn and hot-tempered. They have a good sense of humor and could get along with the any type of crowd. One of the major drawbacks of an Arian is he is very secretive about his feelings for others. You can trust an Arian.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Age: 24     How old does s/he appear? 22-25

Eye Color: dark brown      Glasses or contacts: N/A

Weight: 175 lbs     Height: 5’10”

A bit of background information on Victor - he is the youngest of two boys. His mother died when he was 5 years old.  He doesn't remember her but his older brother, Franklin, does and tells him stories of her.  Franklin is 4 years older and kind of the 'black sheep'.  Victor is a law student at Tulane University.  His father is a prominent judge in the city of New Orleans and works closely with the city leaders, who also happen to be tied closely with organized crime, bootlegging, and prostitution.  Victor is a bit naive of his father's involvement and his father likes it that way - he's not proud of who he has become.  He pushes Victor to become a better man than he is, but along the way has ignored the fact that Victor's heart isn't really in law.  His passion is architecture.  He can be found on any given day in the French Quarter, sketching the intricate molding of a building or the flowing scroll of an iron railing on a balcony.  With his older brother running with the gangsters, Victor has taken it upon himself to be the glue that holds his little family together.  He endures his studies to please his father and is constantly bailing his brother out of sticky situations.

So, this is the beginnings of the hero for my romance.  He is, by no means, a complete character at this point.  His age and interest in architechture are about the only things written in stone.  His family history, as well, is pretty set.  Mother most likely committed suicide once her husband got trapped doing the bidding of the mobsters - life pretty much went downhill from there for her.  Victor isn't aware of her true demise, but Franklin is, which is probably why he has turned out to be such a wild card.  I think Frank will tell him, which is what starts his separation from the tight-knit bosom of his family into the wider world to seek comfort.  Which is how he will meet our heroine, Lillian Warren, a singer in the jazz circuit in the disreputible parts of the city.

I've spent most of today researching fashion of the 1920s.  The women had become rather daring and you'll find a lot of nude or semi-nude photos out there from this time period.  It was all rather scandalous!  The '20s are a fascinating time to me, for some reason.  I'm just drawn to that era.  This ends our trip into my newest adventure for now.  Until next time...

Emotional week

This has been one very emotional week.  Some big decisions were made; life changing decisions probably.  My son was suspended from school for a day.  We have come to the realization that he just cannot handle a school environment.  We have been fighting tooth and nail for seven years to make the system follow the law and accommodate him as the law allows.  So much easier said that done, believe me!  When there are children that are harder to educate than the average bear, the tendency is to just try not to.  They don't want to have to work that hard.  We have tried for years to force him to be like everyone else.  Truth is, he is not like everyone else.  He doesn't think the same or view the world the same.  But day after day, year after year, we have forced him into an environment that he can't handle.  He is so stressed about having a "good day" at school that it has consumed him.  He is a 12-year-old child and should not be stressed about that.  But he is - he tells us that he stresses about it.  Not one of us is happy and haven't been for a very long time.  We have to bring him home.  Yes, homeschool.  We are going to try to make it through the rest of this year, if we can.  If we're not forced to leave (which wouldn't be the first time).  But starting with 7th grade, we will be homeschooling him until he's ready to return and try this environment again.  Hopefully only a couple of years, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  When my husband and I made the decision it was almost as if an enormous weight was lifted from my shoulders!  I'm still apprehensive about the social stuff he may miss but, as my husband said, he's not getting socialized now if he's constantly being removed from class and having melt-downs on a daily basis.  And he's right.  We will just have to make sure he gets out and socializes.  It feels right and sometimes you have to listen to what your heart is telling you is good for your family.  Now, on to other concerns...

I'm missing being able to work on my own writing projects since I started school.  I knew it would be this way and I'm glad I finished the book I was working on before the semester started.  I'm itching to start rewrites on it but that will have to take a back burner, I'm afraid.  While I was writing that book, my two critique partners convinced me I should try my hand at writing a romance.  Now, I'm a fantasy writer with pretty much no background in romance novels.  I've never been a fan of them and not really read any.  I've read a few historical romances, which I dig if they are done right, but other than that, I just don't read them.  But, on their urging, I started thinking what I would write if I were to write a romance.  That developed into the idea of a romance set in 1926 in New Orleans.  Of course, once I was done tossing my ideas around with my husband, it sounded more like a murder mystery full of mobsters and hookers and criminal types...LOL.  However, on that note, I think I will use my blog time each week to help flesh out some of my ideas and characters.  This way, I get the time I would like to spend on my own projects and make sure I am completing school assignments.  See what I did there?  I just killed two birds with one stone! :)  Perhaps I may end up blogging more than once a week - how sweet would THAT be?!  Alas, I have promised my child that I would watch a movie with him, so I better wrap it up tonight and get to that.

Wasted time

I have just spent the last three hours trying to add music to this blog (suggestions welcome!).  I have yet to find a way to let you in on the musical inspirations I write with.  Ah, well...I'll keep trying.

I witnessed an injustice the other day.  My mind constantly wanders back to the incident - perhaps I need to write this down so that I can move on?  In one of my classes there is a student that is very much like my own son.  (For those who don't know, my son has an autism spectrum disorder - Asperger Syndrome).  Extremely socially awkward, speaks out of turn, when he does speak, it is usually way off base.  Then there is also the stereotypical "jock" student; loud, obnoxious, makes sure everyone notices him...you know the one.  Granted, it can be annoying when the student speaks out of turn and throws the lecture off course but I recognize the attemps he is making as trying to fit in.  I see my own son do these same things daily.  And every class, my heart breaks a little more at how the other students snicker and roll their eyes behind his back.  I see my own child facing these situations as he grows older.  This student has gotten better, at the behest of the instructor, in raising his hand before he speaks.  He did so in the last class, the teacher called on him and he began to speak.  As he spoke, a few students groaned.  The "jock" sat up and said, "Hey, dude, why don't you just shut up?"  Long story short, the teacher diffused the situation, let the other student continue to speak, but once he did, he left the room.  The teacher admonished the class about accepting differences in others and "jock" admits he should apologize.  He chases the kid down and does so, bringing him back to class.  Now...after that lengthy description, what I need to say is you never know the situations of people you may make fun of.  Perhaps this student has fought tooth and nail to get where he is, battling the confines of a disability he refused to accept.  In that respect, he should be a hero.  I just see the future my child is facing in this.  Will somone be so intolerant of him and his disability that they lash out at him in a class full of his peers?  Will they hurt his feelings so profoundly that he may never recover?  I do my best to swallow the fear I have of the future and teach him now how to protect himself against life's unfairness.  Are my lessons getting through?  Only time will tell.