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{

First. Blog. Ever.

I realized yesterday that it's kind of blasphemous for a writer such as myself to not have a blog. So, here I am. I've been writing for years, but I'm only now starting my very first blog. I feel like a kid. I'm way out of my league. But I figure if everybody else can do it, why can't I? Birds fly over the rainbow, so why can't I?!?

...Anyway... 

Where to start? 

I guess I'll "introduce myself" for those who don't know who I am and what I do.

 I'm a writer (in case you didn't catch that the first time). I began writing poetry when I was a little girl living in New Mexico, then poems turned into songs after my mother and I moved to Colorado, and then I started attempting to write short stories and novels. Back then, they were about things like fairies and princesses. I mean come on, I was a little girl. But now I'm all grown up, and the subject matter has changed. I'm currently working on a novel called Undying. It's the first book in a science fiction trilogy. It's been called "Twilight for robots" among other things. I can't say too much about it, except that it's more epic than I ever anticipated, and I'm so excited to get it out there.

I'm also a musician. Or at least I try to be. My mother (and everyone else in my life) was very musical when I was growing up. She taught piano, played the guitar, and sang. So of course it wasn't long until I was following in her footsteps. When my mother would give her piano lessons in the living room, I would hear them from my bedroom. One day, after a student left, I came out of my room, sat down at the piano, and played exactly what she had been teaching her student, simply from hearing it from the other room. After that, music exploded into my life, and I've been writing songs ever since, while attempting to play the piano, guitar, and penny whistle. I've had a few music projects over the years. My current project is TwinStar, which I started with my husband when we met. We mostly write songs inspired by themes and characters in horror and science fiction films. TwinStar can be found on Facebook, Youtube, and the long-forgotten Myspace. I am also working on getting some of my solo music out there, but we'll see what happens.

And, last but not least, I am a video editor. When I was young, I used to listen to music and make up little videos to the songs in my head. I would annoy my mother and whoever else was around with my little "timelines" of my imaginary music videos. I don't think I even knew what a music video was at that point, much less that I could actually be making them. Then, when I was a teenager living in Lexington KY, a family friend introduced me to video editing, and it was instantly my number one passion. I could finally get what was in my head out there for other people to see. It's been about 10 years, and it's still my passion. I make music videos of movies and video games on Youtube, and I also make videos for my support group R.I.S.E.

Speaking of which, I founded R.I.S.E. (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) in 2008, to help spread the word about these epidemics, and to help victims and survivors RISE above the past and begin healing. I've met some wonderful people over the years, some of which are kind enough to help out with R.I.S.E. I'm so grateful to them. Together, we are hopefully saving lives by helping people see that they are not alone, and that suicide is not the answer. If you're interested for any reason, we are on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. Also, our Spokesperson Rindi runs a blog for R.I.S.E.

I have yet to make any kind of profit from any of the activities above, but I don't mind. It's not about money. It's about doing what I love.

Other than all that, I'm just a woman, living in Kentucky, playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies and television. Wow, that sounds boring. Oh, also, I'm on an eternal quest to find the meaning of life, and to evolve as much as I can while I'm here. But aren't we all? ...Wait... Don't answer that...

In this thing we call a blog, I will post updates on projects I'm working on, random ramblings for your reading pleasure, and movie reviews and things of that nature. I will try to post once a week. But we'll see what happens.

This has been a blog (specifically the first blog ever) from your friendly neighborhood Kylie Kerosene. Yes, I stole that line from Spider-Man. I forgot to tell you I'm also a bit of a nerd. Surprise!