Top 5 Things that Kept Us Alive in 2009

Top 5 Things that Kept Us Alive in 2009


We should personally start off with a huge “Thanks” to everyone following our blog. When we started this, we never dreamed to have anything close to 19 followers. Yes, we know that doesn’t measure up to others who have fifty, one hundred, and even two hundred followers, but in a place where we only post Teaser Tuesdays, we think that 19 followers might just be too much. Seriously, we feel so horrible for having that much followers and nothing to post at all. But thank you so much to all of you. This is why our BLOGGER FOLLOWERS are runner ups to the TOP FIVE. If we hadn’t joined the blogging community, we wouldn’t have been able to procrastinate as much as we did in 2009.

So on to the list. It means so much to us that we do this, because we wouldn’t be able to sleep if we didn’t.

5. Glacialis and Our Characters

There’s always that time of day at school when we just want to drop to the floor and die. Oh, and there’s also that time when we just want to shut out completely out of this world. Not to mention all the times where we thought we weren’t good enough for anything. But all of you, our characters, the setting, and the plot itself, had brought us to the realization that you’re all alive inside of us, and even though it felt like you left sometimes, that you’ve always been with us. Special thanks to Mary and her voice, who never gave up trying to get her story out there. We’ve quit on you many times, but you fought to grasp our attention every time we ventured off. The first draft sucked, yes. The second draft was much better, and we even had feedback from some great people about it. But with those voices constantly nagging us to be better, the third draft shall be epic. The least we could do for our story and our characters is to get their message out there. And with them constantly pushing us, we think we just might.

4. Books and Authors

Fahrenheit 451 is just about the scariest book we’d ever read. What kind of society keeps people from gaining knowledge through books. We’re the kind of people who dislike book abusers. We treat books like a mother would treat a baby, like seriously. Anyways, the point is, books should not be hated, but thanked for. Thank you to all the books that served as our writing bibles, pointed us in the direction of what people actually want to read, and entertained us for the most part. We don't have second thoughts when we buy books like we do when we shop for clothes and other things. That’s obviously a sign of dedication. We know we’ve read at least one hundred this year, but if we list them all, no one will end up finishing this post :P. So here’s a few: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (for the steamy romance of Grace and Sam), Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (for igniting our love for bad boys), Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (for scaring the crap out of us with description of high school), Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia (for turning the tables and having a boy narrate a paranormal romance), Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (for introducing something new to the market), Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (just for existing), Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (for making us cry), Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (for making me [Serena] not pay attention in class to read it, and Selena do the same thing). Now, it’s safe to say that the novels we betaed for are real books. So here it goes: 365 Days Until I Disappear by Elizabeth Page (it’s self-explanatory if you read it), The Illuminated (or Luminous. Although Sarah Harian’s done another draft of it, we still loved this one), The Infernal Family by Parametric/ Eleanor (for having lots of action and demons) and Evangeline by Teresa Kirkland (for having so many magical elements. I’m almost done reading it! Sorry for taking so long!)
So there.

3. AW and Everyone on There

We can’t even try to imagine our year without AbsoluteWrite. When we found the site in August, we knew great things would come from there. And guess what? Great things have. We could ramble on and on about the greatness of this site, but that would be too long. Everyone has given us a chance to grow, not only out of our old shell and into a new one, but also grow into the community. Even if we barely posted, we feel welcomed every time we did. To us, all of you are family. We’d like to thank (and in no order): Karla, Emilia, Amna, Maddi-Rose, Lily, Jamie B, Choco, Becca, Laurie, J.S. Wood, paranormalchick, Sumayyah, Krista, Vero, Tere K., Deniz Kuypers, Kaitlin, Houndrat, Raven, Katiemac (for the amazing query advice), Rebecca S. (for the Hush, Hush fansite!), Corrine Jackson, Amanda, Laura, Sarah Harian, Stephanie, Lia, Parametric, Kody (for writing THE DUFF and making me want to read it), half.jaded, and especially to Liz for wanting to listen to thirteen-year-olds ramble about plotpoints, revision ideas, and crazy characters, not to mention for letting us read her beautiful, heart-breaking story. We love you all. So sorry if we didn’t mention you. Our mind is cloudy with many things right now. But please, note that everyone on AbsoluteWrite deserves to be mentioned here.

2. Our Parents, Gramma, and Each Other

Even though they’re the people that sometimes makes us want to be dead, they’re also the people who kept us alive. And not just literally by feeding us or supplying a roof over our heads, but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We’re a crazy bunch,and we think that’s why we manage to survive living together. We constantly remind them that we love them, even if it isn’t by words. If our book gets published, the dedication would be to them. Also, we survived using each other as support. Without my sister, Selena, I would’ve quit Glacialis a long time ago, and without me in her life, she said she would be getting in and out of trouble quite a lot.

1. God

The most influential force of all. God’s been with us from the start, and God’s been here ever since. It doesn’t matter what religion or belief other people have, there is something bigger than us, bigger than this world, bigger than the universe, even, out there somewhere. And whatever that force is, it’s kept us alive literally and metaphorically. So thank you, God.


This post says it all. Understand that these words are only words, and that there’s so much more to say inside of our heads. We thought 2008 was The Year, but we were wrong. 2009 topped 2008 by a landslide. Let’s keep it this way for 2010, shall we? We respectively predict that 2010 will be more explosive (in a good way), and much more ALIVE.

Happy New Years, Everyone!!!

Teaser Tuesday

Hey guys! We are so sorry we haven't posted anything other than teasers. We are trying our best to create an exciting schedule for our blog, but we've been so busy wthe rewrites. Speaking of, they are going well. We are so happy of how things are turning out, so wish us luck that things keep goin this way. P.S. Happy holidays to you all and we are sorry we didn't wish you guys his sooner. Anyways on to the teaser. In this one, after starting some trouble with her "friends" at Faust's house, clumsy Mary gets hurt and has no choice but to turn to Faust for help. Enjoy!!!




"What's that for?" I asked, even though the answer was clearly in the air.

Faust set it down on the island next to my fingertips, along with a lean glass bottle of clear liquid called "Vodka", and white stretchy-looking cloth. 

Faust made it clear that although he was planning to assist me on cleaning up my scrapes, talking was not a part of the process. Instead, he literally made me jump by making it seem as if he were about to graze my thigh. Both his hands landed on either side of my body, and with that barely-there accent, he said, "We have two choices here. One of them rational, the other just plain stupid."

I didn't catch where he was going. "What do you mean? What choices?"

Slowly, his eyes trailed down towards my blood-soaked blue jeans. The one Mom'd purchased from out of town, in other words, the really expensive ones. 

"If you're smart, you'd probably want to take these off," he said, barely tapping on the surface of my jeans. My face twitched, but those were the only muscles I could move. "If you're stupid, you'd probably just want to roll them up, which'll cause quite more damage on those gashes. Judging from your terrified face, I don't really have to ask, do I?"

I remained quiet. Not because I was scared or anything. Mostly because I was amazed at his jerkish persona. But then again, this was Dillon's brother. Maybe they shared the same gene when it came to disrespecting people.

His face didn't change. "Roll them up." 

Teaser Tuesday :D

While the story is out to betas, we decided to edit some of it. Our brilliant beta Liz Page has helped us with good revision ideas. We're planning to do major editing, so my betas, please, if you WANT to drop the project all together, do so. Unless you want to help us out with the big picture stuff, of course. Anyways, this is part of the first rough line of the first revised chapter. The story now, is not only completely different, but we think, more elaborately developed. Guess sixth time is the charm :P

Thanks for reading guys!

Please tell us if it's too cheesy!

Teaser Tuesday

Hi guys! Teaser Tuesday again! We didn't have time last week, so we didn't post anything. Great teasers on everyone's behalf, nonetheless!

So basically, this is what's going on: MC Mary just got in a fight with her parents over ________ and she sought for a friend, specifically Faust. But like everyone else, Faust shuns Mary.

Here's the teaser!


Thanks for reading, guys!

Literary Crushes: RTW

We've decided to participate, because one: we love literary boys(and girls, lol), and two: everyone seems to be doing it :D

Since we have more than one, we'll make a list.

1) Sodapop Curtis - The Outsiders


And not just because Rob Lowe plays him in the movie. S.E. Hinton
made him so likable that in the end, we really don't care if he's a dropout.

2) Ray Singh - The Lovely Bones

Ray, Ray, Ray. How can we ever forget your adorable timidness :D

3)Jacob Black - Twilight Saga


Jacob Black is not cute, but hot, not only in the movie,
but also the book. Plus, he's protective. And a wolf. *Squee*

4)Dallas Winston - The Outsiders

Dallas Winston is bad-a**. Greasers 4 the win.

5)Sam Roth - Shiver


We wish someone like him would show up shot and bloody on our doorstep :D
And he fits perfectly because we're obsessed with wolves.

6)Nora Grey - Hush, Hush


*sigh* Sorry Patch. Nora gets this one.

7)Nick - Demon's Lexicon


Oh, come on now. He has a sword! A sword! That's pretty self-explanatory.

8)Ethan Wate - Beautiful Creatures


It never goes wrong with a Southern boy that has a big heart.

9)Cabel - Wake Series, but especially in Fade


Cabel *sigh*

10)James - A Certain Slant of Light


He is so real we have a place for him inside our hearts. Kind. Gentle.
Lovely.

Not a great post, but at least we participated!

Calling All Betas :D

Ok, so we've been waiting for this day for a very long time. The day that we're actually going to send our baby (in its whole) to actual writers/readers. To be honest, we're kind of nervous about this. But to succeed, we feel this is relevant.

So if you're interested in beta-ing Glacialis (complete at 95,000 words), please post your emails on the comments :D We'll send it to you in no time with what we're looking for in a beta :D

Thank you so much.

New Website :P

Click Here

Titles That Fit

Titles. They're essential to your book(duh). But what happens when you don't have one.

Sigh. We're in that kind of situation right now. When I first started out writing Sixth Circle, it was a very different story from what it is now. The MC was bland, and so were the other characters. The setting was horrible. The plot--even more horrifying. But that's not the point. The point is, the title "Sixth Circle" actually fit into that story.

And then, we made a drastic move to rewrite the whole thing. Third -person narrative became first person narrative. Our MC Mary suddenly has a past. And there's a lot more going on, but with less words (Sixth CircleBook used to be 130,000 words, and now it's 95,000 words). But the thing is, the words "Sixth Circle" is only mentioned once. Once, out of all 95,000 words. And it doesn't hold a very big meaning like the previous draft.

We're basically stuck on the premise of changing the title, but we have no idea what to change it to. We decided on Glacialis, which is Latin for "frozen" because it has been mentioned in a very big part of the story, but while sleeping, part of me was just dying. Apparently, my sister and I have grown too attached to the title we have. Have any of you had this problem? I mean, I know that a title doesn't make the book (or does it?), but I'm seriously stressing this right now. I'm sure if "Twilight" was called something like "Vampires Love Too" people wouldn't pay much attention to it as much.

So, the final question, how do you pick out your titles, and if you can't, what do you do? Or should we just use the original title?

Should I use title generators? LOL.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There's so much we're thankful for, but we can't post everything on here. So here's the top ten things we're one thousand percent thankful for :D

P.S. They're not in order :D

1)Our mother - because she brought us to this world and has been nothing but supportive since that time.

2) Each other - we're not just writing buddies; we're also sisters. Without each other, life would be lonely.

3) Books - without books, life would not only be dull, but it would also be harder to gain knowledge.

4) Education - again, the knowledge thing. Without knowledge, what is the human race, really?

5) Our characters - they changed our lives for the better. We'll never forget the day they popped their ways into our heads.

6) Everyone on AW - We've never met (well, technically not met, but yeah) people who were so helpful and supporting on our writing. Everyone in QLH is fabulous with whipping queries into shape :D

7) Music - Imagine a world where music isn't available. We think music is so common that we all take it for-granted. Thank you to all kinds of musicians for creating such inspirational words for very catchy tunes.

8)Writing - without writing, we'd probably get into lots of trouble, like the rest of our friends.

9) God - We don't think this is necessary to explain :P

10) Regene, our best friend - for actually listening to our story :D

Again, there's a million more, but it would be a very long post :D

Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your turkeys, pies, and etc!

Teaser Tuesday

Hey guys! It's Teaser Tuesday again! This is a scene kind of nearing the end. It's kind of long, so...

P.S. We're looking for betas after Thanksgiving. So if you're interested, we'll have a post next week asking for your emails :D Thank you for reading guys--you have no idea how much support we have received from your comments!


Thanks for reading :D

UPDATE!!!

Yay! We've never been so excited to edit. The editing process of Sixth Circle is going smoothly. After printing out more than three hundred pages of paper, we set to work. By work, of course reading and editing grammar mistakes and simple things that would alter the direction of the story like the inconsistencies of a character's dialogues and feelings or the lack of chemistry between the two main characters. Thank GOD, we're sisters and we have each other's help.

So while Selena reads and edits ten chapters a day, Serena does the chapter rewrites on the weak chapters. And so, now, we are twenty chapters in the editing and we have thirteen chapters to go.

Reading your own work can definitely be a challenge, though.

Well, hasta luego mis amigos. Tengo laborar!

TEASER :D

Hey guys! Another beautiful Tuesday!!! First off, we would just like to say that the rewrite for Sixth Circle is finished! Yay!!! At exactly 10:19 PM on Sunday, the last word of the rewrite was written.

Anyways, this is a bit from the beginning of the story--Chapter 3, to be exact. Strathill(MC's School) has just won a football game and the opposing team's quarterback is stirring some trouble :D

Enjoy...


Teaser was here :D

Setting: Sixth Circle

Hey guys, whoever reads this. We know we have only been posting teasers, so we want to try something new.

One of the most important parts of a story is setting. Setting affects the mood and tone of the story. For example, I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Would you think it would be as scary if the story was set in sunny Southern California? Setting means time, place, and customs too. For example, Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Would some of the main topics in the story be viewed the same if the story was set in 2009? Your answer would be know, I'm guessing, since, well, the customs have pretty much changed from since then.

Setting is essential to a good book. And if the setting and the plot ties together--which they usually do--I call that a good book.

So to tie things up with our current WIP, we are posting pictures of the settings in Sixth Circle. :D

Here it is:

This is the town of Goldwater. Small but filled with so many secrets.



Welcome to Strathill. A community, a school, and a dangerous place to be.



There is something off about Brystol Lake...



Woodsworth Pines. Nothing but woods and...something completely frightening.




Sparrow Claw. The highest point in Goldwater. Wanna know why its called what its called? Because only the Sparrows get away alive. Careful, don't trip.

Teaser Tuesday

Ok, so posting the Teaser a little later than usual :P Anywho, this scene is pretty short (we think) and basically, Mary is about to be in real big trouble. Enjoy and thanks for reading!


Thanks for reading, guys!

Teaser Tuesday

Hey guys, another tuesday with another teaser. This week's scene involves Faust and Mary standing on the school's roof. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, guys :D

Teaser

Hey, guys, here goes another teaser. It's kind of rough but the scene is when Mary has some difficulties with her vicious little brother. :D

P.S. We'll try to read and comment all your teasers.

Here it goes:



Thanks for reading :D

New Sixth Circle Trailer :D

Being bored can make you do very productive things :D

Updates and Movies

Hey guys, how was your weekend?

Ours was great! We hit 69K last night and we are so excited. Sixth Circle is close to being done. Hopefully, it will be finished by Thanksgiving break and things will go from there.

So that's the update on Sixth Circle.

Now its time to talk about movies!!!

Paranormal Activity. Don't watch it alone. It will scare you to death. It was very interesting and new. It was a great movie and you wouldn't believe its budget was only 15,000 dollars. Its worth the watch.

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Okay, so, again, our post is a teaser tuesday. This scene was just written, so it hasn't been edited thoroughly. Ok, so Mary visits Dillon's house, and she's beginning to regret it. Maybe she shouldn't snoop around people's business...(Oh, yeah, it's pretty long)

P.S. We'll try and comment on everyone's teasers today!



Thanks you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Gosh, we've been noticing that the only thing we post is teaser tuesday :P We'll find soemthing creative soon, promise!!!

Anyways, this is a scene written just this weekend, so it's a little rough. Basically, Mary wakes up in her room and she finds something a little off. Okay, maybe a lot.



Thank you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Thank you for reading :D

Updates and Tips

Okay, so we're on the halfway mark to finishing the rewrite! Last night, we finished off part one with 9k words! By the end of our shift, we were so tired we forgot to shut down our computers and left them to overheat, lol. Anyways, just wanted to share the glorious news, if anyone cared.

Also, me and my sister found a very good way to fix little plot problems and or build a stronger, more sturdy plot. Now, we know it sounds bizarre, but we came across this brilliant idea to read reviews of books that match the genre you're writing. We don't know if anyone does this, or if it helps anyone at all, but my sister and I would just sit down and read book reviews on books that match our genre. If there's a bad review of the book, and there's a same weakness in our story, we would go back and try to emphasize anything we missed or take out all the unnecessarry baggage. If it's a good review of the book, we would keep our eyes out for more of those or this or that. DOes that make sense? We hope it does, because it helps us a lot, and it would be selfish not to share this discovery(if it is a discovery, even).

Anyways, have a good rest of the day. Write, write, write, and good luck to all!

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Okay, so this teaser's kind of long. Mary is in the bathroom when she suddenly witnesses something happen...





Thank you for reading :D

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Okay, so this scene is after a foot ball game and Mary is trying to go to the bathroom when she hears something. And for all our readers who are wondering "where is this Faust?", He's finally here!!!! Enjoy.





I increased my speed, trying to catch the noise before it disappeared. As I approached a corner two visible figures came into view. I almost ran into their little spectacle before shielding myself behind a locker, shocked to see the unnerving sight. In front of me, two young men looked as if they were having some trouble with each other. Figure number one, tall and lean, had figure number two, tall but stocky, by the collar, slammed against the locker. I assumed that the slamming had caused the loud bang I'd heard just seconds ago. Now, I felt somewhat unprotected. Great, just great.

Although my savagely beating heart begged me to leave, my curiosity prompted me to stay. I could barely distinguish their conversation, so I leaned forward, interested in their discussion.

I was more than surprised when figure number one spoke, his voice indubitably familiar and spine-chilling. "What did I say about keeping your mouth shut?" Faust demanded. He tugged figure number two's collar hard before banging him against the metal lockers once more.

I didn't have to listen closely to figure out who figure number two was. It was obvious--Rolan. "I swear, I won't do it again," Rolan said in a frightened tone. What did Rolan do to deserve this? I doubted that it was something about the football field tonight, because in my eyes, Rolan did nothing but lose. "Please, just don't hurt me."

I caught a glimpse of Faust's silver eyes. In the dark, they stood out like diamonds, only they weren't happy-making to look at--they were terrifying. "I won't do it again," Faust mimicked. His mocking tone changed abruptly. "There are no second chances, you worthless donkey. Are you aware of what I'm capable of?"

What was Faust capable of? Whatever Faust was planning to do to Rolan, I didn't want to see. "Dude, please--I'll do anything. I'll keep my mouth shut, I--I'll be your slave, just please, don't hurt--"

Rolan's incoherent babbling ceased and was replaced by a terrifying shriek. I had no clue of what happened until the shrieking stopped. My breath tangled with my throat as I struggled to step back. Oh my God. What did Faust do to make Rolan let out that blood-curdling scream? Choke him? Slap him? Stab him?

The thought almost made me throw up. I needed to get out of here. Now. I stumbled on my own feet and fell onto the solid cold ground. I found my eyes lingering behind me, wondering what would happen if Faust showed up with a bloody knife in his hand. The thought forced me to get up, and not walk, but run.

I told myself that I was crazy. That I was brain damaged and that there was no way that Faust, as strange and terrifying as he acted, was a killer. A murderer. It was a big step to take. I tried to control my breathing, but I failed. It raised a bar every few seconds, and as a corner neared and neared, I had the urge to look back. My ears perked up for any possible sounds--I was hoping another scream, to assure me that Rolan was alright and not, you know…hurt. But nothing came. Just an icy silence that left my heart beating faster.

My feet started shuffling when I could no longer hold the impulse to turn around. I looked over my shoulder, only to discover a skeletal hallway behind me. No Faust. No Rolan. Not a single breathing life form. I sucked my breath in, ready for one huge relieving sigh when I bumped into something hard.

Someone.

My jaw dropped open when a set of silver eyes narrowed on me. I found myself choking for air. I couldn't even contemplate how he'd made it from one end of the school to another so fast. Especially when I was running away from him. He'd have to pass me to be able to be in front of me. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks. Either he did pass me, or I was just passed out in one of my hallucinations.

I realized immediately that he was much taller than me. A giant. Faust. Possibly about to repeat what he did to Rolan to me. I tried to search for words, but it was as if my mouth was sealed shut. I could hear my heart beat inside my brain, and I knew that something horrible was going to happen. Maybe now, I'd be dead for good.
We stood in silence face to face, his eyes slicing through air and through me without mercy. Whatever he did to Rolan, there was no mercy to it, so he probably wasn't worrying at all with me.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but his mouth opened first. This was the first time he talked to me in all my life--at least, that was what I understood. "Lost?" he said, but I knew better than to answer. I wished that we'd be able to talk under different circumstances, but that's another thing I learned from wishing--ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, they never come true.

I tried to gulp, but I realized that all the liquid in my body was sucked out. What was I supposed to tell him? I kind of saw you hurt someone. No, really, I did. He was screaming. I'd have to be stupid to say that. I bit my lip, mustering up some personable words. "Look, whatever happened over there, it's none of my business, really…" my voice trailed off when I realized my tone was rude. I tried again. "I was just leaving."

He tilted his head creepily and ignored my comment. "It's dark in here. You shouldn't be wandering around alone." Somehow, I knew the statement was not made out of concern.

I couldn't think straight with those silver eyes cutting my vision. "I--I--"

"Don't you think it's rude to pass by without saying hello?" he said, cutting me off, and instead of feeling disrespected, I was grateful. "Don't you like to talk, Mary?"

I stepped back. "How'd you know my name?"

For the first time, I saw emotion in his eyes, a mischievous smile played on his lips. "Don't give me that," he said, and I was more than surprised when he lifted my chin with his left hand, as if he were checking my face. "Everyone knows who you are."

Character Profile: Dillon Forbes

Okay, we haven't done character profiles in a while, and I'm bore sooo...here's Dillon, my favorite character at the moment from Sixth Circle.





Full Name: Dillon Forbes

Age: 17

Height: 6'1

Weight: Between 160-170

Appearance: Sparkling, genuine green eyes. Easy smile, sandy hair. Tall and fit.

Personality: Nice yet creepy. Mysterious yet open. Kind yet sinister. Gentle yet aggressive. Reluctant, protective, caring.

Friendships: Mary is his priority. He's always trying to protect her one way or another, whether its taking her home or keeping her away from some people. (Some friendships are still at work. Dillon's a bit of a loner, soo....)


Family: His mother Selene is the only one he considers family. His father and his brother are still in development :D.

Favorite Subject in School: History

Likes/Loves: The Lake and his mother.

Hates: Faust.

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

Okay, another one from sixth circle. If you read the second teaser, you'll kind of get it. This scene is with Mary and Craig after he tells her to meet him by the water fountain. Enjoy!!! :D


I swerved into a corner before I almost hit a familiar face. "Craig," I said his name softly. I found him, and although I thought that it would be uncomfortable, it was strangely comforting to have him inches away from my face. "You wanted to see me?"
He grabbed my arm lightly and pulled me away from the busy hallway crowd towards a less crowded area near the lockers. "I need to ask you something," he said, but his voice was serious. The smile on my face dropped. I hoped that he wasn't going to lecture me about the other night.

"Craig--about last week--" I started, but before I was able to finish, he cut me off.

"This isn't about us," he had a type venom in his tone that made me jump.

"What's it about then?" I questioned, disappointment reaching out for me. He let go of my arm and my eyes followed his hand.

"The school's being divided," he told me. I frowned, not quite understanding. "I need to know whose side you're on."

"Divided? What do you mean?" I've never heard of the term intertwine with school before. Was the school being separated from the district?

He crossed his arms. "You're either on Faust's side or the people's side." Faust's side? The People's side? I was growing befuddled by the second. Why did I have to choose? He must've gotten my confused drift. "Everyone's picking sides, Mary. Most of them believe him."

I was starting to understand. "Is it because of Daisy?"

He nodded. I cleared my throat. The school was being divided because of Daisy? I understood her importance to the school, but was it really necessary? "Why?" I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Because most of us are tired of him. He doesn’t belong here, but yet, he's still here."

I didn't know what caused my brain to do something foolish, but when it happened, I didn't stop myself. I raised both hands towards his face, his skin hot under my touch, and I pulled him in. I managed to only graze his lips slightly before letting go. But I didn't apologize for my actions. I let him know I was sorry enough. "I'm with you one hundred percent, Craig."

Surprisingly, his body started to shake and his face turned somewhat saddened. Before I knew it, he pulled my palms off of his face and let them drop lifelessly to my side. I frowned once more, feeling the side of my head ache. "Craig…" I started, but I couldn't finish. I thought that this was what he wanted.

"Mary, you don't understand," he said, his voice small. I gulped, not ready for what he was going to say next. "I need time to get over you."

Updates!!!

Okay, so everything is going well. We got into our new schedule for school, which is fairly simple. Write at least two chapters every weekend and edit them during the week. The rewrite is going very, and we mean, very well--not the way we had expected. It's now around 18k,and we plan on writing more tonight! Yay!

In other news, I'm beta reading for the first time and man, am I excited! Already started reading a beautiful piece by this amazing writer right here It's so exciting!!! (I hope she doesn't think I'm creepy for saying that, LOL)

Anyways, just wanted to post something. Have a great weekend everyone--I know I am!!

Hush, Hush has a fansite

Don't forget to check it out here

Teaser Tuesday!!!!

So this is another Teaser Tuesday from SIXTH CIRCLE.
In this snippet, MC Mary is at Craig's party with her best friend Megan, where she sees Faust, the handsome and mysterious guy she doesn't really remember because of her coma. (Hint: read Teaser Tuesday #1). Hope you guys like.


Standing there, Daisy and Faust, very close to each other. I didn't expect him to have human contact at such great heights. All this time I've seen him, he'd always been quiet, and yet, he had some kind of charisma that captured people's attention. Maybe it was because his silver eyes--which by the way had to be contacts, right? And I found it rather unsatisfactory that he has yet spoken to me. I mean--all I want to talk to him about is Noah.


Bianca stuck her index finger in her mouth, making a face. "Apparently, so."

"Why would he want her?" asked Megan.

Did that question really require an answer?

"Why wouldn't he want her?" I asked, sounding somewhat defensive, "She's pretty," I toned down my aggressive tone.

The loud music continued to hum in my ears as the song changed into a slower tune. Bianca shot a glare at me. "Honey, Faust Diabolus doesn't just choose any girl," her lips curled with her words, "Amanda Fife; beautiful, smart, accepted into Princeton with early admissions. Rejected. Catherine Siegel; even more beautiful, senior, and the star of the swim team. Rejected. Daisy Constantine; captain of the cheerleader zombies, b-student, and school's resident slut. Accepted?" she waited for an answer, and when I didn't provide one, she continued. "No. I don't think so. There's definitely something up."

I took in all the negativity she was putting on Daisy, who to me looked like a very good girl. Daisy and Faust were by a huge glass door, over-looking the back yard, and probably if I had the chance to look further, the lake would lie not too far.

With a flirtatious smile, Daisy slid the door open. I couldn't see too well, but besides Daisy's smirk, I could make out Faust's expressionless face. She exited the door and he followed, closing the door quietly. There was a significant-sized gap he didn’t close off. Didn't they want some privacy, whatever they were doing?

"Where are they going?" I asked, concern flowing swiftly in my voice.

"I don't know," Bianca replied, "And most importantly, I don't care. “Have you seen the cute DJ?"

"Mary," I rolled my eyes. Not again. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you. Get out of here."

"Craig," Megan scolded. "Just fuck off, will you?" The curse word singed my ears. I had to get used to this. Dear God help me.

He ignored Megan. "Mary, let me take you home."

"Stop telling me what to do," I rebuked. I was ticked off with his attitude. You weren't supposed to shoo guests from a party without a decent explanation.

"Mary, cut the bullshit, I'm taking you home," Maybe I had gone too far.

Out of nowhere: "Hey." It was Brody, the boy with the handsome shark face. But before the conversation took off, something caught all our attention. Before Craig could order me to leave and before Megan could tell Brody off, something caused us to stop and listen. Made us listen.

I had to make sure that I'd heard it for real before bringing it upon my peers.

The sound rattled through my ear canals once again. The sound was real. "Did you guys hear that?" Megan asked before I did, in a way, saving my troubles.
No one answered. We just listened. Brody ran to the DJ, commanding him to silence the music for just a second. The music died down. There were no peculiar sounds except the crying of crickets and the calling of frogs.

But suddenly, something woke me up. A scream. An ear-splitting, bone-crunching scream that almost made me paralyzed. I couldn't explain the feeling I had. The feeling of knowing that something had gone horribly wrong.

"It's coming from the backyard."

Updates!!!!!

The revision process for SIXTH CIRCLE is going really well. We're basically rewriting the whole book, changing some plot sequences and adding more character development. We're not close to the finish line, but it's been really fun doing the rewrite. It always makes us giddy.

Other than that, we just purchased tons of books, two of them we are currently reading (The Hollow by Jessica Verday, and Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri). Pretty cool.

School, school, school. Serena just became editor-in-chief for the school newspaper and we're really happy about that. My theme for the school yearbook might just win all votes, so I'm happy about that. But under all that happy news is homework, homework, homework. Which equals to less writing time. Boo hoo. But we're going to take it slow and steady. Because slow and steady wins the race. Yay!

So that's pretty much it for our updates. :)

Sixth Circle Trailer

We tried...

Character Profile - Faust (Diabolus)

Model Erich Taylor

Full Name: Faust Diabolus

Age: Unknown

Height: About 6'1

Weight: Unknown

Appearance: A set of intriguing silver eyes that's made to frighten and attract the attention of those around him. He's tall, muscular, and rarely smiles.

Personality: Most of his personality is unknown, but when he shows interests in others, he's usually sarcastic, vile, and careless.

Friendships: The whole school wants to be his friend, but who were they kidding?


Family: From what it seems, his family is Lucifer, his father, Desdemona, his supposed little sister, and Selene, he woman who Mary seems to think is the mother figure.

Favorite Subject in School: Faust says: "Surely you're jesting."

Likes/Loves: His interests are a mystery.

Hates: His pet peeves also.

Song: This Place is a Prison by The Postal Service

WIPs

Selena's WIPs

Catching Butterflies: The story of Sam Talbot, a girl who is brutally raped and killed by two classmates and her best friend, only to discover she isn't really dead. Sam is a walking spirit, and Purgatory won't let her in until she finishes her unfinished business. 11k/57k

The Getaway: Drew Cole, a former self-destructive teen is brought unto a happier road. That is until the only person he loves dies (foster father). He decides the only way to make himself feel better and escape the landslide everyone called "life" is to go to the place his foster father loved the most: Paris. 6k/70k

Escape to the Amazon: Nick Williams isn't a criminal. And yet, he was in a high-secured detention facility for teens somewhere within the Amazon Rain-forest. The reason? Nick had killed his best friend--out of self-defense. But when he starts to make new friends and an old friend joins him in the facility, Nick sees the growing cruelty the kids are facing from their abusive officers. As time grows, kids begin dying from mysterious causes. Nick wasn't going to be one of them. So he creates a plan. He was going to escape. With the help of his friends. They say he'll never make it out. But he was going to do it. Or die trying. 17k/82k




Serena's WIPs

Outlaw: James and Connor are best friends--the kind who'd die if the other did, the kind that did each other's dirty work, the kind that had each other's backs. Connor--the introvert, is smart, kind, and loyal, while James--the extrovert, is the daredevil. When two of them are caught in a situation where there are no negotiations, Connor gets the blame. But James won't take it. They'd run away together and stir up their own trouble to stay together, even if they have to kill. 11k/60k

Finding Sanctuary: Ian is an orphan. In the dystopian world he lives in, orphans only had one place to go: The Lion-Hearted Society. A place that seems so perfect on both the outside on the inside, Ian doesn't feel forced to join. Until he finds out the truth: Lion-Hearted Society is a children slave trade network program--where the healthy are not coveted, but rather despised. When Ian is sold to a psycho bidder, Ian plans to escape. But how would he be able he do that if he was going crazy himself? 7k/70k

Short Teaser Tuesday

So, this is an excerpt from a scene from the middle of the story. It's not very long--I think--so, please do enjoy it.


The loud, rowdy lunch room was anything but welcoming. I pushed through obnoxious people before I reached a clearing in the middle of the cafeteria. I looked to the right; to the left. He was no where to be found. I needed to find him. Right now.

"You still haven't had enough?" I spun around, almost tripping on my own reckless movement. He was looking at me, I at him, eyes locked so tight that my eyes started to water.

"Where's Faust?" I couldn't look at him for more than three seconds without being fearful. Noah's eyes didn't seem to be interested in generously telling me where Faust was, and even the people around me saw. Maybe I had exclaimed the name too loud--maybe everyone was wondering why I had the right to know where Faust was.

"Are you fucking serious, Mary?" I didn't like the sound of my name curling out of his lips. It sounded twisted. Evil. "Are you blind? Deaf? Retarded?" His words earned a few gasps in the background, and if I hadn't held on to my thoughts, he would've probably earned a whimper from me.

I looked at his feet, afraid that he would step forward and make a move. He never attacked me before, but with those eyes, I could only imagine what horrible things he was thinking of doing to me. I shivered at the thought. I didn't know my brother very well, and now, I really didn't want to.

© 2009 by Serena and Selena Howard

Character Profile - Craig Ponter

Actor Taylor Kitsch

Full Name: Craig Ponter


Age: Eighteen

Height: 5'11

Weight: Between 168-180(muscle)

Appearance: Olive eyes that compliments his sandy hair and fair complexion. Stunning smile and athletic body to woo the ladies.


Personality: Ambitious, protective, and though sometimes brash, he's very modest most of the time.


Friendships: Many friends, but linebacker Brody is his best buddy, along with Mary, whose more of a love interest.


Family: Hardworking wealthy parents--the only child.

Favorite Subject in School: Likes every subject--4.0 student.

Likes/Loves: football, parties, and Mary.


Hates: Faust, Mary's little brother, and anyone who engages with Faust.


Song: Dustland Fairytale by The Killers

Character Profile - Megan Smith

Actress Mila Kunis

Full Name: Megan Smith

Age: Sixteen

Height: 5'8

Weight: Between 122-126

Appearance: Hazel eyes with curly brown hair during the first part of the story. Straightens her hair later on. Hourglass body.


Personality: Wild, ambitious, and snaky.

Friendships: Mary's best friend before she befriends Daisy Constantine, Bianca Taylor, Noel Hutchings, and Sheila Jones.


Family: An alcoholic mother and a father she never knew.

Favorite Subject in School: English--sixth period, because she's in the class with Faust.

Likes/Loves: Herself, Craig, and Faust

Hates: Later on; Mary, Her mother and Craig.

Song: Diva by Beyonce

Character Profile - Noah White

Actor Logan Lerman

Full Name: Noah White

Age: Thirteen

Height: 5’6

Weight: Between 122-130

Appearance: Brown eyes and dark brown hair with thick eyebrows, an atheltic build and a cynical smile.


Personality: Careless about almost everything. Crude, sarcastic, and diabolical.

Friendships: Many friends, but the most important is Faust.


Family: Mary White, his pious older sister. His mother Ruth, a positive wife and a great pious mother. His father, the minister turned Christian School teacher; loving, caring, yet strict and disciplined.

Favorite Subject in School: None.

Likes/Loves: Himself and Faust.

Hates: Mary, his parents, and God-loving freaks.

Song: Blood on My Hands by The Used

Character Profile: Mary White

Actress:Elizabeth Harnois

Full Name: Mary White

Age: Sixteen

Height: 5’7

Weight: Between 117-120

Appearance: Big, blue eyes, neatly tucked blonde hair. A bald spot on the right side of her head, pretty pink lips, and thick eyebrows. Slender, but not athletic. Babyish face with an innocent smile.

Personality: God-loving, optimistic, sometimes stubborn. Also confused most of the time, questioning things. Educated, respectful, patient, and determined. Will get herself into danger if it means finding valuable information.

Friendships: Megan was her best friend, before she was ditched. Craig and Dillon, the only two people who seem to support her.
Love Interests: Craig becomes a love interest, but someone else catches her eyes…


Family: Noah/Lev, her thirteen year old lackadaisical little brother. Her mother Ruth, a positive wife and a great pious mother. Her father, the minister turned Christian School teacher; loving, caring, yet strict and disciplined.
Favorite Subject in School: English

Likes/Loves: God, School, Tolstoy.

Hates: Her delinquent English Partner Faust.

Song: Hoppipola-Sigur Ros