Blog Hop: The Writing Process.

If you happen to have any questions about the extremely secretive Science Fiction series I've been working on, some of those questions are about to be answered... Sort of. ;)

This is my very first Blog Hop! I was tagged by a fellow writer from Google+ named Emma Lindhagen in this blog. Thanks Emma! I love answering questions, especially about my passions, so I'll never turn down something like this. :)

Blog Hop Rules:  

Answer the four questions below, link back to the person who invited you, and link to the people who will be posting the following Monday.

1. What am I working on? 

I recently finished draft 8 of my very first novel, the first in a Science Fiction series of graphic novels (sort of). So right now I'm working on draft 9, and on getting draft 8 ready for my beta readers. Finishing this book is taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but it's getting there! And I'm already working on some illustrations for the next novel in the series, so that I can have those out of the way and save lots of time. Always something in the works for me, and not just writing related, but that's what I'm working on writing-wise right now. 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, first of all, the fact that my novels have illustrations is pretty different. It's not a comic book, and I'm not sure it can even be classified as a graphic novel. It's a novel, with illustrations included every now and then. Also, it's more than just Science Fiction (which will be more apparent once the second book comes out). It could also be classified as Romance (Although there isn't much of that ewey gewey sex stuff in it, it is romantic. It's been referred to as "Twilight for robots" if that tells you anything, LOL); Young Adult (which I guess is more of a target audience than a genre, although it's not just for young people - I like to think there's something in it for everyone); and maybe even Horror (lots of gore in both the novels and the illustrations - not so much that it's hard to read, I hope, but just enough to turn the stomach a bit). But I suppose lots of books do that... I think... Which reminds me, I'm probably the only writer on the planet that doesn't like to read books. It's not that I don't want to, I just don't have the patience. Too much going on in my head. So, that probably makes my novels different from writers who do read (hopefully in a good way, but we'll see). 

3. Why do I write what I write?

Because the writing gods demand it, and would probably drive me completely insane if I didn't write what I write. Also, this isn't just a hobby for me - it is my purpose. It feels good to finally be able to say that with confidence.  If I do nothing else before I die, I want my books to be read. Not because I want money or fame, but because I know they will change people. That is the real purpose of my novels. Each of them has a message for specific people. People with a purpose, like me. I want to ignite a generation of dreamers and thinkers, of warriors and peace-keepers. I want to change the world in some small way... But doesn't everyone? (I hope that's the case anyway) 

4. How does your writing process work?

3 words: Music, music, MUSIC. It is what inspires the stories in my novels, it is what keeps me writing when I feel like quitting, and it is what reminds me that this is my purpose. Even as I write this blog, "Like A Ray" by Ki: Theory is blasting in my ears. It's the song that inspired a huge event in my novel (which was also forged in the fires of music from LIVE, Ours, Coldplay, M83, and especially 30 Seconds To Mars, who's music has inspired over half of this trilogy). The very first thing I do when a novel idea comes to me is make a playlist of the music that inspired it, and listen to it while I write (and illustrate). More on my writing process can be found in this guest blog I wrote for a friend a while back, in which I also give writing advice (to the best of my current noob-ability, LOL). 

Well, there you have it. My first Blog Hop. :)

I now direct you to some awesome writer friends from Twitter. 

R. James Stevens (author of Clarity), and

Andrew Baker (author of H.C. To Light State), 
who also has a cool fanboy profile here.

Both these guys are great writers, as well as great friends who have been so supportive. They really are awesome, and I can't wait to read their answers to these questions next week! I hope you'll check out their blogs and read them too ;) 

}i{

"City of Angels" Music Video

Recently, 30 Seconds To Mars asked their fans (AKA The Echelon) to vote on what they thought should be their next single. Many voted for "City of Angels" and I joined them, giving good reasons for my vote. 

Being an aspiring video editor (youtube.com/kyliekerosene) of course I've now imagined an entire video for this song. LOL. Usually I won't post scripts for my videos online, but I'm not trying to make any money by doing this, I just want them to use my idea because I think it's perfect for the song. So, here it is: 

(Please skip over this part if you don't understand it. More blog after this!!!)

 

00:00 

Time-lapse of the sun starting to set over L.A. 

00:10 

Slow motion shots of city lights coming on as the sun sets, & other slow motion shots. 

00:27 

Quick shots of local people & places (signs, ETC.) to the beat of the drums. 

00:37 

Jared on a rooftop playing piano. Maybe some quick shots of this to the beat too. 

00:46 

RV of Shannon & Tomo walking through the city streets. More quick shots to the beat. Shannon maybe twirling a sharpie like a drumstick. (This will make more sense as you read on)

00:55 

Jared standing on the roof with a microphone, singing, the Hollywood sign glowing in the distance behind him. 

01:04 

Shot of a local boy around 17. Shannon & Tomo reach him, shake his hand, & Shannon draws a triad on the boy's hand with a sharpie. CU of the boy looking from his hand to them as they walk away. 

01:13

A goth girl or maybe a hooker on the corner, obviously lonely. They walk up to her & draw a triad on her hand. 

01:29

Jared on the roof singing.

01:32 

RV of Shannon & Tomo walking through the crowded streets, silhouetted by lights. Interlaced with shots of Jared singing on the roof. 

01:41 

Shannon & Tomo draw a triad on another local's hand, ETC. 

01:45

Jared singing on the roof, the lights behind him. 

01:50 

Some more slow motion shots. 

01:55 

Shannon & Tomo walk into a bar or restaurant. 

01:57

Jared singing. 

02:02 

Shannon & Tomo in the bar/restaurant. Shots of violinists playing to the music. They approach a woman with a little boy. Tomo draws a triad on her hand on "mother" & Shannon draws a triad on the boy's hand on "brother" 

02:09 

Jared singing "me" 

02:11 

Shannon & Tomo walk out of the bar/restaurant, the mother & son watching curiously. Maybe more violinist shots. 

02:13 

"The silver of a lake at night" ...'Nuff said. 

02:18 

Jared singing "The hills of Hollywood on fire" with the Hollywood sign behind him. Maybe some close up shots of the sign too. 

02:22 

Shots of the walk of fame & maybe a close up of Shannon & Tomo's feet as they walk across it. 

02:27 

A couple making out on "streets made of desire" because let's face it, it wouldn't be 30STM without it LOL (& because sex sells) 

02:31 

Shannon & Tomo mark more people, ETC. 

02:40 

Jared singing. 

02:45 

Shots of city lights, ETC. 

02:50

Shannon & Tomo start climbing the stairs to the rooftop where Jared is. 

02:54 

Jared singing as Shannon & Tomo set up to play in the background. 

02:59 

Time-lapse of the sun beginning to rise, & shots of the people they've drawn on (some where they were & maybe some getting out of bed) as their triads start glowing. 

03:05 

Slow motion shot of Shannon bringing his drumstick down to hit it for the first time. Cut away right before hitting. 

03:08 

Shots of the people they marked as wings appear on their backs on "angels" (CGI if able, & if not then just strap on wings that are already on. Either way, this is the first time we see wings.) Their eyes maybe glow too as they look at the camera. Some quick shots of them to the beat, shots of the sun rising, ETC. 

03:24 

CU of Shannon playing the drums. 

03:25 

Jared singing "I am" on the roof with the band. The sun has risen now. 

03:27 

The marked with their angel wings all start running from where they each are on "home" in slow motion.

03:31 

The band playing on the roof. 

03:36

The marked with their angel wings running in slow motion. There are a bunch of them (naturally). They eventually meet up at the base of the building the band is on. 

03:42 

The band playing & singing as it begins to rain. On "angels" zoom out & down to the crowd (filmed from the crowd) 

03:47 

CU of one of the marked looking up at the sky as it starts raining. On "strangers" zoom way out & up to show the whole crowd (filmed from the roof) 

03:53 

The band singing & playing, ETC.

04:03 

Slow motion shots of the marked angels jumping upward, maybe with a hand raised & a finger pointing up for "one" ETC. 

04:12 

The band singing & playing, ETC. 

04:21 

Shots of the crowd holding hands or some of them hugging, drenched with rain. Maybe shots of people walking by watching, ETC. If possible, a time-lapse of the city as the entire crowd of smiling angels slowly fades out of the shot, giving a disappearing effect. Maybe a time-lapse of the sun beginning to set again. 

04:40

The band playing & singing on the roof, wet from the rain (the girls will love it LOL) with the setting sun behind them, if possible. BTW Jared is now back at the piano, & now the band all has angel wings on (or CGI'd. Either way we don't see their wings till now.) 

04:44

Shannon & Tomo disappear (instruments included) & Jared is left playing piano & singing alone on the roof in the setting sun with angel wings. 

04:49 

On the last "angels" Jared looks up from the piano at the view, maybe with tears of joy rising  in his eyes. 

04:51 

Wide shot of Jared at the piano with his wings, the setting sun &/or Hollywood sign behind him, silhouetting him. 

04:53 

Jared disappears too, leaving a gorgeous shot of a lone piano on the roof, silhouetted by the sunset &/or Hollywood sign in the background. Zoom out slow. 

04:59 

Cut to black. 

Beautiful, right? 

I sure hope you think so. 

If you like this video idea, be an angel (pun intended) & share this blog online using the hashtag #MarsAngels along with a photo of yourself wearing angel wings (or photoshopped wings) & a triad on your hand. like so: 

(Evol Eric)

(Kylie Kerosene)

& make sure to tag the band & its members if you can! Even if you can't do the pictures for some reason, you can still share this blog! Here's a great example of an amazing tweet from @MarsAmee: 

There is no guarantee that this will work. In fact, it probably won't. But even if it doesn't, it's a fun way to come together & show our love for this band & this song. 

I don't live in L.A. & I have no other agenda than just to get this idea out there while bringing Echelon together. I hope you'll join me! Who knows, if I get enough people to submit pictures I might even make a lyric slideshow of my own to the song ;) 

Have fun posing, angels! 

Be the lighting, 

Kylie Kerosene. 

UPDATE: 

Well, if you follow the band, you know by now that they didn't use my idea. They did use the rooftop idea though, so I'm okay with that. :) Thanks to those who participated. It was fun! For those who may not have seen it, here is the official "City Of Angels" music video: 

Professional Fangirl

After much consideration, I have decided to add the term "Professional Fangirl" to my Facebook Bio. However, to me, the term "fangirl" doesn't necessarily mean what it means to most people. I'm aware that there are some insane people who take fandoms way too far and can even become violent in their love for something or someone, but I am not one of those people. In fact, I hate those people. I am simply a fan of a lot of different things. Movies, TV shows, bands, even some actors and actresses. But my main goal is supporting them and spreading the word about them, because they move something in me, and I simply want others to be moved as well. 

Here is the top description of a fangirl from Urban Dictionary: 

"A rabid breed of human female who is obesessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Similar to the breed of fanboy. Fangirls congregate at anime conventions and livejournal. They have been known to glomp, grope, and tackle when encountering said obsessions." 

Yeah, so that doesn't really describe me at ALL. While I am a fan of a lot of things, I definitely am not obsessed. And I most certainly would NEVER tackle someone just because I admired them for their work. Why would I want to hurt someone who inspires me? Admiration should come with RESPECT. If I were to meet my favorite director M. Night Shyamalan or my favorite band 30 Seconds To Mars, I would be excited, sure, but not to the point that I would scream in their faces and turn into an ape-like being with no sense to utter normal words.

Also, the Echelon (30 Seconds To Mars fan base) has some great people in it, but some are so insane that they will threaten people online with finding where they live, coming to their house, and killing them, just for being seen with Jared Leto (the band's singer). That's some pretty scary stuff. I do consider myself an Echelon, but there's no way in hell I'd be that crazy with it. Of course the guy has female friends and lovers. He's a musician. Why should I care what he does with his free time? As long as he and his fellow band members keep pumping out amazing music to strengthen and inspire me, I'm good. Thanks.

When Taylor Swift visited The Ellen Show  to promote her newly released album "Red" and perform a couple songs, I noticed that when she came out into the crowd of screaming fans, a few of them literally reached up and grabbed her, nearly pulling her from the stage. You could see it on her face - her guard was up. Luckily, she knew how to handle it, jerking her hand away with a smile, but I felt so bad for her and for all celebrities who get treated like this. I mean, this person is performing for you, and you're screaming so loud you can't even hear them? And you're really going to try and hurt them just so you can be near them? REALLY? Some people are crazy. Actually, most people are. I will never understand most fans and their mindless obsessions with other human beings just because of what they do. What happened to the days when people went to concerts to hear the music, not to try and get a piece of the musician?!? Sadly it seems those days are dead and gone. 

But anyway, I'm ranting. Where was I?

One thing I've noticed on Twitter is that celebrities typically do not respond to the crazy fans that tweet them constant praise for their work, and if they DO respond or retweet and that person freaks out, throwing up all over the internet, it's over. That celebrity will probably never talk to that fan again. However, when you treat a celebrity like a NORMAL person (which is what they are) the chances that they will respond to you are so much higher. I know this from experience. And I HATE when a twitter account fills their bio with "So and so retweeted me" or "followed by so and so" - Um, HELLO, bio's are supposed to tell people about YOU, not about what a nut you are. That is the one sure way I for one WON'T follow you on Twitter. I mean, some of my favorite celebrities and TV shows have replied, retweeted, and followed me on Twitter, but it's no big deal. Know why? Because they're just another person! And I guarantee you I wouldn't have had the continued relationships I've formed with some of them if I had been like "OMG OMG OMG YOU JUST REPLIED TO ME OMFG AAAHHH!!!" LOL. That's annoying. Not only to the person you're addressing, but to everyone who sees it. You have to put yourself in the other person's shoes when talking to someone. And that goes for anyone, not just celebrities. 

But I'm ranting again. What is this about? Oh, right, being a professional fangirl. 

 Whereas regular fangirls might be crazy like that, I feel that the term "professional" fangirl describes someone who is a fan but doesn't go crazy over things, or people. That might not be the official definition of it, but that's how I feel. I am labeling myself as such because I am simply inspired by certain music, TV shows, movies, and people to be who I am. To live the life I want to live. It's hard to explain, but in a way my love for these things is a way of expressing myself, and even defining myself. My love of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones represents the side of me that is a warrior. My love of science fiction (such as Defiance and Mass Effect) is a reflection of my desire to explore the unknown and to evolve as a human being and a race as a whole. And I could go on and on, but there are pieces of me in the things I love, and therefore I love sharing them with the world, because it's part of who I am in a sense. Even if I end up a celebrity myself, I'll probably always continue to love and support and appreciate good movies, music, TV, ETC. I don't think I'll ever be able to explain it no matter how much I type, so I leave you with a list of some TV shows I'm considered a fan of.

Being Human (Syfy)
Defiance (Syfy)

Game of Thrones (HBO)
True Blood (HBO)

The Vampire Diaries (CW)
 Beauty and the Beast (CW)
Nikita (CW)

Enlightened (Cancelled by HBO)
The Secret Circle (Cancelled by CW)

Teen Wolf (MTV)

Bomb Girls (Reelz)

Vikings (H2)


You can find me fangirling regularly on Twitter and Facebook.
I also create fan art sometimes. Check it out ;)