Tabitha and Sexy Rexy

As a break from the book reviews, I thought I'd give you, my Thirsty readers, an update on things down here in sunny San Diego.

Pictured above is me with my really good friend Tara. She has been a real blessing to me as a friend and a crazy companion. We've gotten into many shenanigans together. An odd thing I have noticed is that gay men rarely hang out with lesbians. Tara is a lesbian and I am gay, so it's kinda weird that we get along so well. I not only hang with her, but I have made friends with a few other lesbians: Ann and Lincoln. They have been incredible to me.

Tara invited me one night to hang out with her. I met her at Wang's where she was dancing with some new friends she had made. Little did I know that this party she was at was a She-She party. Meaning it was for lesbians. Needless to say I stood out a little. Me and the bartender were the only males in the whole party. I made the most of it and had fun. Oddly enough I did get checked out by women too. They thought I was an incredibly butch lesbian. I wasn't sure how to take that, but whatever.

At the She-She party we decided I needed a lesbian name so I wouldn't feel so left out. For some reason I came up with Tabitha. But you have to say it like you're a macho butch woman, complete with flexing your muscles. Then we gave Tara a gay name so she could be like a gay boy when we go to gay bars for me. Her name was Chad but then we realized one of the bartenders at Babycakes is named Chad. So it has since been revised to be Sexy Rexy.

We also went out together for New Year's Eve. It was quite the night. We went to Bourbon St., a bar off the beaten path. There we saw drunk women try to pole dance and we got our beads and hats you see in the picture above.

All of us go out for Sunday Funday just about every week. It's a good time. We go to Mo's for a brunch and endless mimosas then to Babycakes for drinks and cupcakes.

I met all these great people through a support group for navy homosexuals which was founded by Ann Foster. She and I had been talking all through my deployment about starting up a chapter on my ship. That is still in the works. Regardless of what happens with that, I am glad I am part of GLASS (Gay Lesbian and Supportive Sailors) even if there is no chapter on my ship. I'm still doing what I can to get it done. If I hadn't spoken up to my CO about having more support for gays and lesbians at the command, then I would never have met Ann, Lincoln, Tara, or any of the other great lesbian and gay sailors I have had the pleasure to meet.

Been Awhile!

Hey, all you people out there in the blogosphere! It has been awhile and one of my beautiful redhead friends reprimanded me for not updating my blog. So here I am.

I have been in Pensacola, FL for training with the US Navy since October. In February I graduated from "A" school at the top of my class which awarded me accelerated advancement at my next command. On March 25 I graduated "C" school and got my orders to my next duty station which is:

SAN DIEGO!!!

I will be serving in the USS Higgins, a destroyer stationed in San Diego. This was exactly what I wanted, so it goes without saying that I am ecstatic!

Things I'm loving lately:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: they sing "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love"
Cynthia Hand: Author of the Unearthly series
InstaGram/PicStitch/InstaQuote: Yup, I've become one of those people.
CrossFit: Not new. I've just been really getting into fitness and have some crazy goals. Well, others would think they're crazy. I think they're awesome.
Being in the Military: Basic sucked. Not gonna lie. And parts of "A" school sucked as well. But it is just getting better, and I'm getting into the swing of it. San Diego will be an awesome PCS. And I've found confidence that I didn't realize I was lacking.

Books I've Read:

This is kind of unfair, but I'm going to do quick book reviews to catch up and hopefully get back to being good at updating this.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: One of the most messed up books I've read in a long time. Both the characters are just awful. I've never read a book that made me hate both protagonists. I don't even know if you could call them protagonists, but they're not antagonists either. However, Flynn is genius and her prose is spot-on and moody. I highly recommend it.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore: Totally a chick book. If you love sappy romance, you'll love this. I'm usually good with romance. I consider myself a hopeless romantic. But this was almost ridiculous. I kept expecting it to turn out to be a joke. But no. Cashore was serious. Also, if you like kick-ass heroines, this is great. But it wasn't my cup of tea. I recommend it for young teenage girls. Or fans of Twilight.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh: Such an extraordinary and disturbing story of a young girl who learns how to love through the language of flowers. It explores several different types of relationships. The main character is hard to love at times, but it turns out to be all right. The language of flowers theme carries through the whole book and is interesting enough to keep you going. I recommend it to anyone who likes a thinking book with emotion.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan: So fun! Loved it. Read it. That's all.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: Pretty mundane in the writing. The movie made the characters come to life for me more than the books did. I'm not sure why that is happening so much lately. The story is fantastic though, so I would highly recommend it as a young adult novel to read. The love story is good and doesn't seem too forced, but it is also very undeveloped. Like, they fall in love for the sake of falling in love regardless of chemistry. In the movie, I understood the attraction. In the book...not so much.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin: An intriguing dystopian novel about Spinsters who can actually control the thread of life. The story line is creative and I liked that, but it doesn't get explained well enough. The main character is strong but her personality is too finicky. She's strong and makes quips at unexpected times and gets sheepish when it is more convenient for the story. Of course there's a love triangle and it is actually a good one. Somewhat. As far as triangles go. I'm thinking this love triangle business is tired. Let's try a love octagon for some real intrigue. Oh. And there was the agenda for gay and women's rights that rippled throughout the book. It was too obvious a schtick.

Sever by Lauren DeStefano: This woman is a genius. Her writing is impeccable. I just cannot get enough of her. This is the conclusion of the trilogy and it was sad to say good-bye to the characters. I take comfort knowing I can re-read and visit them again. The conclusion does not disappoint, but I don't think it's the best installment of the three books. As far as trilogies go, though, DeStefano managed not to drop the ball which seems to be the latest trend in YA books these days. I highly, highly recommend this series. It has a weird premise, but I love when authors are willing to stretch the boundaries, push the envelope a little. Go get it. Now.

Boundless by Cynthia Hand: Fantastic trilogy. Again, a third in a trio of books that I really loved. I was sad to say good-bye to these characters as well. Hand managed to, like DeStefano, not drop the ball on the third installment. The love triangle (another one) is still going strong, but you get the feeling throughout it all that you know how it will end up. There are beautiful scenes and humor and plenty of intense moments. When you go get Sever, go get this one too.

That catches you up to where I'm at right now. I don't get a whole lot of time to read and when I do finish a book I don't have a lot of time to sit and write a review, but I will stop making excuses and keep this thing up.

I'm leaving Pensacola on 03 April, going to Idaho, then reporting to San Diego in mid-April. I'm excited for my future and the great adventures the US Navy has ahead of me.

Up to Date

Time for a quick update on me. I guess it's been awhile since I've posted anything about my personal goings on.

I'm less than four months away from my departure date! The reality set in when I realized that I would, originally, have been leaving this coming Tuesday, April 17th. I would definitely be a basket case right now if that were the date now. It is still on for August 9th and I'm stoked. I've been working on my memorization and I've been working hard to train physically so that basic isn't such a shock to my mind and body. I'm pretty sure, however, that no matter what I do to prepare I will not be completely prepared for basic. So I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing. I ran my best 1.5 mile yesterday with a 13:56. I will need to knock down at least a minute off that by the time I get in. However, if I don't I'm right in the good range to where I will be able to pass the final test easily. Hopefully.

I'm still doing CrossFit. It is a kick in the pants and I love it. There are days I want to curl up in a fetal position and say "No more!" But I go again the next day. This has got to be a sign of some sort of mental illness to actually crave this kind of pain.

Kate, my sister, had a beautiful baby girl on March 16. Her name is Lundyn Taylor Chacon. She's a cutie patootie and I'm glad I will get to spend a few months with her before I go. I am sure I will post a few pictures of her on here. In fact, I might do a whole post dedicated just to her.

My novel is still coming along. It has taken a back burner to all the insane preparation for the Navy, but I still have it in the back of my mind all the time. I have been itching to write lately and I'm about 75% through the 2nd draft. After this, I am going to do some edits and I might have a class at the university rip it to shreds, and then I will try to get more serious about getting it published. The timing is just terrible. I will keep you all posted on how that goes. If you are on Facebook, you can "Like" my book's page here.

I will be dj'ing my third dance this weekend. It is, again, for my friends and all their kids who are taught at home. It is quite the experience and I've also been getting ready for that. I found a new way to express my love for music and that is by dj'ing.

Gigi is turning 5 in June! She got screened for kindergarten this week and scored a 53 out of 56 so she is very ready. I can't believe she's old enough for kindergarten! She's growing like a weed and stands up to my hips.

Morgan and Wyatt are also growing. They've matured just in the past few weeks since Lundyn was born. They are still active and a little unruly but boys will be boys. They turned 3 in January. 

It doesn't seem like it, but I have been really busy. Work and exercising and Navy and all that has sucked up all my time. In my spare time I'm hanging with family and friends, soaking it all in because I'm not sure when I will have any of these moments again in my life. There are days, still, that I wonder what I'm doing as far as the Navy goes, but I know this is what I want to do with my life. Something needed to change and the Lord provided this as a way for me to improve myself and the world around me. I'm excited for these great changes coming up in the next few months.

Revision Process

I'm getting so frustrated with this revision process! I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought the rough draft was an irritating process at times, but that was cakewalk compared to what I'm dealing with right now. It is nice, however, that I have a great little foundation for my book with a decent rough draft with some very usable and loveable scenes. I'm actually doing something that is slightly weird and combining two characters from the rough draft into one character. We will see if that works. If not, I guess it is back to square one. Personally, I think it is a good move and will make things a little more interesting and allow for more character development.

For some reason, a big frustration with this process has been that I cannot seem to get motivated to write! Probably because my mind is not used to having to go back and rewrite and revise. I've trained myself just to write and be done with it. I've never really been one to rewrite and revise. With a project this large I know it is necessary. My undergraduate education probably gave me some bad habits that way. I tend to write maybe a second draft and then I'm done. Or I just try and write it as perfectly as possible right from the get-go (another impossibility when writing a novel).

While it is grating on my nerves it is also interesting to see the story take shape and become more fully developed. I'm certain I will be satisfied with the story the more I work on it and it will become less of a chore as I keep working at it. I am currently rewriting the beginning (which was horrendous in the rough draft) and it is coming together nicely. This is like molding something into a beautiful masterpiece, but it is also like tying together a quilt and making things match nicely and seamlessly. Someday I will perfect my art, but for now I'm learning as I go. I don't understand how authors can write more than one book a year. Granted, they are all more learned and experienced than I, but it still blows my mind. Maybe I am biased, but I tend to think that, if you are spitting out books that fast, they can't be that great of writing. I'm still doing well with working on this novel for just a year. I'm hoping to start sending queries to agents and publishers by June. We shall see if this frustrating process takes on hyperspeed before then.

Until then, I guess I will just keep dealing with it. If you hear screams of frustration in the distance, you will know I am working on my book.

I'm Not Dead

Just so you all know...I'm still alive.

My bloggy-ness has been pretty stagnant lately, and I apologize for that. I love writing book reviews and that has been all I've had energy to devote to for my blog these days. But I will be better.

I guess here is an update on things in my life:

I'm reading an amazing book called Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It is such an interesting story. Just wait for the book review. I hope it keeps me enthralled like it has so far all the way through the book. Sad note: I found out it is slated to be part of a trilogy. OMG, people, I don't want to wait for more books to come out! Oh well. As a writer I can understand why they do it, but as a reader it irks me.

Speaking of books. Mine is...there. I tried to sit down last night to write and do some revising, but I couldn't get going. I'm really frustrated because I have some great ideas, and I've gotten great feedback from everyone who has read the rough draft. I guess I'm just not sure how to go about the changes. Where to begin? Oy. More to come on that later, and hopefully it will be good news.

I'm still working as a supervisor at Deseret Book. I really enjoy the different store and the people I work with. It is a much better situation for me than where I was previously. However, I am again on the hunt for a "big-kid job." I'm also considering *gasp* going back to school! Scary thought. If I do go back I want to go somewhere outside of Idaho. Sure it may be more expensive, but I want to experience something outside my comfort zone for awhile.

I'm still growing out my hair. Operation: Fabio is still in the works.

My best friend is getting married. I told him that the end of the world is nigh because we all thought it would be the end of the world before he got married. He didn't find that funny. But yeah. I will be his best man, and they are getting married in Oakland, California in August. A day after my birthday. Happy birthday to me. I'm really excited for both of them.

I'm planning a few trips besides California. I want to go to North Carolina to see my cousin and her cute little family sometime in June. Also, as "research" for my book I am hoping to go to Boston this year sometime. I'm thinking July-ish or May-ish or September-ish. I really don't know though. My book takes place in Boston and I've never been there, so I feel like I need to go get a feel for it and experience it myself to really know what I'm writing about. A little jaunt up to Portland, Maine would be nice. That would be a double whammy because the book I'm reading takes place there and there is a part in my book that occurs there as well. The pictures I've seen of it are absolutely gorgeous. Again it is all "research." These trips will help me fulfill one of my New Year's resolutions in which I travel to places I've never been before.

I'm still very single. I hate to go on a diatribe about that, so I will just say that I'm okay with it. I kind of have to be. But really. I am not really interested in anyone right now. Slightly depressing, but it's the truth.

Anyway, I need to shove off and go to work. I leave you with lyrics from a P!nk song entitled "I'm Not Dead."

I'm not dead just floating
Underneath the ink of my tattoo
In the belly of the beast we've turned into
Right behind the cigarette and the devilish smile
You're my crack of sunlight.

Manuscript

My manuscript has been e-mailed to a handful of my friends so I can get some good feedback from them. I cringe to think of some things they will say. Honesty, however, is the best policy especially when it comes to art. That being said it is also still very nerve wracking simply because it is like I am sending out a piece of myself with them. It is hard to separate myself from my writing because those are characters I spend lots of time with (arguably more time than with anyone else) and get to know better than most anyone else I know. And it is a story that I firmly believe in and that I treasure because it is full of potential.

I remember when my skin was not so thick when it came to critique. When I was younger (junior high to sophomore in high school) I had a friend who I shared art and stories with. We would trade fan fiction short stories and drawings of them along with notes. This friend became not only a really good friend but, in some ways, my art guru. I was learning and I was obsessed with getting better at the craft. Sometimes I would get notes from my friend that weren't the nicest. She is the type that tells it like it is and it was hard for me to stomach that at first. At the time I hated it, but now I appreciate it. She prepared me for the even tougher skin I would have to develop later on.

Once I got to college I tried to be an art major. One of my teachers ripped my pieces apart. I only had one art piece that he even remotely liked. All of the others he would tear down with words that stung. Art became not so fun anymore. It became drudgery and work. I didn't like that.

Writing, on the other hand, is a completely different story for me. I love getting hardcore critiques. Rip my stuff apart; I say BRING IT ON! The only way for my writing to get better is if people tell me what is not working for them as a reader. During my time as an undergrad I had to develop a separation, a thicker skin, when it came to my writing. Otherwise, I would go insane and be so depressed and down on myself for sucking it up. When it comes to writing I don't like the pacifist route. Hit me with your best shot. This thick skin I've developed can take it.

Befall

MY ROUGH DRAFT FOR BEFALL IS FINISHED!!!!!

That is right, friends. The biggest step is done. Now I just have to fine-tune everything and then start sending queries out to agents and publishers.

Where is 2010 Going?

Seriously. It's August?!?!

Where has the time gone? This question reminds me of that Snickers commercial where they ask where does your hunger go and they show a guy in...Iceland?...or somewhere that says "I just keep eating!" It cracks me up every time.

Speaking of commercials. I saw a funny Target one for back to school where there's a math teacher saying "Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah-blah-blah. Blah. Quadratic equation. Blah-blah. Blah." LOVE IT! That is how I feel about math.

Speaking of back to school. Where has the time gone?!?! Oh, I said that already.

So what am I doing with my life right now? The same old junk. Yeah. I wish my life were more exciting. I still work at a job I only tolerate now. Although I love SOME of the people I work with and will miss them on the blessed day I no longer work there. I am currently job-hunting like mad. I've had a couple interviews with no luck.

I'm working on Befall and am madly in love with the story. It's seriously flowing so well. It's already getting rave reviews from friends and family (not that those are terribly reliable because, hey, they'd say it was wonderful even if it wasn't but this time I think they're truthful).

Also, on a more personal note, things are changing for me. I won't go into details but I've had some of the lowest of my lows in the last 2.5 years and it seems that that is finally changing. All it took was a little initiative on my part and now I feel the best I've felt in a long time.

And, also, after 1.5 years of being under the radar at my ward, I have finally received a calling. I am a greeter which I never thought I'd be excited about, but I really am. It all goes with the whole "change" thing. My perspective on life and a lot of things is changing for the better. (I realize I'm being vague but I'm doing that to protect the innocent. ha!)

Finally...

I am currently a tv show fanatic. Glee, The Glades, The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, Leverage, Covert Affairs, White Collar....Yeah. Good thing for DVR!

But, seriously, what is with 2010 running on by like a freight train? Slow your roll, 2010, this is not a race.

Hiatus Done?

I've been re-reading my novel, trying to get back into writing at it. It's been a few weeks away from it. While I was re-reading I began to feel really down on myself because my writing could only be described as "merely mediocre." I've reassured myself and had some encouraging words from friends so I'm just going to keep going.

Well, I must say that epiphanies come in the least expected ways and places. I woke up, stumbled into the shower this morning, and, amidst the steam and hot water I had a jolt of an idea. So I'm taking this to mean that my hiatus is over with.

Write on! (ha! Notice the little play on words...I'm a dork...)

Working Title & Updates

I have a working title for the sequel to The Shepherd of the Damned....


THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER!


I even have a premise in my head. I'm planning on at least three books in the series to make it a cute little trio.

Just thought I would share.

Oh, just fyi (for the half-dozen that I know of that read this blog) I am going to collaborate with a friend of mine on making a site for my book because A) It's more profesh (as my friend called it) than a blog which was my other option, B) I'm excited to get the ball rolling on it, and C) I want to give my work some more exposure. I will keep ya'all posted on it. Once it is up and running this blog will be mainly for my rants and all the updates about my book(s) will be on there.

For those of you that have read my rough draft* you will probably be disappointed, but I'm going to tell you anyway...Eli McCarthy, the hunter, is not going to be in the first book.** There's just too much going on right now for me to add him in. And his story is far too complex for me to just throw him in just for the heck of it. So...he will be in the sequel for sure.

Update on the rewrite: I'm currently on Chapter Seven, sitting at approximately 21,000 words which translates into roughly 85 pages in a mass-market novel. I'm bound and determined to push through and get this thing done.

My goal for the completion of the rewrite is June 1, 2010. After that I'm going to do some polishing up, have some helpers edit the thing, and then I will work on sending it to publishers.

The end is near! Keep your fingers crossed, my friends!

*For those of you who have not read the rough draft, none of this paragraph will really make sense but that's ok. Right?

**Kelli, I know you wanted Eli and Waitress Kelli to run away together but that isn't going to happen...at least not in this book. However, it is still a possibility.