We're off to see the Wizard!

We’re off to see the Wizard

You must visit the website. It now has an awesome slideshow with character quotes... http://www.thejudgingnovel.com

Finally. I have gone through the MS one last time, covering all the issues that I felt the agent and I discussed at the writer’s conference, and I am satisfied that it is ready to be submitted. My next step?

Send it to the agency and see what happens. So while I wait to hear back, my next move is to investigate online POD companies. There are many people who want to read the book and are willing and wanting to buy it on demand if necessary. It would be really cool to have it printed up like a real book to hold in my hand, even before it is published by a Big House…

I have many resources to look at regarding this, and I will start Wednesday, God-willing. Tomorrow, I must paint. Alas, I am still making my living as an artist and I am thankful for the clients. So I must spend Tuesday in the Art Studio. But Wednesday…we’ll get this puppy prepared for the agent to review and go on from there. Thank you for hanging in there with me!

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN Jiggity Jig

Home from the 16th Harriette Austin Writer's Conference!

PHOTO is my daughter and I at the conference.

The entire event was a priceless time of learning, revelation, and networking with agents, editors, published authors, and folks just like me with an excellent novel that they want to see on the Bookstore shelf!

I will post an in depth report soon -- I'm still unpacking all that happened. But suffice to say that the literary agent that saw my MS liked it a lot, gave me some excellent advice on how to make it even better, and agreed to see the completed work. THIS IS HUGE!

God bless and TTFN!

love to you all

ellen

WHAT TO DO NOW? Countdown to Conference

This photo is my impression of what Paul Black looks like...

We will leave Thursday around 1pm to head to Athens, GA for the conference. I think I have everything printed out that I wanted to take with me. And I'll need to print a MapQuest map. So what do I do now?

Which WIP (work in progress) shall I work on in my writing time? I considered working toward completing RABBIT:CHASING BETH RIDER, but then decided against it. It is only 1/2 done and the sequel to THE JUDGING is already completed. It only needs WW (word whacking) and tweaking by my critiquing pal. So I will concentrate on DAMASCUS ROAD, which is Book Two.

You can go to http://www.thejudgingnovel.com/ to see the prologue for DAMASCUS ROAD. I'm happy with it. This prologue is actually the climax of THE JUDGING, but told entirely from Paul Black's (skewed) perspective. Unlike THE JUDGING scene that goes between the three other characters' POV, this prologue shows us what Paul thinks about all this 'God business'. It really sets up the book well, to show the reader where Paul's heart is regarding spiritual things. This is supremely important because at the end of DAMASCUS ROAD, he...wait a minute! I almost gave away the end. Naughty naughty!!

So wheeeeeeeee I go now to work on Book Two...

Boker tov! Have a great day!

THE JUDGING on Compact Disc

The latest edit of THE JUDGING is now on compact disc. I am very stoked about it for it looks very professional. I will purchase some jewel cases in case I end up sending these to anyone. For now, I have made it to take with me to the Writer's conference. Have a lookie...I am attaching a photo of the cool CD...

The ART of THE JUDGING

The Cover Art for this series was developed with a graphic artist who is talented and imaginative and also...my daughter. Elizabeth Little, a terrific writer in her own right, designed these covers using various Graphic Art Programs. I don't know all the technical mumbo-jumbo, but I know what the symbolism is. So let's begin there.

Warning:I might slip a little PLOT SPOILER in accidentally as I talk about the art, so forgive me. Amd don't let that stop you from reading the books!

THE JUDGING: Cathedral windows make me think of Gothic Horror tales, and my main character, Mark Corescu fits that description well enough. There is a terrible storm outside the windows with lightning and thunder, which represents the turmoil the character goes thru on his trek to the Truth. And there is the Light streaming in...we know who that is, always present, always lighting up the darkest places. Will Mark find that Light before it is too late? (hah! did not spoil it for you!)

DAMASCUS ROAD: One of the characters actually has a Damascus Road experience in the end. Here in the cover art is the road to Damascus, crooked, bleak and treacherous; a storm rages and threatens us at every turn, but we press on. So do the characters in this story who are seeking a path that will lead them to Salvation. The Horizon is flooded with Light to remind us that at the end of our journey, He is waiting for us to bring us home. I wonder which character will see Jesus face to face in this novel?

TREE OF LIFE: The characters are having a rough day in this Book Three. The tree is back-lit and ominous. It is difficult to tell if the tree is dead or simply resting the winter away. The Light fills the sky though to remind us that no matter what season it is, the Light of the World overcomes all.

ANATHEMA: The word means 'a curse for good or for bad', a hokey Greek concept that in English we use as a bad curse. This window to the open sky represents our narrow view of the Truth,. We look up into the sky but are limited by our understanding of God and His plan. Light pours through the center and helps us as much as possible, but below (as we see at the bottom of the art) the flames of sin are always present to light us on fire with lust and pain. In ANATHEMA, the characters seek God despearately--some will be successful, but others will fail and remain in the flames. (BTW-this window is the ceiling of the Guggenheim Museum in NYC from a photo I took on vacay).

I hope you have a wonderful night and sweet dreams!

laila tov and blessings!

THE JUDGING website was created today!

Oh my. My sister Marty designed the website today for THE CORESCU CHRONICLES and it looks fantastic. She and I worked steadily for several hours today to get it ready for the public. I would still like to make a few small changes here and there in the text areas, but basically, it is ready to go. www.thejudgingnovel.com God-willing, I would like to make a blog entry next regarding the ART OF THE CORESCU CHRONICLES. I worked closely with a super graphic artist to create symbolically special artwork for the bookcovers. Look for that later this week. Shavua Tov! Have a good week!

Video uploaded: THE HISTORY OF THE JUDGING

I made a short video, less than 2 minutes, of how THE JUDGING came into being. I had a dream in January 2004 and woke at 2:15, the story burning my memory. But, I went back to sleep anyway. The very next morning, I woke at 2:15 with the same story/dream in my mind, so being a servant of the Most High, I jogged into the art studio to write down the dream in case He was trying to tell me something... And it developed from there. I jotted down 13 pages in ink, 4 scenes and it grew into a complete novel. I read that original dream today, and amazingly, a lot is the same; but also quite a lot is different. I can see why it wook 5 years to get to this point. I needed to know the Lord better and I have spent all my time since then growing closer to Him. I can understand these elements a lot better in context with sin, lust and supernatural things and how they relate to the life of a Believer. Praise Adonai that He caused me to have to wait! So enjoy the video. Enjoy my country accent. And enjoy the white cat who tries to horn in on my camera time. PS: I mispronounced my critique-friend's name, she is Suzanne Hartmann, and she is on my favorites if you want to see her blog!

RECONCILING VAMPIRES: God abhors the drinking of blood

That is actually the main underlying theme of the series. The secular world is eating up the vampire lore, but rarely do they touch on the biblical world view when it comes to vampires and their ilk. In THE JUDGING, the reader knows Mark Corescu as a 200-yr old vampire who sucks blood for sustenance. But the deeper meaning, that is not obvious but woven throughout the book with the aid of the God-fearing character Tony Agricola, is that in THE JUDGING, vampirism is a demonic manifestation that transforms the protagonist into the likeness of a vampire. As soon as the vampire realizes that he is outside the will of God, he must choose (like all of us once we realize that we have been duped by the devil) whether to give up his earthly reign as god on earth and choose to be a servant of the Most High God, or remain as he is and be doomed for eternity. The similies and parables abound-- we do not drink blood, but we sin. We build earthly treasures by the heaping moundfuls, but will we choose God over these material things and earthly power? THE JUDGING is entertaining to anyone who loves a vampire yarn, but because it is written by a Believer, it carries an underlying Truth: only God saves. And God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

FLASH-FANTASY jogging authors

Boker tov! I walked 3 miles with my husband again, and had a flash-fantasy that in 1 years time, he and I could be jogging the path as published writers...it could happen! If the timing suits Adonai. I know we are close to His return (which I desire more than anything), but until He comes, my job is to work for the Kingdom. So!

Today we will bind up the BOOK DUMMY (see last post!) at Kinko's. As I printed it out, I found even MORE type-o's. ARGH. I suppose I will always find them all the way until it goes to the publisher. It is sitting at 112,991 words and I am planning to take it with me out of town this weekend (a family reuinion) and re-read it, making myself little corrections along the way. I have been editing and re-editing this book for years, so I ought to be getting close!

I wrote a hook for Book Two: DAMASCUS ROAD and I'll insert it here. I wrote it to give readers hope, for once they've read THE JUDGING, they will feel sorry it is over. Here is the hook:

BOOK TWO: DAMASCUS ROAD Tony Agricola is on a mission: pursue and attempt to redeem the newly-turned and quite ravenous vampire Paul Black. But how do you subdue a creature a hundred times stronger than you or save one who is more than determined to remain as he is? With the help of new friend and part-time preacher Big John Jenkins, Tony is able to convince Paul to concentrate his bloodlust on the two of them alone, leaving the rest of the population safe from his deadly kiss. But at what cost? Behaving is not one of Paul’s strong points. In danger at every turn of the vampire’s whimsy, and dodging two indomitable police detectives on their trail, Tony valiantly drags Paul to Germany to confront his master, Doctor Mark Corescu who fled there to hide away from humanity. Before the dust settles, Hope Brannen, madly in love with the doctor, arrives and puts her fists in the fight. Vacillating between the desire to be good and the lust for blood, Mark, Paul and Tony wrestle to the end, making the final result anybody’s game.

Now let's go write~~!!

ahava b'shem yeshua adonai (love in the name of the Lord Jesus)

PRINT THAT PUPPY! the book dummy

I like the sound of that--BOOK DUMMY. In the field of Children's writing and illustrating, you make up a BOOK DUMMY to show the agent or editor. It will have the art in it and the words too, and look a lot like what you think the finished product should look like. I don't think making a BOOK DUMMY is what is called for in writing fiction for adults...but I'm doing it anyway.

I take my manuscript and print it out all nice, you know, in normal ink, a good 12-pt Times New Roman, single-spaced, with the Chapters always beginning on the right. And I include tha cover-art in the front, my CAST OC CHARACTERS with photos of them (I pore through the internet and pick out faces that look like I want for each character), and my Bio in the very back with upcoming novels in the works.

I added a photo of my CAST OF CHARACTERS and there are a couple of known faces I used to inspire me, and a few unknown ones. Frankly, I chose them for their EYES. When I write, I often look at these EYES that I have chosen and I am inspired by them. weird.

So today I am printing out the nanuscript of THE JUDGING. It is about 220 pages, which will be mostly front and back, and then I will take it, along with the artwork and other stuff to Kinkos and have up to 3 DUMMIES made. I need one to keep, and I have friends who will read it and give me their opinion of it.

So off I go. I purchased lots of ink and paper...and I hope you have a blessed day-BOKER TOV!